Chapter 476: Divine Office

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Inside the presidential suite of the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, Li Mochen sat in the meditation room, his gaze puzzled and contemplative as he looked at the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' he had temporarily unsealed before him.

This was because a phenomenon he found difficult to understand had occurred with this mythical armament, cursed by three popes. The curse and seal placed on the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' by the Radiant Church seemed to have loosened somewhat. Yet Li Mochen had done nothing at all; although he had previously hunted down the wind serpent Rataxia and nine legendary giant beasts, their souls had all been devoured by the Fang of the Wind God. Li Mochen had not used even a drop of their blood on the 'Crimson Dragon Armor'.

Nevertheless, the curse on this mythical armament had indeed wavered. Just the mental impact Li Mochen sensed was far less than before. He had also tried touching the armor, and the safe contact time had increased from the previous 0.1 seconds to about 0.3 seconds.

And this situation seemed to have started after Li Mochen arrived in Los Angeles. Was it because this place was somehow different, or was there some other reason?

Li Mochen was utterly perplexed, so he decided to simultaneously employ the Titan's Eye and True Dragon Vision, visualizing the 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Pagoda'.

The wish he made this time was: 'I shall pierce through the truth of this mythical armament!'

As more than a hundred strands of merit energy dissipated from the pagoda, both of his clairvoyant spells underwent a transformation at that moment. His vision directly pierced through layer after layer of magical arrays within the 'Crimson Dragon Armor'. When the core object came into view, Li Mochen felt a sting in his eyes, and his spirit soul swelled faintly.

Li Mochen immediately ceased his observation, and then his expression shifted between gloom and joy, alternating between surprise and delight.

Inside—could it be a virtual divine office? And one related to combat and war. It seemed to be at the level of a lesser god, complete with divine authority, divine essence, and divine fire.

However, it was not a complete entity; its main part should be hidden in the Blood Crown at the Teutonic National Museum.

—That Emperor Barbarossa actually harbored the ambition of becoming a god?

Li Mochen shook his head, then placed the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' back into the layers of sealing boxes and tossed it into his void ring.

If the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' could be fully unsealed, it would undoubtedly be a great joy for him; this mythical armament would be even more helpful than the Light Demon No. 8. But it was still far from that point; 0.1 seconds and 0.3 seconds were essentially no different. Li Mochen planned to continue observing to see how things developed.

He knew that the reason for the loosening of the curse on the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' was most likely related to the virtual divine office within the armor. This was probably a combination of laws and faith. That is to say, all matters and thoughts related to war and combat around him now might help the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' break its curse.

Here, one must mention the types of 'deities'. In the Western world, deities are divided into three categories: 'Primordial Gods', 'Law Gods', and 'Faith Gods'.

Primordial Gods rely solely on their own power; their path is similar to that of Eastern immortals, following the way of proving the Dao through power. They are usually born at the dawn of the world's creation, receiving gifts from the early heavens and earth, inherently close to the source and truth, possessing immensely powerful strength.

This is like the cultivators born in the age of desolation in Eastern scriptures. In that era, golden immortals were as common as clouds, and true immortals fell like rain; they also possessed inherent majestic power.

But in modern times, very few cultivators can reach this realm. Their path of cultivation is far more arduous than that of these ancient beings. Hence, there are nine-tribulation scattered immortals; cultivators must accumulate power step by step, ultimately aspiring to become spirit immortals.

Law Gods, on the other hand, rely on the power of laws to exist. The most typical example is the 'Statue of Liberty' worshipped by many in America. Many records indicate that the Statue of Liberty, which rose during the era of the French Revolution, is likely the true form of Eris, the goddess of discord from the Greek era. The divine authority and law she controls is discord. Any discord and conflict among humans and animals contribute to the growth of Eris's power.

By now, this Statue of Liberty has probably far exceeded the level of a Law God, even possessing the rank of a divine lord.

As for 'Faith Gods', they are deities that rely entirely on faith and thought power to maintain their divine essence. Such gods are relatively rare in the world covered by the Church of Light and the Church of Truth. Their strength is usually weak, and they have many flaws. Most of them have been exterminated by these two monotheistic sects, or co-opted to become angels under the one regarded as the 'Lord of Light' and also the 'Lord of Truth'.

Moreover, since modern times, very few humans have been able to reach the threshold of 'Primordial God' through their own power. Therefore, most Western demigod-level magic professionals follow the path of 'Law Gods' and 'Faith Gods', then, after accumulating enough power, find a way to become a 'Primordial God' that does not rely on external forces, or go all the way on one path.

Of course, there are also many powerful Primordial Gods who take on the roles of 'Law Gods' and 'Faith Gods' concurrently; this does not affect their own path but can enhance their power. This is similar to the situation in the East, where many accomplished golden immortals are also divine lords with vast divine power and majestic divine might.

In Li Mochen's view, this set of 'Crimson Dragon Armor' undoubtedly contained the ambitious aspirations of Emperor Barbarossa. The virtual divine office would allow him to grasp the power belonging to a deity before becoming a Primordial God, while also freeing him from the negative influences of these two paths.

Unfortunately, the emperor ultimately failed in his endeavor. And those who inherited it afterward were unable to understand the essence of its power; only the infusion of battle, war, and blood could restore its strength.

Li Mochen anticipated that the loosening of the curse was related to his two fighting matches and the heated discussions they sparked in this city. This had strengthened the virtual divine office, thereby offsetting part of the curse's power.

But as for the specifics, Li Mochen would have to wait and see.

Especially the next two matches; he, Felton Williams, and Green Adams all had large fan bases. Their upcoming fights generated immense buzz across all of America, which might further restore the power of the virtual divine office.

Li Mochen planned to monitor the changes in the 'Crimson Dragon Armor' throughout this period.

This was not for the curse; Li Mochen had no objection to breaking the curse in a simpler and easier way. What concerned him was whether the virtual divine office would affect him personally.

Li Mochen believed he could cross the threshold of immortality. As for 'Law Gods' and 'Faith Gods', he would keep his distance for now.

Only after becoming a true spirit immortal would he consider such external forces.

Next, Li Mochen took out ten crystal bottles, each about the size of a fist, filled with blood—all from his recent hunts.

Although most of the essence blood of those giant beasts had been absorbed by the Fang of the Wind God, and the remainder had been sent to the Xuri Biological Laboratory for research on biological armor, Li Mochen had still retained some of the blood essence.

He planned to use these giant beast essences to cultivate a secret technique with extraordinary killing power, as another trump card for himself.

But before Li Mochen could begin, a knock came from outside the meditation room door.