The Creators: From Night City

Page 350

It's impossible to create so much dark magic from nothing just by using a bunch of calcium phosphate; even magic has to follow the law of conservation of energy to a certain extent.

The true source of dark magic is the suffering souls bound to skulls.

The demons used vicious dark magic to carve skulls out of these people alive, binding their souls to them and subjecting them to endless torment. Their blood nourished the souls, allowing them to continuously generate dark magic to maintain the altar's operation.

You know what, this system is actually quite 'scientific' in some ways. The four steps of energy supply, conversion, output, and application are handled very smoothly and logically.

Jiang Bing reached out and picked up the skull at the very top of the pile of bones, examining it closely. He discovered that the human skulls of this world were structurally no different from those of humans in other worlds, and the not-quite-closed sutures on the skull indicated that the skull's owner was probably between thirteen and fourteen years old.

The soul to which the skull belonged had been twisted, blurred, and chaotic. Endless pain had long since destroyed his mind, turning it into a maggot-like mass of souls that surged endlessly.

Amidst the agonizing writhing and churning of the soul, Jiang Bing was able to glimpse the face of the skull's owner's soul.

His anthropological knowledge had not declined, and his judgments were in line with the facts.

The skull belonged to a typical young boy of the Kanduras race. Although the torture had distorted his features, it was still clear that he was not very old.

When the soul has been corrupted to such an extent, there is no possibility of salvation.

Flames erupted from Jiang Bing's hands, burning away the pile of bones and the numerous twisted souls stacked upon each other.

The flames, like the surging anger in Jiang Bing's heart, devoured the entire altar and did not stop there. They flowed down the altar and into the soil beneath him, turning the soil within a hundred meters of the altar into a golden, glazed color.

Sparks would occasionally rise from the soil, drifting upwards and adorning this vast land like a golden sanctuary.

The crow was extremely surprised.

It screeched as it tentatively flew into the open space. Finding nothing amiss, it began circling Jiang Bing. Finally, with his permission, it landed on Jiang Bing's shoulder and guided him.

With the help of a 'local', Jiang Bing quickly found his destination.

The spirit of the great forest—the Tree of Enifus.

As Kyoko said, it looks like it's 'alive'.

On the brown, cracked bark, fissures spread out, and the dry branches moved without wind, not in a trembling way, but swaying slightly like an animal breathing.

However, its current condition is obviously very bad. This sacred tree, which is not very large, is almost withered. The leaves on its branches have almost all fallen off, and the few remaining leaves are dry, yellow, and about to fall.

The bark was dry and cracked, with deep fissures that revealed the dark heartwood inside, making it look as if it had been drought-stricken for a long time.

The crow on Jiang Bing's shoulder took flight and landed on a branch of a large tree, staring at the two of them with its scarlet eyes.

"Thank you for coming, Your Majesty. As you can see, I am nearing my end." A deep male voice rang in Jiang Bing's ears.

"Is it worth it?" Jiang Bing asked, looking at the other trees around the sacred tree that still clearly showed signs of life.

Faced with the demon's invasion of the forest, the other chose to sacrifice itself to protect all the trees in the forest. Without it acting as a 'filter' for the dark magic, this forest would probably have long since become a 'hell on earth'.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes opened from between the cracked bark; the burl made of countless plant fibers perfectly mimicked a pair of human eyes.

“I am the guardian of this nature. This is the mission I was given when he planted it with his own hands, so of course it is worth it.”

"Who is he?"

"The first humans in this world, the first to communicate with nature, the Archdruid, one of the first Nephalem, Vasily."

The founder of Druids? Jiang Bing was secretly shocked.

"It has given you a mission?" Jiang Bing looked at the not-so-large ancient tree in front of him, his heart filled with curiosity.

"Yes, a mission that has spanned thousands of years."

The Tree of Enifus swayed its branches, much like a human shaking his head.

"A secret concealed by the combined efforts of angels and demons."

Jiang Bing sensed a conspiracy.

"I'm curious why you chose me, since we're complete strangers?"

The Tree of Enifus rustled its few remaining leaves: "Throughout the long years, my roots have spread in all directions, not just throughout the forest, they are my eyes and ears."

