Hall of Spirits, Dragon Wizard Chief Bahafos!

If the Holy Shrine Power is the key material that has been lacking in the subsequent training of [Ascetic Body Forging], then the answer has actually always been in Ronan's hands, but he has completely overlooked it? Of course, to verify this, he needs to find an unopened Holy Shrine and obtain the Holy Shrine Power stored within.

At this moment, Ronan felt as if some fog had been cleared from his vision, and the path of [Ascetic Body Forging] became bright again.

"We'll start the search after things are settled here..."

Ronan possesses a remnant of the Holy Shrine Stone. According to the secret techniques recorded in Old Wells's notes, he can use the map to locate the ancient Holy Shrine Altar hidden in the vast continent, though it will take a little more time.

During the conversation with Evaqu, the black liquid flowing from the Faceless Stone Man's face had unknowingly filled the entire small basin, as if returning to the original swamp. Only this time, the "mud" filling the swamp appeared purer and had a mysterious richness.

The muddy liquid was about to completely submerge their bodies when Evaqu stopped talking to Ronan, looked up at the hazy full moon in the sky, and then looked Ronan straight in the eye.

"At the end of Soul Lake, one can also return home."

After Evaqu finished speaking, he was completely submerged in the black water.

At the same time, Ronan allowed the black liquid to slowly flood his nasal cavity and eyes. When he was completely submerged, the cool, slippery black liquid began to actively seep into his body through Ronan seven orifices and the pores of his entire body.

At this moment, Ronan felt like a mold, with every inch of his flesh and blood, every cell, being constantly infused with it.

The process was strangely wonderful, and surprisingly, he felt no discomfort whatsoever; he could even breathe freely.

When his "mold" was completely filled, the unidentified black liquid that filled his body seemed to disappear completely.

For some reason, Ronan was choked. Before he could instinctively cough, he was startled to find himself in another "world".

Black, nothingness.

He was like a piece of duckweed floating in the air, surrounded by vast darkness.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his hand in the darkness.

Ronan looked up sharply and saw Evaqu was radiating a hazy white light, appear from the side.

"It went much more smoothly than I expected."

Evaqu looked on with unexpected joy and satisfaction. "I was prepared to fail a few times."

"Is this the legendary Hall of Spirits?"

Ronan's gaze swept around strangely. Just as Evaqu had told him, most spells could not be cast in this space, and he could not sense any free energy particles here.

Moreover, his current state is quite peculiar; he is glowing, just like Evaqu.

"We haven't reached the Hall of Spirits yet. This is the Hall of Spirits Space. Don't let go now, or you'll get lost."

Evaqu gripped Ronan's right hand and began to pull him along quickly through the dark, void.

"This is a strange space created by countless Ancient Spirit Wizard Sages. Theoretically, only souls can live here for a long time. We entered in our true form with the help of the sacrificial spirits, but we won't be able to stay here for very long... We have to hurry."

Evaqu pursed his lips, his expression solemn, and pulled Ronan away quickly in a certain direction.

In the dark space, the two became the only sources of light, but the white glow emanating from Ronan was much weaker than that from Evaqu.

Perhaps sensing his curiosity, Evaqu explained, "This is the light of the soul, which can directly reflect the quality of a wizard's soul aptitude."

All right.

Ronan didn't know what to say.

After his trip to the East Coast and resolving his past obsessions, he believed that his soul's aptitude had improved considerably.

Only now do I realize that compared to top wizarding geniuses like Evaqu, there is still a considerable gap between us.

Within this dark and void space, spiritual power seemed to have lost its original function, but Evaqu seemed to possess a special method of guidance.

Ronan didn't know how long he had been "floating" when Evaqu suddenly accelerated forward. He felt his body plummet downwards, and then his feet seemed to land on solid ground.

"Arrive."

Ronan heard Evaqu speak softly.

Immediately afterwards, "whoosh—", flames suddenly shot out from both sides in front.

The light illuminated the surrounding area, Ronan could see that they were standing on a small platform with flames burning on the tops of two thick black stone pillars. Further ahead was a winding staircase that stretched upwards.

