We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 443 [Ancient Covenant] [The Shadow of the Heart-Stealing Apostle]

In the battlefield.

Shane's figure weaved among the giant apes.

Each swing of the Void Blade created a black void rift, tearing the giant ape's body to pieces.

His movements were precise and elegant, as if the Grim Reaper had descended, reaping these weapons of war formed from the secret power of nature.

at the same time.

Joey stood at the edge of the battlefield, raised his staff, and chanted an ancient incantation in a low voice.

A blue light emanated from her body.

The water vapor in the air condensed rapidly, turning into streams of water.

The warriors and giant apes charged towards the Ancient Spirits like dragons.

Wherever the torrent passed, the Ancient Spirit Clan's formation was shattered.

The giant ape was also bound by the water flow, and its movements became sluggish.

only.

Joey's magic also revealed her location, and several Ancient Spirits immediately attacked her.

"Carles, cover me!"

Joey shouted.

"understand!"

Karlless's voice came from the steam armor; her figure was like a mobile fortress.

Steam billowed from the gaps in her armor, producing a low rumble.

She raised her enormous steam-powered gauntlets and slammed them down on the ground.

The ground cracked instantly.

Steam gushed out of the crack, forming a scorching steam barrier that blocked the Ancient Spirits' attack route.

Immediately afterwards, her figure moved through the forest like a ghost.

Each attack resulted in the fall of several members of the Ancient Spirit Clan.

Anze stood on the other side of the battlefield.

She held a huge, heavy sword in her hand, its blade thick and broad.

It doesn't look sharp, but it exudes a heavy sense of oppression.

Her fighting style is simple and direct; every swing of her sword carries unparalleled power, as if it could split mountains.

A heavy sword has no edge, and great skill lies in simplicity. An's swordsmanship has no fancy techniques, yet it is full of destructive power.

However, her fighting style contrasts sharply with her slender appearance.

An Ancient Spirit warrior attempted to ambush An from the side, but she easily detected him.

An suddenly turned around, his heavy sword sweeping horizontally, creating a gust of wind.

The soldier was sent flying several meters away, crashing heavily into a large tree and losing his ability to fight.

"An, watch out behind you!"

Tracy's voice came from the air.

Although she was rescued by Xia En, she did not leave the battlefield.

Instead, they used their flying ability to observe the battle situation from the air and promptly alert their comrades.

Upon hearing the warning, An quickly turned to the side, dodging a secret-powered arrow that came from behind.

She looked up in the direction from which the arrow had come.

An Ancient Elf archer has been spotted standing on a treetop in the distance, preparing to launch another attack.

"Humph!"

An snorted coldly, leaped up suddenly, raised his heavy sword high above his head, and slashed down fiercely at the archer.

The archers clearly hadn't expected Anne to be so fast.

Before he could react, he was struck by the heavy sword and fell from the treetop.

at the same time.

Shaen also roamed among the giant apes, reaping the lives of these manufactured war machines.

"Roar!"

Another giant ape collapsed to the ground amidst a roar.

Seeing this, the High Priest of the Ancient Spirit Clan looked increasingly grim.

He slammed his hand on the altar, and the runes on it lit up again.

More natural mystic power was rapidly extracted and condensed into a giant ape of even greater size.

This giant ape's aura far surpassed that of the previous ones, clearly indicating that it had reached the legendary level.

Trish warned, "Captain Shane, that giant ape is no ordinary creature!"

Xia En nodded, his gaze fixed on the legendary giant ape.

He could sense that the giant ape's power was indeed not to be underestimated, and even surpassed that of the big guy he had encountered before.

But that wasn't enough to make him back down.

"Come on, let me see your strength."

Xia En whispered something, and in a flash, he rushed directly towards the legendary giant ape.

The giant ape roared and its enormous fist slammed down on Xia En with terrifying force.

however.

Shaun's figure moved like a ghost through the giant ape's attacks.

Each swing of the Void Blade left a deep wound on the giant ape.

In the last battle, Shane also figured out the attack patterns of this giant ape.

They are, after all, manufactured beings, and their fighting style is somewhat rigid.

"Roar!"

The giant ape roared in pain, wildly swinging its fists, trying to hit Shane.

Unfortunately, its attacks could never touch Shane.

