The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 627 The God Lord's Slumber
Hill stood not far away, his forehead covered in sweat, but his eyes were as firm as steel.

"We absolutely cannot let this become a reality! Commander, no matter the cost, we must protect your will and this sacred land!"

The putrid smell in the air seemed to intensify suddenly, only to be quickly washed away by the pure energy.

Twisted points of light flickered continuously between the void rifts. The corrupted tentacles had completely disappeared, replaced by new barriers that gathered power, forming a more solid and impenetrable defensive line with the wizards.

However, behind this bright facade, more acute and hidden problems lurk like ferocious beasts.

David's world anchor had long since formed a thick shackle. Every surge of purifying energy triggered latent programs, and every mental fluctuation could bring disaster one step closer to the tipping point.

“We must find a solution.” Liliana’s gaze was firm. She stepped forward, pressed her wand to the ground, and used her unique magic to draw intricate runes.

"I will attempt to use forbidden techniques to separate the influence of the cipher text on your physical will, leaving only the core guardian."

However, this process is extremely dangerous and requires time and close coordination among everyone.

The atmosphere in the council chamber was heavy. Every representative's face was filled with worry. Some clenched their fists, some silently shed tears, and others had cold expressions and resolute flames in their eyes.

They knew that this was not just a battle, but the ultimate test of faith, responsibility, and sacrifice!

"All members of the Witch Knights, listen to my command!" Hill shouted, and the entire army stood at attention and formed a neat formation.

The blood in everyone's chest was burning fiercely. "What we must protect is not only the territory before us, but also the dignity of all life!"
Even in the face of endless darkness, we will never back down!

At the edge of the spacetime rift, countless fragments of broken stars float and rotate, as if witnessing the final moments of history and foreshadowing unknown variables in the future.

The runes on these fragments flickered, their power seemingly influenced by the World Anchor, becoming unusually active and unpredictable.

Suddenly, a dazzling purple-gold pillar of light burst forth from the distant horizon, shooting straight into the sky. It was the aftershock of David's all-out resistance against the chains.

This force penetrated through layers of spatial barriers, elevating the religious ritual to new heights and deterring the restless chaotic evil forces.

They are silenced and lie dormant for the time being, but this serves as a warning to everyone that the danger is not yet completely over!
The crystal veins on the earth no longer shimmered with twisted and eerie light, and those obsidian crystal veins that were once sharp as blades and were born from decaying energy slowly degenerated into ordinary amethyst ore.

A long-lost fresh scent filled the air, a new aroma, a blend of mineral fragrance and earthy scent, quietly permeating the ruins.

The shamans stood at the edge of the battlefield, weapons gripped tightly. Clad in fiery armor, they now wore an air of indescribable weariness and relief.

His face was covered with traces of sweat and dust, yet it also etched an image of unwavering determination and glory.

They witnessed the end of this catastrophe and the faint but undeniable glimmer of new life after the destruction.

Hill stood at the forefront of the formation, gripping his blood-stained longsword tightly, the tip lightly touching the ground, his face solemn.

His gaze was deep as he looked into the distance, where the land, once polluted and eroded to its limits, now revealed a peaceful and serene landscape.

But he knew that behind this tranquility lay an irreversible sacrifice; a third of the divine kingdom's territory had been lost forever.

"The demonic tide... has finally subsided," Hill murmured to himself, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement, yet also tinged with deep sorrow. "But the price... was too high."

David stood in the center of the purification array, clad in crimson-gold armor, his body still burning with holy fire, but his face was paler and more somber than before.

His forehead was covered with fine cracks that spread like a spider web to his neck and arms, gleaming with a cold light under the starlight.

His eyes were slightly closed, and his breathing was heavy. Each inhale seemed to bring intense pain, making the onlookers' hearts tighten.

Liliana knelt beside David, her hands lightly touching the Great Divine Halberd, enveloping its surface in a soft blue light to replenish the commander's depleted energy.

Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions: on one hand, her deep respect and admiration for the leader who had done everything in his power to protect all living beings; on the other hand, her anxiety about the impending doom.

"Commander..." she called softly, but dared not disturb him rashly. She could only silently pray that her divine status could withstand the aftershocks of this extreme test.

As the demonic tide gradually receded, the demonized creatures on the land began to fall into an unusual state of stagnation.

