Wandering Swordsman |

Upon hearing this, the Pope's brow relaxed slightly. He looked at Alice's expressionless mask and pondered to himself.

"It seems I was overthinking it. Even if he's incredibly strong, once he's been cleansed by the holy spring, he won't pose a threat to me."

A barely perceptible smile played at the corners of the Pope's lips. In his eyes, Alice's performance was flawless, without the slightest weakness. She remained the perfect killing machine he had personally crafted, the most obedient pawn in his hands.

"Very good." The Pope nodded, his tone carrying a hint of approval. "I've always trusted you to get things done. You've had a long and arduous journey."

Alice stiffened slightly upon hearing this, but quickly regained her composure. She knew that the Pope was reassuring her and reaffirming her loyalty.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," Alice said softly, her voice still cold.

The Pope stopped looking at her and turned his gaze to Shen Mo.

"So you are Shen Mo?" the Pope asked, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Since you intend to submit, then first receive baptism in the holy spring to wash away your worldly airs, and then the cardinal will instruct you in the doctrines."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo's lips curled into a faint smile. He looked at the Pope before him, who believed he controlled everything, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

"It's entirely up to His Holiness the Pope." Shen Mo bowed slightly, his tone humble.

The Pope nodded in satisfaction, his gaze returning to Alice.

"Faceless," he commanded, "take him to the holy spring for baptism."

Alice slowly stood up, her silver mask gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"Your subordinate obeys." She turned around to face Shen Mo, and a faint, complex emotion seemed to flash in her empty eyes.

"Shen Mo," she said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "come with me."

Shen Mo looked at her, smiled slightly, and then followed in her footsteps.

The sunlight cast long shadows of the two people, creating an eerie yet harmonious scene on this sacred mountain.

......

At this moment, Alice, her face covered by a silver mask, walked with a cold and austere gait, leading Shen Mo through seven corridors and three forbidden gates.

Before each gate stood heavily armored knights, halberds in hand, their armor etched with ancient emblems, their eyes like those of eagles, devoid of any emotion.

Holding the keys of holy light runes, they opened the bronze gates one by one. The gates emitted a deep hum as they opened, as if an ancient beast was awakening.

"The land of the Holy Spring is off-limits to anyone without the Pope's permission," a guard whispered, his voice sharp as the grinding of iron.

Alice remained silent, only raising her hand to reveal a silver ring inlaid with a sapphire—a unique token of the "Faceless." Upon seeing this, the guards immediately knelt and kowtowed, making way for her.

Finally, the last stone door slowly opened, and a cool and solemn atmosphere rushed out.

Suddenly, a vast domed space opened up before them, buried deep underground. Countless luminous crystals were embedded in the dome, like an inverted galaxy, reflecting the blue-green spring water below.

Holy Spring.

It lay quietly in the center of the space, ten feet in circumference, with the water surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting a faint glow, as if containing the first ray of holy light at the beginning of the world.

The spring water is crystal clear, yet its depth is unfathomable. Occasionally, tiny bubbles rise from the bottom of the spring, and when they burst, they emit a soft, hymn-like sound, as if an angel is whispering.

The spring is surrounded by twelve white jade pillars, each carved with the face of an ancient saint, their eyes lowered as if in eternal prayer.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and frankincense, the fragrance of the sacred fire lit daily by the cardinal himself.

Ancient proverbs are engraved on the surrounding walls: "All who enter this spring will have their sins cleansed and their souls reborn."

Shen Mo stood by the spring, his gaze calm, but his heart was churning like a stormy sea.

He was no longer the bullied young beggar he once was, nor the naive newcomer to the world.

He was the Heavenly Demon God, the creator of the "True Techniques of the Demon God," whose body was a fusion of the five elements: Heavenly Demon Qi, Buddhist Power, Spiritual Qi, Inner Force, and Demonic Qi. He had already stood at the pinnacle of martial arts, and even surpassed it, yet at this moment, he sensed a hint of... disharmony in this "holy" spring water.

It was neither evil nor filth, but an extremely hidden, almost invisible force of erosion, like a fine needle penetrating the flesh, silently and without a trace.

But he knew that if it weren't for the fact that the demonic energy within his body was naturally extremely sensitive to all kinds of foreign energy, the other four powers—even the Buddhist power that could purify all evil and the spiritual energy that could communicate with heaven and earth—would not react to it at all!

"Holy Spring! It truly is an elaborate trap." Shen Mo sneered inwardly. "The so-called 'baptism' is actually planting 'this hidden power' within the body."

At this moment, a person dressed in a purple robe with gold thread slowly walked to the side of the holy spring. This person was Cardinal Bruce.

He held a silver staff, his face was kind, but his eyes held a sharp, scrutinizing glint.

"Shen Mo," Bruce spoke slowly, his Latin flowing like water, "Since you are willing to submit to the Holy Light, you must accept the baptism of the Holy Spring to wash away the filth of the world before you can become a true citizen of the Holy Kingdom."

Shen Mo lowered his head, his posture humble, and his voice gentle: "I will follow the bishop's guidance."

Bruce nodded in satisfaction and waved. Two priests in white robes stepped forward, removed Shen Mo's outer robe, and took the Green Ox Sword from his hand, leaving him only in a plain white inner shirt. Shen Mo obediently stepped onto the jade steps by the spring, his bare feet treading on the cold stone surface, each step feeling as if he were stepping on the edge of destiny.

He slowly walked into the sacred spring.

The spring water felt like a gentle spring breeze on my skin. As I sank deeper, the bluish-green liquid washed over my calves, waist, chest... until even the last strand of hair was submerged.

He was completely immersed.

At that moment, the world seemed to stand still. Only the gentle murmur of flowing water could be heard, and the vision was enveloped in a deep blue halo, as if sinking into an underwater temple.

However, in the instant his mind relaxed—

A sudden change has occurred!

A subtle yet highly penetrating force quietly seeped into his meridians from the spring water.

It was neither as surging as internal energy nor as violent as demonic energy. Instead, it was like mist and silk, silently winding around his sea of ​​consciousness, dantian, and eight extraordinary meridians.

Alarm bells rang in Shen Mo's mind!

"Is this the same power that the Heavenly Demon Qi sensed earlier?!"

He immediately mobilized the demonic energy within his body. That power surged like black flames, instantly coursing through his meridians, like a hunting dog smelling blood, rushing straight at the invading alien force.

"broken!"

With a thought, the demonic energy surged forth like a blade, utterly crushing the infiltrating, eerie energy!

But at that moment, Shen Mo suddenly realized—

The shattered alien energy did not dissipate; instead, it was quietly absorbed by the wisp of spiritual energy of heaven and earth dormant in his dantian!