Few days ago, in an ancient, unknown castle.
Within the throne room of the castle, a grand and cavernous space dominated by an imposing throne crafted from blackened iron and encrusted with dark gems that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.
Kneeling before this throne was the Fog Douluo, the Bishop of the Holy Spirit Church. His head was bowed in reverence, his form still as a statue, cloaked in the heavy black robes of his office.
Seated upon the throne was the 'Master,' the Head of the Holy Spirit Church, and the person recognized by the higher-ups as King. The aura radiating from him was overwhelming, making him appear even more majestic yet terrifying.
"Bishop Quan Zhang, Congratulations on your advancement to Titled Douluo" the King intoned, as he moved the 'Black Bishop' on his chessboard and taking the 'White Pawn'. "As for your mission this time... Go to the hidden base in the Great Star Dou Forest and take care of the approaching enemies."
The Fog Douluo, Quan Zhang lifted his head slightly. "Yes, my King," he replied, his voice a whisper that carried through the still air.
"With this move the war had begun," the King continued, his gaze piercing. "Do as you please, as long as you do not deviate from the Grand Plan."
Quan Zhang nodded solemnly. "I understand, my King. I will not fail."
With that, the Quan Zhang bowed deeply, then rose and exited the throne room.
...
A few days later, in an abandoned village that had become the hidden base of the Holy Spirit Church.
A member of the Holy Ghost Church ran over and approached Quan Zhong, "Mr. Bishop, a team of seven from the Spirit Hall is attacking our hidden base!"
"Hmm? They had finally arrived," said Quan Zhang as he detected seven individuals entering the fog he had spread throughout the village. However, he suddenly narrowed his brows as he felt displeased. And the reason? They are too weak!
"Tch… only 7 kids at the Spirit Emperor Realm?" Quan Zhang said dissatisfiedly.
"Just ambush them with numbers, I will cover you with my fog." Quan Zhang ordered the member of the Holy Spirit Church.
Quan Zhang had arrived a few days ago, but when he arrived, he thought that he would be fighting a powerful figure from Spirit Hall, but unexpectedly after waiting for several days, his target this time was only a few kids at the Spirit Emperor Realm. "King, are you looking down on me?" Quan Zhang muttered displeasedly.
Quan Zhang had been a loyal follower of the Church long before he became a Titled Douluo, so he had a strange bond woven deep within his heart. However, as he broke through and became a Titled Douluo, he never thought that his first mission was just to face a few Spirit Emperors, he felt like he was being looked down on.
However, after some time had passed, he found it strange that the group from Spirit Hall still had not died from being ambushed by hundreds of Dark Spirit Masters.
"What took them so long?" Confused, Quan Zhang quickly disguised himself as he blended into the fog to watch them fight in person.
Soon, he was quite stunned to see the Dark Spirit Masters being easily slaughtered like chickens. Not that their strength was weak, but because the other party had overwhelmingly overpowered them in level of skill and strategy execution.
"Hmmm... Interesting!" Quan Zhang muttered as if he had other thought.
Quan Zhang felt no pity for the deaths of the Dark Spirit Masters by his side. On the contrary, he felt happy because he didn't have to do it himself.
He remembered that he even had to kill some of them just to get them to listen to him, a Titled Douluo and the Bishop of the Holy Spirit Church. He would rather work with a few capable people than hundreds of useless ones.
If not for them being part of the Holy Spirit Church, Quan Zhang would have already killed all these people with his own hands. Making them a disposable at least made them seem useful as he thought.
Soon, when the group from the Spirit Hall managed to kill all the Dark Spirit Masters who ambushed them, Quan Zhang came out of the fog and appeared before them as he activated his Martial Spirit, Darkness Fog Scepter and showed them all his Nine Spirit Rings.
Since he was also a Dark Spirit Master, his Dark Aura pressed them to the ground immediately leaving the group sprawled on the ground.
However, to his surprise, one of the individuals from the group was able to repel his Dark Aura so they could get back on their feet.
Quan Zhang smiled while seeing their struggle. "Interesting," he murmured, his voice carrying a sinister edge as he disappeared into the fog. "Let's see how long you can last."
He activated his eighth spirit ability. "8th Spirit Ring: Scepter of Fog's Domain!"
The fog around them thickened exponentially, becoming so dense that it was nearly impossible to breathe. Visibility dropped to almost nothing, and even the faintest glimmers of light were swallowed by the oppressive fog.
Quan Zhang wanted to test how far they could entertain him, so he watched them from a distance.
...
"Trying to run away? How disappointing." Quan Zhang watched while mocking their efforts from a far.
Quan Zhang watched with a mixture of amusement and interest. "What a futile display," he mused, intrigued by their effort to find a way out within his Domain.
The fog was able to nullify most of the Martial Spirit's abilities except for the enhancement of the Tool Martial Spirit's ability and the Transformation of the Beast Martial Spirit's ability. Besides the negation ability, the fog still had many more dangerous effects, but it seemed like most of them could be handled by the group.
"Let's increase the difficulty," Quan Zhang said inwardly, soon, the fog within his Domain became denser and denser, making it impossible for the group to breathe anymore.
Not long after, Quan Zhang's expression became grim when he saw their next actions, "Such powerful Swordsmanship, to the point of being able to penetrate my fog and open a path to the edge of my Domain… Pass, you pass."
