Chapter 560: Pillar of Fire

"Bang!"

Amid the dragon's roar, Alexandra Howard's head was shattered by the bullet that blasted into it, and then her entire body began to disintegrate into fine dust particles.

This one, who had chosen not to flee and had been fighting on the spot, even gritting her teeth while enduring the combined assault of Viktor Maxim and Uhtred of Mercia, persisted until the end.

It was only after Li Mochen eliminated the Camarilla亲王 Klodar Ventrue that a bullet ended her life. At the moment of death, her soul was filled with resentment, unwillingness, and reluctance, and then, under the effect of Li Mochen's Death Divine Authority, all consciousness dissipated.

At the same time, after receiving assistance from Ron Edmund, the Fenrir Wolf, who was making his thirty-second void shuttle, once again fell into a desperate situation.

"See? The National Progressive Association is powerless, and 'Energy Monarch' Ron Edmund can't save you either."

The main body Li Mochen stepped out of the void almost simultaneously, a hint of cold mockery in his eyes: "It seems you ultimately cannot take revenge on those you consider enemies, Mr. Fenrir."

Across from him, the Fenrir Wolf showed despair.

Even as his situation worsened, he hadn't stopped observing his surroundings. The flaming cluster at the top of the 'Energy Conservation' magic tower and the waves of magical tides exploding one after another all confirmed what the other had said.

The National Progressive Association had failed; Philip I was on the verge of defeat. No one could save him, Fenrir Wolf, today.

At this moment, he no longer had confidence in completing his thirty-third spatial jump. He expected that before he could open the time-space channel, the knife in Li Mochen's hand would end his life.

"Bastard!"

Fenrir Wolf nearly ground his teeth to dust, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "You want to kill me, want to obtain the Sky Scepter, right? But I guarantee, you won't achieve either today."

As he spoke, his body began to swell like a balloon, powerful magical energy accumulating inside him, and part of it was infused into the Sky Scepter in his hand.

He clearly intended to self-destruct his body before Li Mochen's blade approached, while sending his mythical artifact into the distant astral void.

But at that moment, a bullet shot through, accurately hitting the back of Fenrir Wolf's head. He froze, his eyes dazed and incredulous, and then his body and consciousness were blasted into dust by the 'Annihilation' divine authority.

"You don't get to decide—"

Li Mochen sighed, then reached out to grab the Sky Scepter. But at that moment, the mythical artifact trembled softly, pulled by two different forces from the void, sliding rapidly toward the astral plane.

Li Mochen's pupils contracted; he could sense that both forces were at the divine level.

—Clearly, two powerful deities were intervening in the material plane, attempting to seize this mythical artifact!

Without hesitation, the main body Li Mochen spilled his own blood, while visualizing the 'Divine Spirit Luck Purple Gold Pagoda' and making his wish—to be acknowledged by the Sky Scepter!

As several drops of his essence blood shot from his fingertips and sprayed onto the staff of the Sky Scepter, the short staff, topped with three purple gems and shaped like a human forearm bone, flashed and reappeared in Li Mochen's hand.

Li Mochen stood proudly in the air, gazing into the boundless void where stars shone. He roughly guessed who had tried to seize the mythical artifact, but felt no fear.

With the 'Sky Scepter' in hand, he no longer feared ordinary deities.

At that moment, Heinz van der Rick let out a bitter laugh in the 'Purple Gem' building.

"Look! Atlanta and Georgia are about to welcome a true king—"

His tone was extremely grim: "Inform the clansmen below to avoid conflicts with the Wiltons as much as possible from now on. The current van der Rick family cannot afford to provoke a supreme family. Also, on the corporate side, maintain a contraction stance and avoid competition with the Wiltons Group and the Rising Sun Group."

"I understand!" Kidd van der Rick nodded slightly: "I think after witnessing this great battle, any clansman lucky enough to watch will stay clear-headed. The business side is a bit troublesome; currently, our two families' business overlaps are not large."

In America, the rise of any supreme family is accompanied by political and economic upheaval and bloodshed. They will inevitably expand aggressively, occupying larger and more business territories and interests.

The van der Rick family, living next to the Wiltons, must be extra cautious, wary of the Wiltons' predatory acquisitions.

In the Wiltons Building, only a kilometer away from the 'Purple Gem' building, people were jubilant.

In the 95th-floor second meeting room occupied by the Wiltons Foundation, more than twenty well-dressed individuals were already smiling and instructing servants to open red wine.

"We won! Unbelievable—that was the National Progressive Association, the Violet Family! We used to only look up to them, didn't we?"

