“Your hometown…”


  It was the first time Meng Chao had revealed his origins to Ice Storm.

  Although they still did not know each other very well, their trust in each other had reached a new level.

  “Come, let’s see how many good things there are in this Blood Skull Temple, which is guarded by the Origin Warrior!”


  The two of them had reached an initial tacit understanding and did not dwell on any more secrets for the time being.

  Ice Storm led Meng Chao through the totem pole, and they arrived behind the altar.

  The back of the altar was densely packed with cuneiform characters.

  However, unlike the dangerous red glow at the beginning, the cuneiform characters now all shone with a gentle blue light.

  Meng Chao had seen similar lights in the totem armor’s operating system before.

  When the totem armor’s command appeared in his field of vision and emitted a red light, it meant that a certain command could not be executed. If it was forcefully executed, it would bring about unpredictable danger.

  The blue light, on the other hand, meant “safe and enforceable.”


  It seemed that after passing the three trials and defeating the Origin Warrior, as well as controlling the Skull Crushers, they had obtained Blood Skull Temple’s recognition.

  It also confirmed Meng Chao’s deduction back when he planned to sneak into the temple.

  In the Turan civilization, the strong preyed on the weak, and the victor was king.

  Between advanced orcs, fighting and killing were common occurrences.

  The military nobles attacked, killed, conquered, enslaved, and annexed each other… After tens of thousands of years, the so-called “glorious bloodline” had long lost its meaning.

  The “ancestral spirits” worshipped by the clan warriors might not even have a drop of blood relationship with them.

  As for the “ancestral spirits” that lived in the temple, they did not care at all who worshiped them and inherited their power.

  That was because the “ancestral spirits” were synonymous with battle data and artificial intelligence.

  They did not have their own will.

  They just faithfully carried out the last orders of the ancient Turan people.

  They did not care which clan descendants broke into the temple, or even whether they were even Turan people .

  As long as the intruders could activate their power and spread it further, it would be fine.

  As expected, Ice Storm touched the blue light-emitting cuneiform characters lightly, and the ten or so totem pillars around the altar rumbled.

  The totem pillars spun slowly like giant screws, each becoming nearly twice as tall as before.

  Subsequently, they seemed to be chopped apart by an invisible giant ax as they split in all directions, revealing something suspended within the faint blue light.

  “I’ve seen Casanova operate this altar before,” Ice Storm explained to Meng Chao.

  Following that, she was deeply attracted by the things stored within the totem pillars, and she could not help but suck in a breath of cold air.

  “This is… A hundred years ago, the one and only trump card of the Blood Skull Arena, Platinum Battle Ax, became famous because of this weapon!”


  Ice Storm’s eyes lit up as if she knew everything. “Generally speaking, for the sake of a life-and-death battle’s splendor, every arena would go to great lengths to nurture several trump cards. Only a suspenseful battle between trump cards would be able to attract more spectators to enter the arena and gamble. A battle that was too one-sided would easily bore people.

  “However, the ace gladiator, Platinum Battle Ax, from more than a hundred years ago had the title of ‘Trump Card Killer,’ and he specialized in slaughtering other trump cards.

  “He was known as the most terrifying gladiator after 249. At his peak, forget those in the Blood Skull Arena, not even a single gladiator in the surrounding arenas dared to call themselves trump cards.

  “The reason why Casanova Bloodhoof is named as he is now is also out of admiration for Platinum Battle Ax.

  “This… This is actually Platinum Battle Ax’s weapon. Judging from the cracks on the blade and the scratches on the handle, he must have used it for at least a few years. There must be remnants of his invincible battle soul and killing intent on it.

  “We’ve earned it. This platinum battle ax alone can completely make up for the risk we took when we barged into Blood Skull Temple!

  “And this breastplate, judging from the lightning runes carved on it, this is actually a fragment of the totem armor used by Thunder Butcher!

  “You should know that Thunder Butcher was a well-known hero from the Blood Hoof Clan three hundred years ago.

  “It is said that in the glorious era, he single-handedly perished together with twelve night watchers.

  “In order to retrieve his corpse, a large-scale battle involving tens of thousands of people broke out between the advanced orcs and the Holy Light humans.

  “The advanced orcs fought alone. Just as it seemed like they were no match for the Holy Light humans and the twelve corpses of the night watchers were about to be snatched away by the Holy Light humans, the brutal souls left in Thunder Butcher’s body exploded on their own accord. Hundreds of ball-shaped lightning bolts erupted and devoured the lives of several hundred Holy Light humans in an instant.

  “Is-Is this breastplate the only relic of Thunder Butcher that survived in the fierce battle?

  “And this… this is the Dragon Soul Greatsword!

  “And this… this looks like the Red Moon Double Blades, stealth weapons from the Dark Moon Clan!”


