Chapter 1359: Preparations for Divine Descent

"Thorn Nun"Miss Shirley Winster is a vessel prepared for divine descent, cultivated by the Natural Church, and she too belongs to the ascetics.

Her eyes bear continuous thorn patterns, patterns that even penetrate beneath her eyelids. Of course, during the Battle of Sikaer Mountain, because Yi Lu Na performed excellently, and the Evil God was immediately suppressed by the Moon God summoned by the "Summoner" after its appearance, the Natural Church ultimately did not use the Divine Descent ritual. After all, the enemy people faced at that time was not a god, but a Pantanal Pantanal Xiewu born from a Level 0 Relic.

And this barefoot ascetic in hemp robes before him, if Xia De's guess is correct, should be a divine descent body cultivated by the Sun Church, prepared for the God of Sun and Earth 【Lantern Old Man】. Otherwise, there is no way to explain how he, like Xia De, can directly touch the mud flowing on the ground without relying on any power.

Even Yi Lu Na, who is currently still on the airship, cannot do this.

The bearded, unkempt ascetic nodded, but made no comment on Xia De's words:

"I am just here to see the situation. Although I also possess Earth power, I cannot purify the twisted and mad land. Tonight, it will still be up to you, and that respectable soul, to handle all of this."

He used the singular here:

"There are now followers of the Evil God on the mountaintop. They want to use tonight's events to make important preparations before the Evil God descends. You must be prepared to face the power of the Evil God."

"I have seen the power of the Evil God many times."

Xia De said with a smile, then asked the other party:

"If that deity truly descends to the Landel River Valley in the near future, during the season when the first Landel flower blooms, what will you do?" The ascetic shook his head slightly:

"Do what we can do. Summoner, the story of the Landel River Valley is about to reach its end. The Zhengshen Sect has also discovered the many secrets hidden in this ancient city and this ancient land. We know you have also done many things in private. So this time... if that deity truly descends to the Landel River Valley, what will you do?"

Xia De also shook his head:

"Of course, I will also do what I can do."

He looked towards the mountaintop, at the people dancing around the "Black Mud Spring":

"Then I shall set off. The Guardians might already be waiting for me." "Please wait a moment. The truth about the Guardians... will likely surprise you."

Hearing this, Xia De looked inquisitively at the ascetic:

"So, the Church already knows the truth about the Guardians?" The withered-faced man's expression was very serious:

"Summoner, do not underestimate the Zhengshen Sect. For nearly two thousand years before you appeared, it was always the Church that guarded the material world of the Sixth Era. We indeed know the truth about the Guardians, but that truth might be very strange, so I will not make any judgment."

This was actually good news. Even if Xia De did not understand the truth about the Guardians, when Yi Lu Na arrived here in a few days, he could just ask her and find out.

It seemed the ascetic had come here just to say these few words to Xia De. Before Xia De could walk up, he turned on his own and walked down the hill.

Xia De had once heard from Lu Lu Weiya that these Church-cultivated Circle Mages prepared for divine descent were mostly mentally different from normal people. This was not only because they needed to undergo arduous ascetic practices, but also because they were closer to the gods than any normal person. Now, encountering someone similar again, it further confirmed Lu Lu Weiya's statement.

After parting with the ascetic, Xia De continued walking up the hill path flowing with black mud. As faint glimmers rose from the soil, those glimmers gradually gathered around him into souls.

Mr. Thomas Granger, whom he had only seen once in the Emerald Dream, wearing long robes, finally appeared again after nearly two months. He silently walked with Xia De towards the hilltop, his faintly glowing spirit illuminating Xia De's curious face:

"Long time no see, Mr. Granger. Your family is still searching for your whereabouts. After the affairs of the Landel River Valley are over, would you like to appear in a dream to explain your final arrangements to the current Count Granger?"

The soul glanced at Xia De

once:

"If this is your request, very well."

The last stretch of path was not long. After reaching the hilltop, he saw that the five cultists in black robes already present were indeed dancing. More precisely, they were dancing around three black stone statues that had detached from the ground, emitting a silver blasphemous aura, and floating in the "Black Mud Spring".

The carving skills of those three stone statues were extremely exquisite: one was a twelve or thirteen-year-old child dressed in magnificent clothes, one was a youth of the same age as Xia De's body wearing ordinary clothes, and one was an old man of the same age as Priest Augustus, dressed in tattered rags like a beggar.

The lifelike appearance of the three stone statues almost made Xia De think they were living people who had been petrified. And soaking in the black mud was causing even more bizarre changes to the three stone statues.

