Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 140 Shadows of the Past (5k2)

——Gray-blood curse!

When he heard this word, a gloomy expression flashed across Bishop Fabion's face for a moment.

But this gloom was quickly hidden by Bishop Fabion, and his expression returned to a peaceful state.

"I hope so." Fabian said, "As far as I know, the only way to remove the 'Gray Blood Curse' is to kill the Lord of Blood Sacrifice. But..."

"But the Blood Sacrifice Lord's hiding place is not within the empire." Leonard added, "It's in the Thieves Principality..."

"Yes."

Fabian nodded slowly and said, "That's why we are out of reach."

"But..." Fabion suddenly smiled and said, "The 'Lord of Blood Sacrifice' is probably not in any better condition than I am right now."

"During that 'Holy War', the 'Lord of Blood Sacrifice' was sent into the Empire by the executioner of the Dark Principality, attempting to escalate the intensity of the 'Holy War'..."

Fabian said slowly, "For this reason, he came to Songyuan Territory, and later stationed outside the city of Sina. He first fought with Bishop Alfonso, but after being defeated by Alfonso, he broke his arm and fled... and then he met me."

At this moment, Bishop Fabion had a nostalgic look on his face. When he talked about the past events of the "Holy War", he was like a spectator telling an epic story.

"At that time... 'The Lord of Blood Sacrifice' had been severely injured by Bishop Alfonso, and the blood and flesh he prepared were not enough to fully recover from his injuries. It was also in that state that I, who was only at the fourth level of destiny, was able to fight him fairly well."

"But, the Lord of Blood Sacrifice, he finally defeated me. But he was afflicted with the 'Sacred Seal of Sealing Souls' and the 'Sacred Seal of Severing Vows', so he couldn't kill me after all. He could only use up the last of his spiritual energy to carve the 'Grey Blood Curse' on me, and then he fled again."

……

Bishop Fabien acted calm as he recounted these past events.

However, Leonard frowned tightly.

Because Leonard had personally experienced that "holy war" and witnessed the tragedy with his own eyes, the tragedy caused by the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice".

Leonard, he couldn't help but fall deeply into memories.

In Leonard's memory, it happened suddenly when the "Holy War" between the "Sina City Church" of the Holy See and the "Original Sect" of the Holy Tower Kingdom had reached a fever pitch.

"Blood of Thorns", a cult organization that was once not very prominent in the empire, suddenly began to carry out various flesh and blood sacrifices in the empire, especially in Songyuan Territory. The "Holy War" broke out between the "Glory" believers of the "Holy Court" and the "Lost" believers of the "Religious State". The increasing number of corpses of extraordinary people in the war were the best raw materials for "Blood of Thorns" to carry out "flesh and blood sacrifices"!

At that time, neither the Holy See nor the Original Sect had any extra energy to deal with the actions of the Blood of Thorns. The Supreme Person of the Law Department, who was supposed to deal with the Blood of Thorns, also took a wait-and-see attitude towards the Blood of Thorns for some reason.

As a result, the "Blood of Thorns" captured a large amount of flesh and blood of extraordinary people in a very short period of time, which provided them with an endless supply of nutrients for the subsequent mass production of "Blood Disciples" and "Destroyers".

And when the Sina City Church, under the leadership of the former Sina City Bishop "Alfonso Durant", finally won a tragic victory in the regional war against the "Original Sect", the Sina City Church had time to deal with the various disasters caused by the "Blood of Thorns".

At that time, the leader of the "Blood of Thorns" - the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" was active in the battlefields after the "holy wars" and where corpses were scattered everywhere, and he personally presided over the blood and flesh sacrifice ceremonies.

Therefore, the whereabouts of the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" is relatively easy to confirm.

After Bishop Alfonso won a tragic victory in the "Holy War" against the "Original Sect", he had no time to rest and rushed directly to the battlefield where the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" was presiding over blood and flesh sacrifices.

Thus, a great battle broke out between the Lord of Blood Sacrifice and Bishop Alfonso. At that time, Bishop Alfonso, who was already at the sixth level of destiny, quickly crushed the Lord of Blood Sacrifice, who was at the fifth level of destiny of Red Lotus, and severely injured him.

Afterwards, the Lord of Blood Sacrifice broke his arm and fled, while Bishop Alfonso was entangled by a group of other "Blood of Thorns" destroyers and was unable to catch up for a while.

However, at the moment before the Lord of Blood Sacrifice was about to escape, Bishop Alfonso, who had noticed something, quickly completed the chanting and stamped the Lord of Blood Sacrifice with the "Holy Seal of the Soul"!
——"Sacred Seal of the Soul", this is one of the ways to use "authority" in the [Glorious] destiny. Its specific effect is that it can suppress the spirituality of heretics who are not [Glorious] destiny within a certain threshold range. If it exceeds this threshold, the overflowing spirituality will turn into "violent spirituality", which will cause great damage to the inner self of the extraordinary person like a huge wave washing away a dam!
The Lord of Blood Sacrifice, who was struck by the "Sacred Seal of the Soul", decisively abandoned those "destroyers" and finally escaped from the holy war battlefield.

