High Above

Just when Ian touched the Dead River Arms, hazy mist whirlpools began to spin one after another in front of his eyes.

Endless light and shadow and blurred illusion fragments are intertwined, forming different worlds and omens one after another.

Different from the prophetic dream, and different from the hazy prophecy eight years ago, this time, what appeared in front of Ian's eyes were omens that seemed to be true one after another.

The first omen soon appeared in front of Ian's eyes.

It was a rather ordinary country tavern with a relatively clean sign. The weeds at the entrance of the tavern were half a person tall, and there was even a huge hornet's nest on the tree next to it. Under the humid atmosphere of the approaching rainy day, the bees were buzzing anxiously. Flying, disturbing the passers-by.

It can be seen from the overly natural environment that this place is located in Nanling.

Especially the wasp, which is half a palm in size, is obviously a specialty of Nanling, just like the 'Nanling Big Flying Mantis', which is about the same size as the sole of a shoe.

There were only a few drinkers in the tavern, chatting away from one another. They gathered in their familiar corners, drinking cheap ale mixed with distilled dwarf spirits, and discussing some trivial matters or impassioned matters. topic.

You can vaguely hear keywords such as 'Grand Duchy of Thorin' and 'Dead Realm'.

"Have you heard? The Grand Duchy of Thorin is now completely a dead place!"

"I know! My uncle has an apprentice who is from Grand Duke Thorin's side. He came back from his hometown a few days ago and was completely numb. This little girl who used to be quite smart now doesn't eat all day long..."

"It's really terrifying. I heard that the Imperial Capital used some top-secret extermination psychic weapon to directly kill all the people in the Grand Duchy? Even those in Feiyandi dare not come near!"

"Although the Grand Duke's treason has made everyone worried and scared for a long time, in the end, it was still the territory and people of the empire... The imperial capital is so cruel... If in the future..."

"Go, go, what are you talking about? We are all citizens of the empire, how could we eat that kind of weapon! Grand Duke Thorin will bear the blame for his treason, and those who do not leave the Grand Duchy are equivalent to going to the dark side with the Grand Duke. They deserve to die. !”

"You are not talking like a human being, are you? What do you mean you deserve to die? If you are asked to leave your homeland, will you leave? What kind of beast is this..."

"What the hell..."

As in every pub, there are always people talking and getting drunk.

Especially when talking about political topics, obscene words will pour out accidentally, followed immediately by a huge verbal fight or physical fight.

But this time, there was no fight. The two people who were arguing just changed tables while swearing, and the drinkers at other tables also caught up with the topic.

"Not to mention the Grand Duchy, even the cities around the Western Plains have become deserted... It is said that the wails of ghosts can be heard there in the middle of the night!"

This time it turned directly to the supernatural topic, and the people talking were indeed a group of younger young people. They gathered together to chat mysteriously. One of the young businessmen took a sip of wine and said: "Some time ago, I was not Did you go around with the caravan? I secretly crossed the border and took a look inside the Grand Duchy!"

"As a result, I saw a huge hole at the original location of the border town that I was very familiar with!"

"I don't know whether the hole was dug by someone or collapsed. It is very deep, and there are hot winds blowing from the inside. Not to mention, it is similar to an earthquake cloud pillar, but it is very, very small."

"In the middle of the night, the sound coming from the hole is very similar to the wails of ghosts... maybe that's the truth behind ghost cries?"

"Is there such a thing?" Others also became interested: "There is no Great Rift Valley in the Western Region, right? And sure enough, I said there are no ghosts..."

The young businessman answered a few more questions, and the topic gradually deviated from the Grand Duchy to the news here in Nanling.

"Have you heard that over the Agate Stone Plain, what is the name of the original Laian Territory now? There is a new sect there. What is it called... Zun Ling? Or Chong Ling? It is said that it is the same as that of Yanjiang Bian's ancestors' beliefs are somewhat similar, but they advocate revenge and family happiness..."

"In short, many mountain people are believers!"

Regarding this news, many people are cautious: "Where did this evil cult come from? Except for the four major orthodox religions, don't believe in any other evil religions. They will cheat you for money, and they may even kill you!"

