Lu Luo faced increasing suspicion and knew it was unwise to linger. Spending more time explaining would only invite endless trouble.

A Fifth Tier expert has already appeared. Better leave quickly.

Lu Luo nodded slightly. His condition was rather poor; at this moment, neither his Qi He nor his Sequence Power were sufficient to support a battle against a Soxth Tier opponent. If another Soxth Tier were to appear—not to mention one at Wan Jing's level, even if it were Wang Jie or Yang Liya—he would undoubtedly be defeated.

"I have to go."

Lu Luo, holding Qi Xinzhu, took a great leap and vanished from the spot. The Believers watching his departing figure immediately sensed something was amiss.

Could this person be Lu Luo?

While these people were puzzled, Zhang Yifan had already driven Mu Fei to the Church. Mu Fei was reporting his situation to the Church members, and they were received by Archbishop Luo Ning.

"You're saying Lu Luo came to the Church earlier?"

"Yes, Archbishop. Lu Luo received a text message and left before us. His destination was also the Church, so I suspect he arrived ahead of schedule."

Luo Ning frowned slightly, bewildered by this situation. Who had dared to barge into the Inner Ring Church in so many years? The power of the Inner Ring Church is not to be underestimated. Fourth to Fifth Tier cultivators might be significant elsewhere, but in the Church... Heh!

While Luo Ning was pondering, those who had been observing Lu Luo rushed over to report.

"Archbishop Luo Ning, a young man just left with Priest Qi Xinzhu."

"A young man? What did he look like?"

"Half-white hair, very fair skin, tall and thin. His aura was extremely unstable, suggesting he had just been through a fierce battle. Priest Qi Xinzhu was unconscious; other details are unknown at this time."

This Believer's report made Zhang Yifan and Mu Fei exchange glances, confusion evident in their eyes. It seemed Lu Luo really had been here. And a battle had occurred, though with whom, they didn't know.

"Is there anything else?" Luo Ning asked. She knew Lu Luo's purpose in coming to the Inner Ring Church this time was not simple. She didn't want too many complications in her Church career, but she still had responsibilities to fulfill.

"There's one more thing..."

"Out with it. What is it?"

"At first, it seemed Lady Wan Jing was trying to kill Priest Qi Xinzhu. She had beaten Priest Qi Xinzhu nearly to death. But after Lu Luo arrived, Lady Wan Jing disappeared."

Luo Ning's pupils constricted slightly; Wan Jing's strength surpassed her own. She was merely an Archbishop of the Inner Ring, while Wan Jing was a true figure of power, one of the four leaders of the Knights Group! Wan Jing was a genuine Holy Knight, only a step away from the Seventh Tier. How could someone of such strength simply disappear?

"Wan Jing has disappeared?"

"Yes, Lady Wan Jing has completely vanished; we can no longer sense her aura. There's no blood or any sign of a struggle in the surrounding environment, and that young man didn't seem capable of doing anything to Lady Wan Jing. So we're guessing Lady Wan Jing might have left. But we can't be entirely certain, which is why we've come to seek your guidance on this matter, Archbishop Luo Ning."

Luo Ning was shocked and doubtful. If even Wan Jing was no match for him, wouldn't my intervention be like walking into a trap? I, Luo Ning, don't seek great achievements, only to avoid major mistakes. Reaching the position of Archbishop is already satisfying enough for me. Now I have everything, including my family and some ventures. Serving the Holy Light is certainly important, but my own life is important too! So, this matter must be investigated. But dragging it out... that definitely needs to continue as well.

"Alright, I will certainly investigate this to the end," she said, "and if I find anything detrimental to the Church, I will show no mercy. You all go ahead and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I'm ready."

"Er..."

The Believer was stunned. In such a situation, shouldn't she rush over immediately? If she delays any further, everyone will be gone! You, a Soxth Tier, can't even catch up to someone from the Fourth Ring?

The Believer had many questions but dared not voice them. Luo Ning looked at him, already a bit impatient. "What are you still waiting for? Go back first, secure the scene. I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, I understand."

Mu Fei remained silent, and Zhang Yifan had also figured it out. This Luo Ning clearly has no intention of investigating. She's just going through the motions.

The Church these days... it really has all sorts of people! Zhang Yifan sighed internally.

