Chapter 596: You've Taken All the Limelight

Within the halls of Saint Heinz, everyone present was now slightly taken aback.

Of course, it was only a minor deviation from their expectations, not enough to disrupt their viewing.

"Wilson should be preparing the temple's main cannon by now, shouldn't he?" The speaker was the projection of an elder, clad in a pristine white clerical robe, clearly a high-ranking official of immense power within the temple.

No sooner had his words fallen than, as expected, three massive hexagonal stone gates swung open within that ancient, bizarre stone palace, revealing three yawning, pitch-black cannon muzzles.

Even without firing, they possessed a terrifying deterrent force.

Just then, several figures were seen flying out from the great hall.

The figure at the center was the very same powerful existence who had previously been seated in the middle of the hall, dressed in a magnificent patterned robe of black and gold—Wilson, the "Thorn of the Earth."

Flanking him were six knights in various colored armor and three mages in black robes.

They floated in midair, seemingly unconstrained by the laws of gravity.

"In light of your prior offenses, we should have delivered the harshest divine retribution upon you," Wilson, the "Thorn of the Earth," spoke. "Yet my God is merciful and remains willing to grant you a single chance. So long as you surrender the hostages and accept the glory of my God, I believe my God will forgive your transgressions."

Though they had not expected these natives to be so ignorant as to deliver themselves directly to their doorstep, they naturally would not miss such an opportunity.

But as previously mentioned, they required a glorious victory; thus, conquering the enemy without a fight and forcing them to submit beneath their feet by such means was by no means a bad choice.

"Oh! What am I seeing? Have these natives gone mad?" The screen shifted, moving to another battlefield.

At this moment, far at the border of the Great Jin Kingdom, this army from the internet cafe had clearly encountered the temple army that had already conquered the Three Saint Sect and was using it to advance toward the Heavenly Abyss Sea.

"No! These natives are absolute lunatics. I even have a feeling that the natives from the other battlefield will deliver themselves up too! This is simply too..." Luther suddenly changed his tune. "Does everyone think they look like they've come to surrender?"

"It really is unimaginable. Their warriors aren't even wearing armor; they're all dressed in white. Do they intend to attend a wedding? Or perhaps they're preparing for a ball?"

The moment he said this, it immediately provoked a wave of stifled laughter from the audience.

Yet within the grand hall of Saint Heinz, there was only a profound stillness; to these high and mighty existences, it could not stir even half a ripple.

They were merely watching to see if these natives would truly surrender.

Whether to show deference to Saint Heinz and the Judgment Temple, or purely to pass the long hours of their immortal lives and stave off boredom, they had all known the outcome of this war long ago.

Could these natives possibly face any end other than a crushing defeat?

Compared to the battlefield on the Lingzhou side, only a single man flew out from the temple here, clad in fiery red armor with a greatsword slung across his back.

He flew high into the sky, looking down from his lofty vantage point, his tone steeped in deep contempt: "Have you come to offer your allegiance?"

"This one is none other than the renowned Sky Knight, Lord Hakes the Raging Flame!" Luther introduced smoothly in passing. "He is a top-tier powerhouse second only to the 'Morning Star of Blazing Fire'."

"Lord Hakes perhaps feels there is absolutely no need for Lord Austin, the 'Morning Star of Blazing Fire', to take action. Then again, I feel the same way. I've heard that powerhouses of the eighth rank are extremely rare in this land, whereas Lord Austin has already achieved the extraordinary ninth rank! I'm afraid these natives wouldn't stand a chance even if they all attacked together."

And at this moment, Nalan Hongwu could be seen standing at the prow of the dharma vessel.

Dressed in pure white clothing, his snow-white hair tied back, a pitch-black, sheathed longsword rested at his waist.

He spoke indifferently: "You should not have come."

He spoke not the language of Lingzhou, but the tongue of these outworlders.

Jessica and the others ate melon and drank black tea in the shop every day, but they certainly hadn't done absolutely nothing; they had taught a few spells, such as Language Enlightenment.

"Ah... this person..." At this moment, still watching the magical projection in White Pigeon Square, Xi, Joseph, and the other youths, along with other warriors, mages, and several members of the Golden Gryphon Knights, felt a strange sensation...

This concise, succinct way of speaking, even through a magical projection, allowed them to feel an aura of solitary, cold arrogance rushing at them.

It felt so damn elegant and profound!

What was going on?!

A crowd of people watched in the square, momentarily dazed.

The elf girl, Sera, also blinked her eyes. Were these natives... truly natives?

"Should not have come?" Hakes, the "Raging Flame Knight," frowned slightly, then scoffed, "I think it is you who should not have come. If you did not come to surrender, could it be you came to seek your death?"

"Do you study the sword?" Nalan Hongwu glanced at the greatsword on his back.

Hakes froze... and only after a long moment did he react: "Are you blind? I carry a sword on my back, what else would I study if not the sword?"

Nalan Hongwu said serenely: "Do you know wherein lies the true essence of the sword?"

"Oh my... these people speak so profoundly!" At this moment, Sera felt that these people of the Continent of Immortal Relics appeared mysterious and elegant, not at all shallow, lowly, and filthy as Luther had described.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

At this time, within the grand hall of Saint Heinz, a group of high and mighty existences also looked on, slightly dazed.

Are these people not afraid?!

Even if they weren't afraid, they still had the leisure to ask about the essence of the sword?

"On this point, I believe Lord Cleus, the Sword Saint, has the most right to speak," the elder known as the "World Mage" remarked.

Just then, Hakes spoke: "The sword in my hand was born to judge the enemies of the Temple!"

"Only with sincerity and a righteous mind can one reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Those who lack sincerity are utterly unworthy to discuss the sword." Nalan Hongwu looked at him and said, "You lack sincerity."

"Hiss—!" Sera touched the rapier at her waist, thought about it, and felt, "This old grandfather's words make so much sense..."

Not just her, but even the surrounding knights of the Golden Gryphon Knights felt their perception of these natives change completely from before.

To think they could actually utter such profound truths?!

Damn it, why does it feel like you've taken all the credit for putting on a show?!

Observing from the back, Boss Fang: "..."

"Haha!" Hakes took down the massive, fiery-red greatsword from his back, a faint, cold sneer on his face. "If you think you can persuade us with a mere tongue, you had better stop dreaming!"

Hakes' expression gradually darkened—a native, likely not even of the eighth rank, actually dared to lecture him?

"Do you know what the eighth rank means?" Hakes spoke slowly, "The pinnacle of mortal men!"

"After all these years, I didn't expect young Hakes to have reached the eighth rank as well." Within the grand hall of Saint Heinz, a projection spoke, "He must have just reached it in recent years, right?"

"He underwent the baptism of divine power last year. If he invokes the divine power, he can enter the eighth rank," a cleric explained.