The evil spirit detached from Jack's body and hovered in the air.
It resembled a gray storm cloud!
Two pale flames nestled within it, the very flames of souls condensed with resentment!
Under cover of darkness, the evil spirit lunged at the nearest bald man, attempting to possess him.
Owen was no slouch either.
Raising his battle axe high, he roared, slashing at the evil spirit with all his might!
"Praise the Light!"
At the same time, Sunny raised her holy emblem, invoking the third-level "Daylight" spell!
A radiance like the scorching sun burst forth from her, instantly dispelling the darkness and illuminating the entire stone chamber as bright as day!
Swallowed by the intense light, the priestess assumed an awe-inspiring, inviolable divine aura.
Most undead creatures fear sunlight.
Evil spirits were no exception.
Under the glare of the "Daylight Magic," it was nowhere to hide, and its intangible properties had been lost.
Swish!
Owen's battle axe cleaved the evil spirit from head to toe.
The blow felt slightly sluggish, like an axe striking mud.
Owen wasn't sure if the axe had damaged the evil spirit.
Looking up with the axe in hand, he saw that the evil spirit's two-part body was trembling violently, seemingly in pain.
The evil spirit's body lacked any flesh or blood.
The two halves of the intangible form clung together, slowly healing.
"Ouch! Looks like it worked!"
The bald man felt relieved.
He raised his battle axe again and swept it across with all his might!
He intended to split the evil spirit in half, dividing it into four pieces! Owen was so focused on hacking at the evil spirit that he paid no attention to his footwork.
His massive frame inadvertently blocked Sunny's radiant light, casting a long, narrow shadow across the wall.
Swish!
Owen's second axe strike missed.
The evil spirit opposite him was flat against the wall, hiding in Owen's shadow!
Avoiding light, the evil spirit could unleash its true power.
The pitch-black shadow pierced through the wall.
It vanished from everyone's sight.
Tanya frowned and quickly stepped forward!
She pressed her hands against the stone wall, chanting the incantation symbolizing "rock."
"Ondo!"
"Stone Shaping" activated!
The thick stone wall before the Minotaur Princess automatically opened into an archway.
Across from the archway lay a dim, silent stone chamber.
A menacing spirit, its eyes flickering with will-o'-the-wisp, could be vaguely seen hovering in the air above the chamber!
"Evil spirit! Don't even think of escaping!"
Brave Owen, axe held high, charged through the archway.
In mid-air across from him, the spirit raised a blurry hand and gently pushed him.
Owen flew backward like a battering ram, tumbling into the wall.
Bang!
Amidst the roar, a large section of the stone wall collapsed.
Owen fell into the rubble, blood gushing from his mouth, his face shrouded in pain, unable to rise again!
"Everyone, be careful! This spirit is skilled in telekinesis!"
Alan, preoccupied with warning his companions, became the spirit's next target.
A powerful telekinetic force projected through the archway, lifting the petite sorceress from the ground.
If Alan were in his true form, his formidable physique would have easily freed him from the telekinesis.
However, the sorceress he had taken possession of, Yuli, was frail and slender, powerless to break free from the evil spirit's telekinesis!
"Yuli!"
Seeing her girlfriend being remotely strangled by the evil spirit and forcibly lifted into the air, Sunny cried out in panic, ready to rush to her rescue.
"Sister Sunny... don't come!"
Alan crossed his arms, protecting his neck, and before he could fully suffocate, he struggled to warn the priestess.
"Quick... interrupt the evil spirit's... concentration..."
Sunny, awakened by her words, immediately realized that the evil spirit required a high level of mental focus to cast telekinesis.
If they could interrupt its concentration, Yuli would be free from the telekinesis! The priestess bit her lip hard, forcing herself to maintain composure. Racing against time, she unleashed the third-level divine spell, "Scorching Radiance."
Light magic gathered in her palm, ready to burst forth!
The evil spirit on the other side of the archway was terrified by the pulsing light within the priestess's palm.
Suddenly, with a wave of her hand, she remotely controlled Alan, sending him slamming fiercely into Sunny!
Clearly, she was using the sorceress as a human cannonball to interrupt Sunny's spellcasting.
