Faceless Stone Man, Mythological Era, Holy Shrine Power

Ronan shook his head. "Where should I look for you next?"

The Green Flame Giant Face spoke, "Wait for me where you are. I will find you."

After saying that, the giant face exploded, turning into countless green sparks that dissipated into nothingness.

The flames on the ground went out, and since Evaqu had told him to wait where he was, he stayed there.

To be honest, Ronan was new to the Central region and unfamiliar with the area. If Evaqu had simply given him an address and told him to go there on his own, he would have frowned.

Before he came, Falin from the Arcane Workshop gave him a map of the Central Continent, but it was very simple, only marking the territories of a few Super Large wizarding forces.

—The Life Royal Court, the Pendulum of Fate, and Tangista.

These are the three Wizard Empire of the Central Continent.

The Life Royal Court is roughly elliptical, the Pendulum of Fate triangular, and Tangista is like a coiled serpent. The three great empires stand in a triangular formation on the map, with a blank area between each of them. At the center of the three great empires is an unknown blank space.

Ronan is currently located in a mountain range on the southern edge of the Central Continent, very close to the Life Royal Court, but he couldn't find the location of the "Elemental Magic Ring" on the map.

Ronan stored the conspicuous airship into his Space Ring, lit a campfire, and then caught some river fish in the stream.

There was a type of fish that was about two fingers long and half a finger wide, with light purple scales. He didn't know its name and had never seen it in the south before, but it was extremely delicious and was a top choice whether grilled or used in soup.

Third Level Wizard are not completely transcendent and also need to eat regularly. Ronan ate dry rations on the airship for half a year and rarely got to taste the deliciousness of fresh ingredients.

The aroma of the river fish attracted several waves of wild beasts and magical creatures, but they were all scared away by the aura Ronan exuded.

Before we knew it, the sun had set and the stars and moon filled the night sky.

By the stream, amidst the murmuring of flowing water, Ronan gently wiped his lips in the moonlight, stood up, and beneath his robes lay a small mountain of fish bones.

He caught almost all the Purple Scale Fish in this stream today, and it will probably take some time before it returns to its former liveliness.

Ronan had originally intended to practice meditation and test the newly constructed [Spiral Palace] secret technique when, under the huge full moon above his head, a dark shadow flew rapidly toward him.

He squinted and saw that it was a flock of black-bodied, white-headed owls. As he got closer, he saw the dense swarm of owls gather in one place, and finally transform into a strong human figure that quietly landed in front of him.

"May all spirits protect you, my friend."

Evaqu performed an ancient ritual to Ronan, opening his arms to embrace him warmly.

Ronan returned the courtesy. He was somewhat surprised that Evaqu had arrived so quickly; he had been prepared to wait here for half a month or even longer.

"Thank you again for keeping our appointment, Damien."

Evaqu's eyes were pure, and his words were sincere. He was completely different from the domineering and arrogant man he was during the Talent Competition. Perhaps this was his true self.

"I should be thanking you."

Ronan shook his head. Whether it was the mysterious finger bone that Evaqu gave him to conceal his Soul Aura or the guidance he received on his soul, both were of immense help to him.

"There's no need to say these things between friends."

Evaqu smiled as he looked Ronan up and down, a strange glint in his eyes. "Your soul's problems are almost perfectly resolved. You've become stronger than you were a year ago. If I can successfully pass this trial, I might be able to resolve the remaining issues you have."

Ronan's expression shifted slightly; he knew what Evaqu was referring to—the lingering will of Hecalto!

Although he used various means to "send" most of Hecalto's revived will to the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent, as long as Hecalto's bloodline flowed in his veins and he continued to use this power, Hecalto's will could not be completely extinguished within him.

This has always been a problem that has been troubling him, but he has no good solution. The ancient spirit shaman is an expert in the way of the soul, Evaqu might really have a way to solve it.

Let's go.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Evaqu urged Ronan to set off, saying, "The nearest entrance to the Hall of Spirits isn't far from here; we should be able to enter in time for the next full moon..."

Ronan nodded, and the two set off under the cover of night.

Evaqu was much more familiar with the Central Continent than Ronan, but only relative to Ronan. He also knew very little about the three great Wizard Empire and other large wizarding forces.

Evaqu explained, "I spend most of my time in the Central Continent wandering outside the areas under my control. With our strength, we would only be considered at the bottom in the central region."

