350: Blow out the candles

"Our war is about to reach its end."

"A year ago, we were just low-level consumables, yet we've made it all the way to today."

"It was the Taiyi God who led us to stand up! Our lives have gradually improved, and our dignity has slowly coalesced."

"But now, Wang Defu has returned. He wants to destroy everything, to ride on our heads once more and exploit us like livestock!"

Mo Ran stood on the square's podium, waving his arm toward the crowd below, his voice booming.

"Can you allow this?"

Zhang Wei and his group gazed at the impassioned figure on the stage. As his voice fell, the entire square erupted in a roar.

"We won't allow it!"

"Do you allow it?"

"We won't allow it!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Resist! For our God!"

Zhang Wei and the others felt their scalps tingle; they had never experienced such a scene before.

"Everyone, pray for our God!"

"For the Taiyi God!"

"Victory is certain in this battle!"

Under the shocked gazes of Zhang Wei and the others, streaks of golden light surged from the believers, piercing through rock layers and barriers, converging toward Zhou Yan.

"It's finally here."

Zhou Yan felt the surging Power Of Faith and donned the City God Divine Office.

With the long-term accumulation of faith, the special effect of the City God Divine Office against invaders, and the fact that the opponent had been worn down for a long time, Zhou Yan was fully prepared.

He left his female body in the monitoring room while his male body, shrouded in the golden light of faith, opened a portal and arrived directly where Wang Defu was.

Seeing the other's exhausted and frenzied expression, Zhou Yan knew the plan had succeeded.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.

Wang Defu struck first, pointing a finger that was wrapped in red and black light. It carried immense pressure as it blasted toward Zhou Yan, intending to crush him into the wall.

Zhou Yan, however, took the opportunity to grab the other's wrist and used the momentum to pivot. The place that should have been a wall suddenly collapsed into a void. A powerful suction force pulled them in, and before Wang Defu could break free, he was sucked in along with Zhou Yan.

The two landed on a beach, with fireworks, crackers, and other decorations scattered around. Wang Defu swept out his Divine Sense and attacked again.

His body flickered, transforming into ten figures that attacked Zhou Yan from different directions. Zhou Yan unfolded his Nascent Soul Domain, pushing his own Law to the limit.

"You're actually just a Nascent Soul?"

"To deal with you, a Nascent Soul is enough."

"Arrogance!"

Wang Defu's ten figures attacked simultaneously, and Zhou Yan did not dodge, meeting them head-on.

The result, however, was unexpected.

The one sent flying was actually Wang Defu.

He fell to the ground, his face full of shock.

"Impossible! How did you distinguish my true body?"

The ten figures shifted positions again and lunged together. Zhou Yan remained silent, throwing a sharp palm strike toward the third figure on the left.

Wang Defu was sent flying once more.

Once might be luck, but what about twice?

These nine Clones were Wang Defu's Law Divine Ability, which could create nine Clones of equal strength at the cost of the original body's strength decreasing.

After years of cultivation, he could already mask the presence of his true body, so how exactly did the opponent see through it?

In fact, it wasn't that complicated; it was simply because the health bar and name were far too conspicuous.

Refusing to believe it, Wang Defu lunged again with seven figures. Zhou Yan, however, did not attack any of them. Instead, he condensed a Water Lotus in his palm and struck toward the three figures remaining below.

Just as Wang Defu was about to move, his feet were locked by a small tree. Although he finally managed to escape through a spatial jump, his left arm was still severely injured and dripping with blood.

"Cough... even if you can see through it, in the end, you're still just a Nascent Soul."

Wang Defu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his smile hideous. He withdrew his Divine Ability and took an iron cup from his ring, inside of which stood a candle.

The candle ignited spontaneously without wind, casting a ghostly blue light. At the same time, Zhou Yan's Nascent Soul Domain melted away rapidly like sugar coating meeting fire.

Losing the support of his Domain, Zhou Yan was instantly suppressed by the other's vast Power of Law.

Even though he continuously manipulated the terrain to obstruct him, Wang Defu still delivered attacks right before his eyes through spatial jumps. Knowing that the space behind him was safe, Wang Defu's use of space became increasingly unrestrained.

"Die!"

In front of the monitor, Zhou Yan's main body couldn't help but look solemn.

"Fortunately, I kept a trump card."

"What exactly is that candle? To think it can isolate Laws."

"He can use Laws, but I can't. This is too unfair."

Just then, a male voice came from behind Zhou Yan.

"That is an Everburning Lamp, a special Magic Treasure that can stabilize the surrounding Laws. Only Laws from the inside out—that is, the power emitted by the user themselves—can be deployed normally. All external Power of Law attacking it will be blocked."

"Although this thing also affects the user's own Law output, it can still be considered useful."

"I really didn't expect the opponent to have this; it's quite a rare item."

Zhang Wei had already walked out from the door of the monitoring room at this time, and it was clear he had already dealt with his opponent.

