Chapter 1097: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain

Aweiken was brightly lit.

Squads of troll guards swept the city in a carpet‑style search; on every level of the Loa Pyramid, almost all the Gumanra trolls were deployed.

At the temple's summit, Night‑walker trolls layered their protection around Xilik's shrine.

A few powerful Loa warriors kept a constant watch at the gate for any movement inside the shrine, yet no troll dared to enter. It is Loa's decree: without its permission, any troll who dares to trespass will meet only one fate—death!

At this moment, the trolls all knew that Loa had left.

An enemy capable of drawing Loa's direct intervention must be another Loa faction; the gods have many foes, and the most recent clash is with the Storm God Akidara.

That Loa domain, Trankus, borders Aweiken, and over the past centuries the two sides have erupted into numerous large‑scale wars.

The most dangerous incident occurred more than thirty years ago when Trankus's troll army invaded Aweiken; the Storm God broke through the defenses and fought a massive battle with Xilik inside the temple. Xilik repelled the enemy at great cost, and the temple suffered severe damage, only recently having been repaired.

It is said that in that great battle Akidara also shattered the divine altar, causing Xilik's power to plummet, never fully recovering to this day.

The rumor has never been verified.

But among Aweiken's higher ranks, the trolls close to Loa know it to be true.

Xilik consequently became extremely suspicious and irritable; any slight disturbance made him suspect the enemy eyeing Loa's temple, prompting a full‑scale counterattack.

Whenever Loa leaves the temple, the trolls are on edge.

Their present strength and status largely stem from Loa's blessing. If Xilik were to fall or be slain, other Loa would seize Aweiken, and the city's rulers would be purged; the closer a troll had been to Loa, the less likely they would survive.

Eventually all the trolls would be replaced by new Loa, and the major tribes' beliefs would be altered.

Present were the chieftain and high priest of the Black Blade Tribe.

They share Loa's fortunes; any loss is theirs as well, and they would never wish Loa harm, so they are ever vigilant, constantly urging the tribe's warriors to guard the temple.

Suddenly, the Black Blade Tribe's high priest Zuzar turned his head toward the interior of the temple, his black pupils reflecting the scene inside.

He is a Loa priest with extremely keen perception.

A troll's silhouette materialized before his eyes!

"Enemy!"

Zuzar shouted loudly, curled his finger toward the target, and instantly fired a jet of black energy. Beside him, the Black Blade Tribe's chieftain Utaljin reacted, his form flickering into shadow and reappearing behind the troll, brandishing a curved blade that slashed at the enemy's throat.

At that moment, Utaljin could no longer heed Loa's prohibition against entering the temple.

Bang!

A violent blast roar shook the interior of the temple.

Utaljin was hurled backward; his curved blade nearly slipped from his grip, blood spurted from his palm, and most of his body was stunned by the terrifying force transmitted through the blade, as if a cannonball had struck the palace wall, blood gushing from his mouth.

The troll, however, merely stepped back a few paces.

Utaljin's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the massive war axe in the enemy's hand; it seemed unremarkable, yet the opponent's power was terrifying.

Before he could adjust, he suddenly sensed a huge danger nearby—a second Gumanra troll materialized and thrust a sword at him.

A spell of unknown origin flew in, causing Utaljin a momentary Space-Time Shock.

Space-Time Shock!

When Utaljin's senses returned, he found his heart pierced by the enemy's sword, lightning erupting from the blade and nearly incinerating his innards.

"Ah…"

The troll chieftain let out a painful cry; his skin's totem activated, his body turning into a black mist that slipped into the void, and in an instant he fled the temple.

Outside the temple gate, the Loa priest Zuzar's beam was intercepted midway by a suddenly appearing troll's body; the beam deflected upon impact, striking the temple's golden wall and corroding a black pit.

Zuzar froze for a moment, then saw the troll blocking the temple entrance point a beam at him as well, though it was semi‑transparent.

The distance was too short; Zuzar couldn't dodge and was hit instantly.

Zuzar realized he had lost all his spells!

He didn't know it was an Eight Rings Anti-Magic Ray, but having seen similar sorcery, he was startled, "A Loa priest of Jalariz?"

Jalariz is the "God of Sorcery"; this Loa can grant a "spell‑nullifying" ability that temporarily prevents enemies from casting, a bane to all priests and casters, yet spell‑nullification is not a beam!

Zuzar's doubt lingered, but his reaction was swift.

Loa priests are never limited to sorcery; their close‑combat prowess rivals that of high‑ranked warrior lords, second only to Loa warriors.

