431: The evil god was actually a practice target.

The moment the words fell, the hideous ghost shadow had already lunged forward.

The flesh of the Thousand-Faced Shadow expanded wildly, unleashing the full divine power of a Tier 7 Evil God, as a foul, putrid wind wrapped in the stench of decay rushed toward her...

But crashing into Shang Wan Ning's heavy nether divine power was a complete waste of effort, just useless thrashing.

Shang Wan Ning stood motionless, her black robe flapping loudly in the wind. With a slight flick of her finger, the cold-glinting son of heaven sword materialized out of thin air.

The nether energy on the hilt spread along the blade; as soon as the ghost shadow touched its edge, it instantly dissolved into black smoke.

"Kill her! I am a Tier 7 Evil God; how can I allow an Outer God to humiliate me like this?" Thousands of faces shrieked in unison, the crying of children, the shrill screams of old women, and the roars of youths interweaving together.

The panic hidden beneath its bravado could not be suppressed at all.

It knew clearly that the strength of the Outer God before it far exceeded its estimates, but in a desperate situation, it had no choice but to fight to the death.

But Shang Wan Ning did not deliver a killing blow immediately. Instead, she took half a step back, nimbly avoiding the incoming flesh-based offensive, her eyes behind the mask carrying a hint of amusement: "Don't be in such a rush to risk your life. Didn't you just say you were on good terms with the core dependents?"

The Thousand-Faced Shadow's counterattack ceased, and all the ghost shadows hung suspended in mid-air.

It did not expect the opponent to still be asking about this while fighting. A middle-aged male face took over, feigning sincerity in its hollow eye sockets: "That's right. Although Her Excellency Sabrina is temporarily in hiding, her dependents still have heavy troops. I have already made an agreement with them to divide the Nature Pantheon's faith territory when the opportunity arises."

"The Abyss Church has three secret passages leading directly to the forbidden treasure vault, which contains divine power crystals of ancient Evil Gods. If Your Excellency is willing to cease hostilities and cooperate, half of the items in the vault will belong to you."

A gaunt male face hurriedly added, speaking so fast that it feared she might interrupt, terrified it wouldn't be able to persuade her.

They continued to fabricate lies, adding more and more detail, wishing they could turn falsehoods into truth: "The Nature Pantheon is secretly conducting a 'Purification Ritual' to wipe out all the gods of the Evil God lineage. Since Your Excellency has just arrived in this territory, you are certainly the first target Astrea wants to make an example of."

"I know the core location of the ritual and can calculate when it will be activated. I can help Your Excellency strike first and destroy the ritual completely."

"I can also mobilize millions of believers, and billions of faith power can be temporarily lent to Your Excellency to help you quickly stabilize your foundation in this realm."

"I can even contact three reclusive Evil Gods to form a four-party alliance to resist the Nature Pantheon together. From then on, the eastern part of the Ativi Continent will be ours to command." A beautiful female face squeezed out a sycophantic expression, her words full of the madness used to swindle others.

These lies were spun convincingly, from pantheon disputes to treasure vaults, and then to survival crises and alliance assistance; every point hit upon the core interests of a deity.

If it were an ordinary Outer God, newly arrived in a strange plane, they would inevitably be swayed by this "crucial intelligence."

But as Shang Wan Ning listened, a scoff escaped her throat, and she muttered to the air: "Little Four, listen to these made-up lies; the details are enough to fill a book. It's a waste that this guy isn't writing fiction."

Little Four's mockery came from her mind: "Hahahaha... And secret passages of the Abyss Church?"

"It probably doesn't know that the church tokens were all casually carved by Tudor."

"The Nature Pantheon wants to hold a Purification Ritual?" Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow, deliberately following its lead to ask further.

"What are the flaws in the ritual formation? Who exactly are the three reclusive Evil Gods, and what level of strength can they reach?"

Seeing her ask for details, the Thousand-Faced Shadow immediately perked up, thinking the other party was truly persuaded. An elderly face rushed to answer: "The flaw in the ritual formation is in the southeast corner, guarded in turns by three eight-winged War Angels. I can draw a precise defensive map, and I even know their routine patterns."

"The three reclusive Evil Gods are all at the peak of Tier 7, respectively wielding the authorities of Plague, Shadow, and Curse. I possess the exclusive contact code, and one call will bring them all!!!"

"As long as Your Excellency forms an alliance with me, I will immediately present the contact code and the defensive map. We will work from the inside and outside, first seizing the treasure vault to gain enough benefits, then destroying the ritual to eliminate hidden dangers, and finally dividing the faith territory of the Nature Pantheon. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

A youthful face struck while the iron was hot, its tone so certain as if all of this were a done deal.

They became more and more engrossed in their fabrication.

And went on to plan the subsequent distribution of benefits.

Having heard enough of these insipid lies, Shang Wan Ning raised her hand and swung her sword. A silver gleam, fast as lightning, split the foremost ghost shadow into nothingness.

She sheathed her sword and stood there, mocking: "Are you all done making things up? The three reclusive Evil Gods, the Abyss Church's forbidden treasure vault..."

"Heh, how come I, the Sovereign, didn't know I was so rich?"

All the faces of the Thousand-Faced Shadow froze instantly, and the frantically squirming flesh also stopped. The roaring in the nest came to an abrupt halt, leaving only the sound of viscous flesh dripping, suffocatingly heavy.

"You... you are...?"

The middle-aged male face shrieked, its hollow eye sockets filled with terror.

"The Abyssal Sovereign???"

"Bingo, you got it right~" Shang Wan Ning flicked her fingertip, the crisp sound of the snap sounding exceptionally harsh in the dead-silent nest. The amusement in her eyes behind the mask deepened, "Too bad, there's no prize."

She took a step forward, and with a light pressure of her nether divine power, the flesh of the Thousand-Faced Shadow shrank a circle, and the ghost shadows suspended in mid-air trembled uncontrollably.

"What, surprised?" Her tone was light, as if chatting about daily life, "When you used the Abyss Church as a bargaining chip, did you never think you might run into the real owner?"

All the faces of the Thousand-Faced Shadow were filled with despair. The lies it had intended to fabricate were stuck in its throat, unable to utter a single word.

It could hardly believe that this Outer God before it was actually the legendary Abyssal Sovereign who commanded the Abyss Church and whom even Tier 9 deities had to fear by three points.

No wonder the other party knew the secrets of the Church and Sabrina's recent situation like the back of her hand. All its previous rhetoric was simply wielding a broadsword in front of the master—ridiculous and fatal.

"You... you clearly have the aura of an Outer God, how can you be the Abyssal Sovereign?" The beautiful female face was still struggling to ask.

"The aura of an Outer God?"

Shang Wan Ning chuckled softly.

The Abyssal miasma on her body flowed slightly, switching in a second to the pure pressure of an Outer God, then immediately changing back. "It was just a disguise. Isn't it simple to fool short-sighted Evil Gods like you?"

With a flip of her wrist, the cold light of the son of heaven sword surged. "Alright, I've played enough. It's time to get down to business."

Shang Wan Ning's figure did not move, only her wrist turned nimbly, and the cold light of the son of heaven sword hacked directly at that massive lump of flesh.

Her technique was calm and casual; it didn't look like she was slaying a Tier 7 Evil God at all, but clearly like she was playing with a toy.

The force of the sword strike was perfectly controlled, neither damaging the divine core nor failing to slice the flesh neatly.