The Commemoration

Du Chen instructed Deboning to cut a small piece from the charred half-skin and place it on The Sixth's Holy Light. With a hiss, black smoke billowed once more. Du Chen meticulously observed the smoke, nodding, "Exactly, this is Philip's Undead virus reacting to my Holy Light! Salon was already poisoned before he was Flayed or killed by my elder brother!"

Du Chen sighed. The situation was now strikingly clear. Flaying and Philip could not possibly be connected. Thus, the sequence of events must be: Philip poisoned Salon. Salon arrived in Lanning and succumbed to the poison after the banquet. Yet, at that precise moment, Flaying coincidentally used Steve to kill Salon and seize a map from his person!

Alternatively, the true killer of Salon was Philip, while Flaying and Steve merely stumbled upon the opportune moment, serving at most as accomplices. Without them, Salon would still have died. With them, Salon simply lost a piece of skin in addition to his demise!

This, then, was likely the true course of events. Which led to the immediate, pressing second question: Why did Philip eliminate Salon?!

Du Chen abruptly looked up, his gaze piercing the tent fabric. "Given Philip's past actions, his motive for eliminating Salon was likely for his Undead experiments! Deboning, immediately re-interrogate General Ledo. You must ascertain the whereabouts of the fallen beastmen bodies and how they disposed of the Lanning soldiers' corpses that fell into their hands!"

General Ledo proved exceptionally cooperative. Moments later, Deboning returned to report, "Young Master, the beastmen's funerary rites are quite unique, though their essence can be summed up in a single phrase: 'Return to the embrace of the Supreme Father God!' Among them, royal family members are given a Sky Burial upon death, while generals and soldiers who die for the nation undergo Earth Burial. This involves burying their bodies directly into the ground, without coffins or memorial statues. Instead, Kodo Beasts are used to flatten the ground over the buried corpses, allowing the bodies to decompose underground, nourishing the great prairie!"

Deboning paused, then added, "As for the Lanning soldiers' corpses that fell into their hands, they were gathered and cremated. The beastmen believe this prevents the enemies' souls from returning to their homeland after death."

Du Chen asked, "And where exactly are these beastmen Earth Burials conducted?"

Deboning hesitated for a moment. "Between the Auerbach Grand Canyon and the Amulang Mountains..."

The Amulang Mountains? Though Du Chen had never visited the place, it was deeply etched in his memory. His Grand Matriarchs had personally confirmed that towards the end of the War of Fallen Gods, the Holy Alliance and the Fiendkind engaged in a protracted, brutal conflict near what was then the Auerbach Canyon, a vast prairie. The front line stretched from the Amulang Mountains to the Auerbach Grand Canyon. In that battle, from Marshal Orbach down to countless common soldiers, many perished. This included God Sigurd and Julie, the Divine, who had rushed to provide support in the later stages of the campaign!

After the war, generals like Sigurd, who had numerous descendants, had their bodies retrieved and buried within their fiefs. Generals like Julie, the Divine, who had no heirs, were interred by the Holy Alliance, the predecessor of the Holy Church. However, many generals and soldiers left no remains. These individuals, having contributed greatly to humanity, could not be left without even a memorial tablet after death. Thus, the Holy Church erected a great necropolis in the Amulang Mountains, serving as a cenotaph for them!

After a long millennium, the Amulang Mountains within McAllen had become one of the most renowned divine tombs across the Three Continents. However, because the beastmen exclusively revered Orbach, disregarding other gods, and often ignored the Holy Church's remonstrations by performing Earth Burials for their Beastkin heroes around the periphery of the Amulang Divine Tomb, the area was now trending towards becoming a mass grave... Of course, the Amulang Mountains were still a divine tomb after all; the Holy Church would never allow it to truly devolve into a chaotic burial ground—at the very least, it would be a rather luxurious mass grave!

"The Amulang Mountains! Ha, this place is practically paradise for Philip!" Du Chen paced slowly, speaking deliberately. "If my previous deduction is correct, then Philip's next move will undoubtedly be to demand the tens of thousands of beastmen corpses slain during the Star River Victory from me. He would then acquire these bodies through the Amulang Mountains' Earth Burial rituals and transform them into Undead soldiers! Deboning, what is the current state of those corpses?"

Deboning replied, "Following established custom, the beastmen value the interment of their fallen soldiers. Therefore, the bodies have been stored separately in ice cellars and have not been buried. Porter believes these corpses could become crucial leverage in negotiations with the beastmen!"

"Hmm, the weather is gradually warming now. Ensure those bodies are well-preserved..." Du Chen suddenly raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Wait a moment. Tell Dud to gather all those corpses in one place. Du Chen's Divine Cult is going to hold a grand commemoration for them, and all the beastmen captives shall attend the ceremony!"

On April 1st, 1280, Fallen Gods Era, the Lanning Expeditionary Army's Logistics Headquarters erected an altar, a hundred meters in circumference and twenty meters high, upon the vast, empty prairie!

All the beastmen corpses were arranged around the altar. Encircling the corpses was a layer of Lanning generals and soldiers, flanked by sacred artifacts of war. Beyond that stood thirty thousand beastmen captives. Finally, another layer of Lanning generals and soldiers, alongside more sacred artifacts of war, kept a vigilant watch on the captives! The immense formation, the magnificent altar, and the countless living and dead bodies formed a truly grand tableau!

