Necromancers are frantically stationing troops in the apocalypse.

Chapter 1100, Treasure Island
After successfully advancing to level 18, Wu Heng felt a little relieved.

The huge reputation that was accumulated with great effort did not disappear due to death and rebirth.

If you think about it carefully, this makes sense. Now my reputation is known all over the world, and the followers of Lingqi Sect are spread all over the place. Even if it is cleared, it will increase again in an instant.

It's more than enough to support myself and become a hero again.

Then, he turned his attention to the newly unlocked feature [Enlightenment].

[Enlightenment]: Can grant temporary spirituality to inanimate objects, enabling them to think and perform tasks; can also be used on intelligent creatures to enhance their intelligence and understanding.

"Give it spiritual intelligence and improve understanding..." Wu Heng muttered to himself.

Even though I knew it before, it still feels magical to see it now.

The former can make tools temporarily "alive", while the latter can directly enhance the learning and comprehension abilities of intelligent creatures.

This is simply a power that only God can display!

From the first stage of nourishing oneself, to the second stage of giving birth to all things, to the current third stage of enlightening spiritual wisdom, the entire "Creation Sutra" gave him the feeling that it was more and more like a process of "creation", guiding life step by step to evolve to a higher level.

He stood up, stretched his body, then opened the door and walked out.

……

The living room was empty.

Only the plump parrot with a red crown and green feathers was busy pressing a melon seed with its claws, cracking it open with a skillful "click" of its beak, and then spitting the shell accurately onto the ground.

Seeing Wu Heng coming out, it immediately raised its head and shouted happily: "Chief! Chief!"

It is rare that this parrot, which has followed Philippa since the pirate era, can survive to this day and is so smart.

Wu Heng smiled and touched its furry head. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind and he remembered the ability he had just mastered.

Concentrating his mind and gathering his energy, a mysterious wave quietly gathered at his fingertips, and he gently tapped the parrot's forehead [Enlightenment]!
In an instant, the parrot's bean-like eyes seemed to be injected with new brilliance, becoming more lively and bright, and even with a hint of inquiry.

"Let me test you to see if you've become smarter." Wu Heng became interested. "What is one plus one?"

"Two!" the parrot answered immediately and clearly.

"What about five plus five?" Wu Heng increased the difficulty.

The parrot's head tilted noticeably, its eyes darting around rapidly, as if it was thinking furiously. After a moment, it tentatively asked uncertainly, "...Ten?"

Wu Heng was immediately surprised. "Oh my! Has he really become so smart?"

The parrot seemed to hear the compliment, and immediately shook its head proudly from side to side and hummed a pirate's celebratory song.

Wow, what a versatile guy!
There is no doubt that its intelligence has been greatly improved.

Wu Heng continued to ask, "What about seventy-two plus eighty-five?"

The parrot, which had been so happy just a moment ago, suddenly froze. Its eyes widened, and it didn't respond for a long time. Finally, it seemed a little angry and picked up a melon seed with its claws. It handed it to Wu Heng attentively, trying to change the subject: "Eat! Eat!"

Wu Heng couldn't help laughing, so he took the melon seeds and started eating them with it.

The parrot also buried its head in its eating and never mentioned the arithmetic again.

There was only the parrot as company in the living room. It seemed that Lilith and the others were seizing the time to practice.

Wu Heng walked to the dressing mirror and looked at himself. He had indeed grown a lot taller, but his face still had the youthfulness of a boy, about eleven or twelve years old.

The growth of the body does not seem to completely follow the laws of nature or level improvement, but rather it seems to be accelerating to "recover" the original state.

He casually raised his hand and gave a light hook.

In an instant, the water vapor in the air quickly condensed and turned into crystal water droplets, floating on both sides of his body.

The water droplets change accordingly, sometimes merging into fist-sized water balls, and sometimes stretching into slender flowing water lines, as if controlled by arms and fingers.

[Ze Yin Shu] can be used freely after reaching level 18, which gives him more ways to save his life and deal with the situation.

It can be regarded as his strongest control skill, and it is extremely effective against enemies below the hero level.

After trying the water spell, he raised his hand and waved forward again.

