152: Chapter 152 Contact with the "Rebel Army", Even Angels Understand KPL

The venue for the "Welcome Sacrifice" was set at the "Holy Light Square" in the Seventh Ring of the God Realm.

The square was so vast that its boundaries were invisible at a glance, its ground paved with glowing white jade. In the center stood a three-hundred-meter-tall six-winged angel statue—it didn't hold a holy sword, but a giant, slowly rotating crystal ball. Inside the sphere, countless tiny specks of light flickered, each corresponding to a prayer occurring somewhere in the God Realm.

When Lin Chen's group of three arrived, the square was already "filled" with spectators.

They weren't living beings, but rows of neat... angel stone statues.

Exactly three thousand stone statues were arranged in a ring around the central statue, each maintaining a kneeling posture facing the crystal ball. Their eye sockets were hollow, yet Lin Chen could feel it—gazes were casting from those hollows, cold, mechanical, and full of scrutiny.

"This is the 'Devout Array'," Uriel, the guide, explained in a flat tone. "In life, they were the most devout angels who voluntarily infused their souls into the stone statues to eternally gaze upon the 'Source of Faith,' providing a stable foundation of faith power for the God Realm."

Zhang Hao looked at the statues, a chill running down his spine. "Voluntarily?"

"Of course." A hint of near-fanatical devotion appeared on Uriel's face. "To be selected for the array is a great honor. It means their souls will live as long as the God Realm, forever bathed in the Holy Light."

It paused and looked at Lin Chen:

"Chairman Lin, please come this way. The High Priest is already waiting for you."

At the end of the square, directly beneath the crystal ball, stood a nine-story-high altar made of pure gold.

Three figures in ornate priest robes stood atop the altar—the middle one was particularly striking. Behind him unfolded not wings, but twelve "light wings" composed of pure Holy Light, each wing covered in dense divine script.

"That is the High Priest, 'Saint of Light Wings' Cassio," Uriel whispered. "The head of the twelve High Priests of the God Realm, in charge of all sacrificial rituals, reporting directly to the Supreme God."

Cassio looked like a human elder with white hair and beard, possessing a kind face. But Lin Chen saw at a glance—beneath his skin, countless tiny golden runes flowed like living creatures, burrowing out of his skin and back in, taking a sliver of... life aura with every entry and exit.

"Welcome, guests from afar."

Cassio spoke, his voice gentle yet grand, echoing over the square:

"It has been a long time since the God Realm has welcomed friends from the Underworld. Please ascend the altar and let us perform the 'Holy Light Baptism' for you, to wash away the dust of your journey and allow the laws of the God Realm... to better accept you."

He spoke very politely.

But Su Qingyu's expression changed, and she whispered to Lin Chen, "Don't go up. That altar is set with a 'Forced Conversion' formation. Once you go up, you'll be forcibly branded by the God Realm, and your thoughts will gradually be assimilated by the Holy Light."

Lin Chen nodded.

He looked at Cassio and smiled slightly:

"Thank you for the kind offer, but that won't be necessary."

"We are here for a business inspection, not a pilgrimage."

"Forget the baptism; let's get straight to business."

The kind expression on Cassio's face froze for a moment.

The expressions of the two deputy priests behind him darkened.

"Chairman Lin," Cassio maintained his gentle tone, "this is the rule of the God Realm. Any outsider wishing to enter the heart of the God Realm must undergo the Holy Light Baptism. Otherwise... the laws of the God Realm will reject you, resulting in restricted strength at best, and... the dissipation of your soul at worst."

As he spoke, he waved his hand.

All around the square, the three thousand stone statues looked up simultaneously!

Golden beams of light shot from their hollow eye sockets, weaving into a massive net in the air that enveloped the entire square!

Within the net, Lin Chen's group immediately felt a heavy pressure—the air became viscous, their internal energy began to stagnate, and even their thoughts felt as if they were shackled.

"This is the 'Purification Field' of the 'Devout Array'," Cassio's tone remained gentle, but the smile had left his eyes. "Within the field, all non-Holy Light energy is suppressed and purified. Unless you accept the baptism and obtain a temporary transit permit... you will not be able to move an inch."

He paused and added:

"Of course, you could also choose... to break through by force."

"But in that case, the array will designate you as 'intruders' and launch an attack."

"The consequences will be your own."

Melodramatic Twist:

Zhang Hao's forehead broke into a sweat. "Boss, this old geezer is playing hardball!"

Su Qingyu had already secretly activated the samsara seal, ready to tear open the field at any moment.

But Lin Chen laughed.

Instead of panicking, he pulled a document from his robe and unrolled it unhurriedly.

