Chapter 418: Igniting the Divine Fire (II)

After Saint Celt I, carrying the body of the God of Winter Wolves that had lost control of its soul, left, Donald met with representatives from the Highlanders of the Barbarian Stone Tribe, who had visited Dalaran. These Highlanders, who had never left the area south of the Great Snowy Mountains and whose most prosperous places were merely large tribes a few hundred miles away, were undoubtedly shocked by the prosperity and advancement of Dalaran compared to their own society.

In their eyes, Dalaran was like the legendary City in the Sky. Their ancestors had once followed the great archmages to that city in the sky, and over thousands of years, it had been depicted as a paradise. To them, the City in the Sky was the most desirable place, so it’s easy to imagine how stunned they were upon learning that Dalaran could compare to it.

Seeing that the time was right, Donald ordered William to assign several merchant guilds from his territory to form a caravan that would use a portal to travel to the Barbarian Stone Tribe for trade. Compared to the precious furs, medicinal herbs, rare ores, and magical beast materials from the Frozen Highlands, these goods would surely attract the merchants. Meanwhile, the food, spices, fabrics, metal utensils, and other daily necessities brought by the merchants would also be highly welcomed by the Highlanders.

In fact, providing free supplies to the Barbarian Stone Tribe wasn’t entirely wrong, but relying on others without effort could easily lead to dependence and laziness. Donald didn’t want them to develop such bad habits.

Arthur, knowing well the Highlanders—though simple-minded—had considerable strength. With Donald’s support and the steady guidance of Elder Lafford, it was only a matter of time before he could gain control over the hearts of the Barbarian Stone Tribe. Even uniting and conquering surrounding smaller tribes around them wouldn’t be difficult.

So, Donald didn’t need to worry about them anymore and focused on preparing for the fierce battle ahead.

With the greatest obstacle—his soul—now removed, although the original owner’s divinity within the body might resist other intruders, Saint Celt I had accumulated a powerful sacred spirit over hundreds of years, far surpassing that of a demigod. This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for him.

Donald estimated that with sufficient faith power, Saint Celt I would need at most three months to fully integrate and take control of that body.

During this time, Donald continued to study the art of lich rebirth while entering the Land of Truth, where he mastered the use of virtual deities. Through experiments, although the Sky City could not appear in the outside world, Donald was still able to invoke certain aspects of the laws of existence by temporarily communicating with the World Will through the virtual deity system. This allowed him to wield powers usually reserved for true gods, on par with those of lower-tier demi-god avatars. Combined with his own professional skills and the demi-god psychic mage abilities granted by the Supreme Brain, he could now rival entities like the Supreme Brain Aisenxian—one of the strongest beings in the main world! Though this power had significant limitations; for instance, using both the Supreme Brain and the virtual deity system simultaneously was difficult for Donald’s formidable soul and physical strength to sustain even for half a minute. Although his body and soul were now perfect divine forms, without igniting the divine flame daily, he remained subject to mortal constraints and could not transcend those limits to become an immortal being. Yet, even this half-minute of enhanced power was sufficient—enough to act decisively at critical moments without revealing the High Divine Artifact, the Book of Truth. After all, when a strong being strived to become a demi-god, even if it didn’t concern them directly, at least half of the gods in the starry skies would pay attention. The main world was not some newly formed realm with few true gods; changes caused by powerful laws of existence could be detected instantly by any being above legendary status. If the existence of the Book of Truth were revealed at that time, Donald couldn’t imagine his fate! Time passed swiftly, and Celt I merged his divine body half a month earlier than Donald had estimated. By the time a message came from the royal family asking Donald to go to the palace secretly, he had almost completed his preparations. This time, in addition to Donald and Amps, who was hiding in a demi-plane, there were also three legendary powerhouses—Chickofield, Carlisle, and Nozdorm—to assist them.

It could be said that Donald had brought forth all the legendary-level strengths at his disposal, striving to ensure that his partner, Celt I, could successfully achieve divinity, so that he and the others could then thrive with his power.
This mission was crucial for their survival in the future, so Donald assembled his strongest forces, leaving behind in his domain only his mentor Maelthor and Uther as the main leaders, along with the female sword saint Abel for friendly assistance.
Though somewhat worried that leaving would leave Dalaran in its weakest state, he remembered that the royal capital was the real epicenter of conflict, where all factions’ attention would be focused, leaving no one to take advantage of his domain.
After all, the key lay in whether the Kingdom of Celt could truly possess a demi-god. If King I failed, the outcome was obvious; but if he succeeded, what good was holding Dalaran if he still had to surrender it?
Back in that underground palace, Donald met Celt I again. The founding monarch was no longer in his previous form of mere energy; his entire being radiated the brilliance of the laws, and his aura made him seem like an actual god!
“Thank you, my friend!”
Upon seeing Donald, Celt I sincerely bowed to him.
It was gratitude for Donald’s series of helpings. Without Donald’s proactive assistance, even after five hundred years, he might not have been able to weigh the pros and cons or overcome his inner barriers, let alone regain his body and gain some of a true god’s power due to the advantages of his divine form.
“Helping you is also helping myself. Since we’re all friends, there’s no need for thanks. We share common enemies and threats. Even if I hadn’t proposed this, we would eventually join forces. Now, let’s discuss the plan to achieve divinity!”
With a smile of gratitude, Celt I nodded and shifted the conversation back to business.
“I’ve prepared to ignite the divine fire! I was only 70% confident before, but now, with this divine body, the success rate has risen to at least 90%. The rest depends on whether we can endure the process of achieving divinity despite enemy interference!”
Donald said firmly.

“Our task is to do everything possible to prevent outsiders from interfering with His Majesty as he lights the divine fire, and to protect him from external disturbances. If necessary, we must not hesitate to kill. As long as we hold on until His Majesty succeeds in becoming a deity, all crises will be resolved instantly. Even if we lose some men, no one will hold us accountable for such actions that sever the path to immortality!”