NOVPUB
Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Luminous Saint
Kidopriest stared in excitement at the golden light, which had almost transformed into a golden cocoon, completely wrapping Ashu in its embrace.
He was one hundred percent certain that Ashu had become a Cidi believer. Under the light of the Divine Mother Goddess, his identity would surely be exposed.
Then, the Demon Huntress Nun would surely demand a trial, a judgment.
At that moment, he would act.
Under the name of the Holy Cultivator Guild’s interrogation, he would first take Ashu away, locking him in a prison for the wicked, one that belonged to the Holy Cultivator Guild. At that point, neither the righteous nor the wicked would be able to challenge the Guild’s control over Ashu. And as for what he wanted to extract from Ashu, there would be plenty of time ahead.
He could torture him slowly, until he finally broke and confessed.
"Your Holiness," Kidopriest, despite his excitement, felt it necessary to subtly imply, "Mr. Ashu is your husband. I have great trust in him. But if he has secretly come into contact with an ominous power, I can only ask you to accept the reality."
Anna’s deep blue eyes reflected the glow of the golden cocoon, like a sharp blade, ready to pierce through Kidopriest.
"Hmph."
She said no more. Her current strength was still insufficient. Once she reached the level of Great Cultivator, even if it meant an assassination, she would make sure to kill this Kidopriest and vent her anger.
At that moment, a figure of an old man also stepped forward from the back.
The golden light illuminated the hall, immediately catching the old man’s attention.
He looked at the golden cocoon, then at the Demon Huntress Nun standing beside it, and immediately said, "Nun. I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon. Who is the one under the light of the Divine Mother Goddess? There’s something that even has you hesitating?"
Hearing this, Vivita did not turn around. She simply tilted her head slightly and said, "Bishop Midaldas. This matter is entirely under my authority. You need not concern yourself with it... What you should be concerned with is why so many cultists are running rampant in the town of Riven. Are you even fit to be the head of this branch?"
"Ah, sorry. Evil forces have been accumulating in the border areas for too long. We’re simply not strong enough to completely resist them. Even the mayor was attacked today. According to the scene, at least one elf was involved," replied Bishop Midaldas clearly and directly.
There were four people who had left the city: Ashu, Anna, an elf, and a woman summoned from another realm.
But what the Demon Hunter Cultivator Guild brought back was only Ashu and Anna.
Where was the elf? Had the Demon Huntress Nun killed him, or had he escaped?
Vivita showed no sympathy at all. Instead, she said, "Then how come you’re still alive?"
"I..." Midaldas was speechless.
The scene fell into silence for several minutes. Finally, Anna couldn’t hold back and asked, "Nun. How much longer will this take?"
As time passed, Vivita’s attitude toward Ashu and Anna gradually softened.
She explained, "Don’t worry, Your Holiness. If Mr. Ashu had committed a major crime, he would have already been reduced to ashes under the light of the Divine Mother Goddess, and the light would have vanished. But since the light of the Divine Mother Goddess has lasted this long, that means the Divine Mother Goddess favors him. She’s still watching him closely."
Upon hearing this, Kidopriest’s face changed.
Ashu, a devout Cidi believer, how could he be favored by the Divine Mother Goddess?
You didn’t see his behavior within the Cidi sect—he was nothing short of a natural-born heretic!
Suddenly, the golden cocoon split open a small crack, and a hand emerged from it, absorbing all of the golden light that had surrounded Ashu.
When the light faded, Ashu was completely unharmed.
More than that, at the very moment the ritual ended, Vivita, the Demon Huntress Nun,敏锐ly noticed a fleeting image of the Divine Mother Goddess hovering above Ashu’s head!
Even if it only lasted a moment, it was nothing short of profound.
In the headquarters of the Holy Cultivator Guild, this phenomenon was called the Luminous Saint.
The Luminous Saint was a kind of selection, much like how the Twelve Demon-Hunting Nuns were chosen from birth. But the Luminous Saint was not destined to become a Demon Huntress Nun. Instead, his path led toward becoming the Pope of the Holy Cultivator Guild. In a way, he was like a baby in the early stages of selection. If he grew to a certain age without rivals of the same status, he would surely be crowned as the next Pope.
