Imperial Crown.

Chapter 628 Jade may be broken but its whiteness cannot be altered; bamboo may be burned but its integrity cannot be destroyed.
Raven already knew he wouldn't die. So, naturally, he didn't shout "Wife, save me!" to avoid further embarrassment. Mainly, he had been tortured beyond endurance, hung up for eight days, and was so hungry that he had no strength left.

Fortunately, he possessed strong mental fortitude and was constantly aware of everything happening around him.

By this time, the firewood had piled up to Raven's chest.

Dai Yunyi first glanced at Lei Wen expressionlessly, then looked into the shed.

Saint Uban and Crouch flew into the void, gazing at Daisy from afar.

"Did you bring the goods?" San Uban asked first.

"What about you?"

Dai Yunyi asked the same question in return. Her voice remained hollow, indifferent, and grand, indistinguishable between male and female.

Without a word, Saint Uban tossed out an object. It was a spatial ring.

Dai Yunyi grabbed it, her pretty face changing slightly, and then she also threw out a ring.

"Tsk." "Isn't that a bit too little?"

Saint Uban probed with his spiritual power and immediately expressed some dissatisfaction.

Dai Yunyi twisted her neck, hesitated slightly, and spoke again, "I'll give you another batch in five years." "That's all I have now." Any more, and the World Tree would definitely drop from the eighth tier to the seventh. The divine spark of the Lord of Light was precious, but taking another piece would be useless. Unless she could gather five pieces. Leaving aside whether Dai Yunyi had the ability to steal the divine spark from other forces, even if she did, losing the lost piece wouldn't be enough. Some say it was lost in the Dwarf Kingdom, others in the Bloodstained Highlands, still others in the Miracle Mountains or Slave Bay… In short, for thousands of years, there has been no news.

Saint Uban extended his palm, calculated with his fingers, and nodded, saying, "This current amount is enough to last for five years." Then Saint Uban smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

Dai Yunyi remained silent, glancing down at Raven below, and asked in a low voice, "Raven! Would you like to leave with me?" Clearly, Dai Yunyi still intended for Raven to follow her. Her question was a ploy to make a deal. If Raven was willing, he could live. If not, she wouldn't have chosen to save him.

"Humph!"

Raven snorted coldly and said in a low voice, "Jade can be broken but its whiteness cannot be changed; bamboo can be burned but its integrity cannot be destroyed." "Holy Maiden," "We are of different paths, human and demon," "Do not worry about it anymore." He already knew he wouldn't die, so what was there to fear?!

San Uban: ...

Dai Yunyi: ...

Crouch: ...

However, upon hearing these words, Crouch's eyes flashed with a glint of shrewdness. He thought to himself with a mixture of disdain and satisfaction, "Little beast, to have such literary talent. A silver tongue, a silver wit. Perhaps this is how my disciple Lux was conquered."

Dai Yunyi's voice rang out again, "Then let me ask you." "Do you know about the Blood and Curse Ring?" "This item is useless to you now. If it were in your hands, I could exchange it for a treasure."

"What kind of precept?!"

Raven's voice rose a few decibels. "Never heard of it." He shook his head. "Besides," "Haven't you been keeping an eye on the situation of the Griffith family's descendants?" "When I took over Eagle Hold, everything except that dilapidated castle had been sold off by Donald."

Dai Yunyi fell silent, her beautiful eyes seemingly filled with anger mixed with a hint of disappointment. "Raven," she said, "one day," "you will understand my good intentions." "In that case, I'll take my leave." With that, she prepared to depart.

"Wait!!"

A clear shout rang out, and Crouch's figure vanished in an instant, reappearing in front of Dai Yunyi. "How can you take away my godhood?" "Dai Yunyi!" "Today, you will not only leave behind your godhood, but also hand over the fragment of godhood that you stole back then."

Dai Yunyi frowned slightly and glanced at Pope Saint Uban with some doubt.

"Junior brother!!" Saint Uban's face changed drastically, and he roared, "Retreat at once! The Empress was invited by me, what are you doing?!" "Are you trying to frame your senior brother for betrayal?!" By the end, Saint Uban was furious and exploded with a roar: "Get out of my way!"

Crouch remained unmoved, instead roaring, "Senior Brother!!!" "You're getting senile!" "These alien leaders often stay holed up in their territories for hundreds or even thousands of years without venturing out!" "Now we've finally got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" "But you're indecisive and soft-hearted!!" "Senior Brother," "If the two of us join forces, slaying this eighth-tier elf today will be a piece of cake!" "Above, we'll be worthy of the Lord of Light's divine decree! We'll be worthy of our teacher's grace!" "Below, we'll be worthy of the Church's doctrines, and worthy of the human race!"

"Senior brother," Crouch rebuked, "to be honest, since I've come here, I've already disregarded life and death!"

