CHAPTER 635: Cheering Crowd

Inside the Cardinal's Hall, the corpulent Pope of the Church of Calamity sincerely asked Han Shuo for advice regarding the Edict of Destruction. Previously, the pope had only known that Han Shuo had cultivated necromancy magic and an unusual martial art. He had no idea that Han Shuo had reached such a high level in the Edict of Destruction.

When Han Shuo unleashed his Domain of Divinity of Edict Destruction Energy into the Cardinal's Hall, the entire room was filled with chaotic energy that distorted the normal circulation of elemental energies, depriving the Cardinals of elemental energies they could use. His magnificent performance of turning all those powerful experts into sitting ducks had not only filled the Big Fatty's heart with awe, but he also saw the hope of making a breakthrough in his cultivation.

One of Han Shuo's avatars was a Lowgod of Destruction, who had a much deeper understanding of the Edict of Destruction compared to the Pope. There was an insurmountable gap between a Basegod and a Lowgod . Han Shuo only needed to speak a few sentences before the big fat man felt as if every problem he had was suddenly clear. This made him even more respectful towards Han Shuo.

After giving the Pope some guidance, Han Shuo thought for a moment and expressed his attitude while no one was around, "Just so you know, you don't have to worry about me. I have no interest in the Church of Calamity! I'm not going to be like that old thing, Kironlo, and interfere with your decisions all the time. I only came here to communicate with those higher existences, not to take power from you!"

"I know. You are very different from Kironlo. You have unrivalled prestige in the Lancelot Empire, and yet you have never shown any inclination to interfere with or usurp the throne. That alone tells me that you're not as power-hungry as Kironlo. That's why I feel very comfortable with you," the fat man said respectfully. He seemed to have made his own thorough analysis of Han Shuo's character long before.

"To tell you the truth, I'm a rather lazy person. I really have no interest in managing these messy affairs," Han Shuo said with a smile as he shrugged his shoulders.

The two of them stopped talking after that. The big fat man seemed suddenly relaxed when Han Shuo assured him that he would not engage in any power struggle with him. From Han Shuo's posture and manner of speaking, the pope could tell that Han Shuo was telling the truth about his intentions, unlike Kironlo, who spoke one way but thought another. With his mind at ease, the big fat man led Han Shuo out of the hall with a broad smile.

The grand ceremony of praying to their evil god was only a few days away. During that time, Han Shuo stayed in the room that the Church of Calamity had specially prepared for him. He found the constant stream of cardinals trying to flatter him in the days that followed to be very annoying.

But in the end, Han Shuo's performance at the Hall of Cardinals had been too shocking. Every single one of those cardinals was an old, scheming fox. They knew that it was in their best interest to establish a good relationship with Han Shuo as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they were to inadvertently offend Han Shuo, they might be neatly dispatched.

For the next few days, these cardinals and their subordinates visited Han Shuo, carrying piles of rare treasures they had looted over the years. Their demeanour was more humble and gracious than before.

Wolf and Burt Zili, as direct subordinates of Han Shuo, riding on Han Shuo's coattails, watched their identities and statuses rise higher and higher. At present, wherever they went, all those they encountered would wear mixed expressions of envy and admiration. Some of the bigwigs in the Church, who hadn't even noticed them before, began to treat them warmly. They were overwhelmingly flattered.

"Hey, Burt, can you see now how wise my decision was all those years ago?" Wolf had a smug smile on his face as he stared at the gifts piled like mountains on the table. He was very proud of his keen foresight.

Han Shuo was annoyed but thought it would be a waste to refuse the gifts so he left the task of sorting the items to Wolf and Burt Zili. He even told them that if there was anything they liked, they could take it for their own use without reporting back to him.

"You have great foresight indeed! Hahahah, this is indeed the best decision you have made in your life!" Burt Zili said with a smile so wide that his eyes were only slits below his forehead. When he remembered that one of the gifts he had received was a summoning ring of the highest quality, his heart was even happier.

Wolf laughed mischievously and said in a low voice, "I heard that Lord Bryan almost killed Cardinal Kironlo in the Hall of Cardinals. Hahaha, that arrogant old thing has been meddling in Church affairs for a long time. Who knew that such a day would come for him!"

"Really?" Burt Zili exclaimed in surprise and hastily continued, "The Grand Cardinal has tremendous influence within the Church, and he himself possesses terrifying strength. Did he strike back?"

"How could he dare? You should know the cruel ways of Lord Bryan!" After a short pause, Wolf sneered, "I have heard that the Grand Cardinal did not even have the strength to resist. He was held by Lord Bryan in an instant and couldn't even move! If it hadn't been for the Pope's plea for leniency, Lord Bryan might have killed the old thing. Although his life was spared, Lord Bryan broke off a finger to teach him a lesson. Hahaha!"

"Lord Bryan could have such strength at such a young age. With such conviction and his systematic way of working, his lordship truly has boundless prospects!" Burt Zili exclaimed in admiration.

