Lord of Prayer

As the saying goes, always pick the softest target.

The Ghost was here to launch an attack. Killing one person was the same as killing any other, but the Church Knights were too close to Wang Yaoting to be easy targets. In comparison, the isolated Zhou Chen became that soft target—a perfect choice.

In that instant, a deathly chill shot up Zhou Chen’s spine. He saw a massive, storm-like torrent of morbid, dark malevolence swirling around the Ghost, twisting the entire World like a force field until the sky and earth grew dim, as if witnessing the apocalypse.

Pinned by the Uncrowned’s killing intent and an unknown Extraordinary Ability, his body became like a statue, unable to move. His Soul felt as if it had been plunged into an icy cavern. It was as if frigid water was surging in from all directions to drown him, his consciousness falling into a World of absolute Darkness, sinking endlessly. In the silence, all he could hear was the beating of his own heart.

Another unknown Extraordinary Ability activated. Wisps of fresh blood seeped from Zhou Chen’s pores, instantly dyeing his clothes red. A few drops of blood, as if summoned, floated toward the Ghost at extreme speed and were absorbed.

When it was about two hundred meters from Zhou Chen, the Ghost raised its palm and swiped at him from a distance, activating an Extraordinary Ability called "Air Slash." It could ignore a certain amount of distance to instantly strike a target, making it impossible to defend against.

But just a moment before the Ghost struck, Zhou Chen fought back the freezing chill in his Soul and let out a thundering roar for help in his mind:

’——Xiye, save me!!!’

BOOM!

A thunderous roar echoed as a fierce torrent of azure lightning exploded in front of Zhou Chen. Immediately after, an arm made of azure lightning reached out from the electric glare and clenched its fist in the empty air.

CRACK.

With a soft sound, something invisible was crushed. A powerful shockwave erupted from thin air, sweeping outwards in all directions.

The wildly dancing azure lightning instantly condensed into a human form, taking on the appearance of Li Xiye. She had used the two-way connection of the Bonds Ring, the unique nature of the Aspiration of the Blue Clouds, and her mastery of a Rule to project her will here across a vast distance.

This was the source of Zhou Chen’s confidence in daring to investigate a Tier Four!

"A Tier Four?"

The Li Xiye formed from azure lightning clicked her tongue. "You really know how to find trouble for yourself."

Her eyes, woven from blazing electric light, shone with an awesome radiance. The Absolute Will of the "Tyrant" descended upon this land.

Two hundred meters away, the fleeing Ghost was struck as if by lightning. Its body froze in place as the very nature of the surrounding air was changed by Li Xiye’s Absolute Will, becoming as hard as iron.

In that brief moment, Wang Yaoting closed in. A Knight’s Longsword condensed from pure light materialized in his hand, and he slashed down at the Ghost. However, as if anticipating the move, the Ghost summoned a Thorn Shield wreathed in the aura of the Abyss—an Abyss Defense Spell with a damage-reflection Ability.

Seeing this, Wang Yaoting immediately let the Knight’s Longsword of pure light in his hand Burst apart, transforming it into a dazzling Light Storm that swept outward. The Divine Light purified the Dark Power, grinding the Thorn Shield to dust. Countless cracks were scoured into the surrounding ground and building walls, glass shattered, and steel cars were torn apart as easily as thin paper. Everything within a thirty-meter diameter was struck.

Although the Thorn Shield shattered, it had blocked the sweeping Light Storm. Just then, the sound of a Music Box suddenly played from the Ghost’s body. Each note of the music was crisp and ethereal, but when combined, they created an ineffably terrifying and bizarre feeling—pale, cold, and emotionless, making one feel oppressed and horrified.

As the music played, the iron-hard air instantly returned to normal.

K-K-K... The music immediately began to stutter, then vanished completely with a faint shattering sound.

CLATTER. Springs, gears, fragments... The fine parts of the Music Box fell from the Ghost’s body.

It was a High Level, single-use Extraordinary Artifact. Its Ability was "Rule Chaos," capable of interfering with the Rule Ability of a Tier Four Uncrowned, but it could only be used once before being destroyed.

Having recovered its mobility, the Ghost pulled a sinister black Scepter from thin air. A decorative viper with a wide-open mouth was coiled at the top of the Scepter, its fangs sharp. As Essence was injected, the viper’s eyes lit up with a scarlet glow.

But in the next second, the glow in the eyes of the viper atop the Staff of Filth extinguished without warning. The activation of the Extraordinary Ability was forcibly negated by Li Xiye’s will. Her body, composed of azure lightning, seemed to be dissipating, a sign of significant energy consumption.

Since she had only projected her consciousness across space, Li Xiye didn’t intend to intervene much more. Besides, she had already created the perfect opportunity.

Wang Yaoting’s expression was as steady as a mountain. Seizing the chance, he once again condensed a Knight’s Longsword of pure light and slashed down at the Ghost.

The Ghost suddenly raised its hand, holding up a small, exquisite clay figurine to block the attack.

The clay figurine was stained with a few mottled drops of blood, and its molded face was identical to Zhou Chen’s!

——Forbidden Object C-699·Clay Man!

——Extraordinary Ability: By dripping one’s own or another’s blood onto the clay, a connection is established. The clay can be fashioned into a Clone of oneself or an Artifact to Curse others. Once the clay figure is damaged, one-fifth of the damage will be reflected back onto the person whose blood was used.

Wang Yaoting had long been prepared for the Ghost’s various Skills and Artifacts. The Knight’s Longsword in his hand immediately dematerialized, replaced by a piece of Yellow Paper with Black Characters—a talisman. On it was written a single, powerful Eastern Continent character: "Forbid"!