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It is only more than 300 kilometers away from the imperial capital in a valley.

The woods here are lush, barren and quiet, the air is full of the fragrance of grass and trees, a gurgling stream is meandering from the valley floor, and there are a few birds and beasts chirping from time to time overhead.

Time seems to slow down here, and being here once makes people mistakenly think that they have come to some other world away from the hustle and bustle.

In this inaccessible and desolate valley, an ancient temple stands quietly in the midst of dense trees.

Legend has it that this ancient temple was one of several secret places where the gods of light lived in seclusion before they became gods, and only generations of popes knew about these places of seclusion.

In the same way, these secret sites will become places of penance for generations of popes before they officially succeed to the throne.

Although it is deserted and few people know about it, its status in the once Holy See of Light is extremely high.

Today, an elite army of more than 3,000 people is diving into the valley, all the way to this ancient temple full of time.

The leaders of this elite division are the Emperor Carlos and the Protestant Pope Ignaz whom he established.

The elite division of more than 3,000 people is also tacitly divided into two parts. Part of them was a 2,000-strong Imperial Army led by 4 Imperial Marshals who were up to level 8.

These 4 imperial marshals are all close confidants of Emperor Carlos, and the 2,000 imperial troops are also outstanding elites drawn from the Royal Guard.

These two thousand heavily armed Imperial soldiers started at level 3, and the captain and deputy captains reached levels 4 and 5, while the centurion and their lieutenants reached the incredible level 7 and 6!

In other words, among the more than 2,000 people in the imperial army, there are 4 level 8 legendary marshals alone, and 20 level 7 saint realm generals!

Such a strong team is the hole card of the Emperor Carlos, and looking at the entire continent, I am afraid that there will be no second team.

The other part of this elite division is the 1,000 Holy See Guardians led by Cardinal Marne, who is at the peak of level 8, and two other level 8 archbishops.

The Protestant papal guards are also very elite, but due to their subordination, their strength and equipment are only one line behind Emperor Carlos's imperial army.

These papal guards, dressed in pure white monk's robes and lined with chain mail, are all fanatics brainwashed by the pseudo-pope and his backbone, and they look mighty and crazy.

The Protestant Guardian is similar to the Imperial Army, with 10 rank 7 generals and 1,000 fanatical religious guards in addition to the three Rank 8 Archbishops.

Not to mention the Imperial Army in the hands of Emperor Carlos, the terrifying level of this Protestant Guardian Army alone is enough to make any princely kingdom unable to parry.

"Ignaz, are you sure the artifact is here?"

Coming to the center of the altar of the temple, Emperor Carlos looked around with a pair of mighty eyes, and asked slowly, "Are you sure that after you get the artifact, you can complete the transformation?"

Today, he wears a crown on his head, armor, and a murderous silver-white sword hangs from his waist. It can be seen that this emperor, in order to win the artifact in exchange for eternal life, is completely in an inevitable posture today.

"Hehe, Your Majesty, I can be sure that the artifact is here, and that old fellow Nasadr really didn't lie to me. ”

Puppet Pope Ignaz was wearing a solemn vestment with gold trim on a white background, a metal mask, and a pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything, and after glancing at the altar, he smiled calmly, "In addition, Your Majesty can rest assured, I have sworn by my soul that I will bring you eternal life after becoming a god, and I will always honor you as emperor! ”

Hearing Ignaz's answer, Emperor Carlos' eyes were full of desire.

That desire burned like a fire in Carlos's heart.

An emperor who has gone through intrigue and war to ascend to the supreme throne of the human empire, especially after he has enjoyed the supreme power for half his life, watching himself grow old and decrepit and gradually come to the end of his life, this kind of day is undoubtedly an indescribable torment for him.

As a result, the greed for power and eternal life also made him more and more difficult to extricate himself.

Fortunately, now he is finally going to succeed!

As long as he can stay young forever, he will be able to rule all mankind forever! and even take advantage of the convenience of eternal life to seek another chance to become a god like Ignaz and even the former god of light!

Regardless of whether Ignaz's promise can come true or not, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, he will try.

