"Squeak, squeak—"
The Grey Spirit Rat's eyes still glowed with a bloody light, appearing extremely agitated as if there was an irresistible delicacy in the distance.
"Let's go!"
Chen Shu, sitting atop Little Yellow's head, sped directly towards the location of Archbishop 'Yan'.
Members of the Salvation Church were universally reviled, and beyond returning to their headquarters, they had nowhere else to go.
He muttered, "The church must be in utter chaos by now, right?"
With the continuous fall of the Pope and the Junior Pope, the Salvation Church was already in decline. Internal strife and conflict were likely brewing, making it the perfect time to strike.
Just a few minutes after Chen Shu left,
Above the Kingdom of Lan, a calm space suddenly distorted, and a person clad in black robes stepped out!
His appearance was like that of a young man, with calculation in his eyes. It was none other than Archbishop 'Kong', who had betrayed the Salvation Church!
Possessing the Space Contract Spirit, his survivability was comparable to Ning Bufan and Chen Shu, allowing him to survive alone until now.
"Chen Shu, you truly are a sharp blade! Kill! Kill quickly!"
He was holding a corpse in his hand. Even in death, the victim's eyes still held unwillingness and venom.
It was the recently fallen Pope!
At the critical moment just before, 'Kong' had made his move, saving the Pope, but for his own benefit, of course!
The Pope's corpse was now shriveled, all its blood having been drained.
"A bloodline talent that drives people to madness, and you fools didn't know how to cherish it..."
As Kong's eyes opened and closed, a terrifying aura emanated from him. His level had already reached the peak of the King class, and his entire demeanor appeared somewhat demonic, with madness evident in his eyes.
In his view, the reason the members of the Salvation Church couldn't break through to the Legendary realm was fundamentally due to insufficient bloodline concentration.
Otherwise, how could the Heavenly Mandate Ancient Emperor have achieved the Legendary realm back then?
Kong's sole objective was to absorb the bloodlines of the core members of the church to aid his own path to becoming Legendary!
Although he was once an Archbishop, he was merely a powerful individual hired by the church at a great cost; he did not possess the church's heaven-defying bloodline himself.
"A pity I didn't get Ling Chen's corpse..."
He sighed, a hint of regret in his voice.
With the spatial abilities of his Contract Spirit, he dared to snatch the Pope from the old man's grasp. However, in the face of the colossal Star Hand within Chen Shu, he dared not make any move.
At that moment, he had a premonition that if he acted, he would surely die!
"Chen Shu, when I achieve Legendary, it will be your death day!"
Greed flickered in his eyes as he muttered, "Once I obtain your secret, I will advance even further! By then, I will be the number one powerhouse on Blue Star!"
"The chaotic times have arrived, and so has my opportunity!"
In Kong's plan, by utilizing the church's bloodline to break through to the Legendary realm, and then relying on his own Space Contract Spirit, he could take down Chen Shu, steal his secrets, and even reach a realm beyond Legendary!
A path to heaven slowly materialized in Kong's mind...
...
"Destroy the church and then return..."
Chen Shu was completely unaware, still lost in his own thoughts.
At this moment, his expression shifted, and he looked to the side.
Fang Si had opened her eyes and was quietly gazing at him, not uttering a word.
"Sister Fang Si?! You're awake!"
Chen Shu's previously calm face instantly became excited as he rushed towards her.
The two immediately embraced, without a single word exchanged between them.
Only then did Chen Shu's heart truly relax...
After a while, Fang Si's eyes also held joy as she said, "Chen Pi, thank you."
"I thought you would blame me..."
They separated, and Chen Shu gazed at Fang Si's face, then continued, "Ling Chen said back then that if I surrendered without a fight, they would let you go..."
"You believed that?"
Fang Si was slightly stunned before she chuckled, "That doesn't sound like you."
"Your first choice back then was to kill Ling Chen. If you could instantly kill him, you could naturally save me, because you believed in yourself."
"Your second choice was to return to the country directly and get Grandpa to help, because you believed in Grandpa."
"And if you truly surrendered, wouldn't that mean you believed Ling Chen? He is the culprit who caused this chaos. You wouldn't be that naive, would you..."
Although Fang Si had been asleep, she was fully aware of the external situation, including their conversations...
"..."
Chen Shu remained silent, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. He hadn't expected her to fully understand his actions.
He spoke, "Unfortunately, it was still because of Ling Chen that I managed to save you..."
"You did perfectly,"
Fang Si's smile disappeared, and she said with utmost seriousness, "Chen Shu, I hope you remember that your life is the most important thing. Anyone can be sacrificed, but you cannot!"
"If you die, what will happen to Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen? What about Da Li, Old Xie, and Xiao Xing?"
She had actually wanted to say the entire human race, but considering he was just a notorious bandit, she changed her wording.
"..."
Chen Shu fell silent. He had thought protecting those close to him wouldn't be difficult, but he hadn't expected crises to arrive so suddenly.
Fang Si said earnestly, "Live well. As long as you are here, there is hope for everything!"
Even though she hadn't seen the colossal Star Hand within Chen Shu, she was utterly convinced that he was a key figure who could change the world's landscape!
Chen Shu shook his head and said, "We all have to be here!"
"..."
At this moment, neither of them spoke further, gazing at each other in silence, as if time had been forgotten.
"Cough, cough... Uh, you two doing this is making me really awkward..."
Xie Fengyu, who was nearby, had woken up but looked embarrassed and didn't know what to do for a moment...
"Uh..."
Chen Shu also came back to his senses and said blandly, "Old Xie, you're awake too?"
"..."
Xie Fengyu's mouth twitched. Are we really going to be this perfunctory?
"Even though I'm a supporting character, can I get some recognition?"
"What kind of talk is that?!"
Chen Shu patted his shoulder and said solemnly, "Ah Liang and the others are. You are not."
"..."
Xie Fengyu instantly clutched his chest and stumbled back several steps, looking as if he had been severely struck.
So, I'm not even a supporting character?
Soon, he stopped caring and said, "Right, what's the situation now? I remember Ling Chen came to find me, how did I suddenly end up here?"
Chen Shu thought for a moment and explained, "There was a small accident."
"..."
Xie Fengyu's mouth twitched. He felt that talking to this guy was still so difficult...
"We're not on the way back to the country, are we?"
He glanced at the surrounding sea and a thought surfaced in his mind, saying slowly:
"I wasn't kidnapped by you, was I?"
"??"
Chen Shu looked at him with a bewildered expression. Can your imagination be any wilder?