In the deepest part of the inverted mausoleum, the sarcophagus that the angel Haiter, from the Artificial Death Faction, originally used to repair himself had long since vanished.
In its place was a coffin adorned with patterns of strange birds, long snakes, and feathers, appearing ancient and mysterious, possessing a strong style reminiscent of the ancient Highland Kingdom.
This was precisely the Pharaoh's sarcophagus gifted by Reinette Tinekerr, while the original owner of the coffin had just been borrowed by Maric to advance to Demigod.
Dunn Smith, clad in a hooded black robe, sat cross-legged beside the coffin, his gray eyes completely consumed by Wraiths, and a layer of white frost even covered his body.
Even so, a look of relief appeared on his sharply defined face.
A Spirit Warlock could seal natural spirits and Wraith shadows within their body, and Manuel happened to possess various strange spiritual entities.
The overload of accommodating spirits, which were considered extremely rare even in the records of the Church of the Evernight, pushed Dunn Smith's body to its limits time and again, but it was precisely this madness of walking on the edge of losing control that allowed him to completely digest the Spirit Warlock potion within just a few months.
"Well done, even faster than I expected!"
A familiar and gentle voice echoed in his ears. Dunn was startled, and to his horror, he found that the surrounding environment had instantly changed.
The coffin, which had been within arm's reach, had vanished, replaced by five figures that made his Spirit Body tremble.
Without the protection of the mausoleum, and focused upon by several extremely oppressive gazes, Dunn, though somewhat disheveled, still drew a standard Crimson Moon on his chest and murmured in a low voice:
"That helpless feeling of powerlessness, I don't want to experience it again..."
Aaron nodded in satisfaction, reined in his oppressive aura, and after confirming that Dunn had completely digested his potion, he made a few grasping motions with his right hand in front of him.
The "Ring of Mysteries" rippled with faint light, and after several attempts, Aaron finally dragged a slightly illusory figure from the historical fog.
"When we were in Tingen, I told you that if you could advance from Sequence 7 to being able to withstand the Undying potion within a year, I would give you a chance to advance to Demigod."
"Now, it's my turn to fulfill my promise!"
Aaron withdrew his gaze from Dunn, whose body suddenly began to tremble. Feeling the sudden increase in his spiritual burden, he looked at the historical projection he had summoned with a smile.
The illusory figure had solidified considerably, and its dull, hollow expression had vanished.
Although he lacked the authority of concealment, by leveraging the ability of the Trojan Horse of Destiny to graft his consciousness onto the historical projection, "Pallez Zoroast" glanced at the many angels surrounding him in a circle and couldn't help but exclaim in wonder:
"There are quite a few old friends..."
Waving his hand to interrupt the fellow's meaningless sentiments, Aaron pointed at Dunn and succinctly added:
"You can return his destiny now!"
Amon's true body had already left the Forsaken Land of the Gods and was now whereabouts unknown. Prolonged use of the Trojan Horse of Destiny's ability could easily lead to being reverse-located by that Blasphemer.
"Pallez Zoroast" smiled and nodded, and behind him, a massive, ancient, mottled clock immediately appeared. Its gray-white hands rotated counter-clockwise, and a certain tributary, which had been isolated from the River of Fate, re-merged with the long River of Fate.
The moment his destiny returned, Dunn let out a pained grunt, a palm-sized gap abruptly appearing in his chest, and his life force rapidly fading.
Azik slightly raised his hand, and specks of pale light immediately appeared on Dunn's body and quickly converged towards his glabella, which was the area corresponding to the Underworld within his body.
The ritual for a Spirit Guide to advance to Gatekeeper was essentially to use the body as a cage, opening a Door to the Underworld within oneself and constructing one's own "Underworld," which was also the foundation for advancing to an Undying.
Dunn still needed to open his own Door to the Underworld to directly advance from Spirit Warlock to Undying, but this was not difficult for a Death Consul.
The pale light converged and solidified into a light cocoon, which was propelled by an invisible force towards the inverted black mausoleum, entering the Pharaoh's sarcophagus, which was continuously gathering Death intent.
"This mausoleum was specifically built by Haiter to repair himself, and its effect will be much better than simply building a mausoleum according to the advancement ritual."
Feeling Aaron's gaze, Azik waved his hand, allowing the Death intent in the River of the Underworld to continue gathering, and explained with a smile.
Aaron nodded in understanding, primarily thanking Pallez Zoroast, then ceased maintaining the historical projection.
Glancing at the many members of the Numinous Episcopate and the Temperance Faction isolated by Reinette Tinekerr nearby, Aaron nodded and looked at Azik, speaking in a deep voice:
"Since you have awakened, the reconstruction of the Balam Kingdom can be carried out as quickly as possible, striving to integrate those indigenous areas that still believe in Death with the fastest speed!"
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In a valley where the Haagenti Grassland and West Balam converged, the sound of chains turning and metal rubbing echoed for a long time.
The deep black iron Door slowly opened to both sides, and crimson, blood-like light surged out like a tide, quickly being engulfed by the surging Darkness.
Only after everything receded did it reveal a multitude of flesh and blood altars behind the iron Door, inlaid with eyeballs, severed limbs, and internal organs.
Putting the pure black eyeball in his hand back into the tin box engraved with numerous patterns, a grim-faced Daly Simone spoke in a low voice:
"Do not touch those corrupted flesh and blood. After making rubbings of the formation patterns on those altars, completely purify this place."
"Do not dwell on the information on the altars. Everyone, upon returning to the church, go to the Bishop for a meditation prayer!"
Several Red Glove members behind her nodded solemnly. This was a stronghold where the Rose School of Thought cooperated with the Highland Resistance Army, and it was the primary target for this mission's clearance.
Walking at the end of the team, following his other teammates, Leonard's mind suddenly heard a familiar, aged voice:
"The Church of the Evernight is about to gain another Demigod-level Archbishop...."
Startled by the old man's sudden words, Leonard's hand trembled, almost touching the corrupted flesh and blood.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he quickly caught the key point in the words, his hand movements pausing slightly as he swiftly pressed in his mind:
"Which high-ranking Deacon advanced?"
"Old man, how do you know?"
Pallez Zoroast seemed to have grown accustomed to the 'old man' moniker and no longer corrected Leonard's address. He clicked his tongue and replied with an inexplicable tone:
"It's someone you're very familiar with. Hmm, it should be a surprise for you."
Leonard's interest was piqued by Pallez's words, but no matter how much he pressed, he received no further response.
Muttering a complaint about the old man in his heart, Leonard slightly turned his body and met Daly's gaze, who had appeared behind him at some point.