Under the twilight night, silent followers dressed in black wield steel sabers, slashing at their own arms.
Letting the mangled flesh and fresh blood spill onto the ground, staining it a deep crimson red.
This scene, indeed, could not be more eerie, no matter how eerie it gets.
Even more terrifying is that these frenzied believers gaze at you with respect and admiration.
This image is simply too beautiful to describe.
However, now, Su Tu is facing such a scene, with the pungent smell of blood flooding Su Tu’s nostrils.
"They’re... testing me!"
Watching these people’s actions, Su Tu immediately understood the intention of the person behind the scenes.
They are clearly performing some kind of ritual, and the Three Deceits Cult considers torment as Divine Grace, and at this moment, this scene is the most standard form of physical torment.
"No, it’s not that simple."
Su Tu noticed that although these followers were cutting off their flesh, there seemed to be some power lurking beneath the flesh, a power that contained a strong vitality.
Once it erupts, it can quickly heal their wounds.
In a corner of the darkness, the Spirit Host frowned as he watched all of this.
"Sufferer, using such a lowly method to test the sir, you have gone too far."
Beside him, the Sufferer wore an expression of pity.
"I am not testing the sir; this is merely a small gesture of greeting, a basic courtesy when meeting a fellow believer."
The Spirit Host did not believe a word of the Sufferer’s explanation.
In fact, to put it bluntly, although the Sufferer had been swayed by the Spirit Host’s words and had verified that the subspace within the Paradise had indeed disappeared,
he still wasn’t assured about Su Tu. One coincidence could be excused, but when a bunch of coincidences pile up, regardless of any reasonable explanation, it would seem somewhat feeble.
What if all of this was just them overthinking things??
What if this Spirit Host, whose sweat is purer than blood, is fake??
These days, the Sufferer couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, which led to this current scene.
All those who believe in the Tri-Deity are granted an incomparable healing ability that doesn’t depend on one’s cultivation realm; even if you are just an ordinary person, you will receive the gods’ favor.
No matter how much damage and torment is inflicted upon oneself, as long as the favor is present, the flesh and wounds will heal in a very short time.
This is also why the Tri-Deity Cult frequently engages in skin-peeling and bone extraction during prayers, spilling blood when offering flesh - without some means, the followers would all be dead.
Even in enacting Divine Grace, one must stay alive.
This favor lies deeply hidden; as long as one believes in the Tri-Deity, even a body occupied by a Spirit Host will receive its blessing.
Just like the white-clad man whose half-torn face, ripped while apologizing to Su Tu, is now gradually healing.
Faith might be fake, but favor is undeniably real!
"Sir, should you carry the Tri-Deity’s favor, hereafter, I will sever a limb to plead guilty; but if the favor is not present..."
"This Sufferer, hereafter, you shall long accompany the Divine Grace."
The Sufferer’s cold gaze locked onto Su Tu, eyes like those of a wolf, causing chills to run down one’s spine.
Seeming as if in the very next second, he would pounce.
And beside him, the Spirit Host’s face was filled with disgust.
"Ignorant followers!! To dare question the sir, if not for the Ancestor Star project needing you, I would certainly take your head and make it a wine cup for the sir!!"
He cast a cold glance at the Sufferer, then looked at Su Tu with great anticipation.
The Tri-Deity’s favor, based on the degree of a believer’s piety, affects the speed of bodily recovery.
Ordinary believers might take several days to heal, a Sufferer level needs about an hour.
For a Spirit Host, this pure believer, it typically takes only a few minutes.
He was now very curious about how abundant the favor is upon Su Tu, whose faith is so pure that divine intent fills his eyes.
Under the gaze of the two.
Su Tu moved.
He casually held the steel saber, slashing across his arm, the sharp blade instantly cutting through his flesh.
However, the expected scene of flesh and blood splattering did not occur.
Instead, where the blade passed, as soon as Su Tu’s wound opened, small flesh sprouts appeared, in the blink of an eye the sprouts grew, instantly healing the wound.
