Chapter 8: Southern Line (11)
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Interesting.
Lin Nan was at least half a city away from the southern wall, yet she still had a front-row seat to the Emperor’s every move.
With a single swoop, he obliterated over a hundred pterosaurs, and the golden aura surrounding Bel dimmed a bit. However, as the cultists rampaged with fervent prayers, the golden glow bounced back to its original glory, even brighter than before.
Power of faith, huh?
Lin Nan furrowed her brows.
This was the domain of gods, yet how could the Emperor…
She recalled how Fu Yetian had snatched the device from the Thousand Bird Floating City, which absorbed the power of Exiles to stabilize the Floating City.
So, the Ji Shen organization had been researching ways to use this principle in other realms since then.
For instance, in the modern Small World beneath the Sky Tower, Fu Yetian had once used a variant of this principle, sacrificing bl**d and life to amplify his power.
Bel, however, had chosen another route entirely.
One had to admit, the creativity of the Ji Shen organization was truly commendable.
Unfortunately, they had become nothing more than tools for Emperor Bel to achieve his personal goals, even his guardians were easily manipulated at his whims.
After Bel wiped out the pterosaurs, he immediately soared toward the massive beast crashing against the city wall.
At that moment, the harpists led by Janet had just dealt with a horde of beasts attempting to sneak in through the city gates. They were panting and covered in injuries.
Fortunately, thanks to each other’s healing, there were no fatalities.
Even the seriously injured could recuperate and return to normal after a short rest, thanks to the life-buff.
When the Emperor made his move, he did so with the force of a thunderclap.
A myriad of golden lights gathered in his hand, instantly coalescing into a long golden spear, compressing vast amounts of energy into a tiny space. Even at a distance, Lin Nan could feel the overwhelming power contained within that spear—no one should underestimate it.
“Crack!”
With a booming thunderclap, that golden spear shot forth at breakneck speed toward the colossal beast, which roared in response to the looming threat.
In the next second, the golden spear effortlessly pierced its neck.
Then, countless golden rays exploded from the beast’s abdomen.
“Boom!”
That monster, as sturdy as a small mountain, was shattered instantaneously.
bl**d rained down like a deluge, leaving both sides momentarily stunned, as if someone had hit the pause button in shock at the Emperor’s might.
Lady Rong Ji staggered back a couple of steps to avoid the descending bl**d.
“Has his power become this terrifying?”
She was also taken aback, even disbelieving.
Back when the Emperor suppressed her, she held her own, but the gap between them was now wider than a chasm.
Suddenly, she felt a deep sense of helplessness.
At that moment, she realized she was nothing but a pawn in Bel’s eyes. If she could bring him benefits, maybe she could stick around a little longer, but if she crossed him, it would be a one-way ticket to doom.
So, he never intended to help her rescue Fu Yetian.
That was merely a half-hearted pretense before he regained his power.
“No, next, the Emperor will probably retreat soon,” Lilith stated calmly.
“Why?”
Lilith smiled and said nothing, merely pointing ahead.
Rong Ji thought the Emperor would continue his rampage, fueled by the thrill of taking down numerous monsters, but as Lilith had said,
He planted his feet firmly on the city walls, showing no intention of wiping out the entire beast horde.
Before Lilith could elaborate, Rong Ji suddenly understood.
“He must want to use this opportunity to recruit more followers.”
If he wiped out all enemies in one go, the remaining citizens, especially those still loyal to the divine sects, wouldn’t switch their faith overnight.
Through continuous battles showcasing divine miracles, the Emperor would undoubtedly attract even more followers.
In the end, he’d maximize his gains.
Lilith, with an eager gaze and licking her crimson lips, could hardly wait to have an epic showdown with that Emperor.
To shatter the faith and confidence of the Followers of the Church of Light, to ruin the so-called “Son of God” in their eyes—overthrowing a dynasty would then be a walk in the park!
Let the Church of Light keep accepting followers at this rate,
Bel might just grow even stronger. Though he still was her underdog, defeating him would require even more effort.
“Subspace!”
Lilith raised her hand to carve a perfect pentagram in the air, and just like that, an unseeable aura enveloped the entire Imperial Capital.
“I prefer not to make a mess of the Imperial Capital,” she explained.
Bel quickly realized he was caught in a strange space. Although he could still see his surroundings, and the cultists could still spot him,
the Emperor understood he was facing a formidable enemy.
As Lilith strutted onto the city walls with an otherworldly swagger, everyone was taken aback.
Nobody expected the one orchestrating the beast invasion to be a sultry blonde bombshell.
“Of course it’s you, Lady Lilith,” Bel said.
Lilith replied with a smile, “We’ve only met once, yet Your Majesty remembers my name. I’m flattered.”
“You’re a veteran of the Empire; how could I possibly forget?” Bel retorted with a sneer. “However, the imperial records note that eight hundred years ago, many mages perished, and you can’t escape that blame.”
“That’s true; I only regret not killing more of you back then to wipe you mages off the map entirely.”
“So, you’ve come to repeat the story of eight hundred years ago?”
Bel narrowed his eyes, slowly raising his hands.
This seemed to be a signal.
The prayers from the cultists throughout the city swelled louder, and with their fervent voices, countless beams of light began to flow toward the Emperor.
In an instant, the energy he had expended was replenished, returning him to peak condition.
“Lady Lilith, since you’ve thrust yourself into conflict with the Empire time and again, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
“Come on, I want to see just how much energy your followers can provide you. If I’m right, they’re already at their limits.”
Bel’s expression remained unchanged, but internally, he felt a jolt of alarm.
He hadn’t anticipated Lilith would see straight through his energy-gathering system’s flaw.
Yes, most of the cultists were ordinary people. Once their energy was collected excessively, they would collapse or even d*e, something Bel definitely didn’t want to witness.
He had to keep it within a critical threshold to ensure the cultists remained loyal and didn’t start questioning the Church of Light.
This was also a crucial reason he had paused his attacks, preparing to battle again the next day.
