Chapter 291 - 290: Grand Game of the Divine, may the Supreme God deceive you

Li Jing suspected that there had been infiltration at the top levels of the church.

But running into it so soon was truly unexpected.

Coincidence?

It didn’t seem that simple.

As the Saintess, Lena was undoubtedly part of the church’s higher echelons.

However, the current church faction was led by the bishops.

As a Fifth Boundary Saintess, her role was nothing more than a pawn in front of a chess game.

Lena had no say in church matters.

Even if she tried to manipulate through pillow talk, it would require many prerequisite conditions.

Lena didn’t have that kind of capital.

One reason was unequal status, another was that Lena’s circumstances were not much better than Imai Xiang, who had also been robbed by Li Jing.

The woman who once led the White Hawk Exploration Team to "deliver goods" herself, even if she hadn’t suffered a total ruin of her reputation, her situation wasn’t much better from having experienced a bitter failure.

With these two factors at play, she wouldn’t gain much even if she allowed herself to be used.

Like Imai Xiang, who willingly became Jing Rong’s plaything to achieve higher status, she was just a doormat and didn’t gain any real benefits.

The same principle applied.

In the eyes of the bishops of the Supreme Church, a Saintess who voluntarily allowed herself to be "enjoyed" was no more than a plaything. They’d play with her first and worry about the rest later.

They might give Lena some benefits, but they would never take her bedside whispers seriously.

As Li Jing watched Lena leisurely adjust her clothes in front of the tent curtain, looking tenderly after Louis as he left, he glanced around with a strange expression.

There were quite a few Church-affiliated people moving around.

Anyone who wasn’t blind would notice the scene unfolding.

Yet, the surrounding crowd seemed rather indifferent to the situation.

Most people chose to ignore it completely.

Another group was gazing at Lena with burning eyes, making no attempt to conceal their infatuation.

The intriguing element was that not even one person showed disdain or disdainful...

I have to say...

The culture within the church is quite something.

When dealing with believers and outsiders, they were all prim and proper, splendidly dressed.

However, behind closed doors, they acted just like this, not even bothering to put on a facade.

Lena, who was no longer the "original", seemed to understand quite well.

Her walk of "post-action" shame was clearly deliberate.

She was aware that this wouldn’t arouse suspicion, but rather would attract more attention to her.

While he was contemplating, perhaps because of someone’s intense gaze, Lena who was standing there adjusting her clothes suddenly turned her gaze towards him.

Caught off guard by her gaze, Li Jing calmly made the sign of the cross on his chest, giving her the standard greeting a believer of the Supreme Church would give upon meeting a high-ranking official.

The non-"original" Lena had a Seventh Realm cultivation level, so his Silent Shadow didn’t work on her.

He was attracted by her Health Bar and stared directly at her.

It was only natural for Lena to notice him.

Having expected this, Li Jing was of course not flustered.

After greeting, he made a move to walk away.

Just as he was about to step away, Lena spoke with a warm smile.

"Priest, could you come over here?"

At her call, Li Jing haulted.

Tsk!

This is troublesome!

He muttered silently, quietly lifting the effects of the Silent Shadow.

Lena was indeed looking this way; it was clear that she was calling him.

Being called out by her meant he could no longer let the Silent Shadow disturb the senses of those around him, otherwise, people would start noticing something odd.

Li Jing’s timing was superb.

As Lena called out to him, many church affiliates who had their attention on him looked over.

Before their gazes could land on where he was standing, the effects of Silent Shadow had already been lifted and they easily spotted his figure.

Casually scanning the church affiliates who were staring at him, Li Jing slowly walked up to Lena and bowed slightly in respect.

"What can I do for you, Saintess..."

Before he could complete his question, Lena gently toyed with her hair.

"Follow me and enter the tent."

???

Li Jing.

What in the world...

What’s going on?

Enter the tent!?

What did this non-original Lena want to do?

Could it be that she noticed the effect of his Silent Shadow?

That seemed unlikely.

Like monsters, the Descendants of the Ancient Gods followed the path of Body Refining. They might not be affected due to their high cultivation level, but there was no reason for them to detect it.

So...

Has he been "chosen"?

Li Jing was startled and found the thought rather unscientific.

His "fated one" was just a Four Realm Sacrifice.

He had a low cultivation level and lackluster status; there was no reason for him to have been "chosen" by Lena.

Plus, he simply looked at her like everyone else did.

Even if Lena was desperate for attention, even if her time with Smith wasn’t enough, there were better choices all around her.

Seeing Lena go into the tent after giving him orders, and being the subject of countless envied and jealous gazes, Li Jing reluctantly sucked it up and went into the tent.

