I, Lord of Prayer

"She really loved you all. She kept calling your names as she died. You should have seen her like that; she was so pitiful it was heartbreaking." Hua Manzhu laughed mockingly.

Zhou Chen was silent for a moment, then calmly asked, "She is you, so why are you so cruel to yourself?"

"To be precise, she is only a part of me, and the part I hate the most."

As Hua Manzhu spoke, clusters of incredibly bright red spider lilies sprouted from the ground, their roots extending and, in just a few seconds, spreading out a vibrant sea of ​​crimson flowers around the ritual array. This striking crimson was like fire, like blood, like a raging inferno.

The red spider lily, also known as the red spider lily, is the flower of hell on the road to the underworld. It symbolizes the harbinger of death and the call of hell. The desolate end of the world is a fertile ground for this flower.

The sea of ​​crimson flowers swayed in the stillness of the wind, appearing serene and peaceful, yet possessing a captivating allure, alluring and mesmerizing, drawing the heart and soul.

This seemed to be Hua Manzhu's extraordinary ability; she did not attack Zhou Chen, but simply protected the ritual array.

The moment the "Sin Beast" reaches maturity, the ritual reaches its most crucial stage—the evil god will then descend and revive on the "Sin Beast," which serves as its vessel.

Dupu has already helped fulfill all the prerequisites for replacing the evil god. Hua Manzhu only needs to wait patiently to complete this plan that has been in preparation for decades, so she doesn't mind delaying for a while:

"I split myself into four parts. As long as one part survives, I will not truly die. Sasha is the embodiment of my childhood and the goodness in my heart. Besides her, you have also seen another me, the one who was utterly disillusioned with this world and fell into depravity, turning to the Abyss Curse and abandoning all moral principles. ♟👌 ❻❾ˢ𝓗Ⓤx.Ćᵒ𝓂 👺👤"

Zhou Chen suddenly remembered the enemies he had encountered in the central room of the Requiem Cemetery, one of whom was a dark nun who could not only use abyssal spells but also orthodox secret arts. Now that he thought about it, the nun's appearance was Hua Manzhu.

The Dark Nun's clone abandoned all moral principles, even using her own body as a tool of seduction to enslave and control the Ascended... At this moment, a flash of lightning suddenly struck Zhou Chen's mind, connecting him to certain things.

"Have you somehow divided yourself into a pure virgin, a devout believer, a betrayer, and a sinner?"

These are precisely the four types of offerings mentioned in the ceremony.

"That's right." Hua Manzhu nodded. "And these are precisely the four stages of my life."

"I was an abandoned baby, thrown at the entrance of the Church of Life by my biological mother on a snowy day. Fortunately, they found me in time, and I didn't freeze to death. When I was eight years old, I unexpectedly awakened on my own and became a healing-type ascendant, thus entering the Church of Life."

Influenced by factors such as environment and education, I had goodwill towards the whole world when I was a child. Like Erin, I hoped to use my abilities to heal more patients and keep everyone away from the torment of pain.

Later, I became a devout follower of that bitch, the Goddess of Life. Then I became a saint in the Church of Life, crowned with the title of an angel on earth, walking in the most backward and filthy corners of the world, helping all those in need. Back then, I was a complete saint—kind, innocent, devout, idealistic… hoping to use my limited strength to warm more people, believing the world would become a better place… Ha, thinking about it now, it's fucking disgusting.”

Hua Manzhu's face showed an expression of extreme disgust.

"When I was still a trainee believer, I witnessed countless dark sides of society and the ugliness of human nature in the hospital. Hired murderers, patients causing trouble for medical staff, doctors secretly selling human organs, and the exploitation of the grassroots by the hospital's senior management... At that time, I felt helpless and resentful about all of this, but I was powerless to change it, because that's how the world is. There is black and white, there are noble people and there are despicable people, there are gentlemen and there are villains."

After that, I went to the Dawn Church as an exchange student and listened to Noah, the Sun King, give a speech. I was inspired by his ideals and spirit and resolved to become someone who could change everything.

After I became a saint, I truly did change many things and gained the love and respect of countless people. But it was also during that period that I truly realized how tragic the world is and how ugly human nature can be.

"The law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, the rigid social dynamics, the worship of money and power, bureaucracy... the whole society is sick!"

Hua Manzhu looked at Zhou Chen with a mocking smile: "Do you think the practice of seeking connections within the Church of Life only started in recent years? No, it started a long time ago. As long as you can build connections, even those who are not worthy of their positions can easily enter the Knights Hall or the Nuns Hall. With just a word, they can pre-select positions that hundreds of people are vying for."

Those in charge made a fortune by collecting money through various channels, while those without connections had no way to report it and were instead threatened and silenced.

They never allow negative news that tarnishes the image of the church to spread, even if those matters concern the fairness and justice they have always advocated. Ha, there is hardly any fairness to speak of within their own ranks.

On the surface, they appear virtuous and righteous, boasting of their compassion and benevolence, but behind the scenes they engage in all sorts of heinous acts: sexually exploiting men and women, raising slaves, smuggling organs, assassinating journalists, colluding with officials, and protecting corporations...

  

These things are happening in countless places around the world, and also in the Holy Church. I realized that the Church of Life had begun to rot internally long ago.

"I want to remove those cancerous growths, cut away that rotten flesh, and guess what?"

Hua Manzhu laughed gleefully: "My actions have affected the interests of too many people. All sectors of society have tried to stop me. I have encountered unprecedented resistance. Countless things that I have never done have been attributed to me and widely publicized. In just a few days, I went from being a high and mighty saint to a whore that everyone hates. I was stripped of my saintly position, and even my friends and lover were assassinated."

"During my house arrest, I came to understand everything. Love and kindness are useless; only cruel blood and fire can rectify this world!"

"Therefore, you have betrayed the Church of Life and become a traitor."

Zhou Chen added to her story, then sighed softly, "I remember now. More than ten years ago, the Church of Life did indeed experience the incident you mentioned, which caused quite a stir. Later, the Stars Society intervened, the Goddess of Life descended, and all the sinners received their due punishment. Only the saintess from that year disappeared without a trace, and even her existence was erased."

If the stars and the goddess of life had reacted a little faster at that time, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Hua Manzhu just chuckled and said, "Justice delayed is no better than bullshit."