Starting with the awakened Poison God: I choose the Master Thief.

"You bastard!"

Uka violently grabbed Chu Ci from the ground.

"Fine, although I don't know what you did, killing you might automatically neutralize the poison. If not, I can just spend more time. No one can threaten Uka!"

The pale, large hand exerted force repeatedly, and Chu Ci felt as if her neck was about to break.

"Is this really the end?"

Before he died, Chu Ci vaguely saw the golden-haired saintess looking at him with a worried expression.

This girl, even though she's about to die, still has this kind of expression on her face. It seems I misunderstood her.

Just as Chu Ci was about to die and lose consciousness, Uka, who was filled with anger, suddenly widened his pupils and then abruptly released his hand.

Click!

"Cough cough!!!" Amidst the faint sounds of slashing, Chu Ci fell to the ground in a disheveled state once again.

A golden light then flowed into his body.

[You have been blessed by the Holy Light; your health is being greatly restored.]

"Are you feeling better?" The familiar voice that appeared in his mind echoed in Chu Ci's ears.

She slightly opened her eyes, and a pair of golden pupils were reflected in Chu Ci's eyes.

Hmm? Why is it so soft?

Coming to his senses, he realized that he had somehow ended up lying on the saintess's lap, and he was so shocked that he quickly stood up.

In front of the two, a figure with gray hair, dressed in a familiar black and gold suit, was standing there.

"Professor Bors, what brings you here?"

Bors did not turn around, but stared indifferently at Uka, whose arm he had cut off.

"Half a month ago, almost all of the high-ranking combat forces of the Holy See in Dawn City suddenly disappeared, and no one knows where they went."

"I investigated for a long time, and only a few days ago did I finally discover that there were abnormal reports in this ancient ruined capital. It is said that someone witnessed the appearance of the fallen cult here."

"What's even stranger is that the ancient monsters on the outskirts have also mysteriously disappeared."

"I sent people here to investigate, but we haven't heard back from them at all."

"So before I brought you here, I left a mark on you so that if you were in mortal danger, I could sense it and arrive quickly."

Chu Ci was stunned for a moment. Could it be that time?

He recalled that in the Thieves' City, the other person had suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

Why would the other party choose someone like me, a complete novice, to take this risk?

Just then, the bloodstains on the stone pillars beside them suddenly disappeared.

[Ding! You have defeated the third-tier peak Ancient Capital King (Beast-level), gaining 20 experience points.]

You have obtained the King of the Ancient Capital's Sword (item)

"Good, good, good! Very good! Bors, I never expected that you would be the one who ruined my grand plan in the end. You were the one who hid the deepest!"

The deepest? What's the deepest? What are they saying? I can't understand a single word.

Only then did Chu Ci notice that Uka's right arm had vanished.

*Gulp!* Chu Ci swallowed hard.

Seriously? Instructor Bors is that strong? Isn't he only at the sixth rank?

"Little one, this is no longer your business. Leave quickly. Little girl from the Vatican, take him away immediately."

Before Chu Ci could think further, Bors urged them on, because there, Uka had already begun to go berserk.

Black feathers gathered towards his body, and the oppressive feeling around him grew stronger. Before long, his cultivation level rose again, reaching the peak of the eighth rank!

"Old man, I admit I underestimated you back then, but don't forget, you're just a thief. Although your cultivation level has reached the ninth rank, your strength isn't necessarily that great!"

"Oh? Young man, don't be too arrogant and complacent. There might be some surprises waiting for you."

Boles kept his eyes slightly narrowed, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

That old bastard!

On the other side, the golden-haired saintess led Chu Ci down from the high platform to the center of the crowd, where several powerful members of the Holy Church quickly protected them.

With Uka no longer a major problem, the three Holy Knights were able to return to the battlefield below, making it much easier to deal with the remaining Fallen Cult members, which relieved them considerably.

boom!

Just as the two had steadied themselves, the battle above them immediately broke out.

Bors gripped two dark blue daggers in reverse and engaged Uka in battle.

The opponent wielded feathers as blades, and each swing was ridiculously fast. However, Bors always managed to dodge them with an uncanny agility and deliver a counterattack.

Before long, Uka had several wounds of varying sizes on his body.

"You old codger, you're pretty fast, but this time I'll see how you dodge!"

"The Realm of Black Feathers!"

