Chapter 1123: Expedition

Two months later, New Era Calendar year 2546, July.

Sarta.

The city's upper tier has been expanded, its area now three times larger, and the temple renamed the Glorious Temple stands in the middle of the plaza. Atop the temple, a huge cross‑shaped holy emblem shines brilliantly under the sun, golden blood flowing along the cross, emitting a sacred radiance.

This is the holy emblem of the Lord of Glory!

Boom! Boom! Boom…

On the plaza before the temple, a massive war drum is sounded by two senior holy warriors.

They stand on either side holding wooden mallets, each striking in turn, the thunderous drumming echoing throughout the city and soaring to the heavens.

Ke Er Sa Luo stands at the temple gate, Grand Priest Tu Su Er and Zan Jin standing on his left and right, both trolls with faces full of excitement.

At last, this day has arrived!

Today is the day the Glorious Tribe officially sets out, waging war against the Loa deities beyond Yin He Nie Luo.

Amid the drumming, the holy warriors ride fearsome horned dragons gathering from across the city, entering the plaza and arranging their mounts into neat ranks. Each holy warrior exudes a fierce aura; their armor is finer, their weapons more powerful—all thanks to the chieftain's achievements.

Moments later, a full thirty thousand holy warriors have assembled on the temple plaza.

And this is not yet the end.

Ke Er Sa Luo waves his hand, and strong energy fluctuations emanate from the side annexes of the temple, drawing the holy warriors' gazes.

The annexes are newly built, extremely spacious, wall‑less, supported only by stone pillars that hold up the dome, revealing the interior scene.

Mysterious runes illuminate the floor inside the hall.

Gradually, the air ripples like a water surface, energy coalescing into a vortex; the center rapidly expands into a towering portal, through which one can see the opposite side, where fully armed holy warriors pour out, sprinting from the palace to join the Glorious Legion on the plaza.

The holy warriors have seen it many times, and many trolls have personally experienced teleportation, yet each time they witness a portal opening they are always amazed.

Teleportation array, portal, teleportation hall!

Just over a month ago, when the chieftain announced that the teleportation hall had been completed and explained its function to the holy warriors, all the trolls were shocked.

Just a few steps forward, and in the blink of an eye they can reach another troll city hundreds of li away!

This is a miracle!

Even though just over two months ago the chieftain led his army to conquer the entire God‑Abandoned Land, the shock and fervor it caused pale compared to the portal.

Even the dullest troll can realize how crucial the portal's function is.

If the holy warriors previously harbored any doubt about whether the tribe could conquer the entire Gula Man Empire, now that they know the portal exists, they have no further doubts. The trolls of the newly conquered tribes have almost all set aside dissent, smoothly submitting, and many trolls have expressed their loyalty to the holy warriors.

The seven major cities of Yin He Nie Luo have each erected a Glorious Temple.

Moreover, each temple possesses a teleportation array that can reach Sarta directly, though they cannot teleport between each other, making Sarta the teleportation hub of Yin He Nie Luo!

At first, Grand Priest Tu Su Er strongly opposed building teleportation arrays in other cities; he suggested waiting a few more years until inter‑tribal affairs were fully stable, to prevent temple teleportation arrays from falling into rebel hands and being used to counterattack Sarta.

Tu Su Er's considerations are thorough, a sign of seasoned wisdom.

But Ke Er Sa Luo refused.

These teleportation arrays are powered by the energy of the ancient holy altar, and the holy warriors guarding them are actually Thundercast Divine Soldiers.

No rebel force could ever seize a teleportation array.

In fact, the self‑built teleportation arrays number far more than seven; hidden arrays have been erected in forests beyond the major cities of Yin He Nie Luo, at every major thoroughfare and several key locations, usable only by Thundercast Celestial Soldiers and Glorious Warriors.

This teleportation network covers the entire God‑Abandoned Land; with a single thought, a massive army can be summoned to the battlefield in five minutes.

At this moment, Tu Su Er shakes his head silently.

He watches the holy warriors deployed in the major troll cities, who swiftly return to Sarta via the teleportation arrays, and is instantly convinced.

The chieftain is right again!

The holy warriors on the plaza number forty thousand, which is not the entirety of the Glorious Legion; another twenty thousand remain stationed to guard against power vacuums in the cities.

The drumming stops.

