Are you serious? The Boss is going to crawl in here?" Xiao Hu blinked a few times, unable to believe Ling Feng's words.

Before them was a cave opening barely taller than a person, dark and damp inside, and littered outside with massive piles of beast droppings—clearly the lair of some powerful magical beast.

Ling Feng frowned slightly at the mess: "This must be the place!" Without another word about the filth, she walked straight in.

Xiao Hu froze, staring at the muck coating the ground. Even he was reluctant to enter, yet Ling Feng, a girl, had gone in first.

"Wait for me!" Xiao Hu hurried to follow.

The cavern was pitch-black and deep, emitting waves of nauseating stench.

Whoosh, whoosh! A black mass, like an ominous cloud, hurtled toward the pair.

"What is that?" Xiao Hu shouted, frantically pedaling his feet for speed.

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. She pointed forward, and an energy shield instantly materialized before them, batting the shadow creature away.

"Bloodsucking Bats!" Ling Feng stated coldly. "This is the safest route to the teleportation array for the Myriad Beast Cave!"

"You call this safe?" Xiao Hu complained. "These are all Tier Two Fighting Beasts. Even if you’re a Saint Domain expert, you can’t handle this many!"

Ling Feng ignored him, closing her eyes slightly. Her ink-black hair billowed without a breeze. Suddenly, a delicate shout!

A phoenix cry echoed as if descending from the nine heavens, reverberating throughout the tunnel.

Crash, crash... The bats in the air fell like rain, tumbling down. The swarm, resembling a dark cloud, was entirely stunned into submission by a single call from her.

While a phoenix cry might not match the destructive power of a dragon's roar, the majesty of a divine beast could never be underestimated.

"Let's go!" A trace of paleness touched Ling Feng's face. If she hadn't successfully activated her Fire Phoenix bloodline to unleash a phoenix cry of this magnitude, she might have exploded from the strain.

The two continued deeper into the tunnel, but it seemed endless. After walking for over an hour, covering more than a hundred kilometers, they still saw no end.

"How deep is this cave?"

Xiao Hu didn't mean to complain; he just couldn't keep his mouth shut. He knew his question was pointless; Ling Feng wouldn't explain. Since their Boss disappeared, this girl seemed to have become even quieter and colder.

Xiao Hu could never have imagined such a long passage existed outside the Myriad Beast Cave. Moreover, there were two or three side tunnels every li or so. Although he was following Ling Feng now, if left alone, he was certain he'd lose his way.

It was incredibly complex, like a sprawling maze.

Strangely, despite the labyrinthine terrain, Ling Feng didn't slow down at all, moving with astonishing speed, as if she were merely strolling through her own courtyard!

Along the way, they encountered four or five more waves of magical beasts, but their levels weren't very high. Killing them didn't cause much delay.

After traveling perhaps five hundred li, they finally saw a light appearing ahead. Joy flooded Xiao Hu's face, and he lunged forward, eager to rush out. Before he got far, a sharp pain hit his head—he slammed directly into an invisible wall of energy.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Hu roared indignantly.

"If you don't want to die, don't go out!" Ling Feng said coldly, ignoring him completely as she sat down to regulate her breathing.

The magical beasts they encountered on this journey hadn't been high level, but they attacked in ferocious swarms, draining a considerable amount of her mental energy.

Xiao Hu, unsure of her meaning, pouted slightly. Seeing the energy wall vanish before him, he tiptoed toward the exit. Sneaking a peek outside, his expression immediately turned grim.

The cave opened onto a mountainside overlooking a valley shrouded in thick mist. Hundreds of magical beasts soared through the air like patrolling soldiers. Judging by the energy fluctuations emanating from them, nearly all of these creatures had reached the Saint Domain level.

"This must be the Myriad Beast Cave," Xiao Hu finally understood why Ling Feng had stopped him. Rushing out recklessly, even with immense power, they would instantly be torn to shreds by those ferocious beasts.

The magical beasts of the Myriad Beast Cave were not only low in intellect but also inherently cruel. Seeing living beings, they had no reason not to charge. Being pinned down by one or ten was bad enough, but getting caught meant more would join, making escape impossible.

By now, Ling Feng had finished regulating her breath and slowly stood up, a hint of gravity settling on her previously placid face.

"Stay right behind me, no more than five meters!" After speaking, she unleashed her domain and leaped directly out of the cave opening toward the valley floor. Xiao Hu dared not hesitate, surging out right behind her.

Roar...

A resounding, piercing shriek tore through the air. Hundreds of Saint Domain level super-magical beasts hidden in the mist swooped down upon the pair.

Ling Feng’s expression remained unchanged. With slight flicks of her left and right hands, a few drops of blood shot from her fingertips. The blood drops tumbled in the air before plunging straight toward the ground below the valley.

