Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

The massive remains of the Corrupted Ancient Tree Lord lay like a mountain range across the center of the withered royal court, the flowing filth gradually solidifying and emitting a suffocating stench.

After a brief respite from their victory, the allied teams immediately began discussing the most important matter—the distribution of the spoils.

Shadowsong Morris stood atop a protruding skeleton, his eerie green soulfire sweeping over the weary crowd below. His hoarse voice carried an undeniable authority: "Shadow Keep will take forty percent of the abyssal crystals and revitalized wood core contained within the core remains of the Corrupted Ancient Tree Lord. The initial exploration rights to the Bone Altar and its surrounding fifty meters will belong to me. This is the price we just agreed upon."

He toyed with the "Void Severing Dagger" formed from condensed shadows between his fingertips, its eerie light swirling and an invisible sense of oppression spreading outwards.

Evan's face was ashen, and his chest heaved slightly.

The Green Peak Alliance was the main force in the battle, but paid a heavy price, only to have the Shadow Keep reap the benefits.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a cold, hard voice, "The Lord's Core can be distributed proportionally. But the Bone Altar is the entrance to the entire Purification Temple; the right to explore it cannot be monopolized! The temple is about to open, the entrance must be shared by all three parties, and inside, everyone must rely on their own abilities!"

“That’s right,” Alphonse Deep Tide stepped forward, his pearl staff pausing lightly on the dark red fungal carpet, creating a faint ripple of purification.

His voice was gentle yet resilient like the ocean tide. "We acknowledge Shadow Keep's success in severing the energy connection. But without our direct and devastating attack on the Lord, depleting his power and creating an opportunity, even the sharpest dagger of yours would not have been enough to defeat him alone."

Chloe Star Language remained silent, her silver eyes shimmering with starlight, as if she were weighing and deducing something.

The apprentices behind her, standing atop the Star Tower, silently gathered the power of the stars, expressing their stance without a word.

The shadow beneath Maurice's hood seemed to ripple, emitting a low, cold laugh, like the grinding of sand: "Hmph, sharp-tongued. Fine, we'll share the altar entrance. But not a single abyssal crystal can be missing from the forty percent of the lord's remains. Otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the eerie light from the dagger in his hand intensified.

After a brief and tense standoff, the four parties finally reached a compromise: the core remains of the lord would be given to Shadow Keep at 40%, and the other forces would each receive 20%.

The entrance area to the Bone Altar is a public area, open to all.

The Hundred-Peak Alliance yielded substantial results, but also carried the weariness of bloodshed.

Aside from some precious Abyss Crystal Fragments and Revitalized Wood Core Fragments, the most important thing is the points.

Kate's dashcam footage clearly shows:

[Total Score Updated: 527 points (150 points gained in this battle).]

This is the vast capital he accumulated in the Trial Tower, meaning that he can exchange it for abundant resources within the barrier and even in the Southern Wizarding Council in the future.

Sophia received a fragment of the living wood core, about the size of a human head, with dark gold and purplish-black patterns flowing across it. A hint of satisfaction appeared on her rock-like face; this was an excellent material to strengthen her earth barrier.

Rhodes obtained several crystals containing abyssal energy of the raging fire attribute, which greatly enhanced the power of his Molten Core Fist.

Evan obtained a relatively pure abyssal crystal containing chaotic spatial energy, which greatly helped him comprehend the characteristics of wind space.

As the core of the control and the key to providing the weakness, Kate also received several fragments of the activated wood core containing pure life and abyssal mixed energy, as well as a small piece of abyssal crystal with sharp edges that subtly cut through space.

The former can be used to enhance the activity of the Thorn Armor, while the latter may be integrated with the Shadow of Thorns or the Seed of the Spirit Pivot to increase spatial destructive power.

However, he had hidden an even greater find deep within the isolated jade box—a tiny, dormant silver star moss spore, the size of a sesame seed.

The withered royal court temporarily returned to deathly silence, with only the thick darkness that shrouded the entrance to the altar of bones rolling silently like a living thing, emanating a chilling sense of repulsion.

"The intersection of the star trails has not yet been reached," Elena said, sitting cross-legged on a relatively clean black boulder, with a nebula crystal floating in her palm, emitting a faint silver-blue halo.

Her voice carried the ethereal quality of a prophet, tinged with weariness, "The energy tide purifying the outer defenses of the temple will reach its trough in five to ten days. This is the only window of opportunity to enter."

This window of opportunity gave the joint team a valuable respite.

Each of the four factions designated a temporary rest area on the edge of the royal court, far from the remains of the lord.

