Chapter 017: The Divine Palace
On the northern ice plains, less than a hundred miles from here, a group of people was moving slowly forward. At the forefront of the group was a towering young man. Despite being in such a snowy environment, he still wore his silver armor, with the prominent lion’s head emblem on its chest standing out sharply. A faint aura of combat energy surrounded his entire body, making him appear as radiant as a deity in the wind. His black hair, streaked with white, fluttered in the wind without a single snowflake sticking to it. His face, even more handsome than that of an ordinary woman, bore a faint smile.
Throughout their journey through the icy landscape, he showed no signs of discomfort, as if he were simply strolling in his own garden. This man was none other than Aldas, known as a genius in the Gavin Empire. Judging from his expression, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the walk in the snowstorm.
Behind Aldas followed dozens of people, most of whom wore black cloaks to conceal their appearances. Yet it was clear that none of them were over thirty years old. After walking for a while on the ice plains, Aldas suddenly frowned. He gave a gesture, and the dozens of people behind him vanished into thin air.
A moment later, a loud noise was heard as a swarm of magical beasts rushed toward them. Their numbers were absurdly large. Aldas frowned slightly and waved his hand in front of him. A pale yellow aura of combat energy mixed with his pure white protective aura. This aura seemed to have some special effect, as the charging magical beasts ignored Aldas completely. Only after those beasts disappeared from sight did Aldas wave his hand again, retracting the yellow aura from his protective shield.
The dozens of figures reappeared. The one at the front ran up to Aldas and said with a smile, “Senior Aldas, it seems your Earth Spirit Combat Aura has grown even stronger. Those magical beasts must have thought you were just a rock.”
Her voice was extremely delicate. If Du Fan were here, he would likely recognize her as Kris, the one who had visited his ducal mansion back then.
Ordas smiled faintly, his body enveloped in silver light. With his handsome face and gentle smile, he would undoubtedly be the top attraction in any establishment in the capital dedicated to entertaining noble ladies and young ladies. He didn’t answer Kris’s question but listened for a moment before saying, “It seems those magical beasts have really gone far away. I wonder who provoked them. Even if I encountered such a large number of them, my only option would be to flee. It seems our friends ahead aren’t very skilled, but they do have quite some courage, don’t they?”
Kris sighed and said, “Our friends ahead… are you referring to Du Fan?”
Ordas smiled and said, “Who else could it be?”
Kris hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then… if he’s the one who provoked those magical beasts… is he… okay?”
Ordas gave Kris a puzzled look and pondered for a while before saying, “No matter who provoked those magical beasts, they can’t possibly be unharmed. But the strange thing is that I didn’t sense any bloodshed from those beasts. Could it be that someone deliberately provoked them and then led them in our direction?”
At this point, Ordas found it somewhat amusing. If Du Fan had the strength to do such a thing after just three months of training in combat energy, then he could as well go and hit a wall to death. Although intelligence from the Holy Church suggested that Du Fan’s group included several strong members, Ordas couldn’t figure out which one could have such capabilities.
After thinking further, Ordas still couldn’t understand why this had happened and had to consider it a coincidence. Glancing back at the dozens of people behind him, he couldn’t help but sigh. These people could be considered the internal strength cultivated by Roland Academy over the years—most of them were chosen from commoners with no special backgrounds. Such people were easiest to control but also the first to be sacrificed. Bringing so many people with him on this journey to the Divine Palace, he wondered how many would return in the end.
Moreover, things had started poorly—not only had the fairly skilled Elvis gone missing, but information about the Divine Palace had also leaked. It was obvious that Elvis was likely the one who leaked it, but it was surprising that the Holy Church had the audacity to risk estranging itself from Roland Academy just to do this.
And since Du Fan was here as well, the leakage of this matter must be related to him; it’s even possible that Elvis is in his hands, which is why this outcome occurred. Thinking of Du Fan’s smiling face, even the usually calm Aldas couldn’t help but breathe more rapidly. Kris looked at the senior before her, his handsome face showing shifting expressions. Though she glanced worriedly in the direction of the temple, she didn’t dare show any extra emotions. Finally, Aldas let out a long sigh and signaled the group to move forward, but his gaze was fixed on the north, as if piercing through the northern ice fields and countless mountains to land on Du Fan. Du Fan, who was walking slowly, suddenly felt a chill over his body, and in an instant, cold sweat covered him. Tasia, walking beside him, sensed his change and turned to look. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she couldn’t help but ask, “Lord Du Fan, what’s wrong?” Du Fan took a deep breath. After the unsettling feeling gradually faded, he forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing. I just seemed to sense something earlier that gave me a sense of fear. I’m wondering if this could be what’s called divine power?” Tasia stared at Du Fan intently until he became terrified and parched, before she smiled and said, “Divine power is like a prison, while divine grace is like the ocean. If Lord Du Fan has indeed sensed divine power, that’s quite rare. Even I can’t easily sense it here.” Du Fan forced a few more smiles and changed the subject with a few casual remarks, but he still couldn’t help glancing back. By now, the northern ice fields were far behind them, and aside from a few temple knights, there was no one else behind Du Fan. After looking for a while, Du Fan shook his head in confusion. But being cautious, fearing it might be an ominous sign, he quickly took out several magic scrolls from his storage ring and stuffed them into his sleeve, ready to use them immediately if anything went wrong. After walking through the valley for a while more, the thin mist that had once shrouded the valley gradually dissipated, revealing a clear view ahead. In front of them was a road paved with blue bricks. Although both sides of the road were covered with various plants, they were arranged neatly, as if someone had taken great care to maintain this place.
The space around them was utterly silent; not a single breath was heard from the group, as they all stared wide-eyed at the scene before them. After a while, Nicholas finally slowly opened his eyes. At that moment, his divine power burned unabated, with a purest form of energy flowing through his body. After some time, this sacred energy gradually receded before fully integrating into Nicholas’s being. With a complex expression, Nicholas took a few steps on the road paved with blue bricks before saying, “I see… I see… What is worshipped in this temple… is actually the Supreme God…” Instantly, the expressions of those present became extremely strange. If the God of Light was already considered the ultimate existence for them, then wasn’t the Supreme God even beyond that? Although the sacred texts of the Holy Church over the millennia described the Supreme God in vague terms, no one dared deny his existence. Though reluctantly, successive popes had implicitly or explicitly acknowledged the fact that there was a Supreme God above the God of Light they worshipped. Of course, these matters were only known within the Holy Church; for ordinary believers, knowing of the existence of a God of Light was already considered the utmost. After a brief pause, everyone grew even more eager. If they could obtain something from this temple dedicated to the Supreme God, its value would undoubtedly be immeasurable. Everyone was excited, though they still felt some fear toward the temple of the Supreme God, yet beneath that fear lay a hint of anticipation. Human nature is inherently greedy. After a moment, Alfred suddenly coughed and said, “Lord Nicholas… what should we do?” Nicholas took a breath, his expression turning somewhat strange. He looked at the passage ahead and the seemingly imperceptible temple in the distance. After a long while, he shook his head and said, “Let’s leave here for the night and rest outside the valley. I think… there must be something extraordinary about this temple. We shouldn’t enter until we’re fully prepared.”