A shadow slowly converged in the sky, with the red moon as a backdrop, making it dazzlingly brilliant.
Even though it was far, far away, the silhouette appeared incredibly sharp and majestic to everyone’s sight.
Adorned in radiant gold armor, its body sparkled with Holy Light. Behind it seemed to stretch an ethereal heavenly palace, a Saint Realm where divine music floated and angels with holy wings danced about...
This figure perfectly matched any human’s imagination of a deity: sacred, majestic, compassionate, with a look of pity for mortals enduring hardships in its eyes.
This sight inevitably stirred a desire in onlookers to worship devoutly.
It made one feel instantly infinitesimal, abase to the dust.
This was the innate awe of a lower being toward a higher entity, stemming from the very fabric of life itself.
There arose not a single thought of disrespect or sacrilege in their hearts.
Su Lun watched with furrowed brows, for he possessed the All-knowing Eye, shielding him from certain unimaginable things.
Old members of the Mirror organization had encountered deities in Old Lington, and they knew not to gaze directly at them. So, when Mr. Jing issued a warning just now, they became guarded.
But others weren’t so fortunate.
Deities had disappeared from this plane for countless years, and people had only heard of them in legends.
Yet, as the silhouette in the red moon descended, as if by magic, they were instinctively drawn to look up.
The tens of millions of residents of Lingdun City, already driven to despair by the endless hordes of zombies, now saw the descending Holy Light deity in the sky and saw a savior in their eyes, transforming their despair into a plea for salvation.
Has a deity finally come to save this deeply troubled world?
Even the slightest straw was sought by those in despair.
More and more people knelt down devoutly in worship.
In an instant, millions of unseen threads of faith strengthened and continued to grow.
The radiance of the silhouette in the sky grew increasingly brilliant.
Those who knew this was the Sea Giant of the Mountain Hermit, the foreign god, also ended up looking,
They felt no reverence for this outer god, only hostility. Therefore, just by staring, a great, indescribable terror surged into their minds. Wild spiritual power flooded in like a dam burst, and they seemed to hear an incessant divine whisper. Agonized, they clutched their heads and screamed, and their spiritual power neared collapse.
Deities are not to be looked at directly; most human minds cannot bear the burden of such extradimensional knowledge.
...
The red moon in the sky resembled a peculiar giant eye, the moon like a pupil, its light swirling around it like flames. It utilized the terrifying emotions of the millions to release a mass illusion on the entire Lingdun City and then reverse-absorbed the strength of their faith... cycling through these actions repeatedly.
Those tens of millions in Lingdun were mere nourishment for the outer god.
Su Lun stared at the divine figure in the sky and suddenly exclaimed, "No, that’s not the outer god, it’s an illusion technique!"
He had seen the form of the Evil Sea Giant on the statue before, and it was definitely not like this.
Only then did he realize the purpose of the altar he had seen underground, pausing momentarily as he found the scenario eerily familiar. Suddenly, the skies changed again.
Just as the red moon appeared, before the psychic shock could deeply affect the people, a flash of light occurred.
A bizarre scene unfolded!
Su Lun watched, wide-eyed, as not far from that peculiar red moon, another identical red moon appeared!
He immediately recognized this was definitely not a second moon created by that outer god.
Because they were identical!
Between the two moons was a clear line as if... there was a giant mirror in the sky, reflecting the red moon.
"Mirrored duplication?"
Su Lun’s eyes brightened as he immediately guessed that his sister-apprentice must have taken action.
If the outer god had these tricks up its sleeve, Master Pierre and Mr. Jing certainly had their preparations.
This duplicated red moon immediately started diverting half of the city’s faith threads.
"That outer god was prematurely weakened by arriving early. Now that half of its power of faith is being siphoned off, this move is utterly brilliant..."
Witnessing the scene, Su Lun immediately grasped his sister-apprentice’s intention.
Severing the outer god’s source of faith would unquestionably impair its combat power.
