This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 272: Corridor of Blood

Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Corridor of Blood

Finding his own way proved to be quite strenuous, and Chen Ke wandered the streets, hoping to encounter a soldier from Fan Hede who could direct him to the church.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side. After meandering through the complex streets of the town for a long time, he did not see any of his own soldiers. Instead, he ended up killing quite a few swordsmen from the Sun Sect.

These soldiers all possessed the Skill of Thunder Spear, and some of the captain-level ones could even imbue their swords with electricity, far more formidable than the common soldiers of Fan Hede.

Even though he wore mithril knight armor with 70% Thunder Resistance, a hit still caused a numbing sensation, showing that armor without Thunder Resistance was completely ineffective against this tactic. This was also why the Sun Sect could advance into the city.

Having killed at least twenty swordsmen, not a single weapon or piece of equipment dropped from them, nor could he pick anything up from the ground. Chen Ke did not know whether this was normal or not; perhaps, only by confronting mutated beings or monsters could Holy Relics be dropped. It seemed that living humans did not work.

Dawn was breaking, and the fires in the city were gradually extinguishing. Fan Hede’s buildings were partially made of wood, but mostly constructed of diamond, which didn’t burn easily. Furthermore, the city’s soldiers and knights had stifled the enemy’s opportunity to set fires, so the blaze was quickly controlled.

Coincidentally, at this moment, he suddenly spotted a limping civilian running out from a building charred black. The civilian was fortunate to have safely hidden throughout the night.

Chen Ke shouted to him and walked over.

"Hey!"

Hearing Chen Ke’s shout, the man looked toward him in panic. Seeing that he was one of their own soldiers, his startled expression eased.

"Hello... knight, what a disastrous night, right?" The man had a big beard and appeared to be over fifty, dressed in a brown robe that suggested he belonged to the wealthier class.

"Yes, eternal glory to the black ring! Friend! Why don’t you seek refuge in the fortress?" Chen Ke feigned.

"I’m on my way, I’m on my way. Can you escort me a bit? It’s not very peaceful on these streets!" The civilian pleaded.

"I’m sorry, citizen! I have a mission to attend to... and besides, the enemy in the city has already been mostly annihilated. You should be safe if you avoid the main roads!" Chen Ke shook his head, speaking sternly.

"Ah... that’s really a shame, knight. Then I’ll be on my way!" The man sighed, turning to leave.

"Wait! Wait!" Chen Ke quickly called out.

"Did you change your mind?!" The man turned back, joyfully speaking.

"No, no, no... I just need to ask you something! It’s very important! You must answer me." Chen Ke said.

"Well... well... knight, what do you want to ask?" The civilian inquired.

Chen Ke leaned in slightly, cautiously asked, "Do you know... how to get to the cathedral from here?"

The civilian stared, his face full of disdain, unable to say anything for a moment.

"Knight! Are you a foreigner?" The civilian asked, puzzled.

"Answer quickly, citizen! Don’t test my patience!" Chen Ke spoke with dissatisfaction, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Oh! Alright... Follow this road straight ahead, then turn left at the end. Pass through the cemetery, and you’ll reach the ecclesiastical district." The civilian explained while pointing in the direction, which Chen Ke noticed was near the outer city walls.

"Damn it! The cathedral is clearly on the cliffside!" Chen Ke angrily said, tapping the civilian on the forehead.

"Ow! Mother!" The civilian yelped in pain.

"I don’t want to go to the ecclesiastical district; I want to go to that big cathedral up top! Tell me how to get there quickly!" Chen Ke, impatient, tapped his foot, his mithril greaves clanging.

The civilian squinted, teeth clenched, rubbing his forehead vigorously as he spoke, "If you want to get to the great cathedral, you must first pass through the Path of Purification in the ecclesiastical district, hiss..."

Chen Ke squinted his eyes toward the distant city wall, slightly nodding in understanding.

"Can I go now?" asked a civilian.

"Before you leave, you first need to tell me how to find the Path of Purification," Chen Ke said.

