Chapter 640: Seeing the Hill

For a moment, Zhou Zhang fell silent.

Teacher Si Ling's appearance had startled her.

She knew her mission: the blood sacrifice was only one part, the other being to await the arrival of a necromancer. What she didn't know was that the one she was meant to wait for was Teacher Si Ling himself.

Zhou Zhang was a devout believer, not a fanatic. She felt profound revulsion and disgust toward Teacher Si Ling, yet her reason remained unshaken by her faith.

Cang Xu, however, experienced a moment of realization.

Indeed, the magic formation surrounding the Ocean Mother Nest contained not only the Charming Blue divine script but also magic runes.

In fact, the very foundation of this colossal formation was not the Charming Blue divine script at all, but the power of the magic.

This was highly unusual.

Consider the massive mobilization of the earth elemental army when they surrounded and hunted down the giant. The divine script formation they deployed was composed purely of earth elemental divine script, without a single magic rune involved.

Looking at the silent Zhou Zhang, Teacher Si Ling replied in a slightly proud tone: "I participated in the construction of this formation. But the ones who actually executed it, aside from the avatar of Charming Blue Goddess, were my teacher and myself."

Teacher Si Ling's teacher was none other than You Shen, the founding patriarch of the necromancers!

Teacher Si Ling: “This colossal formation isn't merely for coordinating with the Ocean Mother Nest for the blood sacrifice. It possesses another crucial function.”

“And that is precisely the subject of our collaboration.”

“This is why I have come.”

Zhou Zhang was aware of this point.

She struggled to speak: "I will cooperate with you going forward. But Qian Xing and Da Han have escaped. This means..."

Teacher Si Ling interrupted: “Rest assured, Fire Beard is not nearby. Da Han came to Ice Sculpture Island for his own reasons.”

“Even if they attack again, as long as Fire Beard isn't present, there's nothing to fear.”

"Next, we must join forces to restore the magic formation and repair the Ocean Mother Nest. The primary force for repairing the Mother Nest isn't you or me, but the octopus saint beast. This was foreseen long ago by the Charming Blue Goddess."

Zhou Zhang's face lit up with a hint of joy. She had been despairing over the Ocean Mother Nest's ruin, never expecting it could be repaired!

Gods were omnipotent.

Charming Blue Goddess had long foreseen such an occurrence and made corresponding arrangements.

The saint beast Snow Pear Octopus wasn't merely to assist in the blood sacrifice for the Mother Nest, it also served as the ultimate safeguard for its restoration!

Cang Xu, standing nearby, looked pensive.

Listening to the conversation between Zhou Zhang and Teacher Si Ling, he had discovered much.

“The undead orthodoxy and the Charming Blue Church may be allies, but their relationship is far from harmonious.”

This was evident.

Necromancers blasphemed against the gods, gravely infringing upon the most sacred benefit of the deities—souls. They were enemies of the gods. If allowed to proliferate, they posed an extreme threat to all gods.

By any reasonable logic, no deity would ally with them. Charming Blue Goddess was an exception. Targeted and gravely wounded, forced into slumber, her situation was precarious. She had no choice but to seek any external aid available!

The necromancers, too, were targeted, their own position equally dire. Having a deity as an ally would undoubtedly be advantageous. Even if that deity lay dormant, gravely wounded.

On the other hand, necromancers were magicians at heart, driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Especially knowledge concerning deities, any insight that could aid them in confronting the gods. Thus, their need in this regard was immense and urgent.

“This alliance between the two factions is fundamentally about huddling together for warmth.”

"Though united, they're held together by immense external force and pressure. Thus, each remains wary of the other, constantly scheming against one another."

Reflecting on this, Cang Xu recalled Zhou Zhang's earlier actions, his expression growing subtly complex.

By all logic, the necromancers falling into an Archbishop's hands should be utterly doomed. Yet Zhou Zhang merely captured these individuals without immediately executing them.

This action alone was already highly suspicious.

Later, Zhou Zhang used blood sacrifices to coerce the necromancers into conversion through threats of life and death.

Xiao Wang Zi and others successively became sacrificial offerings. Now Cang Xu understood Zhou Zhang's true target—Jian Gui.

Jian Gui was different.

He was gold level, a member of the undead orthodoxy.

The Charming Blue Church and undead orthodoxy were allies, bound by cooperation. Zhou Zhang likely never intended to truly kill Jian Gui.

For doing so would likely have shattered their alliance.

Thus, Zhou Zhang resorted to intimidation.

Why would she do this?

Cang Xu guessed it easily: Zhou Zhang wanted to convert Jian Gui, allowing the Charming Blue Church to infiltrate their allies. This was a form of erosion towards the undead forces.

“I was an accident.”

"When I returned from the Mother Nest and mastered special divine spells, Zhou Zhang must have been overjoyed. Even if she didn't understand why I could return, she immediately recognized my value."

“Her shift in attitude toward me, and all her subsequent support, were all efforts to win me over.”

“She must have been overjoyed, for in me she saw the fruits of faith infiltration and even greater possibilities.”