Given the situation, he had no choice but to go with it.

He had gone through great efforts to infiltrate deep into the church’s headquarters and he didn’t want to be exposed now.

Lena’s appearance confirmed the church’s already existing infiltrated state.

But this wasn’t enough.

He needed to confirm other things.

...

Once he entered the tent.

Li Jing looked up and saw Lena, who had just fastened her clothes a few moments ago, now loosening her collar and turning around to smile at him blissfully.

"Priest, you’re a new face. What shall I call you?"

Upon seeing Lena’s actions, Li Jing was in a state of panic.

Could it be that she really "fancied" him?

If that was indeed the case, should he go along with it?

He certainly couldn’t just go ahead and sleep with this woman just for the sake of not blowing his cover, right?

At this moment, Li Jing felt uneasy in his heart, but he did not try to hide it. Instead, he let himself look surprised and flustered.

"In reply to the Saintess, my name is Barrett."

He didn’t know the name of the person he had tied up.

The only thing he could confirm was that the man had Eastern lineage.

However, since he was a member of the church, he must be living in the Western World despite being of Eastern descent, and accordingly would have a Western name.

Anyway, Lena didn’t recognize him, so any name would do.

Lena was visibly pleased with Li Jing’s surprised and "genuine" expression. She glanced at him for a moment, then turned her back to him and said.

"Priest Barrett, you are very lucky."

After leaving such a thought-provoking comment, she leisurely took off her luxurious dress, revealing her smooth back.

Hmm.

She’s not wearing anything underneath.

Li Jing’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the sight.

This turn of events...

It’s not going in the direction he hoped for, is it?!

As Lena gradually removed her dress down to her waist, seemingly teasing him, Li Jing couldn’t help but wonder.

If he now took out his Flying Sword Blue Edge and stabbed this woman to death, then quickly retracted the sword and body, could he escape without being detected?

The answer...

Without a doubt, was no.

Setting aside whether an unguarded Lena would be killed by one sword, if he withdrew the Flying Sword Blue Edge, the aura of the Immortal Item would be exposed, and his cover would be blown.

What should he do?

As he pondered, Lena seemed to be finished teasing him and let her dress slide down completely. She turned her head with a smile, looked at him, and then laid down on the bed in the camp.

Confronted by this situation, a chill flashed in Li Jing’s eyes.

He couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

If he did, he would be forced to do something he didn’t want to.

Just as he was about to draw his Flying Sword Blue Edge to kill this woman, Lena, who was lying on the bed, suddenly spoke.

"I’ve been working so hard lately and my body is always sore. Could priest Barrett help press on it for me?"

Li Jing was startled and quickly halted his thought to decapitate.

If it was just pressing, he could accept that.

Staring at the Lena who was laying on the bed, Li Jing pretended to hesitate and said.

"Saintess, your body is precious, how could a common believer like me dare to offend?"

"I’ve already told you—Priest Barrett, you’re very lucky."

Lena said lightly, turning her head to look at him.

"Today is your lucky day. I allow you to touch my body. If you can please me, I might..."

She didn’t finish her sentence, just smiled suggestively.

"I’m quite interested in Eastern people."

"..."

Li Jing.

Got it.

She had indeed "taken a special liking" to him, but not entirely.

What she was looking forward to even more was getting a massage to alleviate the fatigue of her whole body.

The reason she selected him was simply that he feigned being a church member with the relatively rare Eastern lineage in the church, so it was necessary for her to "try" him.

All these seemed very mysterious.

However, it aligns with the Ancient God’s Descendants’ interest in developing new populations.

The present world has various human races, so it’s necessary for the Ancient God’s Descendants to try them all, isn’t it?

Given the current situation, Li Jing didn’t refuse.

There was something he wanted to confirm.

Pretending to be eager, Li Jing rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, his eyes burning as he spoke.

"Since the Saintess you have said so, I will be so bold as to oblige."

"Go ahead."

Lena replied, then turned her head away from him.

Taking the cue, Li Jing started pressing his hands on her upper back without hesitation.

When he pushed his hand down, Lena let out an enticing moan and turned her head back, looking like she was begging for mercy.

"Be gentle."

Seeing this, Li Jing pretended to apologize and softened his hand according to her instructions.

As he gradually lessened the pressure, Lena closed her eyes leisurely, occasionally moaning in bliss, expressing her pleasure.

Li Jing observed her and kept his expression and voice steady, but he had many thoughts in his mind.

The present Lena had a health bar above her head.

He originally thought that she had been replaced.

