Chapter 171: Section 172: The Death of Zhenjin


    Jia Sha’s proposal was rejected by Lord Zhenjin, and the priest’s voice suddenly turned severe, “Holy Temple Knight, you need to think about the greater good.”


    Lord Zhenjin’s gaze was resolute, “I’d rather think about my comrades, priest!”


    Jia Sha sneered, and suddenly a lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere, aiming for Zi Di.


    Zi Di couldn’t react in time and could only watch the lightning strike at her feet.


    After a moment of astonishment, everyone immediately burst into uproar.


    “Father Almighty, what are you doing?!”


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    “That lightning just now, did you control it?”


    “What on earth are you trying to do?!”


    “What am I trying to do?” Jia Sha roared, “I’m only trying to save time! Now is not the time to doubt each other, bring up the Divine Artifact at once! Otherwise, the next lightning bolt won’t strike so indiscriminately.”


    “Xiong Dun, Chai Zha, how much longer are you Guardian Knights going to dawdle?”


    “Hurry up and bring the Divine Artifact.”


    “This is an order!”


    “Rest assured, they won’t stop you. Because our Holy Temple Knight here is keen on thinking of his comrades.”


    At the end, Jia Sha’s tone carried a clear hint of mockery.


    Xiong Dun and Chai Zha took a step forward, looking at Lord Zhenjin, “We’re very sorry, my lord.”


    Lord Zhenjin clenched his teeth and stood off against the Guardian Knights for a few breaths before finally stepping back and clearing the way.


    Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, four Guardian Knights lifted the Green Jade Gold Coffin, with the Mermaid’s Fairy Tale in tow, and together ascended to the fourth floor.


    “Lord Jia Sha?!” The four Guardian Knights all felt their hearts jump, revealing shock.


    When they saw Jia Sha again, they found that the priest was unrecognizable.


    Jia Sha was originally full of vigor, in his prime, but now he appeared gaunt, skin and bones, his brow deeply furrowed, his expression twisted, with veins bulging on his forehead.


    Upon seeing the four, Jia Sha let out a bitter laugh and said in a volume only they could hear, “Did you think taking over this Central Tower would come without a price? At the end of the day, I am just a Silver Level priest, yet this is the stronghold of a Legendary level Alchemist!”


    Priests, bishops, and devout believers, all to varying degrees, receive imbuing of Divine Power through their faith. Normally, Jia Sha’s body was constantly suffused with Divine Power, nourishing him continually. Over time, Jia Sha’s physical condition had improved, especially his eyesight.


    However, to take over the Central Tower, Jia Sha’s full state of Divine Power wasn’t enough, not to mention the journey here and the recent fierce battle, during which he had repeatedly used Divine Arts, consuming a great deal of Divine Power.


    Divine Power was far from sufficient for taking over the Central Tower, so Jia Sha resorted to unconventional methods.


    He squeezed his life force, overdrawn his potential for future advancement, and only then did he unleash an extraordinary surge of Divine Power.


    “Lord Jia Sha…” The Guardian Knights were deeply moved, their voices slightly choked up, fully aware of the enormity of Jia Sha’s sacrifices.


    “It’s alright,” Jia Sha smiled, “As long as these two Divine Artifacts are enshrined, and we inform the higher-ups about the situation here, the merit and reward we’ll receive will far exceed our contributions. By then, I may even become a Red Archbishop. And you will be more than just Knights responsible for protecting a priest.”


    “My lord, when can we leave this place?”


    “We’re about to succeed. The Tower Spirit is badly injured, constantly retreating. We’ll soon be able to open the Teleportation Gate.” Jia Sha said this with eyes gleaming, extremely confident.


    Roar!


    A Monkey-tailed Brown Bear attempted to rush up to the third floor.


    The giant white bone antlered deer was stuck at the staircase entrance from the first to second floor, but a man-made magical beast like the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear wasn’t included among them.


    Zong Ge swung his Bone Hammer, driving the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear back.


    The Monkey-tailed Brown Bear was swiftly bitten and dragged down by the Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa behind it, which then began to devour it.


    Several bat monkeys were about to rush over together when they were sprayed with Acid Liquid and fell to the ground one after another.


    The green lizard that had sprayed the Acid Liquid was quickly trampled by a group of gun scorpions led by the Strong Life White Rhinoceros and ran away in panic.


    The second floor was in total chaos; lacking a unified scent for direction, these man-made magical beasts were slaughtering each other.


    The survivors stationed on the third floor experienced a sudden drop in pressure.


    However, ironically, Zong Ge thought that it would be better if the pressure was even greater.


    “The situation is bad, Zhenjin. Jia Sha is controlling the Central Tower, and the key point is that we don’t know his progress at all!” Zong Ge said to Zhenjin during a brief respite.


    Zhenjin frowning deeply, a look of difficulty on his face, heaved a deep sigh, “What else can we do? We don’t have Divine Power, and the only one who can invade the Central Tower is Jia Sha.”


