Chapter 273: Chapter 51: Anchors Destroyed, the Return Path Opens

The Storm Twin Blades Brothers were also alive, but in terrible shape.

The older brother had lost his right arm. The wound was wrapped in thick strips of cloth, soaked through with blood that had since dried and turned black. His face was as pale as paper as he leaned against a rock, his remaining left hand clutching a Curved Saber.

His younger brother sat beside him with a vacant look in his eyes. His leg was gone from the knee down, the stump wrapped in cloth. He cradled another Curved Saber, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt.

The highlander in the wolf fur was still alive, but his body was covered in wounds. Only a few tattered remnants of his signature Wolf Fur Cloak hung from his shoulders.

He sat there like a silent rock, the fierce gleam of a wild wolf only flashing in his eyes when he occasionally scanned his surroundings.

The representative from the Golden Coast was also among the survivors.

He was huddled in the most inconspicuous corner on the edge of the group. His once-magnificent deep red velvet robe was now practically in tatters, barely covering his body. His meticulously trimmed short beard was gone, replaced by a face full of scrapes, scabs, and an unconcealable look of terror.

His left arm was broken, splinted with two sharpened bone fragments and strips of cloth. He was curled into a ball, his body trembling slightly from time to time. His eyes darted about, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze. He was like a completely different person from the arrogant representative he had been before.

He had likely survived through sheer luck more than anything else.

As for the Church Court’s Templar Order, their situation was just as tragic.

They had set out with a full contingent of ten, but now only six remained.

Knight Commander Raymond was still present, but his exquisite Silver-White Half Armor was now covered in dents and cracks. A deep claw mark on his chest had nearly pierced the armor, and a piece of his Shoulder Armor was gone.

Leaning on a Longsword, he stood on a slightly elevated stone platform, vigilantly watching the valley entrance. He was the pillar of support for all the survivors.

But his once-resolute face was now etched with exhaustion and deep sorrow, and his eyes were sunken.

His deputy was also alive. He was staggering among the survivors, doing his best to treat and comfort the most severely wounded.

Of the four remaining Temple Knights, two were so badly injured they could barely stand, even while leaning on their weapons. The other two were in slightly better condition; one was assisting the deputy, and the other was helping Raymond keep watch.

Four out of ten were gone—a loss of nearly half their number.

And judging by the condition of the remaining six, their combat effectiveness was likely less than thirty percent of what it had been at their peak.

A dead silence filled the valley, broken only by the occasional stifled groans and ragged breathing of the wounded.

Murphy’s arrival didn’t cause much of a stir.

He had long anticipated the grim state of the survivors here and had prepared a disguise before arriving.

He had smeared his robes and skin with monster gore and dirt and used Thousand-Faced Illusion to disguise his aura, making himself look just as battered as everyone else.

Only a few people glanced up at him warily, their eyes holding a complex mix of sympathy for a fellow sufferer and faint scrutiny, before they fell silent again.

Although it seemed a little strange for someone to return alone, it wasn’t unprecedented.

Besides, after ten days in this hell, simply arriving here alive was a testament to one’s strength.

No one had the energy or the need to investigate what others had specifically gone through.

Surviving until it was time to leave was the only thing that mattered.

Murphy found a relatively clean corner near the rock wall, sat down in silence, and retracted his aura, melting into the shadows like a background figure.

His calm gaze swept across the area, taking in everyone’s condition.

About another hour passed. During that time, only one person arrived: a critically injured Great Knight, who staggered in with the help of a companion and immediately fell unconscious.

In the six hours that followed, no one else came.

Standing on the stone platform, Knight Commander Raymond finally seemed to give up waiting.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to rally, his hoarse voice struggling for clarity as he spoke, breaking the heavy silence in the valley.

"Everyone."

All the survivors, regardless of how light or severe their injuries were, raised their eyes.

"To have reached this place," Raymond said slowly, his gaze sweeping over every face etched with trauma and exhaustion, a flash of pain crossing his eyes, "is proof of your courage and resilience. The price we have paid... is immeasurable."

