We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 227 [The Black Light King] and the White-Robed Archbishop

The dazzling light washed over Xia En's vision, like a vast and boundless sea of ​​light.

Moreover, this sea of ​​light is not pure, single white light.

It is composed of countless different kinds of radiance.

Among them were dazzling lights like the midday sun, the pure light of the moon, colorful rainbows, and even the brilliance of numerous stars.

Various lights coexist harmoniously in this sea of ​​light, intertwining with each other and flowing endlessly like water.

It is dazzling and extremely spectacular.

Upon seeing this scene, a sentence inexplicably popped into Xia En's mind—

All the glory, however immense, belongs to its master!

A realization dawned on him: "This is probably the so-called 'Land of Radiance'."

However, it's unclear whether it's just Xia En's imagination.

The moment he stepped into this sea of ​​light, the endless radiance within seemed to respond to his arrival, slowly surging towards him.

Moreover, it was as if a gaze was falling upon him from the deepest depths of the sea of ​​light.

Soon, the feeling of being watched disappeared, and the sea of ​​light around them receded like the tide, revealing an extremely vast chaotic space.

This place seems to be a plaza, an almost boundless plaza, ancient and vast.

It's as if it has existed here for thousands or tens of thousands of years.

Many magnificent stone pillars support the view at the end of the road, carved with obscure murals and runes.

Their tops were all fragmented, as if shattered and dissipated in the distant sky.

A hazy, indistinct stream of light enveloped the square.

Something seemed to be hidden deep within that stream of light, but it was something that no ordinary person could possibly see.

Xia En composed himself and first took a moment to assess his own state.

He is currently only a spiritual entity, not a real physical being.

Moreover, one can easily leave this space with just a thought.

Then, Shane looked around.

He noticed that quite a few people were already standing in the square.

These figures were all enveloped in a chaotic glow, making it impossible to discern their true faces and shapes.

But one thing is certain: they are clearly followers of the Lord of Radiance.

This must be the "anonymity tactic" that the dwarf Lindlack once mentioned.

After all, in the present-day Seven Seas, the Hui Sect still falls under the category of "esoteric religions," and not everyone wants to reveal their identity as a Hui Sect follower.

To Xia En's surprise, there were far more people standing in the square than he had expected.

There are already no fewer than dozens of humanoid figures of light and shadow present.

Moreover, this trend is constantly increasing.

Xia En had initially thought it was a small gathering of only a dozen or so people!
On second thought, that makes sense.

Even Lindlack, the captain of the [Fishing Ship], whose strength is around the third or fourth tier, has a chance to obtain the [Radiant Crystal Mirror].

Given the vastness of the Seven Seas, there are certainly many more Pathfinders who are more outstanding and powerful than him, who have converted to the embrace of the Lord of Radiance and are qualified to participate in this mysterious gathering.

This also illustrates from another perspective...

On the surface, Hui Sect remains calm and inconspicuous, but in reality, it has been accumulating considerable power behind the scenes.

It can be said that the existence of the [Radiant Land] itself is a huge intelligence network with tentacles reaching across the seven seas.

"Although it is a sect from the previous era, it has still preserved its flame and is growing stronger day by day."

"The most crucial point is that the Federation doesn't seem to realize this yet? That's actually the most terrifying thing."

Compared to a formidable enemy that bares its teeth and claws in the open, a force that develops stealthily in the shadows is more daunting.

Xia En thought to himself, "The waters of the Hui Sect are indeed very deep..."

"But then again, what exactly does the Hui Sect want to do?"

Although Shane has always had a deep connection with the Lord of Light, first serving as a "divine messenger" and later as a "holy son".

It's no exaggeration to say that the title and relics of the Lord of Radiance provided immense help to the original Shane.

It was precisely by taking advantage of this that he was able to quickly complete the [Coral City] in just a few months and also gain huge profits from it.

However, the fact that he benefited greatly does not mean that Shane unconditionally trusted this deity.

His attitude towards faith was pure—

If it works for me, then I'll believe it.