"Ignaz, my venerable Pope, get started, I can't wait to welcome a new god to our empire. ”

Emperor Carlos nodded at Pope Ignaz, and then glanced at the Imperial soldiers gathered around the altar.

Soon Emperor Carlos and the surrounding soldiers retreated to the bottom of the altar, and in the center of the altar, only the pseudo-pope was left.

"Your Majesty, it won't be long before we humans will no longer fear any forces, and we will dominate the whole world!"

There were no outsiders now, and the pseudo-Pope Ignaz didn't need to hide it anymore, so he slowly took off his metal mask, revealing his true face covered in divine tattoos.

He looked much younger than his actual age, far from being an old man in his twilight, on the contrary, his supple and smooth skin, sharp and bright eyes, and his tall and strong physique, he was even more imposing than an imperial general in the prime of life!

Don't...... Lord Ignaz, rejuvenated?

Emperor Carlos, as well as many of the Imperial and Protestant soldiers present, were all taken aback.

They are all people close to Ignaz, and almost all of them know the true face of Ignaz under the mask, but if you count according to Ignaz's real age, he is an old man in his nineties.

But where does he look a little old now? He is clearly a sturdy middle-aged man in his early thirties!

Could it be that Ignaz has experienced reverse growth in the past few decades, and as the years go by, he is getting younger and younger?

Many soldiers at the scene looked up at the solemn Ignaz, one by one, in awe.

Although I don't know what method Ignaz used, there is no doubt that Ignaz in front of him is undoubtedly the one closest to the gods among their group!

"Yes, it must be!"

Emperor Carlos saw Ignaz's current appearance in his eyes, and his heart was secretly excited.

Ignaz's ability to rejuvenate is proof of eternal youth!

Although he didn't know what level Ignaz's current strength had reached, since the other party could rejuvenate himself, it meant that there was a way to keep Carlos young forever!

Not long afterward, the puppet pope Ignaz began some kind of ritual on the altar.

This ritual and incantation is actually a kind of key to open the combination lock.

Sure enough, as Ignaz's ritual ended, the altar slab in the center of the temple began to slowly open, and a short-handled scepter shining with divine golden light was levitated.

For a moment, the solemn aura began to pour out like mercury. The dazzling light illuminates the entire temple.

Time and space seem to stand still at this moment.

Everyone looked up at the artifact scepter suspended in mid-air with bated breath, and under this immense power, the emotion of awe to the point of trembling was like a tide, and madness surged in people's hearts.

There is no doubt that this is a real artifact!

Legend has it that this artifact is the staff used by the god of light when he transforms into a god, and it is a symbol of the power of light in this world.

Many people at the scene thought that this legend was just a legend, but now it seems that it is all true!

For this great scepter is now suspended before their eyes.

"It's so beautiful, its light shines brighter than the stars at night!"

Emperor Carlos looked up and secretly marveled. From his radiant eyes, it was obvious that he was full of longing for this artifact, but he also understood that although the artifact was good, he could not use its true value.

Rather than wasting the power of the artifact in vain, it is better to be patient for a few days, so that Ignaz can complete his transformation as soon as possible, and when he gains immortality, he can really have a plan.

"It's worthy of an artifact, such a powerful force!"

On the altar, the pseudo-pope Ignaz stepped forward and reached out to hold the Scepter of Light in his hand. In an instant, a huge power went down his arm and rushed straight into his body.

The pure, heavy, endless power of light, as if it was inexhaustible, made Ignaz feel comfortable, and his chest was filled with a sense of power that was about to come out, as if the heavens and the earth would be trampled under his feet, and the stars and the sea would also be at his disposal.

"Congratulations to His Majesty the Pope for harvesting the artifact!"

All the Protestant guards and the three archbishops knelt down to pay homage to them.

The soldiers of the Imperial Army on this side, because of their identities and the presence of the Emperor, did not kneel on the ground, but they still bowed their heads and saluted, their expressions full of awe, as if the pseudo-Pope Ignaz was already a god at this moment.

"Hehe, hahaha!"

Witnessing the scene of thousands of people worshipping and feeling the power that filled his chest, the pseudo-Pope Ignaz could no longer suppress his excitement, and looked up and laughed, "With this artifact, I, Ignaz, will transcend the shackles of mortals and truly become the only god in this world!"

