Chapter 500: The Show Begins

Zero was horrified. His gaze swept continuously over his surroundings. He gave little thought to the Warrior Monk, fearing instead the rest of the Temple of God Slaying.

Damn it! Pride and his circle were the only ones who knew my whereabouts, and Pride himself provided this location. Why did the Temple of God Slaying appear the moment I arrived? Is this a trap?

Realizing the situation was slipping beyond his control, Zero was seized by a urge to retreat. Transforming into a beam of holy light, he shot into the distance.

At that exact moment, a dim luminescence lit up the valley, and the sky plunged instantly into perpetual night as an ominous, forbidden force erupted across the terrain.

The valley trembled violently. Tens of thousands of the dead crawled up from beneath the soil, clogging the ravines until a dense forest of skeletons packed the earth from wall to wall.

At the highest peak of the valley stood a girl in a black dress, her hollow eyes looking down at Zero from above.

A wall of hideous, undead horrors barred his path.

"Huangquan of the Temple of God Slaying!" Shock and rage warred in Zero's voice. This was a calculated ambush. Did Pride truly betray me?!

"Hahaha... Thanks to the intel from Pride, you won't escape this time, Zero!" the Warrior Monk cackled wildly, raising his Bronze Staff as he charged.

Zero's heart sank in panic. What?! It really was Pride's intel?

No... how could that be? Pride is the Pope of Hell! His devotion to God is absolute—he understands the Primal Scripture even better than I do! How could he be a traitor?

I have studied the Primal Scripture for decades and still fall short of Pride. If he were a traitor, did he spend a century immersing himself in the Primal Scripture just to play a role?

Zero fought back in a flurry of moves, but the logic felt increasingly flawed. The Primal Divine Cult that Pride developed was ten times larger than his own, and Pride's commentary on the Primal Scripture was ten times more profound. How could a man like that turn traitor?

Even if Pride were a traitor, why would the Temple of God Slaying sell out such a valuable mole so casually?

In a flash of insight, Zero saw through the ruse. The Temple of God Slaying wanted to frame Pride and spark an internal feud within the Primal Divine Cult! The real traitor was someone else!

Who could it be?

Everyone who knew my whereabouts is inside the Primal Divine Domain. The hundred thousand cultists are out of the question—they have no way to send messages outside. If it isn't the cultists, and it isn't Pride, then who else...

Heilong!!

That wretched traitor!

The realization made Zero's eyes split with rage. In the entire Primal Divine Cult, Heilong had the shallowest faith! He was an outsider from the Temple of God Slaying who had joined them halfway through.

Pride served as the Primal Pope amid the brutal conditions of Hell; his entry into the faith might predate my own, so he was no latecomer. Thinking it through, Heilong is the only one who fits!

In the entire Primal Divine Cult, Heilong alone is an outsider.

Perhaps the Temple of God Slaying found a way to shield him from the Primal Angel's influence, purposefully planting him inside the Primal Divine Cult as a spy!

It sounds improbable, but once you eliminate every impossible option, whatever remains—no matter how unlikely—must be the truth!

No, I have to hurry back. With me gone, that traitor Heilong will surely strike at the Primal Divine Cult!

Knowing he had walked into a snare, Zero grew increasingly frantic to break away. Yet against two Demigod Realm experts acting in unison, even he was hard-pressed to hold his ground.

He could manage the Warrior Monk's relentless close-quarters attacks, but Huangquan posed the true threat. This was not their first clash, and he knew her deadliness lay in her power to summon the Eight Million Underworld Hosts.

That endless sea of dead souls retained part of their former strength, making them agonizingly difficult to clear.

To defeat Huangquan, his only option was to close the distance and decapitate her!

With his mind made up, Zero gritted his teeth and absorbed the hit from the Warrior Monk's World-Incinerating Karmic Fire, choosing to take damage so he could lung straight at Huangquan.