In the blink of an eye, that cut had already healed, not leaving a single scar.
"This!!! How is this possible!" The Sufferer’s eyes trembled, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Beside him, the Spirit Host seemed to have gone mad, kneeling directly to the ground.
"The god allows no wound, leaving no marks on the body!!"
"Do you see it? Do you see it??"
"This is the highest level of favor, the favor only the Archbishop possesses, and you dare doubt such a sir!" His voice was frantically excited.
The Sufferer followed the Spirit Host’s actions and also knelt to the ground.
He just felt a trace of ’divine’ fluctuation, he was wrong, he was terribly wrong, someone with such a level of divine favor wouldn’t be a traitor even if he was one to begin with.
Was it really just him overthinking everything??
At this moment, as Su Tu discarded the steel saber, each of the believers in front of him went crazy, looking at Su Tu like gazing upon a deity walking among men.
"Oh my!! It’s the highest favor!"
"This master is simply the envoy of the Tri-Deity on the Ancestor Star!!"
"How fortunate am I to witness a Divine Envoy!!"
The believers were madly kneeling before Su Tu, trembling uncontrollably with excitement.
Looking at the group of lunatics, Su Tu resisted the urge to bash their heads.
"To think, my first use of Eternal Life would be in such a scenario."
"If it were some other test, possibly, I would’ve been exposed, but getting injured and then healed..."
Su Tu lightly chuckled in his heart.
Upon noticing the healing power hidden within those believers’ bodies, Su Tu had pretty much guessed this so-called greeting.
Had it been another test, there was a real chance Su Tu would have failed.
But... testing this, you could say you’ve hit a wall.
Su Tu’s Divine Skill Eternal Life grants terrifying healing capabilities; not just a mere wound, with enough Qi, even a shattered head or severed limbs would instantaneously regenerate.
As for the ’divine’ aura mentioned by the Sufferer.
He can certainly sense the divine aura, as Eternal Life itself is a Divine Skill, wielding godly power.
"Have you all seen enough?"
Su Tu asked coldly, though he couldn’t directly perceive the Sufferer’s presence, he surmised someone must be stealthily observing behind such a setup.
As expected.
The moment Su Tu’s voice fell, he saw a Spirit Host and a bald man simultaneously kneeling on the ground a short distance in front of him, continually creating wounds on their own bodies.
It was as if they were apologizing to Su Tu.
The bald man gave Su Tu an extremely dangerous feeling, no less than Li Hu.
"This place is not suitable for a long stay!" Su Tu thought to himself.
Then, his gaze changed with a touch of inexplicable compassion, he sighed, and then turned to leave.
Was there any deep meaning to that sigh??
Actually, there wasn’t. Su Tu simply felt that the imaginary monster would patch things up for him.
Sure enough, not long after Su Tu turned to leave.
The Spirit Host grabbed the collar of the suffering one, his eyes red with excitement.
"Sir has been laboring for the church, and you dare doubt him, did you see the disappointment in his eyes??"
"Did you hear the mourning after that sigh??"
"You’re totally unfit to be a ’donation,’ I will definitely impeach you!!"
The Spirit Host roared, and all the remaining followers, upon hearing the host’s rebuke, grew even deeper in their admiration and faith towards Su Tu.
....
Su Tu quickly left this place of trouble and, upon returning home, took out an instrument similar to a crystal ball.
It was a treasure Li Hu specifically brought to Su Tu.
It can detect the Heart and Spirit nearby, shielding all spying.
"As expected, the people of the Three Deceits Cult are restless, they even have someone in the Training Camp."
"The martial exams are also being planned, I need to tell Hu bro about these things."
Su Tu did not make a call to Li Hu; the other party had just tested him, and he wasn’t sure if there were other means to monitor him.
Even with treasure protection, variables might arise.
Only in the martial hall can he be assured.
He plans to discuss this matter with Li Hu upon arriving at the martial hall.