However, at this very moment.

A majestic rebuke suddenly sounded like thunder outside the temple door.

"Hmph!

Everyone at the scene immediately turned their eyes to see an old man holding a cross scepter and radiating a bright holy light, who had appeared outside the gate of the temple at some point.

......

......

The old man was gray-haired, dressed in a holy robe with gold stripes on a white background, and a circular holy pattern on his forehead, making him look like the embodiment of a god, solemn and inviolable.

His eyes, though old and cloudy, were still filled with a firm brilliance that was impossible to look at, and his body was thin, but it gave people a sense of heaviness like a mountain in front of him.

The temple fell silent in an instant.

With the appearance of this old man, the hearts of everyone at the scene were tight, as if they had suddenly been pressed on a big stone, and they all shut up and were silent, and no one dared to make a loud noise for a while.

"St. John Nazard?"

The puppet Pope Ignaz, who had just obtained the artifact, suddenly widened his eyes, "You, aren't you in the Inquisition?

Although the pseudo-pope Ignaz thinks that he has stood at the apex of humanity, and with the help of an artifact, he no longer needs to fear anyone.

But the remnants of the old Pope Nazar have always hovered in his hearts and all the people now. Seeing the other party suddenly appear in the temple at this moment, he, like many people at the scene, couldn't help but tremble in his heart.

"Truly, Nassadr can come out, of course, thanks to this holy woman!"

Suddenly, an evil and awe-inspiring laugh came from behind the old Pope.

Soon, a group of black-filled and hideous teams appeared on the side of the old pope one after another.

There are hundreds of people in this team, and the key is that there are everyone.

Insidious and cunning green-skinned goblins, strong and ugly half-giants, five big and three thick orcs and barbarian mercenaries, and even lifeless undead and lich......

The woman who spoke up just now was the leader of this team, Judy, the dark witch who was dressed in a wide witch robe and called herself the Dark Saintess.

Beside Judy, follow the female thief Amanda, the lich Batrice, the wizard Moses and other backbones.

The group followed the old Pope Nazar into the temple, and saw their hideous and crazy expressions, swaggering steps, not at all nervous in the face of a strong enemy, but with a eager desire to try.

"What is the origin of this group of smoky miasma?"

Emperor Carlos frowned and cursed in contempt and disgust.

Many of the soldiers present also frowned with disgust, but they didn't dare to underestimate it too much.

Although the group of strange races brought by the dark witch Judy looked like a group of crooked melons and cracked dates, but the strength of this group of crooked melons and cracked dates was indeed very strong, and even their group of elite imperial army and Protestant guards felt pressure.

"Oh, Nassader, you are really depraved now, not only have you betrayed your beliefs, but you are now in harmony with this rabble. ”

After seeing the person clearly, the pseudo-pope Ignaz raised the corners of his mouth and mocked mercilessly.

Judy the Dark Witch and the others are indeed powerful to the Imperial Army or the Protestant Guardians, but in the eyes of Ignaz, they are not worth mentioning at all.

"You are the one who has turned away from the faith, Ignaz!"

At this moment, Liliana, a beautiful young woman dressed in red and with a lazy temperament, stepped out from behind the old Pope, "Ignaz, you have betrayed the Lord of Light, imprisoned the Pope, fooled the people, and now you are still trying to become a god, which is really a great crime!"

As soon as she remembered the sins Ignaz had committed against her and the entire Old Bright Church, her heart burned with a deep anger, and she wanted to immediately break the other party's body into pieces.

"Hmph, where did you come from, where did you speak?"

Ignaz obviously couldn't remember the young Liliana clearly, and in the face of the accusation, he snorted coldly on the spot and retorted, "The God of Light has long fallen, and there is no God in this world for a long time, so what kind of betrayal can we talk about what this Pope has done? What kind of sin can we talk about?"

"But don't worry, this Pope will soon become a god and become the only true god in this world!"

As he spoke, Ignaz's expression was filled with irrepressible fanaticism, as if he was about to transform into a god in the next step, trampling everything in the world under his feet.

