547 Absolute Authority
Grand Priest Ignatius's weak, elderly body was a fragile balloon half filled with water. It couldn't withstand the brunt of Vaan's powerful slap whatsoever. But at the same time, Vaan's slap was not like a regular slap. It was more like swatting a mosquito with a giant sledgehammer.
As such, Grand Priest Ignatius's body exploded on the spot, spraying blood everywhere.
Several drops splashed onto the faces and white robes of nearby priests, causing their bodies to jolt in response.
However, their minds remained blank, unable to process the situation.
Archpriest Thurman slowly glanced down at the splattered bloody mess that remained of Grand Priest Ignatius on the ground. It was found inside a palm imprint that was at least a hundredfold the size of Vaan's palm.
"H-How can this be? That fool Ignatius... He must have made a mistake during his practice... Yes, that must have been it!" said a Grand Priest after returning to his senses. But instead of accepting the truth of the situation, he denied it, thinking of other possibilities.
"Your Divinity, please clean up the bloody mess you made on the ground," a Grand Priest carefully requested rather than ordered.
Vaan casually waved his hand, reducing the bloody mess into black ashes with fiery blue flames.
"Hahaha..."
After witnessing Vaan following the instruction, several Grand Priests laughed forcefully to relieve their tension and nervousness.
Some quickly became convinced there was nothing wrong with the One-Mind Unity Spell. It was Grand Priest who messed up his practice of holy aura.
"I have some blood on me. Please clean it for me," another Grand Priest ordered with a growing grin, preparing to use Vaan like a slave.
"Sure," Vaan gave a flat answer without emotions.
Shortly after he snapped his fingers, the grinning Grand Priest's body lit on fire. The person's grin quickly contorted into pain and horror.
"Arghhh-!!!" the Grand Priest wailed painfully, flailing his arms and head everywhere to put out the fire, but to no avail.
He couldn't think straight and didn't think about using spells.
"Help him!"
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
At Archpriest Thurman's command, multiple Grand Priests and High Priests snapped out of their shock and jumped into action.
Water spells were unloaded onto the burning Grand Priest's body but failed to kill the violent blue flames, no matter how many were used.
The undying blue flames couldn't be extinguished.
Eventually, the burning Grand Priest's body fell to the ground and ceased his painful struggles. He was fried to death.
Everyone fell into silence with heavy moods; their hearts palpitated with trepidation.
"Your Divinity, our words do not influence you, do they?" Archpriest Thurman carefully asked.
"What do you think?" Vaan replied with an amusing half-smile.
Although Vaan didn't give a direct answer, it was the same as admitting the Grand Priests' words didn't influence him.
Even Archpriest Thurman had no sway over him.
As such, everyone's growing suspicion had been confirmed. It was unthinkable, but it was the truth; the false Sun God's holy aura was superior to theirs.
In other words, they didn't invite a lamb into their house of wolves; they invited a wolf into their house of lambs.
Although they didn't know how the false Sun God did it, they had practically offered him the Sun God Temple's ultimate authority. They would have no choice but to follow his orders. Even his casual words could influence them and change their views and beliefs. That was the brainwashing power of the person with the purest holy aura a?? the power of the religion's leader.
Archpriest Thurman wasn't the most senior member of the Sun God Temple. But he indeed held the highest position due to his higher mastery of the Holy Aura Scripture.
Thanks to that, he gained access to all of the Sun God Temple's resources to help him raise his cultivation to its present heights.
And now, someone greater had replaced him.
That said, Archpriest Thurman could figure out how Vaan could possess a purer holy aura when he was given a flawed version of the Holy Aura Scripture.
Perhaps he was really the...
"This humble servant has committed a grave mistake against the Sun God! Please give this humble servant a chance to repent, Your Divinity!" Archpriest Thurman decisively knelt on the ground with a heavy after coming to a certain conclusion.
When he felt kneeling wasn't sincere enough, he quickly kowtowed and banged his head on the ground without shame.
"This..."
The rest of the opposing priests were stunned by the Archpriest's actions but soon recognized the situation.
"We have seen the light! Please give this humble servant a chance to repent, Your Divinity!" They all kowtowed on the ground, not daring to lift their heads unless granted permission.
They were in a position where if the Sun God told them to kill themselves, they would have no choice but to do it.
At the same time, the templars, devoted priests, and believers further away also kowtowed on the ground. Contrary to the opposing priests, they prostrated to pay their respects to the Sun God, not to plead for mercy.
Although everyone had countless doubts, it wasn't the time to ask.
When Vaan restored the flawed version of the Holy Aura Scripture, he couldn't have possibly known the exact contents of the original version in the Sun God Temple's possession.
As such, the flawed version of the Holy Aura Scripture was restored according to his understanding. Ultimately, he ended up with a more flawless and refined copy than the Sun God Temple's version.
He wasn't the Venerable Sage of Aura Cultivation for nothing.
"Get up. There will be no further deaths today," Vaan calmly pardoned the surrendered high-ranking priests before saying, "But perhaps a fate worse than death awaits all of you."
"You will act true to the Sun God Temple's official teachings and serve the people, help those who cannot walk stand, and spread the faith. And each time you hold rebellious thoughts against me, you must double your efforts on the task."
"Have you understood?" Vaan asked, intending to work them to the bone.
Nevertheless, he was starting to grow tired of playing god.
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