We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Xu Zhou looked up and saw the man on the host's seat glaring angrily, his chest heaving violently. Suddenly, he swung his fire stick and slammed it hard into the ground, letting out a roar of resentment.

The next moment, the water trembled, and a deep, ethereal murmur surged forth from the depths.

[Red Maple, it's all for the Zoroastrianism.]

Just hearing those words caused Xu Zhou to lose 20 points of sanity, but it wasn't as extreme as when he witnessed the strange phenomenon firsthand.

As long as he doesn't get reduced to 0 all at once, he always has a chance to become 1 again.

"I've mistakenly entered the imperial palace..."

Now that things have come to this, Xu Zhou has a general idea of ​​what happened. He has most likely inadvertently stumbled into a scheme set up by top experts. From beginning to end, he has been standing on the chessboard, being forcefully observed by others.

But he hadn't even reached the threshold of the extraordinary; he was just an insignificant nobody, so who would pay special attention to him?

"I will never look at or listen to anything indiscriminately again. It's really harmful to my physical and mental health," Xu Zhou sighed sincerely.

In comparison, someone else's mindset might not be as carefree as his.

"Five years...five years! I've waited so long for this day!"

"This is my destiny, my miraculous medicine, and the path to advancement that best suits my destiny!"

"How could I give up? How could I willingly give up!"

Father Chifeng, seemingly insane, ripped off his magnificent robes, revealing his robust body covered in old wounds.

He then raised the fire stick high and muttered incantations.

A red light suddenly appeared on the staff, and all the believers on the platform, whether conscious or not, stood up and leaped out, creating a series of splashes as elbows struck the water.

These people seemed completely unafraid of death. After falling into the water, they swam frantically towards the Olympic flame, not caring at all about the dense blisters that appeared on their bodies. Those who were not good swimmers simply sank to the bottom, their limbs limp and waiting for death.

Rationality -30

Xu Zhou felt a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

In the pool, the pale light shimmered even more abundantly, continuously flowing towards the giant cauldron.

But the sacred flame continued to shrink, eventually shattering into five pieces out of thin air. Four of these pieces rose into the air, trailing faint trails of light as they shot straight into the sky and disappeared from sight.

The last one remained in place, but it no longer possessed its former power. In the center of the huge cauldron, only a cluster of flames, about half a person's height, remained, swaying and flickering uncertainly.

At that moment, a clear and melodious voice fell from the sky, yet it seemed to come from the depths of the soul, with a slight upward spurt at the end, full of sharpness.

"A perfectly good artifact, but you Zoroastrian fools have corrupted it into a relic. What a waste of a precious thing."

The voice that suddenly appeared did not cause Xu Zhou to lose his composure, but it did indeed make him momentarily dazed.

For some reason, an image of a white-haired, red-eyed loli inexplicably appeared in his mind, and he could almost see her just by hearing her voice.

In contrast, Chi Feng's face was flushed red, and two streams of bloody tears flowed from his eyes.

"You're taking away people's opportunities for no reason; aren't you afraid of karmic retribution?!"

The earth trembled slightly, and a deep, hoarse sound rang out again.

[Chifeng, you are a promising talent; the Fire Worship Cult has treated you well.]

"Heh, Your Excellency, my beloved Bishop, is this how you treat your meritorious officials?"

Chi Feng leaned against his fire staff, wiped away his blood and tears, and his body exploded into a ball of flame. Then he took a step and walked through the air.

"Your Excellency, you once said that the path to the flame must be free of impurities."

Despite his unsteady posture, Chi Feng took one step at a time and stood firmly on the edge of the giant cauldron.

"But have your actions today truly reflected the unity of knowledge and practice?"

[Look, you're in a hurry again.]

[What should you do if your words and actions don't align?]

Then Chi Feng gathered his energy and focused his mind, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and raised his fire staff once more.

"I say—the path of fire worship will never end!"

Wow!

The broken flames suddenly rose up and instantly returned to a height of three zhang!

Not only that, the flames even overflowed from the giant cauldron and spread rapidly to the surrounding water surface, turning the entire pool into a sea of ​​fire in an instant!

Xu Zhou was shocked. He took a deep breath in haste, then used his robe to catch a wisp of air. Just a second before the flames were about to hit him, he flipped over and disappeared into the water.

Those believers who were engulfed in flames exploded with a bang a few seconds later, turning into countless threads that were completely consumed by the holy fire.

