Princess Ivyst's complexion turned extremely unsightly in an instant.
She was certain that she had not harbored such a dangerous wish just now.
Yet, it seemed as if the Wish Jar had twisted her subconscious, guiding her to entertain such thoughts.
As she stared at the continuously surging black sludge, Princess Ivyst wielded her crimson extraordinary power in an attempt to annihilate it within the underground relics.
Alas, with the completion of the sinister ritual, the power released by the Wish Jar was escalating at a rate that even she found terrifyingly fast.
A thought which she could hardly believe began to rise in her heart.
This... Is it a Level Zero Sealed Object?!
Has my father deceived me?!
Princess Ivyst hovered in midair, a whirlwind of confused emotions surfacing in her mind.
There was anger, sorrow, desperation, confusion...
She had never dealt with a crisis involving a Level Zero Sealed Object before and had no idea whether her body could withstand the extent of the Law and characteristics involved.
She was very likely going to die.
Even if she didn't, she was sure to become a complete monster upon awakening.
At this moment, the thought emerged in the chaotic mind of Princess Ivyst.
Yet for some reason, she subconsciously dismissed it.
She could run, but those subordinates outside the relics, as well as Duke Tierus's army, had no chance of surviving through the black sludge.
Moreover... Orn City was not far away.
Although she couldn't care less about the lives of the citizens within,
it wouldn't take much thought to realize.
If she, the "Evil Princess," were to cause a city-wide disaster due to dereliction of duty, upon her return to the Imperial Capital, she would face unprecedented criticism.
Those waiting to gloat over her misfortune would certainly kick her while she was down with great satisfaction.
A certain tenacity surged from deep within her once more.
The next second, Princess Ivyst's slender fingers were enveloped by intense red light, and she instantly tore through the pervasive black sludge to reach the front of the Wish Jar.
She pressed firmly against the center of the jar, against the face of a woman filled with resentment, and the Power of Devouring operated without restraint.
The mountain collapsed, and air waves spilled out.
At the same time, a sound that mixed with a trace of pain echoed throughout the Soron Mountain Range.
Such an uncomfortable gloomy day.
Lamonta wiped the unstoppable sweat with the towel around his neck as he and his companions unloaded heavy wooden crates from the carriage.
For some reason, though he was only thirty years old, after half an hour of labor, he now felt somewhat dizzy.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his lungs, subconsciously clenched his fist to his lips, and coughed violently several times.
A moist and sticky sensation burst forth from his mouth instantly.
Lamonta instinctively looked down and discovered a pool of writhing black sludge unexpectedly appeared on the ground before him.
A sense of absurdity and terror instantly surfaced in Lamonta's heart.
He looked up as if looking for help, only to realize that his companions and passersby who had been working around him had at some point all fallen to the ground, their life forces rapidly draining away.
The black sludge crazily flowed out of their mouths and noses, dripping onto the ground.
Moreover, the black sludge seemed alive.
Upon sensing a similar presence, they spontaneously converged, flowing like rivers in every direction.
Scream after scream of agony rang out above the streets.
At this moment, similar scenes were unfolding in every corner of the city.
A catastrophe had suddenly swept through all of Orn City in an instant.
The moment the black light burst forth, countless churches on the periphery of the mountains sprang into action.
Accompanied by various fluctuations of extraordinary power, a multi-colored barrier formed gradually, like a protective shield.
They did not choose to enter the mountains immediately but used various means and Sealed Objects to block off the entire Soron Mountain Range.
"Stay sharp!" the bishop of the Silent Church shouted, "What you are about to face is a level 0 Sealed Object that is about to regain its full strength!"
"Everything is proceeding according to His Majesty's plan. We only need to wait for the Third Imperial Princess to weaken most of the evil traits of the Sealed Object, then the danger of that thing will be reduced by several magnitudes!"
Within the Silent Church, a clergy member suddenly whispered lowly, "Is what we're doing... really right?"
Looking at the large-scale barrier that was becoming more tightly sealed, not just him, many others also felt a twinge of confusion in their hearts.
They were not prioritizing the safety of the people of Orn City but were instead so focused on a Sealed Object.
This truly contravened the doctrine they usually preached.
Upon hearing this, a Transcendent from the Heavenly Principle Church coldly said, "Those who achieve great things do not fuss over trifles. How can the value of a level 0 Sealed Object be measured against the lives of those common people?"
"I can see now why you all are reviled by everyone in Orn City."
The Transcendent from the Silent Church shook his head.
The Transcendent from the Heavenly Principle Church was caught off guard, immediately looking furious.
"Excuse me." Just then, a voice suddenly came through, "Can we please postpone this argument and talk after everything is over?"
The voice was quite abrupt.
The gaze of all the Transcendents present was drawn to it instantly.
What appeared before them was a handsome young man with black hair and blue eyes.
However, for some reason, his features appeared twisted, as if suppressing some sort of emotion, and his physical state also seemed peculiar.
"Is that you?!" The Transcendent of the Heavenly Principle Church recognized his identity in an instant, looking at him warily, "What do you want to do?! This area is off-limits right now!!"
Wasn't this the person responsible for their church's utter devastation and even the execution of Bishop Moselle?!
Sensing the gaze of the Transcendent from the Heavenly Principle Church, the black-haired young man seemed to suddenly remember something he had always forgotten to do.
Next, he took an action that was beyond everyone's expectations.
Under the scrutiny of all present, the young man extended his index finger as if counting and began ticking off the Transcendents from the Heavenly Principle Church one by one.
"One... two... three... four..."
"What are you doing?!"
At that moment, the leading Transcendent of the Heavenly Principle Church asked in a frigid tone, stepping forward to demand an answer.
But the young man did not respond to his words and continued counting.
The atmosphere became somewhat eerie.
Everyone was unsure of what was happening and could only remain on high alert, witnessing his bizarre behavior.
"...ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred..."
After a pause in counting, the young man slowly stopped, a smile that was difficult to decipher spreading across his face.
Then, he began to speak.
"Honestly," the young man spread his arms as if to embrace them, "including Bishop Moselle, the whole Heavenly Principle Church has always been the epitome of providing a pillow to someone who's falling asleep for me."
"How can I not love you people like that?"
"But right now, there's something more important I need to do, so if you'd excuse me, please step aside."
"What on earth are you ranting about? Lin..."
The Transcendent from the Heavenly Principle Church was about to say something when a voice suddenly echoed through the mountains, interrupting him.
The voice was tinged with chaos, as if undergoing tremendous pain at that moment.
It was the voice of Princess Ivyst, the Third Imperial Princess.
Instantly, a surge of intense murderous intent swept across the field, chilling everyone to the bone as if they were about to be slaughtered in the next second.
They instinctively looked towards the source of this violent emotion.
"Get out of the way." For some reason, the young man's expression suddenly turned fierce and angry, as if he could barely hold back some kind of evil power, "You're in my way."