"What a big breath!"

A scolding broke the already sharp atmosphere of the scene again.

Following the source of the sound, I saw that outside the gate of the temple, nearly seven or eight hundred knights in full armor were riding fast horses and rushing all the way.

The leader of this elite team of knights is Charles, the rebel leader of the Empire, and his mentor Andrew Highey.

Beside the two of them were the two archbishops, Edward and James, who had been rescued with the old Pope.

"Ignaz, you have bewitched your father and the emperor and fooled the people of the empire, which is a great crime! Now instead of repenting, you are still trying to become a god in vain?

Charles and his mentor led elite knights all the way into the temple, faced his father, and said angrily on the spot, "Father, you know that blasphemy is a great crime, but you are stubborn, obsessed, and do not hesitate to gamble with the entire empire for your own greed, which is really mediocre and ridiculous!"

"Haven't you always wondered why the child is against you?

At present, Charles's words have made Emperor Carlos angry enough, if he wasn't in the remote temple now, he would have ordered Charles to be dragged down and held accountable.

In addition, although Charles did not bring many people, his indomitable momentum and firm belief brought by him as a fanatical believer brought many imperial troops on the scene were also suppressed.

Many imperial troops at the scene were shaken a lot in their mentality because of the turbulent momentum of Charles's righteous words.

"Your Majesty Carlos, stop it. ”

Old Pope Nazarr also turned his eyes to look at the Emperor Carlos with a bad face at this time, "You and I are old acquaintances, Ignaz has committed a blasphemous crime, as an old friend, I advise you, stop it quickly! If you can sincerely repent, my lord of light may be lenient on you, otherwise all of you will be punished by my lord!"

At the end of the last sentence, the old pope's coercion suddenly exploded, and the pressure accumulated in the hearts of everyone on the scene immediately increased dramatically, so that the Imperial Army and Protestant Guards who were lined up were all tense, and even the palms of the weapons were overflowing with sweat.

"Nassader, it's clearly you who are stubborn!"

Knowing that the morale of his army's army was falling, Emperor Carlos immediately glared at him and shouted, "The God of Light has long since fallen, so we humans need a new god, that is, my Pope Ignaz! Hmph, if we really commit a blasphemous crime, then where is the gods? Where is the divine punishment?"

With the sonorous voice of Emperor Carlos, his royal spirit was vividly revealed at the moment.

Charles, the Dark Witch and others, who had just gained some influence, were forcibly suppressed by Emperor Carlos in an instant. The affected morale of many Imperial and Protestant Guardians on the scene began to recover rapidly, and many of them were even ready for battle.

Now the Empire and Protestant forces have clearly regained their dominance, and their strength is far stronger than Charles and the Dark Witch.

With this absolute superiority, Emperor Carlos and the pseudo-Pope Ignaz can crush Charles and others almost effortlessly.

"Your Majesty, as your old friend, I regret your choice. ”

The old Pope Nassader, who was at an absolute disadvantage, did not panic at all, but shook his head rather regretfully, "All those who turn away from my lord of light will be punished by my lord!"

The old pope's gaze swept over everyone in the scene, and suddenly opened his arms, "Bright my lord has returned!

"Bright, my lord, please listen to the call of your believers!"

The Third Prince Charles, the Holy Magisters Andrew, Liliana, and all the knights brought by Charles all fell to their knees and began to pray with the old Pope.

"Yes, my lord has returned!"

Behind the old Pope, the dark witch Judy fell to her knees with a "poof", "My Lord of Light, please send down the Holy Flame and burn these blasphemers!"

As Judy almost frantically prayed on her knees, female thieves, goblins, half-giants, and even lichs and other companions fell to their knees and prayed aloud.

These dark creatures, who are on the fringes of civilization and have long been despised and oppressed by mankind, have long held a deep grudge against the Emperor and the self-proclaimed orthodox Protestant pope.

Fortunately, the great gods of light were willing to accept them, and now was the right time for them to take revenge on the human authorities, so their prayers at this time were particularly devout.

"What's going on with this, all this filth and mess?"

Emperor Carlos frowned, and the image of unity in front of him was really surprising to him.

