Chapter 1404: DISCOVERY! THE BEST NEWS EVER!

The next day, dawn.

The star's light pierced through the thin atmosphere of Meteorite Star.

It gilded Xuan Star City with a pale golden glow.

At Westhua Square, voices were already roaring like a sea.

It was the site of the Holy Spirit Cult's once-in-a-decade Festival of Divine Revelation.

The square, spanning hundreds of thousands of square meters, had been decorated as if a divine realm had descended.

Hundreds of thousands of believers, clad in white robes, knelt devoutly across the square.

Their foreheads pressed to the ground, murmuring prayers as if welcoming some sacred descent.

Above the square, hundreds of holographic projectors cast the Holy Spirit Cult's emblem.

A blooming silver lotus, projected a hundred meters into the air.

The emblem shimmered in the morning light, radiating a dazzling halo.

The ground was paved with red carpets embroidered with sacred patterns, flanked by dozens of white jade statues towering over ten meters high.

Each statue carved the likeness of a saint from Holy Spirit Cult legends, lifelike and vivid.

The air drifted with thick incense.

Mixed with the believers' fervent prayers, it created an almost insane religious atmosphere.

"Holy Spirit above, grant us eternal life!"

"May holy light forever shine, purifying our sins!"

"Holy Spirit! Save us!"

"......"

The believers' cries rose and fell, waves crashing one after another.

Amid this ocean of frenzy, three figures stood out sharply.

Leading them was a tall young man, nearly one meter ninety in height.

His dark gold battle suit accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist in perfect proportion.

Beneath his black short hair lay a cold, sharply defined face.

Beside him stood a stunning elf with hair like a silver waterfall.

She was about a head shorter than the youth, roughly one meter seventy, slender and graceful.

Her gray-stone eyes, as they shifted, carried an air of noble cold beauty.

Her full chest stretched the battle suit into a breathtaking curve.

Her slender waist and rounded hips formed a perfect S-shape.

Lastly, a delicate girl with a ponytail.

It was Xu Jingming, Yue Ying, and Xya.

"Strange..." Yue Ying frowned slightly.

She noticed the surrounding believers showed no reaction to her presence.

This wasn't vanity.

Elves were rare among the cosmic human races.

Especially on a remote planet like Meteorite Star.

Normally, she would have drawn countless stares.

But now, all these believers stared with burning eyes at the Holy Spirit Cult emblem in the square's center.

As if that silver lotus were the entirety of their existence.

"These religious fanatics are completely brainwashed. This reaction is normal."

Xu Jingming murmured.

He had seen such scenes before on Blue Star.

The Holy Church's ceremonies were just like this.

Only this time, the Holy Spirit Cult's brainwashing was far more thorough.

"So it's like this." Yue Ying's eyebrows furrowed.

Her elfin people had various sects too, mostly worshipping the Goddess of Life.

But they never brainwashed followers; their religion leaned more toward mutual aid.

At that moment, a hauntingly ethereal song suddenly rose from above the square.

Hundreds of white-robed choir members hovered in midair.

Their backs unfolded radiant wings, like angels descending.

Then, a blinding white light descended from the heavens.

A white-robed elder with a benevolent face stepped on empty air, slowly descending.

Soft light radiated from his body, the pressure of a Star Peak cultivator flickering faintly.

"That's the High Priest of the Holy Spirit Cult—he's one of their highest-ranking figures."

Xya quickly introduced.

The elder pressed his hands lightly, and the square fell utterly silent.

"Devout believers, today the Holy Spirit shall grant you eternal blessing!"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached every ear clearly.

With that, he waved his hand.

A rain of light rained down, falling upon the believers.

The rays of light touched the skin and instantly transformed into tangible energy that merged into their bodies.

"My old wounds are healed!"

"I can feel I've become ten years younger!"

"My severed hand has grown back!"

"......"

In an instant, a series of near-miraculous scenes descended upon the entire square.

The believers, overwhelmed with emotion, knelt down in worship.

But Xu Jingming and the others showed no reaction.

These so-called miracles were merely minor tricks of high-level cultivators.

The ceremony lasted half an hour, all of it serene and sacred.

Neither Xu Jingming nor Yue Ying nor Sya noticed anything unusual.

Especially Xu Jingming.

As the bearer of the Purple Nightmare Demon Body, he possessed an extremely sensitive perception of demonic energy.

Yet, even now, he had not sensed any demonic energy at all.

Had the mission been mistaken? Was the Holy Spirit Cult actually free of demons?

At this thought, Xu Jingming furrowed his brow.

If that were true, this mission would have wasted several days.

In the Beast Trial Zone, that time could have earned him hundreds of thousands of Source Points.

"Sya, when you last attended the Holy Day, where did you find traces of demonic energy?" Xu Jingming asked softly.

"We never found demonic energy during the Holy Day.

The disappearances of believers were only noticed after small Holy Spirit Cult events, and only then did we trace residual demonic energy."

Sya shook her head slightly.

"Could it be that the demon dares to act only cautiously in normal times?

And during the Holy Day, because the scale is too large, the demon dares not move?"

Yue Ying speculated.

"There's a possibility."

Xu Jingming mused, "But the Holy Day occurs only once every ten years.

These days, believers from across Ironfall Star gather in Xuan Star City, the capital.

If the Holy Spirit Cult truly colludes with demons, they could never pass up such an opportunity."

The Demon Clan views humans as blood food.

Consuming them even enhances their strength—such an opportunity, a demon could never let slip.

"No."

Xu Jingming suddenly furrowed his brow.

His powerful spiritual force surged forth, covering the entire square.

Immediately, he perceived it.

In the square, believers were quietly collapsing.

They were swiftly carried away by attendants in white robes waiting nearby.

The surrounding believers assumed they had simply fainted from excessive excitement, so they reacted little.

But from Xu Jingming's spiritual perception:

Within mere seconds, dozens of people had already collapsed in succession across the square.

Remember, over half an hour had passed since the ceremony began.

Countless people had already been removed.

"What's wrong?" Yue Ying asked, puzzled. Sya also turned to look curiously.

"Look for yourselves."

Xu Jingming shared the scenes he perceived with them.

"Huh? People are being carried away continuously? And we didn't notice a thing?"

Both Yue Ying and Sya looked stunned.

Remember, they were Star Rank experts.

Even without actively releasing spiritual force, they could sense every movement across the entire square.

Yet just now, they had sensed nothing at all.

"It's spiritual suggestion—a highly refined technique."

As a spiritual force master, Xu Jingming had already recognized the anomaly.

A peculiar spiritual fluctuation permeated the entire square.

This fluctuation was extremely faint, yet subtly influenced the attention of everyone present.

Yet, instead of alarm, he felt delight.

This meant the Holy Spirit Cult truly had problems.

"Looks like my Source Points have found their target," Xu Jingming's eyes gleamed.

Demons never appear alone.

Like cockroaches on Blue Planet.

Once you spot one, it means a whole swarm has already successfully infiltrated.

For him, this was undoubtedly the best possible news.