The Villain Saint is my secondary account

The moment she finished counting precisely, Teresa immediately deactivated her spiritual vision, retracted her senses, and returned to a clear and orderly reality.

Her blood-stained clothes were soaked with sweat, and the spiritual vision that had only touched the void for less than a minute left her feeling somewhat exhausted.

Moreover, one has to be distracted by remembering the appearance and characteristics of each corrupted person.

Fortunately, she seemed to go unnoticed by the other party and, in that short time, saw and remembered each of the corrupted.

"Young Miss, are you alright?"

Elder Cassius, who was assisting in the ceremony, looked at Theresa's pale face and asked with some concern.

But his concerned voice sounded like a deep rumble of thunder to Theresa's ears.

These are some aftereffects of consciousness touching the void, which can slightly disrupt the mind's perception of normal things.

However, Theresa simply waved her hand and said succinctly, "Next batch."

We need to hurry and find the corrupt individuals hidden in the other half of the army.

Under Elder Cassius's command, the second batch of troops withdrew from the defensive line to exchange with the first batch. To avoid alerting the enemy, Theresa deliberately did not change the duties of those who had been corrupted.

The second ceremony soon began, with another group of troops gathering below the platform, lined up in a dense and orderly fashion.

Theresa leaned against the railing of the high platform, her legs trembling slightly, but she tried her best to control her expression, gripped her sword with both hands, and raised it high.

As she recited the prayer, golden rays of light sprinkled down on everyone, warm and gentle.

The barrier unfolded once more, and their illusory souls rose into the air.

The night wind whispered, as if protecting this hill bathed in radiance, and fallen leaves drifted down before the resolute figures of the Templar Knights.

At that time, people did not know that this somewhat beautiful scene amidst the flames of war would become the most crucial turning point in the battle.

Theresa channeled her magic once again, allowing her consciousness to plunge into the boundless void in search of those strange "umbilical cords."

Whether by coincidence or not, there were far fewer people connected by the umbilical cord in the crowd this time, only about fifty, which saved Teresa a lot of effort in remembering them.

Theresa's gaze swept over the infected soldiers, memorizing their appearances and locations, before she severed the connection to her spiritual vision.

But the next moment, a dark, muddy murmur, seemingly transcending countless dimensional barriers, appeared clearly in Theresa's ears.

It was as if something indescribable was resting on her shoulder, whispering in her ear.

I see you.

Theresa's pupils trembled, and she was greatly alarmed. She immediately used all her strength to sever the connection with the void.

The image, which looked like oil paint splattering together, faded rapidly in her vision, returning her to reality. Her heart was still pounding, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

The sinister, shadowy touch of that subtle voice lingered like a dark cloud over my heart, refusing to dissipate.

She stood frozen on the platform, staring blankly at her palm, her heart filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Have I been corrupted by an evil god?

"Young Miss? Lady Theresa?"

Elder Cassius's aged call brought Theresa back to her senses.

Theresa's pale face was covered in sweat as she pondered whether to tell Elder Cassius what he had heard at the end of the ceremony.

But now, standing on this high platform with so many people watching her, saying these words out of the blue would undoubtedly have a serious impact on morale.

The fact that the commander-in-chief of the army might be corrupted by an evil god means that the war will be impossible to fight.

Teresa could only suppress her shock and say in as calm a tone as possible, "The ceremony is over... Elder, organize the execution."

There were a total of 141 corrupted individuals, and Teresa, with her exceptional memory, memorized each one precisely.

She knew perfectly well that she could not afford to make a mistake on this point, because if she did, her own compatriots would be unjustly killed.

As for why they were executed directly, their manpower was already stretched thin. Of the initial 20,000 troops who charged in the first wave, only 12,000 remained. And that was just the number of heads; casualties and logistical support were not taken into account. Their actual fighting strength was probably less than 5,000 or 6,000.

Therefore, they couldn't spare many people to guard these hundred-plus corrupted individuals during the arduous battles to come.

At most, a dozen or so will be left behind to be brought back to the Holy City as subjects for studying the evil god origins behind the Dark Shepherds.

Elder Cassius naturally understood this and, without questioning it, immediately ordered his men to make the arrest.

