The Wizard: From Zero-Ring Wizard to Almighty Lord.

Ophiuchus didn't want to waste time; he had come with a mission from the Wizarding Council and was looking forward to completing it and returning home immediately.

Lynn and Tina had originally planned to expand the Church of Life further, waiting for the native deity being devoured by the ancient god to finally emerge and launch the final battle.

For them, this was clearly the most certain and had the greatest chance of winning, but for Ophiuchus, the fifth-level Morning Star Wizard, it was not so.

He is a fully-fledged Level 5 Morning Star Wizard, so taking on this task is a waste of his talents.

According to the data and information about this plane submitted by Lynn, even if that fourth-level god was infected by the energy of the ancient god, he would at most be at the early stage of the fifth level, or even lower.

He wouldn't have taken on this mission if he hadn't wanted to see how the Spirit Eye Wizard's disciple fared.

"Let's go to the Star Gate and bring that thing back."

At Ophiuchus's command, Tina, Lynn, and Ald, the three fourth-level Morning Star wizards, could only exchange glances before obediently following.

………………

At the top of the Wizard Tower, deep within the Hall of Life, the Gate to the Stars has already been activated to its fullest extent.

The runes on the dome lit up one after another, and the dark blue starlight surged out like a tide, exploding with a deafening roar.

Behind the door, the scene of the Spirit Eye Plane suddenly became clear: vast forests, undulating mountains, and countless pointed temples appeared and disappeared in the morning mist.

Ophiuchus sits with his hands behind his back, the hem of his robe fluttering even without wind.

"Let's go. After we catch this thing, I need to go back and report. As for this plane... your subordinates had better get ready to take over quickly, or things will fall into chaos after I leave."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped into the starlight.

The three Morning Star wizards behind Ophiuchus naturally followed obediently.

Boom!

The figures of the four Morning Star Wizards were swallowed by the dazzling light. The Star Gate trembled violently for a moment before slowly returning to calm, leaving only a few strands of stardust on the dome of the hall, which slowly drifted down.

At the same moment, in the Spirit Eye dimension.

Lynn and Tina had not been there in person for a long time, but even without the two Morning Star wizards in charge, the expansion of the Church of Life was like a wildfire, burning even more fiercely than they had anticipated.

Hundreds of kingdoms, large and small, once worshipped their respective native gods within the empire.

But now, the emblem of the Lord of Life has replaced the shrine of that native deity.

Before they left, the Church of Life had become the state religion of more than ten kingdoms, and its faith occupied one-tenth of the plane.

Now, it is sweeping across the world like a plague.

More than thirty countries have successively announced the abolition of the old temples and the conversion to the Lord of Life.

Priests held high the sacred texts of rebirth in the streets and squares, and the prayers of believers continued day and night. Greenery spread from the forests to the city walls and from the fields to the throne.

The Lord of Life, this suddenly appearing new god, is carrying an overwhelming force, crushing towards the old god...

………………

At the same time, the momentum of the Lord of Life and the Church of Life is like wildfire, surging forward.

The Old Gods, of course, could not stand idly by.

Strangely, they haven't launched any decent counterattack yet, not because they don't want to, but because... they're unable to move.

Deep within the original temple, the atmosphere was as oppressive as a stagnant pool.

This oldest temple in the empire has always been divided into two lineages:
One lineage is the Way of the Knights, and the Holy Knights Hall enshrines the most elite beings, whose armor still bears the divine power bestowed by the gods.
Another lineage is the path of the bishops, where once-in-a-century saints and highly respected old bishops hide in the deepest part of the temple, bathing in the long river of faith, and painstakingly seeking that one-step breakthrough.

These beings of the "Saint" generation have partially transcended the three levels of mortal existence, thus being able to share in the gifts of the divine origin.

They rarely appear in public, instead refining themselves through meditation and prayer, waiting for the opportunity to truly enter Level 4.

Ordinary matters are left to be decided by the third-level archbishops and legendary knights.

Only truly momentous events, such as the collapse of an empire or the disintegration of faith, would be reported up the chain of command, with lower-level officials pleading for these senior figures to step forward.

Just like the recent siege against the Principality of Bulma.

Six beings who had touched the word "Saint" and were halfway across the threshold of Level 4 personally led the Empire's most elite Holy Army, Knights, and Priest Legion in a mighty charge towards Bulma.