"ended."

Xia En said coldly, and the Void Blade in his hand suddenly expanded, transforming into a huge black light blade.

He leaped high into the air, his light blade slashing towards the giant ape with an aura of annihilation.

"die!"

As the light blade fell, the giant ape's body was split in two, and its massive form crashed to the ground, dissipating into countless natural mystical forces.

Upon seeing this, the high priest's face turned deathly pale.

He never expected that the legendary giant ape he summoned would be defeated so easily by Shane.

After the giant ape fell, the battle quickly shifted in Shane's favor.

The Ancient Spirits' camp was thrown into chaos.

The giant apes surrounding the altar were destroyed by Shane and Joey working together.

The warriors of the Ancient Spirits were also forced into retreat under the fierce attacks of Karles and An.

"ended."

A moment later, Xia En said coldly, pointing the Void Blade in his hand at the High Priest.

The high priest gritted his teeth and suddenly swung his staff.

A barrier of natural mystic energy formed in front of him, attempting to block Shane's attack.

However, Shane's Void Blade easily pierced the barrier, heading straight for the High Priest's chest.

"You...you invaders..."

The high priest's voice was filled with resentment and anger: "Our king will avenge us!"

Before he could finish speaking, the Void Blade pierced his chest.

With the High Priest's fall, the Ancient Spirits' camp descended into complete chaos.

The remaining Ancient Elf warriors fled in disarray, disappearing into the dense forest.

Instead of pursuing the fleeing warriors, Shane turned his gaze to the altar not far away.

Only by destroying these altars can we prevent the Ancient Spirits from continuously creating war weapons formed from the condensation of natural mystic power.

"Hmm? These stones are..."

Shane quickly noticed the minerals on the altar that contained mysterious power.

Trish flew to his side and explained, "That's right, these are [Rhinestones], also known as [Holy Stones] by the [Ancient Spirits]."

“I had heard before that they have their own mining areas and are quarrying these stones in large quantities to make weapons of war.”

Shaun nodded, his brow furrowing slightly. "The [Holy Stone]...it seems they have other ways of using the [Rhinestone]."

Trish continued, "Also, their understanding of the elves seems to be somewhat problematic."

"They believe the elves are brutal invaders who slaughtered and drove out their ancestors."

"This view is deeply ingrained in their minds."

Xia En pondered for a moment, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "This is indeed very strange."

"If you only consider the elves as invaders, that's understandable, but their brutality..."

"Something's not right here."

at this time.

Iris stepped forward and said, "Could it be... that their perception has been distorted?"

"Just like the former City of Giant Trees."

"The former City of Giant Trees?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En's heart stirred.

The city of giant trees, where the tree people live, was once ruled by the giant tree god.

Let them accept the Seed of Corruption as the Seed of Life.

The decaying appearance of the tree people is hidden beneath their vibrant exterior.

If the memories and cognition of the Ancient Spirits were also distorted by some being, perhaps such a situation would occur.

"That is indeed possible."

"However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the elves did indeed drive out the Ancient Spirits."

After thinking for a moment, Xia En said, "I think I need to go back to the [Elf Realm] first and confirm the truth of this matter with An Qi."

"However, before that, we must destroy this altar first."

As he spoke, Shane walked to the center of the altar, slightly raising the Void Blade in his hand.

He took a deep breath, and the Void Secret Power within his body began to surge, with black energy flowing along the blade.

With a low shout, he slashed down with the Void Blade.

Black energy swept across the entire altar like a tidal wave.

"boom!"

The runes on the altar shattered instantly, and the [Rhinestone] turned to dust under the impact of the Void's mystic power.

Immediately afterwards, the entire altar began to collapse.

The rich, mysterious power of nature spread out, as if it had lost its supporting force.

With the destruction of the altar, the surrounding environment also changed.

The oppressive atmosphere of the forest gradually dissipated, and light once again filtered through the treetops, causing the invisible pressure in the air to disappear as well.

Xia En withdrew his Void Secret Power and turned to speak to the crowd.

"The altar has been destroyed. Let's go to the [Elf Realm] first."

"Yes, Captain Shane!"

With the activation of the [Empty Beast Heart Seal]

The group returned to the [Elf Realm] with ease.

