High-level martial arts: Invincibility starts with basic archery.

"About Ansan Castle?"

The crowd looked at each other.

His Excellency the Bishop, could it be that he intends to take action against Anshan City?

Thinking of this, a chill unconsciously rose in everyone's hearts.

They knew this city was a small city nearby with a population of around 100,000, a number that was very attractive to them.

The key point is that a small city can be governed by several C-level Awakened, and there are countless B-level Awakened.

The vast majority of them are no match for C-level Awakened in terms of combat strength.

Therefore, choosing a village with two or three hundred people is the safest option. Even if there are some martial artists inside, it is not a big deal. If you really can't find a target, you can join forces with other bishops to target a village with one or two thousand people.

A city of 100,000 people?

Even they know they shouldn't mess with this kind of place, so how could His Holiness the Bishop?

"Don't rush, let me finish."

The man in the red robe said slowly and deliberately, "Of course I know that it is very difficult and risky to target a small city. If it is exposed, even I will be in danger. However, Anshan City is different from other cities."

"no the same?"

"That's right, I'm asking you, do you have a way to spend the night in the city?"

"this?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Your Excellency, if it's a village of a thousand or so people, it's not difficult for us to settle in by spending some money and time. But it's very difficult for a small town."

"Yes, only Awakened Ones or martial artists who have reached the Core Formation stage can live there. Our power comes from the Heavenly Demon Lord's bestowal. There's simply no way we can pass the Awakened Ones or martial artists' tests. Even if there were a way, it wouldn't be for people like us..."

"If you're neither of those, even if you're rich, it's unrealistic to expect to get in in less than a year or two."

Everyone spoke up, their brows furrowing into a deep frown.

The man in the red robe nodded in satisfaction, smiled, and said, "What if this Anshan City were open to anyone who could freely enter and reside there?"

"What?!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then a cacophony of voices rose up.

"Anshan City is open to anyone to live in? That's impossible, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's a small city. Even larger villages don't allow people to settle down easily, let alone a city."

"But these were said by His Excellency the Bishop himself. Would His Excellency lie?"

"That's right. Since His Excellency the Bishop said so, it means that Anshan City is indeed in this state now."

"How could that be?"

"Nothing is impossible."

The man in the red robe said calmly, "I received information that people from outside the city had already moved in two days ago, and they were able to move in without paying any price."

Not only that, even the people living in the nearby small villages were brought to Anshan City by the awakened ones from the city.

This made everyone present even more shocked.

What exactly is going on in Anshan City?

Are they really that short-staffed?

That's not right. Shouldn't they be lacking powerful Awakened Ones or martial artists? What's the point of bringing so many ordinary people to live in the city?

Isn't this just making things harder for them?

"You don't need to doubt the authenticity of this news. I'm telling you this mainly to ask if any of you are willing to volunteer to infiltrate Anshan City and investigate the situation for everyone."

As soon as the man in the red robe finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

The crowd, who had been chattering away, lowered their heads as if their mouths had been sewn shut, not daring to utter a single sound.

That's Anshan City!

These people, normally they only dare to target people in small villages, but going to Anshan City, if exposed, could mean instant death. To put it bluntly, even the bishop himself wouldn't dare to set foot in such a place lightly.

Even if they manage to escape, Peng Song's example is a stark warning; how good can their fate possibly be then?

"What, nobody wants to go?"

The man in the red robe frowned upon seeing this, and his tone became more displeased.

The quota set for him was 100,000, and with only one month left until the deadline, he was still short by more than 30,000.

At the current pace, the mission will definitely not be completed.

If he fails to complete the mission, his fate will be no better than that of Peng Song, who just died. Even if he survives, he will be removed from his position as bishop and forced to start as a low-ranking member of the clergy, having to be subservient to others. This is something he absolutely cannot tolerate.

And if it's completed.

He would then receive special attention from above, his strength would improve by leaps and bounds, and his status within the church would rise accordingly. He might become an archbishop, not a bishop.

"I understand what you're worried about," he said softly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "I'm letting you in not to send you to your deaths. Think about it, even if we can't do anything big, we can still handle small-scale skirmishes with ease."

As I just mentioned, Anshan City has now lifted its restrictions, allowing anyone, regardless of age or gender, to obtain permanent residency in the city. As a result, the city is bound to be a melting pot of all sorts of people from all walks of life who don't know each other at all.

