Fang Senyan had only learned of the Shadow Council for less than twenty-four hours, strictly speaking, it was from a Protoss hero unit named Dochego he encountered earlier.

The very reason Fang Senyan came to this accursed place was to track down Ronny, and since Ronny had close ties with the Dark Templar, Fang Senyan’s inquiries focused heavily in that area. Dochego confirmed for him that the legend stated the origins of both the Dark Templar and the Protoss were rooted in the ancient, powerful, and long-lost Shadow Council.

Fang Senyan briefly surveyed the location he was in and deduced from the architectural style and the patterns that it was definitively Protoss in design. However, many details differed from the Protoss he had encountered before, leading Fang Senyan to be certain that this place had absolutely no connection to the Protoss led by that fellow Uraki previously.

Fang Senyan dared to make such a judgment for clear reasons:

Uraki’s Protoss technology was clearly more advanced than what was displayed in this mysterious location. At least in medical science, Fang Senyan had personally witnessed their limb regeneration and cellular activity stimulation techniques, which could restore a dying Zealot to its peak combat strength within three hours.

Given the merits Fang Senyan had earned among Uraki’s Protoss, if he had fallen into the hands of these current individuals, he would certainly have been placed into a cellular activity vat for thorough healing, rather than being tossed into a simple meditation chamber to fend for himself.

Thus, the identity of this group of mysterious Protoss was already self-evident.

His stubborn response to that cold voice, made while his situation was still unclear, was also the result of deep consideration.

Since he was dealing with the Protoss, even if they weren't Uraki’s contingent, the common trait of the Protoss was arrogance. Facing an arrogant person, retreating or showing undue deference would never earn favor; instead, it would only invite further contempt. Conversely, meeting arrogance with arrogance offered a slim chance of gaining their respect.

Indeed, after Fang Senyan gave his reply, the other party showed no significant anger, but rather scoffed:

“A mere human, presuming to speak to me of a noble soul?”

Fang Senyan replied neither servilely nor overbearingly:

“Sir! Have you truly never witnessed a human with a noble soul? In the past campaign of the Mar Sara Corridor system, when the Protoss and humans cooperated for the first time—those people who used their flesh and steel to shield you by standing on the front lines! The 1.3 million humans whose bodies were reduced to ash—were their souls base or noble?”

That cold voice was instantly silenced. After a brief pause, it finally said:

“It seems you have recovered quite well. Come, the Elder wishes to see you.”

Fang Senyan had gathered far too little intelligence, as he had only been awake for a very short time, and naturally, he was unwilling to meet any leader immediately. He quickly clutched his head:

“Oh, blast it, my head feels like it’s about to split open. If you force me to move now, it would be murder!”

The voice said nothing, but a door silently slid open beside him. Because Fang Senyan was lying supine on the examination table with his head hanging downwards, he saw two legs stationed at the doorway.

Those two legs were encased in metallic armor that radiated menace and authority. The angular lines of the metal plating were incredibly sharp, seeming to cut at the very line of sight that fell upon them.

Behind the legs billowed a black cloak. The material of this cloak was hard to describe; it was as deep as the night sky, seemingly absorbing all incoming light. Even more strangely, whenever a gaze focused upon it, there was an unsettling feeling that one’s attention would be immediately diverted away.

Then, those two legs strode toward Fang Senyan with measured precision, each step seemingly calibrated. He stopped directly in front of Fang Senyan.

As Fang Senyan wondered what the figure was about to do, he suddenly felt an indescribable coolness and comfort, as if multiple streams of intensely cold, freshly melted snow water were entering his body through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, slowly making their way toward his brain along the nerves.

Wherever this sensation traveled, the needle-prick pain in the back of Fang Senyan’s head instantly subsided, and as the sensation converged at the back of his skull, the pain dissolved like snow in boiling water.

However, at this moment, Fang Senyan also suddenly felt difficulty breathing, sensing something wet trickling out. He touched his face and found blood flowing from his nostrils and ear canals. The blood was a dark crimson, with even some congealed clots. As this blood slowly drained away, the stabbing pain in his head gradually eased, finally vanishing completely.

“Rise,” the cold voice suddenly commanded.

