Chapter 357

Chapter 357: The Apostle’s Temple

At this point, Midi wanted to keep the two women he loved away from danger.

In his past life as a commander during the Behemoth’s invasion, he remembered clearly how only a Legendary Thought Capturer had entered the supreme expert’s temple alone.

That adventurer set up precise coordinates there and transmitted them to the aerial warship.

By then, the Blue Truth Sect’s fleet had been destroyed, and the adventurers controlled the skies completely.

After getting the coordinates, the fleet went full firepower. It took two whole weeks to drain the flight-restricting magic array’s energy, making the Sharp Winds vanish before blasting the temple with the warship’s main cannon.

Only when the supreme expert neared death did the hidden Legendary Thought Capturer emerge from the ruins to deliver the final blow.

In that past life, nobody except that man had entered the temple. Yet he wasn’t celebrated as a hero – his role as a living beacon wasn’t considered glorious.

Now, Midi hadn’t even reached the Legendary Thought Capturer’s realm yet planned to enter with two companions. Confidence aside, doubts crept in.

Could three people truly reach the supreme expert unharmed?

Would they have any battle strength left afterward?

Maybe Fina and Alice should retreat?

These thoughts swirled in Midi’s heart.

But Fina and Alice knew him too well. The instant he considered separating the trio, they noticed.

They answered without words – Fina on his left, Alice on his right, both seizing his hands firmly.

"You…" Midi froze. Though no longer the inexperienced youth from before, his heartbeat raced wildly now.

"We’ll let go when fighting starts," Fina grinned, yanking his arm. "No talk of turning back now."

"Calling it ‘protection’? You just think we’re deadweight." Alice’s pale cheeks flushed pink. "Don’t get cocky."

"Understood," Midi replied meekly.

"Could you beat the supreme expert alone?" Fina pressed.

"No."

"Then we face him together." Both girls squeezed his hands tighter.

"Alright." Midi’s voice steadied.

Silence returned as they climbed.

Kilometer after kilometer.

The mountain path turned brutal underfoot, each step a struggle.

The psychic energy pressure now felt like ocean depths crushing them – iron weights dragging at limbs, eyelids leaden, breath labored.

Still they marched onward through the endless stone windings.

Midi felt his very thoughts beginning to freeze solid.

Stay awake. Must stay awake.

He bit down hard on his tongue, repeating the silent mantra. But numbness had claimed his senses – he couldn’t even tell if teeth met flesh anymore.

Through the all-consuming chaos, only one sensation remained clear – the warmth from both hands where Fina and Alice still walked beside him. Step by deliberate step, they advanced together. As long as their linked hands remained, that connection alone could sustain him.

Time lost meaning. Seconds stretched into decades between footfalls. When Midi’s next step landed, sudden heat erupted through their joined palms – scorching rivers coursing up his arms. Not his own mutation, but power radiating from the women flanking him.

The Spirit Dragon Sword sang within his constrained core, its metallic cry slicing through mental fog like quenching water. Clarity returned – senses sharpening despite the oppressive psychic energy. The crushing pressure remained, yet now felt… manageable.

"Fina? Alice?" His urgent checks found them unharmed. Their awakened power had not only stabilized the trio but pushed both women to level 55. Though unclear what potential had surfaced, this unexpected growth bolstered their chances.

On a distant peak, the Guardian watched through slitted eyes. "Laughable," he sneered at the Mind Shield amulets. "No Thought Capturers, yet they triggered Holy Blood awakening." His gaze lingered hungrily, not on their equipment or beauty, but as a jeweler appraising uncut stones. "Patience," he counseled himself, dissolving into the wind. "Let them soften the old turtle first."

Unaware of the watcher, Midi pressed onward with renewed ease. Though apologetic for dragging them into danger, he couldn’t deny their shared power now enabled progress. Beneath surface banter, all three remained tense – this psychic trial was mere prelude.

The mountain path ended at ruins unlike Blue Truth Sect architecture – low-slung and pillar-supported, like some petrified beast. As they approached, an ancient voice trembled the air:

"Sea Emperor’s heir! You surpass hopes, bringing two Holy Blood bearers! Now end me with Golden Forgiveness. Slay the Eighth Apostle – kill Rost!"