My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Lin Mo was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked down at the wooden box: "Not from Gaoyang? Then is it still a Divine Essence Crystal?"

Upon hearing Lin Mo address the god by his name, Saint Zefa shuddered, his shoulders visibly hunching over, but he still forced himself to explain.

"Divine Essence Crystal... is a crystal containing divine power. The power within this crystal does not originate from the god we worship, but rather... rather..."

He swallowed hard, his lips moved for a long time, but he didn't dare to say the rest of the sentence.

Lin Mo spoke for him: "They came from the gods imprisoned by Gao Yang."

Saint Zefa didn't say much, because he wasn't sure either.

He was merely a king granted the ability to transform into the element of light, and he knew no more about the ancient gods of the divine realm who had been imprisoned for countless years than any ordinary demigod on the continent.

Yin Xue flapped its small wings and flew to the top of the wooden box, its scarlet eyes fixed on the three black crystals, its brows slightly furrowed.

"How did this thing end up in your hands?"

Saint Zefa swallowed hard and quickly explained.

"His Holiness the Pope brought it back personally three days ago. He said it was a gift from God and was extremely important. It must be kept safe. His Holiness the Pope sealed it deep within the Altar of Holy Light. Even the Archbishop did not know of its existence."

After hearing this, Yin Xue chuckled, crossed his arms, and looked down at Sheng Zefa.

"If it's that important, just give it to us directly."

Saint Zefa grinned awkwardly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"That's natural, that's natural. I swear to serve His Majesty Lin Mo to the death; His Majesty's needs are my mission."

Lin Mo ignored his declaration of loyalty and directly reached out and picked up the wooden box.

Upon opening the wooden box, a black crystal lay inside.

The dark red patterns on the crystal surface lit up the instant his fingertips touched them.

A power fluctuation, completely different from the holy light, surged from within the crystal.

Ancient, wild, carrying a violent aura that has been suppressed for countless years.

This power is no less intense than the highest quality divine essence crystal, and in some dimensions it is even purer.

Yin Xue put away her smile, flew to Lin Mo, and her expression was unusually serious.

"Do you think it's safe? Could there be any problems? Even Saint Zefa doesn't know anything about this. What if it's Gao Yang's trap..."

Mianmian peeked her little head out from Lin Mo's shoulder, her dark eyes filled with worry, and she gently tugged at Lin Mo's collar with her two front paws.

Lin Mo's tone, however, was calm and resolute.

"No problem."

Yin Xue was taken aback: "Are you that sure?"

Lin Mo looked at her and held the black crystal up to his eyes.

The dark red law patterns inside the crystal slowly flowed in his pupils, like a solidified blood-red galaxy.

"Gao Yang sent this crystal at this time to make me understand one thing: the only way to upgrade is to enter that space."

His voice was unhurried, as if he were deriving the answer to an arithmetic problem that already had a solution.

Yin Xue blinked, seemingly not quite keeping up yet.

"So this thing wasn't meant for the Pope at all."

Lin Mo continued, a faint, cold smile appearing on his lips.

"It's for me. Gao Yang knew I would win all along. He knew from the beginning that the Pope couldn't stop me. He put this crystal here so that I could refine it myself and know that besides the crystals of the Holy Light system, there is another power that can help me break through the restrictions. And this power only exists in that crack. He is showing me the way."

Yin Xue fell silent.

She wanted to say something.

I want to say a few words to Gao Yang.

I wanted to say something sarcastic.

I have to say, this is an obvious conspiracy.

But looking at Lin Mo's calm expression, she simply shook her head and said nothing.

Lin Mo did not explain further.

He clenched the black crystal in his hand, closed his eyes, and began to refine it.

The black crystal trembled violently in his palm, and the dark red law patterns peeled off the surface of the crystal, turning into countless extremely fine blood-red threads that climbed up his fingers to his wrist, drilled into his skin, and merged into his meridians.

An unprecedented, primal power, not belonging to the Holy Light system, exploded within him, impacting his limbs and bones.

Then, the restriction that Gao Yang had personally set up to lock down his experience gain finally loosened.

On the void panel in Lin Mo's mind, the number in the level column jumped from 96 to 97.

But the situation has not changed substantially.

This crystal helped him break through the bottleneck of level 96, but it did not break through the restriction left by Gao Yang.

It still needs to reach level three, but it's impossible to get a second crystal like this on the mainland.

He took a deep breath as he thought this, and the crystalline powder in his palm scattered.

After finishing everything, Lin Mo shifted his gaze from his fingers to Saint Zefa, who was still kneeling in front of him.

His Majesty the King of the Holy Tower Kingdom still held the wooden box aloft, even though Lin Mo had already taken the black crystal from inside.

The moment his eyes met Lin Mo's, he felt as if he had been electrocuted, and he slammed his forehead against the stone floor with a dull thud.

"We swear to serve His Majesty Lin Mo to the death!"

Saint Zefa's voice was sharp and urgent, echoing beneath the empty dome of the hall.

"I ask for nothing else! I only beg you to spare my life!"

On the other side of the hall, the allied demigods were filled with mixed emotions upon witnessing this scene.

The Holy Kingdom of the Tower, the strongest empire on the continent.

At this moment, its king, with his forehead pressed to the ground and his royal robes trailing in the dust, shouted to Lin Mo that he would swear allegiance to Lin Mo until death.

Tie Xin nudged Tie Mo with his elbow and muttered in a low voice, "This old man is too pragmatic, isn't he? He was hiding behind the gate just now, and he's kneeling down in the blink of an eye."

Tie Mo snorted and replied gruffly, "Hmph, your skin is thicker than a city wall."

Dracula swirled his wine glass: "Who can blame them for having the resources? We don't have anything that Lin Mo would be interested in."

Goldtooth Gru, clutching his abacus, rapidly moved his short hands across the beads, muttering thoughtfully, "From a return on investment perspective, surrendering is indeed the optimal solution. The Pope is dead, all the archbishops are dead, he can't turn the tide alone. If it were me, I'd kneel too."

Sag didn't speak, but just shook his head slightly while leaning on his bone cane. The wrinkles on his old face deepened, whether he was lamenting the fall of a holy kingdom or marveling at Saint Zefa's soft knees that showed no psychological burden.

Lin Mo ignored the comments behind him.

He looked at Saint Zefa kneeling before him, his expression calm as if everything happening on this continent had nothing to do with him.

Then he spoke, his voice low and his tone flat, as if he were stating a pre-arranged schedule.

"I once said in the Holy Ancient Empire that I would destroy the country, but I inexplicably became the king. I feel that it is time to fulfill my promise now."