"Uh... Once you get there, you’ll see the chapel. Go inside, walk to the very back, and there will be the Path of Purification, only for the priests’ use. It’s a stone tunnel—I’ve never been inside, but that’s the only way to the chapel," the civilian replied reluctantly.

"Alright, go on then, don’t look back," Chen Ke waved his hand, releasing the civilian.

He took steps toward the district’s chapel. When he reached the cemetery, the sky was faintly lit, he estimated it was around four to five in the morning.

The cemetery of Fan Hede wasn’t very large, hence every inch was precious; one pit could contain many bodies. The gravestones in Fan Hede’s cemetery were piled up in bunches, resembling mounds of stones shaped like feces.

Although this place was near the outer city walls, its tricky angle made it unusually quiet, such that not even a single iron ball or oil barrel launched into the city reached this area.

Around the district was a vast lawn; the moving rectangular low-rise building was built against the hill. A stone statue of a veiled goddess stood in front of the square before the main entrance.

This was the third time Chen Ke had seen such a statue, making him increasingly curious about Fan Hede’s Divine System. Unfortunately, Giles’s knowledge was passively triggered and couldn’t be actively browsed; otherwise, Chen Ke could have known more.

The chapel was a place similar to collective prayer sessions, open to civilians. In the medieval times, churches acted as clinics, most minor ailments were addressed by priests through prayers and sprinkling of Holy Water, while serious and terminal diseases were left untended within the chapel.

Sometimes, priests would euthanize terminally ill patients to cease their suffering. The method involved striking the patient’s head with a wooden mallet, bringing death in one blow.

It was cruel but realistic. In medieval times, there was no such thing as medical care. Severe diseases were often deemed as demonic possession, while minor self-healing conditions were considered grace from God.

In fact, 90% of the diseases in medieval times were caused by uncleanliness—the dirtier one was, the more honorable.

However, Fan Hede’s era might have differed from the traditional medieval times, and in this universe, perhaps gods truly existed.

Chen Ke had seen gods in the 2006 timeline, although until now, he hadn’t taken it seriously. After all, that formless god was nothing like the gods Chen Ke imagined.

The few hundred meters surrounding the chapel appeared as a pure land amidst the civil war. All the soldiers seemed to ignore or deliberately avoid this place.

Chen Ke’s armor clanked, shattering the silence. He stepped on the crisp grass, walking through the thin morning fog straight toward the chapel’s main door.

There was no one inside the chapel. Spiritual Vision detected no human-shaped figures, but a red river of blood flowed from under the door.

Chen Ke sheathed his sword by his waist and pulled out his M1911A1. In such a place, it felt safer to have a gun.

However, he suddenly found that the fingers of the knight’s iron gauntlet were too thick; his index finger hardly fit inside the trigger guard, making it difficult to fire naturally. In fact, just forcing his finger in put the gun almost in a firing state.

Chen Ke sighed, put the gun away, and drew his sword again.

Shielding his body with his buckler, he gently pushed open the door, and a wave of putrid smell accompanied by a warm breeze hit him. The morning light filtered into the chapel’s hall, presenting a sight that deeply moved Chen Ke.

He saw piles of priests’ bodies scattered throughout the hall, and upon counting, there were over a hundred! Their blue robes were stained red, some were beheaded, some impaled on tables with swords, and others leaned against the walls.

The bodies piled on the floor held candle holders, some still with blue flames. Some heads had been chopped off, and the cold outside air blew them, rolling towards the inside.

From the dryness of the blood, they must have been killed last night, Chen Ke speculated that Faralis was responsible.

Stepping over the bodies, taking the reserved path on either side of the podium with the goddess statue, he reached a pair of wooden doors—one already fallen to the ground along with another body.

Behind the door was a stone tunnel, presumably the Path of Purification the civilian had mentioned. Candle holders with pale blue flames were placed on both sides of the tunnel, and blood flowed down from the top of the tunnel.

Without hesitation, Chen Ke followed the trail of blood into the tunnel, heading toward the grand cathedral of this universe.