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Dean had already been curious as to why the Nine Provinces Alliance wanted him dead, and hearing this, he abruptly stopped his conversation with Carol Lane and walked straight toward Boken Nadra\'s corpse.

Alita handed him the letter, her expression grave. "I\'ve suspected for a while that something was off with the Nine Provinces Alliance in recent years, and this confirms it. This symbol isn\'t the official mark of the Alliance, yet it\'s on someone from within. It\'s too strange."

Hearing this, both Lina Jones and Carol Lane nodded in agreement. "That\'s right. Over the past few years, the Nine Provinces Alliance has become increasingly odd. I never would have believed they\'d conduct such experiments inside the ruins, turning living humans into monsters. It\'s horrifying!" Lina said.

"The Nine Provinces Alliance has a stellar reputation across the major duchies and empires," Carol added. "If they were to use these methods on a large scale, who knows what the world would turn into?"

"Ordinary people could all end up transformed into monsters."

Being temple followers, if not entirely pure-hearted, they at least cared for the common people. The very thought of the Nine Provinces Alliance turning humans into monsters sent shivers down their spines. They crossed their arms defensively and began to openly denounce the Alliance.

Dean Bruce took the letter and scanned the seal, his breath quickening.

The seal wasn\'t just similar to the one on the magic robe that Principal André had given him; it also bore a striking resemblance to the symbols his parents used to wear on their work uniforms. It was a simpler version, but the connection was undeniable.

For the longest time, Dean had believed his parents wore similar symbols simply because they were close to Principal André. But now, the truth dawned on him.

Dean Bruce\'s parents and André Maxwell were part of the same organization!

Even Boken Nadra was involved, as evidenced by the matching seal. They were all linked to this mysterious group.

Realizing this, Dean Bruce\'s mind swirled with even more questions.

If his parents were members of the Nine Provinces Alliance, why would the Alliance send people to kill him?

Could it be that his parents had a falling out with them? But then, why would André Maxwell, who is also part of the organization, treat him so kindly?

And during the assassination attempt by the Nine Provinces Alliance, did André Maxwell take any action?

A flood of questions surged through Dean Bruce\'s mind, leaving him momentarily dazed, oblivious to the ongoing conversation around him.

Clenching the letter tightly in his hand, Dean pushed aside the confusion, resolving internally: [Forget about who they are or what identities they hold. I need to strengthen myself, barge into the Nine Provinces Alliance, and demand answers! Why did they try to kill me? Are my parents truly dead, missing, or on the run? I need to find out everything!]

[Power. I need more power! If I\'m strong enough, no one can obscure the truth or stand in my way!]

Composing himself, Dean Bruce tucked the letter away and said calmly, "Whether the Nine Provinces Alliance has changed or not doesn\'t matter. Once we reach the Sealed Temple, we\'ll see if we can leave any survivors—then we\'ll know everything."

"Let\'s go!"

With a wave of his hand, Dean Bruce began marching toward the mountain where the Sealed Temple lay, with Alita Miller and the others quickly following behind.

As for Ebner Mondo?

He had already entered the sacrificial temple to reclaim control of the ruins.

Surprisingly, this time, Dean Bruce and his group encountered no monsters, traps, or obstacles on their way up the mountain. The path was entirely clear, and soon they arrived at the top.

When they stood before the doors of the Sealed Temple, Dean Bruce paused in disbelief. The others also struggled to comprehend how easily they had arrived.

"Where are the Nine Provinces Alliance people?"

"This… this was too easy. I can\'t believe we made it here without a fight. The last two temples were full of monsters and powerful enemies!"

"Could this place be hiding traps, waiting for us?"

"..."

The group exchanged nervous glances. Finally, Horton Martin spoke in a low voice, "Ace, your mental acuity is sharp, and your detection abilities are strong. Scout ahead for us."

"Understood!"

Ace\'s face twitched slightly as he chanted a spell, casting a white glow over himself for protection before cautiously stepping into the temple.

Outside the temple, Dean Bruce and the others waited in silence. After a while, Ace\'s voice suddenly rang out in surprise: "This is crazy! There\'s really no one in here! No traps either! But there are a lot of murals! You\'ve got to come see this!"

"..."

Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes and, after confirming there were no strange sounds coming from the Sealed Temple, took the lead and stepped inside.

