Chapter 156: Section 157: The Identity of the Island Master


    Jia Sha.


    He was a middle-aged man dressed in a priest’s white robe, with an ordinary appearance, even ugly, one might say. That was because a scar ran across his face, starting from the left side of his forehead and slicing down to near his right ear.


    This fierce scar virtually divided his face into two parts: the upper right and lower left, making it extremely noticeable.


    His hands were empty, but he wore a necklace-style holy emblem on his chest.


    The pendant was a white gold disk, hollow and larger than an adult’s palm.


    The disk, created using a relief technique, had a circular edge and in the center, superimposed eyes with horizontal and vertical pupils. The horizontally aligned human eye sockets and the vertical ones were made with gentle curves, forming a subtle cross between the horizontal and vertical.


    ...


    And the shared pupil of the two eye sockets was precisely the hollow of the disk.


    This was the Holy Emblem of the Great Emperor. Wearing this emblem signified that the priest Jia Sha in front of them served the Great Emperor.


    A Life Breath typical of the Silver Level radiated from Jia Sha, unobscured.


    He was a seasoned Transcendent of the Silver Level!


    Zhenjin had long known about Jia Sha. A long time ago, when he and Zi Di were supporting each other, he had learned of Jia Sha’s existence from Zi Di.


    Zhenjin knew that being a Holy Temple Knight and for the sake of the Hundred Needle Family, his trip by ship was to head to the Wilderness Continent to compete for the position of White Sand City Lord.


    There were three Holy Temple Knights competing for the City Lord position, and the chief examiner was Priest Jia Sha.


    The competition was fierce.


    It was very likely that the forces behind the other two competitors had struck, leading to the demise of the team sent by the Hundred Needle Family to aid Zhenjin.


    After discussing with Zi Di, they secretly boarded the Pig Kiss.


    On one hand, the other two competitors had already set off, and to prevent the hidden hands from succeeding, Zhenjin and his people needed to hurry and prevent delays.


    On the other hand, it was because Jia Sha was also aboard the Pig Kiss. If they could build rapport with the chief examiner or leave a good impression in advance, it would naturally be of great help for competing for the City Lord position in the future.


    Afterward, the shipwreck happened.


    After being stranded on the island, Zi Di had even mentioned to Zhenjin: if possible, find Priest Jia Sha, help him, and leave a good impression.


    Now, they finally met Priest Jia Sha.


    Only it wasn’t Zhenjin and the others helping the priest, but the priest had helped Zhenjin.


    “Holy Temple Knight Zhenjin, you finally arrived,” Jia Sha’s hoarse voice seemed to still echo in Zhenjin’s ears.


    After Zhenjin finished his salute, he asked with a puzzled expression, “Priest Jia Sha, thank you for your help. But how did you know I would come, it sounds like you’ve been waiting for me for a long time?”


    Jia Sha lightly caressed the holy emblem on his chest, stating meaningfully, “Under the gaze of the Great Emperor, the future too has traces to follow.”


    Zhenjin’s heart shook immediately, he thought of a certain Divine Art — Extreme Vision!


    Gods are omnipotent, but each has their specialties.


    Each deity, according to their Divine Office, has different achievements in different domains. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Great Emperor is the God of Victory, the God of Light, one of his unique Divine Arts is Extreme Vision.


    Extreme Vision means surpassing the limitations of sight, seeing not the spatial realm but the temporal one. Those who successfully cast this art would perceive the outcome of predetermined actions.


    In short, it’s Prophecy Skill!


    “Does Priest Jia Sha actually possess the Extreme Vision skill?” Zhenjin was inwardly shaken.


    Jia Sha glanced around at everyone; their state of extreme weariness became clear to him.


    “What you need most now is rest. Follow me, our temporary camp is not far from here,” Jia Sha said.


    Zhenjin and the others didn’t refuse; they indeed needed to recuperate.


    But as they followed Jia Sha and his six companions, just as they crossed the hillside ahead, they were all stunned on the spot. Many showed expressions of horror, as they saw the ground littered with the corpses of Magic Beasts, almost covering the entire field.


    It turned out the “attacking” Demon Beast Army that Zhenjin and the others encountered were mere remnants, pursued and slain by Jia Sha and his party.


    The actual scale of the main force was more than five times what Zhenjin had faced, now all reduced to bodies.


    “Jia Sha and merely six people, how could they have slain so many Magic Beasts?”


    “How exactly did they manage that?”


    “It’s clear, Jia Sha can cast Divine Arts!”


    “`


    “It seems that only low-level magic and fighting energy are prohibited here, not Divine Arts.”


