Chapter 139: Setting the Trap

“How could you kill them all?” After using the Celestial Seal to slaughter all the bishops, the following matters became much easier to handle. Employing the Celestial Seal once more, Zhou Tian shattered the chains of light binding him and promptly rescued Afra and the others. However, once Vivian was freed, she reproached Zhou Tian for having killed those members of the Church of Light. Her words ignited a surge of anger within him.

Even without that comment, Zhou Tian had already harbored considerable resentment toward Vivian due to her prior conduct. Under such circumstances, for Vivian to still dare to speak to him in that manner was enough to enrage him further.

With a mocking glance, Zhou Tian retorted in an unprecedentedly cold tone, “So, Sister Vivian, do you mean to say that I should just stand there and take blows without fighting back? That if they kill me, it’s justified, but if I retaliate and kill them, it’s wrong?”

“I... that’s not what I meant. It’s just that you clearly had the ability not to kill them. Why couldn’t you spare their lives?” Seeing Zhou Tian’s expression, Vivian felt a flicker of unease. Yet, influenced by her long-held beliefs, even sensing Zhou Tian’s changed attitude toward her, she could not help but question him.

Perhaps it was merely a habitual reaction on Vivian’s part, but when those words reached Zhou Tian’s ears, they further tarnished her image in his eyes.

“Leave!” Vivian’s attitude had thoroughly extinguished any hope Zhou Tian might have entertained. No longer inclined to entertain any plans for reform, he waved dismissively and said, “I admire your loyalty to the Church of Light, but I can’t follow you to that extent. Since you cannot accept my views, let’s part ways here. You continue to serve your church; I will continue as the governor of the capital. That should suffice.”

“What did you say?” Zhou Tian’s sudden declaration stunned Vivian. After a moment, she recovered and demanded loudly, “What do you mean by that? Are you planning to betray the church?”

“Betray the church, betray the church! Don’t you have anything else to say? Yes, I’m dissatisfied with the Church of Light now. Call it betrayal if you want. You can go back to your holy city and tell those old men that I quit—formally renounced the church. Are you satisfied now?” Fueled by anger, Zhou Tian could no longer restrain himself and shouted back at her.

Upon hearing those words, Vivian’s face instantly paled. Afra, too, couldn’t help but tug at Zhou Tian, clearly trying to persuade him to take back his words.

But Zhou Tian was too furious to be reasoned with. A mere glare silenced Afra, who then dared not make any further moves. Helpless, she glanced at Vivian and chose to remain silent.

Afra’s reaction confirmed a suspicion Zhou Tian had long held: without sharing the same education and upbringing, Afra likely shared his growing dissatisfaction toward Vivian’s conduct. Yet, because Vivian held a high status in their eyes, they had repeatedly compromised amid their ideological conflicts.

Though Afra perhaps did not wish to see Zhou Tian’s reaction, her demeanor suggested she could accept his stance. Afra’s previous displeasure with Vivian for obstructing her attempt to rescue Zhou Tian probably compounded her feelings. Under these influences, Afra ultimately refrained from siding with Vivian at this moment.

The attitude shift from Zhou Tian and Afra was unexpected by Vivian. Realizing that both had turned against her, she understood the reasons but did not feel her own actions were wrong. Feeling hurt and pained but harboring no regret, Vivian cast one last glance at Zhou Tian and the others before silently turning to leave.

Seeing Vivian about to depart, Afra grew restless.

Though she had remained silent during the exchange between Zhou Tian and Vivian, that silence merely reflected her dissatisfaction with Vivian’s prior behavior. Regardless of her displeasure, the bond of sisterhood remained strong, and Afra was unwilling to let Vivian go.

Naturally, as Vivian moved to leave, Afra hurried forward to block her path. Looking toward Zhou Tian with urgency, she pleaded, “Brother Tian!”

“Let her go!” Zhou Tian’s expression remained impassive; he refused to change his mind. Casting a glance at Vivian, he said to Afra, “If everyone’s temperaments don’t align, forcing them together is pointless. If she wants to leave, let her. Perhaps returning to the church to become a candidate for the Saintess is the life she truly desires.”

