Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

"Listen, Yu Xi!"

Holding his breath, Logan said solemnly to Youxi, "Although I'm controlled by those damned evil gods and can't do anything, I can still see what's happening outside. You must stop the High Priest; you absolutely cannot let his conspiracy succeed!"

"That's natural."

Yu Xi, kneeling before Logan, nodded solemnly and said, "That's why I'm here."

"That's good."

Logan grinned and said, "I'm confident in your current strength. That High Priest is no match for you. Now hurry up and go save the damsel in distress."

"But Uncle Logan, you..."

"You should know my situation, and there's no point in you staying here. Keeping the princess waiting too long isn't a good thing. You don't want to end up like those heroes in games who spend all their time mining and fishing instead of doing anything productive, do you?"

"How can it be."

You Xi quickly shook her head.

This is reality, not a real game; he wouldn't do something so absurd.

"That settles it then. Your most important task right now isn't wasting your time with me."

Logan mustered his strength, placed his hand on Youxi's shoulder, and pushed her towards the door.

"go quickly."

"Then I'm off, Uncle Logan."

You Xi didn't say anything more.

Logan has already gone this far, and he's not one to be ungrateful.

So he got up and walked toward the door.

Behind him, Logan smiled as he was swallowed by the eerie blue flames and disappeared without a trace.

Youxi didn't turn around. She placed her hands on the huge door and pushed forward with all her might.

"Boom!"

Amidst the loud noise, there was no awkward situation like "need to pull it in" or "smooth door". With Youxi's movement, the door immediately opened to both sides, revealing everything inside.

Torches burned quietly all around, illuminating the hall. Even with his limited knowledge, You Xi could tell that it was a solemn and majestic temple.

Including the earthbound gods who appeared one by one in his battle, the giant paintings of the earthbound gods that had previously appeared in the sky were all engraved on the surrounding walls and worshipped by people.

But what is most striking is the object located in the center of the temple.

A spherical ritual array shimmered faintly in the center of the temple, and a card floated in the very center of it. Even from a distance, Yuki was certain that it was Izayoi Yuki's Soul Card.

And below that ritual array was the mastermind behind it all, the one who orchestrated all the unrest on the island.

"You are the High Priest."

"Yes, that's me."

There were no question marks in the inquiry, and the person who answered was also very calm and indifferent.

The high priest did not turn around, allowing Yu Xi, who harbored strong hostility, to quickly approach him.

He simply remarked with considerable emotion, "I must say, he truly lives up to his reputation as a duelist who has defeated several of my officers, and even crushed the very essence of my being. I originally thought that with Logan, who had submitted to the gods, protecting me, I could hold off anyone on this island, at least until my grand ritual was fully completed. But only two rounds have passed at most."

Of course, the dangers and hidden attacks lurking within these two short rounds of confrontation are another matter entirely.

"Izumi Yuuki, that's your name, right? A young duelist. When you dueled Logan, even with the mask on, you must have recognized him, didn't you hesitate or feel any reluctance when you attacked? He must be a very important elder to you."

"Because I know that there's no point in hesitating."

Yu Xi said calmly, "In the end, I'll most likely still have to defeat Uncle Logan there."

“In that case, the sooner Uncle Logan is freed, the better. I think if Uncle Logan were to regain consciousness by then, he would definitely smile and tell me to ‘do it.’”

"makes sense."

The high priest carefully recalled Logan's personality and found that it was indeed true.

"I underestimated you, Izumi Yuuki. No wonder you've gained the loyalty of monsters like the 'Super Magical Dragon Knight' and the 'Sky Dragon of Osiris' at such a young age. Perhaps this is the tribulation we who defy the heavens must endure."

As the high priest said this, he turned around, and Yu Xi had already arrived at a distance of only one dueling arena from the high priest.

As he approached, Youxi easily noticed the unusual thing about the high priest.

"This is……?!"

The high priest's body was covered in cracks, and his exposed skin resembled a shattered porcelain platter, devoid of color and life.

A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto his magnificent priest's robes—a horrifying sight.

"Don't be surprised, this is just a backlash."

The High Priest, as calmly as Yu Xi had before, said, "I lent my signature deck to Logan, hoping he could use the power of 'Earthbound' and 'Blackwing' to crush all enemies. Since that's the case, he must be prepared to bear the consequences of defeat."

In other words, in that deadly battle with Logan, although the High Priest did not personally attend or participate, it was in a sense equivalent to Youxi being one against two.

Yu Xi suddenly realized, "No wonder there were such strange things in Uncle Logan's deck. So, you must be seriously injured right now."

"Well said."

