As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

"Xiao You, have you studied formations?"

"Hmm? An array?"

Xiaoyou blinked slightly, then looked thoughtful and nodded to Lius.

"As for formations... I know a little about them, but I'm not very proficient in anything too in-depth. What would you like to know, Your Highness? I will do my best to answer your questions."

"Alright, let me ask you a little bit first. Xiaoyou, do you know if there is a formation that covers an entire country, can the formation be dispelled by destroying the core of the formation?"

"This one……"

You looked thoughtful, and after a moment of silence, nodded to Lius.

"As long as the setup time isn't too long, there's a way to undo it. But if the setup time is already quite long... it will basically take just as long to remove the magic power that was originally left on the array's core."

"Is that really the case..."

Lius frowned and pondered for a moment, while You approached with a hint of curiosity, staring at his face with innocent eyes, as if trying to help him solve his problem.

"Hmm... Your Highness, is there something you need to resolve regarding the formation because you seem so concerned about it?"

"You could say that. I've also investigated the recent cases of magical illnesses and eventually found these clues..."

Looking at Xiaoyou, Lius knew that the girl in front of him was trustworthy, and finally decided to open his heart to her, telling her about the black-robed cultists.

Upon hearing these words, You opened her eyes wide in surprise, pursed her lips, and tried to process what she had just heard. Her delicate fingers rubbed together to calm herself down.

"Wow... such a thing actually happened! Ah... no wonder the conflict between the Holy Church and the False Church has become so intense lately. It turns out these cultists are partly responsible. If they really succeed... the consequences will be unimaginable. No, we must stop them immediately!"

Muttering to herself, the girl raised her head, looked at Lius with a serious expression, and told him her innermost thoughts:

"Your Holiness, if you wish to gain a deeper understanding of formations, then come with me back to the headquarters church. There are many talented people in the headquarters church; if we analyze it together, we will definitely be able to find a solution!"

"The headquarters church... that sounds good, but I'm a little curious, where exactly are you hiding? That's why you haven't revealed yourself and haven't been discovered by anyone else."

"Lius asked this question, while You showed a confident smile, took out a wrapped powder from his pocket, poured the suspicious powder into his palm, and held it out to Lius.

"Come, Your Majesty, have a bite, and then we can head to headquarters."

"what?"

Hearing the girl's words, Lius blinked blankly, suddenly feeling that the atmosphere around him was rather strange.

A girl with a flushed face, a delicate yet strange white powder in her palm, and wisps of white mist constantly rising from the hot spring around her...

In this situation... it's hard not to think strangely.

"Um... Xiaoyou, this powder is..."

"This is a magical powder developed by the Holy Church. After ingesting it, it allows a person's consciousness to slightly detach from their body and travel to an area that only the soul can enter. Our church is located there. As long as you can go there, you can reassemble your physical body there without being discovered by anyone. This is why our church headquarters has been able to remain hidden."

The girl's eyes shone with enthusiasm, appearing very sincere and earnest, while Lius remained somewhat hesitant, picking up some of the crystal-like powder with his hand and examining it closely.

Just as the girl had said, the powder was indeed filled with surging magical energy. With a little pressure on his fingers, he could feel some of the magic merging into his body, like white sugar, giving Lius a strange sense of immersion that felt very comfortable.

"...It doesn't really look like anything dangerous, and Xiaoyou seems so serious, so I'll just trust her this once. At worst, I can ask the system for help. Hmm, I'll give it my all."

With this in mind, Lius brought the powder close to his nose, sniffed it a few times, and, confirming that it wasn't anything strange, finally made up his mind, rolled up some of the crystals with his tongue, and swallowed them.

"It's so bitter..."

Such a thought surfaced in Leus's mind as he swallowed the magic powder. The next moment, he felt an uncontrollable reaction in his body, and he and You, who had also swallowed the powder, lay down on the bed next to him. Accompanied by waves of hallucination, their spirits gradually separated from their bodies and went to the soul world deep in their consciousness...

Chapter 134 The Road to Esoteric Buddhism (Part Two)

Somewhere, sometime, in a vast church building situated in the void.

"..."

In the very center of the church, a veiled woman dressed as a nun was kneeling silently before a cross that emitted bursts of light. She appeared to be around thirty years old, with long, fiery red hair cascading down her back. Her hands were clasped together in front of her chest as she prayed in a dignified posture.

Two long, voluptuous legs were hidden beneath the nun's robe, kneeling silently together. Even though the heavy fabric concealed the veil, it still revealed the woman's graceful figure, the fair skin peeking out from behind the veil, and the sapphire-blue, crystal-clear pupils in her eyes, further fueling the imagination about the alluring face beneath the veil.

"May God bless us... bless the church to overcome this difficulty, bless the holy church to continue its peaceful development, and spread God's beliefs and teachings..."

Delicate and gentle words flowed slowly from behind the woman's veil, sounding infinitely sincere and earnest.