Luo Ning, meanwhile, had leisurely returned to her room and begun to change her clothes. These bishop's robes, these spacious garments, are certainly not suitable for combat. So, since I'm going to look into Wan Jing's matter, and there's a possibility of danger, I definitely need to change. But which one to choose?

Ten minutes passed while Luo Ning was deciding on her outfit. What had Lu Luo done during those ten minutes?

Using the Observer's range-sensing ability, Lu Luo had taken Qi Xinzhu to an unoccupied small house. It appeared to be an old, disused storeroom. Though cluttered and dirty, at least it was unlikely anyone would come here for the time being. Dirtiness was never an issue.

Lu Luo directly took out a small bed from his ring, placed it on the ground, and then laid Qi Xinzhu on it. He looked at Qi Xinzhu with a mixture of helplessness and heartache. The wound in her abdomen was just too large; it was hard to imagine what kind of battle Qi Xinzhu had endured to hold on until his arrival. If I had arrived even a bit later, would my wife have been gone?

The healing effects of being a Fusioner only worked on himself; Lu Luo had already confirmed this through previous attempts. So now, Qi Xinzhu could only rely on her own resilience to hang on.

Lying on the bed, Qi Xinzhu slightly furrowed her brow, as if dreaming or perhaps in pain. At this moment, all Lu Luo could do was silently guard her, remove her clothes, and treat the wound on her abdomen. He then took out a small red bottle, opened it, and sprinkled its contents on the wound, waiting for it to scab over.

Time ticked by. Qi Xinzhu suddenly opened her eyes. Lu Luo was aware of it the moment she did, but he didn't speak, waiting for her to do so first.

Qi Xinzhu turned her head, looked at Lu Luo, who was within arm's reach, and suddenly gave a sweet smile. This made Lu Luo a bit uncomfortable, and he touched his nose.

"What are you smiling at?"

Qi Xinzhu suddenly embraced Lu Luo, holding him very, very tightly.

"Husband!"

"Hmm?"

"I almost thought I'd never see you again!"

"That won't happen. From now on, a situation like this won't occur again."

Seeing Qi Xinzhu in such a state, Lu Luo felt somewhat self-reproachful. However, I still haven't figured out how Qi Xinzhu could have encountered trouble while staying within the Inner Ring Church. Is this matter related to me? Even if the Dawn Church disagreed with my relationship with Qi Xinzhu, they wouldn't go as far as to kill someone, would they? Isn't that a bit too excessive?

Qi Xinzhu looked at Lu Luo's face, gently caressed it, and shook her head. "Don't blame yourself for this. The reason I got hurt... it really wasn't because of you."

Not because of me? If it wasn't because of me, then why would the Church target Qi Xinzhu? Lu Luo was puzzled.

"Where is Lady Wan Jing?" Qi Xinzhu asked.

"I've taken her down."

"Eh!" Qi Xinzhu was slightly surprised. She had personally experienced Wan Jing's formidable strength. That unprecedented sense of oppression was too intense. I had already used every trick in the book just to barely hold on for a while against Wan Jing, and that was only because Wan Jing didn't fully understand my capabilities. But Wan Jing, so powerful, was actually defeated by Lu Luo. And Lu Luo... he should be meeting Wan Jing for the first time, right? Just what level has he reached now? Even if he's a very strong Fifth Tier, he shouldn't have reached this level of strength.

"Lu Luo, just what level have you reached now?"

"Fifth Tier. But, I might be a rather special Fifth Tier!" Lu Luo wasn't exaggerating; he truly was at the Fifth Tier, albeit a very special one compared to others.

Qi Xinzhu looked at Lu Luo with a complex expression. "When we first met, you seemed quite weak. You were just at the First Tier then, right? I was confident I could defeat you. Yet, in the blink of an eye, you've grown to this extent. Grown to a level I can't even reach."

Qi Xinzhu's voice became a bit softer. Lu Luo knew he had dealt a blow to her self-confidence; it was quite normal for one's confidence to be shaken. Many people believe that in a marriage, if the husband is strong, the wife must be very proud and happy. Fundamentally speaking, that's not wrong; Lu Luo becoming very strong indeed made Qi Xinzhu very happy and proud. But her dissatisfaction with herself grew even more. She wanted to catch up but couldn't, leaving her with a strong sense of disparity, particularly since Qi Xinzhu was an inherently ambitious woman. She was Lu Luo's wife, but she was also an outstanding Transcendent in her own right. When one Transcendent is surpassed by another, creating a significant gap, they naturally feel a strong sense of discouragement. This feeling is unavoidable and can only be mitigated by self-adjustment.

