The cemetery mountain was cold at night, with black clouds churning in the sky, as if it were about to rain.
Xu Mu lay prone on a dirt slope, his expressionless, pitch-black gun barrel peeking through the grass, aiming at a person's heart a hundred meters away.
His trembling index finger hooked the trigger, seeming ready to fire at any second.
But then, he seemed to hear something and stopped.
"Everything is arranged, there won't be any more problems?"
The black-robed figure, leaning on a scepter, spoke in an aged voice. From his wide sleeves, he extended a finger as thin as a withered branch, its tip blooming with dots of purplish-black fire.
This was his special ability, its purpose unknown.
"Your Holiness, please rest assured, tonight, I can lure dozens of second-tier异鬼 (yì guǐ) to invade. By then, even if that swordsman is strong, he won't be able to stop me!"
As he spoke, the man lifted his hat, revealing three wolf-head brands on his neck—the unmistakable mark of the Totem Church.
In the night, the torches around the altar lit up, illuminating his ferocious expression.
What happened last night had been extremely humiliating.
He had thought he could take over Fengqing Village with a flick of his hand. Under the melodious flute, the 异鬼 (yì guǐ) he controlled were driven out by the night watchmen.
The night watchman's strength seemed to exceed the limits of ordinary people, which shocked him, but that wasn't the main point.
More importantly, when he returned with another batch of 异鬼 (yì guǐ) to destroy Fengqing Village, he encountered a swordsman of incredible power.
Recalling the scene from last night, Feng Tianzhu's pale face turned even paler. He couldn't see the man's face, but he could see those gray-white pupils.
The swordsman seemed devoid of emotion, like a wooden puppet that wielded a sword. In the darkness, he moved his blade, cutting a path from Fengqing Village to the cemetery mountain. Nothing could stop him, not even for a moment.
And, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the swordsman had no intention of killing him, his focus solely on the 异鬼 (yì guǐ).
Perhaps he thought Feng Tianzhu was too weak?
After narrowly escaping, Feng Tianzhu felt immense humiliation. Thus, he decided to seek fierce revenge tonight.
"Heh heh..."
The old man in the black robe, leaning on his scepter, wore a strange expression. He had gathered many 异鬼 (yì guǐ) and guaranteed Fengqing Village's capture. His subordinate was truly brave.
—He only hoped that Feng Tianzhu would at least leave a whole corpse.
Oh no, it didn't matter if Feng Tianzhu lived or died. What he cared about was that the source of pollution in Fengqing Village was not activated.
After all, without Fengqing Village's boost, relying solely on the sacrificial formations of Xishan and Cemetery Mountain, his advancement would be significantly more difficult.
"This is a potion I've carefully refined. Take it, and your special ability will be amplified tenfold."
Vilitan pondered for a moment, and from the purple halo at his fingertips, a bottle of unknown liquid suddenly condensed. It then fell into Feng Tianzhu's palm.
"Thank you, Your Holiness!"
Feng Tianzhu clasped the potion tightly in his hand and respectfully retreated down the steps.
He had said all he needed to say. The Exorcism Division was already in Xishan. He knew that next, His Holiness would prepare to activate the altar.
Vilitan raised his scepter high. At its tip, a dark gray light emanated. He chanted in a powerful voice:
"Will of the dead and souls, wandering the black earth; last wishes of blood and the immortal, roaming the blood-red sky!"
"Through endless cycles and pain, I absolve you of release..."
Hum!
A hurricane swept up from the center of the altar, carrying countless dark energies that continuously expanded towards the sky.
"Here, I command you in the name of the Pope, Vilitan!"
"Endless evil spirits, at the time of the诡夜 (guǐ yè), gather in my hand, become my sharpest spear, and I shall return all living beings to the feet of the Underworld God!"
Woo woo woo...
The sound of the hurricane was like the wailing of ghosts. It was a hundred zhang high, stirring the clouds in the sky. The dark energy that occasionally leaked from it scattered across the space, causing trees to wither and flowers and grass to die. Their vital essence was drawn into the altar, becoming sustenance for evil.
In the distance, Xu Mu felt this soul-stirring, powerful energy, his palms sweating as he gripped the sniper rifle. He was just an ordinary night watchman; he had never witnessed such a scene. That black-robed elder stirring up the wind and clouds must be the dangerous,华彩 (Huá cǎi) realm esper that Charles had mentioned—a third-stage esper!
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. In the Heavenly Palace, Charles had thoroughly schooled him in knowledge about espers.
The so-called Huá cǎi (华彩) was a name created by people based on the characteristics of third-stage espers.
In the world of espers on the East European continent, there were seven ranks. Espers like Yin Shuier, whom he had met before, who awakened water element, belonged to the first rank.
The difference between a second-tier and a first-tier esper lay in their awakened abilities. Generally speaking, when an esper entered the second tier, their special ability would be strengthened and extended into various different uses.
As for third-tier Huá cǎi (华彩) realm espers, they possessed a multitude of means, their abilities undergoing a qualitative change. The difference between second-tier and third-tier abilities was like that between a firefly and the bright moon. While they couldn't move mountains or drain seas, for most people, the Huá cǎi (华彩) realm was already akin to heavenly immortals.
Although some exceptionally talented individuals could awaken abilities across ranks, such as the one residing in Xu Mu's body with gray-white eyes, or Yan Yu from the Exorcism Division with unknown identity and the Gan Jiang sword, such people were rare.
Vilitan was third-stage. And, according to normal logic, only a third-stage esper could kill such a ranked individual.
Of course, Xu Mu held a groundbreaking AW in his hands.
"You can't escape!" Xu Mu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm his heart rate.
The cold muzzle of the sniper rifle was aimed at the heart of the Pope at the very top of the altar.
"I'll kill you first, then the easy targets. Die!"
"Click!" With a slight click, Xu Mu's index finger tightened, pulling the trigger. A smile appeared on the young man's lips. He could already envision the scene of the black-robed figure's heart being pierced by his shot!