The Ancient God’s Descendants are indeed capable, but not to the extent of parasitizing another person’s body like a Parasite Insect. Although they might have the ability to mimic the appearance of the host, it doesn’t mean they are capable enough.

Like how Li Jing could disguise himself as any random person he caught and stored in the subspace to enter the church, it wasn’t difficult at all.

The God-Human Race could do the same.

The God-Human Race has various unique aliens, their racial talents can even change.

It wouldn’t be surprising if some of them have the ability to mimic.

Now, it seemed like things weren’t as simple as he thought.

The woman in front of him who claimed to be Lena, was still probably Lena.

At least her body was still the same.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so desperate to find a random lucky guy to give her a massage to relieve her physical fatigue after long days of "hard work".

Physical weakness is a major flaw in the Western faith and magic system.

Not only is Lena’s body weak, but also the bodies of those who made her "work hard" are not much stronger.

Therefore.

What exactly had Lena gone through?

Possession?

It didn’t seem like it.

Methods like possession can indeed replace the host’s will, but the level won’t come over directly and it takes a long time to recover.

The presence of a health bar above her head that signifies a Seventh Realm level implies that the alien species that took over Lena still has her level, but after taking over this body, it couldn’t adapt.

Considering this, Li Jing squinted his eyes.

Although it was not clear how the alien inside Lena could replace the host’s mind and consciousness, one thing was certain.

The alien was in Lena’s body.

With this information confirmed, Li Jing couldn’t help but speculate.

The ability to parasitize human bodies was definitely not possessed by the alien in Lena’s body.

If it was a parasite like the Parasite Insect, its physical senses wouldn’t affect its body and it wouldn’t suffer from soreness.

What this alien likely had was the ability to enter a human body and take possession of it, much like the Charming Shadows.

And after taking possession, it could transform the body to a degree where it could reproduce its own offspring.

After all, if it was just about replacing Lena’s will,

it would make no sense for it to use Lena’s body recklessly.

The body wasn’t hers to begin with, even if she had offspring, they would be Lena’s blood relatives.

With this speculation, Li Jing examined Lena attentively, whose back was extremely fragile under his touch. A flicker of light passed through his eyes.

If his guess was accurate,

this alien species was most likely an intangible existence.

They subsist by occupying and transforming the bodies of other creatures and then reproducing.

This conclusion, Li Jing found it absurd even for himself.

Could a tangible being come from something intangible?

Is it not beyond science?

But if applied to the descendants of the Ancient God, it might be possible.

The Ancient God’s descendants carried many strange populations that can even spawn various bizarre giant beasts, there is no concept of reproductive isolation. This is enough to demonstrate the strength of their genes.

The key point is -

Lena couldn’t influence the actions of the Supreme Church.

Even if she slept with all the prominent figures in the Church, it would just be that, no one would be led by the nose by her.

If she is using Lena’s body, if it’s not for selecting better genes for reproduction, then there’s no point.

With a hypothesis, we now need practical verification.

Glancing at the almost undefended Lena who was savoring pleasure, Li Jing followed down her back, moved to her shoulder, and then seemingly intended to knead her neck for a neck massage.

After lightly pinching it a few times, Lena didn’t respond.

Seeing this, Li Jing suddenly exerted force.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, Lena’s neck shattered.

Yes.

It shattered.

Not broken.

Li Jing, with a physical strength comparable to that of a Six Realm Great Demon, could easily shatter the body of a weak believer in the faith system like Lena.

At this moment, he acted with deadly intent.

The previously unguarded Lena, who was enjoying herself one moment ago, stiffened and collapsed, her breath disappearing in an instant.

Her health bar did not decrease, but remained full.

The alien species inside Lena was very cunning.

Even with her body killed, it made no movement.

Ordinary people would most likely think she was dead.

Unfortunately for her, she encountered Li Jing.

Seeing her health bar, could someone be so stupid as to think she was already dead?

Seeing that the alien species inside Lena did not move, Li Jing concluded that its body was of a fragile type.

At this point, the alien species inside Lena must have realized that something was wrong, understanding that he was not just a weak Four Realm Sacrifice.

At this moment, it did not move, pretending to be dead while waiting for a chance or to contact other alien species.

Without any hesitation, Li Jing made a decisive move and brought forth subtle electric arcs on his palm, pressing it on Lena’s back.

As long as it’s an intangible thing, it must be related to the Yin property.

Yang Thunder, their greatest nemesis.

The scalding Yang Thunder surged into Lena’s body and immediately deducted a total of over a thousand health points from the health bar that showed 9832 points above her head.

Li Jing raised his eyebrows when he saw this.

As expected, it’s an intangible thing!

