The battle between Xun Ying and Mai Ya Mi was earth-shattering. Even though Xun Ying was deliberately controlling his destructive power, several surrounding blocks were annihilated in an instant.
As Mai Ya Mi's Fog Demon Spear danced, it carried dense black mist. If ordinary people were to touch even a wisp of this mist, they would instantly turn into blood. Even Xun Ying had to be extremely cautious.
However, Xun Ying's sword was not to be trifled with. Every slash carried immense power. A casual sword strike could cleave mountains and part seas! His sword techniques, like those of the Mind Intent Divine Sword, were executed with effortless grace.
While the battle raged fiercely on this side, by the coast of Liaozhou City, near Wood Hammer Island, an eerie silence prevailed.
An old man, bathed in golden light and possessing a benevolent countenance, stood in mid-air, gazing up at a colossal, sky-piercing cicada.
"So vast… When I first took office as the Pope, I heard your story. This is the first time we meet."
This old man was none other than Pope Charlie, who had been at Dragon Pool Manor earlier!
Six tall, azure cicada envoys buzzed in the sky, surrounded by vast swarms of blue cicada worms, resembling a blue overcast.
They looked at Charlie with fervent desire. The old man possessed the immense power of faith they yearned for, yet they dared not lay a hand on him.
This was because they knew he was an existence on par with their god, someone they could not covet.
"Who are you?"
A thunderous, colossal voice emanated from the Cicada Ancestor. It lacked human vocal organs, but for a disaster-level creature like itself, speaking human language was not difficult.
"I am the terrestrial agent of the Creator. You may call me Charlie," the old man replied with a smile.
The Cicada Ancestor sneered, "The Creator, heh…"
"Then why are you here? To fight me, to negotiate, or… are you here to surrender?"
"Neither."
Charlie shook his head.
"I am here to help you break free from your bonds."
"The one who nailed you to the cross must have been an Archangel. As the Creator's terrestrial agent, I can help lighten your burden. The rest you should be able to break free from yourself."
"Furthermore, this item should also help your power recover further."
Charlie waved his hand, and a crown woven from thorns appeared in his palm. With a gentle flick, the crown flew out. Numerous cicada worms eagerly flew towards it, beginning to absorb the faith power from the crown.
"This is a holy artifact personally bestowed by the Creator, containing some of the faith collected by the Genesis Church over the past two thousand years. By absorbing the power from this item, coupled with my assistance in loosening the seal, you will surely be able to break free from that cross."
"Why are you doing this?" the Cicada Ancestor asked, bewildered.
Breaking free from this cross had been its fervent wish for millennia.
Bound to the cross, its strength was only slightly superior to an ordinary disaster-level entity, a fact that caused immense suffering to its once illustrious self.
However, Charlie's attitude was so peculiar that it made the Cicada Ancestor hesitant to accept the tempting gifts.
Charlie gazed at the Cicada Ancestor with affection, "God loves all beings, and you are naturally among them. This prolonged restraint has served its punitive purpose. Releasing you now aligns with the Creator's will."
"God loves all beings… Don't speak so hypocritically. Tell me your true purpose." The Cicada Ancestor did not believe Charlie's nonsense.
Charlie calmly stated, "Then I shall be direct. In your complete form, there is almost no one in this world who can match you. I hope that after you are released, you will accept the offerings of the Genesis Church, and then I can leverage your power to make the Genesis Church great once more!"
"Are you mad?"
The Cicada Ancestor's body trembled, and it stared at Charlie in shock, wondering what had possessed the old man to utter such words.
It was almost a sworn enemy of the Genesis Church, desiring its complete annihilation daily. From the perspective of the Genesis Church, it should be considered the most terrifying heresy. Even if the old man had dementia, he shouldn't have such thoughts.
The clouds in the sky parted, and a beam of sunlight fell upon Charlie, making him appear resplendent.
"It may sound somewhat mad, but I believe it is logical. We cannot kill you, and you will inevitably break free sooner or later. Therefore, coexisting with you is our only option."
The Cicada Ancestor sneered, "I have no reason to agree with you. That crown of thorns is already in my grasp. I do not need to cooperate with you to break free."
"Is that so?"
Charlie beckoned, and the crown, which had fallen into the hands of the cicada worms, reappeared in his palm. The faith power that had been absorbed transformed into wisps of white light and returned to the crown.
"The crown of thorns is a holy artifact personally bestowed by the Creator. Your puppets are incapable of seizing its faith. If you do not agree to my terms, you can remain bound here for another few thousand years."
"Actually, the deal I'm proposing benefits both of us. You subsist on faith. If the Genesis Church is destroyed, you will find no palatable food in this world. However, if you help the church regain its former glory, then three-tenths of the faith harvested by the church in this world will be yours!"
"Over the long term, this is far more profitable than you destroying the church. Continued conflict between us is a loss for both sides; cooperation leads to a win-win situation. I hope you will consider it carefully."
The Cicada Ancestor fell silent. It did not wish to, nor could it, leave this world. Therefore, Charlie's proposal seemed to be the optimal choice for it. After a moment of contemplation, the Cicada Ancestor said to Charlie:
"Four-tenths."
Charlie smiled, "Deal!"
The crown of thorns flew from his hand and settled upon the Cicada Ancestor's body, rapidly invigorating it. The faith power contained within was far greater than the energy it had plundered from churches!
Then, Charlie knelt in mid-air and began to pray. The sunlight upon him silently transformed into divine radiance, penetrating the nails pinning the Cicada Ancestor, causing them to subtly loosen.
Every cell of the Cicada Ancestor rejoiced, yet its eyes held a hint of wariness. It considered the old human's words to be utter nonsense.
Four-tenths seemed substantial, but wouldn't it be even better to enslave all creatures in this world and make them all believe in it, without the need for faith conversion?
Moreover, this old man likely had ulterior motives. Once it agreed to his terms, who knew what future complications might arise. The entire Genesis Church, from the Creator downwards, was adept at schemes and stratagems. A win-win situation was impossible; once they believed them, only they would truly win.
But for now, it needed to play along with the old man. The moment it was freed from this cross would be the moment of the old man's demise!