Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1013 Hoofbeats

Karen pointed her longsword at Leo, pinned to the snow by two knights, the jade pendant still clutched tightly around her neck. "Let him go!" Elena's vines lashed out like a whip, sending the two knights flying. Karen spun swiftly, the holy symbol of her longsword tracing a golden arc through the snow. The tip of the sword stopped half an inch from Elena's throat, chilling the blade into her skin. "You've indeed colluded with the barbarians," Karen's voice tinged with disappointment, her amber eyes reflecting the vine wings behind her. "The holy scriptures say that those who associate with witches are equally guilty and must be put to death." "Then will you kill him?" Elena moved to protect Leo, the vines between her fingertips gently wrapping around Karen's ankles. "Just like three years ago, when you killed every servant in the castle, including the old tailor who made your saddle?" Karen froze. His hand on the sword began to tremble, and the snow dripped down the hilt into his sleeve, failing to cool his burning skin. Elena noticed the handkerchief hanging from his waist. The rose pattern embroidered on it matched the Morningstar Family crest—the work of an old tailor. "How did you know..." Karen's voice trembled with disbelief. "Because my mother had the tailor give you that handkerchief." Elena's vines loosened his ankles, and the crystal in her palm glowed with a faint blue light. "The Wright Family was entrusted by the Morningstar to secretly protect the royal bloodline. Your father searched for us until his death." Leo suddenly shouted, "His cross! The same one in Dad's study!" Elena looked at the cross around Karen's neck. The words "Morning Star" engraved on the silver chain were particularly clear in the snow. It was a token given by her father to a close friend, said to summon the Morningstar Family's guards in times of crisis—but she had never expected it to be discovered in this situation, in this way. Karen stepped back sharply, his sword dropping to the snow with a crisp sound. He took down the cross and examined the inscription. Suddenly, he fell to his knees, his shoulders trembling violently. "Father... Father, what he said is true..." Just then, the sky suddenly darkened. The Inquisition's main altar erupted in Moonlight Canyon, a dazzling golden light erupting. The holy light barrier spread at a visible speed. Wherever it passed, the barbarian warriors' totem tattoos began to smoke, and Elena's vine wings turned transparent. "They've activated the main altar!" Ella arrived on a giant eagle, the light-eating stone glowing dimly in her hand. "The shaman says a sacrifice is necessary to allow the totem pole's power to suppress the barrier!" Elena looked at Karen, who was pressing the cross into Leo's hands with determination. "The holy text says that the blood of a paladin can purify all impurities." He picked up the longsword from the ground and pointed it at his heart. "This is the only thing I can do for the Morningstar Family." "No!" Elena and Leo shouted simultaneously. The young man rushed over and hugged Karen's legs, tears streaking across the snow. "You can't die! You still have to help us find the Forgotten Land!" Karen looked at Leo, then at Elena, a flicker of tenderness in his amber eyes. He set down his sword and pulled a scroll from his bosom. "This is the Inquisition's defense map. My father hid it in the Paladin's armor before his death." As the scroll unfolded, Elena saw a symbol drawn beneath Moonlight Canyon's main altar, connecting it to the Holy Mountain Tunnel. "I know how to stop the barrier." Elena's vines suddenly pointed toward the main altar, their wings emitting white smoke as they burned with holy light. "Karen, take Leo through the tunnel to the main altar. There's a counter-magic circle left by the Morning Star Family. Ella, let's activate the totem pole and buy them time!" As Karen gripped his sword and donned his helmet again, his voice clear of hesitation: "Seventh Knights, listen to my orders—protect Master Leo! Follow me to break through the holy light barrier!" Suddenly, the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed in the distance. Twenty paladins emerged from behind the snow, their armor gleaming in the sunlight, but they remained unarmed—evidently old knights whom Karen had secretly contacted. Elena watched the knights escort Leo into the tunnel, then glanced at the light-devouring stone in Ella's hand. The snow on the mountaintop began to melt, and the totem pole glowed brighter and brighter. It collided with the holy light barrier of Moonlight Canyon in the air, forming a rainbow across the wasteland. "Are you ready?" Elena's wings spread fully. Though every inch of her skin burned in the holy light, her gaze remained resolute. Ella raised the Light Devouring Stone, the crimson glow of the totem pole reflected in her brown eyes. "For the Barbarians, for the Morning Star!" The moment the Light Devouring Stone touched the totem pole, Elena felt the magic within her surge like a tide. The rose mark on her collarbone blossomed fully, its black petals cascading, enveloping her body into a vast bud. The last thing she saw was Karen and Leo disappearing through the tunnel entrance. The jade pendant in the boy's hand glowed the same crimson light as the totem pole. The golden light of the holy light barrier and the crimson glow of the totem pole collided violently above the wasteland, forming a massive vortex of energy. The main altar of Moonlight Canyon began to collapse, and the Holy Order's sacred text burned within the counter-magic circle, transforming into a cloud of paper butterflies. Atop the unseen holy mountain, a massive black rose blossomed, dewdrops falling from its petals, and patches of tiny blue flowers sprouted from the snow. This was the star grass, a symbol of hope and rebirth, unique to the Forgotten Lands. He pulled a bone fragment carved with a giant wolf from his bosom and pressed it into Elana's palm. "This is the key to the passage." The moment the bone fragment touched her hand, Elana heard the sound of gears turning from underground. The ground around the main altar slowly cracked, revealing a stepped passage. The damp air mingled with the scent of earth and blood, like the maw of some great beast. "Shaman!" Blackstone's roar echoed from the canyon entrance. The barbarian warriors had already dispatched most of the monks and were charging towards the main altar. As the stone axe split the last monk's shield, blood splashed onto the burning holy book, making a sizzling sound. Elana handed the old man to the charging barbarian warrior and turned to look at the cracked tunnel. The vines condensed into torches in her palms, and the faint blue flames illuminated the bloody handprints on the stairs - of varying sizes, obviously left by many people fleeing in panic. Some of the small marks looked like children's hands. "Messenger!" Ella's voice suddenly came from the air. The animal bone necklace emitted a dazzling red light, and the rock walls on both sides of the canyon suddenly roared. The barbarian warriors hidden in the crevices of the rocks poured out like a tide, and the stone axes in their hands flashed with cold light. "It's an ambush!" The monks hurriedly raised the holy book, and the golden light condensed into a shield in front of them. But the barbarian warriors were obviously prepared. They threw out hemp ropes wrapped in grease, which landed accurately on the shield. The sparks ignited a raging fire as soon as they touched it, burning the golden light to the point of crumbling. Elena took the opportunity to spread her wings,