Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 327 The Truth, Sacrifice!

The ice surface seemed to soften and disappear instantly, revealing a dark hole more than two meters in diameter and bottomless!

The team member reacted extremely quickly. The instant he lost his footing, he let out a low shout, and a pale blue wind element light rose from his body as he tried to fly upwards.

But a powerful suction suddenly burst forth from the hole, and at the same time, a dark green, viscous, asphalt-like death magic shot out like tentacles, wrapping around his legs!

"Be careful!"

The team members next to them exclaimed in surprise as a scorching fire arrow shot towards the tentacles of death magic.

laugh!

The fire arrow struck the tentacle, exploding into a burst of fire, but only caused the tentacle to pause slightly, without interrupting it.

More death magic surged from the holes!

"It's a trap! There's something under the ice!"

Barr roared and turned to rush over to help.

"Don't go any further!" Master Evelyn shouted sharply, slamming her silver staff into the ground. "The ice structure is unstable; a large-scale collapse is imminent!"

Before the words were even finished, spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on the ice surface around the hole, and they quickly spread outwards!

The cracking and shattering sounds were incessant!

The trapped team member struggled, the wind elemental light fiercely clashing with the death magic, but he was being dragged little by little into the depths of the hole!

"Sharina!" Master Evelyn called out.

Priestess Sharna had already raised her sacred texts, and a gentle yet resolute prayer rang out: "In the name of the dawn, dispel the darkness, purify the defilement!"

A dazzling holy light descended from the sky, landing precisely on that tentacle of death magic!

Chi Chi Chi!

Like boiling oil poured on snow, the dark green death magic rapidly melted and evaporated under the scorching holy light, emitting a teeth-grinding hiss.

The tentacles' strength immediately diminished.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the trapped team member roared, and the wind element light surged, forcibly breaking free of the remaining restraints. He rolled backward in a sorry state, escaping the range of the hole.

Where he had just been standing, the ice had completely collapsed, forming a huge ice cave with a diameter of more than ten meters, its bottom unseen, emanating a strong aura of death and—a faint, metallic, rusty smell.

"Everyone retreat! Get away from the collapse zone!" Master Evelyn ordered.

The group quickly moved backward, increasing the distance between themselves and the ice cave.

The collapse did not continue to expand, but the dark ice cave, like a wound on the earth, continued to emit a chilling aura.

"It wasn't a trap set by the Pale Hand." Marcus's face was grim. "It was something that was already beneath the ice—triggered by our footsteps?"

Master Evelyn walked to the edge of the ice cave and carefully looked down.

A condensed beam of light emanated from the tip of the silver staff, illuminating the area below.

The ice cave is about twenty meters deep, and the bottom is filled with broken ice blocks and twisted metal debris.

The style of those remains was somewhat similar to that of the Observer civilization, but it was more rugged, with a thick layer of ice and rust covering its surface, indicating that it was much older.

Scattered among the wreckage were some pale, skeletal-like objects, as well as more slowly writhing, dark green death magic, like living moss, covering the wreckage and ice walls.

"It's the remains of an earlier battle—or a wasteland," Master Evelyn deduced, "sealed beneath the ice."

"Our weight, combined with any remaining unstable energy, triggered changes in the ice's structure." She looked at the team member who had escaped danger. "Were you injured?"

The team member checked his legs; the protective leather armor had several small holes corroded, and his skin was somewhat blackened, but Sharna's holy light had already dispelled the invading death magic. "It's alright, the priestess handled it promptly."

"Continue forward, but be more careful. Watch out for energy fluctuations underfoot and echoes from the ice." Master Evelyn didn't hesitate. "Avoid this area."

The group made an arc and continued its advance toward the dome.

After the recent incident, everyone was more vigilant, testing the ice surface with weapons or spells before taking any step.

No further incidents occurred during the rest of the journey.

Ten minutes later, the team finally arrived at the foot of the giant dome.

Upon closer inspection, this dark gold metal creation is even more breathtaking.

The metal surface is as smooth as a mirror. Even after many years, there is no obvious rust, only some minor scratches and frost.

The geometric patterns were so intricate they were dazzling, as if they contained some profound rules.

The entrance on the south side is clearly visible, with a huge metal gate about ten meters high and five meters wide, half-open in a twisted posture.

There were obvious signs of melting and tearing on the edge of the gate, as if it had been forcibly broken open from the outside by some enormous force.

There was a large amount of broken ice and metal fragments piled up at the entrance, as well as some frozen, frost-covered dark stains.

Bloodstains and scorch marks left from the battle.

The air was filled with a faint smell of ozone, the acrid smell of overheated metal, and a more pronounced, nauseating lingering scent of death.

"Check the surroundings and make sure it's safe," Baal ordered in a low voice, leading several team members to quickly spread out and check the sides and top of the entrance.

Roland's gaze fell on the traces of the battle.

On the ice near the gate, there were some dark gold metal fragments scattered around, the same material as the fragments obtained earlier.

There were also some charred materials, as if instantly carbonized by high temperatures, and several deep, smooth-edged cuts on the ice surface, left by energy weapons.

What's even more striking is that several mutilated bodies lie on the ground inside the gate.

