Revelation

With that, Du Chen calmly glanced up at the third Marshal Orbach, who was submerged in the War Instruments’ barrage. He noted that the Marshal indeed possessed considerable skill, charging wildly through the dense net of fire with his protective battle qi. Though overwhelmed by sheer numbers and with his battle qi shield constantly fracturing from the bombardment, he was still holding on.

Du Chen activated the small beast-shaped communicator by his ear once more. “Your Majesty, we’ve gained the advantage here, but for a complete victory, please send reinforcements as soon as possible… Your Majesty? Your Majesty?!”

There was no response from Pontiff Sama for a surprisingly long time. Du Chen’s heart sank, telling himself, *No, the Pontiff couldn’t be in danger. The Enthronement Ceremony on Battle God Isle is protected by at least a hundred thousand elite soldiers and nearly ten thousand experts from Battle God Isle and the Holy Church. How could the Pontiff possibly be in trouble under such circumstances?*

Du Chen inquired several more times. After a long while, the Pontiff finally responded, chuckling heartily, “Heh heh, just now, the monarchs of various nations on the Isle caused a brief commotion. This Emperor quelled the unrest and didn’t have time to respond, which must have worried the battle zone commanders!” It seemed Du Chen wasn't the only one who had sensed something amiss with the Pontiff.

The Pontiff then specifically connected with Du Chen, his voice betraying the exhaustion of someone who had just escaped a deadly peril. “Francis, thanks to your timely warning! Now, all Nine War Zones, except for yours and the two failed sectors… have achieved overwhelming victories with remarkable results! On our side, Bairu is critically wounded and unconscious, and the Battle God of War and Guardian Battle God have fallen in battle. But the Scarlet Army fared even worse—besides Retoya, two Venerables committed suicide, and Leiming and four other Venerables fled with injuries. Now, among the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army, only Lei Zhan remains on the battlefield. Oh, what did you say just now? Someone impersonating Orbach?”

Du Chen could tell that although the Pontiff tried to suppress his relief at having survived, he was internally ecstatic. “Yes, Your Majesty. That person is moving towards Battle God Isle with Lei Zhan, but they’ve been intercepted by the Great Triangle Navy!”

“Good! The Five Families of Fallen Gods and Ferdinand from the Nine War Zones will withdraw to the inner island and continue to protect my Enthronement Ceremony! As for the others… surround them! Kill those last two adversaries for this Divine Emperor! Haha, Bovin, you miscalculated. I, Sama, have survived this ordeal and secured the throne of the Supreme Divine Emperor!”

Du Chen pursed his lips, thinking, *Even the Pontiff is human, after all!* He didn't forget to warn, “Your Majesty, the Scarlet Army still has a trump card—using sacred artifacts to control Battle Gods. Please be extremely cautious about this point!”

Finishing his warning, Du Chen looked up at the sky. Unbeknownst to him, a sparse drizzle had begun to fall, and the rain grew heavier, instantly pouring down torrentially, pricking his face with a faint pain. Beside him on the Precious Lotus Scripture, Jamis whispered, “Heavy rain favors Sea Clan warfare. If there are no further surprises, Eldest Brother won’t be able to escape! Francis, get me closer. I need to say a few words to Eldest Brother myself!”

Du Chen glanced at the third Marshal Orbach—or rather, Lynch Baton—who was already wounded by the War Instruments’ bombardment, and shook his head. “Speak from here. I’ll use Wind Source to project your voice.”

Jamis nodded slightly. “Eldest Brother, he’s *our* Orbach, you see! Listen to me. I know you’re controlled by the Scarlet Army, but the fact that you let us go earlier proves you haven’t completely lost your mind! Listen to your younger brother; come over. We have a way to help you break free from the Scarlet Army’s control!” As he spoke, Jamis lowered his voice. “Francis, the idea that he’s my Eldest Brother is just an inference. If he comes over, immediately apprehend him while he’s injured. Don’t mind my feelings!”

Du Chen nodded subtly, his gaze fixed on the figure.

But that person seemed to ignore them, still frantically dodging the artillery fire, and scoffed, “Trying to trick me into letting you capture me alive? Dream on?!” Using the rumbling roar of War Instruments as cover, he lowered his voice and spoke to Lei Zhan on his shoulder, “Do you understand the situation now?”

Lei Zhan gave a proud smile. “I understand. All surrounding elements have been drained; I’m useless now! And with you carrying me, it’s impossible to escape and report back to the Supreme One!”

The man asked again, “If I want to report back, I must abandon you and escape alone, but the Supreme One doesn’t wish to see you captured alive by humans…”

“Understood. Kill me!”