"From now on, they are enemies! I propose that all members of the Wiltons family must immediately withdraw from the National Progressive Association. From today, all members of the National Progressive Association in Georgia are our enemies!"

"Agreed!"

"Since they dared to interfere in the internal affairs of the Wiltons family, we should send them to hell!"

"Start the war from now on! What does the Violet Family matter? Conshil is about to become a Magus, that mysterious sniper can make intermediate gods tremble, and our Vice Chairman Andre will be invincible from now on!"

"I suspect I'm dreaming. I never imagined the Wiltons family had become this powerful."

"Undoubtedly, this is a supreme family! I can feel the glory of the Hohenstaufen family returning. Our Wiltons family will surely usher in a golden age under the leadership of Chairman Conshil and Vice Chairman Andre!"

"Philip was too foolish. He made outstanding contributions to the family's foothold in America. But if not for his foolish attempt to extend his life through his offspring, the Wiltons might have become a supreme family long ago."

"He deserved it. Over the years, at least three geniuses of our clan died because of him—three powerful blood descendants who could have reached the demigod level. I know he suffered a severe, incurable wound during the Civil War, but that shouldn't be a reason to prey on his own descendants! Look, with Conshil and Andre's help, he could have ascended to godhood!"

"All this is over. The Wiltons family has ushered in light. Everyone, let us savor the red wine, watch the final curtain fall of that ancestor, and pay our silent tribute to him."

In the Abraham White House, most people in the Oval Office closed their eyes and let out weak sighs.

The President behind the desk smiled bitterly: "You're right, Jenkinson. We have to accept the fact that a new supreme family exists on American soil."

...

About a second later, the two gazes from the astral plane that had been fixed on Li Mochen were withdrawn one after another. Li Mochen also poured most of his mana into the 'Sky Scepter'.

In an instant, the divine authority of 'Dimensional Vortex' covered the entire area within a hundred kilometers of Atlanta, indiscriminately enveloping it.

—This was the true power of the 'Sky Scepter': sealing off most void abilities and teleportation magic within a hundred and twenty kilometers!

The confidence of Philip I and others in luring him out of the city for an ambush lay precisely in this: Fenrir Wolf's ability could seal off space within fifty kilometers, preventing the Wiltons and the Rising Sun Group from directly teleporting to the battlefield, buying them enough time to besiege Li Mochen.

Li Mochen possessed the external elixir 'Five Elements', which could provide more and stronger mana to the Sky Scepter, thus doubling the range of space sealing.

His goal was simple: to block all escape possibilities for enemy demigods in Atlanta and to prevent external reinforcements from the National Progressive Association from entering.

Behind Li Mochen, 'Void Night Lord' Delfinia looked enviously at the Sky Scepter in his hand. If this item were in her hands, it would be like a tiger with wings, allowing her to unleash her void abilities at three hundred percent, and she would dare to fight even intermediate gods.

But Delfinia knew Li Mochen would never give her this mythical artifact; that cunning bastard wouldn't let her escape his control. And this time, she hadn't contributed much; even if spoils were divided by contribution, this mythical artifact wouldn't fall to her.

In this battle, they managed to kill Fenrir Wolf, but Delfinia's void abilities only seemed pivotal on the surface. The key to seizing the 'Sky Scepter' lay off the field: General George Mattiola, Magus Ron Edmund, Demigod Mage Ibu Garrison, Demigod Mage Richard Tyson, Demigod Spellcaster Philip I—if these people hadn't been eliminated, they would have had little chance of killing Fenrir Wolf.

And even excluding external factors, the coordinates provided by Li Mochen were crucial for them to keep up with Fenrir Wolf.

At that moment, on the east side of Atlanta, General George Mattiola, who was already under siege by 'Death's Enemy' Thomson Beaux, Caroline Zhukov, Franks, Legendary Level 5 Magic Swordsman Goudra, and Legendary Level 5 Mage Byron Lyndon, let out a furious roar. The vast sound waves shook the entire city.

"Conshil! Andre Lee Wiltons! Surrounding and killing an active-duty five-star special operations general and presidential special envoy! This is treason! A crime!"

As General George Mattiola's voice fell, Thomson Beaux's twin blades had already cut two bloody gashes on him. Using some unknown technique, he made the mentally tough demigod warrior let out a pained groan.

"You're not going to kill him?"

In the 'Destiny Manor' magic tower, Anthony's eyes flashed with irony: "He still doesn't understand his situation. Just now, that general has retired. The Defense Department and the White House completed all necessary procedures in less than a minute. They know you won't let Mattiola go—"

Anthony Braden was not surprised by this. Although the White House's move was somewhat embarrassing, it was better than causing a direct conflict with the Wiltons family over this matter.

