The Era of Gods

Chapter 679: Chapter 679: The New Guardian Chapter 679: Chapter 679: The New Guardian When Jacob was visibly excited, he said:
“This moment is the most crucial in the war, and the Witch King has yet to show himself.

If we can ascend to Rank 7 during this battle and turn the tide, we will undoubtedly earn immense prestige.

Once we defeat the Mushroom Men and conquer this vast world, no less significant than the Wizard World, and its subordinate worlds, aiding the Ancient Covenant Forces to gain a massive amount of resources, all forces will owe us favors.”
“By then, the three of us can join forces to push for a coup.

With the support of the various forces, we can surely pressure Lin Xiao to abdicate and hand over the Witch King’s scepter!”
“The Old Sorcerer King’s life is coming to an end.

Once he dies, we will call the shots in this world.

Accumulating the vast resources of the entire Main World will be enough to support our ascension to Rank 8.”
Eugene, pushing up the gold rims of his glasses, said to the powerhouses of the many Schools below:
“And you will also reap significant benefits.

We have assessed this world’s resources, its energy level, and the strength of its world’s will, and found it capable of supporting up to fifteen or so Rank 7 powerhouses.

You all have a great chance.”
The beautiful woman Marsha added:

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“This is just the current evaluation.

If we can conquer the world of the Mushroom Men and allow the will of the Wizard World to devour the will of the Mushroom World, we can increase the number of Rank 7 positions by nearly ten.”
“If we succeed, at the very least three Rank 8 powerhouses and more than a dozen Rank 7 powerhouses will elevate our division’s status in the council by a large Margin.

There’s a high probability our spokesperson will promote our status, thus allowing us to manage many divisions across a vast region.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us all, so grasp it well!”
The meeting soon dispersed, and the Children of the Spirit Realm talked excitedly with their comrades, filled with anticipation for the promises and prospects laid out by the three leaders.

Julian maintained a cheerful smile as he chatted with his companions, but he harbored other thoughts in his heart.

After conversing for a while, he excused himself politely and swiftly left the barracks to arrive in front of the main camp of the Azure Sect.

Without needing to announce himself, he entered and saw Marsha working on the School’s documents.

Her face lit up with a smile upon seeing him and, setting aside her work, she quickly came forward to hold Julian’s hand, which seemed somewhat troubled, and asked tenderly:
“What’s wrong?

You seem to be in a bad mood.”
Julian sat down where she had been sitting moments earlier and spoke after a short pause:
“I was wondering if what you mentioned during the meeting is true?

And what exactly is the True Nether Heart?”
Marsha, not thinking too much of it, replied:
“Of course it’s true.

However, there aren’t as many positions as we’ve led people to believe—this is to encourage everyone’s confidence.

But don’t worry, you’re my husband; you’ll definitely have a spot when the time comes.”
“As for the True Nether Heart, it is a treasure only the spokespersons for the True Nether’s originators can possess, coming in different levels.

It enables us to forcibly break through bottlenecks.

The three that have been allocated to us are just right for our use, allowing Wizards in the late sixth stage to break through their limits and ascend to Rank 7 Witch Kings.”
“Can the True Nether Heart be exchanged for through contributions?”
Marsha shook her head and said:
“Although it can be exchanged, only the heads of the divisions are qualified to use a large amount of contributions to do so.

Furthermore, there’s a fixed number of these treasures available each year, and the competition is fierce; they are usually pre-arranged well in advance.

If you want to exchange for it, you typically need to reserve it years ahead of time.”
She reached out to hold Julian’s hand and asked:
“Do you want one?”
He nodded.

“Once you ascend to Rank 6, I’ll exchange one for you then.”
Julian finally smiled, and embracing the beautiful woman tightly, he said with deep affection:
“Thank you, my wife!”
Marsha lay quietly in his arms and spoke softly:
“Silly, you’re my husband.

If I don’t help you, who will I help?”
A strange light flashed in Julian’s eyes as he lowered his head to kiss her, his hand sliding under her skirt to caress back and forth.

A month later, the Mushroom Men, who had been preparing for nearly a year, could no longer contain themselves.

Minor skirmishes escalated, gradually turning into large-scale battles involving tens of thousands of troops.

As one of the battles saw both sides deploying a large number of Rank 6 powerhouses, and with continuous reinforcements, the war rapidly escalated into an enormous large-scale campaign involving millions.

In the war, the Mushroom Men, as they had anticipated, directly engaged the Old Sorcerer King with three sovereigns, while another sovereign led the Mushroom Men’s main forces straight toward the Wizard World’s Central Army.

This was a Vine Giant formed of tree branches and vines tougher than diamonds and stood over five hundred meters tall.

Its most potent weapon was its massive size and incredibly tough body.

The horrifying strength was just a byproduct of its size, as it could easily punch out terrifying air currents spanning several kilometers, piercing through the combined defensive witchcraft cast by numerous powerful Wizards in just a few blows.

The war raged from dawn to night, then from night to daylight again.

It cycled day and night for several days, and countless Wizards fell in battle.

On the fifth day, the first Sixth Level Wizard died in battle, opening the floodgates for the continual deaths of Dawn Wizards and those above Fourth Level.

