Chapter 156: A Newborn Baby is the Purest

His Highness Aragon and the Desire Celestial Maiden, Fiona, entered the Undead Mist.

Although the soldiers of Hoshan Canyon trusted in Aragon’s strength, they couldn’t help but worry for their safety.

After all, this was the first time humanity had ever launched a counter-attack into the Undead Mist.

Everyone was filled with anxiety, silently praying for His Highness Aragon. They prayed for Gandalf to protect Aragon and prevent any mishap from befalling humanity’s last hope.

Not until the vast, white Purifying Cloth reappeared in their line of sight did the soldiers of Hoshan Canyon finally begin to cheer.

The cheers resounded throughout the entire valley, loud enough to tear the sky apart.

…

“His Highness Aragon is back.”

“He successfully fought his way into the Undead Mist and came back alive…”

“His Highness is our Savior.”

“The gods haven’t abandoned us…”

…

The young believers of the Holy Guard Sect, the soldiers on the walls who had survived countless grueling battles, and the wounded in the valley all erupted in cheers at this moment.

The cheers resounded throughout the entire valley, loud enough to tear the sky apart.

Aragon had beaten back the Undead; they hadn’t just retreated on their own at dawn.

In the war between the Alliance and the Undead, this was the greatest victory, the light of dawn before the sunrise…

But the cheers on the city walls came to an abrupt halt the moment they saw Li Ye.

The silence on the walls formed a stark contrast with the cheering inside the canyon.

Gradually, the cheering in the canyon also died down. The soldiers within looked at each other in confusion, and not knowing what had happened, they inevitably began to worry about Aragon.

“What happened? Is His Highness Aragon injured?”

“He couldn’t be dead, could he?”

“I said it before, we shouldn’t have rashly entered the Undead Mist…”

…

On the city walls, Geser and the others had prepared words of congratulation, but when they saw Li Ye and the Undead Army he brought back with him, the words all got stuck in their throats.

It couldn’t be helped. The way Aragon had bound the captives left far too much to the imagination.

Especially with the Desire Celestial Maiden whipping the captives and the towering Lava Giant spraying lava the entire way…

‘What did they do in the Undead Mist?’

‘Could His Highness Aragon have been… influenced by the Desire Celestial Maiden?’

‘He was perfectly normal before entering the Undead Mist…’

‘Ever since His Highness Aragon appeared, the way we wage war has gotten stranger and stranger.’

For a fleeting moment, the thought even crossed Geser’s mind that perhaps Aragon wasn’t a disciple of Gandalf at all.

In fact, people had questioned Aragon’s origins long ago.

After all, with the Purifying Cloth’s applications being so widespread, it was unlikely that not a single record of it would have survived.

Later, the explanation that Aragon came from a parallel world shattered these doubts.

Now, Geser was having these doubts again. Aragon’s series of actions was a far cry from those of a wise and noble Savior; he seemed more like an Evil Demon…

But Geser quickly shook the thought from his head.

Everyone had placed their hopes on Aragon. Even if Geser knew Aragon wasn’t normal, he had to protect his status and reputation.

After all, he was humanity’s last hope.

It was just as Queen Lucia had said in her letter to him: even if the world ended up being ruled by Aragon, it was far better than everyone turning into Undead…

…

“Your Highness, congratulations on your triumphant return…” Geser came forward with a wide smile, forcing himself not to look at the intricately bound captives behind him.

“Mm,” Li Ye nodded.

The next second, the roll of cloth in his hand flew out. Before anyone could react, he had bound the handsome men and beautiful women of the Holy Guard Team, including the Twelve Saintesses, into his desired poses and suspended them in the air.

Screams rose one after another.

“Your Highness, what are you doing?” Geser asked, his face pale with shock.

If Aragon’s expression hadn’t seemed normal, he would have almost aimed his bow at him.

An uproar erupted on the city walls.

The disciples following Li Ye had all been handpicked by the powerful and noble families from various regions; they were the best of the best.

In terms of both looks and physique, they were all first-class. The visual impact of seeing them bound and suspended was far beyond anything the skeletal frames reeking of decay could offer.

The soldiers on the wall, who had been repressed for so long, stared with wide eyes. Some couldn’t help but gulp.

“Your Highness, what are you doing?”

Elsa’s face flushed bright red as she stammered the question.

The special binding technique created an extreme sense of constriction on her body, an experience unlike any she had ever felt.

It was a mixture of pleasure and shame.

Fiona’s eyes glinted flirtatiously as she let out an involuntary whistle. It was only because Aragon hadn’t given her permission, otherwise, she would have long since stepped forward to whip them.

‘The visual impact of such a scene is just too powerful.’

‘If she had invented this kind of ‘play’ back in Jade City, her fame would definitely be much greater than it was now.’

‘She had a feeling that if she whipped these people, she could definitely awaken a new skill…’

“Your Highness, what have we done wrong?” Elise asked, struggling against her bonds with tears in her eyes. “Why are you treating us the way you treat the Undead?”

