Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 633 Your God is not here.

Xingluo looked at Atlantis and nodded, "That's right. We don't need to attack head-on. We just need to let the city defenses collapse on their own."

In order not to alert the enemy's air patrols, the surprise attack force chose to travel through the Mist Bone Forest at night - this forest is shrouded in white fog all year round, and the ancient trees inside are like twisted skeletons. Even the reconnaissance eagles of the Holy See of Light dare not go deep into it.

Moonfall's Shadow Crow squad led the way, while Candice and the Flame Hammer craftsmen carried the heavy snow-shaking thunder components. Mo stayed behind to prevent anyone from falling behind or getting lost in the fog.

Along the way, low animal roars were occasionally heard from the Mist Bone Forest, but every potential threat retreated under the faint light released by the Starfall Divine Flame Crystal - the creatures in the forest seemed to have an instinctive fear of that light.

It was already dark when they arrived at the Snow Ridge Valley. The wind from the plateau was like a razor blade on their faces, and the snow was so deep that even the dwarf's beard was half buried.

Candice led the craftsmen in groups, burying snow mines beneath several key snow cornices and overhanging snowpacks. Each mine was engraved with a delay rune and connected to a master fuse crystal. As long as the star fell dozens of miles away and activated them, they would detonate in sequence, triggering a chain avalanche.

"Within ten breaths, the entire valley entrance will be swallowed by snow," Candice whispered. "If they rush to rescue us, we'll be buried under the snow together."

Xingluo's gaze swept across the distant plateau city dotted with lights, his expression calm and sharp: "We won't wait for them to rescue us - we will rush directly through the gap in the avalanche."

The surprise attack force retreated to a hidden spot outside the valley entrance. Xingluo took out the main fuse crystal and gently squeezed it.

boom--

The first snow thunder exploded, shaking the snow like a sleeping beast turning over. Immediately afterwards, more explosions echoed along the mountainside and between the snow cornices, and the snow avalanche broke into turbulent white waves, pouring down from the heights.

The patrol team guarding the city was awakened by the sudden roar and rushed to the valley entrance in a hurry, but was swallowed up by the snow wave the next moment. Their armor and shouts were covered by a huge white curtain at the same time.

The avalanche hit the city defenses at the valley entrance. The heavy magic steel city gate was uprooted and collapsed along with part of the outer wall, revealing a gap leading to the city.

"Now!" Xingluo gave an order, and the surprise attack troops shot towards the gap like sharp arrows.

The Flame Hammer's dwarven artisans wielded enchanted warhammers, specifically destroying the city's communication towers and rune formation nodes, severing the enemy's communications and defenses. Candice laid down a magical aura at the street corner, slowing the defenders' reaction so much that they could only watch as their shields shattered.

Mo led the Shadow Crow Squad, heading straight for the altar in the central square. In the square, the holy light still trembled and flickered, attempting to establish a stable divine channel with the Cang Qiong Sanctuary.

"Cut it off." Xingluo ordered.

Shadow Raven's rune bombs detonated simultaneously, the altar shattering in a violent white flash. The pillar of light connecting the Sanctuary of the Sky instantly disintegrated, transforming into hundreds of dissipating wisps of light dust. Throughout the city, the Holy Spirit Legion soldiers simultaneously groaned in pain—deprived of divine power, their demigod bodies collapsed as if their skeletons had been ripped out.

In the ensuing battle, Xingluo held a considerable advantage. The Freedom Alliance's surprise attack force advanced along the streets, clearing out strongholds building by building, capturing any soldiers unwilling to resist and killing any commanders who refused to surrender.

The city of Baihui Plateau fell completely before dawn. The Holy Spirit Legion's arsenal was emptied, the altar was razed to the ground, and a massive battle flag woven from enemy flags was erected outside the city gates—it contained only one sentence:

"Your God is not here."

The news of the fall of Baihui Plateau was like a spear piercing through thick skin, hanging the last dignity of the Holy Spirit Legion in mid-air.

By the time the news reached the Free Alliance headquarters, Xingluo hadn't even taken off his snow-soaked and blood-stained cloak. Inside the war room, messengers brought wave after wave of victory reports from all over the country:

All the remaining garrison troops along the southern coast surrendered.

The Western Pass was blocked by the Hammer of Fire, and the enemy's supply lines were completely cut off.

