Chapter 533: Trouble at Shang Bo's wedding
As the majority of the citizens of the Phoenix Empire are believers of the Church of Light, the statue of Goddess Xihe was built in the stadium where the couple will receive blessings at the Altar.
The wedding procedures went on smoothly and the couple stood there, receiving gifts from the royal guests one after another.
Mark's turn came but he walked with Steve, James, Xie Mei, Chang Bo, and Meng Tao as the representatives of Genesis Enterprises, instead of going with Song Yue as they weren't husband and wife yet, following Lin Xue's advice.
As a result, Song Yue stayed behind with Lin Xue and Sylvandria. The White Knight (Eol) also tagged along with King Shen Niu and Princess Shen Ling as a bodyguard, just in case.
Mark handed them a wooden box with the seal of their store, the drawing of a pupil-less eye.
Everyone's gaze fixed on the stage as the couple opened them together. They were also curious about what kind of gift this mysterious weapon seller would present to the couple.
But, what the bride took out was a glowing yellow rock from the box.
"What is it?" Everyone collectively wondered.
Mark spotted their bewildered expressions and explained to the couple, "This is called purification stone. I used this treasure to heal King Shen Niu and Sister Lin, and even the problem with your physique was healed by this, Lady Shen Yurong. It can heal any curse or illness unless it is caused by a deity. You can say it is useless for a healthy person and priceless for the one in need.
I sincerely hope that a day will never come when you have to use this."
Since he never crossed paths with Shang Bo and when he did, the latter always followed his instructions without questioning him, Mark got a good impression of this half-brother of his and decided to give such treasure to them. Not to mention, there was also this guilt in him that made him throw Shang Bo under the bus to postpone his own marriage.
Both of them thanked him sincerely, impressed by the gift.
Feeling that he had done enough for them, Mark turned around and was about to leave, but it was at that moment he was forced to halt his footsteps as he saw a notification screen pop up in front of his eyes while dark clouds loomed in the sky, blocking the sunlight.
*Ding! Ritual has been successful. You failed the Emergency Quest, Stop the Undertaking.
*Ding! You receive a new Emergency Quest, Eliminate the New Threat.
Description: Due to the failure to stop the ritual, the founder of the Church of Doom has been resurrected. Kill the Founder and Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Doom.
Reward: Cosmic Essence Absorption (skill)
Cosmic Essence Absorption: the ultimate cultivation technique where the user can absorb the energy emitted by cosmic objects and refine it to generate ether particles.
"Enemy strength?" Mark raised his eyebrow.
*Ding! 13-circle. But, the strength will be suppressed to peak-11-circle due to the laws of the mortal plane.
"F**k"
Mark couldn't help but curse out loud, which drowned in the rumbling of thunders that filled the sky.
"Fu Sheng, Barrier." He shouted out loud.
The demigod quickly acted by unleashing an ether barrier, covering the entire place before lightning strikes randomly hit the region. Some of them managed to strike the barrier and crack it but it stayed intact.
Thousands of commoners screamed in panic. They were trying to get away without caring about their surroundings.
However, Song Tai's voice halted their movements, stopping from a potential stampede.
The so-called guardian of the Empire addressed the people as he slowly floated in the sky, "Everyone must stay in their seats. Your safety is our responsibility. Don't be afraid. It is a natural phenomenon of a breakthrough, not an attack on us."
As the people calmed down and sat down in their seats, Fu Sheng poured more energy into the barrier, repairing it and quickly coming to Mark's side to protect him. Despite being in a demigod realm, he had this grim expression on his face.
"Young master, we need to leave right now," Fu Sheng whispered to him.
"You know something?" Mark asked him, despite knowing what the threat was about.
Fu Sheng replied, "It is a Saint. And the lightning strikes are clearly aimed at us, probably gauging our defenses."
Mark knew that it wasn't a Saint but he didn't say it out loud as it no longer mattered after confirming that the enemy was coming at him. At the same time, he was also surprised that the enemy would make a move at him as soon as their ritual succeeds.
Was Shang Jun an important chess piece for them? Or is it because of their past grievances?
Or the target is someone else? No matter how deeply he thinks, he couldn't see any better potential target than himself. Whatever the case, thinking wouldn't solve anything. As Mark outrightly can summon the demon king Bael to fend off the enemy in front of so many eyes, he decides to leave.
"Fu Sheng, protect this place. I'm going to redirect the enemy's attention," Mark passed the order after quick thinking, greatly surprising the ones standing around him.
"No, you will die if you try fighting a Saint," Fu Sheng raised his voice a bit, clearly refusing to heed Mark's order, this time. "I will go ahead and confront him. If I use all of my strength, I might be able to get the attention of the plane's guardian."
Shang Bo and his wife were stunned on the spot as they heard his words. They didn't expect a Saint is coming for them.
What is a Saint?
It is a being capable of destroying their entire world to ashes within just a few breaths.
For normal humans like them, a Demigod like Fu Sheng itself is akin to a Deity. They couldn't help but tightly grab each other's arm.
Meanwhile, Steve and James also have their facial expressions hardened.
"Wait, we come with you," Steve hurriedly voiced his opinion.
"No, stay here and protect your mom," Mark firmly refused his request, although blurting out the truth and confusing the other listeners. Fortunately, no one at the moment cared who Steve's mother was.
Steve argued back, "She will be fine. It is you who will be in danger. I think this is the event we came here to stop."
Mark furrowed his brows, wondering whether something would happen to him. But, the urgent situation didn't give him the luxury to analyze anything.
He ignored Steve and shifted his gaze to Fu Sheng, "I'll lure the enemy to that empty land in the north. Send a message if something goes wrong."
As soon as he passed the instructions, Mark opened a portal. He gave one last look at a concerned Song Yue and walked into it, taking many others by surprise.
As he walked out of the portal, Mark found himself on the barren land and raised his head to look at the sky.
"System, open skill list" "System, open Orb of Bael in new window" "System, open inventory in new window"
Taking out the Divine throne from the inventory, he sat on it.