“Your Highness, we are willing to accept any punishment, but please tell us our crime,” said the Elf Maiden, Philry, her ears turning pink.

She had never imagined she would be bound in such a posture and displayed before such a large crowd.

“Your Highness, are you still… you?” Geser asked nervously.

He kept glancing at Fiona, his eyes full of vigilance. With Aragon acting so abnormally, he strongly suspected that His Highness had been ambushed in the Undead Mist and was now being controlled by the Desire Celestial Maiden.

According to legend, the Desire Celestial Maiden had once tried to control His Highness and had committed several acts of rebellion, but she had been suppressed by His Highness each time.

It was highly likely that a traitor like her would launch a sneak attack while His Highness was fighting the Undead.

After all, her whip could even control the Undead.

Marshall raised his longsword, Kenneth tightened his grip on his axe, Reinhart began silently chanting a spell, and the Wind Element started to gather on the arrowhead of the Elf Archer Arena’s bow…

Everyone fixed their gaze on Fiona.

Any abnormal move from her would trigger a torrential storm of attacks.

According to the earliest rumors, the Desire Celestial Demon had been a subordinate of the Skeleton Monarch.

“What are you all looking at me for? This has nothing to do with me; he did it himself.” Fiona keenly sensed the hostility from those around her. “If I were strong enough to beat Aragon, you’d all have become my slaves long ago.”

That was true. If Fiona could even control His Highness, how could she possibly allow them to aim their weapons at her?

“Geser, record this binding method and send it to the rear as quickly as possible,” Li Ye commanded, turning his gaze to Geser after admiring his masterpiece.

“Your Highness, why?” Geser asked reflexively.

“The living—be it elves, Beastmen, or humans—are too few in number,” Li Ye said, looking at Geser. “Under the shadow of the Undead, people live in constant fear, which has lowered their desire to reproduce.”

“Because no one wants their children to live in that shadow from the moment they are born.”

“But new life represents hope; it represents the future. I need the World Power brought by more new lives to drive out the Undead and defeat the Skeleton Monarch.”

“Your Highness, what does the Power of Faith have to do with this binding method?” Geser asked.

“This was inspired by Shabei and Fiona,” Li Ye said, pointing to the Divine Archer Shabei, who was bound in the shape of a Turtle Shell. “When Fiona helped Shabei regain his senses, he said that elves have very low desire, and that the Desire Celestial Maiden could help the elves produce more offspring.”

“Then, I received a response from the Purifying Cloth and came to understand this method of restraint.”

“Gandalf never does anything without a reason. He sent me to this world, and he also sent Fiona to this world.”

“Why not some other Celestial Demon?”

“There are Celestial Demons of Slaughter, of Destruction, of Darkness… why was it specifically the Desire Celestial Demon who came?”

“Gandalf is using her to tell us that only new life can fight death.”

“The Undead are a product of filth, but newborn infants represent light. They are the purest, untainted by the secular world, which aligns perfectly with the purpose for which the Purifying Cloth was created.”

“Only with more newborns can we awaken the World Power, make the Purifying Cloth stronger, and restore it to its true power as a Holy Artifact…”

“…” Fiona’s eyes widened in astonishment. She stared at the Saintesses Li Ye had suspended in the air and, no matter how she looked, she couldn’t see anything pure about them.

All she saw was the desecration of purity!

Aragon had somehow forcibly linked desecration and purity…

In that moment, Fiona admitted defeat. Even if she traversed several more worlds, she could never have come up with such a bizarrely brilliant idea.

“Your Highness, do you mean to use this method to stimulate the birth rate?” Geser asked hesitantly.

“Correct. Don’t worry about the process; we only need the result,” Li Ye said with a serious expression. “The world’s destruction is imminent, and conventional methods are too slow.”

“Geser, go and do it!”

“Tell everyone this is Gandalf’s will. It is the only way to save the world.”

“Geser, before the Undead Calamity, humans always held the dominant position in the world. Have you ever wondered why that was?”

“The birth rates of elves and Beastmen are too low,” Geser said.

“Exactly. Although you are individually more powerful than humans, your birth rate is too low,” Li Ye said with a sigh. “If you had thought of this method to stimulate the birth rate sooner, the elves would absolutely not be in their current position.”

“The vast Elven Empire wouldn’t be left with just a few Divine Archers. Only with a large population base can more outstanding talents be born.”

Geser seemed lost in thought.

“Go. Carry out my orders.” Li Ye glanced back in the direction of the Skeleton Monarch, a faint smile on his lips, and urged again, “The Skeleton Monarch is aware of my existence. The final battle is near. We must restore the Holy Artifact’s power in the shortest time possible.”

That one glance froze the restlessly stirring Skeleton Monarch on his throne.

“Your Highness, since the final battle is near, isn’t it too late to be making newborns now?” Reinhart asked, confused.

“There’s enough time.” Li Ye nodded with certainty. “The power of life is born the moment the seed is sown.”