The two brothers, from the same lineage, were arguing fiercely in the sky, which made Raven below tense up, his eyes scanning the area warily. He hadn't died at the hands of Saint Uban, but rather comically died in the ensuing great battle. Judging from Crouch's appearance, it was clear that demanding divinity was just an excuse. His real purpose was to kill Deyne. These words suddenly stirred up Raven's memories. He remembered!! He remembered everything!! Crouch had once had a conversation with him in the study of Old Eagle Keep. At that time, Crouch had expressed his dissatisfaction with the Pope and the current Papacy. He hated the Pope's reforms! He hated the corruption of the priests! He hated the extravagance and debauchery of the clergy! He hated the strong stench of money emanating from the bishops! ...

But how could he not have imagined that Crouch, the most famous ascetic on the continent of Middlesbrough, got his cultivation resources from somewhere?

How could he not have considered that if Pope Uban hadn't allowed the priests stationed within his territories to indulge in greed and pleasure, why wouldn't these cultivation prodigies have chosen to join the Holy See instead of becoming lackeys of the nobility and vassals of the empire? Just as Uban said, things were no longer the same. The empire had grown powerful, and even the nobles controlled vast amounts of cultivation resources. The Holy See had long since lost its ability to compete. Once it lost the massive base of "cultivators," how would it maintain its reputation and power? How would it compete for and seize cultivation resources?
How could he not have realized that if Crouch was truly just a self-disciplined ascetic, and didn't crave power, then why was the Pope targeting him?! Wasn't that a contradiction? Now everything made sense. It wasn't the Pope making things difficult for him! It was the conservative Crouch who had been making things difficult for the reformist Pope! If Crouch weren't the Pope's junior brother, even if Crouch's cultivation level was high and his strength great, the Pope wouldn't pay him any attention. Because Crouch would never have had the chance to seize the papacy. But Crouch was the previous Pope's most favored disciple, someone Saint Uban couldn't let go of. That's why Crouch could obtain the cultivation resources he wanted from the Papacy inexhaustibly!
"Bitterness"

Raven cursed himself inwardly for his stupidity. How could he have believed Crouch's lies? The Pope's schemes to target and torment him, the Pope's plan to use Lux as a scapegoat while also killing Raven—if St. Uban truly had such intentions, Raven would be far from being alive! Whether it was Thomas or the Bloodwing Inquisitor, who couldn't have killed Raven back then?! It was all Crouch's conspiracy! He deliberately tricked Raven into leaving Lux and marrying Nancy! The reason Raven hadn't felt so guilty all these years was because he'd always maintained that he married Nancy to protect Lux. Now, thinking about it, it was all utter nonsense! However, marrying Nancy wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but that's a story for another time.

But at the time, Raven genuinely believed Crouch's lies. Raven suddenly understood so many crucial issues. For example, how the Mage Guild had separated from the Church of Light. It must have been due to unequal distribution of benefits and a lack of sufficient resources to support these high-ranking mages, which is why the Mage Guild broke away from the Church of Light. From this perspective, if Saint Uban didn't implement reforms, the Church of Light would likely become nothing more than an empty shell.

For example, why would Crouch, a seventh-tier divine mage, make a special trip to Eagle Territory back then? Now it seems likely that Crouch intended to kill Raven. After all, he had personally stated that he would annihilate the entire Eagle Territory before killing Raven! Raven foolishly believed at the time that Crouch was kind-hearted and wouldn't do such a thing. Looking back now, it was simply because Crouch understood Lux ​​and knew that if Raven died at his hands, Lux would surely follow him in death. That's why he couldn't bring himself to do it! He had dedicated his life to rigorous training, believing he hadn't forgotten his original intentions, and naturally, he valued Lux's purity and unwavering devotion.

The reason Raven so blindly and naively trusted Crouch was precisely because of Lux's kindness and naivety, which made Raven view his teacher through a thick filter.

Yes.

Crouch never changed. He firmly believed that he was the one who correctly carried out the oracle of the Lord of Light. He hated the secularization of the Papacy and even more so all foreign races. So even when Keynes and Insa were fighting like madmen, he didn't interfere or get involved.

Crouch's desire for Raven's death stemmed from two main reasons. First, Seraphim's coup had indeed resulted in the significant loss of ancient human power. Most importantly, it was because of Lux. Raven had forced himself on Lux, crossing an insurmountable line in Crouch's heart. If Crouch had truly wanted to save Raven, he wouldn't have used the promise of "breaking the blood curse" to coerce Raven into leaving Lux. After Raven refused, Crouch never mentioned the blood curse again. Even after Raven agreed to marry Nancy, Crouch never brought it up again. Clearly, he intended to stall for time, hoping Raven would die under the blood curse.

"Ugh"

Raven sighed inwardly, lamenting both his own narrow-mindedness and the complexity of human nature. It was truly complex. If viewed this way, it was likely that Lux's "obedient" decision to step into the courtroom during the Supreme Trial was, in effect, influenced by her teacher Crouch. What no one expected was that Lux would so resolutely choose to "betray" everyone, including her teacher, for Raven's sake.

