It seemed as if she had noticed Lin Xiao's gaze; the Grand Elder gently nodded toward him. Nearby, Zhongli Wu, seeing this, also glanced over in this direction, only shifting his gaze elsewhere after a moment.
Lin Xiao kept his head lowered as he walked to the side and stood in the position belonging to the Nightmare Douluo, no longer looking around, though he secretly heightened his vigilance in his heart.
He had never seen this Grand Elder before, and there wasn't much impression of her even in his memories from his previous life. However, the fact that she could securely hold the position of Grand Elder was enough to prove her strength.
Moreover, judging from her performance at the entrance just now, her abilities were likely even more bizarre than those of the other elders.
Time passed minute by minute, and more and more people gathered in the hall. Zhongli Wu scanned left and right, and seeing that the number of people was about right, he stood up.
"Today, we gather here to celebrate the return of the Saintess to her position."
"Long live the Holy Emperor for ten thousand years, may the Saintess's immortal grace endure forever!"
"Long live the Holy Emperor for ten thousand years, may the Saintess's immortal grace endure forever!"
As soon as Zhongli Wu's words fell, waves of shouts rang out in unison, repeating several times before gradually quieting down.
"Invite the Holy Emperor."
Zhongli Wu took two steps forward, then turned around. Behind his position as the sect leader, a wall slowly opened, and a statue appeared before everyone's eyes.
All the elders and disciples instantly knelt in a "whoosh." Lin Xiao did not raise his head, but he could feel that after the statue emerged, a bizarre aura permeated the entire hall.
"Bring the Saintess."
"Tap—tap—"
Crisp footsteps passed by Lin Xiao's ear. He still did not look up, but he could sense that only Ma Xiaotao had come alone, without anyone else accompanying her.
It was not until she reached Zhongli Wu that Ma Xiaotao slowly came to a stop.
"Everyone, rise."
Only then did the crowd stand up, their gazes uniformly falling upon Ma Xiaotao.
Unlike the others, Ma Xiaotao was not wearing a black cloak; instead, she donned a dark red long dress, with flame-like patterns on it that seemed ready to rise into the air at any moment, complementing her dark red hair.
Although the black cloaks on Lin Xiao and the others were only a thin layer, they were indeed the uniform attire of the Holy Spirit Church.
All the offerings' cloaks were decorated with golden patterns, while the elders' were outlined with silver threads. For holy envoys like Lin Xiao, who represented the absent elders, although their cloaks lacked patterns, they still had a silver thread extending along the edges.
As for the other cult members, they only had the most ordinary black cloaks. Ma Xiaotao being able to wear a long dress was already enough to signify her status as the Saintess.
"May the Holy Emperor bear witness: today, our Holy Church finally welcomes the Saintess."
"Boom—"
A muffled sound echoed through the hall. No one could detect where the sound came from, but Lin Xiao's heart jolted fiercely.
In that instant just now, he had felt an inexplicable pressure, as if the collective negative emotions of all humanity had suddenly erupted in the hall, or as if it intended to devour everything.
Although he had experienced the Spirit Ascension Ceremony, his greatest sensation at that time had been the pain in his soul; he hadn't had much feeling toward the Holy Emperor's statue itself.
He had originally thought it was just a simple brainwashing ritual, merely the Holy Spirit Church splitting disciples' souls during the process to ensure the loyalty of all Holy Spirits.
And the so-called Holy Emperor was nothing more than a fictional deity concocted by the Holy Spirit Church to propagate its teachings.
But in that instant just now, Lin Xiao was utterly certain that the power did not originate from anyone in the hall, nor was it the same as their powers.
Whatever that Holy Emperor truly was, it undoubtedly possessed considerable strength.
In the instant the loud noise rang out, Ma Xiaotao also let out a roar, her eyes turning completely blood-red, her long hair floating upward, with dark red flames encircling her body.
"Long live the Holy Emperor for ten thousand years, may the Saintess's immortal grace endure forever!"
"Long live the Holy Emperor for ten thousand years, may the Saintess's immortal grace endure forever!"
Shouts rang out once more, and it seemed that, influenced by the "Holy Emperor" just now, everyone's voices were filled with fanaticism, continuing for a long while before slowly subsiding.
Zhongli Wu also shouted along twice. After the surroundings calmed down, he turned around again, looking at the crowd in the hall.
"With the Saintess finally returning to her position, tonight, revel to your heart's content!"
"Yes!"
With a uniform response, in the next moment, streams of figures turned into streaks of light and flew out of the headquarters.
Lin Xiao watched those rushing figures and secretly sighed in his heart.
The meaning of the words "revel to your heart's content" could not be clearer, and the only thing that could allow evil soul masters to "revel" was one thing.
Soon, only Zhongli Wu, a few elders, and the holy envoys representing the absent elders remained in the hall.
Aside from Lin Xiao, the bodies of the other holy envoys were trembling slightly, as if they could no longer wait to rush out with the other disciples.
"Vice Sect Leader Feng."
"Yes."
As Zhongli Wu's words fell, a figure walked over from the side—it was none other than the Holy Spirit Church's Vice Sect Leader, Feng Ling.
"I think there's no need to introduce the Saintess's background again. Her power shares the same origin as yours; from now on, you will personally guide her."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Although Zhongli Wu and Feng Ling were husband and wife, in this setting, they still addressed each other by their titles.
"It's laughable that Shrek Academy prides itself as the continent's top soul master academy, yet they don't know that the more the power within the Saintess is suppressed, the stronger it becomes. We have them to thank for cultivating the Saintess to this level."
At this point, Zhongli Wu fell silent for a moment before waving his hand. "The Saintess has been suppressed for too long and needs a thorough release to fully unleash the power within her body."
"Tonight, I allow the disciples to revel to provide cover for the Saintess, lest too many traces are left and Shrek Academy notices."
Although he mocked them verbally, Zhongli Wu still held great respect for Shrek Academy's strength.
"Take her away."
"Yes."
Feng Ling also took Ma Xiaotao and left. Zhongli Wu then turned his gaze to the Grand Elder. "You haven't returned in a long time."
"Just resting for a bit; I'm different from you all." The Grand Elder spoke softly. Although she wasn't addressing the others, it still sent a ripple through everyone's hearts.
Zhongli Wu seemed to notice something and, after glancing at the crowd, did not continue. "All holy envoys may leave now; the remaining elders stay with me for discussion."
"Then I'll head back first."
The Grand Elder seemed to have little interest in the Holy Spirit Church's affairs, and Zhongli Wu did not stop her, allowing her to leave.
The other holy envoys could no longer hold back and similarly flew away. Lin Xiao glanced at them, then, without lingering, followed suit.
"So you're Old Eight's disciple."
However, just as Lin Xiao had stepped out of the headquarters, the Grand Elder's voice came from behind once more.
Lin Xiao didn't know where she had appeared from, but he still stopped and performed a salute.
"Greetings, Grand Elder."
"Hehe, I didn't expect that idiot Old Eight could still teach a disciple like you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreon
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)