Yet, the truly vicious move was yet to come!
Su Lun focused and saw that from the duplicated red moon, a figure was also slowly descending.
Unlike the radiant armor-clad deity nearby, here was a magnificently robed, breathtakingly beautiful woman.
She possessed a face so beautiful it bewitched those who looked upon her.
Likewise, she radiated a pure, sacred, and indescribably mysterious aura.
"Pandora? The Moon Reading Great Goddess?"
Su Lun’s expression momentarily twisted, recognizing the old acquaintance, Miss Pandora, the artificial human.
He had seen her like this many times before, as the Mountain Hermit’s Moon Reading Great Goddess.
Was this... faith stealing?
Watching the faith threads being absorbed by Pandora, Su Lun finally fully understood Mr. Jing’s strategy.
Only a deity cultivating divine arts could absorb the power of faith, and Pandora’s specialty was stealing faith.
However, the specialty of the Moon Reading Great God was the Spiritual Illusion Technique.
When Pandora made her appearance, she also tainted the moon and employed her Moon Reading Illusion Technique.
Those who had just fallen into frantic devotion were suddenly mostly awoken, and those tormented by the Spiritual Illusion Technique finally had a chance to breathe.
However, this was not only a theft of the outer god’s Power of Faith, but also a blow to His foundations.
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With the appearance of the two red moons, the Sea Giant Clarence’s wide-reaching group illusion could no longer be maintained, revealing his true form at last.
His divine image of a golden-armored deity suddenly collapsed. First, a pair of fleshy wings burst forth, followed by countless dripping, horrific tendrils extending outward, his face immensely fierce and ugly.
Upon a closer look, he had transformed into a hundred-meter-tall blue-skinned monster.
He howled skyward, and a wave of spiritual shock instantly swept across the entire city, bringing calamities—storms, plagues, famines, pollution, fires, hail...disasters that spurred fear and despair erupted everywhere within the city.
Those aberrant monsters, as if called upon, once again plunged into the madness of disturbance.
The fierce battle that had just ceased soon began anew.
...
"So, it is indeed the Sea Giant."
Su Lun had learned of the existence of the "Sea Giant" during his time in the Silent Forest.
Centuries ago, that fellow aimed to strike at the God Burial Ground near Cursed Valley and was severely injured by the ancestors of the Dalu tribe and disappeared without a trace.
Now he has come to the Luying Empire, aiming to rebuild a faith system to restore his strength.
And that brings us to the present situation.
Previously, the ’Undead Demon Monk’ had requested to descend earlier but was ambushed by Su Lun and Pestoya, suffering severe damage to his soul; now he has descended prematurely and was ambushed by Mr. Jing and Pandora again.
Originally, the plan was for this Sea Giant to sacrifice millions from Lingdun, and even if he couldn’t gather divine fire and divinity, he would certainly become a sovereign combat force of this plane.
Now, however... it’s hard to say how much strength he has left.
No sooner had the Sea Giant consolidated his giant body than he immediately sought to kill Pandora, who had stolen his faith.
But would Master Pierre, who had been waiting for a long time, allow him to have his way?
"Hmph!"
A cold snort, like a surge of invisible righteousness, dispersed the disaster laws lingering between heaven and earth.
Although Su Lun had run far off, hearing this explosive shout, he abruptly turned his head to look in that direction.
He just caught sight of a flame giant slowly rising in the distant royal palace square.
Master Pierre’s eyes were tightly shut as he slowly ascended, his face as pale as golden paper, black blood oozing from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. As his body soared higher, his aura grew more majestic, yet increasingly labored. His hands formed the sorcerer’s seals, his expression resolute. He suddenly opened his eyes wide, his shout thunderous: "Divine Arts: No Servant Supreme!"
This was a lost fragment of the Divine Arts from the Four Servants secret technique.
Upon another glance, the pale blue flames on his body roared out like a torrential deluge, swiftly forming the image of a similarly hundred-meter-tall Flame Supreme.