    “He has even taken control of the lightning…”


    “Don’t worry, he’s ultimately the priest of the Holy Emperor, and Divine Arts cannot be faked.”


    Zong Ge was stunned to hear Zhenjin respond in such a way and soon felt even worse.


    The Half-Beast’s heart sank as he suddenly understood, “Bad news. Zhenjin is brave and just but too merciful. That’s his strength and his weakness, and now Jia Sha has seen it and is holding on tight. Zhenjin is too young and wants to save everyone, especially since his fiancée is here.”


    “Another thing is that Zhenjin is a Holy Temple Knight and Jia Sha is a priest of the Holy Emperor; the two have the closest relationship. So, even though the priest threatened Zhenjin with lightning on purpose, Zhenjin still believes that the priest would never betray him.”


    Holy Temple Knights are the armed forces directly under the Holy Emperor, while priests and others are the clerical positions directly under the Holy Emperor. They belong to the same system and share the same faith.


    If they were to fight each other, it would surely displease the divine. If Zhenjin were to strike at Jia Sha, he would be stripped of his status as a Holy Temple Knight and wanted. Conversely, if Jia Sha harmed Zhenjin, his clerical rank would be decreased or completely nullified, and he might even be labeled a traitor.


    Therefore, Jia Sha’s lightning did not strike Zhenjin but targeted Zi Di instead.


    But it wasn’t really aimed at Zi Di; it was just a warning.


    Zong Ge’s eyes were filled with shadow as he silently analyzed the situation, “The current situation is very bad, only Jia Sha can invade the Central Tower. He’s been in action for a long time, controlling most of the Central Tower, able to wield lightning and firmly taking the initiative.”


    “I can’t judge how much of what he says is true. The crisis of the Mana Pool drying up is likely real. But it’s also very possible that he can now open the Teleportation Gate.”


    “Sending up these two Divine Artifacts is really too bad. We’ve lost our crucial leverage over Jia Sha.”


    “But if we don’t send them, we’ll probably be struck by lightning!”


    “From the way he talks, this priest has only credits in his mind, clearly, in his heart, Divine Artifacts are more important than people!”


    “Zhenjin is a Holy Temple Knight, so he does not carry this worry. But our identities will not be considered by Jia Sha. In that case, we are in great danger.”


    “And now, the only thing that can make Jia Sha apprehensive is these man-made magical beasts here.”


    “Damn it!”


    “I used to wish these man-made magical beasts dead and now I need them to exhibit a stronger offensive to ensure my own safety?”


    “What an irony!”


    Zong Ge is a tough guy, well-versed in the concept that the merciful cannot command soldiers and equally understands the benefits of raising a powerful force that can potentially turn on you.


    For Zhenjin, he is both disappointed and understanding, after all, Zi Di is the young knight’s fiancée.


    “What to do, this is really headache-inducing.”


    Zong Ge was not adept at dealing with such matters. Although his father was high-ranking and influential, being an illegitimate child, his childhood only benefited from martial arts training and he received no strategic nurturing.


    Otherwise, he would not have the most outstanding military achievements after joining the army but still be ostracized by his peers.


    To a greater or lesser extent, others shared Zong Ge’s sentiment.


    The threat of Jia Sha and the lightning that fell at Zi Di’s feet chilled everyone to the bone, filling them with doubt and fear. And as they saw even Lord Zhenjin being pushed to the point of desperation, their morale swiftly declined by a large margin.


    In spite of the Magic Beasts slaying each other, the survivors’ defenses were clearly unstable under the sporadic assaults of the Magic Beasts, showing a frightening waver.


    “Hold the line!” Jia Sha sharply perceived this situation and, in fact, he was well-prepared.


    He then shouted in rapid succession, “As long as we get through the last hurdle, we’ll all be saved!”


    “With the merits you’ve earned with what you hold in your hands right now, it’s enough for you all to start over.”


    “Lord Zhenjin, don’t forget, I am your examiner. As I’ve said before, our merit isn’t just for a mere position of White Sand City Lord.”


    “Mu Ban, you stole a large number of crossbow designs from the Guild. With these merits, you can return to the Guild, you could even become the Chairman of a branch!”


    “Cang Xu, perhaps you’re still unaware that the family strife within the Sha family has settled down. Though you were betrayed by your son, because he was part of the same faction, he has been implicated and imprisoned. The Sha family is setting things straight. With your merits and my guarantee in the future, the Sha family will revoke their bounty on you, admit their own errors, and you can be a Scholar again.”


    “Zi Di, your Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce is allied with the Zhenjin family, but you’re still in a tight spot. After this battle, I will connect you to some of the Holy sects to become your trading partners. You should understand how important this is for a Guild.”


    “Sanda, you indeed value trust. But because of trust, your Mercenary Group has done its fair share of dirty work, right? Though it disbanded, I can find a place for you all, like the guards of a certain city. If you truly can devoutly worship the Holy Emperor, I might even bring you into the ranks of the Guardian Knights!”


