Lord of Prayer

Perhaps because she was in a combat state, the present Li Xiye seemed like a completely different person from her usual self. Her cyan pupils reflected immense majesty and a solemn coldness. Devoid of joy or sorrow, she was like a lofty Dominator looking down upon all of creation, exuding an unapproachably distant aura.

When her divinely majestic gaze swept over him, even Zhou Chen couldn’t help but feel a sliver of fear. He felt an indescribably domineering and oppressive aura, subconsciously averting his eyes, not daring to look directly at her.

"Apostles are nearly immortal, but they should be controllable. For example, by dismembering her and then sealing each body part separately."

As he spoke, he raised his palm. A ball of red-hot molten iron rose from it and split into seven portions. Using his Alchemy and Forging Skill, it rapidly solidified and cooled into seven iron boxes engraved all over with Alchemy Matrices.

Li Xiye understood tacitly. The moment the ugly woman revived, she struck. With a chop of her hand through the air, seven sharp glints of light flashed, dicing the woman’s body into seven pieces that landed precisely inside the seven iron boxes.

The iron boxes snapped shut. Then, a cyan thunderbolt struck them, applying a seal that surged with lightning.

BANG BANG BANG... BANG BANG BANG...

The seven boxes shook violently, emitting banging sounds. The ugly woman’s head, limbs, upper torso, and lower torso began to struggle intensely, trying to reunite. Wisps of grayish mist seeped out from the cracks of the iron box holding her right arm, HISSING as they corroded the Cyan Thunder seal.

Li Xiye remained expressionless as lightning erupted from her body. A thick cyan thunderbolt slammed into the iron box, blasting the grayish mist to pieces and further strengthening the seal.

Then, she connected to the command center’s communication channel. "I’ve captured an Apostle alive over here. Requesting an Any Door for transport..."

Before Li Xiye could finish speaking, she suddenly appeared behind Zhou Chen and yanked him rapidly backward. At the same time, a nondescript little black dot materialized in midair and, without any warning, erupted with a terrifying gravitational pull. Air, soil, dust, debris, Abyss crystals... everything was instantly sucked into the small black dot as space silently collapsed around it.

A few seconds later, the upheaval ceased, revealing a perfectly circular crater one kilometer in diameter.

In midair, connected by threads of crimson crystal, the severed limbs pieced themselves back together. The ugly woman had broken the seal and revived, glaring at the pair with a face full of hatred.

She opened her mouth and let out a silent shriek.

A sharp glint of cyan electricity flashed in Li Xiye’s eyes. The Tyrant’s Absolute Will descended, and the formless mental tsunami instantly disintegrated.

"Get out of here. This old bitch is a handful," Li Xiye sent to Zhou Chen through the Bonds Ring.

Her opponent was not as pathetic as they had imagined. She had been the one to trigger the spatial collapse, and the source of the Ability was her corrupted arm.

Only now did the ugly woman truly reveal her strength. Countless ferocious and malevolent eyes opened on her corrupted, pitch-black right arm, casting undisguised malice toward the mortal world. If one listened closely, they could hear a mournful, blood-curdling roar coming from the arm. Though it was merely a lingering echo, it radiated a terrifying aura that made one’s blood run cold.

It was the dying wail of a Tier Five Abyss Monarch...

This arm belonged to an already-dead Tier Five Abyss Monarch!

To have transplanted the arm of a Tier Five Abyss Monarch onto her body... even if she could only wield one percent of its Power, it was terrifying enough. Combined with an Apostle’s unkillable nature, calling this ugly woman a handful was an understatement.

"Die!" the ugly woman shrieked, raising her palm. An endless crimson torrent erupted from it, forming a scarlet river that reeked of cold death.

"Be careful," Zhou Chen warned before making a tactful retreat. He wasn’t suicidal enough to step onto a Tier Four battlefield; he would only be a distraction for Li Xiye.

The Steel Phoenix Fire Feather unfolded, its thrusters spewing brilliant flames. He shot away with a sonic boom, and almost at the same instant, a roar like a collapsing mountain range erupted from behind him.

’Apostles...’ Zhou Chen’s heart sank as he was buffeted by the gale.

He had already encountered two Apostles, and there were bound to be more. This meant that Fallen Paradise’s Rebuilding Eden project had been partially successful, and these Apostles would become the greatest obstacle on the battlefield.

Apostles and crystals were already closely linked. Here in this Crystal Hell, they were like trees with roots deep in the earth, able to continuously draw upon Abyssal Power to endlessly repair themselves. It was an outrageously unfair advantage. As long as this Abyss existed, they had an inexhaustible source of sustenance.

’I wonder if the Star Association has found a way to deal with the Apostles.’

Just then, Zhou Chen came to a sudden stop, braking in midair.

For no reason at all, a strong premonition arose from the depths of his Soul. His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and then his very Soul began to shudder.

’Something is...’

’Something is coming!’

He whipped his head around, looking in the direction the premonition was coming from. There was nothing there, yet the feeling only grew stronger.

"Heh heh heh... HAHAHAHA!!!"

In the sky, within the colosseum, the blood-soaked Pope roared with laughter.

"To have not noticed even now... The Star Association is truly dim-witted!"

Amidst his booming laughter, the sky broke. Space cracked like a mirror, and a battlefield that seemed frozen in ancient times forced its way into this stretch of the Abyss, descending with an earth-shattering roar.

Zhou Chen was thrown back by the gale, only managing to stabilize himself with great difficulty. He looked up, and his pupils abruptly widened, then froze.

It was a shattered city shrouded in the flames of war. Its architectural style was completely different from the modern world, clearly from a bygone age. Without a doubt, these were the ruins of a city from a bygone age!

At this moment, the city was like a static diorama. Burning flames, swirling gunpowder smoke, shattering debris, collapsing buildings... everything was frozen solid.

Looking closer, one could see that an ocean of lush vegetation had sprouted throughout the war-torn city ruins, covering vast swathes of it like a primeval rainforest. Thousands of plant species were frozen in time, captured in a state of frantic growth. Among them were even many types of Extraordinary flora.

Observing the details further, one could see that the plants seemed to be forming a barrier, as if trying to protect the city from a devastating blow.

As for what lay deeper within, it was impossible to see.

’This is...’ Zhou Chen sucked in a sharp breath. ’What in the world is this place?’

Soon, the booming laughter from the sky answered his question.

"Look! This is the Divine War that destroyed the bygone age!"

The Pope cried out in excitement, "These are the Divine War Ruins!"