Those monsters that once ran rampant and mutated into deformed forms instantly turned into cold, hard rocks, frozen like sculptures in their final struggle.

This change is not natural, but rather stems from the ultimate judgment made by the pure power upon the essence of its life: completely sealing off its source of soul, leaving evil spirits with nowhere to reside and powerless to wreak havoc on the world.

The members of the Witch Knights looked around and saw signs of life gradually reviving in the ruins, with small plant roots slowly spreading greenery through the cracks in the rocks.

In places where the decay had not yet completely subsided, small animals flapped their wings, and newly reborn birds took flight, drawing tired yet relieved smiles from the crowd.

But joy was almost suppressed by reality—the territory of the divine kingdom had been ravaged, and a large area of ​​land that had been cut off had long been completely isolated from the remaining areas, left like a severed arm on the edge of the void.

This lost land, mired in decay and darkness for so long, has a completely collapsed ecosystem that is not only unable to recover but has also become a place that is feared and avoided by all, and is known as the "Forgotten Desert".

Inside the council chamber, the delegates bowed their heads in mourning; some wept, while others clenched their fists in bitter silence.

An elder said in a trembling voice, "Although we preserved most of our homes, a third of our people perished forever. This sacrifice will be etched in history, and it will never be greater."

Another young female representative gritted her teeth and said, "Perhaps that's why we should cherish every inch of land and every life we ​​have survived. This is the price they paid with their blood!"

At the same time, in the very center of the aftermath of the purification ritual, where David was, he suddenly felt the divine energy within his body expand abnormally and become chaotic.

An irresistible force surged from the depths of his marrow, scorching and roasting his soul to its limit.

Large patches of grayish-white keratinous texture appeared on the surface of the crimson gold armor. The texture was hard and had a metallic feel, which was completely different from the original material on his body.

Yet it seemed to organically blend together, covering his skin to form a thick shield, while also revealing subtle signs of danger.

Hill exclaimed, "Master, what are you doing...?"

David remained silent, his eyes closed, his body stiff as a statue.

As time passed, he finally knelt down, and the entire army watched this scene in silence.

His face was deathly pale, almost transparent, and his hands clutched his chest, his chest heaving violently as if bearing the heaviest burden. Liliana rushed forward, touched his forehead with her staff, and poured her own arcane energy into him as a final support.

"Coach, you must hold on! Please don't fall!"

However, the gray-white keratin layer on the crimson-gold battle robe became increasingly dense and hard, like an unknown protective device in a cold laboratory enveloping his body, creating a stark contrast with his original flesh and blood.

What this change meant, no one wanted to speculate, and no one dared to easily break the solemn silence...

The dark clouds rolled and shifted in the sky, while the silvery river continued to flow. But the priests knew full well that although the calamity had temporarily subsided, a new challenge had just begun.

Some roads will be paved with more blood, and they must be prepared to protect that precious and hard-won new order!

Hill knelt beside David and patted the leader's shoulder. "Commander, we will protect you, and we will protect this world."

The members of the Witch Knights still stood solemnly at the battlefield ruins, their faces showing the weariness and worry that followed the victory.

They remained silent, but they knew in their hearts that the real test was not yet over.

Liliana, clad in a silver moon robe, stood firmly in the council hall, the symbol of the highest power in the divine realm, where ancient stone pillars and iridescent runes intertwined to form a circular hall.

Her brows were furrowed with worry, yet she maintained an unwavering grip on the situation.

As David fell into a deep sleep, he was moved to the Blood Demon Core for recuperation, while she temporarily assumed the authority of the divine kingdom.

“David has been under unimaginable pressure,” Liliana said gently but firmly. “Although his divine essence has not been annihilated, it is highly disordered and needs Arya’s remnant soul to help stabilize it, otherwise it is very easy to collapse.”

Inside the council chamber, light and shadow shifted, and a huge floating holographic display showed the Blood Demon Core.

It is an ancient ruin located deep in the dark abyss, said to contain fragments of extremely powerful blood demon power.

Arya's remnant soul, as a guardian in ancient legends, has fragments of her soul sealed within her. With her unbreakable and gentle spiritual power, she can stabilize David's faltering divinity and pull him back from the edge of the abyss.

Representatives from various ethnic groups around him had solemn expressions; some had tears in their eyes, while others pursed their lips and whispered amongst themselves, each lost in their own thoughts.