Hound Step!
A shadow flashed, and Tanya charged forward!
She leaped through the air, catching Alan with both hands, successfully intercepting him. She rolled on the ground, crashing into the opposite stone wall.
The Minotaur Princess's massive body melted into the smooth stone wall, making no sound of impact.
Third-level Earth Domain spell—Meld into Stone!
Tanya embraced Alan, blending seamlessly into the stone wall, absorbing the impact of the collision. She then detached herself from the wall and returned to the underground palace.
Thanks to Tanya's timely intervention, Sunny was uninterrupted and successfully unleashed her "Scorching Radiance."
A straight beam of light shot out from her palm, piercing through the archway and striking the evil spirit squarely!
Swish!
The beam pierced the evil spirit's chest!
The ethereal form suddenly seethed with energy.
The evil spirit roared in pain, turned its head, and lunged at the stone wall.
Sunny swiftly passed through the archway and gave chase!
Holding the radiant holy emblem high, she ensured the evil spirit remained within the glare of "Daylight," preventing it from escaping through the wall.
Alan and Tanya also arrived, assisting Sunny in besieging the evil spirit.
The three of them combined their strength, dispersing the evil spirit within a minute.
This wasn't the end.
Destroying the evil spirit's physical form alone wouldn't completely eliminate it.
If its resentment persisted, the spirit would regenerate.
Fortunately, the team had a priest, a professional exorcist.
Sunny sprinkled holy water where the evil spirit had dissipated, channeling divine power and performing a "soul-calming ritual."
After this ritual, the lingering evil energy in the air was completely dispelled.
The evil spirit was completely liberated, unable to return and harm anyone again.
"Finally done."
Sunny took the handkerchief Alan offered her and wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling a sense of relief.
Returning to the adjacent stone chamber, she cast a spell to heal Owen and Jack.
Jack awoke, bewildered, realizing he had been possessed by the evil spirit, with no memory of the incident.
Tanya hadn't forgotten her business.
After a brief rest, he urged Sunny to follow him deeper into the underground palace to examine the servants' bodies, cast a spell to communicate with the spirits, and extract confessions.
"Minotaurs, there's no need to bother with that!"
Sunny pointed toward the tomb passage.
"Did you notice? After I purified the evil spirits, the group of bound spirits lingering in the tomb passage also disappeared."
"Hmm...that's true. What does that mean?"
Tanya asked.
"Hey! You're a princess, why are you so clueless?"
Sunny rolled her eyes.
"The collective disappearance of the bound spirits doesn't mean they were all murdered by the evil spirits?"
"Once the evil spirits are gone, the bound spirits will be freed from their enslavement, their resentment resolved, and they can rest in peace!"
"So there's no need to look at the bodies. I know that the people living in this underground palace were all murdered by the evil spirits. You have nothing to do with it."
"Since you're innocent, it must be Regent Princess Ariadne who's lying!
"Ariadne tricked us into defeating the Minotaur, only to use us as her own blade to murder her own sister!"
Sunny grew increasingly angry as she spoke.
"After we leave the underground palace, I will report this matter truthfully to the Holy Light Church and publicly expose Ariadne's conspiracy!"
"Ms. Sunny, thank you for clearing my name and restoring my reputation!" Tanya was deeply moved.
"Don't thank me. Thank my Yuri!" "
Sunny hugged Alan, her face filled with sweetness.
"If Yuli hadn't advised me to be less impulsive and use my brain, I wouldn't have had the patience to deal with a monster like you who obviously doesn't look like a good person!"
Tanya's mouth twitched, and she finally couldn't help but explode.
"Please! Can you two stop showing off your affection in front of me? You're making my teeth ache!"
...
The four members of the adventuring team bid farewell to the Minotaur Princess and returned the same way.
As they were about to leave the underground palace, Alan transformed into a cloud of germ vapor and quietly separated from Yuli's body, leaving behind a final mental message.
"My child, I've fulfilled your wish. It's time to retire."
"You're still young, with a bright future ahead of you. Don't miss me. I'm just a ghost. The Blood Galaxy is my home." "
The sorceress paused and turned, gazing into the gloomy underground palace, tears of gratitude welling in her eyes.
