“I brought a sleeping bag, the kind that wraps you up. I understand that this place is full of dangers.”
Ye Lin looked at their wary gazes, as if he were a wolf, and felt quite speechless. Initially, he had intended to directly descend to the Second Vertebra and speak with Lotus, but Kakun was worried that mogaduo would be torn apart by the Dragon Head Cannon or Lotus, and thus dared not approach.
Ophelia, who had been silent, pointed to the highest peak. Her voice Held a composure and calmness that belied her age. “That is Jizhou (Polar Day). Atop it is the GBL armory, where a flying weapon called donier exists. If we go to Jizhou (Polar Day) and pilot a donier, we can save a lot of time.”
“Then let’s go to Jizhou (Polar Day) first. I’ve observed that there are no traces of other people here. Barn and his group probably didn’t land here, so let’s move quickly.”
Although he understood that Held was likely behind these ruins, he still couldn't help but marvel at the magnificent and grand architecture of the GBL Order.
Walking among the ancient buildings, beyond their sight were wisps of clouds, a sensation almost identical to that of Sky City.
Siate poked the neatly flat floor with her sword, finding it hard to imagine what kind of immense power and how much time it must have taken to achieve such meticulousness.
“Please follow me. We will pass through the Tree Spirit Jungle and go directly to Jizhou (Polar Day).” Ophelia was familiar with the path, but then her expression changed slightly.
A follower wearing a mask unique to the GBL Order, his entire body wrapped in a wide gray robe, slowly approached from behind a pillar.
“Are you a follower? I am Ophelia, and I’ve returned with reinforcements.”
The uniforms of ordinary GBL Order followers were like this, and with the masks covering their faces, it was difficult to tell whether they had been infested by Lotus, which was also the reason for such heavy losses.
“Siate, kill him.”
With a swing of her longsword, the approaching follower was decapitated before he could even pull out the dagger from beneath his robe. A small white octopus crawled out of the corpse, attempting to escape, but was impaled by a ground spike controlled by Ye Lin's Fifth Element.
Ophelia was stunned for a moment. “How did you know he was controlled?”
“Look at the wet marks on the ground where he walked. He’s no longer human; he’s been parasitized by an octopus.”
“Indeed, it’s just like a Disguisers.” Yuena made a comparison.
Disguisers?
Instantly, everyone shivered. The ability to transform a person into an octopus clearly demonstrated the power of Lotus, the Apostle. If he were to become hostile and return to the sea, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for West Coast.
A one-eyed octopus monster launched itself forward with a powerful thrust of its tentacles.
Bang!
A faint wisp of gunpowder smoke diffused. The octopus monster was pierced through its body by a bullet and fell to the ground, then Mai Lu kicked it against a pillar, smashing it to pieces.
“Although I can’t utilize the attribute bonus of the Nen Revolver, the physical damage is still real.”
Ye Lin spun the revolver in a deliberate, dashing manner, intending to put away the weapon with a perfect Western gunslinger pose, but then the revolver flew out of his hand, making the situation awkward...
“Such a goof.” Siate pouted.
“I don’t want to eat this kind of octopus, and Mi Gao doesn’t want to eat it either,” Mai Lu muttered softly.
“The outer perimeter of the Goddess Palace is where the ordinary followers live. In the past, everyone would discuss knowledge and academics with each other, it was very lively.” Ophelia’s small face clouded with sadness.
“Excuse me, what is the GBL Order’s pursuit?” Yuena, who had Held back for a long time, finally couldn’t resist asking. Since it was called a religion, it should at least have a faith and a goal, right?
The Holy Order worships “God,” a God who can grant revelations, display divine power, and punish evil while promoting good.
“Under the guidance of Lord Leslie, the GBL Order’s goal is ultimate Wisdom, the great blue truth that unifies all knowledge in the world!”
Ophelia’s small face glowed. Within the GBL Order, the founder Leslie had been deified, and their pursuit of the ultimate Wisdom he spoke of was almost fanatical.
