The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

Meanwhile, on the other side, or rather, earlier.

The group of people in white robes stood amidst the red sand and broken walls. Even though it was late at night, the sand was still scalding hot.

This was the elite excavation team dispatched by Hart City, and even with the addition of several teams sent by Uriel... in the Morse Desert, where outside information was completely cut off, they were completely unaware that Yunevo and Iseria had also arrived by chance.

The church's spies in Starmoke had long been wiped out in those countless purges... It's like you have a brilliant plan, and I have a countermeasure.

Of course, the church was still one step behind. The best decision they could think of was to erase all memories of a senior believer about the church—from soul to body—and then place him in Starmoke.

Who knew that Starmock wouldn't fall for that trick at all? If a mage who knows holy light magic doesn't go, he'll have to report and register... and go through the process of reviewing his past life again, then he'll be beaten to death with sticks and won't even be able to cry foul.

So far, all they know is that Uriel is furious, but the fact that "Uriel was utterly defeated by the black-robed alchemist" is something the new team would never dare to mention.

After all, the earlier excavation team was only clinging to the belief that "Uriel is an apostle of God, and what he's doing must be God's will." If they had known that Uriel had been outmaneuvered, and in such a brutal way as to be punched to pieces...

"Hurry up! We can't just stay in this desert forever if we can't find the 'Holy Remains,' can we?" The leader, a man in white robes, was named Seth, a true "Holy Prayer," a level above the "Purifiers"...

His individual combat strength is directly comparable to that of an elite seventh-tier mage from Starmoke.

His face was numb, as if he had been there for a long time. He held a pure white compass in his hand and looked at the trembling pointer on it, saying, "The Holy Word Compass indicates... the 'Holy Remains' are nearby. Take out the relics."

The relic Seth mentioned is the "key" that unlocked this "real mirage," or rather, the "lock pick"—a bloodstained mithril cone left behind by the ancient church.

Upon hearing this, one of the cultists took out the long cone that carried the aura of the past, and with the help of others around him, he plunged the mithril cone fiercely into the elemental vein beneath his feet...

Without any warning or fluctuation, an extremely unstable rift appeared out of thin air.

Seth didn't say much and stepped into the rift first, leaving the cultists looking at each other in disbelief for a moment before following.

After enduring the intense nausea brought on by the "time travel," everyone finally saw the scene before them clearly—a giant city standing atop an oasis... illusory, yet seemingly within reach.

"The space here is rejecting us. It seems the 'Holy Remains' don't really welcome us..." The Holy Prayer Seth lifted his long sleeves, completely disregarding the sand-stained hem of his robes, and scooped up filth from a patch of mud...

The next moment, the filth turned into burnt charcoal, and a chain reaction ensued... The once lush green grass became a living, man-eating swamp!

On the walls, the rough marks of wind and sand erosion vaguely formed runes with a curse-like meaning, or seemed to transform into bloodshot pupils, staring intently at the white-robed cultists.

"Three people in a group, take turns guiding the holy light to protect yourselves. Follow me, but don't look up... Understand?" Seth reacted quickly, raising his hand to create a barrier that stopped the incoming curses. After saying this, he walked towards the center of the ancient city without looking back.

"Don't you think... Lord Seth is quite different from the other 'Holy Prayer' lords?" a believer whispered to his companion.

"What do you mean by 'far from it'? I'm telling you beforehand, criticizing Lord 'Holy Prayer'... is a capital offense," his companion said in a low voice.

"I can't quite put my finger on it...maybe it's the behavior? Anyway, it's fantastic to be able to follow a 'Holy Prayer' who does everything personally," the believer said excitedly.

"That's true, that's wonderful."

They waded through the "man-eating swamp," continuing forward nonchalantly amidst the silent struggles of some of their fallen companions.

If there are too few people, fill in the gaps; if someone is left out, they deserve it.

……

At this moment, Yunevo and Iseria stood outside that illusory ancient city, witnessing the sun and moon shining together...

Morse is an extremely rare celestial phenomenon.

The lower the sun, the higher the moon rises...

When the sun and moon are in sync, the stars quietly rise.

Morse's originally frenzied magical source, which was powerful enough to block out external information, was smoothed out by an indescribable gentleness, like the ocean whose tides were pulled by the moon... rhythmically surging and rising and falling.

The light and shadow of the ancient city are truly solidified, and the translucent beams and pillars are tinged with luxurious marble patterns. Even the weathered "scars" are erased.

Then, they saw that group of church members... or rather, some kind of image of the church members left behind here, untouchable.

Only the white-robed leader raised his head, but occasionally looked back. He wasn't looking at the worshippers who were walking with their heads down; it was as if he was waiting for Yunevo and Iseria.

The black-robed alchemist stopped in his tracks—suddenly, a number of fresh white bones appeared around him, their struggling forms resembling drowning in the solidified grass.

The melodious bells rang again, and Eunicev had heard it before... that it was the sound that rang out when merchants set off and returned, a sound that was both a farewell and a celebration.

Although the clues presented at this moment are few, they are enough for him to piece together a reasonable logic.

Those from the church arrived here earlier than them, but were blocked by "it" that Iseria spoke of... The result was the sudden appearance of those stark white bones.

But isn't this resistance a bit too weak?

Or does "it" also have some inviolable principles?

It's also possible that... the center of this ancient city is just an "entrance," and beyond the "entrance" lies a completely different world.

Without further thought, Yunevo looked at Iseria and said softly, "Iseria, did 'it' say anything else?"

The fair-haired girl shook her head and replied, "They didn't say anything... but I can feel that they're welcoming us here, just like the welcome the customers give to the Heisenberg Pharmacy every day when it opens."

Yoniv nodded.

At least at this time, "it," with its unclear purpose, did not stand on the side of the church.

We just have to consider... the so-called interests of taking sides.