Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 471: Purification of the Curse (6k)

The two clergymen standing in front of the main entrance of the Church of Glory in Sina City finally managed to calm themselves down from their excited state.

They bowed respectfully and piously to the gentle "bishop" before them, and then said:

"Okay, okay, please wait a moment."

"Lord Luo Xiu, please come into the church first. We will immediately inform Priest Leonard of your arrival."

After saying this, a clergyman bowed deeply to Luo Xiu again, then turned around and walked towards the inner courtyard of the church.

The other clergyman stayed behind and served as a waiter to guide the "Bishop" Luo Xiu, and took him into the inner courtyard of the church and to the "missionary station" to wait for a while.

Luo Xiu followed him, first recalled the Golden Pegasus, and then quickly entered the inner courtyard.

The scene in the inner courtyard of the Sina City Church was not much different from what Luo Xiu remembered.

However, there were many new faces among the clergy coming and going. They were clergy transferred from other churches in Songyuan Territory.

Most of the clergy of the Church of Sina City have followed the Empire's expeditionary force to the border and headed to the frontier battlefield.

The current configuration of clergy in the Sina City Church is just enough to keep the church functioning normally, and the faces of the clergy passing by are full of fatigue, and their responsibilities have become much heavier than before.

Since the outbreak of the "War of Judgment", pagan strongholds throughout the Songyuan Territory have caused riots from time to time.

The clergy of the Church of Sina City and the churches of the surrounding cities were busy dealing with them. Although this side was not as prone to large-scale unrest as the front lines, the harassment from the pagans lurking in the shadows was enough to make the remaining clergy overwhelmed.

Luo Xiu was thinking all this as he observed the clergy passing by.

When the clergy who passed by Luo Xiu saw the "Bishop" Luo Xiu, they would stop and perform the sacrament to him piously and respectfully.

Although they may not recognize the "bishop" Luo Xiu Carlos, they can recognize the bishop's robe that Luo Xiu is wearing.

When a "bishop" from another church appeared here, the clergy who stayed behind in the Sina City Church could probably guess that it must be for some important matter.

……

About ten minutes later.

Following the guiding clergyman, Luo Xiu arrived at the "missionary center" of the Sina City Church.

He will wait here for a while, awaiting the arrival of Leonard, the "priest" of the Holy Inquisition.

In fact, Luo Xiu could also go directly to the Holy Inquisition and meet Priest Leonard in person.

But this time, he returned to the Sina City Church more to represent the official identity of the "Red Maple City Church" and the expeditionary force, rather than just representing "Ross Carlos" personally - therefore, Ross still followed the relevant procedures of the "bishop" of the Holy See paying homage to another "bishop" of the church, and waited in the reception room of the missionary station.

Luo Xiu calculated that it would take about half an hour for the old priest to receive the notice from the clergy and then come to the missionary station. So he sat in the main seat of the guest seat in the reception room, and the clergy who served him earlier brought him tea and cakes.

Luo Xiu took a sip of tea, and then chatted with the attendant clergyman beside him about the recent situation of the Sina City Church. At the same time, he opened the [Player Forum] and [Chat Channel], preparing to see what the players were keen on doing recently.

But less than ten minutes later, there was a gentle knock on the door of the living room.

After obtaining permission from "Bishop" Luo Xiu to enter, another guiding clergyman - that was the other clergyman who was standing at the main entrance when Luo Xiu first arrived at the Sina City Church, he gently pushed open the door and walked into the reception room.

He came before Luo Xiu, bowed respectfully to him, and said:

"Lord Ross Carlos, Lord Leonard has arrived."

So fast?
Luo Xiu was a little surprised. He thought that the usually busy old priest would be even later, but less than ten minutes had passed.

It seems that as soon as the priest in front of him informed Priest Leonard of his arrival at the Sina City Church, the old priest finished all the work at hand and rushed over directly.

Luo Xiu nodded slightly, stood up from his seat and walked towards the door of the reception room.

When the guiding clergyman informed Leonard of the arrival of Priest Leonard, an old and burly figure walked in from the other side of the door at the same time.

That's Leonard.

Luo Xiu looked at him and felt that he hadn't seen this old priest for a while. It seemed that his hair had become a little paler, and the wrinkles on his face, which were already like ravines, seemed to have deepened a lot.

