Lord of Prayer

Chapter 469: Chapter 297: Forbidden Object B-005·Peach Blossom Spring (2)

"Send some people to disguise themselves as the Salvation Army. Have them burn, kill, and plunder. Rape, murder—don’t hold back on any of it. We have to destroy the Salvation Army’s reputation. I shouldn’t have to teach you how to run a smear campaign, should I?"

"Also, cut off all internet access to stop the spread of this negative domestic news."

"Understood."

Jaslin looked to the side. "Still no word from the President?"

"No," the high-ranking official replied, shaking his head. "Half an hour ago, envoys from America and the Star Association arrived for a visit outside the border. The President went to meet them and we haven’t heard anything since. That area has been twisted by Tier Five Power, and our surveillance can’t penetrate it. All orders are now being issued directly by the cabinet."

’The Star Association’s arrival is expected. But those damn Americans are clearly here for the oil, trying to take a bite while we’re distracted... Those rebellious lowlifes probably have their backing.’

’Troubles from within and without...’

Jaslin pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed slowly.

·

Half an hour later, war broke out on the southern border of North Carolina, accompanied by the roar of countless artillery shells.

Meanwhile, as the southern border descended into the chaos of war...

Bruce led Zhou Chen and the Plague Doctor to the foot of a sprawling mountain range.

"The Salvation Army’s main base is in these mountains?" Zhou Chen looked around. The mountain paths were rugged, the vegetation dense. The air was hot and humid, forming a white mist that shrouded the forest like a veil. This was a tropical rainforest climate, hardly suitable for human survival. ’If the Salvation Army is really hiding here, their living conditions must be incredibly harsh.’

"Follow me." Bruce led the way. He emanated a terrifying aura that made all snakes, insects, and other venomous creatures retreat within a one-kilometer radius. Even the dense vegetation blocking their path seemed to part on its own.

"Fighting’s broken out on the southern border," the Plague Doctor said just then, looking at a notification that popped up on his phone.

"What’s the situation?" Bruce asked without turning back.

"We shot down two of the government’s fighter jets a few dozen minutes ago. Now we’re in a direct engagement with the Army’s 27th Regiment. It’s a stalemate; it’ll be a while before there’s a clear winner," the Plague Doctor replied.

’They’re fighting? The war has started already? I thought the plan was to lay low and build up our strength for a while longer?’ Zhou Chen was stunned. "Why did we start a war with the government so soon?"

"Soon?" The Plague Doctor chuckled. "Not at all. This was planned long ago. We were actually prepared for a large-scale war with the government back when we attacked the Rusted Iron City Government. Your appearance just made us alter some of our plans. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have secretly infiltrated Red River City and Black Rock City; we would have launched a direct assault."

"Now, everything that needed to be done is complete—in fact, we’ve exceeded our expectations by a wide margin. Add to that our success in the propaganda war, and this is the perfect time to strike."

"It still feels a little rushed," Zhou Chen said after a moment’s thought. "Give me a little more time, and the Salvation Army could secretly take control of more cities. That would definitely put us in a better position."

"True, but we’re running out of time."

The Plague Doctor revealed a shocking secret. "A month ago, the King of North Carolina clashed with a Crowned King from Australia over an Authority. Both were severely injured, and their wounds haven’t fully healed yet. This is the best opportunity we’ve had in years. An injured Crowned King is better than one at peak strength. If we wait any longer, he’s very likely to recover."

’The King of North Carolina is weakened?’ This was the first Zhou Chen was hearing of it. ’No wonder the Salvation Army, which has been in hiding for so many years, suddenly dared to make a move. Still, a Tier Five is a Tier Five, even if they’re injured. To put it bluntly, even if Bruce brought a few more Uncrowned with him, they might not be a match for a wounded Tier Five.’

’But since the Salvation Army is making its move, they must have an ace up their sleeve... Could it be that someone in their ranks has advanced to Tier Five over the years?’

Suddenly, Bruce, who was leading the way, stopped.

When Zhou Chen saw the scene before him, his eyes widened in disbelief—the area was filled with peach trees!

