Chapter 24 Tricks, Strategies, and War
Under Bai Zhe's orders, the Holy Terra Empire's army intensified its conquest of the Star Beast Jungle world.
More soldiers and supplies were transported to this world through the portal, and more war behemoths were deployed to the battlefield.
Over the past three years, several more foolish star beasts have recklessly attacked the Holy Terra Empire's positions, only to be easily wiped out by the well-prepared army in coordination with Bai Zhe.
Meanwhile, the priests of the Life Cult began to step out of their positions and make contact with the native tribes of the Star Beast Jungle World.
With the help of Xing Sha and others, the Cult of Life quickly established alliances with several larger tribes.
These tribes, having suffered greatly at the hands of the Star Beasts, harbored a deep-seated hatred for those brutal monsters.
The overwhelming power displayed by the Holy Terra Empire, along with the "salvation" and "hope" preached by the Cult of Life, gave them a glimmer of hope in escaping the threat of the Star Beasts.
As a result, more and more tribes began to join the Life Cult.
They provided intelligence, guidance, and even directly dispatched warriors to join the fight against the Star Beasts for the Holy Terra Empire.
With the help of these indigenous tribes, the Holy Terra Empire's conquest of the indigenous peoples proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
However, due to the rampage of the Star Beasts, the land they have occupied is still very small.
...
Within the Divine Court of Creation, Bai Zhe was in a very good mood.
He sat enthroned on a throne entwined by countless vines of life, surrounded by green light and an ocean of countless phantom images of life.
These phantoms are projections of beings who worship the God of Existence in the Star Beast Jungle World, the World of Gods, and the Green Forest World.
They continuously provided Bai Zhe with the power of faith, making his divine power even stronger.
"Very good, the conquest of the Star Beast Jungle World is progressing smoothly." Bai Zhe nodded in satisfaction. "At this rate, it may not take a hundred years for me to bring the entire world under my rule."
Just then, Bai Zhe suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze to the distant void.
There, a war belonging to the gods is being waged.
"Oh? Wanbian Yuanguang, so he's finally making his move?" Bai Zhe's lips curled up slightly, revealing a playful smile.
He watched the war with great interest, as if he were enjoying a wonderful drama.
...
Since the last council of the gods, Loki, the Source of Change, has begun his well-thought-out and long-planned operation. Utilizing his divine authority over "tricks, changes, and conspiracies," he lurks in the world of the gods, sowing discord and creating conflict wherever he goes.
This time, his targets are the god of war, Drazir, and the god of wisdom, Cauchinus.
The God of War, who governs war and slaughter, is irritable and easily angered, and acts impulsively and recklessly; the God of Wisdom, on the other hand, controls knowledge, wisdom, and reason, and is calm, composed, and makes decisions only after careful consideration.
The two deities are almost natural enemies, both in terms of personality and ideology.
The ever-changing source of light, Loki, cleverly exploited this point, meticulously planning a series of "misunderstandings" and "coincidences" to make the God of War develop deep suspicion and hostility towards the God of Wisdom.
Rocky first instigated infighting within some small cults that worshipped the god of war, subtly manipulating the source of the conflict to point to the god of wisdom, attributing these disputes to his malicious actions. Then, using his "transformation" divine authority, he disguised himself as a follower of the god of wisdom, quietly infiltrating the god of war's sphere of influence, creating chaos and destruction, and deliberately leaving behind "evidence" pointing to the god of wisdom.
Under Rocky's skillful manipulation, the God of War was finally provoked, believing that the God of Wisdom was secretly undermining the foundation of his faith. He became hostile and decided to launch an attack.
The God of War ordered the Blazing Royal Court to dispatch its most elite Burning Sky Army to launch an attack on the Star Chart Federation.
The latter, as one of the most important areas of worship for the God of Wisdom, is a nation that highly values knowledge and reason, possessing a highly advanced magical civilization. Faced with the immense pressure from the Burning Sky Army, the Star Chart Federation did not panic. Guided by the God of Wisdom, the Federation quickly organized its defensive forces, preparing to meet the enemy's challenge.
Guided by the God of Wisdom, the border cities of the Star Chart Federation had long ago constructed formidable defenses. Several magic towers soared into the clouds, shimmering with iridescent magical light, like reflections of the starry sky. These magic towers, built over decades by the Federation's most outstanding magicians, possessed formidable offensive and defensive capabilities. Centered around these magic towers, the Star Chart Federation's army rapidly assembled, preparing to meet the enemy.
The Burning Sky Army, the most elite force of the Blazing Flame Royal Court, sent forth a raging torrent of soldiers clad in heavy armor, wielding greatswords and exuding a ferocious aura. The battle unfolded on the border of the Star Chart Federation, with both sides locked in fierce combat.
Clearly, the God of Wisdom's military prowess was in no way inferior to that of the God of War. Under his strategic planning, the mages of the Holy Wisdom Society piloted magical dragons, launching surprise air raids to harass the Burning Heaven Army's lines. The dragons were enormous and capable of spewing various powerful magical attacks, causing heavy casualties among the Burning Heaven Army's soldiers under the continuous air assault.
Meanwhile, Bloodflame Marquis, the commander of the War God's forces, displayed extraordinary wisdom in this predicament. He decided to relocate the Burning Heaven Army to the nearby Starfall Valley to avoid harassment from the magical dragons. Bloodflame Marquis believed that the valley's terrain would reduce the exposed area of the army and restrict the flight direction of the magical dragons, forcing the enemy to attack from an overhead fan-shaped area, thus providing the Burning Heaven Army with an excellent opportunity to counterattack.
"All troops, listen to my command! Move to Starfall Valley!" Bloodflame Marquis ordered, leading the Burning Heaven Army to move swiftly.
