Atus West, Kanak.
The formerly peaceful mining town is now filled with the smoke of gunpowder and the sound of gunfire. After the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army entered the city, large and small firefights erupted one after another within the urban area. The street fighting in Kanak had already begun, but the battle was not overly intense.
Just as Shadi had expected, due to Shahabu going to the royal tomb's underground palace to trouble Moen and being counter-killed instead, the Savior Sect forces in Kanak at this time completely lost their supreme command. The nearly tens of thousands of troops were in complete disarray during the war and were simply not enough to resist Shadi's attack. After all the forward positions were lost and half of their forces were annihilated, Shadi did not wait and launched a continuous rapid attack on Kanak. Due to the rapid pace of the attack, the leaderless Kanak defenders had no time to deploy for street fighting. When the Revolutionary Army soldiers rushed into the city, they were still in a panic and confused about who to follow, and were routed by the Revolutionary Army soldiers upon contact.
In other words. The entire battle of Kanak can be said to be a one-sided situation. The Revolutionary Army soldiers advanced all the way with almost no effective resistance, and a large number of Savior Sect soldiers surrendered. At this time, in Kanak, only in some streets in the city center were there stubborn elements of the Savior Sect resisting. The entire Kanak campaign can be said to be a one-sided situation.
And just as the Revolutionary Army was advancing triumphantly within Kanak city, on the outskirts of Kanak, Shadi, accompanied by several attendants, stood at the edge of the city, watching everything before him with a solemn expression.
What was presented before Shadi at this moment was a bloody and cruel scene. A large "Silent" magic circle was drawn on the ground, with countless dried blood splattered on it. There were several corpses on the magic circle with their hands tied behind their backs, lying dead on the ground, and on the edge of the magic circle, such corpses accumulated even more, forming piles of small corpse heaps, with the total number of corpses reaching over a hundred.
It is not surprising to see corpses on a battlefield, the key is that from their clothing, all these corpses were wearing ordinary civilian clothes. These people were obviously the original ordinary residents of Kanak. During the occupation by the Savior Sect forces and the Netherworld Coffin Society, they seemed to have been gathered here for mass execution.
"General, this is the massacre ritual site we just discovered. According to the report, we have found four such ritual sites around Kanak, all of which were holding'Silent' rituals. It seems that this is where the enemy manufactured undead armies. The large number of undead wandering around Kanak and constructing a huge cordon seem to have been produced here, and the raw materials for manufacturing the undead... it seems to be the residents of Kanak..."
Standing beside Shadi, Adan reported the latest findings of the siege troops. Listening to Adan's words, Shadi remained silent for a moment. He scanned the bloody magic circle before him with a heavy gaze, estimating the total number of corpses on the edges of these four magic circles, plus the scale of the undead forces they encountered within the cordon, and found that the residents of Kanak, a mining town that originally did not have many residents, had a high probability of being completely massacred.
Up to this point in the street fighting, the Revolutionary Army soldiers had not encountered any behavior of the Savior Sect forces holding civilians hostage to delay the attack, nor had they encountered any civilians during the attack. After learning this situation, a bad premonition arose in Shadi's heart, and from the current situation, this premonition had come true.
"After the battle is basically over, search the entire city for survivors and protect them. All prisoners must be strictly guarded, and evidence must be preserved to prepare for setting up a court after the war."
"Yes."
With a heavy tone, Shadi spoke to Adan beside him. Adan immediately responded briefly after hearing the order, then left the scene to convey and execute Shadi's orders. Shadi remained in place, looking at the piled corpses in silence, until Seytut spoke in his mind.
"You're shaken by this? You've seen similar cruel scenes before, haven't you?"
Listening to Seytut's words, Shadi was silent for a moment, then sighed slightly and spoke.
"A tragedy where tens of thousands of people in an entire town were massacred is something I've never seen before. Moreover, what I saw before were mostly outsiders who were not important, while what I see now are all... I should say the people of Adus, so the feeling is naturally different. Besides, I'm not shaken, I'm just lamenting the methods of these cults."
