Chapter 159: The Church's Moves

Among the five legions, the Northern Legion and the Imperial Guards belonged respectively to the rebel and loyalist factions. As for the other three legions, two maintained a neutral stance; while their inner thoughts remained unknown, at least judging by their current actions, they showed no intention of joining the civil war.

The final legion was the Eastern Legion, controlled by the Wu family.

The Eastern Legion was the fundamental reason why the Wu family could remain so powerful within the Yanhuang Empire. The other four legions were commanded either by imperial family members or seasoned generals with illustrious military exploits. The Eastern Legion was virtually the only force in the Yanhuang Empire that could genuinely be termed a private army.

Long ago, the imperial family of the Yanhuang Empire had entertained thoughts of dealing with the Eastern Legion. However, after assigning various grueling missions to the legion—none of which were easy—contrary to expectations, executing those difficult tasks transformed the Eastern Legion into the strongest of the five legions.

Later, seeing that this approach only produced the opposite effect and harboring various misgivings that prevented them from delivering a fatal blow to the Eastern Legion, the imperial family had no choice but to sideline the legion, maintaining them much like garrison troops.

Due to a prolonged absence from warfare, the Eastern Legion had deteriorated from the formerly strongest legion into the current weakest one. If Li Jiahao were to launch a campaign, the Eastern Legion, even if it participated, would hardly be a match for the Northern Legion. However, due to Zhou Tian’s intervention, all of Li Jiahao’s forces were suppressed within Xuanwu City. Although he possessed sufficient strength to contend for the imperial throne, he could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, silently observing the internal changes within the Yanhuang Empire.

With the Northern Legion abstaining and the other two legions remaining neutral, the Eastern Legion combined with the Imperial Guards gave Wu Zhao command over these two formidable forces, allowing her to claim the most powerful military strength in the Yanhuang Empire.

Through a mix of enticement and coercion, utilizing diplomatic means, Wu Zhao induced a number of rebel kings to surrender. Subsequently, facing those who were stubbornly bent on rebellion, Wu Zhao abandoned any notions of fairness, deploying her massive armies directly. Regardless of their plans, before absolute strength, they were destined for utter defeat.

Thus, owing to Li Jiahao’s withdrawal, a rebellion that should have truly threatened the imperial family of the Yanhuang Empire ultimately ended in such a lackluster fizzle. In the wake of this turmoil, Wu Zhao’s control over the Yanhuang Empire ascended to an even higher level.

While crushing numerous rebel kings, the Wu family also annexed their territories. Moreover, through this war, the new recruits of the Eastern Legion received a degree of practical training. Though a long road remained before returning to its former status as the strongest legion, compared to the other legions, the current Eastern Legion no longer lagged far behind.

As for Wu Zhao herself, because of this suppression of the rebellion, every single command and subsequent victory coalesced into her personal achievements. Although quite a few people still murmured disapprovingly about a woman controlling the state apparatus, after this incident, no one dared to oppose her as blatantly as before. Having such a good beginning was quite enough for Wu Zhao.

Only after Wu Zhao had exterminated all the other rebel kings of the Yanhuang Empire did Zhou Tian withdraw his troops, releasing Li Jiahao, who had been trapped in Xuanwu City all along.

Despite regaining his freedom, gazing at Zhou Tian’s departing figure, Li Jiahao wore a remarkably gloomy expression.

What a wonderful opportunity!

Under the governance of several generations of emperors, the Yanhuang Empire had always enjoyed an environment of peace and prosperity. In such an environment, the emperor still retained a certain level of prestige among the populace. Anyone attempting to rebel would undoubtedly encounter resistance from ordinary citizens. Although in this current world formidable powerhouses were the primary force shaping the world's landscape, without the support of the common people, even ascending the throne would make it difficult to secure that position.

Furthermore, without anyone responding to his call, the reigning emperor of the Yanhuang Empire was not devoid of military strength. If his Northern Legion alone dared to rebel, while it could plunge the Yanhuang Empire into temporary chaos, it would ultimately yield no beneficial outcome. The best possible result would probably be occupying the northern part of the Yanhuang Empire and ruling as a petty king. Such a title sounded pleasant enough, but it offered no real difference from his current status. The risks and rewards were disproportionate, so Li Jiahao naturally refused to take such a gamble.

