"The only things that could shake the entire continent would be events in the North and the Western Wastelands—everything else is just localized conflict..."
When Zuona said this, her beautiful eyes couldn't help but glance at Leilin.
"Of course... if your information were to leak out, that would certainly stir up a whole new storm..."
Those first two things seem to have a deep connection to me!
Leilin rubbed his nose but had no intention of confessing anything.
"Leading five thousand pirates to conquer an empire of millions, and ascending to Demigod—either of those alone would shake the entire continent, or even multiple planes of existence..."
Zuona quietly lowered her voice and whispered softly near Leilin's ear.
"Don't talk about that now! I don't want to attract the attention of the Church of Hym!" Leilin stopped Zuona sternly, but this only added a hint of cunning amusement to her eyes.
"Please rest assured, Your Excellency! Our church has cooperated with several similar individuals before, and both parties have always parted satisfied..."
"Hmm? I think we could have a detailed discussion tonight..."
Hearing Zuona seemingly hint that she could help Leilin resolve his problem with the Guardian God, Leilin's eyes flickered.
Although he knew that not everything she said might be true, gaining more information could only be beneficial.
They arrived at the small village Zuona had mentioned without incident, but Leilin noticed something strange about the place.
"It seems... there are no civilians here? They're all professionals!"
The spiritual radiance of ordinary people was vastly different from that of professionals. If the former were grains of sand, the latter were at least on the level of fireflies. Although still negligible to Leilin, there was at least a noticeable difference.
"After we discovered that valley, our church purchased all the surrounding land. Now the entire area is patrolled and guarded by Temple Knights!"
Zuona clapped her hands, and four dark figures instantly lunged from the village ahead. Their agility was in no way inferior to that of High Knights.
"My Lord Bishop! Your Excellency!"
The four High Knights' faces were filled with humility. Like servants, they took the reins of Leilin and Zuona's horses.
"Truly worthy of the Church of the Lady of Wealth... their financial power is indeed extraordinary..." Leilin didn't know what to say as he watched this scene, and after a long moment, he sighed.
Hearing this, although Zuona didn't respond immediately, a hint of pride showed in her eyes.
"Who is currently stationed at the valley?"
Zuona asked directly of a knight in black armor ahead.
"It's Lord Jeffris, the Spear of the Holy Hall!" The knight's voice carried a note of reverence. "Recently, we've repelled several waves of gnoll attacks. There was also a group of kingdom adventurers who were drawn here, but none of them were particularly strong."
In the world of the gods, the churches held divine magic and boundless wealth, possessed countless fanatics, and had the eternal True
Even with human kingdoms and their organizational structures in place, they had to submit to the churches and grant their people the right to worship.
Under these circumstances, the powerhouses belonging to the churches accounted for half the world's total—of that, there was absolutely no doubt.
Compared to the mercenaries and adventurers outside, the Temple Knights had better equipment, better training, and better lives. If they still couldn't compare to some bottom-feeders, then the gods should consider finding new believers.
"Let's rest here for the night and head into the mountains tomorrow to meet Lord Jeffris. What do you think, Your Excellency?"
Zuona carried herself with the air of a host.
"Mm! That works!" As for this, Leilin was naturally indifferent, though a deep, inscrutable light flickered at the bottom of his eyes.
"There doesn't seem to be an ambush... or perhaps it's hidden too deeply..."
As night fell, Leilin looked up at the starry sky and observed Zuona and the other Temple Knights around him, who truly seemed to know nothing. His eyes held no trace of emotion.
"All expendable... worthy of a god's ruthlessness, aren't they?"
He murmured softly, his voice unheard by anyone else.
...
"This is the valley with the anomaly. Lord Jeffris, the Spear of the Holy Hall, is waiting up ahead for you, Your Excellency!"
Zuona, completely oblivious, continued playing the role of guide—even still trying to recruit Leilin as an ally for the church. Unfortunately, all her efforts were destined to be in vain.
"Lord Jeffris!"
Zuona jogged forward and bowed to Jeffris, whom Leilin had met once before. "To trouble you, my lord, to come out and receive us personally—I'm truly honored beyond measure..."
"Lord Leilin! It's only been a few years, and I never expected you'd already reached this level!"
Jeffris paid little attention to Zuona—after all, to a Legendary powerhouse, anyone below Legend rank was merely an ant, not worth a moment's notice.
But Leilin was different!
From Jeffris's eyes shot intense battle intent and, hidden deep within, a trace of envy!
