I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means
Chapter 963 - 578 Azus Temple_2

The mercenaries' steps involuntarily staggered, retreating continuously, and those who were only Bronze Rank professionals were even forced to kneel on one knee by the sudden pressure, their tightly held weapons trembling slightly. Their eyes, besides shock, held an unprecedented fear.

At this moment, Lis seemed to become the core of the plaza, his will supreme, overlooking everyone present. The mercenaries' eyes, originally cunning, indifferent, or resolute, now all coincidentally converged on Lis, carrying a trace of tremor and an undisguisable awe.

How could this be?!!

Holan, being the closest to Lis, felt it most acutely.

From the first glance at Lis, he realized that the young man before him was very strong, stronger than himself.

But he did not expect to such an extent that merely releasing his aura made him abandon any thoughts of resistance.

He had encountered Golden Rank professionals, but none had ever given him such a sense of powerlessness.

Could he be a legend?

Yes, only under the crown of a legendary figure would possess such strength, right?

Thoughts spun rapidly in Holan's mind, and he hurriedly knelt on the ground and said to Lis:

"My lord, I shouldn't have hidden from you."

"I do know a place where ruins might exist!"

After Lis displayed his strength, Holan honestly told Lis everything he knew from his heart.

In front of the Legendary Crown, continuing to hide would be akin to seeking death.

No wonder this lord would know his secret; for a legendary crown, anything is possible.

After listening to Holan describe the location of the special desert whirlpool, Lis withdrew the silence barrier set up around and casually tossed a bag of gold coins to Holan, then turned and left the tavern.

He had marked Holan, so there was no worry that the latter would give false information and then escape.

Subsequently, Lis ignored the mercenaries around who didn't dare move and got up to leave the tavern.

Once Lis's figure completely disappeared from everyone's sight, the mercenaries present finally took a breath, exchanging worried glances and whispering about the true identity of the young man earlier.

Holan, who was originally kneeling on the ground, also slumped down, for a moment feeling his pants were a bit wet, unsure whether it was sweat or just an uncontrollable moment.

At this time, a few mercenaries exchanged glances and walked toward the disheveled Holan.

"Holan, what's going on, what did that gentleman want with you?"

The leading burly mercenary gave Holan, who lacked his usual demeanor, a once-over and pulled him up from the ground.

"It's nothing, this Legendary Crown just came to buy some information from me."

Holan smiled, thanked a few people, and then staggered out of the tavern.

"Alright, you should go back and rest first!"

The burly mercenary said to Holan with a smile. Once he walked away, he turned to a companion and said:

"Yue En, follow Holan, but be careful not to get caught by him."

"Someone that powerful seeking him out is definitely not a simple matter, if we can get this information from Holan, even if it's leftovers, we'd hit the jackpot!"

"Taking some risks is nothing, let's all go back and prepare."

"Rest assured, boss, boss."

The people beside the burly mercenary responded, then left the tavern with faces full of excitement.

On the other side, after leaving the tavern, Holan immediately jogged away, no longer showing his previous dispirited appearance.

How could those mercenaries' thoughts be hidden from him?

He knew after this incident, he would definitely be targeted by those cunning mercenaries.

That would be troublesome!

He did not return to his residence in the city, instead heading directly toward a pre-prepared secret passage.

In anticipation of such incidents, he had long stored his accumulated wealth in a hidden place outside the city.

After ensuring he had shaken off the tail following him, Holan opened the pouch Lis left behind.

Inside were two hundred gold coins and a green gemstone of equivalent value.

"Quite generous!"

Holan sighed; this was slightly higher than the value of the intelligence on the suspected ruins' location, and after this incident, he was already content.

He had just figured out that since the ruins could attract the attention of the Legendary Crown, even if there were precious treasures, it wasn't something a professional without even Gold Rank like him could covet.

So he didn't have the idea of making this information public and causing trouble for Lis.

Joking, that was a legendary strongman; if an accident happened, Lis would surely know it was his doing, resulting in certain death.

As for whether to go for leftovers at the ruins after some time, Holan had not made up his mind.

Better to leave first, as he couldn't stay in Kale City any longer anyway.

Holan didn't linger on thoughts and hurriedly made his way out of the city under the cover of night.

...

Two hundred kilometers west of Kale City,

Under the silver moonlight, a desert whirlpool appeared between several tall sand dunes, highly concealed. The surrounding sand dunes began to slowly, yet steadily, morph due to the rotation.

Like ripples gently stirred in the ocean of yellow sand, or the breath of the sand beast from ancient legends, the surrounding dunes were being swallowed bit by bit. Falling grains of sand danced in the air, weaving into delicate arcs, finally returning to the vortex, endlessly repeating.

Since the vast majority of ancient ruins lie beneath the desert, covered by endless yellow sands, even if located at the heart of ruins, it is difficult for people to discover secrets buried a hundred meters deep.

However, the appearance of desert ruins is not without signs.

Apart from the influence of wind and sand, such sudden desert whirlwinds are one of the most common signs of ruins appearing because the ruins still preserved over countless years are mainly maintained by extraordinary powers.

When the ruins collapse or become damaged for various reasons, the outer yellow sands would find their way inside through the cracks, manifesting specifically in the ruins continuously devouring sands from the outside, thus forming the desert whirlpool phenomenon.

Especially around the area of Kale City, if this happens, it is more often than not that there's a ruin below.

But finding it is one thing; how to explore it is another.

For the vast majority of mercenaries, diving down into ruins through the desert whirlpool is the most mindless and dangerous choice, almost guaranteeing a road of no return.

Most mercenaries would personally dig up the ruins, or mercenary groups confident in their strength would hire ordinary people to dig the sands.

Though this method takes more time, it is indeed the safest approach.

But for Lis, it's completely unnecessary.

Even if he encounters danger, he can just jump out using space teleport.

Having made up his mind, Lis directly dove into the desert whirlpool from mid-air.

After a few minutes of darkness, Lis's eyes brightened, and his body relaxed as he felt fresh air once again.

Looking ahead, Lis saw a magnificent temple appear before him.

In this hollow deeply hidden within the desert, the ancient and mysterious temple seemed to stand quietly at the end of time as a miracle. Though the temple had endured countless erosions by wind and sand, it still retained an indescribable grandeur and majesty.

The most striking feature was the enormous sheepskin scroll insignia in the temple's center, presenting ancient and complex patterns, seemingly containing ancient wisdom and secrets. Though the years left mottled traces on its surface, they couldn't obscure its ancient majesty and sanctity.

The temple's walls, built from faint gray-white bricks, emitted a gentle and warm radiance, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding cold yellow sands, bringing a touch of holy solemnity to this desolate place.

Starting from in front of the temple's gate, hundreds of evenly aligned stone steps gently descended to Lis's feet, like a road leading to the highest, guiding pilgrims step by step into the depths of the soul. Each step carried the weight of history, seemingly whispering the past's brilliance and vicissitudes. On both sides of the steps, without complex decorations, only simple and powerful lines emphasized this dignified solemnity further.

In this vast space, time seemed frozen, with only the fine sand cascading from the hollow's top producing a faint, continuous sound, akin to a solitary and mysterious ancient call.

Here it is!

Standing at the lowest point of the temple's steps, Lis slightly raised his head to look up.

Is this the Azus Temple of the god of fantasy and knowledge?

Indeed, seeing it in person is far more overwhelming than what was seen on the forum!

But I recall the forum mentioning that there seems to be a special test to enter.