Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint

Melina smiled slightly: "Not yet, but the envoy from the Blue Dragon Empire has already arrived and we have exchanged views extensively. The Lionheart Kingdom has already assembled its advance force and will be here soon."

She noticed that Celia's expression was complicated, as if she found it hard to accept, so she patted her shoulder and said, "This is the Holy Lord's will. I am just an executor. The Holy Lord wants to reclaim the lost territories before he abdicates."

Celia remained silent.

According to historical accounts, the four great empires split off 100 years ago. In the following 100 years, the pattern of five great empires emerged. Together with the relatively weaker Elven and Orcish empires, this formed seven great empires. There were also many small principalities in between, which can be ignored because although they were independent, they were required to 'pay taxes', that is, pay tribute.

Celia was not against reclaiming territory, but so much peace had made her fearful of war.

Melina said, "Now that you're back, go back, Celia. Before you reach the sixth rank, cultivation is what you should be doing most."

Celia nodded: "I understand, but, Bishop Melina, if a fight breaks out..."

Melina smiled slightly: "Don't worry, even if a fight breaks out, it won't turn into a full-scale war. Although we have been integrated by the Holy Lord, our overall strength is not enough to ignore the other empires and fight a full-scale war with the Blue Dragon Empire. The other empires will not sit idly by."

She paused, then said, "However, the Blue Dragon Empire is stronger than the other three empires. They are also worried that the Blue Dragon Empire will take aggressive actions after it has fully mastered dragon language magic. Therefore, they also want to use our power to suppress the Blue Dragon Empire."

Melina gave a cold laugh. "Take the Lionheart Kingdom, for example. Although they agreed to stand with us and provide support, if a real war breaks out, they will definitely only go through the motions and put all the pressure on us. The other three are the same. They won't make any rash moves in the short term, but if we are really dragged into a quagmire of war, they will not support us and the Blue Dragon Empire. On the contrary, they will most likely try to nibble away at Ishtar's territory."

"So, even if the Knights of the Law come, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be a fight. It depends on the negotiations, and I don't know anything about negotiations. Let's wait for the Holy Lord's decision."

"It's so complicated." Celia was a little confused.

Melina smiled slightly and took the opportunity to secretly pat Celia's head: "Yeah, I also think that the exchange of interests among all parties is too complicated and doesn't suit my style. If I could, I would really like to go and wipe out the Tower of Depravity. It's more comfortable to fight heretics without having to think about so many things."

Will there be a fight?

Celia blinked, and finally decided to give up thinking.

Forget it, you can't go wrong by listening to Lord Ross.

Go back and wait for news.

Chapter 518 Returning Home, Situation Escalates

As the Knights of the Law suddenly marched in with their army, not long after, the Kingdom of Lionheart also condemned the Blue Dragon Empire for allowing the Tower of Depth to wreak havoc on the residents of Dragon Island. Then, using a pretext, they claimed they were going to lead a team to help the Blue Dragon Empire eradicate the Tower of Depth, and then led their army to the border.

The situation here was quickly reported throughout the entire Starfall continent via the Protoss network.

The other three great empires—the Elven Empire and the Orc Empire—are all watching the tense standoff on the Blue Dragon Empire's borders.

The Blue Dragon Empire was the first to respond to the Knights of the Law, releasing information that Celia and Anko were treated well and 'protected' on Dragon Island, along with photos of Celia and Anko leaving Dragon Island smoothly, denying that they had captured the Holy Maiden and refusing entry to the Knights of the Law.

They then politely declined the offer from the enthusiastic Lionheart Kingdom, refusing their entry to "help".

The Holy Court claimed that they had not seen the Holy Maiden return and that she must have been secretly detained by the Blue Dragon Empire.

In diplomacy, the various parties engaged in verbal sparring through newspapers and bards, and the situation gradually became tense.

Standoffs have even occurred in some border areas.

Behind the scenes, delegations from all sides gathered to conduct round after round of negotiations.

The information will not be released until the negotiations are concluded; the process will be conducted in secret.

As the situation began to escalate, Celia arrived at the Temple of Ember. After receiving the remaining materials from Anko, she returned to Star Ash Town. In the Temple of Starshine, she listened to news from the border while watching Ross mix various miscellaneous materials.

With her level below four, she had no influence on the situation, and for the first time, Celia felt a sense of urgency.

So while Ross was mixing the ingredients, she also set a requirement for herself, practicing magic and meditation every day.

When using spells, try to sense external magical energy and attempt to draw upon it to increase the spell's power.

The fourth tier represents a comprehensive upgrade over the third tier.