Ke Er Sa Luo rises into the air, looking down on his army, while the holy warriors lift their heads to gaze at the chieftain, eyes filled with reverence and awe.

"Glory above!"

Ke Er Sa Luo prays aloud and declares, "All right, we gather beneath Sheng Jilesi's glory; there is only one goal: conquest!"

"Whatever I see, I shall trust the glory."

"In the past half month, the false god Wusok has repeatedly dispatched armies to invade Yin He Nie Luo, even assaulting Farazash; though casualties were few, it is a contempt of the Lord of Glory. We who worship the Lord of Glory cannot tolerate such actions."

"In Sheng Jilesi's name, today we subdue the false god, and it shall pay the price."

"Thus, we do not betray Sheng Jilesi's blood!"

Ke Er Sa Luo roars the final line, and instantly tens of thousands of holy warriors shout in unison, "We will not betray Sheng Jilesi's blood!"

"We will not betray Sheng Jilesi's blood!"

"We will not betray Sheng Jilesi's blood…"

Repeated shouts raise the holy warriors' spirits, their faith in the fiery blaze burning fiercely, as a massive manifestation of Sheng Jilesi's light appears above the temple, showering divine radiance, blessing the believers, and instantly pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

"Depart!"

Ke Er Sa Luo gives the order, and the Glorious Legion swiftly enters the teleportation hall, stepping into one of the already opened portals.

This portal leads to Farazash, a troll city at the far eastern edge of Yin He Nie Luo, originally belonging to a jungle troll tribe with about two hundred thousand inhabitants, not a large settlement. Yet traveling dozens of li east from Farazash enters a Loa territory.

Uusok, the God of Strength!

Over two months ago, Ke Er Sa Luo conquered Farazash; after cleansing the city, he dispatched two thousand holy warriors to garrison and control the situation.

Half of those two thousand holy warriors are Glorious Warriors; before long, the Glorious Warriors detected scouts infiltrating Farazash, captured and interrogated them—they came from the Fengzhi Tribe, worshipping the God of Strength, Uusok.

Ke Er Sa Luo has long surveyed the surroundings of Yin He Nie Luo.

The main altar under his control is linked to five ordinary altars, two of which are damaged; their locations have been found and are being rebuilt.

The first damaged altar lies in the north, part of Yin He Nie Luo, already conquered.

The other three altars are each controlled by a Loa.

One lies to the east, the Power God Usok; further east beyond Usok's domain is also a forsaken divine land, which is the damaged second altar.

The remaining two Loa are in the south: the Flame God Bergyan and the Thunder God Akunda.

The six ancient saint altars form a system that exactly covers the southern part of the Southern Continent, roughly a triangular area accounting for about one quarter of the whole continent.

In Corzaro's plan to conquer the Southern Continent, the first step is to eliminate the three Loa deities and seize the entire south. It doesn't matter which Loa is attacked first; all three Loa have actually sent scouts to infiltrate Yin He Nie Luo to cause trouble.

In terms of deepest hostility and greatest destruction, it is actually the Flame God Bergyan, located directly south of Yin He Nie Luo.

However, Corzaro did not choose to attack it.

The reason he chose the Power God Usok as the first target is that once Usok's territory is captured, they can press eastward to conquer another forsaken divine land. The three territories merged block interference from northern forces of the Southern Continent, sealing the gate, and create more ample time and space to eliminate the other two Loa.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire 40,000‑strong Radiant Legion had entered the portal and arrived at Farazash.

A sharp whine rang out over the sky of Salta.

The troll civilians in the city looked up and saw white silhouettes flying down from the high peaks of the Kelaela Mountains, stirring up fierce gales.

"Icewing Dragon!"

"When will I ever get an Icewing Dragon mount?" a group of young trolls said enviously.

The troll beside him replied, "Join the Chief's Guard and you can."

"That's too hard…"

These days in the Radiant Tribe, young trolls most aspire to join the Chief's Guard and become the chief's personal guard, which grants them an Icewing Dragon mount. However, the selection criteria for the Chief's Guard are extremely high; at minimum one must be an elite Holy Warrior with outstanding talent, have at least a fifty percent chance of becoming a senior Holy Warrior in the future, and be personally chosen by the chief.

Under the envious gazes, the Icewing Dragons slowed their flight and arrived at the plaza, circling the sky and blotting out the sun.