In a flash, Lingdun’s sky seemed ablaze, with the clouds turning into bluish-gold flames, each cloud forming shapes akin to thousands of troops, lining up for battle.
The aura was no weaker than that of the ugly tentacled Evil God.
Witnessing Master Pierre in such an exaggerated state, everyone still fighting the zombies immediately became energized, a burst of high spirits rising in their hearts.
Even Su Lun felt an unexplainable surge of excitement, muttering to himself, "So this is the rule of [War]..."
Wearing the Blasphemy Crown, he perceived even more, willing to expend more of his life to grasp this rare insight.
This was a disaster, but also a rare opportunity.
Not everyone is lucky enough to witness a ninth-order alchemist fighting a desperate battle.
Seeing Master Pierre in full form, Su Lun seemed to peer into the master’s life experiences. It was a series of brutal wars, countless figures charging in that unyielding spirit of struggle—comrades, allies, enemies, monsters... one after another falling, ultimately heading towards death.
Only one person lived on, reaching the end.
Just like the bluish flames in the sky, he stood alone, with thousands of troops behind him.
Blood, cruelty, bravery, power, death...
This was the rule hidden within the natural operations that Master Pierre glimpsed.
Su Lun watched, lost in deep thought for a long time.
It was during this gaze that he saw the flame giant, transformed by Master Pierre, wielding a golden spear, charging towards the monster.
The ninth-order, harboring a death wish, how could his combat strength be fathomed by ordinary people?
The fight between the two giants seemed to burst the heavens open, with phenomena occurring frequently.
With each contact of moves, vast swathes of high-ranking laws clashed.
Even the meteors falling from the sky paled in comparison to the might of their touches. The entire northern Lingdun was plunged into an apocalyptic scene of mountains collapsing and the earth splitting.
Buildings collapsed in large numbers, the ground cracked open with exaggerated fissures, and the sea water from the distant coast surged in, with waves of elemental shockwaves surging higher and higher...
Su Lun also noticed that although Master Pierre’s combat power was unmatched, his condition was simply too poor. Previously poisoned and ambushed, his body was burnt out. This was his last struggle.
And the Sea Giant still had an endless supply of zombie vitality and faith to replenish him. If he couldn’t be taken down in a short time, entering into a war of attrition, Master Pierre’s body might not last.
However, in a battle of this magnitude, even an eighth-rank professional would find little room to intervene, let alone others.
Moreover, the high-ranking experts of the Bonar family and the zombies were also entangled, giving no chance for the opposition to ease the pressure on Master Pierre.
Yet, at that moment, an unexpected situation occurred once again.
Suddenly, a flash of mirror light streaked across.
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A figure heroically leapt into action.
She showed no hint of fear as she charged toward the towering Evil God.
It was as if a second moon had abruptly appeared in the sky before, and suddenly, a phantom image identical to the Flame God Revered by Master Pierre emerged around her!
It looked as though two Master Pierres were attacking the outer god.
Pestoya recognized the person and immediately exclaimed, "Sister?"
Su Lun looked at the Gold-Patterned Cloak, his pupils abruptly constricting, "Senior sister?"
He was not surprised that Mr. Jing would intervene, but he was surprised that his own master sister’s mirror ability could mimic ninth-tier combat power.
The two joined forces and immediately gained the upper hand.
Su Lun watched in awe, but after a while, he also began to understand something.
It seemed that only after Master Pierre had used a technique could Mr. Jing replicate it. She couldn’t initiate them on her own; she could only copy them.
Yet, even so, having a portion of ninth-tier combat power at the eighth-tier was already an unbelievable capability.
Lights dancing in his eyes, Su Lun inwardly exclaimed at the spectacular scene.
With double the insight, he felt a mysterious sensation growing clearer and clearer.
