Chapter 967. Liberator

"Master Xue Bolo, I didn’t expect someone from the warrior caste like you to be sympathetic to our cause," Shang Shi greeted the person who had just entered through one of the secret tunnels.

"Let me tell you, Sister Shang Shi. Plenty of people in the warrior caste share the same feelings. We are all in this together."

"Well said, Brother," said a man who sat at the largest table in the center of the room. He wore a long robe and a futou hat. He appeared dignified and scholarly.

"Brother Gui Chang," Xue Bolo replied with a fist-and-palm salute. "For a big shot trader like you supporting this movement, we have a much better chance of success."

"That’s right," Shang Shi agreed. "Most of the work on these secret tunnels is carried out by Brother Gui Chang and his people. Without his effort, tonight’s assembly can’t happen."

Gui Chang waved his hand. "As Brother Xue Bolo said, we are in this together. I am happy to contribute."

"Has everyone arrived?" Another man at the table asked.

"We are still waiting for two more groups, Brother Jong Bien," Gui Chang answered.

The largest table in the center was round. Eight chairs were arranged around it. Shang Shi and Xue Bolo sat on these chairs. Six of the eight chairs had been occupied. Smaller tables were scattered around the room. People who came with the six at the center table occupied these smaller tables.

"We have two groups from the trader caste, one from the warrior caste, and three from the devotee caste. What about the other two?" Xue Bolo asked.

Everyone turned to Gui Chang. Of everyone here, only he knew who the other groups were.

"The other two are also from the devotee caste," Gui Chang answered.

"Makes sense," Jong Bien said. "Us devotees are the most downtrodden. It is not surprising that most who join this movement come from our caste."

"I am already surprised that we have some people from the other castes," a woman next to Jong Bien remarked.

"Sister Mai Mong, please don’t say it like that," Gui Chang said. "Whether we are warrior, trader, or devotee caste, we have all lost our liberty. So long as the Holy Temple is in our power, we can forget about ever tasting freedom."

"That’s right!" A man sitting beside Jong Bien slammed a fist on the table. "Sooner or later, someone must stand up to the Holy Temple. We can’t let them continue to dictate our lives like this!"

"Well said, Brother Kong Gao!" Mai Mong praised.

Jong Bien sighed. "Not trying to sully everyone’s mood, but what can we do with just us? We are but a speck of dust in the eye of the Holy Temple. Us, devotees, especially. Most of us are cultivators below the Demigod Realm. We can’t fight the might of the Holy Temple, much less the Divine."

"We might be small, but we are growing," Gui Chang said. "Though I prefer to wait for the last two groups, I want to tell everyone that the purpose for which I gathered you here is to assure you that we are not alone. There are many more people like us in other cities and towns, and I have made contact with some of them."

"Really?" Shang Shi asked. She wore a hopeful expression.

Gui Chang nodded. "We might be small, but we are growing. The Holy Temple’s oppression has gone on for too long. Many have gotten used to it, but plenty also feel they have had enough. We who gather here are proof of it. All we need is a way to assemble these disjointed parties into one solid alliance."

"How do we do that? Even gathering like this already took us incredible effort and risk."

"With patience, my comrade. As long as we keep building slowly, we will have enough force to oppose even the Holy Temple."

"Are you sure? This is the Holy Temple we are talking about. All the best cultivators are in that order."

"I understand your pessimism," Gui Chang said. "Allow me to let you in on a secret. Actually, the first person who instigated the assembling of those with discontent with the Holy Temple is no other than someone from the Holy Temple itself."

"What?!" Everyone was shocked upon hearing that.

"Is that true? Who is that person?" Xue Bolo asked.

"I’m not privy to that information," Gui Chang said, shaking his head. "Only a few, among whom the person who had recruited me, know the identity, but know that there is also a faction inside the Holy Temple who wishes to end this oppression. To abolish this terrible caste system and give everyone an equal chance in life to strive for what we desire. They, however, cannot act before we grow into a force strong enough to threaten the Holy Temple. That’s why we must persevere and continue recruiting people to our cause. We are not without hope."

