Local Sects Have Their Limits, So They Must Surpass Humanity! (5200)

Local sects have their limits... so they must surpass humanity! (5200)

The church stood at the center of the city, with believers often stopping nearby to pray.

Whether clergy or monks, most members of the Church of Light's Embrace wore white, and its believers revered the color as well. So when a group of worshippers in black robes, decorated with dark gray concentric-circle emblems, stopped at the church entrance, they stood out tremendously.

The contrast in color tones was simply too striking.

Any passerby with even a little knowledge of Terra's Four Great Orthodox Churches could tell that this was a party from the Nethertrace Order. Those with broader learning could even see that it was a group of students led by a teacher.

The people at the front hugged thick, weighty scriptures wrapped in metal chains tightly to their chests, carrying an air of scholarship.

The Nethertrace Order had believers across all Terra, but just as the Church of Light's Embrace was mainly distributed throughout the Seven Cities Alliance, the Central Empire, Ridgehold, and Frontier Reach, while the Machina Church was mainly found in the Blazing Flame Lands, the City of Knowledge, and Farshore Island, and the All-Spirits Hall was concentrated around the Azure Heaven Royal Court and Canaanmore—

The Nethertrace Order's main areas of activity lay in Frontier Reach, Ganterigum, and the Nine Frostsilence Mountains. They also had an excellent relationship with fairies.

Their sole drawback was their low presence. They focused on studying the world of the dead, and toward the society of the living, their attitude was one of "avoidance"—or perhaps "observation."

Like funeral parlors and crematoriums, they still existed within the human world, but unless one truly needed them, no one would deliberately involve themselves with them.

"Why are they here?"

Seeing the Nethertrace Order's party, Ian could not help but feel somewhat surprised. "And there's a 'Teacher'... this is a formal clergy team."

As Harrison Port developed, missionaries from other Orthodox Churches had indeed arrived here. But after discovering that the Church of Light's Embrace had long since established a church in the area, they had either chosen to head for more remote rural villages or given up preaching altogether and merely set up offices.

A party from the Nethertrace Order had also come once several years ago. They had a small office in the new district on the west side of the city, where they usually accepted commissions for deathbed prayers.

Normally, that office was sufficient for communication, liaison, and relaying information. There was naturally no need to station Ascendants there, much less clergy.

And as formal clergy of the Nethertrace Order, "Teachers" rarely left their temples—their "positions" used to connect with the Void Realm.

Something big is happening!

Ian thought this, instinctively growing vigilant. "For a Nethertrace Teacher to be dispatched, could another natural disaster have occurred in the South Sea?"

But Precognitive Vision showed no such omen.

He watched the Nethertrace Order's party enter the church. After thinking for a while, he brought Elan and Elder Pude along behind them.

The Nethertrace Order's party had made an appointment in advance, and Bishop White Mist personally came to receive them. But when he saw Ian following behind the group, he could not help but pause slightly before saying a few words to the Teacher at the front of the party.

As he spoke, the Teacher turned curiously and glanced at Ian.

She was a woman whose skin was so pale it was nearly translucent, the blue veins at her neck faintly visible. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold, and judging solely from her cheeks and chin, she looked quite young.

But her body was exceedingly frail, like that of a patient long confined to bed.

Yet some invisible force supported her movements, giving others the sense that she was not to be underestimated.

"It's him." The Teacher tilted her head. Though her eyes could not be seen, Ian felt as though their gazes had met.

She revealed a beautiful smile and said to Bishop White Mist, "Then you should talk first. We are in no hurry."

"Thank you for your understanding."

Bishop White Mist nodded. "You have traveled long and hard. Please rest in the quiet rooms at the rear hall first. We will provide food and incense."

Once he finished speaking, he actually left the Nethertrace Order's party behind and walked directly toward Ian.

"It has been a long time."

The old man, his clothes patched and his beard and hair both disheveled, smiled. "Welcome back to your hometown, Ian. Your achievements now have made everyone look at you in a new light... Little Elan, you must be very happy to see your brother, yes?"

He turned his head and greeted the little boy still eating grilled sausage with a kindly expression, making Elan hurriedly swallow his food and stand ramrod straight. "Yes, Grandpa White Mist! I'm very happy!"

"I have something to discuss with your brother and will need some time. Go outside and play with Posi and the others."