The intention was to crush the emerging Life God Cult in one fell swoop and nip the "Lord of Life" in the bud.

The result was a crushing defeat.

All six members of the "Saint" generation have perished.

When news of that battle reached the Primordial Temple, the entire middle level was completely stunned.

The three archbishops looked at each other in dismay, while the legendary knights' hands trembled as they gripped their swords.

They realized that this was beyond their control.

An older and stronger being must be called upon.

The original saintess, and the three holy knights ranked in the top three of the sequence...

Even... one might have to ask those senior figures of the "Saint" generation to personally kowtow to the gods and request them to manifest their power, so that the gods could crush that heresy with their own hands.

But then something embarrassing happened.

Last time, they reported with utmost sincerity, but only six people responded to the call.

The other "Saint" elders hidden deep within the temple did not even respond.

This is even more true now.

They knelt before the idol day and night, their prayers echoing beneath the empty dome, only to be met with deathly silence.

The statue's eyes remained empty; the deity had not bestowed any divine pronouncements, as if he had abandoned his believers.

An eerie and despairing atmosphere permeated the primordial temple. Without the guidance of the elders who had reached the level of "saint" or the divine decree of the gods, they naturally dared not act rashly.

After all, although the Lord of Life was a false god, he was still a false god who was very close to the level of a god, and they could not deal with him.

This is why the Empire and the Primordial Temple stood idly by while the Cult of Life expanded.

It is worth mentioning the observations of these so-called "high-ranking" figures in the primordial temple regarding the gods and the observations of those senior figures who had reached the level of "saint".

They probably don't see it as clearly as Lynn, the false god or evil god in their eyes.

When Lynn first descended upon the Spirit Eye Plane, the gods infected by the ancient god's energy seemed to still possess self-awareness, and thus sent out a paladin of sequence number three and a squad of knights.

Judging from the changes in that paladin, it was clear that the so-called "saint" seniors in the temple had probably all been infected by the energy of the ancient god.

The higher the sequence, the closer one is to the divine, and the more profound the infection.

This is why the higher-ups of these primordial temples received no response when they called upon those "saint" predecessors.

These "saints" were also infected by the energy of the ancient gods, just like that native deity, they all suffered from the invasion of the energy of the ancient gods.

Whether they still retain human form or reason is probably unknown.

No, perhaps we can guess?
When Lynn first landed with his wizard squad, the native gods detected their presence and sent people to probe them.

At that time, the other party should still have a certain degree of self-awareness.

Now, the Cult of Life and the Lord of Life are expanding rapidly, forcibly seizing the vital faith of the gods. Yet, the native god showed no reaction whatsoever.

It is obvious that the other party has probably been completely corrupted and controlled by the energy of the ancient god, and has lost its self-awareness.

Of course, this information was a secret that the higher-ups of these primordial temples could never have imagined.

Even for Lynn, the Morning Star Wizard, if it weren't for the world's will surrendering and the betrayal of the contemporary saintess Messiah, he wouldn't know the true state of this native deity.

....................................

Above the deep sky, space suddenly trembled.

One massive crack after another tore open the sky, as if the heavens were shattering and the world was about to collapse!

Deep within the rift, space collapsed layer by layer, and four figures slowly appeared in the chaotic void...

They were none other than Ophiuchus, Lynn, Tina, and the wizard Ald.

Terrifying phenomena swept across the land, but to the countless beings in the Spirit Eye Plane, it was as if nothing had happened.

Because at this moment, the world will of the Spirit Eye plane is taking the initiative to cover up and smooth out all fluctuations.

Otherwise, the simultaneous arrival of a Level 5 Morning Star Wizard and three Level 4 Morning Star Wizards would be enough to shake the very foundation of the plane and cause chaos in the world.

Especially the indigenous deity who had long been integrated with the origin of the world, even the aftershocks were enough to disturb His perception.

"Humph……"

Ophiuchus's cold, serpentine eyes slowly swept across the heavens and earth, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of rules.

He clearly sensed a gentle world power permeating the void, firmly enveloping their existence.

"The disciple of the Spirit Eye Wizard... is quite interesting."

He chuckled softly, his tone carrying a hint of seasoned composure, "They've actually reached some kind of cooperation with the origin of this plane."

