40: Chapter 40 Miracles

Every bishop in the territories ruled by the God-Emperor Faction received an order.

This order was delivered by knights at the fastest possible speed, requiring all of them to arrive at the Holy City within three days.

The priests were filled with doubt.

Aside from the passing of a Diocesan Priest and the election of a new one, there was simply no reason to assemble such a large number of clergy.

Yet, despite that, they could not ignore this command issued with the highest authority from the Holy City.

Thus, the priests from all regional churches set out, converging in the direction of the Holy City.

The bishops who arrived first were immediately arranged for lodging and rest by the local knights.

Many bishops looked at the surrounding soldiers, their eyes revealing doubt and confusion.

"Are these truly our people?"

"Why are they wearing armor that doesn't quite look like armor, and holding things that don't quite look like staffs?"

But even if this were a den of wolves and tigers, since they had already arrived, they had no choice but to settle in. At the very least, these soldiers had not shown any hostility toward them for the time being.

As time passed, more and more bishops gathered in the Holy City.

Some priests who knew each other began to discuss the situation privately.

"What do you think is going on? Where are the Diocesan Priest and the Confessor Priest? Why haven't we seen them from the very beginning?"

"You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? We are basically being watched. Just look at the soldiers and knights outside; right now, you can only enter, not leave."

A few familiar priests were whispering at the dining table.

Just then, another priest who was on good terms with them walked over, sat down, and scanned the surroundings. After ensuring that everyone nearby was one of their own, he whispered:

"I have received some news."

Upon hearing this, everyone around them immediately stopped talking. Even the sound of spoons clinking against plates became much softer.

"The Diocesan Priest and the Confessor Priest may already be dead."

The voice was so quiet it was almost like a mosquito buzzing, but to the ears of these priests, it was like a thunderclap.

A priest was about to exclaim in shock, but was immediately held down tightly by the others.

"Don't get excited! We are all in their hands now; if anything happens, we'll all lose our lives."

Hearing this, the priests calmed down again.

"What exactly do these people want?"

Some of the priests finally voiced what everyone was thinking.

They all wanted to know what purpose this group of strange soldiers and knights had in gathering them here, neither killing nor releasing them, but keeping them under house arrest.

"Let's wait. After three days, the truth will come to light."

According to the letter, an important ceremony would be held in three days.

Although the priests did not know what this ceremony was, for now, they could only wait passively.

Three days later, all the priests had gathered together, and the deadline they were waiting for had finally arrived.

Early on the third morning, a squad of armored soldiers led by a knight arrived to invite them to the Cathedral Square.

Life or death would be decided this time.

It was six o'clock in the morning, Terra Standard Time.

The weather today was exceptionally strange. The sky was filled with heavy, dark clouds as if darkness had descended upon the entire Holy City, not allowing a single ray of light to penetrate.

Even the gentle summer breeze carried a bone-chilling cold.

A priest clearly recorded everything that happened at that moment in his journal.

And what he wrote became proof of the miracle in later generations.

Xia Xingchen arrived at the venue first, looking down at the dense crowd of priests from the entire God-Emperor Faction.

With so many people, would they believe him?

Xia Xingchen couldn't help but feel nervous, but the arrow was already on the string, and there was no other choice.

Xia Xingchen stood on the high platform, while a large number of soldiers quickly poured out below, forming a defensive line in front of them.

The priests swallowed hard, fearing that the group of knights and strange soldiers in front of them would slaughter them on the spot.

Xia Xingchen stood on the high platform and loudly declared his identity.

"I am the emissary of the God-Emperor. By the order of the God-Emperor, I have come to punish and rule Lanshan Planet."

"Lanshan Planet?"

"It must refer to the land beneath our feet."

After speaking, Xia Xingchen stared intently at the expressions of the priests below; their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.

To Xia Xingchen's disbelief, many of them did not look entirely skeptical. Instead, they wore expressions of hesitation, as if they only needed some other form of proof to be completely convinced.

Xia Xingchen continued his performance, announcing the crimes of the Diocesan Priest and the Confessor Priest in a voice loud enough to resound across the entire square.

"The Diocesan Priest and the Confessor Priest betrayed the faith of the God-Emperor and have already suffered the God-Emperor's punishment. They have paid the price for their betrayal of the God-Emperor. As for you, as the deceived and participants in ignorance, the God-Emperor would have normally visited his wrath upon you as well."

Hearing this, all the priests panicked instantly; this was truly a disaster out of nowhere!

With the top leaders, the Diocesan Priest and the Confessor Priest, doing such things, now even they were going to be punished by the God-Emperor.

