Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 609: Starfall’s Blessing

All equipment was registered with the mercenary group, and a small commission was automatically charged for each piece of equipment sold to support the mercenary group. Because most of the raw materials were obtained by Xingluo, letting them take them for free would not be conducive to the sustainable development of the mercenary group.

In Starfall, dwarven craftsmen were no longer slaves, no longer willing to sacrifice years of mining for a sip of wine, no longer toiling away to craft a single piece of magical equipment in exchange for a week's worth of food. Instead, they were part of a mercenary group. Their skills were recognized by the mercenaries, and they found brothers and friends.

Xingluo announced at the territory meeting:

"Rebuild the Sky City Mercenary Group."

“It belongs neither to the Kingdom nor to the Church.

It belongs to everyone who follows me and fights for their homeland and their beliefs."

Compared to ordinary mercenary groups that are driven by money, Xingluo has put forward three core principles:

Contract, all members signed a contract when joining the mercenary group, those who believe in the God of Light will be erased at the soul level, this is also a last resort, now is the critical time to start with the Holy See of Light, any accident must be nipped in the bud.

As for benefits, all profits of the mercenary group are distributed according to contribution, and equipment, potions, and training are provided free of charge, which is basically the same as before.

Blessing means that if you devote yourself to the Starfaller, you will receive his protection. At critical moments, you can borrow the "blessing of time and space" to briefly possess the power of time and space. This has already surpassed the level of demigods and reached an ability close to that of gods, but the power is still much worse.

Xingluo had already come up with a lot of ideas in this regard through his research on the Abyss Summoning. This blessing was equivalent to using the divinity of the Divine Flame Crystal to allow followers to connect with his soul and establish a "contract".

In the center of the square, the night was as dark as ink, and the stars trembled behind the clouds, as if they dared not look directly at the burning shadow of the divine flame crystal on the ground.

Xingluo stood quietly on the platform, the wind blowing his cloak, and a golden-blue light spread out from his body, outlining ancient contract runes that intertwined and swirled in the air.

His eyes were calm, but his tone was filled with unquestionable pressure:

"Today, I will conclude a contract with you in the name of the 'Lord of Time and Space'."

"You will borrow my strength to survive in this chaotic world—"

"The price is that you entrust a part of your soul to me for protection."

Everyone was shocked.

They thought it was just a blessing.

But now they realize:

It is a blessing that can give them real power.

Xingluo slowly raised his hand, and the Divine Flame Crystal emerged in his palm. It was no longer just a source of magic power, but like a dormant core of divinity, gradually awakening.

call--

The air seemed to be sucked out and the entire square fell into a suffocating silence.

The next moment, the divine flame crystal burst out with a dazzling blue-gold beam of light, which shot straight into the sky, then suddenly bent back down and projected onto the chest of each follower.

Everyone groaned in pain.

Some people saw the faces of their deceased relatives;

Some people see their own past shame and cowardice;

Some people even saw the appearance of their own souls directly - a faint, shivering ball of light floating in the void.

"That is... my soul?"

Xingluo pressed his left hand on his chest and slowly waved his right hand. The space twisted and a huge "Divine Flame Mark" appeared in the air.

It was a structure formed by a mixture of Abyssal Summoning Runes and Divine Contract Texts—

The center is the energy core of the Divine Flame Crystal.

The six soul contact rings that Xingluo learned from the abyss were engraved around it:

Memory piercing, consciousness echoing, emotional mapping, soul vibration, contract signing, and divine imprinting.

boom--!

The light array shook, and strands of soul threads suddenly stretched out from Xingluo's body, like chains of light, crossing space and accurately and quickly piercing the soul core of every follower who joined temporarily.

Someone screamed in pain;

Some people look up and laugh loudly;

Some people shed tears silently.

And at this moment, everyone felt one thing——

They "saw" Xingluo's soul.

It was a star burning with endless divine flames, slowly rotating between time and space, emitting a light of oppression, loneliness, clarity and anger.

"He...is not God, but he is more real than God."

