Unification of the Continent

Above the training zone, Alsop flew toward the designated location.

"Adkins is fighting me? Is it really okay for me to go all out?"

As Alsop projected his divine sense and sped forward, he pondered this in his heart.

Although Lord Huosi had issued the order for him to give it his all, Alsop was truly hesitant to do so.

If he were to accidentally kill Adkins, the consequences would be far too troublesome.

Based on his past understanding, a battle between a lowgod and a Saint-level combatant was an absolute crushing victory; no other outcome was possible.

But with Lord Huosi being so confident, could there be something special...

"I've been waiting for you, Alsop!"

Just as Alsop's thoughts were drifting, Adkins' voice cut him off directly.

"Hmm?"

Alsop halted his flight and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Adkins.

He didn't feel any dissatisfaction with Adkins calling him by his name; after all, he was now also a subordinate of Lord Huosi.

And since Adkins had followed Lord Huosi for many years and was considered a trusted aide, he naturally couldn't compare.

However, based on his knowledge of Adkins, the man shouldn't be so casual toward someone stronger than him, unless he didn't consider Alsop's strength to be superior at all.

Thinking of this, Alsop narrowed his eyes and carefully scrutinized the figure before him.

At this moment, Adkins' body was encased in a peculiar getup; to be precise, his body was wrapped in a strange suit of armor.

Furthermore, a flight wing system seemed to be installed on his back, and two... cannon barrels? ...were mounted on his arms.

Alsop had never seen such a bizarre outfit and didn't know how to evaluate it for a moment.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the fighter jet hovering steadily in mid-air beneath his feet.

"An interesting getup. It seems the divine artifacts you possess are quite extraordinary."

Alsop spoke, not minding that Adkins had addressed him by his first name.

Even without knowing their specific functions, Alsop could guess that the artifacts on Adkins were definitely not ordinary.

"Divine artifacts? No, no, no. The weapons Lord Huosi researches are far stronger than the divine artifacts you know."

Adkins gave a wicked smile, his tone filled with eagerness.

Ever since Lord Huosi helped him craft this complete set of armor, he had never fought at full strength; after all, the only person in the entire Federation capable of sparring with him was the Lord himself.

However, the Lord's strength could suppress him with a mere backhand, and everyone else was too weak. Even Grandpa Bernas couldn't last more than a few moves against him, so he hadn't had a satisfying battle in many years.

Although Adkins wasn't exactly a battle fanatic, this fight was still something he found very much worth looking forward to.

"You strike first. Let me see just how capable these weapons of yours are."

Alsop drew his long spear, looked at Adkins seriously, and directly blanketed the area with his Divine Domain.

As expected, Adkins was unaffected, and the Divine Domain lost its effect entirely.

However, Alsop still did not strike first.

For one, as a god facing a Saint-level combatant, he still possessed a shred of pride and wouldn't resort to a preemptive strike.

Secondly, even with these seemingly powerful artifacts present, Alsop wouldn't easily believe in their power without seeing it with his own eyes.

Although he no longer believed he could kill Adkins, he still had to be prepared for any eventuality.

"Is that so? Then, I won't be polite, Senior."

Adkins revealed a wicked smile and did not refuse.

Regardless of anything else, it wouldn't be right for him, a Saint-level combatant, to challenge a god and then ask the other party to strike first.

After Adkins finished speaking, the wings on his back instantly emitted a glow, and his body suddenly transformed into an afterimage.

"Such speed!"

Alsop was startled and abruptly raised his spear, barely blocking the attack.

I have to admit, his speed is truly shocking!

Alsop thought frantically. Even without a Divine Domain, the enhancement of divine power and profound mysteries meant a god's speed should naturally far exceed that of a Saint-level combatant.

Yet now, Adkins was actually slightly faster than him, which made him feel that this would be very difficult to deal with.

"A very impressive artifact, but speed alone won't win against me!"

Alsop thought to himself, then swung his long spear violently, turning it into a fire dragon that spread outward in all directions.

An area-of-effect attack? This isn't something you can dodge just by being fast. But then again, even if you don't dodge, so what?

Adkins thought, narrowing his eyes.

"Hum!"

The moment the flames burned toward Adkins, the golden armor on his body emitted a low roar, and none of the flames could break through.

"Next, it's my turn to attack!"

Adkins certainly wouldn't just defend; instead, he turned the tables and charged toward Alsop.

Following that, a powerful surge of energy rapidly condensed within the cannon muzzle on Adkins' arm, firing at a speed that left no room for evasion.

"Damn it!"

Alsop knew he couldn't dodge it, so he could only raise his long spear to block in front of him, cursing under his breath as he felt the numbing sensation traveling up his arm.

Meanwhile, inside the observation room of the laboratory building.