Zuzar swung his heavy wooden staff, turned to the right, and with a clang the staff—harder than steel—smacked the enemy; a hidden troll revealed itself. This Gumanra troll was taller than ordinary trolls, nearly three meters high, and caught the staff bare‑handed with a relaxed expression.

Zuzar tried to withdraw the staff, but it wouldn't budge.

Fear flashed across his face.

The towering troll slammed its other hand down, striking the Loa priest squarely and flinging several surrounding trolls as well, all tumbling off the temple's roof.

Landing on the lower platform, Zuzar's body was riddled with fractures and he fell into a coma.

With a single breath, the Black Blade Tribe's mightiest chieftain and high priest were gravely wounded, and the troll guards outside the temple were terrified.

Boom—

A thunder‑like explosion erupted from the towering troll's body, blasting hundreds of nearby trolls into the air amid a chorus of screams.

Eight Rings, Magic Burst Force Field!

The temple entrance was instantly cleared, then a massive wall of lightning descended, a "Thunderstorm" over ten meters thick sealing the doorway; two terrifying trolls stood behind the storm, making clear that anyone who entered would face lethal assault.

Inside the temple, a giant formed from a Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon emitted a spatial seal, preventing enemies from invading through the void.

Several Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons arrived via teleportation, each taking the form of a Gumanra troll.

They dispersed throughout the temple, activating Soul Eye, All‑Seeing Eye and Key of Doors, scanning every corner.

This place was originally Xilik's lair, yet clearly not built by him; despite numerous repairs and reconstructions, the building's ancient scars and aura suggest the temple's history may predate the Gumanra Empire, exceeding thirty thousand years.

"Could it have been built by the Ancient Saints again?"

Lei En harbored doubt; the Loa temple's shape resembled the Ancient Saint altar, yet it was larger and lacked the ability to transmute or control energy, appearing merely as an oversized replica—form without substance.

The Loa temple likely serves a purpose akin to a Storm Sanctuary, merely acting as a cover for the Ancient Saint altar.

Do the trolls and Loa know this truth?

"Hmm?"

The Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon's eyes lit up, and he quickly found the key point. He walked to the wall page directly opposite the palace's doorway; the entire high wall gleamed with golden light, looking as if forged from gold, with an array of Ancient Saint runes engraved on it.

He lightly touched the wall; the metallic texture and Element sensed its nature.

"It's not gold," Lei En immediately got the result, "This wall is forged from Ancient Saint true gold, the same material as the Ancient Saint Altar."

The Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon stared at the wall, seeing through its interior.

Complex, mysterious rune structures floated before his eyes, feeling somewhat familiar.

"Magic gate?"

The Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon's mind cleared; this must be a method the Ancient Saints used for hidden passages, similar to a magic gate but with more functions and harder to crack. He studied for half a minute, finally locating the spot to activate the gate, reached out to a point on the wall and pressed, injecting lightning.

Snap!

The golden‑like wall rippled, revealing the outline of an archway several meters high, but it did not open; it likely requires a corresponding incantation or Key of Doors.

A smile curled at the Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon's mouth; when it comes to opening doors, he is the most professional.

He reached out and pressed the door; the Key of Doors activated!

Boom!

The tall archway collapsed inward, the solid true gold melted, forming a completely energy‑made golden light gate, with energy flowing slowly like water.

The Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon turned his head to glance back.

Outside the temple gate, the Black Blade Tribe's chief Wu Ta Er Jin had already rushed back; his wounds healed, he led the tribe's troll warriors, Nightwalkers and hunters, besieging the temple from all directions, shouting the slogan for Luo A and launching a frenzied assault.

Besides Wu Ta Er Jin, there were three other Luo A warriors, each slightly weaker than him.

Zu Zha Er also awoke.

Four Saint Rank strongmen fought desperately, and the two Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons blocking the door were starting to falter. Seeing the scene inside the temple, the enemy opened a door never seen before, instantly sensing trouble, and pressed the assault on the temple with even greater ferocity, unafraid of death.

Tens of thousands of trolls climbed the Luo A Temple in the city, surrounding it so tightly that no water could flow.

In the sky, flocks of bat knights circled.

Lei En's mind shifted, and two more Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons teleported from outside A Wei Ken to the Luo A Temple, making it four versus four, and the battle stalemated again.

The sound of killing roared from the top of the temple.

The Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon that had just opened the magic gate stared indifferently, as if none of this concerned him, and without hesitation walked through the light gate.

The scene before him changed.

After the Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon saw clearly, he realized he had entered a completely sealed space, and a smile instantly spread across his face.

