"Life originates from the sun and light."
"Yet, the original Sun God is not a benevolent or just existence. He brings only darkness and disaster to the world, along with endless pain and death."
The Pope of the Church of Light spoke with a serious tone, his voice gradually becoming more solemn.
"Our Lord teaches us kindness, compassion, and mercy, but also warns us to destroy all darkness and evil with blinding light."
"The original Sun God is precisely the evil that must be eradicated!"
The God of Light worshipped by the Church of Light is known by many names in other major material worlds, also being a Sun God.
The original Sun God, the Sun God.
These two are archenemies.
Seeing the warmth disappear from the Pope's face, Garon sensed a premonition that in the near future, the Noah Continent would once again plunge into turmoil. This time, the catastrophe brought about by gods would affect the entire continent, making wars among human nations seem trivial by comparison.
"Hopefully, those knights and priests who were corrupted don't cause too much trouble."
Garon shook his head slightly, thinking to himself.
But that was just the best-case scenario.
Two months had passed since the transfer of power from the original Sun God.
In these two months, if this Wild God did nothing, waiting to be discovered by the Church of Light, that would be unlikely. More probable is that an evil plan was already brewing in the shadows.
Garon did not leave immediately.
The Pope mentioned that it wouldn't be long before Cain would have some results, so Garon decided to wait for more information before leaving.
As time passed, the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon, and the vast temple hall darkened.
Suddenly, the Pope's expression changed slightly.
He cast a bright light, revealing Cain's figure within it.
Garon and Nehemiah watched intently.
"Pope."
Cain, with a grave expression, bowed slightly and then said in a deep voice, "After returning from the far north ice field, they immediately went to the Bone Wasteland to carry out the task of sweeping the undead."
"Then... they didn't return to the temple, nor was there any news from them, their whereabouts unknown."
Unknown. Entering the Bone Wasteland and then vanishing.
There's a ninety-nine percent chance they died in the Bone Wasteland.
Hearing Cain's words, the Pope's brow furrowed slowly.
He had personally visited the Bone Wasteland but failed to resolve it. The Bone Wasteland, spawned from Harris, had become a persistent issue on the Noah Continent, not something that could be eradicated simply by the power of legendary individuals.
Entering the Bone Wasteland and then disappearing, what does that imply?
The Pope remained silent, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Garon's mind was filled with speculation.
When he heard about the situation in the Bone Wasteland from the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon, something felt off.
The Blood Sacrifice Ascension Ceremony was powerful, but it shouldn't allow a ghost to instantly condense a physical body, or else Harris wouldn't have gone through the trouble of killing a million people to achieve his goal.
Additionally, the rapid growth of the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon was also abnormal.
Attributing everything to the Blood Sacrifice Ascension Ceremony didn't sit right with Garon.
"The Bone Wasteland is filled with dense deathly aura, so thick that even sunlight cannot penetrate."
"I've tried purifying it before, but despite nearly exhausting my power, I failed," the Pope said with a frown.
"The original Sun God, what does he want to do with the Bone Wasteland?"
A look of anxiety appeared on the Pope's face.
Among those present, he was the only one who had experienced the terror of the original Sun God.
Garon, Nehemiah, and Luna had only a vague understanding.
Fear comes from the unknown, but sometimes, the known can also bring immense fear.
The Pope did not want to see Noah Continent enveloped in darkness, the light completely scattered.
At this moment, Nehemiah looked at the worried Pope and smiled brightly, saying in a calm voice, "Yelian, I think you're too wary of this original Sun God."
The Pope turned to look at Nehemiah.
Nehemiah smiled and continued, "No matter his purpose, no matter how strong he is, as long as we eradicate all his minions in this world, I don't believe he can stir up any trouble."
Pausing, Nehemiah snorted lightly, "And even if he incarnates, do you think your God of Light will just stand by and watch?"
"Even if your God of Light cannot intervene, there are other deities."
"An ancient and evil Wild God, his every move is under the watchful eyes of the gods. If he dares to incarnate, the gods will make him regret his actions."
"Moreover, incarnation."
Nehemiah narrowed his eyes, "I'm quite interested in trying, to see who would win in a fight between my power and an incarnated Wild God."
The Pope shook his head seriously, "No, Nehemiah, you don't understand the methods of the original Sun God."
"He's not an ordinary Wild God. His incarnation is not something we can contend with."
"Moreover, he doesn't care if this world is destroyed, but the gods do. They have to consider their followers."
"One acts without restraint, while the other is bound."
"I believe the great God of Light will not allow him to do evil, but we cannot place all our hopes on the deities."
Nehemiah shrugged, "Although you know more about this Wild God, I still stand by my view. I think you're worrying over nothing."
