Chapter 70: Jingguan Tower

Ao Li Fu widened his eyes, as if in disbelief, blinked, and then the surrounding insect eggs seemed to be activated, emitting a fierce buzzing sound.

Buzz—buzz—buzz—buzz!

Countless insect eggs burst one after another, spewing red viscous fluid, and terrifying demonic insects with human faces awoke, hovering in mid‑air, opening their mouths to emit a mournful howl, their sharp teeth clearly visible inside their mouths.

"Aaaahhh!!" the two screamed in terror, fleeing wildly toward the distance; they had no time to discern their direction, only to get away, away from those damned insects.

Ma Luo, while running, reached back and shouted the incantation of Burning Hand; massive scarlet flames fanned out from his hand, yet the insects in the air showed no fear, plunging into the fire and sacrificing themselves to extinguish the spell's power.

"Damned Ma Luo! The Lord of Cats is above! I swear you have serious intestinal problems!!" Ao Li Fu shouted while fleeing.

Ma Luo, in a breakdown, shouted, "Find an exit quickly!! I can't keep running!!"

The swarm drew ever closer; Ma Luo even thought he would be buried in the insects' guts, but the next moment, rounding the corner, they were delighted to discover a massive iron gate.

"Look!! It's a door! Hurry and open it!!"

In the face of death, Ma Luo unleashed a power he had never known; his exhausted strength surged again, even overtaking Ao Li Fu to rush to the iron gate, panting as he cast a spell.

"Arlohoma!"

A Blue Light Halo enveloped the iron gate's handle, and the lock was instantly released.

Ma Luo and Ao Li Fu didn't even glance at what lay beyond the door; they rushed inside, using all their strength to push the heavy iron gate, finally closing it before the swarm could fly in.

Huff—huff—huff.

Leaning against the door, the two slowly sat on the ground, having lost all their strength.

Inside the gate everything was dark; in the pitch‑black environment the two groped blindly, only smelling a heavy, overwhelming smell of iron rust.

"I feel a series of cold winds," Ma Luo said, a little frightened.

"It's blood," Ao Li Fu said in a breathy voice.

His whole body bristled, his tail on his rear stuck up high; the heavy iron rust smell was so thick that the air seemed viscous, as if drifting in a sea of blood.

Ma Luo strained to raise his hand, intending to cast Dark Vision to see the surroundings clearly.

Suddenly, a heavy 'boom' echoed from afar, like a mechanism activating, bearings and gears grinding, and the ground trembled slightly.

A burst of red light appeared, followed by countless red‑glowing runes manifesting on the ground, their illumination fully lighting the world beyond the door.

"Azus is above!" Ma Luo stared in horror, looking at everything before him in terror.

Inside a massive hall, a huge circular Spell Circle covered the floor, countless red runes flickering; the circular array consisted of three concentric circles, each rotating in opposite directions under the mechanism's power.

At the center of the array stood a gigantic Jingguan Tower, countless human heads tightly bound by wooden branches, forming a flesh‑made pyramid.

Beneath this 'pyramid' lay a circular depression, the innermost ring of the array, filled with dark blood, fragmented flesh and gore that seemed to writhe with life, slowly flowing toward the outer rings, while the mournful howl of a Wraith could be faintly heard from within.

The Spell Circle seemed fully activated; the heads on the Jingguan Tower all opened their eyes, gazing at Ma Luo and Ao Li Fu, emitting a harrowing scream: "Save me!!"

"Don't kill me!!"

"Please, spare me!!"

Ma Luo's whole body was seized by cold; it wasn't the scene before him that frightened him, but the demonic energy that had been emanating from the Spell Circle since its activation.

A vast, evil, filthy power from the abyss.

"That's... an altar," Ma Luo swallowed, looking at the Jingguan Tower.

The heads on the pyramid were instantly crushed by an invisible force, their wailing echoing throughout the underground space; only then did Ma Luo notice that the door behind them and the surrounding walls were covered with dense Abyssal script.

They served to block the gods' sight, preventing the wraiths' prayers from reaching the deities' ears.

The next moment, the wraiths' voices suddenly vanished.

Ma Luo looked up and realized that a mass of black light had replaced the pyramid, appearing at the center of the Spell Circle; it was like the most greedy glutton, gulping all the blood and souls, emitting a heartbeat‑like thumping.

Dong—dong, dong—dong—dong—dong.

A scarlet crimson pillar of light shot upward from the black light, shattering the ceiling and reaching the heavens.

Ma Luo lost consciousness in the sinking demonic energy. — In front of the plaza of Rosa Castle, Cha Rui Si stood before a massive crowd, his face sorrowful as he read the succession ceremony script.

Some citizens grew impatient; the nobles' hereditary title ceremony kept repeating the same empty talk—how it would treat the people better, reduce taxes, revere the gods, and so on.

After taking office, it was still the same as the predecessor, carved from the same mold.

Most nobles wouldn't be as arrogant as Cha Rui Si now; the previous officeholder demanded all citizens to listen to his speech, even in the middle of the night, pushing many to the brink of anger.

But Cha Rui Si didn't care; in his sorrowful eyes flickered uncontrollable joy and anticipation, an insatiable desire and greed.

He will hold a coronation ceremony, he will summon ancient evil power, he will be crowned a Legendary! Cha Rui Si, while daydreaming, looked disdainfully at the citizens, who would become his nourishment for advancement, merely a herd of piglets.

But an uninvited guest interrupted his daydream.

"Wait."

A clear shout rang out, and the citizens turned toward the audacious usurper daring to halt the new Earl's succession, a flash of astonishment in their eyes.

The newcomer was a man with platinum‑white long hair, a face as handsome as a deity, clad in a black Mage robe, followed by six equally robed mysterious figures, all shrouded in massive hoods.

"Mage! It's Luo Si Li En the Mage! He is the most esteemed Mage of Degun City!" a commotion rose from the crowd as the mysterious mage group appeared before them; besides the professionals, ordinary people looked on with excitement, eager to see what these mythic beings would do.

"What happened, Mr. Luo Si Li En?" Cha Rui Si's eyes flashed with anger, then he concealed it, smiling lightly.

Luo Si Li En coldly glanced at him and said, "According to the Yinbu Tu Kingdom's noble treaty, a parricide cannot inherit his ancestors' title. Baron Cha Rui Si, your succession ceremony is prohibited because you killed your father, the late Earl Men De Luo Sa!"

(End of Chapter)