"Ancestral Spirit... I will forever remember your kindness!"
...
Silver Moon Secret Realm.
In the quiet room, Alan and Tanya simultaneously concluded their meditation.
"Sister, have you achieved a breakthrough?"
"Of course!"
Tanya's pretty face lit up with excitement.
"Junior Brother, thanks to your help, I've finally reached the fifth level and awakened three fifth-level spells—Stonewalk, Stone to Mud, and Mud to Stone!" "
Alan could understand his senior sister's excitement.
Tanya's advancement to the fifth rank not only greatly increased her strength, but more importantly, her status changed.
In the two major archipelago federations of the North and South, including sorcerer sects like the Silver Moon Monastery, the Beast Cult, and the Human Demon Cult, only fifth-rank sorcerers were qualified to enter the upper echelons and become part of the ruling group.
Alan and Tanya now possessed this qualification.
"Senior sister, according to the agreement reached between our Silver Moon Monastery and the South Island Federation, as long as you advance to the fifth rank, you will be able to return to the academy and replace Kana Ganesar as the new vice-president of the South Island Sorcerer Academy."
"Instructor's cultivation has also reached the late fourth rank, placing him in the first tier below the dean and vice-president."
"After you and your daughter return to the academy, you will establish your own sect. The future of the Pansen family is bright!"
Tanya grasped his hand, her eyes tender.
"Junior brother, thank you for helping me and my father so much." "
"I really like the blueprint you just described, but you're not entirely right! A small mistake, I have to point it out!"
"Sister, what did I say wrong?" Allen asked in surprise.
"You said the 'Pantheon Family' has a bright future. That's not right!"
Tanya corrected him seriously.
"In fact, there's no such thing as a Pantheon Family. It's the Panthes Family that has a bright future."
"My father and I are merely vassals of the Panthes Family. If you don't like the word vassal, I can change it to collateral branch."
"Sister, that's not entirely right either," Allen said seriously. "You and your mentor are not my vassals, nor are you collateral branches. You are all my family, direct members of the clan."
"Sister, if you must use outward forms to strengthen the kinship bond between us, then I hope you'll marry me."
"Hmm... is this considered a formal proposal? "What do the elders say?" Tanya asked, blushing. "Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
"Let's get married privately first. The official wedding date will be decided by the elders of both families. Senior Sister, do you think this is okay?"
Tanya was too embarrassed to speak and nodded shyly.
Alan, seeing her shy look, felt pity and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
Tanya didn't resist, as docile as a little lamb.
Alan pondered for a moment and had guessed about 80% of the answer.
Knowing Senior Sister was shy, he didn't say it to her face.
He calmly withdrew his hand and continued to talk.
"Senior Sister, you've been in seclusion in the secret realm for the past six months. I'm afraid you don't understand the evolution of the war between the North and the South."
"Junior Brother, I was actually thinking of asking you about that." Tanya straightened her scattered underwear, her eyes clearing again.
"A while ago, my dad came to visit me and brought me good news. He said the North and South Federations were about to cease fire. Is that true?"
"Yes, the North and South have already begun armistice negotiations."
"Both sides invested enormous resources and sacrificed so many lives, seemingly mortal enemies. And yet, after less than three years, they've collapsed!" Tanya lamented.
"After the Silver Moon Monastery joined the war, the tide of war turned, and the South Island Federation regained much of its lost territory. If the war had ended there, the losses wouldn't have been too great."
Alan sighed.
"Unfortunately, my hometown, Quint Island, was one of the areas hardest hit by the war and ultimately never recovered."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Quint Island will probably be ceded to the Beast Cult." "
"It seems that leading your fellow villagers to seek refuge at sea was a wise move," Tanya gently comforted her junior brother.
As a time traveler, Allen didn't have deep feelings for his so-called hometown, Quint Island.
What truly mattered to him were his relatives and friends from his hometown, who had long since moved with him to Silvermoon Island.
After the armistice agreement was signed, which faction would Quint Island be ceded to? How would the villagers fare in the future?
The kind-hearted Panthers was merely expressing his concern out of courtesy.