When the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" fled to another wasteland outside the city of Sina, he collided with Fabian, who was still a "priest" at the time, who happened to be passing by. The two sides then started a fierce battle again, and Leonard, the "Holy Judge" at that time, was beside Fabian.

The "Priest" Fabien of the fourth-fold destiny of [Glory] and the severely injured "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" of the fifth-fold destiny of [Red Lotus] barely managed to draw.

And at the last moment, when Fabion was beginning to decline, he still successfully stamped the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" with the "Seal of the Broken Rings"!
——"The Seal of Severing Vows" is also one of the ways to use the authority of [Glory]. However, this authority is not as high as the "Seal of Sealing Souls" and its effect is also worse. It is a seal that has miraculous effects at specific times.

However, the "Seal of Severing Discipline" was very effective against the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" because it was a holy technique that was very effective against monsters created by evil forbidden techniques such as "Blood and Flesh Suturing" or "Soul Fusion".

The specific effect of the "Seal of Broken Rings" is to cut off or hinder the connection between non-homologous flesh and blood and soul fragments, making it impossible for the evil monsters created by "flesh and blood suturing" and "soul fusion" to transmit spiritual power freely, thereby achieving a strong internal weakening effect.

Fabion successfully stamped the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" with the "Seal of Broken Rings", but he was also found an opportunity by the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" and launched an effective counterattack.

At that time, the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice", whose spirituality had been almost completely exhausted, used up his last spirituality and gray flesh and blood, and engraved the mark of the "Grey Blood Nightmare Curse" into Fabion's body.

Then, taking advantage of the time when Fabien was cursed and unable to move, the Lord of Blood Sacrifice fled again.

This time, the Lord of Blood Sacrifice finally managed to escape from the empire and returned to his own lair, Blood of Thorns, in the Dark Principality - Fafnir City.

Failure to kill the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice" is the common concern of Alfonso and Fabiano, the two former bishops of the Sina City Church.

After the "Holy War" ended, the "Holy See" was caught up in the turmoil between the "Supreme" and the "Pure Factions". Bishop Alfonso was used as a bargaining chip by the "Holy See" and was taken away by the "Supreme". Then, Fabien, who was newly promoted to the "Fivefold Destiny" and entered the realm of "Sainthood", was promoted from "Priest" to "Bishop" by the "Holy See", replacing Bishop Alfonso Durant's original position.

This is what Leonard knows about the history of Blood of Thorns during the Holy War.

It was precisely because of that war that the "Blood of Thorns" quickly gained a foothold in the empire. Although the enemy leader, the Lord of Blood Sacrifice, fled, the remaining forces of the "Blood of Thorns" in the empire had already grown and expanded in secret due to the negligence of the three parties before, and from the original small evil association, it became a huge cancer that plagued the entire empire.

Songyuan Territory is the largest area where the "Blood of Thorns" secretly resides. Although the "Holy Court" has sent "Holy Judges" to execute the judgment and extermination missions against them countless times, their bases are too hidden and scattered, and their numbers are too large. The speed of mass production of "Blood Disciples" and "Destroyers" is too fast, so the "Holy Court" has never had a good way to deal with them.

……

"But, Bishop."

Leonard said slowly: "There is no doubt that this is a rare opportunity to completely wipe out the Blood of Thorns stronghold in Songyuan Territory."

"I think... there is a chance that you can find a solution to the 'Gray Blood Curse' you are suffering from from those strongholds..."

"Even if not, we can still inflict a devastating blow to 'Blood of Thorns' and prevent them from causing trouble in Songyuan Territory any longer."

Leonard said.

"..."

"Well...Leonard. I agree with you."

Bishop Fabion nodded slightly and said:

"But, to be honest, I don't hold out hope for lifting the Grey Blood Curse."

"Because I have already felt it. The blood flowing in my body, which is gradually turning gray, is almost burning out the source of my life."

"If, nothing unexpected happens."

Fabian showed a faint smile on his face. He said calmly:
"I should. We still have the last six months."

"..."

This is a heavy topic, but Fabian behaved calmly. When he stated these things calmly, it was as if he was telling someone else's story.

Leonard's expression, however, was one of deep sorrow. The look he gave Fabian was filled with sadness and a sense of powerlessness at not being able to change the current situation.

However, Priest Leonard quickly concealed his emotions so as not to cause unnecessary worry to Bishop Fabion.

"The only thing I'm worried about now is my successor..."

Bishop Fabion said slowly:
"I don't know who will inherit my position after I die..."

"Leonard, you know. The nature of the church in Sina City is special. It is difficult for the Holy See to transfer people who fully understand the church's situation."

"Moreover, I recently contacted the Holy See and learned that the archbishops and cardinals I am familiar with are not doing well. A terrible plague has swept across the southwest of the empire, but the Holy See has not yet found out the source of the plague. It can only try to control its spread as much as possible..."

"The Holy See inferred that there must be some extraordinary power at work in this uncontrollable plague, but there is no direct evidence to prove it. Under such circumstances, it is unlikely that the Holy See will care about our Sina City Church."

