Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 209 Settlement (5k5)

——Women only affect the speed at which I swing the hammer.

When Connor said this, his whole demeanor changed.
Luo Xiu seemed to see the figure of a sword master in him.

Why couldn't Connor be a rising master of hammer arts? In a sense, sacrificing Connor to be single actually urged him to take the right path!
As Luo Xiu thought about this, the last trace of guilt in his heart disappeared.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu said to Anthony, Pamier and Connor:
"In fact, the original candidate for the 'high priest' in the diocese was Priest Leonard. But the priest has been in charge of the affairs of the 'holy judgment' of the Sina City Church for a long time. It is difficult for him to completely give up his position there and come to Red Maple City to take up a new priesthood."

"You know, Captain Anthony, Pamier, and Connor."

"All of us, the original 'holy judges' of the Sina City Church, have been selected and transferred here. The diocese will arrange new clergy to fill the vacancies of the 'holy judgement' of the Sina City Church. If Leonard leaves again, the affairs of the 'holy judgement' of the Sina City Church will be in chaos."

"At that time, I just came back from Songyuan City, and I happened to have some adventures in Songyuan City, which gave me an opportunity to be promoted. So, I took the place of Priest Leonard to accept the assessment above the diocese, and came here to serve as the 'presiding priest' of the wartime church."

"By the way, before leaving, the High Priest asked me to send his regards to you."

"..."

Luo Xiu then recounted in detail to his former comrades what had happened before and after he came to the Red Maple City Church, and also relayed Leonard's greetings.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu repeated to Anthony and the others the process of his promotion to the "Quadruple Destiny", just as he had told Leonard.

After listening to Luo Xiu's story, the complicated expression on Anthony's face finally disappeared, and was replaced by an expression of strong shock.

"You said... you killed dozens of Black Fangs in Songyuan City, and even killed a 'Fang Shou'... With such achievements, it's no wonder that you were able to find an opportunity to be promoted and become a fourth-level destiny..."

Anthony thought about how Luo Xiu had been promoted and applied it to himself. He didn't think he could do such a thing. Anthony had indeed fought with the "Black Teeth" under the executioner and knew that none of those enemies were good people.

As an elite priest, Anthony could handle one or two Black Fangs at the same time. But if he wanted to fight dozens of such enemies in a short period of time like Luo Xiu, let alone kill them, Anthony felt that he would only face death.

Seeing the thoughtful look on Anthony's face and the eager look on Pamier's face, Luo Xiu smiled helplessly and said:
"I don't recommend you to make a similar attempt as I did... After all, I had the 'Knight of the Throne' as my bodyguard at that time. If it really doesn't work, I can also ask those Supremes to clean up the mess for me..."

"..."

"You're right... Luo Xiu."

Anthony smiled bitterly, dismissing the thought in his mind that "even though it's extremely dangerous, I still want to give it a try", and said to Luo Xiu: "You are the 'Son of Glory'... Even if something really happens to you, I think the Great Sun will protect you..."

"..."

“But it’s still worth trying.”

Pamier's sudden remark made Anthony shudder again.

After saying these words that he had originally intended to tell his former comrades in arms in the form of a greeting, Luo Xiu's smile faded and he said solemnly in a serious tone:
"However, although I have replaced Priest Leonard's position here, I do not intend to be perfunctory. Instead, I want to truly make some achievements so as not to disgrace the reputation of us clergymen from the Sina City Church."

"Red Maple City Wartime Church... Captain Anthony, Pamier, and Connor, we have been here once before. Among all the other clergy transferred here, we are the most familiar with the situation here, which is our advantage."

"War is coming, and this is a foreseeable fact... I need your help, just like when we fought side by side."

"..."

When Luo Xiu finished saying this, he immediately raised his head and looked at his former comrades with sincere eyes.

Noticing Luo Xiu's sincere gaze, Anthony sighed slowly and said:
"I understand... Pamier, Connor, and I, the clergy of the Holy Inquisition, will definitely support you. But the clergy of other offices are not familiar with you, so you will more or less encounter some resistance."

