22

The lumps of flesh from the seabed continuously surged upwards. The monster that Aaron had shattered reformed, but became even larger than before, emitting a tyrannical aura comparable to that of a demigod within the mist.

Looking at the increasingly dense yellowish-green mist and the monster that had reappeared, Aaron's mouth twitched. He had no intention of turning back to compete with it.

He fully activated the ghost ship and finally escaped the sea area containing the residual Mother Goddess's aura before the yellowish-green mist could close in.

Not far away was the island. It seemed that another power was restricting the spread of the Mother Goddess's aura. Aaron looked back at the no longer surging yellowish-green mist before canceling the "Imprisonment" decree.

Aaron, who was observing the island before him, suddenly felt a slight spiritual movement, a faint and inexplicable pull. He abruptly reached into the sea surface, and when he withdrew his hand, he was holding a greenish-black strange fish.

The fish's surface had protruding bones forming a twisted and strange symbol, which was exactly the symbol Aaron had transmitted to Leomaster at the end of the crumbling dream world.

Aaron, who already had the answer in his heart, looked at the fish's bulging belly. He used a single finger as a knife and cut it open, revealing three bloody fingers stuffed inside.

He took out the three fingers and stacked them together, covered in blood. After a brief moment of solidification, the fingers melted like candles, turning into a puddle of viscous flesh and blood.

The flesh and blood wriggled, drawing a bright red word on the deck of the ghost ship:

"Help!"

Chapter 190: Battle in the Travel Notes

As expected, I gathered the flesh and blood on the deck. Looking at the island in front of me, Aaron pondered for a moment before leaving the ghost ship and beginning his initial exploration. He had to ensure his safety while in deep sleep.

Before taking a few steps, Aaron stopped abruptly. Under his feet was a skull buried in the sand and gravel, radiating spirituality. In the direction leading to the depths of the island, scattered here and there were many skeletons.

Among them were not a few Beyonders. Aaron could clearly feel the spiritual fluctuations of several skeletons even from a distance, indicating they were at least Mid-Sequence Beyonders.

Looking at the severely corroded Aurora Order badges scattered near many skeletons, Aaron guessed that these people might have been the group of believers who made the pilgrimage with the Saint of Darkness back then. Since even a demigod was trapped, the fate of those believers was obvious.

Silently putting away the sealed artifacts formed by the scattered remains merging with skeletons or other objects, Aaron had already arrived at the entrance of the black monastery.

The paper crane in his pocket seemed to sense something, floating in mid-air, emitting a faint silver glow. Suppressing his curiosity and confirming that there were no strange creatures other than the monastery, Aaron returned to the ghost ship.

Smearing the blood separated from the Saint of Darkness's flesh and blood onto the surface of "Groselle's Travels," Aaron felt a moment of trance, perhaps a delusion. The black monastery in the distance seemed to have a momentary double image.

The blood was absorbed and disappeared. Aaron then sacrificed "Groselle's Travels" onto the dark gold mist. His consciousness sank back to the throne. With a wave of his hand, a small metal bottle from the pile of Sundries flew over.

This contained a small tube of blood he had previously extracted from his body, which he had brought to the dark gold mist long ago to facilitate the spirit body's entry into "Groselle's Travels."

After unscrewing the lid, Aaron didn't rush to smear his blood onto the book's dark brown cover. Without the protection of a physical body, the spirit body's inherent strength was more likely to be damaged in a demigod battle.

Although the "Scepter of the Sun" had the best effect, its own rank was too high. Directly integrating it into the spirit body without protection was no different from directly consuming a potion, at least in terms of the result.

Aaron first integrated the Black Emperor card into his spirit body. As the Blasphemy card merged, Aaron's spirit body seemed to expand slightly, but in reality, it became much more solid, with dark gold patterns emerging.

After thinking for a moment, he took out the "Mask of Death," which he hadn't used for a long time, from the pile of Sundries and integrated it into his spirit body. Two clusters of pitch-black flames immediately flickered in his eye sockets, as if they had their own life force.

Using meditation to adjust his spirituality, Aaron contained all the coldness originating from death within his body, and the abnormality in his eyes quickly returned to normal.

Aaron unscrewed the lid of the small metal bottle, poured out a few drops of blood, and smeared them onto the cover of "Groselle's Travels."

After a brief wait, what he saw was first blurred, as if hiding countless transparent things, and then became clear. There was a blue sky, white clouds, gray-brown city walls, and pedestrians coming and going, including giants with characteristic vertical single eyes.

Using divination, Aaron found Bayam-Bayle and the others who were still near the ice field. The "Demon Hunter" was in very good condition, no longer on the verge of losing control as he was more than a month ago.

Without pleasantries, Aaron threw the letter written by Mobet to Shatas and the others, and then directly brought Bayam-Bayle to initiate the teleportation. With the remaining flesh and blood of the Saint of Darkness, he quickly locked onto his position on a desolate plain.

The Saint of Darkness still maintained his giant form, covered in black armor, with his left eye flashing with crimson light and his right eye filled with bloodshot veins, full of pain and despair, but still retaining a glimmer of hope.

