To the south of Chaos Territory, in the bitter cold land bordering Arctic Ice Plains, there are continuous steep mountains. Behind one of the steepest peaks, there is a valley shrouded in thick fog and snow all year round. Even if ordinary travelers approach it by chance, they will be inexplicably detoured under the influence of invisible forces, as if this world refuses the prying eyes of outsiders. This is the "Valley of Silence".
After passing through the seemingly ordinary but mysterious layer of fog, the scene in the valley suddenly became clear. Unlike the cold and desolate outside world, the valley actually contains a lot of vitality. The warm spring water formed several lakes of different sizes at the bottom of the valley, evaporating white water vapor and nourishing the surrounding cold-resistant vegetation. According to the mountains, there are hundreds of houses built of thick logs and solid ice scattered at random, the roofs are covered with thick snow, and smoke drifts from the chimneys. At a rough look, there are thousands of people living here. Their clothes are simple and thick, their faces are calm, and they move quietly, showing extraordinary qualities.
In the deepest part of the valley, backed by a huge ice wall, there are several wider but still simple wooden houses. At this moment, an old man with white beard and hair, wearing ordinary coarse linen clothes, is sitting on a polished stone bench in front of the house, concentrating on carving a piece of pale golden wood in his hand. His movements are slow, his eyes are gentle, and the atmosphere around him is integrated with the quiet valley, as if he is just an ordinary old man enjoying his old age.
He is the former pope who was once powerful Yulan Continent and held Radiant Church authority - Desri.
The door of the wooden house was pushed open, and a beautiful woman wearing a plain white dress and with a temperament as cold as an orchid in the snow came out. She looked like she was no more than thirty years old, with wisdom and tranquility accumulated over the years in her eyebrows, and a faint flow of ice flowing around her body. Although the fluctuations of magic power are not triggered, people dare not take them lightly. She is Desri's wife, Saint Realm's peak powerhouse, "Frost Lady" Iserin.
"Li, the wind has picked up, come inside." Her voice was like a clear spring in the valley, cold and sweet.
Desri raised his head, smiled gently at his wife, and was about to answer when a cheerful figure ran out of another wooden house. It was a young woman in her twenties, who inherited her mother's beauty, with lively eyebrows. She is full of energy, wearing a hunting suit that is easy to move around, and has a beautifully decorated short bow on her waist. She is the daughter of Desri and Iserin, Monica.
"Father, mother, uncle Higginson hunted a Snow Rhino today and said he would treat everyone to meat tonight!" Monica ran to his father and looked at the wood carving in his hand curiously, "Are you carving a little angel again? Is this one going to be given to the new born child in the village?"
"Yes." Desri looked at her daughter lovingly, the carving knife in her hand turning flexibly, "May the light protect them and grow up safely."
At this moment, Desri's hand holding the knife paused slightly, and his peaceful eyes were cast in the direction of Taniguchi, with a very subtle ripple flashing through his eyes. Iserin felt something almost at the same time, and looked at it with cold eyes, frowning almost imperceptibly.
He stretched out his old but steady hand, gently picked up the angel statue, and brushed his fingertips over it, feeling the outline that symbolized hope and protection.
"Let's go."
Heidens felt the pressure, but he did not flinch. Instead, he raised his head, his eyes became as sharp as an eagle, and his voice rose a few points. "Teacher! You often say that light lies in guardianship! You can enjoy peace and quiet with your family here today precisely because there are still countless devout believers and loyal knights fighting bloody battles across the continent to defend the bottom line of the bright order! If everyone is as self-reliant as Lin Qin The portal, rejecting God's grace and trampling on the rules, may be able to find peace in the Silent Valley today, but what about tomorrow? When chaos sweeps across the entire continent like a plague, order completely collapses, war continues, and the law of the jungle becomes the only law. At that time, do you really think that this valley can still be left alone? Monica, and the thousands of residents in this valley who regard you as their guardian, can they live forever in this isolated dreamland?"
When Higginson saw Heidens, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he stood silently behind Desri. Hayward looked sharply at Heidens and Alsop in the distance, with fire elements lurking around him.
Desri slowly put down the carving knife and placed the piece of golden wood that had begun to take on the shape of an angel on the stone table. Then he raised his eyes and looked at the student in front of him who was already the symbol of the top power in the mainland. His eyes were calm and calm, as if he was just looking at a junior who had not returned home for a long time.