Into this solemn environment, Du Chen slowly ascended the altar, with Deboning and General Ledo closely following him on either side. All three were clad in their most formal ceremonial robes!

Under the watchful eyes of the thirty thousand beastmen captives, "Alas!" Du Chen's sigh echoed across the plains. He then bowed deeply, turning three times to salute the corpses on all sides, saying with a tone of regret, "On the battlefield, we were enemies, fighting mercilessly to the death! But now, having sacrificed yourselves for your nation, you are all heroes of McAllen! After death, warriors must receive the respect they deserve!" With these words, he knelt on one knee, performing the most solemn Battle God's salute to commemorate the fallen soldiers!

The simple-minded common beastmen were visibly moved on the spot, but upon seeing the mountain of their compatriots' bodies, their expressions of emotion quickly turned to furious resentment. They glared at Du Chen, their eyes seething with killing intent. If not for the sacred artifacts of war pressing down from front and back, they would undoubtedly have charged forward to tear this 'demon' apart!

General Ledo chuckled obsequiously. "General Francis, your reverence is too great; we are unworthy. We are but your captives and your slaves!"

Du Chen, with a flick of his hand, knocked General Ledo down. Rising, he offered a slight bow. "Just now, it was I, Francis, who paid respects to the brave warriors. But this current bow, this is Du Chen, the Divine, commemorating these heroes!"

Du Chen, the Divine? The beastmen's faces remained impassive. They recognized only Orbach, the Supreme Father God!

"Perhaps none of you recognize Du Chen, the Divine..." Du Chen smiled with an air of self-awareness. "But who among you remembers that ferocious beast that appeared in the Auerbach Grand Canyon?! The very monster that nearly annihilated the Crimson Mausoleum Guards and extinguished the McAllen Imperial Family?!"

Among the captives, there were not a few soldiers who had participated in the battle of the Grand Canyon that day. One of them roared, "Hmph! Orbach, the Supreme Father God, manifested his divine power and long ago subdued that fierce beast! Now, that beast is a servant of the Supreme Father God, atoning for its sins with its humility! Francis, if you wish to kill us, then kill us! Why blather on?! The descendants of Orbach, the Supreme Father God, do not accept the commemoration of Du Chen, the Divine!"

General Ledo's expression drastically changed. Pointing at the roaring beastman, he cursed, "Scoundrel! You, you..."

"Alas!" Du Chen sighed again, cutting off General Ledo. "The Holy Church venerates over a thousand deities. You may choose not to accept the worship of any other god, but you *must* accept the commemoration of Du Chen, the Divine, and indeed, you have no choice but to accept it!" He shrugged with a wry smile. "If Du Chen, the Divine, hadn't sent me a message a few days ago, I wouldn't have known, nor would I have believed, one crucial fact: Du Chen, the Divine, and Orbach, the Supreme Father God, are close as blood brothers, true sworn companions!"

At these words, the beastmen erupted in an uproar, and General Ledo nearly collapsed! Even Deboning grimaced slightly, thinking to himself, *First, Young Master renames Yessar God, then impersonates Dus, and now... he's even wildly fabricating the background of Du Chen, the Divine. Alas, when will Young Master's journey of blasphemy ever end?*

The beastmen were stunned for a moment, then began roaring in anger, "Francis, you lie! Brothers, let us fight to the death! We would rather perish beneath these sacred artifacts of war than allow this demon to desecrate the Supreme Father God!"

General Ledo hastily shouted for them to stop.

Du Chen sighed. "I know you won't believe me based on my words alone. Unfortunately, Du Chen, the Divine, is currently on the Azure Heaven Continent and cannot explain it to you personally, so he could only send me a verbal message... Never mind. I don't ask you to believe me now, but time will prove everything!"

As he spoke, Du Chen descended the altar, raising the Lotus Azureveil Shield high as he walked among the beastmen captives! The Lanning soldiers below instantly tensed, their full attention fixed on the beastmen's reactions. Deboning and General Ledo followed even more closely, terrified that a beastman might recklessly lash out and attack Francis!

Indeed, some beastmen were ready to risk their lives to strike at Du Chen. But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred. A faint cerulean glow emanated from Du Chen's Water Veil Shield, and a protective golden light shimmered behind him. These two lights were subtly interwoven with a crimson radiance. The three lights merged, passing gently over the beastmen's corpses like a mother's tender hand!

Someone recognized it. "This, this is very similar to the divine light manifested by the Supreme Father God during the battle of the Auerbach Grand Canyon!"

"No, there are still some differences. Look, it has an additional crimson glow and cerulean watery light..."

"But, but look at the bodies of our fallen brothers—the stench of decay has vanished from them..."

Amidst the beastmen's cries of shock and doubt, Du Chen amplified the light of his Lotus Arcane Artifact to its maximum, walking a full circle around all the corpses. As he walked, he declared, "This light is very similar to the light manifested by Orbach, the Supreme Father God, isn't it, yet slightly different? Ah, that is because my God, Du Chen, once practiced Secret Techniques alongside Orbach, the Supreme Father God, in their youth! They are sworn brothers who grew up together!"