Upon touching the earth, the blood suddenly emitted a blinding radiance, as if cleaving a pathway through the void.

Ling Feng and Xiao Hu moved with incredible speed, vanishing into the opened passage in the blink of an eye. The Saint Domain beasts behind them reached the spot, roared toward the sky in frustration upon finding the pair gone, their cries echoing throughout the valley.

.....................................................

The Temple of the Tellyssian sits atop the highest peak of the sprawling Tellyssian Mountains, constructed halfway up the slope at an altitude of 3,000 meters. The temple is perpetually wreathed in clouds and mist, exuding an atmosphere of sacred solemnity.

"Ahem, ahem..." Woma the Pontiff coughed a few times, a look of helplessness crossing his aged features.

No matter how powerful a (Nether Saint) might be, or even if one held the title of Divine Emperor, no one was immortal—unless... they were a true deity!

However, even gods could fall. The God of Justice he worshipped had likely perished; otherwise, why had he neglected his devout followers for over ten thousand years?

It was precisely this absence of divine grace that led to the upheaval of the Eight Great Curias a decade ago.

This internal conflict began because of the heir to one particular family.

This heir, misled by some unknown influence, began to question the existence of the gods. Through various means, he confirmed the fact that the deity no longer existed. If he had kept this knowledge to himself, it would have been one thing, but he managed to gather a faction, even swaying several Cardinal Bishops of the Curia!

Subsequently, a fierce continental battle erupted over the existence or non-existence of the divine.

Finally, Woma himself had to intervene. Once he acted, the man who instigated the whole affair suddenly reversed his position, transforming into a devout worshipper and even handing over his own subordinates...

The world knew nothing of why this man had changed his mind so drastically...

Woma knew!

Because he had brought this man to the Temple’s most mysterious location: the Divine Descent Pool!

The Divine Descent Pool was where deities manifested. It pulsed with immense divine energy, exuding a palpable power that struck fear into the heart. This power was absolutely beyond human generation; even the most obstinate atheist would instantly become devoutly faithful upon experiencing it.

"Philips, what is the situation outside?" Woma the Pontiff asked.

A red-robed Bishop entered behind him. This bishop showed no surprise that the Pontiff detected his arrival without even turning around.

"Your Holiness!" Philips bowed deeply, reverence shining in his eyes. "The heretics' strength is too formidable. Without divine power, I doubt we can successfully defeat them!"

"Harness divine power?" Woma the Pontiff gave a bitter smile. "Has the day finally arrived? The power left by my God in this world is limited. If they are truly as strong as reported, I estimate we will exhaust it in a single use!"

"The heretics have already reached the foot of the mountain... If we don't invoke divine power, I fear our Temple will face insult!" Philips stated, his tone remarkably flat despite the urgent nature of his words.

Woma the Divine Emperor took a deep breath, glanced at the sky, and abruptly stood up, saying calmly, "I must go to the Divine Descent Pool for one final prayer!"

"Yes!" Philips acknowledged and turned to leave.

"You will accompany me this time?" Woma the Pontiff's voice floated out.

"Me?" Philips’ face flushed, his hands and feet trembling slightly with excitement.

If the Tellyssian Temple was the sanctuary for believers, the Divine Descent Pool was the sanctuary of sanctuaries. Even as a Cardinal Bishop, he was unqualified to enter. Now, the Pontiff was asking him to follow him inside—how could he not be ecstatic?

"Don't you want to go?" Woma the Pontiff inquired.

"No—that's not it!" Philips quickly waved his hands in denial.

"Then let's go!" Woma the Pontiff turned and walked toward the interior of the Temple.

Before they even reached the front of the Divine Descent Pool, Philips felt an overwhelming sense of oppression flood his mind, as if he were being purified. He had an immediate urge to collapse to his knees and worship.

"The glory of my Lord is everywhere; justice endures in the world!" he muttered continuously, walking forward with a tremor.

Woma the Pontiff seemed to sense his distress and nodded. The more devout one was, the smaller and more insignificant they felt near the Divine Descent Pool, inciting a blind urge to worship, almost beyond self-control.

"Perhaps only the Nether Child can withstand this pressure," Woma the Pontiff thought to himself.

The Nether Child was the prime candidate for the next Pontiff, a person blessed by the deity. Such individuals could rapidly cultivate powerful Nether-Meditation, making them immune to the divine pressure from the Divine Descent Pool, and they could even leverage its unique power for formidable offensive capabilities!

While Nether Children were rare, they could still be found—a dozen or so would appear within a year. But there could only be one Pontiff, meaning the others were destined to become sacrifices, ruthlessly eliminated!

