Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 517 Extreme Celestial Phenomenon
The cake tasted unusually bitter, with a rough, gritty texture that made it difficult to swallow.

This appears to be the root of some kind of plant, mixed with other ingredients and baked.

The true qi within his body began to circulate on its own, purifying the pollution. This level of pollution was no match for Li Xia's body.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are inherently highly resistant to anomalies, especially those involving distortion and corruption. After Li Xia's repeated exposure to these, he has acquired considerable resistance to them as well.

"That's the mark of anti-corrosion."

Iris's calm voice came through:
"It's ugly, isn't it? But there's no other way. We have to keep branding our bodies with holy silver irons to resist corruption."

The pus was the physical manifestation of the decay within the body being expelled by the holy silver.

It is also called 'stigmata'.

Li Xia nodded, but then suddenly remembered the numerous scars covering Iris's body.

How long does the brand last?

"It depends on the degree of pollution. Normally it takes about six months to a year, but if you fight corrupted monsters or go deep into certain places..."

The delivery time will be greatly shortened.

"What if it fails?"

"Then let's find another place to reapply the brand."

Iris turned her head to look at him: "Did you remember something?"
If there is nowhere else on the body to brand, the only option is to undergo the "fire-linking ritual" to thoroughly cleanse the body and gain a new life.

But of those who actually go through the ceremony, only one in ten survives.

Iris looked at Li Xia and said seriously:

"Since you can stand here, it means that you have also been branded with countless marks and endured the fire-passing ceremony."

So please don't feel any pity for the suffering I am currently enduring.

Because what I've experienced is all the path you've already walked, and it's not even a fraction of what you've gone through.

Every lost soul is a warrior worthy of respect and admiration!

Li Xia remained silent for a while, then slowly nodded. No wonder Iris had always had a strange respect and closeness to him.

There is even a natural trust in these warriors who have endured hardship and yet remained steadfast; they truly deserve respect.

The magic vehicle drove along the abandoned road, and the desolate world around it created an indescribable sense of loneliness.

It was difficult to see birds or other animals in the dim sky, but occasionally a black shadow would quickly flash across the sky.

Iris said that they were flying monsters born from a mutation, and that they would devour each other until they eventually became such monsters.

In short, to use Aowu's words, the journey was not bad; it felt like playing a Souls-like game.

Then a violent tremor was heard in the distance, and a black beam of light shot into the sky.

"What it is?"

Aowu stared in astonishment at the enormous pillar of light that stretched across the sky in the distance, and at the sky that appeared particularly gloomy because of the pillar of light.

That extremely sinister and twisted power could be clearly felt even by Li Xia and the others who were far away.

That direction.

Iris suddenly stood up, staring at the direction of the black beam of light with an extremely ugly expression.

"It's Ogan! That's Ogan! The Church of Divine Proclamation must be unable to hold on any longer, damn it!"

Iris clenched her fists tightly, her body trembling slightly.

“We warned Collins long ago that he was absorbing all the corruption and evil into his body, and even with the help of the holy artifact, he would eventually reach his limit.”

"By then, Collins, having accumulated too much corruption, will surely become one of the most powerful monsters in the world!" "What will he become?"

Li Xia's expression also turned serious. He now knew how difficult the main quest to kill the fallen Archbishop Simmons was.

Furthermore, the Collins he killed was merely a memory entity; the combined corrupted original body was undoubtedly incredibly powerful.

"do not know!"

Iris gritted her teeth tightly:
"Whether they mutate into monsters or succumb to corruption and die directly, or even what kind of monster they mutate into, is all highly random and we have no way of predicting it in advance!"

They stared at the enormous pillar of light that stretched to the heavens and the earth, watching it recklessly emanate an aura of utter evil and strangeness.

Thick, dark clouds gathered in the dim sky, forming a huge vortex around the pillar of light, like the eye of a storm.

Finally, the pillar of light began to shrink, but the huge cloud vortex in the sky did not disappear; instead, it became even more violent.

When the pillar of light completely disappeared, the whole world seemed to be quiet for a moment, followed by a huge explosion in the distance.

A visible shockwave rapidly spread outwards from the distant point, destroying all obstacles in its path.

Whether it's the ruins of buildings or the strangely shaped branches.

Li Xia's expression turned serious. Considering the time they spent traveling, they hadn't gone far from Ogan City, especially considering the road had been in disrepair for years.

It was only about ten kilometers away, but even so, the explosion in Ogan was still too horrifying.

The terrifying shockwave eventually weakened as it traveled further away.

When it reached them, it turned into a howling wind, carrying pebbles and tree fragments that crashed down on them.

Iris wanted to call Li Xia into the car to hide for a while, but she was surprised to find that the debris seemed to be stopped by something when it reached him, and slowly fell to the ground.

It was as if an invisible shield was enveloping him.

What was that? Protective magic? But why couldn't I detect a single trace of it?

Iris was filled with doubt. She hid in the carriage and looked at the figure standing in the wind, and even felt a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"If Collins can't hold on and really turns into a monster, will he become aggressive?"

Li Xia's voice suddenly pierced through the gale and rang in Iris's ear.

Iris shook her head, somewhat bewildered.

“I don’t know either. This corruption has accumulated over decades. Nobody knows what will happen, but we must get back as soon as possible and report this to the Burning Heart Church!”

"I'm afraid it will be very difficult!"

Li Xia jumped out of the car, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. As he walked forward, he stretched out his hand to his side.

Lightning crackled, and countless points of light converged around his hand, eventually coalescing into a jet-black spear.

Before Iris could ask a question, a mournful howl suddenly came from the distant horizon.

The whistling stopped abruptly, and a figure suddenly appeared opposite Li Xia.

Her pale golden hair was neatly combed back, her face was covered with black spots, and her eyes had no pupils, only a bottomless blackness.

He wore a fitted robe that Li Xia had seen before, draped over his strong body, and a small hand dangled from his waist.

Archbishop Collins of the Church of the Holy Word.

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)