The Gods' Prewar Meeting

Once again, they appeared in the Astral Plane council chamber. The gods' expressions were no longer as serious as before. Or rather, the atmosphere had become much more relaxed, a rare sight indeed.

"We have sensed everything that is happening in the Astral Plane, Arcane Mage."

The God of Light revealed a rare smile.

"The Platinum Dragon God also asked me to convey his gratitude to you."

"It's just a trivial matter."

Li Lin waved his hand, accepting the other party's thanks.

"And our work has only just begun... How's it going, everyone?"

Our attack was very effective.

As is her divine role, the Goddess of Dawn is radiant with the glow of "hope".

"The realm of the God of Justice is gradually shrinking; I think it won't be long before we see it."

"But this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."

The Elf Goddess clearly had a different opinion on this.

"No matter how many of his divine realms we invade, we will never achieve victory if we cannot completely destroy the source of his faith. Indeed, His Highness the Arcane Mage thwarted the God of Justice's plot to control 'that,' removing an obstacle to our plans. However, we still haven't figured out how that person absorbs the power of faith without the authority of 'Justice.'"

"That's something I'm also worried about."

The Goddess of Theft fiddled with a dagger he'd somehow acquired, his expression grave.

"Since awakening, I feel that my restored power is not much. You know, even though that guy destroyed my divine realm, my divine authority still exists, and based on my current observations, the Prime Material Plane is not lacking in thieves and petty thieves either. Even if they don't believe in me, I should be able to draw power from their actions. But now, this power has weakened to an unbelievable degree. I'm a little worried. Even if that guy is a fool, he's probably not as easy to deal with as we thought."

While Li Lin's battle with the God of Justice did weaken his power, it didn't give the other gods much of an advantage. After all, although the Wheel of Fate returning to normal was a very welcome development, the surviving gods weren't worried about Wheel of Fate effects. Before that, they were more concerned about the God of Justice's talent. Li Lin was only able to fight the God of Justice so effectively because he was Arcane Mage. If any other god were to take his place, the situation would immediately reverse. As a god who could ignore all divine attacks and devour divine power, the God of Justice saw the other gods as nothing more than walking loaves of bread, posing no threat whatsoever.

Moreover, given their current weakened state, it's hard to say whether the God of Justice might go berserk and attack the remaining gods, devouring their divine power to replenish his own. Therefore, although the battle situation may appear to have become more favorable, it hasn't actually tilted the scales of victory significantly; danger still exists, and it might even be getting closer.

"You all should also take note, everyone, this is not only a friend's concern, but also my reminder."

Li Lin sighed. No matter what, he wouldn't act as nervous as the gods. After all, at least for now, he posed no threat to anyone in the Prime Material Plane.

"If any of you get killed by that guy, it will be a huge problem for the rest of us. For every bit of strength we lose, he will replenish it."

"However, the power of the God of Justice still exists."

Just then, the Lady of Secrets spoke, her words as unclear and ambiguous as ever.

"And it will threaten you as well, Arcane Mage. You are our only hope. If things get to that point, do you have a plan?"

"I've already considered that, ma'am."

Li Lin tapped the tabletop lightly with his finger.

"I asked another friend who wasn't there at the moment for help, and I believe he would be happy to assist me."

Upon hearing this, the God of Light and the Goddess of Dawn frowned. They opened their mouths as if to say something, but ultimately closed them in resignation. The Elf Goddess sighed slowly, whether because of the firmness in Li Lin's voice or because of something about to happen, it was unclear. The Goddess of Theft also showed unusual caution, even speaking out of character and expressing considerable concern.

"Our neighbors are very cunning, Arcane Mage. Are you sure you can handle them?"

"I have a very smart, obedient, and adorable subordinate."

Faced with the questioning of the Goddess of Theft, Li Lin was full of confidence, and a hint of smugness was also faintly revealed.

"I think you've all seen her already, and in that respect, I'm convinced the little one will be a good restraint."

However, Li Lin was clearly unwilling to continue this topic. After all, this was a matter of the Prime Material Plane, and even the gods were powerless to intervene. Therefore, he was more concerned with something else entirely.

"So, everyone, all I want to know is when you will receive the Great Book of Law? If you cannot hand it over to me, then even if I destroy the Five-Nation Alliance and wipe out all the Temple and followers of the God of Justice, it will all be in vain! I hope you can provide a timetable so that we can formulate our next plan."

"We are doing our best."

The God of Light's expression became somewhat unnatural.