If you're useless to me, then who cares about you!

He certainly couldn't be as devout and fanatical as some believers.

And since the Lord of Billions of Radiance is an Outer God from outside this world, how could Xia En not be wary?

Now, seeing the other believers in this "Land of Radiance," Shane couldn't help but ponder the Lord of Radiance, or rather, the purpose of the Radiance Cult.

Is it simply about recruiting believers?
Or do you want to draw upon things that evoke similar desires?
Shane's intuition told him that it was probably not for that reason.

What meaning does the will of mortals truly hold for a god who wields immense glory?

Just as Xia En's mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.

He suddenly realized that several gazes seemed to be fixed on him from all around.

Moreover, the emotions in these eyes seem rather strange.

There was surprise, curiosity, and a touch of awe and fear.

Xia En's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately became extremely vigilant.

'what happened? ’

'Have I been exposed?'

The family knows their own affairs.

The others who come to the Land of Radiance must all be devout followers of the Radiant Church.

But Xia En isn't like that!
He's not even close to being a "believer," let alone "devout."

The opportunity to use the Radiant Crystal Mirror was purely due to an inexplicable affinity with the Lord of Radiance.

If these believers were to discover this, wouldn't it lead to a situation where "there is a traitor among us"?

We have to guard against it!
Xia En secretly realized that he could leave the [Radiant Land] at any time, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

But he couldn't help but wonder, "How did I get exposed?"

"I didn't say a single word, did I?"

"Could it be that the [Radiant Crystal Mirror] also has the function of distinguishing between true and false believers?"

Judging from the fact that other believers did not launch a direct attack, Shane still harbored a small sense of wishful thinking.

—What if they haven't discovered it yet?
Soon, a figure shrouded in light walked towards Xia En.

The surrounding light and shadows spontaneously made way for him, showing great respect.

Upon seeing this figure, Xia En realized that the different Radiant Cult followers actually exhibited quite different behaviors in the [Radiant Land].

Take this visitor as an example; the light emanating from him was milky white, giving people a sense of purity and approachability.

It's like a sweet and fragrant White Rabbit milk candy.

Moreover, the area covered by the light emanating from him was larger than that of the other believers.

This mostly represents the amount of divine power within the Hui Sect, and is also a symbol of one's status within the sect.

The purer and more immense a person's radiance, the higher their status within the Radiant Cult.

No wonder the other believers treated this person with such respect.

Thinking about this, Xia En couldn't help but wonder, "What will my image be like in the [Radiant Land] now?"

He glanced down slightly, his expression immediately turning strange. Because he saw the light surrounding him…

It's black...

Black!

It wasn't a light black, but an extremely pure, deep, pitch-black black that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

It evokes images of the deep sea thousands of meters below the surface, or a night sky devoid of stars.

Xia En: "Damn it."

The moment he saw that black light, he couldn't help but name a plant.

No wonder people were looking at me so strangely!

Most of the Hui cult followers present were bright white light, but suddenly you, a strikingly conspicuous black light, appeared among them.

Anyone could tell at a glance that "you're up to no good," right?

Xia En's lips twitched.

It's not just black light, it's such pure black...

Is this the difference between believers and non-believers?
Xia En sighed inwardly, feeling that this intelligence-gathering operation had most likely failed.

Just as he was about to leave [Radiant Land], the believer who looked like a White Rabbit candy walked up to him and asked respectfully.

"Senior, is this your first time using the [Radiant Crystal Mirror]?"

It was a boy's voice; he couldn't be too old.

Like a well-educated little boy who sings hymns in church.

But what concerned Xia En even more was...

senior?

Upon hearing this address, Xia En's heart stirred.

Hmm, it seems like there's still a chance?

Judging from the believer's tone, he didn't seem to consider himself a heretic who had infiltrated this place.

Although he was a little confused about what was going on, Xia En, who reacted quickly, had a flash of inspiration and immediately continued speaking in the direction of the young believer.

"That's right, this is my first time in the [Radiant Land]. Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"Sure enough."