“Yes, Afra, you needn’t plead with him. I do dislike his views, and I know neither you nor Anna agree with mine. Given that, my departure is for the best. You need not keep me here. Maybe, as he said, becoming a candidate for the Saintess and striving for that position is the life I want.”

“But...” Afra began.

“No need to say more. You know my nature. Once I decide on something, I won’t change for any reason.” Vivian interrupted her, patting Afra’s shoulder before adding, “Follow him well. Though he’s not a proper church member, he’s a worthy husband. I believe you’ll be happy with him. I’ll bless you both in advance.” Despite Afra’s attempts to persuade her, Vivian entered the teleportation array and left the capital.

Zhou Tian understood his actions were rash. Though he held the highest position within their small group, he was also the last to join. Before his arrival, Vivian had led the group. Now, despite valid reasons, forcing Vivian out would inevitably cast him in a poor light among Anna, the others, and outsiders alike.

Still, having made his decision, Zhou Tian had no intention of reversing it. If Anna and the others could accept it, fine; if not, they could all leave. The world would not crumble for losing any of them. When he first made his decision, Zhou Tian had mentally prepared for all possible reactions, confident he could accept whatever came next.

What surprised him, however, was that despite expecting Anna and the others to at least protest upon hearing Vivian’s departure, they remained indifferent, continuing their affairs as if nothing had happened. Apart from Vivian’s absence, the capital remained unchanged.

The only unexpected development was that, after Vivian left for the holy city, Zhou Tian’s fear of church retaliation did not materialize. Though the Pope had scolded him in a letter for killing so many church leaders, there was no intention to punish him. When Vivian conveyed Zhou Tian’s wish to resign, the Pope flatly denied it. Even those church elders Zhou Tian had offended chose to remain silent, perhaps wary of the Pope’s authority or unwilling to exacerbate matters. In any case, they seemed intent on letting the issue fade away.

Since the Church of Light’s leaders showed no desire to pursue the matter, Zhou Tian saw no reason to press his resignation.

Though displeased with some church actions, Zhou Tian had to admit the church wielded great influence across the continent. Holding a senior church position eased many of his dealings. In every respect, it seemed unnecessary to relinquish his bishopric.

The Church of Light’s issues were thus resolved, but the so-called puppet technology still troubled Zhou Tian.

Not to mention that Zhou Tian would never reveal the details of the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Fiends Array, even if he could, the continent’s powers would doubt his words. What was the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Fiends Array? Everyone believed Zhou Tian possessed a formidable puppet technology, and until he grew strong enough to be untouchable, no one would relinquish the chance to obtain it.

This was an unsolvable problem. No matter how Zhou Tian explained, no one would believe him. Given the circumstances, Zhou Tian abandoned that line of thought and instead adopted a different approach to resolve his current troubles.

In one stroke, he converted all the magical cores in the capital into spiritual energy, then used it to purchase divine statues. Scraping together every resource, Zhou Tian finally gathered the necessary statues to set up the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Fiends Array.

He did not negotiate with any factions but simply arranged the array in the twelve directions around the capital. Instantly, the once lively factions fell silent.

The puppet technology indeed enticed many, and it was precisely their desire to obtain it that prompted repeated harassment of Zhou Tian. Yet, all these factions were cowards at heart—soft when confronted with strength but bold when given silence. The firmer Zhou Tian’s stance, the quieter they became.

They seemed to have forgotten that the reason they suspected the puppet technology was because Zhou Tian had once activated the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Fiends Array. The array’s power was well known to their leaders. Facing a force capable of repelling a semi-divine dragon, both empire and church had to tread carefully. No matter how alluring the puppet technology, none dared challenge Zhou Tian outright, fearing for their lives.

The silence of these factions pleased Zhou Tian for a time. Yet, he knew that while the array’s threat quelled their greed temporarily, the greater its demonstrated power, the more these shadowy observers would covet his puppet technology. Sooner or later, trouble would arise.

Zhou Tian could not hand over the puppet technology these factions sought, so he devised a plan to divert their attention.

After a few months of calm in the capital, Zhou Tian used the spiritual energy he had gathered to purchase a particular item. He boldly displayed it in the city square, having modified its abilities.

