Chapter 70: Yaine Was Right, Pretty Things Are Deceptive

Chapter 70: Yaine Was Right, Pretty Things Are Deceptive

Glaring at the short outsider before him, the priest fumed, his hand holding his staff trembling with rage.

However, the one before him remained seated on the ground, smiling calmly as if oblivious to the priest's anger.

While the two were locked in this standoff, the scrawny earthwalker who had been contemplating his life noticed something unusual ahead.

The beautiful maiden, presumably a manifestation of the divine, seemed to be performing a ritual on the seven Earthwalker soldiers.

She gently cupped one soldier's face, gazing into his eyes with a sweet smile.

The Earthwalker soldiers around him watched enviously, while the soldier himself was overcome with emotion. He stared into the maiden's eyes, breathing heavily, thinking to himself that even kneeling wasn't enough to show his devotion. He clasped his hands together so tightly that they nearly bled.

Then, the maiden slowly opened her mouth.

For some reason, the soldier instinctively did the same.

A strange, mist-like energy began to flow from the soldier's mouth, twisting in the air before drifting into the maiden's mouth.

Suddenly, two golden beams of energy shot from the maiden's eyes, directly into the soldier's.

A harrowing scream erupted from the soldier. The veins in his arms bulged as his body convulsed violently. Clearly, he appeared to be in excruciating pain.

The surrounding soldiers panicked, backing away in fear and confusion, their eyes darting between the priest and the maiden.

They didn't understand why the holy blessing ceremony included such a torturous step.

And outside the shrine, seeing that the ritual had begun, the priest's face darkened.

He struck the ground with his staff, releasing an invisible wave of energy.

Instantly, all the scrawny earthwalker saw was darkness enveloping, like an unseen force was trying to drag him into the abyss.

But the next moment, a hallowed light split the darkness.

When the scrawny earthwalker regained his senses, he found the priest several meters away with a terrifying gash across his chest, clutching the staff that had broken in two parts.

The tall outsider had also changed her attire. She now wore gleaming mithril armor, with a visored helmet that only revealed her sharp wolf-like eyes. In her left hand was a shield, and her right wielded a sword shimmering in holy light, purifying the blood that had stained it.

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Moments earlier.

Yaine and the others were still on the top floor of the tower, scrutinizing the tranced Earthwalkers, trying to awaken their consciousness.

Suddenly, the tower began shaking violently.

"What's happening?" Mervant was the first to react. "Guys, stop! Something's not right!"

Hearing the clamor, Liu Ji instinctively rushed to Yaine's side even though he didn't know what was going on.

Yaine immediately cast a sensing spell, her face darkening before she shouted, "This isn't good! The tower is sealing up! Get out of here!"

Grabbing Liu Ji, she leaped out of the nearest window, casting a shield midair to cushion their fall.

Osar didn't hesitate either, grabbing Girunini and jumping out too.

But as soon as they were through the window, Osar saw a wall rising to meet them. In a panic, he clung on to the tower with his backhand, narrowly avoiding being crushed.

He didn't have any time to catch his breath, though, as another structure surged from the side, forcing him to dodge again.

On the other side of the tower, Mervant had just exited with Calidora when he saw Guoguo also leaping out.

Unfortunately, she found herself pincered by two growing structures on both sides, and suspended in midair with no foothold, she could only watch as the walls closed in.

Mervant didn't think twice; he pushed his speed to the limit, managing to grab Guoguo and escaping the crushing walls by a hair's breadth.

Overpowering in the air, Mervant, Calidora, and Guoguo finally saw the full scale transformation.

The entire underground space had been completely reshaped into a labyrinthine fortress.

And, because of the sealing structures that emerged, they had completely lost sight of their companions.