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The speed of land creatures is generally no match for that of creatures in the sky. Fortunately, most winged beastmen are naturally night-blind, except for a few exceptions and highly skilled Sword Masters, who can't see anything at night. (Actually, most land creatures are the same, but night vision is not as crucial for them as it is for flyers.) Therefore, Enrico and his companions could travel at night and rest during the day, escaping pursuit. Coupled with the continuous stormy weather over the past few days, they managed to avoid being torn apart by their pursuers.

"Phew... Phew... Alright, it's almost dawn. We need to find a place to hide and rest," Enrico panted, issuing the command to stop.

Immediately, two hunters moved to the left and right, scouting the surroundings and searching for a place to hide. Meanwhile, a female mage, a few years older than Enrico, came up behind him, holding his arm, and asked, "We've been on the run for three days, and those cursed birdmen still haven't given up. Are we just going to keep running like this?"

This young woman, named Tia, was Enrico's senior and already held the official title of mage. However, in the group, she always served as Enrico's deputy, helping the dark mage apprentice handle various tasks. Hearing her question, the young man shook his head and replied, "Don't worry. The reason these winged beastmen are still after us is simply because we haven't gone far enough. They can fly back to the three-city area in a day or two. Once we get farther away, they will naturally stop pursuing us to protect their territory. I think we just need to keep running for about two more days to escape."

"That's good. Although everyone can still hold on, if this continues, some might not be able to endure much longer," Tia said with some relief. As the person in charge of the group's day-to-day operations, she was more attuned to the state and emotions of her companions than Enrico, which allowed her to maintain their cohesion and combat strength.

Just then, a hunter companion hurried back, bringing unexpected news.

"Yang, I found an abandoned dark temple in the woods to the south."

"What? How is that possible? Are you sure you didn't mistake it?" This news stunned both Enrico and Tia. Although they had been retreating westward for the past few days, they were still far from the territory of the former Viking Empire. In other words, this area should still be part of the Holy Light Sanctuary's domain. How could there be a temple belonging to the dark forces here?

The hunter immediately assured them, "I definitely didn't mistake it. It's indeed a dark temple, but it has been abandoned for a long time, probably for centuries."

"Centuries ago... Could it be a relic from the Undead War era? But even the dark temples built by the Liches during that time couldn't have remained undiscovered on the lands of the Holy Light Sanctuary," Tia, who had studied dark magic history extensively, began to analyze.

Enrico, however, simply said, "In that case, let's go take a look."

With that, he took Tia's hand and followed the hunter companion into the woods by the roadside.

The ruins were not far away. After traversing about a hundred meters of shrubs, they came across a cave about two people high. From the outside, the cave's sides clearly showed signs of artificial excavation, though they were very old.

After Tia cast "Dark Vision" on the group, they slowly walked dozens of meters into the cave, where it suddenly opened up, revealing an ancient temple built within the cave. The complex runes carved on the stone pillars and beams, along with the various menacing stone carvings, made it clear to everyone present that this was undoubtedly a temple dedicated to the Dark Deity.

"It's hard to believe. Although the path we took wasn't a main road, how could a dark temple exist so close to it without being discovered and destroyed by the Holy Light Sanctuary? Are the Holy Light Sanctuary's people all idiots?" Tia, who was usually composed when talking to Enrico, immediately became caustic when it came to the Holy Light Sanctuary, especially since her parents had been burned at the stake as heretics by the Holy Light forces.

Enrico frowned and thought for a moment before hesitantly saying, "This place is indeed very strange. Reason tells me we should stay away and quickly find another place to hide from the beastmen's pursuit. But my mage's intuition tells me we should explore this ruin. There might be something inside that could help us."

"Oh? Is that so? What do you sense?" Tia immediately asked.

Enrico shook his head slightly and said, "It's hard to explain, but I can confirm that it's a call from a dark power without any hostility."

"Ah, then let's go take a look," the female mage said decisively.

"Hey, hey, I'm just sharing my feelings. It doesn't mean there's no danger inside. Don't be so rash!" The young magic apprentice was startled and quickly tried to dissuade his companion from making a risky decision.

"Don't panic. Although men's intuition is often laughable, I have to admit, you're an incredibly sensitive guy, even to the point of making women jealous, especially when it comes to sensing hostility and danger. It's thanks to your ability that we've survived until today. So don't hesitate, trust yourself," the female mage said with a smile, pulling the young man along as she strode into the broken gates of the dark temple.

As they moved forward, the group soon reached the end of the temple.

There, they found a dragon bone altar.

The altar was three meters high and over ten meters in diameter, entirely constructed of gray-white stone, adorned with carvings of various demonic deities. A black crystal-like dragon skeleton, tens of meters long, coiled around the altar like a relief, exuding an endless pressure that made the altar appear both eerie and majestic.

Enrico examined the altar carefully and said with confusion, "This is indeed an altar from the Undead War era, used to worship the God of Death. Only the Liches would create such a dragon bone altar. However, I've never heard of an altar using this kind of black crystal dragon skeleton."