"Now, choose."

Xingluo's voice rang out, and an illusory picture appeared in front of everyone's soul. They were given the opportunity to choose. Xingluo rarely forced others to do things, but at this moment no one hesitated.

Everyone chose to follow Xingluo without hesitation.

Because they are not blindly worshipping Xingluo, but they clearly know:

"If the world is about to collapse, he is the only one who can hold up the sky."

"If Xingluo is a god, then trusting him is choosing to continue living."

The next moment, a second wave erupted from the Divine Flame Crystal.

boom

Thousands of souls were instantly "rewoven"——

Their structure is still intact, but deep in their souls, there is a graffiti from the falling stars, like a stroke of fate:

【Resonance·Time and Space Seal】

The significance of this seal is not only a connection, but also a two-way empowerment:

Xingluo can delegate part of the power of time and space to these followers.

The trust and life and death of these followers will in turn nourish the divinity of Xingluo.

This is not "God protects mortals",

But -

"A being that gradually becomes a god, in turn relying on believers to build a soul empire."

As the last soul thread completed the binding, the Divine Flame Crystal let out a roar like a dragon's roar, and a surge of divine power surged from the center of the earth, sweeping across the entire territory.

The wind stopped.

The stars dimmed.

Between heaven and earth, there is only one figure standing before all living beings, with thousands of soul threads entwined around his body, like the curtains of a crown.

That's Starfall.

His soul is no longer lonely,

Instead, it becomes the source of convergence of the hearts of all people.

At that moment, Xingluo felt the residual soul of the God of Time and Space in the Divine Flame Crystal vibrate slightly.

A distant and ancient whisper came from the depths of the crystal:

"...Well used... mortal..."

"You are on the path to becoming a god..."

Xingluo replied in a low voice:

"I don't want to become a god."

“I just want those who believe in me to no longer starve to death, be enslaved, or be burned as heretics.”

The remnant soul did not respond, leaving only a faint echo:

"You are already more like God than many gods."

When everyone connected with Xingluo, they felt that time and space were being reconstructed. They actually saw the wonders of "past-present-future" at the same time. Their souls were baptized, making them respect Xingluo more and realize his power.

The mercenary who obtained the "power of time and space" displayed extraordinary strength, shocking the people around him. At the same time, he also deliberately hinted to everyone that he was touching the level of gods, fundamentally undermining everyone's awe of gods. Otherwise, if a real fight broke out, once the other party showed a miracle, they might turn against him in the middle of the battle.

Under the night sky filled with flames and storms, Xingluo's figure stood in the center of the square like an unshakable mountain.

Behind him, the Flame Hammer Workshop towered into the clouds; at his feet, thousands of followers knelt on one knee, hands raised high, waiting for a miracle to happen.

——This is not just a recruitment, it is a baptism of the soul.

——They are no longer mercenaries, exiles and refugees, they will become Xingluo’s “family members”.

Xingluo slowly raised his right hand. The divine flame crystal in his palm trembled gently, emitting a dazzling energy glow. That glow seemed to contain countless shattered fragments of time and space, flickering images of the past and the future.

“Those who turn to me will be protected from generation to generation.

My soul will connect with your soul."

The low voice echoed between heaven and earth, as if carrying the echo of time.

The next moment, the Divine Flame Crystal began to vibrate violently, spreading out a halo of interwoven energy that covered the entire square.

call--

The wind stopped.

The clouds also stopped.

Even time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Countless surrendered followers opened their eyes wide, and they saw...

——A phantom giant hand woven from the sands of time and cracks in space was slowly reaching down from the sky, covering their heads.

"The contract has been concluded."

As Xingluo finished speaking, a translucent mark of time and space lit up on everyone's right shoulder at the same time, embedded in the depths of their soul like a brand.

"what--!"

A mercenary exclaimed, a strange scene appearing before his eyes:

He saw his past memories, from birth, exile, fighting, slavery, to the entire past when he came before Xingluo, all of which came flooding back like a torrent.