Chapter 705 - 442: Blasphemy (Part 2)

Chapter 705: Chapter 442: Blasphemy (Part 2)

’Hmm... This means there must be a Desecration Church stronghold nearby. I’ve come to the right place.’ Zhou Chen dismounted and drew a common longsword.

Seeing that he dared to resist, the Desecration Cultists sneered, "Get him! Kill him!"

...

「One minute later.」

THUD.

The last head hit the ground.

The group of Desecration Cultists who had tried to rob him were easily dispatched by Zhou Chen.

He collected the dropped coins, then snapped his fingers. Cyan Flame erupted from the ground, incinerating the bodies, bloodstains, and all other traces into ash.

Then, his face changed, and he transformed into one of the Desecration Cultists from before. Four pairs of eyes appeared on his face, shimmering with an evil darkness, and the ominous aura of the Abyss began to emanate from his body.

Zhou Chen continued deeper into the canyon, this time on foot, as none of the Desecration Cultists had been on horseback.

"I can feel the aura of an Illusion Technique," Danika mused. "They really did rebuild this place. Go to the left. See that thick, large tree? Pass through it."

Following Danika’s directions, Zhou Chen walked forward. As he passed through the large tree, the surrounding scenery rippled like the surface of water. He passed through the camouflaging Illusion Technique, and the scene before him changed completely.

A huge cavern appeared.

[Quest ’Investigate the Desecration Church Stronghold’ Updated: +1000 EXP.]

[Update: You have discovered the hidden stronghold of the Desecration Church. You’ve decided to enter and investigate, looking for an opportunity to destroy it.]

[Quest Reward: 30,000 EXP.]

A Knight in heavy armor stood at the cavern entrance, holding a massive broadsword. A Black Sun was painted on the chest of his heavy plate armor. He stood as still as a mountain, his pitch-black eyes fixed on Zhou Chen, radiating a crushing pressure.

Zhou Chen walked over, his expression unchanged.

"Why have you returned alone?" the Dark Sun Knight asked in a deep voice.

"I sprained my ankle. Came back to rest for a bit. They won’t miss me."

The Dark Sun Knight said no more, tacitly allowing him to pass.

Zhou Chen entered the cavern without a hitch. A gust of wind, thick with the dregs of the Abyss, rushed to meet him. The place was clearly heavily contaminated.

He walked down the tunnel, and before long, a three-way fork appeared before him.

"Take the first path on the left and follow it to the end," Danika advised.

Zhou Chen followed her instructions. A clamor gradually grew louder from ahead, and a huge tavern came into view. Dozens of Desecration Cultists were gathered there, drinking and chatting.

’So many people...’ Zhou Chen’s thoughts stirred.

"Jill, weren’t you out on a raid? Why are you back?" a drunken Desecration Cultist suddenly asked, looking at Zhou Chen.

’Oh, so this guy’s name is Jill. I killed him too fast to even ask his name...’ A thought flashed through Zhou Chen’s mind as he said helplessly, "I accidentally sprained my ankle. It’s pretty bad, so I came back to rest."

"BWAHAHAHA..." A wave of raucous laughter instantly erupted in the tavern.

"Hahaha... sprained his ankle... Bwahahaha! Jill, you really are a sissy! No wonder Kai looks down on you!"

"Whining about a little injury like that... You’re a total waste of space."

"Such weak Willpower, and you still had the dumb luck to receive our Lord’s grace..."

Taunts, jeers, curses, envy...

Zhou Chen’s face visibly flushed with anger. Without a word, he turned to leave, not forgetting to fake a limp from his sprained ankle. This only made the people in the tavern roar with laughter.

’I haven’t gathered enough personal information. Leaving now is the only way to avoid being exposed. The longer I stay, the greater the risk of discovery.’

Zhou Chen returned to the previous fork and took the middle path.

The inside of the cavern was a maze of tunnels. The further in he went, the larger the spaces became, until it resembled a small, underground town.

Danika was very familiar with the area. Under her guidance, Zhou Chen arrived at a wide grotto filled with crude shacks, which appeared to be a residential area. A black stone was embedded in the grotto’s ceiling, emitting a dim light for illumination.

