Chapter 98 - Mortals Drown (Part II) (Patreon)

Every month during the full moon, when the tides rose to their highest point, the Tidal Church held a grand celebration that gathered believers from across the city. Saltwater inside the wells would move in wave-like motions while the Elders spoke about the sea’s grace, and sailors gave testimonies about miraculous rescues and fortunes found upon the waters.

Today was not such a day.

As morning arrived, the night folk went to sleep while day laborers hurried to secure places aboard ships and began their daily routines. Inside one of the dozens of houses in the commoners' district, a teenage girl clung to her mother, helping with the chores more enthusiastically than usual.

“I loved yesterday’s sermon,” she giggled, bumping lightly against her mother. “The priests were so fun to listen to. Can we please go again tonight?”

Her mother gave her a strange look while chopping vegetables and said, “Guang’er, if your father discovers you are meeting some ruffian at the church, he will beat you with a stick."

Blushing, the girl washed the breakfast bowls and shook her head vigorously.

“No, no,” she quickly said. “I just felt so good about being there! Can’t you see how helpful I’m being today? We should go again.”

“Your father only likes attending once a month." Her mother sighed, too tired to deal with her daughter's antics. “You know how superstitious he is. You and I can go next week instead.”

The girl immediately grabbed her mother’s arm, her pleading face and watery eyes exaggerated beyond belief.

“Please,” she sniffed dramatically. “If all of us go, I promise to meet the neighbor’s son next week.”

Hearing that, her mother gasped in delight.

“Well said, Guang’er,” the woman exclaimed, abandoning the knife and vegetables on the kitchen table to hug her daughter. “The Zhou family has ties to the Constable’s Office, and their eldest son is sure to strike it rich someday. Such a good choice!”

She paused briefly before smiling even more brightly. Looking through the window at the far-away Tidal Church's roof, she felt a bit emotional.

“The tides must have washed those useless thoughts from your head,” she said with relief before kissing her daughter’s forehead. “We will go. I will convince your father.”

“Thank you, mom! You are the best!” The girl squealed happily while hugging her mother tightly. “Can I prepare my prayers and clothes now? I already finished washing the dishes.”

Her mother nodded, watching the girl rush away. She knew this could be a prank, but the hope that her daughter accepted a small sacrifice, in her view, for a better life made her want to believe it was all true. For this woman, marrying a good man was good enough, with or without love.

Turning back around, the woman paused, suddenly confused. Her eyes moved through the kitchen table as she muttered, “Uh, where did I leave the knife?”

She shook her head after a few seconds of searching, settled for a smaller blade, and quickly forgot about the matter.

Meanwhile, throughout the other districts, from the poorest slums to the mansions of the influential, teenagers used every method imaginable to convince their families to visit the nearest Tidal Church that night. They invited friends and relatives, made excuses, offered promises, and reinforced each other’s persuasion with suspicious enthusiasm.

By any means necessary, they ensured they would go to the Tidal Church with their loved ones.

As daylight faded and night descended, people noticed the streets leading toward the churches were far more crowded than usual. Of course, it was nowhere near the scale of the full moon gatherings, nor was it as lively as the streets of brothels, inns, warehouses, and restaurants, so the unusual crowds only sparked mild curiosity.

In the noble district, where horses and carriages were permitted, the situation became more noticeable. Nobles discussed the strange behavior of their children, curious if the Tidal Church was trying to recruit teens somehow.

Despite the presence of cultivators and high-ranking officials among the nobles, none considered the matter particularly alarming. After all, each of those nobles able to contract or become cultivators had artifacts to protect their children against Qi techniques.

Soon, the first stage of the congregation began. The Tidal Church's branch in the noble district, farther from the Feathred Serpent Castle, was privately known as the Winged Lion Church. Tonight, it reached nearly half its capacity, prompting Elder Yellow Scale to personally watch over the ceremony.

Standing on a raised platform alongside the high priests, Elder Yellow Scale drank from a cup of wine, frowning deeply in thought. Her jade-like hands attracted the priests’ gazes, and her graceful movements always stirred curiosity regarding the appearance hidden beneath her robes.

