Chapter 421 Theocracy · Rising Storm
If it were not for Li Tianlan’s close relationship with Samsara Palace, no one would have thought that Samsara Palace would have such great power in Eastern Europe.
In the Dark World, Samsara Palace was not really a super dark force, although they had an Invincible Realm expert who ranked No. 4 on the Divine List, a famous murderous weapon, and the 12 Super Masters who could overrun the whole world and go anywhere as they pleased.
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But they had no foundation.
A base entirely of its own represented the future and development potential of all forces.
It was true not only of the Dark World but of the entire world.
The territory was a necessary component of a nation, and influential families formed the headquarters. Samsara Palace had no foundation. What kind of superpower was it?
Even if they showed great power, a force that had no future in the eyes of the others could only be short-lived.
It seemed that Samsara Palace had never paid attention to this problem, or that they had never thought about the future.
The biggest impression that this force had on people was its mysteriousness.
They seemed to be able to exert enormous influence everywhere, but they had no chance to reverse the trend and make themselves the masters of a certain area.
Eastern Europe was the domain of the Polar Ground Alliance in the past.
Zhongzhou State had the Wang family of Beihai and Kunlun City.
After the decisive battle of Heaven Capital, East Island’s territory turned into that of the Purgatory of Heaven Capital.
The countries of the European Union were the regions of the Shadow Throne and the Vatican.
In the extremely chaotic Northern Europe, Dark Knights and Knights Templars were fighting each other.
America was even more lively. Fantasy World, Men in Black, the Jiang family of South America, and the Heroes’ Club were all there.
Several powerful families jointly controlled Australia.
Even in Africa, there was a ‘Guardian Deity’ similar to Black Ghost.
The Samsara Palace did not seem to have a foothold in the entire Dark World.
They were like a force that quickly condensed after appearing suddenly, wildly and wantonly flourishing in the Dark World, and then unstoppably approached their doom under the attention of everyone.
No one could have imagined that the layout of Samsara Palace in Eastern Europe would be so amazing.
If Gandalf was not enough to say anything, then everything that Fire Man and the two Sword Masters had experienced during the two hours following Jiang Qiansong was enough to show how horrible Samsara Palace’s infiltration in Eastern Europe was, at least in Wulan State.
The entire Recchi City was like a huge net, which shrouded Jiang Qiansong directly from the moment he walked out of the airport.
Neither Fire Man nor the two Sword Masters at first thought that it was an easy task to follow Jiang Qiansong.
Li Tianlan knew what kind of bargaining chips he had in his hands, but he didn’t have time to explain them one by one.
So for nearly two hours, Fire Man and the two Sword Masters fully realized Samsara Palace’s infiltration of Wulan State.
Gandalf had been in touch with them and watching everything behind the scenes.
Their tracking was completely arranged.
The black Mercedes Jiang Qiansong and Black Ghost took traveled along the road.
Fire Man followed them all the way.
If the distance between the two sides were more than 1,500 meters, Fire Man would definitely receive news from Gandalf as soon as possible.
Fire Man then overtook other cars on the road, took another car in front, and chased them after a few kilometers. And during this period, no one knew how many stalkers Samsara Palace had exchanged.
And if that wasn’t the strangest thing, it was the reaction of some of the troops that really struck Fire Man as a bit odd.
Wulan State International Airport was far away from Recchi City. The airport was located west of the city, about sixty kilometers from the downtown, nearly eighty kilometers from the current position of Li Tianlan, who was in the east of the city, and about one hundred kilometers from the Rekvia family’s headquarters.
It was really a long way.
But it wouldn’t take someone more than two hours to get there.
However, every time Jiang Qiansong’s vehicle was about to speed up or take a shortcut, Wulan State’s soldiers carrying out the siege plan would appear intentionally or accidentally.
Simple cross-examination, routine inquiry.
Time gradually passed in the interrogations, and Fire Man’s tracking seemed calmer while Jiang Qiansong was walking and stopping.
Gandalf explained that Samsara Palace had bribed some officers in Recchi City.
The explanation seemed all right.
But how omnipotent on earth Samsara Palace was, so that they were able to put the officers they had bribed so well on Jiang Qiansong’s route?
It was entirely out of the question.
So the only explanation was that Samsara Palace kept a big fish with a high position in Wulan State.
At present, the planted agent, who was likely to occupy a high position in Wulan State, was so reserved and low-key that no one noticed him. But if all these forces burst forth, it would be incomparably terrible. Even if that person was not qualified to compete with Rekvia, at least the person could not be ignored.
Having such a powerful force, why didn’t Samsara Palace regard Wulan State as its base?