Just as Fang Senyan prepared to stand, he found his limbs unresponsive. It felt as if invisible shackles in the air were restraining his hands and feet, and these shackles possessed a will of their own, forcing Fang Senyan to move according to their intent!

Fang Senyan was about to struggle, but a thought crossed his mind about his current predicament, so he relaxed his body. Instantly, he felt as if he were a marionette being lifted and forcibly straightened.

“There is absolutely no issue with your injuries now. Follow me.” The voice continued. At this point, Fang Senyan noticed that the person standing before him was entirely shrouded in a black cloak, wearing a triangular mask, with only the metal boots being distinctly visible.

He carried a long staff etched with strange patterns. These patterns looked like the orbital trajectories of stars streaking across the heavens—profoundly esoteric. The tip of the staff held a faint, gently undulating blue light that seemed to absorb the surroundings, appearing remarkably placid.

As soon as the command “Follow me” was uttered, Fang Senyan immediately felt as if two transparent figures in the void were forcefully escorting his movements. He remained composed, offering no resistance, and continued walking forward.

Fang Senyan noticed that the corridors and pathways they passed through seemed very old. Although the surfaces remained brightly polished, the erosion, the smoothness, and the traces wrought by time could not be entirely erased.

Furthermore, he observed lines and symbols of hexagrams—a symbol that was strictly forbidden among Uraki’s faction.

After traversing several long, crystal-inlaid metal passages, Fang Senyan finally arrived in a grand hall. The ceiling of this hall soared at least several hundred meters high, covered in what appeared to be extensive frescoes. Yet, upon closer inspection, the figures depicted in the murals were actually moving.

Two rows of magnificent, imposing metallic pillars lined the hall, each pillar exceeding ten meters in diameter. At the far end of these pillars rested a massive metal altar upon which a flickering blue flame danced.

For some unknown reason, upon seeing the flame, Fang Senyan felt a chilling sensation in his eyes.

Behind the flame was a holographic projection spanning several thousand square meters. When Fang Senyan saw the projection, he gasped sharply.

It showed that on the surface of the lost temple planet, thirteen colossal vortexes had formed, raging across the landscape. From the visual perspective of the nearby star system, centered on the lost temple, a massive funnel-like black hole spanning several light-years had materialized, furiously devouring everything in its path!

“So this is the reason for the frequent disappearances in this region!”

Immediately afterward, a rumbling sound echoed through the hall as the ceiling slowly slid open toward the vast expanse of the starry sky. Then, an object that evoked an indescribable sensation began to descend slowly.

The surface of this object shimmered with an ethereal light, as if the radiance of all the stars had gathered upon it. Its overall shape was gyroscopic, clearly spinning at high speed, yet it conveyed an impression of absolute steadiness and solidity! It felt as if wherever this thing was located, it could forcefully maintain the balance and stability of the region, ensuring it would never collapse!

“This… this isn’t the—!” Seeing this object, Fang Senyan was so shocked he could barely form coherent words. Only then did he realize why all factions had gathered in this very place! What nonsense about the secret of the Colossus! No wonder this place could transform humans into Dark Templars...

It turned out that hidden within this lost temple was a Protoss relic, a weapon of terrifying power! The Khala Artifact of the Xel’Naga! (StarCraft II Lore) Once fully assembled, this artifact could effortlessly annihilate the entire Zerg population of a planet in an instant.

Even more terrifyingly, in the established lore, even the Queen of Blades, who had usurped the highest rule of the Zerg from the Overmind, had her powers stripped away and her genes reverted to human form when confronted by the Khala Artifact of the Xel’Naga. From this, it could be inferred that transforming a human into a Dark Templar was indeed a trivial matter for them.

This Xel’Naga artifact slowly descended, flying toward the flame on the great hall’s altar, finally hovering above it. The blue flame then suddenly shot out a beam of blue light that struck Fang Senyan, causing him to feel as if he were being penetrated by an X-ray, leaving no secret hidden.

Consequently, an imprint flashed upon Fang Senyan’s brow, emitting a faint blue glow. This was the very same identity brand Uraki had placed on the center of Fang Senyan’s forehead to acknowledge his status as a “Hero” ally.