The Green-Capped Alliance occupies a semi-enclosed space formed by a collapsed, enormous fungal cap. Although a faint smell of decay permeates the interior, it provides some shelter.

The atmosphere remained delicate.

The Shadow Keep's forces, like vultures in the shadows, watched coldly from afar.

The Star Tower and the Temple of Tides maintain a relatively friendly but cautious distance.

Trust is particularly fragile when there is no common enemy.

Evan quickly assigned tasks: "Rhodes, Sophia, take charge of perimeter security, guard against any counterattacks from the remaining magical plants or insect swarms within the royal court, and... any other 'unexpected' events."

He glanced meaningfully in the direction of Shadow Keep. "Kyle, Serena, scout inwards and ensure the area around our camp is safe. Elena, recover quickly and stabilize your prophetic senses. Kate..."

He looked at Kate, "Your Thorn Shadows are badly damaged. Repair them as soon as possible. Their environmental reconnaissance capabilities are crucial for our entry into the Temple."

Kate nodded silently.

Inside the dimensional bag, the few remaining Thorn Shadows were badly wounded, their shells cracked, and their energy cores dimmed.

He immediately began the repair work.

Mutant blood-devouring vine branches, small pieces of malevolent crystals, moonlight moss purification substrate... materials were quickly combined, replaced, and connected in his hands.

With intense mental concentration and aided by the cold computing power of the Seed of Origin, the repair efficiency was astonishing.

The repair process itself is also a restoration of mental strength and a deeper understanding of the puppet's structure.

But most of his thoughts were on that jade box.

Kate found the most secluded corner and leaned against the cold, inner wall of the fungal cap.

He set up a simple mental isolation array to prevent spying and energy fluctuations.

He carefully took out the jade box and opened it.

The tiny silver moss spore, no bigger than a sesame seed, remained dull and lifeless, even under the faint moonlight and stardust of the isolated jade box.

[The Seed of Origin, Activating Deduction: A Program to Accelerate the Maturation of Silver Star Moss Spores.]

Kate gave the instructions in her mind.

Dark golden roots spread through the sea of ​​consciousness, while a chilling stream of analysis surged within:

[Target: Silver Star Moss Spores (Deep Dormancy)]

[Activation Requirements: Pure starlight or high-concentration life energy.]

[Available Resource Analysis:]

[Option A: Guide Elena or Chloe's Star Power. Risk: Exposes the existence of Silver Star Moss, attracting unwanted attention. Success Rate: High.]

[Option B: Utilize the essence of moonlight and the seeds of the floating flower spirit to synergistically simulate a high-concentration life energy field. Risk: Energy simulation requires extremely high precision; failure may result in the complete annihilation or contamination of the spores. Success rate: Estimated 60%.]

Kate didn't hesitate much.

"Option B! Seed of Origin, fully support energy simulation!"

He took a deep breath, and the Bloodthirsty Vine pattern on his right arm lit up slightly. The essence of the moonlight was guided out, forming an extremely thin, pale silver halo with faint spatial fluctuations in front of him.

At the same time, in the sea of ​​consciousness, the translucent, seven-colored floating flower phantom slowly rotated, and the three spiritual seeds at the flower's stamen shone brightly, with pure spiritual energy carrying the characteristics of life shaping flowing out and merging into the moon's halo.

hum!

The moment the two energies came into contact, a subtle repulsive ripple was generated!

The Seed of Origin is operating at full power!

The dark golden roots acted like the most precise regulating valves, forcibly suppressing the slight discomfort of the Bloodthirsty Vine to spiritual energy, guiding the inertia of the moon shadow to neutralize the repulsion point, and slowly harmonizing and weaving the two completely different energies, eventually forming a miniature energy field the size of a fist, with silver-blue and light green interwoven light flowing inside!

The force field exudes a gentle, pure, and vibrant aura. Although it is far less vast than the light of real stars, its purity is astonishing!

Kate carefully lifted the silver star moss spores from the jade box with her mental power and slowly sent them into the center of this simulated life energy field.

The spore trembled slightly the instant it came into contact with the force field.

Like a dried-up sponge encountering sweet spring water.

The extremely fine star-like patterns on the surface of those rice-grain-sized spores suddenly lit up!

Although its light was faint, it was like the first morning star in the night, pure and steadfast.

[Energy absorption in progress... Activity recovery 1%... 2%... 3%...]

The prompt from the Seed of Origin is cold and precise.

Kate maintained her energy output and mental guidance, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. This was an extremely mentally taxing process, requiring a continuous and stable energy supply and precise control.

Time passes little by little.

