Chapter 695: The Greatest Ability of the Path of Light: Resurrection!

"...Where the hell are you guys?!" Yue Yan, now reduced to a soul state, bellowed through the team chat channel.

Deep within the labyrinthine mine shafts, the Nanhua Sect disciples had already fled quite a distance.

"Let's see if that big guy is still there..." Having just witnessed Yue Yan get smashed to death in a single hit, Mo Xian nervously suggested.

"Hmm... it doesn't seem to be pursuing us," one of the Nanhua Sect disciples remarked.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a barrage of heavy footsteps echoed from the turn in the tunnel ahead.

A colossal silhouette materialized at the end of the shaft.

"My god... it caught up!"

The group burst frantically out of the dungeon instance.

They were all panting heavily.

Yue Yan angrily pulled off her virtual reality headset: "You would abandon even your clever and adorable little junior sister to be bullied? Are you guys even human?!"

Mo Xian stammered: "...But we chose the human race... how are we not human?"

"..."

...

There was little need to describe the plight of the Royal Guild on the other side; that pair of siblings had nearly been beaten under the desk.

"Sis... Sis, listen to me... how is this big guy so incredibly powerful?" After an indeterminate amount of time, the Fifth Prince, Ji Yang, holding his head, finally found a chance to change the subject.

"What do you mean, powerful?!" After all, she had survived three swings of the hammer before dying. "If you guys had backed me up and been a bit more careful, it wouldn't be an impossible fight!"

"The problem is... if a real fight breaks out, we still have to deal with those two elite mobs next to him..." The Fifth Prince wore a miserable expression.

By now, the various groups who had previously entered the Deadmines were emerging one after another.

They were either covered in grime and defeat, or they were mere corpses waiting to run back and recover their bodies.

"How about..." The Fifth Prince, Ji Yang, darkened his face, "we find two more teammates to go back in..."

"What are you all standing around here for?" A voice drifted over from the nearby crowd as Nalan Hongwu walked up, sword in hand, scanning the surprisingly large gathering of people.

"This mine or whatever has a quest that is simply impossible to beat," the Fifth Prince, Ji Yang, explained.

"Maybe we should just call the owner," Ji Yu complained. "I feel like this isn't a level sixteen or seventeen quest at all. There’s something fundamentally wrong with the quest itself."

Nalan Hongwu frowned slightly, contemplating for a moment: "No need for that just yet. This old man will go in and try it with you."

"Every time there’s a problem we run to the boy Fang, and every time he provides a guide. If he has a solution this time too," Nalan Hongwu remarked, "then what’s the point of playing?"

While watching *Legend of Sword and Fairy 4*, Nalan Hongwu had been profoundly shaken by the unyielding spirit of self-reliance displayed by the human cultivators.

Regardless of whether their actions were right or wrong, or how things ended—even when what they did was spectacularly misguided—that indomitable will shining through their confusion struck a deeper chord than anything before.

This was distinct from the awe inspired by previous iterations of the game, where the shock stemmed merely from novel sword techniques, Daoist magic, and the overwhelming power of gods and demons.

Such power would never truly belong to mortals like them anyway; learning even a fraction of it was already a stroke of immense fortune.

But the spirit of humanity mastering destiny in *Legend of Sword and Fairy 4* was different.

Mortals were born insignificant, yet perhaps it was precisely this will that rendered them so magnificent.

They felt that this was the very truth the story sought to expound.

"I believe we ought to figure it out on our own this time," Nalan Hongwu declared.

"But..." Yue Yan protested unhappily, "that monster can't be frozen, and a casual graze from that massive hammer leaves you dead or crippled. Who knows what other tricks it has up its sleeve..."

"I think Senior Nalan is right," Liang Heihu barked loudly. "Every time something seems impossible, Owner Fang resolves it with ease. What does that prove? It proves the task itself is reasonable, we just haven't discovered the way. Since that's the case, why don't we try it ourselves? Do you all want to be useless slackers for the rest of your lives?"

Yue Yan and the others stared blankly.

"He's right..." Liu Ningyun suddenly nodded with deep conviction.

Why could Owner Fang succeed? Was it because that fictitious senior of his gave him private tutoring?

Why was it that when others accomplished what they deemed impossible, they assumed it was due to special favors or even cheating?

That level of mastery, knowing every single detail inside out, could never be explained away by a mere casual hint.

Perhaps he had started with the exact same experience as they had, thinking it entirely impossible, before gradually accumulating knowledge and finding a path forward from hopelessness.

