Chapter 761: Before the Church

Bidding farewell to the professor of Zarathos Literature Academy, Xia De continued to walk toward the Nature Church located in the center of the city in the Rift. As for the content of that letter, it was to inform the church in the Rift that once they heard the bell tolling from the direction of the Sicard Mountains, they should start the ritual immediately.

Such an important letter was sent by Xia De, a stranger, because more than one channel was transmitting this information. Some changes seemed to have occurred on the Sicard Mountains, and the church intended to start the ritual ahead of schedule.

Even though the sound was suppressed, strange noises could still be heard from all over the place along the way.

Joey Barton, whose true body is currently unknown, is definitely manipulating the undead, and the Rift itself is also counterattacking the actions of the living. The church has gathered a large number of people this time, coupled with the help provided by the three major thaumaturgy academies and friendly organizations such as the Prophet Association, they have barely been able to resist the Rift's counterattack so far.

And when he finally approached the Nature Church, Xia De saw an "Undead Tide" with his own eyes.

That was a quite terrible scene. He climbed to a high place to try to find the direction, and then saw the fog swirling constantly like it was stirred by the wind in the side front. Relying on his jumping ability to cross over the street lamps, jumping to the bent gas street lamp, and then jumping to the roof of another house near the street, he finally saw that it was dense undead like a tide, rushing toward the Nature Church that was looming in the fog.

Everything in the Rift is a "dilapidated and damaged version" of the real world, but only the Nature Church looks almost identical to the real church from the outside, and it is even glowing.

And at this time, the golden bell on the side tower of the church was being continuously rung by a burly figure whose appearance could not be seen clearly. The bell sound could not spread very far, but every time it rang, it would spread a green ripple outward with the church as the center, and evil spirits would be slowly melted upon contact with the ripple.

At the main entrance of the church, as well as at the side windows, there were Ring Mages on guard, using charms, spells, and curses to expel the undead approaching the church.

This was already the umpteenth impact, and the church Ring Mages responded quite familiarly. Even though the Rift suppressed the power of divine arts, with the church itself as the ritual base array, the divine rituals of the Five Gods Church could also offset this negative suppression.

At the end of this terrifying undead tide, a giant black evil spirit appeared, carrying a bone hammer on its back. It is hard to imagine what kind of living person could mutate into this after death.

But the huge volume also meant that the area receiving the attack was wider. It didn't even touch the wall of the church before it was beaten into a sieve by golden light bullets like a light rain, and then turned into wisps of white ash and disappeared.

People in the church windows clapped and celebrated, and then re-arranged the outer defense rituals and traps that had been destroyed. And Xia De's attention shifted to the other end of the dilapidated street where the church was located.

At the street corner hazy in the white fog, a figure slowly disappeared into the fog. Because the short and deformed appearance was really too characteristic, Xia De could almost be sure that it was Joey Barton.

"Appeared on the top of the mountain, the mountainside, and the foot of the mountain at the same time? He absorbed the clown and actually inherited the ability of clones?"

As if noticing Xia De's gaze, the slowly disappearing figure actually became clear again.

It was indeed Joey Barton. He leaned against the red brick wall with cracks at the street corner, looking at Xia De on the roof through the white fog.

The two stared at each other until Joey Barton took the initiative to move his gaze away. He squatted down with effort, and then pressed violently toward the ground—

Boom!

A muffled sound came from the Nature Church on the other side of the street, and then a small earthquake without sound occurred with the Nature Church as the center. And after the earthquake, a black wind rushed out of the church gate, flying toward the sky like a tornado.

Following closely behind was Yin Yi Yi Lu Na. The seventeen-year-old girl was dressed neatly, shaking the holy bell at the church gate, then squatted slightly, and threw the golden thunder spear in her hand violently:

"Sunlight Spear!"

Of course, Xia De couldn't hear the sound, but he guessed Yin Yi Yi Lu Na must have shouted this sentence.

The Sunlight Spear pierced through the clouds and hit the center of the black wind. As the golden thunder exploded in the air, what appeared in the black wind was a woman wearing a white bridal gown, riding on a dark red horse.

That bridal gown, which should have been pure white, was covered with dark bloodstains, and the veil completely covered her face. Her right hand held a sharp black long-handled sickle, while her left hand was in front of her chest, holding a man's head.

Because the other party was in the sky, Xia De couldn't see the man's expression clearly. But when he stared at the woman, an inexplicable intuition made him understand:

"The fourth nail! It was actually sent to the Rift by the church... It escaped?"

Feeling slightly surprised, he looked at Barton at the street corner again. He nodded slightly to Xia De, then retreated and disappeared into the fog.

【Obviously, he is luring you to chase after him.】

"I know."