    “Zong Ge… I know your status; you are a bastard child, you want to make a name for yourself, you want to return with your head high and reclaim what belongs to you. So you should grab the opportunity before you right now, shouldn’t you?”


    …


    Jia Sha’s speech once again stirred the survivors.


    He seemed to know them very well, so intimately it was as if he understood the thoughts and demands of everyone.


    He remembered the name of each survivor distinctly, not missing anyone in his speech, not even a commoner like Bai Ya.


    This was the excellent quality of a Preacher!


    He assured Bai Ya that as long as he cooperated with him, these merits would surely make him a Knight!


    “Father, I… I believe in you!” Bai Ya’s face revealed a look of yearning.


    The morale of the people no longer fell, and the line steadied a bit.


    More importantly, Jia Sha had too much of the initiative, and the people simply had no way to counteract him, they could only choose to believe.


    However, on the fourth level.


    After Jia Sha’s inspiring speech, he sneered, full of disgust and disdain, “A bunch of scum, also worthy of sharing these merits with us! Let them die here and atone for their sins.”


    “Father?”


    “There are Holy Temple Knights present, though.”


    “We are all in the same boat, after all, we’ve come this far supporting each other…”


    Several Guardian Knights showed reluctance.


    Jia Sha snorted, “Of course, I will save the Holy Temple Knights!”


    “But the others, I can’t take them.”


    “The more I take over the Central Tower, the more information I gain. Based on the records of past War Merchants’ teleportations, our current Mana can barely manage to teleport two Divine Artifacts. We can only take a few people.”


    “Do you want companions? Or do you want merit?”


    Jia Sha’s gaze was sharp as he scanned the room, and the Guardian Knights all lowered their heads, not daring to meet the priest’s eyes.


    Jia Sha smiled smugly, but just then, another Golden Magical Beast charged in.


    It wasn’t large in size, but it was a Golden Level bat monkey!


    The people couldn’t withstand it, the line was on the verge of breaking down.


    “Damn it, I still have to unlock the third layer of the Array and retrieve that strange blood sphere,” Jia Sha said anxiously, then yelled at the next layer, “Lord Zhenjin! Hurry up and charge, with all your strength.”


    “I know your concerns, but they don’t matter!”


    “Rest assured, with me here, I will purify everything for you.”


    Lord Zhenjin’s expression changed dramatically.


    At this moment, his state was that of a “Divine Favored Knight,” and Jia Sha’s implication was undoubtedly to compel Lord Zhenjin to fully Mutate.


    It seemed he had already seen through Lord Zhenjin’s greatest secret!


    Lord Zhenjin hesitated for a moment but still gritted his teeth and charged forward.


    However, the direction in which he charged was not toward the Golden bat monkey but toward the staircase of the fourth level.


    “Halt!”


    “Lord Zhenjin, what are you trying to do?”


    “If you don’t stop now, you will bear the consequences!”


    Lord Zhenjin turned a deaf ear, his speed ever increasing.


    Everyone was stunned, not expecting Lord Zhenjin to be so reckless.


    And then in the next moment, they were even more horrified.


    Several bolts of lightning struck down in succession, hitting Lord Zhenjin and killing the young knight right there.


    “No—!” Stunned for a moment, Zi Di immediately let out a piercing scream, running toward Lord Zhenjin’s body, only to be grabbed by Hei Juan beside her.


    “It’s too dangerous!” Hei Juan yelled, “Chairwoman Zi Di, please be calm.”


    “Dad!!!” The Big guy roared, coming to his senses and charging toward Lord Zhenjin’s body.


    The Big guy ran with all his might, directly kneeling down, disregarding the severe friction of his knees on the tiles.


    He carefully turned over Lord Zhenjin’s body, a layer of black over his surface, utterly lifeless.


    “Dad, dad, wake up, please wake up…” The Big guy’s eyes were bloodshot, and tears gushed forth like a spring.


    But clearly, Lord Zhenjin was dead.


    Everyone could sense that his Life Breath was completely gone.


    After all, how could a human body withstand the strike of lightning in such a Magic Ban environment? Even those man-made magical beasts crumble to dust under lightning.


    “No, this can’t be real.”


    “Lord Zhenjin… is dead?!”


    “Has Jia Sha gone mad? He actually struck down a Holy Temple Knight! Even with his overwhelming merits, just for this alone, he won’t be able to turn the situation around!”


    While Zong Ge and others struggled to fend off the Golden bat monkey, on the verge of collapse, they couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before their eyes.


    “Murderer! Murderer!! The murderer who killed my dad, I am going to kill you!!” The Big guy roared with a ferocious look, charging toward the staircase leading to the fourth level.


    “Don’t go!!” Zi Di screamed.


    But it was too late.


    In the next moment, several more bolts of lightning struck, and the Big guy collapsed to the ground, convulsing, foaming at the mouth, unable to move.