Chapter 322: Inside the Ruins

Leokton was not surprised that Klein could notice his gaze from just now; with such an obvious action, it would be a problem if he didn't notice.

While pondering, he spoke after briefly recalling:

"Extraordinary information related to the Corrupt Baron's corrosion and distortion abilities, as well as a briber's potion formula."

"With the information I just gleaned, I can roughly simulate the extraordinary ability of corrosion; as for distortion, it involves the core of the Black Emperor's path, not so easy to simulate, at most I can develop some related secret arts."

"The reader's mimicry ability is really useful! As long as you understand the relevant knowledge, you can use the ability." Klein sighed in his heart.

"It's not that useful; in the mysterious extraordinary world, knowledge itself carries power. To imitate the corresponding ability by understanding and mastering knowledge is not any simpler than a shepherd going to kill people and then graze souls."

A silver light flashed in Leokton's eyes for an instant, then quickly vanished; he lightly laughed in response to Klein's earlier sigh.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"A shepherd grazing souls isn't difficult either, as long as you don't initially fixate on the souls of the strong."

Klein was stunned for two seconds, retorted with a surprised question, then, thinking of the wriggling hunger, casually answered.

"The spirit world itself is woven from various information; some comes from the past, some from the present, and some foretells certain futures."

"As a Prophet, when I am in the spirit world and face-to-face, I can easily catch the thoughts that have flashed in your mind."

Leokton slightly raised his chin, lightly laughing as he responded, after a brief pause, he added another sentence:

"It's not difficult; once you get used to the spirit world, you can also master this technique."

"Back then, Huangguang Weinitan told me exactly that; I think this applies to you as well!"

You seem quite experienced in this, though I'm not sure whether it's mind reading or being... Klein halted his train of thought, slightly embarrassed, and changed the subject:

"Let's go."

Saying that, his spiritual form floated toward that collapsed ruin, the illusory spiritual body directly penetrating layer after layer of obstruction, entering the already collapsed interior of the ruins.

Leokton's figure instantly turned transparent, transforming into sparkling starlight that surged point by point, following Klein's movement as it darted into that ruin.

Inside the ruins, deep blue water filled the space, constantly rippling with light.

Leokton's gaze passed through the rippling light, penetrated the deep blue water, and he saw an ancient, dim ruin on the seabed, its surrounding buildings long collapsed and crumbled.

The brilliant starlight, as if substantive, swirled in the seawater for a moment, then sank into the collapsed ruin at the bottom.

On the bluish-gray stone road before this ancient ruin, brilliant starlight appeared repeatedly only here, fragments of starlight converging within to reveal Leokton's figure.

Around him, fragments of starlight condensed into substance, continually gathering, separating him from the surrounding seawater.

Immediately, a black-red figure descended from above; Klein's spiritual form completely ignored the surrounding seawater, effortlessly floating beside Leokton.

"It seems Cavituwa is indeed dead."

While speaking, his gaze fixed straight ahead, where there stood a massive stone pillar covered in patterns and strange symbols, extending straight to the top and supporting this ruin.

Filled with unwilling resentment, a roar full of anger echoed around; this was the last resentful howl Cavituwa emitted before death.

On both sides of the bluish-gray stone road, stone pillars stood upright, each with a figure before it.

They held weapons, simultaneously aiming at the suddenly intruding Leokton and Klein; the exposed skin on their bodies was a weathered gray-black, and their physiques were extremely emaciated.

The clothing they wore ranged from antiquated styles of over a hundred years ago to the latest fashions, varied and mismatched.

"Cavituwa's devout followers are actually only this few, and moreover they are pitifully weak."

Leokton softly sighed.

While speaking, he lightly rubbed his fingers together, producing one after another golden illusory flame.

These flames densely connected, forming an ocean, exuding a mighty solar aura, pure and sacred.

Before these "Sea God Guards" could respond, Leokton manipulated the golden flames into spears that shot out.

Under the guidance of spirituality, the spears entwined with golden flames accurately struck each "Sea God Guard," burning their bodies like candles into droplets that ultimately dissipated into nothing.

Leokton withdrew the spirituality sustaining the golden flames, and the surrounding rich solar aura vanished as the flames extinguished.

He drew his body toward the interior of the ruins by the starlight surrounding him, and softly said:

"Let's go."