"You know this place so well. Did you used to live here?" Zhou Chen asked mentally.

"I lived here for a while. When I defected from the Church, I slaughtered everyone here. But that was many years ago. The Church has rebuilt it now, and I can feel an extremely dangerous presence deep underground. You need to be careful," Danika said.

Zhou Chen acknowledged her warning and entered the residential area. There weren’t many people around, making it a good time to explore.

"Jill." Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from the side.

It was a woman with a plain face, a third eye on her forehead, and two extra arms growing from under each of her armpits. She was a walking Alien Form, both horrifying and terrifying.

"Have you gotten the 100 Copper Coins I need yet? I’ve been waiting a long time," the woman demanded, treating Jill like her personal ATM.

Having seen much of the world, Zhou Chen instantly figured it out: this Jill was the ultimate simp, and this woman must be the Kai the men in the tavern had mentioned—the object of Jill’s obsessive fawning.

’Fine, be a simp, but couldn’t you at least simp for someone normal, or at least good-looking...?’ Zhou Chen complained internally, while showing an appropriate amount of embarrassment:

"Not... not yet..."

Kai sighed, her tone turning somewhat gentle. "Jill, have you forgotten what you once told me? You said you would help me become an Intermediate Cultist. Are you thinking of giving up halfway? The one thing I hate most is people who give up."

"No, that’s not it..."

"Then why are you here?"

"I sprained my ankle, so I wanted to come back and rest for a bit..."

A flash of disgust crossed Kai’s eyes, but she feigned concern. "Well, you should go get some rest. I’ll go find Landry and see if he’s gathered the Copper Coins."

With that, she turned and left without a backward glance, leaving the heartbroken Jill standing there, wanting to stop her but unable to find the words.

After she was long gone, Zhou Chen took advantage of the solitude to start exploring. However, he found nothing useful besides some miscellaneous junk.

Just then, the sound of a horn suddenly echoed from the depths of the cavern. It was so clear that, despite passing through layers of rock, it was as if it were being blown right next to his ear.

The Desecration Cultists resting in the residential area all emerged from their shacks and began walking out.

"It’s time for the ritual. Follow them," Danika said.

Zhou Chen followed in the footsteps of the Desecration Cultists, heading deeper into the cavern.

Soon, the streams of people converged, and a massive Dark Hall appeared before his eyes.

Inside the hall stood an enormous Black Sun Sculpture. The dark aura of the Abyss swirled around it, thick with desecration and ill omens.

More than three hundred Cultists knelt in unison, led by a Priest in prayer to the Black Sun.

Before long, the prayers ended. The Abyssal aura swirling around the Black Sun suddenly swelled, engulfing everyone.

"AAAAHHH, THE LORD’S BLESSING!"

"My... my Lord... It feels so good... so good..."

"Such immense Power... Ugh... Aaargh..."

The Cultists let out ecstatic moans as many of their bodies underwent terrifying mutations. They became less and less human, drawing ever closer to the form of Abyssal Demons. Yet, those around them watched with envious eyes.

The more severe the mutation, the more devout one’s faith in the Lord was considered to be, and the more favored they were.

This was why Jill, a Cultist who had mutated to have four pairs of eyes, was envied by so many. They couldn’t understand why the Lord would bestow his grace upon such a weak sissy.

Zhou Chen adjusted the leakage from the Book of the Dead in real-time, intensifying the Abyssal Contamination on his body.

THOOM!

Suddenly, the Black Sun Sculpture trembled, and everyone’s faces went pale with fright.

Immediately after, a black gemstone embedded in the Black Sun Sculpture released a beam of Eternal Dark Radiance. It shot directly at Zhou Chen, who was hidden in the crowd, hitting him like a spotlight on a stage and instantly making him the center of attention.

The entire hall fell silent.

What the fuck!!!

’I’m exposed?!’

Zhou Chen’s heart leaped in shock, and he was a split second away from starting a massacre.

Fortunately, the Priest’s ecstatic cry dispelled his alarm:

"It’s a Chosen One!"

"A Chosen One, acknowledged by the Lord himself!"