  If not for their limited time and tools, Meng Chao would have taken out a magnifying glass from his pocket and studied the weapons attentively for three days and three nights when he saw how dazzled Ice Storm was.

  After seeing so many godly weapons and broken pieces of totem armor, Meng Chao heaved a long sigh of relief. His heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally returned to his chest.

  When he first heard about the uniqueness of Turan temples, he had begun to envision the temples, especially after he interrogated Big Buck.

  He had received a very important piece of information from him.

  Blood Skull Temple not only enshrined the armor and weapons that legendary gladiators had used in the past hundreds of years.

  It also included the armor and weapons that a large number of the most powerful members of the Blood Hoof Clan had used thousands of years ago.

  According to the advanced orcs’ beliefs, the best sacrifice for the ancestral spirits was a splendid battle, with the sparks from the collision of a battle ax and a great sword, the roar of a battle hammer breaking bones, and the aura of sweat and blood mixed together.

  What other place could be more suitable than the Blood Skull Arena to enshrine the armor and weapons that contained their ancestors’ powerful battle souls?

  If he wanted to escape, Meng Chao could escape Black-corner City at any time.

  However, it was not his style to leave empty-handed and dejectedly.

  It would also be a waste of the suffering he had endured during his time in the Blood Skull Arena’s dark underground dungeon when he was seriously injured.

  Meng Chao racked his brain to think of the kind of “souvenirs” he should take with him in order to be counted as “interest” paid by the Blood Hoof Clan.

  The mandrake fruit, even if it was a golden fruit that could only be found once in a hundred, was too big for them to take more than a hundred pieces at one time. It was not suitable for the long journey to battle, lurk, infiltrate, and assassinate.

  The same principle applied to the secret medicines. He could sweep away all the remaining secret medicines in the Blood Skull Arena, but packing these things was a huge problem.

  After thinking about it, only the ancient weapons and totem armor fragments were the “hard currency” that could be carried easily.

  These items would not only directly improve one’s combat ability, but they could also be taken out for trade when one escaped Black-corner City and entered the territory of other clans. A small totem armor fragment could be exchanged for hundreds of golden fruits and several dozen bottles of secret medicines. It was definitely worth thousands of gold coins.

  Of course, if he could equip them. Meng Chao still hoped that he and Ice Storm could equip all the ancient weapons and totem armor fragments enshrined in the Blood Skull Temple.

  “That’s impossible.”


  Ice Storm shook her head like a rattle-drum. “So many weapons and armor fragments from different eras that have been used by different heroes and powerhouses contain dozens or even hundreds of battle souls.

  “To control them at the same time is equivalent to swallowing hundreds of secret medicines of different natures. I’m afraid that I won’t even have the chance to become an Origin Warrior before my body explodes and I die!”


  This time, Meng Chao accepted Ice Storm’s suggestion humbly.

  After all, his willpower was not infinite. After he had just fused with the Skull Crushers, hundreds of brand-new skills had appeared in the depths of his brain.

  When these skills were combined with the spirit martial arts that originated from Dragon City, they could produce tens of thousands of brand-new changes.

  Just a precise analysis and skillful application of the changes were enough to overload his brain cells and set his cerebral cortex ablaze.

  Right now, he was like a giant python that had just swallowed a crocodile, hence he needed to digest and absorb it properly. There was indeed no more space for him to load more battle data.

  While he was full, Ice Storm was still hungry!

  “I wouldn’t dare touch 249’s full set of totem armor and the Skull Crushers, but if it’s the weapons and battle armor fragments left behind by other gladiators… it’s just like you said, I have a reason to control them as well!”


  Ice Storm clenched her fists tightly, and determination that was like an icicle once again bloomed in the depths of her eyes.

  Meng Chao initially thought that she would choose to fuse with the Dark Moon Clan’s sneak attack weapon, the Red Moon Double Blades.

  After all, Ice Storm’s totem armor, Mithril Ripper, walked the path of lightness, swiftness, secrecy, and sharpness.

  He did not expect Ice Storm to fuse with the platinum battle ax first. It was more than two arms long, and its blade was as wide as a door.

  “Although it’s called ‘platinum,’ in reality, this battle ax was forged from mithril. It’s the same material as my Mithril Ripper.”


  Ice Storm explained to Meng Chao, “Weapons and totem armors forged from the same material are more convenient and safe to fuse. It’s unlikely that the fusion will fail and turn the master into an Origin Warrior.”


  Meng Chao nodded in agreement.

  He also shared his experience with Ice Storm. “When the large amount of battle data stored in the Platinum Battle Ax crazily infuses into your brain, don’t indulge in it and try to read all the data in an instant.

  “The important thing is not the battle itself, but the purpose of the battle!”


  “Thank you, I’ll remember it.”


  Ice Storm’s eyes were gleaming. She strode forward and reached her ice-covered hand into the deep blue light. Then she grabbed the platinum battle ax without hesitation.