Now the group faces another problem that requires them to destroy the Domain's barrier to get out. "Let see their final struggle" Quan Zhang, standing amidst the swirling fog, watched their futile struggle with a cruel smile.
Soon, after several futile attempts, the barriers did not even leave the slightest scratch from the impact they had delivered, "Is this their limit? Looks like only the Swordsman is qualified..." Quan Zhang said in disappointment.
However, just as he was about to appear before them again, a man with his hammer started hammering the barrier multiple times, "Hooh? The final struggle?" Quan Zhang said in excitement.
Soon, while the man was still hammering on the barrier, the barrier shook violently but still showed no signs of breaking, "Still not enough, huh?" Quan Zhang looked disappointed.
However, on the 81st swing of the hammer, a sudden shattering sound was heard!
Boom!
...
The Quan Zhang's voice echoed through the dissipating fog, his tone a mix of excited and intrigue. "Impressive. Very impressive."
"I finally figure out my purpose, my King..." Quan Zhang muttered with a thrilling emotion as he had realized something.
"Young prodigies," the Quan Zhang's voice resonated through the fog, chilling and ominous. "You have proven yourselves to be quite formidable. Your resilience and strength are commendable. It would be a waste to simply eliminate you."
The group stiffened, their senses heightened as they listened to his words.
"What do you want?" Qian Douliu demanded, his voice steady despite the underlying tension.
Quan Zhang's smile widened. "I offer you a choice. Join the Holy Spirit Church, and you will be granted power beyond your wildest dreams. The path to greatness lies with us. You will receive the training and resources to reach heights you never imagined. Wealth, power, influence—all can be yours."
The air grew colder as the group absorbed his words. A flicker of temptation crossed some of their faces, but it was quickly overshadowed by resolute defiance. They knew what the Holy Spirit Church stood for, and the thought of joining such a dark and malevolent force was repugnant.
"Ptui! We will never join your cult," Yu Tianwu spat, his eyes blazing in furiousness. "We will never succumb to your twisted ideals."
Quan Zhang's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "You should reconsider. Refusing my offer will lead to your demise. Join us, and you will live to see another day. Oppose us, and you will suffer a fate worse than death."
The group exchanged glances, their resolve unwavering despite the fear gnawing at the edges of their minds. Dai An stepped forward, her voice steady and clear. "We will never join the likes of you. We would rather die fighting for what we believe in than live as pawns to kill innocent people."
A chilling silence fell over the group, the fog pressing in on them from all sides. Quan Zhang's smile twisted into a sinister grin. "Very well. If you refuse to see reason, then you leave me no choice."
Soon, Qian Douliu's shout was heard, "Xu Xan! Now!"
Xu Xan nodded and began to activate her abilities and envelop them in an array formation. "6th Spirit Ring: Stargate Teleportation."
"You think you can escape from me?" Quan Zhang taunted, his voice echoing eerily. "I'd like to see you try."
With a flick of his wrist, Quan Zhang activated his Spirit Ring. Dark Fog Threads surged through the air, the fog swirling with a malevolent force.
"This is bad, we won't make it at this rate." Qian Douliu said in a concerned tone.
However, suddenly Tang Chen jumped out from the formation, "You guys go, I'll hold him down!" he shouted.
"No! Tang Chen!" Dai An shouted, as she failed to restrain Tang Chen before he broke out of the formation.
"Great Sumeru Hammer," Tang Chen shouted, raising his adrenaline for the ultimate sacrifice again, then he pointed his hammer towards the incoming Dark Fog Threads.
Boom!
The Dark Fog Threads shattered, but soon another tendril of Dark Fog Threads appeared and snaked toward Tang Chen, entering his bodies before he could react. Dai An and the other's eyes widened in shock and horror as they saw the fog threads coursing through Tang Chen's body.
"Tang Chen! That's enough! Come back!" Dai An shouted desperately, she even tried to break out of the formation but was immediately stopped by Yu Tianwu.
"Are you an idiot? Don't let his sacrifice be in vain!" Yu Tianwu shouted at Dai An.
However, Tang Chen who was high on adrenaline, couldn't hear what they were saying or feel anything and continued to push forward as if he didn't feel any pain, he shouted again. "Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Boom!
The Dark Fog Threads shattered again, but soon reappeared.
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Boom!
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Boom!
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Boom!
One by one, Tang Chen's Spirit Rings shattered, and as the last Spirit Ring Shattered, Tang Chen fell to the ground, unconscious. His condition was so critical that it was difficult to know whether he was still alive or not.
However, with his sacrifice, his group was able to safely teleport away from this place.
Meanwhile, Quan Zhang looked at the unconscious Tang Chen solemnly, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "If I cannot persuade you to join willingly, then I will force you. You will serve the Holy Spirit Church, whether you want to or not."
...
Core region of the Great Star Dou Forest, Heavenly Blessed Mountain....
Presently, Feng Qian was doing his daily routine, playing with Feng Linlin and the others, cultivating Immortal Herbs, and checking on the condition of Feng Jin who was still unconscious.
However, after doing his daily routine for today, Feng Qian suddenly felt something was wrong, "What's with this uneasy feeling? Am I sick now?" Soon, he started to feel an extremely painful headache.
"Arghhh..."
Thud~
There was a thud as something just fell off Feng Qian's head,
"M-My Antlers!" Feng Qian said in a shocked tone.