Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 566 [Balance] Focus—

The intense battle with Helmond, the "child of the dragon god," caused considerable damage to the royal palace.

Even Luo Xiu felt a pang of regret at the extent of the destruction.

He roughly estimated the losses caused and the manpower and resources required to repair the entire hall, concluding that it was at least equivalent to the loss of tens or hundreds of thousands of gold coins.

Fortunately, the treasure left behind by Fafnir, the "Dragon of Destruction," in the dragon tomb that Quesanx had taken him to earlier was worth tens of millions, enough to make up for the losses suffered by the Lost Kingdom due to Helmond's destruction.

"..."

Luo Xiu thought to himself.

However, this price is negligible compared to successfully sealing away Helmond, the "child of the dragon god".

To control a god-child of the Abyss—and one who was once a fallen demigod—is of immeasurable value.
The price I paid for this was only a mere million gold coins!

Thinking this way, Luo Xiu regained his optimism. He then placed the [Divine Prison Lock] back into the hidden compartment of the Golden Throne, maintaining a deep spiritual connection with it. His gaze then fell upon the half-dead dragon cocoon lying horizontally in the hall.

"..."

"...Foggy Night".

Luo Xiu spoke softly, calling out to the raven that had already retreated to the edge of the main hall and was hiding on the pillars and beams, shrouded in black mist.

On a foggy night, the "Eye of the Lunar Eclipse" transformed into a thick black mist that suddenly surged forth.

Under Luo Xiu's guidance, the black mist covered the surface outline of the dead dragon, healing and filling in its severe wounds as much as possible.

The tattered body of the dead dragon was "recovering"—it appeared that the "dead dragon cocoon" was gradually "healing" back to its original, complete form.

This was the only method Luo Xiu could think of on the spot.

Because of the ability that Fog Night possesses, it can create various "disguises" that are extremely close to the source.

The cocoon of the dead dragon's embryo, which was dead but not yet decayed, allowed the misty night to recreate its original, complete form, which was not a difficult task for it.

The intense dark spiritual energy inherent in the foggy night itself wouldn't be noticeably different unless one had come into contact with the cocoon of the dead dragon beforehand.

soon.

The thousands of misty shadows that emerged from the foggy night quickly "stitched" and "filled" the cocoon of the dead dragon embryo to make it whole.

Then, Luo Xiu gently raised his right hand, and a deep red engraved light appeared on the back of his hand.

The teleportation array rings appeared on the ground around the "repaired" cocoon of the dead dragon embryo.
The enormous, dark dragon burning with eerie flames gradually blurred under Luo Xiu's gaze and finally disappeared from the hall.

It has been returned to the real world.

At the bottom of that blood cave, on the original "Blood-Desecrating Altar," there was also a disguised phantom placed above the altar after Wu Ye teleported the dead dragon cocoon to the Holy Abyss Hall.

Now, the "phantom" has completely disappeared, and the real cocoon of the dead dragon has returned to the altar.

Connected to the spirits of the mist surrounding the "Blood-Desecrating Altar" at the bottom of the Blood Cave, Luo Xiu knew that no one had entered the giant chamber during the time he was engaged in a fierce battle with "Child of the Dragon God" Helmond and sealed him into the [Divine Prison Lock].

So nobody knows what actually happened there.

"..."

Luo Xiu pondered for a moment, then took one last look at the cocoon of the dead dragon embryo and the place where "the child of the dragon god" Helmond had once been. Then, he activated the imprint again.

This time, a circular array of teleportation rings appeared at his feet.

Luo Xiu's figure quickly became illusory and blurred. He then disappeared from the throne he was sitting on, returning to the real world.

……

Fafnir, a city of ruins in its deep alleys.

When the dark and damp atmosphere enveloped Luo Xiu once again, and his vision changed from complete darkness to a dim light, he knew that he had returned to the real world—the city of Fafnir.

Actually, there are still some things I need to do above the "Sacred Abyss".

