104: Chapter 104 Strange Skeletons

Magic power should be saved when it can be saved and used when it must be used.

Moreover, Nie Ning's mana storage capacity had been enhanced while clearing elemental erosion.

Nie Ning cleared a three-meter wide space and then reached out, aiming at the stones below.

Purple electric arcs flickered in Nie Ning's palm, followed by a crescent blade flashing with lightning that struck the ground directly.

'Bang!'

With a muffled thud, a gash was cleaved into the stone blocks.

Seeing that the 'Lightning Edge Blade' was effective, Nie Ning cast it twice more in succession, carving out a hole in the ground large enough to accommodate two people at once.

Nie Ning tossed a ball of fire into the hole; about four or five meters down was level ground.

"Come on down."

Nie Ning looked up and shouted.

Seeing someone jump down, Nie Ning entered the hole below directly.

...

With flames burning in his hand, Nie Ning's eyes scanned the surroundings.

He saw several stone pillars carved with patterns, and the stone walls in every direction were similarly engraved with designs of flowers and birds. The entire space was roughly three hundred square meters.

To Nie Ning's left was a doorway, and further in to the right was a massive metal throne.

This place didn't look like a gang's hideout; it looked more like a royal court. Perhaps this was where the Blood Flame Knights Association handled official business.

At this time, Ivy and the others jumped down one by one.

"Is this the Blood Flame Knights Association? It doesn't seem like anything special."

Ivy looked around and muttered softly.

"After all, at least three hundred years have passed since then. We aren't archaeologists, so naturally, we wouldn't appreciate it."

Dasleen smiled and said.

Mainly because everyone was still young and had no concept of antiques; to them, these things were no different from the dirt above and couldn't pique their interest.

"A cult's headquarters should be quite large. Let's look around for clues first."

Speaking of which, Nie Ning added an instruction: "Don't wander too far from me, lest you encounter danger and I can't save you in time."

The four nodded and then spread out.

...

"There are human bones here."

While Nie Ning was observing the stone walls, Auston's voice came from not far away.

Nie Ning walked over to check and found a skeleton slumped against a stone pillar, looking as if it were peeking at something.

Furthermore, the surface of the skeleton was gray, as if it had been poisoned.

Even more bizarrely, the skeleton was in a standing position, as if someone had intentionally posed it that way.

Auston poked the skeleton with his longsword.

"No wonder it doesn't fall. This skeleton is like it's been glued; it feels as if it was suddenly petrified here."

Hearing this, Nie Ning frowned slightly.

As a Wizard, his powerful Spiritual Power gave him different perceptions, allowing him to discover things ordinary people could not.

If his senses weren't mistaken, a faint aura of corruption seemed to be clinging to the skeleton.

Normally, the Power of Corruption is like an element—a substance dispersed in the air, and even rarer than elements.

While the Power of Corruption on the skeleton was thin, it was much more concentrated than the Power of Corruption in the air.

Seeing this, Nie Ning hurriedly called back Ivy and the other two who were wandering around.

If there really was a Corruptor here, exploring separately would undoubtedly be the most foolish decision.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Ivy glanced at the skeleton and asked with some confusion.

For a ruin, although the skeleton's posture was a bit strange, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?

Nie Ning then explained the situation.

Even though it was just a guess, if there really was a Corruptor, the problem would be massive.

...

After discussing for a while, Ivy and the others clearly didn't want to leave just like that.

After all, wealth is found in danger. Once they obtained the Bloodflame Secret Technique here, stepping into the Great Knight level would only be a matter of time, and they might even go a step further.

"My Lord, what do you think?"

Auston looked at Nie Ning and asked cautiously.

If even Nie Ning wanted to leave, then this place must be extremely dangerous, and there would be little point in them staying.

Nie Ning rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought.

Since he was already here, Nie Ning naturally didn't want to leave empty-handed and dejected.

Moreover, it was only a guess. So many years had passed; perhaps the Corruptor had long since left this place.

Of course, there was another reason: the Blood Flame Secret Art.

However, he didn't want it for himself; he wanted to give it to his old friend, Borton.

Borton's help had benefited him greatly, and he had always wanted to give Borton something in return, but he hadn't found anything suitable.

If he had the Blood Flame Secret Art, Borton would surely be very happy.

"Then let's explore. If things become impossible, we'll withdraw immediately."

After some thought, Nie Ning decided to explore.

He was already so strong; there was no reason to leave so pathetically.

Plus, he had Corruption Element Control, which was enough to turn all his attacks into corruption damage, perfectly countering Corruptors.

"You are so wonderful."

Ivy hugged Nie Ning's arm and jumped for joy, and smiles appeared on the others' faces as well.

With Nie Ning around, their chances of obtaining the Blood Flame Secret Art would increase greatly.

...

The entire hall had three doors. Besides the main entrance, there was a door on each side of the throne.

Since he couldn't probe the entire ruin, Nie Ning made a die out of stone and, under the strange looks from Ivy and the others, chose the door to the left of the throne.

"What are you looking at me for? How about best two out of three?"

Noticing their strange looks, Nie Ning curled his lip and held the die out to them.

Eden gave a sheepish laugh. "This is fine, quite fine."

The others echoed him.

After all, they didn't have a better way. Leaving it to fate might actually lead to a discovery.

Besides, if they couldn't find anything, the worst they could do was turn back and look again; there was no need to make Nie Ning unhappy.

...

After deciding, the group walked into the doorway to the left of the throne.

Inside was a long, narrow corridor, and because of the accumulated dirt, only a passage near the ceiling remained.

Everyone continued forward cautiously and soon discovered several skeletons.

They had also died in strange ways, their bones remaining intact for ages, as if they had been suddenly petrified before death.

Fortunately, Nie Ning did not sense any strong corruption energy.

"It feels a bit scary."

Ivy looked at the surrounding remains and couldn't help but lean closer to Nie Ning.

"What's there to be scared of? As a Knight, shouldn't you be standing in front of me?"

Nie Ning pushed Ivy slightly ahead of him.

In this claustrophobic space, never mind Ivy, even he felt a bit uneasy, fearing that something frightening might suddenly pop out from some corner.

Following behind, Dasleen couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight.

As expected, strong men were all lacking in romance, their minds entirely focused on cultivation.

...