Volume 2, Chapter 59 – Truth or Falsehood

The exact location of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had always been a question the Ashurmos Church was desperate to answer. To completely crush the Abyssal Demons and save the world from their threat, they had to destroy the source of their birth: the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.

For centuries, the Church had launched countless exploration missions just to find this ancient palace enveloped in a bizarre barrier. However, whether it was aerial exploration or sending adventuring parties deep into the Deepwinter Forest, all efforts ended in failure without suspense. More often than not, adventurers sent into the forest would die with regret due to attacks by Abyssal Demons, such as the Eighth Hero, Pix, who had recently ventured into the forest’s interior.

Exploring the Deepwinter Forest was undoubtedly a life-and-death mission, yet the desire of those within the Church to explore it remained intensely strong. Why was this? Because the rewards were astronomical!

If the specific location of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons were found, the explorer would obtain endless wealth and honor. Their status within the Church and even across the continent would soar. The Pope himself would bestow countless cultivation resources to help them break through to the eighth tier. Even if the exact location was not found, those who contributed significantly to the exploration mission would still receive massive rewards.

Under such heavy rewards, there were bound to be brave souls. Because of this, everyone in the Church harbored a deep interest in exploring the Deepwinter Forest, especially seventh tier Heroes like Kabane.

Hm? You ask what happens if one encounters a demon king tier while exploring?! There were only three demon king tier entities in the entire Deepwinter Forest. Since the forest was so vast, who said they would definitely run into one?!

This was what Kabane had always thought. As a crude man, he had always been looked down upon by others in the Church. He desperately craved an opportunity to prove himself, and finding the specific location of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons would undoubtedly be the best opportunity possible. Therefore, upon hearing the discussion at the neighboring table, Kabane’s ears immediately perked up!

“Really, I’m not lying to you! I actually reached the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons before!”

‘The Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?! He reached it?!’ Kabane’s eyes narrowed slightly as a trace of doubt surfaced on his face.

In truth, over the years, there had been no shortage of people who “claimed” to know the location of the Hall to commit fraud. Thus, whenever he heard such words, Kabane remained fully vigilant. Basically, these people turned out to be talking nonsense, just as he expected.

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However, this time seemed a bit different. Hearing the man’s plausible words and the confidence and excitement in his tone, Kabane couldn’t help but form a thought. ‘Could what he said be true? Has he really been to the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?!’

‘If it were true, wouldn’t this be a massive opportunity?!’ Thinking of this, Kabane dropped his wine bottle and stood up abruptly. Under the stunned gazes of his companions from the Ashurmos Church, this Seventh Hero charged directly to the neighboring table!

…

“Hey?! Who… who are you?! Wait?! Someone from the Ashurmos Church?!”

The black-haired middle-aged man who had been describing his legendary experience to his drinking buddies immediately showed a look of displeasure upon seeing Kabane burst in. However, after feeling the terrifying saint tier aura that Kabane intentionally released, the man instantly withered. He didn’t dare say another word and could only watch as Kabane drove his group of friends out of the room.

After clearing out the bystanders, Kabane sat down abruptly in front of the middle-aged man and asked in a very serious tone, “How do you know the location of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?! You’ve been there?!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was at a loss for words. He didn’t say anything directly but instead looked at Kabane with a strange expression, as if to say, ‘Who the hell are you? Why should I tell you?’

In response, Kabane smiled coldly and immediately took five thousand Primestone Coins from his spatial ring, tossing them directly in front of the middle-aged man. “Answer my questions properly. If I am satisfied, all of these are yours!”

Looking at the purple, shining Primestone Coins, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but feel a surge of temptation. After a moment of hesitation, the man nodded slightly. “Then… what do you want to ask?”

Seeing how cooperative the other party was, Kabane smiled slightly. “First, what is your name?”

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“Jack, former leader of the Black Fox Mercenary Corps…”

“Jack? That’s a very common name. Well then, Jack, do you really know the location of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man named Jack gave a firm nod. “Yes.”