Hearing Gui Chang’s statement, those sitting at the lower tables began to discuss among themselves, causing a murmur. Their leaders at the center table looked at each other silently.

Finally, Xue Bolo uttered, "I understand. I will look around for my friends in the warrior caste. Many whom I know harbor the same feelings as I, but they don’t dare show it. I will make them see the light and bring them to our side."

Gui Chang nodded with approval. "Thank you, Master Xue Bolo. However, please be careful. Don’t reveal your intention until you are absolutely sure. Our survival relies on secrecy. The only way we grow is by keeping the Holy Temple in the dark for as long as possible. We will still need much time before we are ready to strike."

"Unfortunately, time is not on your side!"

They were startled by an authoritative female voice that came from one of the secret tunnels. Two people flew out of that tunnel and crashed into one of the small tables. After the two people landed on the floor, they saw that the two were already dead.

"Brother Ba Waikin! Sister Su Yin!" Gui Chang exclaimed.

"Are they..."

"They are the two group leaders we were waiting for," Gui Chang answered before Shang Shi completed her question.

Four people in priest uniforms walked out of the tunnel from which the two dead people had flown out. Following them, a woman in thick plate armor atop a white robe entered. In her hand was a large, crucifix-shaped sword. Everyone gasped. They all knew this woman.

"In–Inquisitor Lei Xiang...!"

Everyone was lost for words. They stared at Inquisitor Lei Xiang and the four priests with dread.

Lei Xiang eyed the people congregating there before speaking, "It seems we have been too lenient to allow a group of rats like you to move around like this. I will make sure to rectify this mistake once I return. You people disgust me. After all the Divine has given you: peace, prosperity, and order, you still dare to plot against Him. All you ungrateful lot deserve to burn. I will enjoy exterminating you."

"Prosperity? What prosperity?!" Gui Chang exclaimed. The others were surprised by his outburst. Everyone else had been scared shitless when Lei Xiang showed up. "All we are allowed to do is what you tell us to do. We have not an ounce of freedom. We worked ourselves to the bone, and you took almost everything! You punish us severely even for a small mistake. You, Holy Temple members, are nothing but bullies and oppressors...!"

"Hmph! From your attire, you must be from the trader caste. You should be grateful you are allowed to have anything at all. Because of your sins, your family will now suffer with you. They will all be put to death, and all your servants and relatives will be demoted to devotees because of you."

"You monsters have already taken my closest family from me," Gui Chang hissed. "You bastards burned my daughter on the stake just because she said something out of impulse, something slightly bad about the Divine. For that slight mistake, your order took my beloved daughter’s life. What is that if not evil?"

"How dare you...!!" Lei Xiang thundered. She released her cultivation aura, which was at the Intermediate Ancestor Stage. "Showing any other feeling but complete admiration and devotion to the divine is the gravest mistake. Everyone who doesn’t abide by that is a heretic, and a heretic doesn’t deserve to live! You should have been glad we didn’t burn you together with your daughter!"

Most of the devotees were only in the Martial Realm. Lei Xiang’s aura shook them to the core. They couldn’t move.

Xue Bolo, who was at the Peak Emperor Stage, released his aura to try to mitigate Lei Xiang’s oppressive influence on the others. He shouted, "Brothers and sisters, my warrior friends and I will hold them. You hurry and flee!"

"Don’t be ridiculous. I have this place surrounded. You have nowhere to–"

Something flying in from the tunnel behind her interrupted her speech. She turned back and saw several things dropped on the ground near her feet. They were the dead bodies of Holy Temple deacons she had stationed outside.

"What..."

She was bewildered by the turn of events, but another thing surprised her. The sun-shaped orb hanging from her necklace began to shine. This was the revealing artifact that could detect mental and infernal powers. She didn’t need the artifact to tell her, because she had sensed the energy.

An ominous voice was heard as an elemental being walked out of the tunnel. Its shape was humanoid, draped entirely in shadow. Tongues of flame swirled around this shadow creature. "Oppressed people of the upper world. Know that your liberator has arrived. A liberator who will deliver you from the tyrannical rule of the Divine."