"So, what if something happens to me... Oh, what a headache." "Leonard, you were my first choice. It's a pity... You are a Templar. You should be the guardian who wields the holy sword for the Sun Forging Moment, but because of this, you cannot grasp all the authority of [Glory]."

"According to the doctrine, only the 'holy consecrated' who have been promoted from 'priests' can ascend to the position of 'bishop' and hold the authority of 'Glory'. You are a Templar Knight, and Markis is the Patriarch. Neither of you can become a bishop and take over the authority..."

"..."

When Fabien said this, a deep worry appeared on his face.

Compared to his own life, what he cares more about is the fact that there is no one to succeed him.

"Regarding this matter……"

While Fabian showed his worry, Leonard's tone seemed much more relaxed.

"You need not worry about that, Bishop."

Priest Leonard said: "During the time when you handed over the affairs of the church to me, I discovered a priest with a promising future."

"If, I mean if, anything happens to you, I will recommend him to become the bishop of the Sina City Church."

"..."

"You never told me this."

There was a flash of surprise in Fabian's eyes, but this surprise was quickly replaced by a calm gloom. "Leonard, you wouldn't tell me this now. What are you worried about?"

"..."

"I'm worried about the Holy See."

Leonard said bluntly, "Bishop, you have not seen him in person, so you cannot imagine how special that child is."

"Special..." Fabian chewed on the word, frowning slightly.

"Leonard, I don't understand what you mean by 'special'. I want to know why you are willing to hide it from me and the Holy See."

"That child's past is very similar to that of several 'legends' in Glorious history."

Leonard said slowly: "He is now the Great Judge of the Triple Fate, and has already signed a contract with the Holy Beast."

"..."

Hearing this, Fabian's expression instantly became serious.

"You said that he made a contract with the sacred beast before the fourth level of his destiny?"

"Yes, Bishop."

Leonard nodded. "You know what this means... He is still just an 'Acolyte' and a 'Holy Inquisitor'. If he were allowed to enter the sight of the Holy Court, he would have no say and no free will in the Holy Court."

"So, you know, Bishop. In a sense, this is to protect him, and even more so to protect our Sina City Church."

"If the Holy See knew of the existence of such a person, the archbishops and cardinals would definitely make him leave Sina City and transfer him to the Imperial Capital or the Holy See Temple to be trained as the 'Chosen Son of God'."

"It's too late for us to wait for the day when he truly becomes the 'Son of God' and gives back to our church. By that time, our Sina City Church will have completely lost hope..."

"..."

silence.

There was a long silence.

For Bishop Fabion, this is simply a matter of selfishness.

He already understood what Priest Leonard meant.

If the relationship between the Holy See and the Church can be compared to that between a country and its vassals, then if there are talents among the vassals who are worth cultivating, the country will definitely recruit them and let them work for the country, rather than leaving them to the vassals.

In a sense, this is equivalent to realizing the value of talents as much as possible and controlling power to the greatest extent. In the eyes of the "Holy Court", they can also provide more resources to enable this special talent to grow faster and better.

The price is to suppress the "vassal's" hope of rising and the free will of those "talents".

……

"...I understand your thoughts."

Finally, Bishop Fabion said slowly, "Although this is indeed against the rules of the Holy See, it is not something worthy of praise."

"For that priest, staying in Sina City is not good for his development. He should have the right to know the whole situation."

"It's just that the 'Sina City Church' needs him. Alas...Leonard, does he know this?"

"I asked for his wishes."

Leonard said, "He agrees to stay in the Sina City Church. Moreover, he seems... not to want to be transferred to the Holy See. In this regard, we agree."

"So that's how it is... Then there's no problem."

Bishop Fabian was silent for a while, then said, "Leonard, please find a suitable time. I want to meet him."

"Okay, Bishop." Leonard nodded.

"He is now preparing to carry out a mission with Anthony regarding the map and intelligence confirmation of 'Blood of Thorns'."

"Once they have successfully completed their mission, I will let them come to see you with the good news."

……

……

night.

The main entrance of the Glorious Church in the Holy See Church, Sina City.

Anthony, Connor and Pamier had been waiting here early.

Anthony reached into his bosom and took out a silver-plated pocket watch. He opened the cover and glanced at the approximate time.

Just as the hands on the pocket watch were about to point to ten o'clock, they finally saw a vague and familiar figure appear in the distance.

"Holy Inquisitor Ross Carlos" arrived at the agreed location on time.

Anthony then put away his pocket watch, and when Luo Xiu came closer, he smiled and said to him:

"You are very punctual, Luo Xiu."

"Because this is the agreed time." Luo Xiu responded with a smile, "I am always punctual."

"So."

Anthony finished his greetings, paused, looked towards the end of the street shrouded in shadows, and said:
"I have selected several strongholds. Tonight, we will conduct a focused reconnaissance of them."

"Everyone, please note that this mission is not a battle, but merely to confirm the accuracy of the intelligence. Therefore, prioritize your own safety, and if something goes wrong, retreat immediately."

Anthony paused, his expression became serious and earnest, and ordered the Inquisitors:
"Everyone check your equipment and status, we will set off immediately."

(End of this chapter)