The government did not lack the power to suppress Atlanta, but the consequences would be endless.

Anthony knew the President's character; unless driven by sufficient interests, he would rather suffer some loss of prestige than be hijacked by George Mattiola—this incident was caused by the latter anyway. It was only right for him to bear the consequences.

"Of course I won't let him leave alive, but I can't let him die so easily either. So I promised the 'Death's Enemy' an extra five hundred million to cut George Mattiola a hundred times while alive, and then let him die in agony."

The secondary body Li Mochen said as he once again aimed the scope at the 'Energy Conservation' magic tower.

Most of those who needed to be killed were already dead; the remaining few could be handled by his subordinates. As the employer, he had to give them a chance to repay their debts. So now, only the Magus and Philip I deserved his attention.

Unfortunately, Li Mochen had been unable to lock onto Ron Edmund. Although Blood Eye Angel Robert and Lafitte de Robespierre were engaged in fierce combat with the wounded Edmund inside the tower, the latter never showed any weakness. He used various spells to deceive Li Mochen's senses, never staying in one place for even 0.01 seconds. Sometimes, he would rather endure attacks from Robert and Robespierre than expose his body and soul to Li Mochen's gun.

That guy was preparing to abandon his 'Energy Conservation' magic tower and return to his 'Divine Kingdom'.

Realizing this, Li Mochen shook his head and aimed the scope at Philip I.

He hadn't held much hope from the start, thinking it unlikely to capture Ron Edmund, but he was still a little disappointed upon confirming it.

"A hundred cuts—is that the Eastern punishment of dismemberment? And letting him die in agony? Do you hate Mattiola that much?"

Then Anthony looked thoughtfully toward the astral plane: "You're humiliating, showing off, warning the various forces in Georgia in front of that deity of the Violet Family, right?"

"Obviously, afterward, the Violet Family and the National Progressive Association must retaliate against the Wiltons family to save face. Before the war, I have to warn the local forces in Georgia not to do anything stupid and secure our rear."

A strange light flickered in the secondary body Li Mochen's eyes: "I actually look forward to that deity outside being unable to bear the humiliation and intervening in the material plane."

"You'll be disappointed."

Anthony chuckled: "Those who ascend to godhood as mortals are no fools; they all have very resilient personalities. In Eastern terms, they can endure what others cannot. What's a little humiliation?"

At this moment, the light in the secondary body Li Mochen's pupils condensed slightly, because the battle between Conshil Wiltons and Philip I had reached a fever pitch.

Li Mochen knew Conshil's deep-seated hatred for the latter, so he didn't rashly intervene. But he couldn't accurately judge the outcome between the two, so he kept a close watch.

From the current situation, the two were evenly matched.

Ten kilometers from the Destiny Manor magic tower, in downtown Atlanta, the former and current heads of the Wiltons family were fighting in the manner of warriors.

One had a Legendary Level 5 Titan Holy Warrior兼职, made even stronger by various spells and forbidden spells, wielding a Level 5 holy artifact of exceptional sharpness; the other had a lower demigod warrior class, with physical strength so formidable he ambitiously aimed to challenge the ancient gods, and the dark armguard on his right hand was a mythical artifact that amplified source energy and physical attributes—the two clashed and collided over a thousand times per second. The resulting gale and air waves were no less fierce than the battle between Robert and Demigod Berserker Kum Wiltons.

The source energy armor covering their bodies was incredibly thick, and the freezing air near absolute zero and the sun-like flames around them wildly erupted in all directions.

Fortunately, most of the battles in Atlanta had already concluded. The magic tower array could spare power to seal off the leaked source energy from the two; otherwise, the overflow of their force alone could destroy ninety percent of the city's buildings.

Their divine authority clashes were also nearly evenly matched. Philip I's calamity, misfortune, and curses always caused Conshil's freezing and silence to encounter various accidents; Conshil, in turn, could always completely freeze any disaster that came his way, and the embryonic form of the forbidden spell 'Star Annihilation' posed a great threat to Philip, allowing this Legendary Level 5 existence to stand firm against a high-ranking demigod like Philip I.

As time passed, Li Mochen's expression gradually relaxed, because Philip I, as a demigod, was the first to show signs of source energy depletion.

That was the third divine power that Consulley was displaying—'Drain,' which Li Mochen guessed was derived from the 'Ice' divine power. Initially from the drain of temperature, it had evolved into the law-based divine power of 'Drain.' It caused the enemy's strength, mana, equipment, consciousness, and even class rank to drain away, and it was very subtle.

