Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 643 Heading to the Holy Court
The treetops trembled slightly, and a dark, misty shadow flapped its atomized wings, flying from the courtyard of the Austin Manor towards a carriage that was still moving.

The source of its spirituality—

A young bishop, disguised as a young nobleman with dark hair, had witnessed everything, a deep glint in his eyes.

It was truly an unexpected bonus that the young Earl Hayek Nolan would see him on his way to the Holy Court.

It seems that Hayek was at Austin Estate at the time, perhaps presiding over a lavish banquet for royalty and nobility—he was wearing magnificent robes for the occasion, and there were even traces of lipstick or rouge left on the robes by some noble lady.

Hayek was going to see the pinnacle of the "Slaughter Order" in the Empire—to see the Duke of "Hakasville." Although the Duke of Hakasville had set up a barrier in the main mansion, preventing the Fog Shadow of the Night from truly "hearing" what they were discussing, it wasn't hard for Luo Xiu to guess.

At this time.

The Duke of Harcas and the Count of Hayek, at least one of them, already knew their true identity as the "bishop" who had stayed at the Lakeside Villa.

Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, when Hayek walked out of the mansion again, Luo Xiu could "see" his panicked expression. The four servants also escorted Hayek away. Luo Xiu had already sent another dozen or so mist shadows to track and pinpoint Hayek's destination.

As for the Duke of Harkas.

Through the mist, Duke Harkas "saw" that he lingered for a while in the courtyard of the main mansion.

He activated a certain "divine object," thereby summoning a connection with a certain being. At that moment, the spiritual energy of the entire courtyard almost stagnated, and even the misty shadows dared not get too close.

However, Luo Xiu still saw that Duke Harkas's mouth moved as if he were saying something to the air. After that, the feeling of spiritual stagnation gradually disappeared, and Duke Harkas, leaning on his cane, left Austin Manor alone.

"..."

Upon witnessing this scene, Luo Xiu's first thought was that Duke Hakkas had most likely sent people to target him.

He wouldn't reveal his "supreme" status openly, so it's highly likely he'll send those who have entered sainthood through the "sevenfold destiny"—aside from the three legitimate paths of destiny.

In fact, the organization most suitable for, and indeed the one that helped Duke Harkas "solve" many troubles was the "Mutual Aid Society," whose top members were two assassins with the seven-fold fate of [Bitter Tea].
Furthermore, a secret cult affiliated with [Void] is lurking in the capital, and Duke Hakkas might also have connections to it.

It should happen within the next day or two.

He himself could encounter a new fate of [Bitter Tea] or [Void], targeted by a seventh-level Saint. Although this was a dangerous situation, for some reason, Luo Xiu felt a sense of anticipation...

A slight smile played on his lips as he recalled what he had "seen" earlier, the creaking of the carriage wheels still echoing in his ears like a string melody harmonizing with his thoughts.

While Luo Xiu's mind was wandering and he was thinking about many things.

He could hear the increasingly lively sounds of people, so he pulled back the carriage curtain again and saw the dazzling lights of the capital city at night.

Those who still have the leisure to stroll the streets at night are mostly not heading to work as they do during the day, but rather to various bars, banquets, and theaters. This is the golden time for the upper echelons of the empire to immerse themselves in high-level social interactions.

The pedestrians were dressed much more lavishly than Luo Xiu had seen during the day. Although many struggling people were still among them, the capital city was indeed shrouded in an atmosphere of prosperity and extravagance. This was perhaps the true, decadent, and decadent appearance of the capital city.

Just like the Shanghai of his past life... Luo Xiu thought to himself, the sound of wheels in his ears suddenly stopped, and Luo Xiu saw the magnificent "Royal Opera House" with its doors on the other side of the road.

The driver dismounted and came to the front of the carriage, pulling back the curtain for Luo Xiu.

"Distinguished guest, you have arrived at the Royal Opera House."

The attendant bowed respectfully to Luo Xiu, helped him down from the carriage, and said:

"Wishing you a pleasant evening, esteemed guest."

"After you've finished enjoying the opera, if you're ready to return to the manor, I'll wait for you at the nearby parking spot."

"..."

