“Don’t panic, everyone. This is the holy land of our sect – the Four Gods Palace.”

“After you have a brief rest here, the Flower God will lead you to see the Saint, who will then preside over your baptism.”

Inside the cave, lanterns dispelled the darkness, revealing a solid blue-white altar on the ground.

Zhao Guanxiang and his entourage were standing on this round blue-white altar, and around the altar stood the “flower gods” wearing white dresses and gauze on their faces.

Although these flower gods have their faces covered with veils, it can be seen that each of them is a young girl of seventeen or eighteen years old, all of whom are beautiful and have attractive figures.

They were holding a cardboard lantern in their hands, and the light came from the lanterns in their hands.

The person who just spoke was the most beautifully dressed one among this group of “Flower God Messengers”. Unlike the other “Flower God Messengers” who were dressed simply, she wore a wreath woven from colorful flowers on her head and held a wooden scepter in her hand. She stood in the center of the blue and white altar, facing the group of newcomers who were sent to the Four Gods Palace.

There was a commotion among the crowd around, but this group of “Flower God Messengers” had no intention of answering their questions and just stood quietly by.

“The Four Gods Palace? Are they the evil gods worshipped by the Salvation Church?”

Zhao Guanxiang was somewhat confused.

The Astronomical Survey Office had been in Jingzhou for such a long time that it had gained considerable understanding of the Red Lotus Cult of the Salvation Sect entrenched in Jingzhou, and also had a lot of information on the various evil gods worshipped by the Savior Cult.

The evil gods worshipped by the Salvation Church are not just four.

As a member of the Astronomical Observatory, he was naturally qualified to view the information about the Salvation Church in the Observatory.

Fifteen years ago, the group of salvation cults that bewitched Prince Yong’an and the current group of salvation cults in Jingzhou are both from the Red Lotus lineage, but the group of salvation cults fifteen years ago believed in a deity named “Meng Gong”.

The Salvation Church that is now entrenched in Jingzhou mainly believes in the two gods “Seven Suffering Immortals” and “The Supreme Spiritual Lord of the Three Lamps”.

Dream God, Seven Sufferings, Three Lamps…

If the Palace of Four Gods refers to the four most powerful gods under the Mother of Life, then who would be the last god?

Zhao Guanxiang was puzzled. He glanced at a “Flower God Envoy” not far away and asked politely, “Sister, where is our Four Gods Palace built?”

“What’s your name, sister? My name is Xie Chang’an, and I’m from the Xie family in Changxi. I think you look familiar, maybe we’re from the same hometown…”

“Hey, did my sister drop this piece of gold?”

Faced with Zhao Guanxiang’s attempts to build relationships with him and even bribe him, the “Flower God Messenger” just smiled and said nothing from beginning to end.

After several attempts, Zhao Guanxiang became discouraged.

He even suspected that these “Flower God Messengers” were the same as the “Blood Bodhisattvas”, evil creatures created by the Salvation Church and had no humanity at all.

I don’t know how long it took.

After the last unconscious person gradually woke up from his coma, the “Flower God Messengers” turned around in unison and walked out of the altar.

Everyone on the altar hesitated for a while, but eventually they all followed.

Zhao Guanxiang followed the crowd and walked forward along with the “Flower God” who was leading the way.

After getting off the altar, there is a corridor that slopes downward.

The corridor was complex and Zhao Guanxiang had noticed several forks in the road. Those “Flower God Messengers” seemed to be very familiar with these places. They chose one of the paths without hesitation and continued to lead the way.

He deliberately fell behind the team, and only after he had gained some distance from the people in front of him did he turn around and jog towards the corridor.

He needed to make some marks in preparation for his escape.

But when Zhao Guanxiang ran to the corridor, he found a figure lying on the ground stealthily, scratching something on the ground with a dagger.

The sound of Zhao Guanxiang’s footsteps instantly startled the person who came over. The other person stood up suddenly and glared at Zhao Guanxiang.

After the two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time, the other party slowly spoke: “Who are you?”

Zhao Guanxiang replied, “The one wearing green clothes.”

“It turns out to be a colleague in the government.”

The man’s face was obviously much more relaxed, and he said politely: “I am Zhou Hu, the captain of the Patrol of the Astronomical Observatory. I wonder which side you are from?”

fart!

Zhao Guanxiang almost cursed. There were many lieutenants in the Observatory, but who didn’t he know? There was no one named Zhou Hu. This man looked unfamiliar, so he couldn’t be a colleague in the Observatory.

He did not reveal Zhou Hu’s identity, but instead said, “Head of the East Factory, Wei Li!”

Zhou Hu’s expression was obviously stiff for a moment, the corners of his smooth mouth twitched, and his slightly raised index finger pressed down.