“Jian Gui surely once wondered—why I passed the blood sacrifice.”

"I have now resolved that question. I revealed my true potential."

"Was Teacher Si Ling's guidance merely about recognizing my potential?"

"No."

"He told me about the divine domain and showed an attitude of nonchalance towards the Charming Blue Divine Domain. He even used the Truth Slate to peek into the secrets of the divine domain openly. This is blasphemy. He's trying to destroy my Charming Blue faith."

“He was correcting me, teaching me in a manner so gentle it was nearly imperceptible. He made me recognize the frailty of my object of faith, so I could become a purer necromancer!”

Ordinary people couldn't see through it, remaining in a state of blissful ignorance. But Cang Xu, seasoned by years of experience, immediately sensed the trickery and the hidden power struggle between the two factions.

“Who cares!”

"My Charming Blue faith was fake all along. If Teacher Si Ling knew this truth, he'd be relieved. In a way, we're far more blasphemous than he ever was."

“If he knew what the commander had done, he'd admire him even more, right?”

This thought left Cang Xu feeling strangely unsettled.

“The Lord Commander is devoted to the Justice God.”

"Wonder how he's doing now? Did he save the big guy?"

The fishman youngster had no energy left to pay attention to the outside world.

He poured all his focus into the big guy, using the divine artifact and divine magic with every ounce of strength.

He succeeded!

The Main Earth Elemental God thought He had killed the big guy, but in reality, He had killed Tu Ji.

The Main Earth Elemental God, satisfied, finally withdrew.

He had no interest whatsoever in the remaining figures like Da Dou and Hong Zhu.

But the earth elemental army did not stop.

Da Dou and the others had slaughtered so many of them—how could they possibly stop?

“What should I do?”

“Maintaining the Believer Perception and the Divine Power Channel is already pushing my limits. I can't cast a third divine spell!”

The fishman youngster watched as the big guy and his companions were surrounded on all sides, trapped by mortal enemies, his heart turning to ice.

With no other choice, he could only attempt to pray to the Charming Blue Goddess.

But just as he was about to do so, a squad of transcendents suddenly burst in.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

They used gold level alchemy artifacts to trigger a series of explosions.

"Follow me!!" The Imperial Spy Chief charged ahead, leading his subordinates to the rescue.

These secret agents were all elite operatives.

If they weren't, they wouldn't have been able to execute the plan, disrupting the order of the Magnet Archipelago and plunging all the earth elemental tribes into conflict and constant strife.

They successfully destroyed the divine script formation set up by the earth elemental army.

“Why are these people rescuing Xiao Guai?”

The fishman youngster was utterly perplexed.

Under his expectant gaze, the spies successfully linked up with Da Dou and the others.

Caught completely off guard, the earth elemental army was thrown into chaos by the potions hurled by the spies before they could pursue.

True to their reputation, the Imperial spies wielded top-tier equipment and weaponry.

But saving lives came at a cost.

By the time the secret agents emerged, they had lost at least half their members.

Fortunately, Da Dou and the other two were still alive.

“With these witnesses, my innocence is proven!”

"Tu Ji's death had nothing to do with me!"

“I did everything I could to assist. I am innocent.” The spy chief silently rallied his resolve.

Tu Ji was dead.

A member of the Blood Light Punishment Institution had fallen in battle within his jurisdiction.

Crucially, he had been killed by the Main Earth Elemental God!

This was utterly bizarre.

Who would believe it if he spoke?

The mighty Main Earth Elemental God personally intervening against a mere gold level?

“Xiao Guai was successfully rescued!”

Witnessing this, the fishman youngster relaxed instantly.

That release of tension was all he needed, he collapsed, unconscious on the spot.

As he drifted in and out of consciousness, his weary eyelids fluttered open.

“Where... am I?”

The roar of churning seawater filled his ears.

Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was sinking once more.

The deep sea extended around him.

“Here again...” The fishman youngster recognized this scene all too well.

Countless times, as he drifted into slumber, the Spiritual Navigation within him would activate, drawing him into prayer to Charming Blue Goddess.

Gazing downward, he spotted an immense, shadowy form.

The deeper he sank, the closer he drew to it.

“Is this the true form of Charming Blue Goddess?” the fishman youngster wondered inwardly.

"Wake up! Wake up!!" he screamed in his mind.

But this time, he was utterly exhausted. Though he served as a divine emissary, he remained only a gold level.

He had nearly drained himself dry, utterly devoid of energy.

So no matter how fiercely he screamed, he remained unconscious.

Closer and closer, he drew nearer to the colossal shadow in the ocean depths.

The shadow gradually revealed its true form.

The fishman youngster's eyes widened slightly. He realized this shadow wasn't a living creature at all, it was truly a hill.

“Why does this hill look familiar?”

“Where have I seen it before?”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the fishman youngster's mind.

He remembered.

He had seen it in the Dueling Divine Domain, through the memories of Lan Zao.

It was a wondrous place, a marvelous place.

A legendary place, a romantic place!

It was—Tranquil Hill.