199: Chapter 199 Sect Meeting

Ten minutes later, the motorcade returned to The Cathedral. The four bishops, along with Red Hand and Tang Long, arrived at a small conference hall.

Tang Long was the first to sit in the main high-backed chair, then with a wave of his hand, he tossed the mask of calamity onto the table.

The bishops examined the mask carefully, their moods quite complex.

In principle, the status of a Holy Messenger in The Sect was second only to the High Priest. Yet, this young man had actually snatched the head seat, which made some feel quite uncomfortable.

However, seeing his wretched state, no one was willing to argue with him.

Tang Long scanned the room.

"Does no one want to speak? Then I'll go first."

"Some of you might still be unclear about what role I play. Now, I'll give you a straightforward answer."

"This is the mask of calamity, a Holy Relic of this divine lineage. I am the Holy Messenger you speak of."

"When I first entered Song City, I spoke with Bishop Lu. I didn't want to interfere in your sect's affairs."

"Bishop Lu, that's what I said at the time, right? We even made a contract, didn't we?"

"But now I've discovered... you lot are simply a bunch of useless trash!"

Tang Long's opening words immediately choked back the questions some of them had been about to ask.

Their old faces twitched and withered, but looking at Tang Long's miserable condition, not a single person could voice an objection.

From the High Priest's descent into madness until now, half a day had passed. The Songcheng Sect was leaderless and indeed in a state of chaos.

During this time, the Holy Messenger had been assassinated by Sun Worshipers and nearly died...

The word 'trash' was hard to hear, but... it was difficult to refute.

Moreover, the Holy Messenger clearly wasn't finished venting; he immediately continued to roar.

"Right under the nose of the Songcheng Sect, I was besieged by ten Sun Worshipers!"

"Just now at the city gate! That was clearly a meticulously planned persecution by the Sun Worshipers. You all went there, but what was the result?"

"You didn't even dare to let out a fart!"

"The Sun Worshipers are already shitting on your faces, and you can't do a damn thing! What's the difference between the Songcheng Sect and a makeshift stage troupe?"

"I already told you in advance that Wei Mingzhu was a Sun Worshiper, right? What measures did you take?"

"Is it wrong to call you trash?"

"You constantly invoke the name of God; is our Lord's title meant for you to go out and make a fool of yourselves?"

"Do you think the Sun Worshipers led by Wei Mingzhu are afraid now? Do they still have even half a shred of awe for our Lord and the Songcheng Sect!"

As Tang Long spoke, he seemed extremely furious. His remaining fist pounded the conference table with a series of bangs.

However, after venting his anger, he seemed to calm down slightly.

"Now that The Sect's leadership is all here, deliberate immediately! Come up with a solution immediately! Everyone, speak up!"

The four bishops had varying expressions.

They only then realized—why did it seem like Tang Long was the master of The Sect, while they, the four bishops, were like incompetent laborers?

Wei Ye, coming from the Wei Family, found it hard to speak on this issue and could only continue to play deaf.

Lv Yang had previously committed a blunder and failed to protect Tang Long; at this moment, even if he wanted to speak, he couldn't be the first.

High Priest Shang Yuleng stared at Tang Long, her thoughts unknown, but she remained silent throughout.

Liu Zhiming, however, had found his rhythm and immediately asked, "Sir Tang Long, which specific matter are you referring to?"

Tang Long sneered, "Bishop Liu, what is the situation with the High Priest? Is he mad or not?"

Liu Zhiming also smiled strangely, "Sir Tang Long, you had people spread such rumors earlier; weren't you already aware? The High Priest indeed seems to be possessed by the Mad God. I am quite curious, how did you know?"

Tang Long glared at him, "Is it that strange? Last night, Mad Dog and I went to unseal Lyria. We were on the verge of success when the High Priest's soul form suddenly appeared and obstructed us!"

"He actually dared to summon our Lord's power to contend with the Mad God! Do you know he almost triggered a War of Gods?"

"He was affected by the Mad God's power and became a madman through possession. I don't find it surprising at all; in fact, it's quite logical!"