During the tracking, Fire Man basically indulged in flights of fancy. Within a tracking distance of nearly a hundred kilometers, Jiang Qiansong and Black Ghost never found themselves being tracked.
That was the weirdest part.
It was easy and ridiculous.
But it was not easy for three Half-step Invincible Realm experts to shadow two Invincible Realm experts, after all.
When the vehicle passed the downtown, Gandalf reminded them again to change cars, and Li Tianlan’s voice came straight from the communicator.
His final order was very simple.
But it was extremely cruel.
“Slow Jiang Qiansong down.”
When he said that, the car had just passed the cold downtown.
Sirens whistled from different corners of the distance and went eastward.
The strong heartbeats sounded in Fire Man’s ears, with a sense of power.
Fire Man clenched the steering wheel and said calmly, “Leave it to me.”
Many years ago, he said these four words to Li Honghe.
A long time ago, he said these four words to Li Kuangtu.
Today, he said these four words to Li Tianlan.
Leave it to me.
Communication was cut off.
Fire Man’s eyes gradually glowed.
He engaged a gear, stepped on the accelerator, and accelerated.
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...
The car, which looked very ordinary on the outside, suddenly made a tremendous roar.
The car went straight ahead.
Fire Man held the steering wheel.
But the steering wheel had started to catch fire.
Black smoke came out of the cab.
Han Chongyang and Yun Qinxi on the back row straightened at the same time.
Two vehicles approached.
Within a few seconds, Fire Man’s car was close to the Mercedes that Jiang Qiansong was taking.
The steering wheel, almost useless, turned abruptly in Fire Man’s hands.
The tires rubbed against the ground.
The fire rose in a flash to the sky.
The burning car hit the Mercedes of Jiang Qiansong fiercely.
The huge impact force sent both cars crashing into a roadside guardrail at the same time, sending it flying across the road. Cars burned in extreme heat and rotation and exploded violently.
Fully focused, Fire Man punched the Mercedes in the explosion.
Only one simple but powerful word rang out in the explosion.
“Move!”
The flames surged forward.
Sword light rose into the sky.
It was nearly noon.
Nearly seven hours had passed since Li Tianlan’s surprise attack on Jiang Qiannian.
The torrential rain shrouded the east of Recchi City. Raging fire and sword light from Zhongzhou State rushed to the dominator of the Jiang family of South America without hesitation.
...
Regardless of looking backward or forwards, the dramatic changes in Recchi City were regarded as the starting point of the official outbreak of Eastern Europe’s chaos.
The collapse of the Polar Ground Alliance.
The extermination of Samsara Palace.
The turmoil in Eastern Europe.
Under the prospect of huge benefits, the entire Dark World had fallen into madness.
A turbulent and crazy age often meant the demise of the old era and the beginning of a new era.
When news of Jiang Qiannian’s death spread throughout the Dark World, everyone knew what it meant.
The collapse of the Polar Ground Alliance and Samsara Palace caused the chaos in Eastern Europe.
And Jiang Qiannian, strictly speaking, could be said to be the first Invincible Realm expert who died in the chaos in Eastern Europe.
Eastern Europe, a place full of opportunities, had a sudden squall, without anyone having enough mental preparation.
Some were still watching the wind.
Some were already on their way.
Snow Country was the largest country in the world, with national borders running across entire Eastern Europe.
The distances from different parts of Snow Country to Wulan State were naturally different.
The Vatican and Knights Templars were based in the middle of Snow Country.
It was not far from where they were stationed to Recchi City.
The helicopter whistled in the air.
The cities, forests, and rivers in Snow Country below were receding one by one.
The helicopter flew high.
Chaos, the chief of Knights Templars and an Invincible Realm expert, was sitting in the cabin. He had been silent for a long time, looking gloomily at the shadowy landscape below.
Holy Virgin Angel from the Vatican sat opposite Chaos and watched him for a long time.
With a code name ‘Sky Bird’, such a military helicopter in Snow Country was very fast, but the cabin was not large. Thus, on this trip to Recchi City, Vatican’s personnel were not many, and more people would have to see what would happen before they decided whether to go to Wulan State.
So in the small cabin, Holy Virgin Angel, Mellad, the deputy chief of Holy Disarmament Corps, Chaos, the chief of Knights Templars, five Holy Disarmament Warriors, and two Holy Punishment Priests were all the people from the Vatican that rushed to Recchi City this time.
The ten people were silent in the roars of the rotors at the same time. It seemed that every one of them had different thoughts.
With the code name Follower, Mellad, the deputy chief of Holy Disarmament Corps, was watching all this with interest. The light in his eyes was dim and playful.
