I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

If we're careful and keep our distance from those top powers, it's very possible not to be detected from start to finish.

This is indeed quite astonishing!

In past lives, the evil god believers who followed the Shadow King were never particularly prominent in the story.

No one paid attention to them, thinking these people merely liked to hide in the shadows, rarely appearing in others' eyes.

But now it seems, are these people really willing to hide in the shadows?

This clearly indicates they're hiding to prepare something big!

We don't know how many people the Shadow Veil Kent Holden ultimately controlled in his past life?

Lis felt somewhat heavy-hearted thinking about this.

"When did you devour Richie?"

Lis thought for a moment and continued asking.

"Two months ago, three days before the Fiery Fire Festival."

The shadow "Richie" answered honestly.

That early?

Lis furrowed his brows slightly.

The Shadow Veil Kent Holden initiated the great event of the Lonely Mountain City Shadow Tide on the day of the Fiery Fire Festival.

He was also found by Lis that day and got scared away.

This means that in those days, the other party likely had the shadow monsters devour other people.

"Can all shadow monsters devour others to gain their identity?"

Lis asked in a deep voice.

"No."

The shadow "Richie" shook his head, speaking word by word:

"Only companions nurtured by the core of the mother nest possess wisdom to devour other beings."

"The others are all defective."

Hearing this, Lis breathed a sigh of relief.

This way, the situation isn't that dire.

However, this also means Kent's controlled shadow nest has the ability to continually nurture this special kind of shadow monster.

Clearly, Kent's main purpose in coming to Lonely Mountain City was to infiltrate the Dwarf Kingdom.

To hide this purpose, they even manufactured the Shadow Tide attack event.

Thinking of this solved many of Lis's previous doubts.

He had felt the actions of the Shadow King Church were somewhat unreasonable before.

Sure enough, they had other more important purposes.

This means there are still others in the Dwarf Kingdom impersonated by shadow monsters.

Thinking of this, Lis felt some regret.

When the Shadow Veil Kent Holden fled, it would have been better if he could have left a location mark on him.

Now that this guy has fled to some unknown place, it's really hard to encounter him again.

Moreover, Lis is certain that this guy will do the same things elsewhere.

This is somewhat troubling.

Of course, it's not impossible.

Lis has already memorized the aura of the shadow nest and shadow monsters.

When he encounters them next time, it will be easier for him to distinguish.

Thinking of this, Lis shook his head slightly and went on to ask:

"Aside from you, who else among the Dwarves has been devoured by you all?"

"I don't know."

The shadow "Richie" said:

"I was the first to be devoured, and after completing the devouring, I left the mother nest, so I'm not sure if there were others afterwards."

"Hmm?"

Lis noticed a problem, and then asked:

"So, you devoured Richie in the shadow nest?"

"How did Richie go to the shadow nest?"

Generally speaking, Richie, as a Dwarf Minister, should not have been in the shadow nest.

Richie might very well have been captured by Shadow King believers and taken to the shadow nest.

Although this possibility can't be ruled out, Lis thinks there's a bigger problem here.

"I don't know."

The shadow "Richie" said in a calm tone:

"But from the memories of this person, he went to the mother nest voluntarily due to his cooperation with Kent."

Sure enough!

Lis understood.

This Richie has problems himself!

"What was his cooperation with Kent about?"

Lis was somewhat curious about this.

Logically, being a Dwarf Minister, Richie must know how unreliable it is to cooperate with evil god believers.

But he chose to do so anyway.

This means Kent must have offered something Richie couldn't refuse.

"If Richie was willing to cooperate, then the Shadow King would transform him into a shadow creature with eternal life when his life was about to end."

"Kent showed him the ability of the soul nest to send out avatars."

"Describe in detail what this is."

Lis was curious upon hearing this.

Facing Lis's inquiry, the shadow "Richie" didn't hide anything and told Lis everything he knew.

Even though he didn't gain much from Richie's memory, it was enough for Lis.

Lis also knew the status of the Shadow Veil Kent Holden.

As expected, everything was related to that shadow nest.

Lis pondered while asking the shadow "Richie" for more information.

Lis had a hunch that as a World Tree Favored, he would encounter Kent again sooner or later.

If so, Lis had to be prepared in advance.

Originally, Kent was scared out of his wits and fled in panic.

If next time he doesn't take Kent down in one go, it will be bothersome to target him later.

After all, with the special ability of the shadow nest, targeting Kent would be difficult.

However, Lis isn't without hope.

Meanwhile, Kelleb stood by with a complicated expression.

He had been present throughout, watching Lis inquire from the shadow "Richie."

He also understood what Richie had done.

If he had previously felt angry and saddened by his friend's death.

If Lis had not keenly noticed something wrong, he would really have thought his friend was innocently killed by evil god believers.

But now, he knew what had happened.

It was clear Richie had already fallen, colluding with the evil god believers.

Watching the list Lis obtained from the other party, there was no doubt that Richie had done many things for the evil god believers before being killed.

All for that so-called eternal life?

Kelleb was speechless.

As someone who achieved legendary status, he already had a long lifespan.

In the future, could I end up like this?

For a moment, Kelleb felt lost.

But very soon, he affirmed his decision.

Even if he dies, he would never collude with evil god believers.

At this moment, he saw Lis turn around, seemingly finishing his questions.

The shadow "Richie" instantly collapsed into a shadow and merged into Lis's shadow.

"What should we do next?"

Kelleb didn't say much, and asked Lis.

Lis nodded and said:

"We know enough now. The next step is to meet that Dwarf King Preston."

"I suppose this time Preston will likely thank us for our help."

Lis said with a playful smile.

After all, from the information he had gathered, it was evident that with Richie's help, the Shadow King believers had infiltrated quite a few people into the royal court.

Although they are not very significant individuals, Preston might still find it like a thorn in his side.

Handing over the shadow "Richie" and this list to Preston would also be a huge favor.

However, Lis wasn't aiming to gain any favor in return.

He was just repaying the help he received earlier.

Thinking this, Lis led Kelleb away.

After all, to see the Dwarf King, it must be done openly during the day.

...

The next day,

Lis, Kelleb, and the elves of Nature's Wrath, headed to the Dwarf King Palace.

Because there were humans and elves, they attracted quite a bit of attention along the way.

Upon arriving at the palace, Lis and his party were stopped by vigilant guards.

After Lis expressed his intention, the expression of the dwarf guards changed, and they proceeded to the depths of the Royal Palace.

Lis gazed around the grand Dwarf Palace with ease, feeling a sense of bemusement.

Being here with a different status really gave him a different perspective.

He could feel several powerful Legendary Aura observing him from within the palace.

Back then, he sensed nothing.

But now, it's different!