"The Goddess... won't let you off!"
The Bishop struggled to speak, his face still bearing the fanaticism exclusive to martyrs.
But Leilin couldn't care less: "Mm! The flesh conversion efficiency is quite good, and the divine power is passable too. Next... comes the most important part—the soul!"
But when the broken sword began to make contact with the Bishop's soul, the situation suddenly took a drastic turn!
"You... you dare profane the soul?" The excruciating pain from the depths of his soul snapped the Bishop to clarity, and soon, despair and resolute determination surfaced on his face.
"Great Goddess! Your faithful servant sincerely offers his own life, yearning for your descent! Divine Descent!!!"
The powerful backlash forced Tifa to stumble back several steps.
The previously interrupted summoning ritual began operating at breakneck speed. After all, compared to the Bishop's party's last attempt, this time the Goddess herself was taking the initiative to descend.
"As expected! The souls of divine followers are indeed a forbidden zone!"
Leilin smiled bitterly, then sent a command into Tifa's mind, ordering him to move far away, while the iron sword harboring the Soul Seed remained behind.
"It's already drained all its power—leaving now wouldn't make a difference. Might as well make the most of what's left!"
The broken sword suddenly turned crimson. Molten iron dripped away, ultimately outlining the form of a massive demon.
Wounded demon wings, enormous compound eyes, and a demon hand with six fingers—even the power of the Gluttony Rule it wielded was identical to that of the Gluttony Lord.
"After all, I've also mastered his Gluttony power—impersonating Beelzebub couldn't be simpler..."
Leilin controlled the demon body, gazing at the Bishop before him.
Yet by now, the Bishop had completely lost all signs of life, yet his body eerily hovered in midair.
A powerful will was continuously pouring into the body, filling it with a certain sacred aura.
Then, Leilin saw a pair of golden eyes.
"Now!!!"
Leilin didn't dare face the Goddess head-on—she would certainly spot the flaw. The very instant the Spring Goddess Peisi descended, he violently triggered the demon body's terrifying self-destruction!
BOOM!!! Scorching firelight, carrying numerous rule forces, completely erased the small village from the map.
Even residents in surrounding cities could see the orange sky in the distance.
In all of Cahn Village, not a single living being survived except Tifa.
This incident was classified as a demonic invasion, and under the auspices of the Spring Goddess's church, yet another wave of heresy purges swept across the entire continent.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Leilin anymore.
CRASH! The massive Astral Gate crumbled inch by inch, and Leilin sat down on the ground, his face somewhat pale.
A sense of weakness radiated from every part of his body. Since transforming into a Rule Body, this feeling had become exceedingly rare.
"The Divine World truly is incomparably powerful. Just supporting the Soul Seed's activity for less than a single day nearly caused me to drain too much and endanger my origin!"
Leilin's face held a bitter smile.
"Moreover, this experiment has also proven that any foreign power is unmistakably conspicuous in the Divine World—there's simply no way to conceal it. And the energy consumption is far too great; the cost-benefit ratio doesn't add up..."
Leilin's gaze grew deep and contemplative.
"The suppression and hostility of the entire Divine World is also something my current self cannot resist... In that case, the best course of action for now is to return to the old path..."
After this experiment, Leilin had made up his mind.
Unlike his previous explorations of other worlds, in the Divine World, he would have to adopt an entirely new approach.
"Act as an independent individual, unable to accept any power from the main body, and must grow entirely according to the Divine World's rules?"
Leilin rubbed his chin.
"And once that entity grows to a sufficient level—at least Rank Seven—it can work with me from within and without, together breaking through the Crystalline Barrier's shackles..."
"If I'm going to do this, then the True Spirit Bisection Technique that Melinda provided earlier will need to be improved. Additionally, that method for maintaining control over the main body must be tested and refined as soon as possible..."
A torrent of ideas flooded Leilin's mind, which he then arranged by priority.
After completing all of this and recording every piece of experimental data, Leilin finally stepped out into the outside world.
"Mm!" Leilin closed his eyes, and through the perceptive abilities of his bloodline origin, immediately learned of Xirui's breakthrough.