Chapter 1086 - 517: Beneath the Sandstorm

Chapter 1086: Chapter 517: Beneath the Sandstorm

The most suspicious point for Her was one: the God of Sand and Stone, does He really have that kind of intellect?

Perhaps due to past misconceptions leading to stereotypes, Uphemia always had a "prejudice" that the God of Sand and Stone wasn’t actually that smart, and never thought so deeply.

"I always feel that He just intends to show off His military might, spread His majesty among mortals, and demonstrate His presence to the gods, without considering anything else..."

"Uh, surely, it couldn’t really be for such a simple reason, right?"

It’s fine if this idea never appeared, but once it did, it started to disseminate wildly in Her mind—hiss, the more She thought about it, the more it seemed true!

Feeling more and more unsure, the Cold Winter Goddess ultimately decided not to reveal Herself for now, opting to observe in the shadows, letting others test the waters first to see what medicine the God of Sand and Stone was selling in His gourd.

After the Cold Winter Goddess chose to watch in silence, within a few days, other divine beings also gradually received the news, and once again the world’s attention was focused on the same place.

The aftermath of the war in the City of Radiance had not yet completely subsided, and this bizarre phenomenon of windswept sand caused the world that had briefly calmed to once again fall into a tense and delicate atmosphere.

Countless eyes looked toward the Northern Lands, each containing different meanings.

Some were worried, some expectant, some excited, some uneasy.

Everyone understood that the war in the City of Radiance had merely lifted a corner of the prelude to the world’s chaotic battles, and surely new conflicts would follow.

The strong with various thoughts mostly remained hidden, quietly accumulating power, calmly observing the situation, aiming to survive until the end and seize a suitable opportunity to act.

But who would’ve thought, this opportunity would come so quickly?

Did the one making a move now really have such impatience?

Moreover, there was something different this time.

When the conflicts between the Sun God and the God of Sinful Desire occurred, not many divine beings wanted to intervene, fearing they’d get targeted by one side and drawn into trouble.

But this time, the God of Sand and Stone certainly didn’t have that level of deterrence; many are likely unable to resist taking action, interfering either openly or secretly.

Ambitious individuals would be delighted to muddy the waters, taking advantage of the chaos to fish for the greatest personal gains.

Meanwhile, if outsiders were merely observing with varied intentions and eagerly awaiting the right moment,

it was the local deities holding the faith in the land, apart from the Cold Winter Goddess and Her followers, who felt real dissatisfaction towards the intruder.

Deities like the God of Pirates controlling the northern routes, the God of the Northern Barbarian Race, the God of Winter Wolves...

They would feel their majesty challenged, their interests infringed upon, and would be eager to retaliate.

As for the mortals, the divine struggles were unrelated to them.

Right now, for the local mortals and extraordinary organizations in the Northern Lands, what they felt wasn’t excitement, but tangible oppression.

Just as the God of Sand and Stone envisioned, when faced with His overwhelming divine power, mortals immediately felt a sense of fear and unease.

They couldn’t fathom why this deity, with no previous grudge or recent enmity with the Northern Lands, would suddenly choose to display His majesty towards them...

But they knew that if they didn’t react, the relentless yellow sand would continue to spread, eventually engulfing them completely.

The Northern Lands were vast, and sparsely populated, so foreign interventions weren’t a major concern for mortals.

Even if the God of Sand and Stone was really there to establish a foothold, the local mortal resistance wouldn’t be significant.

After all, there was plenty of space; if you want to come, just come.

But the real issue was with food.

In order to make mortals understand His terror, the God of Sand and Stone focused a large part of His efforts on eroding farmland.

The grain yield in the Northern Lands was already a huge issue, with few lands suitable for farming, and now the little arable land that remained was being consumed by yellow sand.

If no preventive action is taken, it won’t be long before the Northern Lands face a true crisis.

They must respond.

But the premise is—this deity must first make clear what He actually wants?

What exactly are you trying to do!!?

...

Inside the Extreme Ice Sacred Land, everything was quiet, as peaceful as usual, seemingly unaffected by the outside world.

Of the three suspected targets the God of Sand and Stone cared about, this small Holy Land had the weakest response.

The population within the Sacred Land was never large, with Legendary Strongmen comprising the majority, only a few young ones had a high demand for food.

And they had abundant food reserves within the Sacred Land, not worried about falling into a famine in the short term.

They proactively sealed the channels between the Sacred Land and the outside, leaving only an observation window, waiting quietly.

These beasts, mostly possessing intelligence, were more perceptive than ordinary people and clearly knew that the current situation was just the beginning.

No matter what, it wasn’t yet time for them to react excessively.

Moreover, their prayers were answered, the Cold Winter Goddess issued a divine revelation, suggesting they tighten their defenses and avoid making significant responses for the time being.

They merely followed the Goddess’s instructions and sent inquiries to the Church of the Natural Pantheon.

Compared to the stillness of the Extreme Ice Sacred Land, the reaction of the Witch Association was slightly less composed.