Chapter 323: The Empire's Forbidden Curse Bell!

The quiet cabin's firelight flickered.

Lei Yage, whose magical book-letter projection was the size of a straw mat, closed his eyes and pondered.

When those closed eyes slightly opened, a sharp light shone forth.

"So, after you approach the Sacred Demon Stone Statue for a while, you are sure you can interfere with it, even gradually dismantle the Stone Demon Heart Ring's binding on the Sacred Demon Stone Statue?"

"Yes!"

Ta Ke nodded resolutely.

Ta Ke was still very confident about this.

Earlier, Ta Ke had examined it extremely carefully.

That was control over the Sacred Demon Stone Statue via the special link of the Stone Demon Heart Ring.

Once Ta Ke uses a correction to sever that thread.

Then the Stone Demon Statue Empire's ruler Ferdinand Felix, whose Stone Demon Heart Ring he holds, would effectively be rendered useless.

With Ta Ke's confirmation.

Lei Yage, whose mind had just steadied, felt waves rise again.

Even across the distant gap, a smile couldn't help but appear on Lei Yage's projected visage.

Originally!

Attacking the ancient Hall of Heroic Spirits is to further weaken the Stone Demon Statue Empire's power.

Thus, in the future, invading the Stone Demon Statue capital and slaying its ruler Ferdinand Felix will be easier.

Nevertheless, the Sacred Demon Stone Statue remains a mountain everyone must face.

A mountain that can easily cause plans to collapse and inflict heavy casualties.

For this, everyone has devised multiple schemes to curb the Sacred Demon Stone Statue, thereby reducing casualties.

But regardless, one must confront that terrifying Chao Shen Da Shi‑level, hundred‑meter‑tall Sacred Demon Stone Statue.

And now.

Ta Ke surprisingly possesses such god‑defying means, able to directly eliminate the Sacred Demon Stone Statue, the greatest obstacle.

Once the Sacred Demon Stone Statue is dealt with.

The two top Ninth‑Tier crown‑ranked strongmen, together with the protective forces on the Barrier side.

Then gather some forces from the Sairiangs Duchy continent.

Let the Grand Duke of Sairiangs garrison the Western Continent.

The strong ones enter the Eastern Continent.

A single battle could decide the fate, directly shattering the Stone Demon Statue Empire.

Things that were once unthinkable.

And now, this wonderful situation has been forged in Ta Ke's hands.

It is a method beyond imagination.

If anyone else said that, Lei Yage naturally wouldn't believe.

But the proposal before us comes from the Divine‑Favored Ta Ke.

Its credibility needs no explanation; after all, the Divine‑Favored has wrought many miracles.

"What do you need me to do?" Lei Yage asked amid his thoughts.

Ta Ke brewed his thoughts for a moment before replying.

"Senior Lei Yage, you should just proceed with the previous plan."

"Attack the ancient Hall of Heroic Spirits to distract them."

"Meanwhile, I will use your intelligence network on the Eastern Continent to slip silently into the Stone Demon Statue capital."

"And through your network's agents, employ their strength so I can approach the Sacred Demon Stone Statue, staying as long as possible."

"Although I could try to sneak in myself, the chance of being discovered is still quite high."

"Following the existing threads and rules to approach keeps the detection probability very, very low."

"And it will be extremely safe."

Lei Yage smiled lightly at the words.

"Maintaining the Chao Shen Da Shi ecology is intricate and hard to untangle."

"Humans, as individuals with fate threads, maintain a Fate Ecology that is equally mysterious and unfathomable."

"In the past... you rarely followed the usual logic of fate threads."

Lei Yage paused.

"This time, you actually intend to go with the flow."

Ta Ke thought for a moment before speaking.

"If the fate thread aligns with my will, I will go with it."

"If it opposes my will, I shall swim upstream and reshape the fate thread's Stellar Pattern."

Lei Yage nodded slightly at once.

"The Ninth‑Tier pinnacle, Chao Shen Da Shi, is an entirely new realm."

