Chapter 691: The Fray

'Storm' is wounded, Black Night also makes divine descent inconvenient, so the chance that A Meng's true form will show up in Beikeland to cause trouble is high, and he can also steal George III's god‑ascending ceremony.

As soon as Lei Ke Dun finished speaking, a crow with a white ring around its right eye landed before him, and in its beak it uttered A Meng's voice, saying:

"Heh, you really know me well."

"How could I possibly miss such a bountiful opportunity? Source Fortress, the Mysterious Secret Servant, and the god‑ascending ceremony are all gathered together; even if Black Night's adventurous divine descent occurs, I would still come. Life needs a bit of excitement and adventure."

"This is a lavish game of chance: the winner takes everything, the loser gets nothing."

"Haha, it's thrilling, isn't it?"

Lei Ke Dun gave a noncommittal nod, his tone flat as he said:

"How can you be sure you're the sole victor?"

"The god‑ascending ceremony isn't so easy to steal, unless George III himself relinquishes it, or you have already taken enough of his keystones and forged a relatively close connection with him?"

"Heh, my luck's not bad; I just happened to pick up something very useful nearby."

The crow with the white eye ring spoke in a rather cheerful tone, and a playing‑card‑sized piece of paper flashed before Lei Ke Dun's eyes.

It was a card he recognized well—the Black Emperor (Item) among the twenty‑two Blasphemous Cards!

Lei Ke Dun's complexion hardened slightly, then he asked with some puzzlement, "When did you steal it?"

The crow tapped its white eye ring with its wing, and A Meng's pleasantly toned voice echoed around, "Pure coincidence, a bit of luck—I just happened to pick it up, that's all."

"How about a trade? I don't need the properties and uniqueness of the Black Emperor (Title); you help me steal George III's god‑ascending ceremony, and I'll give you the Black Emperor's properties and uniqueness. We each get what we need, which also prevents George III from ascending and saves the time needed for Russell's resurrection later—a win‑win, right?"

"The terms are tempting, but have you overestimated your credibility?"

Lei Ke Dun raised an eyebrow at A Meng, the refusal obvious.

"Fine, what a pity."

With a sigh, the crow with the white eye ring flapped its wings and flew away.

Lei Ke Dun watched A Meng's departing figure in silence for two seconds, his thoughts churning beneath.

A Meng plans to steal the populace's perception, shift George III's anchor onto himself, create a falsehood, and then rely on the occult effect of the Black Emperor (Item) to forge a link between himself and George III?

This will inevitably provoke the Luen Royal Family's retaliation, but they are being held back by us, who intend to sabotage the ceremony, racing against time—will we destroy the ceremony first, or will He steal it first?

"It seems that stealing so much in a short time puts even A Meng under pressure; he didn't leave a single clone to waste words with me, trying to delay my speed in destroying the ceremony's tomb."

Muttering a sigh to himself, Lei Ke Dun's body instantly became ethereal, breaking into numerous massive pure data streams that surged rapidly into the interior of the tomb.

Within the deep black, majestic ruins, George III has already donned a black crown, ingested the final dose of the demonic elixir, becoming the Black Emperor's demonic elixir!

The god‑ascending ceremony has already begun; his body is shifting toward the Shadow of Order, expanding in a strange state, and under this condition his spirit uncontrollably radiates, sinking into the rules, gradually lost in the voidal sea of rules and order.

The nine tombs float like islands on the sea, and the people's perception of him are the densely packed lighthouses on those islands, helping him maintain himself, preventing total loss, becoming part of the Shadow of Order.

Gradually, he notices the anchors that stabilize his spirit dwindling, the densely packed lighthouse anchors disappearing.

No! They haven't vanished; they've been stolen. Someone is pilfering my anchors, stealing the people's perception of me!

George III, already deep in the god‑ascending ceremony, cannot mount effective resistance; he can only strive to maintain his state while attempting to re‑establish ties with his subjects and suppress any entity daring to steal his anchors.

As the anchors keep dwindling, his condition begins to slip uncontrollably; his body gradually collapses into a pool of writhing, shadow‑like black liquid, no longer able to retain human form.

In the deep, dark tomb, countless "lights" surge, forming patchy glimmers upon glimmers, countless floating light‑shadows—glimmers born from fragments of civilization!

Under the influence of these glimmers, the entire tomb trembles, even the colors evaporate and disperse rapidly, as if ready to crumble into basic particles. "Ah!!"

