Crunch, crunch.

A few green beasts, crunching on bones like snacks, suddenly looked up and then scattered in escape.

In the distance, a massive green beast also lifted its head, eyes glowing like green flames that stood out in the dark night, a deadly trap luring people close; it was unmistakably a 'Deep Sea' class green beast!

Yet it hurriedly closed its eyes, fearing to draw attention, sneaking away quickly and silently.

Not long after, a group of mages crossed the battlefield filled with corpses, arriving at a wind-blocked spot by a cliff, and set up their large tent stakes, laid down floor mats and moisture-proof sheets before crawling inside. After days of camping, they knew how to live comfortably in the wild.

Qikara pulled out a portable stove, using the Flame Technique Spirit as a fire source, and started preparing supper. As a Fire Mage and slave, he naturally took on the role of chef.

Only they dared to cook supper in the night. The green beasts in the distance, eyeing the scent, turned even greener but dared not approach within a hundred meters of the tent.

"What's for dinner tonight?"

"Perilla spicy lala fat."

"No way, my mouth's starting to water; is there something to tide me over?"

At this moment, a bottle of wine was handed to Ash.

Ash took it and drank a mouthful, glancing at Black Crow in surprise: "You actually took someone else's wine? Tamasi Warrior, the Judge thinks your reflection is quite lacking."

"It's the property of the Four Pillars believers anyway," Black Crow said, "Grabbing their stuff is executing justice."

"What do we do next?" Harvey trimming his nails, tossed them into Alice's lunchbox: "It's enough that the Four Pillars God Sect surrounds us, but the Silent Spiral also houses their main combat force; we can't possibly venture inside."

"Feels like Senluo has turned hostile against us," Ash said gloomily: "When we weren't going to the Silent Spiral, no one cared. Now as soon as we want to go, the entire continent starts competing for the Silent Spiral!"

It had been a whole month since they left Black Robe Town.

Originally the journey was supposed to take just over ten days, but due to the front lines constantly leading them by half a step, they ended up spending twice the time.

Wherever they went, the battle lines were pushed forward as if they were the catalysts of war.

The main reason naturally wasn't related to them but stemmed from a suddenly erupting rumor: as long as the Four Pillars God Sect occupies the Silent Spiral, they can summon the Phantom of the Pillar God, destroying the Qinri Alliance's resistance!

Silent Spiral has always been within the Qinri Alliance's territory, and following the eruption of this rumor, the Four Pillars God Sect fiercely attacked towards the Silent Spiral. Regardless of whether the rumor was true, Silent Spiral has always been the most important trial ground shared by all sects, even the Tribulation Fire Temple is entitled to it; naturally, the Qinri Alliance couldn't let the Holy Land fall into the hands of the Four Pillars God Sect.

The two sides engaged in a tug-of-war over the Silent Spiral, turning the surrounding area into a battleground.

Ash and his group, who belonged to no one side, naturally ended up caught in the crossfire.

Being caught in the crossfire was bad enough, but the battle zones were littered with traps and mines, leaving the four Holy Sanctuary Mages Ash, Igula, Harvey, and Qikara thoroughly disgusted, not to mention Black Crow and Gwen, who couldn't instantaneously defend themselves.

They originally planned to sneak into the Silent Spiral amidst the chaos but arrived a step late, as the Four Pillars God Sect had already taken over the Silent Spiral.

Even worse, a Legendary Mage was already inside.

A Legendary Mage who had been a dominant force in the Wasteland for many years!

Of course, Legendary Mages can't effortlessly crush Holy Sanctuary Mages; if the latter can't win, they can definitely escape, as Holy Domain isn't purely for show.

However, Ash and his group entering the Silent Spiral this time wasn't the end goal; it required ongoing experimentation that could take several days or even half a month to refresh the portal leading to Gospel.

Playing hide and seek for over ten days under the nose of a Legendary Mage? Even the most reckless Harvey wouldn't entertain such a thought.

"Just wait."

Black Crow's distorted voice echoed inside the tent: "Wait until the Four Pillars God Sect withdraws from the Silent Spiral; we'll enter then with no need to tangle with them."

