Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

The mysterious figure slowly shook his head, the shadow of his cloak swaying as he said coldly, "No, Scar Wolf. This is... sacrifice. It is the most brilliant, most sacred path of martyrdom to the throne of the true god..."

Scarface immediately had a bad feeling, and coldly repeated, "The Path of Explosion?"

The mysterious man nodded, his voice turning somewhat cold.

"Since they have a mole who knows everything about us... what does it matter... I never intended to hide anything, and besides, this place was meant to attract their attention..."

Scarred Wolf's expression turned even more surprised after hearing the mysterious man's words: "My lord...you mean..."

The mysterious man nodded and said to Scarface, "That's right, what we're really doing is what another organization is doing. And what we're doing here is drawing all their attention to this..."

After hearing the mysterious man's words, Scar Wolf swallowed hard, feeling a pang of sadness: "My lord... do you mean we're just cannon fodder?"

The mysterious man said to Scarface, "We're all serving the true god. If you don't do this, someone else has to... Do you have a problem with that?"

Upon hearing the mysterious man's words, Scarred Wolf was momentarily speechless: "No, sir, you mean...?"

The mysterious man said to Scarface, "Don't worry, you won't die. And I will live and die with the people here! Everything we've done is to kill that usurper and false god, Xiao Ce!"

After being spoken to by the mysterious man in a few words, Scarface Wolf immediately came to his senses and said, "My lord, you are right. I was narrow-minded... My lord, what do you want me to do? I will do my utmost to cooperate with you... without any complaints..."

After hearing Scarface's words, the mysterious man revealed a satisfied expression:

"Get it done immediately! Gather all our stored gunpowder, black powder, nitroglycerin, and those powerful homemade explosives! Don't be stingy! Take it all out! Focus on: the entrance passage, the main meeting area, the ventilation duct connections, and... most importantly, the area beneath this secret room!"

He pointed his finger sharply to the ground, his black glove tracing a sharp line in the dim light: "Here, plant the most powerful explosives! Enough to completely collapse the entire sewer structure and send everything within a hundred meters to the sky!"

Scarface trembled violently, his face turning deathly pale.

To perish together! The Lord actually intends to use the entire lair, all the loyal... or rather, brainwashed believers here, as bait and bombs to bury the impending mopping-up operation!

This is insane! This is a hundred times more insane than sending believers to their deaths at the port!

Scarface froze on the spot after hearing this crazy idea...

"My lord...then...then our...brothers here...and you..."

"us?"

The mysterious man, with a hint of madness and excitement, declared: "We will gain eternal rest and glory in the light of the true God. Our flesh and blood will turn to dust along with those false kings' lackeys, and our souls will become the purest flames, illuminating the path to the new world! This is supreme glory!"

"When the Shadow Guards and the Hounds of the Punishment Division, believing victory was in sight, swarmed in and stepped onto the sacred altar..."

The mysterious man's voice was like a viper's hiss, filled with destructive pleasure: "This is the moment you light the fuse! I will make this deafening roar a death knell that echoes throughout the capital and even shakes the entire East Asia! I will turn what Yin Weiyong thought were glorious military achievements into a graveyard burying his countless elite troops! And I will also make that high and mighty false god Xiao Ce..."

When the name was mentioned, the mysterious man's voice revealed for the first time a clear, deep-seated hatred and a twisted excitement.

"Let him hear it with his own ears! Let him see it with his own eyes! Let him see how his loyal lackeys were pulverized in a desperate explosion for him! Let him see how the foot of his supposedly impregnable capital is buried with resentful souls and raging fury! This explosion will be ten thousand times louder than the firecrackers of Panshi Port! This towering flame and the collapsing earth will be the grandest gift he receives upon his return!"

Scar Wolf heard the mysterious man's slightly crazed voice and his plan: "My lord, you mean I should detonate it, but you won't let me die... you mean..."

The mysterious man said to Scarface, "You still have your mission. When the time comes, you won't die... and I will face it together with the believers here!"

