Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 624 Synchronous Detonation

After the "Sacred Light Collapse Day," the entire Otherworld Continent was in an uproar. Even ordinary people knew that something irreversible had happened on the continent.

The gate of the Holy See's temple collapsed in front of countless angry people. The flags on the Tower of Holy Light were torn down and burned. People in the town square threw rough stones at the holy statues. The hymns that were once regarded as the voice of oracles now became the most harsh joke.

However, those who truly calmed down soon realized that the Holy See of Light was not dead.

It simply retreated from the light into the darkness, like an old beast with broken fangs, curled up in the depths of the sanctuary, quietly licking its wounds. It had lost its outward majesty, but still retained the wildness and strength buried deep in its bones.

Xingluo is very clear about this.

In the underground conference room of the Moonfall Intelligence Headquarters, rune screens embedded in the walls displayed intelligence images from across the continent. On the large map, the red dots that once flashed with the Holy See's emblem had become sparse, replaced by scattered gray markings—those locations suspected of being "hidden bases."

Mo stood in front of the map, his fingertips lightly tracing the line connecting the northern border and the southern sea area, and spoke in a deep voice:

"The God of Light is still alive."

His tone was not fierce, but it was like a slender dagger, piercing straight into everyone's heart.

"What it lost was the scepter on earth, not the authority in heaven."

This sentence caused the entire conference room to fall into a brief silence.

Xingluo leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, his eyelids drooping slightly, as if lost in thought. He reached out and touched a cool metal holy emblem on the table, his fingertips slowly stroking its edge. It was the "Holy Emblem of Glory" he had brought back from Tiffany's secret room. Its back was engraved with dense ancient patterns, and in the center, a disturbing inscription in ancient divine script stood out:

"My eyes illuminate all realms."

The handwriting was sharp, as if carved on metal with a knife, exuding a cold and divine aura.

Xingluo lifted the holy emblem and examined it carefully under the magic light. The touch of his fingertips told him that this was not an ordinary religious ornament, but some kind of "beacon" - it could transmit the will of believers directly to a place in the sky when they prayed.

Mo walked up to him and lowered his voice, saying, "The God of Light is still secretly infiltrating various parts of the continent through the 'Divine Council' and the 'Holy Spirit Legion'. The Holy See is merely its palace on earth, and its true throne is in the sky."

Speaking of "the sky," Pandora's messenger stepped forward from the other side of the conference table and presented a letter protected by multiple layers of magical seals. As the seals gradually loosened, a faint divine vibration filled the air. It was Pandora's handwriting—delicate, precise, and carrying her unique aura.

Xingluo unfolded the letter and quickly scanned the lines of beautiful words.

In her letter, Pandora described the scene she witnessed during the ancient gods' fusion trial:

A continent floated above a nine-layered sea of ​​clouds, constructed of pure, flawless light. It seemed as if no material substance existed, only a solidified divine aura. Surrounding it were thousands of temples, their roofs inlaid with eternal orbs of light, like countless artificial suns.

In the sky above that holy land, patrolled the angelic legions in neat rows—their wings were dyed with golden flames, and every flap was accompanied by hymns and annihilation.

Above the "Main Hall of Light" in the center, a huge halo is suspended, like the pupil of the sky, overlooking the entire continent.

Even more terrifying is that Pandora mentioned that the oracles there are not passed on through word of mouth among believers, but are directly engraved into the hearts of mortals in the form of "divine words" - no messengers, no rituals, and even no physical or magical media are needed.

This means that as long as the will of the God of Light is not extinguished, it can reshape a group of believers at any time and quietly establish a new church in any corner.

Xingluo's eyes gradually turned cold.

"So, as long as it exists, the Church of Light will grow back like weeds." His voice was low and firm.

The atmosphere in the conference room was frozen to the point of tension. Huoyan, the Flame Hammer's chief dwarf craftsman, pinched his beard and remained silent. The Moonfall intelligence officers exchanged nervous glances, while Mo quietly stared at Xingluo.

After a while, Xingluo slowly raised his head.