Their conversation was chillingly indifferent, as if devoid of humanity. As soon as he finished speaking, the man risked a cannon shot to his shoulder, freed a hand, and pointed his fingers like a halberd, brutally plunging them into Lei Zhan’s massive eye…

Lei Zhan gritted his teeth, not making a sound. After the man’s fingers pierced his eye, he reached inside Lei Zhan’s cannon-body, retrieved a greenish-purple orb of light, threw it into his own mouth, and then… vanished without a trace into the torrential downpour.

Below, Jamis on the Precious Lotus Scripture suddenly froze. “Torrential Rain Meld… this is…”

Xue Ji, beside Jamis, instantly turned pale. “Verdant Peak, Water’s Embrace! Verdant Peak, Water’s Embrace! Master Jamis, she’s…”

Jamis, seemingly having realized something, had several glimmers flash consecutively in his eyes. He desperately scrambled up from the Precious Lotus Scripture, grabbed Du Chen’s arm, and flung him violently aside, inexplicably shouting, “You *must* survive!”

Du Chen hadn’t yet grasped what was happening when suddenly, a single raindrop falling from the sky transformed. As it reached mid-air, with a *plink*, it turned into a tiny spark. Immediately, the entire torrential downpour transformed into sparks, and above the Battle God Sea region, a torrential rain of fire began to fall!

Gode, commanding the navy, drastically changed his expression and urgently exclaimed, “Teacher, I’m sorry, but the Sea Clan fears fire. I cannot send a hundred thousand Sea Clan warriors to their deaths! Give the order: retreat and hold the Deep Sea!” The Sea Tribe army instantly plunged into the ocean, to avoid the fire rain.

Gode’s actions were understandable; after all, he was the Sea King and had to consider the survival of his Sea Clan. Du Chen, however, had no time to ponder how Gode handled the situation!

The fire rain dominated the heavens and earth, yet amidst this fiery downpour, a single spark was particularly dazzling. In a flash, it arrived before Jamis! Du Chen had no time to think. Though he had been pushed away, his Wind and Thunder speed was still present. He swiftly used the Precious Lotus Scripture to collect Jamis, but that tiny spark actually followed into the Precious Lotus Scripture the instant it closed. Then…

*Om!* Du Chen’s Primordial Spirit surged. That spark actually burst open within the Precious Lotus Scripture, stretching open the already shrunken Precious Lotus Scripture and shooting towards the sky, encircling Jamis! In the blink of an eye, it vanished! And… Xue Ji had been taking care of Jamis all this time, so when Jamis was seized, Xue Ji was swept into the sky along with him!

*Damn it! Xue Ji and Jamis were captured alive right before my eyes! But… what exactly is this power, even stronger than Fiery Thunder blasts!?*

Du Chen was shaken, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Just then, Phil, the closest to them, rushed over. She narrowed her eyes and glanced at the fire rain in the sky, letting out a cold laugh. “Molten Heart… is that Margaret!?”

Saying this, Phil suddenly clasped one hand behind her back, and held the other before her chest. A small furnace had appeared in her palm at some point – a three-legged body, entirely black, looking somewhat like a small ancient tripod cauldron used for cooking in Du Chen’s previous life. Phil lightly tossed the small cauldron into the air, and it grew against the wind, instantly covering half the sky. A circle of light radiated from its mouth, and all the fire rain could be seen falling into the light!

Only the spark that had seized Jamis was not absorbed by the small cauldron.

“Margaret, I never thought you’d collude with the Scarlet Army!” Phil retrieved the small cauldron, held it in her hand, and pursued the figure.

“Hmph! You think you can kill me with just a Sacred Artifact Furnace!? I also possess the Molten Heart, one of the Five Primordial Forces of the World!” A spark shot back at Phil.

Another figure appeared. “A Sacred Artifact Furnace might not kill you, but how about me, Sea-Wielding Merlinta, added to the mix?!” The three figures intertwined in battle in the air, gradually moving into the distance. By the time reinforcements from other battle zones arrived, they had already vanished without a trace.

…

Du Chen’s mind instantly reeled. *What, what exactly is going on!? The third Marshal Orbach wasn't Lynch Baton after all, but Margaret!*

*But wasn’t Margaret injured? How did her battle qi recover, and why is she helping the Scarlet Army here!? Moreover, with every opportunity and ability, why didn’t Margaret kill me!?*

Du Chen looked at the arriving reinforcements and the empty sky, then turned to ask Dud, who was receiving Lotus Holy Light treatment on the Water Veil Shield, “Are you feeling better? Dud, I need you to remember something—why would Margaret use the Beast Emperor's Unyielding Wall?”

Dud felt a little better, and braced himself to say, “Margaret and I exchanged Secret Techniques. I know Verdant Peak, Water’s Embrace, and Margaret knows the Beast Emperor's Unyielding Wall!”