Xu Zhou was somewhat bewildered. So much was happening before his eyes that he couldn't decide what to do for the time being.

Since the right direction is unclear, let's stick to the known path and go all the way down it!

As for where this road will lead... let's trust in the wisdom of future generations!

"I must trust in the power of talent! I must use superpowers to fight superpowers!"

The moment he reached his conclusion, Xu Zhou made a plan. He quietly changed direction in the water and swam towards the giant cauldron.

[Chifeng, stop now. You weren't the only one who helped obtain this treasure.]

The hoarse voice still lingered in my ears when the water suddenly trembled violently, and two huge columns of water rose from the surface, slowly solidifying into the shape of water snakes.

"You think I'd avoid your sharp edge?!"

Chi Feng roared and exerted all his strength to activate his fire staff. In an instant, the red light intensified, the holy fire expanded again, and the speed at which it absorbed believers increased even further.

[Alas, you've become so deeply entrenched in this path that you've lost your mind.]

[Haven't you figured it out yet? With just this few offerings, you can't even refine the incomplete relics. Your preparations were inadequate from the start.]

[I forgive your offense this time, but I'll teach you a lesson so you can go back and sober up!]

Whoosh!

A giant water snake, ten meters long, let out a sharp hiss and charged straight towards the center of the pool with surging momentum, about to overturn the giant cauldron.

"Then there's only one answer."

Chifeng gripped the fire staff horizontally with both hands, raised his thigh, and snapped it in two.

A strand of golden thread shot out from the broken end, its two ends extending rapidly, intertwining and swirling, drawing a beautiful circle in the air under Chi Feng's control.

Boom! Boom!

Two loud bangs followed one after the other as the water snake and the golden thread collided violently, instantly decapitating each other and turning into a torrent of water that crashed back into the pool.

[Another relic? Not particularly high grade... but where did a mere priest like you get so many treasures?]

For the first time, a hint of surprise crept into his hoarse voice.

"Hehe, are you surprised?"

Chi Feng sneered, pinching a black envelope between his index and middle fingers, and then a flame burned the letter to ashes.

The sound coming from underwater finally took on a distinct urgency.

[An invitation? You want to move with the Olympic flame?]

"Haha! Does this look familiar? This is the inspiration you gave me! My dear Bishop!"

[Red Maple! Those who are only interested in small gains will never achieve great things!]

"Your petty gain is my great matter! Anyone who tries to prevent me from having an audience will be burned to ashes!"

As Chi Feng laughed wildly, a dark purple light suddenly appeared above the sacred flame, its patterns converging and merging to form a strange geometric shape in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhou, who had already swum to the shelf below the giant cauldron, felt his body being pulled by an inexplicable force. Large gaps appeared in his vision and consciousness, and he felt as if he were sinking into the deep sea, constantly falling downwards.

In a daze, he vaguely heard the last conversation between the two.

[This is a betrayal of the Church! Is this how you act as a priest?!]

"Your Excellency, refrain from saying anything that could harm the unity of Zoroastrianism!"

"I'm determined to win the Olympic flame, and we'll meet again in the future!"

-----------------

The relic "Silent Death (1/5)" has been refined; current reserves are full.

[The reserves for "Rotten Wood Blossoms" are full, meeting the conditions for active activation. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

【I. Reshaping Your Innate Source: Condense one portion of your innate source, or upgrade one portion of your innate source. (Condition: None)】

[II. Refining the Soul and Body: Choose one from "Specialty/Talent/Supernatural Ability" to enhance and gain an Inspiration. (Condition: None)]

[III. Nurturing a Free and Unfettered Form: Using the path as fuel to melt away shackles, transforming into a unique and unrestrained form. (Conditions: Unknown) (???)]

【Four,?:?】

【…】

【Nine,?:?】

A flood of chaotic information overwhelmed Xu Zhou, making him dizzy and disoriented.

As consciousness returned, bodily senses also quickly returned, and a warm current spread from the spine to the ends of the limbs.

Xu Zhou suddenly opened his eyes.

Beneath the azure sky, a barren and decaying land is reflected.

The dead trees were twisted and gnarled, the wasteland was barren, sand and stones flew everywhere, and a thin layer of gray mist mixed with a fishy smell rushed into his nostrils, choking him until his eyes turned red.

"Where did I get this?"

Before Xu Zhou could get up and look around, a heart-wrenching, piercing cry suddenly reached his ears.

"Where are my belongings? Where is my huge ball of sacred flame?! It was just here a moment ago!"