In the dim light of night, Luo Xiu walked unhurriedly along the forest path, drawing ever closer to the brilliantly lit church.

From the church drifted an ethereal, lingering bell toll that echoed in the night sky, as if cheering for his arrival.

「Meanwhile.」

Su Hongli wrestled free from Xu Wei's grasp. "You should go back," she told him. "You have a wife and kids, and so many people relying on you to make a living... You need to go back."

"I'm already grateful to you for helping me track down Shenyun."

With that, she leaped down from the fortifications and hurried after Luo Xiu.

Xu Wei cursed under his breath. After a moment's hesitation, he resolutely followed, choosing not to retreat. "Su Hongli, I swear I must have owed you in a past life!"

Before long, the two caught up with Luo Xiu.

Su Hongli tried again to persuade Luo Xiu to turn back, but he paid her no mind.

Xu Wei grumbled under his breath, helpless. "Hong Li, I really don't get what you see in this kid. Are you really willing to follow him to your death?"

BOOM!

Before the words had even left his mouth, Luo Xiu kicked open the iron gate set in the courtyard wall.

Su Hongli and Xu Wei froze, utterly shocked. Kicking in the door just like that? Isn't that unbelievably arrogant?

It was only then that they realized Luo Xiu was even more direct than they had imagined.

He's insane! This kid is absolutely insane!

As Luo Xiu stepped into the church courtyard, a group of the lowest-ranking White Robe Followers already had them surrounded.

Su Hongli's gaze sharpened. Drawing two daggers from her waist, she flashed forward like the wind. In moments, she had slit the throats of every White Robe Follower.

At this point, she was no longer overthinking it.

She returned to Luo Xiu's side. Glancing at the corpses of the White Robe Followers on the ground, she suddenly asked, "If I were the one who was captured, would you still come to save me like this, risking your life?"

After a moment's thought, Luo Xiu responded, "I would now."

Su Hongli gave him a sweet smile. "For that alone, Big Sister will protect you for a lifetime. Even if it means dying tonight, I'll die before you do."

Xu Wei chuckled and said to Luo Xiu, "If you're really a man, you won't be thinking about a woman protecting you."

Luo Xiu did not speak. He stepped over the bodies and continued forward.

Circling the fountain, he ascended the steps leading to the main hall.

When the three of them reached the top of the steps and stood before the entrance to the main hall, they found more than a dozen Green-robed Cultists waiting for them. At their head was an old man dressed in a black robe.

In the hierarchy of the Holy Boi Religion, a black robe was equal in rank to a blue robe, second only to a gold-robed Bishop. Blue robes managed all operational affairs within the religion, while black robes were its assassins—the sharp blades in charge of slaughter! In an ancient martial arts family or sect, their rank would be equivalent to an Elder or an Offering.

Cold sweat formed on Xu Wei's forehead as he stared gravely at the black-robed old man.

The black-robed elder looked indifferently at Luo Xiu and his companions, his lips suddenly curling into a smile as he spoke a phrase in a foreign language Luo Xiu didn't understand.

Not only were the man's robes black, but his skin was as well, for he was a local.

As an oppressive, unseen aura quietly emanated from him, the black-robed elder seemed even more cold and terrifying, like a venomous snake in the dark, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

Xu Wei glanced at Luo Xiu and Su Hongli and whispered, "That's Andrew, the supervisor of the Ye'erte branch church. He's said to have the strength of a mid-stage Grandmaster."

Hearing this, Su Hongli's expression also turned solemn.

She hadn't expected to run into a mid-stage Grandmaster right at the very beginning. She suddenly felt that the chances of getting out alive tonight were slim, let alone safely rescuing Su Shenyun.

As an early-stage Grandmaster, she was no match for a mid-stage one. On top of that, she had to protect the ailing Luo Xiu during the fight. The pressure was immense.

"Darling, if I could choose again, I probably wouldn't have come with you." Su Hongli gave a bitter smile and stepped toward Andrew.

Luo Xiu suddenly reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and pulled her back. "Let me handle this."

Hearing this, Su Hongli's eyes widened. "But that's a Grandmaster!"