"But we simply don't have enough confidence to go to the Supreme Temple right now. After all, that person's power is our nemesis. No matter how weak he is, we can't find even the slightest chance in a direct confrontation with him."

"Only I have the ability to do this now."

The Goddess of Theft shrugged, a hint of disdain on his face.

"But these guys wouldn't let me do anything. Instead, they kept me locked up like a rare animal. I said, 'You guys have to have a limit.'"

"We have no other choice, Sena."

The God of Light spoke softly, attempting to appease the Goddess of Theft's displeasure.

"Only you have the chance to steal the Great Book of Law from the Supreme Temple. If you fail even slightly, all of us will be doomed. We need you to stay calm and find enough openings and opportunities. This may be your only chance, so we must proceed with caution."

"Do you think I need to teach me this?"

The Goddess of Theft curled his lip in disapproval.

"Perhaps you excel at inciting believers to eliminate darkness and evil, but when it comes to deception and theft? Step aside, let the professionals handle it!"

"We originally proposed a frontal attack on the Supreme Temple to draw the God of Justice's attention, allowing her to infiltrate successfully. However, the Goddess of Theft rejected our suggestion."

The Goddess of Dawn made a gesture of distress, and indeed, she truly didn't know what to do. As the Goddess of Theft had said, giving hope might be her forte, but stealth was another matter entirely. In fact, during the time Li Lin was carrying out her operation, the gods hadn't stopped. They devised numerous plans for the Goddess of Theft to steal the Great Book of Law, but all were rejected by her. According to the Goddess of Theft, such an operation was extremely risky; she needed to "scout" the location first before making a decision. The gods were clearly unwilling to take the risk of sending her to Mount Celestia; otherwise, if she didn't return, their losses would be immense.

"Of course, you bunch of idiots, a frontal attack? Let's not even talk about whether your combined strength is stronger than his. Let's not even discuss whether you can defeat the Supreme Temple. Even if you succeed, so what? What if he doesn't fall for it? Whether he's smart or stupid, this isn't a good way to deal with it. Stealing isn't war, folks. You guys who would normally avoid this place like the plague, suddenly coming to attack us in such a grand manner? Even the dumbest person would realize something's wrong."

"But he is currently in a phase of weakened power."

"The Goddess of Dawn defended herself," she said.

He may very well mistakenly believe that we intend to take this opportunity to weaken his forces.

"Come on, you're doing just that now, and he's not even here to clean up the mess."

The Goddess of Theft clearly saw things more clearly.

"Although I haven't had much contact with that guy, in my opinion, he's either extremely cowardly or extremely cautious. Either way, these problems you've created won't lure him in. We need a more pragmatic approach!"

"I do have a suggestion."

Li Lin spoke, forcing everyone to turn their attention to him.

"I will launch a full-scale attack on the United Kingdom, and when that time comes, the God of Justice will surely come to stop me, and you can take the opportunity to distract him from his surroundings... In my opinion of him, he will definitely see me as the greatest threat first, after all, a god who has lost his faith cannot gain power. At that time, the defenses of the Supreme Temple will definitely be much weaker, and then you can sneak in and steal the Great Book of Law."

Li Lin paused for a moment at this point.

"However, this is a gamble. If you fail, things will become quite complicated. Moreover, we cannot be sure whether the God of Justice will carry the Great Book of Law with him. In short, I can only propose this option, which has a slightly higher success rate, but the certainty is still not very high."

"At least he's much more reliable than these guys."

The Goddess of Theft clearly didn't give much thought to Li Lin's suggestion, but he seemed to agree with his assessment.

"Indeed, what if that guy has the book on him? Our whole plan will be ruined. However, since you don't want me to scout the place, I think it's a good idea. Anyway, even if we fail, I think I can sneak back quickly."

"The Lady of Secrets will assist you in this plan."

The God of Light nodded helplessly, acknowledging the Goddess of Theft's suggestion.

"However, we need time to prepare."

"It's the same here."

Li Lin spread his hands.

"Although I'm confident I can annihilate everyone in the United Kingdom, I highly doubt that the God of Justice will disregard the rules and act recklessly. He might very well open a dimensional portal and send a large number of angels from the Upper Planes down to the Prime Material Plane. Based on my understanding of him from previous battles, this possibility definitely exists. And right now, the Magic Empire's power isn't strong enough to fight an entire Angel Legion head-on, and the undead don't have wings... Relying solely on Angela and my weapons is still too much of a strain."

