Nightmare’s Call

Lin Sheng demurred for a moment.

“Let’s head up. These people are probably just taking advantage of the sanctum’s effect and have taken this place as public property.

“However, further up are private grounds where my men are stationed. They won’t be able to get up. So what we need to do now is to try to pick the people we need from the rabble here.

“Even if it is just staying up late, someone who can endure week-long graveyard hours would have rather considerable willpower. These are the people we need.”

“Understood.” Adolf nodded. His sacred power had now grown to the point it fills his stomach. Once he catches up with the physical and combat training, he would be able to be considered a Level 3 paladin in shape and form.

According to the traditional standards, Level 1 and Level 2 warriors were commoners without any transcendent powers, with only powerful martial and physical abilities.

Only a warrior who had mastered a supernatural ability would ascend to Level 3.

Adolf, however, had gone the totally opposite path from the traditional Blackfeather City method.

“Come.” Lin Sheng took the lead as he stepped forward along the step upward as Adolf and his two bodyguards followed quickly behind.

The four-men team quickly attracted attention, but Lin Sheng did not mind as he walked faster, and soon, he arrived at the end of the third level of steps. There was a wire barricade segregating the area. Any further up would be entering into Lin Sheng’s personal territory.

Lin Sheng stopped before the entrance into the restricted area as he pondered for a bit before telling Adolf something and heading straight into the place.

A moment later, one of Adolf’s men carefully took out a newly printed notice and pasted it on the right side of the entrance.

“A notice? What’s it about?”

“It was made by that few people who went in earlier. There’s a sign saying that this place is private land.”

“Let’s have a look.”

The crowd at the bottom of the hill started moving as a few made their way up the stairs to look at the notice.

“This land belongs to the Holy Sanctum. Pray with all your heart, and God will respond to the determination in your heart. No honest labor will go unpaid.”

At the bottom was an application form, and in it was a series of very strict requirements toward physical and mental strength.

If someone met the criteria well enough, the fees would be waived off as well as long as they sincerely prayed to the god within the Holy Sanctum.

Below it was an explanatory note.

On the top of said note was the history of the Holy Sanctum, what sort of organization they are, alongside the fees. The presentation was professional.

The group of people took a while to properly read it, and most of them were skeptical, but owing to the special effect of the hill, there were a few who believed the content of the note.

“It looks like a gang, an illegal organization…” A few Xylondian government officers tasked with monitoring the situation shook his head as he saw the scene.

“They are not illegal. They’re officially registered,” one of his colleagues quipped.

“That’s why that’s the worst.” The man shaking his head was even more resigned.

…

Within the Holy Sanctum at the half-way point of the hill.

Lin Sheng stood before the prayer dais as he closed his eyes to monitor the changes in the place.

Within his darkened vision, he unexpectedly saw dots of translucent white light particles floating around the inner sanctum hall.

The amount was not great and Lin Sheng consciously approached them as they were sucked in like a magnet. Lin Sheng then meditated the Ashen Seal and converted these particles into pure sacred power.

“There’s probably five units of it… To think that so many soul particles can be collected even without a proper worshipping method…”

Lin Sheng had tasted blood.

“While this sacred power is not my own, and cannot be stored inside me, but I can still call upon them when I need it. As long as I am within the Sanctum, my with my absolute authority here, I can use this force to suppress any living being in the area.”

Lin Sheng carefully sensed the difference between the two sacred powers as he opened his eyes and broke into a relieved smile.

“Not bad, not bad at all.”

“Not bad, huh?”

Khadula had been folding little stars out of boredom by his side, and there was already a whole bottle worth of paper stars with all sorts of colors by his side now, not unlike a grade schooler’s work.

“At least I don’t need to maintain the operations of this place myself and just need to come here on a schedule,” Lin Sheng explained through the soul link.

“But I’m bored…” Khadula carried the star-filled bottle before Lin Sheng and gave it to him.”

“A present for you.”

“…Thank you.” Lin Sheng speechlessly accepted a large bottle of stars. “If you’re bored then go read some books or study.”

“I’m badly injured this time around, and I need a little over a month at least to heal. Are you telling me that I need to read books for that entire time?” Khadula pouted as she forked her arms over her waist.

“If you are really that bored, then help me with the physical and combat training of our people.” Lin Sheng smiled. “There’ll soon be a batch of disciples coming in.”

“Okay!” Khadula nodded excitedly.

“Also, we’re stretched rather thin now. We need to find some strong ones to replenish our ranks,” Lin Sheng rumbled.

“Today onwards, I’ll leave this place to you. If there’s anything, just use the soul link to contact me, it’s not that far anyway.”

“Understood.” Khadula nodded again.

“Then, I’ll leave it in your care,” Lin Sheng said solemnly. Ever since he managed to chase off a Heaven’s Spire Six-winger by playing boss, he had a sense of dread that wound him up.

Compared with the extremely powerful Heaven’s Spire, not even counting the Palatinates, if those few Six-wingers alone teamed up, they could level the Holy Sanctum today in the blink of an eye.

So, in order to stand firm, Lin Sheng needed to summon more six-winged elites, but only he had the strength of a Three-winger, and to accomplish that would be exceedingly difficult.

Lin Sheng had a feeling that since Fort Whitehawk was sabotaged by the Palatinates, the warzone would expand, ever bigger and wider.

By then, it would be chaos all over, not to mention the appearance of the mysterious Black Cluster, Blackwater, Blacktide, and Mist.

It was just like what happened in the dream.

Perhaps only by strengthening the Holy Sanctum could he truly protect a side and protect his friends as well as family.

Lin Sheng still recalled how the tiny sanctum within Blackfeather City had so determinedly pursued its duty for god knew how long even after it lost its master.

Upon giving Khadula some orders, Lin Sheng got Adolf to stay behind and to receive combat training from Khadula.

Khadula, who was once a royal prince would naturally have her own insight on combat. Especially when she was a powerful monster who had lived long enough. Replicating the training regimen of those vault guards was a piece of cake.

So Lin Sheng left the hill from the other side silently and went back to his rented house.

This time around, regardless of the Holy Sanctum’s requirements or his own personal advancement, he would need to find a six-winged monster to kill; or else he had no idea how long he would take to achieve Level 6 sacred power.

After all, his physical attributes were still mediocre, and if he wanted to break through to Level 6 via normal means, it would take at the very least ten odd years. And this stage, even for the Darksiders, going from a three-winged to a four-winged Oppressor was a leap by itself, and was extremely difficult. So, he had all the more reason to quicken his pace!