He was still wearing the holy robe of "Priest of the Holy Tribunal", and there was a slight sweat on his forehead, perhaps because he had jogged all the way here.

It seems that every time I see Priest Leonard, he will feel noticeably older... Luo Xiu thought to himself, and Priest Leonard had already come in front of Luo Xiu.

"You're back... Luo Xiu."

Leonard's voice was old and steady, but Luo Xiu could feel that he was deliberately suppressing his inner excitement.

Luo Xiu could feel that the old priest in front of him was looking him up and down the moment he saw him.

"You've lost some weight, Luo Xiu."

Leonard smiled calmly and said to Luo Xiu:

"But you... the spirituality emanating from you has become purer and richer. Have you become stronger, Luo Xiu?"

"I'm very happy and relieved that you're back."

"..."

Suddenly, Luo Xiu felt as if he were a college student who had just returned home for the holidays...

Luo Xiu thought to himself. When Leonard said this to him, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he responded gently:
"Well, I'm back."

Leonard nodded.

The old priest then looked at the other two guiding clergy present and signaled that they could leave first.

When the two clergymen left and only Luo Xiu and Leonard were left in the reception room, Luo Xiu greeted Leonard again:

"Long time no see, old priest."

"How are things going with you, Bishop Fabion, and the Sina City Church?"

"..."

"We are all fine."

Leonard also had a amiable smile on his face, and said in a hoarse voice:

"I am simply busy. As for the old bishop, he remains the same. His condition has worsened, but he can hold on for a while."

"As for the Sina City Church... the church has indeed had a lot of things going on recently."

"A few days ago, the General Church issued us a new mission. It seems that a new den of cultists has appeared in Sina City - they are from the 'Lich Society' of the Holy Tower Cult."

"Since the cardinals above discovered that the 'Night of Wailing' was actually the work of the 'Lich Council' of the Theocracy, we have also received news about their branch believers hiding in various bases in Songyuan Territory."

"For example, there are three of their bases within the city of Sina. We are busy working with the Department of Justice to eliminate them."

"But, this is not a big deal for me... After all, no matter when, even if this war never broke out, the Holy Inquisition has never stopped its inquisition. I'm actually used to this."

After saying this, Leonard paused.

At the same time, he raised his head, looked at Luo Xiu with sharp eyes, and said:

"Let's not talk about this for now, Luo Xiu."

"The priest who guided you just found me. He told me that you were back and that you killed the Lord of Blood Sacrifice..."

"Is this... true? Luo Xiu?"

"..."

When Leonard finally mentioned this, his eyes shone with passion and his face revealed an uncontrollable look of anticipation.

His voice also began to tremble. Luo Xiu could feel the obvious emotional fluctuations of the old priest in front of him, so he smiled and nodded, saying:
"it is true."

"I did kill him and obtained the 'Grey Evil Blood' from him."

"That should be the source of the 'Gray Blood Curse' in the old bishop's body. I remember that the bishops of the Grand Church had conducted some research on the curse on the old bishop. Killing the 'Lord of Blood Sacrifice' and obtaining this source blood from him is the key to eradicating the 'Gray Blood Curse' in the old bishop's body."

"This source blood can indeed suppress the Grey Blood Curse, preventing it from continuing to split."

"I wanted to give it a try, so after the expeditionary force captured Fafnir City and I killed the 'Lord of Blood Sacrifice', I rushed back from the frontline battlefield and returned here first."

Facing Leonard's increasingly fiery gaze, Luo Xiu continued:

"So...I want to see the old bishop immediately."

"The most important thing for me to do when I come back is to cleanse the old bishop of the Grey Blood Curse... This is the most urgent matter."

"..."

"...Well, I understand."

Leonard nodded, then turned around and opened the door of the living room.

"Then come with me, Luo Xiu."

After opening the door and walking toward the corridor, Leonard turned around and said to Luo Xiu:
"I will take you to the 'Holy See' where the old bishop is now."

"But the old bishop should be resting. We should move... quietly so as not to disturb him."

……

The conversation with Leonard ended there.

Luo Xiu and Leonard did not waste even a minute. They walked out of the room and headed towards the bishop's seat where Fabion was.

And a few minutes later.

Following Leonard, Luo Xiu arrived in front of the Sina City Church - the Holy See.

On the way here, the old priest deliberately chose a quiet path, which is also the shortest way to the Holy See.

