In what was once the Holy City, now the Aifilan Ruins, a team of over thirty professionals and players cautiously advanced in its more central area.

"According to the crystal in my hand, we are very close to retrieving the sacred artifact. It's inside that ruined church ahead."

At this moment, Sandra, the default leader of the team, glanced at the All-Seeing Crystal in her hand and, as usual, briefed the surrounding team members.

"Finally, we're here! Once we complete this task, I'm definitely taking a good rest at Frost Harbor for a while!"

Hearing her words, an older NPC professional brightened up instantly, as they had fought various monsters multiple times along the way, suffering considerable depletion in all aspects. Now, at long last, there was hope for success.

"Yeah! Once this mission is over, I'll head back home and tell those folks at the tavern all about this adventure in Aifilan."

Another NPC immediately chimed in, their eyes flashing with a hint of excitement.

Yet, Sandra, holding the All-Seeing Crystal, raised her hand to signal everyone to stop discussing further and said:

"The crystal indicates that many formidable monsters are hidden inside that church up ahead. Let's rest here for a while before proceeding. The upcoming battle will be quite challenging, so please be prepared for a hard fight."

Her gaze fixed on the distant, dilapidated church several streets away from their current position, her face stern.

"What kind of monsters are in there? There wouldn't be any as powerful as the previous demon dragon, would there?"

Upon hearing this, a player quickly asked.

"No."

Sandra immediately replied to them.

"At least the crystal currently shows no traces of such high-level monsters in the vicinity, but there are several that are one tier weaker than the demon dragon,"

she added solemnly.

"As long as they're weaker than the demon dragon, we should be able to handle them."

A player then voiced agreement, acknowledging the array of monsters they'd cautiously encountered on their journey here. They understood how overwhelmingly powerful the demon dragon was compared to others and knew their inability to defeat it was not due to their own weakness but because the dragon was too formidable.

"The demon dragon's enormous size and powerful aura would be unmistakable should it appear. Besides, that church could never accommodate such a creature, so there's no need to worry about that."

Another player deduced from different angles that there wouldn't be another terrifying enemy of the demon dragon's caliber in the area.

While others rested and chatted, Wang Zhifan did not join in. He was currently checking a new ring in his hand quietly from a corner. If a player could approach the ring at this time, they would be shocked to find it was an exceptional item!

"This Demon Dragon Ring's attributes are indeed excellent, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite suit me right now. I haven't mastered any fire attribute power; instead, I'm more skilled with the opposite ice attribute power... It practically serves no purpose for me, except perhaps in dire need of fire,"

As Wang Zhifan was pondering, this ring was actually one of the rewards from defeating the Hell Demon Dragon earlier, and he had stored another reward in his personal space, as it was too large and conspicuous to take out and examine.

As for when he acquired these two rewards, it had been some time, specifically a few hours after the group left the demon dragon's location. To avoid suspicion, especially from Andre, who had always been curious about him, he used a Dream Me Avatar to replace himself while passing by a cover, and then, utilizing the Deceitful Shadow Shoes' burrowing ability, he quietly returned to the demon dragon's site. He swiftly selected and collected the rewards, cleared away the hanging reward display, and then quickly returned the same way. He swapped back to the Dream Me Avatar that stood in for him, executing the action so swiftly and skillfully that none of the surrounding NPCs and players noticed he had left partway.

After putting the Demon Dragon Ring back in his personal space, Wang Zhifan looked up toward the task's final destination, the dilapidated church only a few hundred meters from where everyone was resting. According to Sandra, the female warrior leading them, the sacred artifact was said to be inside.

However, what puzzled Wang Zhifan was that, even with his extraordinary spiritual attributes granting him powerful perceptive abilities, he could not sense any presence of the sacred artifact there, only a potent dark and evil aura.

"This is already Aifilan's central area, teeming with all sorts of monsters; it's not abnormal for the dark and evil aura to be strong. But shouldn't the sacred artifact's aura be able to pierce through the darkness and evil to reveal itself a little?"

This was a conundrum Wang Zhifan was presently contemplating. He began to doubt whether the supposed sacred artifact the crystal was guiding them to was genuine, as something worthy of being called a sacred artifact shouldn't be too ordinary. Even amidst the most evil monsters, it should be able to emit some light.

Yet, though he harbored doubts, Wang Zhifan did not, in self-confidence, run ahead to investigate. Without truly understanding this world's situation, he chose to remain low-key and move with the others. This way, should any unexpected, formidable threats arise, he wouldn't have to face them alone and could rely on others to buy time for him.

Thus, about twenty minutes later, everyone finished resting and adjusting, then set out again toward the final destination ahead.

Throughout the process, Sandra displayed utmost caution, her eyes almost entirely fixed on the All-Seeing Crystal in her hand. She notified others of any slight movements and led the team along the safest route she confirmed in a roundabout approach to the church.

Her efforts undeniably proved effective; at least by the time everyone reached the side of the church, no unexpected incidents occurred, merely under a hundred ordinary monsters cleared along the way.

However, once beside the church, the real issue appeared before everyone.

Through the church windows, they saw four powerful monsters with dual horns and wings guarding an altar exuding a terrifying dark aura at its center. Around the altar were numerous scattered, broken human bones, and there was no sign of any sacred artifact at all.

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