Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  It felt like he was drowning in an eternal hell of magma!

  His magic resistance had reached extraordinary levels after the Giant Black Mamba transformation. However, it was still far from allowing him to be immune to fire.

  The abyssal flames were even more wicked and evil than the elementium flames. They burned the flesh, but they also ate away at the enemy's Spirit.

  That was far more terrifying and difficult to deal with than an ordinary burn!

  An expression of genuine fear appeared on the snake's hideous face after half an hour of battle.

  The bloodline powers in its body were fading!

  The bloodline powers in the bodies of bloodline adepts weren't unlimited. They had to accumulate and cultivate the bloodline powers to support the manifestation of their bloodline origins. These transformations allowed them to possess the astounding physical strength and innate talents of ancient magical creatures during combat.

  But this act exhausted the bloodline powers they had accumulated!

  A temporary bloodline transformation was sufficient for them to overwhelm enemies of the same Grade. It was extremely rare for their bloodline powers to be thoroughly exhausted. Sadly, today, the half an hour of continuous transformation and the intense battle had utterly exhausted the serpentine adept. His bloodline powers were quickly receding.

  The Giant Black Mamba let out a sudden screech as its body started to wither and devolve. In the blink of an eye, the snake had reverted to his human form.

  The cruel abyssal flames instantly engulfed the serpentine adept's body, now that he had lost the protection of his scales and his great Physique. He screamed in pain as he dashed away from Greem.

  Unfortunately, Greem would not let him get away!

  The Flame Fiend roared, and magma pillars erupted in a ring. Savage streams of fire intersected and climbed along the magma pillars to form a Fire Prison.

  The serpentine adept's escaping figure crashed into the thin yet durable net of fire. The Fire Prison knocked back and sizzled at his body.

  Greem grabbed the serpentine adept with his blazing magma hands. The fearsome abyssal flames instantly devoured the adept's form.

  Only his head had yet to be enveloped by the flames. He screamed in pain as he struggled in Greem's grasp. He frantically shot petrification beams in every direction, trying in vain to force the Flame Fiend away.

  Greem would never let an opportunity like this go. He squeezed with his hands, and the serpentine adept's bones started to groan from the pressure. Greem reached out with two claws made of magma and stabbed the serpentine adept in the eye as he was still squirming. He then pulled.

  Aaaaaah!

  The serpentine adept's agonizing screams echoed through the woods. Greem had plucked the two amber Eyes of Petrification from his eye sockets as if they were magical gemstones embedded in stone. Greem then put the eyes in his pouch.

  The serpentine adept's strength continued to fade.

  He had lost all ability to resist when his bloodline powers were exhausted. Greem instantly crushed his body and kept every item the serpentine adept had left behind.

  Greem even preserved the head of his opponent.

  He would have to rely on this head to figure out the identity and background of the serpentine adept!

  The death of the serpentine adept had shocked the other two adepts. They instantly turned tail and ran at first sight of trouble.

  As expected of an illusionist; the beautiful lady was proficient at hiding herself. She grit her teeth and endured an Explosive Fireball that the Infernal Tyrant had directed at her. She suffered the burning pain on her back as she leveraged the impact of the flame shockwave to escape from the battlefield. She quickly vanished into the dark woods.

  The Bloodhand Butcher also wanted to run. Sadly, he had suffered grievous wounds to his legs. The Butcher failed to escape, even after several attempts at charging away from the fight. At last, he died to the massive stone fists of the Roaring Monster.

  Chapter 305

  Greem performed a simple sweep of the battlefield. He then called the Infernal Tyrant to his side to protect him as he retrieved the Decayer and Roaring Monster and reverted from his Flame Fiend Transformation.

  Greem fell to his knees and winced in agony the moment he returned to his human form. A devilish shroud of abyssal flames enveloped his body.

  The problematic fight had cost him a lot as well. By prematurely unsealing the Flame Fiend's Heart, the abyssal flames severely corroded and invaded his body. If he didn't get rid of this aura as soon as possible, it was very likely that he would mutate into a demonic being of the lower realms.