"High Priest Cassio, the rule you're referring to is Article 77 of the 'God Realm Traditional Entry Management Regulations,' isn't it?"

Cassio was stunned. "...How do you know that?"

"Because before I came, I thoroughly studied the God Realm's legal system." Lin Chen pointed to a clause in the document. "Article 77 states: Outsiders entering must undergo the Holy Light Baptism, or otherwise pay a 'Law Adaptation Fee' to exchange for temporary transit eligibility."

He looked up:

"This rule is correct."

"But you might have failed to notice—"

Lin Chen flipped to the next page of the document:

"The 'Regulations' underwent a revision three thousand five hundred years ago. Supplementary Clause 3.1 of the revised version clearly states: If an outsider holds an 'Inter-planar Commercial Activity Permit' and the purpose of entry is 'legitimate commercial behavior,' they have the right to choose a 'paid exemption from baptism' by simply paying the adaptation fee according to the standard."

He turned the document toward Cassio, pointing at the Scales of Truth's notarization seal stamped on it:

"And our purpose of entry is a 'business inspection,' and we hold a permit certified by three parties: the Underworld Group, the Reformist Alliance, and the Scales of Truth."

"So—"

Lin Chen pulled out a storage ring and flicked it lightly.

The ring flew toward Cassio.

"Inside is the 'Law Adaptation Fee.' Standard rate: thirty thousand God Crystals per person per day. We three expect to stay for seven days, totaling six hundred and thirty thousand God Crystals."

"Please check it."

Cassio caught the ring and scanned it with his divine sense—the mountain of pure golden God Crystals inside was exactly right.

His expression changed.

Because everything Lin Chen said... was absolutely correct.

He had almost forgotten that revised clause from three thousand five hundred years ago himself! The God Realm hadn't had a proper "business visitor" in thousands of years, so the clause had become a mere formality!

But now, it was being brought up by the opponent, and it was perfectly compliant!

"High Priest," a deputy priest whispered, "how about... we just take the money and let them through? It's quite a lot of money, after all..."

Cassio grit his teeth.

Taking the money meant his attempt to intimidate them had failed, and he would lose face completely.

Not taking it would mean violating the God Realm's own rules—those stone statues nearby had a "recording" function, and today's ceremony would be written into the God Realm's archives!

It was suffocatingly frustrating.

But in the end, he forced a smile:

"...Chairman Lin is indeed... well-prepared."

He pocketed the ring and waved his hand.

The golden light net in the air slowly dissipated.

The three thousand stone statues lowered their heads again.

"Since you've chosen the paid exemption, then please suit yourselves." Cassio's tone turned cold. "Uriel, take them to the temporary reception area."

"Yes," Uriel quickly responded.

But just as Lin Chen's group turned to leave—

Cassio suddenly spoke again:

"Wait."

He stared at Lin Chen's back:

"Chairman Lin, there's something I must remind you of."

"The God Realm... hasn't been peaceful lately."

"Some 'restless' fellows are inciting rebellion everywhere under the banner of 'reform.' Since you are here for a business inspection, you'd best stay far away from them."

"Otherwise..."

A cold light flashed in his eyes:

"It would be unfortunate to be misidentified as an 'accomplice of the rebels'."

Thrilling Satisfaction:

The temporary reception area was located in a side hall on the edge of the Holy Light Square.

The interior was ornately decorated but exuded a sense of death—all the furniture, decorations, and even the murals on the walls were composed of solidified Holy Light, cold and hard to the touch.

Uriel left hurriedly after bringing them there, saying he needed to "prepare the upcoming itinerary."

The moment the hall doors closed, Zhang Hao let out a long breath. "Damn, that old geezer is so insidious! If the boss hadn't studied the law in advance, we would've fallen for it!"

Su Qingyu frowned. "His last sentence was a threat. The God Realm must already know we're in contact with the reformists."

"So what if they know?" Lin Chen walked to the window, looking out at the magnificent yet cold God Realm scene. "They don't dare move against us openly right now—our paperwork is in order and notarized by the Scales of Truth. Moving against us would be a slap in the face to the Arbitration Committee."

He paused:

"But their underhanded methods... will not be few."

No sooner had he spoken—

"Knock, knock, knock."

Someone knocked on the hall door.

It wasn't Uriel's regular way of knocking; it was three quick knocks followed by two slow ones, carrying a certain rhythm.

Su Qingyu's eyes flickered. "It's a code. There's something similar in my past life memories—a contact signal used by the God Realm's underground resistance."

Lin Chen nodded. "Open the door."

Zhang Hao warily pulled the door open—

Standing outside was a young angel wearing low-level God Servant robes.

