CHAPTER 586: CHAPTER 263: HALL OF SPIRITS, GIANT DRAGON WITCH LEADER—BAHAFUS!

If the Holy Shrine Power is indeed the key material missing in the later stages of [Ascetic Body Refinement]...

Then has the answer been in Ronan’s own hands all along, only completely overlooked by him?

Of course, to verify this point, he needs to find an unopened Holy Shrine and obtain the Holy Shrine Power stored within it.

At this moment, Ronan feels as if some mist before his eyes has been dispelled, and the path of cultivation in [Ascetic Body Refinement] has brightened again.

"Once things here are settled, I’ll begin the search..."

Ronan had a remnant of the Holy Shrine Stone, and according to a secret technique recorded in Old Wells’ notes, he could trace and locate the ancient Holy Shrine Altars hidden within the vast continent, though it would require some time.

During his conversation with Ewaqu, unknowingly, the black liquid oozing from the Faceless Stone Man’s face had filled the entire small basin, seemingly restoring it to its original swamp-like appearance, only this time, the "mud" filling the swamp appeared purer, with a mysterious rich feel.

The liquid filling the mire was about to completely submerge the two of them; Ewaqu stopped the ongoing conversation with Ronan, looked up at the hazy full moon in the sky, and then looked straight into Ronan’s eyes.

"The Soul Lake’s end is also homecoming."

After Ewaqu spoke, the entire figure was completely submerged in the black water.

Simultaneously, Ronan allowed the black liquid to slowly envelop his nostrils, eyes...

When his entire body was enveloped, the icy, slimy black liquid began actively seeping through Ronan’s seven orifices and all the pores of his body, quickly flowing into his body.

At this moment, Ronan felt as if he were a mold, with every inch of his blood and flesh, every cell, being continually infused.

This process was indescribably marvelous, and surprisingly without any discomfort; he could even continue breathing freely.

When this "mold" was completely filled, the unknown black liquid that filled his body seemed to have all disappeared.

For some reason, Ronan choked, and before he could instinctively cough, his mind trembled, and he suddenly found himself in another "world."

Black, void.

He floated in the air like a driftwood, surrounded by vastness, all shrouded in darkness.

Then suddenly, in the darkness, someone grabbed his hand.

Ronan jerked his head to look, seeing Ewaqu, who emitted a faint white light all over, emerging to the side.

"It went smoother than I thought."

Ewaqu looked unexpectedly delighted and satisfied, "I had originally prepared to fail a few times..."

"Is this the legendary Hall of Spirits?"

Ronan gazed around mysteriously, as Ewaqu had told him earlier, this space, where most spells couldn’t be cast, held no Free Energy Particles for him to sense.

Moreover, his current state was rather peculiar, his whole body emitting light, similar to Ewaqu.

"We haven’t reached the Hall of Spirits yet. This is the Spirit Space... Next, don’t let go, or you’ll get lost."

Ewaqu tightened his grip on Ronan’s right hand, beginning to lead him rapidly through this dark void.

"This was an extraordinary space crafted by countless ancient Spirit Witch Sages, theoretically, only a soul body can live here for long...

We borrowed the power of the Sacrificial Spirit to enter physically, but we won’t be able to stay long... We must hurry."

Ewaqu pursed his lips, pulling Ronan forward quickly with a solemn expression.

In the dark space, the two became the only light sources, though the white light emanating from Ronan was much weaker than that from Ewaqu.

Perhaps sensing his curiosity, Ewaqu explained: "This is the light of the soul, directly reflecting a wizard’s soul quality."

Alright.

Ronan didn’t know what to say.

After the journey to the East Coast, having resolved the obsessions of his former self, he believed his soul quality had improved significantly.

Only now did he realize that, compared to geniuses like Ewaqu, he still had a considerable gap to bridge.

In this dark void, spiritual power seemed to lose its original function, yet Ewaqu seemed to have a special guiding method.

A mystery of how long they "floated," Ewaqu suddenly accelerated ahead, and Ronan felt his body plummet slightly before his feet seemed to touch solid ground.

"We’ve arrived."

Ronan heard Ewaqu whisper.

Immediately after, "Woosh—," flames suddenly erupted from both sides in front of him.

The light illuminated the surroundings, and Ronan saw that they were standing on a small platform with two thick black stone pillars topped by flames burning from thin air. Ahead, a winding staircase extended upward.

The flames burning on the black stone pillars seemed to form the shape of a gate; below them were mottled, cracked rocks, and whether the pillars or the staircase beyond, everything was filled with ancient marks of times past.

The expression on Ewaqu’s face had, at some unknown point, turned grave and solemn. He stepped forward, and Ronan followed, both passing through the gateway of black stone pillars and stepping onto the stone steps.

The ancient staircase hovered over the dark void, and the two ascended step by step, the surrounding silence eerily profound, with no sound beyond their footsteps and breathing.

Ewaqu had no intention of engaging in conversation, and Ronan simply followed in silence, his mood unknowingly becoming solemn.