Du Chen nodded slightly, reviewing the night’s events in his mind, and suddenly a shiver ran down his spine.

Above the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army, there was a Supreme One. This Supreme One controlled two separate systems: one was the Mystic Artifacts led by the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army, and the other was Margaret! Tonight, the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army attacked Battle God Isle, while the Scarlet Army’s Supreme One secretly dispatched Margaret to oversee the operation. When Margaret discovered that the Requiem Death Knights had first defeated Thunder Cannon and intended to capture Lei Zhan alive, she suddenly intervened, using Primordial Military Branch to help strengthen Lei Zhan!

Then, Margaret went to wreak havoc in her own Du City battle zone and helped the next battle zone win… But at that moment, she discovered that Dud’s unexpected presence caused a flaw in the plan. So she turned back to help Lei Zhan, but she couldn’t appear as Margaret. Instead, she impersonated Orbach, creating a shocking spectacle for everyone and an opportunity for herself…

Finally, Margaret hadn’t anticipated that a hundred thousand Sea Tribe army would intercept her, so she had no choice but to reveal her true form and escaped under the pursuit of Phil and Merlinta…

These were all the events Du Chen had pieced together, but two questions remained!

First, why did Margaret deliberately let him go? She should have eliminated him at all costs!

Second, hadn't Phil said the Sacred Artifact Furnace was in Maternal Grandfather’s hands? So what was she using just now…? *Hmph, Phil is still hiding things from me.*

“Alas!” Du Chen told the reinforcements to pursue Margaret in the direction she vanished, then sighed deeply, sitting on the Water Veil Shield. It was over. Battle God Isle was finally saved, but the cost was perhaps too great…

Du Chen didn’t care about the losses incurred by the Holy Church. But on his side, all the Requiem Death Knights were captured, and Xue Ji was also taken back by Margaret. Heaven knew what punishment Xue Ji might face; he only hoped Phil and Merlinta could intercept Margaret in time and rescue Xue Ji!

Just then, Dus materialized behind Du Chen, patted him, and laughed heedlessly, “How many people are on Battle God Isle?!”

Du Chen replied without thinking, “Three hundred thousand civilians, nearly thirty thousand academy students and faculty!”

“Only that many?”

“Of course not! The Papal Curia alone, for the Enthronement Ceremony, stationed three hundred thousand troops near Battle God Isle! And monarchs from all nations had gathered, the Five Families of Fallen Gods had arrived—each brought thousands, even tens of thousands, of guards! The total population on Battle God Isle now probably exceeds a million!”

Fifth Brother then asked, “What is Battle God Isle, then? What’s the meaning of protecting it?”

Du Chen frowned. “Why are you asking such pointless questions!? Battle God Isle is the Cradle of Battle Gods, the source of humanity’s power. Protecting Battle God Isle means securing humanity’s fundamental lifeline!”

Fifth Brother chuckled. “Since you know it perfectly well, why sigh then?!”

Du Chen angrily retorted, “Xue Ji was captured! How can I not sigh?! Even if she’s no longer my fiancée, she’s still my friend! I say, Dus, what exactly are you getting at with all these circuitous questions?!”

Dus smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he gently patted Du Chen’s back, causing his Wind and Thunder Dual Wings to manifest, then grabbed one of the wings and pulled it outwards…

Du Chen turned to glare at Dus. “What are you doing? Margaret is colluding with the Scarlet Army; our adversaries are unimaginably powerful. Alright, I need time now to think about the future… Eh? This is…”

As Dus pulled, Du Chen’s Wind and Thunder Dual Wings began to continuously extend. Fifth Brother, being soft-bodied, stretched his arm incredibly long, and the wings, following Fifth Brother’s pull, gradually extended to over ten meters in length!

Du Chen’s mind had been in turmoil from the night’s series of unexpected events. Now, with his mind calmed, he suddenly understood, and rubbing his nose, said, “Dus, are you saying…?”

“Heh heh, though you were only responsible for one battle zone tonight, if you consider the entire process, you rendered immense meritorious service. So, nearly half of the great benevolent act of saving Battle God Isle and protecting humanity’s lifeline can be attributed to you… Don’t move!”

Fifth Brother finished stretching the wings and then patted Du Chen’s body repeatedly. Each pat caused a patch of Du Chen’s skin to turn golden. “What a pity, what a pity that this act of benevolence was only considered complete the moment Margaret escaped. If its Merit had arrived earlier, you wouldn’t have feared Margaret… Here, I’ve given you the Indestructible Golden Body of the Seventh Hexagram. From now on, apart from a Divine Emperor’s resurrection, you won’t need to fear anyone in a one-on-one fight!”