"But now, the Rotten Ivy Alliance is as intertwined and complex as the rotten vines in this swamp. Cut one, and ten will immediately emerge from the shadows.

"The iron hoof of the Holy Light Church can crush their strongholds, but it cannot completely eradicate the 'rules' that have grown in this quagmire.

"We have a more important mission on this trip. We must eliminate the heretics and eradicate the poison within ourselves. Alerting the enemy and forcing the true manipulator to retreat deeper into the water is definitely not the best strategy."

His gaze fell on the ten "adventurers" behind him, whose auras were solemn and who looked like swords ready to strike.

If members of Mark's team were here, they would be surprised to find that six of the faces were quite familiar.

It was the six Oaks who went to Osborne Town with Mark and Monica!

In just half a year, their changes are truly remarkable.

His once somewhat immature face was now filled with determination, his steady fifth-order magic fluctuations were unconcealed, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and he was obviously an elite who could stand on his own.

This terrifying speed of promotion would be called a miracle anywhere.

Even if most of them were from the aristocracy, it would be difficult for them to make such rapid progress.

Only the true core seeds cultivated by the Holy Light Church with all their efforts can have such resources and opportunities.

Kyle and Ruby themselves had even more harmonious and powerful auras, and had apparently already firmly stepped into the high-level realm.

Although they have not experienced as many life-threatening and extreme trials as Mark's team, with the accumulation of huge resources of the Holy Light Church and systematic and rigorous training, their foundation is also very solid and their strength is pure and powerful.

Ruby took a deep breath and forced down her boiling anger.

Kyle's words echoed in her mind, more powerful than before.

During the past six months in Osborne Town, she witnessed firsthand how Kyle maneuvered among the old foxes in the Dragon Slaying City Parish, and how he struggled to maintain order while balancing the forces of all parties.

She understood that Kyle was right.

Pure destruction sometimes cannot solve complex problems, especially when the enemy hides in the shadows, resurrects from the dead, and is difficult to eradicate.

"...You're right, Kyle." Ruby's voice finally regained its composure, but the fire in her eyes remained unextinguished, merely subsiding. "I was impatient. For the sake of ultimate purification, a temporary hibernation is necessary. But we must never forget the blood debt owed by these heretics!"

"The holy light of judgment will never forget sins." A sharp golden light flashed in Kyle's eyes. He picked up the ossuary representing the mission and said in a deep voice, "[Seize the Heart of the Bloodvine], we have accepted this mission.

"Ha, another one going for the bones." The scarred woman laughed wildly, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "Alright, you've got guts. Here's the information."

She threw out another piece of greasy animal skin, on which were scribbled the location of the Deadwood Tribe and information about some outlying outposts.

"But let me be frank. This job isn't just for your team. There's only one, so whoever gets it first gets it. If you die on the way, the Alliance won't be responsible for collecting your body."

Kyle and Ruby ignored the woman. They just glanced at the intelligence and then used the mission scroll to activate their map.

"Target, the Deadwood tribe. Let's see what this so-called 'Heart of the Bloodvine' is. Also, what kind of evil creature are those adventurers hanging around in the buffer zone?"

The twelve people left the "Throat of the Corrupted Serpent" tavern silently, like a glimmer of light blending into the shadows.

Oak and the others followed behind Kyle and Ruby in silence, with steady steps and uniform movements, showing a high level of discipline, which was incompatible with the scattered black street mercenaries around them.

Their figures quickly disappeared in the morning mist and miasma of the Lor Swamp, and they rushed towards the Deadwood Tribe, the same target as Mark's team.

…

Deep within the Deadwood Tribe, the chief's hall built of rough rocks was filled with the strong body odor of orcs that was unbearable for ordinary humans.

The withered tree chief who should have been in the main position was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a red-haired figure leaning lazily on a heavy animal hide.

Rita.

She was as casual as if she were in her own living room, her red braids casually draped over her shoulders, her slender fingers playing with a strange heart.

The heart was not made of flesh and blood, but was formed by countless twisted and coiled deep red and almost black crystal vines, beating regularly in Rita's palm.

Every contraction and expansion exudes a breath of life so rich that it makes one's heart palpitate. It is the sacred object, the Heart of Blood Vine, which the tribe paid a heavy price to condense.

At the bottom of the hall, the chief shaman of the Deadwood tribe was lying on the ground, his staff carved from a thousand-year-old wood thrown aside.

The old body trembled violently from fear and immense pressure, its wrinkled green skin clinging to the cold ground.

The orc warriors around were even more silent, not daring to breathe, their eyes filled with incomprehensible horror and awe deep in their bones.

Just a moment ago, this man possessed the power of a high-level shaman, the strongest man capable of controlling the wood magic of the entire tribe.

Just because he tried to question Rita's intrusion, he was forced to his knees by the other party's careless look. The tremendous magic power was instantly frozen, and he couldn't even stir up a ripple of resistance.

All the urgent signals for help they sent to the loyal orc royal tribe and even to the nearby friendly tribes were like a stone sinking into the sea, with no response.

"Tsk, don't be so nervous." Rita's voice was filled with a hint of cynicism. Her fingertips gently flicked the pulsating blood vine heart, as if teasing a disobedient little pet. "I know that you, the Deadwood Tribe, run errands for that little cub in the Royal Tribe who is favored by the Beast God, right?"

After these words were spoken, the crawling orcs trembled even more violently.

The great shaman raised his face covered with sweat and dust with difficulty, and only the deepest fear remained in his turbid old eyes.

She actually knew all about this loyalty relationship that even ordinary orcs in her own tribe were unaware of!

"Today, I'm here to give you, and also to that little prince..." Rita's lips curled up in a dangerous yet charming arc, "a great gift."

As soon as she finished speaking, an extremely subtle, yet extremely strange light suddenly appeared at her fingertips.

The light was not of a single color, but rather a pure and extremely holy white light and an all-consuming deep darkness. The two magical powers, which should have been incompatible, were now intertwined like lovers, forming an indescribable stream of black and white light.

Without any hesitation, Rita easily penetrated the core of the Blood Vine Heart with this strand of magic power containing terrifying and contradictory power!

Buzz!

The heart of the blood vine suddenly shook violently, and the crystallized vines on the surface seemed to light up for a moment, and then quickly returned to its original state, and the beating rhythm did not even change at all.