Deep Within Devil Rock

Lin Qin put away the ominous Black Crystal and continued deeper into Devil Rock. The further he went, the dimmer the light became; those dark red rocks seemed to absorb all illumination, and the air was filled with a faint, putrid scent mixed with sulfur. The surrounding energy environment grew increasingly chaotic, lingering with the aura of darkness and death.

He carefully released his spiritual power, probing forward like tentacles. The rock labyrinth was intricate and complex, but that residual evil energy acted like a beacon, guiding his path.

After traveling for about a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the entrance of a massive underground cavern. Deep within the cave, a dark red light flickered faintly; the source of that evil energy was inside.

Lin Qin did not rashly charge in. He concealed his figure behind a giant rock and observed carefully. Scattered at the entrance of the cave were broken bones—some human, others from unknown creatures. The rock walls were carved with twisted, bizarre symbols, exuding a sense of blasphemy and ill omen.

It seems this is the place, Lin Qin thought to himself. He suppressed all his aura and slipped into the cave as silently as a ghost.

The interior of the cave was more spacious than he had imagined. In the center was a sunken blood pool; the liquid within was dark red, viscous, and foul-smelling, bubbling constantly. Around the blood pool stood several stone pillars covered in runes, with black gems emitting a ghostly glow embedded at their tops. The entire layout was clearly an evil magic array!

At this moment, two people in black cloaks stood beside the magic array. Their backs were turned to Lin Qin, and they seemed to be checking the operation of the array.

"The energy reaction has weakened... that Grudge Devourer seems to have been destroyed," a slightly hoarse voice said, his tone filled with dissatisfaction.

"Trash! You couldn't even clear out a bunch of desert rubes and a passing caravan, and you wasted so much of our materials!" Another voice was sharper, filled with irritability. "If we fail the mission the Bishop gave us, we'll all end up as sacrifices!"

Lin Qin's heart stirred. A Bishop? Sacrifices? It seemed this involved a significant evil organization.

The hoarse voice urged, "Don't be impatient, Karl. Even though the Grudge Devourer is gone, the core Soul Gathering Array is still running. The collected soul energy is enough for our next summoning. As long as we successfully summon a stronger one, we can completely seal off this area and complete what the Bishop ordered..."

"Who?!"

The sharp voice, identified as Karl, suddenly barked, spinning around violently! He wore a pale mask, revealing only two eyes filled with malice. He had clearly sensed something.

Lin Qin knew he had been discovered, so he stopped hiding and walked slowly out from behind the rock.

"Who are you?!" Karl and the other Dark Cultist immediately became vigilant, erupting with dark magic fluctuations that were not weak—roughly at the level of a seventh-rank mage. They had not expected an outsider to intrude deep into Devil Rock.

Lin Qin did not answer. His gaze swept over the bloody magic array and the blood pool, and he said coldly, "The monsters outside—did you create them?"

Karl's eyes turned vicious: "So what if we did? You dare to ruin the affairs of the Dark Church? You're looking for death!" He clearly mistook Lin Qin for an adventurer who had stumbled upon the place. Although he was surprised that the man could sneak in silently, he was confident in his own strength, especially since there were two of them.

"Dark Church?" Lin Qin frowned slightly. He had heard of this organization; it was an evil force on the Yulan Continent that opposed the Radiant Church, known for its secretive and cruel methods. He hadn't expected to run into them here.

"Scared now?" Seeing Lin Qin frown, Karl thought he was afraid and sneered, "Too bad it's too late! Since you've seen this place, don't think about leaving alive! Your soul will serve as perfect nourishment for the new summon!"

Before he finished speaking, he and his companion raised their staves simultaneously, chanting obscure incantations! Dense dark magic gathered, forming two massive claws made of shadows, carrying bone-chilling cold and the power to erode the soul as they lunged at Lin Qin!

Facing the attack of two seventh-rank dark mages, Lin Qin did not even move his feet. He merely raised his eyelids and glanced at the two shadow claws.

"Purify."

A warm, heavy, and vibrant aura of the earth rippled out from him as the center. The moment the two menacing shadow claws touched this aura, they hissed like snow under the sun, rapidly dissolving and evaporating without leaving a trace!

