Fallen Maple Territory's crimson walls glowed warmly in the moonlight. The magical beacon at the gate had long since been lit, and Old Byrne stood at the front, leaning on his wooden staff. Dozens of guards followed behind him, along with many residents who had come after hearing the news. They carried lanterns whose flickering candles formed a warm sea of stars as they quietly awaited Loran and his companions' return.
"Eldest son! You're finally back!" At the sight of Loran, Old Byrne's cloudy eyes instantly lit up. He hurried forward and clasped his wrist, but the moment his fingertips touched the blue-black burn, his brow furrowed. "Did the Pope do this?"
Loran nodded and smiled as he patted Old Byrne's hand. "It's only a minor wound. Nothing serious. Thanks to Elder White and Miss Liya, we not only rescued the civilians but also temporarily sealed the Nether Bone Dragon."
As he spoke, Liya reached the gate with the civilians. The residents immediately gathered around them, some offering hot soup and others bringing clean blankets. Smiles gradually appeared on the exhausted civilians' faces. "The people of Fallen Maple Territory really are kindhearted." Warmth filled Liya's emerald eyes as she watched the scene before her. "With residents like these, it's no wonder Sir Loran would do everything in his power to protect this place."
That night, space was cleared in Fallen Maple Territory's lord's manor and the surrounding homes to house the civilians. Liya and several Elf Clan warriors worked through the night, using nature's power to heal the injured civilians, while Elder White sat with Loran and Old Byrne in the manor's study to assess the situation.
"Although the Pope escaped, his evil core was only damaged, not shattered. He'll recover in half a month at most." Elder White traced a finger across the map and stopped at the Blackstone Mountain Range in the north of the continent. "Our informants sent word that the Pope fled here and made contact with a 'Bone-Eroding Emissary' from the Evil Bone Plane. That emissary can open temporary Evil Bone passages to supply the Pope with evil power."
Loran stared at the Blackstone Mountain Range on the map, his brow tightly furrowed. "There's an abandoned evil mine in the Blackstone Mountain Range, with large quantities of evil iron ore inside. If the Pope combines the mine with the Evil Bone passage, he could very well forge new evil artifacts, or even summon an army from the Evil Bone Plane."
Old Byrne sighed and took an old dossier from a drawer. "These are ancient records of the Kane Lineage. They describe the evil mine in the Blackstone Mountain Range. Three hundred years ago, my grandfather led a group to seal the ore vein, but by now, the seal has probably long since weakened. If the Pope finds it, the consequences will be unthinkable."
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the study, accompanied by a guard's startled cry. "Careful! He's lost control!"
Loran and the other two immediately rose and rushed out of the study. One of the civilians they had rescued earlier now had eyes glowing black and red, and his hands had turned into sharp bone claws. He was wildly attacking those around him. A faint evil power lingered around his body, identical to the Pope's.
"It's an evil seed!" Liya hurried over, pointing her emerald staff at the civilian. "The Pope planted a Bone-Eroding Evil Seed inside him. It was suppressed by evil power before, but now it has awakened and taken control of his mind!"
The civilian suddenly turned toward Loran and lunged with a roar, the evil power on his bone claws carrying a rotten stench. Loran immediately circulated his Power of the Three-Element Source. Gold, silver, and pale-gold light gathered in his palm. "Purification: Bind!" The light became a rope that wrapped around the civilian's limbs. Radiant power flowed along it into his body and began dispelling the evil seed.
"Snow Spirit Qilin, assist with radiant ice mist!" Loran shouted. Snow Spirit Qilin immediately breathed out luminous white ice mist imbued with radiant power. Once it enveloped the civilian, the evil seed's activity instantly slowed. Lei Lin stood guard nearby, golden-red flames flowing around his body to prevent the civilian from losing control again.
A short while later, the evil seed inside the civilian was completely purified. Clarity returned to his eyes, and he looked at the people around him with guilt on his face. "I'm sorry... It was like I was having a nightmare. I couldn't control my body."
Loran released the purification rope and said softly, "It wasn't your fault. This was the Pope's plot." He turned toward Elder White, his tone grave. "It seems the Pope planted evil seeds in quite a few civilians. If all those seeds awaken at once, all of Fallen Maple Territory will fall into chaos."
Elder White nodded and took a bottle of pale-gold potion from inside his clothes. "This is a Radiant Purification Potion. It can temporarily suppress the evil seeds, but completely removing them will require a combination of the Elf Clan's Dew of Life and the temple's Holy Spring water. Miss Liya, could you ask the Elf Clan to send more Dew of Life?"
"I've already sent a Deer of Wind back to the Elven Forest with a message. The Dew of Life will arrive in three days at most," Liya said. "The chief also said that if you need support from Elf Clan warriors, we can send the Nature Guard at any time."
Over the next three days, Loran and his companions busied themselves removing the civilians' evil seeds while preparing a new plan to deal with the Pope. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin trained with Loran every day. The two qilins' radiant qilin power merged increasingly smoothly with Loran's Power of the Three-Element Source, even allowing them to unleash the Twin Qilin Three-Element Resonance Slash remotely without touching. Meanwhile, the icefield wolf patrolled the area around Fallen Maple Territory each day. Its perception had grown sharper than before, allowing it to detect hidden fluctuations of evil power in advance. Several times, it discovered small animals corrupted by evil seeds and stopped the evil power from spreading in time.
On the afternoon of the third day, the Elf Clan's Dew of Life arrived as promised, accompanied by the Elf Clan's Nature Guard—fifty Elf Clan warriors clad in green armor. They carried wooden swords and longbows, and their arrow fletchings were coated with "nature venom" that could counter evil power.
