Chapter 700: Section 487: Only by becoming a Holy Fighter can one avoid prison
Anqiu.
Snow Peak stood tall, with the cold air settling into the valley of green grass and red flowers, leaving only a penetrating coolness.
Around the brownish-yellow wooden house, temporary shacks had been hastily assembled.
All the shacks were made from locally sourced materials, with tree trunks and branches crudely constructed.
The members of the Saber Gang lived in these shacks.
However, only the Gang Leader, Ice Eagle, and the Spring Boxer lived in the brown-yellow woodhouse.
No one objected to this arrangement, including Lan Zao who knew that Ice Eagle was the old Gang Leader of the Saber Gang, and since Spring Boxer was Teng Donglang’s Coffin Carrier, it was natural that he would be the next Gang Leader.
Spring Boxer’s days were not easy.
From time to time, a flood of memories surged into his mind, causing him to faint and collapse.
Lying in bed for a while, he slowly regained consciousness.
After some time awake, he would plunge back into unconsciousness.
Through this cycle of waking and fainting, he acquired a vast amount of Teng Donglang’s memories.
Spring Boxer was growing rapidly!
And it was Ice Eagle who looked after him tirelessly day and night.
Considering possible traitors among the Saber Gang, Ice Eagle didn’t trust anyone else, not even Lan Zao, who was known for his ruthlessness.
Once again, the bedridden Spring Boxer slowly awakened.
The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the old Gang Leader.
Ice Eagle was by the window, reading a book in the brilliant daylight.
Anqiu was the Divine Country of the God of Duels, where the concept of night did not exist; it was bright and clear 24 hours a day.
Seeing Ice Eagle gave Spring Boxer a strong sense of security and gratitude.
He made it to this day largely because of Teng Donglang’s mentorship, but the old Gang Leader Ice Eagle’s help was also immensely significant.
Seeing Spring Boxer awake, Ice Eagle immediately came to the bedside, “It seems you have gained quite a lot this time.”
Spring Boxer nodded, “This time, I gained Lord Teng Donglang’s combat experience. He fought fiercely with a Rabbit-man on a snow mountain. His comrades fell one after another, and the original group of a hundred warriors was almost entirely annihilated, leaving only him and three comrades. Lord Teng Donglang’s life hung by a thread, it was his comrades who sacrificed themselves fearlessly that saved his life.”
Ice Eagle suddenly realized, “You’re talking about that battle. That Rabbit-man warrior was named Qing Hong Eye. Although extremely hot-tempered, he was a persecuted and unfortunate Snow Rabbit-man. Perhaps you’ll meet him someday.”
Spring Boxer blinked slightly, his tone a bit indignant and aggrieved, “In the memories, indeed, Lord Teng Donglang defeated him, and the Rabbit-man fainted. But the giant Rabbit-man didn’t die? Why didn’t Lord Teng Donglang kill him?”
“There must have been a clear military order at the time. As for the reasons and consequences, you’ll understand later,” Ice Eagle did not want to elaborate.
Spring Boxer bowed his head, showing a thoughtful look, “No wonder I felt Lord Teng Donglang’s complex feelings during that memory—anger, hatred, responsibility, sympathy, and more.”
Obtaining Teng Donglang’s memories was akin to reliving some of Teng Donglang’s impressive life moments.
He was truly immersed, able not only to accurately gain experience but also to feel Teng Donglang’s emotions at the time.
Spring Boxer placed his hand on his chest, his expression complex, “Receiving Lord Teng Donglang’s experiences is like him coming back to life, teaching me in a miraculous way. Ice Eagle, sometimes I have the illusion that when I wake up, Lord Teng Donglang is also by my bed.”
As he spoke, Spring Boxer’s eyes reddened.
Ice Eagle sighed, stepped forward to Spring Boxer, clasped his wrist, and pulled him up, “Do not dwell in sorrow; having inherited Teng Donglang’s will, you should strive even harder.”
“The period of acquiring experiences is crucial for you.”
“Don’t waste any more time; go eat and drink. You must maintain your physical condition; you can’t eat while unconscious.”
Containing his emotions, Spring Boxer got out of bed and went to the dining table, beginning to eat and drink heartily.
The dining table was always prepared with a large amount of food.
These foods were not hunted from the valley by the Saber Gang members or collected from valley berries, but were Divine Blessings obtained through Ice Eagle’s prayers!
This was the Divine Country, a land of incredible wonders.
Being a Holy Fighter of the God of Duels, Ice Eagle’s prayers were met with instantaneous responses, providing delicious food.
While eating and drinking, Spring Boxer’s ears moved slightly, hearing the noise of the Saber Gang’s members training outside the wooden house.
He revealed a thoughtful look and said to Ice Eagle, “Leader, how should we deal with Xiong Ju and Hen Fa, and the others?”
Upon hearing this, Ice Eagle’s eyes brightened, smiling with satisfaction, “Correct, having absorbed Teng Donglang’s experience, you have indeed matured a lot.”
People change.
A person’s maturity is chiefly due to experiences, not age.
The more experiences one has, the more mature they often become.
The Spring Boxer had lived through Teng Donglang’s life, not lacking in arduous battles, near-death experiences, or exhaustive thought on strategies that ultimately led to commanding armies to victory.
