“An enemy worth a sealed object must be at least a demigod.”
“If we encounter someone of that level, we should be thinking about how to survive first.”
“A sealed object... that’s a sealed object!”
“Even if we can't use it ourselves, it would fetch an astronomical price. At the very least, it could be traded for a Sequence 5 promotion potion, right?”
“More than that. It could even be traded for a Sequence 1 promotion potion.”
“What?”
“In your dreams.”
“Hahaha!”
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter.
Anyone could guess with their toes that someone worth a sealed object as a bounty wouldn't be some innocent soul.
If they went looking for that person for the sake of the bounty, they would likely only succeed in making the bounty higher.
“Who spread this news? Could it be a trap meant for us?”
“It came from Wanwu City. Whether it’s true or false, I don't know, but it has already spread everywhere.”
“It’s spread everywhere?”
“Yeah.”
“The problem is the description of the target is too generic. Wearing a Nuo opera mask and a sacrificial robe, and having a connection to the True Knowledge Society... there are too many people like that.”
“Exactly. They haven't even mentioned the target's sequence. If we end up killing the person and they refuse to pay up, what then?”
“Are you stupid? Who are we? We're the Shadow Lotus Church! Are you afraid they'll default on us?”
“True.”
“Silence!”
An extremely frigid voice rang out through the hall. All the chatter vanished instantly as everyone turned to look toward the source of the voice.
An elder leaning on a cane walked slowly into view.
Standing behind him was a thin and tall youth; he was the one who had just shouted for silence.
The elder’s gaze swept indifferently across the room as he moved forward step by step with his cane.
On his chest was the emblem of a black lotus.
“Great Elder!”
“Great Elder!”
“Great Elder!”
The crowd bowed one after another.
In the Shadow Lotus Church, there were many elders, but there was only one Great Elder.
He was one of the most powerful figures in the Shadow Lotus Church.
The elder slowly made his way to the seat of honor and sat down, his voice raspy as he spoke.
“I have called you all here because major events are about to occur in Great Wei. I am informing you in advance so that you are not caught off guard when the time comes.”
The hall was silent. No one dared to utter a word of nonsense; this was the authority the Great Elder had cultivated over many years.
“Within two years, Great Wei will launch a total war against Great Qi!”
Hearing this, the people below couldn't help but look up.
A total war—that was no minor skirmish!
Once such a battlefield opened up, there was no telling when it would end.
It was even possible for one of the nations to be completely wiped out.
Furthermore, once Great Wei and Great Qi went to war, they would have to be wary of sneak attacks from other countries. the exchange of interests involved would be terrifying!
More importantly, when two nations went to war, some transcendents would certainly take the opportunity to join in.
This was because war created many of the conditions required for promotion rituals!
The most obvious example was the Axeman pathway!
At Sequence 9 of the Axeman pathway, one only needs to master over thirty percent of their own strength and consume the potion to break through to become an Axeman.
At that point, they automatically obtain the ability 【Cold Weapon Mastery】, allowing them to use any cold weapon with ease.
Then, they simply need to find a weapon they are good at and achieve proficiency with it. Combined with a potion, they can then be promoted to Sequence 8, Executioner!
Upon becoming an Executioner, they automatically gain the ability 【Weakness Perception】, which allows them to accurately discover an enemy's weak points. This is one of the primary reasons the Axeman sequence is so powerful.
From there, they must increase their spirituality through killing. When their spirituality is sufficient, they can consume the promotion potion to break through to Sequence 7, Imperial Guard!
An Imperial Guard awakens the core ability of the Axeman pathway: 【Phantom Clone】!
The weapon projection held by the phantom is the same weapon they mastered at Sequence 9 and used to break through Sequence 8.
After reaching the Imperial Guard stage, the promotion conditions become somewhat simpler. They only need to loyally protect a specific target for a set amount of time to break through.
As for how much their spirituality grows during this period, it depends on the target's identity, ideals, and the sum of many other conditions.
Therefore, for an Imperial Guard, choosing whom to serve is equally important.
Some people have even remained stuck at the Imperial Guard stage for their entire lives because they chose the wrong target.
Once spirituality has been accumulated enough again, they can consume the potion to break through to Sequence 6, Thousand-Slayer!
The ability awakened at Sequence 6 is Intent Release!
Their killing intent can condense into a physical form to kill enemies.
But for the current Axeman pathway, it is more commonly used for 【enchantment】.
Ordinary bullets, after undergoing intent enchantment, can possess a certain anti-magic effect.
The original promotion condition for them was to kill a thousand people!
However, it was later modified so that they only need to wound and draw blood from a thousand people, which greatly reduced the difficulty of promotion.
As for the speed of spirituality growth, it is determined based on the strength of those thousand people.
Next is Sequence 5, the demigod of the Axeman pathway: Myriad-Slayer!
The difficulty of promotion can be inferred just from the name.
A Myriad-Slayer needs to successfully defeat ten thousand people!
It’s simple, in the literal sense.
The number of low-sequence transcendents on the Axeman pathway far exceeds other pathways, but the higher the sequence, the fewer people there are.
Above the Myriad-Slayer is Sequence 4, 【Hero】!
The promotion requirement is to dominate a war involving a hundred thousand people!
Once successful, and upon consuming the potion, one can be promoted to Sequence 3.
Grand Marshal!
Thus, once Great Wei and Great Qi go to war, countless transcendents will surely join in, taking the opportunity to find a chance to complete their promotion rituals.
And once war breaks out, Great Qi will definitely commit a force of over fifty thousand.
If Great Wei tries to use 'fewer men' to disrupt the promotion condition for the Sequence 4 Hero—the hundred-thousand-man war—they would be fighting at a numerical disadvantage and would likely be defeated.
But if they also commit fifty thousand or more soldiers to the war, they would only be fulfilling the other side's requirements.
When that time comes, the only way to stop the opponent's promotion ritual would be to interfere with the word 'dominate.'
The Great Elder's voice was calm as he spoke.
“For my Shadow Lotus Church, this is a godsend.”
“Previously, people often complained that they wanted to break through but lacked enough divinity. This time is the best opportunity!”
“How much you can obtain will depend on your own abilities.”
Hearing this, the crowd below grew excited, yet still, no one dared to speak.
“Great Qi has been in contact with us, hoping for cooperation.”
“As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“Once Great Wei is destroyed, we will obtain more resources, and perhaps even the chance to become the national religion of Great Qi!”
As the elder reached this point, his voice wavered for the first time, proving just how much weight the title of national religion held.
“So, everyone.”
“Hide yourselves away.”
“Just as a lotus remains hidden in the mud before it blooms.”
“Bide your time.”
After finishing his speech, the Great Elder led the youth behind him out of the hall.
Only after the Great Elder had completely disappeared did the crowd erupt.
“War! This is our chance!”
“Hahaha, with so many people on the battlefield, it’s the perfect stage for our Killer pathway to show its strength!”
“Everyone, national religion! A national religion!”
“If we let the glory of the True God shroud an entire nation, how many bestowals would He grant us? Hahahaha!”
Rate on N.U.
