The more they oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing

Because this is my sacrifice list!

His smile grew ever more serene, the one in first place earned the most.

An Su's fair and humble handling, along with the surprising cooperation between Lister and Arthur, had truly won everyone over; his invisible prestige was subtly rising among the many believers, embodying the true style of a leading figure.

"Gentlemen," Arthur again produced a gourd of Fire God Wine from his pocket and said generously, "There are still five minutes until the meeting begins, let's continue to drink!"

"Good!" The genius Cultists also responded with vigor.

-

"General Rada, rest assured, only through blood and slaughter can a true general be born, and a true Saint Heir is one who crawls out from a mountain of bones."

The assistant to the bishop followed behind Bishop Rada, speaking in a profound and unfathomable manner, "The arrangements I made for this meeting are just that."

"The first round of selection ceremony for the Quasi-Holy Child of our Order has already begun in secrecy!"

Rada nodded calmly.

Everything was as he had expected.

This was also the Pain Military Academy's method of training soldiers, placing hundreds of them in a small school and having them kill each other—cultivating them like raising gu in a pot. Those who graduated were the true generals.

They held this meeting and had intentionally delayed it by half an hour.

Just to gather these twenty-four genius Cultists in the small confines of Crow Alley and let the atmosphere ferment for half an hour.

Given the geniuses' proudly incompatible temperaments, verbal conflicts were bound to erupt, inevitably leading to slaughter.

Within the Esoteric Religion, only through competition can one grow stronger, and only the truly strong can become a Saint.

And the mediocre ones who are eliminated are not worth utilizing.

By the time Bishop Rada arrived at the scene, Crow Alley was likely already a scene of bloodshed and mountains of corpses.

Through long-distance projection, Rada's shadow finally arrived in Crow Alley, only to first hear singing. The proud genius Cultists began holding hands and dancing to the music, "Unforgettable tonight, unforgettable tonight..."

"..." The assistant to the bishop fell silent.

Bishop Rada felt he might not have fully awakened yet.

The scene before him could only be described as bizarre.

Life, Chaos, and Pain, although all part of the Esoteric Religion, were not of the same branch; in fact, they even harbored deep-seated hatred for each other.

Especially the Life Ecclesia, those madmen without organization or discipline, without a shepherd to lead them, had many Orders acting independently and were even willing to sacrifice their own Cultists, earning enmity from all sides. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire

This joint action was also a first.

Each faction harbored ulterior motives and had their own goals.

The Bishop of Pain sought to find Merlin to settle debts, Chaos aimed to infiltrate the Chaotic Frontier, while Life Ecclesia had the simplest intent—they found the capital's populous nature ideal for sacrifices.

Watching the joyful scene before him, Rada wondered if the Demigod projections of the Hierarchical Cult and the Life Order would think he had gone straight when they arrived.

He snorted coldly, and his authority erupted forth instantly.

Though he was not physically present, the terrifying and dreadful authority in his gaze spread instantaneously.

All the geniuses sobered up significantly, and wherever Rada's gaze landed, the genius Cultists lowered their heads, not daring to lock eyes with the Demigod.

An Su wasn't particularly afraid, after all he had just shaved this person's head not long ago and didn't have much fear in him, but he also lowered his head following the crowd.

He wondered if he might be exposed.

Rada was only present in projection and definitely couldn't see through it.

A Demigod's projection surely couldn't penetrate Merlin's magic.

If exposed, he would just crush his soul and call out to Merlin for help.

When Bishop Rada's gaze fell on An Su, it paused for a moment,

"Today, I have gathered you here because a traitor has emerged among us."

"Perhaps a saint has already infiltrated our Order."

"The Three Major Orders will reassess your qualifications as a Saint Child and request the Great Mother Goddess's scrutiny through the ceremony, to evaluate whether you all are worthy of becoming the Saint Child of an Order!"

"If there is a saint lurking among you, they will have nowhere to hide under the gaze of the Mother Goddess!"