Chapter 541 - 327: Godfall’s Aftermath! The War of Faith

In the subterranean river, murky waves surged toward the cavern ceiling.

Not long after Han Feng’s departure, a giant turtle as massive as a mountain slowly emerged from the water.

The ancient stone stele on its back radiated a dim, yellow halo, forcibly suppressing the churning, muddy water around it and creating a bizarrely placid surface.

Profound Prison’s turbid yet shrewd eyes stared fixedly at the spot where Hiss had perished.

All that remained was an enormous crater and a nearly imperceptible trace of a Sharpness aura lingering in the air.

"She’s dead..."

Profound Prison’s voice was a low rumble, like two boulders grinding together.

Its wrinkled eyelids twitched slightly.

From the moment it received Hiss’s distress call to its arrival, barely fifteen minutes had passed.

Hiss was a weakling, its direct combat power ranking dead last among those at the Tier Four Late Stage.

But its life-saving ability, Ten Thousand Snakes Disintegration, was a Divine Technique that even it found troublesome.

As long as a single wisp of its Split Soul escaped, it could have been reborn in the swamp’s depths.

But now, Hiss’s presence was completely gone.

Wiped clean, as if it had never existed.

’To be able to completely annihilate Hiss within fifteen minutes, even when it was focused solely on escaping...’

A long-forgotten chill rose in Profound Prison’s heart.

’A feat like that is definitely beyond any ordinary Tier Four.’

’Could it be one of those old monsters from the core region?’

’No, that can’t be right.’

Profound Prison shook its massive head.

’If one of the Ancient Gods from the core region were to travel, it would be accompanied by earth-shattering phenomena. They would never be this surreptitious.’

’Foreigners?’

It recalled the divine decree from the Ancient Gods, issued from the core region several months ago.

The world’s Boundary Membrane was about to shatter, and otherworldly demons would descend.

But the decree also clearly stated that due to the world’s repulsive laws, the strength of the first demons to arrive could not possibly exceed Tier Three.

’A Tier Three ant killed Hiss?’

A flicker of disbelief crossed Profound Prison’s eyes.

’This defies common sense. More importantly, it defies the rules.’

As the hegemon of the borderlands between the Silent Ridge and the swamp, Profound Prison had survived for five hundred long years, relying not only on the ancestral fragment of the "World-Suppressing Celestial Stele" on its back, but even more on a caution that was etched into its very bones.

If it were an Ancient God from the core region, it would bow its head in submission.

If it were a hegemon of the same tier, it would hold its ground and defend its territory.

But this kind of unfathomable, unknown enemy was the most dangerous of all.

’I can’t afford to act rashly.’

Profound Prison slowly sank back into the water, leaving only the stone stele on its back exposed.

Its immense Divine Thought fluctuated, traveling along the ley lines of the earth for dozens of miles into the distant mountains.

That was the territory of its vassal, the Black Rock Tribe.

"Black Fierce, take your brood and go to the Cyan Miasma Swamp."

"A group of reckless Foreigners have occupied that wretched snake’s lair. Go and test their mettle."

"Remember, don’t get into a fight to the death. If they prove to be a tough nut to crack, retreat immediately."

Once the Divine Thought was sent, Profound Prison submerged completely.

It would hide within its own Divine Realm, its lair, and use the home-field advantage to observe the situation.

Until it had ascertained the identity of the mysterious expert who had instantly killed Hiss, it would not, under any circumstances, place itself in danger.

’This is what it means to be prudent.’

...

Cyan Miasma Swamp, the former core camp of the Black Viper Tribe.

The smoke of battle had yet to clear, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of scorched flesh and blood.

The *Celestial Whale* transport ship hovered in mid-air, its massive searchlights bathing the ground below in light as bright as day.

Soldiers of the Vanguard Army, clad in Crimson Battle Armor, were clearing the battlefield. The corpses of the Snake Lizard People were dragged out and piled to one side.

The surviving Snake Lizard People, far greater in number, were herded into the central plaza of the camp.

Nearly twenty thousand of them were packed together, a dense, writhing mass emitting terrified hisses.

A silver-gray streak of light cut across the sky, landing steadily on the transport ship’s deck.

The hatch slid open, and Han Feng stepped out, looking refreshed and invigorated.

"Advisor Han!"

Gu Jian, who had been waiting for some time, hurried to greet him, his eyes filled with awe.

Before, he had admired Han Feng’s skill, but that was mostly directed at his status as a Special Level Pilot.

But just now, the advisor had single-handedly pursued and killed a Tier Four Late Stage god, not only returning unscathed but also looking like he’d hit the jackpot.

This was a display of true, unadulterated power.

"How did it go?"

Ye Jinghong approached as well. He did his best to maintain a Major General’s stern demeanor, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his mood.

With this grave threat eliminated, he had finally secured a firm foothold in Dragon Abyss.

"Couldn’t be deader."

Han Feng casually tossed over a dark green fang.

This was one of the harder materials from Hiss’s body. It hadn’t been disintegrated, so it would serve as proof.

Ye Jinghong took the fang. Feeling the residual Divine Power fluctuating from it, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Excellent! Advisor Han, you deserve the highest merit for this!"

"Let’s talk about merits later. From the looks on your faces, something seems to be wrong?" Han Feng said, glancing around.

Despite their victory, neither Ye Jinghong nor Gu Jian looked happy. On the contrary, their faces were grim.

"It’s about the prisoners, isn’t it?" Han Feng asked, gesturing toward the agitated Snake Lizard People in the plaza below.

"Nothing gets past you."

Ye Jinghong gave a wry smile and rubbed his temples.

"As you know, the core of my Military God Dao is gathering followers."

"We may have conquered this territory, but if we can’t convert these natives into believers, the five thousand people we brought with us won’t be nearly enough to sustain the long-term consumption of the Divine Realm."

"Besides, I need to push for Tier Five in a year. The immense deficit in faith required for that can only be filled by the local natives."

At this point, Gu Jian chimed in, "But these Snake Lizard People are as thick as bricks!"