In particular, the rabble that was despised by mankind had always been synonymous with dirty and barbaric, cunning and cruelty, but now they would kneel and pray like humans, which was far beyond his imagination.

Not only the Emperor Carlos, but also the Imperial Army and the Protestant Guards were all shocked by the sight of thousands of prayers in front of them.

People's expressions, movements, and momentum can all imitate disguise, but the belief that the devotion reaches the extreme is definitely not something that can be pretended to be.

Seeing Charles, the Dark Maiden and the others, regardless of the danger of conflict between friend and foe, the pious spirit of kneeling directly on the ground and praying really frightened these imperial and Protestant escorts at the scene.

This made these soldiers at the scene can't help but speculate, could it be that the former God of Light has really returned?

"This, this is ......"

As the leader of the Protestant Empire, the puppet Pope Ignaz's heart shook violently at this moment, and his face instantly turned pale.

What he was afraid of was not the rebel army formed by Charles, nor the chaotic party brought by Judy the Dark Witch, nor the old pope who escaped the Inquisition, but the extremely firm faith channels in front of him!

Yes, in his current almost divine personhood, he can clearly see the channels of faith that are intimately connected to people's souls.

Now, whether it is the rebel army formed by Charles or the rebellious party brought by Judy the Dark Witch, they all have a very firm faith channel! Even the faith channel that the old Pope Nassard's once broken faith has been restored.

What does all this mean?

There is no doubt that these people share a very strong common faith.

Don't...... The God of Light, has he really returned?

Without waiting for the puppet Pope Ignaz to think too much, a golden holy light that changed the color of the wind and clouds suddenly bloomed in the sky.

"Wow!"

The air roared, the wind and clouds rolled, and the gates of heaven with a thousand rays of light suddenly opened in the sky above the temple.

A powerful angel armed with a silver spear and six wings stretched out behind his back flew out of the gate of heaven first.

It was none other than Wu Hui's level 9 archangel, St. Luke!

Behind St. Luke, the level 8 four-winged archangel Augustus, led a team of 7 war angels, and a hundred guardians of the Kingdom of God who controlled Pegasus, leaped out of the sky gate one after another, completely blocking the airspace of the entire temple in an instant.

Needless to say, the powerful combat power and majesty of the Angel of War are also not to be underestimated.

All of them are composed of gods with combat talents, and their strength has reached level 5 at the very least, plus flying mounts with excellent abilities, and weapons that can be called holy weapons in the nether, and their individual combat power is extremely good. At this moment, under the leadership of Augustus and the 7 angel squads, there are only a hundred people, but the colossal power they exude cannot be matched by thousands of troops in the Nether.

"War, Angel of War!"

"And a six-winged archangel!"

In the temple, Emperor Carlos and the pseudo-pope Ignaz had round eyes, and their hearts immediately "popped".

The soldiers brought by the two of them were all pale, and cold sweat was dripping down their backs.

Now that so many angels and Pegasus gods have appeared, could it be that the rumored God of Light has returned?

As soon as they thought of this, Carlos and Ignaz's hearts beat wildly, and the troops they brought with them, the already shaky morale, began to plummet rapidly.

At the same time, in the kingdom of God.

"Looks like it's working well. ”

As the current God of Light, Wu Hui was watching all this happening in the Nether.

At present, he has exhausted all the existing main forces of the Kingdom of God, and he has indeed dealt a great blow to Emperor Carlos and the pseudo-Pope Ignaz and others in terms of momentum.

However, in order to completely dismantle this hostile force, this level of morale damage is far from enough.

Although Wu Hui is now dispatching the main force of his kingdom of God, plus believers such as Charles and Judy the Dark Witch, his combat strength and number of soldiers are still not as good as Emperor Carlos and the pseudo-pope Ignaz and others.

This also made Wu Hui quite emotional, who made him, a god, now seriously lack divine power and believers, and even the broken godhead and the kingdom of God that are in ruins have not been repaired. Otherwise, with Carlos and Ignaz, the two wolf ambitious guys, he will be pinched to death in a minute?

The reality is really helpless, but fortunately, Wu Hui has been prepared.

......