Nearly a third of the journey had passed.
The helicopter was expected to arrive in Recchi City by 4 p.m.
The face of Chaos was still gloomy and livid. He remained silent.
“Your Excellency, Chief of Knights Templars.”
Angel, who was also silent all the way, frowned slightly. Under the white veil, her voice was cold and indifferent. “I still haven’t seen your sincerity. Without it, it doesn’t make sense for you to fly with us.”
“Sincerity?”
Chaos laughed suddenly.
Knights Templars were seen by all as a branch of the Vatican, and that was actually true.
But Chaos, as an Invincible Realm expert, had a status higher than the chief of Knights Templars. Chaos was definitely a big shot in the Vatican. The commander and deputy commander of Holy Disarmament Corps, cardinals, Holy Virgin, and even the Pope would show him enough respect. It was the treatment that an Invincible Realm expert deserved.
So with inner rage, even in the presence of Holy Virgin of the Vatican, his tone was direct, bordering on rudeness. “Your Highness Holy Virgin, tell me, how can I be sincere? We are still hundreds of kilometers away from Recchi City. Should I kneel in the cabin and start confessing now?”
“You still don’t understand.”
Angel looked at Chaos with a flat tone.
“I don’t understand.”
Chaos stood up.
He was very tall. When he stood up, his head almost reached the ceiling. He stood in front of Angel, with an aura of pressure. “I don’t understand how you convinced His Majesty, the Pope. His Majesty wanted me, Chaos, the chief of Knights Templars, to apologize to a young man and Zhongzhou State? In the Dark World, Knights Templars have never feared anyone and have never apologized to anyone.”
There was a fierce light in his eyes. He stared at Angel. “Not even once.”
Angel was silent in the face of the growing sense of pressure on Chaos.
She was silent for a long time before she calmly said, “In fact, Your Excellency, I did not convince His Majesty. Knights Templars must gain the forgiveness of Zhongzhou State. In the case that Knights Templars did not participate in the slaughter of the Zhongzhou State garrison, we need to live together in peace with Zhongzhou State for the time being. To achieve this purpose, this time, Knights Templars need to pay more than just an apology. Of course, from the stand of the Vatican, we very much hope that you can bring peace by apologizing only.”
“Peace.”
Chaos sneered, and his eyes were unusually cold. “I’m not convinced.”
“But it is His Majesty’s will.”
Angel stared at Chaos, and her voice gradually became majestic. “Your Excellency, either respect His Majesty’s will or give up your faith. One more name will be added to the list of heretics of the Vatican.”
“I will respect the will of His Majesty, the Pope.”
Chaos narrowed his eyes. “But I hope I can get a reasonable explanation after I have done all this.”
“So, you still don’t understand.”
Angel said coldly, “Your apology to Zhongzhou State, in the final analysis, is an apology to Li Tianlan. Li Tianlan may not seem important to you, but he is vital in the chaos of Eastern Europe. He’s involved in Samsara Palace, Sigh City, Mount Shu, Jade Pool, even the Wang family of Beihai, Kunlun City, and the Jiang family of South America. Three years ago, in the decisive battle of Heaven Capital, the Heroes’ Club, Fantasy World, your Knights Templars, the Polar Ground Alliance, and even the Vatican had cause and effect with him.”
“Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, if we really want to find a few key people who can influence the overall situation of the chaos in Eastern Europe, Li Tianlan is one of them. Obviously, you are not one of them, though you’re an Invincible Realm expert.
“You don’t know what bargaining chips he has now, but you should know that he attacked the Jiang family of South America on the first day he entered Eastern Europe. And now, the world’s powers have begun to pressure Zhongzhou State, but if Li Tianlan makes it through... you should know what he’s going to get.”
Angel calmly said, “Or what Li Tianlan wants now.”
“What?”
Chaos frowned and asked subconsciously.
Eastern Europe was too messy.
The chaos was so bad that everyone was an enemy but yourself.
Chaos had a hard time focusing all his attention on one place. He must focus on Eastern Europe.
Perhaps as Angel said, until now, Chaos hadn’t even figured out who was the key figure in the chaos in Eastern Europe.
Angel glanced at Chaos.
She thought that the other’s subconscious questioning was really stupid.
Recchi City was so chaotic. Several countries had classified Zhongzhou State as hostile, and nearly twenty powerful nations had been suppressing Zhongzhou State, hoping that Zhongzhou State would make a compromise.
Although Zhongzhou State was still silent, what retreat did Li Tianlan have?
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If he wanted to stay in Zhongzhou State and maintained his current status and the Li family’s right to survive, he must reverse all this.
