Tower Defense Lord, random Wishing Tower at the start of the game.

Chapter 159 The Temptation of Becoming a God

Before the smoke of the Ring of Sacred Fire had even cleared, Lin Chuan's army had swept across the vast grasslands like an iron torrent, its advance reaching the last holy land of the Black Orcs—a temple city built of massive obsidian stones, steeped in ancient bloodlust. The remaining 30,000 Black Orc guards retreated there, relying on the towering city walls and the exceptionally strong energy barrier emanating from the temple itself, made even more formidable by the presence of divinity, fighting a desperate battle.

Lin Chuan reined in his horse before the battle lines, his gaze, cold as iron, sweeping over the ferocious shadows lurking on the city walls. The envoy, raising a white flag, galloped towards the city gate, the heavy doors opening a crack to swallow him up. Night fell silently amidst the anxious wait, campfires twinkling like stars, illuminating the soldiers' weary yet excited faces. Beneath this surface calm, undercurrents surged.

In the dead of night, the curtain of the commander's tent was abruptly thrown open, bringing in a chilling draft. Reiss, his tall figure shrouded in night dew, burst in. His face was ashen, his eyes sunken, his rugged features contorted with some inner struggle, and veins throbbed on his forehead like worms. He knelt on one knee, his voice trembling with an unusual intensity and a suppressed rage: "My lord! That voice—it's back! Louder, clearer than before! It's right there in my head, like countless red-hot needles stabbing me!"

Lin Chuan abruptly stood up: "What was that sound? Explain yourself!"

"It claims to be our ancestor!" Reis clutched his ears in anguish, as if trying to shut out the invisible intrusion. "It says we have betrayed the glory of our bloodline, becoming lackeys of humanity—it commands me, commands all warriors with Andres' blood flowing through their veins, to immediately submit! Release our brethren in the temple" (referring to the black orcs), and reclaim our own source of power—

"Divinity! It's roaring—it's promising—it's tearing my will apart!" Reiss suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and the aura of a peak Golden Seed overflowed uncontrollably, making the air in the tent thick and heavy.

Lin Chuan's heart sank. Almost simultaneously with the end of Reis's words, a holy light shone from the shadows in the corner of the tent. Antonia slowly stepped out, clad in silver armor, her divine dragon knight's majesty naturally radiating. She gazed at Reis, her clear eyes seemingly piercing through the mists of the soul: "It's not an illusion, Reis. Nor is it simple bewitching. This whisper—bears the mark of an ancient dragon soul, faint yet undeniably real." She turned to Lin Chuan, her tone grave: "Within the divine core, something has awakened. It is the true source of the Dragonblood Warriors, the remnant soul of a powerful being. It was alarmed by our approach to the temple, sensed the presence of its bloodline descendant, and is desperately trying to ignite the flames of betrayal through the resonance of bloodlines, working from within and without to protect its lair!"

"All Dragonblood Warriors—" Lin Chuan's eyes instantly sharpened like knives, "William!"

Before the words were finished, hurried and heavy footsteps echoed outside the tent. William's tall figure appeared in the doorway, fully armored, his dragonhide armor gleaming with a cold, dark gold light in the lamplight. His face showed no sign of sleepiness, only steely vigilance: "My lord! There's an unusual energy fluctuation in the southwest corner of the camp, in the Dragonblood Warriors' old unit of Andres! At least three hundred warriors are secretly gathering, heading towards—the enclosure where the black orc prisoners are held!"

"Just as I expected!" Lin Chuan slammed his hand on the table. "William, take your Snow Wolf Knights and intercept them immediately! Make sure they are pinned to the spot before they make contact with the prisoners! Use all necessary means to suppress them!"

"Yes, sir!" A cold glint flashed in William's eyes. He turned and rushed out of the tent like a whirlwind, his armor clanging. Then, a sharp assembly whistle and the low growl of a snow wolf rang out from outside.

