Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 687 Growth (Second update, 9,700 views today!)
"Finlake... is still alive."

Looking at Finlake, whose body was half embedded in the rock, Luo Xiu said in a low voice.

At that time, as the battle reached its climax, he fought with deadly intent, whether facing Accipiles or Finlayc.

In such an intense and bloody battle, there was no question of holding back.

The Seven Luminaries of Revelation, with four bursts of radiant light, completely enveloped Finlake. Even for Finlake, such a terrifying bombardment should have been enough to kill him, but Finlake's survival was indeed somewhat unexpected.

However, this is the best way—

Frania and Monine were able to bring the living Finlek back to the "Holy Court," not just a corpse.

That was their goal all along, and now that goal has been achieved, Luo Xiu doesn't care what kind of trial Finlake will face.

Bringing Finlayk back to the Holy Court alive would allow Franya to fully establish her central position, sacred authority, and sublime symbol within the Holy Court—this was what Luo Xiu cared about.

From now on, the "Holy Cardinal Bishops' Conference" will no longer be controlled by the saints of the "Holy Leron" family, and Franya will truly gain her voice in the "Holy Court".

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

"Yes... still alive."

At the same time, Franya's voice came from Luo Xiu's ear.

……

At this moment, Franya's blazing golden eyes were also fixed on her, on Finlake.

A complex expression gradually crept onto her face.

As she looked at the unconscious Finlake, a multitude of unsettling emotions welled up within her—sadness, anger, joy, confusion, and so on—all surging up at once.

Finlaque Saint-Lerran, the First Cardinal of the Holy See, like Monigne, watched Franja grow up.

When Francia came of age and was officially conferred the title of "Saint" and the laurel wreath by Pope Lorend, the then "First Cardinal" Finlake also bestowed upon Francia a sacred scepter.

It was the scepter that Saint Lelangen had once used, the Silver Staff of Saint Lelangen, which was given to the saintess by Finlake on behalf of the saints of Saint Lelangen as a blessing and gift.

To Frania, every saint in the Holy See was like family—she still couldn't understand why Cardinal Finlake would go down such a depraved path.

But this is also part of growing up...

……

As Franya gazed at Finlake, Luo Xiu was also watching her, observing the changes in Franya's expression without disturbing her.

In fact, Luo Xiu was also wondering how Franya would react if she discovered that she too had embarked on the path of the [Abyss].
And if Franya knew that it was she who had repeatedly used the power of the [Abyss] destiny to resolve crisis after crisis, what would she think?

Sooner or later, I will let everyone know that I, who have embarked on both the path of [Glory] and the path of [Abyss], am not pure on either path, and am bound to walk the path of godhood that is neither [Glory] nor [Abyss].

Although I am not Finlake, what I will inevitably do in the future may be the same as Finlake's in terms of the definition of "pure".

If, by then, Frania still stands firmly by his side,
That would be even better, the perfect solution.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

He stopped looking at Franya and instead looked into the distance.

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and his gaze became serious.

He looked into the distance—to the desolate southern outskirts beyond the city of Agus—where, just moments before, a powerful surge of spiritual energy had emanated.

Luo Xiu was also quite familiar with that spiritual aura—it was the intense spiritual surge emanating from the "Supreme Holy Sword" Monine!
Before Luo Xiu and Franya entered the Church of Argus, Monine separated from them—she led the Templar Knights of the "Godhunter" Knights to the rocky ravine south of Argus City to engage in a fierce battle with "Crimson Warlord" Hatulag.

Throughout the fierce battle between Luo Xiu, Franya, Fenlake, and Accipiles, the surges of spiritual energy emanating from the south of Argus City never ceased for a moment.

The spiritual connection between "Supreme Sword" Monigne and "Crimson Warhead" Haturag is always one of ebb and flow, and just now—

Just as Luo Xiu and Franya discovered Fenlake, the spiritual surge belonging to Monine suddenly erupted, followed by an extremely loud and violent booming sound coming from the south of Agus City!
--boom!!!!!!!

In the distance that Luo Xiu was gazing at, a pillar of light descended simultaneously, extremely blazing and extremely bright. Luo Xiu recognized that pillar of light—it was the authority that Monine possessed, a level V authority called the [Pillar of Divine Punishment]!

The enormous and heavy roar came from the sound of the Pillar of Heaven's Punishment descending completely upon the earth. It meant that the seal on the Pillar of Heaven's Punishment was finally completed, and nothing sealed within it could escape the golden cage that descended from the sky!
—It was Monigne who defeated the "Crimson Warhead," defeated Haturag! And sealed him away!

The moment the dazzling Pillar of Heavenly Punishment descended, Luo Xiu already knew the final outcome of the battle on that side.

That was a predictable outcome—after all, Haturag, the "Crimson Warchief," although a seventh-degree being, was not one of the most powerful Crimson Warchiefs under the Crimson King.

When Luo Xiu met him through "Mist Shadow", although he could not directly detect his stats, he intuitively judged that his level should be around lv.90, which was in the middle range in terms of strength in "Sevenfold Fate".