The ground beneath his feet was stained with a layer of viscous blackness, which was still spreading outwards. The light in his right eye gradually dimmed. Even though the main personality was severely wounded in the previous dream, after being freed from the power that caused his personality split, the kind personality had lost its last protection and was about to be devoured.

Having already sensed the strangeness of this place, the unease in the Saint of Darkness's main personality gradually increased. Suddenly, he turned his head and swung the straight, deep greatsword in his hand backward.

Bang!

Accompanied by a crisp, sharp explosion, the Sword of Dawn, as if condensed from light, bloomed with rays of dawn, turning into a storm of light that enveloped the Saint of Darkness.

The viscous liquid emanating a decadent aura was purified by the storm of light, but it did not hit the enemy. The eyes filled with dark green symbols suddenly looked to the side.

Shadows flickered there, but the figure of the Saint of Darkness had unknowingly emerged from the darkness, and the black greatsword in his hand was already slashing down.

Without any fear, Bayam-Bayle condensed the "Dawn Armor" on his body and also raised the light sword in his hand. The area within forty to fifty meters instantly became filled with dawn, preventing the Saint of Darkness from using shadows to jump and evade attacks again.

Aaron, wearing a black crown and a white bone mask, emerged from the void. With the blessing of the Black Emperor card and the enhancement of death aura from the Mask of Death, the "Imprisonment" law successfully restrained the Saint of Darkness who had just emerged from the shadows.

The ground collapsed accordingly. The sudden law caused the Saint of Darkness's body to stiffen for a moment, losing the opportunity to dodge and counterattack.

There was no emotion revealed in his cold eyes. He slightly tilted his head, accompanied by surging black viscous liquid. The light sword slashing towards his head ultimately deflected, only shattering the right side of his cheek and half of his body.

The "Black Knight," shattered into pieces, flew backward. A cruel smile appeared on the half-shattered face. The other personality that had troubled him was finally extinguished by him. The true "Black Knight" had returned.

The broken body quickly squirmed and reorganized, turning into a thin blanket flowing with flesh and blood, covering the shattered ground.

When a layer of flesh and blood grew on the barren plain, a distorted and swaying black shadow rose from the flesh and blood.

This was a soul he had pastored with the help of the "Holy Word Angel" Styff after being promoted to "Black Knight," and it was also the demigod soul he had pastored the longest.

It came from a powerful vampire in the Forsaken Land of Gods, corresponding to the Sequence 4 "King of Plagues" of the "Moon" pathway.

If a "Shepherd" pastures a demigod-level target, because their spirit body is solid, it can be directly released, but only one at a time, unless the corresponding "Shepherd" has become a Sequence 3 "Three-Headed Sanctuary."

Now, he was severely wounded, and the forced elimination of the split personality caused damage to his spirit body, making it impossible to pasture too many souls at the same time.

The distorted and swaying "King of Plagues" shadow reached out and dug out one of its own eyes, a virtual eye, a blood-red eye.

This eye radiated a clear and crimson light, instantly illuminating the entire wasteland, as if a red moon had descended here.

Reflected in its pupils were the figures of the giant wearing the Dawn Armor and Aaron in mid-air.

Without any hesitation, the "King of Plagues" shadow clenched the hand holding its eyeball, causing the crimson "moon" to be completely swallowed by darkness.

Deep, solidified darkness then appeared around Aaron and the other person, binding them in place, making the scene there seem frozen.

Flesh and blood surged together, forming a knight covered in black full body armor, wielding a deep greatsword, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

In the gaps of the "Black Knight's" visor, two clusters of crimson light flickered slightly, instantly locking onto the strange spirit body frozen in mid-air.

Bayam-Bayle roared, his body expanding again, but the shadow beneath his feet suddenly came alive, grabbing his ankle, flooding over him like water, and tightly entangling him.

"Black Knight," "Dominate Shadows"!

The Saint of Darkness's eyes were cold. He manipulated the "King of Plagues" soul to entangle Bayam-Bayle, while he himself rushed towards Aaron in mid-air, slashing with the long, wide, and deep greatsword in his hand.

Feeling the sense of restraint coming from various parts of his body, Aaron's expression remained unchanged. The white bone mask emitted a strong death aura, and a virtual gate to the Underworld suddenly opened.

The power emanating from the miniature Underworld spread towards the charging Saint of Darkness. The power of the Underworld awakened the pastured souls, and all the souls wailed within Leomaaster's body.

Dazzling electric arcs and a mental storm spread outwards from within him. The crimson light in his eyes flickered. His damaged spirit body was restrained by the souls pastured within him, and his figure was also frozen in mid-air.

Seizing this opportunity, the sub-consciousness waiting in the source for an opportunity raised the Scepter of the Sun, which was ready to be fired. With the help of his prayer light points, it passed through numerous obstacles, and the sublimated Sun Arrow shot towards the Saint of Darkness who was entangled by the souls.