The onslaught of the Mushroom Men was relentless, pushing forward layer by layer, and without the presence of a Rank 7 Wizard, no one could stop the attack of the Vine Giant.

By the ninth day, as the Allied Forces retreated hundreds of kilometers, murmurs against the Witch King began to surface.

Why hadn’t the Witch King, the First Guardian of the Wizard World, made an appearance during this critical moment?

Rumors spread rapidly, especially as the Wizard Alliance Army suffered heavy losses and retreated further, making the rumors spread faster and wider.

Soon, the upper echelons of the allied forces were also in the know.

However, unlike the lower-level wizards who privately grumbled and complained about the Witch King, the high command held no such thoughts.

Compared to the lower-level wizards who knew nothing, those of Fourth Rank and above had a higher level of experience and thought, and they scoffed at such rumors.

The Chief Guardian’s responsibility differed from the other Guardians; his primary duty was to watch over the Wizard Main World.

That was his main task; external campaigning was the work of other Guardians—an early arrival of the Old Sorcerer King being one such reason.

Indeed, the Old Sorcerer King, too, found it hard to bear being cooped up in the Main World for hundreds of thousands of years, but that was his responsibility, not that of the Chief Guardian.

While the high command could understand this, the lower-level wizards did not.

Unaware of the division of responsibilities among the Guardians, they only saw the retreat of the Alliance Army and the absence of Lin Xiao, the Chief Guardian, and blamed him for it.

Such grievances soon evolved into discontent, turning from whispers to overt discussions, and the attitudes of the heads of various powers became apparent.

Some high-ranking officials of the powers issued gag orders, some ignored the matter entirely, and others fanned the flames—responses varied.

In light of these circumstances, the battle strength of the troops was as one would expect—continuously crumbling.

The collapse of the main forces triggered a series of chain reactions, even affecting the high-end battlefield commanded by the Old Sorcerer King.

He was forced to retreat along with the main force to avoid encirclement.

Fortunately, as the Wizard Alliance Army was comprised of wizards from various powers with numerous abilities at their disposal, they managed to prevent the enemy from pursuing their victorious charge.

The rout was and could develop into a total rout, unlike mortal armies that usually face complete disintegration upon the defeat of their main force.

Once the Allied Forces suffered another significant defeat on a plain and then passed through a gorge, it was their final fortress, beyond which lay the portal to the Wizard World.

“The time has come to begin!”
Inside the Wizard Main World, Jacob, who had returned ahead of time, put away the True Nether Mirror.

The palm of his extended right hand held a pulsating chaos light, emitting ripples of light.

Without hesitation, he slapped it onto his forehead.

At the same moment, Eugene, representing the Gaius School, and Marsha, representing the Azure Sect, both fused the True Nether Heart into themselves.

The force of the True Nether progenitor abruptly shattered the shackles of their ranks, forcibly causing their souls, spiritual power, and mana to undergo a metamorphosis, elevating them from Rank 6 to Rank 7 Witch-King Level Powerhouses.

The moment they ascended to Witch King, the three Children of the Spirit Realm, born into this world, resonated with the will of the Main World and were granted the opportunity to become World Guardians.

Just as they wished, all three Children of the Spirit Realm chose to become World Guardians.

In an instant, just as when Lin Xiao was elevated to Rank 7 Witch King, every Dawn Wizard of Fourth Rank and above still in this world sensed the three overt and unabashed presences.

“Have new Witch Kings been born?”
All the wizards felt mixed emotions.

The birth of three new Guardians meant there were three new mountains weighing down upon them.

The emergence of three new Guardians in this world signified its strength.

In the upcoming war, they could regain the initiative, conquer more worlds, and plunder more resources.

“The world will be in our hands!”
Jacob, Eugene, and Marsha, the three new Witch Kings, reappeared before the Sky Blue Fortress.

In front of countess wizards and guardian soldiers, they proudly proclaimed this declaration, showing no attempt to conceal their ambition as they entered the portal and vanished, leaving many wizards with changed expressions.

Together, the three Witch Kings, with the Old Sorcerer King’s life nearing its end, were unopposed in their ambition.

Just awaiting a few hundred years for the natural demise of the Old Sorcerer King, they did not believe Lin Xiao could withstand a joint assault from the three of them—the world would undoubtedly fall into their hands.

On the front lines, a new battle had already begun.

The Mushroom Men, with the momentum of victory, launched a fierce attack on the Wizard League.

With the same tactics as before, the Wizard League was well aware of their strategy, yet they were unable to withstand these forthright assaults.

The commander in charge of the Alliance Army was the Chief Great Wizard of the High Tower of Enoch, known for his expertise in commanding large-scale military operations.

Throughout his career spanning thousands of years, he directed many a classic battle, yet even he was at a loss this time.

As he watched the frontline failing to hold up against the advancing enemy, he quietly observed the sand table in front of him then fiercely slammed his fist down.

Many representatives from different powers within the main camp had grim expressions, their moods dour.

At that moment, a Fifth Level Dawnlight Wizard from the Azure Sect, noticing this mood, pretended to overhear something, cocking his ear as if listening.

Then suddenly, with an expression of delight, shouted loudly:
“I have good news for everyone.

Our Lady Marsha of the Azure Sect achieved enlightenment and successfully ascended to Rank 7 Witch King two days ago and has already become a new Guardian!”