I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Seven apostles, seven fragments of a book, and seven ambitious individuals, each with their own hidden agendas, wage a secret war in the capital.

Ji Tian retrieved their names from the memories of the "Thousand-Faced Apostles." They imitated the class system of ancient heroic epics, but were tainted with the madness unique to cultists:

The "Demon Sword Apostle" claims to have mastered the ultimate in killing, but in reality, he is nothing more than a madman who forges swords using blood sacrifices.

"Cursed Apostles" are skilled at long-range curses, never revealing themselves, and taking lives only with black arrows.

The "Apostles of Light" believed in the punishment of impalement, nailing victims to stakes "to offer to the light."

The "Shadow Apostle" possesses a nightmare warhorse tamed by living people, capable of traversing the shadows.

The "Illusion Apostle" is an expert in illusion and mind control, and boasts that his appearance and wisdom surpass all other apostles.

The "Apostles of Slaughter" are the most uncontrollable, purely seeking pleasure in killing, and even members of the cult avoid them.

They live in separate places, occasionally communicating through some forbidden ritual, but never trusting each other.

Before the news of the Thousand-Faced Apostle's death could spread, Ji Tian deliberately exposed the fluctuations of the fragmented page at the city's southern stronghold, like lighting a lamp in the darkness.

Within half a day, some people couldn't sit still any longer.

Ji Tian was browsing through the cult's ledgers on the second floor of the stronghold, his divine sense spreading out like a spider web.

Suddenly, a subtle magical fluctuation came from the northeast corner of the capital and headed straight for the south of the city.

He closed the booklet, stood up, and said to the deacon beside him, "They've arrived. Tell the believers to evacuate. No one is allowed to remain within a three-block radius."

The steward dared not ask any further questions and hurried downstairs.

Ji Tian walked to the window and watched the wave hover over the slum twice before finally landing in the shadow of an abandoned clock tower opposite the stronghold.

"Hiding one's head while revealing one's tail."

He leaped out of the window, treading on thin air, and landed on the spire of the clock tower, his robes fluttering without wind.

The figure in the shadows froze, then revealed itself.

He was a thin, middle-aged man wearing dark red leather armor, with a sheathless short sword hanging at his waist. The blade was black and faintly smelled of blood.

The man narrowed his eyes. "A new 'Thousand Faces'? When did your faction learn to fly?"

Ji Tian didn't answer, but looked him over. "You're the 'Apostle of the Demon Sword'?"

The man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "The previous 'Thousand Faces' was truly a piece of trash. He was bragging to me the other day about how he'd turned all his disciples into clones or pawns. You deliberately released the aura of the remnant page—what, trying to bait me?"

Ji Tian readily admitted, "Yes."

The Demon Sword Apostle's smile froze for a moment, then became even more ferocious. "Then let me see what you're made of!"

He drew his sword.

The moment the black sword was drawn, the entire clock tower seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, the bricks and stones cracked, and dust fell in a flurry.

The sword was wreathed in dark red blood energy, the resentment of the countless souls he had slain and devoured.

Ji Tian simply raised his hand and pinched the sword blade between two fingers.

Blood surged wildly, yet it couldn't penetrate his skin even a fraction. The Sword Apostle's pupils contracted sharply, and he pulled back forcefully, but the sword remained motionless.

"you--!"

"What do you mean, 'what are you'? What's your realm and what's mine? You're just a mere Great Perfection Magister, and you think you can hurt me?"

Ji Tian loosened his grip and slapped the spine of the sword with his palm. The black sword flew out of his hand and embedded itself in the wall in the distance, emitting a muffled hum.

The Demon Sword Apostle staggered backward, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You're not a disciple of 'Thousand Faces'! Their lineage doesn't possess this kind of power! Who are you?!"

Ji Tian took a step forward, his divine sense surging out like a tide, sealing the entire clock tower within an isolation barrier. "I am someone you cannot afford to offend. Hand over your fragments."

The Demon Sword Apostle bit its tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist, and its body transformed into countless blood-red bats that scattered and fled.

This is his trump card for survival. At the cost of his own life essence, he splits into more than a hundred bats. As long as one of them escapes, he can be reborn elsewhere.

Ji Tian remained calm and composed, forming hand seals. The power of time silently spread, freezing all the blood-red bats in mid-air, maintaining their flapping wing posture.

"Time rewind."

The bat flew backward, then reformed, transforming back into the disheveled form of the Demon Sword Apostle. His face was ashen, and his lips trembled. "Using the laws of time so casually? You're a demigod?!"

"I don't know, but killing you is enough."

Ji Tian didn't want to waste any more words, so he directly knocked her unconscious with a palm strike and performed a soul search.

The fragments of the Demon Sword Apostle's inscription were hidden beneath the furnace of a blacksmith's shop in the east of the city. Ji Tian retrieved them and placed the two fragments together. They resonated briefly before returning to stillness.

Page Two.

He carefully sorted through the memories of the Demon Sword Apostle and found that the man was reckless and was indeed the first to take the bait.

The other apostles were either cautious or observing, and did not take any action for the time being.

Ji Tian burned the Sword Apostle's body to ashes, then used the remaining pages to finish it off, confirming there were no backup plans for resurrection, before returning to wait.

……

Before sunset, the second wave arrived.

This time it was even more discreet, with almost no magic leaking out; only a faint, almost illusory fragrance drifted into the stronghold.

"Illusion Apostle"

Ji Tian didn't get up, but spoke, his voice booming directly into the man's ear, "You hid it well, but your alluring fragrance gave you away."

A soft laugh drifted through the air.

A woman in a purple robe emerged from the void, her face alluring, her eyes sparkling, and every step she took carried a captivating rhythm.

She covered her mouth and chuckled, "Good eye! But are you sure you want to talk to me like that? It's almost evening, perhaps we should..."

Her voice contained a mental attack; ordinary people who heard it would become drowsy and at her mercy.

Ji Tian remained expressionless. "Your illusions have no effect on me."

Before she could finish speaking, he appeared behind her, his hand pressing on the top of her head. The apostle's smile froze on his face, his body went limp, and he collapsed unconscious.

As expected, those who like to use illusions are generally quite confident.

Soul Search.

The torn pages were hidden in a spice shop in the south of the city. Ji Tian took them out, and with the three pages in his hand, the dark red glow on the pages intensified.

The illusionary apostle's talent for illusion magic was indeed remarkable. If Ji Tian's Nascent Soul stage spiritual sense hadn't far surpassed her mental strength, it might have taken even more effort.

Clean her up, and use the remaining pages to confirm her obliteration.

"4 more are needed."

……

As night fell, the third wave of energy appeared in the cemetery north of the city.

This apostle was clearly a latecomer to the order, as he was known to act at night.

This time, it was the "Shadow Apostle" who arrived, riding a pitch-black nightmare warhorse, silently emerging from the shadows of the tombstone.

The moment he saw Ji Tian, ​​he turned his horse around, plunged into the shadows, and fled.

Ji Tian frowned, casually slashed open a space, and waited for him at the exit in the shadows.

The Shadow Apostle burst out of the shadows and collided with Ji Tian's fist, slamming him and his horse into the ground and creating a large crater.

The nightmare warhorse let out a mournful cry and vanished into black smoke.

The Shadow Apostle struggled to get up, only to find that its body was being held down by an invisible force.

"Where is the missing page?"

He was panting heavily, his eyes filled with terror. "In...in the saddlebags of the Nightmare Horse...and you were sent by the Kingdom or the Academy, weren't you? I'm a spy from the Church too, don't kill me!"