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Under the illumination of the reddish-gold flames, dark red blood clots peeled away from the cracking body, and black mist distorted as if alive, stubbornly gathering the peeled flesh.
Circles of pure, warm light enveloped the mass of flesh emanating a decadent and corrupt aura, rapidly dissolving under the illumination of the 'Pure White Ray,' leaving only a pure black crystal.
The Cataclysmic Interrer, having expelled the flesh, no longer roared. His body, scorched by the scorching sun, was quickly covered by deep blue light, and a faint blue phantom phosphorescence began to regrow on his charred body.
Aaron picked up the fallen Groselle's Travels again. Looking at the cover, which showed no trace of damage, he clicked his tongue, quite satisfied with its defensive capabilities.
Watching Cavendish Lancer Pinto put away the pure black crystal, the gradually transparent Night Emperor historical void image also sealed the deep blue gem formed by the Sea King Beyonder characteristic.
"Who exactly are you?"
Just then, a hoarse, low voice sounded. The Cataclysmic Interrer, whose body was broken, raised his head from the lightning-formed seat, half of his face covered in scales.
"As expected of a demigod-level elf, this body's recovery ability is truly extraordinary..."
Looking at the wriggling flesh, Aaron couldn't help but click his tongue in his heart, but his expression remained calm. The majesty of an Arbiter, close to the demigod level, enveloped the severely injured Cataclysmic Interrer as Aaron's gaze shifted.
"We are the East Tucker Family from the Loen Kingdom on the Northern Continent. We have come to form an alliance with your elven race. To show our sincerity, we first helped you clear the corruption on your body."
"However, I am very curious, what exactly did you encounter? To have fallen to such a state."
The charred dead skin peeled off on its own, and scales covered his entire body, replacing his clothes. The Cataclysmic Interrer on the seat shifted his gaze, which held wariness and even a hint of fear, from Cavendish Lancer Pinto and stared intently at the deep blue gem encircled by golden light in Aaron's hand.
That was the most precious item of their lineage of elven survivors, one of only two items they had left from the second epoch. It not only commemorated their glory and history but also served as their foundation for survival in the Fog Sea. It absolutely could not be taken by an outsider.
After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath, and a clear yet slightly hoarse voice emerged:
"Distant guests, you may call me Talia. I am also the High Priestess of this lineage of elven survivors. I hope you will not make things difficult for my people."
"As for your question, because the corruption has been eroding my mind, I can no longer remember the exact time. It was probably several centuries ago, shortly after I received the gift from the previous High Priestess and advanced to Cataclysmic Interrer, that Nas Island encountered a crisis."
At this point, Talia's azure pupils slightly unfocused, as if she was lost in distant memories:
"It was a huge sailboat, nearly two hundred meters long, completely enveloped in viscous, pitch-black liquid, emanating endless decadent aura, as if it were a Devil ship sailing out of the Abyss."
"At the center of the ship's cabin was a pitch-black tombstone. All the corruption originated from it. It was not an inanimate object, but a high-level Devil from the Abyss."
"Its condition seemed to be very problematic, forcing it to escape from the Abyss, and being extremely bloodthirsty, it targeted Nas Island."
"Even so, I, already a demigod, was completely no match for him. Only by relying on the 'Diamond of the Abyssal Sea' was I able to contend with him."
Talia said, raising her hand and pointing at the deep blue gem in Aaron's hand, then sweeping her gaze over the resplendent palace filled with murals, and continued:
"Although I successfully repelled him, I, having just advanced to divinity and still unstable, was corrupted by him and unable to break free. I could only self-seal myself within the Heritage Temple to avoid harming my kin."
Cavendish Lancer Pinto showed no extra reaction, merely turning his gaze to the surrounding murals and the strange patterns carved on the pillars in the palace, which differed somewhat from the symbolic patterns and magical signs he remembered.
Aaron's expression, however, grew increasingly strange as he listened. Such a description reminded him of an old acquaintance he had once met: the King of Immortality Agalito, or more precisely, the Death Announcer, whom he encountered during his first visit to the Sea of Ruins.
Not voicing the guess in his heart, Aaron instead asked with interest:
"Do high-level Devils frequently appear near Nas Island?"
Before time, all beings are equal. A high-level Devil can allow the 'Ghost Painting' to extract a considerable amount of lifespan. It would be better for such corrupt and distorted Devils to be judged by him. In that case, he wouldn't need to risk hunting those demigods.
