The Ruined "Votive Power"

The situation changed so rapidly that it far exceeded Teresa's expectations. Almost simultaneously as the silver needles shot through the air, ambushers emerged in various bizarre ways, surrounding Teresa and her party. These ambushers were all dressed completely in black, with even their heads wrapped in black cloths, leaving only two small holes for their eyes.

The reactions of both sides were exceptionally swift; the attackers attacked, and the defenders defended in time. Teresa only had time for a fleeting glance before she was surrounded in the center the next instant. All she could see before her eyes were towering figures dozens of centimeters taller than herself, and all she could hear was the frequent sound of combat echoing not far around her—the crisp and resounding clashing of weapons, and the muffled, overlapping thuds of physical impacts...

Faced with such an unexpected assault, Teresa remained remarkably calm. She immediately flipped her hand to retrieve her alchemical apparatus, and quickly yet silently set up a magical array centered around herself. Because the alchemical apparatus used for the array had been prepared in advance and specially treated, once the formation was established, the magical array's amplification effect on the orcs' combat prowess became extremely obvious. Seizing the momentum, the orcs fought even more fiercely, shielding Teresa and striving to break through the encirclement.

With Lambert serving as the sharp edge of the blade, the entire team cut through like a small boat riding the waves, swaying precariously in the vast sea. Though it looked extremely dangerous, on the verge of capsizing at any moment, they actually sailed smoothly all the way and successfully broke through without a hitch!

Just as they broke through, the group of attackers acted very unusually by not pursuing them at all. Instead, they retreated inward as a whole. Before Teresa and her party could even react, the attackers had already carried their heavily wounded or dead companions and retreated from the corridor in an extremely short amount of time, vanishing into the pitch darkness!

"Damn it!" Li cried out in alarm at the sight. He shoved aside the orc next to him, took a few rapid strides to the prayer room from where countless "ox-hair needles" had previously been shot, and then clenched his fists with a livid expression, striking heavily against the adjacent wall. Cracks instantly spread out in all directions from the center of his fist...

When Teresa followed the others to the doorway and peered inside, she immediately understood the target of these orcs' trip—

There was no light source in the prayer room, which prevented the group from suffering visual interference and allowed them to instantly perceive the chaotic and wild energy flow within the room. It raged wildly throughout the entire space like floodwaters released from a breached gate, yet miraculously, it did not destroy any physical objects nor escape the boundaries of the room.

Without needing to consciously perceive it, simply standing before the door allowed Teresa to feel the madness, out-of-control sorrow, and fury permeating the prayer room... Vaguely, a tattered, disheveled male figure flashed across her mind, wailing to the heavens and engaging in wanton destruction. Her entire mind was filled with a madness and grief profound enough to drown a person...

Teresa shook her head, instantly regaining her clarity of mind. At the same time, she could not help casting a sympathetic glance at Li and the orcs behind him—

This group of orcs was simply too unfortunate...

The anomaly inside the blessing room stemmed from the instinctive release after the dissolution of "Vow Power"—the so-called "Vow Power" is the highly concentrated and extremely purified product of personal spiritual power when a mighty figure with a mind as firm as stone continuously makes the same prayer in the same location over a long period. It is a supreme panacea used to nourish the mind and soul.

However, the requirements for every user of "Vow Power" are also extremely stringent. The user must hold the same philosophy as the mighty figure who "created" the Vow Power and possess an equally firm mind. If there is even the slightest deviation, using "Vow Power" will not only fail to achieve the purpose of nourishing the soul, but may even backlash against the user, causing their mind and spirit to scatter on the spot—commonly known as going mad.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, ordinary people will not mess with "Vow Power." Of course, similarly, if someone wants to find suitable Vow Power, it is also exceptionally difficult.

"Li, calm down." Lambert stood outside the crowd and said, "We still have hope."

