They knew that at this moment, they were kneeling before Saruman.
He could be arrogant and unafraid of death.
But they were terrified.
The rays were crimson red, shooting down from a hole in the sky.
King Elrond and Thranduil wanted to break free and stand up. Even if they themselves died, the elves imprisoned in the city were innocent.
But when they struggled to stand.
They couldn't escape the restraints of those servants.
"Damn it! If we don't run fast, we'll die!!!"
King Elrond shouted, struggling.
In the end, he was slapped across the face.
The servant merely said, "Sauron's ray? Nothing to be afraid of!"
What?
This ray could kill even them.
Why wasn't a mere servant afraid?
Soon the answer appeared.
Pitch-black power transformed into silk threads and wove into a net, blocking the rays firmly.
Galadriel and the other elves were stunned.
This Saruman could actually resist Sauron's magic.
"Great Eternal God, please cast your gaze upon this world. This little demon dares to destroy your altar..."
Saruman didn't stop his chanting.
His voice rang out, loud and clear.
Saruman continued describing everything, recounting the sins of his opponents.
The magic eye in the sky saw that its attack had failed.
It wanted to strike again, but found itself unable to move.
A dazzling golden sun tore through the heavens, appearing above the firmament.
Saruman's voice stopped abruptly.
From that sun, he felt the presence of God descending.
Sacred, noble, and inviolable.
The true power of divinity.
Beyond anything he had imagined.
This was only an eye, yet it was so vast that the sky itself could not contain it.
In that moment, Rohan and Gondor fell into silence as all heard the name of the Eternal God.
But they had not yet seen the face of the true deity, so doubt lingered in their hearts.
Now that the eye of God had appeared, no sentient being could remain standing. All knelt upon the ground.
Galadriel saw her entire life within those eyes.
Many forgotten scenes played back through her mind.
Only when she regained consciousness did she humbly kneel.
The divine hierarchy of the Valar, compared to the true god before her, was nothing but a joke.
What Saruman had said was true.
Only after witnessing the gods would one know their greatness!
Arwen was pressed down by the Elf Queen and forced to kneel.
To look directly at the divine in such a manner would be the height of disrespect.
Within the Doomsdoom Mountains, Sauron's true spirit revived under the stimulation of divine power.
Looking at the terrifying eye in the sky, he knelt deeply to the ground.
Even though he existed only as pure spirit, he trembled constantly.
This was serious trouble.
His own magic eye had acted without authorization—this time, calamity was inevitable.
"Saruman..."
An ethereal voice fell from the air.
No emotion could be discerned within it, yet it made all who heard it afraid to let down their guard.
"God, your loyal servant is always ready to heed your commands."
Before others, Saruman was a proud Maia, a mad devil, a cruel killer.
But before the God of Eternity, he was nothing but a humble reptile.
The contrast was staggering.
Galadriel could scarcely believe what she was witnessing.
A hint of satisfaction gleamed in the eye above. This kind of obedient servant was exactly what was needed.
Liu Che knew precisely what Saruman feared.
One hundred thousand people slaughtered. Two kingdoms brought under control, with two beautiful elves sacrificed as offerings. This kind of devotee was exactly to Liu Che's liking.
"Well, though your methods were somewhat harsh this time, the godless truly must be made to understand my existence."
"I thank you for your approval, God."
Saruman finally breathed a sigh of relief.
His efforts had at last been recognized.
Tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
Saruman wept with emotion.
"There are many false gods upon this continent, as well as certain self-righteous individuals. The next steps will rely on you. Do not disappoint me."
"I swear, even if my body is shattered, I, Saruman, will make these insolent fools understand your greatness."
"Very well. For the sake of your loyalty, you are granted the rank of Three-Star Divine Envoy, ten thousand years of cultivation in divine law, and a dark beast companion."
As the words fell, a dark radiance poured into Saruman's body.
Though it was dark power, it did not convey any sense of cold malevolence. On the contrary, it possessed an aura of sanctity.
Power itself knew no distinction between good and evil—it depended entirely upon the user.
Galadriel understood this truth in her heart. She felt the shackles that had bound her for countless ages opening before her, one after another.
Then a dragon's roar sounded across the sky.
A young dragon, one thousand meters in length, descended from the torn heavens.
Its voice was quite immature—clearly it had not yet reached adulthood.
Yet the pressure emanating from its body directly shattered Sauron's magic eye.
The young dragon looked toward the sky and spoke softly: "Great God of Eternity, I, Carl, will certainly complete your task and will not disappoint your expectations."
Liu Che did not speak, but merely gazed toward the Doomsday Mountains.
With just a look, the infamous stronghold of evil was instantly reduced to ash.
Then he vanished, and with him went the two Rings of Power and two beautiful ladies.
