A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 529 The Secret of the Priest Clan
In the side hall.

Runas used his power to set up a barrier, enveloping the entire space and ensuring that outsiders could not enter, spy on, or eavesdrop.

Shen Tang looked surprised. After all, this was the palace, and Lunas was practically family. What important thing could he possibly have to tell her? Why was the secrecy so tight?
The gentle, composed smile on Lunas's face vanished, replaced by a hint of urgency, as if he were eager to confirm something. "Xiao Tang, what exactly happened during the time you and Lan'er were missing in the Sea of ​​Oblivion? Can you tell me everything in detail?"

Shen Tang naturally wouldn't refuse.

She told Lunas everything that had happened.

From the sudden change at the priest's temple to her being lured into an illegal laboratory, and then to Jialan rescuing her—she laid out almost all the facts before him, except for concealing details related to the system.

Runas pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It's roughly the same as I guessed. Those men in black are aliens, not natives of this continent. The expansion of the contaminated land is also their doing."

Shen Tang added, "There's one more thing. Before I lost consciousness, I vaguely heard them say that they wanted to take me away. It seemed that we had to open some kind of 'star gate' through a blood sacrifice to leave this place... I suppose they used this method to enter this place as well."

Runas nodded. "The outer perimeter of the continent is protected by a power barrier, which prevents alien beastmen from directly breaking in. They can only use blood sacrifices to open star gates for teleportation. However, the cost of blood sacrifices is too high, so they cannot launch a large-scale invasion. They can only slowly plan to seize this continent through this method."

Shen Tang frowned. "What is their purpose in doing this? Now that we know who is behind the contamination, I would like to ask the High Priest, how can we prevent this inevitable destruction?"

Lunas keenly caught the words "the end of destruction" in her mouth, and her beautiful, divine golden eyes gazed silently at Shen Tang.

From their first meeting, he knew this woman was no ordinary person.

She harbors many secrets and seems to know a great deal, which even he cannot fully comprehend.

"Their ultimate goal is to seize the core of the earth's source."

Runas explained, "The Earth Core is the crystallization of the continent's energy and the source of the protective barrier around the planet. The specific purpose of their release of pollutants is still unclear, but one thing is certain: the power of the Earth Core is antagonistic to the power of pollution."

"The stronger the pollution, the weaker the energy of this continent will become."

"The barrier protecting the continent will become weaker and weaker until it is completely breached by them, at which point the army can advance unimpeded."

Shen Tang pressed further, "...High Priest, could you tell me what to do now?"

"The alien has completed its deployment mission, and the spread of the contaminated land is out of control," said Lunas. "If we want to prevent the situation from deteriorating completely, there is another way—to completely close and destroy the stargate and block the passage between the two worlds."

He continued, "Based on my deduction, they have only opened one stargate so far, but it is impossible to determine whether the stargate location is fixed or random, and further searching is needed."

Shen Tang nodded, "I understand. I will do my best to unite more forces to find the existence of the Star Gate and destroy it!"

Lunas' time is running out.

Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to say, "Xiao Tang, there is one more thing I want to tell you, which is about the secret of our priest mermaid clan."

Shen Tang listened attentively, "High Priest, please speak."

Lunas sighed softly, "You are Lan'er's partner, and I should have told you long ago... but I had some reservations before, and I didn't know if I should say it..."

Since the priesthood became a vessel for corrupting forces, no high priest has ever mated with a female to produce offspring.

Jialan was the only exception.

Runas hadn't intended to tell this secret to anyone, but now it seemed he could no longer hide it. "I've told you before that my race has a special identity, bearing the power of both a sea god's priest and a cursed mermaid." Runas looked at Shen Tang with gentle affection, as if she were his own daughter, and patiently explained, "These two powers are extremely strong, repelling each other within the body and difficult to reconcile. Because the body and mind cannot withstand the dual power, it usually splits into two personalities."

"But during the time when the high priests before me guarded the sea, the contamination had not yet spread on a large scale and was within a controllable range. Therefore, the priestly power overpowered the curse power and also suppressed another, darker and more turbid personality."

"But things changed in Lan'er's generation."

Shen Tang listened to these words with surprise, yet also finding them reasonable. She had known for some time that Jia Lan had a dual personality, but she didn't know the specific reasons behind it. Lunas's explanation was clearly more straightforward and easier to understand.

Shen Tang asked, "Why did the High Priest say that Alan is different?"

"Lan'er was not reproduced through the methods passed down from previous priests, nor is he a new individual formed after my death. He is a child born from a normal union between me and a female. Unlike priests who cultivate with a pure heart, his emotions of love and hate are more difficult to control, and his childhood experiences have further amplified his cursed personality. Now that pollution is spreading rampantly, it is highly likely that the cursed personality will suppress the other personality, take the lead, or even..."

At this point, Lunas's voice suddenly deepened, "To devour the other personality and completely take control of this body."

"This was probably also the purpose of 'him's' planning all those years ago."

Shen Tang's heart grew heavier as she listened, and a bad guess flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it—the cursed power within Jia Lan had been sealed in the Infinity Box, and that evil and dark personality could never return!

At the same time, she also keenly caught the "he" mentioned by the high priest.

"'who is he?"

"Lan'er's father."

Shen Tang paused for a moment, blinked in confusion, not understanding the meaning behind it.

Lunas smiled at her and patiently explained, "Of course, I am Lan'er's biological father, that's undeniable... but in a way, I can't be considered the 'father' who brought him into this world."

Shen Tang quickly realized what was happening, her cat-like eyes widening in shock. "Could it be that the person who was with His Majesty Garuda back then... was another personality of yours, High Priest?"

A hint of melancholy appeared on Lunas's extremely handsome face as he sighed softly, seemingly helpless.

How could he, as the high priest of the sea tribe, be affected by a cup of drugged wine... and do such a thing...?

Back then, it was another "him" who took a fancy to the newly enthroned Sea King—the most beautiful and noble female of the sea race, Garuda.

He wanted to share a romantic encounter with her, to have the most beautiful and noble female mermaid in the deep sea conceive his child, and to give birth to the best offspring for him.

The person that night was certainly not him.

After getting drunk, his body was taken over by another "him".

When he regained consciousness, he was shocked, confused, and at a loss.

Runas later declared his seclusion, never to step out of the temple again. This was partly because he didn't know how to face Garuda, and partly because he feared the reappearance of his other personality. This almost imprisoned self-torture was also a form of protection for him, preventing him from losing control again and doing something unexpected.

Shen Tang then asked, "What about the High Priest's other personality now?"

This is the first update tonight. I can't keep going, I'll finish it during the day.

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