"I... I..."

After hearing the shadow priest's seductive words, the old One-Eyed Dragon was momentarily at a loss for an answer. Instinctively, he wanted to refuse, but deep within his heart, it seemed as though a voice was urging him.

"Agree with him... embrace the true darkness... agree with him... embrace the true darkness..."

If anyone else happened to be here, they would notice that the old One-Eyed Dragon's current state seemed a bit off, as if he was deeply confused. But in this shadow church, only he and the priest in front of him were present, and it was evident that the priest himself had caused this state, so the old man had effectively trapped himself.

"Very good... your hesitation shows that you indeed have a sincere belief in my lord, but this belief is not yet firm enough! Stop being confused, child! Let this priest help you make the right decision!"

Just then, the shadow priest in front of the old One-Eyed Dragon suddenly raised his tone, filled with fervor, and called the clearly much older One-Eyed Dragon "child." Before the words faded, a shadowy hand with sharp nails formed out of thin air and reached for the bewildered One-Eyed Dragon's intact eye!

"Ah!!!"

Subsequently, a scream echoed through the dark church. The sound was piercing but seemed to be wrapped in something, barely reaching beyond the church.

In excruciating pain, the old One-Eyed Dragon finally broke free from his previous confusion, but by then he had already fallen into darkness, into the agony of having his eye gouged out.

As an old pirate, encountering such a vicious attack was intolerable, so he became extraordinarily furious, raising his scimitar to slash at the shadow priest still perceived before him.

However, before his attack could truly begin, some power completely suppressed it, accompanied by a fanatical voice rising before him.

"Confused child! Remember the pain on your body! Remember the grayness before your eyes! Remember the coldness deep within your heart! Do not reject it! Embrace it! Do not resist it! Love it! For they will grant you strength! Grant you agility! Make you unprecedentedly strong!..."

After controlling the old One-Eyed Dragon with numerous shadows, the shadow priest began to sing loudly. His voice grew increasingly fervent as if conducting a grand ritual, and indeed, as he continued, the previously furious old man gradually calmed. Surrounded by shadows, he fell into slumber, and these shadows slowly began to merge with him, especially with his completely blinded eyes, into which many shadows were flowing.

Several hours later, when the night had entirely shrouded the harbor city, the shadow priest in the shadow church finally completed his ritual, and the one-eyed old man before him was no longer suppressed by shadows. Instead, he stood piously, bowing his head in gratitude toward the priest.

"Thank you, Priest, for your grace. I have never felt so powerful."

The old man's hollow eyes, now entirely filled with shadow, showed a dramatic change in demeanor, transforming from a crafty old pirate into a dark and elusive elder.

"Do not thank me, I am merely a servant of my lord, it is my lord who bestowed you this power, and this power is merely a beginning... go forth and fulfill the mission you are meant to bear! Let sinners who desecrate my lord receive the punishment they deserve!"

The shadow priest, his face hidden in a cloak, continued to instruct him to carry out the most important task at hand.

"Thank my lord!"

Without saying more, the old man replied, and his figure suddenly melted like mud, merging into the darkness of the church, disappearing without a trace.

"Hehe... what a devout follower... I hope he can successfully complete his mission."

After the old man left, the shadow priest's lips curled slightly, seemingly satisfied with his recent creation.

At the same time, in a room of a hotel some distance from the church, Wang Zhifan lay flat on a luxurious bed with a swan feather mattress, practicing the Great Dream Saber Scripture in his dreams.

Even in this situation, he did not stop controlling the several Dream Me Avatars placed outside, or rather, this control itself was a form of practice.

"It seemed like my avatar sensed something leaving the church just now? With the powerful perception I endowed it, it shouldn't be a hallucination..."

Wang Zhifan quickly became alert. He had originally speculated that the old man would seek help in the church to deal with him. Now that he noticed the situation, it proved that the other party's help had already shown some traces.

"Let me see who is targeting me."

Realizing that an enemy might be coming, Wang Zhifan stopped his cultivation. He got up from the bed, releasing his absurdly overwhelming perception, completely enveloping the inn.

"The person hasn't arrived yet... then I'll go and meet them."

Upon confirming the enemy had not yet arrived, he no longer concealed himself, quickly activating the deceitful ability of the Deceitful Shadow Shoes, passing through walls to reach the roof of the building.

Looking around, he could see this prosperous harbor city remained bustling at night, with kerosene or fish oil lamps illuminating nearly every street and building. Even standing atop the inn's roof, one wouldn't be engulfed in darkness.

"This should be noticeable enough, I hope the person isn't blind."

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