Bishop White Mist spoke, and Elan hesitantly looked at Ian. But after his brother nodded, he happily went to play with the children adopted by the Church of Light's Embrace.

Over the past few years, as Harrison Port's economy had developed, the local Church of Light's Embrace had also gained money. Like the areas surrounding the Sacred Mountain, it had begun adopting orphans and raising them to become monks.

Some of those children trained alongside Elan and played with him in their daily lives. They were close companions.

"I'll go keep an eye on the children."

Elder Pude, standing nearby with his hands behind his back, followed Elan as he left.

He could naturally tell that Ian and Bishop White Mist had something to discuss that he should not know about. Rather than be asked to leave later, he might as well depart first.

Ian and Bishop White Mist then headed toward the reception room at the back of the church.

"That Teacher actually knows me. I don't think I'm famous enough for that."

Along the way, Ian did not exchange pleasantries. He knew that conversations with true clergy of the Church of Light's Embrace required simplicity and directness. "Do the Four Great Orthodox Churches exchange lists of 'people who need observing' like me?"

"They do. But you underestimate your own fame. Lady Fertile Soil is also an alchemy scholar, so naturally she knows your name."

Bishop White Mist was concise. "They came for the 'shell' left behind in the Great Redwood Forest Sea. But that is only the surface reason."

"Their true purpose is to seek a 'prophet.'"

"A prophet..."

Ian repeated the word without changing expression. He had shed too many identities already, so he would not be surprised by something like this. Even if the Church of Light's Embrace had long realized that he was a prophet, he would not reveal the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Like any normal person, he paused as though processing the "shock" brought by the term, then said, "I never expected this to involve a prophet."

A phosphorescent white radiance lit in Bishop White Mist's eyes. He looked deeply at Ian, then replied just as calmly, "Indeed. Who would have expected it?"

"Because the Redwood Natives completely submitted to Harrison Port, Viscount Grant obtained many of the ancient texts they had inherited."

"He commissioned the Church of Light's Embrace and the other Orthodox Churches to handle those texts, which recorded numerous bizarre and bloody sacrificial rites. From them, we obtained quite a few extraordinarily special pieces of information—the Foresight Twin Leaves of native legend actually exist. They are an exceptionally special wonder that can grant people 'prophet-like' abilities."

"This information drew our interest, so Light's Embrace and Nethertrace conducted a joint operation. Lady Fertile Soil is an expert in this field. At the same time, this can explain why the Book of Prophecy has sometimes made 'strange errors' when foretelling matters around Harrison Port."

Bishop White Mist emphasized the words "strange errors," then looked toward Ian. "Speaking of which, Elder Pude of your family is also quite interested in this matter."

"Through his relationship with Viscount Grant, he has obtained quite a bit of information as well... Has Pude told you about this?"

"Not yet. I only just returned, and I was discussing cooperation with Viscount Grant."

Ian spoke the truth without changing expression, but inwardly, he understood perfectly well that the Church of Light's Embrace most likely knew about his prophetic abilities.

That was hardly strange. It would have been stranger if they had failed to discover it. Besides, he had spread the title "Prophet Who Called Down Lightning" precisely so that others would notice.

Not to mention that Radiant Sword had personally witnessed Ian's near-prophetic choices in the Subspace Labyrinth. The Church of Light's Embrace had likely completely confirmed it from that point onward.

So the white-haired youth said directly, "Leaving the topic of prophets aside, Bishop White Mist, has anything strange happened in the South Sea Grand Labyrinth recently?"

"And there should have been clergy from Light's Embrace stationed in my territory. Yet neither Sister Reflected Light, who had agreed to help, nor Mr. Radiant Sword or Lady Redemptive Light have arrived. Did something happen to them?"

Ian changed the topic quite bluntly, but Bishop White Mist did not pursue it. "The South Sea Grand Labyrinth has been very calm lately. Lady Hua An is diligent and responsible. After receiving permission from the local lord, she is now surveying the details within the labyrinth, while Miss Frost Butterfly... is a lovely child."

They still need the two of them to survey the labyrinth's interior details? I gave them the map ages ago!

Ian complained inwardly. And from Bishop White Mist's words, those two fairies had not been doing any proper work at all, had they?

Hua An at least put on a show of poking around. As for Frost Butterfly, even the clergy of Light's Embrace could not find anything good to say about her and could only praise her for being cute.