Siate and Mo Mei exchanged glances, seeing each other's surprise. This religion... didn't sound very reliable, it felt a bit strange.
Ye Lin slowly shook his head and explained, “It’s not what you think. For example, if an Elemental Mage could enter the Saintly Spirit State, gathering and igniting the four basic elements, and excluding the chaotic Fifth Element, then they could behold the Sixth Element, which only exists in legends, and master all the magical mysteries of the universe. The GBL Order’s ultimate Wisdom is probably something like that.”
“Yes, we believe that at the end of all knowledge, there is an Eternal truth!”
Ophelia bowed gratefully. The GBL Order's reputation was polarized; those who believed in the blue truth were willing to dedicate their lives to it, while those who didn't thought they were brain-dead, foolishly devoting their lives to some truth and knowledge.
Her master, Aden Bard, was a follower who, disgusted with mundane academic research, turned to using forbidden powers and was subsequently expelled.
“You know so much about our GBL. Do you also believe in the Eternal blue truth?” Ophelia’s eyes were full of anticipation.
Ye Lin quickly waved his hand, then righteously declared, “No, no, in the vast universe, the only truth I believe in is the justice that warms people’s hearts!”
“Hiss~ Ouch, ouch.”
“She’s still a child!” Siate huffily released her two fingers. This person was being improper again.
“Watch out!”
Mo Mei raised her hand and clenched her fist, unleashing a Nen Shield ten meters in diameter and one meter thick. The immense Nen energy not only blocked several flying daggers and flashing lightning but also crushed a sneaking GBL Order white-robed figure against the wall, turning him into a puddle.
“The Nen Shield can be used like that?” Ye Lin expressed surprise.
“That’s the Archbishop! I recognize his mask!”
Ophelia felt a pang of sorrow. The Archbishop was controlled, and it was likely the High Priest had also met a tragic end. They used to be such kind and friendly people.
A tattered, blood-stained piece of paper slipped from the Archbishop’s sleeve.
“The Great Will caused the birth of the gods at the end of the world. They are both a whole and infinite, and both infinite and a whole…”
“Boss, what does this say? Gods?”
Mo Mei picked up the paper but couldn't read it, so she simply handed it to her boss, who could fight Light City Lord to a draw.
“A copy of a prophecy book written by who knows who, and also the source of all disasters.”
Ye Lin took the paper, glanced at it, and then casually burned it to ashes. This piece of paper served no purpose other than to mislead people.
In fact, he had always had an unsolved mystery: Held only decided to sacrifice Arad to revive the Demon World after finding the prophecy stone tablet in the Terra ruins, which was the genesis. So who wrote the prophecy of the genesis? The ancient Terra sages? Or the Terra king? Or the Great Will? All of these remain unknown for now.
The deeper they went into the Goddess Palace, the more depressed Ophelia became. They had seen over a dozen followers along the way, but without exception, all of them had been controlled by Lotus.
“Ahead is the forest, home to the friendly Tree Spirit tribe and the Centaur tribe who guard the Goddess Palace. But after Lotus arrived, they also went mad.”
Ye Lin nodded. After a slight hesitation, he put away his Flame Sun greatsword. Fire could potentially cause a jungle explosion, so he had to switch to a rare-grade katana.
The Tree Spirit Jungle was a lush forest encircling the Tian Wei Giant Beast. If a fire broke out, the entire Tian Wei Giant Beast could be engulfed in flames.
The Tree Spirit Jungle was also the place he worried about the most. These Tree Spirits, capable of disguising themselves as ordinary trees, could launch surprise attacks from underground with their branches and vines, making them impossible to guard against.
But what no one expected was that Mai Lu, with a serene expression, was surrounded by a wreath of roses. Not only did she leave a path of fresh flowers wherever she walked, but her elven natural aura actually soothed the maddened Tree Spirits.
“Goddess Palace, followers have invaded the Goddess Palace…”
The purified Giant Tree Guardian, Rodin, pointed to the deepest part of the jungle, a forbidden area sealed by the GBL Order themselves.