The three-party blockade descended upon the Western Regions, bringing with it widespread panic.
It had been eight days since the spatial gate opened.
The Western Regions had fallen into a severe food crisis, with grain prices skyrocketing tenfold overnight.
The Dark Church intervened, releasing large quantities of grain to stabilize the market.
But immediately after, the three major banks of the Western Regions simultaneously unleashed vast sums of money, at least hundreds of billions, into the market.
Everyone knew it was over.
Those three banks were ruthless. With a single move, they had pulled the rug out from under the economy, causing the hard-won stable market to collapse once more.
Furthermore, the stock market crash directly led to the bankruptcy of countless companies and investors.
It had been seven days since the spatial gate opened.
In the food-scarce Western Regions, people finally began to attempt an escape.
However, as they boarded trains to flee, they discovered the railway tracks had been destroyed. When they tried to drive, the gas stations had been bombed.
As for airplanes, no one dared to fly.
The fear of an apocalypse spread through the Western Regions.
Powerful cultivators sought to lead their families away from the Western Regions, but their paths were blocked by the three opposing forces.
In the Southern Region, the First Legion Commander personally oversaw the border. Gazing at the dense influx of refugees from the Western Regions, he coldly issued an order: "Anyone who dares to step foot across the Southern Region's border will be killed without mercy."
Some charged forward, others pleaded for mercy...
But faced with a true beast army, all that awaited them was slaughter.
This situation was not confined to the Southern Region's border.
The Eastern Region and the Northern Region were no different...
The Western Regions descended into chaos, transforming into a paradise for criminals.
It had been six days since the spatial gate opened.
A message spread throughout the Western Regions.
"Any cultivator who kills one member of the Dark Church will be granted safe passage for ten ordinary people out of the Western Regions."
In an instant, the already chaotic Western Regions became even more tumultuous.
Who didn't have family members?
All cultivators went mad, launching both overt and covert attacks against the Dark Church.
Facing three major forces versus one was a simple choice.
Finally, the Dark Church struck back, its might resonating throughout the land. They annihilated all attacking cultivators, temporarily quelling the public's fury in the Western Regions.
However, this action by the Dark Church completely shattered the last vestiges of the people's faith in them.
The people of the Western Regions revered the Dark Church.
They dared not retaliate against the three major forces due to the blockade, yet they cruelly and mercilessly attacked the populace of the Western Regions.
Madness, riots... and widespread conflict ensued.
...
It had been five days since the spatial gate opened.
The riots in the Western Regions reached their zenith. Branches of the Dark Church were systematically uprooted, and towering buildings were destroyed, leading to the deaths of countless innocent individuals.
The blockade, however, continued unabated.
Some left the Western Regions carrying the heads of Dark Church members. With their cultivation, they could survive anywhere.
But the population of the Western Regions was too vast, nearly a billion people. Less than one ten-thousandth had managed to escape.
Dark Church Headquarters.
After the deaths of the Dark Church's four Black Robed Bishops, the upper echelons of the Dark Church had been significantly depleted.
In the vast hall, many figures were absent.
"Pope."
Someone called out towards the blood pool, "If this continues, the Dark Church will be finished before the spatial gate even opens."
Just moments ago, a Black Robed Archbishop had ventured out and was nearly killed.
It was terrifying.
The Dark Church had controlled the Western Regions for so long, yet they had no idea how many powerful individuals were hidden there.
Eight Grand Perfection stage Divine level cultivators had jointly attacked a Black Robed Bishop.
Had others not received the news and rushed to their aid, the Black Robed Bishop would surely have died.
Even though he survived, he sustained unbearable injuries and was still in critical condition, undergoing urgent treatment.
Gurgle. Gurgle.
The blood pool churned, but the Dark Pope did not appear.
Seeing this, another person spoke, "The Hall of Gods has always operated from the shadows, making our Dark Church bear the brunt of the attacks. Even if we win the final battle, the Dark Church... will likely have lost the hearts of the people and will no longer be able to rule a region."
This was their true concern.
The encirclement by the three major forces was too brutal.
The blood pool churned again, darkness descended, and everyone's vision was instantly obscured. They could see nothing.
No one panicked; a hint of joy appeared on their faces.
The Pope had emerged from his seclusion.
The Pope, who had been in seclusion for a long time, finally appeared today.
On his throne, the Pope rested his forehead on his hand, his elbow on the armrest of his seat, lost in thought.
The mysterious Pope seemed somewhat agitated.
After a long while, he finally spoke, "So be it. Since that is the case, I will pay a visit to the Hall of Gods and see what their intentions are... Wait... There is no need. They have already arrived."
Just as the Dark Pope was grappling with a headache, people from the Hall of Gods arrived.
The visitor possessed a handsome Western face. The only pity was that he was missing an arm.
Apollo.
Since losing an arm in the Northern Region, he had never recovered it.
At the wound, a powerful force of rules prevented flesh and blood regeneration, something even Poseidon could not remedy.
Only Zeus himself could expel the rules.
Unfortunately, his father, Zeus, had remained inactive, and no one knew what he was doing.
"Venerable Pope."
Facing the Dark Pope, Apollo offered a junior's bow.
Upon his arrival, Poseidon had personally warned him not to offend this person.
This was no ordinary individual.
The current Apollo was much more subdued, lacking his former arrogance. He clasped his fists and said, "On the orders of the Hall of Gods, I have a message for Venerable Pope."
"Speak."
"My father said he will appear tomorrow. At that time, our Hall of Gods will go all out to eliminate all the strong individuals from the three opposing forces. The Dark Church need only endure for one more day."
"One day?"
The Dark Pope contemplated for a moment and nodded, "Alright."
One day was not long.
The Dark Church could still hold on.
"There is one more thing."
"Say it all at once," the Pope's tone was impatient.
Apollo was unfazed and smiled, "When the Hall of Gods makes their move tomorrow, we hope Venerable Pope can help us contain one person."
"Who?"
"Sha Shen Wu Sheng."
The Dark Pope: "..."
He felt like cursing.
Truly.
The dignified Dark Pope, upon hearing a single name, felt an urge to unleash a torrent of abuse.
"Impossible."
The Dark Pope flatly refused, "I can contain the Beast Army, ensuring that not a single member of the Beast Army interferes in battles elsewhere."
"This... I'm afraid that won't do..."
"Won't do?"
The Dark Pope's tone turned icy, and a thick scent of blood permeated the hall, "You may leave. Tell the one who sent you that I will only contain the Beast Army. If that is unacceptable, our Dark Church will withdraw from this alliance."
"You..."
Apollo's expression changed dramatically.
When he arrived, his orders were for the Dark Church to at least contain either the Skeleton Society or Wenlan City.
What was containing the Beast Army?
Among all the factions, the Beast Army was the weakest.
A force that could be destroyed by any two Divine Masters.
The Dark Temple only spoke of containment, not annihilation, which made things difficult for Apollo.
"Leave."
The Dark Pope issued a dismissal.
He was also angry.
They called it an alliance, yet the Dark Church was shouldering all the blame, while the Hall of Gods suffered no losses.
What kind of alliance was this?
And they wanted to assign the toughest bone to the Dark Temple.
Did they take him for a fool?
If that was the case, they might as well not cooperate.
What was the point of a cooperation where only one side paid?
He had already lost four Black Robed Bishops; he didn't want to lose any more.
Otherwise, he would become a commander without any troops.
No, absolutely not.