Several high-ranking wizard knights stood to one side. General Hill gripped his sword tightly, his eyes blazing as he constantly scanned his surroundings, poised to carry out a secret order at any moment.

"The situation is critical," Liliana said, turning to the crowd, her voice firm and resolute.
"To prevent the resurgence of corrupt forces, we must block all information about the truth of the Abyss and declare to the outside world that 'the remains of the ancient gods have been completely purified and no longer pose a threat.'"

The hall fell silent for a moment, everyone understanding what this meant: the truth would be deliberately concealed to maintain the stability of the community and the integrity of their beliefs.

This lie, though bitter, is the only way to protect the remaining homes and prevent panic from spreading.

Hill stepped forward, his expression grim, and said, "At the same time, I received a secret order to conduct an in-depth investigation into the possible connections between the Eternal Night Council and the past wizarding civilization."

Did they already know the secret of the 'World Anchor'? Did they attempt to use or destroy the ring system?

The delegates were all shocked upon hearing this, and some even frowned.

This long-taboo topic has finally been brought up in public, but how many conspiracies and schemes lie behind it remains unknown. Only Hill, the person he trusts most and who has been through countless battles, can investigate it personally.

“This journey is extremely dangerous,” an elderly mage warned in a low voice. “The Council of Eternal Night is a gathering place for dark forces from multiple realms, and its secrets often exceed the scope of mortal understanding. We must prepare for the worst.”

“That’s precisely why we need to make tough decisions.” Liliana looked around. “Although David can’t hold power for the time being, his spirit and will still guide us.”

I will shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing, and do my utmost to consolidate the foundation of the nation and pave a more solid path for the future.

At that moment, the entire audience stood in awe, and countless eyes were focused on her, filled with both reverence and a mixture of worry and expectation.

She knew that the responsibility on her shoulders was as heavy as Mount Tai, and that every decision could affect the survival of billions of lives and influence the future direction of multiple world orders.

As the words fell, the runic lamps on the high platform suddenly lit up, illuminating the entire council hall in a bright and dazzling light, as bright as the midday sun.

But behind that brightness lies a darker and more complex struggle of the human heart, where truth, lies, life and death, and responsibility are all intertwined into an unsolvable knot.

Then, the gate slowly opened, and a squad of royal guards clad in obsidian armor, carrying special runic shields and forbidden spell staffs, entered. Their faces were cold and serious, and they were an important force specifically responsible for maintaining order and carrying out secret orders.

These guards will protect David's sanatorium and help safeguard state secrets from being leaked.

In the center of the hall, a silver-blue crystal ball floats and rotates, with complex arrays of runes flowing across it. This is an important monitoring device used to remotely monitor soul fluctuations and the condition of spatial rifts.

The data transmitted from it kept flashing and changing, and every anomaly would trigger a warning light response throughout the venue, making everyone more vigilant and not daring to relax their guard in the slightest.

Hill stared silently at the data screen, his brow furrowed, his fingers tapping lightly on the side of the sword hilt.

"The Eternal Night Council has been hiding for too long, and their whereabouts are elusive. If we discover any clues, it will become a key breakthrough in the fight against the corrupt forces."

His companions nodded in agreement, their gazes firm and resolute.

They knew that the road was full of thorns and obstacles, but only by facing the difficulties head-on could they open up a new dawn and fight for a truly peaceful future for millions of lives!
The meeting continued, with various parties discussing strategic deployments, resource allocation, and intelligence gathering plans, while also developing defense enhancement plans to counter potential new attacks from saboteurs.

But everyone knew that the most important thing at this moment was to stabilize the core leader, help him recover as soon as possible, and make full preparations for the unknown storms to come!

Hill, clad in fiery armor, strode across the eerie ruins.

He held a blood-stained longsword, its blade reflecting shattered starlight, but his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's.

It occasionally falls onto the ancient scrolls, rusted machinery, and broken runestone slabs scattered on the ground.

The air was filled with the smell of dust and old stones. He slowly squatted down and picked up a roll of yellowed and moldy parchment from a pile of wreckage.

This is a fragment of a log left behind by a forgotten civilization of wizards. It is densely covered with obscure and difficult-to-understand text and array diagrams, but the information it contains is enough to shock all those who can see through it.

(End of this chapter)