In addition to his own improvement, there was also the development of the Puppet Heart. However, Ross did not let Celia carry out the development of the Puppet Heart because it was unnecessary. With him there, the development of the puppet could reach the limit of Celia's control at any time.

To prevent Celia from being too deeply affected by the fragments of divinity, Ross did not intend to let Celia have too much contact with divinity.

At most, they can use their divine status to enhance themselves.

In tense situations, time always seems to pass both slowly and quickly.

A week after Celia's return, the Knights of Law clashed for the first time with the border guards of the Blue Dragon Empire.

The conflict resulted in single-digit deaths and dozens of injuries.

Not long after, a second conflict occurred, after which the Blue Dragon Empire's guards retreated to Vanner City and relied on it for defense.

Meanwhile, an unexpected situation occurred on Dragon Island: cracks were seen appearing in the glacier outside the island.

Although the crack disappeared quickly.

But soon another problem arose: an accident occurred at the magic array under construction, resulting in injuries to dozens of workers who were building the array.

This news didn't garner much attention due to the overall situation, but it caught Celia's eye.

As a formation master, she had keen senses and immediately knew that this was not an accident, but rather someone was causing trouble to delay the completion of the Dragon Island formation.

Whether it was the Holy Court or the Tower of Depths that caused the trouble, we don't know.

The events at the border did not affect Stardust Town, where peace and tranquility prevailed.

There was no movement from the Elven side either.

However, both Celia and Vanessa were very concerned about the situation at the border.

Vanessa patted Celia's head.

“If a large-scale war breaks out, I may be drafted to the front lines. At that time, the temple will be in your hands. When you go back to study, go to Southern City and ask the Southern Temple for help. Ask them to find a high priest to manage it on your behalf.”

Celia said firmly, "It definitely won't come to that."

Vanessa smiled gently and said nothing.

……

Dragon Island.

A tavern.

Raphael sat at a table, looking at Ashgard across from him.

"What do you need?" Raphael asked coldly.

"I just heard you were planning to leave, so I wanted to talk to you." Ashgard took a sip of his drink and said, "Raphael, I'm sure you know something about that fire spirit. Can't you really tell me?"

Raphael shook his head: "I'm not sure. Besides, do you really want to help that succubus advance?"

Ashgard shook his head: "Of course not. Only if they don't advance can I control everything."

Raphael said, "Your plan is too ambitious, targeting the main gods behind twelve heretics at the same time. I don't think you can succeed. If it ends up becoming a wedding dress for the main gods to descend, I will intervene."

Ashgard said, "To be precise, there are eleven. That Abyss Cult really does worship an 'evil god,' even though it's just a bunch of guys using the name to scam people."

“It has nothing to do with me,” Raphael said calmly.

“I know you just want to call on him right now, just like you’ve been carrying out the tasks he once gave you, but… why persist in doing those meaningless little things? Of the people you’ve sponsored, how many can actually become your help? Most of them are just slightly stronger cannon fodder.”

Raphael didn't speak, he just stared coldly at Ashgard.

An invisible pressure came from him, and Ashgard raised his hand: "Alright, whatever you want. The Fire Spirit incident is over. Although you didn't say it, I can guess some things. The situation in the Blue Dragon Empire is a bit bad. I plan to stay here for a while, cause them some trouble, and then go to catch up with our old friends."

Raphael said, "I will go to the far north to find Alina. All your actions in the Arctic Blood Alliance have failed. If I find you are still drawing Alina's blood..."

"It's over. The strongholds there have all been destroyed... Also, let me clarify that only the Polar Blood Alliance failed. I did not fail. Alina's blood has weakened the Ice God's multiple protections. As long as I advance to the eighth rank, I can seize the Ice God's divine status."

"By the way, I've also found a suitable candidate for descent. Although she's female, she's also of the ice element, which aligns with the Ice God's divine nature. If Lord Ross could descent into her body..."

Raphael's expression shifted.

Is she a female version of Lady Ross?

It sounds like...

She asked, "Where is the Ice God? I can help you."

Ashgard shook his head: "I can't help. The Ice God is dead, the Land of Sleep is completely corrupted, and with the Ice God's authority and the protection of the Goddess of Fate's dream, you are a fire elementalist and can't go."

"You think you can go in?"

"I have prepared for so long and extracted the essence of dreams over so many years. Of course I can. I may die in the place where the Ice God sleeps, but I will bring out the divine spark."

Ashgard stood up and walked outside.

"I will call Jonathan and have him help me receive the Ice God's divine essence to continue what I haven't finished."

