Chapter 1115: Successful Decoding

Ke Er Sa Luo looked at the devout Tu Su Er, nodded with satisfaction, and said softly, "The High Priest has made a wise choice."

Tu Su Er solemnly replied, "To offer even a modest strength to the Lord of Radiance is my lifelong pursuit, and the supreme honor."

"Then I leave all of that to the High Priest."

As Ke Er Sa Luo finished speaking, his figure turned into a flash of golden light and vanished; Tu Su Er gazed far toward the chief hall on the lower platform of the temple, finally saw Ke Er Sa Luo's form materialize, entered the chief hall, and exhaled.

Tu Su Er realized that his back had become damp at some unknown moment.

A faint bitter smile appeared on his face.

A wise choice… do I even have a choice? Ke Er Sa Luo's last words were airy, yet he sensed great peril.

Tu Su Er even had a premonition: if he refused the other party and would not acknowledge that the Lord of Radiance is the Sun God, then he would never see tomorrow's blazing sun.

"My lord…"

The temple High Priest looked toward the eastern sky, where the sun rose, and whispered a chant.

After a long while, he finally turned and left the temple's summit.

What Tu Su Er did not know was that, kilometers above his head, both inside and outside the temple, and throughout Salta City, countless hidden eyes and ears constantly monitored his every move, eavesdropped on every word, and even saw through his emotional shifts.

All of this was compiled for Ke Er Sa Luo, as if observed on the palm of a hand.

In the chief hall, Ke Er Sa Luo sat alone in a meditation chamber, expressionless, shifting his focus away from Tu Su Er.

"He who knows the times is a hero."

He muttered to himself.

If Tu Su Er had only agreed in person earlier and then committed treachery after he left, he would be sent immediately to see Zu Lazabu.

The High Priest's position in the temple is crucial.

Although a Thundercast Divine Soldier could replace Tu Su Er at any time, it can only mimic appearance; its understanding of the tribe's people and other priests differs, making Tu Su Er far more suitable for cultivating followers and revising doctrine.

If the fake Tu Su Er were to slip up, it would also be a considerable trouble.

One lie requires more lies to cover, so such identity substitution is best done sparingly.

The next day.

Ke Er Sa Luo acted with thunderous authority, beginning to reorganize the Sunfire Tribe.

Numerous Thundercast Celestial Soldiers had been lurking in Salta for nearly a month, knowing the Sunfire Tribe's structure, power, and every affair as if by heart, deeper than any troll. Both overt governance issues and covert profit entanglements were crystal clear.

Ke Er Sa Luo didn't want to waste time; a few words during administration sealed his decisions.

At first, some trolls tried to bluff, but soon realized the new chief seemed all‑knowing, his thoughts and interests already in the chief's grasp.

They dared not resist by day; by night, conspiracies sprouted.

Yet at dawn, everything dissolved into nothingness.

Troll commoners discovered several corpses beneath the city's obelisk, many of which were distinguished holy warriors!

For three consecutive days.

Ke Er Sa Luo cut through the chaos, fully subjugated the Sunfire Tribe, and swept the entire tribe from top to bottom; anyone harboring dissent or disloyalty faced light punishments of stripped rank and exile, or severe punishments of outright bodily destruction, vanishing from the world.

What chilled the trolls most was that the chief did not merely purge dissent; he possessed solid evidence that no slain troll was innocent.

Judgment combined with violent suppression left no troll daring to question the new chief's authority.

In just seven days, the Sunfire Tribe was left with a single voice, a single will.

The Sunfire Tribe's cohesion became unprecedentedly united.

From the holy warrior ranks to troll commoners, no one remembered Zu Lazabu; they only recognized Ke Er Sa Luo, the new chief. The commoners rejoiced at the clear politics, while the holy warriors immersed themselves in training Divine Technique and the joy of rapid power growth.

Ke Er Sa Luo himself felt little sense of achievement.

As the emperor ruling a vast Empire, managing a tribe of only a few hundred thousand was a piece of cake.

He valued Tu Su Er's progress more; each day he went to the Sunfire Temple to personally supervise the High Priest's doctrinal revisions. At first, Tu Su Er delayed intentionally or not, but when he saw Ke Er Sa Luo swiftly seize the tribe with thunderous methods, he dared not delay further.

Tu Su Er summoned all temple priests, and with the chief's permission, selectively disclosed some of the god's current state to them.

He was highly respected in the tribe and quickly persuaded the priests.