As the waiter spoke, he bowed respectfully to Luo Xiu again, then mounted his horse again, cracked the whip, and drove the carriage to the parking spot on the side.

……

The carriage driver and the carriage from Austin Manor disappeared into the crowd.

Luo Xiu then squeezed into the bustling crowd that had come to watch the premiere, while subtly radiating his spirituality until he could clearly perceive all the spiritual surging within a hundred-meter radius.

There were four groups of eight Supreme Guard Knights patrolling and guarding the streets; there were also many Supreme Beings watching the performance in the crowd, but the highest level was only the sixth level of destiny... They did not sense the spiritual aura of the seventh level of destiny, but there were indeed at least three places where the spiritual energy was faintly present.

It didn't come from one of the three major paths of the empire. The aura it gave Luo Xiu felt was more like that of the superhumans of [Bitter Tea] or [Void]. They might come from a secret organization lurking in the capital, or they might be subordinates secretly cultivated by some [Supreme], just like Lord Gawain.

"..."

Luo Xiu focused his mind, weaving through the crowded streets while simultaneously sensing the subtle spiritual currents around him, and paying closer attention to whether these spiritual entities were watching him.

There did indeed seem to be two gazes tracking his movements. Luo Xiu roughly confirmed the direction; perhaps they were spies sent by Emperor Augustusville, but their level wasn't high, probably only around the fifth level of destiny.

And so, in a moment, I squeezed into another crowded mass of people.

Luo Xiu naturally stumbled as if he had been bumped, bent down, stood up a short while later, dusted himself off, and continued walking toward the opera house.

But that was no longer the real "Luo Xiu"—

Like a hat trick, the misty shadow of the night transformed into a "real phantom" almost identical to Luo Xiu the moment he crouched down. Whether it was appearance, figure, or even the spiritual aura emanating from it, it was completely consistent with the original body.

All of this happened silently, and even those closest to Luo Xiu were unaware of the changes around them.

"Luo Xiu" then followed the direction of the surging crowd and squeezed into the opera house. Like all the other guests, he bought a ticket, had his ticket checked, and entered the theater without showing any abnormality.

The owner of the two gazes that followed Luo Xiu at that moment also entered the opera house along with that "Luo Xiu".

Those were two "Divine Knights" disguised as ordinary nobles.

But what they didn't realize was that right behind them, another gaze was also watching them.

After watching them for a while, and seeing that they had entered the opera house—having concealed his aura and hidden his figure—Luo Xiu then walked towards the side of the street, into a deep alley.

He donned his cloak and gently pulled down the hood. Then, he subtly released his spiritual energy, and since no one around him was watching him anymore, Luo Xiu headed directly towards his true destination—the "Holy Court."

……

Holy Court.

Located in the heart of the city, adjacent to the "Tower of the Sages," the Holy Temple Cathedral appears somewhat deserted compared to the bustling streets of the capital at this time.

The death of Pope Laurent left the Holy See without its true backbone.

Although the timely return of "Saint" Frania, who took over the sacred authority of Pope Lawrence and assumed the Pope's holy responsibilities, allowed the basic operation of the Holy See to continue, a sense of unease about the future was secretly spreading, shaking the foundation of the Holy See's "faith".

Without the demigod who truly symbolizes the embodiment of "the fleeting moment of the sun," it is as if faith has lost its spiritual totem.

Franya cannot completely replace Pope Laurent's sacred symbol in the Holy See—in fact, Luo Xiu had already learned that recently, a small number of clergy have shown a tendency to join the "Pure Order."

【Radiance】The demigod of destiny possesses three thrones.

From "Priest," "Paladin," and "Cleric" to the Seventh Destiny, there is actually a "Demigod" position above each of these paths.

The "Divine Crown Celestial" of Pope Lawrence is the ultimate demigod who ascends to the pinnacle of the eightfold destiny of [Glory] – the career path of "Priest".

The other two demigods of [Radiance], one resides in the elven kingdom of Kassapa, while the other is not on the continent of Fanor, but this is not the main point—

Before the "Holy War," Pope Lorend ascended to the eighth level of the [Radiant] destiny, securing the final demigod position. In fact, there was another candidate in the "Holy Court" who was qualified to ascend to demigod at that time.

