"How should I handle this?" Back at the dark church, Mei Lin sat on a high chair as she contemplated the news she just received from her subordinates. She had long expected the attack but never thought of a countermeasure.
"Emissary, this old man has a suggestion," a man with white hair and wrinkly face called out.
Mei Lin lazily turned to the man prostrating before her, "speak!" She commanded in a nonchalant voice.
The old man scrambled and performed three kowtows," w-why d-don't we attack t-the light c-church's h-headquarter?" The creeping silence made everyone aware of the old man's beating heart as they silently nodded in approval of his courage.
Mei Lin's gaze lingered at the trembling geezer. Indeed, attacking the light church was the most feasible action given their headquarters was known to all, but the plan was so simple that Mei Lin doubted they could succeed. If she were in Mu Lei's position, she would either relocate the headquarters or place a deadly trap.
"If it was that simple, what's the point of all this?" Mei Lin's heavenly voice reverberated across the room if only for a while, calming the unease of everyone present.
After his suggestion was denied, the kowtowing man stood and silently walked back to his seat. He treaded carefully not to awaken the wrath of the great emissary.
Foreboding silence filled the dim lit room as Mei Lin rested her head on her hand. What we lack the most is faith, which Mu Lei holds an advantage. Fights between us are bound to occur, but it is faith that will matter at the end of the day.
What the Dark church lacked compared to the Light church were believers. The light church had legitimate believers, while the dark church was filled with vagabonds that would betray the church at the drop of a hat. This gap was hard to breach as no one would willingly rest their beliefs and actively campaign for eternal destruction as the dark faith wanted. It was every cultivators' wish to live longer.
Maybe the talentless? Mei Lin suddenly had a great idea. Converting ordinary people would be hard, if not impossible, but it was a different matter when talking about those that had already achieved their peaks and silently waited for death.
The number will be small, but it will still be a step towards victory. Mei Lin thought hers was a good idea rather than meaningless attacks.
[Are you not going to retaliate?], the voice of the Great Observer sounded in Mei Lin's mind.
"Aren't you supposed to be all-seeing?" Mei Lin asked with a chuckle.
[Not even I have the authority to oversee master's game], the Great Observer answered.
"Of course I will attack. It's only that it is not my priority," Mei Lin answered the great observer's question. She wasn't intending on taking the beating lying down. After all, now she has to play the game with one less piece.
The Great Observer remained silent, and Mei Lin took the opportunity to relay her plan to the deacons of the dark church. She ordered for them to recruit talentless wastes that still had a couple of years in them. The recruits also had to harbor extreme jealousy towards the young and vigorous.
This was a simple matter to the dark church believers as they could easily detect those silently consumed by darkness.
"As you will!" The deacons stood and cupped their fists towards Mei Lin. The brighter ones already understood her intentions while the slower ones mindlessly followed her orders.
***
A hooded figure approached a vast land filled with various vegetation. The figure warily looked left and right as if to ascertain if no one else was around. The figure then casually flipped his long robes that covered the entirety that was his hands, and a dark talisman fell on his open palm. The figure reached out his arm and felt the air, the dark talisman on his hand glowed darker, and the figure disappeared.
"Finally, I can treat these wounds," Tian Longwei, once inside the dark church, removed the hoodie from his head and his masked face appeared for all to see.
"Why does the number seem... too little?" Tian Longwei wondered as his gaze traveled far and wide, "they probably know of the Light church's attack." Tian Longwei concluded with the only logical answer he could come up with.
Now, how should I find the dark god? Maybe the high priest could help, Tian Longwei turned into a blur and disappeared.
This place never fails to amaze me. Tian Longwei appeared next to a majestic monastery that exuded the aura of majesty.
He was about to walk into the majestic building before him but he caught a glimpse of an odd scene with the corners of his eyes.
"Who dared? was this place also attacked?" Tian Longwei looked at the distance, and he could see a slave repairing a broken house. He quickly moved to investigate further.
"That figure... Where have I seen it?" As Tian Longwei approached the building, the repairman's figure reminded him of someone.
"D-Dark..g-god?" Once Tian Longwei was closer, he finally recognized the figure. How could he forget the one and only Dark god? The statues around the church had engraved the figure deeply in his mind.
"Where are the statues?" It was shock after shock for the poor Tian Longwei. Initially, he wasn't paying much attention as all his thoughts were on how to treat his wounds, but now that the matter was brought up, he couldn't spot a statue anywhere in the dark church.
"Oooh...Ummm... little friend Tian?" The man busy with repairs turned after hearing someone call his name.
"This junior greets the dark god," Tian Longwei got on his knees and respectfully said. Cold sweat formed on his hidden forehead, and his chest heaved up and down.
"Stand boy, no need for formalities," the dark god quickly rushed to Tian Longwei and helped him to his feet. Do you want me dead? What if that scary woman finds people worshiping me in her presence?
"Senior..?" Once Tian Longwei stood, he raised an eyebrow inquisitively at the casually dressed old man. It was a sight to behold for him who greatly revered the old man.
"Things have changed," the Dark God awkwardly scratched his hair as he walked to his equipment. "That aside, boy, what's that on your face and hand?" Of course, the Dark God could easily see through Tian Longwei's mask, "Not even I can figure out what it is." The Dark God watched as Tian Longwei flinched at his words.
"N-Not... e-even...you?" Tian Longwei finally felt defeated as his last straw was brutally cut from him. His last hope was for the Dark God to provide a cure.
The Dark God looked at Tian Longwei and sighed. Right on his face, will he be able to live? The Dark God had an impression of Tian Longwei. His unhealthy obsession with beauty is what caught his eye. Is karma finally upon the dark church? The Dark god thought he was far above the effects of karma. That's why he dared to run amok in the world. But here he is, a common repairman.
Unlike Tian Longwei, the Dark god thought he got off easy. His time repairing the house reminded him of the pleasure one could derive from little things.
"I thought..."
"Be quiet, boy, if you are going to whine, do it quietly," the Dark god looked at the mess that was Tian Longwei, his drooping shoulders, his mask, and his long robes. The boy was a shadow of his former self. He lacked the elegance that had previously caught his eyes.Â
*Sigh*
"Everyone has their problems. Whining will not help," the Dark god picked his tools and continued with his work. "Maybe that person can help you out."
The Dark god's words provoked hope in Tian Longwei's defeated eyes, "who is he?" He approached the Dark god.
"Hmmph, not he. You should go to the main hall and find out for yourself," the Dark god dismissed Tian Longwei.
Tian Longwei quickly rushed to the main hall as told, he should have asked many questions, but the crisis at hand provided no room.
Not long, Tian Longwei made it to the building he was supposed to enter at first before he was distracted. He reached out his hand to push the great red door open.
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