Chapter 144: Parasite Ascension

Bi Changhong was the third-in-line deputy pope of the main church, and he had always been responsible for overseeing the Parasite Ascension Project. That alone was sufficient testament to how important an event the Parasite Ascension Project was.

Deputy Pope Bi delivered a very brief address. He had already overseen countless editions of the Parasite Ascension Project, and it was clear that he no longer had any interest in showing off to a bunch of Generals.

He delivered some uninspired words of motivation, then sat down on the elevated platform, following which the presenter began to explain the rules.

"After you enter the Parasite Ascension Domain, you must wait until the black mist rises before you can begin engaging in battle. Once the black mist rises, your Five Spirit Parasites will emerge from your bodies on their own, and only then will your Five Spirit Parasites gain the ability to devour others of its kind.

“Once you're in there, your fate will solely be in your own hands. There are battle techniques, spirit materials, natural treasures, and all types of fated opportunities to be claimed inside, and you can stoop to any means necessary to kill your opponents. The main church must prepare for three years before it's sufficiently prepared to hold a Parasite Ascension Project, so do not squander this precious opportunity.

“In total, there are 153,612 Generals taking part in this edition of the Parasite Ascension Project, and the duration of the project will be thirty days, give or take three days depending on circumstances."

With that, everything had been explained, and Bi Changhong declared the commencement of the Parasite Ascension Project.

"Open the entrance!"

Countless auras rose up into the heavens, and the complexion of the bright and clear day abruptly took a drastic turn.

Dark clouds filled the entire sky, while countless stones and pieces of debris were whipped up into the air by fierce yin winds, plunging the entire area into darkness.

It was as if a dark veil had settled over heaven and earth, and at the same time, an authoritative roar rang out.

"Everyone, turn around!"

All of the Generals immediately did as they were told, only to discover that a vast expanse of inky-black mist had appeared around a thousand feet behind them.

The black mist was like a solid mass of impermeable darkness, and it was rapidly growing denser and darker.

All of a sudden, some type of strange energy abruptly descended into the black mist, and a speck of slowly expanding white light appeared at its center..

The speck of white light gradually took on the form of a radiant gate that was around a thousand feet wide and a thousand feet tall, but it was impossible to see what was inside.

"Enter the gate!"

Everyone immediately rose up into the air before flying into the gate as instructed.

Fang Che was doing the same when he suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrant scent beside him, following which a cold female voice rang out.

"Tell me your name!"

He turned to discover that a woman had suddenly appeared by his side. She had a head of luscious, black hair and an exquisite figure to boot, but her face was concealed behind a menacing mask.

"Why?" Fang Che asked.

"I'm going to kill you, and I don't want to kill the wrong guy!" the woman replied.

"I don't tell any ugly bitches my name!" Fang Che scoffed in a disdainful manner.

"How dare you!"

Fierce killing intent instantly rose up from the woman's body, but Fang Che paid no heed to her as he abruptly accelerated, rushing into the gate of light in the blink of an eye.

The fact that she was able to appear so abruptly by his side indicated that the speed of her movement techniques far exceeded his, so he had to shake her off for his own safety.

After flying through the gate of light, he found himself in an alternate world.

It was a tranquil and scenic paradise, filled with lush greenery, sprawling hills, and quaint valleys, but it was completely deserted.

Judging from the thickness of the trees, they had most likely been around for at least several thousand years.

There must be tons of good stuff in here! It's a pity I don't have a spatial ring. Looks like I'll just have to eat everything I get my hands on.

After taking a quick glance at his surroundings, he immediately rushed into the thick forest, distancing himself from everyone else and instantly vanishing out of sight.

Many of the Generals were still inspecting their surroundings, and Fang Che was already gone.

"Who was that?"

"I only caught a glimpse of him, but it looked like the guy that was talking shit to everyone outside!"

"Get him!"

***

Some time later, the gate of light slowly vanished, while the vast expanse of black mist also faded away.

The sun hung bright and high in the sky, and it was as if nothing had happened.

All of the popes of the subsidiary churches turned to look at the vacant chairs on the elevated platform.

At this point, only nine chairs remained, while all of the others had already been taken away.

Those nine seats were the most coveted prizes in the eyes of the popes.

For the General that managed to secure the top spot in the Parasite Ascension Project, the pope of their church would get to claim the central seat.