Before I officially gained the approval of all the spirits, I dared not fully expose myself to the sight of any powerful forces..."

Ronan expressed his understanding, noting that the Spirit Witches had caused great turmoil in the Wizard World in ancient times, and it was hard to guarantee that there weren't any grudges against them among the current wizarding forces. After all, the Central Region was not like the South, where Level Four Dawn could practically rule the world.

From Evaqu's words, it is clear that even Level Four Wizard are quite common in the Central Region.

They might not even qualify as powerful figures; they could only be described as having considerable strength, barely qualifying them to travel the continent.

This is a bigger stage.

A faint sense of anticipation arose in Ronan's heart.

The two wandered through the mountains, venturing deeper into the wilderness, and finally arrived at the entrance to the Hall of Spirits that Evaqu had mentioned at noon on the fifth day.

"This is it."

Pushing aside the layers of gnarled vines, a damp, slightly rotten smell wafted towards them as Evaqu led Ronan to a certain place.

This was a small swamp, filled with withered branches and leaves, as well as the carcasses of wild animals that had drowned there, some fresh and some rotting.

"There are still three days until the full moon."

Evaqu looked up at the sky and said to Ronan, "I need to make some preparations. You can rest for a bit."

Ronan nodded, and then he saw Evaqu step into the swamp alone.

Completely disregarding the filth and stench, he allowed the filthy mud to cover his entire body, and with a solemn and devout expression, he picked up a half-rotten bird carcass covered in maggots from the swamp, and then walked step by step back to the dry shore.

Evaqu murmured ancient prayers as he gently placed the bird carcass on the ground, emanating an inexplicable aura of holiness, as if he were performing a special ritual.

Ronan watched as the rotting bird carcass melted into the soil like wax, followed by a semi-illusory, glowing bird that flew out of the ground and eventually transformed into countless points of light that merged into the vast forest.

Evaqu continued this practice, carrying out animal carcasses one by one from the swamp and sending their souls away in a mysterious ritual with utmost devotion.

After a wizard is formally promoted, their soul undergoes a preliminary sublimation, and even if their physical body is damaged, there is a certain probability that their soul can be preserved.

If there are special secret techniques at this time, the wizard can also survive for a long time in the form of a soul, but it is difficult to go any further and he will eventually be unable to avoid returning to the Land of Peace.

As the "ritual" was being performed in Evaqu, Ronan kept contemplating the relationship between the soul and the body. For some reason, observing the ritual in Evaqu brought him an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility.

He watched as the mud in the swamp gradually decreased and the water level dropped inch by inch as the animal carcasses were removed.

Three days later, as dusk approached the full moon, the entire swamp completely vanished, replaced by a dried-up basin. All the mud in the swamp had disappeared, and in the center of the basin stood a black, Faceless Stone Man.

"That's fine."

After cleaning himself up, Evaqu gave Ronan a look and led him step by step into the basin, toward the location of the black stone figure.

At this moment, the sunlight completely disappeared, and a full moon, like a disc, rose from the treetops.

Silver moonlight bathed the entire basin, and all the sounds of insects and birds in the jungle had faded away, leaving the whole forest enveloped in a tremendous atmosphere of mystery and tranquility.

Ronan followed Evaqu to the stone man and watched as Evaqu took out a strangely shaped bone knife from a leather pouch, cut his own palm, and then dripped his blood onto the stone man's head.

"Witnesses are also required. Otherwise, they will not be qualified to enter the Hall of Spirits."

Evaqu handed the bone knife to Ronan, looked him into the eyes, and said seriously, "I need to inform you in advance that most spells will be unusable once you enter the Hall of Spirits. If you regret it now, it's not too late, Damien."

Ronan remained silent for a moment, then calmly took the bone knife from Evaqu's hand, and mimicking Evaqu's actions, cut his palm and dripped blood onto the stone statue.

Seeing this, Evaqu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and his gaze towards him became increasingly affectionate and trusting.

After returning the bone knife to Evaqu, he began to chant an ancient and difficult incantation in a rapid voice, while his fingers, stained with blood, began to draw strange patterns on the surface of the stone figure.

It resembles some kind of special rune, or perhaps the totem symbols of an ancient tribe.

Evaqu added more blood several more times until the pattern covered the entire stone man. At that moment, the full moon above them rose directly into the sky, and the moonlight shone on the stone man. A thin layer of silver mist rose up, and the black stone man trembled slightly. Then, two black holes suddenly appeared on the face that had no features, and thick black liquid flowed out of the holes continuously.

