Lu Jun knew he couldn't afford to turn against the Holy City yet; his strength was far from its peak. He needed to wait until after the forbidden spell was cast.
He had previously read about the Holy City's domineering nature in the original story, and having lived in the magical plane for over twenty years (awakening his innate wisdom), he had heard rumors of how the Holy Tribunal persecuted geniuses, hence their view of the Holy City as a mortal enemy.
However, Lu Jun lacked firsthand experience, and only now, having encountered it, did he realize the truth of those rumors.
The Holy City was even more domineering than he had imagined; its internal affairs were corrupt, every member was dim-witted, arrogant, and intolerant of disobedience.
It truly made one want to slaughter the entire Holy City from top to bottom.
This experience further solidified his plan to destroy the Holy City.
Furthermore, upon hearing the name Dulank, Lu Jun's mind raced, and he vaguely guessed Dulank's purpose.
It's nothing more than Dulank fabricating charges to target Xinxia. Therefore, to mold Xinxia into the true Salan, they must force him to admit that the one appearing in the ancient capital is a 'fake Salang.'
This way, it's not the Holy City targeting them, but merely Dulank's idea. Distinguishing this point narrows the current crisis to a manageable level.
It doesn't even amount to suppressing Lu Jun; it's just a casual action by Dulank. The real pressure lies with Xinxia and Mo Fan.
Having figured this out, his gaze deepened. He pressed Mo Fan's shoulder, comforting him, "It's alright, I'm just going with them."
Hearing this, Siso, Dulank's direct subordinate, scoffed, "It would have been better to make a decision sooner. Why refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit? The Divine Seal Praise can be made up for later with Parthenon."
"But the matter of the Holy City cannot be delayed."
The National Government officials were extremely dissatisfied. The more astute Jiang Yu had already gone to report to his master, the Chief Pang Lai, asking him to convey to Shao Zheng and other high-ranking officials to help Lu Jun out of this predicament.
Before leaving, Lu Jun pondered for a moment, then telepathically transmitted a message to Mo Fan: "Be careful. The Holy City's request to verify Salan's life or death isn't targeting me; on the contrary, it's a deadly attack on Xin Xia."
Back in the Ancient Capital, you should have known that Xin Xia is Wen Tai and Ye Chang's daughter, right?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Fan was greatly shaken, a strong fear rising within him—a fear stemming from worry about Xin Xia's safety.
When he suddenly looked up at Lu Jun's retreating figure, he opened his mouth to call out to him, but the three of them had already disappeared into the distance.
Mo Fan cursed, "I knew that the waters of these powerful forces like Parthenon were very deep. Someone as naive as Xin Xia getting involved will surely be devoured by some wolves."
He recalled Xin Xia's inexplicable becoming a candidate for Goddess, and the mysterious death of Ander, the most likely winner of the Goddess title. He suddenly realized that Parthenon had become a super vortex, involving everyone and everything.
At this moment, although Mo Fan didn't know the inside story, he sensed the danger.
Fortunately, he was decisive. The simplest way was to take Xin Xia away from this vortex. Goddess candidate? Forget it! Return home immediately!
Mo Fan refused to believe that, back in the Nine Provinces, with Hua Zhanhong, Shao Zheng, and Han Ji heavily protecting her, Parthenon could still cross borders and take someone away!
This plan was to cut off their supply lines!
Immediately afterward, Mo Fan took action. His unilateral request to take Xin Xia away as a family member was probably not simple.
He certainly had the moral high ground, citing his familial relationship and Xin Xia's one-year study abroad period as reasons. However, if the mastermind behind Parthenon truly wanted to use Xin Xia, they wouldn't release her easily.
Mo Fan thought of Shao Zheng, Han Ji, and Pang Lai—that's it, a two-pronged approach!
On the other side, Lu Jun sat on the broad back of a sub-monarch level summoned beast—the Light Thornbird. This bird resembled a roc, its entire body covered in countless white feathers like thorns, exuding domineering power.
The Holy Tribunal Mages stood on either side, as if guarding prisoners. They took off from Venice, Italy, heading towards the starting point of the Alps—the Holy City.
Lu Jun was dissatisfied but too lazy to pay attention to these two guys on the death list. He pondered that Mo Fan, with his intelligence, would probably understand his hints.
It's impossible to explain the specifics clearly. Regarding Izisha's resurrection… theoretically, he knew nothing about it.
Therefore, he only needed to point out the relationship between Xin Xia and Wen Tai Salan.
Yes, Lu Jun could easily escape Dulank's entanglement and continue to lie low by simply changing his story and denying Salan's death.
But he disdained doing so; surviving by betraying friends was not his style.
Besides, Lu Jun didn't believe Dulank would dare do anything to him! He was innocent, had no connection to the matter, and with his status as the captain of the National Team's champion team and the protection of high-ranking officials like Shao Zheng, he was protected from any outside methods of targeting him.
At worst, he could activate the Ancient King's Armor and wreak havoc in the Holy City. After all, it was the Undead Emperor causing chaos; what did it have to do with Lu Jun?!
Of course, Lu Jun remained calm, observing Mo Fan's actions. If things went smoothly, there was no need to take action, since Xin Xia wasn't really related to him.
If Xinxia's soul were taken by Izisha, well, hehehe. He'd long disliked Dulank for the treatment he'd received today and wouldn't hesitate to hold Izisha accountable.
Whether from a personal or Eastern perspective,
Izisha taking control of the Parthenon and refining her soul was the worst possible choice.
Salan was dead, and Lu Jun didn't know how things would ultimately turn out; he could only observe coldly and make his final, crucial move.
A short while later, Lu Jun was somewhat surprised. The two Tribunal Mages hadn't taken him to the Holy City, but instead had detoured to the Parthenon in Greece.
Soon,the majestic and sacred Mount Goddess and other mountain ranges came into view, exuding a holy aura. A thornbird landed at the foot of the mountains in a relatively quiet courtyard.
The figure of Grand Inquisitor Dulank seemed to have been there all along.
When the two Tribunal Mages brought him there, they quietly withdrew, leaving only a private space for their conversation, and the surroundings were utterly silent.
The middle-aged mage had a somewhat sinister face, with triangular eyebrows and eyes. Upon seeing Lu Jun, he went straight to the point: "How did Salan of the ancient capital die?"
Seeing this unquestionable and domineering style, Lu Jun frowned slightly and calmly replied, "Han Ji killed him."
"Then how do you know that was the real Salan?"
"I have intelligence..."
"How can you be sure your intelligence is correct?"
"From Asharuiya..."
"What does that have to do with her? Or is Asharuiya related to Cardinal Salan of the Black Vatican?"
Hearing this, Lu Jun fell silent, rolling his eyes. 'Damn it, how could you not know that Wen Tai and Salan were husband and wife, and Asharuiya was an adopted daughter?' But this was something that couldn't be said openly.
This was precisely Lu Jun's fatal weakness. His intelligence, cloaked in Asharuiya's account.
But now that Izisha had been resurrected, even Asharuiya was an enemy; he might end up dragging her into this mess.
Furthermore, Dulank's aggressive attitude, bombarding him with questions that cut into his thinking time, constantly attacking any flaws in his arguments, and frequently interrupting him, made him quite formidable.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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