The Holy Lord spotted the anomaly instantly, halting his steps. "What's wrong?" he asked sharply.
The Holy Son and Maiden looked grim, shaking their heads as if unable to speak.
A young candidate Holy Maiden stepped forward maturely. "Holy Lord, blessings. The Holy Son and Maiden are just worried about our clan and your safety."
"Is that so, Lisa?" Compared to the spoiled Holy Maiden who fawned over him, obedient Lisa lacked the childlike charm he favored.
Lisa gripped her skirt tightly. "Yes. The Holy Maiden wanted to find you on the surface but stayed to pray for you. She's glad you're safe."
"Hm." His smile warmed toward the Holy Maiden. "Mia, come to Father. I'm fine, see…"
Mia descended the altar stairs shakily, heightening his suspicion. His vigilance peaked, but no threats appeared.
Halfway down, she leaped into his arms. "Father, save me!!"
A "pfft" sounded—something piercing flesh.
Mia stiffened, face blank, blood spraying as she tumbled down.
The Holy Lord froze mid-reach, letting his "beloved" child fall, glaring around fiercely.
"Beast Pen!!"
His trump card summoned a fence behind him.
A 5x5-meter wooden fence appeared, gate open. Beasts charged out.
Blue Star lions, dark zombie bears, Fourth-Level snow beasts emerged from a mini-world, growing massive upon exiting.
"Roar!"
"Howl!"
"Woof!"
Beasts roared, encircling the Holy Lord and his men.
Professions activated: Gamblers drew daggers, Soldier Kings donned armor, Sages wielded staves.
"Tch!"
A tongue-click pierced the roars like a bullet.
Then, eerie cackles: "Hee hee hee…"
"Who?" the Holy Lord shouted, eyes locking on the statue's hidden upper darkness.
"Show yourself!!"
He regretted it.
Dark power crushed down, like a dark god's gaze, stopping his heart.
From the shadows leaped a pitch-black demon.
Three heads, six arms, beastly face, human-headed horse body, clawed limbs—massive, Tier Four zombie Shura Horse, green light flowing from its eyes.
Not alone.
Wei Huan never fought solo; endless undead calamities were his style.
Second, third, fourth…
They pounced like tigers into a sheep pen, six muscled arms ripping a lion apart.
Blood soaked the hall.
But the Shura Horse shattered under counterattacks.
The Holy Lord's group paused, thinking Wei Huan weak.
They underestimated the undead calamity.
Shura Horses were the vanguard. Facehuggers rained down, covering gaps.
Giant eyeballs flew overhead, firing black beams, bat-winged in the dark, striking heads—barely dodged.
Undead died in droves.
The Holy Lord's group was strong; even mighty Shura Horses fell easily.
But killing didn't end it.
Delay one second, and endless undead overwhelmed like a collapsing sky.
They barely held.
Even with the Beast Pen training ground, the Holy Lord couldn't counter Wei Huan.
Wei Huan was too strong: two Murphy pseudo-divine items, a colossus, title buffs—unmatched.
This wasn't just Wei Huan vs. the Holy Lord.
Soon, cackles returned. A shadow pounced into the crowd.
A bizarre roar: "Screech!!"
The Holy Lord looked up: a horned, hunched monster, twisted demonic tattoos, ferocious teeth and claws.
A golden monkey coiled around its neck—six-star dark beast Flying Monkey, golden fur, wet eyes, dragonfly wings, contrasting sharply.
The monkey's roar signaled victory slipping away.
He couldn't win.
The "Status Master" applied buffs, making undead nearly unkillable.
One extra second broke the balance—far more for each undead.
Undead surrounded them.
The monster—Tier Four Berserk—hounded the Tier Five Holy Lord, nearly snapping his neck repeatedly.
Despair engulfed him.
Endless undead, relentless demon.
Tripped by the "dead" Holy Maiden, despair peaked.