  However, Greem couldn't leave the woods yet.

  He endured the pain and used his powerful will to force the fire energy into the Flame Fiend's Heart. He quickly sealed it without hesitation.

  The flame energies surging from the Flame Fiend's Heart were extremely beneficial to his Flame Fiend form. On the other hand, they were far too wild and ferocious to be controlled by his human body. Greem would have likely been burned to death by the fire energies if it wasn't for the elementiumization of his body!

  He kneeled on the scorched earth as he breathed painfully. He extended a trembling finger, and a bright yet small cluster of flame ignited at the fingertip. Greem started to draw in the air. Several strange and twisted burn marks branded the air. When he completed a fire rune, it would naturally absorb the wandering fire elementium particles and ignite.

  The Flame Fiend's Heart would then absorb the rune. The abyssal aura on Greem's body would weaken and dissipate with each fire rune that went into his body.

  However, his efforts couldn't do anything about the evil aura that had corrupted his bloodline.

  His unrefined methods were not going to be able to get rid of the abyssal aura's source. He would have to return to the adept's tower and search for suitable resources before he could do anything about it.

  Greem forced himself to stand up and pointed in a direction.

  "Bring me there!"

  The Infernal Tyrant immediately bent its body and grabbed Greem after receiving its orders. It then marched in the direction that Greem had pointed.

  A towering, fiery silhouette stomped through the dark and dim forest.

  Its body was even more immense than the ancient trees growing in the spot. The branches and the ground caught on fire wherever it walked. The blazing fire turned everything into ash, leaving a black, ashen trail behind it.

  The Tyrant's overwhelming strength and fearsome aura were as apparent as the corridor of flames it had left behind. Any creature that sensed its existence immediately ran away as far as it could, regardless of whether they were predator or prey.

  It threw the entire forest into chaos. Countless birds dove out of their nests and escaped towards the horizon. For one moment, the creatures of the forest were in a frenzy, panicking as if the end of the world had arrived.

  The Tyrant ignored these weaker lifeforms and continued on its path undeterred.

  Finally, it stopped in a dense stretch of forest nearly five kilometers northwest of the battlefield.

  A flame halo blasted outward, and the tightly-packed trees instantly burst into flames. A human-shaped stone in the middle of the fire attracted Greem's attention.

  Greem commanded the Infernal Tyrant to pick up the stone. He scanned the rock with his elementium sight and saw Alice's familiar face on it. Fortunately, her pulse was weak, but she wasn't truly dead.

  Unusual energy surged from within her, protecting her innards and organs from complete petrification. Otherwise, with her apprentice-level lifeforce, she would not have been able to endure until Greem's arrival.

  It was the spacestone!

  Who knew? Alice had sealed that spacestone into her body to hasten the increase of her powers. This action might have caused damage to her body over time, but it had also saved her life in this scenario.

  Greem was still thinking about a method to save Alic
e. Meanwhile, a piece of the gray stone wall at the bottom of the cliff fell off. The goblin Snorlax removed the gray cloak he had used to hide his body and stumbled towards the Infernal Tyrant.

  "Master, master…it's so good to see you again!" Snorlax then turned his eyes to the Alice statue in the Tyrant's hand. His beany little green eyes blinked, and two tears streaked down his face, "What a shame. Lady Alice…has she…"

  Snorlax started sobbing and wailing at his heartbreaking discovery.

  "That's enough! Save it for when she's actually dead." Greem could feel his blood boiling. Alice was also in need of emergency medical attention. He had no time to spare, "Alice is still alive. We need to hurry."

  With that, Greem quickly gave an order. The Infernal Tyrant grabbed Snorlax before he could even react, turning and running towards Feidnan City.

  …………

  Lord Flame Demon had returned.

  People whispered that he came back with the heads of two adepts.

  Gossips and rumors quickly spread throughout Feidnan City. Every Sarubo apprentice adept walked about with gleaming eyes and excited looks as they spread various versions of Greem's adventure.