A kind heart cannot command an army; there is not much room for kindness during wartime.

The 141 people, including both Templar Knights and Dwarves, were bound and imprisoned in the open.

Unlike the corrupted in the first wave of civil unrest, they did not reveal their vicious and ferocious nature. On the contrary, they cried out and screamed, lamenting their grievances.

"Lady Theresa! I'm innocent! How could I possibly be a heretic?! You know my faith in the Holy Light is utterly loyal!!!"

"Please, Lady Theresa, my child is still in the Holy City!!! Neferi is waiting for me to return!!!"

"I am the knight you personally chose, how could I possibly betray the Holy Temple?!"

Before the execution, Teresa looked pale-faced at the more than one hundred people. Among them were young, brilliant students who had bright futures before setting sail; middle-aged people with families to support, with elderly parents and young children to care for; and loyal subordinates who had been with her for many years and were supposed to be promoted the following year...

Every tearful face was imprinted in Theresa's gaze; they were pleading, but also lamenting her own incompetence in this battle.

"Lady Theresa, why don't you go and rest?"

Elder Cassius couldn't bear to let Theresa witness this scene; the young girl had carried far too much on her shoulders today.

“It’s alright, Elder. Their souls died the moment they were corrupted.”

“I have just seen their twisted souls. What is wrapped under that skin is no longer themselves, but a filthy imitation filled with that umbilical cord.”

"Besides, I was the one who brought them out. Since it was my mistake, I should naturally take responsibility for it."

Theresa's voice was weak, but still firm.

"Judgment Knight, prepare for execution."

The Templar Knights in charge of the execution raised their longswords, aiming them at the necks of their former comrades. Even though they were used to seeing blood-soaked battlefields, their arms still trembled slightly at this moment.

But Lady Theresa was with them, and even if it meant their souls were condemned to hell in the fight against evil, that was their fate as believers of the Holy Church.

"In the name of the Holy Light, execute the corrupt."

Theresa gave the order in a cold voice.

"Theresa Boromeo!!! I curse you!!!"

A hundred cold beams of light fell, and amidst the echoing screams that seemed to come from the abyss, Theresa lowered her eyes and bowed deeply to the pool of blood that covered the ground.

As she straightened up, a hint of determination seemed to appear in the girl's tired eyes.

She then ordered her men to light fires to destroy the remains, which could pose a risk of infection.

"Young Miss, why don't you go and rest?"

Elder Cassius offered further words of comfort.

Theresa simply shook her head. "Order the entire army to regroup."

This is the perfect opportunity she has won by gambling her own soul against the evil god; how could she afford to relax now?

"Inform everyone that the orc army is resting at the foot of the mountain, and all the corrupted within have been eliminated. Now, it's our turn to fight back."

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Sunken Ship in the Secret Realm

Back in the riverbed of the underground well in the distant village, Ye Xiao, carrying Greta and leading the black dog, walked alongside Fisher, alongside the Templar Knight squad led by Reinaldo.

"How's the battle going on the young lady's side?"

Reinaldo asked Ye Xiao.

Every few minutes, this guy would ask the same question again and again, and Ye Xiao's ears were practically calloused.

"They've launched a counterattack! They've launched a counterattack! Your young lady, leading the Templar Knights, has utterly destroyed the orc army."

Ye Xiao replied.

"what?"

Reinaldo frowned. "Don't try to fool me with nonsense. How can we launch a counterattack now?"

"Otherwise, once the orcs have recovered their strength, they will be surrounded on the mountaintop and it will be difficult for them to get out."

Ye Xiao curled his lips, "But your young lady is indeed ruthless. Instead of breaking out of the Broken Stone Mountain, the entire army continued to break out deeper into the west. They won't stop until they kill all the Dark Shepherds."

"Hmph, as expected of the young lady."

Reinaldo then smiled.

"Alright, that's enough."

Ye Xiao waved his hand.

It must be said that Theresa does possess a certain personal charm, and she is much more mature and decisive than many of the young nobles he had met before.

Unfortunately, as the heir of one of the three major families in the Holy City, this guy's stance is destined to be opposed to Ella's.