Some wore tattered, gray-black robes, revealing withered, stiff limbs underneath; they were members of the Pale Hand.

Some were even larger, composite structures made of metal and some kind of crystal, which were the unknown type of observer units described by Marcus.

Without exception, these remains were all covered with varying shades of dark green death magic, like a lingering sore that was still slowly writhing.

"No signs of life, severe contamination with death magic, advised not to approach," a member of the inspection team reported.

Master Evelyn nodded, her gaze fixed on the deep darkness within the gate.

"Bar, Oleg, the vanguard."

"Lina, take the high ground; Sharna, stay in the center; the rest of you follow."

"Rolin, stay close to me."

The team adjusted their formation again, like sharp arrows, and cautiously stepped into the Observer's ruins that had been silent for countless years.

Inside the gate was a wide, sloping passage, also made of dark gold metal, with extinguished lighting crystals embedded in the walls at intervals.

The air grew colder, filled with a strange stench of metal, dust, and the magic of death.

The passageway floor was littered with more signs of battle and debris.

The further in you go, the more shocking the intensity of the battle becomes.

The walls were covered with scorch marks from energy weapons and dents from physical impacts, and huge claw marks and drag marks of blood could be seen on the ground.

The remains of those observer units were increasing in number, varying slightly in size and style, but all were severely damaged and contaminated by the magic of death.

There were also many corpses of members of the Pale Hand, each with a different manner of death. Some were pierced by energy beams, some were torn apart, and others—like those outside—seemed to have been drained of their life force.

"They're desperately trying to stop them—" Marcus whispered, his voice echoing through the empty corridor. "The pale hand wants to go in, and these guards are fighting tooth and nail to stop it."

"Both sides were in a bloodthirsty frenzy."

At the end of the passageway was an even larger circular hall.

The hall has a diameter of over 100 meters and a ceiling height of over 30 meters.

The dome should have had a complex array of lighting, but most of it is now damaged, with only a few spots emitting a faint, cold light that barely illuminates the area below.

In the center of the hall was the very spatial passage that Marcus had described.

A dark silver vortex, about three meters in diameter, floated silently in mid-air, two meters above the ground.

The vortex slowly rotated, its edges constantly twisting, disintegrating, and reforming, emitting powerful spatial fluctuations and energy radiation.

Tiny black spatial cracks appeared and disappeared around the vortex like sparks of electricity, emitting faint crackling sounds.

The energy emanating from the vortex is characterized by its coldness, order, and vastness, carrying an absolute sense of majesty that overlooks all living beings.

Simply standing at the edge of the hall, one could feel an invisible pressure, as if facing some supreme will.

Directly below the vortex, there was a mountain of debris.

There were observer units and members of the Pale Hand, layer upon layer, almost covering the entire ground.

At the very top were the remains of three of the largest, heavily armored observer units, as fortress-like as they fell, guarding the bottom of the vortex as if they were still fulfilling their duty of guarding until their last breath.

Scattered among these wreckage are some enchanted artifacts with a pale hand style that are either not fully activated or already damaged: locators, stabilizing anchors, energy conductors, and so on.

All signs indicate that an extremely fierce battle took place here.

The attackers are willing to pay any price to break into the vortex, while the defenders fight to the last man.

Now, the battlefield has fallen silent. Only that unstable vortex continues to spin tirelessly, connecting to the unknown beyond.

Master Evelyn gestured for the group to stop. She took a few steps forward alone, her silver staff touching the ground, the crystal at the tip shimmering as if she were carefully probing the vortex and the surrounding environment.

"The space channel is extremely unstable, energy readings are chaotic, and there is a risk of collapse."

"The other end—the energy level is very high, but it seems to be in a state of silence or low responsiveness." She turned to look at everyone. "There is no clear evidence of the Pale Hand's main force entering."

"But they have set up a lot of stabilization and guidance devices around the passage, so they are obviously well prepared."

"Their people—maybe they're already inside, or maybe they're somewhere else."

Baal walked over to a pile of wreckage and carefully used his battle axe to clear away the frozen blood and metal fragments on the surface, revealing a fist-sized, dark red crystal half-buried in ice shards.

"What is this?"

The crystal seemed to have viscous blood flowing inside, exuding a strong bloody smell and the magic of death.

"Blood Soul Crystals—evil creations used by the Pale Hand to store souls and life energy." Priestess Sharna frowned in disgust. "They are usually used for sacrifices or to activate certain forbidden spells."

"How did this get here?"

Master Evelyn walked over, examined the Blood Soul Crystal carefully, then looked up at the vortex, a flash of understanding in her eyes.

"I understand—they weren't forcing their way in."

"They are offering sacrifices."

"A sacrifice?" Everyone was taken aback.

"Using massive amounts of death and soul energy to impact, pollute, and even briefly deceive the protocol identification system on the other side of the channel," Master Evelyn said, her pace quickening. "The Observer civilization's protocol is sensitive to pure, orderly energy, but its identification and processing mechanisms for this kind of death and soul energy, which is full of negative emotions and chaos, may be different, or even have loopholes."

"The pale hand is using the lives and souls of its own people as keys or sources of contamination, attempting to open a safe path, or at least temporarily disable the defense system on the other end!"

This speculation is chilling. Using the lives of their own people to pave the way?