"My Lord...My Lord! No! Absolutely not!!!"

His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to his knees on the cold, damp ground with a thud, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud. Then, he cried out with genuine emotion:

"You...you are of noble status, the true god's representative on earth! The beacon of our nation's restoration! The brothers' only hope! You...how can you stay here and perish with those lackeys?! This...this price is too high! I am incompetent and have failed in my mission; I am willing to accept punishment, even death would not absolve me of my guilt! But you...you must leave! Leave this place to me! I swear to detonate it with my life, I will not let a single lackey leave alive! You...you must leave now!"

After hearing Scarface's words, the mysterious man maintained a smile throughout: "Whether your intentions are genuine or not, I appreciate your kindness..."

“Scar Wolf, I know your loyalty. But it is precisely because of my special status that I must stay. If I am not here, this bait... will not be 'sweet' enough.”

He paused, the shadow under his hood seemingly swallowing up the light, his voice growing colder: "Yin Weiyong and Night Owl are both cunning foxes among cunning foxes, their suspicions deeper than the sea."

They are inherently suspicious. If it's just a regular gathering, or if you're the only one in charge, they might not send their elite forces to launch a full-scale attack. They'll only send out probing forces, or simply surround us on the outside without attacking, waiting for us to lose our composure.

Only by personally appearing and holding this crucial 'Holy Advent Ceremony' can the message delivered by the traitor appear significant enough, and only then can those two old foxes be convinced that this is the perfect opportunity to achieve their goal in one fell swoop and completely eradicate my heartland!

Only then will they swarm out, stuffing their sharpest claws and teeth into this grave meticulously prepared for them!

Scarface raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with struggle and resentment: "But sir, that old fox Yin Weiyong is unlikely to show up... and that Night Cat, I'm afraid he won't personally come either... It wouldn't be worth it then..."

After listening to Scar Wolf's words, the mysterious man revealed a hint of almost illusory fanaticism and certainty for the first time. He firmly said to Scar Wolf, "Scar Wolf, all men must die. The mortal body is nothing but a shell."

"By the true God above, His grace has already been bestowed. If this body perishes, it is merely to return to the embrace of the true God, to cleanse itself of impurities. The power of the true God is beyond your imagination... His protection will safeguard my true spirit from destruction, and in an instant, I will be reborn in another sanctuary through a 'holy body'! This is the holy favor bestowed upon the apostle by the true God!"

The mysterious words from the enigmatic speaker left Scarface stunned and rooted to the spot...

"A true spirit...reincarnated?!"

Scarface was completely dumbfounded; this was far beyond the limits of his crude understanding.

He was brainwashed into believing that God was supreme.

But reincarnation and the return of a sacred body sound more like things that only exist in myths and legends.

His cloudy eyes were filled with bewilderment and extreme shock; his lips trembled, but he didn't know how to respond.

This is too profound, beyond his understanding of life and death.

"Yes, rebirth."

The mysterious figure then spoke with feigned profundity: "You may not understand now, but there's no need to ask. Remember my words, and feel the will of the true God with your heart. When the dust settles, you will naturally understand..."

The path of the true god cannot be measured by mortal eyes. My departure is not the end, but the beginning of a new life. And all this sacrifice, including this old shell of mine, is to ignite the final holy flame that will burn away the false god Xiao Ce! So that the glory of the true god may shine upon this defiled earth!

Seeing Scarface frozen in place, the mysterious man continued, "You must obey my orders. You cannot die yet, because you have not received the true god's certification, and you cannot be reborn..."

Scar Wolf was completely stunned by these words.

The mysterious concepts of "reincarnation of the true spirit" and "rebirth of the holy body," though difficult to understand, carry a heart-stirring sense of holiness, perfectly aligning with the "supreme true god, eternal faith" ideology that he had been repeatedly instilled with.

Isn't it the most powerful proof that His Lord is so certain, even willing to sacrifice himself, and without the slightest fear?