"I surrender! I surrender!! Xu Qingqiang, Major Xu, I surrender!!"
Beside the feigning Holy Maiden, he raised his hands. "I lose. I surrender."
Xu's claws dug into his neck, blood trickling.
Slight pressure would snap it.
The Holy Lord's throat bobbed, heart thundering.
Claws retracted, tearing flesh.
Demonic tattoos faded from Xu's face; his hunch straightened, hands harmless white—except the bloody index finger.
Xu flicked the flesh away, pulled cigarettes.
'Click.' Lit.
"Brother Qiang."
"Brother Qiang."
Lin Xu and Zhou Yong leaped from the statue. "This old fart carved his face as the god?"
Lin Xu: "Ambitious, wants godhood."
Zhou Yong shook his head: "Bad luck. Daxia carves gods for the dead only."
The Holy Lord hung his head, twitching, silent.
Only three foes, but endless undead: flying, crawling walls, passing with cold green eyes.
Glancing at his surrendering subordinates, he felt betrayed—fed well, yet none fought for him.
And one more.
His gaze fixed on the "dead" Holy Maiden nearby, eyes shut but moving beneath lids.
His cherished "daughter."
Her back wound was minor—Tier Three Soldier King's basic weapon. Yet she faked death to unsettle him.
Damn!
All damn!
Fake emotions, reverence, respect, affection—all acted!
"Enough drama? Get up, walk yourself in." Xu, annoyed by the "lone martyr" act, cuffed and kicked him into a Kobold's mouth.
Dazed, the Holy Lord stumbled out, facing Wei Huan's familiar face.
Everyone knew Wei Huan.
Especially after learning his enmity, the Holy Lord studied his intel, every battle video, planning countless fights.
He thought his Beast Pen could match Wei Huan's undead.
As summoners with training grounds, he could resist or escape.
But facing them, the gap was vast.
Wei Huan's undead defied weakness; each matched his beasts individually.
Numbers were insurmountable.
Even with mighty summons like the holy rhino, he surrendered.
Wei Huan's bombs, shaman blessings, prophet buffs remained unused—both held cards.
No need to escalate.
Before the Challenge World, he was just an Aosham gun shop owner—honest, tax-paying, never in gangs despite his tough look.
Gaining the Beast Pen, rumors painted him a ruthless boss, untouchable even by Aosham forces.
Desperate followers sought strength, then ambition grew.
He muddled to today, lion-like outside, timid within.
"Holy Lord?" Wei Huan eyed the burly, explosive blonde, stunned.
Scrutinizing him: "You're the War Clan's Holy Lord?"
Normal question for first meetings, verifying identity. The Holy Lord answered obediently: "Yes, Colonel Wei. I'm the War Clan leader, Johnny. I confess, surrender with all members, submit to you."
But Wei Huan disagreed.
This Holy Lord wasn't the one in his memory.
The remembered Holy Lord: a young Daxia Warrior King, from a hidden elite family controlling key military industries pre-Challenge World. His traitor reveal shocked all.
Wei Huan stared at Johnny, sensing a missed clue, but recalling yielded nothing.
"Lock him up." The twist irritated Wei Huan. Acting four years early—did his presence alter the future, or was it premature, the real Holy Lord not yet risen?
"Move out. Take the base."
With the Holy Lord and core captured, no delays.
He'd verify captives against memory faces—surely not all mismatched?
Wei Huan's order launched the full assault on War Clan headquarters.
One vehicle, even Wei Huan's, storming it was impossible.
But Xu Qingqiang, reckless yet pinpoint-accurate, effortlessly completed the hardest task.
Undead calamity erupting, precisely controlling leaders, ended the fight easily.
Ordinary War Clan members wouldn't die for the organization.
Seven years was short; Blue Star's peace was humanity's dream. Seekers here couldn't return but still yearned for it.
A seemingly powerful hidden group was just huddling pitiful souls. Umbrella torn, they showed confusion, not desperation.
