Chapter 388: The War to End Conflict Begins, The Gates of Rakshasa Open
In the sky, Qian Renxue radiated a golden glow, replacing the sun at least, that's how it appeared to those in Tian Dou City. Inside the city, fear and curiosity coexisted in the hearts of all who witnessed this sight. Humans always react this way when confronted with the unknown. However, before they could take any action, they saw that both the palace guards and the scattered members of the Spirit Hall, after a brief moment of shock, had already knelt reverently.
"Greetings, Angel God!"
From their uneven but unanimous chant, the crowd received their answer.
After a short moment of astonishment, the people turned their burning gazes toward the enormous golden figure in the sky and the beautiful woman before it, who radiated the same golden brilliance.
Was this the Angel God? A divine miracle?
Even those who had never studied knew what this meant. This was not just the faith of Spirit Hall it was the only widespread belief that existed across the continent.
For a thousand years, Spirit Hall's teachings had ensured that everyone knew the legend of the Angel God the one who had saved humanity from darkness and chaos and ensured its continued survival.
The upper class nobles might not believe in such things, but the common people almost universally held some level of reverence. Even though the two empires had tried various overt and covert methods to diminish Spirit Hall's influence, Spirit Hall had never ceased its relentless efforts to spread its teachings.
As for the results, true believers were few, but those who held a vague faith were innumerable. After all, how could they be expected to believe in the very nobles who exploited them?
Moreover, many soon realized that the golden light replacing the sun did not harm them. On the contrary, under its divine radiance, they felt a deep sense of relaxation, both physically and mentally.
The divine power of the Angel God naturally carried a purifying effect. As long as their attributes were not in direct opposition, most people would experience no harm on the contrary, they might even find some of their ailments alleviated.
More and more people chose to kneel, following the example of Spirit Hall's members, gazing up at the sky with reverence and longing.
"Let there be light," Han Li's voice echoed in the air. He, too, had appeared in the sky, though he kept his distance from Qian Renxue. His words carried a majestic weight that seemed at odds with his usual demeanor.
Under his control, the golden light descending from the sky was soon accompanied by a fine drizzle. He had invoked the Law of Water, allowing it to merge seamlessly with the golden divine light, both carrying purifying properties as they spread across the city.
As the rain fell upon the people, minor illnesses and afflictions began to fade away. Their emotions grew more fervent, and though their hair and clothes were soaked, they kept their eyes open, gazing upwards with unprecedented devotion.
"That's enough. Withdraw the light; there's one more act to complete. Just hold your hand over that crippled man's head," Han Li conveyed this message to Qian Renxue through his divine sense.
In midair, the golden radiance surrounding Qian Renxue no longer outshone the sun, but she did not entirely retract her divine aura. She remained as holy and righteous as ever, which gave Han Li an inexplicable urge to corrupt her.
She descended slowly, stopping three meters above the ground, the six winged angel symbol on her forehead gleaming.
Taking her place in the sky was a massive light screen, still depicting her as the central figure.
"God loves all," Qian Renxue's voice, cold yet laced with divine authority, echoed through the city. "Today, you shall be healed."
In the crowd, a man missing his left leg was suddenly lifted into the air by golden light, quickly carried over the heads of the people to stop before Qian Renxue.
Raising her free left hand, she pointed downward. A golden energy, tinged with green, surged into the man's body.
Then, an astonishing scene unfolded.
At the place where his left leg had been severed, green light pulsed and flickered, slowly reconstructing the missing limb inch by inch until it was fully restored, appearing just as natural as any other.
His once empty pant leg now concealed a newly formed foot, bare for all to see.
This man was well known in Tian Dou City. Called "Old Peter the Cripple," he was a former soldier who had lost his leg in battle against the Star Luo Empire. It was also his greatest point of pride.
He had been used as a symbol by the royal family a walking piece of propaganda. He lacked nothing, his later years fully provided for by the imperial treasury, allowing him to live a life that was neither extravagant nor impoverished.
As a result, he frequently roamed the streets, recounting his "glorious" wartime experiences. Nearly everyone in Tian Dou City knew him. Merchants and traveling bards had even taken his story and spread it to other regions, turning him into something of a "celebrity" of the Tian Dou Empire.
And now, before the eyes of the entire city, his left leg had been restored.
His expression was one of sheer disbelief, as if he were still trapped in a dream. He stomped his foot hard against the ground, feeling the firm surface push back against his newly regenerated limb.
Then, his face lit up with unrestrained joy. He threw aside the crutch he had been holding and took a tentative step forward, then another.
One step, two steps, three steps his pace quickened, and soon, he was sprinting.
For the first time in ten years, he felt the exhilaration of running once more.
Stopping at the front of the gathered crowd, he turned, then dropped to his knees with a resounding thud. Tears streamed down his face, flung onto the stone pavement by the force of his movement.
"Praise be to the Angel God!"
