BXBX NOVEL Chapter 49: Soul World
Enzo listened attentively to Rhode's report, sensing that something was amiss.
Plata Plain borders the jungle.
However, members of the Plata Plain Tribe almost never enter the jungle. It's not that they fear the jungle tribes. On the contrary, they look down on the tribes within the jungle.
The reason is simple — weakness is the original sin.
The Plata Plain is fertile with expansive terrain, hosting a large population of herbivorous animals, ensuring abundant food. As a result, most members of the tribe living on the plain are strong and healthy.
In contrast, jungle tribes faced constant threats from predators, making survival a daily struggle.
Neville had just fled into the jungle, and right after that, a scout from the Mpondo Tribe arrived, only to be discovered by Rhode and the others. This seemed too coincidental.
While Enzo was contemplating, Rhode brought the scout over, accompanied by Neville.
The scout, Druid, was tall and adorned with a beast tooth necklace, his face marked with white stripes, symbols of his warrior status and tribal identity. Despite being bound, Druid remained defiant.
Especially upon seeing Neville, he cursed, "Neville, you traitor of Plata Plain!"
After cursing Neville, he turned to Enzo with a lack of courtesy and said, "So you're the priest of this tribe? I'm Druid, a warrior of the Mpondo Tribe. The conflict between the Mpondo Tribe and the Red Coral Tribe is an internal matter of the Plata Plain. I hope you don't interfere. Otherwise, it will be seen as a provocation to the entire Plata Plain!"
Enzo responded calmly, "Go on."
Druid was somewhat surprised by Enzo's subdued reaction.
In the past, members of jungle tribes often showed great fear when facing members of the Plata Plain tribes.
Consequently, in Plata Plain, people from jungle tribes were derogatorily called "monkeys."
But now, Druid felt himself being scorned. He angrily said, "You jungle monkeys, release me at once, or let Lord Reg know that you dare to capture a warrior of the Mpondo Tribe! Your entire tribe will be destroyed!All the Tribe men are chopped into food for the giant wolf, and women become slaves!"
Enzo's face turned cold. "Rhode, make sure he behaves."
Rhode responded, "Yes, Lord Enzo."
Zap...
Rhode directly broke Druid's leg.
The interrogation method, though very primitive, was highly effective in this era.
Most people couldn't endure the physical pain it brought.
At that moment, Druid lay on the ground in agony, whimpering continuously. His face turned pale, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead due to the pain.
Enzo squatted down calmly and asked, "Why did you come to the jungle?"
Druid quickly responded, devoid of his previous arrogance, "I was tracking the Red Coral Tribe. They have Red Coral slates, and Lord Reg ordered us to retrieve them."
Enzo shook his head and glanced at Rhode.
Without hesitation, Rhode broke Druid's other leg.
"I don't like being deceived." Enzo said plainly.
Demon!
This man must be a demon!
Druid now feared Enzo intensely, with no intention of hiding anything. He admitted, "It was Lord Freya's command! She ordered us to survey the number of tribes in the jungle and record them. As a result, I unexpectedly stumbled upon traces of the Red Coral Tribe, accidentally causing a commotion, which led to being captured by you all."
Enzo pressed further, "Who is Freya? What are her intentions?"
Druid truthfully replied, "Lord Freya is a candidate priest of the Golden Lion tribe. She is searching for the scepter of the barren mountain, and someone has provided a clue that the scepter is located within a certain tribe in the jungle. Additionally, she is seeking something called the soul seed."
Scepter of the barren mountain!
Enzo's expression grew serious.
Suddenly, Bookstaver's voice echoed in his mind, "Golden Lion tribe? How are they back?"
Frowning, Enzo asked, "Bookstaver, what's the situation?"
Bookstaver had followed Enzo out.
However, to prevent detection by others, Bookstaver transformed into a brand resembling a book, attached to Enzo. Enzo and Bookstaver could use their thoughts to communicate.
Upon hearing Enzo's inquiry, Bookstaver began to recount the story.
In the past, before the tribes of the barren mountain region were unified, the Golden Lion Tribe and the Barren Mountain Tribe were the two most powerful tribes, yet they were also enemies. However, after the priest of the Barren Mountain Tribe created the Scepter of the Barren Mountain, the tribe's strength grew significantly. They managed to eliminate the Golden Lion Tribe and unify the barren mountain region under their rule.
Bookstaver panicked, "This is bad! I'm surely going to be discovered!"
Enzo sighed and commanded, "Bookstaver, quiet down!"
Suddenly, Enzo sensed something amiss.