These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Desri's heart hard. His biggest weakness in living in seclusion here was his responsibility to his family and these followers. He subconsciously looked at the window of the wooden house where his daughter Monica was holding on to the edge of the window, looking out curiously and with a hint of uneasiness. He then looked at his wife Iserin beside him, whose cold eyes were full of worry, and she shook her head gently at him.
Iserin couldn't help but speak, with a cold voice. "Heidens, you keep saying it's for the mainland and for the innocent. But you mobilized Six-Winged Angel" to invite Li to come out and start a holy war. Wouldn't it cause killings and affect innocent people? Fighting to stop a war is still a war after all!"
"When will you leave?"
Desri took one last look at the peaceful valley that he had guarded for many years, glanced at his family, and then said calmly to Heidens:
Desri listened in silence, his fingers caressing the unfinished angel statue on the stone table unconsciously, his expression showing no emotion or anger.
"Teacher Mingjian. This disciple is really helpless when he comes here. Dragon Rock Territory Lin Qin, this beast is acting rebelliously and committing heinous crimes! Not only did he blatantly issue a ban within his territory, prohibiting all activities of Radiant Church, he also blatantly destroyed the temple, expelled, imprisoned and even killed the clergy. Burning classics is no different from the devil! This is not a simple provocation, it is a shaking of the foundation of faith in light, and a blatant trampling on the order that we, Theocracy, have maintained on the continent for thousands of years! If this trend lasts, where is the divine power? Where is the order?"
Desri, holding the carving knife in his hand, finally came to a complete stop. He closed his eyes, frowned slightly, and a picture flashed uncontrollably in his mind: When he was the pope in the past, he visited various parties and saw conflicts of faith,
The ruins of towns caused by the melee between strong men, the hunger in the wilderness, the helpless tearful eyes of orphans - those heavy memories that he tried so hard to forget emerged clearly at this moment.
Higginson, who had been silent all this time, spoke slowly at this moment, his voice carrying a strange soothing power. "What His Majesty the Pope said is not unreasonable. Light does not only mean mercy and forgiveness, but also means the expulsion of darkness and the defense of order. If heresy is allowed to flourish and lead to greater chaos and suffering, this in itself may also be a sin."
Higginson's words subtly changed the atmosphere in the venue.
"You're here." Desri's voice is still gentle, but with a kind of indifference to the world. "The breath is condensed but not emitted, and the steps are heavy and heavy. You also deliberately avoid the residents of the village - it seems that you are not here to visit me, an old man. It is for the Dragon Rock Territory who is making a fuss outside, and for the young man named Lin Qin?"
His voice was filled with grief and anger, and was so contagious that even Monica beside him was slightly moved.
Heidens looked at Iserin and Hayward, his tone was still respectful, but his attitude was not shaken at all Immovable: "Master, Master Hayward, it's just the disciples who don't want to peace. However, Lin Qin acts domineeringly and decisively, leaving no room for change. Negotiation? He has already expressed his position with actions. For such stubborn people who blatantly violate the rules, only absolute power and thunderous punishment can be used to intimidate Xiaoxiao and maintain the basic order and stability of the mainland! The temporary pain is for a longer-term peace!"
Heidens captured this detail and struck while the iron was hot. His tone turned low and sincere, with a sense of compassion. "Teacher, it is not that this disciple is obsessed with killing and conquest. It is because if this evil is not eliminated, the beacon of faith will go out and the cornerstone of order will collapse! By then, those who will be displaced and their families will be destroyed because of this, There will be thousands of unarmed innocent civilians! For the stability of the mainland, and for more children like Monica" to have a peaceful and peaceful growing environment, some hands are destined to be stained with blood and some darkness, and must be cleansed in the most decisive way! Isn't this a deeper protection?"
He nodded to Higginson and Hayward: "Don't worry, I'll be right back."
He turned around and walked into the wooden house, and walked out after a moment. In his hand was a simple scepter that seemed to be carved from ordinary wood. The top of the scepter was inlaid with an inconspicuous milky white stone, but if you sense it carefully, you can find that it contains a bright power as vast and deep as the ocean.
