Born Evil Seed, Linked Ring, Treasure-Hoarding Goblin's Private Treasury

The putrid mud of the swamp reached above the girl's calves. She seemed to be injured, as every step she took aggravated her pain, and her face appeared weak and pale. But she ignored these injuries and gritted her teeth as she searched for the source of the lightning.

One area of the swamp had been completely reduced to scorched earth. Countless fine lightning bolts streaked across the ground, crackling and popping as they came into contact with the damp soil and air, accompanied by tiny tornadoes that formed bluish-purple lightning bolts.

The two forces intertwined, creating runic patterns in the void that resembled both lightning and hurricanes, appearing and disappearing, elusive and difficult to discern.

At the very center of all this, a humanoid silhouette appeared, emanating a pale golden, amber-like aura, breathing in and out rhythmically.

This mysterious and wondrous scene greatly enhanced the murky and dark swamp, as if it were a scene recorded in an ancient book. The girl was mesmerized, and after a moment, she ran forward with joy in her eyes.

"Bang!"

A small flash of lightning struck at the girl's feet, creating a shallow crater. The flying dirt startled her, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Roll--"

A deep sound, as if formed by the collision of countless gusts of wind and lightning, emanated from the golden halo, carrying an unsparing intent to drive it away.

The girl's face was slightly pale, but she quickly gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, stepped over the shallow pit, and walked up quickly.

I know you have no reason to pay attention to someone as insignificant as me.

The girl knelt down near the edge of the scorched earth and performed the most rare ritual among wizards: a kowtow and a kiss on the earth, her posture humble yet firm and stubborn.

"But I still beg you to help me."

"One hundred and eighty-nine lives lost in the Duo Shi Family of White Pine Town, one hundred and eighty-nine wronged souls!"

The girl gritted her teeth, every word she uttered soaked in blood and hatred. She forcefully raised something in her hand and showed it to the figure in the center surrounded by countless lightning bolts. It was a ring that shimmered with silver light.

"It's all because of this!"

"The Duo Shi Family heirloom, whose ancestral will states that it points to a tremendous treasure."

To unlock the secrets of this treasure, we invited a renowned and powerful wizard, but little did we know that we had let a Greed wolf into our house."

The girl cried out in anguish, bitterly and resentfully denouncing the tragic fate that had befallen her.

In the end, she even pulled a dagger from her bosom, the gleaming blade forcefully slicing open her slender, pale palm. Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, falling to the ground and soaking a small patch of earth.

The girl was even weaker due to her injuries and excessive blood loss. She coughed violently, spitting out blood that appeared to contain black worms crawling on the ground.

"If you refuse me, this knife will slit my throat in the next second, and with my lowly and weak soul, along with the wronged spirits of White Pine Town, I will unleash the most vicious curse upon you..."

"If you are willing to grant me your protection, then..."

The girl's small body swayed precariously, but a flame burned fiercely in her eyes. "I will offer you my body, my life, and the secrets of the treasure contained within this ring!"

"Make your choice, Your Excellency."

"Should I be a stranger who stands by and watches me die, closing my eyes in my place, or should I become another guillotine in this cold world?"

The girl bent down and kissed the ground again. She remained in a kneeling and begging posture, but her head was slightly raised. Her eyes were fixed on the figure in the center of the hurricane-like lightning and golden halo, with a sense of resolute determination as if she were risking everything.

Time passed second by second, and after a long silence, finally, a sound came from within the halo of light again.

"That's a really good story."

The hopeful girl was startled when she heard the voice. Before she could react, a purple bolt of lightning darted through the void like a snake.

In an instant, it [Penetration] her smooth, full forehead, leaving a tiny, charred, round hole.

The girl's pupils dilated rapidly, her expression blank, as if she never imagined this would be her end.

Her body, gradually losing all signs of life, collapsed limply to the ground, while a phantom soul crawled out from her back at the same time.

It was an ugly soul covered in black filth and mud, bearing some resemblance to the dead girl, but appearing far more grotesque and vile.

As soon as the disheveled ghost appeared, its eyes turned a blinding blood red. Then it locked onto the direction from which the deadly lightning was shot, let out a low growl, and charged forward with overwhelming resentment.

At that moment, a dense array of lightning and air currents shot over, quickly forming a turquoise and blue-purple woven net that directly enveloped the girl's ghost.

The girl's ghost thrashed about in the magical cage, emitting chilling howls.

"Splash—"

The sound of rushing water filled the air, and the countless lightning bolts and hurricanes that filled the scorched earth of the swamp collectively contracted inward, while the golden halo that had been spewing out spread out.

A moment later, all the streaking lightning and hurricanes vanished, and a golden halo broke through, revealing a tall and slender figure walking out slowly.

His glistening, silky white hair cascaded down his body, which appeared to be forged from the finest steel. Every inch of his flesh and skin contained a terrifying power that seemed measurable to the naked eye. Fine, shimmering patterns of light floated beneath his smooth, almost glowing skin, resembling complex runes, yet somehow incomplete. Who else could he be but Ronan emerged from the Storm Realm? "Born Evil Seed?"

Ronan stretched out his limbs, listening to the subtle popping sounds of flesh and bone colliding.

His eyes were clear and bright, like top-grade sapphires that had been meticulously polished countless times. His pupils seemed to be teeming with storms. When his gaze fell on the vengeful spirit imprisoned in the electric cage, the latter immediately screamed and retreated in fear, as if startled.

