The putrid sludge of the swamp reached up to the girl's calves. She seemed to have sustained some injuries, as each step she took caused her visible discomfort. Her face was pale and weak, but she paid no heed to it, gritting her teeth as she pressed on toward the source of the lightning flashes.
In the swamp, there was an area that had been completely scorched. Countless thin bolts of lightning danced across the ground, crackling as they made contact with the damp soil and air, accompanied by small whirlwinds that formed into faint, purplish-blue lightning tendrils.
The two forces intertwined, etching patterns in the void that resembled both lightning and hurricanes, flickering in and out of existence, elusive and mysterious.
At the center of it all, a humanoid figure emerged, surrounded by a faint golden, amber-like aura that pulsed rhythmically with each breath.
This mystical and surreal scene brought a rare brilliance to the otherwise murky and dim swamp, as if it were a scene straight out of an ancient tome. The girl was entranced, and after a moment, her eyes filled with joy as she hurried forward.
"Bang!"
A small bolt of lightning struck the ground at her feet, creating a shallow crater. The splattering mud startled her, causing her to pause in her tracks.
"Leave—"
A deep voice, as if formed by the collision of countless winds and lightning, emanated from the golden aura, carrying an unmistakable tone of dismissal.
The girl's face paled, but she quickly clenched her teeth, mustering her courage to step over the crater and continue forward.
"I know you have no reason to pay attention to someone as insignificant as me,"
The girl knelt at the edge of the scorched lightning zone, performing the rarest of wizardly rituals—the kowtow and kiss-the-earth gesture. Her posture was humble, yet there was a hint of determination and stubbornness in her demeanor.
"But I still beg for your help."
"One hundred and eighty-nine lives, one hundred and eighty-nine wronged souls of the Duoshi family in Baisong Town!"
Every word the girl spat out was soaked in blood and hatred. She raised an object in her hand with great effort, showing it to the figure surrounded by countless lightning bolts. It was a silver-glowing ring.
"All because of this!"
"The heirloom of the Duoshi family, our ancestor's will stated that it points to a great treasure.
To unravel the secret of this treasure, we invited a renowned and powerful wizard, only to find that we had invited a greedy wolf into our home."
The girl's voice was filled with grief and indignation as she lamented the cruel fate that had befallen her.
Finally, she even pulled out a dagger from her bosom, the gleaming blade slicing deeply into her slender, pale palm. Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, soaking a small patch of the ground.
Injured and losing too much blood, the girl appeared even weaker. She coughed violently, spitting blood onto the ground, within which black worms seemed to writhe.
"If you refuse me, this blade will slit my throat in the next second. I will use my humble and weak soul, along with the wronged souls of Baisong Town, to cast the most malevolent curse upon you..."
"But if you are willing to grant me your protection,"
The girl's frail body swayed precariously, but a fire burned fiercely in her eyes. "Whether it is my body, my life, or the secret of the treasure contained within this ring—I will offer it all to you with both hands!"
"Make your choice, esteemed sir."
"Will you be a stranger who turns a blind eye to death and closes my eyes, or will you become another blade in this cold world?"
The girl leaned down, kissing the ground once more. She maintained her kneeling, supplicating posture, yet slightly raised her head, her eyes fixed on the figure surrounded by countless whirlwinds and lightning, at the center of the golden halo. There was a sense of desperate resolve in her gaze.
Time passed second by second. After a long silence, a voice finally emerged from the halo.
"That's quite a story."
The girl, filled with hope, was startled by the voice. Before she could react, a purple bolt of lightning snaked through the void with incredible speed.
In an instant, it pierced her smooth, full forehead, leaving a small, charred hole.
Her pupils rapidly dilated, her expression stunned, as if she had never expected this outcome even in death.
Her lifeless body slumped limply to the ground, while a ghostly soul simultaneously crawled out from her back.
It was an ugly soul, covered in black filth and mud, somewhat resembling the deceased girl but far more grotesque and malevolent.
As soon as the disheveled ghost appeared, its eyes turned a blinding blood-red, locking onto the direction from which the fatal lightning had come. With a low growl, it charged forward, filled with resentment.
At that moment, dense bolts of lightning and currents shot over, quickly forming a cyan-purple net that ensnared the girl's ghost.
The ghost struggled violently within the spell's cage, emitting one terrifying howl after another.
"Whoosh—"
The sound of rushing water filled the air as the countless lightning bolts and whirlwinds within the scorched circle of the swamp collectively contracted inward. The golden halo dissipated.
Moments later, all the streaking lightning and whirlwinds vanished. The golden halo split open, and a tall, slender figure stepped out.
Crystal-smooth white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, draping over a body forged as if from tempered steel, every inch of flesh and skin radiating a terrifying, almost visible power. Faint light patterns floated beneath the glowing, almost luminous skin, resembling complex runes, though incomplete. Who else could it be but Ronan, emerging from the storm's domain?
"A born evil seed?" Ronan stretched his limbs, listening to the subtle crackling sounds of his bones and muscles.
His eyes were clear and bright, like top-tier sapphires polished countless times, with storms seemingly brewing within his pupils. When his gaze fell on the resentful ghost trapped in the lightning cage, the latter immediately recoiled in fear, letting out a shrill scream.
