Chapter 286: Golden Fruit Tree
“Legendary Luns!”
“Luns!”
“……”
Along the way, the people they encountered greeted the large man one after another, while also casting curious glances at Karl.
“Luns!”
A red figure flashed ahead, and a tall woman walked towards them, her tone light and teasing:
“Bringing in a new one again?”
“Mm.” Luns stopped, clearly wary of the newcomer:
“Josie, what are you doing here?”
“Nothing much?” Josie, also a normally promoted Late Stage Legendary Knight, sized up Karl, the corners of her mouth curving slightly:
“I’m also short on new recruits, why not let me have this one this time?”
“No way!” Luns’s eyes narrowed:
“I don’t have anyone on hand, and the Elder’s task is urgent. If you want someone, you can wait for the next batch.”
“Hmm…” Josie said thoughtfully:
“I remember you just brought two new recruits from here two weeks ago. Did you use them up so quickly?”
“None of your business.” Luns’s face darkened:
“Connie, let’s go!”
Karl glanced at Josie, smiled faintly, and continued forward with Luns.
“Connie?”
Josie watched the two leave, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and said slowly:
“You should be careful!”
“Father Luns is known as a newbie killer. Most of the people who follow him don’t have good endings.”
“Shut up!” Luns turned around and roared:
“Josie, don’t think that just because the Sixth Elder favors you, you can break the rules. The Second Elder is in charge here.”
“Let’s go!”
Karl looked thoughtful, nodded at the woman, and then followed Luns.
A newbie killer?
Expendable?
◈◈◈
Before he could think further, the two had already arrived at a plaza. Luns glanced around and spoke to Karl:
“You received a potion to advance to Legendary Knight as soon as you joined the Holy Sanctuary, but in reality, you haven’t actually carried out any tasks yet.”
“This time, the Second Elder wants us to retrieve a few Golden Fruits. You’ll come with me and be responsible for luring away the fierce beasts guarding the Golden Fruits.”
“Golden Fruits?” Karl’s eyes flickered:
“The Golden Fruits that are said to grow in the Divine Domain?”
The legend of the Golden Fruit was widespread.
It was said that a long, long time ago, a sea vessel came to a deserted island. On the island, there was a strange fruit, and several sailors, out of curiosity, tasted the fruit.
As a result…
Soon after, all those who ate the fruit turned into gold.
The other sailors were first shocked, then overjoyed, and brought back the golden men, making a fortune.
Later, some people went specifically to search for that island, but they never found it again. The legend said that the island was located in the Divine Domain, and the fruit that could turn people into gold was called the Golden Fruit.
“Not bad.” Luns nodded:
“Besides turning people into gold, the Golden Fruit is also a spiritual fruit that contains Source Power. If a Grand Knight consumes it, there’s a high chance they’ll advance to Legendary Knight. Of course…”
“It’s not as good as the potion you took.”
He said, a dry smile appearing on his face.
Karl scoffed at this.
The Golden Fruit was poison to ordinary people, but for Grand Knights, it was a once-in-a-lifetime tonic.
Even for Legendary Knights, it was of great use.
As for the Desecrated Potion…
It would only turn people into monsters, it was just a matter of time.
“Father,”
Karl spoke:
“I have two friends. Can they come with me on this mission?”
“Of course.” Luns nodded:
“The fierce beasts guarding the Golden Fruit are the Three-Headed Hounds of Hell, so it’s natural that more than just you and I will be taking action.”
*
*
*
As expected, Rachel and Hume joined as Karl’s deputies, and they would carry out the mission together.
“The Holy Sanctuary is indeed deeply rooted. They even know where the Golden Fruits are.”
Rachel gripped the spear in her hand, her voice filled with excitement:
“We made the right choice coming here!”
“I’ve heard that the Holy Sanctuary possesses a complete map of the Divine Domain, and they even have ways to find the Divine Domain Fragments scattered across the continent.” Hume also said:
“Although the gods have fallen, there are still many good things in the Divine Domain. If we can find them one by one…”
His eyes lit up, and his breathing became somewhat rapid.
Karl shook his head lightly.
He had been to the Divine Domain, although it was a Collapsed Divine Domain, it wasn’t as wonderful as they imagined.
