Catastrophe Containment Facility
Chapter 756 - 746 - Pretense and Deception

Chapter 756: 746 Chapter Pretense and Deception

The battle between Xun Ying and Maya Mi was earth-shattering, and although Xun Ying was deliberately controlling his destructive power, several blocks around them were destroyed in an instant.

As Maya Mi wielded her Fog Demon Gun, it emitted a thick black fog. Even a slight touch of this black fog could instantly turn an ordinary person into a pool of blood, and even Xun Ying had to be extremely careful.

But Xun Ying’s sword was not to be underestimated either—each of his slashes carried immense power, capable of cutting through mountains and dividing seas as if they were nothing. His sword techniques, akin to the Sword of Intent, seemed to come effortlessly to him.

The battle here was in full swing, while on the seaside of Liaozhou City near Mallet Island, there was an eerie calm.

An elderly man radiating a golden glow stood in the void, looking up at a giant cicada that held up the sky.

"So huge... I had heard of your story when I took over as Pope. This is our first meeting."

This elderly man was none other than Pope Charlie from the Dragon Pond Villa!

Six tall Blue Cicada Holy Envoys buzzed in mid-air, surrounded by swarms of blue cicadas like dark clouds.

They looked at Charlie with longing, for he possessed the massive Power of Faith they so coveted, yet they dared not lay a hand on him.

They knew that this elderly man was an existence equal to their god and was not to be coveted by them.

"Who are you?"

From the Cicada Ancestor, a thunderous sound echoed. It did not have human vocal organs, but for a being of Catastrophe Level, speaking human language was not a difficult task.

"I am the earthly representative of the creator, you may call me Charlie," the old man said with a smile.

The Cicada Ancestor sneered: "The creator, haha..."

"What did you come to do? To start a battle with me, or to talk, or... have you come to surrender?"

"None of those,"

Charlie shook his head.

"I have come to help you break free from your bonds."

"The one who nailed you to the cross must have been some Archangel. As the earthly representative of the creator, I can help lift some of your burdens, the rest you should be able to break free from yourself."

"Also, this object should help further restore your strength."

Charlie waved his hand, and a crown woven from thorns appeared in his grasp. With a gentle flick, the crown flew out, and numerous cicadas scrambled towards it, beginning to absorb the Power of Faith from the crown.

"This is a sacred object personally bestowed by the creator, containing some of the faith collected over two thousand years by the Creation Church. Absorbing the power from it, along with my help in loosening your seals, you will surely be able to break free from this cross."

"Why would you do this?" the Cicada Ancestor asked, puzzled.

Breaking free from this cross had been its deep-seated wish for thousands of years.

Being bound to the cross, its strength was only slightly better than an average Catastrophe Level being, which was extremely distressing for it, once a formidable figure.

But Charlie’s demeanor was so strange that it dared not accept those tempting offerings.

Charlie looked at the Cicada Ancestor with benevolence, "God loves all creatures, and you are naturally among those creatures. The purpose of punishment has already been achieved by this prolonged confinement. Now, releasing you aligns with the Creator’s will."

"God loves all beings... don’t speak so hypocritically. State your real purpose," the Cicada Ancestor did not believe Charlie’s deceitful words.

Charlie, composed, said, "Then I’ll speak plainly. In your complete form, there are hardly any in this world who can match you. I hope that after you come out, you can accept the offerings of the Creation Church, and then I can utilize your power to make the Creation Church great again!"

"Are you insane?"

The Cicada Ancestor’s body shuddered, looking at Charlie in shock, wondering what could possibly be wrong with his brain to say such a thing.

It could almost be considered the archenemy of the Creation Church, striving daily to completely obliterate the Creation Church. From the perspective of the Creation Church, it should be the most fearsome heretic, and even if this old man had dementia, he shouldn’t harbor such thoughts.

The clouds in the sky dispersed, and a beam of sunlight fell upon Charlie, making him appear resplendent:

"It does sound lunatic, but I believe it’s rational. We cannot kill you, and you would eventually free yourself, so coexistence with you is our only option."

The Cicada Ancestor scoffed, "I have no reason to agree with you. I already have the Crown of Thorns in my grasp; I don’t need to collaborate with you to escape."

"Is that so?"

Charlie waved his hand, and the Crown that had landed in the hands of the Cicada reappeared in his hand, the power of faith that had been drawn away also transforming into strands of white light flying back into the Crown.

"The Crown of Thorns is a sacred object personally bestowed by the Creator. Your puppets cannot take the faith within it. If you do not agree to my terms, continue to be bound here for thousands of years."

"Actually, the deal I proposed benefits us both. You feed on faith, and if the Creation Church is destroyed, you won’t find palatable sustenance in this world. But, if you help the Church to regain its former glory, then three-tenths of the faith harvested by the Church in this world will be yours!"

"In the long run, it’s much more beneficial than destroying the Church. Continuing our conflict is a loss for both sides; only collaboration can lead to a win-win situation. I hope you consider this carefully."

The Cicada Ancestor fell silent. It did not want or dare to leave this world, so Charlie’s proposal indeed seemed like the best option. After pondering for a moment, the Cicada Ancestor said to Charlie:

"Forty percent."

Charlie smiled, "Deal!"

The Crown of Thorns flew out of his hand and onto the body of the Cicada Ancestor, rapidly filling up its body with stored power of faith, which was far more than the energy it had looted from churches!

Then Charlie knelt mid-air and began to pray, the sunlight on his body silently transforming into divine light that penetrated the nails in the Cicada Ancestor’s body, subtly loosening them.

Every cell in the Cicada Ancestor’s body was thrilled, but its gaze carried a hint of wariness. It completely disregarded the words of this elderly man as mere bluster.

Forty percent indeed seemed generous, but after enslaving all creatures in the world and having them worship only it, wouldn’t that be even more magnificent without the need for converting faith?

Moreover, this old man probably didn’t harbor good intentions. Once it agreed to his terms, who knew what troubles might arise next? The entire Creation Church, from the Creator and below, was adept at intrigue and deception. A win-win scenario was impossible; once you believed them, the only ones who would win in the end were they themselves.

But for now, it needed to feign compliance with this old man. When he came down from this ’Cross’, that would be the moment of this old man’s demise!