"You should sneak in now, and target a small group first. As long as you're discreet, no one will know. Those people were here one day, and they'll be gone the next."

Upon hearing this, many people quietly raised their heads.

"Even if someone discovers you're missing, so what?"

The man in the red robe said, "There are already 140,000 to 150,000 people living here. How long would it take to find out who did it? Even if those C-level Awakened Ones in the city came in person, they wouldn't be able to find out, would they?"

"Think about it. In the past, you would target villages with only one or two hundred people, and it would take you a lot of effort to sacrifice one or two hundred or three hundred. But in Anshan City, there are people everywhere, more than that in one night."

Upon hearing this, most people were tempted.

Yes, they risked encountering ferocious beasts to search for offerings, and sometimes when they finally found a village, it was empty! It was a complete waste of time and energy.

The bishop's words opened up a whole new world for them.

Since anyone can settle in Anshan City, then of course they can too, right?

Sacrificing dozens or even hundreds of people in one night is still easy; if you're even bolder, sacrificing hundreds is not impossible.

During the day, just behave like an ordinary person, how could you possibly be exposed?

Isn't this better than trying your luck outside?

"Your Excellency, I am willing to lead men to Anshan City." Fang Liang gritted his teeth and was the first to step forward.

"Your Excellency, I am also willing to lead a group there immediately!"

The woman who had spoken earlier also stepped forward.

"Your Excellency, I also..."

"Your Majesty Bishop..."

After a moment's hesitation, the others also made their decisions.

After all, they also receive rewards for completing the task, and if they exceed the target, the rewards will be even more generous.

"It's too late."

The man in the red robe swept his gaze over the crowd, finally settling on Fang Liang and the woman beside him. He said approvingly, "For this mission, you two should lead the group first. The more people you send, the greater the risk of being exposed."

"yes!"

Both of them were delighted to hear this.

The woman, in particular, secretly rejoiced.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough; otherwise, someone else would have gotten there first, and she wouldn't have had the chance.

Admittedly, this matter is very risky. If the mission fails, she will die a miserable death like Peng Song.

But how could she be so unlucky as to be discovered as soon as she went in? As long as she can bring the sacred object back in the end, the mission won't be a complete failure.

"Your Excellency, we'll set off immediately with our men!"

Fang Liang hurriedly replied.

"No rush, let me finish speaking first before you set off."

The man in the red robe waved his hand and said, "Although Anshan City is now a mixed bag, we can't let our guard down. It's best to spend more time investigating who to target to minimize the risk of exposure. If you start by attacking and get exposed, not only you but everyone will be in danger."

"clear."

Fang Liang nodded repeatedly, "Your Excellency, please rest assured, we will definitely plan carefully before acting and reduce the risk of exposure to zero."

"That's right, Your Excellency, please wait here for our good news."

"Okay, then you can go ahead. Remember, be careful in everything you do."

"Yes."

Fang Liang and his companion exchanged a glance, then each led a few people toward the door.

Just as they were about to leave, Fang Liang sneered and looked at the woman, saying, "Zhang Ru, you really are my little tagalong. Do you just say whatever I say? Do you just do whatever I do?"

To be honest, he's been putting up with this woman for a long time.

Just like before, when His Holiness the bishop asked for his opinion on how to deal with Peng Song, and he had just changed his attitude, Zhang Ru jumped out.

Just now, His Holiness the Bishop asked who would like to go and scout out Anshan City.

He had barely stepped forward when the latter followed suit.

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but with more people involved, the risk of exposure increases.

Moreover, he and the other party are competitors.

You're overthinking it.

Zhang Ru glanced at him.

"Yeah?"

Fang Liang's eyes blazed with fury.

Just as they were about to reach the exit, he turned around and said, "Zhang Ru, I hope that once you get to Anshan City, you won't hold me back. If you are captured, you'd better commit suicide and not bring anyone to me. Otherwise, the bishop will not let you off the hook, and I won't be polite to you either."

"You'd better worry about yourself, whether you'll get caught."

Zhang Ru left without looking back, leaving behind a single sentence.

"cut."

Fang Liang let out a disdainful sound and, along with his men, disappeared through the exit. (End of Chapter)