Trading injury for momentum, he forced the Warrior Monk back for a split second. Though wounded, Zero unleashed burst after burst of power, breaking through the wall of undead to reach the top of the valley.

"Die!" With a look of utter madness, Zero condensed brilliant holy light into a longsword and swung it viciously toward Huangquan.

The strike packed such staggering power that even the void cracked open.

Before the blade could reach her, a black-robed figure stepped silently to Huangquan's side, watching the incoming blow with cold, calm eyes.

It was Wuming, master of the Temple of God Slaying.

Wuming slowly raised his right hand, slipping a pale, slender palm out from his wide sleeve. Pitch-black fissures ran up his arm, where the flesh looked completely hollowed out, as if it had vanished into nothingness.

"Wuming!!" Zero cried in terror, trying to pull back his force, but his momentum was already unstoppable.

He could only watch in horror as Wuming caught the holy light longsword with his bare hand.

An eerie phenomenon

Zero was horrified, his eyes sweeping frantically across the area. He cared little for the Warrior Monk; it was the rest of the Temple of God Slaying he feared.

Damn it! Only Pride and a few others knew my whereabouts, and Pride himself provided this location. Why did the Temple of God Slaying show up the moment I arrived? Is this a trap?

Realizing the situation was slipping out of his control, Zero turned to flee. He transformed into a streak of holy light and shot toward the horizon.

At that exact moment, an eerie glow lit up the entire valley. Day turned to pitch black as an ominous, taboo power erupted.

The ground shook violently. Tens of thousands of the dead crawled out from beneath the earth, filling the gorge with a dense, sprawling forest of skeletons.

Atop the valley's highest peak stood a girl in a black dress, looking down at Zero with hollow, unseeing eyes.

A wall of ghastly corpses blocked Zero's path.

"Huangquan... from the Temple of God Slaying!" Shock and fury surged through Zero. This was a calculated ambush. Did Pride really sell me out?!

"Hahaha... Thanks to the intel from Pride, you're trapped like a rat, Zero!" the Warrior Monk roared in excitement, lunging forward with his Bronze Staff held high.

Zero recoiled in horror. What?! Pride really gave them the intel?

No... how is that possible? Pride is the Pope of Hell. His faith in God is absolute—he knows the Primal Scripture even better than I do. How could he be a traitor?

I've spent decades studying the Primal Scripture, yet I still fall short of Pride's understanding. If he's a traitor, did he spend a century mastering the holy text just to play the mole?

Zero scrambled to defend himself, his mind racing as he fought. The Primal Divine Cult that Pride built was ten times larger than his own, and Pride's insights into the scripture were ten times deeper. How could a man like that be a traitor?

And even if Pride were a traitor, why would the Temple of God Slaying expose their informant so casually?

In an instant, it clicked. The Temple of God Slaying was framing Pride to spark a civil war within the cult. The real traitor was someone else!

Who could it be?

Everyone who knew my location is inside the Primal Divine Domain. It couldn't be the hundred thousand cultists—they have no way to pass word outside. If it's not the cultists and not Pride, then who...

Heilong!!

That wretched traitor!

As the realization took hold, Zero's eyes split with rage. In the entire Primal Divine Cult, Heilong was the least devout. He was the only outsider—a member of the Temple of God Slaying who had joined them halfway.

Pride served as the Primal Pope down in the harsh depths of Hell; he might have been in the cult even longer than I have. He was never an outsider. But Heilong...

Heilong is the only true stranger here.

The Temple of God Slaying must have found a way to shield him from the Primal Angel's influence, sending him in as a sleeper agent.

It sounds absurd, but once you eliminate every impossible option, whatever remains—no matter how unlikely—must be the truth!

I have to get back. With me gone, that traitor Heilong will strike at the cult!

Desperate to break free, Zero fought with frantic intensity. Yet under the relentless pressure of two Demigods, even he was hard-pressed to hold his ground.