Having just shielded the pastured souls from the interference of the Underworld, the light arrow emitting endless purifying flames had already arrived before him. The crimson light in his eyes collapsed into an extreme point, and he only had time to utter half a desperate roar:

"The Creator of Everything;

"Behind the Curtain of Shadows..."

Watching the Saint of Darkness being swallowed by the "Sun," the restraints on Aaron's body also disappeared. After helping Bayam-Bayle completely purify the uncontrolled "King of Plagues" soul, the rising "Sun" gradually extinguished.

A mass of black liquid surged in the giant pit formed by the lava, with spiritual light of different colors flashing within the blackness.

Aaron didn't know if night had already fallen in the real world and didn't have time to check his gains. He put all his gains into the Spiritual Box, and without hesitation, Aaron's spirit body expanded, enveloping the Spiritual Box. He directly ended the summoning and returned to the dark gold mist.

After putting the spoils back into the pile of Sundries, Aaron directly returned to the real world. Opening his eyes, he saw a deep darkness. The Night Mark on his wrist spontaneously emitted fluctuations, pulsating with the surrounding darkness, resisting some kind of force.

The obstructing Saint of Darkness had been eliminated, and the obstacle to exploration no longer existed. Aaron didn't hesitate. After confirming that his state was good, he directly entered the dream world.

Opening his eyes again, Aaron was back at the entrance of the black monastery. Unlike before, the "Painting of Misfortune" on the wall of the main hall was already blurred.

Aaron had somewhat expected this. The monastery was pieced together from individual dreams, dreams from different beings in the ruins of the divine war, or perhaps remnants of certain past dreams.

The previous mural was clearly a manifestation of a certain memory of the Saint of Darkness. After his demise, only the damaged and blurred remnants of the dream naturally remained.

Passing through black wooden doors containing unknown dreams, Aaron came to a winding black staircase going downwards. The light of dusk shone in from the stained glass windows high up, bringing a fiery sacredness.

Aaron examined the human skull carvings on the handrail of the black staircase, feeling the aura of the Underworld on the steps, which was identical to that of the Mask of Death. He thought of the Spirit Society's "Undying" who was searching for the remnants of the past Death God.

That demigod seemed to have lost control in the ravings and was forever wandering in an underwater ruin. An undying being could probably provide enough time for the "Ghost Picture Frame"...

This thought flashed through his mind, but Aaron's steps did not stop, and he continued downwards.

Perhaps protected by some kind of force, the journey was surprisingly peaceful, without the expected dangers. After walking down the stairs and arriving at the bottom of the monastery, Aaron finally stopped in front of a black wooden door covered with strange patterns.

His spirituality transmitted a warning of danger, but the token in his hand guided Aaron to push open this wooden door. After hesitating for a moment, his spirituality surged into the Night Mark on his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he opened the black wooden door covered with strange patterns.

Inside was a vast sea, directly illuminated by dazzling sunlight. Large patches of rich gold seemed to be hidden in the waves.

That was the blood of the Ancient Sun God!

Affected by the power of "Night" before his death, He fell into a dream, dreaming of Himself being torn apart, His blood staining the sea.

Clang!

As the black wooden door opened, an unimaginably intense aura permeated out, causing the entire monastery to shake noticeably, as if it had been hit by an earthquake that could destroy this world.

Illuminated by the golden light, Aaron immediately felt his spirit body melting and his mind evaporating. It seemed that in not too long, he would become nourishment for this dream.

Deep blackness emerged from his wrist, eliminating this pain. Drawn by this power, Aaron seemed to rise high into the sky, as if looking down at the sea behind the door.

As the golden light became more and more intense, a wave-like black sea gradually appeared at the end of space, with vast shadowy outlines sinking and rising within it.

The token in his hand instantly emitted strong fluctuations. Aaron's lips were somewhat dry as he muttered, "The Ghost Empire..."

Before he could observe carefully, even more dazzling and piercing golden light appeared before his eyes. The dream shattered with a crash, and the sky of the divine war ruins was once again occupied by noon.

The stinging sensation transmitted from his spirit body in the dream world reached reality. Aaron rubbed his forehead to alleviate the pain.

Suddenly, he looked up ahead. The void twisted, and Astol came out of the colorful space. Lines lit up on his body, seemingly shielding himself from the perception of some kind of force.

Along with the falling letter, a voice also came:

"This is your letter. Although I don't know why you came here, I need to warn you."

"This area is very dangerous. My awakened memory shows that this is the battlefield where the Creator of the Second Epoch fell."

"This is not far from the core battlefield. Not only does it contain the unwilling will of that Creator, but the residual divine power of other true gods has also been radiating this sea area."

"If you need help, I can take you away, including this ghost ship."

#194Chapter 191 Amon in the Destiny Hermit

Aaron paused, seeing Astolfo who had clearly misunderstood something. He put the letter away, shook his head with a smile.

Aaron could clearly sense that Astolfo was no stranger to the God War Ruins. After a moment of thought, he re-described the scene he had seen in the dream world, including the black ocean that appeared at the end.

