As the Silver Masked Group gained prestige, Fen Shuying and Kang Huian's team were equally successful in accomplishing their assigned task. They had already raided three warehouses affiliated with Crown Prince Wang Hao's faction, leaving no trace of their presence.
During their mission, Kang Huian was taken aback by Fen Shuying's remarkable stealth abilities. She effortlessly infiltrated heavily guarded warehouses with her team, silently subduing guards without making a sound. Even Kang Huian, who anticipated some commotion, was unable to detect their movements.
With the guards neutralized, Kang Huian's team swiftly entered the warehouses, meticulously looting their contents before transporting the spoils to a nearby warehouse under Wang Jian's control.
They repeated this process at the subsequent locations, successfully carrying out their operations undetected.
However, news of the attacks on warehouses affiliated with Crown Prince Wang Hao's faction began to circulate, causing the remaining organizations to fortify their defenses significantly.
Faced with heightened security measures, Fen Shuying and Kang Huian's team found themselves compelled to engage in direct confrontations.
Kang Huian's team finally unleashed their skills, launching a frontal assault to divert the enemy's attention. While holding their adversaries at bay, Fen Shuying's team took advantage of the chaos, stealthily infiltrating the locations and eliminating guards with deadly precision.
The collaboration between Kang Huian's team and Fen Shuying's team proved to be a formidable combination, allowing them to overcome the fortified defenses and achieve their objectives with utmost efficiency.
As the members of their teams donned masks to conceal their identities, a striking contrast emerged. Fen Shuying's team wore sleek black masks that blended seamlessly into the darkness of the night. On the other hand, Kang Huian's team opted for vibrant crimson masks.
The majority of the masks were unadorned, simple in design, and devoid of any markings. However, Fen Shuying's and Kang Huian's masks stood out distinctly.
Fen Shuying's mask bore the symbol of a dagger, symbolizing her stealth and lethal precision. Meanwhile, Kang Huian's mask proudly displayed the symbol of a mace, representing her team's unyielding strength and power.
As the Black & Crimson Masked Group continued their daring exploits, tales of their exploits began to circulate among the higher-ups of the Empire. While their notoriety hadn't reached the level of the Silver Masked Group, their progress was still commendable.
Amidst the ongoing conflict, a monumental event unfolded on the battlefield—the arrival of the Church of Divine Light. They pledged their support to Crown Prince Wang Hao's faction. Upon deeper reflection, it was only expected that they would align themselves with Wang Hao, considering the longstanding animosity between the Church and Wang Jian's faction.
Meanwhile, Wang Ying's faction was a bit too weak for them to support it at this moment. Thus, they decided to choose Crown Prince Wang Hao.
The implications of the Church's arrival were dire for the devil forces. The Holy Attribute possessed by the Church members held the power to directly suppress the Demonic Attribute, making them a formidable adversary. Faced with such a threat, the devil forces had no choice but to unleash their trump card.
Powerful human cultivators who possessed the strength of the Emperor Realm experts stepped onto the battlefield, fighting alongside the devil forces.
The appearance of these extraordinary individuals sent shockwaves through the ranks of the Everlasting Mystical Empire.
However, it was soon revealed that these Emperor Realm experts were part of the Jade Sea Empire.
Intent on weakening and potentially annihilating the Everlasting Mystical Empire, the Royal Family of the Jade Sea Empire made the strategic decision to bolster the devil forces by providing them with their most formidable warriors.
While the Devil Forces were initially apprehensive about relying on the forces offered by the Jade Sea Empire, they recognized the dire situation at hand.
The cost of accepting this aid would come at a great expense—resources, territorial concessions, and the loss of valuable tomes containing rare devil techniques.
Nevertheless, the overwhelming threat posed by the Church of Divine Light forced their hand, compelling them to make this uneasy alliance in the face of a common enemy.
As the battle intensified, the factions of the Everlasting Mystical Empire found themselves facing an even greater challenge.
The presence of Emperor Realm experts from the Jade Sea Empire, combined with the formidable Devil Emperors, made the fight for victory all the more difficult.
