Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

As Ye Chen looked on, he was taken aback by the intensity of the battle unfolding before him between the Church of Divine Light and the Crimson Cult.

Within the confines of the barrier, the clash of four King Realm experts sent powerful shockwaves rippling through the air.

The Church's two bishops unleashed their formidable skills, imbued with the power of the Light Element and Holy Attribute, in a desperate effort to overcome their adversaries.

Meanwhile, Scarlet Viper and Emerald Crane were fighting defensively, strategically buying time to allow the poison in the bishops' bodies to spread and weaken them further.

Notably, the bishops were expending excessive amounts of qi, using it both to engage in combat and to contain the insidious poison coursing through their veins.

It became evident to the bishops that they were facing an uphill battle, realizing that victory was slipping further from their grasp with each passing moment.

Amidst the chaos, Hong Meilin and her loyal followers engaged in a fierce battle against the fanatical members of the Crimson Cult.

Hong Meilin, with her prodigious talent and exceptional abilities, was confronting four Lord Realm experts simultaneously, utilizing her Light Elemental Qi to overpower them all.

Regrettably, the same could not be affirmed for her followers, who were being mercilessly massacred by the Crimson Cult members.

In fact, the members of the Crimson Cult had meticulously prepared for Hong Meilin's presence and her entourage.

A mole within the Church of Divine Light had leaked information to the Crimson Cult, enabling them to prepare a well-coordinated lineup.

The Crimson Cult was well aware that taking down Hong Meilin would not be an easy feat.

Hence, they devised a cunning strategy, assembling a small team comprised of skilled Lord Realm experts led by two powerful King Realm experts.

While a few of their members engaged Hong Meilin in battle, the rest systematically dealt with her followers, intending to overpower her with sheer numbers at the end.

Even Hong Meilin would have no choice but to taste defeat by facing six or more experts at the Lord Realm simultaneously.

Hong Meilin observed the dire state of her comrades with deep concern, realizing that the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

She couldn't help but be filled with worry as it became apparent that the Crimson Cult was gaining the upper hand.

If the tide continued to turn against them, the Crimson Cult might truly achieve their objective of capturing Hong Meilin.

In Hong Meilin's moment of despair, she suddenly heard a loud cry of shock and despair.

As she turned her gaze towards the source of the commotion, a massive shockwave erupted, causing three members of the Crimson Cult to be flung into the distance.

The sight filled her with a renewed sense of hope as she realized that another expert had joined the fray, one who might be able to turn the tide of the battle in their favour.

Ye Chen, wielding his formidable Heavy Sword, emerged onto the battlefield with a determined expression etched on his face.

With a masterful display of swordsmanship, Ye Chen effortlessly dispatched his adversaries one by one, employing a seamless fusion of his well-honed sword skills and his profound mastery of the Laws of Sword.

His movements were fluid and precise as he danced gracefully amidst the chaos of battle, cutting down each opponent with surgical precision.

Despite his lingering injuries and incomplete recovery, Ye Chen exuded an air of invincibility, as if the battle was mere child's play to him.

As he joined the fray, his sheer presence seemed to alleviate the mounting pressure on Hong Meilin.

The Crimson Cult members who had been restraining her were momentarily taken aback, their eyes fixed on Ye Chen with a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

They hadn't calculated his presence in their carefully laid plans.

A cult member barked orders at his comrades, "Surround him!"

Ye Chen responded with a contemptuous smirk, "Tactics are useless when faced with pure strength!"

With a swift Whirlwind Slash, he took down another cult member and then made his way towards Hong Meilin.

Hong Meilin observed her attackers focusing on Ye Chen and seized the moment to strike, taking down one of the enemy experts.

The situation escalated as the other cult members lost their composure and launched desperate attacks against Hong Meilin and Ye Chen.

Unfazed, Ye Chen activated the Death-Dealing Sword Talisman, unleashing a flurry of sword qi strikes that carried the power of a King Realm expert.

With each strike, a cult member fell, unable to withstand the overwhelming force.

Simultaneously, Hong Meilin utilized her one-time use talisman, the Angelic Strike Talisman Blast.

A powerful blast of pure Light Qi, akin to that of a King Realm expert's full-powered attack, surged forth, annihilating the remaining cult members and leaving no trace of their existence.

