Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 631: Shadow of the Dark Bridge

At the far end of the southern border, there was no rippling river, but a boundless turquoise sea. In the night, the sea churned with silver waves, and in the distance, the crash of reefs and waves could be heard. Three makeshift pontoon bridges, like three fragile chains, connected the coast to a natural reef harbor on the open sea. This was the Holy Spirit Legion's necessary landing point—they planned to disembark from here and directly attack the Free Alliance's central supply line.

The Flame Hammer squad had already assembled in the shadows of the coastal reefs. The dwarven craftsmen's skin shone like metal in the moonlight, the heavy blasting boxes on their backs weighing down their breathing. The tide rose and fell at their ankles, carrying a salty and cold taste.

Candice half-crouched behind a damp reef, raising her special night-vision goggles to observe the patrols on the pontoon. The sea breeze ruffled her ponytail, and she reached out to brush it away, whispering,

"The patrol interval is twelve breaths, and the change of guard is slow. Wait until the third team of soldiers takes over, and then we will pass under the bridge pier."

The dwarves responded softly and put on diving cloaks tied with seaweed for camouflage.

The seawater was icy cold, its salty taste seeping through their lips and teeth into their lungs, yet no one made a sound. Like sea ghosts in the dark night, they slithered beneath the pontoon bridge and fixed each of Candice's explosive barrels to the supporting beams. The barrels were engraved with crimson delay runes, and they contained a magical incendiary agent that burned underwater—when ignited, it would erupt in a blazing white wave of fire, mingling with the surrounding water.

After the last barrel was placed, Candice gestured to the dwarf craftsmen underwater, and several people pressed the fuse at the same time.

Twenty breaths later——

boom--

Three waves of fire exploded on the sea, like three giant white lotuses, accompanied by blazing flames and towering water columns. The floating bridge was instantly torn apart, wood chips and chains flying in the waves of fire. The magical fluctuations of the incendiary agent stirred the sea currents, forming an outward-spreading undercurrent that lasted for a full half hour.

When the reconnaissance ship sent by the Holy Spirit Legion arrived, all they saw were broken bridge piers swaying in the waves. The reef area outside the harbor was illuminated by blue flames, like a ghost sea.

On the other side of the coast, a forgotten old mine tunnel connected the inland to a hidden bay on the seashore. The Holy Spirit Legion had originally planned to bypass the front line of defense through this tunnel and directly appear in the heart of the Free Alliance.

Moonfall's stealth team leader, "Wu," led six members into the secret passage. The stone walls were covered in salt stains and the marks of old tools, and the air was a mixture of the smell of the sea and metal. Every step threatened to break the rotten wooden supports beneath their feet.

"The landslide talisman is ready." Wu's voice was as low as the wind in the cracks of the rocks.

The team carefully embedded rune stones into key stress points on the ceiling and connected them with magic lines. Once triggered, the entire middle section of the secret passage would collapse as if struck by a giant hammer, completely sealing it off.

At the exit, they left a "fake sentry" created by illusion magic - an image of a fully armed soldier who would pretend to change guard and leave when the enemy approached, luring them into the collapsed area.

Before leaving, the fog carved a tiny word on the stone wall:

"Welcome back."

The inland frontier supply station welcomed the long-awaited "large amount of food" - escorted by the Shenghui Chamber of Commerce's convoy. The wheels were even stained with the scent of pine resin that the chamber of commerce usually used, and the badge and seal were exactly the same.

However, all this was just a ruse set by Xingluo. The caravan was disguised as members of the Flame Hammer's dwarven craftsmen and mercenaries, and the food had been tainted with a modified form of Magic Breath Powder, Candice's own. This powder was colorless and odorless, almost indistinguishable from flour, and only activated after cooking.

After consumption, it slowly releases a toxin into the bloodstream, clogging the magical circulation of those with demigod blood like mud. For ordinary soldiers, this is at most a slight drowsiness; but for the Holy Spirit Legion, it means spells are delayed, divine armor becomes unresponsive, and arrows lose their accuracy.

Three days later, chaotic roars were heard from the training ground of the supply station - the archer's arrow missed by two feet, the battle mage's shield flickered, and even an adjutant failed to cast a spell, which backfired on the spot and blew up his own tent.

