BXBX NOVEL Chapter 106: The Truth of Trials
After getting up again, Zona fell into madness, unable to believe that he was no match for Enzo.
Onlookers were also stunned.
They hadn't anticipated that Enzo could defeat Zona, and in such a seemingly playful manner.
It was terrifying!
Freya's eyes widened in astonishment. While others might not understand Enzo well, she knew a lot. The ability Enzo had just used wasn't mere plant manipulation.
It resembled the abilities of various fierce beasts.
And there was more than one.
What exactly had happened to Enzo?
Freya was deeply curious.
At that moment, Enzo approached Zona slowly. The white light surrounding him dissipated, his energy gradually weakening. Zona, however, had lost all courage to continue the fight.
He stared fixedly at Enzo and shouted, "Stop!"
Enzo came to a halt.
Seeing this scene, Zona felt proud in his heart. He thought Enzo was afraid of his identity, so his confidence increased greatly. He said, "You bug, how dare you humiliate me like this? After you leave, I will lead the warriors of the Golden Lion Tribe to eliminate you and your tribe! I will make you kneel on the ground and beg for mercy!"
Enzo narrowed his eyes slightly, his killing intent skyrocketing.
His voice was icy cold, and he spoke slowly and deliberately, "You have no chance left!"
As he said this, countless vines shot up from the ground, binding Zona tightly. The vines then began to tighten, causing Zona to scream in agony.
Sensing the approach of death, Zona regretted deeply.
How could this person actually dare to kill him!
Freya walked over, looked at Enzo, and shook her head, urging, "Enzo, you cannot kill him."
Perplexed, Enzo asked, "Why not?"
Freya replied, "Regardless, Zona is the chosen priest candidate of the Golden Lion Tribe, representing them. If you kill him, it means you're declaring war against the Golden Lion Tribe."
After hearing this, Enzo questioned, "Is that all?"
With a disdainful smile on his face, Enzo looked at Freya and said, "You know, I've never been afraid of such threats."
At the next moment, several sounds of bones shattering rang out.
Zona's head hung down, and the vines loosened, throwing his body to the ground.
He dared to do that!
Freya couldn't believe it.
Enzo, right in front of her, audaciously kill Zona . He was simply a lunatic, an unreasonable one. It was hard to believe she had admired Enzo before.
The others were stunned as well.
Some took pleasure in Zona's death, but most mocked Enzo for his bold actions. One person arrogantly remarked, "Oh, what a brainless fool. Zona's death will surely invite retaliation from the Golden Lion Tribe. Those guys aren't to be messed with."
Naturally, Enzo heard these words.
He looked at those speaking, and after his gaze swept over them, they all lowered their heads, avoiding his eyes, seemingly afraid he would remember their faces.
Seeing this, Enzo chuckled.
Then he turned his head and looked at Freya, who had a complex expression, and asked, "Want to go in together?"
Freya glanced at Enzo, then at the High Tower hall.
Finally, she shook her head and said, "No."
It was a refusal, and it was Freya's choice.
Zona could die, but not like this. If he had died at the hands of another candidate priest, it could be said that Zona was simply outmatched, much like how in some litter of fierce animals, the stronger ones kill the weaker ones.
Unfortunately, Enzo was the one who killed Zona.
As another candidate priest of the Golden Lion Tribe, Freya can foresee the storm that is about to hit the tribe. Powerful warriors within the tribe will mobilize to eliminate Enzo, who has offended the Golden Lion Tribe.
Such a force was one even she could not resist.
With this realization, their previous agreement became a mockery; after all, how could someone destined for death become a trusted aide?
Having understood the stakes, Freya sighed deeply.
Afterward, she too entered the Great Hall of the High Tower.
As Enzo stepped into the Great Hall of the High Tower, turmoil erupted once again. The High Tower Soul appeared, visibly enraged, and addressed Enzo sharply,"Damn it, how dare you violate the rules of High Tower Space? I will punish you with the cruelest means possible!"
Next, High Tower Soul grabbed Enzo, and the two figures vanished within the hall.
Throughout the process, Enzo offered no resistance.
After being seized by High Tower Soul, he only saw the scenery rapidly changing before settling on a particular image.
It was a place of desolate ruins.
Moreover, it was undeniably real.
Curious, Enzo asked, "Where is this?"
High Tower Soul looked at Enzo with astonishment and asked, "Aren't you afraid of the consequences of defying the rules of the High Tower Space?"
