Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 1003 The Hammer Fall Plan
When handing over the number θ, the Fomi ant tribe acted with unusual caution.

The Queen of the Fomi ants even specially modified special worker ants for this purpose. These were several Fomi ants with bluish-white stripes on their carapaces. They slowly emerged, more slender than ordinary worker ants, with hard plates embedded on their backs that seemed to be used to inscribe runes. They walked without making any hissing sounds, but instead lowered their heads in unison, intertwining their antennae to form a strange ring-like posture.

Then, a mental fluctuation resounded in the air:
"—Begin executing the orders given by the Queen."

They carefully took the irregularly shaped piece of paper, holding it with their mandibles but not touching it directly.

Immediately, several high-ranking individuals expelled a thick, resinous liquid, encasing the paper in a semi-transparent shell, with twisted symbols constantly being etched along the edges—the very containment rules that Xia Xiu had given to the Queen Ant, which were being executed word for word.

The whole process resembled an ancient ritual: the paper was continuously sealed between their jaws and feet, layer upon layer of protection, until it was completely isolated within three transparent shells.

Then, they turned around, carrying this "cage," and slowly retreated into the depths of the pit.

Monford stared blankly at all of this. He had originally regarded the ant tribe as an alien race, but now, for the first time, he truly felt the power and piety of their collective will.

Only after the ant-like figures had completely disappeared did he slowly exhale, cautiously approaching Xia Xiu, his voice filled with awe and unease:
"Sir... what should we do next?"

Xia Xiu lowered his head and stroked his silver cane, then chuckled softly:
“We will continue to build the Horizon Initiative. I now have a preliminary blueprint for the establishment of Horizon, and we are now building according to the blueprint.”

He paused briefly, the tip of his cane lightly tapping the ground, producing a crisp sound.

"Next, I need to find an opportunity to meet the Storm King of Far East City."

Monford was taken aback.

The Storm King of Far East City, the supreme ruler who oversees the entire city-state, the eye of a storm powerful enough to suppress countless alien races and sects. If even such a being has become a puppet of the Fifth Church…

In that peaceful country, what place is still clean?
An indescribable shudder welled up from the depths of Montfort's heart. Seeing this, Xia Xiu chuckled and raised his cane, his voice steady yet penetrating:

"Don't worry. What we need to do next is not to be afraid, but to build. Far East City is just the first step."

He turned around, his golden eyes sweeping over the distant, dilapidated city silhouette:
"In my vision, the Horizon Initiative will become the backbone of peaceful nations. To unite this world and all forces that can be united in the outer planes of the future, it must take the mass line—composed of multiple religious groups and secular alliances—to cleanse all the 'impurity' and 'blasphemy' in the myriad realms."

Xia Xiu withdrew his gaze, stroked his chin, and then gave him a meaningful smile:

"Hmm... I need you to lead the organization's armed forces and carry out the task of eliminating hostile religions and aberrant groups. You are a localized personnel and will be incorporated into the Administration Bureau, under the direct command of my task force."

He paused, his golden pupils locking onto Monford, then changed the subject:
"As is customary, I'm going to give you a code name now."

Upon hearing this, Monford felt both nervous and expectant.

Xia Xiu thought for a moment, then continued:

"Haunted Dog—what do you think of this codename?"

Hounds—the most loyal fangs in the Horizon, who will fiercely attack anyone who dares to defy the Horizon initiative.

Monford's blood was practically boiling. He abruptly knelt on one knee, his voice trembling slightly with nervousness, yet filled with unwavering determination:
"I will eliminate anyone who threatens the Horizon Initiative for you!"

Xia Xiu looked at Monford, who was kneeling on one knee, and gestured for him to stand up. Some unnecessary formalities could be skipped now, as he still had a lot to do.

“To counter the Fifth Church, a Mother Church, a few raids are not enough. We must spread the influence of the horizon and take root in all denominations and communities.”

He extended three fingers and then brought them together one by one.

"First, the Secretariat. They are specifically responsible for compiling and editing the 'Universal Scripture.' They will combine the doctrines of various denominations to create a unified belief system that must conform to the liberation theology of the Kingdom of Heaven and its utopian program. What others believe is not important; what matters is that everyone will eventually read this scripture—they are the foundation of the horizon."

