# 338
**Chapter 338: Promotion**
Church of the Ancient Gods.
Shen Qingzhu, his body covered in wounds, slowly pushed open the heavy doors of the church.
Creak—!
A deep, ancient sound echoed through the empty church. His bloodstained hands trembled as they hung at his sides, his breathing ragged. Every step he took left a deep bloody footprint on the floor.
On the thorny throne to the side, a brilliant illusion shimmered into view—Yiyu’s nightmare avatar appeared once more.
When he saw Shen Qingzhu in such a wretched state, his expression changed.
“Shen Qingzhu, what happened to you? Where are the other Believers? Why didn’t they come with you?”
Shen Qingzhu walked to the foot of Yiyu’s throne and, with great difficulty, bowed. His cracked lips parted slightly, blood seeping from them as he spoke hoarsely:
“Lord Yiyu… the other seniors… all… all of them have fallen!!”
“What?!”
Yiyu shot up from his throne, the calm elegance on his face replaced by unprecedented solemnity and gravity.
“What happened?”
“After we failed to assassinate Wu Tongxuan, we immediately retreated from the Purification Chamber. But who could’ve known we’d run into Master Chen on his way back…”
“You encountered Master Chen?!” Yiyu’s face turned ashen.
“The moment he saw us, he attacked without a word. Second Seat, Fourth Seat, and Fifth Seat fought with everything they had. Knowing he couldn’t win, Second Seat used a spatial rift to forcefully send me away while holding off Master Chen. That’s how I survived.
Those three seniors… died to save me!”
Shen Qingzhu lowered his head, a tear sliding down his cheek…
Yiyu sat back on his throne in a daze, completely shaken.
Not counting the twelfth seat, who was already a sacrificial pawn, this operation alone had claimed the lives of Second Seat, Fourth Seat, Fifth Seat, and Sixth Seat—four top-tier Believers. Nearly half of the top ten seats in the Believers’ twenty-seat hierarchy were gone!
Add to that the eighth seat who died a month ago, the tenth and eleventh seats three months ago, the eighteenth seat half a year ago, and the thirteenth seat (Han Shaoyun), fourteenth seat (Ma Yitian), and sixteenth seat (an unnamed man swallowed by a certain dog) over a year ago…
Twelve of the twenty Believers were dead!
Only eight remained.
Among the top ten, only First, Third, Seventh, and Ninth Seats were left.
This was nothing short of a devastating blow to the Believers and the Church of the Ancient Gods.
When did the Believers, once so formidable, begin to suffer such horrific losses?
Yiyu’s heart ached for a long time. He took a deep breath and looked down at Shen Qingzhu, who, despite his grievous injuries, remained composed. A flicker of relief stirred in him.
At least the seed he valued most had survived…
“Shen Qingzhu,” Yiyu spoke slowly.
“Yes.”
“After this battle, the Believers have suffered immense losses… I know it may be too soon, but you must step up.”
Yiyu rose from the thorny throne, his tone earnest.
“You have the ability, the potential. If you continue to grow, you will become my most capable subordinate. From this day forward, you will take the tenth seat and bear this responsibility.
Once you break through to the Sea Realm, I will entrust you with even greater tasks.”
Shen Qingzhu raised his head and solemnly replied, “Shen Qingzhu, Tenth Seat of the Believers, awaits your orders, Lord Yiyu.”
Yiyu nodded, full of hope.
“I believe that one day, you will lead the entire Believers to reclaim our glory!”
…
Somewhere along the coast.
Crystal-clear waves rushed onto the golden sand and slowly receded, leaving behind a scattering of pebbles. Men and women in swimsuits crowded the shore, laughing and playing.
Suddenly, a bikini-clad girl paused, looking down at the seawater with confusion.
“What’s wrong?” her friend asked.
“Do you feel like the water got colder?”
“Colder? Now that you mention it… yeah, a bit.”
The girl crouched and dipped her hand into the water. After a moment, she pulled out a fist-sized chunk of ice.
“Ice? How is there ice in the sea?”
Splash—!!
Before they could process it, a chubby figure burst from the water beside them, sending a spray into their faces.
“Kyaaah!! Pervert!!”
One of the girls screamed and slapped the figure across the face, then splashed toward the shore.
The scream drew attention. People turned to see a drenched fat man standing in the shallows, rubbing his reddened cheek, looking around in bewilderment.
Who am I, where am I, and why did I just get slapped?
Before the crowd could react, three more figures surfaced—one in prison garb, another in… a hospital gown?
“What’s going on?”
“No idea. Why are they dressed like that?”
“Damn, did they escape from prison?”
“Look at the guy in the hospital gown—he’s bleeding!”
“Call the cops! Quick!”
The beach erupted. Phones came out—some recording, others dialing. Chaos.
“Qiye… what’s happening? Where are we?” Baili Pangpang asked blankly.
Lin Qiye’s mouth twitched. “Where doesn’t matter. If we don’t run now, we’re getting arrested as perverts!”
He sprinted across the water toward the far end of the beach. The other three followed.
Never in their wildest dreams did the famed Fifth Special Squad imagine their first public appearance… would be like this.
A few minutes later.
The four crouched in an alley, panting, seawater dripping from their clothes. Cao Yuan peeked out and exhaled.
“No one followed…”
Baili Pangpang rubbed his cheek. “Where the hell did the current dump us? Of all places, a tourist beach?”
“I saw a billboard while running—Golden Coast Bathing Area. If I’m right, we’re in Honglian City.”
“Honglian?” Cao Yuan blinked. “We’re in the northeast now?”
Lin Qiye pulled out the phone Ye Fan had given him, unsealed it from its waterproof bag, and powered it on.
A message popped up immediately.