Void Beetle Evolution Guide

Diana carried Leona on her back; Leona's heavy armor had vanished into sunlight, signifying that her magic was completely depleted. Her face was deathly pale, like the frost that had accumulated on Mount Targon over the years.

"Hurry up! If anything happens to Leona, I won't let you off the hook!" Diana urged Aphelios sharply, trying her best to keep up while minimizing the jostling on Leona.

They first needed to travel to the Lunari Temple to prepare for their ascent. Despite Aphelios's extreme reluctance, he had no choice, and Larune hadn't told him that the two Protoss were in this kind of relationship.

He was reminded of an unfortunate couple from two different religious sects. Knowing their relationship was not blessed, they planned to elope but were captured by the Sun Cult.

The female followers of the Moon Cult were tortured and then executed, while the male followers of the Sun Cult were subjected to sun exposure by priests, dying after being exposed to the sun for seven days and seven nights, a truly tragic end.

Having learned from past mistakes, Aphelios was not optimistic about the relationship between Leona and Diana, because their beliefs were not only opposed, but their sexual orientations also violated social norms.

However, the power of the Celestials leaves a glimmer of hope amidst the impossibility. If they can abandon worldly conventions and run towards each other, it might not be impossible to break the curse.

Aphelios also had his own selfish motives. If one day the two sects ended their long-standing conflict, perhaps Larune could return to his side from the ends of the earth.

……

The Rakol people carved their markets, homes, bridges, walkways, and temples into the mountains, along with labyrinthine pathways and tunnels. The circular stone chambers with their domed ceilings symbolize the celestial beings who created this world.

However, Ephelios could not take these existing roads, otherwise he would easily be discovered by the guards stationed at the various passes. They had to bypass these informants and take the difficult paths to safely reach the Temple of the Eye.

Even at night, members of the Sun Cult often appear, let alone in broad daylight.

As soon as they left the valley, Kasha and her group encountered some Solari pilgrims.

The Lakor people travel up and down steep slopes every day, so they always carry as little as possible with their belongings: a small cloth bag and two climbing axes are enough. Heavy tools are usually stored in mountain huts, and pulleys are used to transport items up and down the slopes.

Ephelios avoided the believers and instead used his magic to draw up pumice from the mountains, arranging it in a line to create a dangerous but unexpected shortcut.

Diana clung tightly to Leona's leg as she and Aphelios stepped onto the floating bridge.

The howling mountain wind, carrying frost, lashed against her, glistening and shimmering, appearing and disappearing, tossing her long, silvery hair. Suddenly, the arms wrapped around her neck tightened; Leona instinctively clung to her in the cold, drawing warmth from her body.

"..." Concern leads to confusion. After the initial panic, Diana now realized how ambiguous their posture was.

She and Leona had never even crossed their backs. Even their kisses were fleeting, only happening secretly during festivals, and they would avoid even the slightest touch as if burned.

This relationship was undoubtedly immature; for them, it was too greedy and sinful to relentlessly demand the other's warmth.

"Bear with it a little longer. Once we get there, I'll get you some outerwear." Diana squeezed her legs together, jogged across the floating stone bridge with ease, and quickly began to climb.

The same route would take others several days to climb... but most people would never even attempt this mountain path.

Because they took a shortcut, they arrived at the Moon Cult's hidden temple in a cave before sunset.

At first, Aphelios did not allow Leona to enter the temple. He felt that even if she was unconscious, she might remember the path she had taken and the places she had stayed, and he was worried that this would expose the location of the temple.

But despite Diana's insistence, Leona was taken into the cave.

Diana wanted to buy Leona some warm clothes and planned to warm herself by the campfire before continuing her journey. She was in a hurry more than anyone else; she had to travel day and night to find Soraka so that Leona could suffer less.

However, they had barely sat down when a cold wave struck, and a blizzard howled outside the cave, covering the entrance with snow in the blink of an eye.

This cave is Ephelios's secret base, where he usually lives alone in seclusion. Even other believers don't know much about it, and even if they do, few would dare to travel the rugged mountain path to disturb him unless the situation is dire.