"Heh... just tens of thousands and you're like this, then you haven't seen enough of the world. For Extraordinary who possess superhuman power and are constantly dealing with the poison of forbidden knowledge, it is difficult for ordinary people to empathize with them. In an era without strong order forces suppressing them, mortals are livestock and materials that can be used at will. For powerful Extraordinary, the lives of mortals, whether it's ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, or even ten million, are all the same. As long as there is a need, they will take them without even blinking. In history, there have been many such eras. You should be glad you are living now, kid."
Seytut said this to Shadi, and Shadi, after listening to Seytut's words, was slightly taken aback, then responded with a slight smile.
"According to you, I should also thank those Fanatics on Holy Mountain?"
"Something like that. The Light bearers of this era, at least they have managed to build a suppressive force for world order. I know their actions make you uncomfortable, but I bet you, if the Shining Light Church collapses, you definitely won't like the way this world will turn out."
Seytut said this. Listening to Seytut's words, Shadi was about to respond to something, and at this moment, a soldier ran over from a distance in a panic, gasping for breath and speaking to Shadi.
"Hoo... hoo... General! There's an abnormal situation in the north, please come and see!"
"Abnormal situation..."
Listening to his subordinate's words, a hint of doubt arose in Shadi's heart. He immediately followed the soldier and left the scene, following the soldier all the way up to the roof of a nearby building. Here, Shadi looked towards the north and then saw a scene that astonished him.
In Shadi's eyes at this moment, a dark yellow storm was roaring and howling over the mountains north of Kanak. Sand and dust were swirling and whirling, engulfing the mountains with a roaring sound. The huge swirling sandstorm was like a giant wall of sand reaching the sky and connecting to the earth, pressing towards the tiny city of Kanak, a scene like the end of the world.
"What... what's going on?! How could such a large sandstorm suddenly appear? There were no signs before at all!"
Looking at the huge sandstorm before him, Shadi said in surprise, while Seytut in his body spoke sternly.
"Listen, kid, this is not an ordinary sandstorm. There's a shadow of Extraordinary ability in it."
"Extraordinary ability? What Extraordinary ability can cause such a big commotion? Was it that old acquaintance you just mentioned?" Listening to Seytut's words, Shadi also asked directly, but the answer he got was negative.
"No, it's not it. Its influence has disappeared now. From the feeling, this is a type of spirits, it seems to have been modified... a special type of spirits."
"Spirits... sandstorm?"
Listening to Seytut's words, the surprise on Shadi's face intensified, and at this moment, the approaching sandstorm in the north also began to show signs of abnormality.
On the giant wall of sand constructed by the sky-filled sand and dust, a huge human face emerged and appeared. It looked at the small city of Kanak to the south, opened its huge mouth, and shouted loudly.
"Sha... Di..."
"Usurper!"
Looking at the protruding giant face on the giant wall of sand, Shadi couldn't help but stand rooted to the spot for a moment. After being stunned for a while, he finally muttered.
"Diya Ding..."
"Stop spacing out, kid, the guy who wants revenge is here. If you don't want to die, get ready quickly!"
Seytut reminded Shadi again, shouting. Listening to Seytut's words, Shadi frowned, his face solemn as he clenched his hands.
...
On the other side, in the royal tomb's underground palace in Dead Eagle Valley, Dorothy and Naifnis had successfully learned the truth about Diya Ding's undead from Moen's mouth. After listening to Moen's narration, both Dorothy and Neff were surprised.
"Artificial Wilderness Spirit... So, beings like Soul Whisker can also be artificially created? It's incredible..." In the underground palace, Neff murmured in surprise, while Dorothy on the other side also spoke in disbelief.
"Netherworld Coffin Society... is actually conducting such research, a Wilderness Spirit that controls a territory... If this research is completely completed, what would happen..."
After understanding the essence of Diya Ding's spirits at this moment, Dorothy's face became solemn. She had witnessed the ability of a territorial control type Wilderness Spirit. The lizard-shaped Wilderness Spirit summoned by Chabakunka was very difficult to deal with. That lizard, as a native Wilderness Spirit produced in the New World, had limited combat capability in Adus. Now, suddenly, a Diya Ding appears that can take the entire territory of Adus as its region. It is really hard to know how to deal with it properly.
