Chapter 543: Chapter 542 At this moment, we can only jinx it.

To be frank, Fang Zheng really didn’t want to go outside.

Not at all.

He really didn’t want to go outside.

You can tell by how he dragged out the story for several chapters that he’s a homebody. If he could stay home and hang out with girls, why would he go out and court death?

But he had no choice but to go; after all, he had received a personal invitation from the Pope. Unless Fang Zheng planned to break away from the Sanctuary completely, his presence was mandatory this time. Fang Zheng couldn’t just ditch them because “I have a feeling something might go wrong”…

However, Fang Zheng was psychologically prepared for it, as he was now a leader of a power. To put it grandly, he was akin to a President or Prime Minister, where going anywhere involves flying in private jets and riding in motorcades, always surrounded by bodyguards fearing someone might take a shot at them.

This thought brought Fang Zheng some mental balance. As the saying goes, “With great power comes great danger.” Being in a high position naturally brought higher risks, and even presidents fear being shot.

If this were a web novel, even a restaurant owner could be targeted for murder by hired killers, let alone someone in a leadership position like himself. He was still coming out ahead in this arrangement.

Of course, he would complain about what deserved complaining, but Fang Zheng still had to do what needed to be done. Upon receiving the invitation, he immediately notified Black Katie, Tilia, Nymph, Iona, and Musashi to gather at his place for a meeting. Although they didn’t know why Fang Zheng had summoned them, the girls still arrived at his study at the appointed time. Subsequently, Fang Zheng shared the news of the invitation, and everyone finally understood.

“So, Elder Brother, are you attending the banquet hosted by the Sanctuary?”

“That’s right.”

Upon hearing Tilia’s question, Fang Zheng nodded and then looked towards Iona and Musashi standing beside him.

“Iona, you and Rodney prepare to accompany me. Musashi, after I leave the Heavenly Dao Palace, put it on lockdown immediately, allowing no one in or out. If anyone dares to intrude, after a warning, you may kill them on sight.”

“Yes, Master.”

Musashi, his eyes closed, opened them slightly and nodded upon hearing Fang Zheng’s order. Iona also looked surprised by Fang Zheng’s instructions, but said nothing. Fang Zheng did not explain further to Iona and quickly turned to the other three.

“Black Katie, you will come with me. Nymph and Tilia, you will stay at the Heavenly Dao Palace. Nymph, if anything happens to me, you will act as my proxy, and all matters of the Heavenly Dao Palace will be decided by you ultimately. Tilia, you will be responsible for assisting Nymph. Also, find an excuse to transfer all the girls currently in the Northlands back to the Heavenly Dao Palace. Just leave a few Tanji there as a formality.”

“Elder Brother, will you encounter any danger?”

Upon hearing this, Tilia’s expression changed slightly, and she anxiously looked at Fang Zheng as she spoke. The relationship between her and Fang Zheng didn’t need to be elaborated upon, and they knew each other quite well. If this were just a normal banquet, Fang Zheng probably wouldn’t bring just Black Katie, according to his usual practice; he would certainly bring Cursed Children like Fumie Busei and Natsuse to get some exposure.

But this time, not only was he not bringing those children, but even she and Sister Nymph were to stay at the Heavenly Dao Palace, bringing only Black Katie–a person Tilia wasn’t particularly fond of playing stars with, but she had to admit that Black Katie had the highest combat power among them. Considering that this time Fang Zheng was only bringing Iona, Rodney, and Black Katie…

Two battleships and one Grand Priestess… that definitely looked like they were gearing up for a fight…

“It’s hard to say, I am worried there might be danger…”

Fang Zheng himself couldn’t be certain. Honestly, the reason he had made these arrangements was due to the feeling he had when he received the invitation. Afterwards, Fang Zheng even cast a Prophecy Spell to see the future, but what unnerved him was that the result of the Prophecy Spell showed…no result.

In the Main World, the function of the Prophecy Spell is not like those seen in urban web novels where a Diviner cannot read his own fortune. After all, a Prophet Mage predicts his own life and death; if you can’t even see when danger is coming, then you’re not skilled enough–might as well go home and wait for death.

