A city controlled by the Church of the Earth Mother.
The cultist city, which once had a population of a million, was now down to half its size.
Below the Earth Mother Church stood five hundred people, all of whom were Earth Priests transformed by the Earth Mother.
It took a thousand believers to transform one Earth Priest. At the very front of these Earth Priests...
...stood a two-meter-tall, heavily built man with a buzz cut, wearing a green tank top.
A look of arrogance was plastered across his face. “Great Earth Mother, please rest assured. I will definitely seize all the items this time!”
He was the second Archbishop the Earth Mother had newly selected to handle the situation in Yangcheng, following Zhang Yi.
His former identity was Yu Shuanghua, the national heavyweight boxing champion of the Nanming Kingdom from a few years ago.
Above him, the Earth Mother ignored him completely, and a wave of spatial fluctuations rippled out from her.
As the fluctuation swept over them, the five hundred Earth Priests and Yu Shuanghua vanished on the spot.
Yangcheng, outskirts.
Spatial fluctuations rippled, and the five hundred Earth Priests and Yu Shuanghua materialized.
This area had already been cordoned off. In front of them stood a man and a woman.
Upon seeing them appear, the two quickly stepped forward.
The man leading them said respectfully, “Archbishop Yu, we welcome you to Yangcheng!”
Yu Shuanghua swept his gaze over the area. Seeing no sign of Zhang Yi, his face soured. “Where is Zhang Yi? I brought so many people to reinforce him, yet he didn't even show up to welcome me. Is he afraid I'll steal his credit?”
Seeing the newcomer speak this way, the young man who had come to welcome him felt a flash of displeasure.
Although they both served the Earth Mother, they still had their own thoughts. He was a follower of Zhang Yi, and hearing this man talk about Zhang Yi in such a manner rubbed him the wrong way.
“Archbishop Yu, our people in Yangcheng are currently being targeted by the enemy. It is inconvenient for Archbishop Zhang to show himself in public. I can lead you to him,” the woman beside him said, sensing her companion's slip in composure and quickly stepping forward with a smile.
“Hmph, lead the way then!” Yu Shuanghua snorted coldly and walked forward.
As he passed the man, his left fist suddenly shot out.
Bang!
This sudden, explosive punch instantly shattered the man's head.
With an arrogant sneer, Yu Shuanghua said, “Useless trash. How dare you show hostility to an Archbishop? I'll clean up this rule-breaking garbage on behalf of the great Earth Mother.”
The woman beside him froze in shock. She never expected this Archbishop to be so tyrannical, especially toward one of his own.
“What are you dazing off for? Lead the way!” Yu Shuanghua's voice snapped her out of it.
Only then did she quickly compose herself and lead the way.
“Archbishop Yu, the situation is delicate right now. It's too conspicuous for so many of us to travel together. Should we split up?” the woman asked cautiously as she walked ahead.
Hearing this, Yu Shuanghua glanced at her and sneered, “Even though I've never met Zhang Yi, I can tell from how you people handle things that he must be an incredibly cautious fellow.”
“A cautious guy like Zhang Yi, along with just a few dozen Earth Priests, managed to stir up Yangcheng to this extent. Now, with five hundred Earth Priests plus myself, this lineup is more than enough to sweep through the entire city!”
He spoke with a booming voice, heavily emphasizing the word “cautious.” Right now, the Church did not have a Supreme Pontiff, and it was highly likely that the next one would be selected from among the Archbishops.
In that case, every single Archbishop was his rival.
Seeing Yu Shuanghua's attitude, as if the Earth Mother was first and he was second in command...
...the woman didn't dare look at him anymore. She was now absolutely certain that this guy was mentally unstable—an absolute idiot.
On the streets, this group marched ostentatiously toward Zhang Yi's location.
In the sky, a crow occasionally flew past.
From inside the buildings on both sides of the street, individuals with crimson eyes stared down at the group.
Meanwhile, at the Yangcheng Air Force Base.
Unlike Ningcheng, this base only had helicopters.
Yet, the base that was once packed with fighter jets was now empty, save for a few logistics personnel. Everyone else and all the aircraft had been reassigned by the higher-ups.
The elderly garrison commander of Yangcheng stared at the empty base before him.
With a look of panic, he turned his head. “My lord, the fighter jets must have been reassigned by the higher-ups. It seems they've caught wind of our activities.”
Beside him, a middle-aged Earth Priest furrowed his brows. “They certainly moved fast. This has nothing to do with you. As long as we can mobilize the army, that's enough.”
He had originally received orders from Zhang Yi to take control of the fighter jets.
As time went on, the atmosphere in Yangcheng grew increasingly tense. The supernatural beings participating in the struggle had already suffered significant casualties.
The final, decisive battle could break out at any moment. Every faction was doing everything they could to mobilize any resources they could lay their hands on.
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