Consequently, although Li Jiahao possessed the strength to rebel, he never dared to make a move. Had it not been for the massive scandal rocking the imperial family, coupled with connections forged with numerous factions to rise together, Li Jiahao probably would never have made such a decision.

Regrettably, in the end, Li Jiahao had no time to accomplish anything. Because he was blockaded within Xuanwu City by Zhou Tian, he could only watch helplessly as the turmoil in the Yanhuang Empire was quelled bit by bit. By the present moment, apart from his own faction, all the forces that had risen in revolt back then had either been co-opted or annihilated.

"It's over." Li Jiahao knew that in this lifetime, he probably had no hope of realizing his ambition. Although he had never truly mobilized his troops due to Zhou Tian, his intentions could not be concealed from others. Whether it was the imperial family or other factions, everyone knew he was the most formidable rebel king. Now that the imperial family had pacified the other rebels, they certainly would not show him mercy.

Moreover, in order to launch this rebellion, Li Jiahao had contacted so many factions, yet once the uprising actually began, he became the sole party to break faith. Regardless of the reasons, in the eyes of those other factions, he had long since become a man devoid of credibility. Even if he wished to rebel again in the future, presumably no one would ever trust him or ally with him.

The suppression by the imperial family and the plight of being unable to forge new alliances meant that Li Jiahao currently had no chance of turning the tables. If managed well, he might perhaps continue to serve as the King of the North for the rest of his life, but if he ultimately lost to Wu Zhao in the political struggle, his fate would likely be no better than that of the exterminated rebel kings.

"Zhou Tian!" Reaching this juncture, Li Jiahao could only heap all his resentment onto Zhou Tian. Without Zhou Tian’s obstruction, how could his plan have failed to overthrow the imperial rule? With the current imperial family gone, judging by status and strength, aside from him, Li Jiahao, who else was fit to be emperor?

Therefore, Li Jiahao now regarded Zhou Tian as the mortal enemy who had shattered his imperial dream. If he were not still acutely aware that Zhou Tian’s strength was not to be trifled with, Li Jiahao would likely have gone mad and sought a desperate fight to the death with Zhou Tian right then and there!

Of course, refraining from action at present stemmed solely from fear of Zhou Tian’s might, but Li Jiahao’s resolve to exact revenge would never waver.

***

‘Thank you!’ Wu Zhao’s letter to Zhou Tian contained merely these two words. Clearly, Wu Zhao was well aware of every move Zhou Tian made. Understanding who deserved the credit for her smooth pacification of the rebellion, she naturally would not forget to thank Zhou Tian for his tremendous assistance once everything concluded.

Upon receiving Wu Zhao’s letter, Zhou Tian merely smiled faintly before burning it.

Since Wu Zhao had sent such a letter, it signified that the internal strife within the Yanhuang Empire had been quelled. While feeling happy for Wu Zhao over this outcome, Zhou Tian could not help but feel a headache regarding his own current predicament.

Things were naturally settled on Wu Zhao’s end; now holding political power, save for the formal title, she could be considered the de facto ruler of the Yanhuang Empire.

Yet Zhou Tian was in a miserable state. To assist Wu Zhao, he had genuinely kept Li Jiahao blockaded in Xuanwu City for several months. Although Li Jiahao posed no threat to Zhou Tian, his actions had now challenged the bottom line of certain people's tolerance.

The Church was strictly prohibited from interfering in the political affairs of continental nations—an ironclad law passed down for millions of years. If the Church and emperors were ever to contend for power and guard against each other, all the righteous forces of the continent would likely be consumed by power struggles, and would the demons have had such an easy time until now? Consequently, neither the powerhouses who despised demons nor the gods themselves would permit such a thing to happen. Although Zhou Tian had not truly participated in the civil war of the Yanhuang Empire, his actions had already provoked widespread dissatisfaction. During the period when Zhou Tian laid siege to the city, he had ordered his soldiers to turn away nearly ten waves of envoys from the Holy City. Had the Church of Light not been reluctant to break with him just yet, they would undoubtedly have dispatched people to forcibly arrest him by now.