He retracted his second finger and continued:

"Second, the Shepherds. They are responsible for searching for relics, gathering intelligence, and spreading faith in various places."

Finally, he slowly clenched his fist, his voice turning colder and sharper:
"Third, the Wolf Pack. The elite of the elite, the force you will lead in the future. The sole objective is to eradicate all hostile religions and aberrant groups. The Fifth Church, heretical temples, lairs of evil—you will wipe them all out. You are the hammer, you are the wolf pack. Anything that stands in your way will be smashed to pieces."

Xia Xiu gently held his cane horizontally in front of him, his gaze fixed on Monford, his tone steady yet cold:
"The clerical team, the shepherd team, and the wolf pack—these three forces must be mobilized immediately. Their mission now is to directly address the main contradictions currently facing the peaceful nation."

He paused for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his golden eyes, his voice gradually rising in pitch:

"The problem of peaceful nations is ultimately not a struggle between sects, nor is it about the interests between city-states."

The real primary contradiction at present is only one—the Fifth Church.

The Membrane virus it brought, the souls it corrupts, are tearing this land apart completely.

Xia Xiu raised his silver cane, the tip pointing towards the distant ruins of the dilapidated sanctuary.

"As long as this contradiction exists, peaceful countries will never be at peace."

Other contradictions are secondary, mere trifles. We must concentrate all our resources and all our will on one point and crush it.

He took a deep breath, his voice low but carrying an irresistible authority:
"Therefore, I want all three departments to operate around a single overarching principle..."

He raised his hand and clenched his fist tightly, as if he wanted to crush the entire night sky.

"I call it—the Gavel Plan."

With a loud boom, the shadow beneath his feet trembled as he spoke, as if the ground itself was responding.

"This is a general mobilization order—the scribes write down their faith, the shepherds spread their faith, and the wolf packs smash heresy; conventional force or unconventional means, all are included."

His gaze was cold:
"In the name of the Kingdom of Heaven, in the name of the horizon, in my name, let the hammer fall and banish all heresies of the Fifth Church."

Monford stared intently at Xia Xiu until the words "Project Hammer" were uttered. He seemed to be ignited by a sacred flame, his blood boiling and his fighting spirit blazing.

"From this day forward, I will use all my power in this peaceful land to return to the horizon. I will serve as your fangs here, to crush heretics."

“You will receive the armed forces you need. The horizon needs fangs, and I will give you the sharpest fangs.” He paused for a moment, his voice softening slightly, as if revealing a secret:

"As for you... Montfort. You will undergo the Holy Forging Transformation of Heaven, and your body and soul will be reforged. I will personally perform the Holy Forging Surgery for you."

Monford's chest heaved, his breathing became heavy, but he did not flinch in the slightest.

He knelt down on one knee again and replied in a low voice:

“It’s a sad feeling.”

After explaining the initial deployment after the horizon, Xia Xiu narrowed his golden eyes slightly, his gaze passing over the ruins and dust, landing on the deepest part of the tower. There, was the residence of the Storm King.

"The transformation surgery and the basic deployment of the horizon have been completed... The next step is to meet this queen." He murmured to himself, his tone calm, yet it sounded like he was calculating the last few moves in a chess game.

He had already gained the upper hand in the first round of confrontation with the Fifth Church.

The two civilization viruses, the Far North Devourer and the Digital Theta, have been contained, effectively breaking the enemy's two sharpest hidden weapons.

With the [Hammer Drop Plan] finalized and the mass line established, the future horizon will spread like a spider web from Far East City to the entire peaceful nation.

Xia Xiu's [Hammering Plan] was mainly aimed at the three major obstacles that the Fifth Church had brought to civilization;

The first major obstacle – the virus of civilization.

The Fifth Church's most secretive and deadliest tactic.

Theta and northward are just two examples. The former is like a black hole, devouring all mathematical foundations and causing the entire technological system to collapse; the latter is like an invisible glutton, which, if enough intelligent beings face north, will trigger a neural-level paralysis, instantly turning an entire city into an empty shell.

This virus is not a natural product, but an ideological trap spread by the Fifth Truth. Once triggered, it is equivalent to uprooting the foundation of civilization.

The second major obstacle – the spread of the message (possession) by the masses.