Luo Xiu strode forward. "A Grandmaster is exactly who I came to fight," he said nonchalantly. "You two handle anyone below the Grandmaster level. I'll take care of anyone at that level or above."

...

Andrew watched the sickly-looking young man swagger toward him and couldn't help but find it amusing. The world is full of overconfident fools these days!

Still, he couldn't be bothered to act against Luo Xiu himself. He gave a pointed look to a nearby Green-robed Cultist. The cultist understood and walked toward Luo Xiu with a smile.

"Kid, let me—"

SLAP!

Luo Xiu's hand had already whipped out, fast as lightning. Before anyone could process what had happened, the Green-robed Cultist was sent spinning through the air.

When he landed, the crowd saw that although he lay prone on the ground, his head was twisted completely around, facing the sky. A single slap had snapped his neck.

Everyone was stunned by the sight. He instantly killed a Green-robed Cultist—someone at least in the Meridian Opening stage—with a single slap?!

Su Hongli and Xu Wei exchanged an incredulous look.

Suddenly, Su Hongli's eyes shot open. "Luo Xiu, watch out!" she yelled.

The black-robed elder, Andrew, was lunging for him.

SLAP!

In the next instant, another unbelievable scene unfolded. Andrew, a mid-stage Grandmaster, was sent flying by Luo Xiu's slap before he could even make a move—just like the Green-robed Cultist before him. When he landed, his neck was also twisted completely around, lifeless. His wide eyes were filled with disbelief, as if he couldn't comprehend how he had died.

At that moment, everyone present was utterly dumbfounded.

"W-W-What... Hong Li, what is this kid's level of strength?" Xu Wei stammered. "Andrew was a genuine mid-stage Grandmaster! To be killed by a single slap... This is just..."

He finally realized that Luo Xiu wasn't being overconfident or arrogant—he genuinely had the power to back it up.

Su Hongli stared at Luo Xiu's back, her beautiful eyes trembling slightly. She had always assumed Luo Xiu was merely skilled in medical techniques, with his Martial Way strength being at the Body Refinement Phase, at best. Only now did she realize how mysterious this man was. He was so mysterious as to be unfathomable, yet capable of delivering unexpected surprises—or rather, shocks.

Afterward, Luo Xiu walked into the church at a steady pace. Wherever he passed, the remaining Green-robed Cultists were instantly killed by an unseen force before they could even think to flee.

This was his signature supreme martial art—Luo Tian's Control over Xuanzhong.

The hall immediately erupted in screams and wails, punctuated by the terrifying sound of air imploding, as if something unseen were detonating within The Void.

After a moment, Luo Xiu stopped and lifted his gaze to the tripod on the high platform at the front of the church.

Somehow, three figures had appeared beneath it: two old men in black robes and one young man in a blue robe.

The blue-robed young man, standing between the two elders, looked down at Luo Xiu and suddenly burst out laughing.

"How interesting. I didn't expect to run into you here."

Luo Xiu met his gaze. "You know me?"

The blue-robed young man chuckled. "You're quite capable; no wonder neither Boss Huang nor Qian Laoyao could kill you. Of course, they're trash, so it's understandable."

Luo Xiu asked, "Where is Su Shenyun?"

The blue-robed young man smiled slightly. "I'll let you see her. You might only get to see a part of her, though. Maybe a hand, or perhaps a leg."

At this, Su Hongli moved to Luo Xiu's side and whispered, "This must be the Envoy, the one who is second in command of the Holy Boi Religion."

"And those two old men... they must be the Envoy's personal guards. They're rumored to have strength beyond the Grandmaster level, having reached the Gathering Spirit Realm. They're on a completely different level than Andrew."

"I really didn't expect the Envoy of the Holy Boi Religion himself to be here."

Luo Xiu remained expressionless at her words. Xu Wei, however, was visibly shaken and subconsciously took a step back, stammering, "G-Gathering... Gathering Spirit Realm?"

Su Hongli took a deep breath, tightening her grip on her daggers. She was prepared to fight to the death.

Just then, however, Luo Xiu began to calmly walk forward, ascending the steps to the high platform one by one.

Seeing this, an anxious Su Hongli cried out, "Luo Xiu, what are you doing? Get back here!"

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