"Not long ago, I sensed a strange and great natural presence from the location of the rocky wilderness, an aura that did not belong to angels or demons."

“Since then, I have been searching for the source of this aura.”

The subtext of the Tree of Enifus is quite clear: it didn't choose Jiang Bing, but rather Heiml, who is deeply bound to Jiang Bing.

“Please summon Him, Your Majesty, we may have something to discuss.”

Jiang Bing and Heiml were equals; he merely extended an invitation, but ultimately it was Heiml himself who decided to come into this world and choose to meet him.

A tender bud sprouted from Jiang Bing's shoulder, and Heiml extended its tendrils, spreading into the world for the first time.

As the other party's contractor, Jiang Bing instantly felt a heavy, invisible barrier pressing down on his shoulders.

The barrier that separated Hell clearly recognized Heiml's status and suppressed him the moment He extended his tendrils.

After all, Heiml is not like Jiang Bing who can be temporarily demoted. His limbs are equivalent to his personhood, and he is an existence that can span dimensions.

Attacked, golden flames suddenly ignited on Jiang Bing's body, instantly turning him into a 'human torch' to resist the attack from the world's rules.

The fire of ether can burn everything, and naturally it can melt the rules.

However, the consumption of 'ether' was so high that it could make Jiang Bing's liver ache every minute.

Chapter 718 The Holy Knights

Kyoko was stunned by this sudden turn of events. She was about to step forward when Jiang Bing stopped her with a gesture.

Putting aside how dangerous the etheric flames, which can annihilate everything, are, even the slightest leak of the immense pressure from the world barrier could instantly turn Kyoko into a pulp.

"Step back!"

"This is not something you can interfere with."

Upon hearing Jiang Bing's words, the veteran Rogge looked puzzled, but immediately stopped his forward momentum and retreated swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation.

Hesitation and any procrastination in battle are signs of distrust of comrades, which will only lead to defeat. Fully trusting comrades is what a qualified soldier needs to do.

At the same time, a withered branch of the Tree of Enifus also emerged, and under the solemn gaze of the two onlookers, it touched the tendrils that were spreading out from Heimul.

There was no explosion, no light or heat, no dazzling display of light or golden lotuses blooming from the ground; the two branches simply intersected for a few seconds before Heiml swiftly retreated back into the void.

The suppression vanished from Jiang Bing's shoulder in an instant, and the golden flames disappeared as well.

During this brief period of time, the two sides exchanged an immeasurable amount of information.

The Tree of Enifos remained silent for a long time, so long that Jiang Bing even thought it might have withered and died, before it finally spoke.

"I see~"

It let out a long sigh, with a sense of melancholy after its doubts were answered.

"how?"

"It wouldn't be so bad to leave all of this to you."

Clearly, Heiml has been validated by it.

Jiang Bing frowned. "Weren't you asking for help?"

“Great one, I have been corrupted by dark magic. All my roots have been infected. I am terminally ill. Corruption and death are the only two outcomes I can foresee.”

“I’m very curious,” Jiang Bing said, stepping on the ground soaked in dark magic. The level of corruption here was much higher than that of the Burial Ground. For a seemingly deserted forest, it was an extreme waste.

The demons are clearly not fools.

"These demons are willing to go to such lengths to pry your mouth open."

The trunk of the Tree of Enifus creaked and groaned, and in the brief moment it had been awake, the feeling of decay grew ever stronger.

There are countless demon altars in the Dark Forest, and Jiang Bing only destroyed one of them, which is a drop in the ocean in terms of stopping the entire corruption process.

Moreover, this ancient tree, which has been living in peace for a long time, is already suffering from chronic and incurable diseases.

“The Dark Wanderer doesn’t want anything from me; it just wants me to shut up forever so that the humans of Sanctuary can’t get this secret out of me.”

"secret?"

The leaves of the Enifus Tree began to fall off one by one as it twisted.

"Ah~ secret, also a mission, the sacred mission I was born with."

"That war of original sin, the history that was wiped away by angels and demons working together, the heroes who should not be forgotten."