As an ancient silver dragon, Nehemiah had faced many setbacks and fought countless formidable enemies in his life, always emerging victorious. However, he had never encountered an enemy of a Wild God's caliber.
Nehemiah was not belligerent, but it had been centuries since his last battle, and he missed the thrill of fighting at full strength.
The pride of a true dragon is high, and the news of a Wild God's incarnation would not frighten Nehemiah; instead, it made him eager to try.
Especially under the current circumstances.
He knew he couldn't break through to become an ancient dragon, so rather than entering the Dragon Tomb without any sense of achievement, he preferred to have one last exhilarating battle in his lifetime. In his view, closing his eyes covered in blood was better than falling into a sleep filled with regret, completely intact.
The Pope looked at his old friend and shook his head again, not arguing with him.
He understood Nehemiah's thoughts.
Ordinary true dragons might revere deities, but ancient dragons, or even dragons beyond that, rarely fear gods from the bottom of their hearts.
All races know the pride of dragons.
Even the kind-hearted metallic dragons like gold and silver dragons cannot escape the label of pride.
It's inevitable. Naturally possessing far greater power than other beings, how could true dragons view other beings with equality?
But for a god-favored being like the Pope, he understood the power of deities.
What makes a god a god? Possessing extraordinary divine power is what makes one worthy of the title.
Extraordinary divine power, extraordinary. In the eyes of a god, not to mention an ancient silver dragon, even an ancient dragon is considered 'mundane', a slightly more powerful mundane being is still just that.
Being able to wage war with gods, many ancient Wild Gods still alive today possess power on par with deities.
The power of the original is not inferior to extraordinary divine power.
Regardless of what Nehemiah says, the Pope feels it's not too cautious to be overly cautious.
However, Nehemiah's point also makes sense.
The Pope thought for a moment and said, "Cutting off his minions, severing all his tentacles in this world, is indeed a feasible method."
Holding the scepter of the coronet, which emitted a faint light, the Pope looked solemnly at Nehemiah, "My friend, I need your help."
"If we can resolve the crisis brought by the original Sun God, I promise you, I will pray to the great God of Light, asking for His divine power to bless you, helping you cross the threshold of life and death, to achieve the body of an ancient silver dragon!"
Pausing, the Pope gripped the scepter tightly, saying solemnly, "If I cannot receive divine grace, cannot fulfill my promise, I will not enter the kingdom of God after death, but will fall into eternal slumber with you."
Hearing the Pope's words, Garon and Luna couldn't help but glance sideways at him.
With the Pope's status, entering the kingdom of God after death is inevitable.
For a follower like him, entering the kingdom of God is also a great honor, the pursuit of a lifetime. It's not easy to say such words.
Nehemiah was stunned for a moment, then a smile gradually appeared on his face, and he said warmly to the Pope, "Yelian, I don't believe in your god, but I trust you."
Silver dragons enjoy traveling in human society.
The complexity of humans always attracts the attention of silver dragons.
However, humans who can gain the recognition of silver dragons are few and far between.
Nehemiah met Yelian two hundred years ago.
At that time, Yelian was young, a reckless and impulsive but passionate and faithful young priest. Nehemiah witnessed firsthand how this young priest gained the favor of the God of Light, step by step becoming the current Pope, a top powerhouse on the Noah Continent.
They share a deep, mentor-student and friendly special bond.
Otherwise, Nehemiah wouldn't have chosen to see Yelian and bid him farewell when he was about to die.
Garon's gaze shifted between the two.
He sensed an unusual atmosphere.
Then, the Pope turned to Cain, who was waiting in the white light, and decisively said, "Cain, immediately mobilize the Knight Order of the Temple, recall all the paladins and priests outside."
"Then, seal off the Bone Wasteland, and cleanse all the undead from the outside in."
"No matter what, we cannot let evil forces run rampant!"
The Bone Wasteland's unique environment cannot be eliminated, but if one is willing to pay the price, it's possible to exterminate the undeveloped undead within.
"As you wish."
The legendary paladin responded, and his figure disappeared along with the white light.
Following that, the Pope looked at Nehemiah and said, "If the power of the original Sun God lurks in the Bone Wasteland, our actions will provoke Him."
"If He is already prepared to incarnate, Nehemiah, are you willing to fight alongside me?"
Nehemiah laughed heartily, slapping the Pope's shoulder forcefully, "This is the Yelian I know."
"A Wild God's incarnation? If He dares to come, we don't need your god to intervene, we can beat Him black and blue!"
The strength of an ancient silver dragon is great, even in human form, these slaps made the Pope's body shake, breathing unsteady.
"If you slap me a few more times, I won't need a Wild God to intervene, I can go see the God of Light right now."
