I, Lord of Prayer

—A gentleman. 🐤💝 ❻9Ŝ卄υЖ.ℂㄖм ♤♟

His real name is Durren Joyce. He was a former member of the North American Stars Society and is now a member of the reclusive organization "Paradise Lost". He is a Tier 2 High Corruptor and his ability is "Shadow Pool".

As a rare user of shadow-type abilities, spying in the dark is his specialty.

According to the Stars Society's records, he had infiltrated the inner circle of the chairman of a Fortune 500 company for a full month. During this time, neither the Ascended Bodyguards nor various detection devices detected any trace of him. He was hidden in the shadow of that chairman.

After obtaining the information he wanted, he killed the chairman and escaped the encirclement without anyone noticing.

Besides his most famous ability, "Shadow Pool," his extraordinary abilities have undergone two qualitative changes, giving rise to other abilities such as shadow movement and shadow lurking. When necessary, he can completely blend into the darkness and completely hide his tracks.

Such a dangerous and patient person has been eyeing Li Xiaoxiao for a very long time, so Zhou Chen has reason to suspect that the source energy fluctuations he sensed just now originated from the gentleman.

"Gentleman knows that Li Xiaoxiao is someone who can contact 'Blue Whale,' so he has probably already infiltrated her side. If he wants to make a move, now is indeed a good opportunity... Just now, it is very likely that he deliberately created a flaw to see what level I am at..." Zhou Chen's mind raced as he analyzed all the possibilities.

With the mountains and rivers too far to reach them, the stars might not be able to provide support in time. If the gentleman really does manage to break through, he'll have to run away with Li Xiaoxiao.

Although the gentleman was his enemy, he wasn't so furious that he lost his mind. A crippled first-tier Ascendant fighting a second-tier Corruptor who had been famous for many years... wasn't that just sending him to his doom?

However, as a figure close to the deacon level in the Eternal Flame, Li Xiaoxiao must have something to protect herself; perhaps she herself is a long-hidden Ascendant.

The gentleman has refrained from making a move for so long, perhaps because he is wary of some of Li Xiaoxiao's methods...

As Zhou Chen pondered, he followed Li Xiaoxiao into the villa. As the power was turned on, the lights instantly illuminated the extremely luxurious hall.

"The information said Li Xiaoxiao's family is in the oil business, and it seems they really are rich... However, her family relationships aren't harmonious. Her parents argued and threatened divorce when she was young, and both of them cheated on her with lovers in front of her. Maybe that's one of the reasons she joined the Eternal Flame..." Zhou Chen looked around, his thoughts racing, and followed Li Xiaoxiao into the villa. 🎀♠ ➅❾𝐒нỮ𝔁.匚๏𝐦 👌♨

High-end villas usually have elevators inside, making it convenient for wealthy people to move around in their homes—getting lost at home is no joke for rich people.

Stepping into the elevator, Zhou Chen glanced at the buttons beside him. In addition to the three floors above ground, this villa actually had two more floors underground.

But Li Xiaoxiao did not press any of the buttons individually. Instead, she pressed them all in order from top to bottom and from bottom to top, and then pressed the open button three times and the close button three times.

It's like entering some kind of special program.

A few seconds later, the elevator doors slowly closed, and we began to descend, accompanied by a slight feeling of weightlessness.

Soon, Zhou Chen frowned slightly. The elevator was taking longer to descend than he had expected. This time was enough to descend to the tenth floor, which should have been well past the villa's boundaries, but the elevator showed no sign of stopping.

The glaring red floor numbers flashed and changed at an extremely high frequency as they continued to descend, as if heading straight for the depths of hell.

Zhou Chen guessed that the place Li Xiaoxiao wanted to take him to was not on any floor of the villa, but rather a "gap room," which could also be called a "folded space."

After a long while, the elevator stopped, and the floor numbers disappeared completely, replaced by a scarlet flame pattern.

—The symbol of the church, the eternal fire.

The elevator doors opened, but all that appeared before Zhou Chen was an ancient bronze door that was very close at hand, covered with eerie patterns.

"Are you ready to open the door to a new world?" Li Xiaoxiao asked half-jokingly.

"Is the truth I want to know behind the door?" Zhou Chen asked.

  

"Yes."

"Shall I push it?" he asked again.

"Of course, this is your initiation ceremony."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen took two steps forward and reached out to stroke the cold, heavy bronze door. It seemed to be a valuable alchemical artifact, and it should also possess some unknown abilities.

He then exerted force with his arm, and with a heavy scraping sound as the door slammed against the ground, slowly pushed open the bronze door. ☠🐲 💝🐻

Surprisingly, the room behind the door was not spacious, probably only the size of the villa's living room, and the items inside were pitifully few: a mirror, a wooden chair, and four walls lined with burning pale candles. It looked rather shabby.

It is worth noting that an occult ritual array was drawn on the ground with an unknown pigment. It was filled with one bizarre and twisted evil symbol after another, like a frenzied dance of hellish spirits, forming a huge circular array that covered the mirror and the wooden chair.

