“Divine Descent?!”
Almost instantly, upon seeing the expanding dark shadow, Wu Ming recognized it.
In Eastern Shendao practices, there also existed such rituals—channeling divine power from higher beings through sacred names and rites.
“Whoever can perform this must be at least a terrestrial immortal, or even higher…”
Wu Ming immediately felt excitement surge within him.
Although terrestrial immortals surpassed Shendao practitioners in individual strength, their scope of influence was still comparable to local deities, capable of granting magical power only within their own dharma realms.
But this situation was clearly different.
This was a high-level projection spanning the entire continent—an effect only possible by accessing the primal forces of the world itself!
“However… this divine descent isn’t complete, and its state seems somehow off!”
Wu Ming gazed at the transformed shadow, his eyes flickering with unusual hues.
“Edict—Awe!”
In the next moment, the shadow suddenly moved.
Uttering a few brief yet profound words, it instantly triggered surrounding rules of power, as if invoking cosmic principles directly, manifesting an attack through sheer will.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted. Wu Ming immediately felt his mind subjected to an intense interrogation; any hesitation or shock would instantly paralyze him.
Just like Arthur beside him, who had turned into a statue at the moment the awe spell struck—defenseless against even a child.
Whoosh!
The shadow transformed into a black streak, lunging toward Wu Ming. Midway, it suddenly pointed at Arthur: “Edict—Death!”
A black line shot forth like lightning, instantly arriving before Arthur.
“Guard!”
Boom!
Golden light erupted, forming a protective dome around Wu Ming and shielding Arthur from the black line.
“Indeed, your primary target is me, and the secondary is Arthur… Both of us are the sacrifices you crave?”
Wu Ming shoved Arthur aside: “Born from gathered faith, you probably haven’t even attained full sentience—just a beast driven by instinct!”
“Jiejie!”
The shadow glared at Wu Ming, blood-red eyes brimming with unhidden killing intent. Suddenly raising both hands, it cried: “Edict—Slaughter!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Crimson, crescent-shaped blades flew and interlocked, instantly sealing off all escape routes around Wu Ming.
“Faith… I possess it too!”
Wu Ming’s gaze turned peculiar. Suddenly, he poured Arthur’s blood onto Excalibur and raised it high: “Power of the people—Amplify!”
Boom!
Dark golden flames roared to life atop Excalibur, then slashed downward.
A massive dark golden crescent moon emerged, effortlessly shattering the crimson moons, sending shockwaves that lifted the entire tent skyward.
Such a colossal commotion would certainly be noticed unless everyone outside was blind.
“Protect the King!”
Scores of knights and mages rushed in, witnessing their monarch, William I, driving Excalibur into the chest of a gigantic dark monster.
The creature had a humanoid form, its darkness so thick it seemed tangible, yet it gradually disintegrated under golden flames.
“Ah… This is…”
The archbishop arrived, his face darkening: “Clerics, prepare holy water—we must perform a purification ritual!”
“No need!”
Wu Ming withdrew Excalibur. Instantly, the shadow collapsed into fragments. Black currents tried to escape but were consumed by golden flames, leaving nothing behind.
“This was a shadow assassin! I sensed the spell’s origin—it came from a cave not far east of the camp. Immediately dispatch knights to search there!”
He calmly issued orders, then turned to the archbishop: “Prepare a new tent for me, take Arthur away, and stay—you and I need to talk!”
…
Naturally, news of the assassination attempt on the Conqueror King couldn’t be concealed. With such a massive explosion, the entire camp soon buzzed with rumors.
Fortunately, after Wu Ming rode through the camp on horseback, he quickly quelled the unrest and rumors.
Meanwhile, the knights sent eastward returned, reporting they’d found the assassin—though he was now a desiccated corpse inside the cave.
The divine descent technique consumed lifespan, and combined with Wu Ming’s defeat, the poor assassin had his life completely drained—survival would’ve been strange.
Inside the tent, all guards and irrelevant personnel had been dismissed.
Only Wu Ming and the archbishop remained, silently staring at the corpse.
“Indeed, it’s them—the faith thieves, the rats hiding in sewers!”
The experienced archbishop stepped forward, inspecting the corpse for a while before lifting its arm and applying a potion.
A blooming mandrake tattoo appeared, exuding eerie beauty.