While blockading Xuanwu City, nothing untoward had happened, but now that everything was over, Zhou Tian knew the time had come to face the pressure. He had deeply offended certain individuals within the Church of Light. While they might not risk their lives in a desperate struggle against him over this matter, those people would certainly not miss the opportunity to make things difficult for him if given the chance.

Yet, would Zhou Tian fear them?

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and Zhou Tian muttered inwardly: "If they only resort to petty actions, I don't mind enduring it for now; after all, this incident did slightly exceed the Church's tolerance threshold. But if those fellows dare to truly use this matter to move against me, I am no pushover either."

While calculating how to handle the Church's accountability in his heart, Zhou Tian pressed forward on his journey. Finally, after spending several dozen days, he successfully led his army back to the capital.

The moment he re-entered the capital, Zhou Tian’s expression instantly darkened.

The entire capital was enshrouded beneath the Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods Fiend Array. As the creator and setter of this array, Zhou Tian possessed a certain degree of sensory awareness regarding everything transpiring within the city. To put it bluntly, had he wished to do so, covertly peeping at any maiden bathing would be an effortless task. Although he had only just returned to the capital, the moment he re-established his connection with the array, Zhou Tian instantly absorbed everything happening within the city into his vision.

The reason his expression shifted was simply because he witnessed something that displeased him.

He had blockaded Xuanwu City for so long, and Zhou Tian knew the Church of Light could not possibly remain completely reactive. However, in his estimation, given his strength, no matter how displeased the Church was with him, when administering punishment, they were unlikely to take matters to extremes. After all, if Zhou Tian were truly driven to fury and defected from the Church, the losses suffered by the Church of Light would undoubtedly far outweigh the current situation.

Even so, while Zhou Tian was certain the Church would not push things too far, he still underestimated the ambition of certain individuals within it.

...

"Lord City Lord, you have returned." Upon seeing Zhou Tian, the guards at the city gate hurriedly stepped forward to salute before opening the gates to let Zhou Tian and his commanding army enter the city.

"You lot return to the military camp first!" Having directly dismissed his troops back to the camp, Zhou Tian straightened his expression and headed toward the City Lord's Mansion.

...

Having already understood the situation beforehand, upon arriving at the City Lord's Mansion, Zhou Tian felt no astonishment at the changes before his eyes. However, despite already knowing the situation in his heart, upon witnessing it all, Zhou Tian still had to feign a look of shock, pointing directly at a church under construction not far from the mansion and asking an official beside him: "What is the meaning of this?"

...

"This..." Glancing at the church, the official hesitated before honestly replying: "That is a newly constructed church of the Church of Light."

"I recall that location used to be a shop, didn't it? How has it turned into a church now?" Zhou Tian’s expression remained calm; judging solely by his exterior, no one could possibly guess what thoughts were churning within his mind at that moment.

Naturally, the official lacked the ability to divine Zhou Tian’s inner thoughts. However, for the official, guessing Zhou Tian’s thoughts was not particularly important. He only knew that Zhou Tian had posed a question, which sufficed. Zhou Tian was the master and he was the subject; since Zhou Tian had asked, he simply needed to answer directly.

"It was an order issued by the Mistress."

"Absurd!"

Dropping those two words, Zhou Tian strode directly toward the City Lord's Mansion without another word, though his expression was markedly uglier than before.

He could have simply issued an order to demolish that church—Zhou Tian certainly possessed that authority. Yet, he would never do such a thing. For one, the decision had been issued by Aurora and the others; executing such an order directly would be tantamount to negating their authority, which would induce internal instability within the capital.

At the same time, since the church had already been rushed to completion by the other party, tearing it down at this juncture would be equivalent to delivering a direct slap to the face of the Church of Light. If Zhou Tian truly dared to do that, then regardless of why the Pope had previously shielded him time and again, the Pope would undoubtedly be forced to step out and deal with him.

Zhou Tian had witnessed the strength of the Pope of Light back then. Although his own power had improved vastly since then, recalling the might displayed by the Pope, Zhou Tian still lacked the confidence to claim he could defeat him. Facing such a behemoth as the Church of Light, Zhou Tian had no choice but to compromise on this matter.