Uka's black wings burst open, transforming into countless black feathers that instantly enveloped the surrounding space.

With the light completely gone, Bors looked up and saw that all around him was darkness.

"That's interesting."

"Just somewhat interesting? Old man, there's more to come: Black Feather Strangulation!"

Swish!

All the feathers transformed into the sharpest blades and contracted inwards, blocking all escape routes. Without activating intangibility, it was impossible to dodge.

"It seems you're quite confident in your abilities. But as you know, I'm a thief. While thieves may be weaker than other classes in combat, they are universally acknowledged as the strongest among the six classes when it comes to escaping."

"Even a novice could easily dodge your technique."

"Flying Shadow Flowing Sand".

Within the Black Feather Realm, Bors's body suddenly vanished, turning into yellow sand.

At the same time, a strong sense of crisis arose in Uka's heart.

At the critical moment, black feathers swiftly enveloped his body, transforming into a hard armor.

click!

A flash of eerie blue light appeared, and Bors's figure appeared behind Uka.

"You reacted pretty quickly."

Just as Uka was about to retort, a strong feeling of weakness suddenly overwhelmed him.

Only then did he realize that a quarter of his life force had been lost without him noticing.

"Damn it, that kid's poison is this potent! Isn't he even below the first level?"

Chu Ci felt a chill run through her body, a feeling of being watched washing over her.

"May the Holy Light protect you."

The golden shield rose again, and the feeling of being spied on lessened somewhat.

"Phew, thanks a lot."

Chu Ci looked at the saintess who had shielded him and expressed his gratitude.

"Of course, you didn't abandon us, so naturally we have to protect your safety."

"The saint is right, the Holy See is never an ungrateful bunch."

The three holy knights stood ready, clearly indicating that Uka had set his sights on Chu Ci.

"If this guy doesn't die, he'll definitely be a major variable."

Bors’s voice came from behind Uka.

"Young man, you can give it a try."

There was little time for Uka to hesitate. In the instant the black feathers flashed, two figures rushed towards Chu Ci with lightning speed.

This level of speed is simply beyond the reaction time of others.

boom!

When Chu Ci came to her senses, she realized that not far from her, Uka had been nailed to the ground.

Three sacred spears pierced his body, and crimson blood flowed onto the ground.

Bors stood beside him, his gaze indifferent.

"Young man, it seems you still have a bit to go."

"Heh, old man, do you really think this is the end of it?"

Hmm? Bors frowned slightly.

Just to be on the safe side, he drew his double-edged sword, ready to kill Uka.

"Trying to kill me now? Too late! I'll trade my life for a throne of arrogance to watch over this place!"

hum!

The once silent stone pillar suddenly burst into light, and Uka's body turned into a bloody light and was sent into the stone pillar the moment the sharp blade pierced through.

Absorbing his energy, a burst of blood-red light erupted from the stone pillar.

"Hmm, I have a feeling that another big one is coming."

The Chu Ci (Songs of Chu) expresses both helplessness and speechlessness.

No, am I destined to die?

Everyone stared at the sky above them, where a crimson pillar of light gradually converged, and a blood-red figure with an indistinct face slowly emerged.

A majestic yet ethereal voice echoed between heaven and earth.

"Using a projection made of flesh and blood to get my attention? That's disgusting."

Chu Ci was puzzled, but the mood of the others seemed to have plummeted to rock bottom.

"It really was him! He actually showed up."

"Wasn't he rumored to be seriously injured? How did he recover so quickly?"

As if it had complained enough about its own body, the crimson figure slowly landed above everyone's heads.

He stood there quietly, looking down at everyone, exuding an arrogance ingrained in his very being.

"Tell me how you want to die. I'll give you one minute to think it over."

"Heh, just like hundreds of years ago, this guy is still so arrogant."

Boles stood at the front, protecting everyone behind him.

"If it were your true form descending, I would be somewhat afraid of you. But now you're just a projection. Do you really think you're still the same person you were back then? You stinking rat hiding in the sewers, probably licking your wounds every day."

Since the crowd couldn't see the blood-red figure's face, they naturally couldn't see his expression either.

But judging from the ever-increasing sense of oppression around him, Bors's words had clearly angered the other party.

"Ninth rank? It seems you're the one who drove my seventh seat to the brink. In that case, I'll start by taking you down."