Tanya's connection to Quint Island led her to another nearby island.
"Junior brother! I remember Griffin Island isn't far from your hometown. Felin and Julie of the Griffin family are both good friends of yours. Is their family all right?"
"After the Beast Cult annexed Quint Island, they actually planned to attack Griffin Island in order to obtain the Griffin airship." "
Alan took over with a smile.
"I have an informant in the Beast Cult who sent us intelligence in a timely manner."
"I took Felin and Julie and teleported directly to Griffin Island to kill all thirteen plague warlocks who had caused chaos on the island."
"After this incident, Felin's father took the initiative to propose that the entire Griffin family be incorporated into the Panthers family as a side branch."
"With this, Griffin Island became my property, and those rats in the Beast Cult would no longer dare covet it."
"Junior Brother, you've matured. You handled this matter very well!"
Tanya's eyes were filled with relief.
"Senior Sister, let's get back to the point and discuss the armistice negotiations."
"In fact, both sides are willing to negotiate. Not only is the war costing too much resources and population, and both the North and the South are struggling to sustain it, but it's mainly because someone has stepped in to mediate."
"Mediate the war? Tanya was surprised. "Who has the presence to convince the leaders of the Northern and Southern Federations, the Beast Cult, the Silver Moon Monastery, and the Human-Demon Cult to gather around the negotiating table?"
"Origin City, the Holy Demon Royal Family." Allen replied softly.
Tanya was horrified!
"Origin City... no wonder!"
The "Holy Demon Royal Family" of Origin City is said to be the oldest extant sorcerer family in the world, possessing a complete lineage of ancestors!
All factions in the sorcerer world respect Origin City as their leader.
The Holy Demon Royal Family of Origin City is arguably the true foremost family in the sorcerer world, pure-blooded "Dragonkin."
However, this ancient, powerful, and mysterious Holy Demon Royal Family seems to have little interest in world domination.
They neither plunder territory or resources nor send people to occupy high positions within the major factions to interfere in the politics and military affairs of other nations.
In peacetime, Origin City has no presence at all.
To the point where most people have forgotten their power.
Origin City only occasionally reveals its prowess in two circumstances.
The first concerns the fate of a "peerless genius."
For example, a sorcerer who, at a young age, breaks through to the sixth level is likely to attract the attention of Origin City!
The Golden Sword sends a letter, inviting this exceptional genius to visit Origin City.
In Origin City, geniuses can obtain meditation techniques, martial arts, and magical inheritances above the sixth level.
Outside of Origin City, obtaining these precious inheritances is difficult anywhere else in the world.
As you can imagine, most geniuses would happily accept the invitation and travel to Origin City for further study.
These kinds of stories have rarely been heard in recent years.
Mainly because... the sorcerer world hasn't produced any truly remarkable geniuses in recent years.
Just how talented does one have to be to earn an invitation to Origin City?
Allen had asked Master Shiva about this.
"I don't know the specific invitation criteria!"
Master Shiva said.
"But I can tell you, my level isn't good enough!"
"It would take a genius even greater than me to catch the eye of the Holy Demon Imperial Family!"
"Alan, keep working hard, there's still hope!"
"Besides you, there's probably no one else in the younger generation."
Master Shiva's words made Allen blush.
He knew that his so-called "genius" was mainly due to cheating with the system.
Without cheating, and relying on genuine talent, he was far inferior to Master Shiva!
If Master Shiva wasn't qualified, who else could be?
For some reason, Allen's first thought was Angel.
Angel was definitely the most exceptional genius he had ever seen, even more so than Master Shiva! This kid mysteriously disappeared, neither alive nor dead.
Pamela, the only one who knew his whereabouts, was also keeping her mouth shut, keeping it a secret.
Could it be that Angel had already entered Origin City?
This suspicion lingered in Allen's mind.
Besides accepting a special invitation, there was a more accessible way to enter Origin City for further study.
The world of warlocks has never been a peaceful paradise.
The various factions and major families have many grievances against each other.
When conflicts accumulate to a certain point, they are bound to erupt violently in the form of war.
Therefore, every few decades, a war that affects the entire world breaks out!