But Frost Butterfly really was cute.

"As for the clergy who were supposed to assist you in stabilizing Xiahui Territory... they are all undergoing training."

By then, the two had already taken seats in the reception room.

Bishop White Mist turned to look north, toward the Sacred Mountain, and gave a slight salute. "Furthermore, Light's Embrace held two internal discussions concerning the observation operation directed at you. As firsthand participants who had interacted with you, the several of them were also required to attend the meetings, which delayed their progress."

"I see."

Ian fell silent for a while. He really had dragged Reflected Light, Radiant Sword, and the others into this.

He knew what he himself had done. Ian understood that, in the eyes of the Church of Light's Embrace, which likewise knew his true identity and abilities, every person and matter connected to him had to be handled with caution.

After a moment of silence, the youth spoke. Ian raised his head and met the bishop's gaze across from him.

He asked directly, "Does the clergy of the Church of Light's Embrace... share souls? Or do they possess some kind of mental network?"

"You may think of it that way. It is not a secret. At least, not to someone like you."

Bishop White Mist did not hesitate in the slightest. He seemed to have anticipated that Ian would ask such questions. "Having personally seen a Light's Embrace ritual, you must already know some of the details. But we cannot explain them."

"Still, I must tell you this: the truth is more inconceivable than you imagine. I hope you will not be too surprised by it in the future."

Ian found it difficult to imagine how, given the Church of Light's Embrace's present circumstances, things could become any more inconceivable.

To surprise him, it would have to be even crazier than all the madmen of Terra he already knew... How much crazier could Light's Embrace possibly get?

Impossible.

Ian had come to visit the Church of Light's Embrace this time mainly because he wanted to ask about the "matter of faith" in his own territory.

Even someone as confident as Ian would not think that he could casually establish a sect and then crush Light's Embrace in his own territory, steamroll the All-Spirits Hall, sweep aside Nethertrace, and trample the Machina Church... The Four Great Orthodox Churches' influence over Terra had seeped into the bedrock of its culture. Even those who did not believe in the Four Great Orthodox Churches would instinctively say "All Spirits above" or "May Light's Embrace bless us" when sighing in emotion.

Even cult leaders, or members of loose great organizations like the Dragon-Worshiping Cult, often believed in the Orthodox Churches to some extent in their daily lives... Was that strange? On the contrary, it was perfectly normal.

After all, unlike back home, Terra's cults knew full well that they themselves were fake and deceptive, while also knowing that the Four Great Orthodox Churches truly had prophets and clergy.

Anyway, believing cost nothing.jpg

With the tacit approval of the First Prince and Marquis Barton, the Empire officially recognized the Spirit-Veneration Church as an "advanced version" of the mountain people's faith. But Ian still wanted to learn some crucial information from the Church of Light's Embrace...

For instance, what exactly qualified as an "Orthodox Church."

And how one could become an "Orthodox Church."

At the very least, could he become something like the Dragon-Worshiping Cult?

Only by following that standard would he avoid being suppressed by the Church of Light's Embrace. Ian did not want to be peacefully farming only to suddenly get treated as a dungeon raid target. That would not feel very good.

So he came right out and asked!

"An Orthodox Church..."

Bishop White Mist stroked his beard and pondered for a while. The white light in his eyes flickered, and in the end, he gave an answer that was not quite an answer. "An Orthodox Church is a sect beneficial to Terra."

Seeing Ian's brows knit tightly, he explained further, "Whether the Dragon-Worshiping Cult or the Ironheart Church, the Salt Cult or the Joyous Church, they have indeed all made indispensable contributions to the world."

"But they have positions tied to nations, or to bloodlines. Even if everyone within them wholeheartedly pursued goodness and helped others, they would still only benefit one region."

"The mountain people's faith in dragon gods... and the Spirit-Veneration Church you speak of, no matter how much they develop, will only reach that level. At most, you can transcend the origins of 'mountain people's faith,' but you cannot transcend the position of 'belonging to the Empire.'"

Having said this, Bishop White Mist spoke with considerable feeling. "Ultimately, ordinary sects have their limits. They are constrained by the nations, ethnic groups, and cultures in which they exist. Ultimately, they are confined by human ways of thinking."

"Unless they can surpass humanity."

"That is the foundation of an 'Orthodox Church.'"

