Chapter 29: Demonic Infiltration

Dongfang Sansan paced back and forth as he thought through the entire sequence of events once again, and he was finally certain that Fang Che had carried out a flawless, albeit extremely crude, maneuver.

It was incredible for him to think that such an unsophisticated move could possibly be without flaws!

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Moon Shadow was still waiting for his response.

Fang Che had created an alternative avenue to pass intelligence onto Ye Meng, but Dongfang Sansan had been left with the task of cleaning up his mess, including explaining the supernatural phenomenon to Ye Meng.

Dongfang Sansan heaved a weary sigh, then sent Moon Shadow a response.

"Don't be alarmed. This is actually how your codename of Moon Shadow came to be. Moon and Shadow are two individual spies planted by Fang Che's side. You are Moon, and the one who fed you the information is Shadow. He's an ally that you can trust. Due to certain circumstances, Shadow must remain hidden from everyone, so you have to be the one to pass on the intelligence to me."

Dongfang Sansan heaved a faint sigh while compiling the message, feeling as if all he did every day was clean up other people's messes.

There was an endless line of messes for him to clean up, and he had no choice but to attend to them all.

He had to clean up Bing Qianshan's mess, then Xue Fuxiao's, and yet somehow, Fang Che was proving to be the biggest troublemaker of them all!

After making up a story to placate Ye Meng, he made his way out of his study with his hands clasped behind his back.

While Fang Che's methods were very unsophisticated, it was undeniable that he was doing a good job, and it seemed that he was safe from exposure, barring any extraordinary circumstances.

Dongfang Sansan felt very pleased with himself.

Having done so much work, he could finally go to Xue Fuxiao for a chat and discuss the matter of the Shit King with him.

Lately, that had become his favorite pastime.

***

As usual, Fang Che went to work at the Hall of Protectionists, but as soon as he entered the building, he could sense that the atmosphere was different from usual.

Everyone was tense, alert, and armed to the teeth.

Another meeting was held in the morning, one in which the enemy's latest movements were divulged.

"According to our sources, the people from the Church of the Self-Righteous have infiltrated the southeastern prefectures over the past few days. A battle has already taken place in the White Apple Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of nine Protectionists, while the enemy was able to get away.

“Additionally, two battles have taken place in the White Elephant Prefecture, with thirty-five Protectionists losing their lives. In light of these recent events, we must also be prepared for battle."

Song Yidao's declaration was met with deathly silence.

A total of forty-four Protectionists had already lost their lives in the two neighboring prefectures. The enemy was already right on the White Cloud Prefecture's doorstep.

"All of White Cloud Warrior Academy's fifth-year students have been put on break, and they'll assist us in our resistance efforts under the leadership of five hundred instructors. Hence, our burden will be lighter than that of the other two continents, but that's no reason for complacency. When out on patrol, everyone is to carry signal flares with them at all times and set one off at the first sign of danger!"

***

Groups of young men and women were lined up outside the city gates, presenting their identification documents to be granted entry into the White Cloud Prefecture.

All of them wore warm and benign smiles, and nothing about them hinted at their true identities as demonic church members.

They were chatting casually with one another as a ruse, while simultaneously communicating through voice transmission with their Five Spirit Parasites.

"Looks like the White Cloud Prefecture really is largely free from our church's influence. We've been here for quite some time, and I haven't seen any signs pointing to our church's presence in the city."

"Apparently, all of the subsidiary churches had their forces completely wiped out in the White Cloud Prefecture during the jade search mission, so all of them are very eager to reconstruct their lost branch helms."

"This was once the One Heart Church's territory, and its branch helm was very well-concealed, but it was also destroyed, thereby presenting an opportunity for the other four churches."

"We're going to be helping out the Night Demon Church. Pope Hai Wuliang has sent a ninth-rank King and four Warlords here to construct a branch helm, with the intention of taking the One Heart Church's place."

"I heard that Hai Wuliang is doing this purely out of spite! Night Demon is Yin Shengong's disciple, and apparently, during the Parasite Ascension Project, Night Demon kowtowed to Yin Shengong in front of everyone while loudly declaring Night Demon's subordination to Yin Shengong.

