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It's not that the current Lion Clan is weak, but the meaning of the four major combat races is clear: if the banner of the Splitfang Dynasty lacks the strength to subdue these four clans, not only will the four clans remain unconvinced, but even the Lion Clan itself cannot rest easy. In the end, they would inevitably seek to weaken the four clans to consolidate royal authority, leading to the decline of the strength of all orcish races. From both self-interest and justice, this is unacceptable.

Just as the War God Temple was at its wits' end, Chen Xuanfeng delivered a message.

His letter to the War God Pope contained only one sentence:

"I am the Celestial Saint."

A single sentence that shifted the stance of the War God Temple and altered the entire situation of the Orc Alliance.

On the continent, Sword Saints are not rare. Even excluding the lineage of the Supreme Dragon Saint and the recent young Sword Saints who ascended through Sacred Crests, over the centuries since the First SwordSaint Leinster, a new Sword Saint has emerged roughly every fifty years. However, Sword Saints are also ranked, distinguishable by their titles. The weakest young Sword Saints do not even bear the title "Saint," instead calling themselves "Knights." Similarly, Orc powerhouses who ascended to the Saint realm through Sacred Crests refer to themselves as "Emperor Martial," though they rival the Dragon Saint in strength, they cannot claim the "Saint" title, as their path to the Saint realm was not forged by their own efforts. Those who comprehended the Saint realm by bonding with legendary divine weapons, though not entirely self-made, may still use the "Saint" title, albeit with a prefix indicating external aid—such as the Supreme Dragon Saint or the Blazing Flame Saint.

All this humility and self-discipline exist solely to highlight the nobility of those who truly reached this supreme realm through their own strength.

The honor of bearing the "Saint" title without any prefix.

The first human "SwordSaint" Leinster once single-handedly forced the Orc Empire at its peak to bow its head.

The second-generation Orc "War Saint" Leimen tested his blade across the world, striking terror into the hearts of humans who had nearly conquered the entire continent.

This is glory. Though history has seen dozens of Saint-realm powerhouses, and others who, through talent and effort, cultivated twin combat energies to approach the threshold of Sainthood, in the end, only these two ever took that supreme step.

But today, Chen Xuanfeng could boldly declare himself the third to attain such honor.

"Celestial Saint"—this was the title Chen Xuanfeng chose for himself.

And the War God Temple swiftly changed its approach, shifting from mediating between the two sides to avoid war to resolving the dispute as quickly as possible.

The day after Chen Xuanfeng emerged from seclusion, the War God Temple issued a proclamation for the renewed selection of the Orc King.

In other words, the War God Temple had denied the legitimacy of the "Splitfang Dynasty" and withdrawn its support for the Splitfang Clan.

When Chen Xuanfeng received the proclamation, he couldn't help but sigh, "Though I knew the outcome, for the War God Temple to so decisively erase the lifelong goal of Samantha... that's truly resolute."

Jin Luosha, standing beside him, replied, "It's only natural. Though you lack the background of an old noble family, the Orc world has always revered strength. A Sword Saint's status far surpasses noble lineage. Moreover, your subjugation of both Saint Spirit Mountain and Sacred Dragon Mountain matches Samantha's achievements, and your military and financial power is formidable. Though few races have pledged allegiance to you, you command the strongest—no, the world's strongest—group of Saint-realm powerhouses. Even if Samantha were resurrected, you could contend for the imperial throne. Now that he has no worthy successor, it would be strange if the War God Temple didn't know how to choose."

The mermaid mage Hai Ruo nodded in agreement. "Unlike the human Holy Church, the War God Temple isn't an independent religious system but a national faith deeply rooted in the Orc world, sharing its fortunes and misfortunes. Thus, it prioritizes the collective interests of all Orc clans. If it can restore the Orcs' past glory, no means are off the table. Their support for Samantha was the same, and their support for us now is no different."

"Heh heh heh, I bet the Splitfang Clan is now cursing the War God Temple while scrambling to prepare for the Orc King selection. Heh heh heh, little do they know the Lion Clan's millennia-long monopoly on the orthodox leadership is about to slip from their grasp." The one cackling at such matters was, naturally, the golden-skulled Zombie King. Admittedly, Chen Xuanfeng had always found his appearance bizarre and often felt the urge to jab his skull a few times with the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. But after returning from the Sacred Dragon Mountain and comparing it to the unkempt, skeletal visage of the undead former SwordSaint Leinster—who had nearly killed him—Chen Xuanfeng suddenly found the Zombie King's gleaming golden skull almost... appealing. Such was the shift in perspective.

Since news of Chen Xuanfeng's ascension to the Saint realm had not yet spread widely, most Orc powers still believed the Orc King selection was the War God Temple's attempt to balance the dispute—denying the Splitfang Clan's claim to imperial succession while tacitly permitting them to contend for the next Orc King, a compromise for both sides. After all, the Orc King had always been a Lion, and now the Splitfang Clan controlled the Lion Clan and commanded a host of Warcraft Orc Warriors, including one or two said to have reached the Sword Emperor level. Though they hadn't cultivated the "Emperor Martial Overlord Art," combined with magic, their strength rivaled two or three ordinary Orc Sword Emperors, completely overshadowing other clans. Meanwhile, the Lion Clan's former top powerhouse, Catherine, lay gravely wounded by the Dragon Saint, her fate uncertain. As for Chen Xuanfeng, though his exploits as the White Wolf Lord were illustrious and he had just conquered the Sacred Dragon Mountain, most Orcs automatically ruled out his eligibility. After all, without being a Sword Saint or a Lion, no matter his achievements or influence, it would be difficult to command the allegiance of all Orc clans.

Yet all this was destined to become a joke under the radiance of the new Sword Saint's birth.

In the 1409th year of the War God Era, during the Scarlet Moon, at the Orcish Holy City of Romon.

The Orc King selection had arrived once more.

Though the last selection was only five years prior, Samantha's assassination necessitated an early convening of the normally once-a-decade event. This was not without precedent and raised no objections. By the rules, any Orc—even from the weakest Rat or Rabbit Clan—could participate, but only those endorsed by one of the five major combat races could clear the War God Temple's vetting. After all, the King's duty was to lead all clans; if one couldn't even command a major clan, how could they claim kingship?