In a sense, both parties were already united by common interests, so Aaron didn't mind revealing some secrets.

Astolfo listened quietly but fell silent. Aaron didn't rush him, sat down, and unfolded Audrey's letter to read.

"My Dearest Aaron,"

"Father told me yesterday that the Kingdom's Air Pollution Investigation Committee you previously proposed has been approved by Parliament, and the King has signed the official law. Perhaps it will be formally established before long."

"My father has reserved a position for my elder brother, Hibbert Hall, in this soon-to-be-established committee. I hope you don't mind."

"Additionally, the 'Corn Laws' that were pushed for repeal last year have been in effect for nearly 5 months now. Even here in East Chester County, I can feel the changes."

"Everything you once told me is happening, but it seems no one cares."

"Whether in East Chester or Backlund, almost all newspapers are vying to report on the war in the Southern Continent, while ignoring the people struggling at the very bottom."

"I asked Father, but got no answer. Mrs. Maria, the psychology teacher I hired in East Chester County, told me that there are many things in the world that one must seek the answers to with their own eyes."

"Backlund's social season is approaching, and I will return soon. Perhaps I can find the answer there."

.....

"I didn't send you too many gifts. Newspaper information is always inaccurate. I feel a deep sense of powerlessness regarding the war in the Southern Continent. I don't know what I should do, or what I can do."

"I saw a symbol of luck in a book and carved it onto a charm I made myself. It's enclosed with this letter. I hope you always stay safe and sound."

.....

After reading the letter, Aaron took out an elegant and exquisite charm from the envelope. He examined it for a moment, a smile on his face, then carefully placed it back in the envelope with the letter and put it away.

He looked up and met Astolfo's gaze. Its voice sounded again, but it was somewhat ethereal:

"The terrifying ocean you saw in the dream world is the core area of the God War Ruins."

"It is filled with the Creator's mad will and various conflicting residual divine powers. It is extremely chaotic, with broken order, mutated rules, and countless dangers."

"But that ocean in the core area of the God War Ruins, due to the conflict of various divine powers, has also been divided into safe zones. As long as you don't explore blindly, there won't be too many problems."

"On the edge of the core area, there is a region that originated from the 'God of Spirit Creatures,' Tolzner. He was a subordinate god to the Ancient God King of Aberrants, Kvashituun, in the Second Epoch, and also of the 'Prisoner' pathway."

"In the Third Epoch, He joined an organization called the Rose of Redemption and participated in the assassination attempt on the Creator of that era."

"But He was not a true God, and His body was torn apart by that Creator. A part of His body, carrying a high-level Beyonder characteristic, remained permanently in the God War Ruins, suppressed by the Creator's power."

"Tolzner not only suffered severe injuries but also lost the opportunity to advance to Sequence 0, well, the last opportunity."

Seemingly sensing Aaron's strange gaze, Astolfo lightly coughed, composed its previous expression, and added with a smile:

"If you want to go, I do have a way to send you there, but it's also dangerous. Several epochs have passed, and anything could have happened."

"But I can confirm that it is sufficiently stable, and the presence of those residual divine powers also indirectly protected that Beyonder characteristic."

Aaron's expression remained unchanged, but his thoughts were racing. He turned to look at the black monastery on the island, was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

With a relatively safe way to reach the core area, the next step was how to truly enter that black ocean and see the real "Ghost Empire."

All giving requires corresponding compensation. To truly reach that black ocean, the Goddess of the Night is unavoidable, and this requires a sacrifice.

Without hesitation, and without avoiding Astolfo who was standing nearby, Aaron skillfully prayed to himself, sacrificing both the Divination Pendant and the Mask of Death.

He handed these two mystical items together to Astolfo, who was silently staring at the altar. Seeing its slightly puzzled look, he lightly coughed and explained:

"When I was exploring the dream world just now, I encountered a staircase full of deathly intent on the lower level of the hall. It originated from the dream of an Undead from the Spirit Teach."

"Undead?" Astolfo withdrew its gaze and asked at the appropriate moment.

Aaron nodded, pointed at the Mask of Death, and explained with a smile:

"Yes, he came here looking for the legacy of the former Death God for their so-called Artificial Death God plan, but he lost control in the ravings and remained forever in an underwater ruin."

"And the essence of this mask is a Sequence 4 'Undead' Beyonder characteristic, and it even contains residual power from a 'Death Consul.'"

"Your connection to the Spirit World can maximize the Divination Pendant's ability. With the Mask of Death as a medium for divination, you should be able to pinpoint the location of that underwater ruin."

"Whatever that Death God's legacy is, it will be a sufficiently generous sacrifice."

Although it wasn't entirely clear what Aaron meant by 'sacrifice,' Astolfo still took the Divination Pendant and the Mask of Death. On its body, which was gradually shedding its puppet form, lines lit up, extending towards the two items.

Pale light instantly surged, accompanied by dense deathly intent spreading outwards, only to be smoothed away by a certain power in an instant.