Unfortunately, Consulley's mastery of this divine power was still very rudimentary; for now, it could only affect Philip's mana.

The latter quickly noticed the anomaly. With a sinister gaze, he glanced at the collapsing and shattering mage tower 'Energy Conservation' above, then looked across the distance at Li Mochen's main body standing beside 'Night Lord' Delfinia, and spoke in a hoarse voice: 'Consulley, this is the moment you've been waiting for, isn't it? But if you truly want to rely on your own strength to defeat me and kill me, then this is hardly fair now—'

At that moment, the sniper hidden within the magic tower had been locking onto him, pouring out a piercing killing intent.

As for Li Mochen, beside him stood 'Night Lord' Delfinia, Utreth Demacia, Mark Targaryen, and a host of other demigod combatants, all glaring at him menacingly.

Only Faust, Alex Granger, Douglas Duncan, and other mages were absent; Li Mochen had assigned them to disaster relief. In terms of saving lives and healing injuries, these mages' abilities were undoubtedly more useful.

'I don't care about that, Philip.'

Consulley, however, remained calm: 'As long as I can kill you, I don't mind whether it's a duel or a group battle. As long as you die by my hand, I'll be satisfied. So if I can slay you with my own strength alone, I'll be very happy and content. But if I can't, I don't mind asking for help. However, right now I have some admiration for you, Philip. Even at this point, you haven't despaired; you're still trying to struggle, to escape, to survive, aren't you? It's probably because of this kind of character that you didn't hesitate to strike against us blood descendants, that you turned the entire Wiltonstein clan into a tool for your apotheosis.'

'You blood descendants, and the entire Wiltonstein family, exist because of me. Is there anything wrong with making you pay this small price for me?'

Philip's eyes were dark and cold, but without any regret or despair: 'The pursuit of life and power is human instinct. You haven't experienced the era when immigrants like us opened up wastelands in America, so you can't understand the obsession Howard and I have with life and power. We also have regrets we want to make up for, things we want to reclaim, Consulley!'

'I don't need to understand, do I? Just as when Chrisa died, you gave me no explanation, so now there's no need for you to explain anything to me.'

Consulley covered the holy sword in his hand with ice, while starlight converged around him. Seizing the moment when his opponent's momentum waned, he launched an oppressive attack: 'What you need to do today is to quietly accept death!'

Boom!

After dozens of exchanges between their sword blades, Philip's sword momentum suddenly shifted from decline to resurgence. The 'Source Force Slash' released from his blade carved huge ravines to the left and right, and also left a shallow bloody gash on Consulley's face. A massive surge of black-red flames erupted, once again turning the surroundings into a sea of fire.

'Don't be foolish! My foolish descendant, do you think I've reached my limit? You haven't pushed me to the brink yet.'

Philip I took a deep breath and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with crushed ice. Then his entire aura began to change, and golden flames started to burn all over his body. Supported by some force, he slowly began to float upward. His momentum soared dramatically, and his vast soul power swept across and suppressed the entire battlefield.

'Apotheosis!'

At the Destiny Township magic tower, Anthony's eyes gleamed with an unusual light as he stared intently, already regretting that his main body was not here.

'He's trying to condense a divine core, preparing to raise his divine throne and achieve apotheosis through the power of laws!'

This scene before him was very instructive. He knew he could never strengthen his physical body to the level of an ancient god, so apotheosis through the power of laws was the only path available to him in the future.

Li Mochen, meanwhile, silently pushed a bullet—dark black all over with gilded edges—into the chamber of his gun.

He wasn't sure if Consulley could kill Philip I, so he had to make a preparation first.

But ten kilometers away, Consulley Wiltonstein was very calm: 'This is your final gamble, isn't it? But you should have guessed that the thing that appeared on the East Coast thirty years ago likely fell into my hands. That's why you've never dared to take the risk.'

What he now held in his hand was a blood-red stone. The appearance of this object drew the attention of all demigods and legends around the battlefield.

This object had a name that thundered in everyone's ears—the Philosopher's Stone! It was also known by many other names, such as 'the Fifth Element,' 'the Stone from Heaven,' and 'the Red Tincture.'

At the same time, it was a poison that many faith gods and law gods avoided with extreme caution.

Philip I remained silent, staring at this scene without a word.

'Let me give you a hand, Philip!'

Consulley, also with a calm expression, threw the thumb-sized bright red stone into the 'divine fire' burning around Philip Wiltonstein.

The next moment, those reddish-golden flames, as if encountering kindling, suddenly burst into a raging inferno. They formed a massive pillar of fire that surged into the sky and clouds.