The terrifying aspect of the Fifth Church is that it expands not through swords, but through the people themselves.

A song, a prayer, a book, a poster... as long as someone listens, someone reads, and someone imitates, they can become containers for dissemination.

Even more terrifying is that this dissemination is not merely the transmission of information, but is accompanied by cognitive possession. A person still possesses a body and identity, but no longer belongs to themselves; instead, they become an extension of the Fifth Truth—a walking megaphone.

The masses became believers, believers became the medium, and the medium became the virus, forming a self-replicating closed loop.

The third major obstacle – the infiltration of power.

What's more terrifying than the virus and its spread is the sinister hand of the Fifth Church, which has already touched the very authority itself.

Patriarch Astaroth is just one example. The dignified Cardinal Patriarch of Saint Cuthbert, outwardly the spokesperson for Light and Order, has secretly become a guide for the Fifth Truth.

As this infiltration continues to spread, more leaders, sectarian leaders, princes, and even imperial councilors may be replaced, bribed, or assimilated by "Mimu".

Once the center of power is completely corrupted, the entire course of the country will be altered, and the people will not even realize that their world has been sacrificed.

These three mountains, layer upon layer, are pressing down on the peaceful nation, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

The significance of the [Hammer Drop Project] lies in smashing them one by one with a hammer.

Only by smashing the three great mountains can the Fifth Church be defeated and the distorted world restored to normal.

……

……

As night fell completely, the outline of Far East City resembled a sunken giant ship, winding across the land.

The tower rose abruptly from the ground, piercing the dark clouds, its spire like a nail, firmly pinning the entire city to the stormy night. The howling wind, carrying the stench of the sea and a damp chill, swept from the streets and alleys up the stone walls, pounding against the tower and emitting mournful howls.

That tall tower is the palace of the Storm King.

Among the four climatic rulers, the rulers who control "clouds, wind, rain, and thunder" each guard the borders of Abelio, while the far east city is the residence of the Queen of Wind, one of the three kings and one queen.

At the top of the tower, Fenghou sat on her throne.

She wore a flowing crimson robe, the hem of which was constantly whipped up by the gale, like torn flags fluttering in the crimson sky. Her face was cold and pale, as if sculpted by time and storms. Her eyes were bloodless, only showing an interplay of shadow and light, like cold flames in an abyss, overlooking the entire Far East City.

Above her head, a crown woven from metal and storm debris unfurled, its spiked radiance resembling shattered lightning bolts, radiating oppressive majesty. Behind the throne, black banners fluttered in the wind, their tearing sounds like the mournful cries of countless wronged souls in the darkness.

At this moment, the Storm Queen sat there quietly, motionless, as if she had become one with the tower, the embodiment of the storm itself.

Through the broken window frame, Feng Hou's gaze lingered on the distant ruins and the night sky. Dark clouds churned, the waning moon sank, and Far East City, shrouded in the storm, resembled a dying beast, panting heavily and teetering on the brink of collapse.

Just then, the air suddenly tightened.

The brazier behind Feng Hou swayed simultaneously, the flames were pressed down and collapsed by an invisible force, and then three phantom figures emerged from the shadows.

Their figures were blurred, as if overlapping with the clouds in the sky, or perhaps just projections of illusions, but the oppressive feeling was so real that even the stone walls groaned. Each phantom exuded the same aura as Feng Hou—not an ordinary aura, but a rhythmic force of "climate domination."

The first illusory figure stood to her left, tall and imposing, enveloped in a thick shadow, like the oppressive feeling of thunder yet to strike. Scattered flashes of lightning crackled in the air, as if they might explode around him at any moment.

A second illusory figure appeared on the right, light and ethereal, its sleeves billowing as if invisible. With each breath, the surrounding air became ethereal, and the clouds surged.

A third illusory figure stood in the afterglow of the brazier, its body shimmering with crystalline mist, its aura damp and cold, bringing a chill that seemed to freeze to the bone. Every drop of water that condensed and fell onto the stone slab turned into an ice stain; this was the arrival of the King of Rain.

Thunder, clouds, and rain—three illusory figures arrived simultaneously, echoing the wind from afar.

In an instant, the air in the entire tower was compressed as if it had solidified, and the forces of the four poles converged here.