No wonder Lux went to the Elven Empire alone after that. She never even mentioned her teacher Crouch again. However, Lux clearly still respected and was very grateful to Crouch.

Everything will be revealed today.

But deep in Raven's heart remained a persistent question: was today's events truly a deliberate act by San Uban? A ploy to kill someone else?! Otherwise, how would Crouch have known about this, and why would he have come?

As mentioned before, there are only five seventh-tier cultivators in the entire Miders continent (Chapter 214). Among them: one from the Elven Empire, namely the Elven Empress Daiyunyi; two from the Human Race, namely Crouch and Saint Uban, both from the Church of Light; one from the Orc Empire, Lupiifa of the Titan race; and one from the Death Order, the Death Sovereign, Grocaron.

In comparison, the human race still maintains a significant advantage. However, if a seventh-tier being were to perish today, the balance of power would immediately be shattered for both humans and elves. The Fourth Continental War would then erupt instantly. Chaos is imminent, and the ladder of power will descend!
"Crouch!!"

Saint Uban's face showed utter disappointment. "Do you know?" "The person I hated most in my life was my teacher." "It was him." "It was his pampering of you that made you so stubborn throughout your life." "Yes." "Once the Elf Empress leaves the Forbidden Domain, she can no longer maintain her peak combat power." "But she is, after all, an eighth-tier, nine-star powerhouse." "She was also the only powerhouse to survive the Ragnarok War." "Back then, she was very weak, but now she is the only eighth-tier powerhouse on the continent." "Even after leaving the Forbidden Domain, she still possesses strength no less than that of an eighth-tier powerhouse."

"Junior brother," "If you still consider me your senior brother, get out of my way now." "Otherwise," "I'm leaving."

"You are no match for the Empress."

"The Lord of Light is forgiving; He will not be displeased by your retreat this time." "The most important thing for a person is knowing when to leave gracefully and elegantly!" "Knowing when to repent before it's too late!"

Everyone present, even Raven, could tell that Saint Uban's words came from the bottom of his heart. They also revealed the last bit of tenderness he showed as a senior brother.

"Ha ha ha ha"

With his white hair and beard, Crouch, with his youthful face, laughed loudly, "Life and death," "right and wrong," "success and failure," "honor and disgrace"... "Brother, the four things you value most are actually the ones I care about the least."

"Today, I will show you my original intentions and painstaking efforts. And while I'm at it, I'll also show that little beast down there what it means to be human! And I'll let everyone see who the backbone of humanity truly is!"

After speaking, Crouch raised his five fingers to the sky, and a bright light shone from his hand. A simple, unadorned staff appeared in his hand, which he pointed at Dai Yunyi. "Crimson Flame Fish!" With his shout, a series of explosions erupted in the air.

The entire sky suddenly changed, turning a vibrant orange-red in an instant, like an inverted volcano. Countless waterfalls of golden lava transformed into streaks of light, hurtling towards the Elf Saintess! At the same time, countless dolphin-sized "lava fish leaping over the dragon gate" detached from the lava waterfall, hurtling towards the Elf Saintess with lightning speed!

"court death!"

Dai Yunyi snorted coldly, a murderous aura surging across her face. Then, with a mere flick of her jade-like finger, the void trembled, directly shattering Crouch's fire law domain. Crouch groaned involuntarily. Immediately, a sapling sprouted from the void. Yellow branches, emerald green leaves—the sapling grew rapidly before the naked eye, until it became a towering tree! It looked remarkably pure. Not only did it completely block Crouch's magic, but it even had the power to send countless vine-like branches to suppress Crouch!

Raven rolled his eyes, utterly horrified. He was horrified by the sheer power of a seventh-tier cultivator, seemingly no different from the immortal cultivators in novels. He was also horrified by the terrifying power of Empress Dai Yunyi. She barely used her strength, as Raven couldn't seem to sense any magical fluctuations emanating from her. Moreover, she stood entirely in mid-air, without moving an inch, yet she had already struck first, seizing the initiative.

Dragons are born with vast magical power, but their mental energy is relatively coarse, relying primarily on instinct to exhale. In contrast, elves possess powerful and refined mental energy, capable of weaving complex magic. This is why casting spells in Elvish is faster. However, elves' control and absorption of magical energy are more dependent on their environment, such as forbidden zones or ancient forests. In reality, compared to their innate ability to fly, this cost is negligible.

Necromancers and witches, on the other hand, draw upon evil energy to fuel their fighting spirit and spiritual power. Naturally, their cultivation is both rapid and powerful.

"God's Domain and Heaven!"

Crouch roared, and a golden protective shield suddenly materialized in front of him, blocking the rapidly approaching branches. At the same time, he accelerated the flow of his vast magical power into the spell above his head, beginning to relentlessly obliterate the large tree beside Daiyunyi.

Dai Yunyi, however, loosely clenched her fists and spoke indifferently: "Deeply rooted!"

"puff"

Crouch, enveloped in golden light, groaned again and coughed up a mouthful of blood!
……

(End of this chapter)