By then, Fang Zheng’s Prophecy Spell had already been elevated to the eighth rank, and with the use of “Resonant Sound,” it could be brought up to the ninth rank. Despite that, Fang Zheng still hadn’t divined any useful information. There were two possibilities: one was that he had simply been neurotically delusional at the time, and the other was that the opponent’s strength far exceeded what Fang Zheng could divine, rendering the spell ineffective against them.

If it were the former, that would be manageable, but if it were the latter, then there would truly be trouble. Thus, to be safe, Fang Zheng didn’t bring either Nymph or Tilia this time. Both were too weak, and if they really encountered a formidable enemy, Fang Zheng might have been fine himself, but he could have ended up in danger trying to protect them… Such cliche plotlines were all too common, and Fang Zheng certainly didn’t want to set that flag!

“Master, are you really going?”

At that moment, Nymph was looking at him with such eager eyes that Fang Zheng almost felt his heart soften, but he still nodded.

“No choice, I have to go. But don’t worry, I know my life is very valuable, I won’t just drop dead… Of course, if there really is danger… well, if something happens to me, don’t panic, just trust me!”

Facing Little Angel, Fang Zheng considered for a long time and finally decided to reverse jinx himself for once. He originally intended to solemnly promise Little Angel “I will definitely return safely,” but upon reflection, he felt it was akin to a death sentence, so he changed it last minute to “Trust me, nothing’s wrong.”

After all, according to cliche, those who felt secure usually perished, while those prepared for death often survived. How should he put it… forget it, better not jinx it.

Of course, Fang Zheng wasn’t a fool rushing into death. The banquet was scheduled two days later, and since Fang Zheng had chilled at the Heavenly Dao Palace for so long, the cooldown for instance teleportation was almost up, only about a day away. That was Fang Zheng’s real assurance. If the enemy forced the issue, he could have Iona and Rodney up front, and Black Katie to guard him, managing to stall the enemy while he turned tail. Moreover, he still had the blood of a Time Dragon and possessed the Divine Skill of Sealing. Holding an invincibility in his hand, he could use a Soulstone as additional insurance or even open a teleportation gate to flee if the situation turned adverse…

With so many countermeasures, Fang Zheng felt that he couldn’t just be obliterated in one fell swoop.

Besides, the banquet was to take place in the Holy City, the capital of the Kingdom of the Holy Church, and was being held in the Order Hall where the Pope resided. Who would dare to strike at him in front of the Pope? Hm… perhaps he should just stick close to the Pope throughout the event? If trouble arose, he might even pull someone down with him.

Though somewhat shameful, Fang Zheng still prioritized his life above all. After all, his life wasn’t just his own…

“Tilia, I leave Midori and the others in your care. Don’t let them know where I’ve gone. If they ask, just say I ventured to other world instances and might not return for a long time… If my return does take an extraordinarily long time, then you can share some details with Natsuse, Midori, and Tina. They are calmer and more accepting of reality…”

“All right.”

Hearing this, Tilia fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

“I’ll have Natsuse and the others take those children back to the Black World first, under the pretext of needing to conduct a large-scale clean-up of Intestinal Creatures. If something does happen…”

“Thank you.”

At this, Fang Zheng gave Tilia a slight smile, grateful for her meticulous thinking. After all, if Fang Zheng did indeed die, there was no telling whether the Heavenly Dao Palace would remain here or be instantly ruined. To be on the safe side, transferring the Cursed Children back to the Black World was prudent, as the Heavenly Dao Palace had already established a stronghold there and become a formidable power. Taking in these Cursed Children would not affect them much.

“But Elder Brother, you must return safely…”

As she spoke, Tilia cast a stern glance at Black Katie.

“And you, star player, this time you must protect the Elder Brother! If something really happens to him, even if I have to go down to the Crimson Realm, I will hold you accountable!”

Hearing Tilia’s “threat,” Black Katie also nodded gently.

“I will definitely protect the Alliance Hierarch.”