Raphael watched his retreating figure. "Everything you do is for the Ice God of Death, so why do you still help the pawns of other gods?"

"Of course... we need to stop them from interfering with the plan."

Chapter 519 Is this the end?

During this period, nothing has attracted more attention than the Holy Court's army of the Knights of Law pressing in, poised to attack the Blue Dragon Empire.

In recent years, thanks to the technology unearthed from the Sorcerer League and ancient ruins, coupled with the rapid advancements in puppet technology, the world has entered a period of rapid development, and large-scale wars are now a thing of the past.

Today, the Holy Court's actions have awakened the memories of the older generation and instilled fear in the younger generation.

No one likes war except for those who benefit from it.

Celia kept a close eye on the situation, and basically tried to find out what was happening on the front lines every day.

In addition, she contacted Anke to inquire about her situation.

Anke is alright; she's currently in the southern part of the Blue Dragon Empire and is very safe.

In addition, Celia also contacted the two catgirls she had met in the Blue Dragon Empire, and breathed a sigh of relief after learning that they had successfully left the border of the Blue Dragon Empire.

While keeping a close eye on the situation, Celia, under Ross's guidance, was also methodically carrying out material preparation and training.

A week after the situation escalated, her magic refinement reached 110%, and the power and efficiency of her spells were also improved.

Most importantly, she sensed a vague external magic.

Although it will still be quite a distance before it can be called upon, it is a good start.

That day, during her rest, she continued to monitor the situation and discovered that the magic array on Dragon Island had malfunctioned once again, and more cracks had appeared in Erina's glacier.

On the border, the Blue Dragon Empire dispatched several sixth-tier mages to lead dragon rider legions to replace the border patrols and resist pressure from the Holy Court.

But all these messages were blown away by one particular piece of news—

The Holy Court's most powerful sorcerer, rumored to have advanced to the Holy Lord level, appeared on the border, seemingly conducting pre-battle training for the Knights of the Law.

The appearance of the Holy Lord, even without official recognition, has caused concern among countless individuals and organizations.

The newspapers that Celia bought contained many bards and high-ranking sorcerers' assessments of the Holy Lord's appearance.

"The appearance of the Holy Lord indicates that the Holy Court's actions this time are not just about exerting pressure. If we exclude their long-standing desire to annex the Blue Dragon Empire, we believe that the Blue Dragon Empire may actually have captured the Holy Court's future Holy Maiden."

"Some people may ask, there are five candidates for Holy Maiden each year, why go to such lengths to catch only one or two, even involving the Holy Lord?"

"That's because, of course, the Blue Dragon Empire's public records show that the saintess they 'greeted' was Miss Celia, who was being groomed by the Holy Court."

"Perhaps everyone is unfamiliar with the name [Celia], but what if I told you that last July, the Northern Alliance almost ruined the Mage League, and it was thanks to Celia who turned the tide and successfully resolved the Abyss Gate? Moreover, she was the Mage League champion and played an important role in the battle. Of course, before winning the championship, she once used a spell to severely injure a fourth-tier referee."

"In addition, the deep-sea siege that everyone is familiar with also relied heavily on the scrolls and purification spells provided by Celia, which laid the foundation for victory. It not only reduced the Holy Court's losses and greatly shortened the siege time, but also completed the siege. Even the most secret stronghold was discovered by her."

"The above information comes from sources and conflicts with the Holy Court's records. Take my information as the definitive source; believe it or not. However, considering this action and conflict that even alarmed the Holy Lord, you have no choice but to believe it..."

Celia looked at the article, which seemed to be written by a famous bard, and fell silent.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Celia suspected that this bard didn't have the feel of a bard at all, and... he was probably just a fanatic of hers, using the commentary on the situation to lavish praise on her.

Upon checking the IP address, it appears to be from the Northern League.

That's fine.

It was just an article, nothing special, but when Celia entered the Protoss network, she found that the chat platforms were all discussing her because she was the pretext for the invasion. So everyone dug up her deeds, making it seem as if the Holy Court really mobilized a large army for her sake.

Celia was speechless at this.

“Bishop Melina only used the title at the beginning, and she only referred to her as a ‘saintess’ without mentioning my name. The Blue Dragon Empire’s public records show that I and Anke are both listed, so why is no one discussing Anke?”

Celia crumpled the newspaper into a ball, and a flame burned it all away.

"(╬◣д◢) I'm so angry!"

Ross chuckled and said, "Alright, don't be angry. Here, this is the tonic I'm giving you for this stage. Take it."

He took out a bottle of white medicine, which looked like a clump of ice floating inside.