"What… what happened? Elelei she… she…"
The bladesman's face was blank with shock.
"What a vicious spell — a curse, or some unknown toxin?"
Rogolo crouched beside the puddle of pus, his expression grave beyond measure.
"Severing the trail the moment I discovered it… The mastermind behind this is both ruthless and cunning… a worthy opponent…"
"Elelei! Elelei!!!"
Only now did the rest of the team realize what had happened. Wails of grief erupted from them, especially from the berserker, who collapsed to his knees as though he were on the verge of completely breaking apart.
Watching this scene, the bladesman sighed inwardly. He had known for a long time that Awa harbored feelings for Elelei, but the female mage had only ever cast her gaze upon the strong, leaving Awa brooding in silence for ages.
But now, the two of them could never be together again.
"What kind of vicious spell is this — a Sand Clan curse?" The bladesman stared at the traces on the ground where not even bones remained, a deep chill settling in his heart.
"I'm afraid it isn't the Sand Clan, but someone who has been following you all the way from beyond the desert!"
Rogolo shook his head, the long spear in his hand emitting a low, humming rumble.
"Let's move! We don't have time to waste here. The scene from the prophecy is about to unfold, and we must reach Frostfall Canyon before that happens…"
"Yes, sir!"
The bladesman and the others had no objections, and after a brief rest they set off once again.
Only the pus still evaporating on the spot remained, a silent testament to the passing of a vibrant, high-ranking professional's life.
…
"Rogolo?!"
In the distance,
"The month of the dark crows' cries, the time of the blood moon… It's getting close. I wonder how many more powerhouses blinded by greed will show up…"
Leylin looked up at the sky, murmuring to himself, before vanishing in an instant.
Basically, once he had arrived here, having a guide or not no longer mattered.
For Frostfall Canyon was actually the sacred ground of the Sand People, guarded by their tribe from generation to generation.
When he reappeared, Leylin had already arrived at the oasis. He glanced casually at the mess strewn across the ground — corpses that no one had had time to gather up, among other things — and grabbed hold of a Sand Person's body. Numerous fragmented images flickered through his pupils.
"So that's where it is…"
Memory extraction spells were already exceedingly rare. And the technique of pulling information from a corpse was even more shocking and heretical.
Having obtained what he wanted, Leylin fixed his gaze in a particular direction. The yellow sand beneath him condensed and coalesced, forming into a massive sand scorpion the color of earth, its broad back roughly the size of a small carriage.
Leylin climbed aboard and pointed casually. The sand scorpion immediately surged forward with a shrill hiss, as though it had come alive.
…
However, when he finally reached Frostfall Canyon, the sight that greeted him still took Leylin somewhat by surprise.
Corpses! As far as the eye could see, there were corpses everywhere! Numerous Sand People lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies covered in wounds. Some still wore expressions of furious shock on their faces, while others were frozen in absolute terror.
The original canyon entrance had once shown traces of fortifications, but they had now been obliterated by some tremendous external force, reduced to a landscape of rubble and broken walls.
"This doesn't seem like Rogolo's style…"
Leylin rubbed his chin, studying a pair of Sand People who had died locked together. One had a savage, twisted expression and had sunk his teeth into his opponent's throat, while his opponent had driven a dagger deep into his skull — tears still glistening in his eyes. It looked very much like they had killed each other, but some things could not escape Leylin's notice.
"The aura of the dead… Is this a necromantic spell?"
Leylin reached out and grabbed, drawing out wisps of black gas from the corpse.
"It seems a necromancer has also come here. And commanded a legion of the dead to wipe out the Sand People tribe guarding this place…"
Necromancers! They were another fringe branch of the arcane arts, fanatically studying the relationship between body and spirit, spending their days handling corpses, and secretly researching the soul — treading upon forbidden ground. In the World of the
However, a truly powerful necromancer possessed strength that ordinary people could not compare to, capable of summoning terrifying undead legions powerful enough to raze entire cities and topple nations.
"To instantly summon a legion of the dead powerful enough to crush an entire Sand People tribe, that necromancer's class rank must have probably entered Legendary as well…"
Lin took a deep breath and followed the fortress's massive shattered breach into the canyon.
The deeper he ventured, the more desperate the Sand People's resistance became. Occasionally, fragments of shattered white bone littered the ground — remnants of the undead army that had been smashed apart.