Just as the woman began her prayer, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the church entrance behind her, followed by several young girls also dressed in nuns' habit. They rushed into the church and called out to the woman who was standing in the center of the chapel:

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency! Something terrible has happened! Someone has trespassed into the Holy Church's territory! They're heading this way!"

"..."

Hearing the panic behind her, the woman whom the girls called "Bishop" did not make any move. She simply maintained her previous respectful prayer posture, muttering incantations as she placed the crucifix on her chest and held it for a few seconds, as if she were conveying her thoughts to the "god" in the distance.

"Your Majesty the Bishop..."

The nuns behind the woman were anxiously pacing back and forth, feeling uneasy about the traces of the intruder they had previously detected, and also tense and puzzled by the bishop's relaxed demeanor. Several nuns even started circling around the group, as if trying to relieve their inner pressure.

But no matter how flustered they were, the nuns did not forcibly pull the bishop away from the cross. They simply stayed silently behind her, pursing their lips and waiting for the prayer to end.

"May the gods protect us..."

About ten minutes later, after reciting the last prayer, the bishop clasped his hands together, bowed his head gently, and performed the final prayer ceremony. He then tidied his makeup, and with his long, silky red hair trailing behind him, he slowly stood up from the center of the church and turned to look at the nuns behind him.

"you……"

"Your Excellency! You've finally finished your prayers. We noticed intruders outside the Holy See earlier; it seems someone entered our area using a poison powder... What should we do..."

Upon seeing the bishop stand up, the young nuns rushed to her side, one after another recounting what had happened, their faces showing a sense of panic and unease.

The bishop shook his head slightly, reached out and stroked the girls' heads to comfort them, speaking in a gentle, reassuring tone:

“Don’t worry, I received a call from Xiaoyou earlier. She said she would bring someone trustworthy to this place. There’s no need to stop this strange soul who suddenly barged in. Just lead him here like you would a companion.”

"Huh? Xiaoyou? She's back too! That's great! I thought she was captured by those false cult members and would never be able to escape! I'm so glad she's alright..."

The nuns breathed a sigh of relief, but then a look of hesitation returned to their faces.

"However, Xiaoyou suddenly bringing a stranger to this holy land... isn't that a bit dangerous? What if the person she brought has ulterior motives? If this holy land is exposed, it will definitely be besieged by those false cultists. This is already the last stronghold. If it is discovered... there will be nowhere else for us to settle down..."

“I believe Xiaoyou is not the kind of person who would easily expose her situation. She is already very cautious during missions and will not reveal her identity or whereabouts to anyone. Now that she has just escaped from danger, she will naturally be more vigilant than usual.”

Faced with the crowd's doubts, the bishop shook his head slightly and continued to comfort them in a caring tone:

"Don't worry, I trust Xiaoyou. In this crisis, if someone can make her willingly lead them to this sacred place, they must be a companion Xiaoyou trusts completely. Since that's the case, we trust Xiaoyou's judgment too. Go, go and lead them in. Whoever they are, treat them well and don't offend them, understand?"

"Hmm... Your Excellency, if that's what you say, then we will treat this stranger well. We just hope that Xiaoyou's judgment is indeed correct..."

With these whispered words, the nuns bid farewell to the bishop before them and hurriedly went to a spring located outside the church, in a dense forest. They gently stretched out their hands in front of the gushing spring, and the originally ordinary water began to shine with a diamond-like brilliance, reflecting throughout the entire forest.

"In the name of the divine, may outsiders be allowed to enter this sacred land. May the divine protect this sacred land from any possibility of invasion..."

As a series of complex incantations were chanted, the light in the spring gradually dimmed, revealing two standing figures, a man and a woman, silently standing in the center of the spring, like two puppets.

"Souls...walk in this sacred land!"

After a chant was recited, the nuns beside them moved their fingers, and a figure slowly emerged from the spring.

With a little more manipulation, two brightly shining stars fell from the dim starry sky above their heads, turning into wisps of translucent dark blue mist that flowed into their bodies.

"what……"

"call……"

With a series of panting breaths emanating from their mouths, the two who had been completely unresponsive finally awoke and began to react.

"Hmm... so this is... the church's headquarters..."

Lius was the first to recover from his previous hazy feeling. After blinking, he was about to look around.

However, the next moment, before he could make a move, a feeling of dizziness lingered in his mind, forcing him to lean against a tree trunk and press his hand against his drowsy head to barely maintain his balance.

"what……"

As if he had blacked out from drinking, Lius was swaying slightly. He tried to recall what had happened earlier, but he had almost completely forgotten the details. He only remembered that he had followed the path guided by Xiaoyou's soul and had come here with her.

Now, even when I try to take a few steps, I wobble and stagger. As soon as I lift my foot, I lean against the tree trunk behind me again, unable to move even a fraction of an inch.

"Don't move around. You've just arrived here and your body isn't fully under control yet. Come on, sit down for a while and get used to your surroundings."

Just then, two young nuns came over and took Lius's arms on either side, leading him to sit on a tree stump. While helping Lius straighten his somewhat disheveled clothes, they brought him a glass of water and slowly fed it to him.

