Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World - FFF

The spirit still remembers the shock of that time.

Two years ago, when I was first chosen as the Holy Spirit Goddess, it coincided with the change of the top four Templar Knights.

She, the other two Goddess, and the Templar Knight gathered together in the Great Hall.

The spirit priestess was, after all, a young girl, and she had fantasized about encountering a powerful and handsome knight. However, after becoming Goddess, she felt a sense of disillusionment.

The three Goddess occupy the pinnacle of the Divine Law Cult and are worshipped by all, but only those in the core of the Church realize that there are differences between them.

The number of guards protecting the Prayer Goddess was almost three times that of the Priestess, and their residences were far more luxurious than hers. She could sense that the Pope and others cared for the Prayer wholeheartedly and respected and relied on the Heavenly Law, but towards her, they only engaged in dry, businesslike interactions and forced, insincere smiles.

She sensed it too; the Sacrificial Spirit was perhaps the least important of the three Goddess.

"... Then, you four Templar Knights who have received the recognition of the Supreme God, please step forward and accept this supreme honor!"

The Pope's solemn voice echoed as four men stepped forward.

The Fourth Seat is so handsome, he looks like a prince from a fairy tale. His demeanor and temperament could easily capture the heart of any young woman in love.

But for some reason, the spirit felt a sense of unease towards him, because she noticed a deep arrogance hidden in the young man's eyes, which made her uncomfortable.

The second and third seats are held by twin brothers. They are not handsome, but they exude a heroic aura that gives people a sense of security at first glance.

But the spirit priest shifted her gaze away from them. She felt that the two brothers were a bit too... rigid, like an empty cathedral that was suffocating.

As for the Chief--

He was a man whose age was hard to guess at first glance. He stood very casually, wearing a coarse cloth overcoat and worn-out leather pants. His hair was disheveled, which contrasted sharply with the several well-dressed, upright students next to him. The Pope's gaze swept over him with a hint of barely concealed displeasure, but he said nothing more, simply allowing the ceremony to continue.

"According to tradition, apart from the Goddess of Heavenly Law Goddess, who possesses the Sword of God and does not require protection, the Prayer Goddess, the Goddess of Sacrifice, and I all need excellent Guardian Knight. By the Supreme God, you will now receive this honor!"

The other three immediately straightened their backs, but the Chief still maintained a nonchalant attitude.

"Then, following past practice, the Guardian Knight of the Prayer Goddess be both the Chief and the second-in-command—"

Here we go again...

The spirit priest lowered her head slightly. Was she really the unimportant one? Her Guardian Knight was most likely the Fourth Seat that made her uncomfortable...

"Wait, Pope."

It was interrupted.

The Pope was completely stunned, interrupted during the awarding ceremony of the Guardian Knight —such a thing was unheard Pope.

"It's true that in previous years, the Guardian Knight for the Prayer were both the Chief and the second-in-command... but I remember there was another rule in the doctrine that said the Chief Templar Knight could choose whose knight he was?"

"... I remember there was such a thing, but--"

"That's good, I'll choose myself then -- um, that black-haired girl over there, is she the spirit medium? I'll choose you, okay?"

The spirit was stunned.

"How dare you! You speak disrespectfully to the incomparably sacred Goddess! And you've broken the rules!"

"Oh dear, I apologize, Your Pope, but I think I only broke the custom, not the rule. The doctrine says that the Chief can choose himself, so I did. Is there anything wrong with that?"

No... there really isn't.

"Is that settled then? What about the rest of you? Do you have any other opinions?"

Everyone looked at the girl in the very center, who resembled a sacrificial spirit— Prayer.

"Ah... since the Chief has said so, then let's do it that way."

She seemed completely unaware that the Guardian Knight who was supposed to be assigned to her had been chosen from someone else, and simply agreed, her face full of innocence.

Then everyone looked at Tianlu, who was beside Prayer.

"Since no rules have been broken, then I have nothing more to say."

With a simple and direct statement, Tianlu immediately clarified her position: she was not on anyone's side; she stood only with the "rules."

"Well... in that case, let's do as you say--"

The Pope had no choice but to concede, but...

"Wait a minute, we haven't asked the girl what she thinks yet."

I was interrupted again.

"... Alright then, Spirit Master, may I ask, what is your opinion on the Chief Templar Knight being your Guardian Knight?" The Pope's voice was clearly becoming unsettled, almost uttering each word one by one, each word suppressing his anger.

"Ah, uh? Eh..."

The spirit priest, caught off guard by the topic, panicked. She quickly looked around and found everyone staring at her— the Pope, the Templar Knight, and the other two Goddess. The Pope, in particular, radiated an astonishingly threatening aura, as if to say, "Do you dare agree to his request?"

"Waaaaah..."

The spirit looked towards her last savior—the inexplicably eccentric man who had suddenly called upon her.

"...!"

The man was looking directly into her eyes.

In stark contrast to his previous nonchalant attitude, his expression was now extremely serious. His lips moved silently, and she could read his lip movements—

"Believe me."