  According to their descriptions, the newly advanced Adept Greem had become the strongest of all the First Grade adepts in the clan. His popularity and influence had even overshadowed Adept Keoghan, who had always been the leader of the First Grade adepts.

  The Sarubo clan adepts started to become active with the return of the Flame Demon. Some people were even spreading rumors that the Sarubo Clan was secretly preparing for battle with an opposing force.

  This rumor was undoubtedly the one topic that the neighboring clans and organizations were most interested in.

  Thus, for some time, plenty of outsiders with ulterior motives flowed in and out of Feidnan, trying their best to figure out the Sarubo Clan's motives.

  Feidnan City, Adept's Tower.

  A secret room on the twelfth floor.

  The bored and lazy Lady Sanazar was lying on her large stone bed. Dense green mist enveloped her body, making it hard for others to see her appearance.

  Keoghan, who was usually in charge of the daily affairs of the clan, reported on the clan's activities.

  "Greem has yet to exit his dwelling after borrowing a batch of resources from the clan, including things like Sea Agate, Greenhead Ginseng, and Iacu's Water.

  "The girl he brought back with him is still receiving treatment from Adept Ferrier. The petrification energy had seeped into her lungs. It is quite troublesome to get rid of it."

  "And the two heads he brought back with him? Have you managed to find out their backgrounds?" Sanazar changed her posture and tore a five-kilogram piece of Underground Fire Dragon meat off the large tray before her. She started munching on the morsel in the green mist.

  These Underground Fire Dragon's that possessed the ability to let out sulfuric flame breaths could only be found in volcanic areas. Their meat was tough and sour. The texture was similar to that of an Iron Rhinoceros' hide. There were even toxins in the flesh. It was utterly unsuited for human consumption.

  That said, the Underground Fire Dragon was still considered a hybrid draconic creature. Long-term consumption was beneficial to the bloodline powers of hybrid dragons. Consequently, they became a snack for the Third Grade bloodline adept Sanazar. She would occasionally devour one or two of these creatures in her free time.

  Purchasing Underground Fire Dragon meat was a long-term mission on the list of tasks in the Feidnan City adept's tower.

  Adept Keoghan bowed even lower when Lady Sanazar spoke.

  "The backgrounds of both have been investigated.

  "The serpentine adept is Sak, a member of the Ximan Clan in the Shia area. They are an adept clan known for possessing the bloodline of serpentine magical creatures. They are a mid-tier adept clan ranking at 130. The clan leader Dibas is a mid-tier Third Grade adept. He even possesses power rivaling that of a Fourth Grade once he transforms.

  "Our investigation suggests that the attack on Greem wasn't the intent of the clan. Instead, it was a mission that Sak had undertaken on his own.

  I have already notified and communicated with the old fogeys of the Zhentarim Association. They have acknowledged the evidence we submitted and permitted us to take limited actions against the Ximan Clan. We can either exact vengeance upon them, or have them compensate us to resolve this issue!

  "The Bloodhand Butcher didn't seem to be backed by any adept organization. He is a solo wandering adept. We have heard of him being active in Motta City before this, but we have yet to find conclusive proof of his connection to the Black Glove Association.

  "We have also started to gain leads on the escaped illusionist. However, there must be some massive force backing the enemy. All of the divination we have conducted has not yielded any results. It's almost as if they have blocked all divination spells."

  The ear-grinding sound of tearing flesh became even more pronounced.

  "It seems that these people were very well prepared. If they had successfully assassinated the brat, our diviners would never be able to get a single clue on the enemy!" Sanazar gave an order in her dissatisfaction, "Send a message to the Ximan Clan. If they don't offer a sufficient compensation, I have no qualms eating a couple of their core members. Also, have you managed to figure out how Greem managed to beat the three of them?"

  "No!" Keoghan shook his head helplessly, "The battlefield has been obscured by the enemy somehow. We couldn't find anything with divination. I have sent personnel to inspect the battlefield, and it seems…it seems…"

  "Seems like what?"

  "It seems like Greem had beaten Sak with his power alone!"

