Chapter Sixty: A Sudden Upheaval

The Hall of Paladins, true to its name and much like a unit-producing structure in certain games, was designed for the mass production of Paladins. As long as one’s talent, character, and faith were up to standard, a person could be thrown inside and, within a short period, emerge transformed into a powerful Paladin. For the Church of the Father, this edifice was undoubtedly a treasure capable of benefiting the church for countless years.

Yet, this very building required unwavering faith and an upright character from those it transformed, and so Link found himself rejected once again. Like the Sacred Armor, this structure cared nothing for whether Link was its master; it held steadfast to its requirements for faith and character. Unfortunately, Link failed to meet either criterion, making it impossible for him to obtain Paladin power through the Hall of Paladins—unless he first perfected his character and faith, which was clearly unrealistic.

Because of this, Link was mired in frustration and helplessness. It was clearly his own property, yet he could not use it for himself. Was there anything more exasperating in this world? At this thought, Link tugged at his hair and grumbled, “System, must you be so infuriating? Why is it that all the good things are always out of my reach?”

[...]

The system replied with silence, as if to say that silence is golden.

“Well then, even after leveling up, it’s still as unreliable as ever,” Link sighed in resignation, comforting himself to remain calm. After all, being granted high-level and intermediate lottery chances was a pleasant surprise already, so it wasn’t all a loss.

The next morning, Link handed the Pegasus Sacred Armor to Aeolus, who immediately burst into excited cries and could hardly wait to don it. And indeed, once Aeolus was clad in the Pegasus Sacred Armor, he exuded a certain aura reminiscent of the Star Monarch. His compatibility with the armor was exceptionally high; upon wearing it, his combat strength soared close to the third tier. Once he awakened his inner cosmos, even if he could not match Saga, he would be not far behind.

With Saga as a ‘senior’ for guidance, Aeolus’s progress in mastering his cosmos would be swift. As Link had foreseen, under Saga’s tutelage, Aeolus grasped the secrets of the cosmos within a single day. Wearing the Sacred Armor, his strength skyrocketed, with one foot planted firmly in the mid-third tier. Once he mastered the cosmos and the inherited combat techniques of Pegasus, he would stand on par with Saga.

But that was for the future. As dusk approached that same day, Link led Saga and Aeolus out to Spirit Mountain, just outside the city of Bath.

Spirit Mountain lay about ten kilometers from Bath, formerly named Celestial Spirit Mountain and belonging to the Celestial Spirit Sect. Later, the sect deemed the name too conspicuous and shortened it to Spirit Mountain. The mountain was neither tall nor vast and held no strategic or commercial value, so for years, no one contested the Celestial Spirit Sect’s claim. To the sect, however, this was sacred ground—the founder had proclaimed the birth of the sect here, and it was its original headquarters.

The three elders had chosen this as the site for the sealing ritual because remnants of ancient spirit formations lingered here, capable of enhancing the power of the seal. With the Sword of Light’s Sealing, there was technically no need to come here anymore, but out of caution, they decided to proceed at this location.

This time, apart from the three elders, Spirit Dream, Priestess Sunny, and the eight female warriors who once guarded the Eye of the Prophet were also present. On the side of the Church of the Father, only Elia was absent; her strength was simply too feeble for such an occasion, so Link had left her in Bath.

Additionally, Brand-Bath and several Bath family guards were in attendance. Count Lothar had a banquet to attend that evening and could not make it, so he sent his own son with the precious artifact.

This assembly boasted not a single member weaker than mid-second tier—a force sufficient to storm a city. With the Sword of Light’s Sealing, it would be more than enough to deal with a weakened dark demon.

Once everyone was ready, the three elders produced the Orb of the Prophet to begin sealing the dark demon. By now, the orb was almost entirely blackened, a pitch-dark vortex swirling within, deep and mysterious, as if it could consume one's very soul.

After glancing at the corrupted orb, Spirit Wind turned her gaze to Brand, who nodded in understanding, taking a long box from his servant and opening it. Inside was a pure white, resplendent sword.

Brand drew the sword and indicated to Spirit Wind that he was ready. The three elders then placed their hands on the Orb of the Prophet and began channeling their power.

Unbeknownst to the others, Priestess Sunny, standing quietly at the back of the crowd, flashed a momentary cold glint in her eyes before resuming her usual calm composure.

Though it lasted only an instant, White Spirit, ever vigilant in the skies, sensed a trace of danger. The change was so fleeting that White Spirit could not pinpoint the source and merely relayed the unease to Link.

