Chapter 533: The Severed Wings: What Happened Back Then

In the center of this swamp stands a towering giant tree. It soars into the clouds, and compared with the short trees before, it is like heaven and earth apart.

The tree exceeds thirty meters in height, its canopy dense, its branches spreading over at least a hundred meters. Countless slender branches hang like tentacles, deeply rooted in the Light Swamp.

Bathed in the swamp's intense light, the tree also emits a soft white glow, as if baptized by holy light, appearing both solemn and sacred, like a true holy tree.

However, Yi Ning knows that the tree is not a true holy tree; its glow comes only from the God of Light's feather in the swamp. If it loses that source, it is merely an ordinary tree.

Yi Ning gazes at the tree and says to Jiang Chen, "This tree can move. I'll find a way to draw it out; you must defeat it as quickly as possible and never let it return to the holy light swamp to absorb more holy light."

"Once it absorbs enough holy light, its wounds will heal rapidly and its strength will increase dramatically," Yi Ning adds, her tone full of caution and seriousness about the upcoming battle.

Jiang Chen shakes his head lightly and smiles, "No need to be so elaborate."

Before the words finish, a burst of intense light erupts from the BOSS. It turns out a Skeleton Mage has unleashed powerful elemental Magic, striking the BOSS directly.

The BOSS shudders violently, hundreds of branches lash outward like angry Whips. Yet the Skeleton Mage retreats agilely, evading the attacks.

The BOSS, angry, leaps from the Light Swamp

and bursts out, chasing the Skeleton Mage. Yi Ning then realizes her earlier worries were completely unnecessary.

In front of this Undead Legion, there is no need for her to pull the monster herself. Jiang Chen and his Skeletons have already arranged everything meticulously.

Yi Ning experiences such an easy Instance journey for the first time; the feeling surprises her, but more so brings comfort and reassurance.

The BOSS is successfully drawn out of the Light Swamp, its body covered with waving branches extending over several hundred meters. In a short time, it is pulled hundreds of meters away.

Jiang Chen whispers, "The time has come."

He lightly taps his finger, a beam of aged Curse light shoots toward the BOSS, followed immediately by a burst of deadly star poison Magic striking the BOSS.

At the same time, several elemental liches appear suddenly, their Magic weaving a sea of thunder and frost in the air. The BOSS's body is quickly covered by a blue layer of ice, slowing its movements.

The Skeletons, seeing this, launch attacks; amid the elemental roar, a Skeleton Berserker's axe, blazing with red light, slashes down fiercely.

Jiang Chen is even too lazy to check the BOSS's stats, because he knows that before such a powerful Undead Legion, even a Hell Difficulty BOSS from a level‑55 Instance meets only an instant‑kill fate.

As for the BOSS trying to flee back to the Light Swamp, that is even more impossible. From the moment Jiang Chen launched his attack, less than two seconds later, Yi Ning received a notification that the BOSS had been slain.

She widens her eyes and murmurs in disbelief,

"Killed it like that?"

Jiang Chen smiles indifferently, "And so what? If it weren't to prevent it from absorbing holy light, we wouldn't even need to draw it out of the swamp."

Yi Ning nods, finding Jiang Chen's words very reasonable. Solving the BOSS in two seconds indeed makes extra steps unnecessary.

Jiang Chen has not yet used the Strong Soldier skill; otherwise the BOSS might not even last a second.

Yi Ning can't help but marvel at Jiang Chen's increasingly terrifying power; compared with their last meeting, he is like a different person. She feels the gap between her and Jiang Chen is widening.

Just as she falls into contemplation, Jiang Chen's voice interrupts her thoughts, "Now we can enter the swamp."

Yi Ning snaps back, nods, and follows Jiang Chen's steps into the swamp.

As the two press deeper, the surrounding light grows ever stronger, seeming tangible, crashing over them like wave after wave. They gradually sink until they reach the swamp's bottom.

Here is a blinding white expanse, vision completely engulfed by light. Yi Ning finds even the Holy Spirit Unicorn's guidance lost, as if in a wholly unfamiliar world.

Yet Jiang Chen appears unusually calm. He closes his eyes and summons a Skeleton as a guide. The Skeletons, with their unique perception, quickly locate the forward direction.

"Follow me." Jiang Chen's voice sounds in Yi Ning's ear, and he extends a hand to grasp hers.

Yi Ning's heartbeat spikes instantly; this is her second time Jiang Chen has taken her hand. The first was on the Ancient Battlefield, and this time she feels Jiang Chen's palm

radiating warmth and strength.

Suddenly, Jiang Chen's shout rings in her ear, "Watch out!"

Immediately after, Yi Ning feels Jiang Chen lift her tightly, and the two retreat at astonishing speed. Her body is held firmly, her perspective shifts, giving her a dizzying sensation.

"Under attack!" Yi Ning, though unable to see, clearly feels the powerful impact. She is about to summon Xiao Bai for protection, but Jiang Chen stops her.

