Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 613: World Builder

On the third day after the battle, the vast plain was still charred black, and the air was still filled with the corrosive smell left after the collision of magic and holy light.

After clearing the battlefield, the Sky City mercenaries returned to Meteoric Fortress one after another. Their heavy dragon-flame armor was stained with ash and broken bones, like a legion of hell fresh out of myth. Atop the walls of Meteoric Fortress, Xingluo stood silently, not uttering a word.

He looked into the distance, at the sky illuminated by the dawn.

The morning light fell like golden threads. Once upon a time, the light that symbolized God's grace was the starting point of countless believers' daily pilgrimage. But now, in Xingluo's eyes, it seemed so empty, like an old robe covered in dust by time and lies, having lost its former holiness and weight.

——And the entire continent did indeed begin to be covered in dust.

The disastrous defeat of the Holy See's vanguard was immediately disseminated across the continent by the Moonfall Intelligence Organization. Unlike previous intelligence gathering efforts, this was essentially a system-based reverse intelligence transmission. This time, the message wasn't "our army had won a great victory," but a far more shocking statement:

"The army of the God of Light was torn apart by the magical flames of humans."

These words were like a sharp blade that broke into the temple, piercing the heart of every devout believer.

The common people couldn't believe it, the priests were shocked and silent, the nobles were wavering, and the clergy... began to fear.

Some of them tried to dispel the rumors, some swore that it was just a "temporary failure", and some even characterized the news as a "false impression created by heretics" and ordered the destruction of the intelligence, but the truth grew like a virus in the dark alleys of towns and cities, spreading like a stream of fire and a strong wind blowing through the forest.

The first city to openly rebel against the Church was Novian.

It was a medium-sized plain city, once designated a "Model City of Light" by the Vatican. Located on a remote border, it had a population of 20,000 and was a devout community where almost every household displayed a holy emblem. During Hanukkah, the entire city would line up outside the city gates to be baptized with holy water.

But it was in such a place that the first open anti-faith riot broke out.

The cause was a peasant woman. Her son, only thirteen years old, refused to kneel before the statue during a priest's inspection, simply because he "heard that Xingluo and his people didn't believe in God." As a result, his legs were broken on the spot and he was dragged into the church to "atone for his sin."

The whole city fell silent when the peasant woman burst into the square, carrying a bloody bag, and stood before the glorious statue, shouting at the priests:

"May the gods protect you! What about my son? You broke his legs just because he refused to kneel down and worship the idol!"

Her voice was filled with broken tears, but it made everyone's heart tremble.

No one answered her.

She slammed the bag to the ground, revealing a blood-soaked boot, and then—she set the scripture on fire in front of everyone.

The moment the scorching flames rose, the onlookers instinctively stepped back, but no one stopped them.

Then, a second torch, and a third. The crowd erupted in riots. The Holy See's main battle force was now concentrated on the front lines, leaving this area vulnerable. Some professionals, especially magicians, believed that Xingluo was more trustworthy than the God of Light. According to Xingluo, the God of Light was merely the most powerful being who had mastered the magic of light. The powerful should be respected, but the hypocritically powerful only instilled fear, even nausea. Until the entire statue collapsed in the flames, shattered into dust, and piled into a bonfire, burning overnight in front of the temple.

This night was recorded as the Flame of Novian.

This was just a starting point. Novian seemed to have ignited the fire of rebellion, causing an irreversible reaction that even the Holy See of Light could not have anticipated.

This fire is not alone.

In less than ten days, the four border cities responded - some engaged in violent clashes, some militias expelled clergy, and some were more direct: declaring the temple to be under municipal management, canceling clergy taxes, and confiscating Vatican property.

The nobles were terrified, but no one dared to truly stop him, because they themselves began to doubt: if God was truly omnipotent, why did he lose?

The Holy See has lost its divine aura of "invincibility", which is the core pillar of its rule over the continent.

After a bloodless defeat, the Holy See of Light suddenly seemed exceptionally silent and fragile.