The fervent faith instantly overwhelmed the doubts and fears.

The shock in Scar Wolf's eyes was gradually replaced by an almost martyr-like excitement. He suddenly lowered his head, his voice choked with fervor:

"My lord... I... I understand! God above! Your will is our direction! Your sacrifice will surely awaken the sleeping holy flame! I... will not fail you! I will make those lackeys of false gods turn to ashes under the witness of Your supreme glory! I will use their flesh and blood to pave the way for Your rebirth!"

The mysterious man seemed to nod slightly, quite satisfied with Scar Wolf's answer.

He changed the subject and said to Scarface, "Very good. As for your concern that they are cunning and won't take the bait... Hmph, that depends on whether the bait is big enough and real enough."

"Your subordinate is foolish and ignorant. How should we set up such a large and convincing bait? How can we make Yin Weiyong, Night Cat, and even... even Xiao Ce believe it without question and come out in full force? I'm afraid even you, my lord, are not enough... Although you are powerful, they know nothing about your strength and are unlikely to be lured here!"

"Good question, Scarface."

The mysterious man was satisfied with the quality of Scarface's question and then said, "An ordinary holy descent ceremony might attract those hounds, but it's not enough to make that old fox Yin Weiyong bet everything, much less to alarm Xiao Ce, who claims to be a god! Unless..."

He paused for a moment: "The bait we've thrown out is something they absolutely cannot resist, something they will do anything to reclaim... a sharp dagger that can pierce their heart! Their true objective in coming to Xiao Kingdom!"

Scarface grew increasingly curious and puzzled upon seeing this...

Let these suggestive words ferment in Scarface's mind...

Looking at Scarface with a curious expression

Then, slowly and deliberately, he uttered the name that was enough to stir up the entire capital and perhaps even shake Xiao Ce's mind:

"King Zhen! Xiao! Ding! Shan!"

"what?!"

Scarface trembled violently, jerking his head up with his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. The scar on his face twitched violently from extreme shock. "The...the King of Zhen?! Xiao Dingshan?! Wasn't he...wasn't he...wasn't he...already dead?"

This news exploded in Scarface's mind like a thunderbolt! King Xiao Dingshan, Xiao Ce's royal uncle, was not Xiao Ce's biological father, but was more than a father to him.

Especially in the hearts of the soldiers and civilians of the old Xiao Kingdom, he was like a pillar of stability!

However, it is indeed surprising to learn that this person, who should have been dead for a long time, is still alive...

Or rather, it's somewhat unbelievable...

The mysterious man's voice carried a cold, triumphant air of control and manipulation: "Everyone knows that Xiao Dingshan is dead, but he faked his death... Why do you think this false god Xiao Ce would suddenly return from the West?"

"It's because Xiao Dingshan was kidnapped and left a message for him to meet in Xiao Kingdom... that this false god Xiao Ce came here! Although Xiao Dingshan was indeed kidnapped, he was secretly transferred by the power of the true god and is now in our hands!"

Scar Wolf's heart pounded wildly, and it felt as if all the blood had rushed to his head.

"My...my lord! This...this is real?! The King of the Town...is really here with us?!"

He looked around the simple and dark secret room and could hardly imagine that the legendary Iron-Blooded Marshal was still alive and would be imprisoned in such a filthy place.

The mysterious man accurately caught Scar Wolf's doubts and said with a hint of mockery in his voice, "The important thing is not whether he's here or not!"

"The important thing is that Yin Weiyong and Night Cat even thought that the false god Xiao Ce would believe that he was here, and that he would believe what we were about to do to him."

Scarface instantly understood his master's intention and nodded repeatedly, saying, "You mean...we want to...to declare that we have captured King Xiao Dingshan of the Town?! And to hold...a ceremony on him?!"

"It's not just a claim."

The mysterious man corrected, "We need evidence, evidence that they can see with their own eyes. A scene that is realistic enough, shocking enough, to make them lose some of their reason in their shock and anger."