My bloodline yearns for progress.

Chapter 76 The Rotten Valley

Goren shouldered the supplies they needed to carry and urged the two to hurry up and set off.

Along the way, Goren observed his surroundings while patiently inquiring about the two men's situation.

After a night's rest, Otto and Tessa both said they had recovered.

If needed, Tessa could even cast the Law Shield right now.

However, Goren temporarily refused her request.

"The rest of the journey is relatively safe. We can apply the Law Shield after we pass through the Giant Tree Valley."

Goren cautioned the two that familiarizing themselves with the terrain was one of the essential lessons for adventurers.

However, upon hearing Goren's warning, Tessa asked with some curiosity.

"What kind of place is Giant Tree Valley, and why are there fewer monsters near that valley?"

Tessa felt that it was within the Blackthorn Forest, so why did it seem so special?

Goren did know something about this, but instead of answering Tessa's question immediately, he asked her in return with a grin.

"Priest, do you know about elemental spirits?"

Upon hearing this, Tessa, through her helmet, gave Goren a look as if he were an idiot.

"Of course, the six elemental spirits, along with the true gods, became the faith of the Kingdom of Thorne."

They are incredibly capricious, only blessing their beloved families or those protected by the power of nature.

Moreover, they are close to nature and often send down fragments of their spirits to live in corners of the mortal world.

These divided spirits differed greatly in strength and were almost completely cut off from the original spirit. Only when a divided spirit died would its memories flow into the original spirit.

"To put it bluntly, energy beings all possess similar abilities, and as far as I know, demons are no exception."

Tessa came from the Inquisition. Although she held the gods in high esteem, she had no respect for anything other than the gods.

If it weren't for the fact that the elemental spirits are worshipped by the residents of the Kingdom of Thorne, their words would probably have been even harsher.

But Goren, standing to the side, simply nodded.

"You're right, and that's precisely why there are so few monsters near Giant Tree Valley."

Goren let out a long sigh of relief and slowly looked at Otto.

"It is said that there is a giant tree in the middle of the valley. Adventurers once measured it and found that it would take ten people holding hands to barely encircle it."

According to some druids' investigations, this giant tree seems to possess a certain greedy nature, draining all the nutrients from the earth in the valley, leaving no other life besides this giant tree.

Legend has it that a powerful fragment of the earth spirit once mated with a tree, giving birth to this colossal tree, which is almost a mythical species.

As Goren explained, Otto finally understood.

Clearly, it is because of the giant tree's greed that monsters are rarely seen around the valley.

After all, there are hardly any prey for monsters to hunt in the valley.

However, Otto asked with some curiosity.

"Will the other fragments of the spirit and their descendants also be like this?"

What should I do if I discover a fragment of an elemental spirit during my adventure?

Upon hearing this, Goren simply laughed loudly.

"Generally speaking, they will lie dormant in places rarely visited by humans."

As long as you don't offend them, there won't be any trouble.

However, there are exceptions. Once, while exploring a certain ruin, Lillian poured hot water into the lake, and a water elemental appeared there, almost wiping us all out!

Goren vividly remembered that adventure; the furious water elementals that swept towards them, blotting out the sky, were truly terrifying.

"However, you don't need to worry too much. The power of the original spirit that a split spirit can absorb is very random, and powerful split spirits are few and far between."

Goren didn't want this novice adventurer to be deterred by hearing about his experience.

Adventurers are destined to move forward.

The three of them chatted as they walked toward the Giant Tree Valley.

They were on a fairly fast pace, and as dusk approached, they finally reached the Giant Tree Valley.

But just as he got close, Otto sensed something was wrong.

A foul-smelling breeze, carrying miasma, swept over us.

What appeared before Otto was countless rotting vines!

The vines formed a huge poisonous net on the surface of the valley, with dark green sap constantly seeping out from the broken ends until it seeped into the soil, which was already turning green.

Looking at the scene before him, Otto frowned, placed his hand on the ruby ​​on the iron sword at his waist, stared intently at something at the entrance of the valley, and cautiously asked Goren.

"This shouldn't be what Giant Tree Valley should look like."

Otto looked at the large cocoon woven from vines in front of him and felt that something was wrong.

When Otto asked, Goren simply nodded.

"Tessa, release the shield of the law."

Otto, open the Eye of Light.

Goren dropped the supplies he was holding and stood in front of the two men.

After confirming that the Shield of Law surrounded him, Goren slowly approached the large cocoon in front of him.

The rotting vines throughout the valley seemed to have come from nowhere, but the large cocoon in front of them was full of life; something just didn't seem right.

But at that moment, Otto, who had activated his Eye of Light, sensed something was amiss.

The large cocoon woven from vines was surrounded by a black and blue mist.

Otto remembered that the black fog represented the Path of Chaos, and that it must contain some kind of being with extraordinary power.

Blue mist represents good luck.

Otto was somewhat puzzled. How could this giant vine cocoon possibly bring him good luck?

However, Otto still trusted the judgment of the Eye of Light, and he immediately informed the two people beside him of this information.

Seeing this, Goren abandoned his hostile intentions.

However, they still face a dilemma.

"How are we supposed to get through this valley filled with rotting vines?"

Goren just felt a bit of a headache.

God knows how long this filth has accumulated here, and what ominous things it has bred!

Just as Goren was racking his brains, the Magic Ape adjusted its monocle, seemingly having already figured out the answer.

[The magic-simulating ape deciphered the truth: the area is permeated with the aura of the goddess Entana, likely due to the spreading of her blessings.]

The constant accumulation of plague and corpses gave birth to a curse.

Otto, after seeing the information provided by the Magic Ape, simply breathed a sigh of relief and immediately made a suggestion to Goren.

"Perhaps I can try to purify this place using the Soul Purifying Flame; there's an aura of curse here."

Otto didn't know if he could succeed, but since a curse had already been conceived here, his own Soul-Purifying Fire Seed was the best way to clear the path.

Upon hearing Otto's suggestion, Goren naturally did not refuse.

He simply stood near the large cocoon, indicating that he would monitor the strange object, while Otto and Tessa could proceed with their tasks without further intervention.

As for Tessa, she had already stood beside Otto and raised her hammer and staff.