Although he couldn’t figure out why Mr. Jing, an eighth-tier, could perfectly replicate ninth-tier techniques, even including those of the "War" rules, Su Lun sincerely admired it, "My master sister’s ability is truly amazing."
Seeing the grand battle unfolding before him, Su Lun also silently felt lucky that they had repeatedly plotted against that outer god, prompting Its premature arrival.
Otherwise, who could stop It if It had arrived with full force?
Had It become the guardian deity of the Bonaparte Royal Family, the entire realm of Luying would have become fertile ground for It to cultivate followers, even in Mafa.
The lifespan of humans is limited, whereas deities can live endlessly.
Should Empress Charlotte pass away, the power of the contract would slowly dissipate.
In just a few hundred years, the alchemical civilization would truly vanish.
...
The aftermath of a battle involving ninth-tier professionals is extremely terrifying.
Su Lun could see that Mr. Jing and Pierre intentionally moved the battlefield to the less populated suburbs of the northern city.
As they fought, they forced the Sea Giant toward the north.
It wasn’t just the three of them; the followers, the opposition, the entire battlefield was gradually shifting northward.
Even the meteors had stopped.
Previously, everyone kept attacking the palace mainly to force the outer god to descend.
Now that the outer god had shown itself, the palace was ignored.
Everyone knew that the key to the battle lay with that outer god.
As long as it was killed, everything would be over.
Seeing this, Su Lun no longer proceeded to evacuate to the southern city.
Though the battlefield was dangerous, it truly was an excellent opportunity for insight, something he might not encounter again in his lifetime.
And with the entire battlefield shifting north, most top-tier professionals had gone there, leaving the area near the palace not as perilous.
"There are still many Soul Shards on the battlefield..."
Thinking this, Su Lun no longer hesitated and teleported back.
The battlefield lacked nothing in terms of death, and where there was death, there were souls!
Before, he dared not approach because the center of the battlefield was a veritable meat grinder. Massive troop clashes meant certain death for a sixth-tier like him.
But now, that concern was completely gone.
With several teleports, Su Lun had already returned near Holy Light Avenue.
From here, the streets were already densely littered with bodies.
Though some time had been lost and the souls on the bodies were no longer intact, the sheer number made up for it!
A shadow of Death arose behind Su Lun, and he summoned several puppets to pick through the spoils, carefully making his way through.
With the great battle raging, neither side had time to clean up the battlefield, making him the perfect scavenger for the job.
"You have stripped ’Winnie Mung’s’ Soul Shard, obtaining ’Fourth-Tier Power Law Fragment’..."
"You have stripped ’Dave Garcia’s’ Soul Shard, obtaining ’Alchemy Potion Knowledge’..."
"You have stripped ’Nelson Cleire’s’ Soul Shard, obtaining ’Fifth-Tier Wind Element Law’"
"You have stripped..."
Those who could participate in the battle in the northern city were among the upper echelons of Luying’s alchemical sorcerer pyramid.
These bodies were either elite military forces, noble knights, elite private soldiers...
Most had come from the royal academy, their knowledge reserves astonishing.
Even a small amount of Soul Shard could yield substantial gains.
This area filled with bodies was like a treasure trove, occasionally allowing him to pick up a "surprise," gaining some bizarre new knowledge.
Bodies were everywhere, as Su Lun reaped his way past them, his knowledge of various laws also rose dramatically.
Whenever he encountered surviving zombies or followers of external gods, he could slay them with a single blow.
Moreover, as he traveled, he gained other insights.
Previously, under Mr. Jing’s deliberate guidance, Su Lun had touched upon some of Master Pierre’s rules of "war," which had already left him deeply shaken.
From that moment, it was as if a door to enlightenment had opened, and the feeling of time slipping through his fingers became increasingly clear.
"Annihilation, dispersion, life returning to nothingness, energy dissipating completely... Is this what death is?"
Walking among the corpses, Su Lun felt as if he had grasped something, the black crown on his head shining brightly.
He didn’t know what he was supposed to realize.