There was no other way; anyone capable of borrowing power from within the Divine Descent Pool—besides a Divine Emperor—could not be allowed to exist!

Bang!

Philips finally succumbed to the immense pressure radiating from the Divine Descent Pool, collapsing heavily onto the ground, losing all courage to stand again.

Woma the Pontiff glanced at him and continued forward. The Divine Descent Pool lay serenely ahead, emitting a gentle, warm glow.

"Greatest God of Justice, I am Woma, your most devout believer!" Woma the Divine Emperor knelt, his eyes filled with confusion. "Now, a dark deity has occupied the realm of your followers. I beg you to manifest a miracle and aid us, your ignorant believers!"

His prayer grew louder and faster, but the Divine Descent Pool remained utterly still, seemingly... deep in slumber.

"This is the 130th sincere prayer I have offered since becoming Pontiff!" A sense of bitterness unexpectedly arose within Woma the Pontiff. "It seems the God of Justice has abandoned this realm; otherwise, why would he not intervene even in such a dire crisis?"

He sighed inwardly and stood up, turning to walk back. His aged silhouette appeared profoundly lonely.

To spend a lifetime's energy devoted to a god who had abandoned his followers—how could he not feel utterly dejected?

But before he took another step, he felt the Divine Descent Pool behind him begin to shake violently, bubbling like boiling water and emitting a deep rumble.

Suddenly, a massive light burst forth from the Divine Descent Pool, illuminating the entire hall.

"God... My God descends..." Woma the Pontiff's face turned crimson with excitement as he hastily turned and knelt again!

Two hazy figures emerged instantaneously from the Divine Descent Pool: a young girl, cold and ethereal, untouched by worldly concerns, and a young boy, lively like a curious child, looking around at everything with keen interest.

.....................................................

Xiao Hu stepped out of the teleportation array, and the surroundings immediately struck him as unbelievable. Not far ahead, an old man was kneeling and trembling.

"Hey, old man, know where our Boss is?" Xiao Hu asked.

"..." Woma the Pontiff.

As the continent's sole Pontiff, he had spent countless nights hoping for a divine manifestation from the Divine Descent Pool. Yet, he never expected that the deities emerging would utter such a phrase.

"Esteemed Divine Emissaries!" Woma the Pontiff called out loudly.

These two looked nothing like the God of Justice; they must be divine envoys.

Just as Xiao Hu opened his mouth to speak, Ling Feng's voice reached his ear: "These are the followers left by Senior Yan Long. We walked out of the Temple, and they mistook us for the deity's envoys!"

"Divine Envoys?" Xiao Hu blinked, not quite understanding.

"Yes. Since they are mistaken, we might as well utilize their power to search for Chen Feng," Ling Feng suggested.

"I can sense the Boss's direction. Shouldn't we just go straight there?" Xiao Hu dismissed the need for subtlety.

Ling Feng shook her head. "These people are followers of Senior Yan Long, and they will become Chen Feng's followers too. They might be able to help him!"

"So, what do we do now?"

"Play the Divine Emissaries!" Ling Feng instructed.

Xiao Hu’s eyes rolled in his sockets a couple of times, and he immediately switched to a beaming smile.

"Old man... who are you?"

Woma the Pontiff trembled in terror on the ground, replying hastily, "I am the most devout believer of my Lord, the 53rd Pontiff!"

"Pontiff?" Xiao Hu strode forward, clapped him on the shoulder, and grinned. "I have a task for you!"

"Divine Emissary, please state your command!" Woma the Pontiff’s face turned pale with excitement.

The God of Justice hadn't sent an emissary in ten thousand years. This time, it must be because the heretics had emerged in force, requiring a divine decree!

Yes, it had to be this way; otherwise, why would they only appear now?

Then... whatever the Divine Emissary tells me must be about how to eradicate the heretics outside?

The more he thought, the more correct it seemed. Woma the Pontiff quickly raised his head, hoping to listen closely to the Emissary’s instructions.

"Go get us some food. We're both starving; my stomach is sticking to my back..." Xiao Hu whined, then added, "Also, your crown is quite pretty. It looks golden and shiny—is it made of gold?"

"..." Woma the Pontiff.

.....................................................

White stood in the hall, his gaze sharp as a north wind. Wherever his eyes swept, an involuntary chill touched everyone present.

"The armor you wear, the meat you devour and the wine you guzzle, the cultivation techniques you practice, the perfect crystals you use—which one wasn't given by the Big Boss? Now that danger approaches, you feel fear?" White's voice grew louder, and the severity in his eyes intensified!

"Don't forget, everything you possess belongs to the Big Boss. Otherwise, you would already be living a life worse than pigs and dogs amidst the crossfire between the heretics and the Curia!"