Zhou Chen subconsciously looked at the symbols, and without warning, his brain exploded with a buzzing sound. Countless crazy and chaotic chants and terrifying screams rang in his ears, as if a red-hot iron rod was churning wildly in his brain.

In his vision, pitch-black flames surged from every corner of the room, instantly bursting into flames. Though it was fire, it brought a bone-chilling cold, radiating a deathly chill that frostbitten his eyes and his soul.

In the dense shadows of the deathly flames, something else existed; it twisted, it writhed, it screamed, and it opened its bloodshot eyes…

More, and even more bizarre and terrifying illusions are emerging.

"Don't look! That's an abyss symbol! Your sanity is plummeting!" Jiang Che's stern warning came through the communication channel.

Zhou Chen struggled to look away, nearly losing his footing. He clutched his forehead in pain for several seconds before opening his eyes again. All the terrifying phenomena in the room had vanished without a trace, as if it had just been an incomprehensible hallucination.

He was panting heavily, still shaken. These evil symbols carried the power of the abyss, and merely glancing at them was enough to drive one mad.

Just then, Li Xiaoxiao's belated reminder came to his ears:

"I forgot to remind you, the runes on the ground are abyssal runes, and they are of a very high level. Unless you receive the blessing of our lord, you will see all sorts of indescribable hallucinations under the influence of the abyssal power, and there are countless people who are corrupted on the spot."

"Your reminder came at just the right time..." Zhou Chen said with dissatisfaction.

Li Xiaoxiao ignored his complaints and stepped into the room—this was just a small surprise that gave him a preliminary understanding of the power of the Abyss.

"Come and sit down," Li Xiaoxiao said, patting the wooden chair.

Zhou Chen frowned, showing vigilance and hesitation. Just looking at the symbol could drive people crazy and cause their sanity to plummet. If he were to enter the ritual, the outcome probably wouldn't be good.

"Don't worry, it won't harm you."

Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and explained in simpler terms: "Before introducing the company, shouldn't I let you meet the boss first?"

"...You just mentioned 'the abyss' and 'my lord'..."

After a pause, Zhou Chen tentatively asked, "Are you the Church of the Abyss?"

"It's 'we'," Li Xiaoxiao emphasized to correct him, "You're one of us now too."

"Okay, let's go." Zhou Chen walked into the room, not daring to look at the evil symbols on the ground again, and could only stare at Li Xiaoxiao.

"My current authority is limited, and I don't know many Abyss Churches. The Eternal Life Church, the Dream Church, the Desire Church..." He rattled off the names of many Abyss Churches in one breath. "What kind of church are we?"

"The Eternal Flame".

Li Xiaoxiao uttered the word solemnly and devoutly.

"The Eternal Flame?!"

Zhou Chen displayed just the right amount of shock. After all, the Eternal Flame was one of the most notorious Abyss Churches in the world, with a resounding reputation. Any Ascended would be horrified to learn that the mysterious organization they had joined was the Eternal Flame.

This is like boarding a behemoth pirate ship.

Li Xiaoxiao was very satisfied with his reaction, and her face showed a sacred reverence: "The god we worship is the great being in the abyss - the King of Chaos!"

His holy fire will one day illuminate the world, and you will soon have the privilege of witnessing the power of our Lord.

Now, please sit down.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Chen braced himself and sat down in the chair, looking at the smooth mirror in front of him, where his own image was reflected.

"What will it send?" he asked.

"Don't be nervous, you need to be patient, just a little bit of patience..."

Li Xiaoxiao murmured with a fervent look in her eyes:

"Because you will—bear witness to God!"

As the Abyss Ritual was initiated, the scene in the mirror instantly began to distort, darkness spread, and violent turmoil erupted.

It was like a purgatory, devoid of any living beings, with the most primordial chaotic flames dominating everything.

In the eternally burning black flames, the outline of a colossal figure can be vaguely seen, standing in the deepest part of the flames and darkness, casting a cold, superior glance.

In an instant, Zhou Chen felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His scalp felt like it was about to explode, his mind was in complete chaos, his reason let out a desperate wail, and he felt the fear that was being released from the depths of his genes.

Trembling, an uncontrollable trembling.

Every inch of flesh and blood, every cell, screamed in terror.

That great, twisted, indescribable existence was destroying his mind. It was as if the coldness, death, despair, and darkness, so dense as to solidify into a tangible form, were invading his consciousness, inch by inch drowning his reason, and breaking down all his defenses. Finally, a crazy idea suddenly surged into his mind.

Look at these flames; they represent the primordial chaos, the return of everything to nothingness.

They are darkness, they are death.

They are cold, they are fierce.

They are so...

nice!

Why, why not let the world see them, feel them, and be finally purified by their burning?

Why not...

In that instant, Zhou Chen seemed to understand the truth of all things in the world. His wildly trembling pupils reflected the raging black flames, revealing a crazed expression.

"marvelous!"

"I'm gradually understanding everything!"

Li Xiaoxiao smiled and gently patted his shoulder: "So, after witnessing the power of our Lord, what are your thoughts?"

"Of course..."

Zhou Chen's face was filled with fervor as he opened his arms as if to embrace the abyss.

He spoke with great passion:

"I will pledge my allegiance to the King of Chaos!"