A familiar, mischievous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth - the kind of smile that often meant that a plan that would terrify the enemy had taken shape.

"Then let's go and chop down the gardener in heaven."

As the words fell, the magic lamp in the conference room seemed to flicker.

No one laughed.

Because they all understood that what Xingluo was challenging this time was no longer the power that mortals could reach, but the power hanging high in the nine heavens - the gods.

“Before we uproot the Gardener in Heaven, we must first clear His garden.”

This was the last sentence Xingluo said at the end of the meeting.

His plans were never quick and easy. Facing a being like the God of Light, a being that transcended the boundaries of god and man, charging headfirst would be a trap. He must first eliminate the opponent's tentacles—their claws—on the ground, completely paralyzing their faith system below. This way, even if divine will descended from the heavens, it wouldn't be able to effectively land. Moreover, faith meant the opponent was immortal and could continuously draw strength.

The main minions of the God of Light in the Otherworldly Continent are divided into four categories:

The Holy Spirit Legion - those with demigod blood, whose power comes directly from the "Holy Light Spring" in the Sky Sanctuary. They are the blade of the God of Light on earth and are also a group of extremely powerful fighters. They have been living in seclusion deep in the Holy See of Light for many years. However, every time they are needed to be dispatched, the country will basically be destroyed.

The Divine Council - the nobles and wealthy merchants who secretly hold power in the major kingdoms. They are descendants of demigods who do not have the talent for light magic, but can pave the way for the gods in politics and economics.

The Holy Light Chamber of Commerce - on the surface, it is a multinational trade organization, but in reality it is the resource collection and intelligence hub of the gods in the mortal world.

The Order of the Radiant - an assassination and "purification" squad of fanatical believers who specialize in dealing with dissidents and those who oppose the gods.

Xingluo decided to take action against the Shenghui Chamber of Commerce first.

The Collapse of the Shenghui Chamber of Commerce

This is a war without the smoke of gunpowder, but it is targeted at every trade route, every warehouse, and every contract.

The reputation of the Holy Light Chamber of Commerce was practically synonymous with the continent's trade itself. Whether it was the Moonshadow Silk of the Elven Forest, the Steel Ore of the Dwarf Fortress, or the spices and ambergris of the Southern Territory, all flowed to every corner of the continent through the Chamber of Commerce's transnational transportation network.

On the surface, they are just a group of profit-seeking businessmen, but the Xingluo and Yueyun Intelligence Departments have long discovered that their top leaders have close ties with the Holy See of Light - to be more precise, they are the "treasurers" of the God of Light on earth.

Every year, hundreds of tons of rare magic materials, mithril, and holy crystals are continuously sent to the Sky Sanctuary via the Holy Light Chamber of Commerce's transport ships and airships as "tribute" in exchange for God's "blessing."

What is a blessing? It is the protection that protects the guild's fleet from storms, keeps its warehouses intact even when magic surges, and makes them virtually invincible in trade wars.

However, precisely because of this, Xingluo knew that as long as this chain of offerings continued, the God of Light would not starve to death.

In the Flame Hammer's workshop, the dwarven craftsmen were busy at work. The sound of metal clashing and the roar of furnaces echoed one after another, and the air was filled with the smell of iron filings and kerosene.

The dwarven chief craftsman, Huoyan, placed a heavy steel plate in front of Xingluo. "This is the last batch of body panels. They're exactly like the originals from the Chamber of Commerce, even the dents are replicated."

"Very good." Xingluo nodded.

These "fake trucks" were identical to the Shenghui Chamber of Commerce's original transport trucks, from appearance to seal. The only difference was the "cargo" inside—a batch of tightly sealed Imbalance Crystals.

The Crystal of Imbalance is an alchemical product that is almost banned from circulation on the continent. When it is stable, it is no different from an ordinary crystal. Once it comes into contact with the flow of magic, it will instantly lose control, causing extreme energy expansion and space tearing.

"Place twelve imbalance crystals in each vehicle," Xingluo ordered. "They must be detonated simultaneously."

Mo added, "Thirty, a total of three hundred and sixty—enough to turn their port into a blank."