In the southwest of the temple city, a vast prisoner enclosure, enclosed by massive logs and magical fences, was crammed with tens of thousands of black orcs captured or routed in previous battles. At this moment, in the shadows surrounding the enclosure, over three hundred dragonblood warriors of the Andres family, like puppets pulled by invisible threads, silently and swiftly assembled. Their eyes gleamed an unnatural crimson, their breathing was heavy, and the power within their blood boiled and spiraled out of control at the whispers of their ancestors; primal bloodlust overwhelmed their reason.

The leading golden-race warriors roared, "Release our brethren! Reclaim our divinity! Our ancestors are watching!" They drew their weapons, preparing to storm the enclosure guards.

At this critical moment, the earth began to tremble! The dull, rumbling sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, instantly shattering the silence of the night!

"Rebels, halt here!"

William's roar was like a thunderclap! Alone on horseback, he charged like golden lightning tearing through the night, leading the charge between the rebels and the hunting grounds. Behind him, five hundred Snow Wolf riders unleashed a silver, deathly wave, their cold lances held high, forming a gleaming steel dam that completely blocked the rebels' path to the hunting grounds. The gleaming teeth and growls of their Snow Wolf mounts exuded a chilling, murderous aura.

"Lord William?" A flicker of struggle crossed the eyes of the leading rebel Goldblood warrior, only to be swallowed by a deeper crimson. "Get out of the way! This is the will of our ancestors! We must—"

"Betraying your lord and colluding with orcs, what glory do you have for your ancestors? Kill!" William gave no chance to be swayed and gave the order with chilling killing intent.

The Snow Wolf Knights erupted like a powder keg! Elite knights, riding ferocious snow wolves, crashed into the rebellious Dragonblood Warriors like a steel torrent. Instantly, the ear-piercing clang of metal clashing, the muffled thud of blades tearing flesh, the howls of snow wolves, and the berserk roars of the Dragonblood Warriors mingled together, composing a brutal symphony of slaughter.

William led from the front. His Dragonblood Halberd transformed into a crimson streak tearing through space, each swing sending up a shower of blood. A rebellious Gold-class warrior who tried to stop him, barely raising his giant axe, was cleaved in two by the halberd's unparalleled power! William was like a golden hurricane on the battlefield, leaving limbs and severed bodies flying in his wake; none could withstand a single blow. The oppressive aura of a Brilliant-level Dragon Knight, combined with the dragon's might, struck like a tangible hammer against the hearts of every rebel, halting their frenzy.

However, the rebels were, after all, elite dragonblood warriors. Driven by the reckless catalysis of their ancestral spirits, they unleashed a ferocity far exceeding their usual strength. Fearlessly charging the Snow Wolf Knights' defenses, some warriors even forcibly entered a semi-dragon form, their scales covering them, claws and fangs protruding, their strength and speed surging, inflicting considerable casualties on the knights. Snow-white wolf fur was stained crimson with blood, and the knights' armor was covered in deep claw marks. The battle became a fierce stalemate.

Just as William was locked in fierce battle with the rebels, the massive, long-closed obsidian gates of the Temple City suddenly burst open with a deafening roar!

"Waaagh!!!"

A deafening battle cry erupted like a tsunami! The 30,000 Black Orc Guards, who had been unable to contain themselves within the city, poured out like a black torrent bursting its banks! This was the chaos they had been waiting for! These elite Orc warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding massive axes and hammers, were driven by a few shamans and chieftains who remained behind. Their eyes were bloodshot, their objective clear: not to break through, but to directly attack the flank of the Snow Wolf Knights, who were currently fighting the rebellious Dragonblood Warriors! They intended to coordinate an attack from within and without, first eliminating Lin Chuan, their sharpest spearhead, and then sweeping through the entire camp!

The black torrent of orcs is about to collide violently with the silver knightly defenses! William and his knights are instantly caught in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides!

"My lord! The orcs are coming out! Lord William is being attacked from both sides!" The messenger's hoarse shout rushed into the central command tent.

Standing on high ground, Lin Chuan had already taken in the entire dramatic turn of events on the battlefield. His face showed no panic, only an icy calm. He turned his head, casting the light onto the figure beside him shrouded in soft holy light: "Antonia, it's time. Let those traitors and these stubborn beasts, along with this blasphemous lair, all—be condemned to eternal silence."

