Chapter 309 - The Era of the Holy Court

Chapter 309: Chapter 64: The Era of the Holy CourtBefore the Eagle Alliance was established, in an era when several large families fought against each other, a young man from the Harmoni family knelt before the feet of the God of Light and, within the Holy Temple, changed his class to become a glorious Guide.

The God of Light was not a native Heavenly God of the Star Sea, and this young man from the Harmoni family had not stumbled upon the ruins of the temple by chance.

Due to the existence of war, the common people suffered greatly, and a large number of people from different planes could barely make a living, which cultivated fertile soil for the spread of faith among the youth.

Everyone yearned for peace, for freedom, and for the power not to be bullied by others.

After thirty years of underground development, the young man had already established a force of considerable size.

But by then the Alliance had just been established, and the young man’s force had no chance to wage wars for territory. In the end, he had to transform it into a church-like entity, which he named the Holy Court.

Initially, the Holy Court spread its doctrine far and wide, attracting the public to join, while continuously absorbing weaker members within the Alliance. Soon after, the Holy Court entered the purview of the three great Dukes. After consultation, the Dukes delivered a fatal blow to the Holy Court, and the organization that the young man had invested his heart into disintegrated overnight. Apart from a few core believers, the rest scattered like birds and beasts.

This defeat made the young man realize the Dukes’ strength. He traveled to foreign lands, continuously moving towards the edge of the Alliance to escape the Dukes’ control and to rebuild the Holy Court.

Thus, after thirty more years of hardship, he arrived at the Nuoshan plane, a native plane at the very north.

No member of the Alliance had set foot on this plane yet; it was still a pure land.

The young man quickly rebuilt the Holy Court with his followers, spread his doctrine widely, and in less than five years, he completely conquered this plane. Simultaneously, he established the Holy Military, aggressively attacking the surrounding planes, constantly expanding his territory, and spreading his faith and light.

The profession bestowed by the God of Light was not particularly strong overall, but it had one very special feature—vitality.

Ordinary humans could live to two hundred years at most, but those who believed in the God of Light could double their lifespans. As long as there were no accidents, living three to four hundred years was effortless.

In the north, the Holy Court, after a long period of accumulation, saw its initial group of believers reach the Third Transition Peak, each a formidable figure in their own right.

By this time, the Eagle Alliance had also expanded to this area, and the second conflict with the Holy Court erupted.

The first time, the Holy Court had been completely overwhelmed by the three Dukes. Times had changed, and now the Holy Court commanded a million strong troops and controlled eighteen planes under its banner, all believers in the Light, showing an unprecedented unity.

Having been squeezed once before, the Holy Court was particularly hostile when facing its old enemy and engaged in fierce plane conquest battles with the Eagle Alliance.

After two years of fighting, which drew in reinforcements from the three great Dukes, the Holy Court’s momentum was finally suppressed.

The Holy Court retreated, and the Alliance seized the opportunity to occupy its territories. But by then, Nuoshan had developed a heart of compassion, seeing the steadfast faith of the people on these planes. They certainly couldn’t slaughter everyone on these planes, could they? Nuoshan, entering his twilight years, grew kinder in his heart and thus proposed that the Holy Court join the Alliance as one of its members.

Although this move met with opposition from most members of the Alliance, Nuoshan’s remaining influence was significant, and he overcame all objections, incorporating the Holy Court into the territory of the Alliance.

From that moment on, the Holy Court was officially recognized by the Alliance, and its development was no longer threatened or restricted.

Having experienced two failures, the young man, in his humiliation and anger, longed for more power.

So he embarked on an unknown quest for power. At the peak of his strength, he was tempted by the corrupting power in the Deadlands and subsequently fell into it, disappearing without a trace.

A hundred years after the disappearance of the first Holy King, the second Holy King ascended to the throne in response to overwhelming popular support. Under his leadership, the Holy Court developed even faster. Years later, the second Holy King abdicated voluntarily, and the third Holy King rose to greatness, with the Holy Court almost dominating half of the Alliance’s territory, matching the three great Dukes in splendor.

Sadly, this great future of the Holy Court was mercilessly obliterated by the first Holy King himself. After being corrupted, he fell into madness and returned to the Eagle Alliance on the fiftieth birthday of the second Holy King, creating endless karma on the frontiers.

The corrupted power did not belong to the Star Sea, and thus could not be targeted. Besides, the first Holy King was already extraordinary in strength. With the help of the corrupting power, he became even more formidable, easily slaughtering ordinary peak masters.

At that time, there were not many strong individuals in the Eagle Alliance, so for a while, the first Holy King seemed unstoppable, unobstructed by anyone.