"Um?!"

Ronan noticed the stone figure's "tears" and felt a strange sense of familiarity, involuntarily uttering a slightly surprised sound.

"Have you seen this Spirit Offering Stone Sculpture before?"

Evaqu turned to look at him, slowly wiping the bloodstains from his hands.

"No."

Ronan shook his head and explained, "I've only seen similar things."

He briefly told Evaqu about the "Holy Shrine" pillars he had seen before.

Yes, the stone figure in front of us is made of a material that is extremely similar to the Holy Shrine Altar that Ronan found when he was chasing the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent outside White Stone Fortress. They are both made of similar materials and both also exude a black liquid of unknown composition.

He had initially thought it was just a resemblance, but after hearing his account, Evaqu became certain of his guess.

"Yes, the Spirit Offering Stone Pillar were indeed cast from Holy Shrine Stone, your feeling is correct."

"Holy Shrine Stone"

Ronan couldn't help but ask, "Could you tell me more about it?"

He learned about the Holy Shrine from an old notebook he received from Old Wells during his apprenticeship, and he had always been curious about it, but the notebook did not describe much.

Evaqu saw that he needed to know a lot, and naturally he didn't want to miss this opportunity to learn.

By this time, the black liquid flowing from the stone figure's face had already accumulated into a thin layer at their feet. Evaqu showed no intention of moving, indicating that this process would need to continue for some time. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke to Ronan, "There are many legends about the Holy Shrine, its origins even dating back to prehistoric times."

"Before the Primordial Era?"

Ronan paused for a moment.

"Yes."

Evaqu nodded and said calmly, "That chaotic era when the elements were ignorant and even runes had not yet been born."

That era is also known as the mythological period.

"Mythological Period"

This was the first time Ronan had heard of the name.

"Legend has it that during the mythological era, gods and their agents roamed the human world, and a fierce war broke out between them. This war led to the fall of many gods, the end of mythology, and the later glory created by the ancient wizards."

The war of the gods left behind much residual power in the sky, on the earth, and in the sea. These powers were preserved in the world in a special form by the gods who were unwilling to leave, hoping that the believers who picked up these powers would one day be able to call them back from the Abandoned Land.

Unfortunately, the gods didn't foresee that their arrangements wouldn't lead to the events they envisioned; instead, they brought us great success.

Evaqu said calmly, "In a sense, the power of the gods was also an important enlightenment for wizarding civilization."

"I see."

Ronan seemed to be deep in thought. "The Holy Shrine is a container for storing divine power."

The black liquid flowing from the Faceless Stone Man's face had now reached above the two men's knees.

"No."

Evaqu shook his head. "The container for storing divine power is the Holy Shrine, and the Holy Shrine is a replica of the Holy Shrine created by ancient wizards."

"The earliest wizards never gave up on analyzing and studying the power of the gods. The real Holy Shrine probably disappeared in ancient times, and what can still be found now are basically Holy Shrine made by the ancient wizards."

The Holy Shrine only stores imitation divine power—possessing some of the effects of divine power, but not true divine power.

The Holy Shrine Stone is a product of that era. It is said that the Holy Shrine Stone was mined from another world, and it is now extremely rare.

Ancient times, prehistoric times, primordial times, and even the Mythological Era Holy Shrine and Holy Shrine before primordial times. Ronan traveled along, unknowingly witnessing a corner of the vicissitudes and weight of wizarding history, and felt a sense of epic grandeur in his heart.

Evaqu continued, "... Ancient wizards attempted to integrate divine power, and their imitations of divine power, into Rune Array, forging magical artifacts and even concocting potions... They also preserved this subject for future generations to study, in the form of Holy Shrine Altar."

"A magic potion?!"

When Ronan heard Evaqu mention the ancient wizards' use of the Holy Shrine Power, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

He immediately thought of the special "Soul Ignition Potion" that Anglie had given him.

It was the special ingredients contained in that bottle of "Soul Ignition Potion" that prompted his breakthrough in [Ascetic Body Forging].

Considering the chance encounter with Anglie at White Stone Fortress, and the fact that Anglie was clearly also after the Holy Shrine Power, could this be a coincidence?

Ronan's heart pounded, and even the small sacred tree pattern engraved on his heart began to flicker.