However, they were unaware that this valley was a graveyard meticulously prepared for them by the god of wisdom. The Mercury Ring, a sacred organization composed of engineers, alchemists, and inventors, had received instructions from the god of wisdom long before the war broke out, and had secretly laid numerous explosive traps there. Each trap was meticulously designed by the Mercury Ring's engineering experts, possessing astonishing power and unparalleled concealment, making them virtually undetectable.
As the Burning Heaven Army entered the valley, the traps were triggered one by one. Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of earth-shattering explosions echoed through the valley, fireballs shooting into the sky, illuminating the entire valley as if it were daytime. The shockwaves from the explosions shattered the surrounding rocks, sending debris flying in all directions. The Burning Heaven Army soldiers suffered heavy casualties in this sudden catastrophe; many didn't even have time to utter a scream before being reduced to mangled pieces.
"What's going on?!" Bloodflame Marquis roared in shock and fury, "Could it be those damned mages playing tricks?!"
He never expected that the mastermind behind all this was not a magician, but an explosive device set up by the engineers of the Mercury Ring using the power of magic and science.
"Everyone, stay calm! Don't panic!" Bloodflame Marquis shouted, "Organize defenses and find cover!"
Despite the efforts of the Burning Sky Army soldiers to find cover, the explosions in the valley were out of control, leaving no place to take refuge. Almost every corner was affected by the new blasts, turning the entire valley into a hellish place, a raging inferno filled with screams of agony.
"Retreat! Retreat now!" Bloodflame Marquis realized that if they didn't retreat quickly, the Burning Heaven Army would be completely annihilated. However, retreating wasn't so easy. Due to the shockwave from the explosion, many soldiers were seriously injured and unable to move easily. To make matters worse, the exit of the valley had been blocked by the mages of the Wisdom Rune Holy Society, who were constantly attacking the Burning Heaven Army soldiers who were trying to escape with magic.
In the end, the Burning Heaven Army suffered heavy losses, and only a few survivors managed to escape. Blood Flame Marquis was also hit by a fireball during the retreat and died on the spot.
"Another Marquis of the God of War has died." Orakan, the president of the Holy Wisdom Society, said casually as he looked at the firelight burning in the distance. "It seems that our old friend, the God of War, is going to be driven mad again."
"President, what should we do next?" a member asked.
"Continue to pursue the remaining enemies while guarding against the God of War's counterattack," Orakan replied calmly. "Also, inform those lunatics in the Mercury Ring to continue researching more powerful explosives. These little gadgets just don't feel quite right."
"Yes, President."
...
News of the Burning Heaven Army's defeat quickly reached the God of War's ears.
When he learned that his champion, Blood Flame Marquis, had died on the battlefield and that the Burning Heaven Army had been almost completely wiped out, he flew into a rage.
"God of Wisdom! You despicable and shameless villain!" the God of War roared in fury, "I will tear you to pieces!"
He immediately ordered the mobilization of more troops in preparation for a larger-scale attack on the Star Chart Federation.
However, at that moment, even more shocking news arrived.
"Report—!!!" A messenger stumbled into the temple of the God of War, "The Origin of Myriad Changes... The Origin of Myriad Changes... He... He launched an attack on the Blazing Flame Royal Court!"
"What did you say?!" The God of War's eyes widened, he could hardly believe his ears.
"The Source of Myriad Changes... it took advantage of our war with the God of Wisdom to launch an attack on the Flame Royal Court!" The messenger's voice trembled. "Many of our cities have already been occupied by it!"
"That damned bastard!" The God of War finally realized that he had completely fallen for the trick of the Myriad Transformations Source Light.
From the very beginning, the target of the ever-changing source of light was not the god of wisdom, but him!
"Myriad Transformations Source Light! You're a despicable and shameless scoundrel too! Just you wait!" the God of War roared through gritted teeth, "I will definitely tear you to pieces!"
He immediately ordered the troops that were originally preparing to attack the Star Chart Federation to return to the Flame Royal Court.
However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.
By the time the God of War's army returned to the Blazing Royal Court, it had already fallen into the hands of the Myriad Transformations Source Light.
After a fierce battle, although the God of War regained some lost territory, the most prosperous and populous cities of the Blazing Flame Kingdom were firmly controlled by the Origin of Myriad Changes.
These cities, which account for about half of the total area of the Blazing Kingdom, possess nearly 80% of the Blazing Kingdom's population and resources.
Using these cities, Wanbian Yuanguang quickly established his faith foundation and began to expand into the surrounding areas.
The God of War, however, had to face a cruel reality: he not only suffered heavy losses in the war against the God of Wisdom, but also lost one of his most important areas of faith.
"Origin of Eternal Change, Loki!!!" The God of War's furious roar echoed from his temple.
His voice was filled with anger, resentment, and a barely perceptible hint of...fear.
He knew that this time, he had truly encountered a formidable opponent.
However, after successfully seizing part of the territory of the Blazing Flame Royal Court, the ever-changing source of light, Loki, did not stop there.
He continued to use his divine authority to create chaos and sow discord in the world of gods, searching for his next target.
The world of gods has fallen into a new upheaval.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhe was observing all of this with great interest in the Divine Court of Creation.
"Wanbian Yuanguang is indeed quite capable." Bai Zhe stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "However, isn't he afraid of incurring public wrath by expanding so recklessly? Could it be that this guy is actually an incarnation of the God of Wisdom or something, with one playing the good guy and the other the bad guy? I've seen novels from my past life basically written like this, haha."
"Forget it, let's ignore him." Bai Zhe shook his head. "Anyway, those who died were followers of the God of War, it has nothing to do with me."
"Let's continue with my plan to conquer the Star Beast Jungle. Let's take over this world completely first, and then we can consider other things."
"This game of the gods has only just begun..."
"Hehehehe..."