He didn’t say a word more, and suddenly said, “So it was Wei Dangtou. Wei Dangtou also sneaked into the Salvation Church to gather intelligence?”

“Hush, be careful the walls have ears.”

“Yes Yes.”

Zhou Hu responded repeatedly, and said in a low voice: “From now on, you and I should take good care of each other.”

Zhao Guanxiang nodded repeatedly: “That’s right, that’s right. This Salvation Cult is extremely dangerous. You and I must support them secretly. Okay, you should leave quickly. If you leave the team for too long, someone will get suspicious.”

At his urging, Zhou Hu had no choice but to respond and leave.

Before he left, Zhao Guanxiang stopped him again.

“and many more……”

“Is there anything else, Chief Guard?”

“Do you still need your dagger? Lend it to me.”

Zhou Hu looked down at the dagger in his hand in a daze, and handed it to Zhao Guanxiang helplessly.

Zhao Guanxiang took the dagger, waved it twice, and nodded with satisfaction: “Not bad, you can go.”

Zhou Hu hesitated and said, “Captain Wei, it’s not easy to bring a weapon in. This dagger…”

“I’ll return it to you when I’m done with it. How can I blame you for a broken dagger?”

Zhao Guanxiang rolled his eyes, turned over and went to mark the intersection of the corridor.

Zhou Hu was stunned for a while, and then he vaguely heard a low roar coming from deep in the tunnel.

The sound was like that of a wild beast.

Zhou Hu’s expression suddenly changed. He glanced at Zhao Guanxiang who was squatting in the corner with an uncertain look. Finally, he gritted his teeth, stomped his feet, and left quickly.

……

“What is Zhou Hu’s identity? Is he the prince’s man? Or one of those gangsters? Or is he from the East Factory?”

“In order to infiltrate the Salvation Church, I was unable to bring in my Evil-Slaying Blade. I didn’t expect that Zhou Hu could bring in a weapon of excellent quality… Even though it’s a dagger, it’s better to have it than not.”

Shortly after Zhou Hu left, Zhao Guanxiang quickly caught up with the main force again.

He followed at the end of the team, reaching into his arms and touching the dagger.

It was estimated that Zhou Hu had gone through a lot of trouble to bring in this dagger, and now he must be so angry that his teeth are about to break.

But… still?

Zhao Guanxiang had never thought about returning it. After all, Zhou Hu dared to impersonate the identity of the Tianjian Patrol, so he must not be a good person. He just didn’t know if there would be any hidden dangers if he kept Zhou Hu.

Zhao Guanxiang tried to find Zhou Hu’s position in the team, but the corridor was narrow and could only accommodate two or three people walking side by side. The road ahead was crowded and dark, and he could not see clearly who was in front for a while.

After trying without success, he gave up.

……

After more than half an hour, the journey finally came to an end.

After passing the corridor, the view suddenly becomes clear and the light gradually becomes brighter.

The moment Zhao Guanxiang stepped out of the corridor, a foul air mixed with damp water vapor and the smell of decay and mildew rushed towards him, as if the long river of time had been silted up here for thousands of years, pouring the heaviness and vicissitudes of the years into his nasal cavity all at once.

The stone walls are covered with inky green moss.

In front of everyone was a stone bridge spanning a deep abyss. The area below the bridge was bottomless, and only the sound of waves from the undercurrent could be heard.

The entire stone bridge is made of rough and heavy stones. The stone piers on both sides of the bridge are inlaid with jade beads as big as a baby’s head. These jade beads emit a soft light, providing light for this dark and silent space.

On the bridge railings, statues of mythical beasts in various shapes stand majestically, with ferocious faces, exposed fangs, waving sharp claws, and some are howling to the sky, while others are glaring, as if they are shouldering the sacred mission of guarding the secrets of the underground palace, and seem to be warning every uninvited guest who rashly breaks in with the most ferocious attitude.

Led by the Flower God, everyone stepped onto the stone bridge carefully.

Every step he took made a dull and hollow echo as the soles of his shoes collided with the stone slabs.

The sound continued to echo and amplify in the empty and silent underground palace, as if the whole world was left with only these monotonous and strange footsteps.

When Zhao Guanxiang stepped onto the stone bridge, he felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by a big hand.

He subconsciously covered his chest, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

He felt the power of the Lord of Nowhere stirring in his body.

“Don’t do anything weird at this time!”

At this moment, Zhao Guanxiang’s heart almost rose to his throat, his pupils constricted, and cold sweat flowed one after another.

This is the headquarters of the Salvation Church. If any unusual movement occurs at this time and his identity is exposed, there may not even be anyone to collect his body!

