Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

"The magic formation is rather terrifying, we don't dare to go any closer. What do we do now, Hall Master?..." a Holy Court Mage asked.

Haylon was more familiar with the magic formation than anyone else. The magic formation was applied to an area instead of just a thin barrier. The Black Totem Snake had currently entered the coverage of the magic formation, and had disrupted the flow of energy of the magic formation. The magic formation would instantly burn the weaker Mages to ashes if they got too close!

"Surround the place! Even if it manages to break through the magic formation, it will surely be a lot weaker. At that time, we'll deactivate the magic formation and take them down!" Haylon ordered.

Shawshank quickly summoned more Adjudicators to him. They swiftly surrounded the area.

The magic formation would nullify every spell that landed on it. As such, the people of the Parthenon Temple were not in a rush to attack. Meanwhile, the Black Totem Snake was still too powerful. Once the magic formation of the sacred mountain weakened the creature, they would be able to subdue it!

The Black Totem Snake knew breaking through the magic formation was the only way out. When the flesh on his tail began to blister, he started ramming into the barrier with the middle section of his body.

The energy of the magic formation danced wildly. It spread to the nearby mountains, burning the plants into ashes within an instant, leaving them barren...

------

Most of the people stayed at the top of the mountain. They had only come for the funeral, so they had no obligation to lend a hand. They did not want to be involved in such a shocking battle.

Many Mages were dumbfounded by the Totem Beast's strength. Even the armed forces of the Parthenon Temple were struggling to stop the skyscraping snake. The demon snake was most likely one of the strongest creatures in the whole world. Even Super Mages were unable to withstand a single blow from the creature!

"Hall...Hall Mother… something bad has happened!" A Muse hurriedly came riding over from the Hall of the Goddess on a deer-like beast.

The beast stopped in front of the Hall Mother. The Hall Mother frowned and snapped when she saw the Muse panicking, "Aren't we busy dealing with the demon snake still? Can't you wait until we are done!?"

"The remains… Izisha's remains, she..." the Muse was struggling to speak. Her face was filled with horror.

"Say it!" the Hall Mother said coldly.

"Someone chopped her body into pieces!" the Muse finally managed to blurt out.

The Hall Mother's expression changed instantly. She lifted her gaze. Her eyes flickered murderously.

The Muse subconsciously took a few steps back in fear.

"Go check it out, keep a low profile!" the Hall Mother said to one of her personal servants.

The servant nodded. She immediately mounted the deer-like beast and followed the Muse back to the Hall of the Goddess.

The Hall of the Goddess was located on the highest mountain. The journey did not take long since they were riding the Deer Beast. The Black Totem Snake was currently trapped inside the magic formation of the sacred mountain. The creature would not be able to leave in a short period, but the Hall Mother started to feel uneasy.

---

Not long after, the servant returned with the Deer Beast. She whispered into the Hall Mother's ears.

At the same time, a great uproar took place on the mountain!

"What did you say? Izisha's body was chopped into pieces?"

"That's ridiculous! How absurd!"

"How useless are you knights? How could you possibly allow an intruder to sneak into the Hall of the Goddess!?"

"Who did it? Who!?"

The news spread rapidly, even Song Qiming had heard the news. He was standing beside Magistrate Leonard. The two exchanged glances with one another and saw the astonishment in one another's eyes!

Izisha was the previous Goddess. Her remains were preserved in the Rear Hall of the Hall of the Goddess. Her remains would only be cremated after the new Goddess was elected.

The Mountain of the Goddess was the most heavily guarded place in the Parthenon Temple. There was no way an intruder could sneak inside without alerting anyone, but someone had chopped the previous Goddess' body to bits! It was a great slap to the Parthenon Temple!

"It was a Probationary Servant, Saintess Andi's subordinate. She killed herself with poison beside the Goddess' remains, maybe she knew there's no way she could escape," the Muse said.

The Hall Mother, the Great Muse, and the Hall Masters were utterly infuriated!

It was most likely the most humiliating day for the Parthenon Temple ever. Not only did the murderer of a Saintess break out from their custody, but someone else had also blasphemed the body of their previous Goddess too! How unforgivable!

