Chapter 013: A Test of Power

“Lord Neo… where are we going?” Du Fan asked softly, looking at Neo’s calm face.
By now, the two had left the old cathedral where Anthony had received them. Neo simply gestured for Du Fan to follow without giving further explanation.
Hearing Du Fan’s question, Neo finally frowned slightly before saying softly, “The Prison of Divine Power.”
Du Fan was momentarily stunned. “Isn’t the Prison of Divine Power an organization? How come it’s…?”
Neo nodded. “You’ll understand once you get there.”
Seeing Neo’s expression, Du Fan didn’t dare ask more and could only follow silently. After all, he knew that in this cathedral, only he was truly above everyone else. Though Nicholas held high rank and was called a saint, the power he possessed was probably less than one-tenth of Neo’s.
Thinking about about to step into the darkness beneath the holy light, Du Fan wasn’t sure whether to feel excited or happy.
He stopped asking questions and simply followed Neo in silence.
The two continued walking through the vast cathedral until they reached a square on the western side. Surrounded by tall buildings, there was a small chapel inside. In front of this chapel were segments of jade-white stairs, with statues of twelve angels standing on either side. The angel statues also emitted a faint holy light, but such purity was beyond ordinary people’s reach.
Upon arriving here, Du Fan immediately understood where he was.
The Inquisition!
The most glorious—and darkest—place within the Holy Church… a being feared by all believers.
Seemingly sensing Du Fan’s thoughts, Neo smiled slightly but said nothing, merely leading him inside slowly.
The legendary Inquisition wasn’t as terrifying as rumored. When Du Fan stepped in, he saw only a peaceful place.
When Du Fan and Neo stood at the main entrance of the Inquisition, several priests rushed out from inside and stood respectfully on either side.
Neo simply nodded briefly, said nothing, and led Du Fan further inside.
A moment later, several figures flew out from inside and landed in front of Du Fan and Neo. The first one knelt in front of Neo and said respectfully, “Warden!”

Nio nodded slightly, pointed at Du Fan, and said, “By Lord Anthony’s order, starting today, Lord Du Fan is one of the heads of the Divine Might Prison. All matters within the Divine Might Prison shall follow Lord Du Fan’s instructions as if they were mine!”
The man at the forefront was clearly shocked. He couldn’t help but glance at Du Fan before saying, “Du Fan? Is that the so-called most devout believer in history? How could someone like him become the head of the Divine Might Prison?”
“This order comes from Lord Anthony. You need not question it…”
Nio’s voice was even colder than the winter wind.
The man shuddered and became even more deferential, saying, “Yes! Lord Nio!”
Nio nodded slightly. Suddenly, he turned to look at Du Fan and said calmly, “Lord Du Fan, the Divine Might Prison, like the Inquisition, is different from any other place within the Holy Church. Here, strength is everything… And all those titles of yours are meaningless. If you can’t win the hearts and respect of these people, then you don’t deserve to be the head of this prison… So, you’d better know what to do from now on, Lord Du Fan!”
It was unclear whether these words were meant for Du Fan or for the people below.
The few people kneeling on the ground showed strange expressions upon hearing this.
Du Fan frowned slightly, but he understood that Nio was trying to intimidate him…
It seemed that being the head of the Divine Might Prison wasn’t as easy as the legends said!
Nio added calmly, “Above us is the Inquisition, while below is our Divine Might Prison… But our place isn’t as good as the Inquisition’s. I hope Lord Du Fan won’t mind.”
Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “If Lord Nio can stay here, how could I, Du Fan, not be able to? Since Lord Anthony has given the order, how dare I not obey?”
Nio smiled slightly but suddenly stepped back, signaling for Du Fan to go first.
Du Fan frowned slightly, realizing that this was a test from Nio. In such a place, he absolutely couldn’t show weakness; otherwise, how could he survive?
With that thought, he glanced at the few people kneeling on the ground, then smiled slightly and said, “Alright, everyone, get up… Starting today, I am half the master of the Divine Might Prison! Rest assured, I will lead the Divine Might Prison down a completely different path.”
After saying that, Du Fan didn’t look at them again and strode confidently inside.