"For a position like 'High Priest', Luo Xiu, you are still too young. You are even a few years younger than most of the clergy among them... I think, Luo Xiu, you need to do something to prove your ability to them and prove that you are qualified to lead everyone in the Red Maple City Wartime Church."

"..."

"I understand, Captain." Luo Xiu nodded, agreeing with Anthony's words.

What he said was indeed true. Luo Xiu had actually felt the suspicious atmosphere coming from other clergy from the very beginning.

And Luo Xiu was also waiting for the opportunity to establish his authority over all the clergy in the future - that could be an invasion by foreign enemies, a violation of the law by a high-ranking clergyman, etc. Perfectly resolving these incidents would help him establish his prestige in the wartime church.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu and Anthony chatted for a while about their previous experiences, and the brief reunion and greetings ended there.

Luo Xiu stood up and was about to leave the main hall of the Holy Inquisition, but Anthony stopped him at the last moment and said to him:
"In fact, we are very glad that it is you who came to the Red Maple City Wartime Church to serve as the 'High Priest'. We all believe in your ability, Luo Xiu."

"But, there is one thing I want to remind you..."

Anthony paused, then continued:

"Don't call me 'Captain' anymore, Luo Xiu. Just call me Anthony. You are now the 'High Priest' of the church, which is equivalent to the acting bishop. It is not appropriate to use the title you once used in the 'Holy Judge' team..."

"..."

Luo Xiu was stunned for a moment, but soon understood, nodded to Anthony, and said:
"I see. Then it's as you say, Anthony."

……

The gathering was over, Anthony and Pamier returned to their posts, while the "guiding priest" Colen led Rossio to his "high priest" residence.

It is a newly built dome building deep in the inner courtyard of the church, with two floors. Its architectural style is similar to that of the Roman church, which is balanced and solemn, but the details have more designs that symbolize "glory" and the image of the sun, and the materials and colors are more flamboyant, which can better highlight the high status of the "chief priest" who lives here.

As soon as this "high priest residence" was completed, the clergy of the wartime church called it the "small chapel" in the inner courtyard of the Red Maple City Church. Other inner courtyard buildings were also built around this "high priest residence" as the origin, forming a unique protective pattern.

The "guiding priest" Koren, who led Luo Xiu to the high priest's residence, bowed slightly to Luo Xiu and said:

"This will be your residence from now on, Lord Luo Xiu, the 'High Priest'. A barrier medium has been left for you above the parish. You only need to infuse it with spirituality to activate it."

The "medium of the barrier" is the "switch" that can activate the inner and outer protective barrier. Just like when I was in the church in Sina City, the "golden sphere" suspended in the small tower in front of Bishop Fabian's "Bishop's Seat" was a kind of "medium of the barrier".

Luo Xiu then looked in the direction of Colen's finger, and saw that there was also a small tower on the side of the entrance to his future residence, but it was smaller than the tower of the See of Fabion.

In the tower, a palm-sized golden sphere was suspended. There was no trace of spiritual energy flowing on the surface of the sphere, and it was still in an unactivated state.

Luo Xiu then walked forward, raised his arm, gently pressed his palm on the surface of the sphere, and slowly infused the spirituality of "light" into it.

——Buzz! Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound came from inside the sphere, and the surrounding air vibrated rapidly, and the surface of the sphere also changed significantly.

It began to radiate a soft golden glow, and several spiritual threads diffused and dissipated from the sphere, lingering and circling around, forming a hazy and illusory light mist.

At the same time, Luo Xiu also felt a warmth on the back of his right hand. He raised his arm and found that the "Holy Seal" inscription on the back of his hand was also emitting a pale golden light.

The spirituality contained in the "authority" bestowed upon him was now closely linked to the "medium of the barrier", allowing Luo Xiu to "open" or "close" the barrier at any time without having to come to the tower in person and touch the suspended golden ball.

After completing this "high priest certification", Pastor Colen's guidance work was completed. He then bowed deeply to Luo Xiu again and left.

Luo Xiu then walked into the courtyard of the residence on his own and activated the inner barrier. A light golden curtain completely enveloped the residence, isolating the entire residence from the outside world.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu walked straight into the "church" building of his residence and looked around carefully.