This space was identical to the Ancient Saint Altar beneath the Storm Plane, shaped like an inverted hemisphere about five hundred meters in diameter, with a perfectly flat circular floor etched with massive rune arrays, and a hundred‑meter‑tall Ancient Saint Altar erected in the center!

At this moment, the Ancient Saint Altar was in operation, emitting a soft golden glow that illuminated the entire underground space.

However, the altar was clearly malfunctioning.

Its four sides each consist of nine tiered platforms, but two sides were abnormal, with four and five tiers respectively shrouded in dimness; the rune arrays in those areas ran poorly, the energy could not conduct, likely damaged to some degree.

"No wonder..."

Lei En's mind instantly cleared.

A Wei Ken's Ancient Saint Altar could not operate fully, so the sealing barrier in this region became weak, giving him a chance to break into the Southern Continent.

By distance‑locating with the other Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons, it could be estimated that the Ancient Saint Altar lay about ten thousand meters underground.

Directly beneath the Luo A Temple!

The Ancient Saint Altar of the Storm Plane is three thousand meters underground, but here it is ten thousand meters.

Lei En guessed that this might be determined by the size of the plane; the Prime Material Plane is far larger than the Storm Plane, so the altar had to be built deeper.

The Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon landed on the altar's summit.

A temple also stood here, only five or six meters tall; he entered its main hall and saw a platform in the center of the floor, upon which a golden panel rose, with lines of Ancient Saint runes flowing across it, profoundly mysterious.

All of this was no different from the Storm Plane; the Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon reached out and pressed the golden panel.

He waited a few seconds, with no response.

However, a surge of information about this Ancient Saint Altar flooded his mind: it had already been taken over by someone else; either kill the altar's current master, or the opponent must voluntarily relinquish control, otherwise the altar's control cannot be seized.

Additionally, regarding the altar's damage level, about a quarter of the rune arrays were malfunctioning, unable to operate, which reduced the altar's power by nearly half.

The Ancient Saint Altar possesses an automatic repair function that consumes energy.

The altar's rune arrays extend ten thousand meters underground, with root‑like energy conduits reaching farther out, collecting geothermal energy and Earth Power, converting it into magical energy; therefore it cannot be hidden in the void and may be discovered.

The efficiency of collecting underground energy is low; most of it is used to maintain the barrier sealing the Southern Continent, with only a tiny fraction available for repairing the altar.

Thus, without assistance, the Ancient Saint Altar would need over three hundred years to fully recover.

Nevertheless, Lei En was amazed.

The Southern Continent has been sealed for over twenty thousand years; the Ancient Saint Altar has survived countless calamities and continues to uphold the sealing barrier—truly a miracle!

Astonished as he was, Lei En thought of seizing the altar's control.

The altar is currently controlled by Xi Li Ke.

Kill it?

Lei En frowned; Xi Li Ke's divinity was too massive, and with the Ancient Saint Altar's magical energy backing it, killing it was too difficult. Previously, the Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon's surprise attack had inflicted such severe injuries—splitting the head open, even piercing the heart—yet it recovered instantly.

This is trickier than an Undying Body!

Xi Li Ke's strength surpassed Elder Suo Lim's a bit; in just a short while, it had already slain seven Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons.

It could not abandon its control of the Ancient Saint Altar.

If Xi Li Ke could be forced out of the Ancient Saint Altar's range, the difficulty of killing it would drop dramatically, but it surely knows its own weakness and would never leave easily, just as a deity would not abandon its divine realm.

Lei En hadn't figured out a plan when a massive shadow surged from the west toward the A Wei Ken Express; Xi Li Ke had returned!

At the instant the Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon opened the magic gate, it sensed an enemy breaching the Ancient Saint Altar, immediately sacrificing severe injury to break free from the Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon's entanglement, and raced back to A Wei Ken at top speed; in less than half a minute it surged into the Luo A Temple.

A deluge of divine aura choked the four Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons atop the temple.

"We must go."

"Next time I figure out how to break it, I'll come back!"

"Just a few seconds before Xilike arrived, the Thunder-forged Divine Weapons all activated teleportation techniques to escape the battle."

"On the ancient holy altar deep underground at a depth of ten thousand meters, that Thunder-forged Divine Weapon pondered for a moment, took out a metal granule only the size of a mung bean, casually threw it onto the square beneath the altar, where it rolled into a crack between stone slabs, then opened a portal and stepped inside."

"Almost the instant the portal closed, a black-skinned troll shrouded in mist appeared atop the altar."

"This is the troll form of the Night God Xilike."

"Its eyes were blood-red, spewing angry black flames; it rushed into the temple on the altar in haste, but found no trace of any enemy, and froze."

"(End of chapter)"