However, the Holy Sanctuary had the Moon Goddess’s legacy, so it was probably true that they could find some good things.
Like the Golden Fruit this time.
‘Too bad!’
‘I’ve already cultivated the Holy Demon Transformation to the seventh level, so the Golden Fruit is useless to me. If I were at the third level, consuming the Golden Fruit would allow me to quickly advance to the fourth level. However, it’s a good thing for Rachel and Hume.’
Steadying his mind, Karl turned his head to look.
Not far away, the leaves rustled, and a man and a woman appeared, leading five small figures clad in black robes.
The Holy Sanctuary’s uniforms were strictly hierarchical.
◈◈◈
Gold-threaded red robes were for Elders, red robes with black borders were for Fathers, and silver-threaded white robes were for Apprentice Fathers.
Unlike Karl’s main world, the Fathers here had long lost the Moon Goddess’s blessings and could no longer use Divine Techniques. They were purely knights.
Most Apprentice Fathers were Grand Knights.
As for Karl…
A Legendary Knight who had advanced by consuming a Desecrated Potion was clearly not part of the Holy Sanctuary’s hierarchy. He was an unlisted member.
“Connie?”
The male Apprentice Father nodded at him:
“Let’s go. We’ll go lure away the Three-Headed Hounds of Hell.”
“The Three-Headed Hounds of Hell are Second-Order creatures. Just the few of us?” Rachel frowned:
“Even if Connie has become a Legendary Knight, he definitely isn’t a match for the Three-Headed Hounds of Hell.”
“Don’t worry.” The female Apprentice Father said indifferently:
“Our task is to lure them away, not to kill them. Besides, there are other helpers besides Connie.”
She said, pointing to the five small figures beside her.
Rachel and Hume looked puzzled. These five people didn’t give off any aura, as if they were still undeveloped minors. What use could they be?
However, Karl was very clear that these five were probably five Desecrated Knights, each comparable to a Legendary Knight.
Even stronger!
“Let’s go!”
Casually glancing at them, Karl said slowly:
“Which direction is it?”
“Follow me.”
The male Apprentice Father took out a stick and pushed aside the withered branches and vines in front of them, leaping forward first.
Before long…
The group arrived at a dense forest, where thick fog permeated, making it difficult to see the environment within the forest.
Continuing forward for a while…
“Look!”
Rachel’s eyes lit up, and she whispered:
“A golden tree!”
They saw a tree that was much taller than the others, standing in the center of the dense forest.
The tree’s trunk and leaves seemed to be made of pure gold, still shining brightly even under the cover of the fog.
Looking closely…
There were several orange-yellow fruits on it, scattered among the leaves.
The tree’s shape was somewhat similar to an apple tree but was much thicker and taller, with a height of about forty or fifty meters.
“That’s the Golden Fruit Tree.”
The female Apprentice Father’s voice trembled:
“Legend says that in the core of the Divine Domain, there is a mother tree of the Golden Fruit Tree, which is a Fifth-Order Marvel.”
“Connie!”
Her voice became stern:
“It’s your turn.”
“Mm.”
Karl had already seen the Golden Fruit Tree, and even the two Three-Headed Hounds of Hell coiled beneath it.
Two?
This was inconsistent with the information.
Touching his chin, he drew the broadsword he carried and roared as he rushed towards the Golden Fruit Tree.
In mid-air, the broadsword flipped.
Gale Slash!
A swordsmanship technique that he hadn’t used for decades was still as skilled as ever. The blade, wrapped in a sword wind, howled as it slashed down.
A sword aura tens of meters long appeared.
“Huh?”
Father Luns, who was hidden in the distance, let out a surprised exclamation:
“Not bad swordsmanship!”
What he saw was not just the swordsmanship, but also the sharp and pure sword intent. No wonder he was able to withstand the Desecrated Potion’s corrosion.
Perhaps…
If this Connie was properly trained, he might have a chance to become a Second-Order Desecrated Knight.
As the thought flashed through his mind, the sword aura had already struck the Three-Headed Hounds of Hell, and a deafening roar came.
Second-Order!
“Run!”
Karl shouted and turned to flee.
