Forge a path to success.

Chapter 405 United We Stand, Thorns Bloom
"It's here." "The power of the gods." "A long-lost feeling..." "That's Lord Thorn Sa's light!"

Divine light emerged from the earth, from the sky, and from the houses of every household. The light of life force caused the divine tree to grow, and "roots" that held the tree in place sprouted from the feet of every citizen, while "branches" that could be grasped tightly with both hands grew in front of each person.

The sacred tree held them in place amidst the devastating disaster, yet they felt no sense of constraint, as if they had entered a home tailor-made for them. The elderly citizens eagerly grasped the branches, while the young people born after the war were at a loss.

"Dad... what is this?" Lico asked.

“This is our war,” Trek said with a smile, grasping the branch. “It’s been a long time. Even we captains haven’t seen it in person.”

"Just focus on supporting the sacred tree," Huan Ge told her.

“Our city-state is a nation built by the gods and all people.”

"Therefore, we will forever march into battle alongside the gods!"

The elders' admonitions echoed throughout the city, while the young people grasped the branches with skepticism.

And so they felt that ever-surging, magnificent life force. The sacred tree of thorns was the trunk of this torrent, and each citizen was a scattered tributary. Countless lives converged, becoming a magnificent torrent of divine power!
That torrent included not only local citizens, but also foreign mercenaries, guests who came to support the city-state, and even demons lurking underground.

Old octopus Fulatali clutched the branch, his eyes blank: "Do...do we even qualify to participate?"

"What are you saying? You love this country!"

Old Jingsha's laughter rang out amidst the torrent.

"Identity, qualifications, race, none of those matter."

As long as you love our city-state, as long as you abide by our rules.

Then you are a precious citizen of our city-state of Thorn Robe!

Countless demons shed illusory tears. They clung tightly to the branches before them, throwing themselves into the torrent of divine power… merging into the life of this kingdom!

And so, a torrent surged through the city-states, its life force manifesting as brilliant fire. The colossal continent soaring into the sky ceased its flight, engulfed in flames for over 4100 million kilometers. The floating islands gradually glowed, then suddenly burst into intense flames!

Beneath the floating continent, Furudan, who had been waiting to reap the benefits, was suddenly startled. The blazing flames of life acted like an insurmountable barrier, shattering the smoke that seeped into the tree bark and sending it flying into the distance. The light of life was so vigorous that it even surpassed the glow of the fireflies in the Kingdom of the Gospels, like a verdant sun illuminating the entire secret realm!
Deep within the Land of the Gospel, the High Priestess Lavaiva sighed with sorrow: "A dying struggle... You have already struggled in pain for so long, why must you let your people suffer on your deathbed?"

Furuidan sneered repeatedly, even angrily: "It's starting again! At this point, it's obvious that we're doomed! Why won't you, you old bastard, accept your fate!"

"It wasn't me, it was us!"

Old Jingsha's roar echoed in the light. The roars of 17 billion overlapped with his voice.

“Once, we built the city-state in the past.”

Now, we will create the future of the city-state!

The light of life burned ever brighter, and the floating continent trembled violently. The roars of 17 billion people exploded like a cataclysmic explosion. At that moment, the city-states disintegrated; the roots supporting the five meridians snapped in unison, releasing rope-like rays of light. The roots of the divine tree grew anew, and the various meridians, shaped by their will, coalesced into one under the unifying light!

"The five major meridian sequences are reconnected; the fusion process begins!"

The dense roots that hold the earth together become sturdy, brown feet; the bountiful fields that nourish all things split in two, forming verdant feet that support the body. The verdant collar and the poetic canopy, one on each side, become arms; the iron crown shrinks, transforming into a head topped with a crown of thorns. The vast Mansa Star Castle becomes the central body, its five-pointed star-shaped veins shifting and transforming in the flames, merging with the giant's chest to form the sacred seal of thorns!
"Divine power connection complete, thorn flowers bloom, plant armor constructed!"

The lush vegetation covering the entire land became a long, emerald-green hair; the bark, weathered by a thousand years, became armor; the military camp buildings were rearranged, sculpted into the majestic face of the deity; the thorny crown atop his head was magnified a thousand times, forming a throne-like halo of divine judgment floating around the giant body.