"Of course!" laughed Wolf heartily. "And, of course, we both, as followers of His Lordship, will climb higher and higher up the same ladder of position and power!"

The two looked at each other and chuckled. They were very proud of their wise decisions.

The altar used by the Church of Calamity to worship their evil gods stood high and tall in the centre of a solemn, dignified shrine. All the important figures of the Church entered the shrine one by one. They had come to take part in the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Han Shuo was personally led to the shrine by the Pope of Calamity. Along the way, all the young disciples who had heard of Han Shuo's name watched him intently, not hiding the admiration in their eyes.

There were even some of the young and beautiful disciples watching Han Shuo with their beautiful and fiery eyes. They brazenly cast flirtatious glances at him, as if wishing to throw themselves into Han Shuo's embrace, to wrap themselves in the scent of such an overwhelmingly powerful man.

Unlike the Church of Light, the Church of Calamity had a much more liberal attitude towards relationships. Besides, the Church of Calamity was a religious organisation that didn't have many scruples about their behaviour. Han Shuo's behaviour and actions over the years, deliberately publicised by the Pope and others, had simply become the norm for these church members.

The crowd of young disciples was suddenly filled with an atmosphere of worshipping Han Shuo. It was more intense than anyone could have imagined.

The lanky pope led Han Shuo into the colossal shrine. After greeting their Pope, the crowd began to chant the name "Lord Bryan" over and over again. Most of them were young people who knew of Han Shuo's glorious exploits. They were burning with passion.

The Pope, who had originally intended to make a short speech, was struck by the fact that people were chanting "Lord Bryan" all over the shrine. An embarrassed look crossed his face and he was momentarily speechless.

He understood in his heart that the reason these disciples were all so passionate was because of Han Shuo's thunderous actions. He had first destroyed the Ice Shrine and then killed the Light Pope and his two demigods. Under the publicity of the Church of Calamity, these deeds had left an extremely deep impression in the hearts of these people. They were like rags soaked in gasoline, ready to burn with a single spark.

After all, from the day these people joined the Church, they had been brainwashed to see the Church of Light as their mortal enemy. The longer they lived in the darkness and tried to hide their identity, the more they realised the inconvenience and threat the Church of Light caused them, and the deeper their hatred became.

It goes without saying what Han Shuo's act of destroying the top three leaders of the Church of Light meant to these people!

Surrounded by the raucous cheers, the Pope of Calamity forced a smile through his embarrassment and said to Han Shuo, "I honestly did not expect you to be so well received. Why don't you say a few words and satisfy their enthusiasm!"

Han Shuo was also very uncomfortable. He had not expected that just by walking into the shrine, he would steal all the limelight from the fat man and overshadow the host as a guest.

After thinking for a moment, Han Shuo raised his two hands and made a gesture of silence.

As Han Shuo stood almost two metres tall in the crowd of disciples, his magnificent body was as conspicuous as a crane in a flock of chickens. In addition to the fact that everyone was watching him intently, when he made that 'silence' gesture, the crowd fell silent in an instant. It seemed that even though Han Shuo hadn't been a part of the Church of Calamity before, he had long since gained great respect within the Church because of his amazing deeds.

After Han Shuo raised his hands for a few seconds, the shrine filled with people went from being as noisy as a food market to being so quiet that even the slightest footsteps could be heard. Everyone looked at Han Shuo with excitement. They gazed at this terrifying demon who had single-handedly killed several hundred thousand orcs, destroyed the Ice Shrine, and killed the Pope of Light as they waited for him to make a speech.

"I must say, having come to this place, I realise that the Church of Calamity is very different from what I had imagined. This place is like a small town. It has almost everything, and life here seems comfortable".

"But no matter how comfortable this place is, it is still buried miles underground, hidden, never to see the light of day; just like the identity of our church members on the surface of the continent - it must always be hidden!" Han Shuo suddenly changed his tone and raised his cold voice. The crowd turned to complicated emotions and sighed incessantly.

"But it's time for us to rise from the dead and walk among the world, out in the open!" Han Shuo looked around, paused for a moment and continued sternly, "We deserve to live on the surface, not hide underground! And we will kill anyone who dares to hinder us!"

"It will not be long before we can openly tell people that we are members of the Church of Calamity and be respected for it! You will all see that day!" Han Shuo shouted confidently.

After his speech, the crowd fell silent for a few seconds before erupting like a volcano and cheering as if they had won a war.

"Bryan, you seem to be a better leader than I am. I never expected you to be so good at giving motivational speeches," the Pope said frankly as he looked at Han Shuo.

These words came from the bottom of his heart. The big fat guy was truly in awe as he watched Han Shuo drive those already fanatical church members even crazier with just a few sentences. He hadn't thought that Han Shuo would have such skills, despite his outstanding strength.

Han Shuo let out a hollow laugh and shrugged his shoulders, but did not answer.