Chapter 2214: Reversal
The local players breathed a sigh of relief, but the outer zone players hadn't expected him to just quit like that. However, considering that he hadn't teamed up with anyone from the start, had time items, could single-handedly take on the entire district's players, and had the capital to do as he pleased, they couldn't really say anything.
Still, some refused to believe he would abandon his goal for someone he'd just met by chance. "Friend, don't be fooled by the local players. What they're saying might not be true. A Super Evolution venue? If it really could let someone undergo Secondary Evolution, it would most likely be controlled by someone. How could they let people come and go freely?"
"I guarantee what I said is true." The old man took out a Recorder and tossed it to Xu Huo. "This is what I discovered before I got trapped here. Everything is recorded and verified as real. And this is just a record from a year ago—that place is definitely still there."
Xu Huo checked the recording in front of everyone and nodded. "It is indeed real."
With that, he turned to the Holy Maiden Snow Garment. "Go get the Instance items. You should know where the old man's good stuff is kept. Hurry up and come back. All your companions are waiting here for you."
Hearing the threat in his words, the Holy Maiden Snow Garment gritted her teeth and, with the help of a local player, left the altar and headed toward the back of the temple.
"Are we really just letting it go like this?" the Yellow Hair asked, not understanding. After going through all this trouble and making such a big scene, just taking a few items and calling it quits? He thought Xu Huo would at least pull off something major.
"Actually, there's a simpler way to destroy the Instance," Xu Huo said. "I saw the birth process of this Instance in the temple. The believers and the Goddess Cult are two key factors."
"Killing everyone in this district isn't realistic. You can't take things too far—going too far only brings trouble on yourself. Besides, I don't think the players in this district would just stand there and let you kill them."
He left the altar, flew out of the temple through the air, and landed in front of the Goddess statue. Turning back, he studied the statue for a moment, then mused, "This thing isn't bad either. Taking it along wouldn't be a bad idea."
No sooner had he spoken than he felt the eyes on the statue begin to move faster, as if they were about to open.
Xu Huo chuckled. "Forget it. Just kidding."
"Brother, don't joke around. Hurry up and tell us the plan," the Yellow Hair pressed.
Xu Huo glanced into the temple. The Holy Maiden Snow Garment and that player were almost at the main entrance, so he said, "You can't kill the believers, but you can destroy the Goddess Cult."
Destroy the Goddess Cult?
The people present didn't catch on at first. With so many believers, how could they possibly destroy the Goddess Cult?
"You mean destroy the temple?" the A-Class player turned back. "Not only is this temple an Instance location and hard to destroy, but even if you raze it to the ground, as long as the believers are still here, rebuilding it won't be difficult."
"Here's what you wanted." The Holy Maiden Snow Garment handed over three boxes and said in a low voice, "These contain the Goddess's tokens. The Spiritual Power is strong. It's best not to open them in a crowd."
The boxes were specially made to block some of the Spiritual Power, but Xu Huo could still feel the overly concentrated power seeping out when he touched them.
He directly stored the boxes in his Luggage Compartment, then continued speaking to the Yellow Hair and the others. "The ones who built this temple were the believers. If the believers tear it down themselves, I doubt the Goddess would have any objections."
"You went back on your word!" the Holy Maiden Snow Garment blurted out. The other local players clearly hadn't expected him to take the items and then immediately turn his back on them. Making the believers dismantle the Goddess Temple—this was no longer just a matter of shaken faith!
If the believers actually did it, how could they ever believe in the Goddess again?
The Goddess Cult did need change, and the district needed successors, but that didn't mean they had to destroy their own foundation. Besides, the Goddess had genuinely protected their district. The country's stability was largely thanks to the Goddess. The Holy Maidens would rather die than completely destroy the Goddess!
"I said I wouldn't interfere. As for the rest of you, do as you please." Xu Huo spread his hands.
The local players ground their teeth but were helpless.
Although the Clearance Players had obtained a seemingly feasible plan, they would still have to fight a desperate battle against the local players. Might as well just throw a few bombs in.
On the square, the believers who had just endured a shock to their faith were recovering from their panic. Someone stood up and shouted toward Xu Huo's position, "No matter what the Goddess looks like, it has protected me. Three years ago, I accidentally ran into an injured outer zone player and was almost killed. The Goddess saved me! If you want me to tear down the temple, I'd rather die!"
With that, he raised his head high, baring his throat, making a gesture as if waiting to be killed.
Once there was a first, a second and a third quickly followed. Gradually, all the believers on the square stood up, united in hostility toward the Clearance Players at the temple entrance.
Then, someone shouted, "The Goddess protected us before. Today, let us protect the Goddess!"
A single sentence could stir up waves, then turn into a tidal surge. The spark-like faith could also converge into an inextinguishable torch.
The voices of the believers came from all directions. In their fervor, those nearby tried to ram the Blockade Barrier with their bodies, wanting to break in and fight the Clearance Players to the death.
The local players also prepared for a desperate battle. They surrounded the temple from all sides, trapping every Clearance Player in front of it.
With things having come this far, the Clearance Players had nothing more to say. They had anticipated this when they showed up. Fighting was inevitable—sooner or later didn't matter. Once this batch of local players was cut down, they would have no choice but to submit!
With the A-Class player making the first move, the battle officially began!
To avoid harming the believers on the square, some of the local players retreated to the rear, using small protective items to shield groups, while others pushed the Clearance Players toward the temple.
Xu Huo released his Spiritual Realm, bringing Ah Hai and the remaining people off the altar. Then, in one swift move, he arrived beneath the Goddess statue, raised his foot, and kicked hard. "Go on!"
The Goddess statue flew through the broken temple door and into the temple. Before it even landed, the eyes on the statue's body all snapped open. Huge, living eyeballs seemed ready to burst out of the stone. In the next second, both inside and outside the temple, the eyes on the square came to life simultaneously. The Clearance Players who had fallen into the temple vanished on the spot, while those still outside were subjected to indiscriminate Mental Assault!
"Fall back!" the old man shouted, leading the local players in a rapid retreat from the temple's vicinity.
The Clearance Players did the same. The explosive headache left them with no thought but to flee. Moments later, the several Blockade Barriers within the city were all broken. Both the Clearance Players who had joined the fight and those who hadn't desperately fled in all directions through the city. Finding a place to hide wasn't realistic—if they weren't far enough away, they couldn't shake off the Mental Assault. Unable to control themselves, they also had to guard against sneak attacks, so their ultimate goal was to get out of the city.
Xu Huo was among them. His condition was much better, but not entirely unaffected. Pressing the rapidly twitching vein on his temple, he couldn't help but mutter, "After helping you out so much, repaying kindness with enmity isn't very fair."