The world around him darkened, not due to gathering storm clouds, but because his consciousness was forcibly pulled into the soul world.
Before him lay a desolate expanse of ruins.
It was late at night, and the full moon in the sky was glaringly bright.
However, there were no other stars visible.
Enzo was on high alert, asking cautiously, "Where are we?"
Bookstaver, sounding disheartened, replied, "This is the ruins area of the soul world."
He added, "The soul world was created by the tribes of the plateau region. They have powerful spiritual abilities and believe that when tribe members die, their bodies return to the Death Soil while their souls should have a resting place. Thus, they created the soul world, divided into three areas: ruins, archaeological sites, and scorched earth."
Enzo still had doubts and asked, "Why can I enter now?"
He distinctly remembered Bookstaver saying that only when one reached the Level.6 priest could they enter the soul world on their own.
Besides that, it is also possible to enter with the help of certain supernatural objects.
At that moment, another cold voice rang out, "Because I let you in."
It was a woman with long, snow-white hair. Her attire seemed to be made from the fur of some supernatural creature, covering only the essential parts. Her fair skin gleamed in the moonlight, exuding a sacred aura, but her eyes were cold as an ancient iceberg.
She walked barefoot towards them, not touching the ground but hovering in mid-air.
Enzo grew even more vigilant, but then he heard the woman speak again, "So, it's you, the insignificant worm who stole the soul seed? No, there's also the aura of the scepter of the barren mountain on you! Tell me, where is the scepter?"
"You are Freya?" Enzo's expression turned extremely grave.
Before he could finish asking, Enzo felt a heavy blow to his chest, sending him flying backward. However, he was quickly lifted up as if by invisible strings and brought in front of Freya.
Freya extended her hand, gripping Enzo's neck with a mocking smile. "How feeble you are! Who gave you the courage to utter my name?"
She continued with a smirk, "I prefer to see things for myself rather than hear about them from others."
In the next moment, Freya's cold eyes burst with light, and Enzo felt something forcibly entering deep into his consciousness, attempting to pry into his memories.
Bookstaver urgently shouted, "Stop!"
Seeing Bookstaver appear, Freya looked slightly intrigued and murmured, "Interesting, remnants of the Barren Mountain Tribe. This seems like a good catch!"
Enzo finally had a moment to catch his breath.
His face was dark with anger. He had never encountered such a formidable presence as Freya, nor had he ever felt so utterly powerless.
"I need to become stronger!"
Sensing Enzo's determination, the Life Sapling Totem burst with a bright green light, freeing Enzo from the invisible constraints and causing him to fall to the ground.
"Bookstaver, is there any way to deal with her?" Enzo asked.
Despite Bookstaver acting very scared, during the short time they spent together, Enzo understood Bookstaver's true nature. If he were truly afraid, he would simply choose to hide and remain silent.
Thus, Bookstaver's willingness to speak suggested he had a plan.
Almost in tears, Bookstaver complained, "Great master, I can transfer my remaining power to you through a ritual, amounting to the strength of a Sixth Order. It's enough to deal with this woman. However, once the ritual is complete, your most loyal servant will fall back into slumber. Of course, as long as you gather enough soul seeds, I can awaken again."
With these words, Bookstaver's intricate patterns emerged from his form.
The patterns continued to expand, forming a massive circle that enveloped both Enzo and Freya.
As a candidate priest of the Golden Lion Tribe, Freya was inherently arrogant.
She enjoyed watching prey struggle in its final moments.
Therefore, she watched the ritual start with great interest, making no attempt to stop it. Her cold eyes showed no emotion as she commented, "A very authentic Barren Mountain ritual."
Enzo felt a surge of immense power being infused into his body.
Then, the Life Sapling Totem began to advance.
The sapling grew and matured into a small tree, and then into a large tree...
However, at this moment, Bookstaver also realized something was amiss. Enzo's totem was supposed to change its appearance and gain new abilities during advancement, a fact Bookstaver was well aware of. Initially, he thought it was just a particularly special totem. But after absorbing a portion of his own reserves, Enzo only ascended to the Level.4.
This is impossible!
Unless...
Bookstaver had a bold hypothesis.
The Tree of Life!
Only the rumored Seven Great Origins Creations required such colossal energy during each advancement, along with various magical abilities.
Bookstaver was ecstatic, continuing to impart another portion of power.
However, when Enzo forcefully ascended to the Sixth Order under Bookstaver's ritual, the Tree of Life Totem completely coalesced. Yet, he saw a terrifying sight...