Perhaps they were simply unaware of the effort involved?

Why assume others knew how to do it right from the very beginning?

Yue Yan wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, a burning determination flaring in her eyes: "Well said! Today we explore it on our own! Just like those people in *Legend of Sword and Fairy 4*, we will strive unceasingly. My fate is dictated by me, not by heaven!"

"In that case..." Liang Heihu said excitedly, "Old Master Nalan, myself, Princess Ji Yu, along with Fairy Liu and Fairy Mo—the five of us will form a self-reliance squad today."

"What about me?" Yue Yan watched the group in utter disbelief.

"Uh..." Mo Xian quickly intervened, "Junior Sister, why don't you wait outside for a bit? This self-reliance thing is bound to be exhausting. Once I get tired of fighting, I'll have you sub in for me, alright?"

"..."

...

To the knights of this world, knighthood meant they were nobler than ordinary warriors; they were mostly the private armies of various factions or the guardians of a specific region—much like the Golden Gryphon Knights, who were protectors of Canglan City.

Meanwhile, other knight orders, such as the Dark Judgment Knights who had previously invaded the Immortal Relic Continent, functioned more as private military forces; they could be protectors of an organization, or, when necessary, executioners and butchers.

In truth, even the Kingdom of Stan, a nation of knights, possessed no definitive definition of a knight; perhaps... they were simply warriors with mounts.

At this moment, inside the new Canglan City branch, a group of Paladins had finally scraped together enough money to return and learn skills.

As for why the word "Holy" was prefixed to this title of knight...

Perhaps it was because the power they wielded was called the Holy Light.

That was how they currently understood it.

"...Wait, how does there seem to be another quest here?" A few knights who had just gathered enough coins to learn their new skills casually conversed with the trainer—who usually did nothing but shout "The Light deludes you" and "May the Light be with you"—only to discover a quest they had overlooked earlier. By now, the quest indicator on their panel was nearly turning gray.

"If you agree, I will grant you a book. Through this book, you will understand the Holy Light and what it expects of you," the instructor intoned. "Understand it and prove your capability, and you shall obtain even greater power."

Commander Evan lost no time in accepting, simultaneously receiving this Paladin-exclusive quest for the Book of the Holy Light.

"What is this...?" Not only Commander Evan, but several other members crowded around to look.

It was an ancient, weighty volume bound in dark green leather, inscribed with what appeared to be the beliefs and code of conduct of this ancient and long-standing order known as the Paladins.

"At all times, a Paladin must strictly adhere to the path of the Holy Light, for it is the source of our strength. For us Paladins, the near-ascetic training undertaken in pursuit of the sacred does not mean we strive for divinity; our goal is to perfect ourselves in all aspects."

"Though combating the immediate evil is of paramount importance, you must remember that only the virtues of selflessness, compassion, patience, and courage are the fundamental elements that distinguish a Paladin from ordinary men. Remember this, and never forget..."

Upon finishing the book, they quickly followed the instructor's quest, assisting one pure-hearted yet needy citizen after another throughout the city. During this process, they began to contemplate the deeper meaning of being a "Paladin."

They felt as though they were enveloped in a profound warmth. The benevolent smiles of the townspeople, their most earnest blessings, and their truest gratitude made them feel as warm as if they were bathing in the Holy Light itself.

Finally, when they had thoroughly proven their mercy and patience, they returned once more to stand before their instructor.

Yet the quest they received at this juncture was to go and aid a person who had already perished.

"They've already become a corpse... and we're actually expected to save them...?" The Paladins exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of horror in the other's eyes.

Just moments ago, they had heard the training instructor claim he would teach them the greatest ability of the path of light. Could it be that this greatest ability was...

"!!??" The horror on their faces instantly twisted into absolute shock!

PS: Concerning resurrection in DNF, the Female Crusader can only deploy hers when a teammate slips into a near-death state; once they perish entirely and trigger the resurrection coin screen, it is rendered useless. As for the Male Crusader, the moment a comrade's health plummets to zero—even before they truly cross into that twilight of near-death—his grace begins to violently restore their vitality, dragging them straight back from the precipice of the grave. This, too, cannot be used after a character has truly passed away. In a strict sense, neither should be considered true resurrection; they are merely extraordinarily powerful means of rescue.

Resurrection in World of Warcraft, however... well, even if the corpse has already gone cold, they can still be pulled back. Thus, the system treats it as a genuine resurrection in every sense of the word (though, if the body has already rotted away, well, even the grandest magic has its limits).

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