The first floor of the residence is mainly a place for faith and diplomacy, with a "prayer hall", "offering hall", "secret storage hall" and "holy scroll hall" etc. There are also "reception hall" and "meeting hall" rooms, but these rooms are usually closed and will only be opened when important guests arrive or when some internal meetings are to be held with the church's top leaders.

Luo Xiu then came to the second floor, which was where the "Master of the Grand Ceremony" actually lived and worked.

The high priest's residence is not more spacious than the bishop's throne. Half of the second floor is bedrooms, and the other half is dedicated to studying sacred arts, meditation, and practice.

Luo Xiu, who was no longer sleepy, did not go to the bedroom first, but went directly to the holy room and sat down in front of a chair. Then, Luo Xiu took a long breath, looked around, and calmly said to the empty air in front of him:
"Show yourself, Intis."

"..."

A layer of dim blue light suddenly flashed in the empty air, and Index's figure slowly emerged from it.

"...My Lord." Intis nodded, saluted slightly to Luo Xiu, and said, "I have cleaned your new residence for you."

Index, who possesses a strong ability to "hide" and was endowed with spirituality by Luo Xiu with the "Family Emblem", quietly hid in the carriage in the form of a civet cat when Luo Xiu's carriage drove out of Sina City, and followed it to Red Maple City.

During the entire process, Mayev did not notice anything unusual.

As Luo Xiu's "follower", Intis's application of concealment ability is now superb. She can make it difficult for most of the extraordinary people with triple destiny to detect her existence without actively using other skills or emitting spirituality.

Before that, when the clergy of the entire church went to "welcome" their new high priest, Intis quietly left the carriage, entered the inner courtyard of the church, and sneaked into the high priest's residence in the inner courtyard.

"Intis..." Luo Xiu said to Index in a serious tone, "You should be more careful. This is the forbidden area of ​​Glory. You should know the consequences of being discovered."

"……never mind."

Luo Xiu shook his head, and then said to Intis, "Any progress on the task I asked you to do?"

"..."

"I have found the architect you asked me to look for."

Index said: "He was a scholar who believed in [knowledge], but he did not join the Tower of Sages or the Hidden Omniscient. Instead, he simply inherited the secret scrolls and knowledge left by his family and embarked on the path of [knowledge]."

"Now, the family behind him has fallen into decline, and he has no intention of joining any forces. He has been running the ancient building business alone in the city of Sina."

"..."

"Where is he now?" Luo Xiu asked.

"The werewolf Buzer has taken him away. He is now in the 'Lost Royal Court', being guarded by Buzer's half-wolf tribesmen." Intis replied.

"Very good." Luo Xiu nodded. "You tell the architect to complete the construction of the 'Lost Royal Court' according to the drawings I gave him. In addition, you can give him more money so that he can stay in the Royal Court with peace of mind. I don't want to let go of an architect with a clean background easily."

"Of course, if he doesn't want to, we can use the soul plundered by the Soul Manipulator to brand him, and let Pior erase his memories of the Holy Abyss and the Lost Royal Court. I don't want the extraordinary people with the destiny of [Intellect] to discover our whereabouts too early."

"..."

After saying that, Luo Xiu taught Index the skill of "Soul Manipulation" through the "Family Emblem".

As Intis was receiving the teachings, a fanatical look quickly appeared on her face. She then prostrated herself and said to Luo Xiu humbly and respectfully:

"I will obey your will, my lord."

Intis then transformed into a civet cat, jumped out of the window, left the church, and went to carry out the mission assigned to her by Ross.

……

After Index left, Luo Xiu leaned over the table and took out three "Holy Scrolls" and more than a dozen "Blank Scrolls" from his bracelet.

These scrolls of holy arts that were brought out from the Church of Sina City before leaving, they recorded the holy arts of the "quadruple destiny", which required more experience and longer learning time than the holy arts of the triple destiny depth and below.

After completing the promotion to "Demon Scholar", Luo Xiu had relatively abundant experience points and skill slots, so he prepared to learn these sacred arts and create some new skills.