The three major families, who hold power in the Holy Temple, find it difficult to tolerate someone like Ella who could shake their foundations.

In other words, Ella and Theresa may one day become enemies.

I always felt there was a hint of fate in this.

Ye Xiao sighed softly. Oh well, let's not think too much about it. The key is to solve the problem at hand first.

They had been walking along the underground river for quite some time, and the dark roots on the walls stretched deep into the river like water pipes.

These waterways crisscross and meander, forming a natural maze.

Thanks to the black dog's sensitive nose, the group was able to find the right direction in these waterways—although the black dog kept saying that it used a high-level spiritual perception, Ye Xiao clearly saw that the guy was twitching his nose the whole time.

About ten minutes later, the gradually widening river was suddenly cut off, becoming a waterfall cascading vertically downwards.

Looking down from the top of the waterfall, there is a huge cave below, with underground rivers converging at the bottom of the cave to form a deep blue lake about three square miles wide.

The ceiling of the cave is covered with pyroxene. These magical, naturally luminous minerals are like stars in the night sky, casting a silvery glow that allows everything in the cave to be seen.

At the bottom of the cave, in the lake, some large trees growing from underwater are lush and green out of season, their reflections shimmering on the sapphire-blue lake surface.

Only at the very center, a strangely shaped tree rises into the sky, its dense roots emerging from the water and curving outwards, as if wrapping around a huge bowl.

All of this appears dreamlike and beautiful in the shimmering water, as if one were witnessing a hidden secret realm from a Nordic fairy tale.

But at this moment, no one in the group truly believed this was a beautiful paradise. The tendrils extending from the surrounding riverbanks and stone walls disappeared into the lakebed along the waterfall's flow. Clearly, the entity that gave rise to those tendrils was likely hiding beneath this seemingly beautiful lake surface.

There were also some particularly large shrimp-shaped monsters crawling in the lake, blending in with the green moss and driftwood floating on the water, which evoked some unpleasant memories for Ye Xiao.

In his previous life, he had also encountered these hard-shelled monster prawns that could shoot high-pressure water jets from their mouthparts, reaching a distance of nearly five or six hundred meters, capable of piercing through even the finely forged steel plate armor with a single shot.

These things aren't that difficult to deal with individually, but you never know when or where one of them might be hiding and suddenly decide to shoot you.

"Is that a tree in the middle of the lake? It's a really strange shape."

Reinaldo placed his palm on his forehead and gazed down at the large tree with its tendrils shaped like bowls.

"Because it's not entirely a tree."

Ye Xiao looked at the spot Reinaldo was pointing to and stroked his chin. "Under those roots, there's probably a ship wrapped up."

After roughly observing the route, the group drove in trekking pegs into the ground and lowered the ropes.

The Templars removed their heavy armor and piled it aside, leaving only their thin undershirts. After all, crawling along the swiftly flowing rock face while wearing armor was somewhat inconvenient.

Then, led by Reinaldo, a group of nearly fifty people slid down the side of the waterfall to the lake at the bottom of the cave using climbing ropes.

Because this vast underground lake filled the bottom of the entire cave, there was no rocky ground to stand on below. After getting down from the rope, your body was submerged in the cold lake water. You could only find some slightly larger tree roots nearby and climb up to barely stand.

According to the black dog that was paddling on the lake with its four paws, the big tree in the lake seemed to be the center where that gloomy divine power gathered.

"However, it wasn't as strong as I had sensed before; it was just a little denser than the road ahead of us."

The black dog truthfully replied, "His true form shouldn't be here. I don't know what he left behind that became the source of this scent."

Therefore, the group then carefully made their way towards the giant tree in the lake, following the denser root system.

No one knows how deep this lake is; even those who are swimming in it look down into a bottomless abyss.

The group tried their best not to disturb the troublesome giant shrimp, sometimes swimming in the water and sometimes climbing the roots of other large trees, gradually approaching the spindle-shaped giant tree in the center of the lake.

When we finally reached the foot of the tree, we discovered that it was much larger than it appeared from above.

A group of people gathered around the roots looked as tiny as ants floating on water.

And just as Ye Xiao said, a large wooden ship was indeed wrapped around the base of the giant tree.