Inside the Ice Cave Sanctuary.
A total of twenty-seven ice coffins had been moved into Big Pocket's storage space.
Each ice coffin held an old bishop with a different face and build.
Some were unshaven, while others had heads of white hair. Wrapped in fur robes, their eyes remained tightly shut as they lay frozen within ice formed from frost dragon chill.
Most of them possessed mid-Legendary or high-Legendary strength.
These "predecessors" of the Calamity Raven Church were considerably stronger than the current bishops.
Clearly, the church had also declined with each successive generation.
Besides that, Zong Shen noticed something else: all of these old bishops in a "Frostbound" state were men.
There was not a single female bishop among them.
Combined with what Safri had previously confided in him, it was not difficult for Zong Shen to guess that the Church Saintess's fate could not have been pleasant.
She was likely treated as some kind of consumable for ritual sacrifices.
Back in Oduo Village, many sacrificial arrays had required Safri's blood as a kind of "additive."
Moreover, after losing her virginity, Safri had told Zong Shen that she had lost her value to the church.
This showed that the saintess's position within the church was not necessarily that of the next leader or successor. More likely, she was merely expendable material.
A sect that promoted flesh-and-blood sacrifice and soul Dedication was absolutely no good.
Zong Shen was rather glad that he had taken Safri away beforehand. Otherwise, he might not have had the chance to come directly to Cold Raven Valley and loot the place now.
Come to think of it, his earliest clue about the Calamity Raven Church's activities in Lentax Great City had come from Safri.
At the time, Safri had suddenly arrived at his territory and