CHAPTER 104 (1): HAI WULIANG'S WRATH

The three elders heaved a collective sigh, knowing that nothing they said would be able to change Yin Shengong's mind.

"Now that all of the pitchforks have been aimed at the Night Demon Church, the lockdown on our One Heart Church should be lifted very soon," Yin Shengong mused.

"We even have Night Demon to thank for that!" Mu Linyuan said in a speechless manner. "It's only thanks to Night Demon bringing down Hai Wuliang that the scrutiny has been removed from our One Heart Church, yet the first thing that you plan to do after the lockdown is lifted is to screw over Night Demon. I don't even know what to say anymore."

"I'm not screwing him over!" Yin Shengong raged. "This is a test! You think I have to personally screw over a little runt like him?"

All of a sudden, Yin Shengong thought back to the choice that Night Demon had made at the end of the Parasite Ascension Project.

Standing before everyone, he had taken the divine power essence over the spatial ring, and it had all been for Yin Shengong's sake.

His expression instantly softened slightly at the recollection, and he sighed, "Don't worry, I won't be too hard on him, but his hands must be stained with the blood of the Protectionists! That is non-negotiable!"

The three elders couldn't even be bothered to respond anymore.

Yin Shengong was also feeling very awkward, and he quickly dismissed the three elders, then sought out Master Mei to discuss the lifting the lockdown order on the One Heart Church.

"Not a word of this to Night Demon, do you hear me?" Yin Shengong threatened as the three elders were about to leave.

"Yes," the three elders replied, their voices dripping with exasperation.

***

Two days later, at the Night Demon Church headquarters.

Hai Wuliang was joined by his four personal guards and four elders, and he said in a cold voice, "Split up and try to get out of his place as quickly as possible. If you're confronted by anyone that tries to stop you, do everything in your power to get past them."

"Yes, Pope Hai."

"Once you make it out, find somewhere to hide and wait for my summons. Go on now."

The eight figures instantly departed, while Hai Wuliang pulled out his communication jade, then checked through his messages with a cold sneer.

As usual, it was a combination of insults and death threats, interspersed with official orders for him to travel to the southeastern headquarters as soon as possible.

Additionally, there was one other message that read: "The southeastern headquarters has already sent out a team of enforcers to apprehend you."

Hai Wuliang gave a cold chuckle at the message, and his eyes were burning with defiant fury.

I'd say it's safe to assume the southeastern headquarters aren't the only ones who've sent people after me at this point. It's all over. Over a thousand years of hard work, all gone to waste. The main church isn't going to go out of its way to protect the pope of a mere subsidiary church from the wrath of over a thousand clans.

Even if I can somehow prove my innocence, I no longer have the chance to do so. The only way to satisfy everyone is to sacrifice me, and it's very much a worthy sacrifice to make.

As the pope of a subsidiary church, Hai Wuliang was very familiar with the thought processes of the decision-makers above, and he knew that his fate was already sealed.

If he were the chief supervisor of the southeastern headquarters, perhaps the main church would be inclined to try and save him, but even then, that wasn't for certain, and the problem was, of course, that he wasn't such a high-ranking figure in the church hierarchy.

"You really got me this time, Yin Shengong!" Hai Wuliang spat through gritted teeth.

He stared in a daze at the Night Demon Church headquarters, the place that he had fought his entire life to create.

Who's going to take my place and benefit from all of my hard work?

A look of twisted rage appeared on his face at the thought, and he immediately returned to the headquarters.

In the darkness of the night, he raced through the headquarters in a wraith-like manner, casting countless pouches of poison powder into all of the water sources.

I worked centuries to build all of this, I'm not letting anyone else have it! If they send someone from the main church to replace me, then so be it, but all of you can go to hell first and wait for me there! This church is mine!

Under the dark veil of the night, Hai Wuliang had already poisoned all of the water sources in the Night Demon Church headquarters, and from there, he began waiting patiently with his communication jade in his hand.

In the end, he heard back from only one of the eight people that he had sent out.

"Our headquarters has been surrounded, Pope Hai. I was able to break out of the encirclement, but I've sustained severe injuries..."

A cold sneer appeared on Hai Wuliang's face.