"Each Chao Shen Da Shi realm is forged by breaking countless shackles and forging one's own path."

"Your heart, intention, and understanding of the fate thread are such."

"That already surpasses many, many people."

"When the Grand Duke of Sairiangs spoke with me before, he said you have great potential to ascend to Chao Shen Da Shi."

"If our Ogu Twin‑Star Chao Shen world is to birth another Chao Shen Da Shi."

"I think it's most likely you."

Take smiled and said.

"Lei Yage senior, I'm only over level fifty, reaching the ninth stage still requires quite a long time."

"With so much time, is there no one else who can attempt to break through to Chao Shen Da Shi?"

"Is the difficulty of advancing to Chao Shen Da Shi really this high?"

Lei Yage nodded.

"Yes, advancing to Chao Shen Da Shi is extremely, extremely difficult."

"Once one advances to Chao Shen Da Shi, the essence of life undergoes a transformation."

"Lifespan easily spans a thousand years, like a living epic scroll."

"One can imagine how difficult it is."

"That Stone Demon Statue of Chao Shen Da Shi level is, no matter how you say it, still of Chao Shen Da Shi level."

"You being able to interfere and undo that Chao Shen Da Shi-level bond is truly unimaginable."

Take gave a faint smile and said nothing more.

"【Precision·High-Dimension·Correction】 This is a talent ability that surpasses the framework of the transcendent talent system."

"Naturally, it can accomplish things that ordinary transcendent beings cannot comprehend."

Afterward, Lei Yage continued speaking.

"Within the Stone Demon Statue Capital, I have extremely covert intelligence network personnel who will contact them as soon as possible, and then let them get in touch with you."

"When the time comes, if you have any needs, they will fully cooperate."

"At the same time, I will inform Grand Duke Sailiangsi of this information, so that he may secretly carry out war mobilization."

"This time, we must defeat the Stone Demon Statue Empire in one battle."

"Let the entire East Continent be under our control."

Take, who had been listening quietly, nodded slightly.

"Destroying the Holy Demon Stone Statue, such a momentous matter, requires strong cooperation from all sides."

"After all!"

"This is indeed the foundation for unraveling a kingdom's fate-thread."

"It will inevitably be noticed by those transcendent beings with insight and divination abilities, the living prophets of the seer sequence."

"The war between the two sides is not merely a matter of strength."

"The confrontation in the realm of mysticism also exists."

"Fortunately."

"Take possesses the Sailisi Forbidden Crow."

"It can to a great extent avoid scrutiny of the fate-thread."

"And that is precisely the case."

"Only Take dares to act as the grave-digger of the Stone Demon Statue Empire."

"But even if the 【Holy Demon Stone Statue】 is dismantled, the Stone Demon Statue Empire still exists."

"It still requires a great number of powerful individuals to mobilize for war in order to exterminate the Stone Demon Statue Continent."

"Several days later."

"Take received a magical letter from someone in the Stone Demon Statue Empire's capital."

"After careful preparation for several days."

"Take then set out, heading for the Stone Demon Statue Capital."

"……"

"Several days later."

"A young man called \"Tani Lu\" harbored \"longing\" and \"dreams\" for the big city."

"\"With the help of a \"friend, \" he passed through the narrow, cramped, damp and stuffy underground passageway and reached the Stone Demon Statue Capital, this city of dreams. \""

"\"Then, with the help of a \"relative, \""

"this diligent and energetic young man joined the work of cleaning the \"Holy Demon Stone Statue. \""

"This job is not ideal."

"He rises early and works late, not to mention the low wages, and he often suffers reprimands from supervisors."

"Yet the young man \"Tani Lu\" never had any complaints about it."

"Every day, Tani Lu arrives early at the Holy Demon Stone Statue, carrying the aura and context of devout Ash-Day faith, and completes his prayers at its base."

"He then works diligently at the foot of the Stone Demon Statue, and during his breaks he would lean against its towering, vast foot to rest a moment."

"Tani Lu's devout and earnest conduct toward the Holy Demon Stone Statue often draws ridicule from his companions."