His current experience value reserves have returned to nearly 200,000 after a large consumption in Songyuan City. This is enough for him to learn these sacred arts and successfully create several new skills.

Luo Xiu then spread out the first scroll of sacred arts, and new content immediately appeared on the panel.

[Skill Scroll - "Merciful Punch (Glorious, lv.1)"]

[The experience value required for learning is 10300. Do you want to learn? ]

"--study."

[Current learning progress: 33%...]

[Current learning progress: 66%...]

[Current learning progress: 99%...]

【…】

[You have learned "Merciful Punch (Glorious, lv.1)"]

The first sacred art he learned was the one that Priest Leonard used to "test" Luo Xiu. Luo Xiu's purpose in learning it was simply to capture live people and to use "Madness and Piety" to transform the enemy.

After learning the "Merciful Punch", Luo Xiu immediately opened the second scroll of holy arts and paid 14,000 experience points to learn the "Triple Holy Protection".

That is a shield skill. When applied to yourself, you will gain triple shield protection. Each shield has a shield value of 30% of your health, and when the shield is broken, the damage that causes the shield to break is completely reduced.

This is a very practical defensive skill, and also a life-saving skill that Luo Xiu must learn in his plan. It just so happened that the scroll of this holy art was stored in the Holy Storage Hall of the Church in Sina City, so Luo Xiu took it away.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu paid 13,000 experience points and 15,000 experience points respectively to learn two sacred arts, "Sword of Holy Annihilation" and "Pure Glow".

The "Sword of Holy Annihilation" will transform into a giant glowing sword, sweeping a large area in front of it, causing a huge amount of "holy light" attribute damage.

"Pure Glow" is a field skill that will generate a pure field. Individuals within the "pure field" will be able to automatically purify moderate and lower negative effects and reduce the duration of severe negative effects by 50%. It is also a practical auxiliary skill.

At the same time, "Pure Glow" also has other uses for Luo Xiu - when combined with the reversal effect of "Holy Abyss Descent", it can achieve a debuff effect of deepening mild and moderate abnormal effects by 100% and deep abnormal effects by 50%, which can greatly weaken the enemy.

When Luo Xiu finished learning these four sacred arts, he immediately took out the "Holy Book of the Abyss" from his bracelet, ready to select some skills that could be learned during the triple destiny of the "Abyss" to learn.

Now, Luo Xiu's "divine" attribute has far exceeded the threshold of the triple destiny, which makes him completely immune to the spiritual pollution of the forbidden knowledge when reading the corresponding pages of "The Holy Book of the Abyss".

He quickly flipped through the pages of the first two destiny skills, opened to pages six to eight, and learned "Evil Soul".

[Evil-Erosion Soul (Abyss, lv.1): Evil consumes evil, soul feeds soul. 】

[When you challenge an enemy that is 5 levels higher than you and successfully defeat it, you will receive an additional 30% basic experience correction... At the same time, you will receive 2 points of attribute correction from "Hostile Target - Highest Attribute" (attribute correction cap 0/50).]

That is the superior version of the Abyss Skill "Burning Soul". In addition to the increased experience rewards for killing enemies, additional attribute corrections will be obtained, making Luo Xiu even stronger.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu flipped through pages 9 to 12 of the "Scripture of the Abyss" and learned "Soul Frenzy" - this is a higher-level derivative skill of "Soul Manipulator". One must first learn "Soul Manipulator" before learning "Soul Frenzy".

However, "Soul Frenzy" and "Soul Manipulator" exist independently of each other. The former is a skill that can more accurately allow the "Dark Erosion" spirituality to erode the target soul, thereby achieving a deeper level of soul control or frenzy effects.

After learning these two [Abyss] skills, Luo Xiu temporarily put away the "Holy Book of the Abyss" and turned his gaze to the blank scroll on the table.

All the skills or techniques that need to be learned have been learned, and all the preparations that need to be made have been completed.

After that, it is time to "create your own skills" for the first time after being promoted to the "Quadruple Destiny".

……

(End of this chapter)