The battlefield fell silent, with Ye Chen and Hong Meilin standing victoriously, having effortlessly dispatched their adversaries with their exceptional combat skills and talismans.

As they gazed towards the sky, Hong Meilin and Ye Chen watched the intense battle between the bishops and the cult's experts.

The bishops were struggling as the poison had spread to their respective limbs.

"We must break out of this barrier and summon the Pope to turn the tides in our favor," Hong Meilin said urgently.

Ye Chen nodded in agreement. "Go, I'll cover you," he assured her.

He reached into the storage space of his Spatial Ring and retrieved several more talismans, determined to make use of every resource at his disposal in his fight against the formidable King Realm experts of the Crimson Cult.

In truth, under normal circumstances, Ye Chen might have considered taking on these initial level King Realm experts directly, relying on his exceptional skills and techniques.

However, his injuries from the previous battle were still hindering him, preventing him from unleashing his full strength.

Realizing this, Ye Chen made the strategic decision to rely on the talismans he had acquired in abundance.

Scarlet Viper and Jade Crane, who were observing the situation from above, exchanged disgruntled glances as they witnessed the failure of their elaborate plan on the ground.

"Those fools were utterly useless," Scarlet Viper grumbled with a scowl. "We devised a perfect strategy for them, but they squandered it."

Jade Crane nodded in agreement, her frustration evident. "What should we do now? Those brats are getting dangerously close to breaching the barrier."

After a moment of contemplation, Scarlet Viper made a decision. "Let's retreat. The bishops can still hold out for a little longer. They will undoubtedly sacrifice themselves to prevent us from reaching those two."

He said, his voice laced with disdain. "Once the Saintess breaks the barrier, she will immediately summon the Pope. That would be the end for us. There is no point risking our lives any further."

Jade Crane nodded solemnly, acknowledging the logic in Scarlet Viper's reasoning. "Alright," she agreed, albeit with a hint of reluctance.

Simultaneously, Scarlet Viper and Jade Crane hurled several small orbs of dark purple hue towards the bishops.

The orbs exploded with a deafening sound, unleashing a massive purple cloud that distorted the bishops' senses, causing them to be disoriented.

The bishops, alarmed by the sudden turn of events, quickly lowered their heads and rushed towards Ye Chen and Hong Meilin, anticipating surprise attacks from the cult's experts.

However, the expected attacks never came.

As the bishops realized that Scarlet Viper and Jade Crane had disappeared from the area, they breathed a collective sigh of relief, grateful that the threat had dissipated.

The two bishops delivered powerful strikes to the barrier, assaulting it multiple times until it finally shattered.

With the barrier in ruins, the two bishops gradually reduced the output of their Holy Attribute.

As they stopped channelling the Holy Attribute, the spread of the poison accelerated exponentially, rapidly infiltrating their bodies.

Hong Meilin approached the two bishops with a worried look on her face. "Oh no! We have to find a way to deal with the poison!" she exclaimed.

The bishop spoke with a forced smile, "There is no way to deal with this poison at the moment, Saintess. We have already utilized Holy Attribute to deal with it but couldn't purge it. This indicates that this poison is sufficiently resistant to our attribute. Not even the Pope can deal with it without possessing its antidote."

Hong Meilin felt extremely distressed upon hearing this.

"Please summon the Pope. If those two appear again, we might not have the strength to fight them," the other bishop said.

Just as Hong Meilin had pulled out the Radiant Light Guardian Talisman, Ye Chen stepped forward with a smug look on his face.

"I can cure this poison," he said.

Hong Meilin and the two bishops stared at Ye Chen with shocked expressions. The two bishops soon adopted disdainful looks and spoke, "Do you even know what poison this is? This is the Venomous Emerald Blossom Poison."

"I can cure it," Ye Chen repeated with a smug expression.

Hong Meilin pleaded with the bishops, "Please give Ye Chen a chance. He may have a solution."

After a moment of contemplation, one of the bishops responded, "Fine, but we do not have much time left."

Ye Chen quickly retrieved several rare herbs from his spatial ring and mixed them together, creating a thick paste.

He instructed the bishops to ingest it, which they did hesitantly.

To their amazement, the poison in their bodies began to be purged, and they started feeling better. The bishops exchanged surprised glances and turned to Ye Chen with newfound respect.

Due to this event, Ye Chen was allowed to accompany Hong Meilin and the two bishops to the main cathedral of the Church of Divine Light.