Radiant Church, Holy Island.
The prayer hall no longer had the solemn tranquility of the past, replaced by a breathless silence. Heidens stood with his back to everyone, standing under the statue of the God of Light, and his luxurious papal robes seemed a bit dim. Below, Chief Judge Alsop and several core archbishops stood with their heads bowed, their faces solemn.
"Six-Winged Angel Battle Formation... the whole army was wiped out. Useno was seriously injured and captured, and his life or death is uncertain. Two Ascetic, one died and the other escaped." Heidens's voice was terrifyingly calm, and every word was like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's hearts. "Even teacher Desri... was injured and was forced to retreat."
He turned around slowly, with no expression on his face, but there was a suppressed storm in his eyes. "Who can tell me, how can a Dragon Rock Territory, who has only risen for a few years, and an unknown Lin Qin, have such power?
No one answered. Desri is the ultimate limit of the Saint Realm, one of Theocracy's hidden sea-fixing needles. Even he was defeated so completely, which completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
A Cardinal said solemnly, "Your Majesty, according to the description of the escaped Ascetic, that Lin Qin seems to be able to transform during battle, and his form is similar to the in the record. Dragonblood Warrior, the strength and defense have been greatly improved. Moreover, his use of Laws of the Earth... is extremely weird, Master Desri's Laws of Light is completely suppressed."
"Your Majesty, shall we..." Another archbishop spoke tentatively, with an obvious meaning, whether to use the last resort. That is the last trump card to protect Holy Island. Once used, it will surely shake the entire continent.
Heidens raised his hand to interrupt him, his eyes swept across the crowd, with a hint of exhaustion and more of a cold determination. "No."
Everyone was stunned.
"Teacher Desri is injured and needs time to recover. Six-Winged Angel Battle Formation reconstruction also requires time and resources." Heidens's voice became calm again, "More importantly, "that place" is about to open. We must conserve our strength and concentrate on dealing with it. At this time, it is unwise to fight with a force that has Saint Realm's ultimate combat power and weird methods."
He looked at Chief Judge Alsop: "Call, Holy Island and all important strongholds, enter the highest alert state. Reduce external forces and temporarily give up direct intervention in the southern part of Chaos Territory. All public actions against Dragon Rock Territory will stop."
Alsop bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. Then...Useno Commander and those captured...
"They devoted themselves to their faith, and their souls have returned to the embrace of God." Heidens said indifferently, "As for Dragon Rock Territory... let him be arrogant for a few days. After the matter of "that place" is settled, it will not be too late to settle the matter."
Everyone understood the Pope's decision and temporarily tolerated it to avoid its sharp edges and concentrate their efforts on seeking greater opportunities. Although they were unwilling to accept it, this was the most rational choice at the moment.
"In addition," Heidens added, "Strengthen the intelligence collection on Lin Qin and his main personnel. I want to know everything about him, his heritage, and his weaknesses."
"Yes!"
After the order was issued, several archbishops exited the prayer hall one after another, but one of the elders, Cardinal, stayed.
"Your Majesty," he whispered, "such a decision may make the people below suspicious. Useno Commander was captured, but we...
Heidens turned around with blazing eyes. "What do you think we should do? Use all Theocracy's strength to fight to the death against an enemy that even Teacher Desri can't defeat?"
","I don't dare." The Archbishop quickly lowered his head, "It's just...Theocracy's majesty is damaged, which may affect the confidence of believers."
"The temporary concession is for better progress in the future." Heidens walked to the window and looked at the scenery of Holy Island in the distance. "Send an order to the intelligence department. I want to see a complete report on Lin Qin within three months. Especially his transformation ability, I want to know the secret of it."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Just as Heidens was about to leave, a Temple Knight hurriedly entered. "Your Majesty, we just received a secret report that Dragon Rock Territory is stepping up the construction of fortifications and seems to be preparing for a long-term confrontation."
Heidens sneered, "Let them fix it. Send an order to our hidden line at Chaos Territory to stop all activities and wait and see what happens."
At the same time, in the dark palace of Dark Church's headquarters, Dark Pope Morsfield listened to the detailed battle reports from his subordinates, tapping his skinny fingers lightly on the bone handrails.
"Kasa, Elaine, have you seen with your own eyes that Desri was defeated?" Morsfield's voice was still hoarse.
Elaine, who was hiding in the shadows, responded, "Yes, Your Majesty. Crushing without any suspense. After Lin Qin transformed, his strength completely suppressed Desri. In the end, Desri was able to escape by relying on speed."
Kasa rarely interrupted, but just stood aside silently, the bloodthirsty expression on his face reduced a lot.
Morsfield was silent for a moment and let out a deep laugh, "Radiant Church kicked the iron plate firmly this time." There was gloating in his laughter.
But soon, the laughter stopped and his tone became serious. "Send the order to cancel all hostile missions against Lin Qin and Dragon Rock Territory. All people sent before are recalled."
A black-robed priest hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, what we lost before...
"Loss?" Morsfield interrupted coldly, "Remember, our Dark Church's survival to this day depends on assessing the situation."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Morsfield looked at Kasa and Elaine: "You did the right thing this time. Elaine, you personally selected a group of capable stalkers, infiltrated Dragon Rock Territory, only observed, did not act, and collected all information about Lin Qin."
"Understood."
"Kasa."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Go to "Black Ice Plains" in the north. There are several tribes there that need to be "cleaned up."
Kasa's eyes flashed red. "Yes!"
While the two major Theocracy are making decisions, intense deployment is also underway within Dragon Rock Territory.
Lin Qin stood on top of the Dragon Rock Hall, listening to the reports from all parties.
"Sir, according to the spies' report, all activities of Radiant Church at the border have been stopped." Hosen said.
Soros added, "Our caravans in various places also reported that some of the obstacles they encountered before suddenly disappeared."
Pallas shrank in size and walked over. "I sense that the auras lurking in the dark have receded."
Lin Qin nodded slightly. "They have given in temporarily, but this does not mean the end. Pass on the order to continue to strengthen the construction of fortifications and speed up the training of new recruits."
"Do you think they will come again?" Old Jack asked.
"Definitely." Lin Qin looked into the distance, "It's just a matter of time. We must become stronger before they come next time."
At a hidden stronghold on the Dragon Rock Territory border, the stalkers selected by Elaine are already in place. They are all Dark Church's most elite spies, good at concealment and intelligence collection.
"Remember the Pope's order," Elaine said to his subordinates, "Only observe, don't act. We need to understand Lin Qin's cultivation rules, his living habits, and the movements of his important personnel.
"Yes, sir."