'This Diya Ding spirit... The sandstorm it's kicking up outside is getting bigger and bigger... It feels like it's reached a point I can't handle, but the minyin zunzhan is still on that guy, so I can't not deal with it. What a pain...'
Scratching her head, Dorothy thought with a troubled expression. The current Diya Ding had gradually started to become a conscious large-scale natural disaster, clearly exceeding her ability to cope. With such a large gap in energy levels between them, her usual schemes were meaningless.
'Dealing with something like a sandstorm... I feel like I can't think of a way no matter how hard I try...'
While observing the Diya Ding sandstorm, which had expanded to an exaggerated degree, through the bird corpse puppets outside, Dorothy thought to herself. At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Dorothy's mind.
'Great Aka, please relay to the Scholar that I have already understood the meaning of the magic circle she inquired about just now. I wish to communicate with him...'
Listening to Sa Zhuoya's voice in her mind, Dorothy paused slightly, then used the consultation channel to inquire.
'I am the Scholar. You've found the meaning of that magic circle?'
'Yes, through on-site analysis and reviewing some secret transmission I brought out from the Netherworld Coffin Society, I have generally understood the function and principle of that magic circle. It is a modified soul-controlling magic circle that requires multiple Extraordinary to operate together to be effective. Its purpose is to restrain and control souls, forcibly twisting their will. When not activated, it also has the effect of suppressing the soul.'
Sa Zhuoya's voice echoed in Dorothy's mind. Listening to Sa Zhuoya's words, Dorothy's expression became serious, and then she continued using the consultation channel to speak.
'Twisting the soul's will... Does that mean this magic circle is the foundation of a powerful soul control ritual?'
'That's right, and this soul control ritual has many differences from common rituals with similar functions. Many 'Cup' elements have been added to the ritual magic circle, the purpose of which is to strengthen the causal connection mediated by blood ties. The entire magic circle greatly enhances the medium power of blood ties; it can be said to have turned the bond of blood into the shackles of blood. The ritualist performing the ritual can use these shackles to control a very powerful target soul.'
Sa Zhuoya's voice continued to echo in Dorothy's ears. Listening to this voice, Dorothy seemed to understand something, and she immediately asked in return.
'So, descendants can use this ritual to forcibly twist and control the souls of their ancestors?'
'Theoretically... as long as the bloodline is pure enough and there are enough people acting as the ritual medium, then of course it is possible.'
Sa Zhuoya continued to respond to Dorothy's words. Listening to this reply, Dorothy looked at the dark ceremonial chamber not far away. Now she understood how the later generations of kings of the Adus Dynasty passed the trials. As descendants, this method had to be said to be quite "filial."
'Then Sa Zhuoya, if I want to awaken a Undead that has been affected by this ritual multiple times and is still suppressed by this ritual now, will there be danger?'
'Yes, and the risk is very high. If you try to awaken the soul using the shackles without the correct ritual and without a blood tie medium, the soul is very likely to enter a state of madness directly due to ritual error and damage, attacking all living beings it can perceive.'
'Then... what if I destroy that magic circle before awakening the soul?'
'If the magic circle is destroyed with the correct steps, the soul will break free from the ritual's influence and be awakened normally. However, because the soul itself has been twisted multiple times, its state should also be very poor, and the possibility of abnormality or madness is still high. If it is a powerful soul, it might take time to recover slowly.' Facing Dorothy's continuous questions, Sa Zhuoya answered consecutively without hesitation. At this time, Dorothy had already flown to the entrance of the ceremonial chamber, looking at the stone coffin inside and continuing to speak.
'If I want that soul to recover to normal as soon as it is awakened?'
'Then... you might need to prepare means for appeasing the soul. If you have items or abilities that can soothe the soul, then you should be able to calm a restless soul.'