A moment later, Astolfo abruptly opened its eyes, looking in a certain direction. Intense deathly intent flashed in its eyes, and it said with a solemn voice:

"It should be there. I heard the sound of a horn. Such dense deathly intent is far more than an Undead could possess."

Seeing its messenger's reaction, Aaron was also slightly surprised. Although he wasn't sure of Astolfo's current strength, comparing it to the several demigods he had met gave him a rough estimate.

Even if it hadn't recovered to the Saint level, it was definitely a top-tier demigod. For it to show such an expression, it seemed that the Undead from back then had indeed met a deserved end.

Following Astolfo's gaze towards the distant sea, Aaron saw nothing but a expanse of gold and felt no other abnormalities. He mused and spoke:

"Is this direction towards the sea area with the legacy of the 'God of Spirit Creatures,' Tolzner, that you mentioned?"

The pale deathly intent in its eyes had receded. Astolfo slowly shook its head and explained:

"That also belongs to the edge of the core area, and it's not too far from where we're going. With this ghost ship, I can take you there quickly and avoid some dangerous areas."

Nodding in satisfaction, Aaron no longer lingered. After a simple tidying up, the ghost ship docked beside the island instantly became ethereal and transparent, disappearing from its original location.

-----------------

May 5th, 1347, 9 PM. The quietly flowing Tussock River, nestled between wide river valleys on both sides, had a dozen people standing silently at different locations.

Mobert, wearing North Continent noble attire and a mask, was among them. He silently looked at the badge in his hand, which was only the size of an eyeball.

The front of the badge was inscribed with the symbols corresponding to "Fate" and "Concealment," and the back had tiny ancient Hermes inscriptions: "Hold this item, and you can join." It was the "Hermits of Fate" gathering badge from the Jacob demigod.

Mobert left the Southern Continent almost at the same time as Aaron over a month ago. The difference was that his destination was the mouth of the Tussock River within Loen territory.

Mobert, who had already learned a lot of information from Aaron, looked at the symbols on the surface of the badge in his hand and couldn't help but curl his lips into a self-mocking smile, muttering to himself:

"Hermits of Fate... just a bunch of pathetic wretches."

Suddenly, he looked up at his surroundings. Thin mist had risen on both banks of the wide river valley at some point. Mobert silently watched the change occur, pouring his spirituality into the badge in his hand, while simultaneously chanting the honorific name of the "Lord of Order" in his heart.

As he infused his spirituality, a layer of hazy clear light bloomed on the surface of the badge. They quickly condensed into inconspicuous beams of light, shooting upwards into the air.

Before long, similar beams returned, scattering into thin light that enveloped him, and his figure gradually blurred, disappearing from the spot.

Aaron sat inside the ghost ship, watching the slightly blurry golden sea and the numerous islands flashing by. A somewhat unfamiliar prayer sounded in his ears.

His consciousness connected with the sub-consciousness in the Origin, quietly observing this scene through the prayer light spot. The day and night in the God War Ruins were not synchronized with the outside world, and the alternating times were irregular. Since leaving the island where the black monastery was located, night had not yet fallen.

Gathering his thoughts, the prayer light spot in Aaron's vision seemed to be covered by a hazy mist. After a moment, the picture became clear again.

In a hall with elegant and retro decor, quite in the style of Fourth Epoch nobility, a massive round table was placed. Aaron's glance revealed there were actually 49 chairs.

Many chairs were empty, either because the occupants hadn't attended this gathering or had already perished. Using the true vision provided by the Origin, Aaron carefully observed the members participating in the gathering.

"Hmm, their strength is decent. Even the weakest are mid-Sequence. The one in the very center has the densest spiritual body color, which is beyond what a demigod can possess."

"Sequence 3 'Instructor of Deceit'? Could he be the initiator of this gathering?"

"But this Sequence doesn't seem to have such means. He must be using a powerful Sealed Artifact. It's only held every six months, possibly due to the limitations of the Sealed Artifact itself."

"However, his state seems somewhat off. Apart from scattered colors, everything else is unobservable. It's a bit like a remotely controlled dummy."

"Tsk, truly cautious..."

Amidst his thoughts, Aaron's gaze towards the prayer image suddenly froze.

In the corner of his vision, on the edge of the hall, sat a man wearing a hood. His spiritual body color was only at the mid-Sequence level, but he was being entwined by a transparent, illusory figure!

It had hands and feet, but like a python, it twisted and wrapped around the hooded man's spiritual body, its head reaching the top of his spiritual body!

In the hazy image, It vaguely wore a black classical robe and a matching pointed soft hat, with a crystal-like monocle on Its face.

Its mouth was curved in a smile, quietly watching the 'Instructor of Deceit' sitting in the very center, but made no movement. It was unclear if It had noticed the problem or had other plans.

And the hooded man being parasitized was completely unaware of all this!

Subconsciously reaching out his hand but finding nothing, Aaron came back to his senses and exchanged a somewhat awkward glance with Astolfo, who was floating in mid-air in front of him, controlling the ghost ship.