"What?!"

Karl and the other black-robed man's pupils shrank, their faces filled with unbelievable horror! Their strongest joint attack had been neutralized so casually by the opponent? This was definitely not something an ordinary adventurer could do!

"Saint... Saint Realm?!" The hoarse voice trembled as he uttered the word that filled them with despair.

Karl reacted quickly, turning to try and trigger a mechanism in the magic array, seemingly wanting to perish together or send a message.

Lin Qin would not give him the chance. With a thought, the ground instantly softened, and two giant hands made of rock burst from the soil, gripping the ankles of Karl and the other cultist like iron pincers, pinning them in place! No matter how they struggled or released dark magic to corrode the rock, the stone hands remained motionless, tightening their grip instead!

"Answer my question." Lin Qin walked up to them, his tone calm but carrying a suffocating pressure. "What are you doing here? What is the Dark Church planning?"

"Bah! Don't think you'll get any information out of me!" Karl stiffened his neck, shouting with bravado.

The other black-robed man appeared even more terrified, his body trembling slightly.

Lin Qin stopped wasting words. He turned his gaze to the terrified cultist, his spiritual power piercing into the man's mental sea like a sharp awl.

"Ah—!" The cultist let out a shrill scream, clutching his head as he collapsed, his body convulsing violently. Lin Qin had directly used soul-searching techniques to extract his memory fragments. This method was brutal and would cause irreversible damage to the subject, but it was the most efficient.

A moment later, Lin Qin had the information he wanted. These two were indeed peripheral members of the Dark Church, ordered to set up the Soul Gathering Array here to use the summoned Grudge Devourers to slaughter passing creatures and collect soul energy. As for the ultimate goal, they were not core members and did not know.

Lin Qin pondered; there was clearly a larger conspiracy behind this.

He glanced at the cultist who had been reduced to an idiot, and at Karl, who was still struggling in vain, and hesitated no longer. With a wave of his hand, two strands of condensed earth-elemental laws entered their bodies, instantly shattering their hearts.

After dealing with the two Dark Cultists, Lin Qin turned his gaze to the still-operating Soul Gathering Array. The blood pool churned with countless painful soul fragments, emitting a nauseating aura.

He raised his hand, channeling pure earth-elemental law energy, and injected it into the core of the array like a torrent.

"Break!"

With a low shout, the entire magic array let out a groan of unbearable strain. The rune-covered stone pillars shattered one after another, and the black gems at their tops turned to dust. The liquid in the blood pool seemed to be purified, its color fading rapidly as the evil energy fluctuations dissipated completely.

Having done all this, Lin Qin felt a weight lift from his heart. He had destroyed this evil stronghold and temporarily halted the Dark Church's operations in this area.

He left the cave and returned to the small village.

Seeing Lin Qin return safely, the villagers swarmed forward, their faces filled with gratitude and anticipation.

"My lord! That monster..."

"It has been eliminated," Lin Qin said. "Furthermore, I discovered an evil magic array inside and destroyed it as well. There shouldn't be any more Black Storms or monsters from now on."

Upon hearing this, the villagers were stunned for a moment before erupting into thunderous cheers! Many wept with joy, kneeling on the ground to kowtow to Lin Qin.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you for saving our entire village!"

"You are our benefactor!"

The village elder's eyes were filled with tears as he gripped Lin Qin's hand tightly: "My lord, we have no way to repay you... please accept our bow!"

Lin Qin helped the old man up: "It was just a small effort. It's not safe here; you should all be more careful in the future." He thought for a moment, then took out some gold coins he had scavenged from the Dark Cultists and distributed them to the villagers. "Take these and improve your lives."

He did not want to stay long. After bidding farewell to the profusely grateful villagers, he took off and flew away from the Death Desert.

This mission had not only eliminated the rampaging monster but had also uncovered a conspiracy of the Dark Church. Lin Qin felt that beneath the calm surface of the Yulan Continent, the undercurrents were far more turbulent than he had imagined. He tucked away the Black Crystal and the intelligence regarding the Dark Church, preparing to return to Red Flame City to submit the mission and inform the Mercenary Guild and the Empire. This was no longer a simple A-rank mission; it likely concerned a much larger situation.