The Icewing Dragons entered the portal in orderly fashion and emerged at the Radiant Temple of Farazash.

Farazash was built in a forest, not large in size; at this moment the trolls in the city were stunned, watching squads of Holy Warriors emerge from the temple and charge out the city gates.

In the sky, a massive Icewing Dragon surged upward.

Corzaro also rode an Icewing Dragon; it was the strongest among over a thousand Icewing Dragons, having undergone six Soul Transformations, its bloodline reverted to its ancestor, now very close to a White Dragon, its body covered in ice‑crystal‑like blue‑white scales, its wings spanning more than twenty meters, and it was only half a step away from advancing to Saint Rank.

The Chief's Guard maintained a strength of one thousand, half of whom wielded Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons, and all were equipped with an Icewing Dragon mount.

Shortly after leaving the city.

Corzaro suddenly ordered the troops into a remote valley about twenty li from Farazash, very inconspicuous. The Radiant Legion's Holy Warriors soon spotted a portal standing in the valley and instantly understood.

This portal was taller than the temple's portal and could transport troops more quickly.

The Holy Warriors swiftly passed through the portal.

Then, after not traveling far further in the forest, they came upon a troll city built at the confluence of two rivers, its scale twice that of Farazash, surrounded by towering walls and a wide moat fed by the rivers.

"Zuan Ke!"

A Holy Warrior immediately recognized it; the city was Zuan Ke, and they were astonished.

Zuan Ke lies over five hundred li from Farazash, far from the border, yet only a little over a hundred li from the Loa Temple of the Power God Usok!

That portal actually sent the Radiant Legion straight into the heart of Usok's territory!

This…

The Holy Warriors could not comprehend how the chief managed it?

But at that moment they had no mind to ponder it, for the trolls in Zuan Ke City had already spotted the Radiant Legion, beating massive drums, the whole city boiling, and a flock of giant eagles rose and flew toward them.

Corzaro waved his hand.

A squad of the chief's personal guard rode Icewing Dragons to meet them; the numbers on both sides were similar, and they quickly closed in.

The troll hunters perched on the giant eagles circled cautiously beyond what they considered a safe distance, observing the unknown enemies.

"Holy Warrior!"

The troll hunter shouted in alarm.

The Holy Warriors of the Scorching Sun Tribe were highly recognizable, clad in golden armor with a distinct aura.

But before they could figure out what was happening, the troll hunter saw the opposing Holy Warrior gripping a spear and hurling it toward them.

How could it possibly reach from that distance?

The troll hunter's thought hadn't even formed when the spear instantly struck before his eyes, seemingly faster than sound, blowing up his own giant eagle mount; some spears pierced the troll's body, causing a horrendous scream as they fell to the ground.

Within a single breath, dozens of giant eagles were completely wiped out.

Bang—bang—bang…

On the ground, the Radiant Legion had all emerged from the portal, the vanguard Holy Warrior riding a Dreadhorn Dragon, charging toward the city.

The heavy footfalls shook the earth as the Dreadhorn Dragon smashed through trees and shrubs blocking the road, gaining speed, its momentum awe‑inspiring.

In the sky, a thousand Icewing Dragons began their dive.

Their target was the city wall.

Corzaro surged ahead and saw several notably powerful trolls on the wall: two Kings of Hunters and a troll war general, all blessed by the Loa. The troll who worships the Power God Usok was visibly larger than the others, possessing a strength advantage.

Especially the war general, nearly two meters tall, looking like a small giant.

This is a standard Loa Warrior!

He wielded a massive cleaver, snapped off a tusk, looked up at the diving Icewing Dragons, his eyes flashing with blood‑thirsty light.

Corzaro met his gaze and let out a cold snort.

At the same time, the two Kings of Hunters raised their long bows, about to fire at the target, when suddenly they realized Corzaro had vanished.

A flash of light flickered in the view.

"Bad!"

The towering Loa Warrior, with extremely keen perception, without hesitation swung his cleaver upward, striking solidly against a war axe.

Clang!

A deafening blast roared through the city; the Loa Warrior's cleaver was severed, his body split in two. The war axe fell onto the wall with a thunderous boom, erupting countless golden flames that instantly engulfed several hundred meters of wall, turning the two nearby Kings of Hunters and hundreds of trolls to ash, and the wall collapsed.

(End of Chapter)