Chapter 019: Ambush

“If I still can’t defeat Du Fan like this, I’ll just crash myself to death!” Abraham declared boldly.
“Great! With the Master’s words, I feel much more at ease!” Fischer said.
“However, Your Highness, Old Green is still in the north. You must take precautions against him early!” Abraham added.
“Don’t worry, Master. I’ve already made arrangements for the north!” Fischer said confidently.
……
In the North, in Tiger City, at 11 p.m.
Inside the Tiger King Palace in Tiger City, Old Green, George, and Allen—father and sons—had just finished using a teleportation magic scroll to send their blessings to Du Fan and concluded a small banquet. This banquet was also a symbolic counterpart to Du Fan’s wedding. Duke Old Green had organized several banquets, inviting important generals from the northern armies and local officials of Tiger City.
Just as the guests were about to leave, a servant rushed in to report that Bishop Andelman from the Church had come to pay a visit.
“Bishop Andelman? Please, come in quickly!” Old Green exclaimed upon hearing the visitor’s name.
Bishop Andelman was one of the cardinals directly under the Pope. After Old Green conquered the Frozen Alliance, although it still belonged to the Gavin Diocese under Anthony’s leadership, given the difficulties of spreading religion there, the Pope personally dispatched Andelman to assist Anthony in his mission.
In terms of power within the Church, Andelman ranked above Anthony! Both were cardinals, but one was a bishop of a local diocese, while the other was a bishop who stayed by the Pope’s side. It was like a high-ranking official compared to a close advisor to the emperor—although their positions were the same, it was clear that the advisor to the emperor held far more real power.
Soon, several priests in religious robes entered. The leader, in his forties, had a pale face and a full beard, exuding a solemn piety. His robe was clearly bright red—this was Cardinal Andelman.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry to disturb you at this late hour. I hope you won’t mind!” As soon as he entered, Bishop Andelman immediately bowed to Duke Green.
“What are you saying, Bishop? It’s a great honor for me to have you here!” Old Green repeated, gesturing to invite Andelman into the inner room.

The archcardinals, like Anthony, can basically be on par with emperors like Fischer. As for Andelman, holding a position equal to Anthony’s, the arrival of such an archcardinal ensures safety as if the emperor himself were present.
“My lord, I’ve come this time for two reasons: first, regarding Duke Du Fan’s marriage. You see, Du Fan is also the warden of the Divine Might Prison in my church. As his superior and elder, it’s only proper for me to offer a modest gift,” said Andelman with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Andelman waved his hand, and one of the four priests behind him immediately brought over a box.
“My lord, inside this box is an Angel Jade. It’s not particularly rare, but in times of crisis, crushing this jade can summon an angel to fight for you for ten minutes. Well, this angel is at the level of a domain powerhouse,” Andelman said with a smile.
“It’s too valuable! Too valuable!” Old Green repeated repeatedly upon hearing Andelman’s words.
Of course, Old Green knew that such Angel Jades, capable of summoning domain-level angels, were said to number only about ten in the entire church!
Giving one to Du Fan clearly showed great regard for him.
Receiving such honor from the church naturally filled Duke Green with joy.
“The second matter is specifically for you, my lord,” Andelman said again with a smile.
“For me? My lord bishop, how do you mean that?” Old Green asked in confusion.
“That’s right. The second matter is directly related to you, my lord,” Andelman said seriously.
“By conquering the Frozen Alliance, you’ve given us the opportunity to spread the glory of the Light God to these northern lands! In recognition of your achievements, our Pope has decided to award you the Light Medal of the Light Church,” Andelman said with a smile.
The Light Medal! The highest honor bestowed by the Light Church!
Those who possess the Light Medal can command all church officials below the bishop level, regardless of jurisdiction!
Hearing that the Light Church intended to grant him such a supreme honor, even Old Green was filled with excitement!
A family that receives the Light Medal will enjoy the protection of the Light Church forever. Unlike dynasties, which usually last only a few hundred years, the church has stood on the continent for ten thousand years!
Receiving the church’s protection means having great resilience even amidst the turmoil of dynastic changes. Even emperors would be reluctant to offend the church!

