CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER 305: DISCOVERED_2

"And perhaps, there may still be unexpected rewards."

"A decision was made, and you silently followed along..."

"These clergy were laughing and making merry, talking about amusing topics, even laughing out loud. From their words, you gleaned their identities."

"The leader among them was named ’Forside,’ the Archbishop of the ’Tree Church.’ The man at his side, clad in armor and radiating an aura of bloodlust, also held high status—he was the Judge of the ’Heretic Court.’ The others weren’t low-ranking either; every last one was the kind of figure that, if seen outside, would draw disciples of the ’Tree Ancient God’ into reverent worship."

"Yet, as you listened, your brows gradually furrowed."

"Their words carried no trace of caution; unrestrained, they spoke..."

"I really envy the ’Tree Ancient God,’ dominating ’Asgard,’ the Fortress of Gods, and controlling such a vast domain of faith."

"So what? When ’The King’ returns, He will inevitably relinquish His authority. As long as we maintain unwavering faith in ’The King,’ follow the footsteps of His divinity, perhaps someday, we too can rule a Fortress of Gods."

"Indeed, Archbishop Forside, under ’The King’s’ blessing, your ascension to godhood, reigning over a nation, basking in the acclaim of mountains and valleys—that’s already foreseeable."

"Hahaha, no, no, after all, there’s still a Pope above us."

"That old man? Him? He worships a Fake God and desecrates the True God. He has already been abandoned by ’The King.’ Archbishop Forside, it won’t take long before his seat belongs to you."

"Hahahahaha."

"Your focus quickly shifted away from the conversation of these ’Tree Temple’ clergy members." Gazing at their retreating figures, your eyes narrowed slightly."

"These clergy who were meant to serve the ’Tree Ancient God’ didn’t seem to hold much reverence for the divinity they worshipped. Judging by their demeanor, their loyalty seemed far more devout towards an entity referred to as ’The King.’"

"Who is ’The King’?"

"The Pope, abandoned by ’The King’? If my guess is correct, he must still be steadfast in his worship of the ’Tree Ancient God.’ If I can locate him, this could be the entry point to unraveling all the mysteries."

"The thought flashed across your mind, and once again, you marveled at the peril of the ’Old Earth.’

"The reason is plain to see—the ’Tree Ancient God’ appears far less stable than it seems. Its authority has been corrupted by the enigmatic ’The King,’ leaving the god itself in grave disarray. Perhaps, at this moment, the ’Tree Ancient God’ may have fallen victim to being impersonated by an Unknown Evil God, just like the ’Star Color Ancient God.’

"You didn’t abandon the pursuit of these clergy members. Knowing that, as members of the high ranks, they must surely know where the Pope is imprisoned."

"You followed behind."

"You continued following behind."

"Fate did not disappoint you. As they walked, Archbishop Forside had a sudden whim—to visit the original superior, the venerable Pope. The other clergy members eagerly expressed interest in joining."

"Soon, they descended together to a hidden door. As waves of arcane force rippled and blended with an unseen power, a shadowed corridor materialized before them."

"The clergy moved ahead, and you silently trailed behind."

"You soon reached another grand hall."

"The architecture here was majestic—thirty-two towering pillars stood tall. Above, an elderly man hung suspended by green vines, enduring the cruel pecking of hawks and falcons. Large swaths of flesh were torn from his body, only to regenerate immediately, subjecting him to constant agony and torment."

"Is this the Pope?"

"It’s hard to fathom—this devout worshiper of the ’Tree Ancient God’ has been reduced to such a miserable state."

"Next should come the infamous villainous taunting, shouldn’t it? You pondered silently, planning to wait until Archbishop Forside and his group departed. Then, you’d extract the truth about the ’Tree Ancient God’ from the Pope’s mouth. If conditions allowed, maybe even rescue him."

"But at that moment—"

"A thunderous, enraged, snarling voice—filled with disbelief—suddenly shattered the silence...’The Eye of Truth’ has revealed there’s an intruder! Someone has been following us all along.’

