Elven cultivators

Chapter 449 Artificial God Creation

The moment the stone coffin was opened, you could hear a pin drop in the hall.

The coffin was lined with a white velvet blanket, and in the center of the blanket lay a young girl.

She looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in a magnificent and elegant gown. She had beautiful features and fair skin that was almost translucent, gleaming with a delicate, porcelain-like luster under the light of the palace's light source.

What's most striking is her hair.

It exhibits an abnormal dark red color, with a subtle metallic sheen, which is quite peculiar.

"This is what the Ring of Annihilation risked its life to protect?" Roman took a few steps closer, scrutinizing the girl in the coffin, his face full of doubt. "A human girl?"

The other elves looked at each other in surprise and doubt.

Why would the Ring of Annihilation kidnap such a human girl?

Just as they were wondering what was going on, the girl in the stone coffin suddenly opened her eyes.

The color of those eyes was similar to their hair color, both being a deep red, but the moment they opened, they shone with a layer of intense dark red light, like the embers deep inside a furnace being suddenly ignited.

A layer of dark red flames suddenly exploded from her body, carrying a suffocatingly high temperature, and instantly swept outwards. Wherever it passed, the stone slabs were scorched with spiderweb-like black cracks, and the rock at the edges of the cracks melted and then reformed, gleaming with a glassy luster.

The temperature in the hall rose sharply, and even the gauze curtains in the distance began to curl and turn yellow. The air was filled with the acrid smell of metal being burned by high temperatures.

Faced with the girl's sudden attack, the elves present remained calm and stood quietly in place, without making any attempt to defend or dodge.

Because everyone knew very well that as long as Anton was here, they wouldn't need to take action.

Sure enough, the next instant, Anton raised his hand and pressed forward.

The surging dark red flames seemed to have hit an invisible barrier, stopping abruptly two meters around the stone coffin, unable to advance any further.

No matter how many layers of dark red flames piled up, they could not shake that invisible barrier.

As Anton slightly tightened his palm, the dark red flames, along with the girl herself, seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, suddenly compressed and gathered inward.

The girl's body was fixed in the center of the stone coffin, her limbs were in a half-raised position, but she could not move.

"Let me go!"

The girl gritted her teeth and screamed, her eyes fixed on Anton, a mixture of shock, anger, and wariness in them.

Anton ignored her cries, his divine sense surging forth like a tide, engulfing the girl's limbs and bones. In the instant she made her move, he keenly sensed a trace of divinity in her power of law, and he had some guesses about the girl's origins.

The results proved him right.

"So that's how it is, another false god."

A false god?

The elves suddenly realized what was happening.

No wonder the Ring of Annihilation mobilized so many forces, sending out all the remaining members; it turns out it concerns a fragment of divinity.

Anton turned to Eleanor and instructed, "Contact the Freedom Alliance and ask them if any churches related to molten iron have appeared recently."

Nascent Soul cultivators have already faintly touched the edge of the Dao. Therefore, at Anton's level, as long as he comes into contact with the opponent's power of law, he can basically determine the type of power of law.

Not to mention, the red-haired girl's power of law is particularly evident.

Eleanor responded and turned to walk quickly out of the hall.

The hall fell silent.

The girl gradually stopped struggling. Her gaze swept over the elves in the hall.

It was only then that she noticed that these elves were all wearing strange bluish-gray robes.

Recalling a rumor she had heard before, her heart clenched.

She finally realized who these people were and where they came from.

As a false god who painstakingly infiltrated the Freedom Alliance to develop the church, she was well-versed in the situation on the mainland and knew the intelligence of the major forces like the back of her hand.

Of all these forces, the Silvermoon Clan was definitely the one she least wanted to provoke, without exception.

Over two hundred years, they grew from a small elven clan on the Eldron Plains into a behemoth spanning the southeastern regions and encompassing half the continent.

Their patriarch, the Meteor Dragon Sword Saint, had personally killed two undead lords and was widely recognized as the strongest person on the continent.

It is said that he has killed more than one false god of the Ring of Annihilation.

The red-haired girl secretly glanced at the tall, slender figure standing with his hands behind his back in front of her.

She wore a moon-white robe, her pale golden hair was casually tied back with a rattan rope, and her face looked incredibly young, no more than twenty years old.