    “It’s strange, Jia Sha’s scars are clearly treatable with Divine Healing, just needing Divine Arts for minor wounds. Why hasn’t he healed them?”


    “That’s not the point; the point is what he just said. He might very well possess Extreme Vision!”


    “What is Extreme Vision?”


    “It’s a Divine Art that can only be mastered by followers of God who are truly devout. Generally speaking, only bishops in the Holy Sect can master it.”


    “Ah? But Jia Sha is clearly just a priest.”


    “That’s why I say he’s not just a simple priest. His future isn’t limited to this; we can completely see him as a prospective bishop.”


    Along the way, the discussions about Jia Sha never stopped.


    Just as Jia Sha had said, the temporary camp was not far ahead and was quite small and rudimentary.


    After all, there were only six of them.


    The ground was scorching, but within this small camp, not a trace of the heat could be felt.


    “This is Divine Arts—the Sanctuary,” Zhenjin thought to himself, his memory largely lost, but his common sense intact.


    The Sanctuary could create a suitable environment for rest and recuperation.


    “Please wait a moment,” Father Jia Sha said with a smile, then clasped the Holy Emblem in front of his chest and bowed his head to begin his silent prayer.


    Moments later, a ray of Holy Light descended from the sky and touched the ground. After the pristine Holy Light gradually faded, it seemed to have permeated the surrounding environment.


    Many people gasped in amazement.


    They felt the sudden change in the environment, which returned to normal from scorching heat in an instant.


    It was still the Sanctuary Divine Art, but this time, the range of the Divine Art had expanded by more than tenfold.


    Of course, the Divine Art was not only about altering heat and cold; those resting here would also benefit in other ways, such as accelerated physical recovery, enhanced effects of sleep and eating, soothing of the heart, and so on. The specific degree of these effects usually depended on the prayer’s strength.


    Having settled everyone for the time being, Jia Sha gestured for Zhenjin to have a talk.


    With mixed feelings, Zhenjin entered the tent.


    On one hand, he was extremely anxious. He was impersonating a Divine Favored Knight, actually using his Heart Core to induce a Mutation in himself and repeatedly pretending to convey the will of the gods to boost morale. Although his intentions were good, his behavior was in essence abominable.


    On the other hand, Zhenjin found Jia Sha warm and reliable. Holy Temple Knights like Zhenjin fought in the name of God, while priests like Jia Sha preached righteousness and expanded the faith. To a certain extent, Jia Sha was closer to the Holy Emperor than Zhenjin was.


    When the Holy Temple Knights went into battle, they would be accompanied by priests or bishops. In combat, these latter ones would use Divine Arts to greatly assist the Holy Temple Knights.


    At the same time, compared to ordinary people, priests and bishops of the Holy Sect would give more favorable treatment to the Holy Temple Knights.


    “This is truly one of our own!”


    “Should I tell Jia Sha about the Heart Core?”


    In the end, Zhenjin shared almost everything about his journey with Jia Sha but still kept the Heart Core a secret.


    “These are all the people I could save. Father, my abilities are too limited,” Zhenjin said, filled with shame.


    Jia Sha shook his head, gently patted Zhenjin’s shoulder, and in a warm and appreciative tone said, “Child, you’ve tried your best and reached the limit. You have always adhered to the knight’s duty—brave and fearless, protecting the weak, upholding justice, and embodying tolerance. Personal cultivation is just superficial because both of us serve the gods. Your power may be small at the moment, but your spirit is very strong and filled with light. Your performance has, in fact, surpassed that of many Holy Temple Knights.”


    “Now, tell me specifically about Beastification.”


    “Former comrades suddenly becoming incredibly wild, completely losing reason, and even in death retaining characteristics of Beastification?”


    Jia Sha was clearly interested.


    Zhenjin’s heart skipped a beat. He had hidden the Heart Core, but he hadn’t hidden the Beastification.


    Because it couldn’t be hidden.


    Zhenjin could only try to recount everything he knew.


    “If only the Father had been there, then no one would have had to sacrifice themselves to Beastification,” Zhenjin lamented.


    But Jia Sha shook his head gently and sighed, “My abilities are limited; I cannot purify them. Your speculations are interesting and make sense. This island may indeed be a place of cultivation, and although you’ve survived, you may have been affected, leaving behind a predisposition for Beastification within you.”


    Zhenjin frowned, “You mean to say, Father, that you cannot purify it either?”


    “Of course not. According to my guess, the owner of this island is a legend.”


    “Sir, do you know the identity of the Island Master?”


    Jia Sha nodded, “I wasn’t quite sure before, but knowing about Beastification, I can almost confirm it now.”


    “`