As dawn broke, the two of them set off again, looking wary.
Yun Wei didn't sleep well that night and was a little listless.
But soon, as they passed a small village outside the acropolis in the northeast corner, they ran into a group of adventurers who had come back to investigate.
The leading swordsman was very cautious, and from a distance he shouted at the two to stop approaching, "Stop! Who are you?"
Isaac exchanged a glance with Yun Wei, stepped in front of Yun Wei, and revealed the Branch of Time on the back of his hand. He said slowly, "We are adventurers who went from Moonflower City to the Southern Forests for adventure. When we returned to Red Moon City, we found that something had happened and we are heading towards the North Gate."
His tone was the most standard Moonflower accent, sounding noble and elegant, carrying an aura that brooked no offense or questioning. And when the platinum-gold magic patterns representing a level four professional slowly appeared on the back of his hand, everyone opposite him gasped.
The greatsword master with the light attribute must have close ties with the Holy See, which immediately put the tense adventurers at ease.
Then Isaac went up to them and started chatting.
Yun Wei stood on the other side with a cold expression, surveying the deserted and chaotic alleyways of the village.
He was dressed as a mage, and when he turned cold, his exquisitely beautiful, almost otherworldly Eastern face became even more unapproachable, exuding an aloofness that kept people at arm's length. As a result, no one dared to disturb him, and he was happy to have some peace and quiet.
He heard Isaac ask, "Why aren't there any Holy Knights on guard nearby?"
"Hey, don't even mention it!" The unshaven swordsman still felt lingering fear when talking about the strange events of the Red Moon Festival. "Everyone in the city rushed to the north gate, I don't know what happened... Maybe it was alchemical equipment, I think. Damn Alchemy City, their stuff is never reliable—"
"Henry!" His blond teammate, dressed as a hunter, reminded him that this was not a time for him to roam freely.
"In short, an elemental upheaval occurred, blasting a huge crater at the North Gate, wider than several city gates combined. Then, hearing the noise, the monsters all rushed towards the North Gate like madmen." Henry waved his hands excitedly in the air. "Then the cardinals of the Holy See intervened! Thank goodness the Lord of Light, it just so happened to be the Red Moon Festival, and all twelve of the lords arrived in Red Moon City, otherwise, who knows how things would have ended. Faced with the onslaught of monsters, they used forbidden spells..."
Henry choked up as he spoke. Everyone made a gesture in front of their chests, praying for the protection of the Lord of Light.
Yun Wei raised his eyes subtly. He had used forbidden spells once before and knew that the consequences were often severe.
From Henry's narration, he vaguely sensed something was amiss, an instinct he had honed after ten years of struggling in the apocalypse. But he was far too unfamiliar with the Continent of Elements to grasp the thread of this unease.
"Is it a forbidden spell of the light element?" Isaac frowned upon hearing this, as he remembered that there were also light-elemental beings among the chaotic creatures.
"It might be... but perhaps not just... I'm sorry, Your Excellency, we don't know much about magic and divine arts. Anyway, the final result was that nine cardinals sacrificed their lives to seal those monsters. Their remains are still outside the North Gate, and we dare not touch them. We can only wait for the royal city to handle them..."
Henry continued rambling on and on.
Pope Joshua has not appeared in public for many years, and the remaining three cardinals happen to belong to the kingdoms of Red Moon, Golden Cloud and Black Sole respectively. They can only rush back to the capital of their respective kingdoms to ask the royal family for help.
The surviving Knights of Light split into three groups to escort the shaken pilgrims back home. In any case, this incident was a devastating blow to the Church of Light.
Henry's adventurer party had returned to investigate after being commissioned by the Red Moon Kingdom's Adventurers' Guild.
Professionals from all over the continent focused their attention on this place, fearing that the chaotic creatures sealed within the city might break through the walls and cause even more severe consequences.
After resting for a while in the dilapidated and desolate village, everyone said goodbye.
"Go to the North Gate?" Isaac looked at Yun Wei, seeking his opinion.
They could now take the path north directly from here, but Yun Wei keenly sensed Isaac's worry. He raised his head, looked into the other's clear eyes, pretended not to notice, and simply nodded slightly.
He had already discovered that even though the other party carried a deep-seated hatred that he was unaware of, he was still upright and responsible.
...
The horrific scene outside the North Gate still exceeded their expectations.
It wasn't a mountain of corpses or a sea of blood, nor was it littered with severed limbs. The sheer size of the crater alone was enough to send chills down one's spine.
At this moment, Yun Wei stood on the edge of the deep pit, looking down into the hundreds of meters below. This reminded him of the foundations of construction sites in his previous life, but the scene before him was far more terrifying than the pit itself.
There's nothing left.
Under the violent elemental upheaval, everything was reduced to dust, even the bottom of the pit was unusually flat, like a permanent, unhealable scar on the earth.
Yun Wei turned and left. He admitted that the almost bottomless pit amplified his fear, unconsciously reminding him of the abyss he had seen underground.
Isaac was at the nearby array, where the remains of nine fallen cardinals lay. According to their previous assessment, the tragic spell had been a great success, and barring unforeseen circumstances, they would be safe for at least several decades.
Yun Wei walked over quietly. "Well, have you figured out the forbidden spell they were casting?"
Isaac silently shook his head. "No, I think... it's probably not just a forbidden spell, but also mixed with the divine magic of the Lord of Light. Judging from the residual energy, they used the divine power of the Lord of Light to seal the entire holy city, and then used the restorative and fusion properties of the light element to reinforce the barrier."
The remaining power of light was terrifying, almost soaking into the earth. The cardinals held their hands high, maintaining the posture of their prayers in life, holy and devout.
Their dwelling place is without shadow; they have melted into the loving light.
Yun Wei looked at the elementalized remains and asked with some doubt, "Do the bishops of the Holy See also use magic?"
“Of course, just like I cultivate battle qi, I also have moments of inspiration and can use simple magic.” Isaac’s gaze drifted into the distance, lost in memories. “In the beginning, there were no gods on the continent, and naturally, no divine magic. Dilis was a mage of the light element and mastered many light magics. You know, the spells of various elements had long been scattered and recorded in the manuscripts of the mages. And the forbidden spells were basically all sealed in the Tower of Ten Thousand Laws in Moonflower City. This was a rule that existed eight hundred years ago.”
Yun Wei couldn't help but think of the "Tales of the Dead" stored in his necromancy space. It not only contained a systematic set of necromancy magic, but also recorded forbidden spells of the necromancy school.
The author's identity is unknown.
He asked calmly, "You mean, the forbidden spells are all stored in the Tower of All Laws?"
"Yes. The Tower of All Magic is the origin of all magic. It's a very peculiar place; you'll understand when you get to Moonflower City. Only magicians who have gained its approval can learn advanced magic and spellcasting techniques within it. It even existed before the First Dynasty..."
Yun Wei coughed lightly and looked innocently at Isaac, who seemed poised to launch into a long tirade.
Isaac then realized that the general history of the Zhuyuan Continent was probably too profound for Yunwei, who came from other continents.
He pursed his lips, a smile in his eyes, "Let's continue on our journey. I'll tell you more when I have time tonight."
After spending so many days together, he looked forward to their nightly fireside conversations even more. Claude's focused demeanor each time was like that of an extremely well-behaved cat.
Perhaps tonight, he can also bring a surprise to his master.
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