News of failed prayer services began to circulate frequently.

In the southern border, a saint-level priestess tried to summon the messenger of light to bless the reconstruction of the church, but no holy signs were seen for three whole days.

In the East, holy water was found to be "ineffective" - it could not heal minor wounds or even illuminate darkness.

Some theologians tried to defend it by saying that "believers have no piety", but this only angered the common people.

"If a god's power depends on the attitude of his followers, then why should we believe in him?!"

So more people began to doubt.

Magicians, sorcerers, and alchemists gathered in private to analyze the structure of divine power in the Vatican's texts. For the first time, they directly proposed an unprecedented and destructive concept:

"Perhaps divine power is not given, but stolen."

At that moment, the foundation of the entire alien continent's belief system began to tremble.

Taverns are often the first places to notice changes in wind direction.

In a small border town where elves and humans live together, a short and stocky winemaker said loudly at the wine table:

"If God really exists, how could he allow a mortal to fight off his three thousand blessed knights?"

His voice was hoarse but powerful. The tavern was silent for a moment. Some people glared, some hesitated, but no one refuted.

Because everyone was wondering—yes, if God is supreme, why is Xingluo alive? Why wasn't he punished by God? Why was he able to use magic to shatter the "Holy Judgment Barrier"?

That is a divine art that has never been broken in thousands of years.

Some people began to agree, and someone whispered:

"Is he also some kind of...god?"

"No, he is more human than God," someone replied. "At least, he never asks you to kneel."

Even if some people suggest that Xingluo has mastered some kind of authority that only gods have, this will actually gain Xingluo a lot of believers, which is a good thing. Xingluo also hopes that more people who master the Divine Flame Crystal will stand up, so that the rule of the God of Light will come to an end.

Xingluo is now close to being a demigod after putting on his equipment. If he fights against the Holy See of Light, he will even have the strength to surpass that of a demigod. This also allows him to finally get to know many of the truths behind the demise of the peak of human magic.

Deep in the secret room of the west wing of Meteoric Castle, there is an ancient echoing magic circle built with a floating star disk as its core.

This magic circle wasn't built by Xingluo, but rather a remnant from the era of Great Magic. It would only activate when the fluctuations of spacetime magic were pushed to their limit—and the Divine Flame Crystal was the key. Xingluo was one of those who held this key, but he didn't know if there were others. He only discovered this after he became a Grand Mage. When he donned his equipment and approached demigod status, he was finally able to activate the magic circle's fluctuations.

That night, Xingluo entered the secret room alone.

When he condensed the divine flame crystal into an energy crystal and inserted it into the empty slot in the center of the star disk, the entire magic circle trembled for a moment, ripples appeared in the void, and a "record" that was sealed outside of time and space slowly appeared.

The starlight rained down, projecting a history that had been forgotten by the entire continent.

The truth behind the end of the peak era of human magic.

Xingluo seemed to have returned to that era.

It was a lost era, when humans had not yet bowed their heads and the gods had not yet reigned supreme.

They called that time: "The Great Age of Magic".

That was truly the Golden Age of Magic.

Unlike today's magicians who cast spells using elemental contracts, the magicians of that time guided the laws with their will and leveraged their souls to influence the very essence of the world. They didn't rely on gods or serve the Holy Light, and in later stages, they even mastered the power to converse with gods on an equal footing. However, this was also the reason for their subsequent destruction.

In that era, human magicians established nine great magic towers, commanding the Four Symbols and Six Laws of Heaven and Earth, allowing them to control time and space, reshape life, and refine the body. Mages above demigod level were known as "World Constructors." They could not only destroy mountains and rivers but also construct independent dimensions within their consciousness, creating planes with ease. They did not believe in gods, for they themselves were the representatives of the laws.

And this power eventually aroused the jealousy and fear of the gods.

Especially - the God of Light.

He is the ruler among the gods, maintaining the divine authority system with "holy order", bringing other gods into the order system of the Temple of Light. He believes in: one god, one law, and all beings obey.