This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 281 Did you ask me to pray for you?

Life Manor.

The tall white wall stretches out like a giant snake, and the top of the wall features exquisite wrought iron carvings that reflect a magnificent luster under the blazing sun.

Inside the walled area, a large, meticulously manicured lawn comes into view, its greenness appearing somewhat unnatural.

The flowerbed was neat and beautiful, but it was planted with many plants in shades of dark purple, indigo, and pale white. Some of them had thorns, some had tendrils sticking up, and some swayed in the wind but not quite naturally, as if the plants themselves were gently swaying.

Several magnificent buildings are scattered among them, with towering golden spires and stained glass arched windows, exuding grandeur and luxury, yet they feel extremely out of place with the surrounding wild environment.

In the center of the manor, on a plaza paved with pure white stone, stands a huge white statue.

From a distance, its height is probably close to thirty meters, like a small mountain, exuding an undeniable sense of oppression.

The statue was the figure of a giant god wearing a wide-hooded robe; its details were not yet fully sculpted, it was just a rough draft.

However, it is this blurred face, combined with its towering size, that exudes a pure and sacred aura.

Around the statue, nearly a hundred people, all believers dressed in white robes, were moving back and forth, preparing to further refine the sculpture.

Nie Weiyang's gaze shifted upwards, his pupils dilating slightly.

This seemingly crude statue is actually a spectacular architectural wonder...

Although its attributes have not yet appeared, it already has a name, which appears directly above the statue—[God of Pan-Human Life (?)].

The Cult of Life... these people have grand ambitions.

Nie Weiyang frowned, his gaze becoming increasingly sharp as he carefully examined every detail of the statue.

The blurry humanoid figure was clad in magnificent armor. Upon closer inspection, the patterns on the armor were found to be composed of countless fine, reflective snake scales, arranged in a dense pattern that clearly indicated they came from different snake species.

Its shoulders are adorned with flowing ribbons woven from brightly colored bird feathers.

The shoulder armor extends outwards with an upturned, ivory-like structure that is thick and sharp.

The lower half of the statue is strange and beautiful—it is not the human legs of an ordinary sculpture, but rather six pairs of huge wings that hang down in an interlaced manner, layer upon layer like petals closing together, encircling the center and forming a huge cavity like a shelter, probably several stories high.

"WTF……"

Nie Weiyang frowned as he stared intently at the statue, a subtle sense of familiarity creeping over him.

But he could only vaguely see that something seemed to be lurking inside the hollow cavity of the wing, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

On the statue's body, a massive serpentine figure coiled, its body extremely long and as thick as an elephant's leg, wrapped around the statue's upper body and hidden in the shadow of the 'deity's' wide cloak.

The sculpture's elements combine... snake scales, bird feathers, ivory, and the shadow of a snake...

...A statue depicting the principle of "life and death cycle"?
No, no.

The cycle of life and death has four aspects, but it doesn't have a human form. Would the Church of Life dare to represent it with the image of a possessed/assimilated individual? They wouldn't dare.

Nie Weiyang looked the statue up and down, and something just didn't seem right.

As dusk approached, the statue stood with its hands behind its back and its head slightly raised, bathed in the light of the sun and moon...

Even after being altered, it still retains the crisp lines of a certain military uniform's shoulders...

Nie Weiyang gasped: "?" — Administrator Number Two?!
In order to perfectly conceal himself, he had retracted the automatically operating shield on his body several times, which inevitably caused him to inhale some unpurified forest air.

At that moment, this unconscious deep breath caused a negative status mark of [Fever Illness 1] to pop up in his status bar. However, the next second, this state of being corrupted by darkness was purified by his energy, leaving only one line of text in the system record.

Nie Weiyang stared intently at the statue, a chill creeping up his spine.

That silhouette, that posture, those core features that, despite their bizarre and mixed nature, remain recognizable—

This looks exactly like the number two administrator!
Although this was not unexpected, the madmen of the Cult of Life were actually trying to forcibly merge the image of the Second Administrator with their understanding or misunderstanding of the four characteristics of the [Law of Life and Death Cycle], in order to create a false god statue of their own.

And this statue actually dares to name itself "[God of Pan-Human Life]"!

Although the name was followed by a question mark, an indescribable sense of absurdity and subtle anger still made Nie Weiyang raise his eyebrows.

—Disgusting.

He had to smash this thing, or the consequences would be dire. However, just as Nie Weiyang suppressed the urge to act immediately and calmly considered how to proceed more prudently, a thought, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, suddenly entered his highly concentrated mental perception range:

"We must find a way to smash this damned false idol within this month... We can't let it continue to bewitch people..."

This sentiment was urgent, quite unlike the numb, fearful, or fanatical thoughts in the shacks ahead.

Nie Weiyang's heart stirred, and he immediately turned his head quietly to look at the source of the mental fluctuation.

Thanks to his elevated position and exceptional eyesight, he could see from afar that, under the cover of the last rays of the setting sun, a small team of a dozen people was cautiously emerging from the edge of the dense forest near the manor.

They moved swiftly and stealthily, cleverly using the terrain and the deepening twilight, and with a sense of entitlement yet without making a sound, they infiltrated the vast, complex, and filthy shack area on the outskirts of the manor.

This group stood in stark contrast to the emaciated, listless residents of the shantytown.

Although they were also dressed in tattered, patched clothes, trying to disguise themselves as refugees, they were clearly more robust and moved with a trained coordination and alertness.

Instead of the hunchback and timidity that comes from long-term oppression, they exude a kind of sharp and capable spirit.

Nie Weiyang's increasingly sharp eyesight at night allowed him to capture more details.

The leader was exceptionally tall and imposing; even with a slight hunch, he was still a head taller than his companions.

He had some mud and ash smeared on his face, but it couldn't completely conceal his well-defined features.

Especially his eyes, which remained alert and sharp even in the twilight, scanned the surroundings like a hawk, a stark contrast to the numb or fanatical gazes of the local residents.

"Someone from the Light Organization? Or Rothal Albert himself?"

This thought flashed through Nie Weiyang's mind.

Lin Shouheng said that Rotal was active near Life Manor with the goal of disrupting the manor's operations.

This group was clearly outsiders; they were well-organized, their target was the false god statue, and the timing was so tight...

Nie Weiyang did not make any rash moves, but simply concealed his aura to be close to the natural environment, as if he had completely merged into the rocks and shadows.

His gaze was fixed on the group of infiltrators. Then, he got up and followed them, reaching out to the person who most likely resembled Albert.

Perhaps he has found a potential 'ally'... well, at least it's a breakthrough point for Life Manor.

(End of this chapter)