Philip had lived for tens of thousands of years as a Saint Domain expert, yet his innate talent was nothing special. His grasp of the Laws had still not reached its limit, and his hope of becoming a god through his own efforts was even slimmer.
So if Philip wanted to become a god, he had to place most of his hopes on refining a Godspark.
But Godsparks in the Material Plane were incredibly precious. Across the entire Azeron Plane, there were only three gods in total, not counting the Plane Guardian.
Given Philip's strength, scheming to obtain one of their Godsparks was perhaps less likely to succeed than simply killing himself and hoping to become a god after his soul reincarnated in the Undead Realm.
Philip had already accepted his fate and prepared to stay at the Church of Darkness, devoting himself to cultivation.
But... by chance, Philip learned from a Saint Domain magical beast that three seemingly powerful "Saint Domain" experts had headed toward the teleportation array, apparently intending to travel to the Supreme God Realm.
That casual remark had stirred something in Philip.
The Saint Domain magical beast had comprehended the Laws, and on top of that, magical beasts naturally possessed powerful bodies. It was even slightly stronger than Philip.
Anyone it called powerful had to be at least a "Saint Domain Limit" expert.
Yet there were only four experts of that level on the Azeron Continent, and every one of them was a recluse. Philip had visited them all in recent years and confirmed that none had left!
Those three who left were most likely those three old bastards! Philip had thought excitedly at the time.
And so began decades of probing.
On the hillside, Abraham was still hesitating.
A trace of displeasure flashed across Philip's face.
"Abraham, don't tell me you're still hesitating at a time like this!"
"The chance to become a god is right before you. Are you really willing to give it up?" Philip coaxed him, his face full of persuasion.
"In the ancient texts, there are countless examples of Godsparks and divine artifacts being bestowed upon those who launch a War of Faith for their Sovereign. This may be the only chance we get in this lifetime. If we wait until another god appears and they begin gathering faith, we'll be driven back to some corner of the continent again. By then, it'll be too late!"
"Abraham, what are you still hesitating about?"
"Philip, spare me your cheap provocation. I'm only worried..."
"If... those Saint Domain Limit experts show up and interfere while we're waging the War of Faith, what will we do?" Abraham frowned.
Hearing Abraham's concerns, Philip smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I've already spoken with those people. They won't interfere with us."
"I hope so." Abraham shook his head, clearly not trusting Philip much.
Philip didn't mind.
The two had never been close to begin with.
As it happened, a few decades ago, the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness on the Azeron Continent had been opposing forces. They had fought bitterly over territory, with skirmishes breaking out almost every day.
If the news that three gods might have gone to the Supreme God Realm hadn't given Philip hope of expanding his territory, leading him to persuade Abraham, the two sides might still be fighting fiercely to this day.
"Fine. Then we'll stick to the original plan," Philip said casually.
"We'll send out Saint Domain experts to apply pressure along the border while winning over the Saint Domain factions. Once the time is right, we'll march in with our army. In this war, we have to seize at least half the territory of the three great empires."
Abraham's expression was indifferent. "The three great empires have ruled the Azeron Continent for far too long. It's time for the light of our Sovereign to shine upon the continent once more!"
On the border of the southeastern province of the Tianluo Empire.
The area south of Xili City, where it bordered the Church of Darkness, had become the most chaotic region in the Tianluo Empire amid the unrest of recent years.
"Whoo... whoo..."
A bone-chilling wind swept past, flattening the half-meter-high weeds.
Among the withered yellow weeds, three steeds lay on the ground. Beside them, three scouts in leather armor leaned against a tree and chatted casually.
"Sigh... A few years ago, we wouldn't have had to keep watch in such miserable conditions." An old scout frowned and couldn't help complaining.
"Even though there hasn't been a major war in recent years, the minor clashes between the Church of Darkness and our border have become more frequent. You never know when a major war might break out," said a brown-haired scout.
"War? I doubt it'll come to that," said the blond scout.
"Be careful when you're out on patrol these days. If anything seems off, stay sharp. If you die, no one's going to come bury you out here in the wilderness," the old scout said gravely.
"Hyah! Hyah!"
As they chatted, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came from the distance.
The three men's expressions changed. They exchanged glances, then scrambled to their feet.
"Prepare to retreat!" the old scout ordered. Then he quickly climbed a nearby tree.
From his vantage point, he could see what was happening several miles away.
On the distant horizon, a dark mass was approaching: a huge group of riders in black iron armor, galloping toward them.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" A piercing cry cut through the air.
The three men reacted quickly, pulling signal flares from their clothing. They lit them in the sky, then swung onto their horses without looking back and raced toward Xili City.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...
Noticing the signal flares, someone in the army spotted the three fleeing men. Three arrows shot out at incredible speed, crossed several hundred meters, and caught up with them in an instant. They pierced the men's defenses without resistance and went straight through their heads.
"N-Nine... Ninth-level Warriors!" the old scout stammered in disbelief as he raised his arms, trying to use his arm guards to block the arrows.
Even an Eighth-level Warrior couldn't fire an arrow from several hundred meters away and pierce his arm guards, which were forged from refined iron. It would take at least a Ninth-level Warrior.
Because the old scout had fired the signal flare, many other scout teams nearby reacted and began running toward Xili City.
The Ninth-level Warrior who had shot the arrows noticed them. His voice rang out coldly.
"Send out squads to hunt them down. Leave no one alive!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several figures leaped up behind the Ninth-level Warrior, mounted their horses, and galloped into the distance.
After they left, the Ninth-level Warrior glanced at the scarlet sun in the sky. Having gauged the time, he shouted:
"Everyone, pick up the pace! I want to see Xili City within an hour!"
"Take Xili City before nightfall!"
"Yes, sir!"
...Several miles behind the army, a dozen figures hovered in the sky.
They silently watched the troops attack the city.
At their head was the Dark Pope, Philip.
Seeing that the assault on Xili City had begun, Philip narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint in them.
"Now the Saint Domain experts of the Tianluo Empire should have to act. I wonder who they'll send?"