Church of Light

The patrol squad had set out from the eastern side of their garrison. After traveling for seven or eight days, they would return from the north. This trip took them in a circuit along the outer edge of the Misty Forest in the direction of the Longsheng Empire. They had remained at the boundary between the forest's middle and outer regions, never venturing deep into danger.

Although Magical Beasts occasionally appeared along the way, their numbers had been nowhere near this great. Among the Thorn Mud Pig herd they encountered yesterday was even a King Pig with Intermediate Peak strength. At the critical moment, Jialan's Ice Cone Technique collided head-on with the King Pig's innate spell, and the two canceled each other out, preventing any casualties within the squad.

"Is this a Magical Beast riot?" Jialan asked Captain John, who had been stationed at the border for five or six years.

John pondered for a long while. "Doesn't seem like it. Magical Beasts and ordinary beasts are fleeing together. It looks more like they've been forced to migrate. Could a high-level Magical Beast deep in the forest have advanced and be expanding its territory?"

The two exchanged silent looks. Neither could reach a conclusion, so they could only order the squad to slow down and remain doubly vigilant.

As the squad pressed onward, the beast packs they encountered became increasingly dense. With everyone working together, Jialan even managed to kill three or four Intermediate Magical Beasts. He took only two Magic Crystals, along with some hides and blood, then bought the other two at market price. John distributed the proceeds among the soldiers, leaving everyone delighted. Only the worry between John's brows never faded.

After another day of travel, they finally reached the farthest point of their patrol route without incident. As long as they rested at this camp for the night, they could begin their return journey tomorrow.

That night, Jialan was meditating when he suddenly sensed seven or eight violent energy fluctuations from deep within the forest several miles away, rapidly approaching the camp. One of the auras felt strangely familiar—it seemed to be Katerina. Such a display was beyond the capability of low-level professionals. He immediately rose to his feet.

The moment he stepped out of the stone house, he saw John approaching him. The two shared a knowing look and immediately decided to investigate. This was no trivial disturbance; they could not simply stand by. Sending ordinary soldiers would be no different from sending them to their deaths, so only the two of them headed over in silence.

By the time they reached the battlefield, the fighting was in full swing. Hiding in the grass to observe, they saw Katerina, a tall knight, and a Female Warrior surrounded by five people. The Female Warrior was seriously wounded. The three struggled to hold their ground, and the situation was perilous.

Among the attackers, three warriors held the front line, while an archer moved about and fired cold arrows. What alarmed Jialan most was the White Robe Priest standing in the rear. The woman, in her thirties, held a staff topped with a white gemstone that radiated a soft glow, enveloping the three warriors ahead of her.

All priests were Light Element mages. Across the continent, over seventy percent of priests were in the Holy See Country, also known as the Church of Light. Located in the Land of Divine Descent at the center of the continent, it was also the wealthiest place on the continent.

Though its territory was small, it possessed followers amounting to more than seventy percent of the continent's total population. The country had no army, but it had four Holy Knights. Only knights of Intermediate rank or above qualified to join. Though each order had a full strength of only ten thousand men, its combat power surpassed that of an army two hundred thousand strong.

Beyond that, there was also the Inquisition, feared by all. They were the most fanatical believers of the gods. When dealing with heretics, they had always had only one word... Kill. The Inquisition answered directly to the Pope.

The Pope of the Church of Light was also known as God's representative in the mortal world. At the very least, he was a Light Element Archmage. The current Pope of Light was the continent's only Saint Archmage, the sole existence capable of casting a Forbidden Spell without paying any price.

Given enough time to cast, he alone could wipe out an army of five hundred thousand. Beneath the Pope were eight Cardinals, all of them Archmages.

Four of them resided permanently in the Holy See Country. The other four were stationed respectively at St. Paul's Cathedral in the Imperial Capital of the Longsheng Empire, Cologne Cathedral in the Imperial Capital of the Huarong Empire, Westminster Cathedral in the Imperial Capital of the Aus Empire, and Milan Cathedral in Milan City, where the Koso Federation's parliament was located.

Rumor had it that if the Pope of the Church of Light and all eight Cardinals acted together, they could destroy any nation on the continent, including the four great empires.

Moreover, beneath the Cardinals were more than ten White Bishops. Every White Bishop possessed at least the strength of a Beginner Archmage—top-tier combat power for some kingdoms.

The Holy See Country was so powerful that the great powers could only swallow their displeasure. In most kingdoms, divine authority even outweighed royal authority. A king's coronation could not proceed without the Church's approval.

Naturally, the four great empires were exceptions. In fact, the Church was suppressed within all four empires. After all, what emperor would enjoy having another supreme ruler sitting above his head?

Besides the Holy See Country, there were naturally other priests as well, such as wandering priests who cultivated on their own. Great nobles and even royal families also supported their own priests. Although Light Element casters were not as formidable in direct combat as casters of other elements, their healing effects were beyond comparison with other spells.

"What are you standing around for?" Katerina's voice transmission suddenly rang beside Jialan's ear. "These are Aus Empire infiltrators. They've been skulking around here, so they must be plotting something! Help us take them down, and you'll earn a merit on the military record!"

Jialan looked closely and confirmed that the priest's robes bore no Holy See insignia. Whether the other side had deliberately concealed their identities no longer mattered. Once he and John joined the battle, the two sides were evenly matched in numbers. Though the enemy had a priest supporting them, Jialan, as a caster, was confident he would not be at a disadvantage.

He quietly drew out his staff. After six or seven seconds of chanting, his most proficient Ice Cone Technique had taken shape. A half-meter-long ice cone tore through the air, heading straight for the White Robe Priest.

The sudden attack shocked everyone. They had long noticed someone lying in wait, but never expected there to be a caster among them. The archer reacted fastest, firing an arrow infused with battle aura at the ice cone, but it only shattered off a few icy fragments. The priest hurriedly interrupted her enhancement spell. With no time to cast a defense, she could only hastily take out a scroll and crush it. A pillar of light burst forth, blasting the ice cone into countless ice crystals that fluttered down through the forest.