The Moonlight Greatsword in Xia De's hand did not disappear. Due to his increased power, the translucent silver blade of the sword now had some small runes, though it still couldn't compare to Lady Olanorde's in the Thousand Tree Forest.
His eyes vigilantly watched the blood mist. The remaining dozen or so bats converged, transforming into a pale, middle-aged, blond-haired man who looked like he was about to die any second.
The frightened Boy scurried over to the man and took his hand. The Boy also had blond hair; from their hair color, it was indeed possible they were relatives.
"Thank you for your help."
The middle-aged man cautiously thanked Xia De, still using carson rick. He seemed quite wary of Xia De. The Boy he was holding hid behind the middle-aged man, as if afraid of strangers.
"You mean you came in from outside to rescue someone?" Xia De asked in delarion. The middle-aged Vampire understood but probably couldn't speak it, so he nodded and continued in carson rick:
"Yes, our clan has a special talent that allows for spiritual communication through bloodline connections. I used this talent in reverse, setting up a ritual to have my nephew pull me in here as well. When I tried to return, I unfortunately encountered this thing... Did you also come in from outside voluntarily?"
Xia De nodded but didn't explain what he had done. Instead, he asked, "Are there any other living people here?"
"I don't know. I haven't been here for very long either," the middle-aged man said apologetically, his slightly long, effeminate eyes narrowing slightly. Then he looked at the Boy behind him. Though still frightened, the Boy stammered out:
"There are people. There are many more people here. A gentleman, a gentleman with wings, helped everyone."
"With wings?" Xia De and the middle-aged Vampire frowned simultaneously.
"Lester, what race is he?"
"I don't know. I couldn't see clearly."
"How many strange things are there in this place?" The Vampire complained softly, then said to Xia De, "Sir, I am Armand Bernhard, and this is my nephew, Lester Bernhard. We are leaving now. I wish you a smooth journey. If there's an opportunity in the future, I will repay you."
He seemed utterly terrified of this place.
"Wait a moment, where are the remaining survivors?" Xia De asked again. The middle-aged Vampire couldn't answer, so he looked at his nephew, encouraging him to say more.
The Boy looked timidly at Xia De: "The survivors are in the Church over there."
Xia De looked in the direction the Boy pointed, and it was indeed the direction of the Dawn Church.
"That gentleman's power allowed us to survive here longer, but I heard my uncle's voice and ran out..."
"Is that gentleman also in the Church?" Xia De quickly asked.
"No, he's not. He said he had a mission to complete, so he left."
"Left?" Xia De was a bit puzzled, not understanding what mission Priest Augustus could possibly have in this ghost of a place.
"Alright, I understand."
"And also, sir."
Perhaps seeing that Xia De had no ill intentions, the Boy gained the courage to say more: "Never cross that Door."
"What Door?"
"The Door that truly leads to death. All living beings who stumble into this place can feel that there is a Door here. Crossing that Door is truly entering death."
Xia De had heard Sister Michelle mention this, so he nodded, indicating he had no such intention.
Thus, the Vampire uncle and nephew bid farewell to the masked Xia De. They needed to return to the place corresponding to the middle-aged Vampire's dream in the real world to leave. Xia De, guided by the pendant on his chest, continued forward. As for any other living people who might still be in the Church, he didn't have time to bother with them before finding Priest Augustus.
The vast Middlesburg City was reflected here in a distorted, dreamlike form. Xia De, walking alone, could clearly feel the repulsion this place had for living beings. It wasn't just the occasional evil spirits; the environment itself was corroding the vitality of living beings. Although one wouldn't die immediately upon entering, even escaping would likely lead to a serious illness or a permanent ailment.
Even if he tried to avoid the evil spirits lurking here, he still encountered a few battles on the path ahead. These battles were simple for Xia De in his current state, but the spiritual energy and stamina consumed were difficult to recover. Even with the support of divinity in his soul, recovery was still far below consumption.
Finally, the pendant on his neck guided Xia De to the Church of the Natural Church in the City center. Xia De stood at the Church entrance, suspicious, wondering why the Priest would come to such a place.
The Natural Church in Middlesburg was one of the few clearly discernible buildings Xia De could make out from behind the ruined tower in the mountains. The Natural Church was the first of the Five Gods Church to establish itself in this City; its Church was large and particularly grand.
Confirming that the pendant on his neck still firmly pointed to the building in front of him, Xia De ascended the nine stone steps at the Church entrance, passed the elegant white columns on the steps, and then stood before the tightly closed, grayish-white metal main Door.
It was his first time seeing the Church when it was closed; usually, Church doors were open twenty-four hours a day. He reached out and pressed the Church's metal Door. The Door Key didn't react, indicating it wasn't locked. So he pushed with all his might, his face turning red with effort, until he managed to push the Door open a crack, but it still didn't make any sound.
Xia De then squeezed sideways through the Door. He found that inside the Church, not only was the fog much lighter, the temperature had returned to normal, the air was filled with the scent of high-grade incense, and there was even light here.
The structure of the Five Gods Church's churches was generally consistent: upon entering the main Door, one would find the Church's nave. Soaring ceilings, stained-glass windows, and ubiquitous religious oil paintings and sculptures collectively created a sacred atmosphere.
However, while the Church nave before him had everything it should, it also had things it shouldn't.
Candles, white candles of varying lengths engraved with the Five Gods' holy emblems, and golden candle holders, almost completely covered the entire floor, spreading between the long pews until they covered the pulpit at the very front of the nave. There was almost no room to step. The white fog from outside slightly permeated inward because the Door had been pushed open, and the flickering flames of these candles cast Xia De's huge shadow onto the metal main Door behind him.
Golden divine runes were engraved on the floor, walls, and ceiling, and even the window glass was densely covered with runes of various sizes. Silver metal wires crisscrossed overhead, intertwining and tangling, and from these wires hung metal charms, parchment scrolls, holy bells, holy emblems, and a series of items with strong Miracle elements.
Upon entering the Church, the strong Miracle elements almost completely overwhelmed the other three elements. And the scene before him, if it appeared in the real world, would likely be very effective even for suppressing a demon like Human Pus.
"Did the Church enter here before?"
All these divine items had color, indicating they were brought here from the real world. And this vast divine ritual before him, containing the holy emblems of Mr. Dawn, Lantern Old Man, Lady of Creation, father peace, and Lord of All Things, could only have been set up by a senior Ring術士 of the Five Gods Church.
"So, the Church not only has means to seal this place in the real world, but also here... Could this be the core of the Gap between life and death?"
He observed his surroundings with some doubt, and then he actually heard an answer.
"This is certainly not the core."
It wasn't the "she" in his ear speaking, but a man's voice.
Xia De immediately turned to look behind the Door. A man wearing brown leather boots and a black hunting suit stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the pristine white wall next to the slightly ajar metal Door.
"You can read minds?"
"No, every living person who sees this place assumes it's the core of the Gap, so I guessed your thoughts."
His body was transparent; through him, one could see the colorful murals of the True God's teachings and divine runes on the wall behind him. At the same time, a similarly transparent holy emblem of the God of Nature, Lord of All Things, hung on his chest, indicating that he was a member of the Natural Church during his life.
"I thought all the souls here had no self-awareness."
Xia De wasn't surprised; instead, he curiously examined the soul before him.
"Most souls drawn in here lack self-awareness due to the relic's peculiarity, and it's more likely for evil spirits to form here. I am one of the few souls that retained self-awareness, but not for natural reasons. It's because I performed a ritual inside the Church before I died."
The man said, his stern eyes also scrutinizing the masked Xia De: "So, sir, who are you?"