The sub-consciousness within the Origin quickly retrieved the Staff of the Sun from the pile of miscellaneous items. Feeling the heat transmitted, Aaron couldn't help but relax.

"An Amon mixed into an organization fighting Amon, that's quite the dark humor..."

Looking at Mobert, who remained silent within the prayer light spot, Aaron looked at the mask on his face and couldn't help but feel fortunate.

This mask was specially made for him by Harland Rooney. Its essence was a Sequence 6 'Faceless' Beyonder characteristic. Besides basic changes to appearance and physique, it could temporarily conceal one's Sequence, only revealing the 'Faceless' aura.

Although it was only effective below the demigod level and had significant negative side effects, it was extremely useful for Mobert.

Slightly worried that this guy might speak up and attract the attention of that Amon clone, Aaron directly transmitted the strange scene he had just seen in the prayer light spot to Mobert.

In another corner of the hall, Mobert cautiously observed his surroundings. After silently listening to the transactions of several members, he was about to propose buying the two auxiliary materials needed to advance to Sequence 4 'Parasite.'

Intense dark golden mist suddenly surged before his eyes. While he was stunned, he saw the terrifying 'Blasphemer' described in his family's records in the scene that suddenly appeared in his mind.

His body involuntarily trembled slightly, and cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. The words that were about to come out of his mouth were immediately blocked in his throat.

However, with the mask's concealment and shielding, the Amon clone, whose full attention was on the 'Instructor of Deceit,' did not notice the anomaly of the 'Faceless' in the corner.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead without leaving a trace, and devoutly expressed his gratitude to the "Lord of Order" in his heart, then put the matter of buying auxiliary materials out of his mind.

Due to various reasons, all kinds of Beyonder materials from the Marauder pathway were extremely scarce in the outside world. This was why Mobert had planned to propose a transaction at the Hermits of Fate gathering.

People at lower Sequence levels might not notice, but the Amon clone would definitely notice that they were auxiliary materials for advancing to 'Parasite.' He would absolutely not continue with such suicidal behavior.

But he also didn't dare to say nothing. He occasionally spoke up to participate in some low-level transactions, while also restraining his gaze and not looking at the hooded man who was being parasitized.

#195Chapter 192: The Statue of Death in the Ruins

The Fate Hermits gathering, held only once every six months, was attended by members who had prepared for a long time after receiving their badges. Even though the number of participants wasn't large, quite a few good items appeared.

After purchasing another very practical magical item, Mobet stopped trading, partly to lower his presence, but more importantly, because he had run out of money.

Adhering to a noble demeanor, even though he was from the Apprentice pathway, he had never stolen money. The pounds he possessed were all 'gifts' from those unlucky pirates.

As this was his first time attending a Fate Hermits gathering, Mobet was unsure of the meeting's procedures and felt a bit nervous, so he could only wait quietly for the meeting to end.

In the center of the round table, a figure in a hood suddenly took out a wooden box and placed it on the table. She seemed to have observed for a long time and directly addressed the 'Deceitful Instructor' in the very center, speaking in a cold tone:

"I've brought the sealed item formed from that 'Parasite' Beyonder characteristic. I hope you will fulfill your promise from last time."

Within the eyes under the hood, a slowly rotating cluster of starlight swirled, showing no fear even towards a potential Saint opposite her, filled with confidence.

Everyone in the hall turned their gaze towards her. The hooded man in the corner also turned his head, looking at the woman through the shadow of his hood, or more accurately, looking at the wooden box on the table.

The somewhat illusory figure of the 'Deceitful Instructor' chuckled softly, slowly raising his right hand. In the center of his palm, a ring instantly appeared, etched with a pupil-less eye on its surface, emitting a rich spiritual light.

The ring in his hand instantly swapped places with the wooden box on the table. After inspecting the item, he chuckled and said:

"As expected of an ancient secret organization, your foundation is indeed profound."

"I am a man of my word, you don't need to be so wary. Using a secret art of this level must consume a lot."

"This transaction is a good start. You can tell the pillar of the Moss Cult behind you that I know of a hidden treasure from the Fourth Epoch."

"There might even be things in it that she is very interested in. Hmm, this is a friendly invitation, perhaps we can explore it together."

Putting away the ring, the woman, suspected to be from the Moss Cult, nodded noncommittally and replied in a flat tone:

"I will relay the message..."

Mobet looked at the woman with some surprise. As a Viscount of the Sauron family, although he had been trapped in the Book World for nearly a thousand years, he still knew the Moss Cult well.

In its early days, the Moss Cult was a very respected organization, with good relations with the major Churches.

Its members used asceticism to resist losing control, resolve the residual effects of potions, strictly maintained secrecy, adhered to morals and precepts, and pursued knowledge.

Mobet had also heard of one of their quirks: any member who joined the Moss Cult, after becoming a 'Seer', had to observe a five-year vow of silence and learn to be quiet to cultivate and improve focus.

The 'Seer' motto, "Do what you want, but do no harm," was also proposed by this organization.