How to reverse?
If Li Tianlan succeeded, the Jiang family of South America was destined to get knocked out of the Eastern European chaos in advance and become the first superpower to leave the chaos in advance.
If Li Tianlan succeeded, the Rekvia family would inevitably fall into the hands of Li Tianlan.
If Li Tianlan succeeded, he could control Rekvia and force the Jiang family of South America back. With Wulan State as the center, the sphere of influence of the Rekvia family would become that of Li Tianlan. At that time, the Zhongzhou State Arctic Ocean Command would definitely expand again and settle in Wulan State. Then, the Arctic Ocean Command in Eastern Europe would have the power to deter the whole of Eastern Europe and even retain its aggressiveness against Western Europe because it has filled the vacancy in Wulan State.
If Li Tianlan succeeded, all of this belonged to him, to the Li family, and to the Zhongzhou State.
Both vested interests and strategic prospects were wonderful.
It was precisely because of this that Zhongzhou State kept silent, waiting for Li Tianlan’s result in Recchi City.
Li Tianlan had the support of Samsara Palace and held too many bargaining chips in his hand. At least, there was a sword stroke that was destined to shock the world behind him.
The Vatican couldn’t see the possibility of his failure.
If Li Tianlan had established his position in Wulan State and the Jiang family of South America had withdrawn, the ones he would fight next must be Knights Templars and the Vatican behind Knights Templars.
The Vatican feared neither Li Tianlan nor Zhongzhou State.
But the Vatican now needed the sword stroke of Samsara Palace.
That was the real priority.
So they needed Knights Templars and Li Tianlan to reach an agreement, even if the former needed to pay something else other than merely an apology.
The something else mentioned above, at some important moments, even included the cultivation of Chaos, an Invincible Realm expert, and his life.
This matter was of the utmost importance.
It was even one of the most critical things in the Vatican’s plan.
But this matter was also complicated.
Angel thought about it and said as simple as possible. “Simply speaking, if Li Tianlan succeeds, he will get the military power of the five nearby countries with Wulan State as the core.”
The military power of the five nearby countries with Wulan State as the core.
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Although the countries around Wulan State were small, Wulan State alone, in terms of land area, was the second-largest country in Europe except for Snow Country.
Once this plan was successful, it could even affect the transfer of the entire Zhongzhou State Arctic Ocean Command.
By then, the Zhongzhou State army would occupy Wulan State...
The face of Chaos grew worse and worse.
But Angel’s speech was not over. “From the perspective of certain secret cooperation, our obligation on this trip may not only be to apologize, but also to help Li Tianlan obtain the military power of the five nations.”
“What about us?”
Chaos sneered, “What can we get?”
“His Majesty the Pope’s will is that Li Tianlan can get the military power. But the Vatican must get the theocracy,” Angel said.
...
...
The Vatican was on the way.
The Shadow Throne was also on the way.
When many people were paying attention to Jiang Qiansong, only the Shadow Throne was watching the Black Ghost, known as the Guardian Deity of Africa.
Like the Polar Ground Alliance, the Shadow Throne was also an extremely strange superpower.
There were similarities, but they were not exactly the same.
The leader of the Polar Ground Alliance was first supported by the four major families in Eastern Europe and then got his position established through the support of various influential families in Eastern Europe.
On the throne of the Shadow Throne, there was only one surname for hundreds of years.
That was Rothschild.
An ancient, powerful family with a history longer than that of the Wang family of Beihai.
The Shadow Throne was also composed of powerful European families, but it was also the guardian of the European Union. This definition had an expansive meaning, which meant that while it was absolutely fair and neutral within the European Union, there was infinite, invisible power and glory.
The Shadow Throne guarded the entire EU.
The status of the powerful families under the throne within the EU was naturally stable.
This intimate relationship of mutual cooperation and interdependence was far more mature than that of the Polar Ground Alliance.
If the Polar Ground Alliance continued to develop, it might become the same organization as the Shadow Throne. At that time, the two superpowers in Europe, one occupying Eastern Europe and the other occupying Western Europe, could create a spectacular.
It was just that even within the Polar Ground Alliance, where the leader did not have much dominance, the game between the leader and the four prominent families, as well as the entanglement between the powerful families and various countries, made this all extremely complicated. The Polar Ground Alliance could only get more and more bloated and chaotic and eventually collapsed utterly.
The Shadow Throne came to Eastern Europe from Western Europe this time and secretly had basically obtained the consent of most EU countries. Nearly all countries in Western Europe hoped to turn Europe into the world of the Shadow Throne completely.
It was bound to create an unprecedented behemoth in the Dark World.