Klein lightly nodded, his spiritual form floated directly upward, stepping over stages, entering the interior of the ruins, the place where Cavituwa had been while alive.

Inside the ruins, the first thing that entered Leokton's sight was Cavituwa's hugely exaggerated, unimaginably massive body.

Its entire body was covered in slick cyan-blue scales, the scales overgrown with strange symbols similar to those within this ruin, elven-script-derived runes that are various symbols of the storm and sea domains.

Cavituwa's massive sea serpent body coiled, occupying one-third of the hall, and bore various wounds, flesh blurred, some deep enough to see bone.

On its body, specks of cyan-blue light began to exude, slowly converging toward a tooth longer than a normal human arm, forming a miraculous item.

Leokton halted his advance, silently watching this scene; in his ears echoed Cavituwa's dying roar, full of resentment and unwillingness.

"This" Klein was stunned by the scene before him, letting out a low murmur.

The Knower's instinct allowed him, based on surrounding observed information, to reconstruct in his mind the scene of Cavituwa before death:

A hugely exaggerated cyan-blue sea serpent madly twisted its exaggerated body, emitting howl after howl, causing the devout sea god believers nearby to be unwilling to approach; his sole rationality was continually devoured in the tangle with madness, leaving only mad instinct.

After enduring nearly half a day of mad struggle, it eventually headed toward collapse; the fleeting lucidity of dying consciousness let it emit a final voice full of resentment, unwillingness, pain, and anger.

It opened its scarlet, profound, exaggerated maw, biting toward the core of this ruin, intending to destroy the ruin and let its characteristics flow deep into the spirit world; perhaps it could still be reborn by imprinting its residual spirit.

After briefly reconstructing the scene in his mind, Leokton's eyes quickly cleared; he extended his right hand forward, and instantly layers of brilliant starlight spread around.

These starlights rapidly expanded, forming a solid barrier that isolated inside from outside, sealing off the entire hall from the spirit world.

As he moved, those believers who had been gnawing on Cavituwa's flesh all turned their gazes toward Leokton and Klein.

They — no, they — their eyes were full of coldness, their pupils showing signs of vertical slits.

Their bellies were highly swollen, as if overfilled; their mouths stained with dark red blood, and patches of slightly cyan-blue flesh clung to them. On their exposed skin, a slick fluid secreted, and faint scale-like patterns emerged.

"After Cavituwa's death, the believers here all lost control, and driven by instinct began to devour its flesh, hoping to absorb more of its traits."

Leokton calmly spoke a sentence.

Klein slightly nodded; he had guessed the same.

As he looked around, his gaze fell on an old man with white hair, wearing a clergyman's long robe. He should have been Cavituwa's priest, but he had gone completely mad.

Ke Laien's gaze fell upon his highly protruding belly, like that of a pregnant woman.

There, a strong and powerful heartbeat sounded with a thump-thump, as if an extremely terrifying monster was gestating.

In the midst of his thoughts, he reached into his own spiritual body and took out a brown, semi-transparent glass vial; he opened the cap and then threw the glass bottle into a corner of the hall.

At the same time, the glove on his left hand quickly became brilliant, as if reflecting the midday sun.

Gold spread over his surroundings, rippling outward in waves.

This light exceeded Ke Laien's expectations, directly transforming the entire hall's environment, as if exposed to the midday scorching sun; even the surrounding seawater showed faint signs of boiling.

Ke Laien glanced sideways in surprise and saw a cluster of clear, brilliant, pure blazing light condensing on Lei Kedun's right hand; this light, following his use of the 'Purifying Light', scattered forth even stronger, more effective light!

This is not an effect achievable by normal simulation; even though he had reached the half-human, half-divine level and hesitated slightly, Ke Laien associated it with the seal item 3-0782 of the Night Church, from which he had obtained a great deal of solar-domain extraordinary knowledge from that drop of eternal blazing sun's divine blood.

Lei Kedun glanced sideways at Ke Laien beside him, perceiving his doubt and speculation.

Immediately, he pushed his right hand forward; the cluster of clear, brilliant blazing light rapidly expanded, surging forth like a tide of pure golden light, condensing in the process into strands of golden light chains.

These light chains, as if conscious, swiftly darted toward the followers who had devoured the flesh of Kavituwa, binding them all and gathering them toward the hall's center.

(End of chapter)