Any Legendary powerhouse yearned for the realm of the gods. Though Jeffris possessed glory beyond ordinary imagination, as long as he remained in the Church of the Lady of Wealth, he could never break free of his bonds.
Therefore, upon seeing Leilin—who had already taken that crucial step and now stood far beyond him—Jeffris's expression was understandably peculiar.
"A pity... Even the most extraordinary genius ultimately cannot stand against fate and the gods..."
Jeffris sighed inwardly, silently steeling his resolve—which had been on the verge of crumbling—while his face wore an increasingly genial smile.
"At my ceremony back then, Lord Jeffris, you also left a very deep impression on me!"
Leilin replied calmly, and after a few more exchanges, the group walked into the misty canyon.
"The elemental aura here is strange. The fog contains a powerful sealing force—be careful!"
Jeffris led the way. The yellow sand and black vines on the ground grew increasingly numerous, and the surrounding grey fog grew ever thicker.
"A sealing force of this magnitude... even a large-scale magical array would struggle to sustain it for long. It would require enormous energy input. If it's radiation energy leaking from a divine artifact, that would make sense—after all, the Saffras Scepter is said to possess tremendous sealing power in legend..."
"Inside the fog, there are gnolls and human mercenaries and adventurers who have been corroded. They've already been transformed into another form of life, making them rather troublesome!"
As soon as Jeffris finished speaking, accompanied by a howling gust of wind and eerie shrieks, a gnoll burst through the fog and charged at them. Its powerful body odor made Zuona frown.
"Pointless!"
Jeffris casually thrust his spear. A blazing white phantom instantly cleaved the gnoll in two, revealing pitch-black innards and bones.
"These things are incredibly tenacious after being corrupted, and you can never kill them all..."
Jeffris gave a brief explanation, then noticed Leilin crouching on the ground with great interest, examining the gnoll's wound and the tissue within.
"These are only the outermost corrupted ones. The deeper in, it gets far worse. If not for the lead on the divine artifact, I would have reported this place to the Druid Alliance and let them cleanse this corruption of nature..."
Jeffris's voice came through tinged with impatience.
"Oh! My apologies—it's my first time seeing creatures in this form!"
Leilin stood and offered his apology, and the group continued their advance through the grey fog.
"We've already tested this before—even a high-level Legendary powerhouse cannot make it past the halfway point in the valley..."
Suddenly, Jeffris stopped. Looking at Leilin, who seemed completely unaffected, and at Zuona beside him, whose face had clearly begun to show signs of strain, his expression grew somewhat peculiar.
"Fight me!" Jeffris abruptly made this request.
"Lord Jeffris, Lord Leilin is an honored guest of the temple! How could you—?" Before Leilin could even react, Zuona had already jumped out, speaking loudly.
"Oh? Getting ready to make a move? But I'm curious—why didn't you lure me deeper in, into an even thicker encirclement?"
Leilin raised an eyebrow, asking with some puzzlement.
"What? Getting ready to make a move?" Zuona stumbled back several steps, suddenly realizing she seemed to know nothing at all—that she had been played like a puppet on strings.
"Because attacking you together with everyone else would be far too dull! A Legend's pride should not fall like that! And I've long wanted to fight you!"
In Jeffris's hand, a milky-white spear suddenly materialized. Its razor-sharp tip and barbed edges emanated a piercing chill.
"Besides, even without my telling you, you'd already discovered everything, hadn't you?"
"Mm!"
Leilin didn't deny it. "I just wanted to confirm, and to see just how far your hostility extends!"
A layer of golden radiance instantly emanated from Leilin's body, as if donning him in golden armor, while his dark-red domain of slaughter unfurled with a thunderous force, making Jeffris's breathing hitch slightly.
"No need to hide anymore—all of you, come out!"
Rumble!
Accompanied by Jeffris's roar and a powerful wave of energy, several figures materialized around Leilin. The grey fog slowly condensed into a cage-like structure, revealing a desolate patch of ground.
"So it's you, Bentte! Have you finished your business in the North?"
Leilin hadn't expected to see an old acquaintance right from the start.
"Leilin! Last time, you nearly destroyed my lord's plan and became the sinner of the entire North!"
Standing at the front of the group was none other than Bentte, the priest of the God of Justice whom Leilin had encountered before—the very one who had once besieged him.
Behind Bentte followed a group of holy warriors, flanked by priests and mages who served the Goddess of the