"Yeah, didn't my aunt believe in some evil cult after her last miscarriage? Now the family has become completely ruined, and my uncle has run away. She was originally quite kind and turned herself into a human being and a ghost... It's really It’s scary.”

"Oh, you can't say that...you said Dragon Worshiping Church and Iron Heart Church are also pretty good..."

Obviously, the Dragon Worshiping Sect has a good influence in Nanling and has a good reputation, so no one refutes this point: "But they will also launch natural disaster wars. These sects, the farther away from us, the better!"

A portentous world of illusions fades away.

Although for many people, these unknown omens could not bring them much information, but for Ian, who already knew a lot, this time the omens and visions were simply full of a sense of déjà vu.

This prophecy... was obviously based on the period when he returned to Nanling as a lord after leaving the subspace labyrinth.

Moreover, it should be the future of myself that takes the death of the king as its path.

At that time, Grand Duke Thorin decisively launched the plan to destroy the king and led his citizens into the center of the earth as quickly as possible. From the perspective of civilians, the entire Grand Duke Thorin had become a dead zone, with basically no living people.

Even Fei Yandi felt that the Grand Duke's methods were incredible and did not dare to cross his territory rashly - the empire knew all this well, so naturally it was impossible to do anything to counterattack Grand Duke Thorin and simply let him do it. The plan of the dead king.

And I... If there were no accidents, the Chongling Sect under Ryan's leadership was created by myself.

As a lord, it is impossible to develop a sect quickly.

Advocating revenge and family happiness... Although it sounds strange, it is indeed in line with the two consensuses of "stability and revenge" of the dead king. It sounds much better if it is packaged. It is indeed an operation that can be done by oneself.

"Interesting... I can see more than one omen fragment this time."

Ian deeply felt that his soul was drifting in the river of time following the power of precognitive vision, leaping through one tributary of possibility after another.

He can know that he can see many fragments of the future...either clearly, or vaguely, or a simple possibility, or it may be the 'reification' of some speculation in his mind.

The first omen has ended, and his soul once again submerged into the blue river.

Ian saw fragments of a second future.

If someone asks who is the strongest person in the world, then people from every country will say without hesitation that they are the fifth-level strong person in their own country.

And if it is a country without a fifth-level powerhouse, their citizens' answer should be the fifth-level leader of each major sect.

That's it. The strongest one may not be able to decide, but the answers themselves represent which forces are enough to be called 'first-class' in Terra - only forces with fifth-level powerhouses can be called big forces. It has an international influence that affects the entire continent.

Compared with the leaders of many major countries, the leaders of major sects are a bit more special.

Because in addition to the true inheritance of their respective bloodlines, they also have unique psychic powers...'priests' who can stably create under certain special circumstances, and 'prophet' in a certain sense.

Only by meeting the two conditions of having a prophet and a unique spiritual inheritance at the same time is the foundation of 'orthodox religion'.

If they are not satisfied, even the Dragon Worship Cult, which can provide special bloodline inheritance, and the Iron Heart Church and Shadow Ruins Cult, which can provide special spiritual power, can only be regarded as 'evil cults'.

In recent years, the 'Chongling Divine Sect', which has developed rapidly in Nanling and the Western Region, should theoretically be a 'cult'... It even seems to be unable to produce inheritance and spiritual power. , even why it can develop to such a large extent is quite puzzling.

However, just some time ago, the Chongling Divine Sect showed the ability to give its core members ‘spiritual powers’.

And... the power of prophet.

September 3, Terra 778.

It has only been two weeks since the grand ceremony held by the Chongling Divine Cult at Guyan Peak, and public opinion has not yet subsided, both locally and internationally.

It should be noted that a local sect that can provide the inheritance of the true form of blood is strong enough to attract many ordinary people to join - even the Dragon Worshiping Sect that bluntly only accepts those with dragon blood as core members, all other ordinary people You can only try your luck to see if you can adapt to the dragon blood sect, and it can be regarded as a strong force in Terra.

After all, the sects in this world really have ‘divine power’ to bestow upon them.