Seemingly choked by Aaron's question, especially the excitement in his words, Talia couldn't help but fall silent. Encountering a high-level Devil, was that something to be excited about?
Glancing at Cavendish Lancer Pinto, who stood beside Aaron, Talia sighed in her heart and responded with a somewhat helpless tone:
"Of course not. If that were truly the case, Nas Island would have long since been annihilated in history and ceased to exist."
"Since the King and Queen fell, and the first High Priestess of Nas Island led us to escape the Fog Sea by ship, throughout the long years until now, excluding the ordinary Devil attacks not recorded, true high-level Devils have only appeared 9 times."
"And the time I encountered was also the last time, and the strongest Devil encounter."
From the end of the second epoch until now, in such a long span of time, it only appeared nine times, and you, unfortunately, encountered the strongest one and were corrupted by him.
Somewhat amazed by the Cataclysmic Interrer's luck, even if the plan to hunt Devils to replenish lifespan came to nothing, Aaron didn't care much. Looking at the Sealed Artifact in his hand, which Talia called the 'Diamond of the Abyssal Sea,' he curled his lips and asked with anticipation:
"I would like to exchange for the Cataclysmic Interrer's potion formula. If there's a Sea King potion formula, that would be even better. I can offer generous compensation that you will surely be satisfied with. Of course, I can also return this Sealed Artifact to you."
The expectant gaze was met with silence. Aaron frowned, just about to reveal some of his conditions, when he heard Talia's clear voice resound again:
"The King and Queen fell one after another, and the entire elven race disintegrated. The pioneer who led our people to escape to the Fog Sea was a Cataclysmic Interrer who advanced within the clan long ago and did not know the specific potion formula, only the ritual of advancement, let alone the subsequent potion formulas."
Speaking of this, Talia paused, looking at the stone pillars covered with strange patterns in the hall, and the withered elven skeletons beneath the pillars, and continued with a complex tone:
"When that pioneer's lifespan was nearing its end, he used everything to build this Heritage Temple, sacrificing himself with elven bloodline as the foundation."
"Every High Priestess will sacrifice herself with blood before death, allowing the successor to advance to Cataclysmic Interrer without blood sacrifice and gain the recognition of the 'Diamond of the Abyssal Sea'."
"'Diamond of the Abyssal Sea' was a sacred artifact originally held by that pioneer within the clan, corresponding to Sequence 3 Sea King, and held by each High Priestess; another lower-level sacred artifact corresponding to Cataclysmic Interrer is held by the next candidate."
Frowning as he listened to the High Priestess's narration, although he wasn't clear about the specific process, completing the advancement solely through blood sacrifice would undoubtedly leave many problems. After all, the spiritual imprints left by each High Priestess within the Beyonder characteristic were a terrifying corruption for every advancer.
In this situation, one's mind would be assimilated unconsciously. This assimilation is silent, and instead, it would only make the person experiencing it feel that this is an inheritance of glory, making them even more accepting.
With a hint of pity in his complex gaze, Aaron looked at the weak High Priestess and understood her implied meaning.
The 'Diamond of the Abyssal Sea' in his hand, and even the Cataclysmic Interrer Beyonder characteristic within the High Priestess's body, contained the spiritual imprints of generations of elven survivors. Without gaining their recognition, it would be impossible to use.
"You have been separated from the outside world for too long. I must remind you that the East Tucker Family is now the Angel Family, and there is more than one Angel. The spiritual imprint you are worried about is not an issue."
Cavendish Lancer Pinto couldn't help but avert his gaze from the surrounding murals, looking at Aaron with a somewhat strange expression. His entire face conveyed only one meaning:
"Alright, alright, more than one Angel. How much more are you hiding, kid?"
Feigning not seeing Cavendish Lancer Pinto's expression, Aaron's lips curled slightly as he watched Talia's expression suddenly change.
He didn't actually intend to take this Sealed Artifact. He wasn't lacking powerful Sealed Artifacts at all. Whether he could take it to the Church of the Lord of Storms for exchange, just explaining its origin would inevitably reveal some of Aaron's secrets.