The Holy Spirit Cavalry in the Beiyuan Plains, lacking the supply of Holy Light Spring, saw their combat effectiveness drop by 70% and were defeated by the Free Alliance.

Mo put down the last battle report and looked up at Xingluo: "The main force of the Holy Spirit Legion on the continent has been devastated."

Xingluo simply responded calmly: "The teeth are gone, but their heads are still in the sky."

Without the divine channel at the central altar, the connections within the Holy Spirit Legion scattered like beads from a broken string. Many stationed commanders could no longer receive direct orders from the Holy See of Light and could only rely on their own judgment - the result was:

Some people choose to surrender;

Some people took their remaining troops and fled to the heartland of the Church of Light;

Some people simply split up into small groups and sneak into the wilderness, hoping to wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

The Moonfall Intelligence Department took the opportunity to release more false intelligence, pointing these remaining forces at each other, and letting them hunt each other in the wilderness and ruins.

"We don't even need to send a major force to clear them out," Mo wrote in a secret report. "They will solve the problem themselves."

Although the remaining forces were fragmented, Xingluo did not relax. He personally outlined three clearing routes, to be carried out in coordination with the Free Alliance and the Sky City Mercenary Group:

On the northern front, cross the northern plains and clear out stragglers who attempt to occupy granaries and pastures.

The middle line is to advance along the old trade route and take over the passes and tax stations controlled by the Holy See of Light one by one.

On the southern front, block the coastal routes and prevent any possible sea reinforcements or escape fleets.

Candice is responsible for the supply and logistics of the central line. Her alchemy workshop operates almost 24 hours a day, continuously producing magic breath powder, explosive bottles, and portable talisman towers.

During a rear-line meeting, she said to Xingluo with a smile, "I've never seen such a rapid loss of troops in my life. You're treating the war like a continent-wide stage play."

Xingluo smiled back: "Then let the audience remember who the protagonist is."

While carrying out the purge, Xingluo ordered the complete destruction of the Holy Spirit Legion's symbolic buildings—all towers, temples, and altars bearing the holy emblem of the Sky Sanctuary were to be torn down and burned.

He even ordered people to erect black stone tablets beside every ruin, with the same words engraved on them:

"Your faith is dead, your God has not returned."

This highly provocative move caused a huge stir among the cities and towns of the continent. Some applauded, others were terrified. But regardless of attitude, the deterrent power of the Sky Sanctuary had visibly declined.

The Holy See of Light, located deep in the sanctuary, finally couldn't hold back any longer and sent a high-level divine messenger to issue a decree to the continent through the remaining divine channels, calling the Free Alliance and Xingluo "blasphemers who betrayed God's grace" and calling on believers to rise up and attack them.

But as soon as this decree was passed to the square of the Free City, it was "processed" by the Shadow Crows of Moonfall - they added a sentence below the decree:

"If your God really cares about you, He will come Himself and not send someone else with a message."

This kind of public ridicule hurts the hearts of believers more than any sword.

Three months later, the Holy Spirit Legion's last fortress on the continent, Dusk Castle, was besieged by the Free Alliance.

Xingluo refrained from launching a general attack, appearing composed and composed. He knew full well that any misstep in this war would bring irreversible harm to his comrades, even death. He paused for a moment before mobilizing the alchemical catapults, hurling thousands of paper cards bearing the black holy emblem and mocking verses into the fort. For seven days and nights, morale within the fort gradually eroded. On the morning of the eighth day, the city gates slowly opened, and an adjutant in a tattered cloak emerged, holding a white flag.

"Their leader hanged himself," the adjutant whispered, "saying he would rather see God than be humiliated by you."

Xingluo didn't say anything, but just looked at him calmly: "Then tell him for me - his God hasn't come to take him away yet."

At this point, the power of the Holy Spirit Legion on the continent was uprooted, and the Holy See of Light lost its most powerful minion.

Mo stood on the summit of the plateau, gazing at the distant sanctuary of the sky suspended above the sea of ​​clouds, the headquarters of the Holy See of Light, and slowly uttered a word:

"Next, it's the turn of the gardener in heaven."

Xingluo smiled faintly, the Divine Flame Crystal flashing a blazing light in his palm: "Gardener? No, I prefer to call it... the root of weeds."

The sea breeze rolled up the black battle flag, which fluttered on the top of the plateau.

Xingluo knew that this war was far from over. Although the combat power of the Holy See of Light had been uprooted by him, it did not mean that the Holy See of Light had no power to fight back.