This feeling had also appeared before when he had killed nearly ten thousand pirates in the city-state of Moros.
But at that time, without the crown, his understanding of the laws was insufficient, and the feeling quickly dissipated.
Now, with the augmentation of the blasphemous crown, Su Lun saw something else.
After a person dies, there are more than just the visible manifestations of the body and soul.
There is something deeper, a natural law concerning death itself.
It’s as if... from the moment a creature is born, it is destined to gradually fade away and then return to nothingness.
This law exists inherently.
It’s just that normally people only see the "death" phenomenon and fail to see the law of energy exhaustion and demise.
Walking step by step among the corpses, Su Lun seemed immersed in a profound state of enlightenment.
The feeling of flowers seen through a mist was very mysterious, with dominant fierceness and dark spiritual power pouring into the blasphemous crown on his head, making the sensation ever clearer.
It was a wonderful feeling, as if, in the obscure interaction with some universal rules, he understood some things that he hadn’t understood before.
Even Su Lun himself didn’t know that at some point, as he walked down the street, his body’s force of law radiated outward, wrapping around a bizarre black light field.
In the range covered by this black light field, the remaining fresh flowers and grasses in the roadside flowerbeds rapidly decayed; the corpses quickly rotted and visibly turned into lifeless mummies; frightened rats ran through, only to lose their lives instantly and decay...
By the time Su Lun snapped out of that state, he had already reached the end of the street.
The hostile gazes coming from the direction of the palace instantly sobered him, heightening his sense of crisis.
Su Lun frowned, feeling very displeased by the interruption of his enlightenment.
He glanced at the few palace guards who had noticed him.
Those fellows didn’t dare to come out.
All they could do now was rely on the palace’s defensive enchantments, guarding Queen Charlotte, daring not take any proactive action.
Besides, facing the "Reaper," not to mention whether they could kill him or not, what if it was a ruse to lure them out?
Su Lun guessed their thoughts and simply ignored them.
He wanted to re-enter the state he had just experienced, but found that he could no longer access it.
Looking back along the way, the path of decay, the street full of corpses seemed as if it had experienced a hundred years, a scene of ancient decay.
Su Lun speculated in surprise and asked, "Eh... Did I do this?"
At that moment, the usually stoic face of Pestoya following him also showed a strange expression as she replied, "You just realized a very special domain of death, and then walked over here, and it ended up like this."
Su Lun’s eyes shimmered with delight, realizing that this was the embryonic form of a domain.
Sheesh... This domain, it’s kind of powerful!
But recalling the attempt to reassemble it, it seemed he couldn’t manage it again.
However, this was surely a good beginning!
Once a domain field is formed, it’s like hacking a path through the wilderness in the thicket, even if overgrown with wild grasses, trying more and grasping it next time becomes much easier.
Moreover, the blasphemous crown also had an astonishing effect in aiding understanding,
Thinking of this, Su Lun was no longer worried.
He glanced at the corpses strewn across the palace square and swaggered over.
Reaping as he went, using puppets to gather materials along the way.
Knight armors, equipage, inauguration materials, also Mafa’s mechanical battle armors, Rafael’s super mechanical warriors, mechanical beast corpses...
A variety of things, he picked them up in piles.
Su Lun never had any halo of idolatry, having climbed up from the bottom step by step, and faced with such an excellent opportunity to enrich himself, he wouldn’t let it pass.
He continued reaping the souls of the corpses on the square, collecting spoils of war, while also keeping an eye on the faraway battles, and the movements of those hiding in the palace.
Especially after a few sixth-tier mutant monsters were easily killed by Su Lun, Queen Charlotte and her royal guards dared even less to come out.
They could only watch in shock as Su Lun cleaned up tens of thousands of bodies and their war spoils around the square.
Even though he was only reaping fragments, Su Lun felt the harvest was abundant.
War?
Death?
Having traveled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Su Lun felt that he had come to understand some of the true essence of "war."