The black stone pillars burning with flames seem to form the shape of a gate, and underfoot are mottled and cracked rocks. Both the stone pillars and the steps behind them are full of ancient traces of the erosion of time.

Evaqu's expression had become solemn and dignified at some point. He strode forward, and Ronan followed. The two passed through the portal of the black stone pillars and stepped onto the stone steps.

The ancient staircase floated above the dark void. The two climbed the stairs, the surroundings eerily quiet, with no other sound except for their footsteps and breathing.

Evaqu showed no intention of speaking to him, and Ronan could only follow silently, his mood unconsciously becoming solemn as well.

The two continued their ascent, but after stepping onto a certain step, Evaqu suddenly stopped. Just as Ronan was wondering what was happening, flames suddenly burst into flames on both sides of them, their bursts of light illuminating everything around them in an instant.

Ronan then realized that they were now standing on the edge of a massive sacrificial plaza. The plaza was so vast that he could hardly see its edge. Black stone pillars, similar to those at the starting point, surrounded the entire plaza, and countless black stone statues stood on it! These statues were similar in style to the Faceless Stone Man that had guided them into the Hall of Spirits Space, and they represented almost every kind of creature: humans, elves, barbarians, dwarves, magical beasts, birds, animals, and even plants. Ronan saw many lost races that he had only previously learned about in ancient books.

Each stone statue is over three meters tall, exuding an aura of vicissitude and antiquity. They are densely packed and countless in number. Some are well-preserved, while others are covered with cracks, and some have even collapsed and decayed, with only a part of their bases visible.

As Ronan gazed upon the magnificent stone statue plaza, he instinctively felt something rushing towards him, and a profound and indescribable shock welled up within him.

"Here it is"

"The lowest level of the Hall of Spirits Resting Place."

Evaqu walked into the square, gently placed his hand on a stone statue, his eyes filled with solemnity and reverence.

"Each spirit statue here represents a spirit sorcerer whose strength was at least at the Dawn Rank in life. They were once active here, but after the spirits were banished, they all fell into a long slumber, and some have even completely disappeared in their slumber."

Each stone statue symbolizes an ancient spirit shaman of at least Level Four Dawn?!

Evaqu's explanation shocked Ronan. He looked at the stone statue plaza in disbelief. The countless statues in the plaza made it hard to imagine how glorious the ancient spirit witch school must have been! No wonder the spirit witch group at its peak could cause such a huge upheaval in the entire Wizard World.

According to Evaqu, what they were seeing now was only the first level of the Hall of Spirits, and there were many more places like this to come. Ronan took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent emotions.

"Under normal circumstances, this would be the end of our day. For a novice spirit sorcerer like me who has only recently begun my training, this is where I receive my inheritance."

But now...

Evaqu shook his head, and said, whether with relief or regret, "Let's go."

He led Ronan forward.

The two walked through the stone statue square. Along the way, Ronan saw countless collapsed and decayed stone statues. He estimated in his mind that the relatively well-preserved stone statues in this square probably accounted for less than one percent of the total number of stone statues.

This only includes those spirit mediums who have already "died," not those who are "dying" in the process of dying.

The ancient spirit witchcraft school has indeed truly declined. At the end of the square, there is another black staircase leading to an even higher level, and the two continue forward.

Every so often thereafter, the two would arrive at a sacrificial plaza similar to the one they had seen before, filled with stone statues.

The higher you go, the larger and more ancient the black stone statues standing in the square become, and of course, the fewer in number they are.

Ronan speculated that this was likely related to the power and status of the spirit shaman represented by the stone statue during his lifetime.

The higher the level of the stone statue in the plaza, the stronger it was in life, and the more prestigious its status in the Hall of Spirits.

The origins of spirit witches are not ancient. They are called "ancient spirit witches" because the spirit witch school reached its peak in ancient times. As for its origins, Ronan is not clear either.

Ronan followed Evaqu the whole time, silently counting the number of stone statue squares they walked through.

As Ronan arrived at yet another new square, and the number he was silently counting to five, he heard Evaqu whisper, "We're here, Damien."

Ronan's spirits lifted slightly, and his gaze followed the clusters of blazing firelight as he scanned the square before him.

