Chapter 478: Cang Xu Returns

White Hair Trench.

Ocean Mother Nest.

The grand formation hummed as it operated, the golden altar flickering with a faint glow.

Countless Charming Blue believers surrounded the altar, kneeling in prayer. They maintained a certain distance from the altar at all times.

“The time is almost upon us, isn't it?”

“Yes. Judging by the previous teleportation blood sacrifice, they should be returning soon.”

“My son... you must come back alive.”

Xiao Wang Zi whispered to Jian Gui, “What are the chances Xu Jia will return alive?”

Jian Gui remained silent, merely shaking his head slightly, his gaze solemn.

The believers looked up expectantly, even Zhou Zhang filled with anticipation.

Those Charming Blue believers who returned alive had undoubtedly undergone rigorous selection, gained enhanced strength, and deepened their faith.

These individuals would surely become the elite, even the pillars, of the Charming Blue Church!

Spatial fluctuations rippled through the air.

Before the gathered crowd, the believers flashed back to their original kneeling positions.

As with previous blood sacrifices, some were missing.

“I'm back! I passed the trial!” a returning believer shouted excitedly.

“My son! Where is my son?” another frantically scanned the crowd.

“Quite a few casualties this time,” Zhou Zhang noted impassively, silently tallying the losses. Her gaze suddenly halted, settling on one figure.

It was none other than Cang Xu!

"Oh? Something interesting has happened.” The gold level fighter Zhang Yu Wan, standing nearby, also spotted Cang Xu.

More and more eyes turned toward Cang Xu. It was impossible not to notice him; he was too conspicuous.

He was the sole necromancer.

“Did I see that correctly?”

“That necromancer... he... he... he actually returned?”

“Cang Xu! It really is Cang Xu! He survived!” Xiao Wang Zi was the most agitated.

He had chosen to aid Ku Feng, indirectly eliminating Cang Xu, and had harbored guilt ever since. Seeing Cang Xu return now, he was likely the happiest person present after Qing Xin.

Countless gazes converged on Cang Xu. Some eyes widened in shock, others furrowed in disbelief, while some fell into deep contemplation.

More murmured in astonishment, discussing how an undead could gain divine recognition, utterly baffling.

“No, impossible!”

“My son worshiped our Lord most devoutly, from childhood till his death. He believed in no other god.”

"He didn’t return alive, yet you, an undead, have come back?"

“Something's fishy! You must have cheated!”

The father who'd searched in vain for his son shouted in despair, pointing at Cang Xu and openly accusing him.

The crowd's expressions varied.

Cang Xu sneered coldly, retorting sharply, “I worship our Lord, the great Charming Blue Goddess. The Lord is so forgiving and merciful that She has already granted me divine blessing. Who are you? You dare question my Lord's will?"

“Yes!” Jian Gui stepped forward, echoing immediately, "We undead are life forms too, existing only through negative energy. Why can't we convert to our Lord and become Her believers? Your racial prejudice is one thing, but you gravely underestimate our Lord's magnanimity! You are guilty!"

Cang Xu's appearance shocked Jian Gui immensely. He had believed Cang Xu was dead.

But after the shock, Jian Gui rejoiced.

After all, Cang Xu was one of his own, and he had planted a fatal trap within him.

Cang Xu nodded to Jian Gui. Though the latter was utterly hypocritical, being the first to stand up for him was precisely what Cang Xu needed now.

In contrast, Qi Ling beside Jian Gui stared at Cang Xu in disbelief, her expression darkening.

Jian Gui's endorsement immediately drew loud approval from Xiao Wang Zi, Ku Feng, and others.

On the pirate side, Qing Xin also shouted in support of Cang Xu.

The elderly believer whose son had perished paid no heed. He took several running steps before collapsing to his knees before the altar. Gazing up at Zhou Zhang, he wailed, "Archbishop Zhou Zhang, I implore you! Expose the true form of this wicked undead! He's a fake! He must be a fake! How could he possibly survive, while my son...?"

All eyes instantly focused on Zhou Zhang.

Her face expressionless, Zhou Zhang suddenly raised a hand. The elderly believer's cries abruptly ceased.

He struggled to shout, yet no sound emerged.

Then Zhou Zhang beckoned faintly to Cang Xu.