[Magic Duncan Mansion Technique]!
The space in front of him seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand. A deep crack appeared out of thin air and quickly expanded into a huge stone door carved with intricate patterns.

The stone door burst open, revealing the familiar and luxurious other-dimensional space behind it.

It seems that his resurrection has no impact on this demiplane space.

Inside the mansion, several level 20 skeleton guards still stood faithfully in their places.

Wu Heng's mind moved slightly, and the layout inside the space changed layer by layer, finally revealing the ancient bronze key that was properly hidden in the deepest part.

He was not sure whether the Vatican god noticed the existence of the key when reading his memory.

But whether the other party knows it or not, apart from this key, the other party seems to have no other way to come into this world.

Otherwise, given the god's anger at the time, he would have chased us down long ago.

Sealing the key again in the deepest part of the mansion is much safer than putting it in the space ring.

After all, the art of building a mansion is a skill, and without yourself, no one can open it.

After confirming that the key was safe, Wu Heng waved his hand again to close the mansion technique.

He took out the skill book of "Creation Sutra" again and turned to the fourth stage [Creation Evolution].

According to the description, if one can reach this stage, the physical body will completely transcend the shackles of the mundane world.

Without relying on external objects, one can directly construct a material framework, give it form and initial activity, and even...derive flesh and blood by integrating the essence of the five elements of heaven and earth with one's own vast spiritual power!
"This sounds almost the same as the Heroic Class's 'Perfect Body, Regeneration of Broken Limbs'." Wu Heng pondered.

But one thing caught his attention.

After reaching this stage, the body seems to be completely supported by the operation of the spiritual power of creation, forming an independent "material framework".

Does this mean that it is fundamentally different from the hero's star power?

It's even possible... that the methods used by ordinary heroes will have little effect on the body that has cultivated this technique?
Of course, these are just psychological guesses.

The specific differences still need to be verified, but this is undoubtedly a more promising path.

The magical power unlocked in the fourth stage is called [Flesh and Blood Shaping]. It can use soil or other spiritual materials as a basis to shape stronger, more durable "creatures" that even have simple flesh and blood structures, but it cannot give them independent souls.

"It's becoming more and more like the legend of 'Nuwa creating humans.'" Wu Heng sighed to himself.

As for the requirements for the training venue, the fourth stage becomes simple and crude, and training can be done anywhere between heaven and earth!
What is needed is no longer a specific environment, but to draw on the most primitive and original power that permeates the heaven and earth.

Keeping the key points of the fourth stage in mind, Wu Heng closed his skill book, stood up, and patted the head of the parrot, which was still diligently cracking melon seeds. "I'm going to practice. Tell Philippa to call me for dinner tonight."

The parrot seemed to understand but nodded with certainty.

Wu Heng turned around, walked into the quiet room again and closed the door.

……

Wu Heng thought for a moment, then walked out of the house with a few skeleton guards and came to an open space in the forest where there was relatively abundant energy.

He sat cross-legged, held his breath, and began to try to practice the fourth stage of the "Creation Sutra" - "Creation Evolution".

Once the skill was activated, he immediately felt an experience completely different from before.

In addition to the familiar earth spirit power that continued to flow into his body, there was also a more primitive and powerful energy that permeated from between heaven and earth, pouring into his limbs and bones like an invisible tide.

This energy is vast yet gentle, carrying an original aura that nourishes all things.

Although Wu Heng felt it was magical, he did not delve into it.

At this point in the practice, one has already transcended common sense, following the guidance of the tradition and immersing oneself in it wholeheartedly.

……

As the sky gradually darkened, Wu Heng ended his training and directly used the [Teleportation Spell] to return to his residence.

As soon as I walked into the living room, I saw Philippa holding a gleaming fruit knife, precariously placed on the parrot's neck. With an exaggerated smirk on her face, she demanded, "Tell me! What kind of demon are you? Are you possessing my precious parrot? Tell me the truth!"

The parrot's feet were tied with ropes, and it was so scared that its head was shaking like a rattle. Douzi's eyes were full of fear, and it made a pitiful "quack" sound from its mouth.

