Chapter 108: An Unexpected Surprise

"What is going on?" Link was momentarily stunned by the sudden blaring of the alarm. There were many archaeologists in the world of Solakom, and while excavation sites for ancient ruins were not common, they were hardly classified secrets. Triggering an alarm the moment a stranger appeared could only mean one of two things: either the guards were overly nervous, or this excavation site held secrets that could not be exposed to outsiders.

Regardless of which it was, Link had no desire to complicate matters and intended to detour around them. But while Link wished to keep the peace, the opposition clearly disagreed. Just as he prepared to leave, a red magical barrier suddenly activated, enveloping a two-hundred-meter radius around the entire site and trapping Link and Asmita inside.

Facing this situation, Link furrowed his brow, while Asmita said in a fearful voice, "Archbishop, what is happening? Why has the surrounding elemental energy suddenly become so chaotic? It’s as if it has been polluted by some kind of negative force."

"A negative force? Could it be..." As Link speculated, a new, shocking development occurred. A spatial rift suddenly tore open in the sky, and immediately after, his "old friend"—a Hellhound—began to leap out from the rift.

Seeing this, Link nearly cursed. He had guessed correctly; this was a site belonging to the Baal Cult. His luck was truly good enough to win the lottery. To encounter a major villain secretly digging for treasure just by stepping out of the mountains—could it be that the bitch Goddess of Fate was encouraging him to kill and plunder? Link refused to believe this had nothing to do with the power of Fate. Thinking of this, he truly wanted to cry. Was it not just ten points of divine power he had used for enhancements? Did the universe really have to torment him endlessly for it?

The most miserable part was that Link couldn't blame anyone, as the loss of control over the power of Fate was his own doing. Even Remilia, the original owner of that power, had been caught in the crossfire and suffered a backlash. If he had to blame someone, he could only blame himself and the True God System, which hadn't clearly explained the consequences of playing with the forces of destiny.

Watching the Hellhounds pouring out and the site personnel mobilizing, Link said in a low voice to Asmita, "Asmita, hold on tight. We are likely about to face a bitter battle."

Asmita didn't speak, but his arms tightened around Link. Link said no more and immediately utilized his Lingbo Microsteps to begin scouting for cover or a place to hide.

What? You ask why Link didn't use Cloud-Ladder Steps? Please, this was combat, not traveling. Why use Cloud-Ladder Steps? To jump out and become a target? There were plenty of enemies on the other side capable of long-range attacks.

Facing a large number of enemies, Link knew that fighting head-on was unwise, and negotiation was even less likely. Given the Baal Cult's style, they would never let him go once their secret was discovered; otherwise, they wouldn't have sounded the alarm and opened a spatial rift so promptly.

However, this was also a disaster of Link's own making, as his graceful leaping movements appeared to others as the distinct hallmark of a Tier 6 expert. Facing an unidentified Tier 6 powerhouse, it was no wonder the Baal Cult reacted so intensely. Had he been more low-key, the cult might have sent a squad to kill him rather than mobilizing everyone.

Yet, he couldn't blame himself entirely for how things turned out. Who could have guessed that in such deep, desolate mountains, he would encounter a group of indigenous terrorists from the Solakom world digging for ancient artifacts? He could only blame the power of Fate for being so deceptive.

Before long, Link encountered several enemies and Hellhounds searching for him. Without a word, he surged forward using his Lingbo Microsteps, dispatching the group with his One-Yang Finger and Great Vajra Palm, then dashed away before other enemies could spot him, quickly slipping into the interior of the excavation site.

The site was a labyrinth of paths and pits, filled with ancient relics whose era was impossible to determine. Link had no heart to dwell on these; he searched for a place to hide, killing many enemies along the way by utilizing ambushes and his superior strength.

Although there were many enemies at the site, few had strength exceeding Tier 3. To the current Link, they were nothing but cannon fodder with a combat power of five, all of whom could be dispatched in a single strike.

Link weaved through the site, using the terrain and his agility to ensure the enemies could never form a pincer movement. He moved as if in an empty land, leaving his foes helpless.

Unsurprisingly, this infuriated the Baal Cultists. Their leader was a man in his sixties, a mage with white hair who looked somewhat like Gandalf from *The Lord of the Rings*, though his eyes were cold and gloomy, which was deeply unsettling. His name was Adam Samiles, a formidable mage with cultivation at the mid-Tier 5 level. He had already assessed how many intruders there were and what their strength levels were.

Looking coldly at his subordinates, who stood with heads bowed and trembling bodies, Adam said in a frigid voice, "You useless wastes. You can’t even catch a pair of mice? Tell me, what use are you? With this level of competence, how do you expect to complete the noble mission bestowed upon us by the God of Destruction?"

