Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 372 Franky killed my deputy envoy, raised the blood flag, and showed no mercy!

"A little bit of noble spirit can bring a thousand miles of refreshing wind!"

Jiang Jichun never expected to encounter such an undeserved disaster.

Knowing full well the status of the "judgment judge" in the church, they dared not openly retaliate, lest they commit an even greater sin. They only wanted to leave the battlefield first and explain later.

Instinctively activating the [Literary Ascension Technique], he recited verses and was about to soar into the sky to avoid the dense barrage of bullets.

Wow.
However, at that moment, the sound of chains rattling suddenly reached their ears.

Looking back, I was terrified.

The leading "priest" had undergone a dramatic change in appearance. His black robes fluttered in the wind, two pairs of pure white wings sprouted from his back, and a dazzling halo-like light seemed to surround his head.

But this made it impossible for outsiders to see "his" face clearly anymore.

The wooden cross beside them also projected a huge black cross that was more than two people tall.

It looked as if it were cast from pig iron, covered with thorn patterns, and each of the four corners was inlaid with a ruby ​​shaped like a crown, but all believers immediately realized that it was the dried blood of the Holy Son!
Four blood-red chains shot out from the cross, suddenly wrapping around the neck, hands, and feet of Jiang Jichun, a sinner in the church, and instantly dragging him onto the cross, binding him tightly.

His strength as a third-rank living ghost god was instantly suppressed to the limit, and he was even knocked down from his realm.

With two sins weighing on him, he could no longer even summon the spirits or deities from his body.

At the same time, a phantom silver spear materialized in the "priest's" hand and thrust it fiercely towards him, replicating the legend of the execution of the Holy Son anchored in the True Cross.

Jiang Jichun's face turned pale before he could react:
"Oh no, this is a level 0 Holy Relic, the True Cross!"

Clearly, the two priests blocking the way were Cassandra and Shen Yueye in disguise, who had gotten ashore ahead of time and become part of Franco's "ambush."

Cassandra is not only a fourth-rank Earthly Class [Bodhisattva Barbarian], but also a [Judgment Knight], and has inherited her mother's position as a judge.

Once she encounters a sinner who violates the law from one of the three major sects, she only needs to hold the True Cross to defeat a high-level opponent from the mid-level.

Therefore, at this moment, it is not she who is killing people, but the law that is using her to kill people!
His imposing aura was unstoppable.

"Ah—! Even the judge in charge can't kill me!"

Jiang Jichun roared, flipped his right hand, and grasped a piece of ancient wood slightly larger than his palm.

Like the True Cross, it radiates the brilliant aura of a level 0 relic.

This is none other than a level zero artifact fragment: "Wood Remaining from Noah's Ark"!
One of the Nestorian dioceses was located near Mount Ararat in the central part of the continent, the legendary site where Noah's Ark was said to have landed.

Jiang Jichun possessed a fragment of wood from the Ark, one of the very few remnants that had survived since the distant past.

It can preserve living species and the sparks of civilization, select chosen people for God, and build an indestructible shelter in various disasters to help its master escape to safety.

If it can be preserved intact, it will undoubtedly be one of the most powerful relics in the westernmost continent.

Even if only fragments remain, they possess extraordinary power because they are anchored to the legends of the Great Flood and the ancestors of Western humans.

"Noah's Ark, take me with you!"

Suddenly, a phantom golden ship appeared from the wooden piece, pushing the chains projected by the True Cross outwards, about to take Jiang Jichun into the void.

At that moment, Shen Yueye, who had been standing beside her mother without making a move, pulled out an exquisite gilded short-handled flintlock pistol and pulled the trigger sharply.

boom!
A thunderous roar shook the entire street, which was teeming with people.

A crimson rainbow, seemingly splitting the heavens and earth, shot out, causing everyone's robes to rustle loudly. A fierce killing intent filled the universe, and it instantly arrived in front of Jiang Jichun.

[Rare find: The world's first flintlock musket (a national treasure).]

Abilities: Fast shooting speed from seven paces (11.5 meters) away, and both fast and accurate shooting within seven paces!

Its base power is greatly amplified, making any shot equivalent to a large-caliber cannon.

From seven paces away, no matter how fast the enemy moves, the gun's owner can draw and fire before anyone else.

Within seven steps, not only is the firing speed faster, but it also has a guaranteed hit effect, leaving the opponent with no choice but to use various means to withstand the attack, making it absolutely impossible to dodge.

Most importantly, this musket can absorb the power of incense offerings and the fear of sentient beings towards flintlock pistols, condensing it into a stronger bullet. The longer this accumulation takes, the greater the power of the next shot. It is now the end of October, a full five months since the last shot in early June that defeated Takahashi Shōun.