Nonetheless, no one dared stare for too long or entertain improper thoughts about uncovering the face of such a powerful cultivator. In fact, they would normally not have the opportunity to speak with her directly. Given the opportunity, one of the high priests, an older man with a white beard, asked in a low voice, “Is everything to your liking, Elder Yellow Scale?”

Below them, on the first floor, a priest dipped his fingers into a bowl of saltwater before flicking droplets over the congregation. He was reciting sermons, nervously glancing to the second floor. He couldn't make any mistakes today.

“There is something wrong,” Elder Yellow Scale muttered quietly.

Most of the high priests seated beside her failed to hear the words, but the old bearded one caught them and narrowed his eyes.

“Is our fellow priest downstairs making mistakes?” he asked cautiously. “Did something go wrong during the sermons or rituals? We can fix it right now.”

The other high priests trembled upon hearing his words. They were smart enough to grasp that Elder Yellow Scale was displeased with something. Quickly, they memorized which priest was conducting the congregation so they could distance themselves from him later.

However, Elder Yellow Scale shook her head, her gentle voice echoing softly. “It is merely a feeling. No one has made a mistake.”

The older one sighed in relief and nodded.

“Of course,” he said proudly. “They were all trained by me and blessed by the tides. How could they possibly—”

He was interrupted by screams.

Out of nowhere, the orderly congregation descended into chaos as people began running and shouting. Qi artifacts and Qi techniques were being activated, wounding those close to fleeing cultivators. Candles crashed onto the floor while splashes of blood struck the walls and ground.

A second later, Yellow Qi erupted around Elder Yellow Scale, and the image of silver wings manifested behind her. Her muscles swelled, and she shot downward like a bolt of light. In less than a second, she appeared before a teenage boy who was waving two knives wildly.

Beside him lay the corpse of a couple, while three more believers bled heavily nearby, still alive but gravely wounded.

Frowning, Elder Yellow Scale tapped the teenager’s forehead just as he raised one of the knives toward another victim.

Without suspense, the boy collapsed unconscious immediately.

Spreading her perception, the Elder activated an investigative technique, her eyes glowing yellow.

Then she gasped.

Throughout the congregation, nearly twenty teenagers were wielding knives, sickles, daggers, letter openers, tongs, or other slashing and piercing tools, attacking the believers around them. The first round of assaults had already thrown the crowd into chaos, leaving people focused entirely on escaping and vulnerable to the next strikes.

A few cultivators attempted to intervene, but every time one of the perpetrators was subdued, at least one more person died, and several others were wounded. It was likely that other teenagers were waiting their turn to deliver a surprise killing blow.

Besides, the cultivators who were trying to help had to control themselves so as not to hurt others. Those who failed to restrain their techniques caused even greater damage than the teens.

Acting immediately, Elder Yellow Scale unfolded the power of her middle-stage Qi Condensation realm and shouted, “Ferocious Claws, Swiping Grounds!”

Slashing sounds exploded across the church as invisible attacks struck the teenagers, severing arms and legs to incapacitate them.

Then Elder Yellow Scale heard them screaming, her eyes widening and a horrifying sensation reaching her soul.

“Sacrifices to the Three-Headed Serpent God! Accept your fate!”

“Sacrifices to the Three-Headed Serpent God! Return to the sea!”

“Sacrifices to the Three-Headed Serpent God! Feed the Master!”

Within her branch of the Tidal Church, the rampage of dozens of teenagers resulted in nearly fifty deaths and more than two hundred injuries. The perpetrators all screamed about turning others into sacrifices to the Three-Headed Serpent God.

Meanwhile, in the dockside branches, Elder Black Scale gloomily stared at the hundreds of corpses and the more than a thousand wounded believers.

He had been busy interrogating a captive and reacted too slowly, while his branch itself lacked manpower after the punishments imposed by the Great Elder. To make matters worse, unlike Elder Yellow Scale’s techniques, his attacks were more unrestrained, and as a result, he had burned the screaming teenagers alive with his Purple Qi to stop the slaughter.

In the slums, Elder White Scale, temporarily overseeing the Mud Crab branch until another elder could be appointed, sighed deeply while staring at the wooden coffins containing the restrained teenagers. Although several dozen believers had died there, he had managed to suppress the situation quickly thanks to the nature of his techniques and cultivation methods.

However, the fleeing crowds were terrified and were sure to spread rumors that the Tidal Church had begun human sacrifices.