"What hope could there be!" Li growled. Unconsciously, he punched the wall again, widening the cracks even further, and dirt and rocks began to slide down from the seams of the wall...

"This is already the last confirmed location. Furthermore, Quincy simply doesn't have enough time left! Damn it, those bastards!"

Following Li's venting, earth and stones crumbled down. Flora had already shielded Teresa and retreated far away, frowning tightly as if extremely dissatisfied with Li's venting behavior.

"Enough!" Lambert appeared by Li's side in a flash, grabbing his hand to halt his actions, and simultaneously said, "Don't forget we are currently deep inside a mountain!"

At this moment, Teresa and the others noticed that Li's eyes had turned completely bloodred, to the point where his pupils and whites were indistinguishable—Li was in a state of semi-berserk.

Berserk is a bloodline skill of the orcs. Anyone with orc lineage has a chance to acquire berserk; however, whether one can truly master this skill depends on individual ability and opportunity. According to historical statistics, the acquisition rate of berserk among orcs is nearly one in ten thousand, or even lower!

As for the semi-berserk state, although it bears the word "semi," it is a state that only appears after one has fully mastered the berserk skill and can freely control the progression of berserk!

This showed that Li was truly a top expert within the orc alliance, an expert among experts!

However, what slightly puzzled Teresa was why such an expert had hardly made a move himself all the way along this journey?

Stimulated by Lambert's internal energy, the semi-berserk Li gradually regained his reason. The red light slowly faded from his eyes, and calm returned. But this did not mean his anger had temporarily dissipated; instead, unable to be vented outward, his anger turned inward, transforming into an icy chill that made people want to retreat three paces away from him.

Lambert was quite satisfied with Li in this state. He released his grip on him and said, "Now, right now, we still have a chance, so there's no need to throw ourselves into chaos."

As soon as Lambert said this, Teresa instantly understood what opportunity he was referring to—

The Source of Vitality!

Compared to "Vow Power," although the Source of Vitality takes effect more slowly, it is gentler and has broader uses—of course, acquiring the Source of Vitality is several times more difficult than acquiring "Vow Power."

The rationalized Li clearly also understood Lambert's insinuation. He rapidly weighed the current situation in his mind, and then said, almost gritting his teeth: "Fall back, call for reinforcements!"

Such a decision was a last resort. Everyone knew the dangers associated with the Source of Vitality, and every member of their party was carrying injuries, unable to exert their maximum strength. If they acted rashly, the only outcome would be the annihilation of the entire team!

As soon as Li mentioned the word "retreat," Teresa's mind, which had been somewhat dizzy from the chaos, instantly recalled a matter and she immediately cried out: "Oh no! Habata! Will Habata and the others also be ambushed? Damn it, we shouldn't have left them behind!"

"Don't worry," having finally suppressed Li's fury, Lambert hurriedly turned back to comfort Teresa. "These people definitely came from another path. If they had sneaked up behind us, it would have been impossible for their speed to surpass ours—besides, I already left some small markers on Habata, and so far, he is very safe."

...

Although Lambert had emphasized Habata's safety, without seeing him alive and well with her own eyes, Teresa still had lingering fears. She hurried along the road in constant anxiety, not realizing her physical exhaustion at all, which to some extent slightly increased the team's advancing speed.

Rushing all the way, they finally returned to their entrance. Seeing the three orcs gathered around a campfire roasting meat in the main hall at a single glance, Teresa let out a long sigh of relief. Her body suddenly went limp due to the sudden relaxation of her tense nerves, and she instinctively slid downward, almost sitting flat on the floor...

"Be careful," Lambert caught her arm, gently lifting her, and then lowered her slowly—after her feet touched the ground, she realized that a soft cushion had somehow appeared beneath her.

"Next time, don't push yourself like this again." Although Lambert's tone was flat, it carried a faint trace of reproach.

Teresa was too tired to even say a single word, and could only offer a faint smile to indicate that she had taken the warning to heart. (To be continued)