Chapter 288: Chapter288:Oris Reappears
The truth behind the Elder Deity Crystals was like this?
Enzo was slightly surprised, but then he remembered the strange transformation that occurred when Lovins died. The energy within his body had also condensed into Elder Deity Crystals.
At this moment, Oris continued to explain.
"In my years of research, I discovered that Eomaia's blood can greatly enhance and strengthen one's bloodline, as well as improve overall strength."
"Of course, if you're asking which species benefits the most—"
Before Oris could finish, Patricia's face darkened, and she quickly interjected, "Primordial Beast Clan!"
"Exactly!"
Oris confirmed.
He withdrew his hand from the Eomaia blood and continued, "Just the blood of Eomaia alone has such powerful effects. If it's the body of an Eomaia, or even a living Eomaia, the value would be even greater. The most important thing is that there is such a thing in the Otrank Mountains."
"That's why you should leave the Fierce Beast continent immediately."
"I'm certain that the Primordial Beast Clan has sent more than just Clareno's team. They are likely only the vanguard. After them, powerful members of the Primordial Beast Clan may appear. If they take action, it will not be a trivial matter."
Oris tried to persuade Patricia.
However, it seemed that he had no intention of leaving himself.
Patricia was caught in a dilemma. She didn't want to leave just like that.
Seeing this, Oris understood Patricia's intentions and did not continue to persuade her. As fellow members of the Rage Temple, he had already given enough warnings.
As for whether she would listen, that was none of his concern.
In the next moment, Oris once again transformed into his massive Fiery Rock Bull form. He stomped fiercely on the ground, sinking his body deep into the earth, and began moving underground.
"We should go too. There's a chance someone will show up soon." Enzo said, breaking Patricia's train of thought. He continued, "Be careful, but it should be fine."
Patricia did not speak, remaining silent.
The three of them then headed toward other areas of the core region of the Otrank Mountains.
...
Meanwhile.
At the edge of the Otrank Mountains' core region, Cornelius and the other members of Beast Temple had arrived. However, the atmosphere between them seemed far from pleasant. Everyone's expression was cold and tense.
"Let's split up!" One person said, but there was no response. The others simply scattered and left quickly.
Cornelius did the same.
However, unlike the others, Cornelius was accompanied by another Beast Temple member.
"Cornelius, are you sure the Origins Mirror can help me?"
The Beast Temple member asked.
Cornelius suddenly stopped and turned to face the member. With great certainty, he replied, "Crofton, don't worry. I swear on the name of the Temple! But first, you need to help me find the Origins Mirror. Without that, nothing can be done."
Cornelius's tone was harsh, but Crofton, the Beast Temple member, did not seem angry. His eyes flickered, as if deep in thought.
He finally spoke loudly, "No problem."
Immediately, Crofton quickly waved his hands in a series of intricate gestures. Blue light radiated from his fingertips, and the traces of the light formed a special pattern in midair.
Then, Crofton's aura suddenly weakened.
But the next moment, the special pattern shifted, transforming into a map of the Otrank Mountains. On the map, a small red dot was flashing wildly.
Seeing this, Crofton spoke up, "Cornelius, your earlier sensing wasn't wrong. That thing is indeed in the Otrank Mountains."
Cornelius's gaze turned cold, filled with murderous intent.
He hissed, "Move out!"
With that, the two stopped talking and quickly headed toward the red dot on the map.
Meanwhile, Clareno and his group were also moving swiftly.
The destinations of both groups turned out to be remarkably aligned: they were headed toward the very location where Enzo and his group were currently situated.
...
"Damn! There's danger!"
On a small hill in the core area of the Otrank Mountains, Enzo had just stopped to survey the surroundings when his spiritual sense began to sound alarms.
The fact that this happened meant—
Enzo shouted loudly to Patricia and Karina, then quickly dashed toward them. At the same time, he activated his Soul Fortress as he rushed.
Boom!
A violent explosion rang out.
The small hill where Enzo's group was located was obliterated, leaving behind a massive crater on the ground.
At this moment, a burst of loud laughter echoed.
"Kid, this time, let's see how far you think you can run!"
Clareno, holding the Hammer of the Primordial Beast, appeared before Enzo and the others with his subordinates.
As soon as they arrived, they swiftly set up a barrier.
The surrounding space's elemental energies fell into complete silence, signaling that Enzo could no longer use teleportation to escape.
