The war between the Church of Darkness and the Tianluo Empire continued across the Azeron Continent. The flames of war had already spread across half the empire.
The Dark Pope, Philip, had learned from the annihilation of the Church of Light's leadership at Lynn's hands. To keep the same thing from happening to the Church of Darkness, Philip and the other high-ranking members divided themselves into several groups.
At any given time, only one group of Saint Domain experts would be outside directing the war. The rest remained stationed at the Church of Darkness's headquarters on Dark Moon Cliff.
Inside a spacious castle.
Philip wore a dark, black robe. Behind him stood the Church of Darkness's Chief Inquisitor, while before them stood a group of bound slaves.
Most of the slaves had been captured during the Church of Darkness's war against the Tianluo Empire. Most were war criminals, while a few were cultivators the Church had seized. Almost all were warriors with Dou Qi cultivation at level seven or eight and above, and each had a sturdy physique, at least that of a level-six warrior.
A few who had encountered special opportunities even had the physical strength of level-seven or level-eight warriors.
"Ugh—" One armored slave, his face smeared with blood, glared at them in fury.
When he saw Philip, his eyes widened like copper bells. His gaze fixed on Philip with palpable hostility, clearly recognizing him as the Dark Pope.
But with his mouth gagged, all the man could do was grunt.
Smack!
The Church of Darkness's Chief Inquisitor, standing behind Philip, noticed the man's glare. His Dou Qi formed a whip that lashed the slave hard.
"You ungrateful wretch. We chose you..."
"You lowly vermin should be proud to serve as vessels for the angels' descent!"
Philip remained calm.
"How many were sent this time?" he asked, turning to the Chief Inquisitor.
"Over four hundred, but their quality is poor. Not many angels will be able to descend successfully. Still, one of these slaves possesses a rare bloodline and has the physical strength of a level-nine warrior. He should be able to support the perfect descent of a Four-Winged Angel."
"Oh!" Philip's eyes lit up.
An angel's strength was determined by the number of wings it had.
Even the weakest Two-Winged Angels were at the early stage of the Saint Domain.
A Four-Winged Angel that descended perfectly would be stronger than many ordinary Saint Domain experts.
"Excellent. At this critical moment, the more strength the Church has, the better."
"Things are different now. Because of that Martial Saint, Lynn, who appeared out of nowhere, the Church of Light has rapidly declined. It can no longer hold the Zhongyuan Empire in check. The Church is under great pressure, with the Zhongyuan Empire eyeing us nearby and the Roland Empire watching from afar..."
"Especially in recent days, as more and more of the Tianluo Empire's territory has fallen, the resistance we face has grown fiercer."
"We need more fighting power. As much as we can get!"
The Chief Inquisitor spoke evenly. "Understood. I'll have the knights expand their search and find more warriors with powerful physiques to serve as vessels for the angels' descent."
"Use your judgment." Philip nodded in satisfaction, then his expression shifted as something occurred to him.
"By the way, what did you learn about that Demon Lord on the Southern Continent?"
The Chief Inquisitor shook his head. "Nothing. We only found out that he came from the Southern Wilderness, cultivates the laws of death, and is bloodthirsty. He wipes out entire families. It seems he does it whenever he feels like it, without any reason."
"He drove several Saint Domain experts off the Southern Continent and even forced them to seek refuge with us. He must be powerful, at least at the peak of the Saint Domain. The Southern Continent isn't far from the battlefield between us and the Tianluo Empire. He could be an unpredictable factor." Philip stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"At a time like this, we cannot allow even the slightest accident. Before the decisive battle against the Tianluo Empire, no third-party Saint Domain expert will be allowed in this region." A trace of murderous intent appeared in Philip's eyes.
But Philip had no idea that the Rahula he was discussing had already crossed the Southern Continent and was flying swiftly toward Dark Moon Cliff.
The sky was cloudless. Then, all at once, a vast mass of darkness swept in from the distant horizon.
Within it, countless black Ghost Shadows roared. At the very center, Rahula strode through the air, hands clasped behind his back, clad in a dark, black robe. His bearing was imposing.
"We're here." Rahula stopped, his indifferent gaze passing over the mountains in the distance.
"You think hiding in the Church of Darkness's headquarters will keep you safe?"
Rahula's lips curled into a mocking sneer. Behind him, a black banner appeared in the air and gradually took shape.
Boom~~
The Ten Thousand Soul Banner turned, and terrifying darkness descended from the sky, stretching dozens of miles and engulfing all of Dark Moon Cliff.
The sun disappeared from sight. In the darkness, countless phantom figures darted about, weaving through the buildings as the screams of humans and animals rang out.
"Who's attacking us?" The Chief Inquisitor grabbed a knight and shouted.
"I don't know! It suddenly went dark outside!" The knight seemed shaken by Rahula's power. He had just watched many knights get swept into the darkness and torn apart by a crowd of figures. Even their souls had been stripped away.
After Rahula's attack, fewer than one in ten people on Dark Moon Cliff remained alive. Nearly all the survivors were level-seven or level-eight warriors, but even they were terrified by the eerie darkness.
Among them, an old man with a white beard hovered in the darkness. He stared at the ravenous darkness before him, terror spreading through his eyes.
"The Dark Calamity... The Demon Lord, Rahula, is here!"
The white-bearded old man had once been a Saint Domain expert from the Southern Continent. He had sought refuge with the Church of Darkness to escape Rahula, never imagining that Rahula would now come straight to their door.
"I should've known better than to covet the luxuries of the continent. I should've gone to the South Sea to cultivate in seclusion."
"Is he really that terrifying?" asked a Church of Darkness Saint Domain expert beside him, who was on good terms with the old man.
The white-bearded old man looked at him calmly and shook his head. "You don't understand. Rahula is here. Another power is about to be destroyed."
"Hmph!" A cold snort rang out.
"Anyone else spreading alarmist nonsense and undermining morale will be executed!"
The Dark Pope, Philip, glared at the white-bearded Saint Domain expert, then rose into the air. His gaze, sharp as lightning, fixed on Rahula above.
"Rahula! How dare you come here and wreak havoc at the Church of Darkness!"
Philip's expression was dark as ink.
"Did killing a few Saint Domain experts on the Southern Continent make you overconfident? Today, I'll teach you one thing..."
"Even Saint Domain experts have their differences!"
After speaking, Philip swung one hand, launching an attack at the boundless darkness.
"Dark Calamity, huh? I'll break it with a single palm!" Philip's eyes were like knives.
Rumble~~
The palm strike collided with the darkness, unleashing a tremendous roar.
But before long, the darkness swallowed Philip's palm strike.
Rahula watched impassively, a trace of mockery in his eyes.
"You haven't even reached the Saint Domain's limits, yet you think you can break through the Ten Thousand Soul Banner."
"Did you really think the millions of fellow cultivators in my Ten Thousand Soul Banner were just for show?"
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