"I never expected that 'Spirit Heart Amber' would have a special effect that allows you to see through the essence of a person's soul..."

Ronan spoke softly, conversing with Alazan, who resided within him.

"What do you think? The purity or impurity of the soul reflects a person's goodness or evil to a certain extent. This is just the most insignificant ability of 'Spirit Heart Amber.' You've only just begun. You'll naturally be able to sense more in the future."

Ronan nodded. This girl, whose name he didn't know, who had suddenly barged into his secluded healing place seeking refuge, was undoubtedly a natural-born liar.

Her strength was average, only First Level Intermediate Wizard, yet she was able to fabricate stories in front of him, Third Level Wizard, without changing her expression or skipping a beat, and the whole process revealed no clue whatsoever.

If Ronan hadn't practiced the "Spirit Heart Amber" technique, which allowed him to discern the purity or impurity of the souls of those weaker than himself and see through the ugly nature hidden beneath her beautiful exterior, an ordinary wizard, with a slightly softer heart, might have been deceived by her exquisite and dazzling performance.

Once the seeds of evil and danger are sown around you, who knows what kind of vicious and cruel man-eating vines they will grow into in the future.

After being guided by Alazan onto the path of spiritual cultivation, Ronan's understanding of the soul deepened day by day.

As for why he killed her, one reason was that he happened to run into her and took the opportunity to nip an evil seed in the bud. The other reason was that the girl was already under some kind of vicious curse, and the power of the curse had penetrated deep into her bones. If nothing unexpected happened, she would face endless torment.

Ronan's decision to kill her was, in a way, a way of ending her suffering prematurely.

"These kinds of evil spirits are excellent materials for practicing necromancy, but I already have one, so I can only use it as food to feed them."

Ronan took out a simple, Square-Horned Cowbell from his Space Ring, shook it gently in his hand, and thick black smoke billowed out. A pale-faced boy with bloodshot eyes silently emerged from it.

The vengeful spirit Aihaxia, which Ronan had always considered as the prototype for the Ghost Arrow, had devoured many ancient sea creatures' vengeful souls in the belly of the Howling Fish King in the Green Glimmering Sea Abyss last time, and its strength had increased significantly. However, it was later severely injured by the terrifying sonic attack of the Comb-boned Demon Snail.

After going back and forth, the spirit actually became a little weaker.

This vengeful spirit, Born Evil Seed, is a perfect opportunity to nourish it.

Ronan slightly opened a gap in the magical electric net he had casually set up, and Aihaxia immediately rushed in, engulfing the wicked woman's vengeful spirit with a single pounce. All that could be heard afterward were Aihaxia's satisfying chewing sounds and the girl's vengeful spirit's painful screams.

After doing all this, Ronan's gaze swept down, and a silver ring stained with blood floated up and fell into his palm.

Ronan squinted as he examined the silver ring, which exuded a strong sense of antiquity. The ring looked quite ordinary from the outside, its design resembling a piece of silver cloth casually wrapped and tied in a knot. That silver knot was the only decoration on the ring.

"Alazan, can you tell where this ring came from?"

Ronan questioned the soul of Alazan within him, and he could vaguely sense the ring's antiquity and extraordinary nature. The secret about the ring in the story the girl had fabricated earlier was also very likely true.

"It's just a very ordinary Linked Ring..."

Alazan quickly provided the answer, "In our time, these kinds of things were almost everywhere."

Ronan ignored the sense of superiority in Alazan's words and pressed on, "What are the Linked Ring?"

"The key to unlock the Treasure-Stealing Goblin's private vault."

"Treasure-Stealing Goblin?!"

Ronan paused slightly, subconsciously recalling a trip he had taken to the Goblin Plain in the south. Back then, his Silver Magic Ring companion Clemens, had told him that there were traces of ancient Treasure-Stealing Goblin on the Goblin Plain, and that a huge treasure lay hidden beneath.

He had only heard it as a legend and anecdote at the time, never expecting that he would actually encounter a real Treasure-Stealing Goblin's treasure.

"Every Treasure-Stealing Goblin has its own private vault, filled with things it has stolen from various places."

The value of the treasures in a vault is often linked to the vault's rank. The Linked Ring in your hand was left behind by the lowest-ranking Silver Ear Goblin. What decent treasure could Silver Ear Goblin possibly steal?

They couldn't even break through Bahafves's Dragon Might Domain.

Ronan could almost picture Alazan shaking his head, looking disdainful and contemptuous.

"Moreover, obtaining the Linked Ring is only the first step. You also need to find the exact location of the Linked Ring's owner, the goblin's, treasure vault. Otherwise, you'll have to use the World Stone to search for it."

If you have a World Stone, my suggestion is to use it to open those lost portals to other worlds. I remember many coordinates; finding any one of them would unlock a treasure trove a million times larger than a mere Silver Ear Goblin's private vault.

"Is it that complicated?"

Ronan nodded, but the slight interest he had felt in Treasure-Stealing Goblin's private treasure vault was largely extinguished by Alazan's words.

He casually put away the Linked Ring, intending to check if Aihaxia had finished eating, when Alazan changed the subject, speaking in a low voice, "Actually, I'm more interested in you now? How are you feeling after being baptized by the Storm Weaver's storm lightning?"

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