80: The final two levels of the King-level Divine Kingdom

Shen Xiaochuan set down his pen; the handwriting on the scroll had already dried. He stood up and pushed open the window of the main hall. The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed from the training grounds.

Just as he settled into a stance, a cloud of dust rose in the distance. Someone came sprinting to deliver a message—the enemy had launched a surprise attack, and three watchtowers outside Skydome City had fallen!

He quickly pulled on his work clothes and walked out the door.

The morning breeze brushed against his face as the city lights were extinguished one by one. Several figures had already gathered beneath the flagpole. Shen Yan stood at the front, with the warriors of the Azure Dragon Legion behind him.

"Boss," Shen Yan looked up, "we're ready."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Take your men out of the city and head to the three abandoned mine sites to the north. Seize what you can, plant the flags, and arrange a rotating defense."

"Understood!" Shen Yan barked an order, and five hundred warriors marched out in formation, their steps resonant.

Shen Xiaochuan did not accompany them; he simply sat quietly on the ground. His faith points were growing steadily at a rate of three points per second. He opened the summoning interface and selected 'Mass Summoning of Ten Thousand Believers'.

The panel prompted: Consumes 900,000 faith points.

The countdown began: ten, nine, eight... He kept his eyes closed, motionless.

Seven, six, five... The air vibrated slightly.

Four, three... The ground shook lightly.

Two, one.

A pillar of light suddenly descended, crashing onto the open ground as a ripple of energy spread outward, sending dust flying before it slowly settled. Ten thousand figures appeared in the center of the training grounds. Their clothes were tattered, and their faces were filled with terror and bewilderment.

Karl ran over quickly, clutching a ledger in his hand. "They're here! All present and accounted for!"

Shen Xiaochuan stood up and climbed onto the high platform, announcing loudly, "From now on, you are members of Skydome City. Those who wish to fight, go register for a unit; those willing to farm, report to logistics; the disabled may go to the medical area to receive rations. Everyone gets two meals a day, with meat and vegetables."

The crowd immediately broke into a commotion.

Some knelt and kowtowed.

Some held their children and sobbed softly.

Others looked directly at him with bright eyes, hope igniting within them.

System prompt: [All new Believers settled. Gained incense value +500]

"Listen up," Shen Xiaochuan raised his voice, "those whose combat power meets the standard will be prioritized for nutritious meals and equipment. The first ten to head to the battlefield will be allocated extra housing."

Someone immediately shouted, "I'm signing up!"

"I'm going too!"

The crowd quickly split into streams; some ran toward the barracks, while others headed for the canteen. Karl led his staff to begin registering talents, the sound of pens on paper rustling.

Anna walked over, scanned the crowd, and said, "We need to hold a ceremony."

"You preside over it," Shen Xiaochuan instructed. "Just don't make them kowtow."

Anna nodded and left.

It was now nine in the morning. Ling Feng had finished assembling three thousand elites at the city gate, their armor neat and weapons in hand.

"Move out," Shen Xiaochuan ordered.

The troops left the city and advanced toward the eastern wasteland. The guardian beast of the first resource field was an Iron-Horned Bull, which charged at them with an ear-splitting roar. Shen Xiaochuan sneered, "Seeking death!"

The sky-rending blade shot out, and the bull's head fell to the ground, blood geysering ten feet into the air!

Flag planted.

Troops left behind for defense.

The main force continued forward.

The second field was located in a depression, where three Venom-Stinger Lizards lay in ambush. He ordered the troops to flank them from behind, with Archers clearing obstacles first. When the lizards leaped out, they were hit by fire oil jars; their tails caught fire, and they were surrounded and killed in their frantic scurrying.

Flag planted.

Outpost established.

Pushed forward.

The third and fourth fields were taken smoothly. The System prompted repeatedly:

[Occupied resource field ×1, gained incense value +80]

[Occupied resource field ×1, gained incense value +80]

[Believers' loyalty increased, gained incense value +20]

At noon, they encountered resistance at the fifth field. A mutated wild boar led twenty young beasts in a charge, its tusks gashing two warriors and causing cries of pain to ring out. Shen Xiaochuan barked, "Fall back!"

The sky-rending blade slashed down, snapping the boar's spine and sending the young beasts fleeing in all directions!

"Bandage the wounds and carry the injured back," he said to the medic. "Record it as a combat loss and register it properly."

At three in the afternoon, the sixth field was easily occupied. At the seventh field, they found an outer city flag, left unguarded. Shen Xiaochuan ordered the old flag burned and replaced with the black-and-gold patterned flag of Skydome City.

The sun began to set.

"The last one," Ling Feng wiped his sweat, "is on the edge of the swamp. Intelligence says there's a Two-Headed Snake."