But his eyes were as deep and unfathomable as the starry sky. The thought that the man before her was the strongest person on the continent sent the red-haired girl's heart sinking to the bottom.

I thought being captured by those undead-like creatures was bad enough, but I never expected to end up in the hands of the Silvermoon Clan.

Compared to the former, now there is truly no hope of escaping at all.

Anton, seeing the girl's constantly shifting expression, broke the silence:

"What's your name?"

The girl's Adam's apple bobbed, and after a moment of silence, she finally spoke.

"Phoebe".

Anton nodded, his tone flat: "Tell me about your background."

Phoebe gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Anton didn't care and didn't press the matter further.

Footsteps sounded at the palace gate, and Eleanor strode in, nodding slightly to Anton.

"The Free Alliance has replied. About half a year ago, a Molten Iron Church did indeed appear in several towns in the southern part of the Alliance. It spread very quickly, and the number of believers grew rapidly. After the Free Alliance noticed this, it immediately began to crack down on it and curb the church's growth. However, it has not been able to completely destroy the church." "But recently, the Molten Iron Church suddenly fell into chaos. The Free Alliance took the opportunity to uproot it and wipe out all the church's strongholds and core members, but the false god was nowhere to be found."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the girl in the stone coffin. "Now it seems she was captured by the Ring of Annihilation."

Everyone looked enlightened.

The sequence of events is now quite clear.

Phoebe developed the Iron Church within the Freedom Alliance, but was attacked after the Alliance discovered it.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Ring of Annihilation captured her and planned to transport her back to the north, but the Silver Moon Clan intercepted her halfway.

"What should we do with her?" Eleanor asked.

The girl in the stone coffin suddenly raised her head, her voice urgent and shrill: "I haven't offended the Silver Moon Clan, you can't treat me like this!"

She glared at Eleanor, then turned to Anton, speaking rapidly, "I only develop my church within the Free Alliance's territory. I've never sent anyone to set foot in the east or south, nor have I had any conflict with the Silvermoon Clan. You can't kill me just because I'm a false god. I haven't provoked you at all!"

The Third Elder said unhurriedly, "You false gods are born to be on the opposite side of us. Why would we need any reason to attack you?"

Phoebe was speechless.

Anton gave her a half-smile and slowly said, "You have indeed not provoked the Silvermoon Clan, so I can spare you. But we saved you from the Ring of Annihilation, shouldn't you repay us?" Phoebe was stunned, staring at him in astonishment.

repay?

She doesn't even have a church anymore, how can she repay me?

"...What do you want me to do?"

Anton didn't answer the question, but said calmly, "You're too weak right now. I'll help you develop the church first, and we'll talk about it again when your strength increases."

Phoebe opened her mouth, then stood there dumbfounded.

Help her develop her church?

What does this mean?

Did she mishear?

Roman and the others standing nearby exchanged bewildered glances.

The Third Elder also showed a surprised expression, but Eleanor glanced at Anton thoughtfully, her lips moving slightly as if she had thought of something.

Just as Phoebe was about to ask a question, Anton didn't give her the chance. With a gentle wave of his hand, a layer of dim yellow energy surged from Da Luo Tian's sleeve, engulfing the astonished girl and disappearing in an instant. The Third Elder finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "City Lord, what did you mean by that just now? Not killing the false god is one thing, but why are you helping her develop her church?"

Roman joined in, his face full of curiosity: "Anton, what exactly are you planning?"

Eleanor spoke up for Anton, explaining, "Does the city lord intend to use her Iron-Melting Law to comprehend the Metal-Element Law?"

Anton smiled and nodded: "That's right."

During his Nascent Soul stage, he needed to comprehend the Five Elements Laws simultaneously. Among them, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth all had elemental origin planes from which he could draw strength, but the Metal Law lacked a corresponding origin plane.

Phoebe's appearance perfectly filled this gap.

The Iron Melting Law can be considered one of the Metal Element Laws, and the related divine fragments can be used to comprehend the Metal Element Laws.

However, Phoebe's rank is too low, only at the Saint level. She should at least be raised to the Demigod level before considering anything else.

"What do you plan to do with her?" Eleanor asked.