“Them?”
Wu Ming seemed intrigued.
“Yes, the Shadow Hand—a cult devoted to the Shadow Lord, and the largest assassination group across the entire Syl continent.”
Looking at the mandrake, the archbishop’s expression turned grave: “Purple mandrake—this assassin was likely one of the current Shadow Kings, the continent’s strongest assassin, yet died here so silently.”
“You seem to have omitted something!”
Wu Ming gently reminded him: “This Shadow Lord—I distinctly sensed something familiar. Also, your knowledge about the Shadow Hand seems deeper than you’re letting on…”
“My King, since you’ve already guessed, why ask your servant…”
The archbishop’s voice was dry, clearly reluctant to discuss this.
“Indeed… A luminous and holy deity turning into a malevolent god demanding human sacrifices—such news would severely damage the Church if exposed!”
Wu Ming said calmly.
This “Shadow Lord” was none other than the new god born in Church history!
Revealing this would undoubtedly become a monumental scandal shaking the Church’s foundations! Light and darkness weren’t opposites but coexisted harmoniously.
Founded by a great sage, the Church originally aimed to enlighten the people and prepare for calamities.
However, over time, the accumulated faith of the masses genuinely birthed a new god!
To sustain itself, this deity repeatedly interfered with Church operations.
The struggle between divine and human authority unfolded among Church elites, involving countless behind-the-scenes manipulations. Ultimately, due to cosmic limitations, mortals triumphed—Saint Gabriel died mysteriously, and the new god fell silent, issuing no further divine decrees.
But this was only within the Church.
The most terrifying aspect of deities lay in their near-immortality as long as faith sustained them. They had all the time in the world to wait, quietly accumulating strength until their return.
After losing most of its faith, the new god fell into dormancy but didn’t give up. Upon awakening, it transformed into the Shadow Lord, establishing a new organization.
Backed by a true god, the Shadow Hand expanded rapidly.
By the time the Church realized the threat and allied with the University City to resist, the Shadow Hand had already spread across the entire Syl continent, becoming impossible to eradicate.
The covert struggle between these two factions never ceased.
Yet all this remained hidden in darkness, absent from public knowledge.
“You… must have countless secrets?”
Hearing this, Wu Ming felt speechless, sensing that the previous great sage—the uncrowned king—had left many things intentionally, filled with hidden meanings.
Perhaps even the emergence of this new god had been part of his calculations.
“There are none left…”
After recounting everything, the archbishop seemed to finally relieve a burden: “Before you, our Church holds nothing back—no secrets remain.”
“If so, the Shadow Lord must hate me deeply…”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Although the Church had previously forbidden yet dared not completely sever faith, the Shadow Lord still occasionally received some devotion.
But with Wu Ming’s arrival, declaring himself the divine incarnation and rightful king, backed by the power of the people, he effectively seized all faith—truly cutting off its foundation.
If this continued, the meager faith gathered in darkness by the Shadow Hand would barely suffice for the Shadow Lord to operate, possibly forcing it into another long slumber.
Therefore, it must stop the Conqueror King at all costs, no matter the price!
“It seems our Duke Wellington has allied with the Shadow Hand.”
Wu Ming gazed toward Lionheart City, smiling.
“The Duke has turned to darkness, committing grave sins against all humanity!”
The archbishop’s eyes shifted, immediately speaking with righteous indignation: “I even suspect Duke Wellington’s involvement in several past assassinations within the Wellington family, including orchestrating this attempt. My King must immediately capture Lionheart City and bring Duke Wellington to justice!”
“This pretext is excellent—spread this narrative: Duke Wellington has embraced the Devil and murdered numerous relatives!”
Wu Ming waved his hand dismissively.
Such propaganda alone wouldn’t achieve much, but combined with his military forces, it would become significantly impactful.
“Additionally, send envoys to all highland nobles. When I attack Lionheart City, I will unveil Excalibur—the proof of kingship—demonstrating my legitimate claim over the Highlands. Any opposition will be deemed rebellion against the legal tradition established by the former Lionheart Kings!”
Now that he had obtained Excalibur and unlocked most of its seals, naturally, he intended to exploit every ounce of its value—wasting nothing.
It was easy to imagine that with so many adverse factors piling up, even without direct military action, immense pressure would be exerted upon Duke Wellington.
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