At this time, two powerful breaths came from far and near. An old man wearing a simple linen robe with a simple face and clear eyes like a newborn baby, and a middle-aged man with red hair like fire and wearing a flame-patterned mage robe walked quickly. They were the two Saint Realm who followed Desri and lived in seclusion here. A strong man realized Laws of Light's Ascetic Higginson, and Fire Element Saint Magus Hayward. Obviously, they also sensed the aura of outsiders.
Heidens raised his hand, and a soft white light overflowed from his fingertips, gently smoothing the fluctuations in the barrier caused by their forcible intrusion to avoid disturbing the residents in the valley. He motioned Alsop to stay where he was, and slowly stepped into this isolated pure land alone.
As he spoke, he handed over a secret scroll sealed with magic. "This is detailed information about Dragon Rock Territory and his atrocities. Please take a look at it, teacher."
"Teacher."
Higginson and Hayward nodded solemnly.
His footsteps stepped on the soft snow, making a slight creaking sound, and his eyes swept across the quiet and peaceful scene in the valley. A trace of complexity flashed in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by determination. He walked straight towards the wooden houses located under the ice wall, and came to the still low-lying He stopped in front of Desri with the carved head, and then solemnly performed a standard disciple salute under the slightly wary and surprised gazes of Iserin and Monica.
After a long time, an inaudible sigh dissipated in the cold air like a breeze in the valley.
Desri did not pick up the secret scroll. He looked past Heidens to the children playing and working villagers in the valley, and said slowly, "Faith comes from one heart and is seen in good deeds. It's not the height of the temple, nor the harshness of the laws. The forced conversion is just a fortress on the sand. Tingsi, I have laid down my scepter for many years. I just want to protect my family in this quiet place for the rest of my life. I don't want to interfere with the disputes in the outside world anymore."
Desri stood up, his tall body casting a steady shadow in the snow. He looked at his wife Iserin, their eyes met, and without words, Iserin already understood her husband's decision. A trace of sadness flashed in her eyes, but in the end it turned into silent support. He looked at his daughter Monica, his eyes full of love and guilt.
At the mouth of the valley, the barrier guarding the valley rippled imperceptibly, and the space distorted, and two figures appeared. The leader was Pope of Light Heidens, who was wearing a simple white uniform without any decorations. He deliberately restrained all the majesty of the pope. Behind him, standing like an iron tower, was Chief Judge Alsop, he also has a restrained aura, but the cold temperament that has been at the top for a long time cannot be completely concealed.
Heidens The big stone that had been hanging in his heart for a long time finally fell to the ground. He suppressed the surging emotions, bowed deeply, and said with respect and a hint of relief in his tone, "The army has assembled at the border, just waiting for the teacher to come and take charge of the overall situation."
Heidens continued, his tone turning heavy and helpless. "What's even more troublesome is that this beast's strength has reached Saint Realm's limit. Soros, together with Murphy and Bader, the three Saint Realms joined forces at the beginning, and they were vulnerable to him. Brother He is incompetent, and several Ascetic elders within Theocracy are in a critical period of seclusion, and no one can control them. I am afraid that if they become powerful and their influence spreads, they will become a nuisance to the mainland in the future, poisoning all living beings, and bringing disaster to the world! After thinking about it, the disciples can only ask the teacher to come out, so that they can eradicate heresy with thunderous momentum, bring order to chaos, and safeguard the majesty of the divine light that cannot be desecrated!"
Desri slowly opened his eyes, and the depths of his eyes were filled with complex emotions, including helplessness, recollection, and a hint of unnoticeable fatigue, but in the end, they all turned into a deep pool of calm. His eyes fell on the fully formed angel statue on the stone table. The statue had a compassionate face, slightly spread wings, and exuded a soft but firm holy radiance, as if silently telling the true meaning of protection.
"I'll be right back when I go." He said to his family in a relaxed tone, as if he was just going out for a walk.
Hayward also said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty the Pope, Lin Qin can cultivate to the limit of the Saint Realm, so he must not be an unintelligent person. Maybe we can try to contact and negotiate? Why do we have to fight with each other?"
Heidens felt awe-struck in his heart, knowing that although the teacher lived in seclusion here, he was not completely ignorant of the outside world, and might even see it more clearly than many people. He straightened up, with a look of sadness and solemnity appearing on his face at the right time.