At the same time, Elder White received new intelligence. "The Pope has found the evil mine in the Blackstone Mountain Range and is using evil iron ore to forge Evil Bone Battle Armor. The Bone-Eroding Emissary has also opened a temporary Evil Bone passage. Quite a few low-level evil creatures have poured into the mountains to help the Pope guard the ore vein. Worse still, we discovered that the Pope is also contacting the Black Dwarf Tribe in the western part of the continent. Those dwarves were corrupted by evil power and sided with the Evil Bone Plane long ago. If they join the Pope, the consequences will be unthinkable."
"Black dwarves..." Loran recalled the black dwarves described in the ancient records. They excelled at forging evil artifacts. If they worked for the Pope, the Evil Bone Battle Armor's power would increase greatly. "We must prevent the Pope from working with the black dwarves, and destroy the evil mine and the Evil Bone passage as soon as possible."
Liya suddenly said, "I have a way to contact the Bronzebeard Dwarf Tribe in the eastern part of the continent. They're the black dwarves' natural enemies and have guarded sacred ore for generations. That ore can counter evil iron ore. If we can persuade the Bronzebeard dwarves to help, they could not only stop the black dwarves but also help us destroy the evil mine."
Elder White's eyes lit up. "The Bronzebeard dwarves have always kept themselves isolated from the world. With an introduction from the Elf Clan, perhaps they would be willing to help. My young friend Loran, what do you think we should do next?"
Loran looked at everyone in the study-Old Byrne, Elder White, Liya, the elven warriors, the saint-level knights, and the two qilins and icefield wolf beside him-and felt strength well up within him. "We'll split into two groups. First, Miss Liya, take several elven warriors east to find the Bronzebeard dwarves and seek their support. Second, Elder White, Lei Lin, Snow Spirit Qilin, the saint-level knights, and I will scout the Blackstone Mountain Range to determine the Pope's defensive arrangements. Uncle Byrne, you'll stay in Fallen Maple Territory to protect the residents and receive the reinforcements that follow."
Old Byrne nodded. "Rest assured, eldest son. I'll keep Fallen Maple Territory safe. You must all be careful." He took a golden badge from inside his clothes and handed it to Loran. "This is the Kane Lineage's lord's badge. It lets you mobilize the guards of nearby towns. If you encounter danger, you can use it to request aid."
Loran accepted the badge. Engraved on it was the Kane Lineage's crest-a lion and a knight's sword-and it felt warm to the touch. He gripped it tightly, determination flashing in his eyes. "Let's leave as soon as possible and stop the Pope's plan before he finishes forging the Evil Bone Battle Armor."
That night, Loran's party split into two groups. Liya and the elven warriors rode Deer of Wind swiftly east toward the Bronzebeard Dwarf Tribe, while Loran, Elder White, the two qilins, and the saint-level knights set out for the Blackstone Mountain Range on radiant warhorses.
The icefield wolf ran at the head of the group, its golden eyes particularly bright in the darkness. From time to time, it stopped and warily sniffed the air. Faint fluctuations of evil power could already be sensed from the direction of the Blackstone Mountain Range.
"Loran, the Pope's evil power is stronger than before." Lei Lin's voice rang out in Loran's mind, golden-red flames flickering gently around his body. "And I can feel the evil power coming from the Evil Bone passage growing denser and denser."
Snow Spirit Qilin nodded too, luminous white frost gathering at his nose. "The evil iron ore near the mine is being consumed in large quantities. The Pope has probably already finished most of the Evil Bone Battle Armor."
Loran tightened his grip on his knight's sword, the Power of the Three-Element Source circulating slowly within him. "Whatever he forges, we must destroy it. This time, we absolutely cannot let him escape again."
Elder White looked at Loran's back, his eyes filled with gratification. This youth from Fallen Maple Territory had grown from a third-tier knight into a leader capable of leading everyone against the Evil Bone forces. He said softly, "My young friend Loran, remember that we aren't fighting alone. The Radiant Temple, the Elf Clan, the Bronzebeard dwarves, and all the righteous forces on the continent will stand with us."
Loran looked back with a faint smile. "I know. As long as we stand united, there's no enemy we can't defeat."
The group continued toward the Blackstone Mountain Range, their hoofbeats especially clear in the night. A faint black-red glow was already visible in the distant mountains, the light of evil iron ore intertwined with evil power, like a lurking giant beast awaiting their arrival.
Meanwhile, inside the evil mine in the Blackstone Mountain Range, the Pope stood before a gigantic furnace. Black-red lava churned inside it, and immersed in the lava was a suit of armor gleaming with evil light-the nearly completed Evil Bone Battle Armor. The Bone-Eroding Emissary stood beside him, holding a black scepter whose evil crystal tip was connected to the temporary Evil Bone passage. "Your Holiness, the Black Dwarf Tribe's envoy has arrived. They're willing to help you forge the final components of the Evil Bone Battle Armor, but they demand a territory on the continent once you open a permanent Evil Bone passage."
A cold sneer curled the Pope's lips. "As long as they help me complete the armor, never mind a territory-I wouldn't care even if they ruled the western continent. Once I put on the Evil Bone Battle Armor and summon the Evil Bone Plane's armies, the entire continent will be mine!"
The Evil Bone Battle Armor inside the furnace suddenly shone with black-red light. The evil markings on its surface began flowing as though they had come alive. The Pope reached out, and his evil core resonated with the armor. "In three more days, the armor will be fully complete. Loran Kane, when that time comes, I'll use your blood as an offering to my new battle armor!"
Outside the evil mine, low-level evil creatures kept gathering at the passage's entrance, forming a black defensive line. A new battle was about to unfold in the Blackstone Mountain Range. And Loran and his companions were steadily advancing toward it.