He paused, his knuckles turning white as he tightened his grip on his sword hilt.

"But our mission is complete!" he raised his voice, his words echoing off the rock walls. "We successfully cleared enough of the evil nodes and have shaken the foundations of the passage!"

His gaze swept over everyone, including Murphy in the corner.

"Now, it is time for us to carry out the final step—"

"To open the way home!"

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the valley changed abruptly!

Hope and tension flared in the eyes of every survivor!

Even Ostun, huddled in the corner, stopped trembling and his eyes widened.

Raymond didn’t offer any further explanation.

He turned to the three Temple Knights beside him who were in better condition.

"Calvin," he said in a low voice. "Activate the Boundary-Breaking Beacon. Use the Holy Flame Triangle as the base to guide and gather everyone’s Life Energy. The three of us will assist in stabilizing and channeling the energy."

"Yes, Knight Commander!"

Without hesitation, Deputy Calvin took out a Dark Silver Badge etched with complex holy runes from inside his battered Chest Armor.

He cupped the badge in both hands and held it before his chest.

Raymond and the other two Knights quickly formed a standard triangular formation with him at the center.

The three of them plunged their swords into the ground.

White Holy Energy struggled to emerge from their bodies, flowing down their sword blades and converging on Calvin.

Raymond announced to everyone in a clear voice:

"The rest of you! Please move closer to the center and release the Life Energy within you!" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"We will use a Secret Technique to gather it, and with it as a catalyst, we will burn Holy Power to forcibly tear a temporary rift in this realm’s barrier—a way home!"

"This is our only chance. Please, cooperate with all your strength!"

The surviving Great Knights didn’t hesitate for a moment.

Knight Armand, supporting himself with his broken sword, closed his eyes and focused. A thread of faint golden Life Energy emerged from his body.

The Iron Wall Imperial Guard Commander let out a low growl, and a stream of dark energy, as dense as iron, slowly rose from him.

The Storm Twin Blades Brothers leaned back-to-back, and two faint but razor-sharp strands of cyan and blue light intertwined and emerged from them...

The other heavily wounded survivors, with the help of their companions, managed to force out a sliver of Life Energy.

Murphy’s gaze flickered, and he too moved a few steps toward the center as instructed.

With a thought, he separated a wisp of white Qi from his body and let it mix into the rising, multicolored mist of light, where it went unnoticed.

Seeing the energy begin to gather, Deputy Calvin took a deep breath. Ignoring the searing pain from his wounds, he began to chant in a series of short, powerful syllables that sounded like a battle cry.

As he chanted, the Dark Silver Badge in his hands suddenly flared with a blinding, platinum-gold light!

The runes on its surface seemed to ignite, spinning wildly!

The three Temple Knights in the triangular formation gave a low shout in unison. They took the chaotic streams of Life Energy gathered from all the survivors and, using the Holy Flame Triangle as a crucible, crudely compressed it before injecting it like fuel into the badge in Calvin’s hands!

The light from the badge instantly erupted, transforming into a straight, searing pillar of platinum-gold light that shot toward the valley floor!

The air around the pillar of light distorted violently, emitting a low hum as if it were fighting against the Laws of the entire plane.

Space itself began to visibly fluctuate and ripple. An extremely unstable, milky-white vortex, its edges flickering with sparks of electricity, was arduously taking shape and expanding!

"Hold it!" Calvin roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

The badge he held in his hands grew scorching hot, even searing the flesh of his palms, but he didn’t move a muscle.

"Increase the energy output!"

Blood trickled from the corners of the mouths of the three Temple Knights maintaining the triangle; the burden was clearly immense.

But they gritted their teeth, desperately squeezing out the last of their Holy Power while doing their best to draw in the Life Energy provided by the surrounding survivors.

Under the infusion of energy, the milky-white vortex slowly rotated. Its center grew deeper and deeper, and one could faintly make out the hazy silhouette of a location on Eagle’s Beak Peak.

The way home was right before their eyes!