The dance performed by the cultists was an ancient sacrificial dance; it did not look ridiculous, but rather had an eerie solemnity. At the moment Xia De and Mr. Thomas Granger also reached the hilltop, and even as the gushing black mud splashed onto them, the dance ceased, and the cultists gathered together.

Two High-Circle and three Mid-Circle. Judging by the power of cultists in this era, this should already be the backbone of the cult. Among them, the big-bearded Mid-Circle Ringed Ringed Shushi, Xia De had seen once at Watson Manor, and the other party obviously recognized Xia De. "You have come."

The High-Circle Ringed Ringed Shushi, whose voice was very muffled as if he had a cold, said.

Xia De looked at the three stone statues floating behind them:

"I still do not understand. What benefit can summoning your god to destroy the world bring you?"

The High-Circle Ringed Ringed Shushi answered:

"When everything comes to the very end, humanity will be unable to survive. Only when the world turns into eternal, unchanging hard stone can it lead us to a new world."

The followers of 【Lord of the Blood Banquet】 back then also claimed that becoming food for the gods and thus being with the gods was the way to survive at the end of the apocalypse. Nearly half a year had passed since he first met the cultists. Hearing similar arguments again now, Xia De had a different perspective.

Of course, he still believed this kind of talk was no different from excreting waste gas.

"Guardian, our purpose is actually no different from yours. When my Lord descends, my Lord's power will rebalance the land of the Landel River Valley. At that time, your mission will also be over."

The High-Circle Ringed Ringed Shushi spoke again to Mr. Granger, who shook his head:

"The balance you speak of is not the same as the balance I believe in. Your god, although also respecting the Earth, is different from the Earth I guard."

"Since that is the case, please rest in peace here. The glory of my god will shine upon you."

The High-Circle Ringed Ringed Shushi nodded and beckoned behind him. The three stone statues flew out from the "Black Mud Spring". Leaving the black mud, the spiritual light on the surface of the filthy stone statues appeared even more dazzling, and the oppressive pressure of the blasphemous elements became even more shocking. And when they detached from the black mud, Xia De finally saw more details: the stone statues all had faces, but every single one was in a state with closed eyes.

These three stone statues were most likely the divine descent bodies prepared by the cultists for the Evil God; otherwise, there is no way to explain such terrifying power.

Not only Xia De, but even the face of Mr. Granger's soul showed a solemn expression.

The two stepped back, and after the three stone statues landed, the one representing the youth and the one representing the old age were respectfully covered with black cloth by the cultists, and then carried on the backs of two High-Circle Mages:

"Then we shall meet again."

Of the five, two Mid-Circle Mages and two High-Circle Mages quickly withdrew from the other side of the hill, leaving only Xia De and Mr. Granger, fully prepared, to confront the big-bearded middle-aged man familiar to Xia De.

He said to Xia De very seriously:

"Last time you spared me; I should have expressed my gratitude."

"No need to thank me. You gave me intelligence on Watson Manor; this is a fair trade. But I also said, when I meet you again, I will not spare you."

Xia De drew a clear yellow long sword from the air, while the big-bearded man, whose half-side face was illuminated by the blasphemous aura, slightly

shook his head:

"I know you are a good person, so I want to remind you one last time: sometimes, people really should not interfere in matters that do not belong to them."

Having said this, without waiting for Xia De and Granger to react, he reached out and pierced his own chest, then forcibly dug out his own heart.

He did not die immediately. Instead, while Xia De waved his hand to unleash a Moon Slash, he handed the heart to the child stone statue beside him:

"Praise my Lord 【Stone Heart Demon】, may the Heart of the Earth be with you."

The corpse fell into the mud on the ground, while Xia De's attack was blocked by the child stone statue raising its left hand. That not-so-large stone palm actually pinched the clear yellow Moon Slash and crushed it into moonlight fragments.

At the same time, the stone statue's right hand deftly caught the still-bleeding heart, then pressed it against its own chest.

An irregular crack, like the maw of a fierce beast, split open on the stone's surface, and the heart that had been willingly offered was placed inside.

For a moment, Xia De thought the evil god was about to descend immediately, then realized that, according to the investigation, the god-descent ritual of the Stone Heart Demon was absolutely not that simple.

But even so, the spreading silver blasphemous spiritual light still formed a materialized energy shockwave, blasting Xia De flying. In an instant the world spun, the world seeming to flip upside down. And "she" by his ear continued to gently remind him:

【Outsider, you have come into contact with "Blasphemy," and you have gained some insight into "Heart."】

【Note: due to the influence of divine-art power, any strenuous movement from now on will cause your heart to beat far faster than the normal range. For the sake of your physical health, please try to keep your body and spirit calm.】