However, this was the original Moss Cult. Mobet clearly remembered that before he disappeared, the old man had told him that the 'Hidden Sage' worshipped by the Moss Cult had come alive, becoming a personalized evil god, and the organization had also degenerated into an evil one.

Aaron also saw this scene through the prayer images he could perceive from the remnants of the original consciousness within the Beyonder characteristic.

From the perspective of his True Sight, he could clearly see that the eyes of the Moss Cult woman's spiritual body were completely filled with starlight, which seemed to be a unique and powerful secret art.

He knew much more about the Moss Cult than Mobet did. This organization possessed the complete 'Seer' pathway and was one of the earliest secret organizations besides the Churches of Evernight, Earth Mother, and God of Combat.

Its founders included several humans, including Stiano, who had viewed the second Blasphemy Slate.

Aaron always felt that the 'Hidden Sage' coming alive was too sudden. Even the current God of Steam and Machinery, in the Fourth Epoch, would have risked losing control to achieve Sequence 0 even if He hadn't fully digested the potion. There must be a deep connection between the two.

And the fact that Stiano, who also controlled the 'Seer' pathway and was above other Beyonders in the Fourth Epoch, disappeared without a trace, speaks volumes.

After all, even if the Uniqueness was polluted by a Beyonder characteristic, it wouldn't suddenly come alive. It is more likely that the original leader of the Moss Cult was already an Angel King who had accommodated two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of the 'Hermit' pathway.

He deliberately manipulated the Moss Cult to worship the 'Hidden Sage', using anchors to stabilize the Hermit Uniqueness. In the mid-Fourth Epoch, pressured by the war among the gods, He chose to accommodate the Hermit Uniqueness.

The process of accommodating the Hermit Uniqueness might have gone wrong, or He might have contacted the Knowledge Wilderness sealed in the Western Continent through some hidden, unknown rift, just like Banxi before.

As a result, He was directly corrupted by the power seeping out from the Knowledge Wilderness. Although He successfully accommodated the Uniqueness, He became completely insane and lost His humanity, turning into the current Hidden Sage.

Putting away his chaotic thoughts, the Fate Hermits gathering was nearing its end. Aaron suddenly remembered that the Moss Cult seemed interested in taking the Book of Calamities from the 'Sea God' Kalvetua.

However, the Rorsted Archipelago was heavily guarded now. The Church of Storms and the Mid-Sonia Navy were constantly hunting the 'Blood Moon King', making it not the best opportunity.

Although he wondered about the purpose of Amon's avatar, judging Amon, who held the title of 'God of Mischief', by common sense was far from enough.

Rubbing his forehead with a slight headache, Aaron watched Mobet disappear from the peculiar hall in the prayer light spot. After silently noting it down, he didn't think about it anymore.

He casually summoned the Black Emperor card and the Sun-Piercing Scepter from the pile of sundries, connecting to the surrounding dark gold mist. An angelic figure with 12 pairs of dark gold wings on its back emerged and rushed into the prayer light spot that hadn't dissipated yet.

Appearing on a plain, Mobet looked at the terrain completely different from the Tassock River and couldn't help but feel relieved. He had prepared himself to return to the Tassock River, but he didn't expect his departure to be a random teleportation method.

Mobet surveyed his surroundings, trying to discern direction, planning to take a detour to Backlund. After resting for a while, he would head to his final destination for this trip—Tingen City, a task that Aaron had assigned through the prayer light spot before he left.

Suddenly, a dense dark gold mist appeared again before him, accompanied by a soul-trembling aura. An angelic figure with 12 pairs of wings on its back emerged, and the flame wings covered in dark gold patterns instantly enveloped him.

Mobet instantly felt a moment of trance, only feeling a scorching power flowing through his body. He abruptly retched.

A Time Worm, still wriggling, was wrapped by the angelic figure under his gaze and disappeared into the dense dark gold mist.

In a certain dense forest, a hooded man had an almost imperceptible smile on his lips, wiping a monocle with a silk handkerchief.

Suddenly, he turned his head to the west, his smile becoming more pronounced. He put the crystal monocle on his right eye and curled his lips:

"Interesting..."

He casually removed a big trouble for his believer, sealed the Time Worm, and threw it back into the pile of sundries. This was the best material for making high-level charms of the Apprentice pathway.

Once he dealt with Palles and obtained the corresponding divine symbols and magical markings from Him, he could try making some special charms.

Opening his slightly narrowed eyes, a desolate horn sound faintly echoed in his ears. Aaron looked at the sea outside the ghost ship. The golden sea seemed to have dimmed considerably, and the ghost ship's speed had slowed down and was constantly changing direction.

In front of Astolfo, the divining pendulum and the Death Mask quietly floated. Sensing that Aaron had 'awakened', a calm voice sounded:

"We should have reached that sea area. Divination can only pinpoint this area at most. To find the ruins more specifically, we must leave the ghost ship and enter the seabed."

Aaron looked at the sea surface burning with golden flames and slowly nodded. He spiritually connected to the dark gold mist, which seemed to be located in some mysterious space. At the same time, he took out a charm of the ocean domain from his 懷 , crushed it, and slowly extended his hand into the sea.

