185: Lin Chuan has returned, and the martial arts tournament is about to begin.

Looking at the attributes of this equipment, there was no dispute; only A Fei in the team wore cloth armor, so Jian Wuxie handed it directly to him.

A Fei hesitated for a moment after taking the equipment.

"What's wrong?" Quan Wudi asked.

"The Heimdal Noble Set I'm wearing right now is a complete set. If I equip this, not only will there be no improvement, but my attributes will also drop significantly!" A Fei said.

The others then remembered that everyone was currently wearing sets. A single piece of Lord Artifact like this, if it didn't have exceptional attributes, was indeed not worth replacing.

"Forget it, just keep it for now. This is cloth armor anyway, so even if you don't wear it, it can only belong to you." Jian Wuxie was a bit depressed; it was the first time after a Lord Artifact dropped that no one could use it.

A Fei nodded, put the equipment away, and picked up the crystal on the ground to examine it.

[Cursed Medium]

Quest Item

Contains the curse of the fallen goddess of beauty, Venus.

A Fei looked at the crystal and said, "It seems our guess was correct. This isn't a blessing at all. From start to finish, this Yaksha is a curse."

Quan Wudi laughed, "I told you, how could these ugly things be blessed creatures?"

Xiao Hongyuan nodded, "Once we find the path to the Second Spine in a bit, let's go back and ask Ophelia what's really going on."

The four left the Boss Room and walked in the direction Ophelia had indicated, and sure enough, they saw a path behind the temple.

"It looks like there really is a path to the Second Spine here; we didn't look in the wrong place," Xiao Hongyuan said.

"So, what do we do now?" Jian Wuxie asked.

Xiao Hongyuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's head back first and clarify the matter of the curse. The Martial Arts Tournament starts tomorrow, so everyone should rest and recuperate. We'll continue after the event is over."

The other three nodded in agreement.

Xiao Hongyuan led the team back to the city.

After leaving the Sky Curtain Great Beast, the four found Ophelia.

Seeing the four of them, Ophelia asked with a worried look, "How is it, Adventurers? Did you find the path to the Second Spine?"

Xiao Hongyuan nodded, "We found it."

"That's good. God will bless you." Ophelia sighed in relief.

Xiao Hongyuan took the crystal from A Fei and handed it to Ophelia, saying, "But don't you think you should explain this?"

Ophelia's expression changed when she saw the crystal in Xiao Hongyuan's hand, and then she said helplessly, "I knew I couldn't keep this from you. You really did find the Bishop there."

Xiao Hongyuan didn't speak, waiting for Ophelia's explanation.

Ophelia said, "That temple belongs to the goddess of beauty, Venus. I don't know when it started, but the goddess of beauty actually cursed the people who had always worshipped her. The Cultists in that temple were all cursed and turned into monsters like those Yakshas."

Ophelia lowered her head and continued, "Later, even the Bishop at the time discovered he was tainted by the curse. To contain the news, we designated that place as a Forbidden Ground, hoping to keep the information hidden."

"Is that why you didn't want us to go in?" Xiao Hongyuan asked.

Ophelia nodded, "Yes, but since you've obtained this..." Ophelia held up the crystal and continued, "it means you've already helped the High Priest find peace, right?"

Xiao Hongyuan nodded, "Yes. During our battle, a phantom of that goddess of beauty appeared from the Yaksha."

Ophelia said, "We didn't want people to know that the goddess we worship had actually fallen, so we made up the lie that Yakshas were blessed creatures. I didn't expect you to find out anyway."

Since it concerned faith, Xiao Hongyuan couldn't say much and could only comfort her, "Don't worry, we won't go around spreading the word."

Ophelia shook her head, "Sooner or later, other Adventurers will find out. In that case, we might as well make it public. I'll discuss with Sister Sharan how to handle what comes next."

Ophelia looked at the four and said, "Since you've found the path to the Second Spine, when do you plan to go see Rotus?"

Xiao Hongyuan said, "We'll go after we've rested and regrouped."

Meanwhile, outside the Secret Realm, Lin Chuan saw a white-haired old woman take the initiative to find Qin Yi, accompanied by an old acquaintance, Eunuch Wei.

Eunuch Wei looked at Lin Chuan and the others, nodding awkwardly as a greeting.

Qin Yi said, "Eunuch Wei, I told you that old thief wouldn't dare to come, didn't I?"

Eunuch Wei's face looked a bit unpleasant, and he didn't respond, instead asking, "What about the other things?"

Qin Yi didn't feel like saying much either and nodded to Granny Jin.

Granny Jin took out a small box and handed it to Eunuch Wei.

Having received the box, Eunuch Wei wanted to open it.

But Qin Yi suddenly spoke up, "You still dare to look? Aren't you afraid that old thief will kill you to keep you quiet?"

Eunuch Wei's whole body trembled, and his hand froze in mid-air.

But Qin Yi laughed, "Forget it, it doesn't matter if you look or not. That old thief probably won't trust you anyway. Eunuch Wei, be careful after you go back!"

Hearing Qin Yi say this, Eunuch Wei instantly felt that he shouldn't have taken this job in the first place.

He didn't reply, but simply put the box away and prepared to leave.

Qin Yi said to Eunuch Wei's departing back, "Eunuch Wei, tell that old thief for me that I know he'll find a way to kill me. I'm waiting right here, so tell him to hurry up!"

Eunuch Wei looked back once, said nothing, and left directly by Sword Flight.

Li Rufeng laughed, "You kid, just a Mortal, where do you get such confidence? Our Spirit Realm Sect won't get involved!"

Qin Yi smiled slightly, "I know my father too well. By saying this, since he's suspicious by nature, he'll be even more afraid to come."

Lin Chuan laughed, "You kid certainly see through human nature."

Qin Yi smiled, "I have no choice. Since I'm born unable to Cultivate, I have to have a way to protect myself."

Lin Chuan pointed to Tianquan Peak and said, "The entrance to the Secret Realm is at the top of that peak. Do as you please. I have things to do, so I'll be going now."

Qin Yi didn't stand on ceremony either, nodded, and said, "Thank you, Master Lin."

Lin Chuan hurried back to his residence and collapsed onto the lounge chair in the courtyard, sighing comfortably, "Ah, there's no place like home!"

Suddenly, two figures ran out of the house. Seeing Lin Chuan, they shouted happily, "Revered Master, you're back!"

Lin Chuan looked up and saw that it was the siblings Xiao Xiao and Er Gou. They hadn't gone to the Secret Realm and were actually at home.

Lin Chuan quite missed these two little rascals.

Lin Chuan asked, "Weren't you two planning to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament? Why aren't you training in the Secret Realm? Have you been slacking off?"

Xiao Xiao said, "Brother and I just came out not long ago. We haven't been slacking!"

Lin Chuan asked with a smile, "How was it? Did you encounter any experts during your training these past few days?"

Xiao Xiao suddenly remembered something and said, "The combat combos Revered Master taught are very useful, but Brother met a weirdo."

Lin Chuan became interested and looked at Er Gou, "Er Gou, what kind of weirdo? How was he weird?"

Er Gou scratched his head, "It's a Berserker named Big Monkey. He's very weird, terribly unskilled, but he refuses to give up and keeps chasing me for practice every day."