"This secret is enough to shake the supreme rule of angels and demons, so all those associated with angels and demons are untrustworthy, and there are very few trustworthy people among humans."

"I originally intended to let it wither away here, to let it be buried forever in the dust of time, rather than let it have any risk of being exposed."

"But you have come, Great Oak and His planter, so it is good that these secrets are entrusted to you outsiders for safekeeping."

As if it had made up its mind, a patch of the Enifos Tree glowed with a faint green light. Its branches, like human arms, pierced into its own bark and, under Jiang Bing's watchful gaze, fiercely tore off a large chunk of the glowing skin.

According to Akara's description, the bark of the Tree of Enifus can record everything that has happened around it, and clearly, this piece of bark contains the secret that the other party spoke of.

"Take this. All the secrets you're curious about have been recorded here."

The bark of the Tree of Enifos was extremely heavy to the touch. The black bark was very dense and its hardness was comparable to that of steel. If it hadn't taken the initiative to pry it off, it would probably have been impossible to do so until it was completely dry and dead.

However, by then, this secret had probably already been covered up with the other party's death.

More and more leaves fell from the sacred tree, so much so that Kyoko could see it was rapidly withering away.

“Please take on this heavy mission for me. In return, I will serve the great oak tree as promised.”

The Tree of Enifos stretched out a branch toward Jiang Bing. While the rest of the tree quickly withered and died, tiny green buds sprouted at the tip of this branch.

"Take it," Heiml said in Jiang Bing's mind.

This tender branch represents all the remaining vitality of the Tree of Enifus, condensing its essence, and also represents the 'seed'.

So Jiang Bing gently broke the tender branch off the withered trunk.

This action seemed to directly sever the lifeblood of the Tree of Enifus; it wearily closed the eyes on its trunk, and its weak, dying words echoed in Jiang Bing's ears.

“I have no more attachments. From now on, my roots will grow towards the monastery with all their might. They will embrace the darkness, intertwine with it, and become one with it.”

The usually serene Tree of Enifus, in its final moments, spoke with an unusual intensity of hatred.

"When the time comes, ignite me; rather than rot here, let me become a flame that cleanses the darkness."

"I'd be firewood!"

This living tree, planted by the first Nephalem and standing for thousands of years, expressed its last wish, then closed its eyes and fell silent.

Beneath the earth, countless roots began to wriggle toward the monastery in the northeast.

That was the sacred tree's final plan of revenge against the demon.

The way back was easy. When the two emerged from the spacetime rift in 'Heimul', they ran into Akara, who was dressed in formal attire, welcoming a small group of Westmarch knights who had traveled a long way.

The leading paladin was a very strong man, dressed in a full set of heavy silver-white plate armor, holding a kite-shaped shield painted with gold and silver, and a longsword at his waist.

This sword is a bit special; from the 'craftsman's' perspective, it is emitting a soft white light.

The other members of the squad were dressed the same, except that they each carried a long weapon.

It could be a spear or a flail.

After all, they were paladins, and they could ride horses, so naturally they needed weapons for mounted combat.

They came on horseback.

It's clear that the Knights of Westmarch are quite powerful; the paladins who came to their aid were not only well-equipped, but their mounts were also obviously extraordinary.

These horses were not only muscular and had large frames, giving them a powerful appearance, but they were also covered with thick and well-made armor, with even their hooves and legs wrapped in exquisite half-covered armor.

"Lord Sabur, you've returned just in time. Let me introduce you. This is the captain of the Knights of Westmarch, Delorin."

Chapter 719 The Battle of Original Sin

These days, there are only two possibilities for being sent abroad: either exile or being entrusted with important responsibilities. Dolores is clearly the latter.

The holy light surging within him almost turned him into a light bulb.

"Lord Sabur, thank you for your contribution to the fight against the demons. May the Holy Light protect you."

'In reality, the Holy Light is mostly fooling me,' Jiang Bing thought to himself.

"Welcome. Demons are the enemy of all good people, and we all have a responsibility to fight against them. You must be tired from your long journey. Please rest at the camp."

However, Delorin politely declined.