“Trial Tower, price per floor: 100; each additional floor doubles the price. (Effect: An independent space forms within the tower where the owner controls everything inside.)”

In games, a Trial Tower is merely a tool for grinding experience. After acquiring one, the user can slaughter monsters inside to gain experience. Though monster numbers are finite, if one has enough money, grinding levels can be faster than buying experience outright.

Of course, Zhou Tian’s purchase was not to help others level up. He invested heavily to acquire a nine-floor Trial Tower, placing it prominently in the capital square with an explanation.

Everyone believed he had some puppet technology, right? Since he couldn’t explain it, he might as well not try. Let them think it exists! Zhou Tian declared the puppet technology resided atop the Trial Tower, and whoever reached the top could claim it.

Moreover, Zhou Tian stated he had placed many alchemical products inside the tower, prizes for those who passed the trials. If lucky, one might even find something stronger than the puppet technology.

Naturally, not everyone believed his claim, but they had no better options. The Twelve Heavenly Gods and Fiends Array stood guard around the capital, and no faction dared challenge Zhou Tian openly. Given his setup, attempting to seize the puppet technology by force was riskier than trying the Trial Tower. After all, even if they had the power, coercing Zhou Tian to surrender the true technology was uncertain.

Thus, whether they truly believed Zhou Tian or not, all factions began shifting their focus from him to the Trial Tower, just as he intended.

Watching the crowds pour into the tower to begin their trials, Zhou Tian couldn’t help but smile darkly.

He would never honestly place any puppet technology atop the tower. Besides, he didn’t even possess such technology. The Trial Tower served two purposes: to divert attention and to profit.

Besides leveling, the Trial Tower had a gambling function.

If one considered themselves strong, they could wager with the owner. For each floor cleared, the challenger earned a prize, but if they died, the owner claimed some of the challenger’s experience points.

Of course, this was how it worked in the game. In this real, otherworldly realm, the Trial Tower’s gambling rules were now solely set by Zhou Tian, who ensured fairness. The risks and rewards were balanced.

But unlike the game, exiting the tower wasn’t easy.

This world was real, not a game. Passing floors yielded great rewards: rare system items and tools that might not increase strength greatly but could bring substantial profit.

However, dying inside meant death. There was no resurrection here. Death was final.

Meanwhile, Zhou Tian could gain experience hundreds of times greater than that earned from monsters of similar strength.

Previously, though a beast, Zhou Tian considered himself human and refrained from gaining experience from humans, focusing instead on monsters.

But pressured by human factions and now thoroughly angered, Zhou Tian set this trap to distract all factions and rake in experience.

Experience showed that greed often clouded reason. Under normal circumstances, those factions might not fall for Zhou Tian’s ruse, but now all were obsessed with acquiring the puppet technology and ignored the Trial Tower’s perils.

Especially when some emerged from the tower bearing what Zhou Tian claimed were alchemical products—actually system items—the entire continent went into a frenzy.

Though system items might not be stronger than the world’s alchemical goods, their rarity was undeniable.

Though many Easterners lived here, the civilization was predominantly Western fantasy. The world had many alchemical products, but magical relics and talismans characteristic of Eastern immortal cultivation simply did not exist.

Rarity meant value. Even if two items had similar effects, the rarer one would be more highly prized.

Thus, when lucky individuals returned from the Trial Tower with system items, most used them for profit, while a few kept them for personal use.

Nobles acquired rare collectibles; alchemists obtained research samples; mercenaries earned vast sums. In every stratum, the Trial Tower brought benefits.

Of course, Zhou Tian was the greatest beneficiary. Everyone noticed those who succeeded, but none paid attention to the many who died inside. In reality, fewer than one in a hundred emerged alive. With so many deaths, Zhou Tian’s experience gains were astronomical.

Level 71, 75, 80...

Where once leveling was laborious, with the Trial Tower, Zhou Tian advanced rapidly—almost a level every few days. He was now embarking on his first transformation from serpent to dragon.

(Many thanks to Feng Feng Feng for the generous 588 reward. Also, subscription numbers are dwindling—friends who can, please support us generously!)