It had only one pair of wings, with sparse and dull feathers. Although there were vortices in its eyes, they rotated very slowly, making it appear... more alive.

"Ex... excuse me, are you Chairman Lin of the Underworld Group?" the young angel asked nervously, looking around.

"I am," Lin Chen said.

The young angel breathed a sigh of relief and quickly handed over a crystal chip: "Someone... asked me to give this to you."

It stuffed the crystal chip into Zhang Hao's hand and turned to run, its wings fluttering somewhat clumsily.

Zhang Hao closed the door and handed the crystal chip to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen infused a sliver of energy—

The crystal chip lit up, projecting a video.

In the video was a dim room, and in the center sat a person.

It was indeed Michael, the Finance Officer.

But his current appearance was completely different from the projection seen before in the Underworld—his clothes were in tatters, all six wings were broken, and there was a hideous wound on his chest, its edges flickering with black corrosive energy.

"Chairman Lin," Michael's voice was weak but clear, "I apologize for contacting you this way. The Old God Court's surveillance is too strict; we cannot show our faces in person."

"To put it briefly: the news of your entry into the God Realm has already spread. That old geezer Cassio will certainly not let things rest. Tonight's 'Welcome Sacrifice' was just an appetizer; their real killing move comes later."

"But fortunately—"

A glint of light flashed in Michael's eyes:

"We through our inside contacts, we've intercepted part of their plan."

The image switched to an encrypted document.

Document Title: "Unexpected Treatment Plan for the Underworld Group Inspection Team"

Summary:

1. Tomorrow morning, arrange for the inspection team to visit the "Faith Refinery," and stage an "energy leak accident" on the way to sweep the three into the refining pool, disguised as an accident.

2. If Plan 1 fails, then during the "Business Negotiation Meeting" in three days, inject "Sanctification Potion" into their tea to forcibly convert the three into God Realm subordinates.

3. Final backup plan: If the first two fail, trigger the "Abyss Invasion Alarm," frame the Underworld Group for conspiring with the Abyssal Lord, and launch a full-scale God Realm encirclement.

The approval signature at the end of the document was none other than—Cassio.

At the end of the video, Michael's face reappeared:

"Chairman, the situation is critical. We request an immediate meeting to discuss countermeasures."

"The meeting place has been arranged and is absolutely safe."

"If you agree, please go alone at midnight to—"

He gave a set of coordinates.

The video ended.

Zhang Hao's face was grim. "Boss, this is a trap, right? How could it be so coincidental that someone sends intel right after we're threatened? And how does Michael know we're here?"

Su Qingyu also frowned. "And asking you to go alone... it's too suspicious."

Lin Chen didn't speak.

He toyed with the crystal chip, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

After a long while, he smiled.

"It is indeed suspicious."

"But—"

He looked out the window. The God Realm's "moon" (a giant sphere of Holy Light) was slowly rising:

"If I don't go and see, how will I know who's fishing?"

"Or perhaps..."

A cold light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes:

"Who is the fish?"

The Hook:

At midnight, Lin Chen followed the coordinates to a deserted divine temple district in the Third Ring of the God Realm.

This used to be the territory of some minor god, but it had declined during the faith wars a thousand years ago. Now, only broken walls and ruins remained. The Holy Light was also very thin, and the air was filled with the scent of decay.

The coordinates pointed to a half-collapsed temple.

Lin Chen walked inside.

The hall was empty.

Only in the center of the floor was a complex teleportation array drawn with God Blood.

Beside the array stood a stone tablet with words carved into it:

【Please step into the array; the teleportation will start automatically】

【Destination: Rebel Army Temporary Command Center】

【Note: This teleportation is a one-way encrypted transmission and cannot be tracked】

Lin Chen looked at the array and smiled.

He lifted his foot—

Then, a second before stepping into the array, he suddenly stopped.

He turned and looked toward the shadows in the corner of the temple:

"Come out."

"Aren't you tired after following me all this way?"

The shadows were silent for three seconds.

Then, a figure slowly emerged.

It wasn't Michael.

Nor was it any angel.

It was a... monster covered in black scales, with three eyes and a scorpion tail trailing behind it.

The monster grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth:

"As expected of the Lord of the Underworld... Your perception is truly sharp."

"A pity—"

All three of its eyes lit up with a crimson glow simultaneously:

"You still have to die!"

Before its voice had even faded, twelve more identical figures emerged behind it!

Thirteen monsters surrounded Lin Chen!

And the teleportation array on the ground suddenly reversed at this moment—

From a teleportation array, it turned into a massive, foul-smelling—

Devouring Trap!

"High Priest Cassio sends his regards."

The leading monster sneered:

"He said..."

"The travel fare to hell—"

"He's paid it for you!"