CHAPTER 380: 149 PROFANING THE ANCIENT BEAST (PLEASE COLLECT)

"Holy Temple Knight?"

Carl gazed at the other man, his expression showing little change. He already had a suspicion in mind.

Ever since those four barbarians arrived at the tower, he had landed nearby with Yana.

He had witnessed the entire skirmish. Now, he nodded.

"Thank you for traveling such a long distance to come here."

"It’s only right," Boken said, his face solemn. "Guardians are the Divine’s messengers. You point us in the direction we should go. No matter the distance, we would come."

"Is that so?" Carl responded noncommittally. "I thought you were here to take me back to the Holy Hall."

"The Divine’s messenger can only truly receive blessings after undergoing baptism in the Holy Hall," Boken stated. "You should return to the Holy Hall."

Baptism? Blessing? Carl’s heart skipped a beat.

As the lord of a Divine Domain Fragment, he had a crystal-clear understanding of the rituals of the Divine. The Moon Goddess was not entirely dead. Conducting a ritual in a special place could indeed provide an opportunity to make contact with Her. But he wanted absolutely nothing to do with such contact. Once it was made, he would never be able to shake it off for the rest of his life.

"I will not return to the Holy Hall."

Shaking his head, Carl made his stance clear. "We may discuss other matters, but this is non-negotiable."

"Guardian," Boken frowned. "The Holy Hall is the dwelling of the Divine. As a Guardian, you should stay there. Not going is against the rules."

"What do you need?"

"Power, wealth, women... As long as you ask, the Holy Hall can surely provide them."

"I have no interest in those," Carl shook his head. "Right! Within your Holy Hall, are there any Martial Arts or Cultivation Techniques that only Guardians can practice?"

"Yes," Boken nodded, giving an affirmative answer. "The Martial Arts practiced by mortals are called Battle Skills. Those practiced by Guardians and Demigods are Holy Skills. Such Cultivation Techniques were once circulated only within the Divine Domain. However, after the war of the gods, some fell into the mortal world, and the Holy Hall possesses a few of them."

"If you return to the Holy Hall, these Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts, including all necessary cultivation resources, will be available to you."

"Then, forget it!" Carl was momentarily tempted but still waved his hand dismissively. "I currently have no plans to go to the Holy Hall."

SWOOSH!

Before his eyes, a blur appeared.

The gaunt figure who had just killed four people was now in front of Carl. Beneath the hood were a pair of pitch-black eyes, devoid of any emotional ripple.

It seemed as if he might pounce at any moment.

The Holy Temple Knight’s stance was clear: if Carl was unwilling to go, they would resort to force.

CLANG!

With a clear metallic sound, Desecration Knight Yana also drew her Great Sword, standing protectively before Carl.

"Yana!"

Boken roared lowly, like an enraged beast. "What are you doing? The actions of a Holy Knight represent the will of the Divine. Are you going against the will of the Divine?"

"No!" Yana’s eyes were downcast. "Compared to a Holy Knight, a Guardian truly represents the will of the Divine. The Divine chose him, not you."

"So I should guard him, rather than follow the orders of the Holy Hall."

"..." Boken’s eyelid twitched. He glared at Yana, venomous hatred plastered across his face.

"Sinners who betray the Divine! You should have been eternally nailed to the bottommost layer of the Death Spirit Abyss! Now you have a chance for redemption, yet you cannot discern truth from falsehood."

"Yana!"

"Do you think you can stop me?"

Carl’s gaze flickered, pensive.

The Holy Temple Knights’ attitude towards the Desecration Knights was deeply divided. Although both sides fought for the Divine, they despised each other, even to the point of extreme disgust. The reason was simple. Desecration Knights originated from the Evil God, Pale Wings. And Pale Wings, the War Angel who betrayed the Moon Goddess, meant that, theoretically, all Desecration Knights were descendants of traitors. The Holy Temple Knights who truly believed in the Moon Goddess obviously disliked Desecration Knights. But they were helpless. Without the blessing of the Divine, Holy Temple Knights found it difficult to become Guardians, and many tasks required the Desecration Knights. This, in turn, led to the Holy Hall’s complex attitude towards the Desecration Knights.

WHOOSH...

Taking a deep breath, Boken forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and looked towards Carl.

"Guardian, your identity has now been exposed. The Holy Hall isn’t the only one looking for you."

"You must know, some people do not wish for the Goddess to be revived, so they will not allow you to live either."

"When I arrived in Jiliu City, I sensed the presence of traitors. They won’t be as reasonable as I am."

"Is that so?" Carl nodded. "Thank you for telling me this. I trust that with you and your men protecting me, I’ll be fine."

"Only in the Holy Hall will you find true safety," Boken shook his head.

"Oh!" Carl began. "Can the Holy Hall stop the Duke?"

"It can!"

Boken’s answer was unexpected. Facing the world’s most powerful title, he was still fearless.

"The Holy Hall is not a sanctuary of the mortal world. It is the holy realm that was originally in the Divine Domain, the abode of the Moon Goddess."

"There, we fear nothing!"

In this world, the place where mortals lived was called the mortal realm, while the place where the gods resided was called the Divine Domain. According to his understanding, the mortal realm was the real world. The Divine Domain, on the other hand, was located in the Star Realm. However, after the war of the gods, the Divine Domain shattered, and many parts of it fell from the divine realm into the mortal realm. For instance... the Guardian Arena where the Sha Luo trees stood, and the Holy Hall Boken spoke of. Places where the Moon Goddess once resided were even more off-limits. If I went, I’d be courting disaster by drawing Her attention.

Carl shook his head. "I’ll say it one last time, I will not go to the Holy Hall."

"..." Boken watched him quietly. After a long time, he spoke slowly, "The orders I received were to bring the Guardian back to the Holy Hall. If necessary... a corpse would also be acceptable."