The first Holy King wreaked havoc among the people, and the Holy Court could not just watch idly. A month later, the second and third Holy Kings, along with numerous strong members of the Holy Court, came together and engaged in a fierce battle with the first Holy King. In the end, the first Holy King was slain. Seven top magic artifacts, the Divine Enthronement nails, were tainted with corrupting power, becoming the Seven Deadly Sins in the hands of the archbishops today. Both the second and third Holy Kings heroically sacrificed themselves in that battle, along with many of the Holy Court’s powerful warriors. Only seven survived, each holding a Divine Enthronement nail. The corrupting power influenced their thoughts, and upon their return to the Holy Court, the overwhelming power granted by the corrupt nails crushed all dissenting voices, leading to the restructuring of the Holy Court and establishment of the seven Archbishop positions, jointly governing the Holy Court.

Due to the chaos caused by the original Holy King, the entire Eagle Alliance united to resist the Holy Court. The seven archbishops, knowing the trend was irreversible, ceded the many planes once occupied by the Holy Court, transforming it back into a religious organization and keeping only one plane, as the pilgrimage city—The Great Bright Realm.

Lu Hong finished reading the brief history, closed the book, and casually kicked the bronze greatsword at his feet, "Hey, did you hear that? You’re the one who screwed up the Holy Court."

"I... I..." The Holy King sounded quite aggrieved, "It wasn’t on purpose. The power of corruption is extremely evil—it infected my will, driving me to madness. What could I do?"

"What’s stopping you from practicing your own profession properly instead of dabbling in crooked ways?" Lu Hong sneered coldly, "It’s not that the power of corruption is too evil; it’s you who became a slave to power."

The Holy King fell silent for a long time, "You’re right. In my second failure, I was indeed too eager for quick success, desperately craving powerful strength. I hoped that the light would shine on every inch of the Eagle Alliance’s territory, but in the end, I strangled it with my own hands."

Seeing some degree of admission from the guy, Lu Hong didn’t push further. It was all in the past, anyhow. However, he did have a few questions, "Can you tell me where the Great Bright Heavenly God comes from?"

"How would I know?" the Holy King retorted, "If I knew, would I still be fretting over advancing and gaining power?"

"Are you at a bottleneck?" Lu Hong frowned slightly.

"Yes, after advancing to demigod, it’s been a hundred years without being able to take another step. Yet, this step is the most crucial one. Just one more step, and I’d become a Heavenly God. Wouldn’t unifying the alliance be as easy as flipping my hand?"

"Do you have any unusual feelings?" Lu Hong recalled the question the Ancestor Dragon big brother once asked him—the heavens and earth seemed to have changed, making it difficult to achieve Divine Enthronement.

"If only I knew," the Holy King’s soul rolled its eyes, "It’s exactly because I found nothing that I accepted the power of corruption and became a puppet."

"Where did you come into contact with the power of corruption?"

"Far away, several decades of travel eastward." The Holy King shook his head, "I’m not sure of the specifics. I wandered for too long, through barren planes. I often couldn’t even grasp the time, let alone the location."

"Alright," Lu Hong nodded. Traveling continuously eastward would inevitably lead into the Death Zone, so the power of corruption must be hidden there. Therefore, this power wasn’t part of the Star Sea.

Lu Hong looked up. Today, he truly realized what it meant to feel more ignorant the more knowledge one acquires. He hadn’t even touched the surface of the secrets of the Star Sea, and now he tangled with secrets beyond it.

"Hey! Kid!" Seeing Lu Hong staying silent for a long time, the Holy King took the initiative, "I see you’ve got talent. Why don’t you take me as your master and convert to the Heavenly God of Light? I’ll grant you the supreme path and help you step by step to become the master of the Holy Court, how about it?"

"Huh?" Lu Hong gave a fake smile, "You still have a way to control the Holy Court?"

"Of course." Seeing Lu Hong’s interest, the Holy King quickly said, "The book says Divine Enthronement Nails must have drained the corruption from my body. But ultimately, I’m still the master of that power. If I want to, then what’re the seven deadly sins? They’re no threat at all. On the contrary, such a super magic relic could become your aid, making the unification of the Holy Court extremely easy."

"Good, with your word, I can rest easy." Lu Hong patted the bronze sword.

"You agreed?" The Holy King was overjoyed, "Then quickly serve the tea. From now on, I shall be your only master..."

Before he could finish, feeling the increasingly fierce pats on the sword, the Holy King realized he had been too simplistic, "You... you already know I’m the original Holy King of the Holy Court."

"So what?" Lu Hong scoffed.

"I am such a formidable figure, don’t I deserve to be your master?"

"You can try, I’ll give you another chance."

"I... I..." The Holy King was in extreme discomfort. His soul had been hidden in the sword for who knows how many years and had never encountered someone as robust as Lu Hong. If he refused, he probably would be buried in a dark ditch to wither away.

But for the dignified Holy King to acknowledge this Second Transition youngster as his master? What a joke. Absolutely... "Master!"

"Good, from now on you’re my little brother." Lu Hong contentedly patted the sword, pouring in a massive amount of vitality.

"Oh~ Oh~ Oh~" The sudden delight made the Holy King utter a pleasured cry, "Master is amazing, go Master!"

"Shut up!"