After a moment of contemplation, Anton said, "Find a place near Nine Nether City to settle her, and find a few subterranean races to act as her followers, and build up the framework of the church."

False gods, wanting to increase their power, naturally need to establish churches.

However, Anton did not intend to use the surface population to avoid future trouble. Establishing a church in the Underdark would be relatively simpler; no matter how large it grew, it would remain under the clan's watchful eye. If any unforeseen events occurred, they would not affect the surface.

The key is that people in the Underdark are cheap, so it doesn't hurt to contribute a few subterranean races.

"In addition, we need to set up an array to trap her," Anton said, "to prevent her from developing rebellious intentions after her strength increases."

"She only needs to exist as a symbol of faith and does not need to do any specific things. All church affairs are coordinated and arranged by people sent by the clan."

Eleanor's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly understood Anton's intention.

Phoebe only needs to stay there, accepting the prayers and faith of believers, providing nourishment for the growth of the divine fragments.

As for the recruitment of believers, the formulation of doctrines, daily management, and the allocation of resources, all of these were handled by people sent by the clan.

Phoebe may seem to be reaping the benefits without effort, but in reality, she has been sidelined and reduced to a mere symbol.

She couldn't even directly reach her followers, let alone cultivate her own influence within the church.

This is another kind of artificial deification.

Moreover, it is an artificially created god completely controlled by the Silvermoon Clan, so there is no need to worry about any problems arising.

Having figured this out, Eleanor didn't ask any more questions. She nodded slightly and said, "I understand. I'll make the arrangements now." With that, she turned and left.

Seeing that the matter was resolved, the other elves did not linger and left one after another.

There is still much to be done on the front lines.

Anton returned to the canyon to continue finishing up the work on the Ziwei Heavenly Palace.

After three days, Anton finally completed the final step of the testing.

He no longer paid attention to the remaining personnel training issues, but instead handed them over to Eleanor.

After that, Anton went to the Underdark, set up the array, and then threw Phoebe into it.

Once freed, the red-haired girl immediately attacked the formation, trying to escape.

Anton didn't stop her; he simply stayed outside the formation, quietly observing Phoebe's actions.

To prevent any accidents, he specifically chose a location near Nine Nether City to place Phoebe, and the formation he set up also utilized the power of Nine Nether City's protective mountain formation, the "Nine Nether Cold Abyss Formation." Even a Saint could not expect to escape.

And just in case, the Dark Spider Queen's nest is not far away.

Even if Phoebe manages to break free from the formation, she won't be greeted with freedom, but rather a devastating attack from the Dark Spider Queen. At least until she breaks through to the demigod level, she can forget about escaping.

After venting her anger for a while, Phoebe realized that she couldn't break free from the formation no matter what she did, and stopped with a gloomy expression.

Only then did Anton slowly speak: "I advise you to behave yourself. As long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee I won't take your life."

Phoebe's vision was restricted by the formation, so she couldn't see the situation outside or know Anton's location.

Hearing Anton's words, she sneered: "Being trapped in this godforsaken place, losing my freedom, what's the difference between that and being dead?"

Anton said calmly, "Once you advance to demigod and stay by my side for another thirty years, I will let you leave."

Phoebe perked up: "Are you serious?"

Anton scoffed: "Why would I need to lie to you?"

Phoebe remained silent.

If the mighty Fallen Dragon Sword Saint truly wanted to take her life, he could have simply acted directly; there was no need for all this trouble.

Her experience of launching a surprise attack but being completely suppressed proves this point.

Thinking about it carefully, if she really fell into the hands of the undead, her fate would be extremely tragic. Even death would be a luxury; she would likely be turned into an undead and enslaved forever. But being captured by the Silvermoon Clan at least means her life is not in danger.

If it's worth trading decades for life and freedom, then it's worth it.

Anyway, after fusing with the fragments of divinity, lifespan was no longer an issue for her.

With enough faith, she could even live on forever.

If one can become a god, one can live forever.

A mere few decades is nothing compared to this.

In a flash, Phoebe made a decision: "Okay, I promise you, if... I hope you keep your promise."

Phoebe originally wanted to say a few resolute words to show her determination, but then she thought about her situation and realized that it would be pointless to say such things, so she swallowed them back.

Anton saw this and a smile flashed in his eyes.