Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1012 Legs

Leo pointed to the city wall at the northwest corner. "There's a slum there, and it's the least guarded." Elena adjusted her course, the air from her wings stirring up fallen leaves. She noticed many ragged figures standing on the rooftops of the slums. They looked at her with a look of anticipation, not fear. Leo explained, "The Inquisition has burned many so-called 'witches' to 'purify' the city. They were actually just sick, poor people." As she flew over the city wall, Elena looked down and saw dozens of crosses standing in the slum square, bodies still burning on them. Black smoke twisted into weeping faces in the morning breeze. The power within her surged again, this time no longer a desire for destruction, but an uncontrollable rage—these people, like herself back then, were merely victims of the Holy Church's efforts to maintain its rule. "Sister, look!" Leo pointed to the distant wasteland. A black line appeared on the horizon, approaching the city at a breakneck speed. Elena narrowed her eyes, recognizing them as the barbarian tribes expelled by the Holy Church. They wielded bone spears, their roars faintly audible even from high above. "The end of the Inquisition has come," Elena's lips curled in a cold arc. She let her vine wings descend on the edge of the wasteland and placed Leo behind a boulder. "Wait here for me. I'll be back soon." Leo grasped her hand, pressing the sapphire in his palm against the crystal in hers. Suddenly, both gems erupted with dazzling light. Elena felt the power within her become docile, her transparent skin gradually returning to normal. The rose mark on her collarbone quietly closed, transforming into a simple tattoo. "This is..." Elena stared at the crystal in her palm in amazement. Intricate patterns appeared on its surface, perfectly matching the sapphire in Leo's hand. "A loyal servant said this is the Morningstar family's heirloom. When the two gems merge, they will open the door to the 'Forgotten Land,'" Leo's voice was filled with excitement. "There lies our family's true power, as well as a message from our mother." The distant cries of the barbarian tribe and the tolling of bells from the city-state echoed. Elena knew time was running out. She carried Leo into a secluded cave, sealing the entrance with vines, leaving only a slit for air. "Once I've dealt with the pursuers of the Inquisition, I'll take you to the Forgotten Land." As she emerged from the cave, Elena's black wings unfurled in the sunlight, sharp bone spurs forming at the tips of the vines. She could smell blood on the wind, hear the prayers of the Holy Knights, and feel the Rose Mark within her body stirring once more—this time, she would not resist the power. Her mother was right: destroy the world or be destroyed by it. But Elena chose a third path—a world free of judgment and burning, where all bloodlines cursed like theirs could live freely. She spread her wings and flew into the sky, her black figure drawing a graceful arc in the morning mist, like a flower of ash and extinction about to bloom on the ruins. In the distant wasteland, the roars of the barbarian tribes were getting closer and closer; in the city-state behind her, the knights of the Inquisition had already rushed out of the city gate. And in the depths of the cave that she could not see, the two gems in Leo's hands were emitting brighter and brighter light, illuminating the ancient text hidden on the rock wall - that was the secret of the Morning Star Family's contract with the Abyss, and it was also the key to unlocking a new world. Flower of ash and extinction? Chapter 2: The Covenant of the Wasteland When Elena landed in the wasteland, the dust raised by the horses' hooves blinded her. The vanguard of the Holy Knights had already chased to the Gobi Desert outside the city-state. The silver-white armor shone brightly in the scorching sun, like a group of moving tombstones. The leading knight raised his lance, the holy symbol on its tip tracing a golden trail through the air. "Witch! Surrender and save your soul from eternal damnation!" Elena curled her lips, and black vines sprouted from her fingertips, weaving a vast web across the sand. She could feel the undercurrents flowing underground, hear the clatter of distant barbarian hordes' hooves, and even smell the sweat clinging to the knights' armor—a newfound ability, like a precise hunting instinct. "When you, the Inquisition, burn innocent civilians, do you ever think of their souls?" Elena's voice, carried by the wind, reached the knights. Suddenly, vines erupted from the sand, entangling the legs of the three warhorses in the front row. The horses leaped in fright, throwing the knights to the ground, their silver-white armor scraping against the gravel with a harsh sound. The leading knight stood up, removing his helmet to reveal a youthful face. His short, flaxen hair, damp with sweat, plastered to his full forehead. The insignia on his chest was more elaborate than the others, clearly a noble, yet his knuckles were calloused, and the ridges of his palms bore the marks of constant bowwork. "I am Karen Wright, Grand Master of the Seventh Knights of the Inquisition," the young knight's voice spoke with undeniable conviction. "The holy scriptures state that the very existence of witches is blasphemy against the gods. Purifying you is the duty of every believer." Elena noticed the cross hanging from his neck, its silver chain inscribed with a tiny prayer. She suddenly remembered the priest in the castle, the old man who had always secretly slipped her honey cakes, only to be crucified on the altar—all for saying, "God loves all his people, including witches." "Duty?" Elena's vines wrapped around Karen's spear, the golden light of the holy emblems colliding with the dark energy of the vines, creating a sizzling, burning sound. "Then when you burned the defenseless children, were you also fulfilling your duty?" Karen paused, a flicker of hesitation in his amber eyes. This detail didn't escape Elena's notice. She suddenly increased her strength, and the vines tightened violently, snapping the spear in two. The broken spear tip grazed Karen's cheek, leaving a bloody mark on his jaw. "Retreat!" Karen suddenly shouted, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. He picked up the broken spear from the ground and rode back. Elena saw a small mark engraved on the horseshoe of his warhorse—it was the emblem of the Wright family, identical to the seal of the earl who had secretly funded the Morning Star family. The morning sun shone down on them, casting a translucent blood-red hue on their black wings. Alarms wailed in the city's streets. Monks in white robes ran, holding holy crosses. Knights rode on armored warhorses, their swords reflecting a cold light. Elena could feel countless eyes staring at her. Fear, hatred, curiosity... all kinds of emotions pierced her back like needles. "Fly that way!"