Liu Zhiming immediately straightened his face, "Sir, please watch your words! The High Priest is the Supreme Venerable of our sect!"

"Furthermore, as the Holy Messenger of The Sect, you actually helped a heretic break the High Priest's seal? Whose side are you on exactly?"

"Listening to your words, you have many accusations against the High Priest. I would like to ask, are you still a believer in our Lord?"

The other bishops shared the same thought.

Even though you are the Holy Messenger, you haven't been formally recognized by The Sect. Without the High Priest's endorsement, you probably wouldn't even be qualified to sit here in a meeting with us.

Now you're even attacking him? Have you gone mad?

Tang Long seemed to laugh out of anger, "I'm truly impressed that you could even ask such a question."

"Calling you a makeshift stage troupe earlier seemed a bit excessive; I was planning to apologize to everyone later."

"But now it seems... heh."

"Grand Bishop Liu, I would like to ask you, what is the greatest crisis in the world right now?"

"You don't need to answer, I'll tell you directly: it's the invasion of the Alien Gods! All religions, sects, and the gods they believe in must view this as their primary objective."

"What's the use of keeping Lyria locked up in Blue Ridge? If she could be killed, she should have been killed long ago. If not, she should have been released long ago! Otherwise, Mad Dog and that seal are the biggest factors of instability around Song City!"

"The reason I helped him was to resolve this hidden danger. Wouldn't it be over once the person is released? It would also drain less of the High Priest's energy."

"But I can't understand—why did the High Priest insist on not doing it? I exhausted myself to appease Mad Dog and the Mad God, so why did he choose that moment to show off his strength and intervene, to the point that Song City's power became unbalanced, leading to this current disastrous situation?"

"What unknown reason or fetish does he have?"

Liu Zhiming was momentarily left speechless by the question, and the other three also had varying expressions.

Actually, Lv Yang knew a bit about this; the High Priest had once hinted at the intention to let Lyria go.

They hadn't personally experienced last night's events and didn't know why things had turned out this way.

If what Tang Long said was true, then...

The High Priest was a Huagai Realm stage powerhouse with indeed extraordinary strength, but to say he participated in a confrontation between gods was indeed... a bit overconfident.

He could only force a change of subject, "Even if that's the case, why did you instruct certain people to spread rumors?"

Tang Long slapped the table again, "Was that a rumor! Do you think if I didn't say it, others wouldn't find out?"

"Mad Dog is the Gods Vessel of the Mad God; he can hear the Mad God speaking at all times."

"If the Sun Worshipers and Xu Chaoyang didn't know, would they have dared to immediately organize people to kill me? Would they have dared to pull that stunt at the city gate!"

"I rushed here early in the morning just to confirm this matter and find a way to deal with it together. But Bishop Lv Yang, who has been my sole contact, kept his doors closed and refused to see me."

"I'd like to ask, Bishop Lu, what were you busy with at the time? If you had spoken with me in time, would I have needed to use such a method to provoke you?"

Lv Yang's face was numb, and he remained silent.

But then High Priest Shang Yuleng laughed, "Bishop Lu was busy behind closed doors at the time, pondering how to inherit the position of High Priest. Sir, don't make things difficult for him."

Tang Long looked at High Priest Shang Yuleng and also laughed, "Bishop Shang, I heard your ancestors came from the Yuanwu Kingdom and were even royalty? You should believe in the Yuanwu God, so how did you later convert to the Red God?"

The smile on High Priest Shang Yuleng's face immediately froze, "You..."

Hearing such gossip, the other three bishops couldn't help but cast curious glances.

This felt... so scandalous!

Wei Ye immediately followed up with a jab, "Brother Shang actually has such a background and managed to keep it even from us! Truly a hidden depth!"

Tang Long immediately glared at him, "Bishop Wei, your family is the one with talented people emerging in every generation. Have you personally verified Wei Mingzhu's identity as a Sun Worshiper? And you didn't expect Wei Jian to have become a spy for the Yuanwu People, did you?"

Wei Ye's old face immediately slumped, and he fell silent.

Now everyone had dirt on them; whoever spoke up would only stink more.