He saw that only twenty-four black stone statues remained in the sacrificial plaza before him.

But each stone statue, almost all over a hundred meters tall, stands like a silent giant in different corners of the square, their forms obscuring the firelight and casting endless shadows behind them. "Whoosh—"

Ronan let out a long breath. Facing these ancient and powerful beings, even if they were just their "corpses," he still felt immense pressure.

"These are the Twenty-Four Wizard Chiefs of the Hall of Spirits, whose status is second only to the Temple Master. Each of them is a sage who was once worshipped and revered by all the priests."

Evaqu explained to Ronan, then knelt down on the spot, bowing to each of the stone giant statues, performing the highest ritual of the shaman with utmost piety.

Although Ronan was not a member of the spirit wizards, he was fortunate to come here and meet these predecessors of the Wizard World, and he felt the same respect for them.

He counted the twenty-four stone statues of the shamans before him and found that sixteen of them were already decayed and collapsed, making it impossible to recognize their complete forms. Among the remaining eight, there were also some cracks on their bodies. One of them, a humanoid stone statue wearing a robe, whose face was not clear and whose hands were in a strange gesture, was almost completely covered with cracks, giving the impression that it would completely collapse at any moment.

"What level of power does the Chief Witch possess?"

Based on the strength of the spirit shamans in the first-level stone statue plaza, if the first level is level four and the second level is level five, then the fifth-level shaman leader should be... level eight?! Ronan didn't know, but his expression became increasingly complicated.

Even someone as powerful as the Spirit Witch Master can't ultimately escape the control of fate and the erosion of time, can he?

He couldn't help but think of the "Alchemist," the group of people who walked among humans in the name of "Schubert." He wondered how many of the "Schubert" who dreamed of building an ideal world were still alive. Ronan's gaze swept over the stone statues of the shamans, and suddenly, it quietly settled on one of them.

That is...

Ronan pursed his lips, looked at the stone statue, and uttered a single word. "Dragon?"

From any angle, the stone statue before him perfectly matched Ronan's stereotypical image of a "dragon"—a huge and slender body, covered in black scales, sharp horns curving upwards from both sides of its forehead, huge and broad bat wings, and a long tail covered in barbs that resembled a warhammer. It was domineering, majestic, mysterious, ruthless, all-powerful, and invincible! Of the eight remaining stone statues on the field, this dragon-shaped statue was the largest and the best preserved.

Ronan stared intently at it, and Evaqu walked slowly to his side, raised his head, and said slowly, "Yes."

Dragon Wizard Chief Bahafos, was a true Pureblood Dragon in his lifetime.

After joining the Hall of Spirits, he became one of the three Grandmaster who controlled the Soul Transformation System.

Evaqu looked at Ronan and said softly, "Like you, when I first came here, I was immediately attracted by its power and magnificence, and I chose it without hesitation."

Pity"

Evaqu shook his head. "The Dragon Wizard Chief Bahafos is the one among the Twenty-Four Wizard Chiefs who has the highest and most demanding requirements for his successor."

I even feel that a proud being like him, even if he were to die completely in a self-sealed slumber, would not be willing to leave his legacy to any being other than a dragon."

Ronan listened to Evaqu's story, his eyes flickering slightly.

Whether in the secular world or the Wizard World, dragons have always been powerful creatures that exist only in legends.

There are countless legends about dragons, and Ronan has heard and read many stories about them.

Now, a real dragon is before him, and even he finds it difficult to remain completely calm.

"Perhaps you could give it a try."

Evaqu suddenly spoke up, "If you can obtain the inheritance of the Dragon Wizard Chief Bahafos, I believe that the remaining problems of your soul will be easily solved."

Ronan turned to look at Evaqu in surprise. "I am not a sorcerer... and I have no intention of becoming one."

"Before fate provides the final answer, most people don't know what they really want."

Evaqu looked him in the eye and answered calmly.

Ronan frowned.

He looked at Evaqu, who seemed to be extending Olive Branch to him and trying his best to win him over, and then glanced at the huge dragon-shaped stone statue that was close at hand.

His eyes flickered, and after a moment's consideration, he said, "Alright, what should I do?"