The star-like patterns on the surface of the spores became brighter and brighter, from being barely perceptible at first to becoming as clear as fireflies, and finally, the entire spore resembled a real, miniature silver star, slowly rotating in the energy field and emitting a soft and stable starlight!

[Activity restored: 100%! Silver Star Moss spores have been activated!]

[Warning: Maintaining activation requires a continuous energy supply or a suitable environment (such as purifying the interior of the temple).]

Kate let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a strong sense of exhaustion in her mind, but her eyes sparkled with uncontrollable ecstasy!

Become!

He immediately and carefully put the silver moss spore, which radiated pure starlight, back into the specially made insulated jade box.

The box closed, the starlight disappeared, but Kate knew that she had firmly grasped the ticket to the first level of the Purification Temple.

The following days passed in a tense calm.

Kate completed the restoration of the Thorn Shadows, restoring their number to twelve. She also incorporated Abyss Crystal Fragments and Activated Wood Heart Powder into the newly restored puppet cores, enhancing their energy resistance and shell strength in the Abyss environment.

He spent most of his time meditating, recovering from the depletion of the Silver Star Moss and familiarizing himself with the faint purifying aura emanating from the newly sprouted Silver Star Moss, which seemed to have slightly strengthened his resistance to the Abyss's corruption.

Sophia, under Evan's protection, used the activated wood core fragments she was given to try to integrate them into her own rock armor.

The process was fraught with risks, with the energy of the abyss clashing fiercely with the power of the earth, but she ultimately succeeded. Her rock armor gained a layer of dark golden metallic luster, significantly enhancing her physical defense and corrosion resistance.

Rhode embedded the abyssal energy crystal into his gauntlets and repeatedly practiced the explosive power of the Molten Core Explosion Fist, trying to tame that violent force. The flames on his fists took on a purplish-black hue, increasing their power but also making them more difficult to control.

Evan repeatedly reviewed the Thorn Storm array diagram and tried to exchange purification and spatial stabilization techniques with Chloe and Alphonse, preparing for possible collaboration within the temple.

Kyle and Serena moved like shadows throughout the royal court, drawing detailed maps and marking potential traps and remaining dangers, their presence becoming increasingly elusive.

Elena, like a pillar of strength, continued her meditation, and the light of the Nebula Crystal gradually returned. From time to time, she and Chloe would look up at the rolling darkness and whisper about the changes in the celestial omens.

The Star Tower and the Temple of Tides are also in active preparation.

Chloe led her apprentices to construct a temporary starlight array, accumulating the power of the stars.

Alphonse then directed his apprentices to use the temple's unique purification runes to create layers of water barriers around the camp, further dispelling the poisonous miasma and whispers of the abyss.

Only the Shadow Keep's forces remained shrouded in a cold silence.

Maurice spent most of his time in the shadows, and no one knew what he was plotting. His apprentices were like cold machines, only performing necessary guard duty and rest, and never communicating with other teams.

Time passed day by day.

The darkness enveloping the altar of bones seemed to be subtly shifting in its intensity.

In that pure, suffocating darkness, occasionally a faint, almost illusory, silvery-white ripple would flash, like light rising from calm, stagnant water. Elena and Chloe opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

"The trough of the tide... has begun!" Elena's voice trembled slightly.

"The trajectories of the stars... converge at this moment!"

The Nebula Crystal in Chloe's hand shone brightly, pointing towards the darkness.

All eyes were focused on the entrance to the bone altar.

The rolling darkness, like a giant curtain being slowly drawn back by an invisible hand, receded to both sides!

An archway, composed of countless enormous, pale skeletons and living roots that still flow with filthy slime yet faintly radiate an internal silvery light, is clearly revealed!

Inside the archway, there was no longer swirling purple-green poisonous fog or pure darkness, but a hazy space radiating a soft, pure light!

The air seemed to instantly become much fresher, a faint yet incredibly clear, calming and purifying aura of life swept over everyone's soul like a spring breeze!

The entrance to the Purification Temple has been opened!

"Go!" Evan shouted, and the members of the Green Top Alliance instantly stood up, their minds highly focused.

The teams from the Star Tower and the Temple of Tides also quickly assembled.

The shadows of Shadow Keep rippled, and Morris appeared at the forefront.

Each of the four factions, with their own goals and vigilance, stepped toward the skeletal archway that radiated pure light.

Kate gripped the jade box containing the silver star moss, feeling the pure starlight emanating from the spores within, subtly echoing the aura within the door. The Bloodthirsty Vine pattern on her right arm remained dormant under the powerful suppression of the Seed of Origin, with only the essence of moon shadow flowing silently within her body.