Naturally, Lu Luo could see the discouragement in Qi Xinzhu. He placed his forehead against hers. "You can always reach me. That will never change. So, you too must work hard and progress. Don't be disheartened."

"Heh, you're really not good at comforting people!"

"Hey, look, you're laughing now, aren't you?"

Qi Xinzhu lightly punched Lu Luo with a hint of annoyance, and Lu Luo took the opportunity to pull her into his arms. At this moment, Qi Xinzhu's clothing was tattered. As they clung to each other, their body temperatures seemed to mysteriously rise. The banter between them still created an atmosphere that would make any single onlookers envious, but fortunately, there were none present.

Feeling the increasingly warm Qi Xinzhu, Lu Luo scratched his head. We're both injured. This isn't appropriate right now, is it?

I feel like a true model of restraint, Lu Luo mused. I could probably write a book titled, 'My Trials as a Reluctant Saint.'

Qi Xinzhu's face turned red. As a Priest, I've indeed been a bit unrestrained lately. But after all, I am a woman, and at times like this, I must show some reserve.

"Go away, what are you talking about? I wasn't thinking about that kind of stuff. I just feel that Lu Luo, my classmate, has grown up and become very strong!"

What Qi Xinzhu said was heartfelt. If Lu Luo hadn't been strong enough, even if I could have held out until he came to save me, we would still be in great danger as long as Wan Jing wasn't dealt with. Wan Jing is a very decisive person, as evident from her actions. If Lu Luo were defeated, she would most likely either kill him directly or use him to force me to hand over the Dawn Star. Even if she did get the Dawn Star, she would kill us both. It's hard to imagine any other outcome. So, the fundamental reason we could escape here is because Lu Luo's current strength is indeed very formidable. At least in the Inner Ring, he now has the means to secure our safety and establish himself.

However, Qi Xinzhu's sentimental words didn't elicit the expected response from Lu Luo; he just looked at her quizzically. "This 'grown up' you speak of... is it the proper, respectable kind?"

"Get lost!" Qi Xinzhu sat up, intending to push Lu Luo away. But as she did, she saw that the wound on Lu Luo's chest hadn't healed yet. Given Lu Luo's usual regenerative ability, this is clearly abnormal.

"How come your wound hasn't healed?"

Lu Luo frowned slightly. "Wan Jing's Holy Radiance is still lingering in my body. This power is very strong."

"What?"

"Don't worry too much. I'm already clearing it. However, this kind of mixed energy is indeed much more troublesome than ordinary energy. Cleaning it up is also particularly strenuous."

Lu Luo didn't want Qi Xinzhu to spend her energy healing him at this time. Her own condition is already poor, and her injuries haven't healed. It's better for her to rest, recover some strength, and tend to her own wounds first.

"Stop worrying about me; heal yourself first. We still aren't clear about the security of our surroundings. In your current condition, you'll only become a hindrance."

When facing danger, clarity was paramount—this was an understanding Lu Luo and his team had established back at the base. One should never act tough when in peril; teammates offer trust, but feigning strength could lead the entire group into dire straits, a major taboo in team dynamics.

As a core member of Lu Luo's team, Qi Xinzhu naturally understood this. She nodded. "I understand."

Qi Xinzhu placed her palm over the wound on her abdomen, and the Healer's energy gradually lit up. Her condition was very poor. Her Holy Radiance was completely drained and hadn't begun to recover, so the Healer's effects were also slow.

However, Lu Luo wasn't in a hurry. His physical condition wasn't much better than Qi Xinzhu's; he could only stand steadily because his physical constitution was significantly superior to hers.

The two of them sat back-to-back on the bed, silently healing.

When both had calmed down, Lu Luo remembered something he seemed to have forgotten to ask: "Xinzhu."

"Hmm?"

"Why did Wan Jing want to kill you?"

"Because of the Dawn Star!" Qi Xinzhu lifted her right hand, and a bright sphere of light appeared before Lu Luo.

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