However, the power that can provide true bloodline inheritance and the power that can provide 'spiritual power inheritance' are two completely different levels.

The former is equivalent to giving only a seed. What it will become in the end will require years of hard practice, as well as talent and resources.

Psionics, once obtained, are power, and are different from talents that are extremely difficult to change and resources that are difficult to obtain.

Since one can obtain spiritual energy, it means that one must have relevant talents, and it does not require resources to grow, it only needs to be relatively illusory, and everyone has the 'desire' and 'dream' of confidence.

The most, the most, is the relevant ‘creed’.

A force that can give spiritual power, no matter how complicated the conditions are, will be respected by all countries as long as it has this ability.

But just some time ago, the Chongling Divine Sect, which was originally regarded as a "strange native religion in the Nanling area" by the Empire and Feiyandi, actually gave their core members, and There are two different spiritual powers of the Celestial Priests, known as 'Knights of Sanctuary' and 'Messengers of Vengeance'.

——Two kinds!

The Chongling Sect's research on spiritual energy is obviously beyond everyone's expectations in Terra, especially since the two spiritual abilities are very practical.

The "Sanctuary Knight"'s "Sanctuary Domain" can unfold a light blue spherical shield with itself as the center. All people inside the shield, no matter what kind of attack they encounter, the power of the attack will be offset by nearly half. .

Although it is not like most shield powers, which can cause no damage before the shield value is consumed, this ability to strengthen defense and deflect attacks has a miraculous effect when facing many different attacks in positional warfare. It lasts for a long time, unlike most shield powers, which can only block the first wave of damage at most.

This area of ​​protection can even be upgraded - some extremely talented ascendants of the Chongling Divine Religion can directly advance it to the second stage when they awaken this spiritual power.

The shelter field at this stage can not only protect teammates, but also strengthen all those in the field, so that their strength, physical fitness and all-round resistance can be improved. Even the bullets and arrows fired in the field are protected. It will be equipped with some ectoplasmic power, which can damage ghost-like enemies.

The "Revenge Envoy"'s "Heart of Revenge" is relatively mysterious. The only thing it has shown so far is that it can deprive the criminal of the experimental subject of his physical strength and bless it to himself.

According to the Chongling Divine Sect's own introduction, the enemies targeted by the Heart of Revenge are those individuals who have harmed civilians and members of the sect. The Revenge Envoy can target them within a certain range and extract their energy through attacks. Vitality as 'punishment'.

In other words, a real, pure damage that ignores defense.

——Isn’t this the ‘Netherworld Armor’ and ‘Ghost Soul’?

When he saw this, it was different from the past. Ian, who could actively think during prophecies, couldn't help complaining in his heart: "It's basically taking out the ability of my dead king and changing the name. Is this also called giving spiritual power?"

"Hmm... That's not wrong. Perhaps the inherited spiritual powers of the major sects are essentially disassembled in this way. This is indeed a very meaningful research direction. I don't know if I came up with it or not. Adelbert came up with it.”

The prophet nodded and accepted his future research direction.

Instead of wasting time in the wrong direction, he could save more than a year.

The granting of these two abilities alone is enough to prove the orthodoxy of the Chongling Divine Sect - although it is far from being comparable to the four major orthodox religions, at least the empire will never try to exterminate or cause trouble for the Chongling Sect. .

Who knows if there will be room for collaboration in the future? As long as the Chongling Divine Sect does not go too far, crosses the boundaries set by the empire for various sects, and makes the local lords feel that they have exceeded the rules... the empire will not take the initiative to cause trouble.

No one expected that the local lord Ian was the leader of the Chongling Religion.

These two abilities are the best explanation of the Chongling Divine Sect's teachings of 'protection' and 'revenge', attracting a large number of local people to believe in them.

Of course, if it were just that, it wouldn't attract the attention of so many forces.

After all, in today's world, there are few organizations that can give psychic powers, but it is not impossible. At most, everyone can sigh with emotion. Unexpectedly, in a small corner that no one has noticed, another organization with potential has appeared, as well as a group of people. A strong man who may be hiding behind the scenes.

The Dragon Worship Cult has another ally. Most of them feel this way.