"Tani Lu pays no heed, persisting day after day."

"Unbeknownst to him,"

"several months passed silently."

"And the East Continent also ended the golden autumn month, entering the bitterly cold winter."

"The wheels of time continually push the era's track forward, rolling step by step."

"Until……snowflakes begin to wither!"

"When the first snow of winter reaches the Stone Demon Statue Capital,"

"On the day when heavy goose-feather snow flutters in the Stone Demon Statue Capital amidst the howling cold wind,"

"A nightmare-like piece of news from deep within the Stone Demon Statue Continent arrives, causing the entire Stone Demon Statue Kingdom Council to be greatly shaken."

It is said, that night.

In the King's Council Hall, the lights stayed on all night.

Several unfortunate maids had their crushed skulls thrown out.

The guards outside didn't even dare to breathe.

And this made the Stone Demon Statue Monarch furious.

The reason was that the Hall of Heroic Spirits deep within the Stone Demon Statue Continent was besieged by more than ten high-ranking powerhouses from the Saliern Duchy.

The one eighth-rank powerhouse, two seventh-rank powerhouses, six bishop powerholders, dozens of fifth-rank transcendents, and the thirty-thousand-strong transcendent legion guarding the Hall of Heroic Spirits were all wiped out, with hardly any survivors.

Besides that.

The Hall of Heroic Spirits was completely looted.

Even the floor and stone pillars imbued with heroic spirit were all taken by those guys.

That bunch of guys were worse than bandits, utterly lacking any humanity.

Most importantly, the remains of the Transcendent Grand Master were also located by the Saliern Duchy's powerhouses, the seal opened, and they were dug up and taken away.

The whole incident made the Stone Demon Statue Monarch, Ferdinand Felix, furious to the extreme.

But even so.

Ferdinand Felix also did not lightly leave the capital.

Instead, he dispatched another eighth-rank high-level transcendent and Put Abel to investigate.

As winter arrived, the Hall of Heroic Spirits was destroyed.

This year's winter is destined to be a harsh one!

In the depths of the harsh winter.

One heavy snowfall followed another, lasting over half a month.

The thick snowfall seemed to bury all conspiracies, undercurrents, unknown schemes, and indescribable agitation.

And today, the persistent snowfall finally stopped.

The clearing sky, the cold sun hung high.

The clear sky after the snow should have swept away the gloom of the Stone Demon Statue Capital.

Not only did the heaviness and oppression in the air not dissipate,

but rather, as the sky cleared, it gained an added pallor of sternness.

Even the crisp rustle of wind through the treetops became thick and eerie.

In the air, a palpitation-inducing feeling danced on the wind, as if some twisted horror and catastrophe were writhing in unseen corners!

Beneath the Holy Demon Statue.

The crowd was clearing the hard-packed snow.

In the shadow of 'Taniru' at work, a hand faintly protruded.

Pale, slender fingers slowly met the clearing sunlight, as if welcoming the long-absent light.

"After spending over three months, it was finally completed."

A hidden outline in the shadows murmured softly.

With the identity of 'Taniru' entering the Intelligence Division, Ta Ke operated under the members of the intelligence organization.

Ta Ke followed the ecological trajectory and meridians inherent to the Stone Demon Statue Capital, carrying out his plan without anyone noticing any abnormality.

Day after day, Ta Ke, as part of his work, performed higher-dimensional meridian corrections on the Stone Demon Heart Ring that controls the Holy Demon Statue.

Ta Ke's method of correction was quite special.

It was not a direct severance, but rather a severance followed by re-anchoring of the meridians.

However, when re-anchoring, it was not done upon the Stone Demon Heart Ring itself.

Instead, a large number of meridians were anchored onto just a few key meridians.

Although this would consume a great deal of time,

it would not cause any abnormality.

During this period, whether it was the Stone Demon Statue Monarch's perception of the Holy Demon Statue, or the activation of the Stone Demon Statue,

everything remained quite normal.

Or even the divinations of priests, prophets, and other transcendent sequences.

they would not detect any problem with the Holy Stone Demon Statue.