The moment his hand touched the sea surface, a painful roar instantly swept towards Aaron's spiritual body. The magnificent palace trembled, and an invisible ripple transmitted towards Aaron, shielding him from the roar.

The golden flames in his eyes slowly extinguished, and Aaron's paused body fully stepped into the ocean. Astolfo, floating in mid-air, watched quietly, then, carrying the divining pendulum and the Death Mask, also submerged into the seabed, leaving only a ghost ship circling on the surface.

As if passing through some barrier, aided by the underwater mobility provided by the ocean charm, Aaron sank into the deep seabed, surrounded by the gradually darkening seawater. His vision became dim, as if eternal night was approaching.

Amidst the gradually intensifying horn sound, Astolfo's figure appeared beside Aaron. His arm, gradually losing its puppet-like texture, grabbed the descending Aaron, guiding him deeper into the seabed following the Death Mask's sensation.

In the darkness of the deep sea, an ancient, death-filled underwater ruin stood on a black rock wall. The magnificent temple was like a gateway to the underworld.

Aaron looked at the temple shrouded in a layer of shadow, feeling the death aura gushing out. A desolate horn sound came from the huge 裂隙 of the temple, like the whispers of hell. Countless ghouls, vengeful spirits, and other undead creatures roamed the entire ruins.

Their terrifying numbers would make even a demigod hesitate, not to mention enduring the erosion of the death aura.

Putting on the Death Mask handed to him by Astolfo, the dense death aura no longer eroded his body, but it allowed him to hear the desolate horn sound more clearly.

If not for the protection of the Beyonder characteristic, he, who had not obtained divinity, would probably have become one of the many ghouls.

Following the horn sound, Aaron, wearing the Death Mask, couldn't help but look at the huge fissure covering the temple. The inside of the temple was covered with twisted, grotesque patterns and runes. Aaron felt that it seemed to be an ancient summoning ritual.

Aaron's gaze shifted and then suddenly froze. In the center of the temple, a colossal statue shrouded in darkness stood proudly.

It was a massive feathered serpent covered in large, dark greenish-black scales, with pure white feathers growing from the gaps between the scales.

Each feather and scale bore strange symbols of different shapes. Pale flames burned in its eye sockets, and a pair of exaggeratedly thick wings unfolded behind it.

In the center of the feathered serpent's forehead was a bronze door covered in mysterious patterns that were difficult to describe. Through the opened gap, one could see endless darkness, as if countless indescribable eyes were densely staring outwards from within.

Symbols identical to those inside the temple immediately appeared on the Death Mask. Varna's seal also triggered in response. In the confrontation between the two forces, Aaron's consciousness blurred for a moment, and a scene surfaced in his mind.

An arm seemingly formed purely from light struck a colossal serpent covered in yellowish-oily feathered wings into the sea. Its scales shattered, and dark green blood stained the ocean.

Accompanied by a roar steeped in death aura, the feathered serpent's head was shattered by the light, and a black glow, carrying fangs, plunged into the deep sea.

The scene shattered. Astolfo's hand gently touched the Death Mask. Relying on his special connection with the spirit world, he finally calmed the Death Mask.

Exhaling lightly, Aaron retracted his gaze, his expression somewhat solemn. The legacy of the Death God did exist, and it should be within that statue.

From Sequence 5 onwards, the 'Corpse Collector' pathway can use the body as a prison to create a unique 'Underworld'. The Underworld within each Gatekeeper is symbolized by a pair of double doors, with the core of the Underworld in the center of the forehead, representing the position of the Death God.

Aaron didn't know what was contained within the 'Underworld' on the statue's forehead. Opening that door might cause unknown anomalies, but Aaron didn't plan to deal with it himself. Since it was a sacrifice, the one being sacrificed would naturally handle the subsequent problems.

Following Astolfo's steps, Aaron entered the underwater ruins. Countless ghouls and vengeful spirits, sensing the aura of a high-level spirit world creature, actively avoided them, not daring to approach.

Resisting the increasingly dense death aura, one person and one spirit world creature slowly reached the entrance of the temple. Looking at the various symbols inscribed on the broken door, Astolfo raised his right hand, and the door instantly opened.

Just then, a strange energy surged outwards from the opened door. Aaron suddenly felt himself connected to the palace, the seabed, and even the ocean itself.

He gradually heard the syllables of the desolate horn sound. It echoed within the palace, spreading throughout the entire underwater ruins, like the ancient sound of the universe.

"The essence of death;"

"Lord of the departed;"

"The final resting place of all living beings;"

Chants that seemed to span time grew louder within the desolate horn sound. A pitch-black river, seemingly capable of hooking away souls, surged from the top of the feathered serpent statue in the center of the temple, sweeping towards Aaron and Astolfo at the entrance.

Souls floated and sank in the pitch-black river, and skeletal hands drifted in the river. The magnificent and desolate prayer came precisely from those souls screaming in pain.