So, the sacrificial spirit made its choice.

"... Looking back now, I was really foolish to have actually believed you..."

"No, no, I'm really strong, you can't go wrong choosing me."

--=_=|||

Looking at this relaxed guy, the spirit priest couldn't be more worried.

Is this man really that strong? To be honest, his ability to perform spirit rituals is questionable.

Historically, there are very few records of Guardian Knight taking action, almost too few, because very few foolish villains would dare to attack the Goddess. Even if they did, they would have been blasted to smithereens by the patrolling Imperial Guard, so there was no need for Guardian Knight. The most recent record seems to be more than two hundred years ago, when the top Templar Knight were all wiped out by a madwoman.

In conclusion, Yang Yujie has never laid a hand on the sacrificial spirit. As for how he became the Chief Templar Knight —it's simple. It's said that in the Divine Martial Arts Competition tournament that determined the rankings, he kicked the Sixth Seat flying, made the Fifth Seat cry, pulled down the Fourth Seat's pants, and easily broke through the combined attack of the Second and Third Seat brothers. It's like something out of a third-rate fantasy novel... Hmm?

"Hey, hey... Yu Jie, what are you doing?"

"Huh? No, no, what did you do?"

Yu Jie hurriedly hid something in his hand, but it still couldn't escape her keen nose.

"It smells like tobacco! You're trying to sneak a smoke again!"

"QAQ Sigh..."

Having been discovered, Yu Jie had no choice but to obediently hand over the pack of cigarettes he was holding, and instead took out a piece of chewing gum and chewed it incessantly.

"How many times have I told you smoking is harmful to your health! And you're practically a clergyman, right? Smoking is prohibited! I've told you to chew gum when you have a craving!"

"Yes, yes, yes... Are you my mom...?"

"What 'Mom'? Judging by her age, she should be my wife!"

"..."

"... Eh?"

"... Hey."

"Wait, wait, no, no, what wife or whatever, too much... slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue, it was just something I said on the spur of the moment... Ughh..."

Slap slap slap slap slap! The spirit priest kept punching Yu Jie's chest with her little fists, but it sounded more like she was being affectionate than venting her anger. (Author's note: Damn, so sweet! Why are there heterosexual couples showing off in Yuri book?! FFFFFFFF!)

Ding!!!

On the west side of the Cathedral of the True God, dust was flying everywhere in a wide training ground.

Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!

The arena was surrounded by statues of supreme deities associated with martial arts and war, all carved from rocks dug from deep within the earth that were hundreds of millions of years old, but at this moment they were all trembling incessantly.

Ding!!!!

The final punch was thrown into the void, causing the atmosphere to tremble violently and remain calm for a long time.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the barrier surrounding the training ground has become much thinner.

Although it was just a simple punching practice in the void, continuing would destroy the barrier—the owner of the fist made this judgment and finally stopped his stance.

"..."

She glanced around, silently recited Divine Word, dispelled the barrier, and then looked up at the sky—

In that instant, a golden cross-shaped crack appeared high above the Cathedral of the True God, parting the thick clouds and even tearing space itself apart.

She looked away, and the giant golden cross in the sky disappeared, leaving only cracks in the clouds.

"... There is nothing wrong with my body, and nothing wrong with my divine power."

Having completed her daily rituals, she silently donned a dark gold robe and walked into the church.

A gentle breeze ruffled her long, orange-yellow hair and swan-like, slender neck, drying a few drops of sweat. Her full breasts and pert buttocks swayed with each step, barely concealed by her wide robes. Her beautiful face, more spirited than alluring, remained perpetually calm, her emotions never showing—or perhaps she simply lacked such feelings; from childhood, she had dedicated her body and soul to the great deity.

"Hello, Lord Tianlu! Thank you for your hard work with your daily practice!"

"Welcome back, Lord Tianlu."

"Please come this way, the bathwater is ready for you."

As the nuns and priests greeted her, she responded with simple gestures of greeting, her movements meticulous despite their simplicity.

"Etc."

She, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, startling a young nun who had just passed by her. She quickly stood still, too afraid to move.

"Hello, Lord Tianlu, may I ask—"

"Article 126 of the Church Rules states that nuns in the Cathedral of the True God are not allowed to wear excessive jewelry."

"Ah! This is--"

The young nun panicked, stammering as she tried to explain, but Tianlu simply walked up to her expressionlessly, his long, slender hand reaching into her long hair and grasping something—

"Oh--ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh----ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

Tianlu's hand traced a blood-red arc, a blood-stained earring between his fingers. The little nun screamed in agony from the sudden pain, clutching her gaping ear and collapsing to her knees. Passersby gasped in shock, then hurried away, pretending they hadn't seen anything.

"... Consider this pain your punishment, and may it serve as a warning. Praise be to the Most High God."

With a slight squeeze of his fingers, the earring shattered. Tianlu left expressionlessly, leaving the little nun still sobbing on the ground.

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