When he reached the middle section, Lin's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of several groups of figures.
The canyon's midpoint opened into a vast square that appeared to be the heart of the entire Sand People tribe. Corpses were piled so densely they formed small mountains.
Several groups of figures had each claimed a corner of the square, seemingly locked in a standoff.
Rogoro's group was among them. Lin even spotted that Legendary ascetic monk he had been so wary of!
The monk was currently digging several large pits to bury the Sand People's dead, a look of pity on his face.
A single corpse had already been laid into one of the deep graves. She had a slender, graceful frame and eyes like water, still bearing a longing and attachment to life — the Sand People's female chieftain. Sadly, all signs of life had already left her body.
"Someone else is here!"
Lin's arrival had obviously drawn the attention of the others. They fixed their gazes on him, eyes wary.
Lin, of course, had not revealed his true appearance. Instead, he wore the guise of
A faint, flickering divine power permeated the area around him, warding off all forms of detection and prying.
"What tremendous evil!"
Rogoro gripped his long spear tightly, a flicker of lightning crackling at its tip.
The ascetic monk set aside his work entirely, his gaze toward Lin filled with hostility — there was no helping it. For these people, forces of evil were the natural enemy.
"Heh heh… didn't expect it to be one of ours this time!"
The square, though several groups had separated into loose positions, had essentially divided into two great factions.
The ascetic monk and Rogoro, along with a band of holy knights, stood close together, clearly having formed a defensive and offensive alliance.
On the other side were various lone-wolf-type powerhouses. Most of them, like Lin, had chosen to conceal their true appearances, thick auras of evil radiating from their bodies.
However, compared to the good faction across the way, those on this side trusted each other even less, each maintaining their own distance.
The one who had spoken earlier was a purple-haired woman wielding a nine-segment serpent-headed whip. Several powerful individuals followed behind her, occupying a large area.
"I am Iveta. I welcome a friend to join us. May I ask who you are..."
There was a hint of confusion in the purple-haired woman's eyes. After all, powerhouses at the Legendary level were rare, and she should essentially know all of them. Yet the aura this person gave off was utterly foreign and extremely dangerous!
This sparked a flicker of curiosity in the purple-haired woman.
"If I can recruit this unfamiliar evil powerhouse into my camp, my Lord will surely reward me handsomely..."
Thinking this, her eyes became even more alluring, and her voice seemed coated in honey, sweet and intoxicating.
However, Lin paid her no attention whatsoever. He walked directly to a corner, his bearing clearly radiating an air that warned others to keep their distance.
"Damn it, is he blind?"
Seeing this, the purple-haired woman Iveta could only curse inwardly, a trace of doubt about her own beauty arising.
"Alright... Staring each other down like this here does us no good at all!"
Iveta shot a fierce glare at Lin but still stepped forward to address the good faction. "That bone lich has already gone deeper. Are we really going to fight a massive battle here and let him reap all the benefits?"
Clearly, the evil forces present, though a disorganized mess, still held the upper hand.
"Our purpose in coming here is to arrest the bone lich Illirio. The appearance of the floating city has nothing to do with us!"
The leader of the paladins was a middle-aged man clad in radiant armor. He was the first to speak in a low, solemn voice.
Even paladins had to learn compromise. If they dared to shout slogans about exterminating evil here, their only outcome would likely be being blasted to smithereens by every evil powerhouse in the vicinity.
"Ahem... We need a certain item from within the floating city!" Rogoro also stepped forward to state.
"Very well! It appears our goals have partial overlap, but are not irreconcilable. Why don't we enter the floating city together, and then each rely on our own methods? How about that?"
Iveta suggested.
Clearly, before seeing any actual benefit, none of them were willing to strike the first blow.
When both sides possessed comparable strength, reaching a tacit understanding was entirely natural.
Upon seeing this, although no one from the opposing camp spoke a word, that legendary-level ascetic monk, after burying the corpse, had already silently walked off toward the depths of the canyon.
"Hmph!"
Iveta let out a delicate snort, her expression carrying a hint of smugness. She likewise led her subordinates deeper into the ravine, and both parties advanced while keeping a wary eye on each other.
Lei Lin trailed along casually behind them, his mind still turning over the same thoughts: *A Skeleton Lich? Illyrio? That high-tier legendary powerhouse? I didn't expect him to show up here as well. It seems the scene of the Sand Clan's annihilation was most likely his handiwork...*