“All the while, Hai Wuliang had to suffer in silence while also kneeling and kowtowing to Yin Shengong because all of the Night Demon Church's Generals were wiped out in the Parasite Ascension Project!"

"Man, if I were Hai Wuliang, I'd want to eat Yin Shengong alive!"

"So with the One Heart Church's branch helm gone, our main opposition will be the Three Saints Church, the Church of Light, and the Divine Heavenly Church, right?"

"Don't forget about the Hall of Protectionists! They're going to be our most formidable foes."

"Of course."

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime. As branch lineal descendants, none of us were deemed worthy to take part in the Parasite Ascension Project, but if we can do well here, the trajectories of our lives could truly be altered!"

"However, if we die here, then it'll all be for nought. Hence, this is essentially our Parasite Ascension Project. It's less brutal than theirs, but it's much more complicated."

"We have to make sure to keep a low profile. I heard those cocky idiots from the Shen Clan and the Pang Clan were exposed as soon as they came here, and they've all paid the ultimate price for not humbling themselves. If any of you don't follow my orders and insist on going rogue, then I'll have to kick you out of the group to act on your own!"

The young man who had spoken was clearly one of the leaders of the group, and there was an air of authority about him.

"Yes, Brother Zhao. We'll be sure to follow orders."

"Let's go. Helmsmaster Liu of the Night Demon has already been waiting for us for quite some time."

Tens of millions of people entered and exited the White Cloud Prefecture on a daily basis, so the groups of young men and women didn't attract any attention.

This was why the people of the Church of the Self-Righteous were so difficult to deal with.

Even after all these years, the Guardians still weren't able to find a way to track down Five Spirit Parasites.

In fact, they weren't even able to capture any Five Spirit Parasites. As long as the host was alive and didn't betray the church, the Five Spirit Parasite would be safe, but as soon as the host was killed, their Five Spirit Parasite would dissipate into a plume of smoke on its own.

Dongfang Sansan had once spoken of Five Spirit Parasites as miraculous creatures that could only have been created by a god, and at the moment, Fang Che was studying this god-created miracle.

His Five Spirit Parasite was enveloped in spirit power, and it was extremely thankful for the meal, transmitting to Fang Che some pathetic emotions of affection and appeasement.

It had just gone through eight rounds of torture, pushed to the brink of death each time before being spared.

The Five Spirit Parasite was horrified by the traumatic experience, and it was very grateful that it was now able to enjoy a fine meal in warmth and comfort.

However, at the same time, it couldn't help feeling a little perplexed.

It had been quite some time since Fang Che put it through its paces, so why had he suddenly turned on it again?

"Why can't I sense other church members?" Fang Che asked in a demanding tone.

Five Spirit Parasite: "???"

"You're hiding them from me, aren't you?"

The Five Spirit Parasite shook feelers on its head in a panic, indicating to Fang Che that there had to have been a misunderstanding.

"I'm not hiding anything from you, I simply don't have the ability to identify other church members! In fact, no one from our church possesses that ability!"

Fang Che had thought that Five Spirit Parasites would be able to detect their own kind, but to his disappointment, it seemed that this wasn't the case.

He would just have to keep searching for targets using the Golden Horn Flood Dragon and his spirit sense.

With that in mind, he rose to his feet from his desk. On this day, he wasn't wearing his uniform.

As soon as he stood up, Tang Zheng also did the same with a solemn expression, then followed him out onto the street in silence.

"How come you're suddenly so brave today?" Fang Che asked.

"I... I'm still really scared," Tang Zheng stuttered, his face pale with fear. "I've always been a coward... Even after becoming a warrior, I didn't dare to fight, and even when others were fighting near me, I would always run away. I know everyone looks down on me, but I can't help it! I'm scared! I can't even get any girl to like me because I'm such a massive coward!

“However, given everything that's happening right now, I have no choice but to make a stand with everyone else, and it's not like you'd let me off the hook anyway. If I die, then so be it. There's no shame in dying in battle against the demonic churches, and at the very least, my clan will receive some resources in compensation."

Fang Che couldn't help but feel a little impressed with Tang Zheng.

"That's quite a remarkable turnaround!"

Tang Zheng offered no response to his praise, merely continuing to carry out his patrol duty in a stoic silence.