Xia De adjusted the fishing rod on his back and picked up the kerosene lamp at his feet. He took another look at the woman in the wedding dress running on horseback above the church, as well as the two high-ring mages flying out of the church:

"But even if it's a trap, I have to chase after him."

Without attracting the church's attention, Xia De returned to the ground from the roof and came to the position where Barton had just stood at the street corner. At this time, it was naturally empty. Xia De looked left and right at the empty street, and stepped forward wanting to look at the right side. But unexpectedly, one step caused the world to spin, and the white fog gathered quickly, completely covering his vision. And when his vision returned to normal, the surroundings were no longer the city, but a mountain clearing covered with black dead trees and twisted weeds.

"Spatial movement? No, I have the 【Time and Space】 spiritual rune, spatial power shouldn't be so effective on me... It didn't transfer my position, it spliced another space over?"

In the clearing in the forest, there were only black dead weeds like flesh buds. And on the other side of the clearing, Joey Barton was waiting for Xia De.

After a day, his skin color had become much whiter. That was not a healthy white, but rather a white like a corpse. And the increase in his power brought about by the decline in health.

Even a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi who is not sensitive can easily perceive the rich whisper elements on him.

"Mr. Watson, why are you so persistent? Do you have such deep feelings for Midhillburg?"

He looked at Xia De calmly, and the voice came from all around the dense forest, as if he were everywhere.

This is a small trick to make people feel fear, Xia De will not be fooled.

"I once said, I am an outsider, I have no feelings for this city. But since I encountered this matter, and I also have the ability to stop it, I cannot watch you commit a big mistake."

"You still want to persuade me?"

"You have already started fusing relics, you cannot turn back."

Xia De said softly, and then a sigh came from all around the dense forest:

"Yes..."

Barton stopped talking, and Xia De frowned and lifted the long sword in his hand.

A sharp explosion came, and Joey Barton's neck stretched like a long snake, his head flying toward Xia De like a cannonball.

Since he decided to stop the other party, Xia De didn't want to test at all:

"Sunlight Ray!"

His right index finger rested on the sword body, and then he held the sword with both hands and stabbed forward. As the color of the noon sun gathered on the sword body, the thick beam of light shot out with huge wind pressure.

That sunlight beam not only pierced Joey Barton's body, but even left a straight light mark in the pitch-black dense forest behind him.

Joey Barton's body melted completely in the light beam, and the panting Xia De also hurriedly drew a circle under his feet with the long sword, then knelt on one knee and pressed his forehead against the sword hilt:

"Spatial Stability Halo."

A clear sound of shattering appeared in his ears. Looking up again, he had returned to the street corner of the dilapidated city shrouded in white fog. Joey Barton was kneeling on the ground, panting and wanting to stand up. Xia De held the sword and stepped forward, appearing directly beside him the next moment.

He slashed toward the other party's neck, but a thick hand suddenly raised and grabbed the blade of the 【Night Watcher】 hard. The long sword was buzzing, and the sword rune 【My heart is clear, the sword slays demons】 was emitting bright light.

And Joey Barton, who was holding the blade, stood up slowly against Xia De's power, the expression in those eyes still very calm:

"I am no longer the 1st-ring diviner you knew."

【Night Watcher】 automatically counterattacked evil power, and dozens of white sword lights impacted Barton's chest. He flicked violently, and 【Night Watcher】 was snatched from Xia De's hand, flying obliquely and inserting into the ground, buzzing because of the vibration.

"I know."

Xia De threw a right punch, and Joey Barton threw a left punch. The two fists collided head-on, and with a crisp sound of bone breaking, Xia De flew backward, hit the tilted street lamp pole across the street, and then broke the brick wall of the nearby shop.

When he climbed up from the ruins, he only felt that his entire right hand had no feeling, obviously multiple fractures:

"This power is too exaggerated."

Enduring the pain and climbing up, Joey Barton was still standing in place looking at him, not chasing after him:

"The gentlemen of the 【Truth Society】 told me that only the Chosen One can confront the Chosen One. Mr. Watson, you are an audience member, so don't think about interfering with the performance on the stage."

Xia De hummed and didn't speak.

Joey Barton was still talking:

"Perhaps the Chosen One is really the person chosen by fate. If it were only my own power, no matter what, I couldn't break through the church's defense, but fortunately, the Rift is unwilling to be sealed. So, I help it, and it also helps me."

"In stories, those who say this are usually villains."

"Fortunately, this is not a story, this is an epic."

The middle-aged man who looked like a deformed child watched Xia De limp out of the ruins while holding his right arm:

"Mr. Watson, I haven't had many friends in my life, but I consider you, whom I have only met a few times, one of my few friends. Please watch everything carefully, watch what happens today. Tonight in Midhillburg will eventually be recorded in history." ===== CHAPTER 762 =====