"Heavenly Lord's divine manifestation!"
The priests mistook it for the appearance of a devil, enraging the Heavenly Lord, and Ye Mouren directly descended to swing his fists and smash the holy light. However, the Flame Demon, being the closest, saw it more clearly and was not blinded by the holy light.
He stood frozen in astonishment, forgetting for a moment that he had trespassed into the holy hall.
That was not Ye Mouren's holy light. It was related to the magic of Christ the Heavenly Lord, but not very closely.
This radiance was actually emanating from the person who called himself "Sky Demon"!
What Sky Demon? Judging by the name and his previous perception of the opponent's state, the Flame Demon judged that Ji Xiang was likely no good either. However, being able to associate with the priests under Christ the Heavenly Lord indicated that the opponent was not an "heretical devil" like himself, who was being suppressed. He hadn't figured out the situation in the Far East yet, so seeing this scene, he thought, could it be that this so-called "Sky Demon" was actually created by the Heavenly Lord to deal with "devils" like them?
Otherwise, why could he conjure holy light with his bare hands?
These priests couldn't even reach the level of conjuring holy light with their bare hands. In terms of faith, their spiritual power was not strong enough, making it difficult for them to unleash such high-level divine arts.
Holy light was not something anyone could use.
One had to reach the level of a missionary, recognized as having the ability for "independent evangelism." This meant that their spiritual power had reached a new level. Whether one could become a true missionary, rather than being confined to simple priestly duties, the difference between the two determined the upper limit of using Christian magic.
The Book of Genesis clearly stated that light was light, brightness, and day, in contrast to darkness and night. Day and night served as markers for seasons and the passage of time. In the Bible, light was extended to symbolize righteousness, salvation, and the Savior Jesus Christ, corresponding to darkness, disaster, and sin.
The Exodus also guided the Hebrews with an incomparably brilliant beam of holy light.
In Western Christianity, the so-called holy light referred to the guiding light, the light of the world, and the believer's own radiance, while Jehovah was the source of all light.
Therefore, when God said, "Let there be light," there was light!
Being able to use holy light meant becoming an agent of God!
"An agent of the Heavenly Lord?"
This thought not only occurred to the Flame Demon, but also to the more experienced old priest among them. He also saw where the radiance emanating from the holy hall originated, and his face showed an expression of incomprehension.
And also shock.
How could a heretic gain the favor of the Heavenly Lord?
How could a heretic, after reading some scriptures, obtain the power of "holy light"?
God said, "Let there be light," and the apostles spread the light throughout the world.
How could a heretic from the Far East, an outsider to the faith, use "holy light," which represented the core power of Christ the Heavenly Lord?
In an instant, the old priest felt a sense that this religion was nearing its end.
So many devout Christian believers were here fighting demons to the death, and yet the Heavenly Lord directly handed over divine authority to the leader of the heretics reading books in the holy hall?
"I get it, this is 'poaching'!"
The old priest had to ponder this. After a brief moment of frenzied analysis, he arrived at a "perhaps accurate" conclusion.
By displaying his power to the leader of the heretics, even gifting him magic, the aim was to make the heretical leader conclude, "Our god is not as powerful as your god." Thus, the opponent would certainly change their faith on the spot!
It should be, no, it must be like this!
The old priest thought this with certainty, otherwise, he could not convince himself, and could only believe that all of this was the arrangement of the Heavenly Lord.
"A new agent has appeared, and the devil will be defeated!"
The old priest began to shout. His hoarse voice awakened the Flame Demon from his stupor. He retaliated with a fireball, singeing the priest's hairstyle. As the priests screamed and the old priest fell, smoking, the Flame Demon also charged into the holy hall.
"Sky Demon, are you an agent of Christ?"
Ji Xiang looked at the vigilant and hostile Flame Demon and said calmly:
"I am merely borrowing some of his magic."
"Agent, is this term the same... However, so far, no one in the Heavenly Heart realm has explicitly asked me to be an agent. It's quite strange, why is that?"
Ji Xiang then muttered to himself.
Indeed, although the秽迹金刚 (Hui Ji Jin Gang) had attempted to win him over, they hadn't directly asked him to be an agent of Buddhism. The only one who had approached him was Jing Lun Tian Gong (Jing Lun Heavenly Palace), but that wasn't the intention of their Heavenly Heart realm; they were merely trying to recruit him given the changing circumstances.
As for being an agent of Christ the Heavenly Lord, the Heavenly Lord's small window was completely suppressed by the blank divine plaque, only usable for exchange. How could he become an agent of Christ the Heavenly Lord?
The Flame Demon's gaze flickered, his intuition telling him that Ji Xiang was a very dangerous existence.
Now that he inexplicably possessed the magic of the Heavenly Lord and could summon holy light, he was even more dangerous.
"Do you have any other business? If you want to lodge here, I can provide you with a place to stay."
"Lodge?"
"It means to stay as a guest."
The Flame Demon's gaze changed, and he said to Ji Xiang, "I almost forgot, you were the one who summoned me."
"Yes, so you wanted me to grant a wish, and I was going to take your soul."
Ji Xiang said expressionlessly, "Ah?"
"Taking the soul is unnecessary. Besides, summoning you was unintentional. Can I refuse this wish? Do you think I'm easy to provoke?"
Looking at the expressionless Ji Xiang, the Flame Demon was unsure, but now, the initiative clearly lay with the other party, which was unacceptable for a demon who thought highly of himself.
Even though he was demonized as an evil god by Christianity, his former identity was an ancient Western god passed down from antiquity. How could he bow down to an unknown "Sky Demon" from the Far East?
"You are merely a Sky Demon, and I am an evil god. In terms of status, shouldn't I be the one who is harder to provoke!"
Ji Xiang was stunned, "So, you've figured out what a Sky Demon is?"
"Probably... something like spirit possession? Ah, no matter what, are you a god? Your name contains the meaning of 'heaven,' but are you truly from heaven?"
"Is that so..." Ji Xiang suddenly let out a scoff.
The scenery of the world instantly changed. Before the Flame Demon could react, the holy hall had disappeared, and the wailing priests outside were gone. The entire world transformed into a different scene, with yellow seawater surging, and the heavens and earth filled with endless mist of blood and white vapor.
At the same time, in the sky, hundreds of thousands of flying demons surged towards him, covering the sky and the earth!
The Flame Demon's expression changed drastically, and Ji Xiang's voice boomed like thunder in this world!
"The so-called Sky Demon, who cultivates the Dao in the ten directions, controls all demons in the Northern Feng, ascends to the same merit as the heavens, and is a myriad of divine sects, coexisting with mountains and seas to block the path of immortal flight!"
"Traversing and observing space, issuing commands autonomously, with majestic power, equal to the heavens, acting as the Heavenly Venerable to enlighten, traveling through the universe, sweeping away evil spirits, and ascending all beings!"
"Enter my demonic kingdom, and let these hundred thousand lost Sky Demons entertain you well! Today, submit, and I will elevate you to a Sky Demon, bestow heavenly robes and treasures, make you my vanguard, enlighten the world, and no longer be tainted by Christ!"
"If you do not submit..."
Ji Xiang took a step down. The sea of suffering churned up waves ten thousand feet high!
"The sea of suffering is boundless."
"There is no shore to turn back to!"