The all-out war between the North and South Federations this time is just a repetition of history.
Whenever a war breaks out, Origin City is also on the alert.
Initially, the Holy Demon Royal Family would not directly intervene in the war.
They simply dispatched special envoys to various parts of the world, lurking among the various warring factions and observing from the shadows.
Their primary targets of observation were those individuals who stood out in the war and achieved remarkable feats.
When the war spiraled out of control, and the devastation inflicted on the civilian population became unbearable, Origin City would intervene, quelling the chaos and allowing the suffering people to recuperate.
At the same time, Origin City would issue a list.
It would list all the young heroes who had performed exceptionally well in the war and invite them to Origin City for trials.
Those who passed the trials would qualify for further training in Origin City.
This was Origin City's second way of intervening in the real world!
In fact, Master Shiva had already warned Allen.
The various factions, openly engaged in a life-and-death struggle, were merely puppets on a stage.
Victory or defeat was unimportant, and neither was alignment.
The most important thing is to prove yourself through this war and secure a ticket to the Origin City Trial!
Not long ago, Master Shiva, in his capacity as the headmaster of the Silver Moon Monastery, received an official letter from Origin City.
The letter primarily addressed two matters.
First, it urged the Silver Moon Monastery, a participant in the war, to actively participate in ceasefire negotiations.
Second, the letter contained a list of candidates eligible to participate in the Trial in Origin City.
There were strict age and cultivation requirements for those selected.
For late fourth-level warriors, age must not exceed 30.
For early fifth-level warriors, age must not exceed 35.
For late fifth-level warriors, age must not exceed 40.
For early sixth-level warriors, age must not exceed 45.
For late sixth-level warriors, age must not exceed 50.
As for warlocks above sixth-level warriors, almost all of them are located in Origin City.
Even if there were one or two undiscovered talents in the outside world, they wouldn't need to participate in the trials; they could receive special invitations and directly enter Origin City for training.
Alan copied a list from Master Shiva, took it out of his storage bag, and reviewed it with his senior sister.
In the Silver Moon Monastery, there were eight selected candidates.
Adam and Beck from the "Bear Courtyard."
George and Hogg from the "Pig Courtyard."
The four from the "Cat Courtyard"—in addition to Alan and Master Shiva, there were "Lion Sister" Maria and Junior Sister Angie.
In the Beast Worship Cult, many of the selected candidates were familiar to Alan.
Ackbar and Beiting, brother and sister, from the Wolf Clan.
Caroline, the "Spider Queen," from the Insect Clan, along with Spanna and her sister-in-law, Spansha—all three were selected.
Alan and Tanya didn't recognize the selected candidates from the Rat Clan.
The Bat Clan was mostly unfamiliar, with only one name, which aroused Tanya's vigilance.
"Nora Ganesar? How could she be here?"
"Senior Sister, do you recognize her?" Allen asked casually.
Tanya nodded slightly, a strange look on her face.
"Nora... is the youngest daughter of Kana Ganesar, the former Vice President of South Island College."
After Senior Sister reminded him, Allen also remembered.
"No wonder the name sounded familiar to me. Isn't this Noora Marvin's sister?"
"Because she got pregnant unexpectedly, Marvin couldn't join the Magic Stone Island Investigation Team to take care of her, so I took her place."
"After I came back, I gave Marvin my place in the secret realm to cultivate, so he could take care of his sister..."
"Senior Sister, was Noora the one who gave birth to a boy or a girl?"
"I don't know. I heard the baby was born prematurely and couldn't be saved."
Tanya's tone was low. "Actually, that's normal. After all, Nora was young at the time, her body still underdeveloped, and it was too early for her to become a mother."
"The Ganesha family is secretly colluding with the Beast Cult."
"After the conspiracy was exposed, Marvin was killed by you and Pamela, and Kana was killed by Master Shiva."
"Nora is the only direct descendant of the Ganesha family left."
"Now it seems she has also joined the Beast Cult, fused with the blood of the Batman, and become a Death Warlock."
"What I didn't expect was... she was actually qualified to represent the Bat Cult and be selected for the Origin City Trial!"