Absolutely not to be burned at the stake

"call..."

Li Wei let out a soft breath, his heart completely calm. He slowly turned around and looked at Old Poker, who was charging towards him.

He could clearly see the faint, repulsive black aura emanating from Old Poker.

With a slight frown, a faint, inexplicable anger flashed in Li Wei's eyes. At this crucial moment when he was presiding over the main ceremony, in the sacred sanctuary of the gods, an evil spirit dared to show its face!

At that moment, he uttered a single word: "Insolence!"

The moment the words fell, the hidden holy emblem between Li Wei's brows warmed slightly, and a faint holy power spread out from his throat. This was the innate spell he gained after completing objective C: Divine Voice.

Originally, Li Wei had only uttered a single word softly, but now it seemed to be enveloped in a golden halo, clearly reaching the ears of everyone in the hall, even the townspeople standing in the far corner could hear it clearly.

The anger and authority contained in those words sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

Old Poker, who was charging forward, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes, which had been filled with madness, widened instantly, and he stood there dumbfounded.

"Evil begone!"

Li Wei let out another soft rebuke.

Old Poker trembled again, and a visible cloud of gray mist burst forth from his body. At the same time, a scream of agony flashed by in the void.

Seeing this effect, Li Wei was slightly shocked. He did not expect that his "Divine Voice" spell would have such an effect on evil spirits in this sacred hall!

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, old Poker stared blankly at the dagger in his hand, then at Li Wei standing beneath the emblem. The dagger silently fell to the ground, and it took him a moment to react before he knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing: "Father, spare me! Father, spare me! It wasn't me! It wasn't me..."

Li Wei nodded slowly and said calmly, "I know, but there is evil that wants to hinder the glory of my lord here."

Get up.

Livy raised his right hand and slowly drew the triangular emblem on his chest. Finally, he slightly bent his right index, middle, and ring fingers and gently pressed them against his forehead.

"In the name of my Lord Catherine, may the light of the Origin Fire protect every believer in Shadow Town. Allah!"

The sacred sound naturally resumed, carrying a unique rhythm, gentle yet undeniably majestic, like a warm spring current flowing through the heart, or like the water of a sacred spring cleansing the mind, unconsciously calming the heart.

The townspeople, who had been terrified, instantly calmed down; Old Man Payne and Martha even breathed a sigh of relief, clutching their chests.

Like Livy, everyone reached out and drew the triangular emblem on their chests, then bowed their heads and touched their foreheads, whispering in unison, "Aro!"

This is the power of divine voice. When speaking in the name of the gods, it carries a sacred quality, causing listeners to unconsciously believe and obey.

Mayor Fogg's expression changed slightly; the cold scrutiny in his eyes, which had been fixed on him, now appeared somewhat stiff.

Fogg originally thought that... as long as the old Poker, who was possessed by an evil spirit, got close to Levi and attracted Levi's attention, the evil spirit would be able to launch a surprise attack on Levi.

If Li Wei is severely injured or even possessed by an evil spirit, then as long as Hansen is still alive, he will have no choice but to show himself.

But to everyone's surprise, the evil spirit vanished instantly upon hearing Li Wei's strange yet sacred words.

A sense of awe rose in Fogg's heart, as if the person standing before the pulpit was not the young Livy, but a true messenger of God.

Tax collector Elby glanced at Mayor Fogg beside him, then at Levi over there, his eyes filled with horror.

How could he not know that this old Burke affair must have been orchestrated by Fogg and his gang?

But what shocked him even more at this moment was this Li Wei. Could it be that he was truly a person blessed by the gods?

Barton, standing nearby, was utterly dumbfounded.

If being burned to death by Levi before him only shocked Poker, then Levi now shocked him even more, and even filled him with a sense of awe.

He had acquired this evil spirit at a high price from the black wizard, and he was well aware of its abilities.

This is a power that no ordinary apprentice divine mage could possess. Even Bishop Hansen, when presiding over sacraments, had never displayed such majestic and sacred power.

Looking at the expressions of everyone in front of him, Li Wei breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He had originally thought that Fogg and the others would definitely try to test him, but he didn't know what kind of test it would be.

But unexpectedly, these people were so bold as to dare to do this...

But it's also good that we just happened to have obtained the "Divine Voice" and happened to be in this sacred hall, possessing extremely strong divine power, which is just right to restrain such evil spirits.

With such a divine manifestation to deter them, these people would definitely not dare to have any other thoughts.

Li Wei's gaze swept over the crowd before him, and his pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly.

Within this sacred hall, aided by the power of its sacred emblem, he could clearly perceive everything within the hall.

You can also sense the aura emanating from these people.

The auras of Fogg, Barton, and Elby were exceptionally strong, standing out prominently among hundreds of faint auras. They were like wolves among sheep, incredibly conspicuous.

Captain Barton's aura was the most intense, while Mayor Fogg's aura was heavy and profound, and Tax Collector Elby's aura was both effeminate and sharp.

Of the three, the one with the strongest and most powerful aura was actually Fogg, who was so fat that he was even a little out of breath when he walked; he was noticeably stronger than both Barton and Elby.

Any one of these three individuals possessed an aura that could easily overwhelm him, a mere apprentice divine mage. This indicated that these three were likely not just first-tier, but at least second-tier or higher true extraordinary professionals.

Li Wei calmly lowered his hand, his gaze still serene, and continued speaking, the power of his divine voice slowly flowing through every corner of the sanctuary: "Bishop Hansen, by the grace of our Lord God, has recently secluded himself for intensive study in hopes of making further progress. From this day forward, I will temporarily take charge of all church affairs."

His words were concise and clear, without any superfluous explanation, yet the divine voice imbued them with unquestionable credibility.

Upon hearing this, the townspeople nodded in agreement, their initial unease largely dissipating. Aunt Reina took Ruimin's hand, drew a holy symbol on her chest, and whispered, "It truly is divine grace. Father Hansen's asceticism and Father Levi's presiding over the ceremony—this is our Lord's arrangement."

Rena's voice wasn't loud, but it carried through the quiet sanctuary, drawing echoes from the surrounding townspeople and instantly enlivening the previously tense atmosphere.

Compared to the stingy, harsh, and lecherous Father Hansen, the young priest who was born in Shadow Town and also possessed supreme divine power was more respected by the townspeople.

Looking at the reaction of the audience, Li Wei understood and continued, "Our Lord uses fire as his source to protect all living beings, and also requires believers to have reverence in their hearts and to conduct themselves uprightly. Those who have good intentions, work diligently, and worship the gods will surely receive our Lord's protection; those who do many evil deeds, bully the weak, and blaspheme the gods will surely be punished by divine fire."

His voice remained gentle, yet carried an unyielding authority. When he spoke of "the punishment of divine fire," his gaze inadvertently swept over Barton below the stage. His eyes were calm, but they made Barton's heart skip a beat. He thought of Poker's charred corpse, and a cold sweat involuntarily broke out on his back.

The townspeople all lowered their heads, remembering what had happened to Poker the day before. No one dared to doubt Li Wei's abilities anymore, nor did anyone dare to question his identity as the substitute priest.

In their view, someone who could perform the art of divine fire, possessed such a sacred voice, and could dispel evil spirits with just words must have gained the approval of the goddess and was a true priest.

Even Fogg and the others, recalling how Poker, who possessed the strength of a squire knight, was burned to death by this young priest, coupled with the divine power of his words that had just been displayed, which had directly annihilated an evil spirit, no one dared to question the priest's identity anymore.

As everyone bowed respectfully, a pale blue light screen quietly appeared before Li Wei's eyes.