Clues and Traces

Lin Qin and Aileen headed toward the southwest of the Yulan Empire. The closer they got to the Dark Forest, the more gloomy the environment became, and a faint sense of oppression permeated the air. They stopped briefly in the towns and villages they passed along the way, with Aileen secretly investigating the water sources and the condition of the residents.

Sure enough, the closer they moved toward the southwest region, the more they discovered water sources that had been eroded by darkness. Although the dosage was still controlled to a level that would not cause large-scale panic, the scope of the impact was quite extensive.

In a town called "Graystone Town," they stopped to rest at a tavern. Aileen pretended to ask the tavern owner casually, "Boss, has anyone in town been getting sick for no reason or feeling particularly exhausted lately?"

The owner sighed while wiping a glass, "Sigh, you're telling me! I don't know what's going on lately; so many people are saying they feel weak and listless, and going to the temple hasn't helped at all. I guess it must be the weather."

Lin Qin and Aileen exchanged a look, understanding each other without words.

Just then, a few people dressed as mercenaries at a nearby table had drunk a bit too much, and their voices grew louder.

"Damn it, this godforsaken place is truly evil! I spent half a month circling the outskirts of the Dark Forest and didn't catch a single thing, and I almost lost my life!"

"What happened, Hans? Did you run into a big one?"

"It wasn't a Magic Beast!" The mercenary named Hans lowered his voice, his face filled with lingering fear. "It was Dark Wizards! I saw a group of guys in black cloaks with my own eyes, escorting dozens of bound people toward the 'Silent Valley'! Those people being led away all had hollow eyes, just like walking corpses!"

"Silent Valley? That place is in the middle of nowhere; why would they go there?"

"How would I know! Anyway, it's extremely evil! I took a detour and ran as fast as I could!"

Silent Valley? Lin Qin immediately memorized the name. He took out a map to check and found that Silent Valley was located on the edge of the Dark Forest. The terrain was remote and rarely visited, making it a truly ideal location for conducting secret rituals.

"It seems we've found the place." Lin Qin put away the map and said to Aileen.

They did not stay in Graystone Town for long and immediately set off for Silent Valley. To avoid alerting the enemy, Lin Qin did not fly; instead, he and Aileen traveled through the dense forest, relying on his powerful spiritual power to avoid any potential hidden sentries.

The closer they got to Silent Valley, the more abnormal the surrounding energy environment became. The air was filled with faint dark elements and a disturbing sense of deathly silence; even the traces of birds and beasts became scarce.

A day later, they arrived at the outskirts of Silent Valley. Standing on a high ground looking down, the entire valley was shrouded in a layer of faint gray mist, making it impossible to see the situation inside. However, Lin Qin could clearly feel that a vast and evil energy was gathering within the valley, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Such dense dark elements... and... the wailing of souls..." Aileen's face turned pale. As a water-attribute mage, she was sensitive to the aura of life and souls and could vaguely perceive the countless suffering souls gathering inside the valley.

"The ritual shouldn't have started yet, but it's already in the preparation stage." Lin Qin judged, "We must find a way to sneak in or locate the core of the ritual."

Charging in directly was the worst strategy, as it would easily make the enemy desperate, causing them to trigger the ritual prematurely or destroy the evidence.

"I can try using the Water Mist Technique to create a small-scale fog to cover our tracks." Aileen suggested, "My Water Mist Technique incorporates precise control over water elements; it can simulate the natural environment to a certain extent and is not easily detected."

Lin Qin nodded, "That works. Stay close to me and suppress all your aura."

Taking cover behind trees and rocks, the two approached the valley entrance silently. There were indeed guards at the entrance—two warriors wearing black leather armor with numb expressions. Their strength was around the sixth rank, clearly puppets under the control of the Dark Church.

Lin Qin did not alert them and led Aileen around to a steep cliff on the side. Using his control over earth elements, he temporarily created tiny footholds on the cliff face, and the two climbed up like geckos, successfully entering the valley.

Once inside the valley, the sense of evil energy and soul wailing became even clearer. The light in the valley was dim, and gray mist obstructed their vision. They could see some scattered black tents and patrolling guards. The strength of these guards was clearly higher than those at the entrance, and their eyes were even more fanatical.

Lin Qin's spiritual power acted like invisible tentacles, carefully avoiding the patrols as he probed toward the center of the valley where the energy fluctuations were most intense.

At the very center of the valley, they saw a hair-raising sight—a massive altar built of black boulders, over a hundred meters in diameter! Dozens of bone pillars carved with twisted runes were stuck around the altar, with ghostly green flames burning at their tops. Above the altar, a gray vortex formed by countless fragments of suffering souls was slowly rotating, emitting a suffocating spiritual pollution.

And below the altar, at least hundreds of people were kneeling in dense rows! Most of these people were in rags with hollow eyes, as if their souls had been extracted; they were the very victims whose souls had been weakened during the water poisoning incidents! They had been driven here like livestock to become "sacrifices" for the ritual!

Directly in front of the altar stood three people wearing magnificent black robes. The one in the center held a skull scepter inlaid with a huge black gemstone, and his body radiated powerful Saint Realm dark magic fluctuations; he was clearly the leader of this ritual. The two people on his sides were a thin, skeletal old man radiating a thick aura of death (a Saint Realm Necromancer), and an assassin shrouded in shadows whose face could not be seen (a Saint Realm Shadow Killer).

"Three Saint Realm experts..." Aileen gasped, her face turning even paler. This lineup far exceeded their expectations.

Lin Qin's expression was grave, but he did not panic. He carefully observed the layout of the altar and the positions of the three Saint Realm powerhouses.

"The ritual isn't fully prepared yet." Lin Qin whispered, "That soul vortex isn't stable enough, and the energy circuits of the altar are still charging. We still have time."

"What should we do?" Aileen asked nervously. Facing three Saint Realm experts and such an evil ritual, she felt immense pressure.

"We must destroy the altar first, or interrupt the core of the ritual." Lin Qin analyzed calmly, "A frontal assault won't work; it would make them trigger the ritual immediately, and those sacrifices would be finished. We need to find an opportunity to strike decisively."

His gaze fell on the rune-carved bone pillars at the edge of the altar. Those pillars seemed to be the key nodes maintaining the soul vortex and transmitting energy.

"Aileen, can your water magic penetrate silently and destroy the energy structure inside those bone pillars?" Lin Qin asked. Water magic was adept at infiltration and erosion, which might have a miraculous effect.

Aileen carefully observed the bone pillars and nodded, "I can try! The energy fluctuations in those pillars are strong, but the structure doesn't seem completely stable, especially at the node connections. If I use highly concentrated water elements for internal erosion, it's possible to destroy them from within, and it won't be easily detected immediately."

"Good." Lin Qin made his decision, "I will be responsible for creating chaos to attract their attention. You find the opportunity to destroy as many of those bone pillars as possible. Remember, safety first; once you are discovered, retreat immediately."

"Understood!" Aileen took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and began to prepare her magic silently.

Lin Qin began to mobilize the Saint Realm power within his body, his eyes locked on the leader holding the skull scepter on the altar.