  "You mean that brat beat an elite adept and two veteran adepts by himself, with only his strength? Does he have the ability to pull off such a thing?"

  "It is possible!" Keoghan frowned as he explained to this usually apathetic clan elder, "He seems to have an odd ability to control elementium golems. The number and quality that he can control are far superior to other golem masters."

  "Elementium golems?" Sanazar couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, "The next time someone tries and kill that brat, they will probably bring a whole group of sealing masters with them! Hmph! A bunch of useless trash! Three adepts that have lived for almost four hundred years couldn't even beat a newly advanced adept. A thorough death indeed!"

  Keoghan shook his head but didn't dare to give a reply to the Lady's comment.

  "Tell that brat Greem that the clan will take his side on this issue. Do whatever he needs to. Attack those that offended him and kill those that need killing. Get rid of all the fellows that dare to test the Sarubo Clan! Split all the benefits he gets from this with the clan, four to six. He gets four, and the clan gets six. I'll help him deal with anyone above Second Grade. Just get out there and do as he likes."

  A murderous aura filled the room as she spoke!

  Chapter 306

  Feidnan City, Adept's Tower.

  A small elementium fire pool bubbled in a secret arcane room filled with mist.

  Greem silently meditated in the pool.

  There was no natural volcanic magma pool in the tower that he could use for recovery purposes. The fire elementium in this seven-meter-long, five-meter-wide, and one-meter-deep pool had been extracted from the energy pool at the bottom of the tower.

  Seventeen percent of the energy that the adept's tower gathered daily was needed to maintain this pool. If one were to consider the additional cost of purifying the elementium energies into pure fire elementium, this small pool took up a total of 31% of the tower's daily energy reserves.

  Converted to magic crystals, it would cost 120 magic crystals a day.

  This cost was more than enough to hire a pseudo-adept to accompany you on an adventure into the woods!

  But right now, all of these resources were only used to create a comfortable environment for Greem to recover.

  Greem splashed the red la
va against his chest and savored the warmth as it trickled down his skin. The boiling heat from being soaked in lava seeped through his skin and found its way into his body. Greem felt incredibly at ease here.

  The boiling lava wasn't real lava, but instead a liquid fire that formed after the fire elementium reached a certain level of concentration. It wasn't as viscous or thick as natural magma, but it was a great deal purer.

  His dark red hair spread across his shoulders. The red crystalline-lava soaked the tips, but they didn't burn. Crimson sparks occasionally rose from the lava and Greem's long hair slowly absorbed them.

  His dark red hair became fuller and more lustrous as it took on more and more fire elementium. A strange and wicked scene indeed!

  A massive amount of fire elementium surged through his body as he entered a deep meditative state. It coursed through his body, purifying every nerve, bone, tendon, and bit of flesh. The dense fire elementium had taken up every inch of his body, leaving nowhere for the evil abyssal aura to hide. Finally, the aura turned into strands of black smoke and was expelled from Greem's body, quickly dispersing into the air.

  The World of Abyss was also known as the 'Bowels of the World'. It was a terrifying place.

  There was an uncountable number of demons there. Cruel, bloody, twisted, evil, chaotic; you could list every single negative adjective as their traits, and you wouldn't be wrong. These gigantic monsters had a fearsome strength and a deep passion for murder. They reveled in the pleasure of destruction.

  What was more horrifying was the nature of these creatures. The devilish personalities the World of Abyss had bestowed upon them made them incapable of feeling any guilt for their senseless killing and reckless destruction.

  There might be evil races in the multiverse that committed genocide and murder for survival, territory, resources and even dignity. However, the abyssal creatures only did it to hasten their evolution. In fact, most of the time they killed for entertainment!

  The Flame Fiend's Heart that Greem had transplanted into his body couldn't avoid the same effects. There was far too much ugliness, evil, and chaos mixed into it. Just as Greem had been eyeing the strength and endless energy the Flame Fiend's Heart provided him with, the distant Abyssal Will had also projected part of its aura into Greem's soul through the Heart.