Hearing this, a sense of foreboding welled up in Link’s heart. Yet, since White Spirit could not identify the cause, Link dared not interrupt the ritual. The three elders were already at a critical stage in their spellcasting; any distraction might cause the spell to backfire.

“Let’s hope it’s just White Spirit’s imagination,” Link consoled himself, though the unease gnawed at him. He quietly reminded Saga and Aeolus at his side to stay alert.

A dozen seconds later, the three elders completed their spell, and the dark demon was released. The Orb of the Prophet split open, and a torrent of pitch-black smoke, accompanied by a terrifying and powerful aura, burst forth, spreading across the night sky and smothering the light. Even with torches ablaze on all sides, the brightness within a several-hundred-meter radius dropped to a dismal low.

Fortunately, none present were weaklings; even in the dimness, their vision sufficed. Spirit Wind eyed the black mist swirling above and called out to Brand, “Young Master Brand, prepare yourself—the demon is about to take form!”

Brand nodded solemnly and gripped the Sword of Light’s Sealing, his gaze fixed above.

The billowing blackness circled in the air, then a shrill, raspy screech suddenly rang out—judging by the voice, the demon was female. In the next moment, the black mist began to coalesce, taking on a humanoid shape.

Witnessing this, Spirit Dream shouted, “Now, Young Master Brand!”

Brand understood and activated the Sword of Light’s Sealing. At once, the blade blazed with dazzling white light. Three beams of white sword qi shot forth, encircling the black figure in a triangular formation. The shadowy form was instantly immobilized, emitting a pained, guttural moan, its formidable aura suppressed.

Seeing this, everyone’s faces lit with joy. The sword had worked; now they only needed to use its power to destroy the demon.

Just as the three elders prepared to act, calamity struck. Sunny, who had stood like a wooden carving at the back of the crowd, suddenly moved. Dark energy, identical to that of the demon, erupted from her, and she darted toward Brand like a black gale.

No one had foreseen this—the ordinarily harmless, unremarkable Sunny transformed in an instant. The Bath family and Celestial Spirit Sect members froze in shock, forced to watch as Sunny surged toward Brand. Her power had surged extraordinarily, her speed astonishing, and none could keep pace.

Yet that did not mean Sunny could do as she pleased; at least the three from the Church of the Father would not stand idly by.

Prepared for trouble, the trio sprang into action as soon as Sunny attacked. Saga and Aeolus, already clad in Sacred Armor, stepped in to block her path. Though pressed for time and unable to unleash their ultimate skills, the power granted by the armor was formidable. Both clenched their fists and struck out as Sunny charged.

But what happened next was shocking—Sunny spread her arms, and the two mighty Bronze Saints were flung aside by her unleashed darkness, one to the left and one to the right. She hardly paused, continuing her charge toward Brand.

Saga and Aeolus had failed to stop her, but their intervention jolted the Bath family back to their senses. Brand immediately retreated, sword in hand, as his family’s guards leapt to shield him.

Yet their strength was insufficient. In the blink of an eye, all the guards were hurled aside. Brand was forced to face the now-incredible Sunny alone. In the space of a heartbeat, she was before him, her hand lashing out at his head with terrifying force. Though Brand was a third-tier warrior, he could not possibly withstand such a blow; if struck, he would almost certainly be killed outright.

At the critical moment, Link arrived, channeling his full power into a single Yang Finger, striking at Sunny and forcing her to defend with her arm. At last, the previously invincible Sunny was injured.

Sunny shrieked, her dark energy flaring anew and lashing out at Link, forcing him to retreat. She seized the chance to send Brand flying and snatch the Sword of Light’s Sealing.

Everyone realized the gravity of the situation, but none could catch up to her. In a flash, Sunny raced over a hundred meters away, and, under the crowd’s horrified gaze, unleashed her darkness upon the Sword of Light’s Sealing.

Though the sword possessed formidable power against darkness, its material was not especially strong, and after so many years, its hardness had inevitably diminished. Still usable, it was nonetheless brittle. Under Sunny’s assault, the blade shattered with a resounding crack, and the three beams of sealing light vanished.

Disaster!

The thought flashed through every mind as they instinctively turned to the dark demon, now unrestrained in the sky. With the sword’s effect gone, the demon’s power erupted fully at last.

Instantly, an indescribable sense of terror descended upon them. Save for the three elders, Link, and the now-treasonous Sunny, everyone else fell to their knees—even Saga and Aeolus, clad in Sacred Armor and possessed of iron wills, could not withstand it.

Seventh Tier. The dark demon’s unleashed power exuded the pressure of a seventh-tier being!