He was no stranger to this method.

He did the same thing in the distant past, when he had just broken through to become a fourth-level Morning Star Wizard.

But now, he naturally doesn't need to. His level 5 perfect strength is enough to sweep through this not-so-strong civilization plane.

Moreover, Ophiuchus's gaze turned slightly cold; in this situation, such concealment was of little significance.

Because that "native deity" had already sensed their arrival.

Of course, calling it an "indigenous deity" is not entirely accurate.

Now, He has long lost His self-awareness, and is nothing but an empty shell that has been eroded and controlled by the energy of the ancient god.

Ophiuchus, however, has no interest in explaining these secrets.

He simply shook his head casually and flicked his long sleeves.

The next moment, a roar suddenly arose from within the sleeve, as if a meteorite had shattered. A giant black serpent, wreathed in starlight, roared as it burst out of the void, tearing through space and heading straight into the distance!

Ophiuchus swayed and stepped onto the back of the black serpent of stars, transforming into a streak of light and speeding away.

Amidst the howling wind, he casually left behind a single sentence:

"Come on, He has spotted us..."

At this moment, Lynn is still communicating with the world will of the Spirit Eye plane.

The other party assured them with absolute certainty that they could conceal their presence and help pinpoint the exact location of the native deity as much as possible.

However, Ophiuchus's casual remark made Lynn pause for a moment.

Compared to the World Will, which had been tricked by that native god once and whose performance was not very reliable, he was clearly more willing to trust the judgment of a fifth-level Morning Star Wizard at the peak of his realm.

"Is this world's will... even capable of doing anything?"

Lynn couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
"I should have known better than to sign the Balance Contract... Now that Ophiuchus is here, this plane will most likely be taken over directly. The world's will has not only failed to help, but seems to be adding to the chaos."

Despite the complaints, there was no hesitation in taking action.

With a swift movement, he transformed into a sharp straight line, tearing through the sky and closely following Ophiuchus, who stood atop the giant black star serpent.

Almost simultaneously, Wizard Alder and Tina also used their respective methods to chase after them without hesitation.

As it sped along, Ophiuchus's serpentine eyes slightly shifted, giving Lynn a fleeting glance, instantly recognizing the rule-based magic he was using.

"You run pretty fast."

Four figures streaked through the air at a speed so fast it seemed to tear the rules of the universe apart, like four intersecting bolts of lightning.

Logically speaking, the Spirit Eye Plane is merely a rudimentary civilization plane with a limited scale.

At the full speed of the four Morning Star Wizards, it wouldn't take them long to traverse the entire plane.

But ironically, even after speeding along for quite some time, they still couldn't see the end.

This time, Ophiuchus didn't even need to remind them.

Lynn, Tina, and the wizard Ald almost simultaneously realized that something was wrong.

Lynn subconsciously wanted to reconnect with the will of the world.

However, the next instant, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the connection was completely severed.

Keep in mind that they are still in the Spirit Eye plane at this moment.

In theory, as long as it is within the plane of existence, all things in heaven and earth originate from the origin of the world, and he can establish a connection with the will of the world at any time.

But now, it's as if there's an insurmountable barrier between them, and no matter how he tries, he gets no response whatsoever.

"Don't waste your energy."

Just then, Ophiuchus's voice sounded faintly.

"We are no longer in the original plane of existence."

He paused, then added:
"Of course, we can't say we've completely left. To be more precise... we're in a subspace dimension that's been folded and nested."

The constellation Ophiuchus has a deep, unfathomable gaze, looking ahead at the endless flow of wind and the void.

"In the records of the ancient god civilization, this place is called the Realm of Wind. It is the domain of an extremely terrifying being."

As he spoke, his tone remained calm, but a hint of seriousness crept in.

"However, this Wind Realm before us is naturally not the original realm in the true sense."

"It is a fragmented projection that the native created on its own after being completely covered and eroded by the energy of the ancient god."

Ophiuchus slightly narrowed his serpentine eyes.

"Considering the changes here... I've roughly guessed which being that ancient god energy came from."

At this moment, Tina, who had remained silent and quietly followed the team, narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and said softly:

"You mean the Great Old One who symbolizes 'wind'... the King in Yellow?" (End of Chapter)