When the time came, those few meridians would be severed.

This transcendent grand master-level 'Holy Demon Statue' would then be instantly liberated.

All imprisonments would completely collapse.

One could say that the edifice of the Stone Demon Statue Empire rests entirely on those few delicate meridians.

And today.

is the day to release the Holy Demon Statue.

At the same time, today is also the day Ta Ke and senior Lei Ya Ge agreed upon to attack the capital of the Stone Demon Statue Empire.

An indescribable sense of fatigue seeped from within to without.

Even breathing felt laborious.

Ferdinand Felix knew something had gone wrong.

But he did not know where the problem lay.

Kingdom ecology? Hall of Heroic Spirits? Or maybe that damned wizard Pu Te·Ya Bo cursed himself?

Yesterday Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si sought out Mi Xie Er·Sai Miu Er and also sought the Dark Sun Archbishop, "Bei·Mei Lin".

However, the divination carried out with the combined strength of the three.

Only the hiss of crows and the rumbling surge of steam were heard.

Danger!

But where the danger lies is unknown.

The sky cleared.

Monarch Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si prepared to look at the clear sky after the snow.

Each time he beheld the towering Holy Demon Stone Statue.

Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si always felt reassured.

That was the guardian deity of the Stone Demon Statue Empire.

As long as the Holy Demon Stone Statue exists for a day.

Then the Stone Demon Statue Empire will stand firm.

The light after the snow is bright; it should bring warmth to people.

But Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si felt a chill, as if it blew into his heart.

On the Holy Demon Watchtower.

Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si examined the burly Holy Demon Stone Statue.

Suddenly, Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si felt that the Holy Demon Stone Statue was strange.

Just like before, yet somewhat different.

In a moment.

The whole world fell silent.

Immediately after.

"Boom...... rumble...... rumble......"

The earth began to shake.

The hundred-meter-tall Holy Demon Stone Statue seemed to awaken, slightly shaking off the snow on its body.

Such a slight movement made the whole land rumble.

"Huh? Can the Holy Demon Stone Statue make such a big movement?"

Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si frowned slightly.

But an unbelievable scene appeared.

The Holy Demon Stone Statue shook off the snow.

It lifted its foot.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Accompanied by the crushing of numerous buildings beneath its feet and the panic and bewilderment of vast crowds.

The Holy Demon Stone Statue, this colossal being,

Thus it proceeded on its own toward the direction of its homeland.

Leaving the place where it had been imprisoned.

"This..."

Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si, his face alternating between gloom and clarity, flipped his hand.

Slightly larger than his palm, entirely earth-yellow, inlaid with earth-runic gems, the 【Stone Demon Heart Ring】 used to imprison and command the Holy Demon Stone Statue appeared in his hand.

At this moment, the 【Stone Demon Heart Ring】 was completely dim.

This also meant that the 【Stone Demon Heart Ring】 in his hand had lost its binding and control over the Holy Demon Stone Statue.

Instantly, Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si's pupils contracted to the extreme.

His whole body trembled violently.

His breathing became ragged.

"So... the problem lies here?"

Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si's face turned deathly pale, his body slightly trembling.

The Stone Demon Statue Empire, having lost its Holy Demon Stone Statue, was like a skyscraper missing its main beam—swaying, ready to collapse at any moment.

However, the collapse of the imperial palace came faster than Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si had anticipated.

It was almost upon him.

"Hum!"

A sphere over three meters in diameter, its entire body like a black hole deep in the starry void, suddenly appeared before Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si.

This was the six-star forbidden spell 【Annihilation·Still Nirvana·Star Burst】.

It was almost pressed against the face of the Stone Demon Statue Monarch, Fei Di Nan·Fei Li Ke Si, and detonated with a roar.

"Boom————"

The forbidden spell's explosion instantly destroyed the entire huge palace.

It flung the sky‑shattering blast fragments in all directions.

A heavy sound wave laden with death and calamity surged in all directions.

The roar of the forbidden spell officially tolled the death knell of the falling Stone Demon Statue Empire.