For example, give the "Devourer Dragon's" source crystal to the master craftsman Balin and entrust him with the forging and strengthening process;
Inform the "Faceless One" Intis to organize the Holy Abyss Apostles to carry out the repairs of the Holy Abyss Royal Court Hall;

Further research on Helmond, the "child of the dragon god," etc.

But now is not the right time.

Based on the timeline, Daveld, Prandell, and Royce should be returning from the battlefield outside the city by now.

And Indis is still carrying out her mission, or rather... she mentioned in her previous report to herself that she had a clear plan for "promotion," which is currently underway.

Perhaps after tonight, she will fulfill her expectations and instructions, becoming the "Blood Witch" of the five-fold destiny of [Red Lotus].

The exact words Indis had conveyed to him the day before were expressed in this way... Luo Xiu recalled.

He then emerged from the ruins, straightening his archbishop's robes to make them appear neat and sacred, ensuring his appearance was not soiled by the previous battle, before heading towards the church compound.

But halfway through, in his ears,

Or rather, it was from the "divine object" he was spiritually connected to—from the [Divine Prison Lock]—that a noisy sound always emanated.

"..."

"Durant's bloodline..."

That was Hastia's voice, sounding irritable and furious—

"Durant...Durant's bloodline!!!"

"Why... such a deformed authoritarian dragon, what is that?!"

"What...what did you do?!"

"--roar!!!!!"

The final roar did not come from Hastia, but from Helmond, the "child of the dragon god".

It seems that Hastia and Helmond, who were sealed within the [Chains of the Gods], have already made harmonious and friendly "contact".

Then, the voice belonging to "Hastia" that had entered Luo Xiu's ears was interrupted, and a series of sharp noises followed.

In the artifact panel of [Divine Prison Lock], the "Sealing India" value fluctuated wildly due to some unknown factor. Taking 45% as the baseline, the highest "Sealing India" value reached about 50%, while the lowest value dropped to about 40%.

Hastia and Helmond were both once demigods of [Authority]... but it seems Hastia has not yet recognized that the one newly sealed in the [Chains of Gods] is the "child of the Dragon God," Helmond.

However, it's normal for some conflicts to arise between fellow inmates!
Perhaps because he had just completed a "rebirth," or perhaps because of the "Devouring Dragon," Helmond's consciousness was clearly in a state of chaos.

He has no reason; even as a "divine offspring," he is merely a beast with immense power.

His attitude toward Hastia should now be one of unreserved "hunting".

However, due to the inherent lock of the [Divine Prison Lock], they are greatly hindered by each other. Under such restrictions, none of them can truly destroy or devour the other.

Even if they might have known each other in the age of gods, it's quite normal that Hastia and Helmond wouldn't recognize each other after millions of years of wear and tear.
This was indeed the result that Luo Xiu had anticipated and desired.

Now, with Hastia and Helmond imprisoned and sealed in the [Chains of the Gods], they are clearly caught in some kind of internal conflict.

They are consuming each other's strength. Perhaps at some point, they will finally be able to recognize each other, but by then, most of their remaining strength will have already been used up.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

He continued to monitor the situation within the [Chains of the Gods] without giving Hastia any response.

He merely raised a subtle smile at the corner of his lips, and at the same time, he had arrived at the entrance to the church's premises.

The clergy stationed there saw Rosh and immediately came forward to greet him, bowing devoutly and respectfully to their "archbishop" Rosh Carlos.

Luo Xiu nodded in response to them, and then went into the church compound, to the tent that had always been reserved for the "bishops," to deal with the many church affairs that had been added temporarily.

Meanwhile, he was also waiting for Daveld, Prandell, Royce and other "Sun Knights" to come and meet him, and for their clergy to inform him of the progress of the cleanup work outside the city.

……

Half an hour passed quickly.

After Luo Xiu efficiently and quickly finished processing several important and complicated church documents, he finally received a Templar Knight from Daveld's command.

That was another "Radiant Knight" under Daveld, Rudol Ventcal, who had also participated in the previous holy war against "Devouring Dragon" Fafnir Ramsanks, and Luo Xiu had a good impression of him.