In the kingdom of Rohan, Queen Éowyn also stood upon an altar and disappeared into the heavens, following the divine light.
From that day forward, Rohan preserved the beautiful legend of the princess ascending to heaven.
Within the border city, Saruman did not rise for a long time after the god departed.
Compared to the harsh gods of the Valar, the God of Eternity was his true faith—great, noble, and more understanding of mortals.
Though gods should be without emotion, those who possessed feeling were all the more worthy of reverence.
After a long while—nearly half an hour—Saruman slowly rose to his feet. He looked at the two elven kings who had not yet emerged from their shock and smiled at them. "You two—do you wish to join the faith now?"
His sudden words startled the two elven kings from their reverie.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.
One after another, they knelt before Saruman.
Though they had previously despised this treacherous Maia, this fallen wizard, they had now truly witnessed a miracle.
They realized how ridiculous their former thoughts had been.
Their cherished convictions, in the eyes of the divine, were nothing but a joke.
It was like humans observing ants.
"King Elrond is willing to bring his people to join the Eternal God's faith and serve the deity for all his life!"
"I, Thranduil, am also willing to serve the god!"
"Hahaha... Excellent, truly excellent. It seems you two can turn back from error and are not enemies of the divine after all."
Hearing Saruman's words, both elven kings flushed red with embarrassment.
In the past, they could never have imagined kneeling before Saruman like dogs.
But now everything was different.
The God of Eternity had descended upon Middle-earth.
It was impossible that the Valar gods in Aman had not noticed.
Yet they had not appeared.
Why?
The elven kings could think of no reason other than fear.
Furthermore, aside from those who had died in battle, Saruman had not actually killed many of their elven people. Even after seizing control of the two kingdoms, he had not engaged in excessive slaughter.
And besides, did they have any other choice?
Naturally, they did not.
Thranduil accepted the meditation technique Saruman passed to him and sighed inwardly. The elves had inevitably become servants of another.
Without power, this was the inevitable end.
"Cultivate this. You will thank me."
Saruman looked at Thranduil with encouraging eyes.
The latter studied the technique once more and began to practice diligently.
In less than half an hour, the Elf King's strength had increased by thirty percent, and he had grasped the profound mysteries of wind power.
With a single arrow, he destroyed a kilometer of forest!
King Elrond, witnessing this archery display, was left utterly stunned.
In just a single moment, he had become this much stronger?
King Elrond looked at the black dragon outside the city, then at the vanished Doomsday Volcano, and finally came to his senses.
By joining the faith, one could gain tremendous power. By believing in the God of Eternity, one day they could even launch an attack on Aman.
They would show those damned false gods just how great the elves truly were!
Within the Divine Realm, Liu Che was organizing his latest harvest.
"Ding... Your High Priest Saruman has sacrificed the Queen of the Golden Forest—Galadriel—to you, triggering a thousand-fold amplification. You have obtained the elven deity [Galadriel]. Additionally triggered: Divine Realm building [Sacred Golden Forest]."
[Name]: Galadriel
[Strength]: Deity
[Race]: Elf (cultivation path undetermined)
[Attributes]: Wind and Water (upon becoming a god, gains additional enhancement and masters all seven elements)
[Mount]: Golden Unicorn Chariot
"Ding... Your believer Saruman has sacrificed the elven woman Arwen to you, triggering a thousand-fold amplification. You have obtained the Six-Star Elf Goddess Arwen."
[Name]: Arwen
[Strength]: Six Stars
[Race]: Elf
[Attribute]: Plant Affinity
"Ding... Your believer Saruman has sacrificed the Princess of Rohan—Éowyn—to you, triggering a thousand-fold amplification. You have obtained the Five-Star Goddess Éowyn."
Each one's attributes were progressively weaker than the last, but their beauty was exceptional.
This made Liu Che very satisfied.
Galadriel was an extraordinarily beautiful woman, possessing a hint of pride within her holiness, along with an elegant bearing. After all, she had been a queen for ages—her natural presence was formidable.
Among all his goddesses, Galadriel belonged to the group with the finest temperament.
Liu Che liked such proud women. After all, the sense of conquest was quite exhilarating.
As for Arwen and Éowyn, they were comparatively overshadowed, but each possessed her own unique charm.
At this moment, all three knelt at his feet.
Galadriel managed to keep her gaze steady for a while, whereas Arwen nervously fidgeted with the hem of her garment, and Éowyn knelt with her head bowed in fear, never daring to look up.
"You need not be so frightened. As my goddesses, you may face the world with pride and treat your sisters with proper respect. Especially here in the Eternal Palace—there are not too many rules."
Hearing the god's gentle words, all three breathed sighs of relief.