As Aphelios lit a campfire, warmth filled the cave. Diana finally had some time to rest. She placed Leona on the nearby steps to warm herself by the fire and then found a fur coat for her to wrap herself in.

Kasha then came to the cave entrance and looked down. At the foot of the mountain, the four seasons were distinct, but above the mountainside, it was covered in snow.

"The weather on Mount Targon is really unpredictable. I just saw the sunset, and in the blink of an eye, it's snowing heavily."

She took a deep breath; the thin air made each breath a struggle, causing her immense pain.

Looking around, I saw that apart from the Ice Dragon Potir, who seemed to have adapted to the cold environment, everyone else was breathing heavily, experiencing varying degrees of altitude sickness. If it weren't for their armor, some of them would have already given up.

It would be much easier if Portil could carry them up, but I'm afraid the giants will set dynamic difficulty levels for them, so I think it's better to stick to the ground.

"Cassiopeia, come here for a second."

Hearing Kasha's call, Cassiopeia got up from the campfire and came up behind her.

"what happened?"

"How do you predict our trip will go smoothly?"

Cassiopeia's fingers twitched slightly, her fingertips flashing red light. "There may be some twists and turns, but the result is good."

Kai'Sa nodded. They possessed the vast majority of the world runes, and unless the Titan himself descended, they were rarely matched.

"Let's wait until the blizzard passes before we go. Climbing mountains in this weather is too dangerous." Nami's voice came from behind, trying to dissuade them. The two turned around and saw that Diana had already tied Leona and herself tightly with a rope, preparing to continue climbing.

"No, this weather is perfect for traveling. No one would risk their life patrolling in a blizzard, which means our chances of being discovered are greatly reduced."

Diana was an abandoned child adopted by the Lakor people, but her upbringing was not much different from others. She knew all too well how dangerous it was to climb mountains in such snowy weather; one slip and she would fall off the cliff and be smashed to pieces.

The weight of the accumulated snow can also trigger landslides; she has witnessed climbers being struck by rolling rocks. The extreme cold brought by the wind and snow can quickly deplete a person's physical strength, and if one becomes exhausted on a mountain path with no possibility of rescue, such an attempt is tantamount to suicide.

But the more treacherous the journey, the lower the probability of encountering obstacles. She didn't want to travel through the snow either, but Leona might not have much time to waste.

The flower poison might cause pain but not death for others, but for Leona, who was exposed to the scorching sun, the strong rejection reaction could endanger her life.

She had to race against time to find Soraka before the flower poison took Leona away. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated.)

Chapter 599 The Cave

"Since you insist, then I have nothing more to say. Let's go." Kasha waved to the others and followed Diana back into the snowstorm.

The frost and snow stung Diana's face, making her feel their icy weight. Leona's long chestnut hair cascaded down, draping over her chest. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)

Without Aphelios's guidance, Diana chose to follow the established paths.

The Lakor people carved stone paths and steps along the original contours of the mountain. Thick curtains were draped over the walkways with ropes, blocking out the long stretches of wind and snow.

These boardwalks provided her with some shelter at the beginning of her journey, making her feel much more at ease. Passing by the Lakor people's refuge huts used to store tools, she casually took some mountaineering equipment from one of them.

But then the snowstorm intensified, collapsing the pier beneath Diana's feet. She retreated several steps to avoid falling, but that section of the pier was definitely no longer passable.

After thinking for a moment, Diana switched to climbing. The rope tightly bound Leona to herself, and she took turns hammering two ice axes into the rocks, moving upwards steadily and quickly.

She was like the protagonist in a game, maneuvering on a near-vertical cliff and even defying common sense by performing a double jump off the cliff.

Nami marveled at the power of the Celestial Spirit's body. She wasn't very familiar with human legs yet, and since it was her first time climbing a mountain, she discovered she had a fear of heights. Before she knew it, she had fallen to the back of the group.

If it weren't for her claws, encased in armor, able to dig tightly into the rock, and her seemingly inexhaustible stamina, she probably would have given up on challenging the world's highest peak long ago.

