In Search of the Frozen Blood Egg?!

Ronan walked step by step to the stone pillar of the statue and reached out to touch it.

Rough, cold, and no different from ordinary stone.

When tapped gently, the stone pillar produces a slight, dull sound, indicating that it is solid.

A mental scan revealed no trace of runes on the entire stone pillar, inside or out; everything was exactly as described in the notes.

Of course, whether it is truly Holy Shrine Stone still needs further verification.

Ronan gently placed his hand on the chest of the girl statue on the stone pillar, and softly recited an ancient and obscure incantation. "@#￥%..."

He had received this research notebook on the "Holy Shrine" from Old Wells during his apprenticeship and had already memorized its contents.

The notebook contained many secrets and techniques related to the "Holy Shrine," but Ronan never knew what the "Holy Shrine" actually was, so these techniques became "dragon-slaying skills."

But now, something that resembled a "Holy Shrine" had actually appeared before him, and this knowledge finally had a purpose.

Even after the last syllable of the incantation was uttered, the black stone pillar still did not react.

Ronan, however, showed no sign of disappointment.

Because if this were a true "Holy Shrine," it would be expected that there would be no movement.

A "Holy Shrine" is a container used to store the so-called "Holy Shrine Power." In a well-preserved Holy Shrine that has not yet been opened, the hands of the woman statue on the stone pillar, raised high, should be clasped inwards.

The stone pillar in front of him, with the woman's hands spread out to the sides like two small wings at the top, proved that the Holy Shrine had been opened.

An already opened "Holy Shrine" will naturally not react to Ronan's "opening incantation".

"De, de, de"

Ronan tapped rhythmically on the surface of the stone pillar with his fingers. He was very patient. The absolute control over his physical strength brought by his Master Level [Basic Swordsmanship] allowed him to evenly distribute the force transmitted from his fingertips to every part of the stone pillar.

Gradually, cracks began to appear on the surface of the stone pillar.

Cracks spread across the stone pillar.

"Thump—"

With a crisp knocking sound, large cracks appeared on the face of the girl who was holding up the stone pillar with her hands in the middle.

Several cracks spread out from around the girl's eyes, followed by drops of black liquid seeping out from the cracks.

The girl's expression turned sorrowful, as if every blow Ronan struck was a real blow to her, causing her to weep.

Upon seeing this, Ronan's calm face finally showed signs of emotion, and a light shone in his eyes.

He gradually increased the speed at which he struck the stone pillar, and more and more black liquid seeped from the surface of the pillar. The girl on the pillar became even more "in pain," and even twisted her body.

Ronan's Fireball had long since died out. The huge pit Serpent Nest were already dark and gloomy, and the eerie knocking sound, combined with this strange scene, made the atmosphere even more sinister.

Seeing the black, unidentified liquid flowing everywhere on the lower half of the stone pillar, and the girl struggling in agony on the pillar seemingly coming back to life, Ronan's eyes flashed. After a certain tap, he suddenly raised his right hand and struck the stone pillar statue of the girl hard in the chest! "Ah!—"

The girl on the stone pillar's expression instantly turned ferocious, like a ghost, and she let out a sharp, piercing scream. But the next second, she exploded along with the black stone pillar.

Ronan's hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing a black object amidst the shattered rocks and squeezing it tightly.

"Ah!"

The screams continued for a while, then stopped abruptly.

Ronan looked down at the black object he had just grabbed—a nearly spherical thing with a smooth surface and a slit in the center that looked as if it had been cut with a knife.

Holding it in your hand, it feels cool and delicate, with a touch similar to a young girl's real skin, and even a little soft.

However, after the screams subsided, the cold, soft touch quickly faded, the black sphere hardened, and its surface became rough, soon transforming into a material almost identical to the shattered black stone pillars.

"It is indeed a genuine Holy Shrine."

Ronan looked at the black sphere in his hand and murmured to himself.

Gently shake the sphere, and you can hear the sound of liquid sloshing inside. But if you sniff it closely, you can't smell anything.

Everything he did was done step by step according to the instructions in the "Holy Shrine Notes".