As this scene unfolded, Han Li projected it onto the massive light screen in the sky, spreading the vision across the entire Heaven Dou Empire including Spirit City.
"I have heard your prayers. I will go forth and put an end to this unjust war."
The image on the screen split in two. On one side stood the newly ascended Angel God, bathed in halos of divine radiance. On the other, Bibi Dong wielded her colossal twin scythes, single handedly tearing through a city's defenses, surrounded by an eerie, unsettling purple aura.
The image of Bibi Dong quickly faded, leaving only the luminous figure of Qian Renxue.
"As the gods of the future, you and I shall go together and initiate the War to End Conflict."
Qian RenSnow Empressdn't follow the script she added her own scene. In the projection, her six golden wings spread wide as she descended to face Han Li, extending her left hand toward him.
Hmm?
Han Li was momentarily stunned but quickly understood her intent.
"An honor and a duty."
He smiled. His body shimmered, revealing his divine armor. The Ice Fire Dragon Bow materialized in his left hand as he reached out with his right, grasping her offered hand.
"Everyone, rest assured and await our good news. Victory shall belong to justice!"
His voice resonated as the light screen trembled. Han Li and Qian Renxue transformed into twin streaks of light one crimson, the other brilliant gold spiraling together as they shot toward the heavens.
The screen in the sky dissipated, and the people of Heaven Dou City stood up, their eyes tracking the two ascending figures, filled with hope and anticipation.
As Han Li and Qian Renxue departed, murmurs spread throughout the city. Agents, planted in advance, began distributing carefully prepared information.
The revelation of "Xue Qinghe" as the Angel God "Qian Renxue" became the most explosive news. Backed by the divine miracle they had just witnessed, the public quickly accepted it even felt relieved.
The former Pope of Spirit Hall, now Empress of the Spirit Empire, Bibi Dong, along with Spirit Hall's Holy Son, Han Li, were both nearing godhood this, too, was no longer a secret.
However, the narrative was clear: Qian Renxue and Han Li were the righteous protagonists, the champions of peace, who had remained in the shadows, waiting for this crucial moment.
As for Bibi Dong, her role was cemented she had started this war solely to achieve godhood. And was this not the truth?
Han Li had not fabricated anything. The image of Bibi Dong breaking through a city's defenses was no illusion. Even now, she continued to do the same.
In the skies above the Star Luo Empire, an ominous energy churned, invisible to the common eye.
Bibi Dong had long since abandoned her army, plunging deep into the Star Luo Empire's heartland.
Her actions were simple yet devastating: wherever she arrived, she shattered the city gates, created a massive commotion, then swiftly moved to the next target sowing panic, gathering negative energy, and widening the distance between herself and Heaven Dou City.
"Just a little more…"
Behind her, her yet to fully evolve Six Winged Violet Light Wings trembled violently. She now hovered above the Star Luo Imperial City the most densely populated place in the entire empire.
Casually cutting down two Soul Saints who dared attack her, Bibi Dong wasted no time and directly descended toward the Star Luo Palace.
She made no effort to conceal her divine aura. A sinister, chilling energy enveloped the colossal city, rapidly drawing in the waves of negative emotions swelling from within.
She ignored the common folk. Though they now possessed traces of soul power due to practicing Xuan Tian Gong, they were meaningless to her. Rather, keeping them alive was far more beneficial.
Before emotions and demonic energy, all were equal. It mattered not if one's soul power was high or low; in fact, the weak, driven by fear and ignorance, provided a much richer harvest.
"Netherworld White Tiger!"
From within the palace, the hidden Emperor and Empress of Star Luo launched a desperate attack, activating their Martial Soul Fusion Technique against Bibi Dong. They knew all too well this ambitious former Pope of Spirit Hall would never spare them.
"Perfect."
Bibi Dong's lips curled into a smile. She had deliberately held back, waiting for them to complete their fusion technique.
Before the eyes of every hopeful citizen in Star Luo City, she raised her scythe. And just as their power reached its peak, she swung it lightly effortlessly severing the head of the "Netherworld White Tiger."
The tiger's roar was abruptly cut short. The spectral fusion shadow shattered, and two lifeless bodies plummeted from the sky.
At that moment, the entire Star Luo City fell into a deathly silence.
What Bibi Dong had destroyed was not just a Martial Soul Fusion Technique.
Not just the Emperor and Empress of Star Luo.
She had annihilated the very foundation of the Star Luo Empire's national destiny.
The Netherworld White Tiger had never been defeated. No more precisely, it had never suffered such a crushing defeat.
The Star Luo Empire, a militarized nation that worshiped strength above all else, had just watched its greatest symbol of power be slain in a single strike.
Beneath her, a torrent of negative emotions and demonic energy surged upward, pouring into her body.
She had reached the threshold of ascension. And the darkness in the city continued to deepen.
"Then let us begin."
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