After doing all of this, Clareno didn't waste any more words.
He raised the Hammer of the Primordial Beast and swung it down. Enzo had no choice but to once again release his Soul Fortress to block the attack.
Clang!
The Soul Fortress deflected the Hammer of the Primordial Beast, sending it flying.
Clareno's face turned dark with anger. He roared at Enzo, "Let's see how many times you can block this!"
In truth, Enzo could no longer keep up the defense.
Clareno's realm was likely at the peak of Level 9, making him incredibly strong. With his exceptional bloodline and the Hammer of the Primordial Beast, a powerful weapon, and not to mention the group of subordinates watching...
If it were one-on-one, Enzo was confident he could win.
But in this situation, with Karina's strength not being very helpful and him needing to divide his attention to protect her, while Patricia, though powerful, could only hold off four or five opponents at most, the situation was becoming increasingly grim.
Could this be the end?
Enzo exhaled deeply, planning to send Karina and Patricia into his small world, and then look for an opportunity to escape.
But at that moment, the ground once again trembled.
Oris's massive body emerged from the ground, breaking the barrier set up by Clareno and his team, and even grabbed Clareno with one hand, crushing him to death like crushing an ant.
Others were swept away by Oris and landed on the ground, turning into a puddle of meat.
"Seeking death."
Oris mocked.
As he spoke, his form gradually shrank, then he picked up the Hammer of the Primordial Beast and hurled it directly toward the direction where Enzo and the others were. The hammer landed near them, creating a massive crater in the ground.
Patricia immediately expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Lord Oris."
Oris didn't acknowledge Patricia's thanks. Instead, he pulled out a transparent crystal, which had been deliberately polished into a thin sheet. The surface of the crystal was inscribed with some information.
Then, Oris said, "According to the Temple's rules, since I saved all three of you, each of you owes me three thousand Temple contribution points. Who will be paying?"
Upon hearing this, Patricia's eyes widened.
She asked in surprise, "Three thousand contribution points?!"
In the Temple of the Seven Gods, although currency existed, for some valuable treasures or powerful divine arts, one could only obtain them by completing tasks assigned by the temple or by exchanging contribution points.
In other words, contribution points were incredibly important within the temple.
Patricia had been a member of the Rage Temple for over ten years. During this time, she had barely rested and had been accumulating contribution points. Yet, after all these years, she only had five hundred points. This just showed how hard it was to earn them.
Now, Oris was asking for three thousand points at once.
Not only that, but Enzo and Karina were in the same situation.
Patricia immediately shook her head and said, "Lord Oris, I don't have that many contribution points. Also, Enzo and Karina... they are not temple members."
"Not temple members?"Oris's expression darkened, and his tone became displeased as he questioned, "Patricia, if you don't have enough contribution points, you can charge them. But you shouldn't lie to me. You're telling me they aren't temple members? What kind of joke is that?"
"If my senses are correct, this kid has at least comprehended five types of elemental powers and has already entered the Elemental Law stage. With such talent, if he works a bit harder, he has a real chance of becoming a core member of the temple!"
"And her—"
Oris pointed at Karina, causing her to look visibly tense.
Oris sneered and said, "She's from the Shadow Clan!"
Shadow Clan!
Hearing this name, a series of thoughts flashed through Enzo's mind. He seemed to have heard of the Shadow Clan somewhere. Where could it be?
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Enzo's head.
Disaster World, the supernatural trial space, Dragons Land, was home to members of the Shadow Clan.
And those members were the ones who had chased after the immortal deity Boyega in their battles in Starry Sky.
However, the Shadow Clan in Dragons Land didn't seem that strong, nor did they show any particular special traits. But Oris, so certain of Karina's identity as a Shadow Clan member...
As Enzo was still processing this, Oris spoke up again.
"The Shadow Clan bloodline isn't just rare in the Underground-River starfield, it's also extremely rare in the Starry Sky. As soon as it appears, it's bound to attract the attention of the temple's higher-ups. There's no way it would remain hidden. Yet, Patricia, you tell me that such a talented individual, someone with such a remarkable bloodline, isn't a member of the temple!"
"Do you think the temple's higher-ups are blind?"
Oris asked angrily.
Patricia didn't know how to respond because, in fact, she hadn't lied.
Enzo had no choice but to step in.