As soon as you step into the secret realm, a refreshing natural atmosphere greets you.

This contrasts sharply with the oppressive atmosphere in the Ancient Spirit Forest.

Without delay, Xia En led everyone directly to the [Fountain of Life] where Angie was located.

Angie was standing beside the Fountain of Life, holding a jade-green staff in her hand, seemingly sensing something.

When she saw Xia En and the others rushing over, she was slightly taken aback, then revealed a gentle smile.

"Captain Shane, how come you're back so soon?"

"Could it be that we've already found the [Purification Stone]?"

Xia En shook his head, his expression serious: "Not yet."

"However, we discovered the Ancient Spirit Clan's camp in the Rhine Secret Realm."

"And I learned some disturbing news."

He briefly told Angie about the Ancient Spirits' hostile attitude towards the Elves and their description of the Elves' "brutal history".

After hearing this, Anqi frowned, a look of shock and confusion flashing in her eyes.

"This is impossible!"

Angie shook her head firmly: "The Elf race has never carried out any form of slaughter or expulsion against the Ancient Spirit race."

"We have always advocated peace and coexistence with nature, how could we possibly commit such a brutal act?"

Xia En nodded in understanding: "I also think there's something wrong with this."

"But the Ancient Spirit Clan's attitude is very firm."

"It seems... their history has been distorted by some force."

Angie pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up.

"Wait, perhaps I can prove the innocence of the elves."

She turned and walked towards an ancient giant tree next to the Fountain of Life, and gently pressed her hand on the trunk.

A ring of complex runes appeared on the surface of the tree trunk.

It then slowly cracked open, revealing a hidden tree hole.

Angie took out a yellowed bark scroll from the tree hole. The scroll was covered with ancient elven script.

"This is a covenant signed between the Elven race and the Ancient Elven race in ancient times."

Angie handed the scroll to Xia En: "It clearly states that both sides agree not to invade each other's territory and to jointly protect nature."

"The power of the oath still exists today, which shows that the Elven race has never broken the oath."

Xia En took the scroll.

I could feel a gentle yet powerful natural energy emanating from the scroll.

He unfurled the scroll, and a solemn and sacred power emanated from it.

And the Elvish language on it was just as Angie had said.

"The power of the oath is indeed real."

Shaun nodded and said, "This shows that the Elven race has never taken any hostile actions against the Ancient Elven race."

"Then, the hostility of the Ancient Spirits towards the Elves is likely due to their memories being distorted by some kind of force."

Angie sighed, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"If that's the case, then the problem becomes even more complicated."

We must find the root cause of the distorted memories of the Ancient Spirits, or this war will be unavoidable.

Suddenly, Angie thought of something.

"Wait, Captain Shane, could it be... the [Mind Flayer]?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En raised an eyebrow.

The Heart-Stealing Apostle is one of the Filthy Apostles under the command of the Filthy Fate Master.

Judging from previous encounters with His minions, the Mind Flayer possesses the ability to manipulate emotions and even thoughts.

Therefore, it is not impossible to distort the cognition and memory of the Ancient Spirit Clan!
And, on the other hand.

The appearance of the Black Sun in the Sky indicates that the Fel God has been trying to invade the Elf Realm.

Coincidentally, not long after the [Black Sun Ascension] occurred, the power of the [Mind Flayer] corrupted the [Fountain of Life].

It's not hard to guess.

Perhaps, a long time ago.

The Heart-Stealing Apostle had already begun infiltrating the Rhine Realm and distorting the memories and perceptions of the Ancient Spirits.

This distortion not only caused the Ancient Spirits to develop extreme hostility towards the Elves.

It also made them distrust all outsiders, thus triggering the impending war.

After a moment of contemplation, Xia En spoke slowly.

"If it really is the [Mind Flayer] manipulating things behind the scenes, then things are more complicated than we imagined."

"His purpose was clearly not just to incite hatred between the Ancient Elven race and the Elven race."

"Instead, they want to further weaken the power of the [Rhine Realm] through this war, paving the way for the invasion of [Filthy Fate]."

at this time.

Tracy suddenly spoke up: "Captain Shane, I think..."

"That king of the Ancient Spirit Clan seems to have a problem!"

(End of this chapter)