"After today, the Three Deceits Cult’s trust in me should be sufficient, even if there are some flaws, the imaginary king will help patch things up."
Su Tu thought about the host in white clothes.
This guy is really interesting; it reminds him of a character he saw in Tiger Mountain in his past life.
Even if someday, the Ancestor Star’s Three Deceits Cult only had the host in white left, even as Su Tu openly rebelling, he’d still say.
"Tu Ye is flawless!!"
"Tu Ye, it’s just you and me now, I suspect I’ve been warped into a mole by the Great Divine Power User!!"
Such absurd drama reasonably unfolds on that host in white.
As Su Tu thought this, waves in his self-world kept coming.
Disturbing his thoughts.
It is the impatient Xue Yue.
"Damn you’re hungry as hell!" Su Tu cursed inwardly.
Then, he took out the black box from his chest.
Upon opening it, prominently inside was a ’light’.
Indeed, the ’light’ which should be invisible actually rested there like a tangible entity. Thɪs chapter is updated by N()velFire.net
The moment Su Tu’s gaze landed on that light.
The eye of the Benevolent Bone Overlord scattered instantly, transforming into shadows that entered Su Tu’s self-world.
The aura unlike the remnant faith of the Compassionate Blood Mother, but with an indescribable grandeur.
As it fell into his self-world, it illuminated the entire realm at once.
Then, the red moon erupted in blood-red hue, instantly devouring that grandeur.
In the instant the gaze was swallowed, Su Tu felt a chill all over.
He could clearly feel his Heart and Spirit becoming stronger, perceiving everything around him with more clarity.
This was a significant improvement in Spiritual Wisdom and Collection Dao.
[You swallowed a gaze from the Benevolent Bone Overlord, Collection Dao proficiency +500, Spiritual Wisdom proficiency +500]
[Collection Dao (High Tier): 1350/5000]
[Spiritual Wisdom (High Tier): 1670/5000]
"Damn!!"
Looking at the system panel before him, Su Tu rarely uttered a profanity.
All the hard work over these days in the Sea of Suffering Collection Dao, and Little Ba the black slave constantly working, only managed to grind the proficiency up a little.
Yet this gaze from the Benevolent Bone Overlord brought a five hundred proficiency boost to both skills.
This isn’t the Tri-Deity Cult; this is clearly his super experience treasure trove!
However, the true delight for Su Tu was yet to come.
After the proficiency add-on for these two ended.
A special tip emerged.
[You swallowed a remnant origin from the Benevolent Bone Overlord, obtaining Divine Skill: Plunder (incomplete)]
Merely looking at the divine skill column, aside from Eternal Life, another skill had appeared.
[Divine Skill: Plunder]
[Qi Stealing (Initial Tier): When causing damage to enemies, can plunder their qi, the higher the damage, the more qi plundered, the greater the realm difference, the less qi can be plundered.]
[Divine Stealing (Middle Tier): Collect twenty remnant origins from the Benevolent Bone Overlord to unlock upgrade conditions.]
[Plunder (High Tier): Collect one complete thought from the Benevolent Bone Overlord, one complete faith from the Compassionate Blood Mother, one complete Muddy World tear to unlock upgrade conditions.]
A massive chunk of information appeared.
Su Tu didn’t expect this unexpected surprise; he actually obtained a new divine skill.
It seems apart from killing Divine Envoys, as long as it involves divine beings, there’s a chance to obtain divine skills.
He glanced at the skill description about Plunder, then looked at the skill description about Eternal Life.
"It’s a closed-loop, these are combo skills!"
Eternal Life can continually restore oneself using qi, as long as enough qi, even shattered heads can regenerate, while Qi Stealing steals qi through dealing damage to enemies.
This damn thing is a direct closed-loop!
The more you hit, the more qi; the more qi, the faster you heal; the faster you heal, the harder you hit; the harder you hit, the more qi there is—it’s a damn perpetual motion machine!