[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-274":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269920,4431,"Chapter 274: The Path","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-274",274,"\u003Cp>Flames engulfed Li En, and the black knight restored his condition on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He increasingly understood the strength of the “Masked Dragon Knight” class—this armor, after all, was still his own flesh and blood, and thus could be replenished when necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His formidable body rapidly recovered; the artifact “Prince (Deer) Heart” on his chest accelerated his healing and even actively repaired the armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, conserve your strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En told Lari to stop the healing spell—use it sparingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This small squad of paladins had only one healer, and even his effect was abysmal—truly bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand, all of them were “Judgment Knights,” whose healing ability was nearly nonexistent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, apart from Lari, all were Classical Paladins, with shockingly limited divine spell lists and no “Divine Favor” bonuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The healing ability of paladins and priests stems from guiding “(Life) Positive Energy,” a special energy from the Upper Planes (a type of divine realm), which is why healing spells are classified as “Evocation”—ultimately, it’s the use of elemental power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deities grant believers, knights, and priests special “Positive Energy Plane Channels,” enhancing healing effects to some degree, especially for priests and paladins of the Life domain—one priest can match ten paladins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that, only those with Divine Favor possess “privileges” such as Divine Armament, Divine Grace, Divine Steed, and Divine War Servants (often high-rank Upper Plane beings). Classical Paladins are indeed rare; in reality, they are more often an advancement of ordinary divine paladins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like the team needs a professional priest. Hmph, I don’t want to be micromanaged by a deity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Li En were willing to pledge allegiance to a deity, countless deities would clamor for him—but he could not accept a deity’s control over his actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If only there were a fool of a deity willing to offer divine benefits without interfering or meddling…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En chuckled bitterly—how could such a fool exist, granting divine power without demanding anything in return?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most deities in this world are so-called “Faith Deities,” whose core objectives include faith and parishes; their subordinate churches naturally pursue “return on investment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, divine authority and royal authority will forever compete for influence—they will never miss an opportunity to proselytize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"True gods, evil gods, outer gods—all are untrustworthy. My faith must never be entrusted to another.\" The more he observed, the more resolute Li En became, almost bordering on the mindset of an unbeliever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, what changed Li En most was not merely possessing “power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must never die like Lex—a fool to the end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lex’s fate served as a warning to Li En.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world is not merciful; there is no unspoken rule that if you treat others well, they will at least treat you decently. Mercy and conscience are seen as weakness, kindness as stupidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Lex not strong? Yet the man’s pure, relentless devotion to love and loyalty made him a tool for the powerful to deceive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must seize my own fate—not just others’, but mine. Even in pursuing love, I must possess it, not be controlled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Li En’s sword swings grew more decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no choice—examples of failure were too terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lex was strong, nearly invincible—but did he have anyone he could trust?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as a high-ranking royal official, did he have his own organization or power base? King Griffin could easily manipulate those around him, control information, impose moral bondage, and turn him into a puppet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lone man, no matter how powerful, is meaningless unless he’s willing to be someone else’s puppet or a mere destroyer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder (Furnace Fire).”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, on this journey, Li En had no intention of holding back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed reputation, authority, and the power to seize his own fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Furnace Fire, summoned by Dragon Speech, struck the retreating Scorpion Lion with full force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This threat species, naturally reaching the Great Warrior standard in adulthood, had no chance of survival against Li En’s squad—Li En had no intention of wasting time on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its pained counterattack—the scorpion tail capable of tearing steel—pierced deep into Li En’s armor and even lifted him off the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Smite Evil!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy power erupted again, forcing it back. Li En’s magic was nearly depleted, but his holy reserves remained ample!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other Scorpion Lion lunging at him was blocked by Lari’s warblade, back-to-back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paladins’ Smite Evil strikes had little effect on the Scorpion Lions—though counterintuitive, these powerful man-eating beasts were true “beasts,” devoid of any concept of good or evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the aid of Breaker, Li En could wound it—but only just.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Hela’s sword aura proved more effective—against such powerful monsters without immortality, fast swordsmen often achieved remarkable results.\u003C\u002Fp>",784,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","37e2b27f8f360b470338137ca3cbaea6a467604fdec4356230f8661b897c0f33","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-275","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-273",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]