He was an exceptionally strong Radiant Knight; in fact, just looking at his muscles, even his superior, the "Heavenly Ring Paladin" Daveld, appeared as frail as a sapling compared to him.

It was quite similar to the first time I saw Priest Leonard at the Church of Sina City; Ludo and the old priest were comparable in strength and power... However, the old priest was clearly not as strong as Ludo, who, as a "Radiant Knight," might have more talent as a Templar Knight.

Guided by the pastor, Lu Duo entered Luo Xiu's tent and first bowed to Luo Xiu with piety and respect.

"Reporting to you, Archbishop."

Ludo placed his left hand lightly on his right chest, bowed slightly to Luo Xiu, performed the sacrament, and said:

"Lord Daveld, along with Lord Prandell and Lord Royce, have finished their sweep and returned to Fafnir."

"Lord Daveld sent me to find you and to inform you of some matters, Your Excellency Archbishop."

Then, Lu Duo began his "report" to Luo Xiu—

He gave Luo Xiu a concise and complete account of their battle results and gains on the battlefield outside the city, as well as some other discoveries.

One of the things that particularly concerned Luo Xiu was—

"While we were assisting Lord Daveld in the cleanup of the battlefield, we discovered a dozen or so silver figures appearing at the edge of the battlefield."

This is what Lu Duo said to Luo Xiu.

“Those people weren’t wearing silver outer garments; rather, their very body outlines were silver. They also wore… cloaks, white or black cloaks, and that’s how they appeared on the outermost edge, silently observing us.”

"And those silver figures that suddenly appeared did nothing else. I wanted to make tentative contact with them, but Lord Daveld stopped me."

“I don’t know what that is, Archbishop. When I asked Lord Daveld about it and told him about my concerns that those people were heretics who had appeared out of nowhere, I only saw that Lord Daveld, Lord Prandell and Lord Royce all had complicated expressions on their faces.”

"Then, Lord Daveld sent me to find you, Archbishop. Lord Daveld also asked me to tell you this and hopes that you will visit him when you have time."

"..."

Lu Duo quickly finished telling Luo Xiu all this.

Luo Xiu quickly understood what Lu Duo meant by the dozen or so silver figures that suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield.

—Those are the Apocalyptic Apostles who embarked on the path of [Balance] and embraced the "Ring of Apocalypse"!

These balanced Apocalyptic Apostles are usually only attracted on battlefields of extreme intensity, above the "Sixfold Fate".

This was also the first time that Luo Xiu had personally heard his subordinates, the clergy, witness the “Apostle of Revelation.”

hiss……

A solemn and wary expression also appeared on Luo Xiu's face.

He probably knew about the holy war against Fafnir Ramzanx, the "Devouring Dragon," which was previously led by "Sword of the Holy Land" Monigne and "Saintess" Franya.

The sheer intensity of the battle—comprising several Saints of the sixth and seventh Destiny realms, along with "Progenitor Demons" and "True Ancestor Demons" like the "Devouring Dragon" and the "Silver Blood Calamity Dragon"—was indeed enough to attract the Apocalyptic Apostles of the "Balance" realm.

Even beneath the city of Fafnir, at the bottom of that blood-soaked abyss, lie the descendants of the Abyss Gods, hidden away by the "Devouring Dragon."

Given these combined factors, it's understandable that they attracted the attention of the Apocalyptic Apostles of Balance...

Even though he knew this was the case, Luo Xiu still felt there was some trouble—

Because of the mountain of corpses of "Apocalyptic Apostles" discovered in the secret cave left behind by his suspected ancestor, Bishop Alfonso Durant, Alfonso must have a grudge and conflict with [Balance].
Luo Xiu was unsure whether this once hostile relationship would be passed down through his bloodline to him, as well as to his "Heart of Revelation"—which would also easily attract too much attention from [Balance].

"..."

"I understand, Lu Duo."

While pondering these thoughts, Luo Xiu looked at the "Radiant Knight" Rudol Ventkar in front of him and said—

"Go back first and give my regards to Lord Daveld. I have some matters to attend to and will go see him soon."

……

(End of this chapter)