Wu Heng looked at Minnie, who was setting the tableware nearby, and asked helplessly, "What's going on?"

Minnie smiled and explained, "As soon as we came back, we found that the parrot had become very smart. Not only can it count, but it can also talk back. Philippa insisted that it must be possessed by some unclean thing and is currently interrogating it."

Wu Heng reacted immediately, "Philippa, stop it. I used the 'Spiritual Enlightenment' spell on it, and it's awakened. It's normal for it to become smarter."

Philippa paused in her questioning and turned back suspiciously: "Is it true? How did it work? How could it become so smart all of a sudden?"

"Of course it's true. Let it go quickly. If something is really possessed, how could Lilith and I not notice it?" Wu Heng assured.

Philippa then reluctantly untied the rope from the parrot's feet.

As soon as the parrot was free, it fluttered its wings and flew frantically behind Wu Heng. It stuck its head out and cursed in a shrill voice, "Captain! Idiot!"

"Hey! You really want to rebel!" Philippa was so angry that she wanted to catch it again.

At this time, Minnie had already set up dinner and invited everyone to take a seat.

Everyone sat around the dining table, enjoying their food and chatting.

Lilith looked at Wu Heng with a hint of inquiry, "The 'Spiritual Awakening' you just mentioned, is it a new ability of the Creation Sutra?"

"Well, the 'Spiritual Enlightenment' unlocked in the third stage can open up the wisdom of living beings and improve their understanding." Wu Heng nodded and explained.

Lilith raised her eyebrows slightly. "So, that's why the parrot suddenly became... eloquent and calculating?"

"That's about right. It's probably equivalent to the intelligence level of a human child now," Wu Heng said.

Philippa immediately became interested and asked incoherently through her mouthful of food, "Can it be used on humans? Give it to me too! Maybe I can become a mage!"

Minnie beside him chuckled. "Being a wizard requires more than just intelligence. You also need patience. Can you sit still and study spell models in your room all day?"

"Uh... forget it." Philippa imagined the scene, immediately shrank her neck, and gave up decisively.

Lilith steered the conversation back on track. "I've already completed the second stage of my 'Physical Refining Technique.' Does the third stage involve that 'rebirth from the ashes' ability you mentioned earlier?"

I am still impressed by Wu Heng's ability to resurrect and return from being wiped out by the gods. This is undoubtedly a very powerful life-saving trump card.

"Yes." Wu Heng put down his cutlery and explained seriously, "The third stage is called 'Heavenly Body'. Once mastered, one's physical body becomes indestructible and impervious to all evil. The corresponding magical power for this stage is 'Rebirth from the Ashes'. Just like I did last time, after one's physical body is destroyed, one can be reborn elsewhere."

After a brief pause, she continued, "However, I was able to master it thanks to Her Majesty personally drawing the auxiliary runes for me! I'll give you the skill book to study carefully later, and we'll work together to see if those runes can be reproduced. This step is crucial, and we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes." "Okay." Lilith nodded solemnly, keeping this in mind.

The group chatted for a while longer, exchanging their insights on cultivating the Body Refining Technique. After dinner, they returned to their rooms to rest or continue their cultivation.

……

The Kingdom of Celt, northern border.

On this cold and barren land stands a mixed-use town called 'Grey Town'.

Humans, the Bevellars, and the Orcs live together here, maintaining a delicate and fragile balance.

The buildings are mostly constructed of gray stone, with a rugged style and low-hanging eaves, as if they are constantly being suffocated by the north wind.

On the edge of town, in an inconspicuous stone house, the door hinges made a dull turning sound.

A Boweila man entered through the door. He was tall and thin with slightly thick earlobes, and his face was mostly covered by a hood.

He bowed respectfully towards the shadows inside the room, his voice low and deep: "Ladies and ladies, intelligence from Treasure Island has arrived."

The room was empty, with only a few simple wooden chairs and a stone table.

The air was filled with the scents of herbs and old books.

After a moment of silence, a clear, cold female voice came from the inner room, "Speak."

After a moment's thought, the man replied, "The island has been completely controlled by the Vatican. All the forces and merchants around the Emerald Sea have submitted. The Vatican holds daily ceremonies, and it is said that... they have been burning skeletons for more than half a month, and the black smoke has not yet dissipated."