His subordinates were even more terrified. One of them, after glancing at his companions, gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Lord Adam, I heard from the men that one of the two intruders is a Tier 6 powerhouse. With our current numbers, facing a Tier 6—uh? You..." The rest of his sentence turned into a shocked gasp of "You," because halfway through his words, Adam had silently fired an ice spear, piercing the man's chest. The man collapsed softly to the ground with a look of resentment and unwillingness.

This scene terrified the others to the core. Adam snorted coldly, "Hmph, Tier 6? Where is the Tier 6 powerhouse among those two ants? Do you take me for an idiot, or do you think I am blind? That brat’s strength is at most Tier 5!"

The subordinates trembled violently, their eyes fixed on their own noses, not daring to make a sound.

Adam snorted again, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "Forget it. Relying on a bunch of useless trash like you to find those two ants is a fool's errand. I will catch him myself. You, retract the barrier."

The subordinates felt as if they had been granted amnesty and scrambled to deactivate the barrier. Adam immediately let out a whistle. A dragon's roar followed, which sent a jolt of alarm through Link, who had just seen the barrier disappear and was preparing to use his Cloud-Ladder Steps to escape. He knew that roar all too well—it was the Sky-Bombing Dragon.

Soon, a massive shadow appeared in the sky. Link looked up and gasped; it was indeed the Sky-Bombing Dragon, the very same one they had encountered before. Although the dragon flew swiftly, he noticed it was missing an eye.

"I should have guessed it. Why would a Sky-Bombing Dragon appear in the Red Moon Province for no reason? It turns out it was kept by the Baal Cult. We probably encountered it while it was hunting, and it likely received orders from its master to eliminate all witnesses, so it chased us all the way here." In an instant, Link had deduced most of the truth, and all previous mysteries were solved.

This was how the power of Fate worked: stringing together various coincidences to form events that would have a major impact on Link—and this event, by any measure, was not a good one.

Link hurriedly ducked his head and kept running. If the Sky-Bombing Dragon caught up, neither he nor Asmita would survive. With the dragon present, escaping would be difficult. He was fast, but nowhere near as fast as the dragon. More importantly, the dragon could discharge electricity; no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't outrun lightning.

Thinking of this, Link cursed internally. But just then, the True God System suddenly sent a message.

[Ding! Powerful divine energy detected. Automatically locking coordinates.]

As the system finished, information appeared in Link's mind, revealing the location of the divine energy.

"Powerful divine energy? What is it? Can it be absorbed by the system like the Eye of the Prophet?" Link felt a spark of hope. After a moment's consideration, realizing he would be finished sooner or later if he kept running, he decided to treat the dead horse as a living one and rushed toward the source of the energy. Not long after, a massive figure descended from the sky with a *boom*, blocking their path—it was the Sky-Bombing Dragon.

Upon seeing Link, the dragon seemed to recognize him as the one who had blinded its eye. Its remaining eye filled with rage, and it opened its maw to release a threatening roar.

"BOOM!"

The next moment, a roar erupted, but it wasn't from the dragon. Just as the creature prepared to bellow, Link fired a Flame Blast spell directly into its mouth. The flames detonated, instantly setting the dragon's giant maw ablaze. Although the dragon had high magical resistance, that was on its hide; a direct blast into its mouth and throat was agonizing. Like someone choking on a spicy, painful substance, the dragon squeezed its eyes shut, shaking its head while retreating, and let out a pained, mournful cry.

Link seized the opportunity, kicked off the ground, and used his Cloud-Ladder Steps to leap onto the dragon's body. The Baal Cultists spotted him, but because of the dragon, they didn't dare attack immediately. Link took advantage of this, leaping across the dragon's back in two steps and charging toward the source of the divine energy.

After recovering from the pain, the dragon realized Link had escaped and roared in fury, charging after him. Because the space was narrow, it didn't fly but ran on its two hind legs, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground. It was like a Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing the protagonists in *Jurassic Park*, smashing everything in its path.

Meanwhile, Link and Asmita encountered many blockers. With the dragon in hot pursuit, Link dared not linger, bypassing them using various methods. Those who tried to follow found themselves caught in the dragon's path; those who didn't hide in time were either crushed flat or sent flying by the dragon, meeting tragic ends.

The two and the dragon played a game of cat-and-mouse, darting all over the excavation site. The Baal Cultists and the monsters from the rift became mere scenery, mostly ending up as collateral damage. Finally, Link found the source of the divine energy. It was a narrow cave, seemingly dug out by the cultists, with several members guarding the entrance.

Link did not hesitate and used his light-body techniques to dash into the cave. The cultists attacked, but Link activated the Protection of Holy Light, covering himself and Asmita in a shield that rendered the enemies' attacks useless. He seized the chance, used his One-Yang Finger to kill the two guards at the entrance, and successfully darted inside.

The next moment, the Sky-Bombing Dragon slammed into the entrance with a loud thud. The opening was only wide enough for a human to pass; the dragon's massive head couldn't fit, and it could only roar in fury at the entrance.