351: Self-destruction

"Tudor's judges brush, mimicking energy fluctuations is its specialty. As long as a deity doesn't personally investigate, fooling fifth or sixth-tier priests is more than sufficient."

"What's more, the beast god is asleep, so they have no way to seek verification from a divine being." Shang Wan Ning's expression was calm.

"Remember, the Abyss Church is only the discoverer of the 'divine oracle' from beginning to end."

"The Church cannot get too much blood on its hands. We should let the Orcs clean up their own house. The Netherworld must always stand on the side of 'morality' and 'orthodoxy'."

Shang Wan Ning's phoenix eyes swept over Chen Yu. "One last point: don't touch the Blood Elves for now. But the news of the turmoil in the Emerald Kingdom can be 'accidentally' leaked to the Orc high-ranking officials."

"Hint to them that the Elf Race is too preoccupied to care, and this is a heaven-sent opportunity for the Orc Kingdom to 'restore order from chaos' and execute the divine oracle. Understand?"

Chen Yu nodded vigorously, a flush of excitement rising on her small face. "Understood! Fanning the flames, killing with a borrowed knife, and finally, the Abyss Church reaps the rewards."

"Your Majesty, isn't this scheme poisonous enough? It exploits the fatal weakness of the beast god being asleep, the Priest Corps losing contact, and internal fear and distrust."

Shang Wan Ning's gaze turned toward the floating communication talisman. "Tudor."

"Your Subordinate is here." A response immediately came from the other end of the talisman array.

"Did you hear clearly the Prefecture City God's 'little idea'?"

"Every word was clear, Your Majesty. The beast god is asleep, the priests are out of contact... Your Subordinate believes this plan is feasible."

"Mhm~ Proceed accordingly."

"Have You Yu immediately report the necessary materials for forging the 'divine oracle,' 'physical evidence,' 'Divine Power Imprint,' etc., to Ming Xuan, and have the Logistics Department fully cooperate."

"Remember, the Abyss Church is the loyal executor of the 'divine oracle,' and the 'Divine Punishment Anomaly' is the beast god's warning against the priests' dereliction of duty. Maintain careful control so the fire doesn't burn us."

"Understood. I will not fail Your Majesty's trust." Tudor's words were firm and resounding.

Shang Wan Ning cut off communication with the judge, and silence returned to the hall. She leaned back against the chair, her two fingers tracing the dark gold patterns on her phoenix robe.

Chen Yu leaned over and asked quietly, "Your Majesty, what if we genuinely provoke the sleeping beast god into waking up?"

"Wakes up?"

Shang Wan Ning let out a sneer, a cold light flashing in her phoenix eyes.

"An old relic who has been sleeping for five thousand years and was crippled by the God of Light—does He dare to descend with His crippled true body at this moment?"

"Sabrina's claws have just shown themselves in the Elf Race, and the old things in the Source Realm are about to wake up. Can He afford to wade into the muddy waters of the Ativi Continent?"

She picked up the slightly cool Spirit Tea from the table and took a sip. "The beast god will, at most, choose a powerful seventh-tier Subordinate God. Conveniently, My 'Sunken Firing Range' is still empty, and I happen to be missing a substantial 'Divine Blood Battery'."

...Deep within the Kingdom of Barbatos, the western suburbs of Kana City.

Inside the abandoned temple, it was dark and deep. The broken statue was covered in a thick layer of moss, and cobwebs hung like curtains, sealing the dome shut.

Tudor stood in the center of the altar, the judges brush suspended three inches above his palm. The tip was dipped in viscous ink, and upon closer inspection, dark gold blood threads could be seen slowly flowing.

That was the foul blood of the Yin Gods from the deepest layer of the Netherworld Blood Pool, sedimented for a thousand years, specifically used to mimic divinity.

"Buzz..."

The brush tip descended toward the “Ancient Blood Sacrifice Skin” that had been prepared long ago.

The sacrifice skin was taken from an Orc Royal Tomb, emanating a barbaric aura from five thousand years ago.

The moment the Orc script was branded, the sacrifice skin burst forth with a fierce pressure, mixed with the unique solemnity of divinity—precisely the divine power fluctuation unique to the beast god in his prime.