Yet, Zhou Tian was no pushover either. Since the Church of Light had made its move, Zhou Tian certainly didn't mind launching a counterattack.

He believed that tomorrow, all the officials within the capital would learn of his reaction today, and the news of the discord between Zhou Tian and the Church of Light would naturally spread among them in private. Consequently, within the territory of the capital, a church at odds with the city lord—even if it belonged to the same faith as the city lord himself—would likely find it exceedingly difficult to flourish.

Zhou Tian was now openly suppressing the Church of Light. Aside from wishing to prevent the Church from growing too powerful in the capital and undermining his rule, the primary reason was that this time, besides publicly building a new church to split authority away from Zhou Tian, the person in charge of the church had also secretly dispatched numerous agents to infiltrate the City Lord's Mansion. Naturally, such behavior stirred displeasure within Zhou Tian.

The Church of Light managed to accomplish these things partly because Aurora and the others had lent a hand to varying degrees. Zhou Tian could understand their mindset; having lived within the Church of Light for so many years, as long as the Church did not push things too far, Aurora and the others would not refuse to help when asked.

Even so, while understanding their approach, Zhou Tian still felt somewhat disgruntled.

Aurora and her companions possessed personalities unsuited for governing a city. Whenever the Church of Light advanced a step, they retreated a step; advancing yet another step, they retreated further, incrementally ceding the capital's authority. Zhou Tian dared not imagine that if the capital were truly left entirely in their hands, it would only be a matter of time before everything within the city was swallowed up by the Church of Light.

Perhaps Aurora and the others cared little for such matters, but Zhou Tian did not wish to see the empire he had built with such effort so effortlessly handed over to the Church of Light. Therefore, upon witnessing once again how Aurora allowed the Church of Light to take advantage of the capital, Zhou Tian finally made a resolute decision: to completely transfer authority from Aurora and the others into the hands of the administrative officials.

Mike had been the first to be booted out of the management tier by Zhou Tian. Firstly, Mike lacked the necessary capability, and secondly, Mike held the poorest relationship with the team, granting him limited trust from Zhou Tian, who naturally refused to bestow too much authority upon him.

Later, because Vivian prioritized the Church above Zhou Tian and the capital, Zhou Tian drove her back to the Holy City in a fit of anger.

Presently, because Aurora was his woman, and Anna had consistently handled military affairs admirably, Zhou Tian had never revoked the authority entrusted to them. This made Anna and Aurora special entities within the capital; aside from Zhou Tian himself, they were presumably the only ones possessing final decision-making power in the city.

Originally, judging by their past performance, Zhou Tian knew they had not been brainwashed by the Church and wouldn't cater to the Church's interests in everything like Vivian did. Thus, Zhou Tian felt quite at ease regarding Aurora and Anna. Even though they held the greatest authority outside of himself, Zhou Tian had never entertained the notion of taking back that power.

Yet, while this recent maneuver by the Church imposed some new restrictions on Zhou Tian, it simultaneously hardened his ultimate resolve. Since Aurora and the others were truly unsuited to wield such power, Zhou Tian could no longer leave it in their hands.

His mind made up and his final decision reached, Zhou Tian glanced at the City Lord's Mansion and strode directly inside...

"Lord City Lord, you have returned."

"Greetings, Lord City Lord."

"..."

Upon entering the City Lord's Mansion, everyone who caught sight of Zhou Tian hurriedly saluted him. Nodding casually, Zhou Tian walked straight toward the small courtyard where Aurora resided.

Given Aurora's usual disposition, upon learning that Zhou Tian was returning, she should have long since come out to greet him. The fact that she remained absent told Zhou Tian that Aurora was likely aware of the consequences her actions had triggered, felt guilty for making a mistake, and therefore lacked the courage to face him.

However, some matters could not be evaded simply by hiding. Even though Zhou Tian had already made up his mind, he still needed to inform Aurora of these decisions. Even if he knew their personalities meant they cared little for such formalities, the proper procedure had to be followed. Otherwise, issuing such orders without even offering a prior warning made Zhou Tian wonder whether Aurora would let her imagination run wild.

