Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint.

Chapter 608 The Dead Tree and the Hermitage
Beneath the Sacred Tree in the Elf King's City.

This is the secret headquarters of the Elf King's court. Above the sacred tree, there is a faint glow of holiness and life, while underground, there is a dark and damp 'nutrient'—a secret organization directly under the Elf King called [Deadwood].

Disola, the leader of the Deadwood, is secretly known as the King of Deadwood.

While Kumu may be insignificant within the Starfall Continent, he is a king in the shadows within the Elf race. Even the Dark Elf organization is well-known to Kumu.

The reason for not dealing with the Dark Elves is that they are useful to the Elven Royal Court.

Unlike other elves, Kumu's cultivation originated from the [Death] faction. He sacrificed his life force to the sacred tree in exchange for the power of [Withering]. This caused him to look like a clump of withered branches, with a dry and parched bark that felt numb and spicy, unlike the rounded appearance of other elves.

If he walked down the street, people might mistake him for a dead tree spirit, and even dark elves would have to call him "boss."

However, at this moment, Disola's face did not display the same imposing and confident demeanor as the hidden king.

He was frowning as he looked at the battle report in front of him.

"Why would there be such an order? To assassinate the Holy Maiden of the Holy Court? Let alone whether it succeeds or not, even if it does, can the Elven race stop the Holy Court's Knights?"

Disola shook her head.

Unfortunately, he remained loyal to the Elf King, and though he looked distressed, he could only try to find a way to...
"The target seems to have an extremely strong sense of danger. According to the action team's records, when she was being assassinated, she was able to quickly slow down the assassin's attack, giving her time to react..."

Disola pondered for a moment, "Perhaps we should send a fifth-tier mage, but..."

As the only sixth-tier mage in the entire Drywood Organization, Disola felt that he could easily handle the situation if he took action.

However, as the head of the entire secret organization, he had too many things to do on a daily basis and had not engaged in assassinations for many years.

"It's not just me. Those old guys who have reached the fifth rank have also rarely made a move. The power of withering is very strong, but the price is their own life force. Even the elves cannot withstand such a huge drain on their life force."

It's fine if you don't make a move, but every time you do, it's a huge gamble. If you accidentally use too much of your withered power, you'll need a lot more time to recover afterward.

If you are seriously injured, you don't need to recuperate; just wait to die.

“Every elf of the withered faction has emerged from countless battles, expending too much life force. Before going to see them, let’s consult the Elf King first.”

Disola contacted the Elf King through secret means.

In a secluded, shadowy place unknown to anyone, Disola reported the results of the assassination to the Elf King.

In fact, the Elf King already knew, because Celia had already entered the City of Forest Whispers and begun the purification operation.

After the report, Disola said, "The opponent's strength far surpasses that of others of the same level, and they possess an extremely strong sense of danger. They may have already developed a special passive spell. In this situation, perhaps only by using them can we successfully achieve our goal."

The Elf King listened for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Don't rush. She's currently in the City of Forest Whispers. We can't assassinate her openly after she leaves. Just watch and predict her route. If she intends to go to the Elf King's City, ignore her for now and make a plan later."

Disola said, "I need your token."

The Elf King pondered for a moment, then handed over a token.

"You only have one last chance."

"clear."

……

At this moment, Celia is in the City of Forest Whispers, where, with the help of the city lord, she is purifying countless patients within the city.

Her reputation grew even more as she visited the city within the Elf Forest.

The power of faith from the elves also became stronger.

Ross simply set up a rune for her, preventing the power of faith from affecting her body and instead guiding it to converge in her spiritual space. Once it had gathered to a certain extent, Ross would then give it to Ethel as 'payment' for building the temple.

Of course, for the gods, this amount of faith is negligible.

Because this is just the most ordinary power of faith. No matter how pure it is, it is generated out of respect, not from true believers. In terms of quantity, it is much weaker than the faith generated by fanatics.

A ball of faith power is like a small dumpling; it's fine as a snack, but it's basically impossible to rely on it to restore your strength.

Ross also looked down on these powers of faith, which is why he casually tossed them to Ethel.

It's now the third day since we arrived in Forest Whisper City.

After three days, Celia finally finished the purification work.

This time, her exhaustion was even more severe.

To avoid being assassinated again on her journey, she decided to rest for one night before setting off.

"I wonder if those 'dark elves' will reappear."

Celia stood atop the tallest tree in the Forest Whisper, overlooking the city built within the forest.

The girl said with some regret, "It would have been better if they had intervened while I was purifying."

Ross chuckled softly: "Oh? Why would you think that?"

Celia said, "If this is the Elven Royal Court causing trouble, wouldn't they have already prepared to frame the Dark Elves? In that case, why not go all the way and pretend to assassinate them again, so that all the elves will hate the Dark Elves? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Ross nodded. "This is standard procedure, provided that the Elven Royal Court is eager to eliminate the Dark Elves."

"Huh? Aren't dark elves to the elven race what heretics are to the Holy Court? The Holy Court deeply despises heretics, don't they hate them too?"

Ross said, "Of course we hate them, but this dark elf organization only causes trouble occasionally, unlike the heretics who always cause big trouble. Do you think they've been able to exist for so long?"

Celia shook her head: "Celia doesn't know."

Ross said irritably, "Of course it's to cultivate enemies for self-importance, and also to have someone to shift the blame when we're secretly causing trouble, like assassinating you."

"Oh, that's it."

Celia understood completely.

"Damn elves, so disgusting."

Ross glanced at her. "The Holy See also has such an organization. If I remember correctly, it should be called the Secret Order."

"The Hermitage?"

Celia paused, frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"You'll only understand once you've truly entered the upper echelons of the Holy Court," Ross said calmly. "Think about it, why is the selection of Saintess held only once every ten years? Yet, the Saintess's talent is at least enough to reach the fourth rank. Sorcerers have such long lifespans, so if someone is replaced every ten years, even if their talent is lacking and they can't break through to the fourth rank, where have all those other people gone?"

"This one……"

Celia had never thought about this question.

At this moment, I couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

To be honest, she really didn't know where the previous Holy Maidens went after they stepped down.

(End of this chapter)