As for what exactly the black sphere was, why it could evade the mental detection of Third Level Wizard, and what the black liquid inside the sphere and seeping from the stone pillar was, he had no idea.

All that is known is that the black sphere hidden inside the stone pillar statue is the core of the "Holy Shrine" and the key to sealing the "Holy Shrine Power".

The unidentified liquid remaining inside also plays a significant role.

"The case is practically solved."

Having explored this far, Ronan had gathered enough information to organize his thoughts.

"This was originally an ancient place where a Holy Shrine was kept."

Perhaps due to the passage of time, the power within the Holy Shrine leaked out, and was subsequently absorbed and devoured by several Cold Scale Python, giving rise to a trace of the bloodline of the Ancient Ice Crystal Magic Serpent.

The awakening of the Cold Scale Python, possessing ancient bloodlines, attracted the attention of the three great wizarding families of White Stone Fortress, who came to hunt it. Just then, Anglie group, having somehow obtained clues about the Holy Shrine, arrived.

"According to the notes, once the Holy Shrine is opened, the Holy Shrine Power sealed within will gradually dissipate over time, regardless of whether it has been absorbed."

"Anglie was clearly aware of this, so upon noticing the unusual behavior on the Cold Scale Python, he decisively left..."

Ronan deduced the truth of the whole affair, but there was one point in the truth that he hadn't fully figured out yet.

Why is the Three-Headed Cold Scale Python, which devoured and absorbed the power sealed in the Holy Shrine, depleted of its essence and blood, as if it had just experienced a great battle and was still seriously injured?

Logically speaking, having just awakened the Ancient Ice Crystal Magic Serpent Bloodline and completed their transformation, they should be very powerful and should be the overlords of this forest area.

The fact that the Serpent Nest is littered with the remains of magical beasts proves this point.

How could they be so badly injured in this state? Could there be something even more powerful in this forest—a fourth-tier Dawn Beast?!

If such a thing existed, it's impossible that the three great wizarding families wouldn't know. "Never mind."

Ronan quickly put aside the confusion in his mind.

The Holy Shrine has been opened, and the Cold Scale Python that absorbed the power sealed within Holy Shrine are either dead or captured.

It's pointless to think about the answer to this question now, but the notes Old Wells gave him also recorded a method for finding and excavating the next "Holy Shrine" using the existing "Holy Shrine". He could use the materials at hand to pave the way for his next exploration.

Based on the information he currently possesses, the power sealed within the Holy Shrine seems to have an incredible effect that can transform the bloodline of magical beasts, causing them to evolve. He doesn't know what would happen if a person absorbed it, but in any case, it is very attractive to Ronan.

"Sa#%Ling.."

Following the description in the notes, Ronan uttered a low, ancient incantation.

The incantation, imbued with spiritual power, was gently plucked like a harp string, creating invisible ripples in the air.

The black, unidentified liquid that had scattered along with the black stone pillars he had shattered was all suspended in mid-air by the incantation. It was then gathered in front of Ronan by an invisible force and transformed into a thin, semi-transparent black line that rapidly extended upwards toward the Serpent Nest.

Ronan scanned his surroundings, making sure he hadn't missed anything in the Serpent Nest, then took to the air and flew swiftly out of the Serpent Nest, guided by the transparent black line.

This method can pinpoint the location of the nearest, next "Holy Shrine" containing the "Holy Shrine Power".

However, due to the great distance, the transparent black line he summons usually cannot reach the location of the next "Holy Shrine" completely. It can only point out a general direction, and Ronan needs to keep searching in this direction and casting spells to confirm the exact location.

Ronan currently has no intention of immediately following the clues to explore the secrets of the next "Holy Shrine". He is simply using this secret technique as a side effect, making use of the black unidentified liquid scattered on the ground.

Leaving the Serpent Nest, Ronan watched as the semi-transparent guiding black line rapidly extended into the southwest sky.

He watched quietly, waiting for the moment when the black lines completely disappeared.

However, after the transparent black line had flown a considerable distance, Ronan had confirmed the direction and was almost about to look away.

He saw the extended transparent black line suddenly change direction and plummet rapidly downwards.

Ronan's pupils contracted slightly, and after a few breaths, he moved swiftly, chasing after the trail of the black line.

