Upon hearing the announcement, Eli walked up with a solemn expression.
The bishop then walked down from the stage and whispered a few words to the priests around him.
He carefully took a pot of flowers from a pastor next to him and then slowly walked up to the platform.
The flowerpot is made of marble and features intricate relief carvings, making it exceptionally beautiful.
The flowers are also stunning, with bright red short petals interspersed with a few white long petals, and a few delicate white stamens in the middle, and the leaves are also lush and green.
But Phil Gray felt there was something strange about the flower.
The bishop looked at the flower with great fervor, and said with a hint of reverence, "This is the reward for us first place winners. It is the Flower of Life, watered by the God of Life with divine power. Only three flowers of life will grow each year, and this is one of them."
"The Flower of Life came from the twenty-third Pope, who used all his divine power to save a country from a plague and prevent the deaths of tens of millions of people. However, when his divine power was exhausted, he not only regressed to the level of blessing, but also faced the constant threat of death."
At this moment, the God of Life descended and bestowed upon the Pope the Flower of Life. This flower contains life force that not only increases lifespan by ten years but also allows those favored by God to disregard prophecies and directly break through to a higher level—a level below divine descent.
"This is a gift from the God of Life, who tells us to confidently save lives! And this flower is usually given to those who have made great contributions. This year, I shamelessly applied to the Vatican to have it used as a prize for our Flower Exhibition for those who have made great contributions!" The bishop smiled.
The eyes of those favored by God below the stage were also incredibly fervent, and Phil Gray could hear their heavy breathing.
If Eli's flower of restored youth attracted the attention of female chosen ones, then this flower of life would fascinate any chosen one.
Ignoring proverbs and breaking through directly saves countless years, which is incredibly attractive to those favored by the gods.
No wonder Eli insisted on participating. It's extremely difficult to break through from the Observation level to the Divine Revelation level, but with this flower, he could break through directly.
But why did this happen?
“Cousin, do you think this flower is useful to us believers of the God of Destiny?” Patrick suddenly asked.
“Breaking through levels is useless, but it can still extend our lifespan by ten years. Once, an important figure in our Holy See was nearing the end of his life and asked the Church of Life for a Flower of Life,” Ernest answered first.
"I see..."
"The way to use the Flower of Life is to infuse it with divine power and sing a hymn praising the God of Life!" the bishop said, handing the flowerpot he was holding to Eli.
Seeing this scene, Phil Gray couldn't help but feel nervous.
This time, Eli did not directly inject divine power. He simply frowned and stared intently at the Flower of Life, as if he wanted to destroy it.
His eyes scanned the veins of every leaf, the color of every petal, and he even dug up a small root and sniffed it.
Seeing Eli's crazy behavior, a considerable commotion broke out in the audience.
What is he doing?
"Stop! Are you blaspheming the gods?"
"Oh my god, what is he doing?"
...
The bishop was also extremely displeased and angrily said, "What are you doing?"
Eli snorted coldly and threw the flower directly on the ground. The flowerpot shattered, and the delicate flowers were covered with scattered soil.
Just before the bishop and the chosen ones below were about to kill him in their rage, he gave a mocking look.
"This is not the flower of life at all, but the flower of disaster!"
Do you know what you're saying?
"Of course I know. A little illusion has deceived you, the bishop, and so many of the chosen ones below. The person behind this is truly remarkable."
"What do you mean?" asked one of the chosen ones in the audience.
The bishop squatted down and looked at the flower lying on the ground. A green light flashed in his hand, and the flower completely changed its appearance.
The petals were still red, but they were a dark, almost blackish red, like congealed blood clots, while the leaves were withered and yellow, making it all look incredibly eerie.
"How could this be?" The bishop collapsed to the ground in disbelief.
"Oh my god!"
What kind of flower is this?
Questions and screams rose and fell.
"This is the Netherworld Flower of Bloodshed!"
An elderly person favored by the gods in the audience answered in surprise.
“Yes, this flower last appeared a hundred years ago. At that time, the Blood Calamity helped a country invade other countries and used this flower to cause the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers.” The bishop stood up and spoke slowly, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
"When the Netherworld Flower is cultivated, it can be made to react to specific spells, thereby awakening the flower and devouring human lives. If I'm not mistaken, this time the Crimson Calamity has set this spell to a hymn praising the god of life, right?"
“Once I infuse it with divine power and sing the hymn, this flower will be awakened, and all of you in this exhibition hall today will only become nourishment for this flower!” Eli laughed loudly.
Phil Gray last heard about the Crimson Calamity when Patrick introduced him to the church targeting the Cult of Fate. He later learned more about it and discovered that the Crimson Calamity was actually a church that worshipped Jus, the god of calamity. They were keen on creating disasters in various places and sacrificing large numbers of lives to the god of calamity.
Of course, the Blood Calamity has been attacked by many churches in a joint effort, but there are always some who escape. Moreover, due to the existence of the God of Calamity, they can never eliminate the believers who worship this god, and there will always be some people who will worship Him.
"Is the Blood Calamity about to target our Church of Life?"
"I thought they had become much more well-behaved."
"Yes, it's been a long time since we've seen them. I didn't expect them to actually show up this time..." The chosen ones below the stage discussed among themselves.
"Everyone, this was a mistake on the part of my Church of Life. Please leave in an orderly manner. I have had some growth fluid placed at the entrance; please take one bottle each as compensation for the fright you suffered," the bishop said solemnly.
"What should we do with these flowers?"
"Yes, this is the Church of Life now, so it's inevitable that some people will sing hymns!"
Some of the people favored by the gods in the audience looked fearful.
“I have already reported this to the Holy See. His Holiness the Pope will send someone to investigate and handle it. Once the investigation is complete, we will inform you all.” The bishop bowed.
"How exactly did they manage to switch these flowers right under the noses of the Church of Life?" Phil Gray pondered, stroking his chin.
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