If it had been an ordinary person, they would have started complaining by now—surpass humanity? Surpass nations, ethnic groups, and cultures?

What kind of joke was that? As though such things could be transcended so easily. It sounded like he was calling for the eradication of nationalism itself. Was that possible?

It was not. So long as humans still had differing appearances, this simple and comprehensible notion, which could easily distinguish "them" from "us," could never be transcended.

But Ian... Ian, who could vaguely see the true purpose of the Great Orthodox Churches, understood with perfect clarity.

Bishop White Mist was not joking.

He was clergy—he was speaking the truth.

"The clergy of Light's Embrace, and their mode of action in responding to natural disasters, are themselves 'beneficial acts' that transcend every national, ethnic, and cultural position... They even treat intelligent Magic Beasts equally. This is unquestionably a sect that has surpassed humanity."

"There is no need to mention the Machina Church either. Their collection of Pre-Epoch Civilization materials, their attempts at human-machine unity, and their path of ascension through creating psionic machinery are likewise actions that can benefit all nations and intelligent life, transcending humanity's limitations."

"I do not know much about the All-Spirits Hall and the Nethertrace Order, but they must have their own corresponding paths behind them... And judging from their names, their positions and actions indeed 'surpass humanity,' perhaps even 'surpass life and death'..."

At this point, Ian came to a realization.

No wonder, on the path of the spirit calamity, he had reached the level of a Fifth Orthodox Church—because the Spirit-Veneration Church that spread the technology of the Undead Monarch and brought about the era of spirit gods truly would benefit all living beings. Whether in the Empire, the Blazing Flame Lands, the Azure Heaven Royal Court, or Canaanmore, all intelligent life would benefit from it.

Even those Magic Beasts... those "aliens" who had likely lost their intelligence merely because they lacked souls... would reclaim their intelligence through the widespread distribution of artificial souls, then be assimilated and integrated into the humans of the Era of Gods.

Such measures and modes of action unquestionably met the standard of an "Orthodox Church"!

"If you fear that founding a sect will lead to suppression from the other Orthodox Churches... my answer is that so long as you do not harm intelligent life or conduct evil rituals such as human sacrifice, there will be no problem."

Bishop White Mist's answer to Ian's true question was clear and straightforward. "The Spirit-Veneration Church is also within our scope of observation. If there are any discordant elements, we will issue reminders, warnings, and a final notice—three notifications in total. Only after those three notices will corrective action be taken."

"Do not worry, Ian. It is very common on Terra for lords to create their own sects to better control their territories. There is no need to be overly sensitive about it."

"Then I can rest easy."

With Bishop White Mist endorsing this as a member of the clergy, Ian could finally set down one stone in his heart—territory management was not merely a technical matter. More than that, it was about human relationships and worldly affairs.

If every side was satisfied with his territory's development and hoped for it to grow stronger, then the territory could grow stronger and receive more assistance.

Of course, a certain number of enemies were also necessary. Without enemies, the people of the territory could not distinguish "them" from "us," and without that, they would have neither unity nor a sense of crisis. They could not develop at full strength or unify their ideology.

"No wonder everyone likes dumping the blame on the Blazing Flame Lands. Having an enemy like that really is a great blessing."

Having received the answer he wanted, Ian bid Bishop White Mist farewell—the other man still had to coordinate with the Nethertrace Order's party, and he would be very busy next.

Besides, Ian still had quite a few things to do afterward.

For example, he had already asked Azure Tide to find Sha Sha, Hua An, and Frost Butterfly. Once everyone was gathered, they would head to the South Sea Grand Labyrinth together for a get-together and, while they were at it, see what exactly was going on with the Crystal Dragon egg.

But just as Ian was leaving the gates of the Church of Light's Embrace, he heard his younger brother Elan's voice, filled with confidence.

"You're all wrong—my brother is the strongest!"

At that moment, Elan was surrounded by a group of children around his age.

Standing before the railings at the church entrance, he spoke with tremendous spirit to everyone present. "The viscount is strong, but he is already old. Grandpa White Mist is clergy, so he would never compare his strength with others."

"Even if the others have power, their knowledge falls far short! Whether in alchemy or inscriptions, my brother is among the very best!"

"Perhaps you think there are still many powerful people in Southern Ridge, but they are all figures of the past!"

"As things stand now, my brother is undoubtedly the strongest in Southern Ridge!"