The location of the most recent "Holy Shrine" is near this Serpent Nest?!

No way, is it really that much of a coincidence?

Ronan's heart pounded, and with a mixture of disbelief and anticipation, he quickly caught up.

The wind howled past his ears, and his eyes were fixed on the trajectory of the transparent black line.

Following the trail, Ronan tracked the Serpent Nest. There, he witnessed a transparent black line, seemingly guided by an unseen force, swiftly fall into a snowdrift in the dense snow forest and then disappear.

Ronan stopped, his gaze lingering strangely on the snowdrift that had swallowed the black lines.

As he released his spiritual energy, he quickly sensed that something was wrong.

The ice-type free energy particles in the surrounding area seemed to be converging on the snowdrift in front of him. Cold currents descended and extended downwards along the ground. Ronan's eyes flashed, and he suddenly summoned a fireball in his hand. The fireball brewed in his palm, constantly absorbing the thin fire-type free energy particles in the surrounding air, and slowly grew larger.

As the fireball expanded to several meters in diameter, Ronan shouted, "Go!" and hurled it toward the center where all the ice-elemental energy particles and cold currents converged.

The fireball roared out, its intense heat colliding violently with the surrounding cold air. The fireball shrank continuously, and just as it was about to be completely engulfed by the cold air, it exploded with a bang!

The scorching heat instantly cleared away the thick layer of snow underneath, causing white steam to rise and snowmelt to flow, revealing the ground close to the surface.

Once the layer of snow on top was cleared away, Ronan discovered that underneath was a long crevice in the rock.

The crevice was only about seven or eight meters in size, and the space inside was completely filled with thick solid ice. The guiding black line he had been following disappeared below the solid ice, and he couldn't see how far it extended downwards.

"Is another Holy Shrine Altar located underground?"

Ronan frowned, but his hands didn't stop.

He continued to summon Fireball, bombarding the solid ice below.

With his current strength as a level two wizard, a Fireball he casually summons is quite powerful. The terrifying high temperature brought by the Fireball quickly melts the ice layer in the crack. The melted ice water flows a distance in all directions and is quickly frozen again by the cold air, forming a ring of "iceberg" that keeps getting higher.

In the very center of the iceberg, Ronan used magic to carve out a deep pit, from which billowing white vapor constantly spews out large amounts of ice shards and snowflakes.

Ronan didn't know how long he had been "digging" down; he continued to excavate and dive deeper as he went.

The immense spiritual power was mobilized, transforming into an invisible force that pushed away all the dissipating frost and cold air, preventing the excavated hole from being frozen again by the cold air.

The bottom of the crevice was icy cold and dark, and the fire energy particles in the air were rapidly thinning. Ronan's Fireball was getting smaller and smaller, and its power was getting weaker and weaker. The guiding black line had not yet reached its end, and Ronan hesitated.

"Puff--"

At the bottom of the unfathomable icy abyss, Ronan cast the Fireball again, but the fireball he summoned was only the size of two fists. Not to mention melting the ice, it looked like it might go out at any moment. The deeper he went, the more terrifying the cold air became.

Ronan began to hesitate, wondering whether he should continue.

Just as he was considering giving up the exploration, suddenly "click—"

A soft sound, like ice cracking, came from beneath him.

Ronan's expression shifted, and he quickly threw the fireball in his hand downwards. Then he narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the faint light emitted by the fireball.

The orange firelight barely illuminated a short distance in the dark, black ice. Ronan saw that just a few meters below him, a huge oval object lay quietly in the endless ice.

One end of the semi-transparent guiding black line disappeared into the object, indicating that he was already very close to his final goal.

"Not Holy Shrine?!"

Ronan frowned slightly, his eyes flashing rapidly.

The massive oval object below clearly doesn't resemble Holy Shrine Altar, but the Black Line Guidance... could it be that the object contains the "Holy Shrine Power"?

"Boom!"

Ronan quickly threw out several fireballs, and then, in the instant the fireballs exploded, he tried to see the full picture of the oval-shaped object.

Dark red, smooth, with blood-like patterns covering its surface. It looks like a strange-looking... egg?!