Where to go if the War Clan fell?
"Azure Dragon Legion will receive you later. Clean backgrounds return to Blue Star. Don't resist—you can't escape."
Wei Huan's 21 controlled 100,000 underground, thanks to vast undead suppressing unrest, plus Xu's broadcast warning via the Holy Lord.
Many restless souls quieted—return to Blue Star sounded good.
A few truly heinous, facing Blue Star reckoning, gathered covertly.
Thousands slipped deeper via tunnels, a fraction of 100,000 but crowding the path.
Silent, disciplined, they stopped at a vast, under-construction lower level.
From various Blue Star nations, tough-eyed, they softened only for a Daxia middle-aged man, with trust and admiration.
"Captain Xu, what now?" a burly white man asked softly.
The man eyed the ceiling: "Our vehicles are parked above. At the right moment, I'll collapse this level. Board immediately when they fall.
Three minutes max—Wei Huan's undead will find us. Stay close.
After escape, hide in spatial rifts awhile; stock food.
If needed, return to Blue Star rendezvous—our people will help.
Trust me. Follow me, I'll ensure your safety and desires. One day, you'll return openly to Blue Star, proving power is eternal truth!"
His confidence calmed most. They dispersed in groups of ten, positioning for vehicle drops.
The man waited assuredly.
Close inspection: his eyes pitch-black, unfocused, gazing into void—like Wei Huan's vision in a Demon Eye Lord, but pure black, no whites.
In the base, rats scurried in shadows.
They scattered: to residences, surface, cautiously nearing the Sanctuary.
The Holy Lord entered the Sanctuary and vanished; then undead swarmed from Sanctuary, energy room, surface.
His fate unknown, but many saw Holy Guards overwhelmed by a Warrior King's team and undead—mostly captured.
Mid-battle, the Daxia man signaled withdrawal, leading his out.
The Holy Lord was a soft, spineless fool.
He planned to wait two years, draw Blue Star legions' attention, seize the Beast Pen and diamond gear, take power.
Wei Huan's early provocation ruined it.
"Liu Chengzhi's up there, right?"
As the man observed via rats, a young man spoke.
Resembling him, early 20s, tall and handsome but cynically gloomy.
"That fat bastard's luck! Doomed, but surviving on Wei Huan's vehicle. Otherwise, Xinggang would be ours. I wouldn't live like a worm in this sunless shithole!"
"Enough, Xu Man."
Xu Man.
Yes, Liu Chengzhi's childhood friend.
Post-Third-Level World, Liu mentioned a meetup with his friend, vanished, kidnapped to mountains, nearly killed.
Wei Huan, investigating armory theft, traced to an abandoned factory—War Clan landing point, met one-armed, vengeful Shi Hengjun, rescued Liu.
After, Liu sought "friend Xu Man"—gone, with father and core family.
Exposed, the Xus hid in the Challenge World, War Clan base.
If Wei Huan saw Xu Man, he'd recognize the remembered Holy Lord.
In his past life, Mu Zhong died to Haisang dark beasts on the highway. Hidden Xus likely killed Liu, seized Xinggang shares.
Thus, the exposed War Clan Holy Lord was a Blue Star tycoon.
Why four years later it was Xu Man, not his father—and the Beast Pen's fate—remained mysteries.
Wei Huan unaware of deep underground secrets, puzzled why the Holy Lord and captured cores, including Holy Guard captains, mismatched wanted posters.
But action taken, must follow through.
Mismatched? Fine. Ambitious plotters needed executors.
Potential threats eliminated early.
Capturing the Beast Pen owner, pot-ending the headquarters.
He doubted four years later, those shadow rats could muster enough for Black Tortoise City siege!
A sneaky rat probed a damp, dark tunnel.
Suddenly, a Facehugger dropped from the ceiling, clamping its neck.
A squeeze.
" squeak"—the rat kicked and died.