Another voice immediately followed up with, "What about the association?"

"Several heroes of the association have come under the command of the Vatican, and all branches in various regions obey the Vatican's orders," the man continued. "This was announced in an official notice."

"Are the associations here like this too?"

"Yes! The Vatican has issued a decree to arrest all personnel associated with the Spiritual Revelation Cult."

A brief silence fell over the room, as if even the air itself had frozen.

Then the first voice rang out again, its tone steady and imposing, "What about the intelligence on the Kingdom of Yeko and the City of Luntam?"

The man bowed slightly. "I couldn't find a city called Luntam, but the Kingdom of Yeko has indeed been in turmoil recently."

"Talk about it."

"The Kingdom of Yeko has changed hands. The second prince has ascended the throne, and the former queen is accused of usurpation and war crimes and is wanted throughout the country."

The same voice spoke again, this time with a more serious tone, "You've done a great job! Continue your investigation. If your chamber of commerce has any problems that are difficult to solve, you can come to us anytime."

"Thank you." The man said no more, bowed, and left the room.

The door closed, and the room returned to silence.

A moment later, a childish voice timidly rang out, "Uncle... he'll be alright, won't he? Why hasn't he come to pick us up yet?"

Then came a gentle female voice, "Xiaoxiao, don't ask every day. If something happens to him, we won't be safe either."

"But I'm worried...!" Xiao Xiao muttered softly, then turned to another person, "Auntie! When will those bad guys leave?"

Granda calmly analyzed, "According to intelligence, they won't leave. Firstly, since they haven't found Wu Heng, they'll definitely stay there. Secondly, Treasure Island is a commercial center, and the Vatican will definitely occupy that area, for whatever reason."

The Empress replied, "While the Holy Temple is not bad, it is far less prosperous than Treasure Island. Now that the Holy See has taken it, it will not give it up easily."

Treasure Island is so well built.

It may not be as good as a modern city, but in terms of the development of this world, it is an unequal and overwhelming force.

Therefore, once the Papacy has occupied Treasure Island, it will no longer simply leave it there unattended as before.

Benny's voice was filled with doubt, "By the way, wasn't the second prince of the Yeko Kingdom already...?"

Granda chuckled lightly, "Whether he is the real second prince or not is not important; the Vatican only needs a pretext."

“Yes!” the Queen agreed. “It was never any prince who kept the situation under control, but the Papacy itself.”

Granda pondered for a moment, then softened her tone: "But this also shows that the gods have not personally intervened in these trivial matters, leaving everything to the Holy See... Brittani and the others should be safe for the time being."

Benny whispered, "The gods didn't come to capture us; their attention was all on Wu Heng."

The goddess scoffed, "If one does everything personally, what kind of deity would one be?"

Xiao Xiao muttered again, "If Uncle comes, we'll be discovered... then how will he pick us up?"

The Empress's voice suddenly softened, "Don't worry, Wu Heng is more powerful than we think. The best help we can give him is to hide and wait for him."

"Yes!" Xiao Xiao nodded emphatically, as if cheering herself on, "Uncle will definitely defeat that evil god!"

Benny turned to Granda, her tone serious, "What should we do next?"

Granda's voice regained its composure: "Keep a low profile and let the Chamber of Commerce handle things for us! We'll lend a hand occasionally, but we must never reveal our identities! The Vatican has far more spies than we think."

The ghosts all nodded in agreement.

The last sound in the room faded away, leaving it empty.

……

Treasure Island.

The former prosperity and hustle and bustle have long since vanished.

Today, Treasure Island resembles a huge and solemn white temple, with all the buildings covered in a layer of cold, hard, pure white paint that reflects an unsettling, overly clean light under the sun.

The people walking on the streets were no longer merchants and sailors of all kinds, but believers dressed in uniform religious attire.

They walked hurriedly, heads down and silent. Even when they met acquaintances, they would only nod slightly in greeting and dare not have any further conversation.

The entire island fell into an eerie silence, with only the echoes of countless footsteps treading on the stone slabs remaining.