But Monine is the true pinnacle of the 'Eternal Knight' in the seventh level of the [Radiance] destiny—her eventual victory over the Great War leader Haturag is almost inevitable, it's just a matter of time.

As Luo Xiu saw the Pillar of Divine Retribution and pondered these thoughts, he also saw a burning figure flying like a shooting star from the southern horizon—

The figure rapidly approached, becoming increasingly clear in Luo Xiu's gaze—it was none other than the "Supreme Sword" Monine. After suppressing the Great War Leader Haturag on the [Pillar of Divine Retribution], she was heading towards the Church of Agus!
Her speed was quite fast. Even though Monine, who had just summoned the Pillar of Wrath, should have been exhausted and weak, her speed in arriving here showed no signs of fatigue or weakness.
She was burning herself out, pushing herself to the limit, so that she could reach the battlefield of the Church of Agnes sooner—

……

--boom!!!!!

When Monine finally "descended" into the Church of Agnes like a meteorite, a burst of intense light surged up where she landed, and the surrounding temperature rose by tens of degrees.

From within the surging golden light, Luo Xiu also saw Monine's figure at this moment—

She was covered in blood, and her paladin armor had several obvious cracks, revealing gruesome wounds and patches of skin showing signs of being corroded by dark spiritual energy.
Her fierce battle with the Great War Leader Haturag was a truly brutal one—it was also the first time that saints like Monine faced a true enemy of the Sevenfold Fate of the Abyss. Although Monine's true strength was greater than Haturag's, she was still injured by an unknown force, but fortunately it was not fatal.

When Monine arrived, the first thing she did was look around the chaotic and devastated Church of Agus in search of Frania.

Until she finally saw Luo Xiu and Franya at the edge of the Church of Agus, she ran towards them without hesitation.

She quickly approached them, scrutinizing them from head to toe, as if trying to see through Luo Xiu and Franya.

"Huh...huh..."

Monine gasped for breath, as if she had finally breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that Franya and Luo Xiu were both alive and unharmed. However, her tense nerves did not relax.

Then, Monigne's gaze passed between Rosh and Franya, landing directly on Finlake, who was embedded in the rock behind them—

“Fenlake…”

Her expression instantly turned serious and wary, and she growled Finlake's name in a low, guttural voice, like a ferocious beast—

At the same time, an even hotter and more intense surge of spiritual energy emanated from Monine. The flames that had not yet faded on her body reignited with bright flames, which spread to the divinely forged holy sword she held in her hands. The spiritual energy had firmly locked onto Finlak.

If Finlake makes any move or emits any unusual aura, Luo Xiu has no doubt that Monigne will cut off his head on the spot—right here, in the name of Skadi, to execute the apostate on the spot.

……

“Teacher Monigne…”

Frania turned around, shifting her gaze from Finlake to Monine:
"You've arrived, Teacher Monigne."

“Cardinal Finlake is powerless to resist. My authority, the Unforgiven Manifestation, has been fully unleashed upon him, and his spirit has been… completely sealed away by me.”

"..."

Hearing Franya say these words, Monine's intense wariness gradually eased, but she still didn't lower the holy sword in her hand. She looked at Franya, then at Luo Xiu, and asked them:
"The battle here is... over?"

“Hmm.” Luo Xiu nodded, forcing a smile as he replied to Monigne, “It’s over.”

"..."

Only then did Monigne gradually and slowly lower the holy sword from her hand.

"According to the established plan... I, and the 'Godhunter' Templar Knights I lead, have already suppressed... the Crimson Warhead, Haturag, in the south of Argus City."

Monigne sheathed the holy sword, let out a long sigh, and said:
"Along with the 'scars' that were carved there by that warhead and the demon, my Templars and I have sealed it back."

“In the battle against ‘Crimson Warhead’ Haturag, I had many… questions, and many discoveries. But now is not the time to talk about these things; I will tell you about them later.”

"As for the south of Agus City, there's no need to worry about 'Crimson Warhead' Hatulag anymore... I'm only worried about this place now."

As she spoke, Monigne's eyebrows furrowed, and her expression turned serious again. She said:
"Just now, I sensed a very strong aura."

"Luo Xiu—that dazzling light that just descended from the sky, that was the [Seven Luminaries of Revelation]... right?"

"But why did I sense such an intense demonic aura beyond that? Even from that distance, when that deep, blasphemous spiritual aura was fully released, I felt a chill run down my spine. I have never felt such terror from a demon before."

"That's why I rushed back so anxiously. Thankfully, the sun protected you all for a moment, and I found you were all alright. So... what exactly happened to you?"

"..."

"Acpilus".

Frania's voice was soft and clear, a slightly dim light flashing in her eyes as she spoke to Monigne:
“...Acpilus, behind Finlake, that demon is neither the true progenitor demon nor the progenitor demon... He is the 'primordial demon,' and was once an angel of Saint Leron.”

“We…encountered Him. But as you can see, we defeated Him. However, we were unable to break His true name, and we were unable to truly kill Him.”