At this time, Bishop Fabion's throne was shrouded in a golden barrier. In front of the throne was a small tower with a floating golden glow. Leonard walked to the tower, stretched out his palm, and gently pressed on the new sphere of the tower.

He infused it with the spirituality of [Glory], and a pale white light swept across the surface of the golden barrier covering the bishop's throne - just like the tide sweeping across the beach. This is also a universal method that can be used to "open" the golden barrier.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu followed Leonard through the barrier and entered the holy seat where Bishop Fabion was.

They went straight to the top floor and arrived at the door of Bishop Fabion's residence. Leonard knocked lightly on the door of the old bishop's room.

Indeed, no one responded—Bishop Fabion was “resting,” as Leonard put it.

Luo Xiu could vaguely hear the old man mumbling in his sleep from behind the door. He couldn't hear clearly what the old bishop was mumbling, and Leonard had turned around at the same time and said to him:

"The old bishop seemed to be in a deep sleep."

"I'll take you in. Please be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb his sleep."

As he said this, his hand was already on the door handle, and he turned it gently.

With a "click", the door was gently opened.

Leonard pushed the door open carefully, and Luo Xiu and he walked in carefully.

As soon as he entered the room, Luo Xiu smelled a very pungent smell -

The smell of rotting flesh was in the air, and it hit their noses the moment they opened the door. A hunched, sickly old man was lying on the bed at the back. It was Bishop Fabien.

His cheeks had become darker, almost losing their human color. His already sparse hair had completely fallen out, and the corners of his mouth were twitching, and gray thick blood was flowing out of his mouth uncontrollably.

His condition became worse than before...

Just like the patients Luo Xiu had seen in the hospital in his previous life, those patients who had undergone dozens or even hundreds of chemotherapy sessions due to advanced cancer... and Bishop Fabion's condition was even worse than theirs. Luo Xiu found it difficult to find words to describe the old bishop's current condition.

Looking at the old bishop lying on the bed, Luo Xiu could only smell intense pain - that was the pain of being truly terminally ill and filled with the taste of despair.

Luo Xiu looked at him, at the old bishop lying on the bed, immersed in a deep dream.

His neck and face were covered with grey lines, which were the marks of the Grey Blood Curse having eroded to the extreme.

Priest Leonard was also looking at him. A sad and reluctant expression appeared on the old priest's face. After looking for a while, he turned his head away.

But Luo Xiu did not look away.

He just stood there quietly, his left hand lightly placed on the wrist of his right hand, gently rubbing the surface of the bracelet, and quickly took out a small box from it.

He then opened the box, and a dim light shone out from it. A round bead like mercury was placed inside.

That is the "Gray Evil Blood".

After killing the Lord of Blood Sacrifice and obtaining the Gray Evil Source Blood, Luo Xiu had cleansed the violent spirituality belonging to the [Red Lotus] in it. Now, this round bead condensed from the source blood is a physical object condensed from a mass of pure and immaterial spirituality.

Luo Xiu took the blood source bead out of the box, put the box away, turned to Leonard and said:
"This is the 'Grey Evil Blood'."

"I have cleansed away the mixed spirituality. Now, I will 'awaken' Bishop Fabion."

"...Okay." Leonard nodded.

After a pause, Leonard added a sentence and reminded Luo Xiu:

"If something is not right, stop immediately."

After that, Leonard took two steps back and retreated to the door.

There was a distance between him and Luo Xiu.

Under Leonard's gaze, Luo Xiu gently held the round blood bead in his left hand and took out the gold-patterned scepter with his right hand.

Then, Luo Xiu gently raised his right hand and pointed the scepter at Bishop Fabion who was in a deep sleep on the bed, and a golden light pattern floated on the back of his hand.

That is the light of "authority" manifesting.

——That is the Level II authority of [Glory], the light of the "Seal of God's Word"!

The figure of the Archangel appeared from nowhere behind Luo Xiu. He slowly flew to the air where Bishop Fabion was, and gave a "divine message" to the distressed old bishop:
"—You will be baptized!"

- Om!

The archangel rang the holy bell in his hand, and the brightest light quickly emerged, condensed, and lingered on Bishop Fabion's body.

The whole room was filled with pure, brilliant light. While Luo Xiu was monitoring Fabian through the panel, he saw six abnormal states of the [Gray Blood Curse] shattered and faded away under the cleansing of the light.