Cang Xu suddenly felt an immense, invisible force grip his entire body, lifting him off the ground and carrying him into the air before setting him down upon the golden altar.

“The most crucial test has arrived!” Cang Xu felt a chill run through him, though outwardly he remained composed as he met Zhou Zhang's gaze.

She cast a divine spell, scanning Cang Xu's entire body, but found nothing.

Zhou Zhang then asked Cang Xu several questions in a gentle tone, to which Cang Xu answered cautiously.

When asked, “What is your divine blessing?” he replied that he had become a monk, receiving a series of doctrines, prayer procedures, rituals, and so forth.

"Oh? You've actually attained a clerical position?" Zhou Zhang's expression softened further.

“A monk... counts as a clerical position?” Cang Xu was puzzled.

By clerical position, he meant a role within the church.

Zhou Zhang nodded slightly: "A believer isn't considered a member of the clergy, but a monk can be seen as a preparatory position. Take one more step, and you could become a missionary for our Lord."

“Continue striving diligently.”

Zhou Zhang then publicly declared that Cang Xu was now a member of the church, a fellow believer, one who had renounced darkness for the light!

“What did she say?”

“It’s much easier than I imagined!”

Standing upon the altar, Cang Xu gazed at Zhou Zhang to his right front, then scanned the diverse expressions of the Charming Blue believers below. A slight sense of relief settled in his heart.

Flower Skirt Island.

"So, this is how we get to Tranquil Hill? It was way too easy." Spring Boxer voiced a similar astonishment to Cang Xu's.

Bing Xiao nodded then shook his head: “This is merely the ritual's sequence and arrangement. Memorize it carefully, it'll make recreating it easier later.”

“But that alone won't suffice.”

“The success of this special ritual hinges on the people.”

“More precisely, on me and my comrade in the ice coffin.”

“Both Teng Dong Lang and I are holy warriors of Tranquil Hill!”

Spring Boxer widened his eyes slightly: “Holy warriors?”

Bing Xiao explained: "It's a clerical position, similar to a templar knight. Only a ritual conducted by a holy warrior will succeed, allowing us to reach Tranquil Hill safely."

“Now kneel beside me. Repeat my prayer words and join me in praying.”

As Bing Xiao knelt, the sounds of explosions and fierce gunfire erupted outside.

“It's the other silver factions! They've united, using our recent black market raid as justification to storm the stronghold!”

“There are too many silver level enemies! We can barely hold them off!” someone reported.

Spring Boxer's expression hardened. He started to rise, intending to rush to the defense, but Bing Xiao grabbed his arm.

“There's no time! Our top priority now is reaching Tranquil Hill!”

“But what about the others?”

"This isn't the time to think about them!”

“If they fall in battle, the Bayonet Gang will be left with only us...”

"What we must do now outweighs the Bayonet Gang's importance! Kneel. Pray with me." Bing Xiao's expression at that moment was terrifying.

Spring Boxer gritted his teeth and knelt, obeying Bing Xiao's command.

The special ritual succeeded swiftly.

Suddenly, snow swirled through the basement. A strange space unfolded like a scroll before Spring Boxer.

“Carry Teng Dong Lang's ice coffin. Let's go,” Bing Xiao ordered.

Spring Boxer hurriedly protested, “Wait! We need to gather the others. We should leave together.”

Bing Xiao refused outright: "Absolutely not! A place as crucial as Tranquil Hill isn't somewhere outsiders can enter!"

But before his words faded, the snowy space like a painting abruptly expanded, spreading out to engulf the entire base.

Bing Xiao's expression changed drastically.

The snowy expanse engulfed every member of the Bayonet Gang, even including the few silver level foes who had charged to the forefront.

The next instant, the snowy space violently contracted, vanishing entirely along with everyone it had enveloped, leaving only an empty stronghold behind.

"It worked! It really worked!" Shuang Tu, the mastermind behind the operation, was overcome with excitement at the sight.

Though his primary mission had failed, he had successfully aided both the human ringleader and Lan Zao into Tranquil Hill.

This was an absolute breakthrough!

Of course, he had paid a tremendous price for it.

“What comes next isn't solely my responsibility.”

“I must relay this news immediately. The organization will undoubtedly spare no effort to assist them both!”