Enzo countered, "The rules of the High Tower Space? Mr. High Tower Soul, can you answer me one question: are these rules the rules of the High Tower Space, or are they your rules?"
High Tower Soul's eyes turned malicious, his tone deepened, "What do you mean?"
Enzo voiced his thoughts directly.
He said, "It seems evident that you are concerned about others' presence in the High Tower Space and deliberately leave ordinary people behind. Apart from that, you seem enthusiastic about those who participate in the trials."
High Tower Soul's gaze became even more malevolent.
It appeared as if someone's purpose had been exposed. High Tower Soul spoke harshly, "Enzo, what are you trying to say?"
Enzo confidently replied, "Mr. High Tower Soul, I believe you wish to break free from the constraints of the High Tower, am I right?"
These words plunged High Tower Soul into a prolonged silence.
He pointed to the ruins before them and said, "These are fragments of the High Tower. The once revered High Tower was considered a hell for supernatural beings. Any supernatural beings suppressed by the High Tower suffered a fate worse than death. Their flesh and blood were consumed, their supernatural powers analyzed, and their essence extracted..."
"And these became the capital for human growth."
"But when disaster struck, not only did the Barren Mountain Tribe fall victim to a bizarre curse, the Tower Tribe also faced attacks."
"As a result, the High Tower sustained damage."
"You guessed it right. Those trials, and even those rules, were all set by me. As the High Tower Soul, I am fully aware of everything about the High Tower. The current High Tower is on the verge of collapse, and it may crumble completely before long."
"By then, the supernatural beings imprisoned within will escape and begin a rampage. And I, along with the collapse of the High Tower, will perish. So I have no choice."
"I intend to perform the Life Conversion Ritual."
"That is my only way to survive."
"In consideration of Bookstaver's reputation, I can reveal all this to you. But, as a price, you must remain in this place until my plan is complete."
The truth behind the trials of the High Tower caught Enzo off guard.
He had initially suspected some conspiracy against humanity, but now he realized it was driven by High Tower Soul's own motives.
However, this conspiracy did not seem to involve him directly.
Even though Enzo had exposed High Tower Soul's intentions, it appeared that High Tower Soul had no intention of harming him directly. Instead, he was being indirectly imprisoned.
Either High Tower Soul genuinely didn't want to harm him.
Or there was a larger scheme at play.
Enzo leaned towards the latter, suspecting that High Tower Soul had bigger plans in mind by not laying hands on him.
As for the Life Conversion Ritual...
Enzo didn't know much about it. But from its literal meaning, it seemed to be a ritual to transform High Tower Soul's unique life into another form of life.
In matters involving life, sacrifice was often a common theme.
It was highly likely that initiating the Ritual would lead to the deaths of tribal members who entered the High Tower Space. This would explain why High Tower Soul enforced rules preventing them from leaving or fighting each other.
He needed enough people for the sacrifice.
These thoughts raced through Enzo's mind in an instant, connecting the pieces of information he knew to form a hypothesis that was closest to the truth.
This hypothesis, he realized, would be the final piece of the puzzle.
Having the Tree of Life totem, Enzo could be considered half an authority on the understanding of life. Even with the aid of Ritual, attempting life transmutation was exceedingly difficult, let alone dealing with special beings like the High Tower Soul.
The Tower Tribe, Barren Mountain Tribe, and many other tribes had invested substantial resources together in its creation.
Enzo was convinced that the High Tower Soul was lying.
Rather than exposing him, Enzo asked, "Mr. High Tower Soul, is there really no other way?"
High Tower Soul's gaze was solemn, his words laden with meaning as he replied, "Enzo, you should understand that achieving your goals always comes with a price. It's a fundamental aspect of existence."
After a moment's thought, High Tower Soul added, "Are you here for those ordinary people? For your sake, I can make an exception and bend the rules to send them away."
With a wave of his hand, several scenes appeared around Enzo, depicting the terrain of Plata Plain. People appeared out of thin air, crying loudly.
As High Tower Soul had promised, he indeed sent those people away.
This left Enzo feeling uneasy.
He was reluctant to believe in High Tower Soul's generosity.
High Tower Soul had just mentioned that achieving goals always requires paying a price.
Enzo decided to press further.
Enzo asked High Tower Soul, "Mr. High Tower Soul, I have some doubts about priest inheritance powers. Could you clarify them for me?"
High Tower Soul burst into laughter.
Confidently, he replied, "No one understands it better than I do. Feel free to ask."