"Exactly," Igula nodded, "We've already spent three months in Senluo, another month isn't a concern. Since there's a clear way home, there's no need to stir up trouble, and most importantly, we can afford to wait."

Ash nodded silently.

Indeed, distant as and deep as the ocean was his hatred towards the Four Pillars God Sect, indeed he delighted in disrupting their plans. But sacrificing the chance to return home would be far too foolish.

Moreover, they weren't even capable of defeating the Four Pillars God Sect.

Once their magic matures, they could possibly return to Senluo and deal with the Four Pillars God Sect later, but now returning safely to Gospel was the priority, and everything else needed to make way for this.

If forced to barge into the Silent Spiral now and get caught in danger, Ash could guarantee that once Sword Maiden found out, the Witch would tie him up and slap him, calling him a silly trumpet.

Everyone understood that, but there was still a small matter that made them quite uneasy.

"Ash," Igula suddenly said, "Did you just finish that?"

"Huh?" Ash glanced at the bottle in his hand: "It seemed quite tasty, the more I drank the better, and before realizing..."

"Like it?" Black Crow said calmly: "That's Ya Sha Jin's specialty, Raven's Blood wine."

He paused: "Made from corpses."

Ash: "…"

Harvey's eyes lit up though somewhat regretfully, silently gave Ash a thumbs up.

"Ya Sha Jin sect possesses a Gray Fox inheritance we call 'Blood Spring.' Blood Spring cannot be replenished by any other means; only by tossing corpses into it does new wine flow out. Ya Sha Jin's sect leader discovered that tossing wicked people's corpses produced more wine and of higher quality, offering stimulation, increasing comprehension, hastening magic power recovery, among other effects."

"In addition to personal use, Raven's Blood wine is also sold as it's the main economic source of the Ya Sha Jin sect."

"Thus we refer to ourselves as Ravens," Black Crow glanced around, "Ravens, after all, are scavenging animals; we survive by devouring the corpses of the wicked."

"Actually it has nothing to do with being wicked," Igula added quite dispassionately: "Only mages have the power to commit evil; as long as you toss a mage's corpse in, it'll produce wine."

Black Crow neither confirmed nor denied but continued: "The Ya Sha Jin sect doesn't have gourmet food; Raven's Blood wine is the best banquet drink we can find. Every gathering consumes over a dozen barrels of Raven's Blood wine, even sometimes directly tossing wicked people's corpses in, drinking the newly brewed wine—many find new wine to be more exhilarating."

Though sounding somewhat disgusting, it perfectly matched the style of the Ya Sha Jin sect. Ash looked at the empty bottle in his hand and, feeling guilty, said, "Sorry... for drinking all your wine."

"No problem," Black Crow said: "Everyone in the Ya Sha Jin sect is addicted to Raven's Blood wine, except me."

No one noticed Igula showing an unusual expression upon hearing this statement.

"Supper is ready!" Qikara opened the pressure cooker, distributing plates to everyone, each receiving a portion, while the rest belonged to the Beastman.

"So we're camping nearby?" Ash asked.

"We can retreat to a town," Gwen suggested, "and come back to Silent Spiral after it all ends."

"No," Harvey rejected, "If the Qinri Alliance takes over Silent Spiral, entering would be troublesome. The chaotic window period after the Four Pillars God Sect's departure is our best chance to sneak in."

"Then we must find a good camping spot nearby to observe the situation," Ash looked at Black Crow, "Tamasi, during this period..."

"I won't hunt the Four Pillars God Sect," Black Crow declared firmly, "I've already realized it's moot. As long as Tanomu lives, believers of the Four Pillars God Sect will only grow in number; on my side, I kill one, and she pulls in two. Only by killing Tanomu can the problem be solved."

"But ever since I nearly assassinated her, Tanomu has been extremely cautious, constantly commanding the Four Pillars God Sect via a conduit, living in secret revelry, protected by summoned strongmen at the slightest sign of disturbance."

"Unless her exact location is known, I won't act lightly."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

*

The next day, Black Crow vanished.

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