Chapter 243
Chapter 243
Chapter 243
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 243 – There Is No Doubt That Lan Qi Is at Least a Seventh-Tier Stronger
“You—what gives you the right to question me?”
The Silver-Armored Cleric furrowed his brows. He could not understand why this youth, who clearly did not appear to be a combatant, could speak to him from such a lofty position.
But they, the Ba’tian believers, only submitted to strength. Nothing else—no hollow words, no empty reputation—mattered.
Lan Qi’s gaze remained calm. In his palm appeared a strangely-shaped Sacred Seal. Though its form was not identical to the one hanging on the Silver-Armored Cleric’s chest, its style clearly marked it as of the same origin.
More importantly—this seal shimmered with a violet halo!
“...A soldier directly under a Cardinal?”
The Silver-Armored Cleric’s eyes widened.
At a glance, he recognized it—this was a violet-quality rare artifact: [Resurrection Proof – Destruction], a specialized encrypted version. Those who bore such seals were typically close confidants of the Cardinals, entrusted with highly critical missions.
When each Cardinal was instated, their [Proof of the Cardinal] transformed into a unique insignia and totem. They alone had the authority to generate subordinate [Resurrection Proofs], so there were exactly ten variations of Sacred Seals in existence.
For all Resurrectionists across the continent, familiarity with these ten insignias was considered required learning.
“My apologies for the offense,” the Silver-Armored Cleric finally said, offering the barest inclination of a bow.“I am a missionary under Great Cleric Kain, head of the Ba’tian Branch in the Southwest Province of the Empire. I am presently fulfilling my assigned duty. But why has a direct soldier of the Cardinal of Destruction appeared here?”
Turning, he closed the cabin door and asked Lan Qi cautiously.
“I have an important mission,” Lan Qi replied gently, “to pay visit to the Cardinals of the Northern Continent. Viscount Francis can provide me with precious identity cover and logistical convenience. I hope you will not trouble the Viscount.”
Had Huperion been here, she would have kicked this Silver-Armored Cleric around like a ball without hesitation.
But Lan Qi was not the kind to act rashly or violently. He preferred to move people with virtue, illuminating them with the light of humanity, urging them to quiet their hearts and resolve disputes through thoughtful discussion.
“...”
The Silver-Armored Cleric listened silently for a long moment, then sneered.“It seems you’ve misunderstood something. While we won’t deliberately make trouble for the Cardinal’s direct soldiers, neither do we answer to other branches. We acknowledge only strength—not rank.”
He rolled his wrist, lips curling with undisguised disdain. His expression said plainly: Just now, I was giving you face. Don’t think it was more than that.
The situation was clear to him. No need to waste time.
A mere bureaucratic type had no right to command them. They had slain clerics of other branches before—why not this one?
Even if the Cardinal of Destruction himself were to appear, the Ba’tian sect would not bow to him.
“I see. So in your eyes, I am weak?” Lan Qi smiled faintly at the man’s posture.
There were always unruly students willing to challenge school rules.
But as a headmaster, he prided himself on being open-minded. To lost lambs, he offered correction through love, not condemnation.
After all, without curiosity and the pure drive for knowledge, no student could bring forth inventions and discoveries of great worth to humankind and society.
“If you truly possessed strength,” the Silver-Armored Cleric pressed forward with heavy, intimidating steps, “why talk to us at all? Why not simply sweep us aside? Or… are you so merciful?”
The air thickened with gunpowder.
He mocked Lan Qi’s “petty tricks” with every step, convinced that such posturing was nothing more than a soap bubble—ready to burst with the lightest touch.
“...”
Lan Qi closed his eyes. Perhaps in resignation. Or perhaps, because in his eyes, the opponent was simply too small to bother looking at directly.
“The last student I failed to save… was the Saint of Destruction. I will not let tragedy repeat itself.”
When Lan Qi opened his eyes again, the calm compassion within his gaze sent a chill down the Cleric’s spine. He froze, breath faltering.
But not only because of that gaze.
His senses screamed—something was wrong.
There was an echo in the room.
The entire space had been sealed by a spell—a sound-blocking barrier.
At the same instant, the air grew unbearably heavy, nearly solid, and within the silence, there arose cries—horrid, keening wails, as though from a thousand tormented ghosts crossing dimensions.
They overlapped endlessly, a chorus of agony, drilling into the Cleric’s skull until his heart nearly stopped.
“Ahhhh!!!”
He clutched his ears, body convulsing under the unbearable mental onslaught.
“This is the force you crave? Tell me—does it bring you joy?”
Lan Qi’s voice layered itself upon the cacophony, crashing within the Cleric’s skull.
The cabin warped into the spectral chamber of a ghost ship upon a sea of black mist. It was no longer a vessel of wood and steel, but one filled with dread, despair, and death.
Yet the brown-haired youth remained seated at the bedside. To him, this storm of nightmares was but a whisper of wind.
“Mercy, my lord! Please! I was wrong!!!”
The Silver-Armored Cleric collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by terror.
More than the pain, it was the tidal wave of fear that crushed him.
And then it hit him—this was a Seventh-Tier spell!
Teaching… the Saint of Destruction… a sacred encrypted seal reserved only for Cardinals… and a spell of this magnitude…
This man’s true identity… he dared not imagine further.
Lan Qi silently dispelled the horrifying chorus. The phantoms of despair faded, bending before him before vanishing into shadow.
In his hand, a blue card returned.
[Sound-Sealing Barrier]
Type: Spell Card
Grade: Blue – Rare
Category: Barrier / Concealment
Tier: 7
Effect: Consumes mana continuously to isolate all sounds within the area, severing them from the outside world.
Note: What heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know.
Though all Seventh-Tier spell cards were expensive, utility-type blue cards were relatively cheaper. Through his connections at the Cardmaker Association branch in Hedon Kingdom, Lan Qi had purchased it at a discount for Cat Boss.
For musicians of powerful magical resonance, this was a staple card to amplify effects—also quite handy in daily life.
But its mana consumption was high. Cat Boss couldn’t possibly sustain a large-scale barrier; his pitiful reserves would dry up at once.
When the sound seal dissipated, the wind and waves of the sea flowed back into the cabin.
It was as though nothing had ever happened.
The Cleric’s ears stopped ringing, but the tremor in his eyes would never fade.
(End of Chapter)