"I didn't expect the 'Soul Amber' to have the ability to see through the essence of a person's soul..."
Ronan spoke softly, conversing with Alazan, who resided within him.
"What did you think? The purity or corruption of a soul reflects a person's good or evil to some extent. This is just the most trivial ability of the 'Soul Amber.' You're just starting out; you'll naturally experience more in the future."
Ronan nodded. This nameless girl, who had suddenly intruded into his secluded healing grounds seeking protection, was undoubtedly a natural-born liar.
Her strength was average, merely a mid-level first-tier wizard, yet she could fabricate a story in front of him, a third-tier wizard, without a change in expression or a flutter in her heart, and the entire process revealed no trace of deceit.
If it weren't for Ronan's cultivation of "Spirit Heart Amber," which allowed him to see the purity or impurity of the souls of those weaker than himself to some extent, and to see through the ugly essence wrapped beneath her fair appearance, an ordinary wizard, perhaps a bit soft-hearted, might have been deceived by her exquisite and splendid performance.
Once the seeds of evil and danger are sown nearby, who knows what kind of vicious and cruel man-eating vines they might grow into in the future.
After being led by Alazan onto the path of soul cultivation, Ronan's understanding of the soul has also deepened day by day.
As for why he had to kill her, on one hand, it was because he happened to encounter her, so he took the opportunity to snuff out an evil seed; on the other hand, the girl was already under the influence of some malevolent curse spell, and the power of the curse had penetrated deep into her bones. If nothing unexpected happened, she would face endless torment and suffering.
Ronan directly killed her, which could also be seen as a way to end her suffering in advance.
"Such an evil spirit is indeed a top-notch material for practicing necromancy, but I already have one in hand, so it can only be used as food to feed..."
Ronan took out an ancient-looking square cowbell from his space ring and gently shook it in his hand. Thick black smoke poured out, and a young man with a pale face and eyes weeping blood silently emerged from it.
The vengeful spirit Ahashiah, whom Ronan had always used as the arrow embryo for "Ghost Arrow," had devoured many ancient sea clan's vengeful spirits in the belly of the Green Glow Abyss's Wailing Fish King last time, greatly increasing his strength. However, he was later severely injured by the terrifying sound wave attack of the Comb Bone Demon Snail.
Back and forth, the spirit body actually became a bit weaker.
Now, this naturally evil vengeful spirit is just right to replenish him.
Ronan slightly opened a gap in the casually laid out spell electric net, and Ahashiah immediately rushed in, pouncing and wrapping the evil woman's vengeful spirit. Following that, all that could be heard was Ahashiah's cheerful chewing and the girl's vengeful spirit's painful screams.
After doing all this, Ronan's gaze swept over the ground, and a silver ring stained with blood floated up, actively falling into his palm.
Ronan narrowed his eyes to examine this silver ring with a strong ancient aura. The entire ring looked very ordinary from the outside, as if a piece of silver cloth had been randomly wrapped and then tied into a knot, with that silver knot being the only decoration on the ring.
"Alazan, can you tell the origin of this ring?"
Ronan asked the soul of Alazan within him. He could vaguely sense the ancient and extraordinary nature of this ring, and the secret about the ring in the story the girl fabricated was also likely true.
"It's just the most ordinary chain ring..."
Alazan quickly gave the answer, "In our era, such things were almost everywhere."
Ronan directly ignored the sense of superiority revealed in Alazan's words and pressed on, "What is a chain ring?"
"The key to opening a treasure goblin's private treasure vault."
"A treasure goblin?!"
Ronan was slightly taken aback, instinctively recalling the time he had visited the Goblin Plain in the south. Back then, his companion from the Silver Magic Ring, Clemens, had mentioned to him that there were traces of ancient treasure-stealing goblins on the Goblin Plain, and that beneath it lay a vast treasure trove.
At the time, he had dismissed it as mere legend and folklore. He never expected to now encounter a real treasure hoard of these treasure-stealing goblins.
"Every treasure-stealing goblin has its own private treasure vault, filled with items it has stolen from various places. The value of the treasures within the vault is often linked to the rank of the vault itself. The linked ring you hold in your hand was left by a lowly Silver-Eared Goblin. What kind of decent treasure could a Silver-Eared Goblin possibly steal? They can't even breach the dragon's might domain of Bahafus."
Ronan could almost imagine Ahashiah shaking his head, his face filled with disdain and contempt.
"Moreover, obtaining the linked ring is just the first step. You still need to find the exact location of the goblin's treasure vault. Otherwise, you'll have to rely on the World Stone for a search. If you have a World Stone in your possession, my advice would be to use it to open the gates to those lost inter-dimensional spaces first. I remember quite a few coordinates, and finding any one of them would yield a treasure far greater than the private vault of a mere Silver-Eared Goblin."
"Is it really that troublesome?" Ronan nodded, the initial interest he had in the treasure-stealing goblin's private vault somewhat dampened by Ahashiah's words.
He casually put away the linked ring and was about to check if Ahashiah had finished eating when Ahashiah suddenly changed the subject, speaking in a low voice, "Actually, what I'm more interested in right now is you. Having been baptized by a storm bolt from the Stormweaver, how do you feel now?"
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