The Pope rubbed his shoulder, looking displeasedly at Nehemiah.
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot how fragile you humans are."
Nehemiah apologized with his mouth, but his face showed no sign of apology.
At this time, Garon thought of the pregnant Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon and mentioned its situation to the Pope.
Serpent dragons are generally considered cruel and tyrannical evil species. Garon thought the Pope's attitude towards serpent dragons would be very negative, but to his surprise, the Pope seemed to see through Garon's thoughts.
"Just as the intense sunlight can blind people's eyes, excessive and one-sided mercilessness can obscure the heart, making us forget kindness and justice."
"If it hasn't committed evil, merely hunting the undead, then even if it's a serpent dragon, the followers of the God of Light will not attack it without reason."
The Pope's words made Garon feel more favorable towards him.
Afterward, the Pope was busy gathering the power of the Church and no longer entertained Garon and his companions.
Garon felt that the Pope had recognized his identity as a Time Dragon.
His words and gaze revealed this.
However, Garon was not surprised, because the news of Time Dragons was widely spread in the human world, and legendary powerhouses like the Pope could sense his difference at close range if they were attentive.
Nehemiah, if he heard related rumors, could probably also recognize Garon's identity.
Moreover, the Pope did not ask for Garon's help.
Through Garon's performance, the Pope knew he did not want to get involved in the trouble between the Church of Light and the original Sun God, so he did not mention it.
Nehemiah decided to stay with the Pope for the time being, quietly remaining within the temple.
"We can go now."
At this point, Garon planned to leave.
His goal was to remind the Church of Light.
Without affecting himself, Garon did not want to actively seek trouble.
The name "original Sun God" sounded like no easy opponent.
The Pope and Nehemiah were both stronger than the current Garon, and if he got involved in this matter, he couldn't do without Time Reversal, which would affect his growth rate. Garon would avoid using it if possible.
"Original Sun God, huh? I hope you don't bother me."
Garon thought to himself.
Then, he turned to Luna, who was still in human form, and asked, "Luna, do you want to return to the far north ice field? Or continue with Elder Nehemiah?"
"If you want to go back, we'll go together."
Luna showed hesitation, unsure of what to do.
Before Luna could answer, Nehemiah said, "Little Luna, you don't need to follow me anymore. What comes next might be quite dangerous, and I won't be able to take care of you."
"You can return to the Metal Dragon Island, it's the safest there. But if you want to go to the far north ice field, that's fine too. It's up to you."
After speaking, Nehemiah smiled at Garon and Luna.
Luna bit her lip, glanced at Garon, and then said softly, "Amos and Lilith have been left with Nicolina for too long, I can't keep bothering her. I'll go back to the far north ice field."
Garon nodded, "Alright, let's go together."
Then, Garon and Luna bid farewell to Nehemiah and the Pope and left the Temple of Light.
High in the sky, under the bright moonlight, two silver dragons flew side by side.
Garon's size had already surpassed Luna's by a lot. Next to him, Luna's silver dragon body seemed petite.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself when she first saw Garon reveal his true form, Luna's thoughts were still briefly in disarray.
She found it difficult to connect the gigantic true dragon before her eyes with the twelve-meter-long Garon she first met.
"I've already claimed the Lava Half-Plane."
"If you're interested, you're welcome to visit anytime."
The two dragons chatted while flying. Luna asked many questions about Garon's experiences in the Lava Half-Plane and also told Garon about the situation on Metal Dragon Island.
Learning that both legendary elements were dealt with by Garon, Luna surprisingly found herself not shocked at all.
Garon had brought her too many surprises.
Any unreasonable event happening to him seemed to become normal and ordinary.
Shortly after leaving Kraken City, the dark clouds of the Bone Wasteland appeared in Garon and Luna's view.
This darkness, deeper than the night, blocked out all the stars and moonlight, making the Bone Wasteland below disappear into the darkness, accompanied by the constant howling of the undead, making this place seem gloomy and terrifying.
Luna intended to increase altitude, to fly over the Bone Wasteland from a higher altitude.
This kind of environment, disliked by clean-loving silver dragons, was hard to accept.
Just passing through the cloud filled with decay was unbearable.
However, while passing by, Garon decided to visit the Bone Wasteland again.
He planned to warn the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon to leave the Bone Wasteland.
At the same time, Garon noticed Luna's discomfort and told her to leave first, to meet up after crossing the Bone Wasteland.
However, Luna did not let Garon go alone. She applied many magical shields on herself, isolating the deathly aura in the air, and descended into the Bone Wasteland with Garon.
In the deep crater created by a meteor explosion, the slender body of the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon was coiled up, digesting the undead it had just consumed.
In this short period, its aura had grown somewhat.
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