It descended bathed in light, and as its feet touched the earth, the entire Senluo Secret Realm trembled. It was pure power, pure grandeur. A giant built by 1.7 billion beings, a deity, and the will passed down for thousands of years, embodying the sacred body of an entire civilization. Its length reached 41 million kilometers, its scale large enough to surpass Dust Island and overlook the entire world.

Beyond the Thorn Robe Realm, billions of people raised their heads in reverence. An existence of such immense power transcended the barriers between the dust islands; countless nations witnessed its might, and countless people saw its battles.

As recorded in history, as recorded in mythology, this is the true face of the God of Unity, the embodiment of the will of all beings.

The unity of the people is a spirit whose significance transcends time.

Its name is——

"May our hearts unite under the sacred tree, and may our city be blessed with a thorny shroud!!!"

Centered on the gigantic divine crown, a ring of deep green divine light rippled outwards, extinguishing smoke and extinguishing brilliance wherever it passed, while lush vegetation grew on the parched land. The soldiers fighting on the front lines regained their senses, and boundless power surged within them.

Wherever Allied soldiers are, the Gospel Kingdom and the smoke of war cannot invade. This is the essence of the Thorn God as a god of unity; its people are one with it. Wherever the frontline warriors are, they are as if they are in its divine kingdom!
“As always, troublesome old thing.” Fruidan, hidden in the mist, said, “Let you, little girl, perform first, Lavaiva.”

“I have no intention of colluding with you, you mad wolf,” Lavaeva said coldly. “I will defeat you as well. I will save everyone on this land!”

Deep within the blissful holy light, that incomparably enormous being rose from its divine throne, a faint light emanating from its fingertips.

"For lost and suffering souls, come with me across the ocean of hardship."

"Eternal Light Divine Art - Floating Ships in the Sea of ​​Bitterness!" The condensed radiance dissolved into liquid, and billions of floating ships rose from the pus-like, murky sea of ​​light. These ships were all piloted by glowing corpses, their sails billowing brightly, emitting shouts. Beautiful angels flew from the floating ships, brushing against the faces of the warriors on the battlefield.

Their wills then detach from their bodies and fall into the embrace of angels; their useless bodies decay and become fire-corpses. This magic is the origin of Lavaiva's title of "Our Lady"—the souls that have crossed the sea of ​​suffering will enjoy eternal joy in her courtyard, but their bodies will be corrupted by the light poison, becoming part of the army of fire-corpses!
Only ten percent of the floating boats surged towards the frontline warriors; the vast majority of their power was used to attack Jing Sha's true form. The beautiful angels flew towards the sacred tree like countless birds circling it. Jing Sha crossed her arms, her eyes gleaming with divine light.

"Young girl, stop deceiving yourself. Wake up from your dream of saving the world!" Old Jing Sha growled. "Chief Justice!"

"Yes!"

Banningtik responded loudly, his will surging into the core of the divine tree, activating the war-specific weaponry.

"Divine Might, Thorn Crown!"

The Divine Tree of Unity pointed to the sky, and its colossal crown suddenly blazed brightly, its soaring divine light piercing through the entire angelic horde. Green light, like rapidly growing branches, rose from around the Thorn Crown, transforming into a forest of divine light that blanketed the heavens. The number of divine lights far exceeded a mere ten million; it was the manifestation of the fighting will of every individual within and outside the city-state—a full 17 billion hearts, 17 billion rays of light!

The forest of divine light descended, piercing through hundreds of millions of floating ships, thus dispersing the poison of fluorescence and causing the rotting sea of ​​light to tremble violently. The heretics, who were already beyond cure, were annihilated under the divine protection of thorns, and the fireflies, which had only recently been infected, were purified by that divine power and returned to human form.

Those who escaped clung to the branches and leaped back into the heart of the Thorn Robe city-state. Thus, the power of the Thorn Robe was amplified once more!

Lavaiva's lament triggered a tsunami: "Your obsession with sinking into the sea of ​​suffering is bad enough, but you even want to take away my happiness in this heavenly kingdom. Thorn Tree, just how far will you drag all living beings down with you!"

"Little girl, have you asked the opinions of the people?"

Jing Sha remained calm and composed.

Do they want your 'salvation'? Did they willingly enter your gospel kingdom?

"No, of course not. After that crazy transformation, you all became self-deceiving, contradictory gods. You disregarded reality and poisoned the masses in the name of salvation, and you are still trapped in the illusion you created!"