"Knock, knock~"

Giving the door a casual knock, before Zhou Tian could call out, Aurora's courtyard gate unexpectedly swung open of its own accord. Glancing casually at the interior, Zhou Tian stepped right inside...

"Greetings, City Lord!"

"Uh~" Zhou Tian tapped his forehead. Although he knew Aurora would display some unusual reactions due to a guilty conscience, he genuinely hadn't anticipated her reaction would take quite this form.

Looking at Aurora, who currently wore a timid expression and bowed to him, the lingering trace of anger in Zhou Tian's heart suddenly vanished. Waving his hand with helpless resignation, Zhou Tian said, "Alright, alright. Don't you know that putting on this kind of act doesn't suit your personality and feels quite awkward for others to watch? I have no intention of blaming you. After all, the Church of Light did indeed provide us with considerable assistance; since they wish to come to the capital to preach, let them preach."

"You're truly not angry?"

"Not angry."

"Then I can rest easy." Hearing Zhou Tian's repeated assurances and confirming he was genuinely unupset by her actions, Aurora patted her chest in relief and rejoiced, "I thought you'd be furious when I let the Church of Light build a new church in the capital! So you don't mind? That's great, now I can relax."

...

"Relax my big foot!" Glaring at Aurora, who had instantly recovered her vitality, Zhou Tian's expression twisted as he rebuked, "Is this how you manage a city for me? You agree to whatever demands people throw at you—do you realize how massive the interests of our capital were sacrificed just by agreeing to that single request of yours?"

"This..." When she initially agreed to the Church of Light, given Aurora's personality, she probably hadn't realized the potential impact of such an inconspicuous demand. Yet as so much time passed, Aurora had gradually come to realize a few things. Hearing Zhou Tian's words, she felt too guilty to formulate a reply.

Noticing Aurora's expression and fearing she might truly harbor deep self-blame over the matter, Zhou Tian sighed and finally steered the conversation to the main point: "Fortunately I returned early this time, otherwise heaven knows what kind of mess you would have made of things. City management simply doesn't suit your disposition; from now on, leave the capital's affairs to the subordinates below. If the Church people come looking for you again, just tell them you lack the authority to handle such matters."

"Phew~" Hearing Zhou Tian's words, Aurora exhaled in relief before excitedly declaring, "I finally don't have to deal with those chores anymore! Every day so many people came asking this and that, constantly surrounding me—it was driving me crazy!"

Although Zhou Tian had long known that given Aurora's temperament, she wouldn't harbor any resentment once stripped of her authority, seeing her reaction still brought a slight sense of relief. Chuckling wryly, he scolded, "You're never satisfied! Do you know how many people out there would kill to possess the authority you had? Yet here you are, complaining about the trouble!"

"It was troublesome, though!" Muttering softly under her breath due to her guilty conscience, Aurora quickly closed the distance, hugged Zhou Tian, and asked, "How did things go over there? I heard that Sister Wu has already wiped out all the rebel armies in the Yanhuang Empire, so your side should have..."

...

"I did nothing at all."

"How could you have done nothing? If you did nothing, why would the Holy City react so intensely?" Clearly, Aurora had all along assumed Zhou Tian and Li Jiahao had engaged in combat. Hearing Zhou Tian state that he and Li Jiahao never even fought, she appeared utterly astonished.

"Didn't I send battle reports back every single day? How come you still had no idea what was happening on my end?"

"Well about that! Ha! Ha..." Laughing awkwardly, Aurora dared not take up Zhou Tian's thread. Asking her to handle official paperwork was definitely asking the wrong person; with her temperament, sitting still was impossible. Although Zhou Tian had indeed dispatched battle reports back to the capital, judging by this situation, Aurora had clearly never bothered to read them.

"Sigh~" Sighing helplessly, Zhou Tian didn't even know what to say to her.

"Precisely because I didn't take action, the Holy City reacted the way they did. If I had actually made a move, then I'm afraid... Oh?" Just as Zhou Tian prepared to elaborate for Aurora, he suddenly sensed someone approaching the courtyard. His expression sinking, his demeanor instantly altered.