You Yu was concealed in the shadows, his masked gaze fixed on the end of the sacrifice skin.

When the twisted Orc characters for “The Year of the God War's End” took shape, Tudor's brush stroke suddenly showed a trace of exhausted trembling, perfectly replicating the feeling of being severely wounded and near death.

"Tsk, it's finally done." Tudor slowly withdrew his brush.

The foul blood in his palm was exhausted. The divine oracle text on the sacrifice skin shone with ominous dark red, like solidified blood scabs.

You Yu stepped forward and took the sacrifice skin, lightly rubbing the writing with his thumb. "Lord Judge's skill in mimicry is enough to make those old fellows in the Priest Corps believe it completely."

"Cough, cough. It's just fooling some poor wretches who can't even sense the aura of a True God." Tudor turned to wipe the judges brush.

"Minister You, have all the Guixu Walkers arrived?"

"They are in Rotten Mud Alley outside the city. Old Buck is leading the first batch of core members, awaiting orders." You Yu carefully sealed the sacrifice skin and placed it into a specially made rotten wooden box.

The box contained the anti-corrosion spices commonly used by the beast god's priests.

"The kindling is ready, just waiting for the wind to rise."

"Good!"

Kana City, Rotten Mud Alley.

Sewage gathered in the potholes, forming black pools, and the shantytown area was filled with a sour, rotten odor.

Old Buck tightly gripped two hard rye biscuits. The sores rubbed raw by the ankle shackles had formed thick scabs, causing sharp pain with the slightest movement.

He pulled down his ragged felt hat and leaned toward the Miners warming themselves around the fire. His rusty-gong voice was hoarse. "Have you heard?"

"They dug up something good at the old beast god temple in the western suburbs, the one with the half-collapsed side."

The drooping ears of the Kobold suddenly perked up, and his tail lightly swept the ground as he said, "Old Buck, are you starving yourself silly? What good thing could be in that ruined temple besides a few rat hairs?"

"The Abyss above." Old Buck heavily pounded the bone plaque hanging on his chest, a sharp glint appearing in his cloudy eyes.

"My niece, Di Ya, saw it with her own eyes while cleaning the ruins with the Lord Guixu Walker."

"It was the final divine oracle left by His Excellency, the beast god, five thousand years ago."

Old Buck deliberately paused, lowering his voice further. Every word was like a red-hot nail hammered into the Kobold's ear.

"The divine oracle says... the nobles who defected to the False God of Light... their bloodlines are filthy and must be purified with the Ancestral Spirit Holy Fire."

"Boom!!!"

The simple shantytown area instantly erupted.

A Gray Foxman missing an ear at the front suddenly stood up, his claws clicking as they clenched. "I knew it! Why were those Noble Lords always colluding with the Church of Light and exploiting their own kin?"

"So they really defected to the enemy!"

Another scrawny Miner spat fiercely, his tone vicious: "Since His Excellency, the beast god, has issued a decree, these degenerates ought to be burned clean by the Ancestral Spirit Holy Fire!!!"

Old Buck looked at the agitated Miners, secretly delighted, and continued to fan the flames: "We Slaves have been loyal to His Excellency for generations; yet the nobles betrayed the beast god and colluded with the Church of Light."

"Can we, as Orcs, swallow this indignation?"

"No!" the Miners roared in unison, their eyes filled with resentment.

Just then, a tall Minotaur pushed through the crowd and said in a booming voice, "What good is just roaring here? We must do something."

Old Buck's lips curved upward. He said loudly, "Yes, we must make the nobles pay the price. Now, follow the Lord Guixu Walker and spread the news of the divine oracle throughout Kana City, so everyone knows the nobles' crimes."

The Miners responded one after another, picking up their crude weapons and following Old Buck grandly out of Rotten Mud Alley.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned temple, Tudor and You Yu watched the departing crowd and exchanged a smile.

"The fire has been lit," Tudor said softly.

"Lord Judge. Next, we just wait to watch the show of the Orcs slaughtering each other." A shadow flashed in You Yu's eyes.