Even its master, Shen Yueye, was unaware of the immense power it had accumulated.

Most importantly, it gained absolute priority in the opening move. The fragments of Noah's Ark had just been activated when the projectile instantly pierced through a layer of ship-shaped golden light barrier.

After piercing through the mandala of the Dharma temple that Jiang Jichun carried with him, they blew off his right arm and most of his shoulder.

The ark fragment also slipped from his grasp, soaring into the air, where it was caught in the mouth of a fire fox soldier who had transformed into a small fox.

Jiang Jichun cried out in despair:
"Do not--!"

At the same time, Cassandra cooperated perfectly, her silver spear piercing his heart like a viper's tongue.

The physical body of a ghost or deity in this world is merely that of a mortal. After its heart was pierced, its head immediately tilted to the side, and it died on the spot.

Moreover, the musketeers around him kept firing, and after Jiang Jichun died, he was riddled with bullets, making the scene extremely tragic.

Immediately, Shen Yueye's "Queen's Golden Veil" was lifted, and the mother and daughter vanished instantly.

This assassination attempt had been rehearsed countless times over the past ten days.

From determining the other party's identity as a Christian, to using beauty as bait, to Wang Cheng's verbal provocation, to calculating the evasive psychology of a Nestorian Christian facing the "judge," and finally to using a flintlock pistol to cut off his escape route.
Up to the final blow, with each step meticulously analyzed and developed, it became clear that this living ghost and deity truly deserved his death.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Wang Fugui, far away on the flagship, was unable to provide assistance in time. His eyes filled with tears, and he was frantic with worry.

"Alas, my Vice Envoy Jiang, how could you leave us like this! How am I supposed to explain this to His Majesty!"

Seeing their envoy, Xuanwei Zheng, so loyal and devoted, even showing such genuine affection for this political enemy who made no attempt to conceal his hostility, the generals around him couldn't help but shed tears as well.

"Your Excellency, please accept my condolences!"

“Vice Envoy Jiang is a proponent of peace. Even if he knew in the afterlife, he certainly wouldn’t want you to avenge him. Let him die as he is. You mustn’t cry yourself sick.”

None of them noticed that the Ninth Rank Official Law was automatically activated the instant Jiang Jichun was killed.

The twenty-four Grand Righteous Positions, which grant the holder the power of a fourth-rank official, should have been passed down among various families and between generations of masters and disciples.

The second of the twenty-four solar terms, "Rain Water," should naturally correspond to this for Jiang Jichun as well.

However, as the chief architect and commander of the assassination plan, Wang Cheng also naturally activated the "risk-free business" and bought the identity of the Grand Justice before the Nine-Rank System came into effect!

He already possessed the fourth-ranking position of Junshan Lake Villa, which he had obtained from Ao Jun, and the identity of Li Chun's sworn brother, so everything was perfectly logical.

The first of the twenty-four solar terms is "Lichun" (Beginning of Spring), and the second is "Yushui" (Rain Water). "Otter Offering Fish" is the fourth of the seventy-two pentads and the first of the pentads of "Yushui".

Wang Cheng's position as the fourth-ranking official and the position of "Rain Water" at Junshan Lake Villa is well-deserved.

His face was streaked with tears, but his heart was filled with joy:
"You've struck it rich! Vice Envoy Jiang, you deserved to die!"

Deputy Envoy Jiang Jichun wanted to get rid of Wang Cheng, the chief envoy, and seize power for himself. Wang Cheng also wanted to kick away this stumbling block and completely take control of the entire fleet.
From now on, he can do anything as if he were "a general in the field who may disobey the emperor's orders."

Adding to the blood feud of the Wang family's massacre, and the ritual for his master's wife's ascension, he was destined to die.

Moreover, although the treasure ship's fleet could act expediently, deliberately lingering in Luzon, disregarding the emperor's mission, would make him appear very inconsiderate.

If too many people are lost, it will be difficult to explain to the imperial court.

It would be perfect to use Jiang Jichun's head, and we could also use his familiarity to rescue more than 300 "hostages".

Crucially, they also have uniquely advantageous conditions.

There's no need to sow discord among the Francois. As long as the teacher's wife, the Holy Cross's "judge," takes action, who would doubt that this isn't at the behest of the Franco Empire?
"Now that our treasure ship's naval commander's living deputy envoy is dead, wouldn't it be perfectly justifiable and reasonable for you Franks to be buried with him?"
"One fish, ten ways to cook it; my Vice Envoy Chiang's death was truly worthwhile."

The next moment, the entire city of Manila heard Wang Cheng's earth-shattering roar, a roar filled with grief and indignation:

"The Frankish devils killed my Vice Envoy Jiang! I am devastated! Raise the blood flag and show them no mercy!"

(End of this chapter)