There’s nothing more to say at this point.

With his palm pressing against Lena’s back, Li Jing continued to infiltrate her body with the subtle Yang Thunder energy in his hand.

In an instant, the Alien species’s 9832 points health bar decreased to zero.

"Experience +9832."

The prompt in his ear indicated that the Seventh realm alien species died silently without being able to put up even a struggle against the invading Yang Thunder.

Easily gaining 9832 points of experience, Li Jing sighed at the sight of Lena’s seductively arched back, which had been scorched black.

Bearing in mind the brutal method of soul branding, it’s likely that Lena’s will was extinguished as soon as her body was occupied.

The person was dead, and the body was still being used recklessly by the alien species.

Even though Lena would definitely consider him an enemy if she were alive, honestly, her ending made one feel desolate.

In the end,

Lena didn’t do anything but joined the church. it was just a matter of different standpoints.

Not staying in the tent any longer, Li Jing turned around and quickly left the sight of the church members. He found a blind-spot and activated the Silent Shadow.

Then, he used an appearance changing talisman to transform into an eastern face he had seen outside the church camp before. Afterwards, he returned and stood in the dark corner far from Lena’s tent.

The possibility of infiltration into the church was not limited to the alien species that replaced Lena.

Lena’s influence wasn’t enough.

To influence the activities of the church and affect the actions of someone with a bishop’s status like Joseph, it would at least have to be at the level of the other bishops.

In addition to the one in Lena’s body, there are certainly other aliens who have infiltrated the church and achieved a higher status.

If the alien species in Lena’s body had contacted its peers before it died, someone should come to check soon.

As expected.

Not long after Li Jing settled down, a bishop-like figure appeared and landed near Lena’s tent. He glanced left and right, opened the tents and walked in.

Above his head, there was a health bar with a value of 10082.

Li Jing watched as he entered the tent, his scalp tingling.

As it turned out, the church had been infiltrated.

This also implies that the situation is much more complicated than expected.

This bishop who just arrived, Li Jing had seen him before among the information he obtained from Selena.

His name was Onions.

Just like Louis before him,

He was the bishop in charge of a certain diocese, with a high status.

At the same time, he had also been to the sealed space.

It is clear that the God-Human race had started infiltrating the church while in the sealed space.

Naturally, Li Jing thought of the many powerful and influential figures in the Supreme church, who were kidnapped before the Western Alliance broke with the God-Human Race.

Compared to those who were kidnapped,

I’m afraid more people have been replaced by an alien species and are hiding in the Church camp.

Not only the Supreme Church has experienced this...

Li Jing originally thought,

The God-Human Race tearing their faces with the Western Alliance implied that all their plots had been implemented, so they chose to turn against each other.

Now it seems, everything is still within their calculations.

It can even be said that the situation is completely under their control.

The God-Human Race has the ability to kidnap relevant personnel without anyone noticing. They have alien species which can invade other people’s bodies.

Kidnapping is for reproducing a new population.

This is certain.

But is it necessary to turn against the Western Union before taking down the Ghost Clan?

Already deeply infiltrated into various forces and even able to influence how to act, wouldn’t it be more advantageous for the God-Human Race to continue playing tactically with the Western Union and dangling benefits in front of them?

But they haven’t done that, instead, they’ve kidnapped even more people in one breath, making the entire Western Union furious, provoking a turn of faces as a natural consequence.

What’s their goal?

There are many possible explanations.

What can be said for certain is that they need people who have infiltrated all camps to have appropriate reasons to leave the sealed space and engage in activities in the bases of various forces in the Big Secret Realm.

The God-Human Race is playing a big game!

Over there, Onions who had entered Lena’s tent had not come out again.

Instead, a team of battle dedicated Temple Knights from the Supreme Church hurried over from the outskirts of the camp.

Arriving near Lena’s tent, the leading knight gestured with his hand.

Then, many Temple Knights dispersed.

They stood guard around the tent and began to disperse the surrounding personnel.

Seeing the situation, Li Jing quietly retreated.

Lena’s death clearly didn’t cause the Alien Species that replaced Onions to panic.

He chose a very smart approach.

He called the Temple Knights and publicized Lena’s death.

I believe it won’t take long for Barrett, who is still trapped in Subspace by Li Jing, to be pursued by the Church.

This is a bit troublesome.

With the Alien Species carrying out their actions so steadily, even if he kills another Onions, it won’t change the reality of the various forces being infiltrated.

He can inform Ji Youyu about this matter and have him notify everyone.

But how to convince the high-level leaders of various forces?

It’s the top leaders who are being infiltrated, to begin with.

