I Bound Myself to a Destructive Witch

41st District, Saint Roys.

This city, named Saint Roys, was like a dazzling jewel embedded in the vast plains.

It was adjacent to Helian City, and also the central city of the 41st District, with a history tracing back to the ancient era of the Three Churches.

The so-called Three Churches were the three dominant orthodox faiths of the Empire today: Black Moon, Element, and Justice.

The initial forms of these three faiths all originated from Saint Roys, which is why this city was also known as the Holy City!

It was a pilgrimage site for the three major orthodox faiths.

For a lengthy period in history, the three churches contended for control over Saint Roys, waging wars against each other.

However, as the Church of Justice became the spear of the Empire and moved north into the first district, setting up in the Imperial Court, and the Elemental Church withdrew from the struggle for Saint Roys, the Holy City came entirely under the jurisdiction of the Black Moon Church.

For this reason, in the hundreds to thousands of years that followed, the radiant tentacles of the Black Moon Church gradually extended into every corner of Saint Roys, influencing every aspect of the people's lives.

Nevertheless, according to the Holy City Convention, Justice and Element still retained the right to enter Saint Roys' Holy Spirit Temple for pilgrimage.

The so-called Holy Spirit Temple was a magnificent Holy Temple that stood at the city center, its spire almost piercing the skies, with the sunlight reflecting a dazzling light off its colorful stained glass.

Surrounding the Holy Temple, a series of buildings stood guard like soldiers, including churches, monasteries, and charity houses, their bell sounds often echoing in the air, adding a measure of solemnity and sanctity to the city.

At this moment, somewhere above the clouds which the magnificent bell sounds could not reach, a strange long staff abruptly pierced through the mist.

It was shaped somewhat like a tube, swollen at one end and pointed at the other. The body of the staff seemed to be made entirely of gold, shining brightly. Its surface was densely etched with various mysterious runes and chants, with dragon, bird, tiger, and other animal patterns integrated into the staff's body, which as it pierced through the clouds, seemed to bring a powerful aura of a pack of rushing beasts descending toward the Holy Temple.

"Hum—"

It came to a halt, steady before the grand Shining Gold Holy Gate, sending ripples of fine air waves outward.

In front of the high doors of the Holy Temple, stood a solitary black-armored knight. He wore a black and gold mask, upon which was depicted a vertical Shining Gold Sword, and his body loomed like a massive bear, standing three meters tall with two huge gauntlets gripping the hilt of a bronze-cast greatsword, guarding the temple gate indifferently.

"Who goes there?" His head lifted slightly, the Shining Gold Sword on the knight's cheek ignited with a glow, emitting a majestically deep voice.

The golden staff spun in midair, and black Spiritual Light drifted from it, forming into a dark paper page.

On it, golden light flickered as names of various organizations scrolled by—

[Pilgrimage Approval: Star Phenomena Bureau, Central Court Council, Black Moon Church, Church of Justice, Elemental Church, Central Court Holy Department...

...

—Pilgrim: Yuan]

It clearly was not a day for pilgrimage, yet the three great churches had agreed to grant entry into the Holy Spirit Temple, with the application submitted by the 'Star Phenomena Bureau'—it was evident that important matters were at hand.

The tall knight nodded, his greatsword pivoting to the side, and the thirty-meter-tall Shining Gold Gate behind him gently opened a slim crack, emitting a stream of golden light.

Whoosh—

Yuan controlled the golden staff, swiftly darting inside.

According to the Star Formation map monitored by the Star Phenomena Bureau a few days prior, Sirius 2 had already advanced to Fifth Rank.

It had been less than three months since it ascended to Fourth Rank, and it had ascended again.

It was foreseeable that the time for it to achieve the status of Venerable was not far off.

The Empire's upper echelons now unanimously believed that this person must be found and killed as soon as possible.

However, unlike Sirius No. 2, Sirius No. 1 hadn't left any trace since its first appearance.

Logically speaking, with each advancement, the corresponding star should emit a dazzling light, which shouldn't be concealable by any means.

Yet, Sirius No. 1 was extraordinarily peculiar, not having twinkled even once.

According to the theory that advancement must be accompanied by a "twinkle", since Sirius No. 1 hadn't twinkled, it was very likely still a First Rank Spirit Master and had not advanced at the incredibly heaven-defying speed of Sirius No. 2.

For this reason, the Empire's upper tiers had unanimously decided to not bother with Sirius No. 1 for now, but rather to focus on finding and killing Sirius No. 2 first.

Based on two months of tracking as well as the Star Phenomena Bureau's positioning, Yuan had roughly determined the whereabouts of Sirius No. 2.

Various powers also began to move, converge, and prepare for an assassination that could not fail.

However, before this, one thing had to be done at the Holy Spirit Temple, they also needed to determine Sirius' exact location in the Holy Spirit Temple to prevent a wrongful killing!

Yuan controlled the golden rod, dashing swiftly through the Holy Spirit Temple.

Upon first entering this legendary place, its interior space was much larger than expected, like a relic of an ancient battlefield, vast and desolate.

Blood-red rain threads fell from the sky.

What surprised him, though, was that the scene that greeted his eyes in the distance had a truly staggering, unparalleled impact!

At the desolate end of the red-rain world stood a person.

A person naked and stark, enormously huge beyond imagination, like a sky-reaching primordial deity, feet upon the earth and hands supporting the heavens, standing between heaven and earth. The giant had no organs that could indicate gender, with skin bronzed in color, presenting the absolute androgyny of a true deity.

Behind this figure was a towering mountain that reached into the clouds, as tall as the deity itself.

Gazing upon this scene, a feeling of solemnity and reverence, as if spanning multiple epochs of desolation, rushed over Yuan.

As he drew closer, however, it became clear that the sky-reaching giant was headless, its bronzed body scattered with dense, silver-white intricate patterns.

And at the center of the giant's chest, there was a dark, blood-oozing hole, with blood surging like tidal waves, cascading from the hole in a terrifying waterfall, falling into the heavens.

Within the dark abyss of a hole, a green ancient sword was faintly visible, planted in the darkness, with three golden stars above the hilt forming a triangle that continually revolved.

This divine giant was none other than the strongest Star God, the leader of the Twelve Main Star Gods,—the Three Saint Star Gods!

The golden rod floated to a position a hundred meters from the blood hole, not approaching any closer. Its front end dipped slightly as it spoke reverently in a deep tone,

"Holy Master, your presence is humbly requested!"

The hole was silent, the waterfall of blood flowing alone. After speaking, Yuan didn't move again.

He waited thus for a full ten hours when finally, the ancient green sword within the hole hummed, and specks of green Spiritual Light broke off from the blade, floating gently out of the hole.

A female figure emerged, marked with the Holy Green Command Sword on her brow.

She wore an ancient green dress, her three-thousand black tresses fastened with a cyan crystal hairpin as if crowning a queen, her breathtaking face tranquil with detached, cold eyes that bore an otherworldly aloofness.

So the Spirit Artifact consciousness of the Three Saint Star Gods looks like this—the aura of majesty is indeed terrifying!

Yuan thought to himself and, with trepidation, lowered the rod body ten meters down to be level with the soles of the feet of the green-dressed woman, and once again he spoke with deep respect.

"Holy Master, your presence is humbly requested."

"What is your purpose?" The cold-eyed woman in green looked down upon him.