The Great Temple of Balance was a masterpiece of symmetry and flame-touched harmony. Its architecture balances opposing motifs—molten fire and serene stone, wrath and peace, order and striving.
Towering spires of polished white stone twist upward like twin dragons, while massive fire-glass domes capture and refract sunlight into cascading rainbows of flame.
The temple’s exterior was carved with radiant golden runes that pulse softly, as if breathing with life. These runes represent the sacred doctrine of equilibrium—neither extreme chaos nor blind justice, but the path in between. Flaming braziers float midair around the temple perimeter.
Inside, the halls were vast and solemn, filled with flowing light streams bordered by golden quartz walkways. At its center lies the Sanctum of Equilibrium, where a colossal statue of the Holy Justice God stands with one arm outstretched in judgment and the other lowered in mercy. The air within constantly hums with sacred resonance, making every breath feel like inhaling ancient vows.
Under this imposing statue, an otherworldly man with long silver hair flowing from his priestly cap and wearing golden and scarlet priestly robes was meditating, surrounded by silent chants. A mystical, ethereal light emanated from his entire body, like a holy halo.
The man appeared to be a devoted believer, his expression filled with worship and devotion, as he seemed to be praying in front of the statue with absolute reverence.
At this moment, a streak of light suddenly descended out of thin air before it started to revolve around the priest.
The priest’s closed eyes suddenly trembled before he slowly opened them, revealing emotionless, cold silver eyes. The ethereal golden light around him fades away, and the chanting stops.
The priest impassively flicked his finger, and the streak of light revolving around him trembled for a moment before it directly shot towards his forehead and vanished without any resistance.
At this moment, a respectful voice with a hint of apprehension played in the priest’s head.
"Please forgive me for disturbing your prayer, Arch Priest, but I just received information from a trusted source that warrants attention. Please judge this and give your order.
"According to the information source, a Lord Mercenary has found the location of treasure in a Forbidden Region, and apparently, the Forbidden Region in question is none other than the Ashen Mirage Desert.
"The Mercenary Lord wanted to make a deal with Your Excellency directly and refused to reveal more. Please give the order and I’ll hunt that reckless blasphemous down!"
Towards the end, that voice was filled with killing intent and indignation because the ’Mercenary Lord’ was simply seeking death by demanding to meet with the Arch Priest of the Great Temple.
Just what kind of status did an Arch Priest have? They were all Legendary Kings of the Cardinal Spirit Temple, and Faery Humans with the highest bloodline density. How could they grant meeting to any tom, dick, or harry?
However, the circumstances this time were quite peculiar because they involved a treasure from a forbidden region, and this forbidden region happened to fall right under the territory of the Great Temple of Balance.
Everyone in the Legendary Plains knows how dangerous the Forbidden Regions are, but there was another aspect related to these regions: they were filled with opportunities and treasures. Because no Forbidden Region formed without a cause, and except for certain exceptions, many other forbidden regions were the target of much greed.
The Ashen Mirage Desert was one such forbidden region, but it was also hazardous, and no one was able to uncover its mysteries. However, someone has now suddenly claimed to have discovered the hidden treasure in it. How could the Great Temple of Balance not take it seriously?
Furthermore, a Mercenary Lord was quite reliable, and the person who vouched for him was actually quite close to the person who just sent this message to the Arch Priest. That’s why this message was able to reach the Arch Priest, known as the Knight King, among the Legendary Kings. He was ranked 4th in power scale among the Legendary Kings of the Cardinal Spirit Temple.
Knight King’s emotionless expression flickered when he heard this message, and he remained deep in thought for a while before he finally sent a message back.
"Arrange the meeting. I reckoned the Mercenary Lord wanted to meet in the Virtual Star World. Bring him to my domain after he signs a Zodiac Soul Contract first. You decide the contents of the contract, make sure he’ll pay if he wastes our time."
After sending the reply, the Knight King closed his eyes again as if already forgotten about this matter, and the golden radiance on his body surfaced again as the chanting continued.
---
At the western edge of the Ashen Mirage Desert,
At that moment, the space suddenly condensed, and a sleek, jet-black space shuttle appeared. The door of the shuttle suddenly opened, and an ordinary-looking human with black hair and eyes jumped out.
Humans have the highest number in the Great Cosmic Continent of Leo, and because of their close relation with the Faery Humans, they were also respected and had an esteemed status.
Furthermore, if a human possesses high merit, special qualities, and innate talent, the Cardinal Spirit Temple can help them transform into Faery Humans. It was considered the highest honor among the human race to be selected as a seed to become a Faery Human.
But this human in a long black windbreaker, despite his ordinary appearance, seemed out of the ordinary as his expression was eerily cold, and his eyes were like a bottomless abyss that seemed to devour light.
At this moment, the space shuttle behind the human suddenly shrank before turning into a streak of light and piercing into the human’s forehead.
The human showed no discomfort, and the next moment, a crimson scroll appeared in his hand, and under his will, the scroll unfurled.
The moment the scroll was unfurled, a wave of heat surged through the air as if there was a volcano breaking from within.
On the scroll, there was no ink or markings. Instead, the surface remained blank, save for a faint celestial shimmer, like starlight trapped beneath red silk.
The human pursed his lips before he muttered, "Only my true soul force can unravel the Map of Blazing Constellation. I need to turn back my appearance every time. How troublesome! But this should be the place where it was pointing the last time I checked."
The human looked towards the eerie, silent desert ahead, before his appearance began to morph into a crystalline skeleton, with hollow sockets and white, golden flames ignited within them, like ghostly flames.
Without wasting any moment, Jacob poured his soul force into the scarlet map, and a mystical scene unfolded!