He was once a cardinal, Saint Arn, the "Radiant Cardinal," but in the end, the Great Sun chose Lorend, and Saint Arn had no hope of advancement—at least before the fall of Pope Lorend, Saint Arn's upper limit was locked at the level of "Sevenfold Destiny."

After the split of the Holy Court, the "Pure Faction" separated from the Holy Court and formed the "Pure Order". Saint Arn, the "Radiant Holy Pivot", was the head of the Pure Order and its "Pure Holy Lord". However, Saint Arn himself has not appeared in public for a long time.

However, the Holy Court frequently heard about Saint Ahn, the "Holy Lord" of the "Pure Order."

Since the fall of Pope Lorend, the most speculated cardinal among the clergy is the long-absent "Radiant Holy Cardinal," now known as the "Pure Holy Lord" Saint Arn, not even the Holy See's "Saintess" Franya, nor any other cardinal!
Even though the former "Second Cardinal" Saint Arn has left the Holy See, he still has a profound influence on the clergy of the Holy See—especially the older clergy.

Luo Xiu had even heard rumors that several clergy members who aspired to "purity" had begun plotting to leave the Holy Court if they heard that Saint Arn, the Holy Lord of the "Pure Order," had truly ascended to demigod status, in order to seek out and join the Pure Order and work together to achieve the great cause of purity.

Luo Xiu's intuition told him that it was most likely true.

It's true that some clergymen would actually do that. However, according to Luo Xiu's memories of his past life, normally Saint Arn should have died before Pope Lorend...

But the current trajectory is completely different from that of his previous life. Luo Xiu isn't entirely sure if Saint Arn, the "Holy Lord" of the Pure Order, can truly ascend to demigodhood, but it certainly won't be that simple—

For at least three months after the fall of Pope Lawrence, his divine nature and true divinity have not been fully released. Therefore, it will take at least three months before he can completely replace Pope Lawrence as the new demigod of [Glory].

Therefore, everything done during these three months was preparation for advancing to "demigod"... If news of abnormalities in the "Pure Order" were to be received, the saints of the Holy Court would not ignore it.

"..."

Lost in these thoughts, Luo Xiu, cloaked, arrived at the "Holy Court" Cathedral, before its sacred and magnificent main entrance.

At that moment, the church doors were tightly closed.

The church is closed today for mourning.

Several paladins clad in pure white armor still guarded the temple gates. Divine barriers covered the towering church in layers, creating a heavy and solemn atmosphere that was indeed daunting.

Luo Xiu arrived at the entrance of the sanctuary, but the paladins stationed there did not seem to see him.

No… it should be said that he simply didn’t see him. Luo Xiu deliberately concealed his figure and movements; he had already arrived before the sacred barrier that sealed off the Holy Temple Church.

Reach out.

His fingers touched the surface of the barrier, and the authority bestowed upon him by Pope Lawrence—the holy seal of the Seven Luminaries of Revelation—manifested on the back of Luo Xiu's hand.

Normally, only saints who have been "crowned" under the auspices of Pope Laurent can pass through the sacred barrier created by the "relics." However, the sacred authority that Pope Laurent "passed down" to Rosius actually replaced the "crowning" procedure.

Luo Xiu's fingers had already passed through the surface of the barrier.

Next came his arms, then he stepped through his upper body, and then his entire body disappeared into the barrier.

……

When Luo Xiu passed through the barrier and entered the "Holy Court," the guarding paladins were unaware of it.

But they did feel a tremor in their hearts, like a stone falling into a calm lake, and so they turned to look at the golden barrier—

A soft ripple of light was spreading across it.

The ripples were pulsating rhythmically, but soon the slight wrinkles were smoothed out again.

Until the faint golden hue finally faded away, the spirituality of the barrier returned to stability and tranquility.

"..."

The paladin on duty scratched his head, not paying much attention. He continued to stand guard at the temple gate, his hands still resting on his holy sword, like a pure white sacred sculpture.

He knew and had witnessed the occasional disturbances in the spirituality of the barrier. That did not affect the effectiveness of "isolation" and "protection," but it would indeed cause similar ripples. However, just like the surface of a lake, after a few ripples, it would always return to calm.

Ok.

Maybe it was the wind...

……

(End of this chapter)