"You finished so quickly?"

Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised, as battles between Cultivators of the same rank usually took a long time.

At this moment, Zhang Wei's clothes were only slightly dirty at most, and his health was only down by a tenth.

"Thanks to Miss Kong, after gaining partial control over that space, I quickly took down my opponent."

"After all, the weakness of the East Region Soul Transformation stage is well-known, not to mention he was ambushed by me first."

"However, this Wang Defu is quite troublesome. He has lit the Everburning Lamp. Unless he blows it out himself, even I would have to fight him with just my Physical Body."

"The result would likely not be good."

Zhou Yan also began to think.

"Is it only Laws from the outside in that don't work?"

Zhang Wei didn't understand what Zhou Yan meant, but he explained anyway.

"If a Law wants to attack the opponent, it must pass through the range of the Everburning Lamp, where it will act upon the lamp and be terminated by it."

"So, except for Laws like curses that act directly on the body, any attempt to attack the opponent cannot bypass the Everburning Lamp."

"Say no more, I have a way."

Zhou Yan looked at the monitor, a smile appearing on his face once again.

A Vermilion Gate appeared abruptly on the beach.

Wang Defu had just repelled Zhou Yan and was still somewhat tired; this door appeared before him without any warning.

Given the various situations encountered before, what lay behind the door likely wasn't simple either.

"Father..."

The voice coming from inside the door made Wang Defu's whole body tremble.

"Father, save me..."

That was Wilde's voice, carrying a tremor that was both familiar and strange to him.

Reason told Wang Defu it was a trap, but his heart was already pounding uncontrollably.

"Son!" he roared, rushing toward the Vermilion Gate regardless of everything.

The door opened silently. Inside was none of the scenes he had expected—no rooms, no walls, only a stretch of distorted light and shadows.

The next second, the world spun.

Wang Defu opened his eyes and found himself standing on the deck of a massive Flower Boat. Not far away, Wilde was chained to a mast, his clothes in tatters and his face haggard.

"Father!" Wilde looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

Even though he knew it was a trap, Wang Defu's feet still moved.

The Everburning Lamp in his arms grew slightly warm, emitting a soft glow.

He used his magic power to sever the chains and shielded his son behind him.

Just then, countless black figures surged from every corner of the Flower Boat. They were dressed in black, holding sharp blades, and their eyes had no pupils, only a void of darkness.

"Hold on to me!" Wang Defu shouted to Wilde.

The light of the Everburning Lamp suddenly flared intensely. He waved his hand, and the three enemies at the very front instantly turned to ashes.

The battle became a one-sided slaughter.

Wang Defu led his son, carving a path of blood through the Flower Boat; blood stained the deck red, and the enemies' corpses piled up like mountains.

Eventually, they rushed off the Flower Boat, jumped into the sea of clouds, and finally flew toward the horizon.

They looked back at the distant Taiyi City, both showing strange looks in their eyes.

"Father, we must take back everything that belongs to us," Wilde said, his eyes gleaming with an ambition Wang Defu had never seen before.

In the days that followed, Wang Defu quickly devoured George's forces.

Carrying this power, he launched a counterattack against Taiyi City, which no longer had its god. Taiyi City was renamed Grace City once again, and he gained the resources of an entire city.

What pleased him even more was that Wilde had become filial and considerate, no longer the useless son he once was.

"Father, today is your birthday." Wilde walked into the study carrying an exquisite cake, a sincere smile on his face.

The candle's flame danced atop the cake.

"Blow it out and make a wish, Father," Wilde said softly.

Wang Defu looked at the warm reflection in his son's eyes, feeling an unprecedented sense of happiness. He took a deep breath and blew toward the candle.

The moment the candlelight went out, the entire world began to collapse.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy scent, slapped against his face, and the afterglow of the setting sun stung Wang Defu's eyes so much he couldn't open them.

He blinked and found himself still kneeling on the beach, in front of that Vermilion Gate, maintaining the posture of blowing air.

"A very heartwarming illusion, isn't it?" a familiar voice came from behind him.

Wang Defu turned his head stiffly.

Zhou Yan stood not far away, his entire body wrapped in dazzling golden light, looking completely unharmed.

Beside him was the already recovered Zhang Wei, the long saber in his hand glinting coldly under the setting sun.

The Everburning Lamp was in his arms, and the candle had been extinguished.

All the battles, victories, and father-son warmth in the illusion were merely to make him blow out this candle.

The candle was out, the lamp extinguished; for a short time, this lamp could no longer be lit.

Wang Defu looked at the candle in his hand, then at the enemies closing in step by step, his lips slowly pulling into a twisted arc.

It was a smile of extreme despair.

"Good move..." he murmured, his voice scattering in the sea breeze.

The Soul Transformation Talisman Treasure in Zhou Yan's hand and Zhang Wei's long saber cast long shadows in the last rays of the setting sun, completely enveloping Wang Defu.