Just as he had anticipated, the net was already closing in around him.

He immediately messaged the other seven, but received no response.

Clearly, they were all dead.

The people that have surrounded this place shouldn't be from the main church or the southeastern headquarters. The people from those two ends can't have arrived so soon. In that case, it must be the Guardians.

I've served the Church of the Self-Righteous my entire life, yet they now want me dead, and the Guardians also want me dead! Ha! I'm perhaps the only one in history to have joined the Church of the Self-Righteous and the Guardians in a united cause!

A bleak grin appeared on his face as a maddened aura of desperation began to emanate from his body.

As daylight arrived, everyone residing in the Night Demon Church headquarters began cooking breakfast.

Hai Wuliang was standing high up in the sky in an expressionless manner, situated in the upwind direction of the headquarters, and there were plumes of poisonous smoke billowing out of his sleeves.

He didn't want there to be even a single survivor, and he was worried that poisoning the water sources alone wouldn't be enough to ensure that outcome.

It didn't take long for the first cries of panic to ring out from within the headquarters.

"Something's wrong! My throat's constricting..."

"I can't draw upon any spirit power!"

"My eyes! What's happening?!"

"We've been poisoned!"

The peaceful valley suddenly erupted into a chaotic cacophony as everyone began yelling in panic.

Those with higher cultivation bases were able to bear the effects of the poison, and they came rushing out of the valley, only to discover a black-robed figure standing at the valley's entrance, resembling a deity of death.

It was none other than Hai Wuliang.

Everyone was ecstatic to see him.

"Pope Hai, we're being attacked! We've all been poisoned!"

"Calm down!" Hai Wuliang scoffed. "Who would dare to attack our Night Demon Church? Get back to your posts."

"Pope Hai, we've already been poisoned!"

"That's no excuse to abandon your posts!"

As the exchange was taking place, more people began rushing to the entrance of the valley. Some of them were already just barely able to remain on their feet, and the flesh on their bodies was rotting away.

They turned to Hai Wuliang with beseeching looks, hoping that he would save them, but the cold killing intent in his eyes struck them with an instant realization.

"Did you do this, Pope Hai? Why?!"

"No reason," Hai Wuliang replied in an indifferent manner. "I thought you were all tired of living, so I thought I'd do you all a favor."

Everyone's initial incredulity quickly turned to rage.

"What's the meaning of this, Hai Wuliang?!"

"He's not affected by the poison, so he must have the antidote!"

"Kill him!"

"We need the antidote!"

Before they even had a chance to strike, Hai Wuliang seized the initiative, sweeping his sleeves through the air to release a large cloud of poisonous smoke, which was blown into the entrance of the valley by the wind.

A string of blood-curdling howls instantly rang out.

Hundreds of bodies toppled to the ground, writhing in agony while decomposing at a rapid rate, while Hai Wuliang looked on with a cold and uncaring expression.

He continued standing at the entrance of the valley until all of the cries of panic and agony had faded away into deathly silence.

Hai Wuliang drifted into the valley, which was littered with bodies, and there wasn't even a single survivor.

Even all of the rats and insects in the valley had been completely exterminated.

Even so, he still scoured the entire headquarters. Some people had managed to retreat into underground bunkers before they succumbed to the poison, and he sought them out one by one before killing them himself.

Finally, he rose back up into the heavens high above the valley, looking at his blood-soaked hands, and all of a sudden, he erupted into laughter, throwing his head back as he chortled to the heavens.

"I'm the pope here! I get to decide whether everyone in this place lives or dies! You think you can kill me? Come then, show me what you've got!"

After scouring the entire headquarters thrice more to make absolutely certain that there were no survivors, Hai Wuliang set off for the main hall of the headquarters like a speeding arrow.

A resounding boom rang out as Hai Wuliang smashed the core of the headquarters' illusory array to bits, sending shards of purple crystal flying in all directions.

Immediately thereafter, he shot forth into the forest outside the valley, throwing up a mouthful of blood as he went.

Even though there were no enemies around, Hai Wuliang had channeled the Blood Incineration Technique from the get-go, enhancing his speed by tenfold to vanish into the distance in the blink of an eye.