The place where Diana climbed happened to be a giant stone carving. If the Rakol people saw that the patterns they worshipped had been desecrated, with small holes chipped out with climbing axes, destroying the sacred patterns, they would surely tie them to a wooden frame and burn them to ashes with the fire of judgment.

Carrying someone uphill quickly depletes physical strength, and after climbing several hundred meters in one go, Diana was also starting to feel exhausted.

Turning her head, she saw Syndra using her telekinesis to pull a floating rock, landing on it as a foothold, and slowly raising its height with a force field, taking her up like a vertical elevator, looking completely relaxed.

She tried to imitate her, using the moon's gravity to find a floating rock and place it on it. However, this clever trick seemed to have angered the giant, and the bitter wind and snow lashed at her even more violently, making the floating rock teeter on the verge of collapse.

Syndra possessed a power field that protected her from the wind and snow, but Diana did not. Left with no other choice, she jumped back onto the cliff and took turns striking her axe to continue her advance.

After passing a cliff, Diana discovered a tunnel at the end of the steps leading directly into the mountain. However, Diana did not go in to take shelter from the snow, as it was very likely that some of the Rakol people were already inside, seeking refuge from the cold.

In fact, besides the tunnel, Diana also encountered a Bomo on the road.

This predator has feathered limbs like bird wings, allowing it to glide and leap long distances on thermals. It preys on stray or wandering tamu. Tamu serve a similar purpose to goats, and many tribes raise them in herds. Their thick, soft wool is sheared every two years to make warm clothing and other fabrics.

In addition, there is an ibike, a herbivore with a body size comparable to an elephant, which lives on the plains below Mount Targon. Its rich, fatty milk is a delicacy for the Rakol people.

The Bomo would build its nest in caves, and if Diana needed a cave to shelter from the cold, she could have followed the Bomo to its straw-lined nest, killed it, and taken over its place. But she didn't; since she could still move forward, she wouldn't waste time resting.

Diana quietly passed by the tunnel entrance and continued forward. But just then, a light emanated from the tunnel, growing brighter and brighter…

She stopped swinging her axe, the clanging of the blades might give away her presence, and then she heard sounds coming from inside the tunnel:

"This damn blizzard shows no signs of letting up, and I have no idea when it will pass. The sun has already set, and there's no food left in the tunnel, not much firewood either. I don't know how much longer we can last..."

The speaker was a man with a native Mount Targon accent. He seemed to have come out to check the weather, but after seeing the weather outside, his trembling voice, chilled by the cold, was tinged with deep disappointment.

The sound grew closer; Diana could even hear his sigh as it passed through the snow. She turned her head and saw a golden-armored warrior from the Solari sect, his hand holding a torch already extended from the tunnel entrance.

"Don't be impatient, young man. We can't go back and report until we find Chief Leona. I still have a naan bread in my backpack; I'll share half with you."

Another, older voice came from deep within the tunnel; judging from his tone, he seemed quite used to this kind of weather.

“Thank you. The chieftain is very strict with herself and never stays out overnight. Perhaps she has run into some trouble this time.” Just when Diana thought she was about to be discovered, the knight turned back and sat down to eat his dry naan bread.

So she swung her ice axe and continued climbing without stopping for a moment.

"Let's pray that we can find her successfully. After the High Priests suffered heavy casualties, Leader Leona has become the guiding light of Rahorak. We cannot lose her again."

The two warriors, who were out searching for Leona, were talking loudly, completely unaware that Diana was passing by outside the tunnel with the person they were looking for.

They had no awareness of eavesdropping, but that's normal; who would expect someone to be hanging on a cliff and eavesdropping during a snowstorm when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow?

But things always take unexpected turns.

Diana had already successfully bypassed the tunnel entrance and evaded the patrolling samurai when she suddenly felt a warm breath gently brush against the back of her neck.

Diana stopped what she was doing. Had Leona woken up?

"You're awake?" she asked tentatively in a soft voice.

"Water..." Leona's chapped lips were stuck together, and she mumbled softly, her mind hazy. She craved water to soothe her parched throat.