Large screens displayed the entire battle from multiple angles, with the golden figure and the fiery red figure trading blows back and forth, making it difficult to determine a victor for the time being.

"This is truly a shocking sight."

Airlock stared fixedly at the screens, not daring to blink even once.

No matter how much Lord Huosi had said before, they had only been half-believing.

However, now that everyone could see it with their own eyes, there was no longer any doubt.

"Judging by the current situation, the defensive divine artifact on Adkins gives him the confidence not to fear attacks, and that thing on his back that looks like wings can boost his speed."

Salanna also stared intently at the screens, speaking after a moment of thought.

"That's right. Whether it's a Saint-level or a god, the essence of combat is nothing more than attack, defense, and speed, with the addition of recovery, endurance, and domains at most."

Huosi nodded and said in a deep voice:

"As long as one can break through a domain, make their defense impeccable, and increase their speed, a Saint-level actually possesses the qualifications to fight a god."

"Of course, the domain is only the first step; the gap between a Saint-level and a god is more than just that."

"As long as?" Airlock couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, sighing helplessly.

Whenever the phrase "as long as" came out of Lord Huosi's mouth, it left him feeling completely speechless.

This "as long as" sounded simple, but in reality, no one had ever achieved it; otherwise, the gap between a Lowgod and a Saint-level wouldn't have been an ironclad rule for countless years.

Just as they were talking, Adkins and Alsop had separated, facing each other from a distance.

"Not bad, Adkins. But if these are your only tricks, today can only be considered a draw."

Alsop wiped the corner of his mouth, clearing away the blood he had just spat out.

"As expected of a god. Even with so much preparation, it's still not enough to defeat you. It seems I have no choice but to use my final resort."

Adkins sighed, appearing somewhat dissatisfied.

"You're still not satisfied with this? And what is this 'final resort'?"

Alsop first had the urge to vomit blood, then instantly retreated a thousand miles, watching Adkins with vigilance.

Although he had been mentally prepared when Lord Huosi sent him here, he didn't want to lose to a Saint-level; that would be too humiliating.

Adkins ignored him, simply pushing up his glasses while staring at the display floating before his eyes.

[Targeting system locked onto Alsop. Locking on. Launching soon.]

"Fire!" Adkins roared.

The next moment, two missiles shot out from the fighter jet beneath his feet.

"What is this thing? It doesn't look very powerful."

Alsop thought to himself, but his body was not slow in the slightest, instantly turning into a streak of light to distance himself from those arrow-like metal objects.

Even if he didn't know what they were and they didn't look powerful, he wouldn't be foolish enough to stand there and take the attack head-on.

However, he soon discovered that these things seemed to have tracking capabilities, and their speed was so fast that he couldn't dodge them at all.

"Damn it, if that's the case, I can only defend."

Alsop gave up on fleeing, gritted his teeth, and mobilized all his divine power to form a massive ring-shaped barrier around himself.

"Dongfeng Express, mission accomplished!"

Adkins struck a cool pose for the camera.

"BOOM!"

As a massive explosion rang out, two intense energy waves tore directly through the defense Alsop had meticulously prepared, and his body was instantly reduced to only the upper half.

His legs and everything below his waist had completely vanished.

"It's over!"

Adkins rushed over at high speed, and the next second, his cannon was aimed directly at Alsop's head.

At this moment, if he fired, Alsop's godhead would likely be knocked right out.

"I lost!"

Alsop looked at his body, which was now reduced to just his head and shoulders, and spoke bitterly.

He knew that the times had changed. As the first god to be defeated by a Saint-level, his feelings were somewhat complex.

However, the next moment, a brilliant light erupted in his eyes. Could he also possess such excellent weapons?

As long as he performed his duties well, perhaps Lord Huosi would grant him one as well. When that time came, he might even be able to fight a Midgod as a Lowgod.

As the battle drew to a close, the gods no longer harbored any other thoughts; they were truly and utterly convinced.

On the Qingya Continent, in the 102nd year of the Federal Calendar, the continent achieved unification under the leadership of the first Speaker and supreme leader of the Federation, Huosi.

The God-Level Council was established, with Lord Huosi at its head. Together with the gods of the original three empires, the Dark Pope, and the divine beast Dragon God, they formed a permanent council structure of six members.

Huosi served as the Speaker-in-Chief, while the other five served as permanent members of the God-Level Council.

The God-Level Council would typically delegate authority to the Federal Council to govern the entire continent, while simultaneously stipulating that god-level powerhouses and Sanctuary-level powerhouses were not to attack ordinary people without cause; however, when the God-Level Council made a decision, the Federal Council was required to execute it.

Although many factions on the continent, such as believers and nobles, had significant objections to this, under the collective pressure of the continent's god-level powerhouses, a unification was ultimately formed in a relatively stable manner.