Just as they were about to move, a scout rushed back with a report: "Footprints found on the outskirts of the Southeast Forbidden Land!"

The troops quickened their pace.

It was already dark when they arrived. In the center of the swamp was a high ground where glowing moss grew, and eight Tier 3 resource fields were linked together. A greenish-gray Two-Headed Snake was coiled there, each head as thick as a water vat, its scales shimmering with an eerie light.

"Ranged suppression," Shen Xiaochuan ordered. "Fire arrows, cover the area. Catapults on standby."

Fire arrows soared and landed precisely. The Two-Headed Snake raised its heads and hissed, one head spitting acid mist while the other spat ice shards. The front-line warriors raised their shields in defense; lime was scattered to neutralize the acid, and the ice shards were knocked aside.

"Assault team, three to the left and four to the right, attack from both sides!"

The warriors split into two wings for the assault. The left side drew the attention of the primary head, while the right side circled around to strike at the junction of the snake's tails. The giant snake thrashed in agony, crushing two fields.

The snake spat more poisonous gas, causing the field ridges to crack. Shen Xiaochuan lunged forward, severing one head with one strike and piercing the neck with the second. The Two-Headed Snake crashed to the ground, and the entire field erupted in cheers!

"Plant the flag!" he shouted.

The flag-bearer rushed forward and drove the black flag deep into the center of the high ground. As the flag unfurled, the gold-embroidered characters for 'Skydome' shone brilliantly in the night.

System prompts popped up one after another:

[Eighth Tier 3 field successfully occupied]

[king-rank divine kingdom prerequisites met: Population target reached, Believer count target reached, Resource field count target reached]

[Current Status: Only a blue crystal core and a core building are needed to apply for an upgrade]

[Morale of all city residents is high. Gained incense value +1000]

Cheers drifted from the training grounds. Lights in the city flickered on one by one, gongs and drums sounded in unison, and children ran through the streets to spread the news.

Shen Xiaochuan did not smile. He stood by the edge of the field, watching the last sliver of sunlight vanish below the horizon.

"Return to the city," he said.

The troops set out on their return journey. It was late into the night by the time they entered the city. The main hall was brightly lit, where Karl was organizing data.

"Report." Karl handed over a booklet. "Among the new Believers, there are three with B-rank talent and seventeen with C-rank talent; they've been scheduled for special training. The temple foundation is sixty percent complete and can be finished in seven days."

Shen Xiaochuan reviewed the information one by one.

Population: 25,314.

Incense contribution from Believers: Rising steadily.

Total resource fields: 15, including eight Tier 3 fields.

Combat units: Full capacity.

All targets met.

He closed the booklet and entered the Faith Mall to check the price of a blue crystal core.

Nine million faith points.

Account balance: 3.21 million.

The gap was still wide.

He asked, "Has the information on the Southeast Forbidden Land been pulled up yet?"

"It's on the table." Karl pointed to a bamboo slip in the corner. "But it's incomplete—only half a map and a warning."

Shen Xiaochuan walked over and picked up the bamboo slip. Under the firelight, the line of characters was clearly visible:

"Those who enter without permission shall have no soul to return."

He did not put it back, silently tucking it into his sleeve.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. Lilith entered carrying a tray with a bowl of hot soup and two cakes on it.

"Eat something," she said.

Shen Xiaochuan took it and had a sip. It was meat soup, stewed until tender.

"How is the Tiger Cubs?"

"Aphrodite fed it three times, and it ate everything. The medical area said it can be weaned after another two days of observation."

He nodded and continued eating.

Lilith did not leave. "Sister said she can make whatever you want to eat."

"Mm."

"She means it."

"I know."

She stood there, saying no more.

Shen Xiaochuan finished and set down the bowl. "Have Aphrodite bring the Tiger Cubs to the main hall tomorrow. Also, notify Yang Lie to participate in the enlistment assessment the day after tomorrow."

"Okay."

She took the dishes and quietly left.

After the door closed, Shen Xiaochuan opened the faith point panel. The numbers were still growing. He clicked on the skill tab to check 'Thunderous Overlord Slash · Advanced'; the proficiency was at sixty-three.

Seven more kills against powerful enemies were needed.

Outside the window, the city had returned to tranquility. The training grounds were empty, the kitchen fires were out, and the church lights had dimmed. Only the main hall remained bright.

He sat back at the table and wrote down new arrangements:

Item 1: Check the training progress of the new recruits.

Item 2: Dispatch scouts to explore the routes around the Southeast Forbidden Land.

Item 3: Prepare for the next large-scale summoning, aiming for five thousand additional troops.

The tip of the pen rustled against the paper.

Suddenly, the greenish-gray scale in his robe grew intensely hot—what secret was this scale hiding, after all?