In just half a month, Tu Su Er and the priests completed the doctrinal revision, changing the Sun God Anse to the Lord of Radiance Sheng Jilies; of course, the priests understood Sheng Jilies as merely a divine alias to be reverted later.

Divine names, offices, doctrines, prayer rites, maxims, and so on were all correspondingly adjusted.

"Praise the Sun" was changed to "Do not betray Sheng Jilies' blood."

"The Sun above" became "The Radiance above."

Moreover, the Sunfire Tribe must be renamed, but after millennia of that name, a sudden change would be hard for troll folk to accept and could spark fierce resistance, so the change will be slowed; once believers grow accustomed to the Lord of Radiance's presence, the tribe will shift from Sunfire trolls to Radiant trolls.

After the doctrinal revision, Tu Su Er handed it to Ke Er Sa Luo for review.

Ke Er Sa Luo had long known the contents; it was originally revised according to his wishes. Among those priests, three had already been replaced by Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, who actively voiced many suggestions that were adopted during the revision.

In fact, those suggestions came from Li Fei Lin's compiled Radiant Holy Scripture, originally tailored for the Lord of Radiance.

Tu Su Er, unaware of the inner workings, thought it his own merit.

One day, if Tu Su Er leaves the Southern Continent for the outside world and discovers the Lord of Radiance's doctrine has long spread, even earlier than the Sunfire Tribe, what would he feel?

Ke Er Sa Luo smiled to himself.

"Very good!"

He looked at the rather nervous Tu Su Er, his face showing satisfaction, and praised, "The High Priest has made a great contribution to my lord; follow this doctrine as is, and make no further changes."

Tu Su Er exhaled, "The Radiance is above; I will do everything I can to spread my lord's doctrine."

"Do not betray Sheng Jilies' blood!" Ke Er Sa Luo said solemnly.

"Do not betray Sheng Jilies' blood!" Tu Su Er echoed.

Seeing Ke Er Sa Luo turn to leave the temple, he hurriedly asked, "Chief, do you still plan to conquer the Headhunter Tribe within three months?"

Ke Er Sa Luo paused, "Exactly."

"I wonder if I may learn the specific plan?" Tu Su Er's eyes showed worry, then he quickly explained, "I am not opposing the chief's plan; it concerns the tribe's future and is crucial to my lord's revenge. I hope to contribute more strength. As long as I am able, I will fully cooperate with the chief and never be a hindrance."

The Soul Eye saw that Tu Su Er was speaking sincerely.

Ke Er Sa Luo thought for a moment and said, "My plan is simple: pick an auspicious day, bring a squad of the most elite holy warrior troops, storm the city of the Bounty Hunters tribe, slay their chief and priests, and continue until they surrender."

"Uh…" Tu Su Er was stunned.

Is that even a plan?

But he dared not question it; over these days he had watched Ke Er Sa Luo's reorganization of the tribe, and this chief was certainly not a reckless brute with courage but no strategy.

On the contrary, the chief's wisdom far exceeded that of any troll he had seen.

Through repeated contact, Tu Su Er vaguely discovered that the chief seemed to possess an ability to read hearts; all conspiracies, schemes, and deviant intentions could not escape his eyes. Since the chief dared to act thus, there must be a reason.

"How confident is the chief?" Tu Su Er asked.

"Fully."

Ke Er Sa Luo finished speaking and left.

He indeed had a plan, but it was not aimed at the Bounty Hunters tribe; it was a small part of a larger future scheme.

In the past half month, Lei En, via the Pixel World, sent ten thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to the Southern Continent. These Thundercast Celestial Soldiers had just been created, all were high‑rank transcendants, and had cultivated the Star‑Lake Meditation, becoming battle mages.

Now, all ten thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers have transformed into trolls, divided into two groups.

One group of nine thousand entered the Divine Abandoned Land, and at the foot of a mountain about four hundred li from Sa Er Ta, formed a troll tribe called the Dark Spear Tribe.

The remaining one thousand infiltrated the Bounty Hunters tribe.

Additionally, three hundred Thundercast Divine Soldiers were hidden outside Sa Er Ta City, gradually joining the Sunfire Tribe each day, assuming forged identities under Ke Er Sa Luo's direction to enter the chief's guard. The Sunfire Tribe numbered only 120,000, and introducing too many Thundercast Divine Soldiers at once would be hard to conceal; three hundred was already the limit.

However, all the Thundercast Divine Soldiers are Legendary High-rank, possessing strength comparable to Sunfire Warriors.

Even just three hundred are enough to sweep the Bounty Hunters tribe.