In extreme fear, they had accepted Xia Xingchen as the emissary sent by the God-Emperor and believed it without doubt.

Even if they had doubts, there was nothing they could do.

Xia Xingchen held the army and the soldiers in his hands; even if they wanted to resist, they had no power to do so.

"What should we do now?"

The priests below were trembling, filled with fear.

A priest rushed to the front, wanting to explain the situation loudly, but was stopped by the soldiers and knights in front.

"Lord Emissary! Please listen to our explanation; this has nothing to do with us! We had no idea that the Diocesan Priest and the Confessor Priest had betrayed the faith!"

The scene descended into extreme chaos. Some priests knelt directly on the ground, praying incessantly, seeming to have accepted their inevitable death. Others, filled with fear, desperately tried to explain that this matter had nothing to do with them in hopes of grasping a final chance at survival. Still others just stood there blankly, with no one knowing what was going through their minds.

The knights quickly drew their swords and spears from their waists, holding them upright before them, and kept closing in on the priests.

At this critical moment, the cloud-filled sky suddenly changed.

A glimmer of light pierced through the thick clouds, casting a ray of divine light among the crowd.

Xia Xingchen took the initiative to look up toward the source of the light. He wanted to use the herd mentality to make everyone's gaze gather on the sky above.

Sure enough, when the other priests saw Xia Xingchen look up, they followed suit.

In the light, there seemed to be someone.

Everyone looked toward the sky and saw a young girl wearing holy robes with golden wings growing from her back, slowly appearing from the light like an angel descending.

As she drew closer, the light in the sky became more dazzling, and the thick clouds broke open into a large hole. As the Saint descended, the light slowly expanded.

Seeing this, the priests knelt on the ground as if they had witnessed a true miracle.

They made the Aquila Salute on their chests, silently praying in their hearts, begging for the God-Emperor's forgiveness.

They firmly believed that the Saint's arrival was specifically to redeem them.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchen also took the initiative to kneel down; there was no help for it, as this was also part of the script.

Saint Sabbat, like a saint from mythology, slowly descended onto the high platform.

"Lost lambs, please stand up. I have brought you the will and instructions of the God-Emperor."

Hearing Saint Sabbat's words, the kneeling priests, knights, and Xia Xingchen's subordinates finally stood up.

Saint Sabbat spoke slowly, her gentle voice enough to make everyone who heard it feel physically and mentally relaxed and relieved.

"I have brought the latest revelation from the God-Emperor. I will assume the position of Diocesan Priest. At the same time, the God-Emperor's mercy will descend upon every believer, and you will all receive redemption and forgiveness."

The priests below were instantly filled with disbelief upon hearing this.

But the moment their eyes met with Saint Sabbat's, all distrust instantly vanished.

Other than kneeling on the ground in pious prayer and following Saint Sabbat, they had no other choice.

Xia Xingchen looked at the scene below and knew clearly that regardless of whether they were sincere or not, at least the God-Emperor Faction had reconvened, and all his future policies could be smoothly pushed forward.

Furthermore, the highest leader of the God-Emperor Faction was Saint Sabbat.

This also meant that transforming the God-Emperor Faction from an organization with both secular powers into a purely religious group would make building the government framework much easier in the future.

Saint Sabbat took the initiative to walk up to these priests, interacting with them at close range to bring their emotions closer and build a spiritual bond of leadership.

Xia Xingchen was quite happy to see this; at least they didn't have to use force to conquer these people.

Nuwa also slowly walked out from behind at this moment.

"Saint Sabbat has it quite easy, even though we are the ones helping her behind the scenes."

In fact, all the miraculous scenes created just now were operated by the personnel on the dream star.

They used the equipment on the warship to successfully create the sky full of dark clouds, and used laser facilities to create the holy pillar of light formed after the sunlight penetrated the clouds.

"Isn't that good? Our effort wasn't in vain. Now we have basically controlled the entire God-Emperor Faction."

Xia Xingchen responded with a smile.

After the ceremony, Xia Xingchen sat in the room that originally belonged to the Diocesan Priest, lying on the soft and fluffy bed.

Today was finally over. After preparing for so long, the mission was finally completed.

Half of Lanshan Planet was basically under Xia Xingchen's control; all that remained was the Burning Cult.

They should be a cult that worships Khorne. Why not just use force to conquer them? Anyway, Khorne is an enemy of the Empire, and this could also boost Saint Sabbat's favorability.

Xia Xingchen's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and the sleepiness in his mind became more and more intense.

However, this final thought allowed Xia Xingchen to make his final decision.

After making this decision, Xia Xingchen finally drifted into a deep sleep.