Listening to Sa Zhuoya's response, Dorothy silently examined the huge stone coffin in front of her. After a moment of silence, she said with emotion.
"Perhaps the method to deal with the descendants... still needs to be obtained from the ancestors..."
After finishing her Feelings, Dorothy began to use the consultation channel again to contact someone far away. This time, the person she contacted was not Sa Zhuoya, but Kapak.
...
New World, Tupa Tribe settlement, inside the Shaman's large tent.
Kapak was still sitting inside the Shaman's large tent, currently meditating with his eyes closed under Uta's guidance. Suddenly, he heard the sound in his mind again. He opened his eyes and turned to look at Uta, who was puffing on his pipe beside him.
"Teacher Uta... That Scholar's follower from Aka wants me to ask you if you can help them perform an appeasement ritual in the distance now?"
Listening to Kapak's words, the Old Shaman Uta was silent for a moment. After exhaling a few smoke rings, he slowly replied.
"This is not impossible for me. It requires my soul to leave my body now, and you assist in channeling me over to them. They just need to prepare a suitable vessel there.
"However, this entire process of my living soul leaving my body for channeling is also a slightly risky act for me. I don't know if they can afford the reward sufficient for me to take this risk... If the reward is just ordinary materials, perhaps my price here will be much more expensive than before... After all, at present, our tribe is not really lacking these ordinary materials anymore."
Uta said to Kapak quietly, holding his pipe leisurely, completely in a posture that cheap labor was over and prices were about to rise sharply. Listening to Uta's words, Kapak quickly responded using the consultation channel, and soon he received a reply.
"Teacher Uta, that Scholar said that they are currently fighting one of the blasphemers of the Wizard Spirit Teachings, the Great Shaman Chabakunka. The current match between the two sides is at a critical stage, in a deadlock."
"What? Chabakunka? The Great Shaman of the dry sand area in the Central Great Wilderness? That Shaman who betrayed and went over to the blasphemers is him... That's one of the elders of the Wizard Spirit Teachings..."
Listening to Kapak's words, Uta widened his eyes and said with great surprise. He knew before that the Scholar was fighting against people from the Wizard Spirit Teachings, but he didn't know that the opponent they were fighting against had such a significant background.
"Yes, according to the Scholar, that Chabakunka is very strong, and even their strong people there find him somewhat difficult to deal with. They now need to awaken an ancient Undead in the rear as an aid. If they succeed, they can severely injure Chabakunka, that great renegade who has abandoned the ancient ways! But the key is that the ancient Undead seems to have some problems, and must be appeased when awakened."
Kapak continued to say to Uta. Listening to Kapak's words, Uta asked with a sense of disbelief for a moment.
"Able to severely injure a great renegade... Is this true?"
"Teacher Uta, I think it's true. The Scholar has never lied to us from beginning to end, and all his promises have been fulfilled. We should continue to trust him."
Looking at his teacher, Kapak said very solemnly. Listening to Kapak's words, Uta frowned and took two puffs of his pipe, then exhaled smoke and slowly replied.
"If it can really severely injure the renegade... then for us, and for all the tribes who are still faithfully following the ancient ways, it is naturally the best possible outcome. This will be news that is enough to lift spirits."
Uta said this. At this time, he was already willing to go to that unknown distant place to help appease the soul in his heart. But the problem now was, the other party was using the banner of helping their side severely injure the great renegade, and he couldn't bring himself to ask for a price increase.
Let alone increasing the price, under this righteous cause, Uta didn't even have the face to ask for compensation. If in the end they could truly severely injure the great renegade, he and even the entire Shaman Teachings would probably owe those Aka followers a favor.
Recalling that they had just finished paying off the favor the Tupa Tribe owed in Tivian not long ago, and they hadn't received much compensation, this new round of favors might be coming again. It was truly a case of one favor ending and another beginning.
For a moment, Uta's heart was conflicted, but after only a short period of hesitation, he responded,
"Tell that Scholar to prepare to receive the channeling."
Although he had various considerations in mind, no matter what, Uta would not give up the opportunity to severely injure the great renegade.