Moonfall's Shadow Ravens began conducting psychological warfare. They intercepted and altered several confidential letters between high-ranking legionnaires, implying that a certain commander had secret contacts with the Free Alliance, or that a battalion commander had embezzled military supplies. They even fabricated stories of someone vying for command with the Divine Council of the Holy See of Light.

These letters, sent anonymously back to the Legion, quickly sparked suspicion and mistrust. During a strategic meeting, two generals argued publicly, their swords nearly ripping from their sheaths. Had it not been for the desperate efforts of others to dissuade them, blood would have splattered across the map.

"Suspicion is a self-igniting fire," Fog wrote in a secret report. "We only need to throw a match and they will burn themselves."

The Sky City's flight squadron was the final link in this infiltration operation. Using sea fog and low-lying clouds, their gliders and airships repeatedly flew over the Holy Spirit Legion's vanguard camp, dropping not bombs but alchemical smoke bombs and noise golems.

At night, the golems would emit whispers and chaotic footsteps, as if invisible enemies were roaming around the camp. The soldiers could not sleep all night, and the next day's march felt like it was filled with lead.

Another time, they scattered hundreds of parchment cards in the air. Each card had only a hollow holy symbol and the following words written in beautiful handwriting below:

"If the spring is gone, will your gods still feed you?"

Signature——Xingluo

The cards were blown all over the ground by the sea breeze. The young soldiers picked them up and passed them around secretly, some sneered, some remained silent. The officers, on the other hand, were furious, but they could not stop the scraps of paper from fermenting in the sea breeze and rumors.

Before dawn, thick fog blanketed the sea like a blanket, obscuring the boundary between sky and sea. From the fog came the deep, muffled beat of drums, their rhythm like the beating of a giant beast's heart—the war drums of the Holy Spirit Legion.

Over thirty warships cut through the waves, their bows inlaid with dimmed holy emblems, their masts draped with seawater-soaked military flags. On the decks, demigod warriors clad in divine armor stood in formation, wielding spears or heavy swords. Their faces were pale, but they held their heads high, a stubborn glint in their eyes.

On the flagship deck, a blond demigod commander raised his hand, and his voice echoed throughout the fleet through the magical amplification array:

"Today, we will crush the enemy's coast and reclaim the glory that belongs to the Holy Spirit Legion—and the Holy Radiance Spring!"

The soldiers roared in unison, and the warship's speed increased again, cutting through the sea fog and heading straight for the southern coast of the Free Alliance.

However, what they couldn't see was that behind the thick fog, Xingluo was standing on the observation platform on the cliff, holding a fuse crystal that was shining red.

As the vanguard of the Holy Spirit Legion approached the coast, the underwater delay fuel rune was triggered.

boom--

The sea suddenly churned, as if a dormant fire dragon had awakened from the depths. Blazing white waves of fire exploded between the warships, their crests scorching hot enough to instantly turn steel red. The affected hulls crackled with piercing crackles, and the barrels rolling on the decks ignited one after another, sending tongues of flame climbing up ropes and masts.

Several warships turned into a sea of ​​fire in an instant. The soldiers jumped into the sea to escape, but were swept into a whirlpool by the undercurrent - that was the core of the ocean current caused by the explosion, carrying burning alchemical residues, and wrapped those who fell into the water into the scorching abyss.

Xingluo watched from high above, his eyes calm, as if he was watching a chess game progressing according to plan.

"First lock, closed." He whispered.

The surviving warships struggled to move closer to the alternative landing point on the right side - that was the exit of the old mine tunnel, leading directly to a relatively flat beach.

They didn't know that the mercenary group's stealth team had already buried landslide talismans in the secret passage.

When the first group of soldiers rushed into the secret passage, the phantom sentry at the end "changed guard and left" to guide them further in. The next moment they entered the landslide area -

rumble--

The runestones exploded, and the entire tunnel seemed to be struck by a giant hammer, with rocks cascading down. Dust and rubble surged through the darkness, and screams and the sound of metal clashing mixed together.

The survivors retreated to the exit, only to find that the landslide had blocked the way in, and the sand on the coast outside had been covered by the Free Alliance's crossbowmen. A rain of arrows poured down like a storm, pinning the soldiers who tried to break out in place.