The rest of the nine seats were assigned to the popes of the top-eight Generals, while the pope of the tenth-place finisher would get to stand.

The rest of the popes all had to bow to the top ten popes, while the popes of the churches that lost all of their Generals over the course of the Parasite Ascension Project had to kneel until the conclusion of the award presentation ceremony.

Yin Shengong was staring at the coveted central seat with a look of yearning in his eyes.

On so many past occasions, he was forced to bow or kneel to the occupants of those seats.

For this edition of the Parasite Ascension Project, the stakes were even higher.

Will I end up bowing or kneeling? Or perhaps will I be stripped of my post in front of everyone, forced to clear the way for Ren Zhongyuan?

Qian Sanjiang and Hou Fang quietly arrived by his side.

"What are you looking at, Yin Shengong?" the pope of the Moon Demon Church scoffed. "Do you want to claim that seat for yourself?"

"Do you not want the same thing?" Yin Shengong asked.

"I've sat up there six times before! How many times have you been up there?" the pope of the Moon Demon Church sneered.

Yin Shengong hadn't sat up there even once, but he had been forced to kneel forty to fifty times.

"Six times is quite a lot, but have you ever sat in the very center?" Yin Shengong asked.

"At least I'm not always kneeling down there like you!" the pope of the Moon Demon Church sneered.

Yin Shengong had no response for this, and he could only give a cold harrumph before walking away to strike up conversations with other popes that were regular kneelers.

So what if you've sat up there six times? I don't even care! I love kneeling!

***

As the black mist vanished outside, the interior of the Parasite Ascension Domain was slowly filled with black mist.

However, the space within the domain was extremely vast, so the black mist was only able to slightly lower visibility, making it feel much like dusk.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Along with the influx of black mist came a burst of strange power, and there was a subtle shift in the air...

Fang Che immediately felt this subtle change.

Could it be...

He could feel the Five Spirit Parasite desperately fighting to come out, but it was restrained by his Boundless Sutra spirit power.

He loosened the restraints, and he immediately felt something flow up to his head through his meridians before emerging from the top of his head.

He reached up to grab the object, and a small insect landed in his grasp.

It was none other than his Five Spirit Parasite, and at the moment, it was only the size of an ant.

It resembled a tiny centipede, and it had a glossy, black exoskeleton.

At this moment, it was looking up at Fang Che with a fawning look in its bright and beady little eyes, and Fang Che smiled as he fed it some spirit qi.

The Five Spirit Parasite immediately perked up, crawling back and forth over the palm of Fang Che's hand while transmitting to him emotions of contentment and affection.

Fang Che tossed it up into the air, and it spread its wings and flew back onto the top of his head, nestling its way into his hair.

The black mist had risen and the Five Spirit Parasites had emerged, heralding the commencement of the Parasite Ascension Project.

The dim environment was perfect for killing, and Fang Che closed his eyes before taking a deep breath, then darted forward under the cover of the dense foliage like a predator on the prowl.

He had already spotted two targets up ahead.

He knew that he definitely wasn't among the most powerful Generals in here, so he was staging a tentative sneak attack.

If it worked out, then he would claim his first two victims. If it didn't, then he would immediately flee the scene.

Not far up ahead was a General hiding under a massive rock, holding a sword in one hand as he cautiously inspected his surroundings.

The giant rock perfectly concealed him, but still allowed him to observe the left, the right, and directly forward, making it a perfect scouting spot.

Fang Che snuck up silently from behind the giant rock.

He had already spotted the General hiding here, and he had chosen the latter to be his first victim.

He made his way covertly onto the giant rock, then plunged his saber into the gap between the rock and the mountain before releasing a burst of explosive spirit power through his blade.

The General beneath the giant rock was still cautiously observing his surroundings when he suddenly heard a burst of thunderous rumbling, and before he had a chance to react, the giant rock was already descending upon him.

What had been a perfect hiding spot just a moment ago had suddenly turned into a death trap!

It was already too late to take evasive measures, so he could only thrust his palms forcefully into the giant rock, causing it to explode into countless pieces upon impact.

Fang Che sprang out from behind the shattered rock, and despite the General's frantic retreat, Fang Che was still able to slice off his right hand with a swift stroke of his saber.