The young believer cautiously advised, "First of all, please restrain the light of your soul, senior."

"An overly intense light of the soul can have a negative influence on other believers..."

His tone was tactful, even a little cautious.

This is also inevitable.

What Xia En didn't know was that, in the eyes of this boy and the other believers...

This newcomer, this "senior," was surrounded by an extremely high and wide expanse of black light, some even as high as a small mountain.

It was more than ten times larger than the light orb of an ordinary believer.

It stands prominently in this ancient square.

The deep black light was like a black hole, causing the approaching believers to instinctively tremble with fear and feel immense pressure.

In fact, this is the reason why the believers looked at Shane with astonishment.

With such a senior figure from the sect standing here, with such strong pressure and such vibrant soul light, wouldn't everyone want to take a second look?
This "predecessor" in particular may very well have inherited the legacy of the [Blacklight King]!

Indeed, in the eyes of the believers, the black light on Shane's body was not a problem at all.

the reason is simple.

There is precedent for this.

And this isn't just one case!
People who practice different Hui religion divine arts will have subtle differences in the color of the light released from their souls.

For example, the boy's skin was milky white, while some of the believers next to him had light pink or light purple skin, so it wasn't as pure.

There are also some that are particularly noticeable, turning directly into pure red or blue.

But what does it matter?
The god they worship is the Lord of Billions of Glory!

Whether it's white light, red light, or blue light, doesn't it all belong to the authority of the Lord of Radiance?
Of course, in the early years, believers were somewhat wary of the black light of the soul.

That's a color that's opposed to the mainstream light.

Until the appearance of an extremely powerful believer, whose soul light was pure black.

However, this did not prevent him from being a loyal follower of the Lord of Radiance, and he even became the archbishop of the Radiance Cult at one point, gaining the favor of the Lord of Radiance.

That person's name was...

[Blacklight King!]

After him, several others followed a similar path and perfected his divine arts.

Gradually, this formed a mysterious tradition.

Although not mainstream, it has a small following within the Hui cult.

Moreover, the fact that one can use the [Radiant Crystal Mirror] is itself the best proof of a believer's identity.

Therefore, people were more surprised by the strength of Xia En's soul light than doubted his identity.

"Such a powerful soul light, I wonder which senior obtained the [Radiant Crystal Mirror]."

"It seems the [Blacklight Monarch] has a successor..."

"In any case, this is a good thing."

Hearing the whispers around him, Shane guessed a little about what was going on and asked the young believer.

"...What is the light of the soul?"

The boy honestly replied, "It's this kind of radiance that surrounds us."

"This radiance will automatically shine in the soul of any believer who enters the Land of Radiance."

"Generally speaking, the stronger the soul, the higher the rank, and the more favored the believer is by the Lord, the stronger the light of their soul will be."

At this point, the boy glanced at Xia En with a hint of envy.

“I have only seen a few bishops with such a ray of light in their souls as you.”

Although Xia En could not see the full picture of his soul's light, he could glean some information from the tone of voices of those around him and the boy.

This is mostly related to the gift he received from the ancestral soul of the [Moonlit Clan], as well as the inexplicable affinity with the Lord of Radiance.

After figuring out the reason for the strange looks, Xia En breathed a sigh of relief and asked.

"How can we control it?"

The boy replied, "Just sense its existence first, then control it. It feels similar to casting a divine spell."

Shane: "..."

He never used any genuine Hui Sect divine magic!
However, after careful consideration, he found that it wasn't difficult at all.

Soon, the surrounding soul light was gathered within a one-meter radius around Xia En.

He just finished doing this.

clang--

A sudden bell rang from the end of the crowd, interrupting Xia En's thoughts and the conversations among all the figures in the light and shadow.

There, a white-robed archbishop stood in the center of the square.

The ground beneath his feet kept rising and bulging, forming a unique palace amidst the chaotic light and shadow.

Then, the archbishop spoke.

"The sacred radiance connects us..."

(End of this chapter)