To think that such an extraordinary and righteous event had occurred in his own hands—Vivita was utterly stunned.
Kidopriest, too, stood there in disbelief, muttering to himself, "This... this is impossible..."
He had personally witnessed Ashu becoming a Cidi believer—there was no mistake in that. So why, after being subjected to the Divine Mother Goddess’s blessing, had he not been scorched, but instead had absorbed the very light of the goddess?
Had the Twelve Demon-Hunting Nuns been in on it?
No, that was impossible. Better to suspect that the Cidi faith itself was not truly divine.
"What in the world is going on?" Kidopriest, for the first time in his domain of expertise, was completely at a loss. Ashu’s current state had completely slipped out of his control.
Once the Divine Mother Goddess had blessed and confirmed him, it meant he was absolutely right. Conversely, whoever dared to touch him was wrong—and thus, they could be branded as heretics.
In a state of confusion, Kidopriest turned his gaze toward Bishop Midaldas.
At that moment, it was clear to see that Midaldas, too, was in shock. There was even a flicker of fear deep in his eyes.
Kidopriest may not have noticed, but someone with deeper theological knowledge like Midaldas had noticed: the image that had appeared above Ashu’s head just now was the Divine Mother Goddess embracing him.
Divine Mother Goddess. Divine Mother Goddess. What did that mean?
It meant the Mother of the Divine, the mother of the gods!
Who would be embraced by a mother with such maternal love? Of course, her child.
Ashu, though merely a human, was, in a certain theological sense, the adopted son of the Divine Mother Goddess.
Such a noble and terrifying identity—there had been very few in the entire history of the Holy Cultivator Guild.
Therefore, Ashu would undoubtedly become the next Pope of the Holy Cultivator Guild.
Once Ashu becomes the Pope, what will happen to this branch?
Midaldas couldn’t even begin to imagine. He immediately bowed low, humbly saying: "Respected Mr. Ashu, the light of the Divine Mother Goddess has chosen you. I, Midaldas, humbly represent the Holy Cultivator Guild branch and declare that you have passed the verification and have become a glorious Luminous Saint."
Hearing this, Ashu first nodded toward Anna, giving her a reassuring glance.
Then, he ignored Midaldas and Kidopriest, and turned to the Demon Huntress Nun, Vivita, and said: "You have to keep your word. You delayed my mission. Now, I demand you make it up to me."
Vivita immediately knelt halfway, replying: "My deepest apologies. I feel ashamed for my incorrect judgment. From now on, I will do everything in my power to make up for it, until your mission is completed."
Ashu was taken aback. To be honest, Vivita’s reaction was overly dramatic, and it left him a bit confused.
"Admitting your mistake and correcting it is fine. Why did you suddenly kneel before me, a commoner?"
But the feeling wasn’t bad. He then turned to Kidopriest with a sly look in his eyes and asked: "Kidopriest, just now, I thought I heard you say that I had secretly come into contact with ominous power?"
"No!" Kidopriest reacted like he had been electrocuted, and immediately answered, "I said you hadn’t! I did say those disrespectful words just now, and I can’t hide my mistake. But you are truly pure, you have not been tainted by ominous power."
"Good. You’re the village’s preacher, so I believe you."
Kidopriest almost bit through his own teeth. What the hell was that? "Believe you?"
He had been a preacher for eighteen years. Except for the time when the children were still infants, for all these years, you had actively rejected the doctrine! Now you say you believe me?
Seeing Kidopriest’s pale face, Ashu smiled slightly and then reached out to help Vivita up.
That wasn’t a big deal, but as soon as he helped her up, her huge chest almost buried his face.
She was tall—naked, at least 175 cm, and with her black high heels, she probably reached 180 cm. Ashu was only a little taller. So when she stood up abruptly while he was crouched, her enormous bust nearly hit his face.
"We’re going. I have an urgent mission to complete."
"Would you mind waiting for a moment? There are too many followers of the evil god in this town. I’ll clean them up right away," Vivita asked.
Hearing this, Ashu stared directly at Kidopriest and said, "You can."