“How do you know? Have you really been there?”

“Yes, I… I have been there. It was during the time the Abyssal Demons were attacking Fort Garros. A few of my gambling buddies and I were forced to enter the Deepwinter Forest to hunt for treasure to pay off our debts. We wanted to find some rare resources or treasures left behind by ancestors. We kept searching and searching, and five days later, we inexplicably passed through a barrier. Just like that, we saw that… that temple…”

As the dialogue continued, Jack told Kabane everything he had seen and heard. Afterward, the somewhat greedy middle-aged man fixed his gaze tightly on the Primestone Coins on the ground. “This… since I’ve told you everything, the… the money?”

However, Kabane did not reply immediately. Instead, he stared at the man before him thoughtfully. Indeed, this man’s description of many conditions in the eastern part of the forest was almost identical to the Church’s records. Combined with the guy’s strength at the sixth tier initial stage, he must have indeed entered the Deepwinter Forest. But to not encounter any Abyssal Demons for five days? And to somehow find the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons? It felt a bit unrealistic.

Although he craved the location of the Hall, Kabane was not that impulsive. The doubt in his heart suppressed his impulse. “Still, this is all just your side of the story! What about the companions who went adventuring with you? I want to see them!”

“They… they were attacked by Abyssal Demons on the way back and died.”

“Oh? All dead?”

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“Yes.”

“Leaving only you…”

Involuntarily, a thick look of suspicion appeared in Kabane’s eyes. “Even though your story is very detailed, if you’re the only witness, I’m not inclined to believe you. Do you have any other evidence to prove you’ve really been to the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?! If you can’t convince me, don’t think about taking this money.”

“This… I… I do…”

After hesitating for a while, seemingly under the influence of the power of money, Jack nodded. He then carefully took a small stone fragment from his bag and handed it to Kabane.

As he took the stone, Kabane saw the ancient runes described in old books and felt the traces of time on the fragment. He sensed the dense aura of Shadow Essence contained within it. Kabane’s face changed instantly, and his head felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He stood frozen on the spot. “This… could this be a fragment of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?!”

“Yes, yes. I secretly picked it up from the ground back then,” Jack said nervously. “Is… is this evidence enough now?”

“Enough! It’s enough!!” Kabane said excitedly while staring fixedly at the fragment in his hand.

It seemed that this time, a pie really had fallen from the sky! As long as he brought positioning equipment to record the exact coordinates, he would obtain countless honors! That way, no one would ever dare to look down on him again!

Following that, the Seventh Hero patted Jack’s shoulder with extreme excitement. “You just said you still remember the path, right?! And it’s a path with relatively few Abyssal Demons!”

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“Yes… yes, my lord. What are you…?”

“Take me there!”

“Eh?! Are… are you serious?!”

“I am! As long as you take me there, all of these are yours!”

As he spoke, Kabane took out hundreds of thousands of Primestone Coins from his spatial ring and tossed them onto the table nearby! Under the temptation of the money, Jack finally nodded. “Fine, I… I’ll take you there…”

After agreeing on a specific departure time, Kabane left the private room in high spirits, preparing to inform his teammates of this matter. At the thought of the beautiful life he would lead after achieving fame and success, Kabane’s face beamed with an unprecedented smile.

Once the door to the private room closed again, Jack was the only one left inside. At that moment, a burst of eerie blue-gold light suddenly emanated from Jack’s body. As the light dissipated, Jack, who clearly wasn’t drunk yet, inexplicably closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground.

However, very quickly, the black-haired middle-aged man opened his eyes again and struggled to climb up. Only now, Jack’s eyes no longer held the greed and ecstasy from moments ago; they held only profound confusion. Looking at the scene inside the room, the man scratched his head with a peculiar expression.

‘Strange, why am I here? Have I… have I been sleepwalking again?’