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Having resolved the issue with the pursuers, I naturally needed to find out what secrets the ruins held. While I was unaware, other factions seemed to have people who knew quite a bit about it. The next night, I attacked an expedition team also searching for the ruins and used the "Soul Transfer Technique" to control several leaders to gather information. These minor characters naturally did not know the truth, but they had explored the desert for a long time and had a basic understanding of the identities of several major teams.

The three largest teams came from the Eastern Sovereign Dragon Empire, the Southern Free Chamber of Commerce Alliance, and the Southern 16 Kingdoms Alliance. It seemed that only these three truly grasped the secrets of the ruins. Other organizations, although aware of rumors, did not understand the intricacies and only sent people to investigate after seeing the three major factions dispatch numerous skilled individuals while trying to keep details secret. As for the Mercenary Empire, despite being the local power, they were also in the dark. Thus, they spread the news through mercenary missions, hoping to take advantage of the chaos. They also sent a team led by Jin Luosha, the strongest disciple of "Flame Saint" Levis, known as the "Blazing Sun Flame Emperor," Xunnaide, intending to reap the benefits after the three major factions obtained something.

It seemed that to uncover the truth, I had to target these three factions. However, these teams were filled with experts, making it extremely difficult to infiltrate and steal information without raising suspicion. After careful consideration, I decided to target the 16 Kingdoms Alliance. This was mainly because the Sovereign Dragon Empire had a strict hierarchy, and only a few high-ranking officials knew the truth. Although the commercial alliance was less rigid, most members were hired, and only a few knew the secrets. Only the 16 Kingdoms Alliance, formed by multiple countries, had each nation distrusting the others. Therefore, all nations had to be informed to send a team, and each country dispatched high-ranking officials to monitor the situation to prevent any single nation from monopolizing the secrets. Thus, their team included princesses, princes, dukes, marshals, and others, making it relatively easier to find someone to target.

A few days later at night, I left Jin Luosha to watch over Bingfeng and stealthily infiltrated the camp of the 16 Kingdoms Alliance. The camp was full of experts, including martial artists, mages, rangers, thieves, and hunters, as well as various magical beasts and tamed monsters guarding the area. Fortunately, the important figures of the 16 Kingdoms Alliance did not trust each other, dividing the camp into more than a dozen zones, giving me an opportunity. Using my ghost-like movements and the unique stealth techniques of the wolf clan, I sneaked through several camps and finally subdued a young girl in a luxurious white tent. Using the "Soul Transfer Technique," I discovered she was Princess Androni, the third princess of the Emerald Kingdom within the 16 Kingdoms Alliance. Unbeknownst to me, she was one of the four people I had encountered in the restaurant and had participated in a plot against me.

From this princess, I learned that the so-called ruins were actually a Magic Tower left behind by two of the Twelve Sages: "Canghai Sage" and "Chongming Sage." Hidden within was an alchemical tome detailing how to create an ultimate artificial magic beast—the Crystal Dragon.

The Crystal Dragon is a dragon covered in crystal scales without wings. Though unable to fly or breathe fire or use dragon language magic, its combat prowess rivals that of a level ten dragon. With its immunity to even forbidden spells and scales several times harder than those of dragons, it can run at incredible speeds and leap over walls, making it an invincible war machine on the battlefield. Thus, the Radiant Temple could suppress all factions with just four Crystal Dragons.

While many believed Crystal Dragons were level ten super magical beasts, they were actually ultimate magical puppets created through alchemy. They possessed basic intelligence and simple learning abilities and could heal damage at the speed of a hydra. Apart from not eating or reproducing, they were similar to ordinary magical beasts, leading to misidentification. Initially, I did not know the origins of Crystal Dragons, but from the princess's information, I learned they were developed by the "Canghai Sage" and "Chongming Sage" in this desert. Currently, the technology to create Crystal Dragons has been lost, and the Temple only possesses maintenance methods, lacking the materials and knowledge to recreate them.

The discovery of the ruins was thanks to the spatial mage Grandmaster Youyan of the Sovereign Dragon Empire. This lifelong seeker of the Twelve Sages' footsteps had dedicated years to researching spatial plane detection techniques, aiming to bring back the Magic Towers scattered across various planes to the material world, reviving their magnificent magical achievements. Finally, a year ago, she found a spatial coordinate using spatial detection magic, confirmed it as the location of the Magic Tower where Crystal Dragons were developed, and guided the temporal turbulence to allow the tower's plane to overlap with the material plane for a short period. During this time, the Magic Tower would appear for seven days at its original site, allowing anyone to enter and retrieve the alchemical tome to recreate Crystal Dragons.

Such a secret should have been kept strictly confidential and executed covertly. However, the treasures left by the Twelve Sages, who once moved mountains and seas and required divine intervention to defeat, were not easily obtained. Besides the traps and magical puppets inside the tower, the external magical barrier alone was enough to deter anyone. To break the Magic Tower's defenses, the Sovereign Dragon Empire had to rely on a divine weapon stored by the 16 Kingdoms Alliance—the "Divine Punishment Light Thunder," a sword said to cut through anything.

Chapter 51: Three Sacred Realms, Divine Thunder Breaks

Divine Sword—Divine Punishment: Full name "Divine Punishment Light Thunder." Ranked eighth among human weapons and twenty-eighth on the Mainland. A long sword, 128 cm long, 5 cm wide, weighing 9 kg. Its appearance is mottled and ancient, resembling an unearthed relic. The materials and creator are unknown, and its magical level is unclear. In reality, it is a prehistoric divine sword predating elven records, containing the "Platinum Light Thunder" representing divine punishment, capable of breaking through all magical, physical, and martial defenses. It is considered the "closest to a divine artifact" on the Mainland. Unfortunately, few wielders have ever fully unleashed its power, leading to a lower evaluation, which is not the sword's fault. It is said that "nothing can withstand the Divine Punishment."