CHAPTER 736: 578 THE TEMPLE IN THE DESERT

Lipum realized it.

Communicating with this mysterious swordsman in front of her was not just about having courage, but also required a strong heart.

Not knowing what was in the box, this person dared to plunge into an underground force in the midst of a fierce fight, which was truly incredible to Lipum.

Against all odds, he succeeded.

"... You actually had the nerve to barge into our battlefield,"

With a sigh, Lipum was uncertain whether to admire him or to be dumbfounded.

"So?" Reiger asked indifferently, "What exactly is that thing?"

"... Don’t you already know?" After a moment of silence, Lipum replied, "It’s something that has emerged from the ancient ruins listed as taboo."

As she spoke, Lipum explained to Reiger.

"Although it’s considered taboo and even its mention is forbidden in Xinyele, what Xinyele doesn’t have much of, it certainly has the most of outlaws and desperados."

"Those who have committed serious crimes in both the Kingdom of Ginas and Leiblu Kingdom, expelled from these lands and even wanted, are seldom compliant even after arriving here."

"Many of them learn about the existence of the taboo and, disregarding the City Lord’s ban, venture into the ancient ruins through various channels and delve deep."

"Owing to this, occasionally some outlaws bring out certain items from the ancient ruins."

"And these items are forbidden artefacts," Lipum said quite seriously.

"Forbidden artefacts can be good or bad, and some are completely unknowable in their use; bringing them to Xinyele is like a ticking time bomb—not only useless but also risking capture by the City Lord’s forces for possessing forbidden items."

"Likewise, some forbidden artefacts have effects so immense they can completely change a person’s fate."

"A few years ago, a senior swordsman here in Xinyele utilized such an artefact to step into the ranks of Sword Saints."

At this point, Reiger roughly understood what was going on.

"So, you’re after this thing to step into the ranks of Sword Saints like that guy?"

Reiger said this.

"Well, something like that."

Lipum giggled sheepishly.

No wonder when the short swordsman snatched away the box, the person claimed they would soon become a Sword Saint—is that what this was about?

Regrettably, what was inside the box was a beastskin map, not some miracle elixir that could advance one to the ranks of Sword Saints.

Reiger felt that these people must have been clueless about the box’s contents, or they wouldn’t go through such lengths to fight over it.

Indeed, this was the case.

Whether it was the "Play Magician" or the underground force known as "Dragon Horn," including people from various forces, none knew what the box contained.

The box was made of Kirlo metal, and it required a specific method to open, rendering its contents unseen by anyone.

The people from various forces therefore mistook the box, believing it must contain a treasure that could propel someone into the ranks of Sword Saints, when in reality, it contained a beastskin map, whose purpose was yet unknown.

Of course, the reason for this misunderstanding among the forces was because the person who had joined the ranks of Sword Saints thanks to a forbidden item had also once obtained a box by a series of coincidences.

Yes, that very same box made of Kirlo metal.

People then discovered that these magical boxes that emerged from ancient ruins often contained extremely precious treasures.

Hence, the people from various forces were prepared to engage in deadly combat, fighting each other for a chance to join the ranks of Sword Saints.

By the way, both the person who became a Sword Saint with the help of the box years ago and Reiger had snatched their boxes from "Dragon Horn."

"Dragon Horn," as one of the most notorious underground forces in the Underworld, was engaged in various illegal operations, including but not limited to building black markets, stealing treasures, and trafficking forbidden goods.

Therefore, the box initially fell into the hands of Kammon, the leader of "Dragon Horn."

"Alright then," Reiger shrugged and said, "But you’re probably going to be disappointed, because the box does not contain any treasures that can make someone a Sword Saint."

"Huh?" Lipum was startled, then hurriedly asked, "Did you open the box?"

"Yes," Reiger answered straightforwardly, "I used a bit of brute force."

Lipum suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Reason told her that what Reiger said might be correct, not every box held a treasure that could elevate someone to the status of Sword Saint.

But emotionally, she thought that Reiger might just be deceiving her, giving her the brush-off, just so she would give up on the box, hence his deliberate comment.

With these thoughts, Lipum looked up at Reiger, about to say something, when an object flew towards her face.

"What’s this...?"

Lipum hurried to catch it, staring at the object now in her hands, frozen in place.