A piercing, extremely aberrant scream that slashes at spirits suddenly rang out, causing even the civilization‑fragment glimmers to stiffen, as if polluted, coated with a layer of viscous black liquid.

"The power belonging to the realm of filth—Cha La Tu truly summoned Si E A as well."

Murming softly, countless "lights" floated, swiftly outlining Lei Ke Dun's silhouette.

The instant his form appeared, a gigantic rag doll also materialized beside him.

The doll's eyes were blood‑red, its body etched with countless mysterious patterns, a pair of massive curved goat horns sprouted on its head, a pair of membranous wings on its back, and twisted aberrant vines coiled around it, blooming one pale‑blue, crimson flower after another.

"Divine Scourge" Si E A manifested before Lei Ke Dun in the form of a mythic beast, giving him no time to think; the gigantic rag doll's mouth, lined with sharp crimson teeth, opened again, emitting a piercing, extremely aberrant scream that slashed at spirits.

The shrill howl, laced with potent curses and filthy power, caused the exchange of information to stiffen.

Lei Ke Dun's mind briefly went blank, momentarily losing all thoughts.

Unwittingly, his body suffered erosion and curses, becoming considerably "solidified"; the harmony between body and soul waned, his form gradually turning into a spirit's cage, movements becoming stiff and heavy.

As Si E A prepared to continue striking Lei Ke Dun, a raging wind roared around, sounding both as if from reality and as if from illusion.

Within that sound were interwoven strong wills, accompanied by an invisible transparent breath that wildly swept everything around, simultaneously assaulting the bodies, minds, and spirits of all entities within the tomb.

This included Lei Ke Dun, Si E A, and even the ascending George III! A burst of pure, clear pale‑blue light radiated outward from within, instantly resetting Lei Ke Dun's state.

His gaze swept to the tomb's base, where an elder clad in a gray‑white robe had appeared.

His appearance was unremarkable; his hair was fully white yet thick, his face bore few wrinkles, his features nondescript, his aura quite gentle—just an ordinary, kindly elder.

But Lei Ke Dun's secret‑sight discerned a giant dragon on him—a gray‑white spirit dragon!

He Mi Si, upon appearing, immediately attacked everyone, intending to become arrogant after leaving the Dusk Hermit Society? As thoughts fluttered, Lei Ke Dun already felt his mental state faltering, myriad tangled thoughts proliferating wildly in his heart, gradually giving rise to an impulse to destroy everything.

This effect hit Si E A, already indulging desires and bearing demonic traits, even more intensely for George III, who was at the critical stage of ascension.

Their bodies had completely disintegrated, turning into a continuously twisting, writhing black mass that covered the tomb's floor; one body spewed both crimson magma and pale‑blue flame, filling the tomb's air with a pungent sulfur smell.

At this rate, no deliberate destruction by Lei Ke Dun is needed; the tomb will naturally be ruined by their fierce clash.

Sensing danger, the ascending George III couldn't attend to his own condition and forcibly employed the power of the Black Emperor (Title), linking the interiors of several tombs together, allowing Derlink Augustus and William Augustus I to rush in to aid.

Upon appearing, William Augustus I, draped in a grand, imposing cloak, conjured a silver thrusting sword from thin air, pointed it forward, and made a slash.

The previously chaotic scene was instantly halted by a strange effect, cleverly partitioning the tomb's factions into separate battlefields, preventing their clash from affecting the tomb itself.

The silvery‑white sheet in Bernade's hand suddenly emitted a faint golden glow, instantly nullifying the battlefield William Augustus I had just created.

Deprived of another chance to act, Lei Ke Dun abandoned Si E A as his opponent, transforming into massive, terrifying data streams, an illusory form that surged like a torrent, encircling William Augustus I's figure.

Si E A couldn't intervene in time, as an illusory raging wind roared at his ears; mind‑stripping, spirit‑breath, and mental plague erupted simultaneously, leaving him momentarily unable to respond effectively.

Derlink Augustus and Grove Augustus, who intended to aid William Augustus I, were blocked by Bernade and Plack Aiges; the gap in their ranks and magical items quickly put them at a disadvantage, making it hard to muster energy to help others.

Amid the data torrent, countless massive useless bits of knowledge flooded William Augustus I's mind, causing him to briefly lose all thought, unable even to utter a command.

After a brief stiffness, William Augustus I slightly opened his lips, uttering a low, extremely enduring word in the ancient Hermes language: "Exile!"

(End of chapter)