Upon entering, they were met with a nearly twenty-meter long, one-meter wide passage. There were no walls on either side, and a glance downward revealed an abyss—a deep, bottomless valley with no visible end.

Raising his gaze, Dean Bruce followed the path and soon found a circular stone platform in the center, supported by a single thick stone pillar beneath it.

The sound of footsteps echoed as Alita Miller, Carol Lane, and the others followed close behind, taking in the same sight.

Horton Martin\'s face paled, and his steps faltered as he continuously swallowed nervously, his eyes fixed ahead.

Lina Jones suddenly spoke up, "I\'ve seen this design in ancient temple texts. It\'s a type of sealing magic. This magical formation is embedded into the entire mountain range, and over time, it corrodes the inside of the mountain. The more it corrodes, the stronger the seal becomes."

"Hiss… the entire mountain has been almost completely hollowed out by this corrosion, leaving only the central platform, which is the core of the sealing formation! Everyone, be cautious—falling off here means certain death, and even your soul would be trapped inside the seal for eternity, never to be reincarnated!"

Upon hearing Lina Jones\'s explanation, fear flickered across everyone\'s faces. Horton Martin was so terrified he couldn\'t even move.

Fortunately, there were no enemies or creatures within the Sealed Temple. Though the passage had no barriers, it was a meter wide—plenty of space to walk safely without falling.

After crossing the passage, Dean Bruce and the group entered the stone platform\'s chamber, and the space suddenly opened up before them. Around the room, every few meters, crystal stones hung, emitting a soft, milky white glow. The walls, from floor to ceiling, were covered in intricate murals.

Ace stood at one of the walls, intently studying the paintings.

Dean Bruce glanced around, and his eyes lit up. The murals depicted the very tale he had heard as a child—the story of the Black Dragon that once ravaged this region before being sealed away.

Even the three ruins were recorded in these murals!

Dean Bruce had no idea how long he had spent examining every mural, but by the time he was finished, he had gained a much deeper understanding of this place.

It wasn\'t just one magic formation that sealed the black dragon—it was three!

A powerful mage had severed the dragon\'s body into three parts and sealed each section separately.

While marveling at the strength of this mage, Dean Bruce still harbored many questions.

The biggest mystery was: where had the remaining members of the Nine Provinces Alliance gone?

The Sealed Temple wasn\'t that large; there was no way they could have just vanished without a trace.

As for the idea that no one was here?

That was even more unlikely.

With experiments being conducted in this place, it didn\'t make sense for only one person to be left behind to guard it.

His thoughts racing, Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes and began pacing around the temple, carefully inspecting every corner.

The others, not being fools themselves, also noticed something strange about the situation and started examining the stone platforms.

"There\'s definitely a hidden mechanism here. Otherwise, where could the people from the Nine Provinces Alliance have gone?"

"We need to figure this out. If we don\'t, we might not be able to leave this place."

Murmurs of concern spread throughout the group. With so many people investigating, the search became much more efficient.

Dean Bruce quickly noticed something peculiar.

Amidst the murals on all sides, five of them depicted the exact same scene!

"Five identical murals…" Dean Bruce\'s eyes lit up as he called out, "Alita, Lina, have your people stand in front of the five identical murals and inject their magic into them all at once. Let\'s see what happens!"

Dean wasn\'t foolish enough to test it himself. What if it was a trap?

After all, these people meant nothing to him—if they died, it wouldn\'t bother him in the slightest.

"What? Identical murals?"

"Now that you mention it… I hadn\'t noticed that there are repeating murals on this stone platform!"

Alita Miller and the others were surprised, but they moved quickly. Soon, they dispatched five individuals to stand before the repeating murals, ready to follow Dean Bruce\'s instructions.

With a command from Alita and Lina, the five people, albeit nervously, began channeling their magic into the murals.

Buzz—

In an instant, a faint white glow emerged.

The five murals trembled violently, and a section in the center of the stone platform suddenly rose up.

"Isn\'t this an elevator?" someone exclaimed, realization dawning on the group.

Ace, ever cautious, stepped onto the platform first to check for danger. Once he confirmed it was safe, the others joined him on the raised section.

Moments later, the platform began to descend, the once brightly lit space now swallowed by darkness. Aside from the sound of their breathing, the entire area was eerily silent.