The charred bodies crackled like firewood in the flames, their blackened skin flaking away into ash.
Xia Lun did not speak loudly, but with every word he said, the light grew brighter. As the light brightened, the flames rose higher. When he said, "Let their remains become a blazing fire," brilliant white rays suddenly streamed from the pile of burned corpses.
The next moment, the flames surged. The choking stench of burned flesh slowly faded, replaced by a soft, comforting warmth like afternoon sunlight. Orange-red tongues of fire spread like a quilt, and black smoke billowed upward.
There were not many people watching the funeral pyre. Apart from the victims' families, there were some Tree Herders, but together they numbered only a little over three hundred. They could all hear Xia Lun clearly.
They had thought Xia Lun was speaking metaphorically. But the next moment, brilliant white light pierced the flames and fell across faces numb with shock, twisted with grief, or wide with surprise!
The woman cradling a dead infant slowly raised her head. Her unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened.
Like a chick breaking out of its shell, brilliant, holy white light burst from the heart of the flames, then slowly expanded.
The light was not dazzling. Instead, it held a gentle warmth. Within its pale, hazy glow, the woman felt a trace of comfort. The instant Xia Lun finished saying "continue protecting the Golden City," the soft light soared. Countless bright motes shot into the sky, cutting through the deathly darkness like blades!
The light illuminated the woman's tear-dried eyes, Derino's sharply contracting pupils, the broken ground beneath their feet, and the now-empty funeral pyre.
"What?!" Everyone present looked up, dumbstruck.
At that moment, all distinctions vanished. Whether they were High Priest Derino, Tree Herders, or freed slaves, everyone