They hold positions and, what’s more, they have power.

Would they stand idly by while they’re being accused?

Not to mention the replaced leaders, even the un-replaced ones won’t accept it.

Even if they believe him, how can Li Jing prove that what he’s saying is true?

Gather up the high-ranking leaders of various forces and identify them one by one?

Isn’t this telling everyone that he can see the health bar?

Yes.

Li Jing has revealed to others that his eyes can easily identify Alien Species.

But that was with people he trusted.

The wave of people he needs to go to identify now is equivalent to telling the whole world that his eyes are different.

Relying on Quan Chang to come forward and confirm?

With the current wind direction, Quan Chang has no way to influence anything.

Moreover, under the leadership of the Church, many voices are saying that she is merely alarming others and has come only to create chaos within the Human Race camp.

Looking for Quan Chang, at most, is to ask her what kind of Alien Species she encountered.

The only thing that can change the situation is if he quietly walks over to each force and pick out the problematic ones, on the premise that it does not disturb the other high-level personnel of the forces, and find an opportunity to kill a round.

This game is a bit big.

Not to mention, the Western Union is composed of dozens of forces, each with high-ranking leaders who die inexplicably. If those Alien Species who have infiltrated the forces manipulate the situation, everyone will be on high alert.

He was already facing a big problem with the soul branding issue unresolved, which made Li Jing feel overwhelmed.

As he thinks about how to deal with this matter, Li Jing quickly moves to the outskirts of the Church, then frowns and stops in his tracks.

The Alien Species that infiltrated the Church moved more quickly than imagined.

In just this short time, the Church’s base exit was blocked by a group of Temple Knights.

Not only that, but also more than a dozen bishops stood in the air guarding the four sides of the base.

Among them, half of the people had a health bar over their heads with numerical values exceeding nine thousand.

In addition, there are several people in the group of Temple Knights whose status looks impressive, and they have health bars over their heads, judging from their appearance to be at least at the captain level.

The individual Alien Species mixed in the Temple Knights are not as strong.

The health bars above their heads are mostly between 6000 and 9000, basically being of the Fifth Boundary or Sixth Boundary.

In terms of numbers, it’s not a lot.

At a glance, it’s less than twenty.

But they are all mid-high ranking personnel.

The situation at hand is a bit troublesome.

Li Jing’s brows furrowed heavily.

The key point is, he can’t get out.

He can ignore the Alien Species mixed in with the Temple Knights.

But those bishops with health bars over their heads, he cannot ignore.

Mixed in with the Church personnel who do not know why the base is sealed by the Temple Knights and why so many bishops have come out, Li Jing immediately realized that this is a good opportunity.

If these individuals with health bars on their heads ran out themselves, wouldn’t it be enough for him to just kill them directly?

It’s certain that these Alien Species are Yin beings, it won’t be too much trouble to kill them with Yang Thunder.

No matter how strong Yin beings are, they can’t resist Yang Thunder.

The truly frightening thing about them is that people have no way of knowing their existence before they are detected.

The originally powerful bishops couldn’t even withstand mere Yang thunder, wouldn’t this immediately reveal the truth?

If they want to wield Seventh Boundary strength, he doesn’t need to prove anything anymore.

It’s not ideal for him to just blend in like this.

At this moment, the master of his face is right in the base, and soon his disguise would be uncovered when the Church personnel conduct internal inspections.

Thinking of this, Li Jing glanced at the more than a dozen bishops who stood in the air, stood out from the crowd, and confronted the Temple Knight with a health bar over his head who was blocking the church’s main gate.

The Temple Knight frowned when he saw him approaching and spoke coldly.

"The bishop has orders that no one is to leave the base."

With his statement, the gazes of more than a dozen bishops in the air all focused on him.

Li Jing didn’t look up, but made a cross sign in front of him with his hand and bowed slightly with great piety.

"May the Supreme God bless you."

Responding to this greeting, the Temple Knight was dumbfounded.

This is the most sacred etiquette in the teachings of the Supreme Church.

Anyone who encounters this must return the gesture.

Even if there is a huge disparity in status, they must respond somehow.

Normally, it’s the lower-ranking members who shouldn’t extend such etiquette to the higher-ranking members, as the latter would find it very troublesome and feel that you are looking for trouble even to the point of thinking you deserve to be punished.

In response to Li Jing’s greeting, the Temple Knight instinctively made a cross sign in front of his chest.

"May the Supreme God protect...."

Before he could even utter the word ’you’, Li Jing raised his hand and slapped him.

"Boom!"

The scorching Yang Thunder surged took form, instantly piercing through his chest.

"Experience +7291."