Pillar of Yita

The trial for the Dragon Worship Sect spy took place in the central square of Grey Owl Town.

The gloomy sky was drifting with thin snowflakes.

In the center of the cobblestone square stood an ancient fountain, its waters long dry, with a stone statue within gazing at the bleak sky with a cold expression.

The Knights set up a wooden platform beside the fountain, facing the dense crowd below.

The trial took place on the wooden platform, where the Knights brought the alleged Dragon Worship Sect spies one by one, reciting their misdeeds, then passing judgment upon them.

Fang Hong noted at least two types of Knights with different attire; the ones they first saw were responsible for the reading, while another type with pitch-black feathers on their helmets, holding Great Swords, performed the executions.

Both types of Knights wore similar crow-headed helmets, distinguished only by their robes and feathers.

The latter type of Knight pressed the convicts onto the guillotine, announcing their crimes—betrayal of the teachings of the Oulin Gods or allegiance to dark forces.

Fang Hong originally had some interest in the Dragon Worship Sect spies, but upon seeing those people, he was greatly disappointed.

In his view, those on the platform were either raggedly dressed, barefooted, and all appeared old, weak, and frail, trembling in the cold wind, unlike any Dark Followers he had seen.

Rather, they looked like a group of refugees fleeing famine.

They struggled and begged on the guillotine, sobbing, though some broke forth in curses.

The Knights were indifferent, simply lifting their Great Sword, its blade outlined with icy light, and slicing down.

The crimson blood arrows fell into the snow, strikingly conspicuous.

Elisa shielded Gita’s eyes, while Hilveld stood in front of Ai Xiaoxiao.

The square was silent.

The headless corpse lifelessly slid to the side, the spayed blood swiftly transforming into points of white light. In this place, death of the flesh was not an end; executions were often repeated here, making it more akin to a solemn ritual.

Fang Hong furrowed his brow slightly, why should Dark Followers resurrect with flashes of white light? This contradicted his understanding.

He glanced around, seeing both natives and Invokers in the square, but no one voiced any objection.

”Are all those people Dragon Worship Sect spies?”

The innkeeper who brought them here nodded, ”The people of Crow’s Claw Sanctuary could not be wrong.”

”How were these people captured?”

”During that battle three days ago, these people opened the gates and let the Dragon Beasts in.”

”Three days ago Dragon Beasts attacked here?”

The innkeeper nodded slightly: ”If not for the Holy Guards, what you see now would just be a ruin of Grey Owl Town.”

Fang Hong raised his head again, wondering if the so-called Holy Guards were these mysterious Knights?

He still had not figured out what the Crow’s Claw Sanctuary was all about.

At this moment, the Knights brought a little girl to the stage, her hands weighed with heavy shackles and dragging chains clinking loudly. She wore only ragged clothing, her head bowed, wringing her hands and shivering from the cold wind and snow.

A Knight pushed the girl, making her kneel at the guillotine, then took out a document from his chest, reading in a muffled voice.

Fang Hong looked at the girl whose hands and feet were red from the cold, incredulous: ”She is also a Dragon Worshipper?”

The innkeeper looked at nowhere and shook his head, answering surely: ”The people of Crow’s Claw Sanctuary could not be wrong, she might be a relative of some of those people.”

”Are relatives guilty too?”

The innkeeper turned back to him, eyes showing some incredulous light: ”Do you not know?”

”Know what?”

But by now, the Knight finished reading, and the black-feathered Knight stepped forward with the Great Sword, pressing the girl’s head down to adjust her positioning.

The little girl seemed to have lost the strength to resist long ago, her gaze somewhat empty, like a rag doll being manipulated at will.

The black-feathered Knight then straightened, stepped back, and raised the Great Sword overhead before slicing down.

Tianlan couldn’t help but let out a soft cry.

Fang Hong also squinted slightly, while ladies from the Seven Seas Travel Group instinctively turned their heads away.

And just at that moment, a strange low whistle suddenly sounded from the northwest corner of the square.

Fang Hong instinctively looked in that direction, and the whistle arrived quickly, only to see the Knight holding the Great Sword on the platform suddenly tilt his head, and the next moment a wavering Feather Arrow appeared on his neck.

The Great Sword in his hand instantly fell with a loud clang.

He futilely grabbed at the air, staggering forward as if drunk, finally crashing to the ground off the platform.

The square erupted in pandemonium.

”They have allies!”

The remaining Knights shouted lowly, drawing their Longswords one after another. They reacted quickly, their first action being to turn with sword in hand toward the prisoners, intending to return them to the Sanctuary.

While the Knight responsible for the reading took a step toward the little girl, planning to strike her down.

This all happened too suddenly, even Fang Hong couldn’t react.

He only saw at that moment, several flashes of white light unexpectedly appeared on the platform, from which a group of black-clad, masked assailants emerged. Upon appearing, they immediately launched attacks on the nearest Knights.

The Knight rushing toward the little girl barely made it halfway before seeing a fiery-haired woman emerge from the Light Gate ahead, wielding a Longsword, swinging it toward him.