The high priest nodded: "Although you have also been through a fierce battle and your energy is not as good as when you were at your peak, you still came with the momentum of a great victory. I probably can't beat you in my current state."

"what?"

The elven phantom of the Dark Witch appeared from the side, saying somewhat impatiently, "What's the point of saying this now? You're not planning to surrender at this point, are you? Besides, human boy, do you really need to waste your breath talking to that old geezer? That's enough. This is what you should do now."

Before Yu Xi could even be surprised by the "stinky old man" from the Black Witch's mouth, and before she could even utter a "wait," Miss Bell, with her "if you're not convinced, fight" nature, grabbed her weapon and leaped high into the air, plunging towards the center of the ritual array as if descending from the sky.

What a joke! She's a legendary thief, a busy woman who makes millions every minute, she doesn't have time to listen to people's nonsense.

Now that the "treasure" is right in front of me, let's see what I can do...

The dark witch had barely revealed half of her maniacal smile when she felt herself crash into an incredibly solid wall.

An intense pain shot from her skin nerves into her bone marrow, causing her to fly backward, her face contorted in agony.

"What the hell! What the hell is this?!"

"That's why I never intended to do that, Miss Bell."

Seeing the Black Witch suffer such misfortune, Youxi couldn't help but helplessly let go of Erkang's hand.

The high priest said, "It seems your elf isn't very familiar with the rules here. Doesn't she know that only a duel can resolve the issue?"

"No, I think Miss Bell knows. But given her personality, she'd still want to try taking a shortcut."

In this world where "duel" is the natural order, the resolution of conflicts also primarily relies on "duel" as the main means. This is not only explicitly enshrined in law by the D Alliance, but also an instinctive understanding among countless powerful duelists.

Otherwise, if they try to use any underhanded tactics, they might end up with an even more disastrous result than a simple defeat in a duel.

Of course, this rule only applies to powerful duelists.

When the gap in strength reaches a certain level, the so-called rules are nothing more than toys in the hands of the strong.

This certainly applies to the relationship between Yu Xi and the High Priest.

"As expected, I still have to defeat you here."

Youxi looked at the High Priest with a serious and earnest expression: "If we can defeat you here, everything should be over, right?"

Although the high priest said that he was no match for him at this moment, Youxi did not think so.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the closer one is to desperation, the more powerful they can unleash. He himself has proven this countless times on the path of duels, so how could he underestimate others in this matter?

"Theoretically, that's how it is, but unfortunately, it's too late for you."

A slight smile appeared on the high priest's chapped face: "I was already dead long before you defeated Logan and entered this temple. You can't defeat me a second time?"

Can't beat them a second time? What does that mean?

"Not good, Master!"

Besides helping the silent magician who was speaking but had no eyes, another girl spirit appeared beside Yu Xi and said, "The guy who is talking to you now is just a lingering remnant; he has already sacrificed his own soul!"

"I wasn't the only one who was sacrificed."

The high priest added, “The grand ceremony could have been completed simply by following the steps. It is regrettable that it was interrupted, but as long as we replenish the offerings for the souls, we can fill the remaining time in one go. As for the source of these offerings… they can be provided by myself, who has been devout to my god for generations, as well as by the power of all the believers on this island and several earthbound gods. This should be more than enough.”

"!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the high priest's body shattered completely, leaving only his last voice echoing endlessly in the temple.

The words echoed in Yu Xi's horrified ears for a long time.

"I probably won't be able to see it, but you will witness it for me: the power of the strongest Earthbound God, and the apocalypse that follows."

Chapter 231 The Land of Crimson Lotus: Binding Gods (3k)

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

"No, no! I am loyal to the church, loyal, High Priest! You can't do this!"

"Hahahaha, it should have been like this a long time ago!"

"It is our honor to be a part of the gods!"

"God, take everything from me!"

"No...I don't want to die, waaaaah..."

"This is how the same thing?"

Yan Xiao and his comrades around him, panting and looking at the scene before them with suspicion and uncertainty.

Just moments ago, right before their eyes, the Doomsday Bell cultists who had surrounded the remaining members of the group who had stormed into the cult's lair suddenly screamed one by one, their bodies engulfed in eerie blue flames.

This flame was originally meant to appear only on the bodies of cultists who lost a duel, but now it ignited the bodies of those cultists prematurely.

This should have been good news for Yan Xiao and his men, who were exhausted from continuous battles and on the verge of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. However, they were far from happy.

None of the people here are stupid; something is definitely amiss. This is absolutely abnormal.

"Will You Xi and the others be alright?"

Yan Xiao frowned, looking worried.

Saki, who was helping out from the sidelines, shook her head: "I don't know, but it's probably not safe to stay here any longer. It would be better if we left for now."