The intruder was a rogue of no low tier. Frankly speaking, even Zhou Tian himself had failed to detect the rogue's tracking movements, which demonstrated just how profoundly skilled the rogue had become in stealth arts. Yet, this rogue had committed a fatal error by operating within the capital. The city was encased under the Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods Fiend Array, meaning every slight disturbance fell directly under Zhou Tian's surveillance. While the rogue's stealth technique was impressive enough to fool Zhou Tian, it could never bypass the array itself.

Zhou Tian couldn't be bothered to investigate whether the rogue had sneaked into Aurora's courtyard for his sake or for Aurora's. Although he acknowledged that his own actions had been somewhat excessive—hence his intent to exercise maximum restraint toward the Church's antics—his forebearance evidently hadn't achieved the desired effect. In the face of the other party's inch-by-inch encroachments, Zhou Tian found himself losing patience and itching to throw a tantrum.

With a mental flick, Zhou Tian immediately administered punishment to the rogue.

Within the Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods Fiend Array, Zhou Tian reigned as the supreme master. At his single thought, the array reacted in accordance with his will.

A fiend god shaped like a yellow sack, glowing as red as cinnabar fire, possessing six legs and four wings with a hazy, faceless visage, abruptly manifested beside the rogue. Without granting the rogue the slightest chance of resistance, it slapped downward with a single palm, crushing the intruder into a meat paste.

"What happened?" Seeing Zhou Tian suddenly fall into a daze, Aurora instinctively sensed something amiss and queried him.

Meeting Aurora's gaze full of curiosity, Zhou Tian smiled faintly without answering immediately. Instead, he stared at her intently and asked, "The people from the Church of Light must have said something to you, right?"

'Eh~ No... nothing much."

Stare~

"Alright! They did look for me, hoping I could provide some intelligence related to you, but I refused. Then they requested permission to preach in the capital. Seeing no real harm in the request, I agreed. I just didn't expect their movements to be so grandiose, immediately erecting a new church outside. Looks like they came with ill intentions this time!"

"So you did know they came with ill intentions!" Rolling his eyes at Aurora in exasperation, Zhou Tian shook his head and instructed her, "You don't need to worry about those matters anymore; I'll handle everything. Just watch from the sidelines."

"Alright!" One side was her man, while the other was her former 'home'. Both represented close ties to Aurora, and seeing them clash made her deeply uncomfortable, even if she had already steeled her resolve. Hearing Zhou Tian tell her to stay out of it, she naturally raised no objections.

After their conversation, Zhou Tian shifted topics and bantered with Aurora about some amusing anecdotes. Conversing late into the night, Zhou Tian spent the night in her courtyard, waking up refreshed and ready to tackle official business.

After plowing through documents for several consecutive hours and clearing out all pending matters, Zhou Tian summoned several high-ranking subordinates into the conference room.

"The entry of the Church of Light into our capital will undoubtedly trigger a series of repercussions, so I am making a few arrangements in advance." Having said this, Zhou Tian swept his gaze across the assembled officials and directly announced: "Aurora will no longer participate in the governance of the capital. From now on, administration will be entirely in your hands. I hope you will properly execute the authority bestowed upon you by this City Lord, and never assume that a modicum of power gives you the license to act lawlessly. Should anyone do so, don't blame this City Lord for turning hostile!"

"We shall strictly obey the City Lord's teachings!" Although Zhou Tian's tone carried a warning, upon hearing his words, the officials were inwardly ecstatic. Compared to Zhou Tian's veiled threats, they attached far greater weight to his preceding statement. Entrusting administrative affairs entirely to them meant their individual authority would multiply manifold—a piece of news too good to be true for these officials.

...

Scanning the undisguised delight written across the officials' faces, Zhou Tian refrained from further comment. Only after letting them vent their excitement for a moment did he look at them and continue: "The capital is not a territory subordinate to the Church of Light. To avoid imperial suspicions, effective immediately, no followers of the Church of Light shall hold official posts. All current officials must either renounce their faith in the Church or step down from their offices!"

"Ah?!"

This arrangement delivered by Zhou Tian stunned the assembled officials into disbelief. Truly, they had never imagined he would issue such a mandate.