Seeing Du Fan’s actions, a faint smirk appeared on Nio’s face before he hurriedly followed behind.
The Heresy Tribunal was magnificent and exquisitely designed, yet it was unclear what those tried there must feel.
Along the corridors inside were rows of decorative armor, with oil paintings, weapons, and magical equipment hanging on the walls—nothing strange about it.
Nio led the way, and soon they arrived at a large hall deep in the corridors. Someone was already waiting there. Upon seeing Du Fan and Nio, they bowed slightly, then several beams of holy light flashed, turning what should have been the floor into a deep downward corridor.
Nio pointed at that place and said calmly, “Lord Du Fan, below is the location of the Divine Power Prison.”
Du Fan smiled and said, “Then let’s go!”
The downward corridor was lined with huge torches, their burning flames emitting a pungent smell.
In the shadows of the corridor stood fully armed guards on both sides, their murderous intent radiating like swords drawn from their scabbards.
Even when they saw Du Fan and Nio, their expressions remained unchanged. If not for their murderous aura, Du Fan might have thought they were cold statues rather than living beings.
Finally, they reached the end of the corridor, where there was a hall-like space filled with priests and nuns in robes.
Nio entered the hall, looked around, and then said calmly, “Lord Du Fan, this is one of the two main chambers of the Divine Power Prison. It had been vacant until now, and from now on, it will be yours… Half of the prison’s staff has already been assigned to you, Lord Du Fan… As for the prisoners in the lower levels, you need not worry about them for now… Wait until your authority is firmly established before taking charge of your half of the prisoners.”
After saying this, Nio gave Du Fan a strange smile and said, “Well then, the rest depends on Lord Du Fan himself!”
With that, Nio nodded and walked out of the hall.
Du Fan sneered inwardly. Although Nio had assigned half of the staff, he left without saying another word, clearly wanting to watch his performance…
But you underestimate me, Du Fan, far too much.
It was only at this moment that Du Fan realized the power struggles within the Holy Church were no worse than anywhere else.
Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on his face. If he had been afraid of such situations before, would he still be afraid now?

Du Fan paid no attention to the strange expressions on the faces of the priests and nuns around him and instead glanced around. The grand hall was decorated in a solemn and serious manner, clearly with great care. At the front was an altar, and in front of it stood a high seat. Du Fan smiled slightly, walked slowly to the seat, and sat down. He glanced briefly at the priests and nuns with their odd expressions before saying, “There’s no need for doubt… Let me introduce myself first. My name is Du Fan… I am one of the two warden chiefs of Divine Might Prison. Starting today, I will be your master…” A cold laugh came from the crowd, clearly tinged with disdain. Du Fan knew well that Divine Might Prison was completely different from any place in the Holy Church—everyone there was stained with blood, so they were not easy to win over. Moreover, with him now taking control of Divine Might Prison, Nie Ou’s thoughts were uncertain. Du Fan snorted and pointed at one of the priests, saying, “You… go and call all my men here so they can meet the new master of Divine Might Prison!” The person called out was none other than the one who had laughed coldly earlier. Hearing Du Fan’s order, he laughed coldly again but didn’t move an inch. Du Fan didn’t get angry; he just smiled and said, “Didn’t you hear me?” The man remained indifferent and said nothing. Rules were extremely strict in Divine Might Prison. Although he dared to ignore Du Fan’s order, he wouldn’t openly defy him, giving Du Fan an excuse to punish him. Seeing that he still remained silent, Du Fan finally sighed and said, “So you’re mute… How pitiful… How about I treat you?” Before the man could react, Du Fan’s powerful mental force struck him fiercely. A scream of pain was heard as blood flowed from both his eyes and ears, and he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.