She wasn't fully conscious; she was simply driven by her body's instincts, unconsciously repeating the simplest of needs.

"Oh, so you were thirsty..." Diana turned around. Leona's request was easy to fulfill.

Amidst the swirling snow, she could easily obtain clean water by melting some of the water, but she needed to find a place to settle down and start a fire to boil it.

After thinking for a moment, Diana decided to return to the tunnel she had just passed through.

Reaching the top of the tunnel entrance, she gripped her axe and swung it in with ease.

Chapter 600 Sudden Change

"Heretic, what do you want to do!" Diana's sudden appearance startled the two Raholaks, who, being well-trained, immediately raised their spears and approached Diana from the left and right.

Facing the spearhead, Diana remained unfazed and coldly ordered the two men, "Your leader has been poisoned. Quickly boil water for her."

The two warriors looked at each other, they knew the face behind Diana all too well, but should they really do as the heretics said?

Seeing them hesitate, Diana snapped, "Do you think you can beat me? Or do you not care about Leona's life?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kasha and the others gradually climbed into the cave.

Seeing that they were surrounded, the two warriors knew they were no match for Diana, so they went to the cave entrance to fetch snow and put it into the water bottle they carried with them, as Diana had asked.

"May the light protect her, it really is Leader Leona! Oh no, how could she have been taken hostage by the heretics!"

"Say less and hurry up and boil the water. We can't afford to take responsibility if anything happens to the chief."

Diana took the kettle filled with snow and placed it over the campfire to boil. Once the water boiled, she began blowing on it to cool it down to a drinkable temperature.

Leona woke up at this moment. She opened her drowsy eyelids and found a familiar figure sitting in front of her.

"Uh...Diana?"

"I'm here." Hearing Leona's weak voice, Diana immediately turned her head. "Wait a minute, the water is still too hot."

Seeing Leona's thin lips trembling as if she wanted to whisper something, Diana leaned closer and heard her say, "You should go now, don't worry about me."

"Say less, you're too weak right now." Diana shook her head, determined to stay by Leona's side, and held a pot of boiling water to Leona's lips: "Be careful, it's hot."

Leona blew on the cup, and the rising steam immediately fogged her face, making it difficult for her to breathe, and she began to cough. Diana immediately put the cup aside and gently patted her back until her cough subsided.

After taking a few sips of water, Leona felt a sharp pain in her throat, as if it were filled with shards of glass. She gradually lost her voice, and even swallowing became incredibly difficult. She handed the water bottle back to Diana.

“I’ve tried my best to suppress it, but the flower poison is still taking effect, and even the Celestials can’t escape it,” Kai’Sa said as she examined Leona’s body.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going." Diana put Leona back on her back. "Don't worry, I will definitely find the Starchild and heal you."

Leona, whose voice was hoarse, knew that Diana wouldn't give up easily, so she could only helplessly rest her head on Diana's shoulder.

Seeing that Leona was about to be taken away, the two samurai realized that if they didn't speak up now, they would miss their chance, so they hurriedly spoke up.

"Chief, let's wait until the blizzard stops and then we'll take you back to the Temple of the Two Points. No matter what injury you've suffered, the priests will find a way to save you."

"Didn't I make myself clear? Leona has been poisoned by a rare and deadly toxin, and the only cure is to go up the mountain," Diana shouted at the two warriors blocking her way.

But most importantly, Leona shook her head. She knew very well how bad her situation was and refused her subordinates' good intentions.

Her life is already on a countdown, and if she had to make a choice, she would choose to spend the last moments of her life with the person she loves.

"Well... alright." Seeing that their leader had made this statement, they had no choice but to give up.

It's better to go back with bad news than to go back with nothing.

After they finished speaking, Kasha casually asked, "Have you two ever heard of a humanoid creature with horns on its forehead? She lives on Mount Targon and heals the wounds of passing pilgrims."

“I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of any strange beings living on Mount Targon.” The younger warrior shook his head. In his knowledge, the only creatures with horns on the mountain were Pegasus and some local dragons.

However, the older warrior next to him had something to say: "The healer with horns on his forehead... I think I heard a girl in the tribe mention him."