Ordinarily, while the empire and the Church constituted two mutually non-interfering forces, the mainland boasted countless believers. Excluding a tiny minority, nearly ninety percent of intelligent beings possessed some form of faith. Consequently, religious believers serving as officials was hardly rare; although nominally barred from interfering in each other's internal affairs, both factions' influences had long since permeated one another to an almost indistinguishable degree.

One could say that once the Church of Light took deep root in the capital, when ninety percent of the city's residents became devout followers of the God of Light, even if the capital nominally remained territory of the Yanhuang Empire, the Holy City's commands would eventually exert an influence far surpassing even that of Qilin City.

Yet, with this single stroke, Zhou Tian was effectively severing the Holy City's pathway to seizing control of the capital. Such a move practically amounted to thoroughly offending the Church of Light.

Even the capital itself would inevitably suffer considerable fallout from this decree.

Zhou Tian himself held the title of Bishop within the Church of Light. Before the Church constructed a new church in the capital, Zhou Tian was effectively the head of the Church of Light for the capital and the entire northern region of the Yanhuang Empire. When Zhou Tian rose to prominence, the vast majority of people earning their living under his banner had joined the Church of Light. Presently, although the Church's influence in the capital remained relatively modest, as the sole permitted preaching denomination, over thirty percent of the city's populace had already become adherents of the Church of Light, with officials accounting for the lion's share.

Although the majority who joined the Church were not genuinely devout followers of the God of Light, the Church had survived this long for a reason. Through sustained indoctrination, a substantial number of capital residents had truly converted into devout followers.

Against this backdrop, the moment Zhou Tian's decree dropped, at least half the capital's officials would inevitably face dismissal. While the Church of Light's strength within the capital would suffer a devastating blow as a consequence, Zhou Tian would reap no benefits either. Facing such a self-destructive maneuver—inflicting a thousand casualties on the enemy while suffering eight hundred of one's own—it was hardly surprising that his subordinate officials reacted with such shock.

Naturally, Zhou Tian understood the reasons behind their reactions. In truth, he had arrived at this arrangement only after deep internal deliberation. Yet, given the current posturing of the Church of Light, he knew he had no other choice. While this course of action would bring him hardship, it would render the Church's schemes completely abortive. Conversely, had he remained passive, things might have appeared static on the surface, but once the Church of Light took root and secured the support of the majority of the capital's residents, even if Zhou Tian retained the city's core military power, he would ultimately be forced to relocate and rebuild elsewhere.

He was unwilling to let the sphere of influence he had built with such sweat be swallowed up by the Church of Light. From the perspective of the Church's members, since Zhou Tian was a Bishop of the Church, the city he established naturally ought to be controlled by the Church. Their recent maneuvers, though ostensibly meant to discipline Zhou Tian, carried no sense of wrongdoing in their own minds.

It was precisely this irreconcilable divergence in ideology that prompted Zhou Tian to issue this command. Though his subordinates were initially stunned, once they grasped his underlying intent, they wisely kept their silence. This represented a high-stakes game of chess between Zhou Tian and the Church of Light; as mere subordinates, they only needed to fulfill their respective duties. Harbouring delusions of meddling would invite swift retribution from either Zhou Tian or the Church, both of whom could crush them effortlessly.

Realizing this, the officials neither dared nor wished to voice opposition. After recovering from their initial shock, they maintained a tacit consensus of silence.

With no opposition voiced, Zhou Tian's decree passed. Amidst the astonished gazes of a select few, Zhou Tian formally promulgated the order that nearly drove the high echelons of the Church of Light to curse aloud.

Everything proceeded with remarkable smoothness. Following the promulgation of Zhou Tian's decree, the number of believers renouncing their affiliation with the Church surged. Starting with a trickle of one or two, escalating to hundreds and thousands, within the span of a short while, the vast majority of those seeking employment under Zhou Tian chose to forsake their faith, excluding only the truly devout.

Because of this development, the Church of Light was officially ousted from the capital's power structure. Throughout the entire capital—save for City Lord Zhou Tian himself retaining the nominal title of Bishop—not a single soul tied to the Church of Light could be found occupying a position of influence.