’This is a tropical rainforest. How can there be peach trees here? This completely violates the laws of nature... Could these trees be Extraordinary Plants?’ Zhou Chen studied the peach trees, which were blooming with pink blossoms, but he couldn’t sense any Essence Fluctuation from them.

He was quite sensitive to Extraordinary Plants. Li Xiye kept a whole bunch of them in her garden, and not only was he around them daily, but he had also crammed a ton of knowledge on the subject. He could tell these were just ordinary peach trees, yet their growing here was completely illogical and unnatural.

"This way." Bruce walked to the side of a small creek and followed it upstream. At the end of the creek and the peach grove, a small hill appeared. On the hill was a small, pitch-black cave entrance, from which a faint glimmer of light could be seen.

Wait—!

Seeing this, Zhou Chen felt a powerful sense of deja vu.

It was so similar.

How could it be so alike?

Bruce was the first to enter the narrow, dark opening. The Plague Doctor then gestured for Zhou Chen to go ahead of him.

The cave was extremely narrow at the entrance, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Bruce, who was tall and broad and carried a Giant Sword on his back, had to squeeze for what felt like an eternity to get through the narrow passage. The sight made Zhou Chen’s eyelid twitch.

Bruce was a Strength Type Ascender. At Tier Four, his body was practically indestructible; he could be crushed by a mountain and emerge without a scratch. Logically, when he walked through a narrow passage like that, the surrounding rock should have crumbled like paper, not forced him to squeeze through with effort.

Zhou Chen curiously knocked on the rock wall. It was clearly stone, yet it was unimaginably solid.

The three of them walked through the cave for a long time before the path ahead suddenly brightened, and the sounds of a bustling crowd reached them.

Once Zhou Chen’s eyes adjusted to the sudden light, he saw a well-organized city. It had an overall steel-gray color scheme that felt cold and solemn. Heavy-duty transport vehicles drove along the roads, while forklifts and cranes worked busily in factories, from which the thunderous sound of hammering constantly echoed.

Outside the city were fertile fields, beautiful clear lakes, and all sorts of lush, verdant plants, forming a sharp contrast with the solemn, steel-gray military-industrial city.

"Welcome to the headquarters of the Salvation Army," the Plague Doctor said with a smile.

Zhou Chen stood stunned for a moment before it hit him. "Forbidden Object B-005... Peach Blossom Spring?"

"That’s right." The Plague Doctor nodded.

Zhou Chen sucked in a sharp breath. ’This thing is in the hands of the Salvation Army?’

Forbidden Object B-005·Peach Blossom Spring. A rare Spatial Forbidden Object that perfectly replicates the ancient Chinese tale, *The Peach Blossom Spring*. Its entrance is a cave at the end of a peach grove, and within it lies a vast world of its own.

Containment conditions: unknown. Negative effects: unknown. Holder: unknown.

"How did this end up here?" Zhou Chen asked, puzzled.

"It’s part of the legacy Havier left behind," said the Plague Doctor. "Back in the day, Havier was one of the most famous Ascenders in the entire World. He was an idealist, and there’s no shortage of idealists among Ascenders. Because of this, he made many like-minded friends. This Forbidden Object was a gift from one of those friends, and it later became the main base for the Salvation Army."

"It’s thanks to this Forbidden Object that we’ve been able to evade the Government Army’s pursuit all these years."

"Besides Forbidden Object B-005·Peach Blossom Spring, the Time-Pausing Pocket Watch and the Thorn Erosion Whip are also among the many relics Havier left behind."

"Alright, this isn’t the time for reminiscing," Bruce interrupted. "It’s time for the meeting."

’Uh, he’s taking me to a meeting? Did I just stumble my way into the Salvation Army’s high command?’ Zhou Chen was bewildered. ’I only joined the Poisonous Sore Gang less than a week ago! Isn’t this promotion a little too fast?’

Zhou Chen couldn’t help but reflect. He had infiltrated the Eternal Fire and quickly became a Steward. He had infiltrated the Poisonous Sore Gang and, not long after, was being brought into the Salvation Army’s inner circle... ’So why is it so damn hard to get a raise and a promotion in the Star Association?’