But such a behemoth meant stability in Western Europe’s far more mature political system than that of Eastern Europe.
However, in the Shadow Throne, although Rothschild had plenty of control, among the national interests and the interests of the powerful families, Duke Irene·KingTong·Wang·Rothschild, known as the Queen of Shadows, needed to make a choice.
The EU countries hoped that the Queen of Shadows would allow the shadow to cover Eastern Europe.
It was bound to be a long, complicated, and tortuous process.
The influential families inside the Shadow Throne unanimously demanded that the queen kill the Black Ghost from Africa.
This process may be short.
But it wouldn’t be easy.
A few years ago, the Black Ghost suddenly appeared in Africa. In a short period, the influential families of the Shadow Throne suffered heavy losses in the Black Ghost’s hands.
People in Africa were down and out, but the land was not barren. It was a land of gold.
The influential families had suffered heavy losses in Africa, and the interests they represented were unimaginable.
However, the Black Ghost had very deep roots in Africa. Known as the Guardian Deity, he had won the support of dozens of indigenous tribes in Africa. He was mighty and had a vague intention of fighting for mastery with the African Deity Armed Corps.
Everyone knew that the backer of the Deity Armed Corps was the Wang family of Beihai.
But no one knew if Black Ghost knew that.
However, the Black Ghost had never had too many conflicts with the Deity Armed Corps. He seemed to want benefits.
So the influential families of the Shadow Throne were plundered of their valuables by him.
Over the past few years, the two sides had fought countless times, and the hatred had deepened, gradually becoming an inextricable knot.
Especially in the past two years, the two sides fought fiercely. The force of Black Ghost continued to grow, and the benefits of the influential families of the Shadow Throne in some parts of Africa were close to zero.
Capitalists hated to have their cake moved.
Not to mention that Africa was such a big piece of cake.
Black Ghost now appeared in Eastern Europe.
Many influential families of the Shadow Throne had decided to kill the Black Ghost in Eastern Europe.
As for the Jiang family of South America, the Black Ghost was the opponent anyway. It was good if they could kill him.
KingTong thought it was nice as well.
So the minute she knew that the Black Ghost appeared, she was already on her way to Recchi City.
Recchi City seemed to be the focus of Eastern Europe overnight.
For KingTong, the Black Ghost was there, and he must die.
And in the current situation, the Snowdance Corps and the Jiang family of South America were fighting in Recchi City, and the Rekvia family and Wulan State were likely to change their stance at any time.
Their stance was likely to be in line with that of the Jiang family of South America.
But if Li Tianlan won, they would yield to Li Tianlan in desperation.
Such a swing also meant that if the Shadow Throne finally settled the situation in Recchi City, Rekvia and Wulan State would maintain the same stance as that of the Shadow Throne.
That was the frustration after the collapse of the Polar Ground Alliance.
Morton, Violet, Qin family, Rekvia.
The four major families in Eastern Europe supported the Polar Ground Alliance. The first three were better. Rekvia was recognized as the weakest of the four major families. Without their support for Tyrant, the Polar Ground Alliance collapsed. At critical moments, Tyrant was unlikely to shelter them.
It was an opportunity for everyone.
Rekvia...
The helicopter raced through the air.
The golden pupils of the Queen of Shadows grew brighter and more enchanting.
She suddenly felt that putting Eastern Europe’s sally port in Rekvia was indeed a good choice.
No, it was even the best option.
Did Li Tianlan also choose to attack the Jiang family of South America and got Rekvia and Wulan State involved at the same time precisely because of seeing this?
If he had planned ahead, he would have been able to anticipate the situation. If he had anticipated the situation, how could he not have prepared?
KingTong frowned. Thinking of this problem, she felt a little uneasy inside, but she had some fighting spirit.
The chaos in Eastern Europe seemed more and more interesting.
Standing on the helicopter, KingTong suddenly ordered, “Speed up.”
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The helicopter gradually accelerated in the air.
Through the cabin, KingTong looked into the distance.
The Shadow Throne was different from any other force.
They entered Eastern Europe, but for the time being, they did not choose to join forces with any major power in Eastern Europe.
The ally they identified privately was outside Eastern Europe but was very close to Eastern Europe.
The Wang family of Beihai!
It meant that the next operation of the Shadow Throne might make it an enemy of all the forces in Eastern Europe, and it also signified that the Shadow Throne was likely to become an ally of any party in Eastern Europe.
KingTong was faintly aware of a series of variables to be formed in Eastern Europe after things had been settled in Wulan State.
Her golden pupils became deeper and more enchanting.
A storm was rising in Eastern Europe.
Who were the enemies, and who were the allies?