However, Wang Jian's faction remained relatively unaffected by these developments.
The clash between Emperor Realm experts and Devil Emperors was concentrated in the center of the battlefield, allowing Yue Yanling and the Grand Elder of the Lotus Blossom Sect to handle any unforeseen events that might occur on their end.
Meanwhile, Hong Meilin and Han Xifeng focused their efforts on utilizing their Angelic Spirits to bolster their allies with the power of the Holy Attribute. This infusion of the Holy Attribute would last for an entire day, significantly increasing the lethality of their attacks against the demons while mitigating the impact of the demons' own assaults.
Furthermore, the Holy Attribute Blessings bestowed by Hong Meilin and Han Xifeng surpassed the capabilities of any King Realm expert from the Church of Divine Light. It was one of the reasons why Hong Meilin had been chosen as a Saintess of the Church, for her Angelic Spirit possessed immense power unlike any other.
But the surprises didn't end there as it was Han Xifeng's abilities that caused a significant stir on the battlefield.
For the first time, she unveiled the true extent of her healing prowess.
She displayed the remarkable ability to restore severed limbs, heal vital organs such as eyes and liver, and mend injuries of all kinds.
News quickly spread of Wang Jian's faction's fearless performance on the battlefield, largely attributed to the support of Hong Meilin and Han Xifeng.
The Pope himself was left stunned and somewhat angry, realizing he had let go of a boundless talent like Hong Meilin.
He also harbored frustration that his bishops had failed to persuade the remarkable healing prodigy, Han Xifeng, whose abilities appeared to possess a truly divine touch.
As night fell upon the battlefield, each faction rested while remaining vigilant for potential demon attacks. It was during the cover of darkness that the demons' abilities were enhanced, granting them advantages such as heightened senses and stealth.
To counter this, the factions of the Everlasting Mystical Empire fortified their barriers and assigned Emperor Realm experts with exceptional night vision to keep watch. This strategic measure allowed them to rest more securely during the night, minimizing the risk of demon interference.
As the night progressed, three figures emerged from the central battlefield, making their way towards the third part of the battlefield. Their movements were suspicious and did not go unnoticed, as they were swiftly intercepted by three experts.
One of the individuals wore a dark hood and a mask, concealing his identity, while the other two were revealed to be Yue Yanling, the Sect Mistress of the Lotus Blossom Sect, and the Grand Elder of the sect.
Wang Jian, disguised beneath the dark hood and mask, spoke with a disguised voice to prevent the anyone from recognizing him. "His Highness anticipated your move during the nighttime, Pope. What? Couldn't you resist after hearing of their abilities? Well, I guess it can't be helped. Turn back now, Pope, and we may let this matter pass."
The two Divine Messengers standing beside the Pope glared at the hooded figure, their eyes filled with disdain. One of them retorted with a determined voice, "Don't be so arrogant. We only relented last time because you threatened to destroy the cathedral, a symbol of faith and hope for our people. But here, we have no such limitations."
"That's right! Even with the support of the Sect Mistress and the Grand Elder of the Lotus Blossom Sect, your defeat is inevitable!" the other Divine Messenger chimed in, his voice filled with confidence.
Adding to this, the Pope spoke in a reverent tone, emphasizing the importance of their cause. "Step aside! This is for the greater good of the Empire. With Hong Meilin and Han Xifeng aiding us, we can easily vanquish the devils and end this war. Their true power can only be realized with the guidance of the Church."
Wang Jian suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, as if a touch of madness had taken hold of him. Soon, his laughter subsided, and he spoke with a tone of amusement.
"That was quite the performance. You truly excel at speaking utter nonsense in such a pompous manner. It has been a while since I encountered someone so completely deluded by their own words. But let me clarify something—I couldn't care less about notions of the greater good or evil. My priority lies in what benefits me. And, based on what you've said, Pope, relinquishing Han Xifeng and Hong Meilin to you doesn't seem to serve my interests in the slightest."
He paused for a moment, the air growing colder as his voice turned icy, "So, come at us, Pope. Don't think for a second that it was only your side holding back in our previous encounter."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l