"That's true."

The gods agreed with Li Lin's statement. In the past thousand years, the God of Justice had done much more than just expand his territory. In terms of numbers, the angelic army currently under his control was also numerous, even comparable to the number of humans in the Prime Material Plane. Angels and humans were clearly not equal. With the current power of these gods, even if they used all their strength, they could only restrain a small part of the enemy's forces and could not attract the attention of the majority of the Angel Legion.

In fact, although forcibly opening a dimensional portal and sending the Angel Legion to the Prime Material Plane would also cause damage here, any god in the current position of the God of Justice would most likely do so without hesitation—not to mention the one who is already unrestrained by any rules, the possibility of which is obviously even greater.

Li Lin's Magic Empire, therefore, will face unprecedented pressure. In the upcoming battle, it will likely have to confront attacks from both humans and angels. The Magic Empire's current resources limit the number of mages capable of fighting; if it cannot overcome quantity with quality, then quantity will overwhelm quality. Undead creatures can form a bulwark against the Magic Empire human army, but before the holy light of the Angel Legion, they will be as fragile and powerless as sandcastles washed away by the sea. Mages need powerful spells to contend with the Angel Legion, but the number of those who meet the requirements is far too small.

"How long will it take you, Arcane Mage?"

"If I said fifty years, that would be absolutely the safest bet, but I don't think the God of Justice is so generous as to give us fifty to a hundred years to accumulate strength to defeat him."

Li Lin frowned, thinking carefully as he searched for possible solutions.

"However, I am not entirely without confidence... It will take at least a year, or six months at most, but I think I should be able to resolve most of the issues. How are things going for you all?"

"We will seek the assistance of other hidden deities."

The God of Light spoke, glancing at the silent, Lady of Secrets.

"Furthermore, we will break the taboo and seek the assistance of the ancient gods. I believe that once they learn of the crisis facing the entire plane, they will forgive us for disturbing their slumber."

"Just don't let them become the most sumptuous dish on the table of God of Justice."

That was all Li Lin asked for.

"Since even the Three Supreme Gods couldn't defeat that guy, the ancient gods are unlikely to be his match either. However, the more help we have, the better... Also, I'll inform that friend who couldn't attend; I think he'll be happy to keep the God of Justice up all night for the next year."

The meeting is now adjourned.

When Li Lin emerged from the Astral Plane Meeting Room, he felt a slight weariness. Although this trip to the Astral Plane had been very fruitful, the most important problem remained unresolved. The God of Justice, burdened with Supreme God, could not be so easily destroyed. In other words, the only ways to destroy him were for another god to kill him, or to use the Great Book of Law. The first option was impossible. With the God of Justice's talent, no matter how weak he was, no god could inflict any harm on him. This was evident from the fact that after becoming Intermediate God, he challenged the Three Supreme Gods. If they were merely ordinary gods, they would be nothing more than fragile pawns before the Supreme God. However, the God of Justice did not fail; instead, he destroyed the Three Supreme Gods. This demonstrated just how terrifying that strange talent was—so terrifying that even in his current weakened state, the gods still dared not appear before him.

Therefore, only the second method remains.

However, the Great Book of Law is not so easy to obtain.

Moreover, the problems within the military are equally troublesome.

Thinking of this, Li Lin rubbed his temples.

The fatal flaw, indeed, remains the Magic Empire's severe shortage of powerful troops. Neither Angela's Scourge Legion nor Miu'erkasi's Black Peak Knights are sufficient to contend with the Angel Legion. The nature of the undead will cause them to crumble upon contact with divine light, something Li Lin does not desire. He needs an army, an army capable of fighting the angels. The elves cannot, the Dark Elf even less so, and as for his other friend—frankly, Li Lin is unsure of the extent of assistance he can provide in the Prime Material Plane. Therefore, he will not place all his bets on these uncertain matters. However, the training of mages also takes time. This involves not only improving their strength but also honing their combat spellcasting techniques. Thanks to Nia's efforts, the number of mages who have regained physical form and are ready for battle—those who survived from the Magic Empire era—has reached 1,500. But Li Lin knows very well that at most only 800 of them can engage in face-to-face combat with angels; the rest have not yet reached that level.

Therefore, he needs a more powerful, mass-producible army.

Moreover, it is an army strong enough to rival the Angel Legion.

Just as Li Lin was frowning in thought, he saw the little guy's smug and cheerful smile.

"Master, the gift Catherine prepared for you is finished! Won't you take a look?"