"My dear princess, are you really still going to the Water God Temple outside the city?"
Luo Fan's clone was hiding inside Caitlin's clothes, trying to persuade her not to leave the city, but the girl wouldn't listen at all.
"Don't worry, I really won't risk my life. Besides, those guys won't kill me if they're going to capture me alive."
"As for Xianxian, it's safer for her to stay in the pet space," Caitlin muttered softly. Not being able to communicate directly with her was still a bit of a hassle.
Under the protection of the Knights, the group headed towards the northern hillside.
Luo Fan stretched out his divine sense and stopped speaking to the princess, worried that his actions would be noticed by someone with ulterior motives.
At midday in Saint Sea City, many merchants were coming and going, many of them in carriages. When the princess's carriage approached, they all made way, appearing quite well-behaved.
In some carriages, Luo Fan did not casually probe with his divine sense, for fear of alerting certain people and ruining the princess's plans.
Gradually, as we left the main streets, the number of people around us gradually decreased, and it only became deserted once we left the city.
"The dungeons here are mainly located near the east gate, with only a few near the west gate, so there aren't many adventurers coming and going."
"Normally only certain believers go to worship. Because of today's schedule, no ordinary believers will be going to the church."
Caitlin, on the other hand, was talking to herself as she patiently explained things to Luo Fan.
"Then what are you going to that temple for?"
"It's just promoting the Water God Cult; their reputation isn't very good. Also, an elder from the Water God Cult will be coming today. They're my elders, after all; I can't refuse to go."
"So, the vast majority of people in the city know that you went to pay homage today?"
"Yeah. If I don't go out, those people won't have a chance to make a move. I've wanted to make a move for a long time, and it's even better now that you're here."
"Absolutely foolproof?"
"I've done everything I could!"
Luo Fan didn't say anything more, but simply stuffed a wind-elemental forbidden spell scroll into her arms, which she quickly put away with a smile.
"Luo Fan, thank you!"
"I'm glad you're safe."
Luo Fan sensed danger lurking in the shadows near the coconut trees lining the road. He hadn't heard even the chirping of ordinary birds along the way.
The group walked by, and the other party didn't seem to have any intention of making a move; they just watched the carriage slowly disappear.
Luo Fan didn't know whether those people were friend or foe, so he could only wait patiently. Outside the carriage, even Freya, who was usually quite lively, had become much more docile.
She also seemed to be disguised, appearing to be just an ordinary female knight, but her disguise skills were far inferior to Bellaby's.
Before long, a magnificent, azure cathedral appeared before Luo Fan, gleaming brightly. Through the carriage window, he noticed a large crowd standing in front of the cathedral, seemingly waiting for the princess's arrival.
After Caitlin got out of the car, Luo Fan hid and secretly searched for the enemy's whereabouts.
After a few polite exchanges, Caitlin, accompanied by Toria and Freya, along with several guards, entered the temple.
"Ninth Elder, I didn't expect it would be you who came this time. Is the ceremony all prepared?"
"Yes, it's been a long time. You've grown up so much. You're still single, aren't you? Would you like me to introduce you to someone?" The Ninth Elder smiled warmly.
"Let's forget it. The Empire has too many troubles lately, and you're not willing to get too involved."
The Ninth Elder smiled awkwardly, not really caring.
Inside the magnificent hall stood a towering statue of a magician. Luo Fan didn't recognize it, and it wasn't even a beautiful woman, so he glanced at it and gave up.
No one knows whether these so-called religious sects have methods to communicate with the upper realms, or what methods they are hiding, so it's best to be careful.
Anyway, he had read the history, and the three state religions were established almost at the same time, and they contributed a lot to the establishment of the empire.
Centuries later, these sects have grown in power and become increasingly difficult to manage. Even the Water God Cult, which was established by the royal family, is said to be showing signs of slipping out of control.
"Let's begin now. You all go outside and wait!" Caitlin didn't pay much attention. She simply walked to the statue, took out a water spirit orb, and placed it on the altar in front of it.
After the other outsiders left, she slowly knelt down on the prayer mat in front of her.
Luo Fan noticed that something blue and shimmering seemed to be flowing from the statue's eyes. Outside the temple, water elements appeared to gather around it, giving the atmosphere a sacred feel.
Luo Fan also discovered that someone was secretly recording the situation here with a recording stone, which he guessed were all propaganda methods of the Water God Cult.
The princess's identity, the sudden appearance of strange phenomena, and the special temple—that water god cult knows how to create hype, even though its scale is rather ordinary.
Time passed second by second, and for some unknown reason, the statue actually spoke! Although it was very indistinct, Luo Fan's clone hidden on Caitlin heard it clearly.
"Caitlyn, you've found the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon, why don't you share them!"
Caitlin didn't speak, but continued to pray as if nothing was wrong, though Luo Fan could sense her body trembling slightly.
"Answer me quickly, why!"
Soon, several figures in black appeared behind the statue and rushed towards Caitlin.
Caitlin quickly pulled out the scroll Luo Fan had given her, tore it open, and threw it over, immediately moving backward.
Freya, who was standing nearby, used her Lightning Release technique to instantly appear near Toria at the doorway.
The scroll's violent energy was quickly released, turning the surrounding environment into ruins. The so-called idol was also reduced to dust by the sweeping wind blades.
Those bewildered shadows vanished completely amidst the ravages of the forbidden spell.
Freya, with her companions by her side, rushed out of the temple. Soon, to the Ninth Elder's astonishment, the entire temple was swept away by wind blades and turned to ashes.
The terrifying wind energy continued to expand, carrying enormous power as it continuously gushed outwards.
"Caitlyn, what exactly happened?" the Ninth Elder shouted as he retreated.
"Many people want to assassinate me. To protect myself, I have no choice but to use a self-defense scroll!" She and her guards quickly retreated to a huge rock and tore open a large protective scroll.
As for the others, she couldn't care less.
"Is this your plan?" Luo Fan was speechless. Even without the scroll he had taken out, did she have other preparations?
"I didn't know you gave me a forbidden spell! I was in such a hurry that I just threw it out!"
Luo Fan didn't believe it at all. Even if this girl didn't want to return it to him, there was no need to waste it like this. Those assassins would never have imagined that this princess would be so reckless.
The area within a radius of several miles was affected, and many people were unable to escape and were directly torn to shreds.
As the raging wind blades slowly dissipated, a large section of the surrounding mountains had been sheared off, and a large chunk of the buildings, forests, and even the sand and stones on the ground had been scraped away.
Where the temple once stood, a huge pit appeared, containing several mutilated corpses that appeared to have been buried for some time, some of which showed signs of demonic transformation.
With the protection of high-level defenses and the support of Xuanwu, the group escaped unscathed.
Finally, the once lush forest was completely bare. Apart from the large pit and low rocks, nothing was left, and the surrounding area was a mess.
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