"..."

"..."

When Monigne heard Frania say these words, her expression froze.

She had previously made many conjectures—for example, whether it would lead to any unexpected events if Luo Xiu and Franya, the two youngest Sevenfold Fate Saints of the Holy Court, were to face Cardinal Finlake, the most powerful and senior Cardinal of the Holy Court.

She considered many possibilities, but she never expected it to be the Primal Demon—the Primal Demon that they had never encountered or witnessed before!
And that primordial demon was once an angel of 'Saint Leron'!

"you……"

“Teacher Monine,” Franya said softly, interrupting Monine before she could ask any more questions.

“I will tell you everything that we just experienced, and everything that just happened in the Church of Agnes… But now, I want to first gather the surviving members of the church to search for and treat the other members. Also, the Church of Agnes needs us now…”

“I understand,” Monigne nodded.

She had a vague feeling that the "saint" Franya in front of her seemed to have changed.

She began to try to preside over some events and gradually began to resemble a true "saint".

"What do you need me to do, Your Highness?" Monigne asked Franya in a gentler tone.

"..." Franya was taken aback. She looked at Monine, seemed stunned for a moment, pondered for a moment, and then said:

“Please… stay here and look after Cardinal Finlake for me, teacher.”

“He is a sinner of the Holy Court, but long before that, he was also one of our comrades… my elder. I will feel more at ease with you here taking care of him, teacher. I don’t want anyone to be able to harm him before I bring him back to the Holy Court, nor do I want him to harm anyone else.”

“Okay.” Monigne nodded.

Now, she finally realized—she could clearly feel the gradual "transformation" that was beginning to take place in Franya.

Then, Franya looked at Luo Xiu, pondered for a moment, and said to him:

“Rosh, I hope you can help me… bring Bishop Donovan back. The crisis here is over now, and Bishop Donovan can return. The Church of Agnes is under his leadership, and I need him.”

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded as well.

"And I will go and gather all the clergy of the Church of Agus; I will do that."

Frania's voice grew firmer as she said, "I will go to heal my wounded comrades and search for those who are missing, soothe their pain, and tell them that we are safe."

"Also, the battle just now must have affected the city of Agus. Someone needs to appease the panicked civilians, and someone needs to contact the [Supreme] of Agus. In any case, we need the help of the [Supreme] now."

"..."

……

Franya gradually and methodically arranged these things. Now, even Luo Xiu gradually noticed the difference in Franya, a "transformation" in her.

Previously, she had mostly followed Monigne's instructions or her own arrangements. But now, she's starting to try and arrange things herself—

This is good, and Luo Xiu is also pleased to see these changes in Franya. Franya quickly arranged everything and finally said to Luo Xiu and Monine:
"That's it, hmm. Let's get started and get on with what needs to be done."

"Luo Xiu, if we have plenty of time after bringing Bishop Donovan back, I would like to ask you... for help. I'm afraid I might not be able to handle so many things on my own."

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded.

He granted Franya's request, and a smile appeared on Franya's face. Although her face had become pale and bloodless due to weakness, when she smiled, it was still as clean, pure, and beautiful as a porcelain painting illuminated by moonlight.

Then, Franya turned around, no longer wanting to waste any more time.

Monigne then rested the holy sword beside Finlake's head and stood there with her eyes closed.

Luo Xiu then summoned the "Golden Pegasus," mounted its back, and galloped away from the Church of Agus.

……

In Luo Xiu's eyes, he saw the Church of Agus falling beneath him, and soon he could see the outline of the entire city of Agus.

The Church of Agus, located in the heart of Agus, was indeed a scene of ruins and flames when viewed from above—but the fire did not spread further or to the surrounding city and streets. All the disasters caused by Finlake and Accipiles were contained within the church's boundaries.

This was much better than what had been seen in the "oracle of the gods." In that oracle, the entire city of Argus had become a "dead city"—sacrificed by Finlaec and Accipile to the Lord of the Abyss and the River Styx as offerings for their ascension.

I've essentially saved the city of Argus and the church of Argus...

As he made his way to the place where the Archangel hid and protected Bishop Donovan, Luo Xiu kept these thoughts in mind.

He simultaneously opened his quest panel, where the divinely bestowed quest [Divine Revelation - Twisted Gospel] was shimmering with a faint golden light.

There was only half a day left before the completion of this divinely bestowed task—which was originally scheduled for the "manifestation of calamity." Luo Xiu thought that this should be a "perfectly completed" divine revelation.

Luo Xiu was quite looking forward to settling accounts tomorrow.

as well as--

The crisis in Agus City has now been resolved. After dealing with the Agus Church and the aftermath in Agus City, Franya and Monine will take Finlake back to the Holy Court, and Franya herself will also leave Agus City.

Then, we can return to the "Sacred Abyss" to see Quesanx, and from Quesanx's authoritative dragon domain, release a corner of the "Styx," from which "Actualis" is resurrected.

"..."

Luo Xiu was planning all of this.

……

(End of this chapter)