As soon as these words were spoken, a medal emitting a gentle white light suddenly appeared in Andelman’s hand. This unique light was the hallmark of the Light Medal. Throughout history, the Light Medal had only been awarded eight times! And every family that received it went on to establish a dynasty! In the Church’s ten-thousand-year history, it had only been awarded eight times—meaning the Light Medal was bestowed only once every thousand years or so! Looking at the Light Medal glowing with its distinctive light before him, Duke Green felt a sense of dizziness. Holding the Light Medal in his own hands, even if Fischer wanted to attack him, he would have to think carefully! After all, the Church was now behind the Green family. “My lord, come and receive your award!” Andelman said with a smile. Seeing Andelman’s smile, Old Green momentarily felt as if he were facing the God of Light! “Thank you, His Holiness! Thank you, Bishop Andelman!” Old Green said solemnly. “My lord, you have conquered the Frozen Lands and brought the last human settlement on the continent under the glory of the God of Light. Such achievements truly warrant this Light Medal! My lord, please kneel and accept the award from His Holiness!” Andelman added. “Yes!” Hearing this, Old Green excitedly knelt before Andelman. Watching Old Green kneel before him, Andelman smiled as he slowly placed the Light Medal around Old Green’s neck. Just as the ribbon of the medal was about to hang around Old Green’s neck, an almost imperceptible smile appeared on Andelman’s face—one that also carried a hint of cruelty. As the ribbon settled around Old Green’s neck, a long green needle suddenly appeared between Andelman’s thumb and index finger. The needle pierced straight into the back of Old Green’s neck! The moment the needle pierced his neck, Old Green immediately felt pain, and all his energy and vitality began to drain rapidly from that spot. “What have you done to me?” Old Green jumped up instantly. With that jump, the Light Medal returned to Andelman’s hands. After stepping back and regaining his balance, Old Green immediately saw the long green needle in Andelman’s hand. “Curse of the God of Darkness!” Seeing the needle, Old Green’s face turned deathly pale.

“Father!” Seeing what was happening, George and Allen immediately realized that Old Green had been betrayed by Andelman!
“It’s no use! Sons, step back.” Seeing George and Allen standing in front of him, staring intently at Andelman, Old Green said firmly.
“Father! I still have some water from the Fountain of Life given to me by my third brother. Try drinking it,” George quickly took out a cup of water from the Fountain of Life and said.
“Haha! The water from the Fountain of Life is just something to heal wounds and restore vitality. My Curse of the God of Darkness is a magical effect—how could your Fountain of Life possibly restore anything?” Andelman laughed loudly.
“Father, drink it!” Seeing Old Green’s complexion growing darker, George eagerly placed the cup against his lips.
Gripping the cup, Old Green drank the water from the Fountain of Life in one gulp!
Immediately, Old Green’s complexion eased a bit.
To Old Green’s sense, the rapidly fading vitality seemed to slow down, but the loss of energy and mental strength did not decrease at all!
“It works!” Seeing Old Green’s complexion improve slightly, George and Allen both showed a hint of relief.
Just as Old Green felt a little better, another massive force of consumption arrived! It devoured the little vitality that had barely been restored!
Spitting out blood, Duke Green’s complexion turned dark again in an instant!
“Father!” George and Allen shouted loudly!
“It seems this Curse of the God of Darkness truly cannot be broken.” At this point, Old Green remained calm.
Just then, a loud explosion came from the main camp of the Northern Army stationed in Tiger City. Immediately after, flames shot into the sky!
“Bad news! George, Allen, go and check it out quickly!” Old Green shouted.
“Take care, Father!” Hearing this, George and Allen, with tears in their eyes, rushed off. They had heard of the Curse of the God of Darkness and knew their father could not escape. They decided to go to the camp first to see what was going on.
As the two moved, the four priests behind Andelman also stepped forward.
The four of them surrounded George and Allen from all sides.
“Good, good! Even my two sons aren’t spared!” Old Green suddenly laughed loudly at the sky. “I wonder why Lord Andelman wants to target our Green family?”

“My lord, I merely follow the Pope’s orders. He told me to come and kill you; I had no choice. I hope you can forgive me for this!” Andelman said with a smile.
“Was it Fischer who ordered this from behind the scenes?” Duke Green suddenly asked.
“Since you’re about to die anyway, I’ll tell you the truth. Yes! Fischer is involved in all of this! If not for him, how could I get involved in such worldly matters?” Andelman frowned. “Fischer is the Pope’s godson, and the Pope obeys him utterly!” Andelman shook his head.
“Good!” Old Green suddenly turned his head. “George, Allen, remember—once you’ve escaped, gather your troops and head south immediately! Reunite with your brother! Alas, it seems Du Fan’s situation is also very grim!”
After saying this, Old Green let out a deep sigh.
He suddenly remembered that Du Fan was still in the capital that night, getting married to Princess Angel! They had already attacked him. Could Du Fan, who was in the capital and under Fischer’s control, escape Fischer’s schemes?
“When you meet your brother, remember—make him avenge me! Also, I’ve passed on the family’s leadership to Du Fan. From now on, everything will be under Du Fan’s command!” Duke Green shouted loudly.
As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce white light burst from Old Green’s entire body!