He could manage the Warrior Monk's close-quarters assault, but Huangquan was a nightmare. He had clashed with her before, and her power to summon the Eight Million Underworld Hosts was exhausting to deal with.

An endless horde of the dead, each retaining a fraction of their past strength. The only way to defeat her was a direct, decapitative strike.

Target set, Zero threw himself forward, taking the full force of the Warrior Monk's World-Incinerating Karmic Fire without hesitation.

Willing to trade injury for momentum, he forced the monk back, erupted with power, and battered his way through the undead wall toward the peak.

"Die!" Zero screamed, his face twisted in madness. Brilliant light gathered in his grip, condensing into a massive blade of holy energy that he brought down on Huangquan.

The force was so immense it ripped through the surrounding space.

Just before the blow connected, a black-robed figure materialized silently beside Huangquan, watching Zero with cold, impassive eyes.

Wuming, the master of the Temple of God Slaying.

Wuming slowly raised his right hand. A pale, slender palm emerged from his oversized sleeve, revealing several pitch-black fissures along his arm—gaps where flesh and bone seemed to have vanished entirely.

"Wuming!!" Panic seized Zero. He tried to pull back his attack, but the momentum was too great.

He could only watch in terror as Wuming caught the holy blade with his bare hand.

Then the impossible happened. Wuming remained entirely unscathed, while Zero let out a bloodcurdling scream.

A horrific sword wound split across Zero's shoulder, nearly rending his torso in two.

Blood showered through the air.

Before Wuming could follow up, the panicked Zero summoned a glowing eyeball into his palm.

A dazzling blue light burst from the orb like a detonating neutron star. Buzz!

The eerie light expanded outward in a rapid, sweeping wave, rippling across thousands of miles of space and blanketing the battlefield.

The moment the light touched Wuming and the others, their movements froze, their eyes going blank.

By the time they snapped back to their senses, the light had vanished—and Zero was gone.

...

...

Inside the Primal Divine Domain.

Heilong's face was flushed with wild joy, a feeling shared by the hundred thousand cultists around him.

Through their relentless prayer, the Primal Angel had responded once more, waves of holy light pulsing across its surface like soft ripples on water.

This time, no one stopped. Their eyes burned with fanaticism as they chanted endlessly, staring at the divine figure.

As the light grew brighter, the cultists grew more ecstatic, convinced they were witnessing the rebirth of the Primal Angel.

To the side, Su Mu quietly adjusted his glasses, a subtle smile touching the corners of his lips.

He whispered under his breath, "The show... has begun."

Suddenly, the light on the Primal Angel snapped off—like a bonfire doused in ice water.

Heilong's face fell instantly. "What happened?!"

He whipped around, glaring venomously at the crowd. "Who was it?! Who stopped praying?!"

The cultists exchanged panicked, angry glances, eager to root out the culprit who had ruined the ritual.

"No one stopped," Su Mu offered, sounding puzzled. "I was watching closely. Every single person was praying devoutly."

"Then why did the response stop?!" Heilong raged. "Someone here lacks faith!"

"That's odd," Su Mu said, his brows furrowed. "Since we successfully reached the Primal Angel under the leadership of the Black Dragon Pope, it proves these followers are genuine. If their faith was flawed, the angel wouldn't have answered in the first place.

Unless..."

"Unless what?" Heilong locked his eyes on Su Mu, desperate for an answer from the knowledgeable Pope of Hell.

Su Mu didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked up toward the distant sky with a strange expression.

Heilong hesitated, then followed his line of sight—just in time to see Pope Zero, soaked in blood, step out from the void.

The moment Heilong saw him, the truth struck. There was nothing wrong with the people here. The only variable... was the one who had just returned!

Rage erupted within Heilong like a volcano as he glared up at Zero.

Zero's own bloodshot, fury-filled eyes locked onto his at the exact same moment.

"You!" they screamed in unison.