That was completely beyond his control.

At last, inside the main branch beside the Feathered Serpent Castle, the gathered crowd watched as an old man dressed in military robes stared coldly toward the second floor. Beside him, illusory chains restrained the sleeping teenagers who had attempted to attack their own families and friends.

Not a single believer had died there, as most of the congregation consisted of cultivators or influential nobles carrying stronger protective artifacts. Even then, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. Most people weren’t worried about themselves, but about what had affected their sons and daughters.

“Vice Lord Vermilion Tide,” the old man said, unleashing the pressure of his Foundation Establishment cultivation. He locked his perception on the woman dressed in golden robes adorned with crimson dragon patterns. “You owe us an explanation.”

Clenching her fists tightly, the Grand Elder of the Tidal Church and Vice Lord of Three Feathers City descended from the second floor using a movement technique. Then, she bowed slightly and said with gritted teeth, “Councillor Mu, please rest assured. This one will not rest until the culprit is found!"

She was so furious that she couldn't maintain a straight face. The moment the attacks began, she had unfolded her Qi perception and QI flow, that of a Quasi-Core Formation cultivator, to search the church grounds and nearby streets for the perpetrator. She wanted to see who dared use such a bizarre Qi technique under her watch, and kill them on the spot.

However, she found no one. And very soon, she noticed how huge a mistake she had made.

That brief delay caused by her search allowed the military representative to act first and restrain the teenagers. The Grand Elder had failed to seize control of the situation herself. Because of this, furious and disgusted gazes focused on her while murmurs spread among the uninvolved families.

And obviously, the directly affected parents did more than look.

“Luo Lin!” one nobleman screamed, clutching his unconscious daughter, who still held his treasured sword tightly in her sleep. “What happened to you? Talk to me! No, no, don't keep saying this nonsense...”

His despairing shout triggered the other families. Some rushed toward their children, while others examined the restrained teenagers with growing fear. Even while unconscious, the teenagers continued muttering incoherently.

“Three-Headed Serpent...”

“Sea God...”

“Accept the sacrifices...”

“Bless us...”

Every muttered phrase struck Grand Elder Vermilion Tide like a slap across the face. She could also feel the crowd's rage intensify further. Those nobles who had previously supported the Tidal Church subtly distanced themselves, silently breaking their partnership.

“Vice Lord Vermilion Tide,” Councillor Mu said coldly. "After these children’s condition is dealt with, I will demand an official explanation before the City Council!”

After speaking, he turned away and began discussing the matter with the other cultivators. He wanted to investigate the strange technique affecting the teenagers before acting.

Grand Elder Vermilion Tide was excluded from the discussion. She was momentarily frozen. This incident would affect her standing within Three Feathers City, without a doubt. Now, she needed to uncover the true culprit as quickly as possible. Then, just when she thought the situation could not possibly worsen further, a nobleman rushed into the hall.

“All branches of the Tidal Church were attacked!” He shouted. “A friend of mine lost his wife, and his daughter had her arm severed! What in the Nine Heavens is happening?!”

Grand Elder Vermilion Tide felt as though someone had punched directly through her chest. She swallowed a mouthful of blood and clutched at her heart.

“Hundreds of people died!” Another person screamed after receiving messages from the guards. “People are rioting on the docks! We need to move! They are invading warehouses and cargo ships! There are cultivators among them!"

Feeling her vision blur, Grand Elder Vermilion Tide staggered back three steps before forcing herself to steady her breathing. Golden and crimson Qi erupted around her as she shouted, “I will personally find and kill the culprits!”

After that, she left the scene in a blur. Remaining there any longer would only make her enemies laugh in glee.

When she left, a few people sneered, while others frowned in concern. No one truly believed the Tidal Church was responsible, but now that commoners were rioting, nobles had died, and the grandchildren and nephews of City Council members had fallen into a deranged state, someone had to take responsibility.

This was how this world worked. Those were the rules of the powerful.

At that very moment, Vice Lord Vermilion Tide was rushing to request permission to act freely. The City Council, or the City Lord, would have to accept her plea. Then, she would need to find the culprit and deliver justice tonight! 

Otherwise, there wouldn't be a place for the Tidal Church within Three Feathers City.