He was becoming mature.
Especially since he had obtained the memory of Teng Donglang being recognized by Anqiu and becoming a Holy Fighter, deeply understanding the significant meaning of Anqiu.
In the critical moment on Flower Skirt Island, he even requested Ice Eagle to bring Xiong Ju and others along.
But now, he was beginning to consider how to most safely deal with Xiong Ju and his gang. After all, there could be a mole among them!
Ice Eagle said, “I have already thought of a way to handle this.”
“As long as they convert successfully, it will prove their loyalty.”
“After we leave Anqiu, we will take those who become Holy Fighters with us. As for the others, we can only imprison them temporarily.”
The Spring Boxer frowned slightly, “Although I’m not a Divine Officer, I know that faith alone cannot determine loyalty.”
Ice Eagle nodded slightly, “Precisely put, it is like this.”
“Faith can be divided into several levels: general, ordinary, devout, and fanatic.”
“General believers have a certain recognition and understanding of a type of faith, but they do not deeply study or practice it. They verbally express belief but don’t strictly follow the principles of that faith in their actions.”
“Ordinary believers are traditional followers of a religion or faith. They adhere to the doctrines and rules of the religion, but are not too radical. Ordinary believers vary in their understanding and practice of faith but generally hold a certain level of reverence and awe for their religion or faith.”
“Devout believers have a strong sense of identification with their faith and actively practice it in their lives. They strictly adhere to the doctrines and rules of their faith in their daily lives to ensure they receive the blessings and protection of their faith.”
“Fanatics have an excessively extreme pursuit of their faith. They believe that only absolute belief can bring salvation or blessings, ignoring all rational thought and action. This might lead to extremist behavior, often harming themselves or others.”
“You also obtained the memory of Teng Donglang being selected to become a Holy Fighter, but you are unaware of the selection criteria.”
“To become a Holy Fighter for the God of Duels, the Extraordinary Level is secondary, the most important criterion is the Faith Level. It must be at the Devout Level to become a Holy Fighter.”
“I see,” the Spring Boxer realized, but then he had more doubts, “But even if Holy Fighters are all at the Devout Level and strictly adhere to the doctrines and rules of the God of Duels, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a mole would side with us. Faith can’t determine the identity of friend or foe.”
Ice Eagle laughed heartily, very pleased.
He couldn’t help but pat the Spring Boxer’s shoulder repeatedly, praising him, “Young man, having such reasoning ability is really admirable.”
“This is a transformative point in your life.”
“The real wealth lies in the experience imbued from Teng Donglang, not those battle experiences.”
Pausing for a moment, Ice Eagle continued, “You’re right, even among the Holy Fighters of the God of Duels, we could be adversaries, and even killing each other doesn’t violate the doctrines of the God of Duels.”
“If there is a mole among us, they might also successfully convert and become a Holy Fighter. When we take them with us later, it won’t prevent them from opposing us.”
“The key is, after becoming a Holy Fighter, our bodies will be transformed by Divine Power, as if a trapdoor has been set. Once the mole acts, his identity as a Holy Fighter becomes like a scythe to claim lives!”
The Spring Boxer nodded repeatedly; he understood.
Ice Eagle didn’t force everyone to convert, but in essence, he was already leading them.
Taking those who become Holy Fighters, even if there are moles among them, wouldn’t be a concern. Because the life and death of the mole would no longer be under their own control.
Of course, there were many possibilities that, due to a shift in faith, a mole might turn traitor.
As for the others, since they can’t prove themselves and have already entered Anqiu, knowing so many secrets yet cannot become Holy Fighters without any faults, they would just have to be imprisoned.
Thinking this, the Spring Boxer couldn’t help but look out the window, watching some gang members cultivate, silently cheering for them, “Xiong Ju, Hen Fa, everyone… I hope you successfully convert. Only by becoming Holy Fighters can you regain your freedom.”
Lan Zao stood in front of the wooden cabin facing a small creek, suddenly opened his mouth and spit.
A small Air Bomb shot out from his mouth, hitting the creek but it didn’t explode, instead burrowing into the water.
Then, with a soft bang, it finally exploded, splashing a lot of water droplets.
“Interesting.”
“I didn’t expect that someone in Anqiu practiced the Air Bomb.”
While practicing this Combat Skill, Lan Zao gained a certain resonance and obtained some experience.
With the help of these experiences, he quickly mastered the force of the Air Bomb.
Now, he could precisely compress the air, controlling the moment of the Air Bomb’s explosion. Whether to explode upon contact with the water surface or after drilling into the water.
“Too bad, I have no faith in the God of Duels.”
“If I were to convert, the experience I gain wouldn’t be intermittent, like fragmented pieces.”
“Having said that, having a bit of faith is quite a good thing as well. It’s beneficial for me, at least.”
Lan Zao murmured in his heart.
He was unaware of Ice Eagle’s arrangements for them. Luckily, he held a general belief in various deities, believing in the Sea God, Wind God, and the Goddess of Fishing Nets, so he wasn’t resistant to adding the faith of the God of Duels.
However, just general faith definitely won’t elevate to the Devout Level.
Unable to become a Holy Fighter, he would face prison.