There it was, the box made of Kirlo metal.

"If you really want it that much, then take it," Reiger spoke indifferently, "But I have to warn you in advance, I took a beastskin map from inside and didn’t find anything else beyond it. If you can reuse it and find some other benefit, then that’s your skill."

Leaving these words behind, Reiger turned and walked towards Liz.

"Wait..."

Lipum subconsciously wanted to call out to Reiger but then realized that even if she did, she wouldn’t know what to say next.

So, Lipum closed her mouth and gazed at the quiet chirometal box lying in her arms, her mind slightly adrift.

This treasure... had it really fallen into her hands so easily?

Lipum felt it was incredible.

Regrettably, Reiger had already mentioned that the contents inside were taken by him and now it was empty with nothing left.

But who knows if this kind of magic box might have a secret compartment or something like that?

Perhaps, the treasure that could elevate one to the rank of a Sword Saint was hidden in such a compartment?

With this thought, Lipum could hardly contain her excitement and clutched the box in her arms tightly.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Lipum realized that from the surrounding alleys, corners, and the crowd, several gazes were stealthily directed toward her.

"Not good!"

Lipum’s expression changed slightly, aware that the fact the box had come into her possession had been noticed by those with ill-intentions.

Therefore, Lipum quickly stowed the box away and fled under the watchful eyes of the public.

Before long, a number of shadows appeared and chased after the direction Lipum had taken off in.

......

On the other side, Reiger naturally did not know that by giving the box to Lipum, he had shifted the focus of those lurking in the shadows.

Of course, it wasn’t hard to guess, but it clearly had nothing to do with him anymore. He had already informed Lipum that he had taken the contents of the box. If Lipum was wise, she would find a place to dispose of the empty box to stay out of trouble; otherwise, she would only face a disastrous end.

Reiger quickly put the matter out of his mind and continued to shop with Liz.

After about two hours of this, the two had gathered all the various supplies they needed for their journey.

To avoid further complications, Reiger immediately left with Liz from Xinyele, following the map toward the direction of the ancient ruins.

According to the records and the route, the location of the ancient ruins was only about several dozen kilometers from Xinyele.

At Reiger’s flying speed, even this several dozen kilometers wouldn’t take long at all.

However, due to a sandstorm they encountered on the way and the attack of flying magical creatures, Reiger and Liz were delayed somewhat, only reaching the area marked with a red "X" around almost noon.

"Is this the place?"

Reiger stopped mid-air, looking down and murmuring.

"This place?" Liz, who was granted the ability to fly thanks to Reiger’s magic, floated beside him, looking down and said with a puzzled expression, "Isn’t there nothing here?"

Indeed.

Below them was nothing but an endless desert; not only was there no sign of ancient ruins, there wasn’t even a brick in sight.

"It’s definitely here," Reiger said confidently. "It’s not that there is nothing here; it’s just hidden."

Reiger then extended a finger toward the ground.

"Buzz!"

With a vibration of Magic Power, a red ripple emerged from the tip of Reiger’s finger and shot downward.

"Boom!"

As the red ripple descended to a certain height, a faintly visible barrier appeared, shattering like glass under the effect of the dispelling magic.

And when that faint barrier shattered, a majestic structure, wavering like a mirage above the desolate desert ground, began to emerge and slowly became visible.

The concealed ancient ruins appeared as an old structure weathered by countless years, emitting a presence that turned into an oppressive force, leaving an awe-inspiring impact.

"It’s appeared!"

Liz exclaimed in awe, her eyes wide open.

"Finally..."

Reiger couldn’t help but break into a sudden smile, then cast several more red ripples that landed on various corners of the ancient ruins, dissolving the magic mechanisms there.

As per the records, the vicinity of these ancient ruins was surrounded by layers of protection and traps, not just a simple barrier to conceal the structures.

Recalling this, Reiger activated his Transparent World ability to observe any odd flows of Magic Power around the ruins and dissolved all such spots, forcefully breaking through the protections and traps that Sgranot Bayard had set up here.

After doing so, Reiger turned to Liz.

"Are you ready?" Reiger asked. "We’re going down, okay?"

Liz instinctively clutched her chest to calm her nerves.

"Let’s go, master," she said softly.

"Alright."

Reiger immediately took Liz with him and flew toward the ancient ruins below.