All the ships in the port were flying the Vatican's flag, and the warehouses that were originally full of goods had been emptied, with all the goods seized by the Vatican.

Most shockingly, there were mountains of white bones on one side of the island, engulfed in flames, with black smoke rising day and night, and the smell of burning and ashes permeating the surroundings.

The cathedral, originally belonging to the Church of the Spiritual Revelation, now serves as a prayer hall for the Vatican, with the Sun emblem hanging prominently above it.

The former island lord's residence has become the dwelling place of the gods.

Deep within the mansion, in a spacious yet desolate interior, a figure sat quietly in the shadows.

His presence made the surrounding air thicken, and the light seemed to bend in fear.

Suddenly, he raised his head slightly and looked at a point in the void.

The next instant, the light in the room distorted, and a man dressed in the robes of a priest of the Papacy was dragged in as if by an invisible force. He staggered and hurriedly knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor.

“Great Father God…!” The priest’s voice trembled slightly with fear. “We found this when we were taking inventory of the spatial rings we had seized.”

He held an object high in both hands; it was a scepter, its entire body a dark sandalwood color, with a large gemstone set at the top that slowly rotated as if it were alive. Its shape was very much like a strange, darting eye.

A faint yet extremely foul aura emanated from the scepter.

“According to the information, this should be a strange object that can communicate with evil gods, possibly from a sorcerer or a necromancer.” The priest’s voice grew increasingly humble.

The deity's gaze fell upon the scepter, but he remained silent.

But I also recalled some fragmented scenes from the depths of Wu Heng's memory.

Someone tried to take over his body using external means, but failed.

"An evil god?" The deity finally spoke, his voice calm and even, yet carrying an air of indifference and contempt. "Does he even deserve to be called a god?"

The scepter floated up from the priest's hand and gently landed on the desk in front of him.

"Go down and take care of the Treasure Island matter. You don't need to worry about the rest."

"Yes, Father God!"

The priest, feeling as if granted a pardon, bowed deeply once more and almost crawled backward as he left the room.

The room returned to silence.

The deity raised his hand and casually tossed the scepter into the open space in the center of the room.

Instead of falling, the scepter remained suspended vertically, defying common sense. The moment the base of the scepter touched the ground, an incredibly complex circular magic circle, shimmering with a dark red glow, suddenly spread out from its center, instantly covering the ground within a radius of several meters!

hum!
The air seemed to groan under the strain.

Above the magic circle, space was forcibly torn apart, and a huge eye, made entirely of thick blood light, suddenly appeared!

Those bloodshot eyes were cold, greedy, and filled with endless malice. The moment they appeared, they seemed to instinctively transmit a thought.

"Little mage, what do you need? Power? Wealth? Or... a new body?"

However, its gaze fell upon the figure sitting quietly below.

Just a glimpse.

Those sinister, bloodshot eyes that looked down on all things and regarded all living beings as ants froze instantly!

The crimson light flickered and faded violently, like a startled creature, its arrogance and greed replaced by fear and solemnity in an instant.

The deity slowly rose, his body radiating no dazzling light, yet an overwhelming pressure that caused the entire space to tremble and groan spread out.

“Now that you’re here,” his voice remained calm, yet seemed to contain the laws governing the universe, “leave something behind.”

Before the words were finished, the deity's body seemed to transform into the purest primordial energy, and an invisible yet incredibly powerful force soared into the sky, directly entangling the blood-red giant eye that was trying to retreat.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the most brutal and direct devouring and tearing.

The power projected by the evil god melted and disintegrated like hot wax before that higher being, and was forcibly stripped away and absorbed!
The giant blood-red eye twisted violently, emitting a silent shriek, before finally shattering into countless dark red specks of light, which were then completely devoured, leaving not a trace.

Inside the room, the eerie magic circle quickly dimmed and disappeared.

All that remained was the sandalwood scepter, which fell to the ground with a 'crack,' its eye-shaped gem at the top completely losing its luster and becoming cracked, like a dead stone.

The deity glanced at the wooden staff, and the staff vanished as if weathered away.

He sat down again, staring at the wooden door in front of him.

(End of this chapter)