Envoy

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and scanned the High Priest from head to toe with his Divine Sense.

A dark red cyclone was nestled in his dantian, a sign that blood fiend energy had condensed into a physical form. His cultivation was roughly at the early Golden Core stage, a level that would be considered a mere beginner back on the Kyushu Continent.

But what truly caught Li Yuan’s attention was the spiritual root inside the High Priest—strictly speaking, it wasn’t a true spiritual root. True spiritual roots, whether they were heavenly or mixed, were innate things born with the soul.

The spiritual root inside the High Priest had been forcibly implanted using a large amount of low-grade materials and some kind of spell. The flow of spiritual energy on the surface of the root was very unstable, looking as if it could collapse at any moment. Its upper limit for cultivation was likely the Nascent Soul stage.

Li Yuan had seen this method of refining a fake spiritual root before. Some cultivators on the Kyushu Continent who were desperate for quick results would use similar means to train lackeys, rapidly producing a batch of usable low-level cultivators.

But the problem was—the High Priest was a native of this world.

How did a clergyman born and raised in a world of swords and magic know the cultivation techniques of evil cultivators? And who had implanted this fake spiritual root in him?

Although this spatial pocket was crude, it wasn't something a Golden Core stage cultivator could create. Furthermore, that spatial rift passage at the entrance—there was definitely another evil cultivator pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Therefore, there should be an even stronger evil cultivator behind the High Priest... but he couldn't detect that person's aura yet.

He temporarily suppressed the urge to strike now, silently gliding past the five priests and stopping beside the crystal bed.

The young girl on the bed had her eyes closed, her eyelashes casting faint shadows under the weak candlelight. Her breathing was steady and long, and her skin had a healthy, light pink hue.

Li Yuan raised a finger and probed the air in front of her forehead. A tiny wisp of spiritual energy flowed into the girl’s body, circulating through her meridians.

Her bodily functions were all normal, and her soul was intact. It was just that her consciousness was wrapped in a light gray film, as if she were encased in a thin cocoon.

This cocoon would keep her in a deep sleep, but it wouldn't cause her any actual harm.

Li Yuan withdrew his finger and took another look at the girl’s face—she shared some resemblance with Mokotoba; this must be his sister.

The conversation between the High Priest and the priests was nearing its end. He turned his head back—the High Priest was standing before the statue, watching the five priests walk toward the passage one by one.

Li Yuan took one last look at this spatial pocket, then silently glided back to the entrance. Once again, he transformed into a faint golden thread of light and attached himself to the hem of the last priest’s robe.

Passing through the rift they had come from, the familiar candlelight of the hall spilled out again. The priests emerged from the rift one after another. The moment the hem of the last person’s robe completely cleared the rift, the dark red crack began to shrink rapidly, vanishing silently into the air as if it had never existed.

The five priests straightened their robes and walked toward the side corridor.

Li Yuan stood beside the altar—or rather, he stood there hidden—watching the five deep blue figures disappear around the corner of the side corridor. Then, he looked back at where the rift had just vanished.

Now he understood why his Divine Sense had found nothing despite scanning the temple several times before.

A spatial pocket itself wasn't unusual, but this kind of shielding technique could only be set up on the Kyushu Continent by cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage or higher who specialized in the path of space. The High Priest clearly didn't have this ability, so this shield must have been left by the "Envoy" he mentioned or someone else.

Of course, these were all just guesses for now. Until he saw that Envoy, nothing could be certain.

Li Yuan shook his head gently. Silence had completely returned to the hall. He withdrew his gaze, preparing to turn and leave.

Then, the spatial rift opened again without warning.

The air in front of the statue distorted once more, and the dark red rift appeared out of thin air. The High Priest strode out of the rift. His pace was much faster than it had been in the pocket, the hem of his robe making a sharp rustling sound against the floor.

He stood still before the altar, scanning his surroundings first. After confirming the hall was empty, he let out a long breath. Then, he quickly turned back to the statue within the pocket, kneeling on both knees as he closed the passage.

He maintained this position for about fifteen minutes, his palms facing upward and his fingers slightly spread—the standard posture for a believer praying to a god. His lips moved silently as if he were chanting scripture or talking to himself.

When he raised his head again, a faint blood-red glow shimmered around him. This was the blood fiend energy seeping out of his body like a thin mist.

Maintaining his kneeling position, the High Priest pressed his palms together above his head as if waiting for a response from some invisible existence. His breathing grew heavier, and a layer of fine sweat broke out on his forehead.

After several breaths, a voice rang out in the pocket.

“What is it?”

The voice was thick and low, carrying a metallic resonance. It didn't come from any fixed direction but echoed from all sides simultaneously, reverberating throughout the entire pocket and making it impossible to determine the source. At the same time, the dark red crystal on the statue’s chest flickered the moment the voice spoke.

The High Priest’s body visibly trembled. He pressed his forehead back to the ground, prostrating himself almost entirely before the statue.

“Reporting to the Lord Envoy, the collection of faith and vow power has been completed as scheduled. The girl for the sacrifice is also prepared and in good condition, ready to be used at any time.”

He paused as if weighing his words, then added another sentence.

“Everything is ready, awaiting only the day of the festival. Your subordinate is here to welcome the arrival of the Lord Envoy.”

The pocket fell silent for a long while. The crystal on the statue’s chest slowly dimmed, then brightened once more.

“Understood.”

The words were concise and devoid of emotion. The volume wasn't loud, yet it made the High Priest’s kneeling figure sway slightly, and several fine ripples appeared on the inner side of the spatial membrane.

The High Priest waited for a moment. After confirming the voice had no intention of continuing, he swallowed hard. His hands trembled slightly as he took a deep breath and raised his head again.

“Your subordinate has one more matter to humbly request.”

Silence—the High Priest took this silence as permission.

“After the festival concludes, those five priests have been loyal for many years and contributed greatly to this collection of vow power. I wonder if they might also be allowed to come here and receive the Lord Envoy’s... grace?”

When he said the word "grace," his voice carried a cautious, probing tone.

This silence was even longer than the last.

Just as pea-sized beads of sweat began to roll down the High Priest’s forehead, the voice spoke again.

“Granted.”

It was only one word, as concise as before. But that single word caused the High Priest to instantly relax. He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, his shoulders visibly sagging as if he had set down a heavy burden he had been carrying for a long time.

“Thank you for your benevolence, Lord Envoy.”

He pressed his forehead to the ground again, this kowtow more pious than any before. His lips trembled slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunched together, and the respectful expression on his face reached a point of almost losing himself.

After several seconds, the pocket fell into complete silence. The dark red crystal on the statue’s chest no longer glowed, and everything returned to how it was before.

The High Priest knelt for a while longer before slowly standing up. His steps were noticeably lighter as he exited the space, heading straight toward the side corridor and quickly vanishing at the end of the hallway leading deep into the temple.