Antonia nodded slightly, her golden eyes reflecting the distant flames and chaos. She slowly raised her hands, palms facing upwards. The phantom of the holy dragon Theresa silently unfolded behind her, vast and majestic. An indescribable, chilling will, seemingly emanating from the ends of the earth, instantly enveloped the core area of the battlefield, freezing even the air itself!

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Her lips parted slightly, her voice ethereal yet resonant, each syllable echoing the most primal, icy laws of heaven and earth: "In the name of frost—"

"Freeze!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion as a prelude, only a soul-freezing, absolute "white" expanse, fanning outwards from Antonia towards the temple city and the core area of the battlefield outside the city, spreading rapidly and silently!

Time seemed to have been paused at that moment.

The ferocious faces, raised battle axes, and thunderous footsteps of the Black Orc Guards, who were charging wildly, froze instantly! A layer of crystal-clear, several-meter-thick ice covered their bodies, weapons, and mounts at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, freezing them in the last moment of their charge, like lifelike ice sculptures.

The rebellious dragonblood warriors, who had gone berserk and were fighting the snow wolf knights, had their claws swung, their dragon breaths spitting fire, and their faces contorted with rage, all instantly frozen by the merciless extreme cold. Ice crystals rapidly covered their half-dragon scales, freezing even their boiling dragon blood.

Even the towering obsidian walls and magnificent main hall of the Temple City, radiating energy fluctuations, were not spared. The hard rock surface cracked under the weight, spiderweb-like ice cracks instantly spreading across it, and the thick layer of ice covered the entire city like a huge, eerily cold white coffin.

Immediately afterwards, Antonia pressed her clasped hands together inward with elegance and decisiveness.

"broken."

There was no loud noise, only a deep and resonant "hum-crack!" that seemed to come from the depths of an ancient glacier.

The entire frozen area, starting from the finest ice crystals, completely disintegrated. Frozen orcs, rebellious dragonblood warriors, and the magnificent temple city—all were reduced to the smallest, shimmering ice crystal dust in the same instant!

It was as if an unseen giant hand gently swept across a meticulously constructed ice and snow castle. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a silent, vast expanse of white dust, shimmering with a poignant, cold light under the moonlight, rising with a roar like a polar blizzard, engulfing the entire world.

One second it was a chaotic battlefield filled with shouts of battle and flying blood and flesh; the next, only a desolate, boundless plain of ice crystals remained. Thirty thousand Black Orc guards, three hundred rebellious Dragonblood warriors, along with the temple city that symbolized the last faith and power of the Black Orcs, were completely wiped from this world, leaving not even a trace behind.

A biting wind swept across the newly formed ice plain, whipping up fine ice dust and making a mournful sound, as if mourning the immense life and magnificent creation that had vanished in an instant. All the sounds of fighting and roaring on the battlefield disappeared, leaving only a deathly silence that penetrated to the bone. Whether it was Lin Chuan's soldiers or the black orc prisoners who had miraculously escaped the blast in the distant hunting grounds, they were all dumbfounded, as if petrified, staring at the ice crystal plain formed from life and architecture, which shimmered with an eerie and beautiful light under the moonlight. An boundless chill rose from the depths of their hearts, instantly engulfing their limbs and bones.

Lin Chuan stood high above, his robes fluttering in the cold wind. He gazed at the icy graveyard, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well, devoid of sorrow or joy. The obstacles of the temple had been cleared; the path to divinity lay beneath his feet. Yet, the whispers of the ancient soul awakened within the divinity, filled with allure and malice, seemed to still faintly echo across this desolate icy plain. The true core, the source capable of inciting bloodline rebellion, remained hidden deep within the shattered "Source of Sacred Fire," awaiting its final clash.

The temple city of the orcs.

The rebellion was quelled.

Surrounded by his subordinates, Lin Chuan entered the orcs' temple.

it's here.

A huge statue stands there.

"Indeed, they are our ancestors."

Among the portraits preserved by the family are images of five family ancestors.

Reis recognized him at a glance.

However, this matter was somewhat beyond his comprehension.

How could our ancestors have become gods among the black orcs?

The god worshipped by the Black Orcs was actually their own ancestor.

And it wasn't just one, it was five.