Those who can develop inherited spiritual powers are basically strong men around the fourth energy level - and to create a new sect within the traditional sphere of influence of the Dragon Worship Sect, there is no doubt that they have the tacit approval of the Dragon Worship Sect.

In fact, they all thought that the Chongling Sect was a vest of the Dragon Worshiping Sect.

What really made all the strong men and powerful forces pay attention to the Chongling Divine Sect was a prophecy about natural disasters.

He predicted that the Half Moon Lake in Canaan Moore would usher in a natural disaster. If he did not want to destroy all lives, he should evacuate the local people as soon as possible.

In this regard, the various forces did not laugh at, disbelieve, or express any "skepticism".

Because there really are prophets in this world.

Therefore, they dare not believe this important event.

In particular, as a force with obvious technological advantages and now on the rise, Chongling Divine Sect has to take the risk of being regarded as a 'cult' and annihilated by many major forces after the prophecy fails, and insists on releasing such a and It doesn't have much to do with prophecy?

Even the Huaiguang Church sent envoys to carefully inquire whether the Chongling Divine Sect was trying to impress others, or was it really aware of it? The Huaiguang Prophecy does not predict this natural disaster, unless this natural disaster...

About another prophet.

But here's the problem - it's impossible for a prophet to predict a prophet. Even if the Chongling Religion really has a prophet, why should he predict a natural disaster related to the prophet?

In this regard, the leader of the Chongling Divine Sect even added relevant prophecies.

He said that this natural disaster was related to the real dragon.

In this way, it is not only the four orthodox religions and Canaan Moore who are paying attention to the Chongling Divine Sect - even the true dragons on the Orbital Dragon Island, high in the sky, cast doubtful eyes on the earth. .

——Related to the real dragon?

Could it be that……

The instigator of this natural disaster is a...'Dragon Prophet'?

Since the Chongling Divine Sect dared to say such words, it was obvious that the future of the sect was blocked by this prophecy, so Canaan Moore naturally did not dare not make preparations.

They relocated all the local residents and sent several guard legions to blockade the surrounding groups. There were even fourth-level powerhouses to enforce martial law in the surrounding areas.

The fifth-level powerhouse of Canaan Moore, the master of the storm above the high trees, the ‘Eternal Wind’ Aviliwen also always focuses her attention on this.

Then...that's when the prophecy was confirmed.

February 25, 779 Terra.

Canaan Moore Half Moon Lake.

Amid the exclamations and roars of all the Guard Legions, an extremely violent earthquake suddenly occurred in Half Moon Lake, which was originally extremely peaceful. Even after repeated inspections, no abnormal signs were found.

If this were the case, it would not shock the well-trained Elf Legion, and the accompanying fourth-level powerhouses also had the ability to deflect and guide the slow release of earthquake power.

But just when Gugkayev, the fourth-level powerhouse of Canaan Moore, known as the 'Blade Mountain', was about to rush into the bottom of Half Moon Lake, an incredible geological change occurred - accompanied by a skyrocketing A huge volcano rising up to 4,000 meters high rose up in Half Moon Lake, the largest freshwater inland lake on the Terra continent!

Renshan was directly blown away by the force of the volcanic eruption, and most likely floated to the outer layer of Terra's atmosphere. A huge amount of lake water was evaporated, forming extremely dense clouds around it, and tsunami-like shock waves shook these hot bodies. Rain and storm hit the deserted elf territory around it.

In just an instant, Glo, the city of mountains and trees that was originally built on the mountainside of the Fafut Mountains, was completely destroyed. The ancient stargazing tower built on the mountain broke with a bang and was swept away by the terrifying storm. Into the clouds.

Lightning and thunder, howling winds, volcanic ash mixed with rainwater turned into hot acidic mud, suffocating or roasting all creatures in the shrouded area.

Everything feels like the end.

Among the struggling guards, some struggled to look up at the sky.

Then he made a desperate sound.

"dragon!"

That's a dragon.

A giant dark golden dragon emerged from a volcanic eruption, then shot straight into the sky, heading towards outer space... a dark golden dragon!