"Who was controlling her behind the scenes!?" the Hall Mother snapped furiously. Everyone immediately fell silent.

Someone had just chopped the body of their previous Goddess to pieces. It had to be part of a great conspiracy, plotted by a faction that had no respect for the Parthenon Temple!

It was basically declaring war against the Parthenon Temple!

What Mo Fan did today was already quite reckless, yet someone actually crossed the line even further, completely disregarding the authority of their Parthenon Temple!

"I was told the Spell of Resurrection is the greatest miracle of the Parthenon Temple. I'm quite interested to see if a person that has been chopped apart can be resurrected still!" a voice spoke up. The words seemed to be directed at the Hall Mother.

The Hall Mother was startled. She glanced at one of the guests, a woman that did not particularly stand out!

The woman was wearing a white dress, suitable attire for a funeral. She slowly stepped out from the panicking crowd, but the evil presence she was emitting was inharmonious with the presence of the people nearby!

She was wearing a huge hat with red lace covering her face and her neck. People could only see the outline of her face, but not her true appearance...

She was like a ghost, as her aura felt rather lifeless, yet her temperament and physique resembled that of an attractive woman!

Hall Mother Pamise glared at the woman that had uttered the scornful words, her chest heaving.

"Conti, what are you doing?"

"Are you out of your mind!?"

Many people recognized the woman. It was Conti from the Shoreline Alliance. She was a reputable representative of the Shoreline Alliance. They never thought Conti would bear such a great hatred for the Parthenon Temple that she would send someone to chop Izisha's body into pieces, and even say such astounding words!

The people could see a wild grin under the lace covering Conti's face. She ignored the comments of the people and walked forward.

She arrived at a spot where everyone could see her, before pointing at Magistrate Leonard.

Magistrate Leonard was clueless about what was going on. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. It went half a meter high into the air, forcing the others to clear a path in panic.

Song Qiming was startled, too. Leonard was perfectly fine just a moment ago. Why would he vomit black blood all of a sudden!?

Besides, the black blood...

Every time Lingling finished a quest, she would send her report to Song Qiming, including the incident about the poison that the Black Vatican had used on Chongming Island. Song Qiming had purposely looked into it!

He was utterly surprised when he sensed the same poison from the black blood that Leonard had vomited out!

Wasn't the poison something that the Black Vatican used? It was last seen in the hands of a Blue Deacon, Fang Shaoli, who was Salan's student!

"Leonard, use all you have to protect your heart. If the poison reaches your heart, you are dead for sure!" Song Qiming blurted out.

Leonard was still vomiting blood. His right hand grabbed Song Qiming desperately while his left hand was pointing at the woman in the hat. He wanted to say something, yet he could not spit out even a single word...

The poison was spreading rapidly. The Holy Court Mage that was responsible for Leonard's safety was infuriated. He immediately started for the woman!

"If you don't want your Magistrate to turn into a dried corpse, I suggest you leave my line of sight now!" Conti said coldly. Her words were irresistible.

The Holy Court Mage was stunned. He turned around and glanced at Leonard. The man was using his cultivation to keep himself alive, yet it felt like he was going to die at any second!

The series of events had taken place too suddenly. The other Magistrates looked stunned.

The other Magistrates started to vomit black blood too. They did not spit the blood out like Leonard did, as their condition was not as serious. However, even the Muses of the Parthenon Temple had no clue how to stop the poison. It was still spreading inside the victims' bodies. The whole place was in chaos!

"You...you are not Conti, who are you!? Why are you targeting the Magistrates!?" the Holy Court Mage snapped. His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"Me?" the woman grinned disdainfully, and sneered, "I am… Salan!"

The people almost lost their minds when they heard her words!

Salan?

She's Salan!?

The Red Cardinal of the Black Vatican, one of the scariest leaders of the Black Vatican, the one responsible for the Calamity of Bo City and the Calamity of the Ancient Capital!

But, wasn't Salan supposed to be Ye Xinxia, whom the Black Totem Snake was trying to rescue? Why was there another Salan that dared to show up right in front of the crowd!?

I am Salan...

That brief sentence had stirred great waves in the hearts of the powerful and prestigious people of the Parthenon Temple!