As the dragon's phantom dispersed, the altar that had served as the source of its power also met its end.
The crude altar, built from black stones, rapidly dimmed as the scarlet patterns flowing across its surface faded. The rocks forming its body let out a groan of unbearable strain before cracking apart and collapsing into a meaningless pile of black rubble and dust.
The townspeople's corpses arranged around the altar as fuel for the ritual were also swept up by the aftershock of that power. Like sand sculptures worn away by the wind, they swiftly turned to ash, their frozen expressions of greed and ecstasy returning to dust with them.
In but a few moments, every strange phenomenon within the cavern vanished without a trace. The suffocating pressure and chilling aura dissipated, leaving only the blue fungi in the corners, still giving off their eerie yet tranquil glow.
The entire cavern returned to the deathly silence befitting an abandoned mine.
Li Wen put away The Final Codex and calmly surveyed her surroundings. There was not the slightest joy of victory on her face; instead, her gaze beneath the hood grew even more profound.
"This isn't the end," she said.
That dragon's phantom was clearly not the ritual's ultimate purpose. It was merely a guard, an illusion placed here to eliminate or frighten off any intruders daring to venture this deep.
The true mastermind had never shown itself from beginning to end.
This was the False Court's style. They never appeared in person; every conspiracy and scheme lurked in shadows beyond ordinary people's notice, moving like rats in the gutter. Those people had set traps and rituals here, using false treasure as bait to harvest mortals' lives and desires. Once the trap was disturbed by an outside force, no matter