At the same time, Luo Xiu also used auxiliary holy arts such as "Pure Glow", "Purification", "Healing", "Group Healing", etc. to heal Bishop Fabion.

Unlike the last time he came to the Sina City Church to tentatively treat Bishop Fabion, this time, the spirituality with which Luo Xiu healed Bishop Fabion was almost overflowing with spirituality.

The effect of this treatment was obviously much better than the last time I came to Sina City.

Visibly, the gray erosion lines on Bishop Fabion's body gradually faded away under the warm light.

He did receive very effective treatment, and the old bishop's tightly closed eyes seemed to tremble slightly for a moment.

It was under the gaze of Luo Xiu and Leonard that Bishop Fabion finally slowly opened his eyes.

The old bishop has awakened!

Leonard was watching the scene in front of him, and his eyes suddenly shone.

This was the first time in nearly half a month that the old bishop woke up from a deep sleep.

"..."

"I……"

"thirsty……"

The old bishop's eyes opened a crack.

He was mumbling something, and it seemed that he was not fully conscious yet, but he could make some clear and understandable sounds.

He seemed thirsty, and at the old bishop's bedside there was a white porcelain cup half filled with water.

The clergy who were responsible for visiting and caring for the seriously ill old bishop would fill his cup with pure water on time every day, regardless of whether he was awake or not.

Luo Xiu then temporarily stopped the spell and walked towards the head of the bed.

Walking to the bedside, Luo Xiuqing picked up the transparent porcelain cup and carefully fed the old bishop a sip of water.

The old bishop's throat rolled, and his previously frowned brows finally relaxed, and his body seemed to feel better.

The current Bishop Fabion... Luo Xiu looked at him, his eyes were half open and half closed, still cloudy, his consciousness might still be in a chaotic state, but it was indeed getting better.

After giving the old bishop a sip of water, Luo Xiu gently put the blood bead in his left hand into the old bishop's cup.

The burning spirituality burst out from Luo Xiu's fingertips, delicately "warming" the round bead of source blood.

The gray and evil source blood then gradually "melted", changing from a round bead into a mercury-like liquid that just filled half the cup.

After that, he handed the porcelain cup to his left hand, and took out the scepter with his right hand again. He looked at the old bishop on the bed, raised the scepter lightly, and a dazzling golden light burst out from the tip of the scepter.

Those were several rays of sacred arts of "domain", radiating from Luo Xiu's scepter!
A ray of "divine light descending" and two rays of "pure light" - the overlapping sacred realm enveloped both Luo Xiu and Bishop Fabion, and their outlines were covered with a dazzling golden light.

When these three sacred realms were finally unfolded, allowing Bishop Fabion's own [Glory] spirituality to be revived and filled to the highest level, Luo Xiu bent down again.

He gently held the porcelain cup in his left hand and fed Bishop Fabion the completely liquefied "Gray Evil Blood".

This is the final and most critical step.

Until Bishop Fabion had completely drunk the blood in the cup.

Luo Xiu and Priest Leonard both watched the old bishop's reaction nervously.

Suddenly, the old bishop's eyes widened.

The erosion lines all over his body suddenly deepened in color, to the point of being black!
"Cough cough!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Uh...ahem..."

He started coughing violently, and black blood clots came out of his throat one after another!

This seems to be a sign of a rapidly deteriorating situation.

Priest Leonard's eyes showed panic. He was about to step forward to stop Luo Xiu from continuing and to see what happened to the old bishop.
The black lines of corrosion on Bishop Fabion's body began to fade rapidly and then disappeared.

The ferocity and distortion on the old bishop's face were soon smoothed out.

His condition seemed to have stabilized again, and in a daze, he fell back into a comfortable sleeping position.

His eyes, which had just opened slightly as if he had "awoke", now closed again. His spirit returned to normal, and a soft, "huh-huh" breathing sound came from his nose.

He fell asleep again.

This time, he slept very peacefully.

Watching the old bishop's final reaction, Luo Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was completely relieved.

Because in the panel detection he conducted on the old bishop, the negative abnormal state of the [Grey Blood Curse] that had split into thousands of paths,
[Gray Blood Nightmare], this is the only negative anomaly that is displayed on the panel.

(unpurgable, unremovable), this entry has disappeared.

Gone forever.

……

(End of this chapter)