The two young nuns looked to be only ten years old, still somewhat childish, appearing petite and adorable. Their faces were almost identical, suggesting they were twins. Standing together, it was difficult to tell them apart.

"Gu..."

After drinking a few mouthfuls of cold water, Lius's thoughts became a little clearer. Looking to the side, he saw that You had also woken up and seemed to be adapting faster than him. She was now able to walk around and seemed to be discussing something with her companions. The nuns around her surrounded her, asking her about her well-being.

"Xiaoyou, how are you? I heard this trip was very dangerous. Did you get hurt?"

"Her Grace is very worried about you. Now that you're back, you should go and report to her as soon as possible, so that she won't continue to worry."

"Xiaoyou, are you hungry? We just made some food, come and eat with us. We have your favorite braised chicken wings. After you eat, go and rest. Ugh... you look like you've lost a lot of weight since you were gone so long..."

And so, the crowd surrounded her, expressing their concern for her. Meanwhile, Lius could only stretch and drink water, half-lying on the tree stump with the help of two young nuns, deliberately making a neglected expression as he gently wiped the corner of his eye.

"Sigh... It's true what they say, you can't become friends with strangers so quickly. Xiao You has so many people who care about her; compared to me, she's practically a heartthrob. I can only lie here like this, with no one paying any attention to me..."

"This one……"

Upon hearing Lius's words, the two young nuns beside him blinked, recalling the bishop's earlier instructions to them, and then intensified their efforts in serving.

"Don't be sad, Mr. Stranger. We will take good care of you. Just rest well. Here, let us give you a massage so you can adapt to your surroundings and relax a bit more quickly."

As they said this, the two young nuns took a deep breath. One massaged Lius's shoulders from behind, while the other massaged the boy's legs from the front. With a slight blush between them, they worked together to massage Lius, somewhat clumsily performing these first-time experiences.

And so, everyone continued to care for Lius and Yu for a while. By the time Lius was able to stand up and move around, about half an hour had passed.

"Phew... that's almost done. I can adapt to the rest on my own. You two have worked hard too, go find something else to do."

After standing up, Lius smiled and said to the two young nuns beside him. The girls seemed relieved upon hearing this, wiping their sweat and letting out a breath before collapsing to the ground.

"Finally... Mr. Stranger has recovered. If this had continued, we felt like we wouldn't have been able to take it anymore..."

"Hey, is it really that serious? What, am I that bad for you guys? Sigh, it sounds so sad..." Lius deliberately made a tearful gesture in front of the two of them.

"Ah...no, no, that's not what we meant. It has nothing to do with you, sir. We don't dislike you, we're just a little nervous..."

Seeing Lius's appearance, the nuns beside him waved their hands and explained:

“After all, strangers don’t usually come to our holy site. We’ve been living in seclusion for so long, so it’s understandable that we were a little scared when a stranger suddenly showed up… That’s why I was so uneasy during the massage…”

"And now? Are you still scared?"

Leaning closer to the two, Leus rolled his eyes slightly, then revealed a wicked smile. He gently plucked two flowers from the side and displayed them to them. Then, with a clench and unclench of his fist, the flowers disappeared.

"Ok?"

The two young nuns blinked, captivated by the scene before them. Leus smiled and brought his fingers close to their ears, gently blowing out a breath. Instantly, two flowers appeared in their hair, fluttering like butterflies before gently settling down to adorn the two little girls.

"what……"

They looked at each other, their eyes meeting at the butterfly-shaped hair clips. The two nuns blinked, then blushed even more, shyly pursing their lips.

"Is this... magic? It's amazing! I've never seen magic like this before..."

"Hehe, this is my unique spell. How about it? Do you feel more relaxed now?" Leus asked with a smile.

"Um... thank you, stranger. We're not as nervous as we were before."

The two young nuns nodded, exchanged a glance, and then looked at Lius again, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Also... we're now a little curious about you, Mr. Stranger. Where do you come from? And why have you come to the Holy Land? Are you here to cooperate with us?"

"Well..."

Looking at the two young nuns beside him, Leus was about to explain something when Xiaoyou, who was also surrounded by the other nuns, hurried over to Leus, gently took his arm, and said as she helped him up:

“Your Holiness, time is running out. Now that you have recovered, we should go see the Bishop immediately. She must be eager to see you, and we should also let her know the purpose of our visit as soon as possible.”

"The bishop... alright, then let's go there as soon as possible."

Hearing Xiaoyou's explanation, Lius nodded slightly and, with her support, took a step forward, while giving a gentle smile to the two puzzled nuns behind him:

"You two should come along too. These things will be announced to everyone later, and you'll find out when you catch up. Come on, let's go together."

"Shall we... go with them..."

"Of course, there are still many things I don't know about this place. Without you two, I might not even be able to find my way. It would be terrible if I accidentally got lost. So... I'll have to ask for your help from now on!"

"..."

Hearing Lius's words, the two little ones blinked, and then a serious expression appeared on their faces. As if they had been encouraged, they nodded vigorously at the boy in front of them.