...

White's reprimand caused cold sweat to break out on the foreheads of every Battalion Commander.

It was true. The Big Boss was still buried deep underground. Did they really have a choice now? Whether to fight or not, rescuing the Big Boss was the absolute priority!

Fight!

Everyone made their decision simultaneously, standing up and looking toward White in the center, waiting for his orders.

"The Charging Battalion, the Archer Battalion, and the Blazing Battalion—you three move first to the break in the mountain range and set an ambush. Once all those people enter the trap, attack suddenly..." White laid out his deployment without hesitation.

Having prepared this location for a long time against attacks from other factions, the designated positions for attack and defense were deeply etched into White’s mind, as if carved there.

Even the current deployment and tactical arrangement had been planned long ago. This style of combat had been drilled countless times, though never actually implemented.

"Yes!" Since the decision to fight had been made, even those commanders who had wavered instantly became resolute.

"Divine Emissary Kant reports for visitation!" Just then, a resonant voice boomed from the sky.

A Divine Emissary? It seemed like the heretics had sent someone to negotiate.

White shot out of the hall, flying into the air.

The visitor was a middle-aged man with dark skin, radiating a powerful pressure that instilled primal fear in others.

"You must be the leader of Sweeping the Horizon. This area has been claimed by my God. We require you to leave immediately or submit to my God; otherwise... you will face my God's wrath!" Emissary Kant’s eyes held a trace of disdain.

This was understandable; divine emissaries were spokespersons for gods and naturally looked down upon ordinary humans.

"Build a temple here?" White sneered. "What if we refuse to yield?"

"Are you attempting to defy the will of my God?" Kant’s eyes widened.

"Go back to wherever you crawled from!" White stated calmly.

"Fine..." Kant let out a cold laugh, raising both hands above his head, shouting, "Great Dark Lord, grant me infinite power so I may slay these blasphemers!"

The sky instantly turned dark as pitch. In a flash, a lightning bolt as thick as a waist descended from the heavens, striking him directly. His aura instantly magnified many times over, and a crushing torrent of energy enveloped the entire military camp.

"All who dare question my God’s existence, die!" he roared, shooting an immensely powerful beam of energy directly at White!

White’s pupils constricted, and he instinctively dodged backward, but the energy seemed to track him; no matter where he moved, he couldn't escape it.

"Be careful!" Just as he was about to be blown into shreds, urgent shouts arose from the surroundings.

The forces in the camp below finally grasped Kant's intention. More than a dozen gray shadows surged forward simultaneously, shielding White.

Bang! Bang!

A series of crisp sounds rang out, and blood blossomed in the air. A dozen experts at the Nether Saint level were instantly killed by a single finger strike.

"Da Qiang, Xiao Han, Fei San..." A desperate cry rose from the ground. The Commander of the Nether Saint Battalion, his eyes blazing red, roared and shot up from the ground.

He thrust both hands forward, and an immense, invisible pressure instantly surged out, enveloping Kant in its center!

"Hmph, you think this meager cultivation can trap me?" Kant snorted, the black light around him intensifying. With a crack, the spatial lock imposed by the Nether Saint Battalion Commander shattered. Simultaneously, he pointed a finger, and the commander immediately plummeted from the air, one arm completely pulverized.

"Kill him!" Shouts rose from below.

Whoosh, whoosh... A series of sounds like tearing through the void followed from the Archer Battalion, arrows whistling toward the sky.

"Thunderbolt Arrows?" Kant smirked. "Do you think cheap things like this can pierce my God’s glory and harm me?" With that, he pressed his right hand down toward the void, and every single Thunderbolt Arrow instantly reversed direction, shooting downward.

Boom!

The Nether Saint level experts maintaining the energy shield around the camp below simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood. Under the violent explosion, they nearly lost control of the shield! If the shield failed, the camp would suffer irreparable damage.

A Divine Emissary? How could he be this powerful? Even Thunderbolt Arrows couldn't kill him! A sense of utter helplessness washed over everyone.

The commander of the Nether Saint Camp was the most formidable figure within the Nether Saint contingent, yet he couldn't withstand even a single move from the opponent; thousands of men loosed their Thunder-Hearing Arrows simultaneously, only to have them all deflected back!

If all the invading heathens possessed such skill, there would be no need to even fight this battle!

"Hahaha... with your meager cultivation, you dare challenge my God? Surrender now and embrace my God's faith!" Conte bellowed triumphantly.

Just as he reveled in his arrogance, a swift whoosh cut through the air, and an arrow—a vibrant violet-red construct composed entirely of flame—shot toward him! (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please visit m for more chapters, to support the author, and for genuine reading!) First Release