"No need, it's fine." Jiang Chen's voice is full of confidence.

As Jiang Chen's words finish, the retreat halts abruptly. A crackling sound reaches their ears; Yi Ning knows it's the Undead Legion arriving. A mass of Skeletons rushes before them, forming an impenetrable protective shield.

Impact sounds keep echoing, Skeletons constantly blasted away. Yet Jiang Chen remains unusually composed, murmuring, "This source is special, possessing self‑protective power that won't let anyone approach easily."

Yi Ning softly replies, saying nothing more. Her heart now fills with gratitude and trust toward Jiang Chen; she knows that as long as he's there, whatever difficulty they face, they will get through safely.

Surprisingly, Yi Ning does not ask Jiang Chen to set her down. She lowers her head, a flush spreading across her cheeks, her mind a tangled mess.

Jiang Chen's earlier "It's fine" gave her unprecedented reassurance, as if all worries and fears were soothed by those three simple words. This sense of safety warms her and stirs an unusual affection toward Jiang Chen.

Two voices in her mind clash fiercely

"Yi Ning, you're a woman seeking Divine Level power, how can you be so easily swayed by such feelings?"

"But that feeling is truly pleasant, I can't control myself."

"You must rely on your own strength, not depend on others."

"I'm not depending on him, I'm just… just thinking."

"He already has a wife, and his wife is your good friend."

"I know, but I'm only thinking in my heart; is that not allowed?"

"No!"

"I'll do it!"

………

Yi Ning's thoughts are a tangled mess, the two selves in her mind arguing fiercely, yet never reaching a clear answer.

Jiang Chen remains oblivious, fully focused on the challenges ahead. In the luminous world, he relies on the Undead Legion's strength, pressing onward. Waves of light bearing massive impact fling Skeletons repeatedly, yet the Skeletons are countless; even when hundreds or thousands are knocked away, new ones constantly replace them.

Finally, under the cover of countless Skeletons, Jiang Chen carries Yi Ning to the source of the light. He gently sets Yi Ning down, then extends his massive hand, pressing directly onto the core of the light.

At once, the entire Light Swamp begins to boil, the holy light receding like a tide, all converging at the source beneath Jiang Chen's palm. As the light fades, the massive swamp gradually vanishes, revealing a breathtaking sight.

It is a field of translucent wing fragments, emitting holy and beautiful light. They are countless times purer than the purest jade on earth, even the most perfect gems cannot compare.

cannot match them.

Jiang Chen whispers, "Alright, you may open your eyes now."

Yi Ning lowered her head, trying to calm her mood; the pink glow on her face had not yet faded, and she quietly lifted her head to glance at Jiang Chen, saw that he had not noticed her, and finally let out a sigh of relief. Then she raised her head, gazing at the holy and beautiful wing fragment, her eyes filled with awe and longing.

"This…" Yi Ning's voice trembled, her breathing became rapid, and her gaze fixed tightly on the translucent wing fragment before her; she seemed to have guessed its identity, yet the shock and disbelief were beyond words.

Jiang Chen calmly explained, "This should be the God of Light's wing, severed by some force."

He lightly waved his finger, and the Detection Technique was cast again.

"The God of Light's wing: it contains the essence of the God of Light's power, holy and mighty."

Yi Ning asked softly, "Have you ever seen the God of Light?"

Jiang Chen nodded slowly, "Have you heard of the Holy Church? The Angel they worship is actually quite similar in appearance to the God of Light. I suspect that what the Holy Church worships may indeed be the God of Light, though they might not realize it themselves."

Yi Ning nodded in shock, her heart shaken by Jiang Chen's speculation.

Yet Jiang Chen harbored a deeper conjecture: he suspected that the Holy Church was the God of Light's scheme within the Human World, designed to gather faith power to help him revive. Even a fallen deity can have a chance at Rebirth, and the power of belief is the key.

He gently stroked the wing fragment, murmuring, "What a pity, this wing now lies in my hands. If the Holy Church obtains it,

and offers daily worship, perhaps the God of Light truly has a chance to return to the God Realm."

Yi Ning didn't catch Jiang Chen's muttering; she curiously asked, "What are you talking about?"

Jiang Chen shook his head lightly and said calmly, "It's nothing. You can let Xiao Bai Absorb the energy from this wing."

Yi Ning nodded and immediately summoned Xiao Bai. Xiao Bai excitedly flew to the wing fragment, pressed its whole body against it, and began frantically Absorbing the holy light within the wing.

Under the glow, Xiao Bai's body grew brighter and brighter; in just a few seconds, the energy it Absorbed surpassed all it had before. The wing fragment contains the essence of the God of Light; its vast energy is unimaginable.

Jiang Chen watched silently, feeling the immense holy‑light energy within the wing, deducing that the God of Light was once a mid‑tier deity, whose strength was at least not weaker than the Poison God. Yet now its wing has been severed, prompting curiosity about what actually happened back then.

"What actually happened back then?" Yi Ning murmured, her words echoing Jiang Chen's question.