He merely wanted to give the High Priestess a warning, to make her abandon some unrealistic notions. Of course, after giving a stick, he also had to offer a carrot:
"I am also very interested in the ghost ship that led you to escape to the Fog Sea back then. As long as you agree to cooperate, you can exchange that ghost ship for this Sealed Artifact. I believe this can express my sincerity."
-----------------
In the sea area near Nas Island in the Fog Sea, the Golden Dream was sailing through thin mist, returning to Nas Island.
Danitz stood listlessly on the deck, watching Ferran, who was continuously levitating as high-speed swirling winds attached to his body. This was Edwina Edwards's suggestion, said to better suit a Wind-Blessed.
Since more than a week ago, after encountering the mysterious old man who called himself Helmosuin on that strange black island, the captain had ordered to return.
Thinking of that old man, whom even the captain respectfully called "teacher," Danitz felt a pang of toothache, especially the way he looked at him as if he were an idiot.
But his terrifyingly profound knowledge had earned the respect of all the crew members aboard the Golden Dream. Danitz vaguely remembered seeing a sentence in a book in the captain's cabin:
"Knowledgeable and versatile, omniscience means omnipotence...."
The constant rumbling of thunder from afar interrupted Danitz's gradually drifting thoughts. He and Ferran on the deck simultaneously turned their heads towards the direction of the sound.
Through the thin mist, silver-white lightning arcs could be seen continuously blooming in the distant sky. That was the destination of this return voyage - Nas Island.
Unlike Danitz's bewildered expression, Ferran's face was quite strange. He always felt that the anomaly nearby was related to him offering the coordinates to Mr. Blessed earlier.
...
Things on the Ring Island were not as smooth as Aaron had anticipated. The facts once again proved that whether it was giants or elves, they were all short-tempered and muscle-brained individuals, making communication very difficult.
Seeing the two alien humans intrude into the forbidden area, the male elf holding an ancient longbow no longer held back. An arrow formed by silver-white electric snakes shot directly towards Bayer Baile.
The dark green symbols in his pupils clearly captured the trajectory of the incoming arrow. The 'Dawn Armor' instantly appeared on his body, and his massive figure suddenly transformed into an afterimage, dodging the flying arrow and appearing beside the male elf, throwing a punch.
Since they were unwilling to calm down, he would help them calm down, just making sure to control his strength so as not to endanger their lives.
Looking at the fist that almost instantly magnified in his eyes, the elf directly gave up on shooting arrows. Under the enhancement of the lightning striking from the sky, he changed his bow into a blade and slashed at the fist.
Even as blood spilled from his lips, the elf, who flew backward using the force, seized the opportunity to continuously draw the bowstring. Three lightning arrows blocked all of Bayer Baile's escape routes.
Turning his head to glance at the silver arrow embedded in his armor, and feeling the tingling sensation spreading through his body, Bayer Baile couldn't help but feel a little surprised, but only to that extent.
He admitted that the ancient longbow was powerful, but a Sequence 5 couldn't unleash the true power of that bow. Looking at the elf who still wanted to draw his bow and shoot, Bayer Baile was about to knock him out first when green vines suddenly emerged from the ground, binding his body and simultaneously pulling the elf towards the coast.
Ignoring the two female elves who were confronting each other, Bayer Baile easily snapped the entwined vines and turned his head to look at the nearby coast, where a huge golden sailboat gradually appeared in the mist.
Edwina Edwards was already standing at the bow, with a green light coalescing in her palm. Helmosuin, chewing on candy beside her, commented:
"A very good secret technique. Although its strength is not enough for demigod-level powerhouses, it is sufficient to deal with ordinary Sequence 5s."
"Hmm, you can consider combining it with controlling undead and poison. That way, the effect will be even better. I can help you modify the corresponding Spirit World incantations. Consider it payment for the boat fare during this period."
"Let's go, I'll take you to meet an old acquaintance. Your future opportunity for advancement is not with me, but with him."
Watching Helmosuin walk towards the burly giant clad in silver armor as if strolling through the void, Edwina's light blue eyes, like clear spring water, rippled. After instructing the crew not to leave the Golden Dream without permission, starlight rose around her, and she also walked towards the elven island.
Bayer Baile frowned, somewhat unclear what the two suddenly appearing individuals intended to do. At this moment, the calm lake surface behind him rippled, and Aaron suddenly leaped out of the water, followed by Cavendish Lancer Pinto and High Priestess Talia.
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