Sudden War (Seeking Follows)

As a Saint-level expert who has lived for tens of thousands of years, Philip did not possess strong innate talent. His comprehension of the Laws had yet to reach its limit, and the hope of becoming a god through his own efforts was slim.

Therefore, if Philip wanted to become a god, he had to pin his hopes on refining a godhead.

However, godheads in a material plane are incredibly precious. Looking across the entire Azeron Continent, excluding the plane guardians, there were only three gods in total.

Given Philip's strength, the probability of successfully plotting to take their godheads was likely lower than the probability of him simply committing suicide and reincarnating as an undead in the Undead Realm to become a god.

Originally, Philip had resigned himself to his fate, preparing to stay within the Church of Darkness and cultivate with focus.

But... by chance, Philip learned from a Saint-level magical beast that three seemingly powerful "Saint-level" experts had headed toward the teleportation array, appearing to be on their way to the Supreme God Realm.

This unintentional remark stirred Philip's ambitions.

That Saint-level magical beast had comprehended the Laws, and combined with the naturally formidable physique of a magical beast, its strength was even slightly superior to Philip's.

Anyone it could describe as "very strong" had to be at least at the "peak Saint-level" tier.

Yet, there were only four such experts on the entire Azeron Continent, and each one was a recluse. Philip had visited them all one by one over the past few years and confirmed that not a single one had left!

Those three experts who left are highly likely to be those three old monsters! Philip thought excitedly at the time.

Thus, a decades-long period of probing began.

On the hillside, seeing Abraham still hesitant, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed across Philip's face.

"Abraham, don't tell me that even now, you are still hesitating!"

"The opportunity to become a god is right before us. Are you really willing to just give it up?" Philip said, his face full of temptation.

"In the War of Faith, according to ancient texts, as long as one launches a War of Faith for their Lord, the rewards of godheads and divine artifacts are countless. This may be our only chance in this lifetime. If we wait for the next god to appear and wait for them to collect faith, we will be pushed to the corners of the continent again. By then, it will be too late!"

"Abraham, what are you still hesitating about?"

"Philip, put away your pathetic reverse psychology. I am just worried..."

"What if... in the process of us launching the War of Faith, those peak Saint-level experts happen to come out and cause trouble? What should we do then?" Abraham frowned.

Hearing Abraham's concern, Philip smiled confidently. "Rest assured, I have already spoken with those fellows. They will not interfere with us."

"I hope so." Abraham shook his head, clearly not trusting Philip much.

Philip did not care about this.

Their relationship had never been that good to begin with.

If one were to really trace it back, decades ago, the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness on the Azeron Continent were still hostile factions. The two fought incessantly over territory, with friction occurring almost every day.

If it weren't for the incident where the three gods were suspected of heading to the Supreme God Realm, which gave Philip hope of expanding his territory and allowed him to persuade Abraham, the two sides might still be locked in a heated conflict today.

"Fine, then let's continue according to the original plan," Philip said casually.

"Deploy the Saint-level experts. While exerting pressure on the borders, win over those Saint-level factions. When the time is ripe, the main army will press forward. In this battle, we must at least bite off half the territory of the three empires."

Abraham's expression was indifferent. "The three empires have dominated the Azeron Continent for far too long. It is time for the glory of the Lord to descend upon the continent once again!"

On the border of the Southeast Province of the Tianluo Empire.

In an area south of Xili City that bordered the Church of Darkness, the recent years of turmoil had turned this region into the most chaotic part of the Tianluo Empire.

"Whoosh~~ Whoosh~~"

A biting cold wind blew, bending the half-meter-high wild grass.

Amidst the withered yellow grass, three horses lay half-prone on the ground. Beside the horses, three scouts clad in leather armor leaned against trees, chatting casually.

"Sigh... a few years ago, who would have needed to keep watch so miserably?" An elderly scout frowned and couldn't help but complain.

"In recent years, although no major wars have broken out, the small conflicts between the Church of Darkness and our border have become increasingly frequent. Who knows when a major war might erupt," said a brown-haired scout.

"War? It shouldn't come to that," said a blonde scout.

"Everyone, be careful when patrolling lately. If you encounter anything unusual, keep your wits about you. If you die, there won't be anyone in this wilderness to collect your corpse," the elderly scout said earnestly.

"Giddyup~~ Giddyup~~"

As they were talking, suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats came from afar.

The expressions of the three changed. They looked at each other and quickly stood up from the ground.

"Prepare to retreat!" the elderly scout ordered, then quickly climbed up a nearby tree.

Looking down from above, he saw the scene a few miles away.

He saw that on the distant horizon, a dark mass of figures clad in black iron armor and riding warhorses was charging toward them at high speed.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" A shrill cry pierced the sky.

The three reacted quickly, pulling signal flares from their bosoms. After igniting them toward the sky, they didn't look back, vaulted onto their horses, and fled rapidly in the direction of Xili City.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Noticing the signal flares, a gaze from within the army spotted the three fleeing figures. Then, three arrows crossed hundreds of meters at extreme speed, instantly catching up to the three and piercing through their heads without any obstruction, shattering their defenses.

"Ni... Ninth-rank warrior!" the elderly scout said with lingering resentment before he died, having raised his hands in a futile attempt to block the arrow with his vambraces.

To fire an arrow from hundreds of meters away and pierce through his vambraces, which were forged from refined iron, was a feat even an eighth-rank warrior could not achieve; it required at least a ninth-rank.

Because the elderly scout had fired a signal flare.

Many other scout squads in the vicinity realized what was happening and began fleeing toward Xili City.

The ninth-rank warrior who fired the arrow noticed this scene, and a cold voice emanated from his lips.

"Dispatch squads to hunt them down, leave none alive!"

As soon as the words fell, several figures behind the ninth-rank warrior leaped up, mounted their warhorses, and galloped off into the distance.

After they left, the ninth-rank warrior glanced at the crimson sun in the sky, gauged the time, and shouted loudly:

"All troops, accelerate! I want to see Xili City within one hour!"

"Today, before nightfall, take Xili City!"

"Yes!"

...In the sky a few miles behind the army.

Over a dozen figures flying in the air watched the army attacking the city in silence.

Leading them was none other than the Dark Pope Philip.

Watching the assault on Xili City begin below, Philip narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with a fierce glint.

"Now, the Saint-level experts of the Tianluo Empire shouldn't be able to sit still anymore. I wonder who will come?"