He gave a thumbs-up, pointing proudly to his chest.

"And we have asked!"

"Our citizens live and die with the city-state, and our warriors are willing to fight against malice."

We are honorable Allied soldiers, we don't need your rescue!

Giant wolves surged in the Sea of ​​Corrupted Light. Lavaiva's sorrow caused the ocean to change, and massive amounts of light elements surged up, forming millions of glowing giants. These giants were almost half the height of Thorn Robe, and they were the prototype of the Cataclysmic Seed Point One, "Glowing Corpse."

Elemental life, shaped by pure positive energy, is proof of its will by its very existence and cannot be destroyed by any means. Thus, Jing Sha raised his hand to his chest, his fingertips drawing out the sacred thorn flower emblem on his breastplate, making the emblem symbolizing the kingdom manifest, as vast as the land itself.

"Fourth Captain, Fifth Captain."

"Yes!"

Lingfeng and Harleroya plunged into the core of the Divine Tree, constructing a new divine spell based on their emblems. The Thorn Flower Emblem was drawn into the battlefield, and a thick crimson light surged above the ocean.

"Guards, the Holy Flower of Blood!"

A crimson halo descended from the sky, enveloping the glowing giants. Then, a violent earthquake erupted from the seabed of decaying light. The resonance between emotion and sealing magic caused the "memories" sealed within this land to materialize through divine art. Magnificent stone pillars rose, lifting the glowing giants into the sky.

The main body of the stone pillars consists of lifelike statues of warriors, heroes who fought to protect their city-state over thousands of years. The city-state of Jingsha has never forgotten any of them; that memory of their struggle is the cornerstone of this divine art!
A crimson halo merged with the stone pillars, and all the giants were simultaneously petrified by divine magic, their bodies branded with the sacred emblem of thorn flowers. The Divine Tree of Unity raised its hands, lifting the petrified giants, ready to shatter them with its Holy Crown. However, the moment the decision was made, a cloud of smoke suddenly enveloped the tree's back, and the giant wolf, Furudan, seized the opportunity to leap out, biting at the tree's head!
This was a strike that transcended time, disrupting the natural order with chaotic power, before the sacred tree could even sense the blade that had been thrust forth. At this moment, the sacred tree's power was concentrated in the Blood Flower; the citizens had no time to react to the demon's assassination attempt!

"——Lord Jing Suo!"

So people called upon the name of God.

Therefore, the gods responded to the will of all beings.

"give it to me!"

A ray of divine light leaped from the top of the sacred wooden pillar, rushing rapidly into the smoke trail. Countless fragments fell after the light, chaotic forces relentlessly peeling away its surface, shattering and dismantling it, carving deep wounds into the beings within. Yet the broken light would rejoin, the wounds and injuries would heal instantly, for it was this expectation of all beings that ensured the god's enduring presence!
"Old man—!" Furudan roared.

Within that glimmer of divine light lay the thorny old man, his hair and beard bristling. The robust old man leaped from the divine tree, facing the ferocious wolf head-on. Wounds appeared, then healed. Blood flowed, pooling at his fist. He clenched his fist, contracting it like drawing a bow. The muscles of his body vibrated, boundless life force surging into his knuckles. He laughed in adversity, bursting forth from the brink of despair!
"We'll be your opponents, old dog!!"

The moment he leaped before the giant wolf, his power reached its peak. He threw a punch, using all his strength, and the powerful force of his fist shattered the wolf smoke, clearing the sky for miles around. His heavy fist pierced the sea, carving a solid path through the sea of ​​decaying light.

That punch slammed deeply into Furudan's head, knocking the Chaos Demon from the sky and sending another deity crashing into the sea from the secret realm!
"Holy is the fist of certain victory!!"

The old thorn tree fell on the ocean surface, its majestic appearance and invincible presence.

The massive, cumbersome body is actually a "machine" created for all people, a divine body driven by the united efforts of the Jing Sha citizens. The strongest spiritual power of the Senluo Divine Tree clan is the Jing Sha himself, currently locked in battle with chaos.

The Deity of Freedom and Righteousness, the Divine Tree of Thorns!
That is precisely the secret to the enduring strength of the Jing Sa city-state. That is precisely the true power of the Jing Sa city-state.

The god of the thorns and the city-state are equivalent to two deities on the path of unity!
(End of this chapter)