But once people worry about something, that thing is bound to happen.

Zhao Guanxiang felt that someone was looking at him.

No, not just one…it was many eyes lurking in the dark, spying on him!
Zhao Guanxiang stopped, his face turned pale, and cold sweat began to flow down his forehead.

He bravely looked in the direction where the gaze was coming from, and was shocked to find that the gaze was coming from a beast-shaped statue on the stone bridge.

The beast-shaped statue was clearly cast in bronze, but its eyes looked like those of a living being, staring straight in the direction of Zhao Guanxiang.

Not only this one, all the animal statues on the stone bridge seemed to come alive at this moment. Although their movements and expressions did not change at all, Zhao Guanxiang could always feel their eyes on him!

This feeling… is even more eerie in the silence.

Just at this moment, someone gently pushed him from behind.

“Why don’t you move forward?”

It was Zhou Hu’s voice.

Zhao Guanxiang suddenly came to his senses and let out a long breath.

He turned his head and saw that Zhou Hu had come to his side without him noticing.

The feeling of being secretly watched did not disappear, and the spiritual restlessness of the Lord of No Hope in the body continued.

Zhou Hu didn’t know what was going on, so he lowered his voice and asked, “Captain Wei, that dagger…”

Zhao Guanxiang just lowered his head, quickened his pace, and walked towards the end of the stone bridge.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened until he left the stone bridge.

The animal statue on the stone bridge still stood there, motionless, as if everything that had just happened was just Zhao Guanxiang’s illusion.

After leaving the stone bridge, the spirit of the Lord of Wuwang in his body gradually calmed down, as if it had fallen into a deep sleep.

While Zhao Guanxiang breathed a sigh of relief, he also heard exclamations from the people around him.

He followed the crowd’s gaze and looked in confusion.

When he raised his head, Zhao Guanxiang’s pupils suddenly contracted and he stood there in a daze.

Standing before everyone was a huge bronze palace.

This is a palace that fits perfectly, as if someone had built a huge mold for the palace and poured hot copper into it, so that there is not a single gap at all.

The palace’s flying eaves and brackets are stacked one after another, like black bats flapping their wings to fly, exuding a solemn and murderous atmosphere in the dimness. At the end of each flying eave, there is a small copper bell hanging, which makes a subtle and ethereal sound with the occasional cold wind, echoing in the silent underground palace, adding a bit of mystery.

The gate of the palace is tall and heavy, carved from a single black stone. The surface is engraved with strange runes that flicker faintly under the light.

“Is this the Four Gods Palace?”

Zhao Guanxiang looked at the miraculous underground palace in front of him and was so shocked that he was speechless for a moment.

How much manpower, material resources and financial resources would have been spent to build a palace like this one, who knows how many meters deep underground?
What does the Salvation Church want to do by building such an underground palace in Jingzhou?
When everyone was distracted, the leader of the flower gods came to the bronze gate and said, “The Saint has prepared for the baptism. Please follow me to meet the Saint.”

The former Gong Xinying was the Red Lotus Saint.

However, there is more than just one saint in the Church of Savior.

She is the saint of the lineage of the Spirit Lord above the Three Lamps. Apart from her, all other factions of gods have their own saints.

The one who is now presiding over the baptism of these newcomers is the saint of the “Seven Sufferings” faction.

As the leader of the flower gods led everyone around the Bronze Palace and walked towards a temple not far from the Bronze Palace, Zhao Guanxiang couldn’t help but feel nervous.

After spending these days with Gong Xinying, he has gained quite a bit of understanding about the Red Lotus Saint.

Every Red Lotus Saint may not be very powerful, but they all have their own special qualities.

For this reason, Zhao Guanxiang was worried that this new Red Lotus Saint might be able to see through his disguise.
……

“Lady Saint, the new believers have arrived.”

The temple gate was open, and in the empty hall, a woman was kneeling in front of the statue, apparently praying.

The statue is of a goddess sitting high on auspicious clouds, with seven subordinate gods following her below. Each of the subordinate gods is of different heights, weights, genders, and ages. All of them have their faces covered with black scarves, on which are written the names of the seven kinds of suffering: “birth”, “aging”, “sickness”, “death”, “parting from loved ones”, “meeting with enemies and hatred”, and “failure to obtain what one desires”.

The Seven Bitter Immortals are one of the Four Red Lotus Gods of the Salvation Cult.

After the leader of the flower gods entered the hall to report, the woman who had been kneeling and praying in the hall slowly stood up and turned around.

When Zhao Guanxiang saw the face of the woman in the hall clearly, his eyes almost popped out.

It was a face he was very familiar with.

“How could it be her?!” (End of this chapter)