Jared said, "I know."Evelyn pressed her lips together, then asked softly, "Young Lord, forgive me for asking... are you trying to save someone?"Jared was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, "Two friends."Evelyn looked at him, and something complicated stirred in her chest.A man this strong, so strong it hardly seemed real, had still crossed an enormous distance into the Luminous Sanctuary just to find the Celestial Basilica and ask for help for his friends.All at once, the cold distance around Jared didn't seem like his real nature.It looked more like something he wore on the outside.The real Jared was someone who valued loyalty and feeling."Young Lord, my strength is low, but if there's anywhere I can help, just say the word," Evelyn said seriously.Jared glanced at her and nodded."Thank you."A surge ran through Evelyn.To hear Jared say those two words, she felt like this whole trip had already been worth it.The two of them kept racing forward and soon arrived at the foot of Saintlight Peak.The mountain stood massive and straight, driving into the sky.Thick growth covered the mountainside.The spiritual energy was dense, and a faint clean fragrance hung in the air.Jared came to a stop and looked up toward the summit.Up there, a massive palace sat half-hidden in the clouds and mist."Celestial Basilica..." he murmured.Standing beside him, Evelyn said softly, "Young Lord, there's a ward on Saintlight Peak. You can't fly straight up. You have to go on foot. That's the Celestial Basilica's rule, to show respect."Jared nodded and started up the mountain.Evelyn hurried after him.The two of them climbed the stone steps one step at a time.The whole way up, Jared said nothing and only kept moving forward in silence.Again and again, the shapes of those monsters in the dense forest rose before him.Monsters born from fused celestial and demon bloodlines.Trapped inside that forest, unable to leave, left with nothing but killing each other and tearing flesh apart to survive.What exactly was hidden behind all of this?And what part had the Celestial Basilica, this ancient force revered by countless righteous cultivators, played in it?He lifted his head and looked toward the palace at the summit. Something unreadable flickered through his eyes.The Luminous Sanctuary was supposed to be a gathering place for righteous cultivators.But on this road, what he had seen had not all been light.The Hallowmere Order's forced marriages. The living hell inside that dense forest...Was this so-called righteous path really as open and spotless as people claimed?For the first time, doubt toward the Celestial Basilica rose in Jared.He suddenly stopped.Evelyn froze for a beat, then hurriedly asked, "Young Lord, what is it?"Jared kept his eyes on the summit. After a brief silence, he said, "Nothing. Let's go."He stepped forward again and kept heading for the top of the mountain.Evelyn looked at his back, and something she couldn't quite name rose in her chest.For just that instant a moment ago, it had looked as if Jared had hesitated.But she didn't ask.She knew Jared had his reasons.The two of them kept going uphill and soon reached the middle of the mountain.Right then, a streak of white light dropped from the sky and landed in front of them.It was a young man in a white robe His features were handsome, his bearing distant and clean, and a faint glow spread from his body, if he were standing in holy light. He glanced at Jared and Evelyn, then gave a small nod. His tone was mild, but there was distance in it."Fellow adepts this is important ground of the Celestial Basilica. May I ask why you've come?"Jared looked at him and said, "I want to see the Lord of the Basilica."The young man smiled faintly. "The Basilica Lord is in seclusion these days and is not seeing outside guests. If you have business, you can tell me. I'll pass it along."Jared's brows drew together slightly.In seclusion?He looked at the young man and suddenly asked, "Does the Celestial Basilica have any demons?"The smile on the young man's face stiffened at once.A moment later, his expression returned to normal. "You joke, fellow adept. The Celestial Basilica is a holy land of the righteous path. How could there be demons here?"Jared only looked at him and said nothing.The young man shifted under that stare, then gave a light cough. "If you have no other business, then please head back. While the Bastica Lord is in seclusion, the Celestial Basilica is not receiving outside guests." Jared was quiet for a moment, then nodded."All right."He turned and started down the mountain.Evelyn blinked, then quickly followed."Young Lord, we're just leaving like this?" she asked in a low voice.Jared didn't answer. He only quickened his pace as he headed down the mountain.Evelyn was full of questions, but she still didn't press him. She just followed behind him in silence.On the way down, Jared suddenly stopped.Evelyn paused, and just as she was about to ask, Jared turned around. His gaze lifted toward the summit, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes."Young Lord?"Jared said, "That young man had a problem."Evelyn stared at him. "What problem?"Jared said, "The moment he heard the word demon, his expression changed."Evelyn thought back to what had just happened, then nodded. "That's true. He did seem... a little on edge."Jared was silent for a moment before he said, "The Celestial Basilica is probably not as simple as it looks."Evelyn's posture tightened. In a lowered voice, she said, "Young Lord, you mean..."Jared didn't answer.He turned back around and continued down the mountain.Evelyn followed behind him, and a faint unease kept rising inside her.All at once, she remembered the monsters in the dense forest, those twisted thingsthat carried the presence of both celestials and demons at the same time.If those monsters really had something to do with the Celestial Basilica...A shiver ran through her, and she didn't dare think any further.The two of them went all the way down the mountain and soon returned to the footof Saintlight Peak.noveldramaJared stopped and looked back at the towering mountain.The palace at the summit appeared and disappeared behind drifting clouds, sacred and untouchable.But now, in Jared's eyes, the light around that palace seemed to have a shadowover it."Let's go," he said.Evelyn nodded.The two of them turned into streaks of light and sped toward the distance.Behind them, Saintlight Peak still stood tall, wrapped in clouds and mist, as if nothing had happened at all.But Jared knew it. Beneath that mountain, holy as it looked, something hidden was buried there.And whatever had been buried under it might be even worse than he had firstfigured.Still, he wasn't going to stop.For Sidney and his wife to live again, it didn't matter what waited ahead. He wouldkeep going straight into it.