"The speaker was Archbishop Forside, accompanied by terrifying waves of mystical energy."

"Your heart sank."

"You’ve been discovered."

"..."

"’Dream Hidden World Clothes’—its effects have been penetrated?"

"What is the Eye of Truth?"

Yang Qizhou’s brow twitched in surprise, though he quickly came to terms with it.

Considering the location—corrupted by an Unknown Evil God and the site where the Pope is imprisoned—it was natural for heightened layers of security above the norm. The rarity of the ’Eye of Truth,’ capable of uncovering hidden elements, might prevent it from being ubiquitous across every corner of the Tree Temple, yet it was unquestionably present in this prison.

"Ah, it seems the game character has no choice but to confront the ’Tree Ancient God.’" Yang Qizhou sighed.

"The ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ apotheosis ritual hadn’t yet begun. He’d hoped to avoid severing ties with a being as mighty as the ’Tree Ancient God,’ particularly one shrouded in mystery, whose identity seemed to hint at something far more terrifying."

"But with things as they are, there’s no choice but to face it."

"If the game character truly falls into extreme danger, then there’s no choice left—he’ll have to unleash ’Dark Crow of Profane Fortune.’

"The game continues."

"..."

"Discovered?"

"You had a glimmer of hope that this might merely be a deception, but the deluge of terrifying, mystical energies that followed crushed that notion."

"Emerald green, hauntingly beautiful yet overflowing with murderous intent, beams erupted from below. Tangling vines surged to restrict movement, accompanied by maddening whispers of natural languages that could plunge any listener into desperate insanity. All these forces surged toward you simultaneously."

"As a Favored of the ’Tree Ancient God,’ it must be said—Archbishop ’Alsted’ was indeed formidable. His power rivaled that of an average ’Star Spirit,’ and under his control, nature’s forces enveloped you like an impenetrable curtain."

"Your gaze turned icy—since you’ve been discovered, you must face it head-on. With a tight grip of your fingers, a crimson spear burst into existence in your hand. The surging blood-red killing intent shattered the ’Natural Curtain’ in an instant."

"Seizing this moment, you released ’Wu.’ The battle maid’s shadowy yet elegant figure flickered, weaving cold light into a lethal net that reduced a high-ranking clergy member into countless fragments."

"’Alsted’s’ eyes froze in disbelief. He hadn’t anticipated that the intruder’s strength would be so monstrous. Waves of ferocious flames swept through, obliterating a clergy member empowered to wield strength akin to that of a lower-tier ’Divine Sovereign’ under the Tree Temple’s blessing in a single instant."

"Overwhelming crisis forced the Archbishop to unleash his full potential. In a low chant, he murmured...’The King,’ gaze upon us here; your followers are in peril.’

"At the very instant of that chant, you and ’Wu’ joined forces, slaughtering most of the clergy in a thunderous strike. Blood pooled, remains scattered. But upon hearing the chant, you instinctively sensed danger—the ’Iron Blood Spear’ spun, transforming into a ’War Angel,’ prepared to obliterate ’Alsted’ and interrupt his incantation."

"Yet, simultaneously, an unfathomable aura of oppressive terror suddenly surged like a tidal wave."

"Above, a figure emerged from boundless radiance—a man clad in pristine white priest robes, with a beard streaked with silver. His seemingly benevolent face contorted into a disturbing grimace, his icy gaze fixed upon you."

"It seems I must invoke ’Dark Crow of Profane Fortune’ to restart the destiny line and escape."

"You sighed inwardly."

"Just as you prepared to act, an intense voice rang out from high above...’Mysterious one, within you, I can sense the aura of the ’Tree Ancient God.’ You must be a friend of His! Quickly, free me—distract this ’Tree Ancient God’ for five minutes, and I will help you escape His gaze and unravel every mystery.’

"The voice belonged to none other than the imprisoned Pope."