As long as Ke Er Sa Luo wishes, he can eliminate the enemy at any time and unify the Divine Abandoned Land within three days, with no resistance.

But he is waiting.

The so‑called three‑month deadline is actually Lei En's own estimate; he is waiting for the day he deciphers the Ancient Sacred Runes.

The Bounty Hunters tribe worships the hunting god U Lei Er Si, and although the Ancient Sacred Altar is sealed, U Lei Er Si's divine power cannot easily reach the Southern Continent, offering little support to believers; however, U Lei Er Si can receive information from troll followers.

News of the Sunfire God's resurrection!

Lei En does not know the relationship between U Lei Er Si and Ge Weng, and he cannot risk letting Ge Weng notice, which would be extremely detrimental to the future.

Therefore the Sunfire Tribe needs a cover, and Ke Er Sa Luo's great power also requires a plausible explanation.

Changing the divine name and office is only the first layer.

There must be a second layer.

Coincidentally, the Southern Continent possesses a very suitable and immensely powerful force.

It is the Luo A deity and the Ancient Sacred Altar!

The Divine Abandoned Land is called so because the Ancient Sacred Altar is damaged, and Luo A's divine power cannot cover it.

Lei En believes that once he deciphers the Ancient Sacred Runes, he may locate the Ancient Sacred Altar in the Divine Abandoned Land and repair it, after which Ke Er Sa Luo could seize the altar and become Luo A's deity. In that case, Ke Er Sa Luo's sudden surge in power, together with the Thundercast Divine Soldiers disguised as the chief's guard, would have an explanation that convinces the trolls and hides it from U Lei Er Si's eyes.

Time passes day by day.

The Ancient Sacred Runes Lei En gathers increase daily; although he cannot yet fully decipher them, he already understands part of the Ancient Sacred Altar's principles.

He mobilized over a thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, sparing no energy consumption, and kept multi‑core chips running around the clock to parse the Ancient Sacred Runes.

Meanwhile.

The divine name of Lord of Radiance Saint Gilies gradually spread among the Sunfire Tribe.

At first it spread from the temple priests; the trolls were initially skeptical, but when they saw that the chief and the high priest did not object, and the priests explained that the Lord of Radiance is the Sunfire God's divine incarnation created at awakening, the two are one.

No matter which deity one prays to, it is the same.

The priests intentionally guide, covertly encouraging believers to be bold.

Amidst doubt and belief, some trolls whose faith was not especially firm tried praying to the Lord of Radiance, and soon a holy warrior discovered that they had received a response from the deity.

As the days of prayer lengthened, some holy warriors even received a blessed Divine Technique!

What was originally a secret among a few holy warriors soon could not be hidden, and more and more holy warriors prayed to the Lord of Radiance for power.

In any case, the priests said the Lord of Radiance is the Sunfire God, with no distinction.

Sure enough, many holy warriors obtained Divine Technique.

Some trolls who had not yet mastered Holy Light, due to their devout faith in the Lord of Radiance, also received the deity's response, granting a blessing stronger than Divine Technique, directly bestowing Holy Light power, undergoing successive soul metamorphoses, and leaping into elite holy warriors.

That exploded the situation.

Within a few days, trolls who believed in the Lord of Radiance surged, and in just a month, half of the trolls in Sa Er Ta had become followers of the Lord of Radiance.

The Lord of Radiance replaced the Sunfire God everywhere, and could be heard everywhere.

Occasionally one could still hear "Do not betray Saint Gilies' blood."

Under the temple priests' direction, the city's obelisks, prayer rooms, and ceremonial plazas were altered, either adding the Lord of Radiance's doctrine or erasing the Sunfire God entirely, replacing him with Saint Gilies.

The priests conduct prayer ceremonies daily, teaching the new doctrine to believers.

Even the trolls most devoted to the Sunfire God began to waver gradually amid this unstoppable wave of conversion.

However, it was only a wavering.

Faith and tradition passed down for tens of thousands of years cannot be completely altered in the short term; at least after three generations will the Sunfire God's traces be fully erased.

Ke Er Sa Luo was already very satisfied with this.

That day, after completing inspections of several Sunfire troll villages outside Sa Er Ta City, he casually brought back a few Thundercast Divine Soldiers disguised as Sunfire trolls, added them to the chief's guard, was about to handle matters, when he suddenly looked up toward the distant sky.

Above the floating Beiden Palace, on the bridge of the Augustus, Lei En wore a delighted expression, watching the phone interface that had opened in his view.

The Ancient Sacred Runes have been successfully deciphered!

(End of Chapter)