Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The Dark Witches’ decisiveness might have saved the last traces of the shadow army, but it also plunged Shani into a difficult situation while she fought on the frontlines.

  The pseudo-shadow domain trembled silently.

  After the soul portal had been shut off, the Fourth Grade spirit shadow that had been serving as the conduit for the origin tower’s power dissipated without a trace. Due to the lack of a soul coordinate, the origin tower lost the ability to continue projecting its power.

  The pseudo-shadow domain teetered on the brink of instability!

  It was important to note that a portion of Shani’s mental consciousness was currently joined with the pseudo-shadow domain itself. If she could not retract her mental consciousness before the pseudo-shadow domain collapsed, it was very likely her soul would suffer tremendous damage.

  As such, Shani was terrified when she sensed the pseudo-shadow domain tremble as its power faded. She could no longer care for the battle against Greem. Instead, she fled from the battlefield and hurried towards the shadow core of the domain.

  Unfortunately, Greem had picked up on the abnormality of the pseudo-shadow domain as well. He would never let her leave so easily. Thus, he instantly chased after her, refusing to give her any chance to regain control of the shadow core.

  …………

  Inside the endless space of darkness.

  Greem strode forward, scarlet light shining from the fire-coral staff in his right hand as it relentlessly fired fireballs into the surroundings to blast away the shadow energy.

  Dark Witch Shani’s elementium aura flickered in front of him, providing him with a clear trail to follow.

  Greem’s face turned when he sensed that elementium aura enter a dark node. He took a step back and raised the staff in his hand. A brilliant, red wall of fire quickly appeared in front of him.

  The next second, several hundred shadow arrows shot from every direction, causing the fire barrier to tremble relentlessly.

  However, as Greem poured his powerful fire energy into the barrier, the thin but resilient defense managed to survive the fearsome trap that Shani had laid down for him.

  After that ferocious barrage, the shadow energy flowing around him had significantly thinned and weakened. The suppression over Greem’s fire energy was reduced considerably.

  Greem coughed lightly as he walked out of the radius of the explosion, where the energy aura was still in chaos. Blue light flickered in his eyes as he assessed his surroundings.

  Unfortunately, the explosion from earlier had wiped out all residual elementium in the air. Greem could no longer track Shani based on her elementium aura alone.

  “Chip, can you lock on to her elementium aura?” Greem asked solemnly.

  [Beep. Surrounding elementium aura has been thoroughly disrupted. Target lock-on impossible.]

  “Are there any other ways to catch up to her?”

  [Beep. After analysis of the current circumstances, chances of the Dark Witch heading to the shadow core are over 97%. Currently calculating and simulating the location of the shadow core.

  [Beep. Locked on to the shadow core’s location. Requesting that host move in accordance with the directions.]

  A translucent, light blue arrow was then projected onto Greem’s vision.

  Greem flew forward without any hesitation.

  The illusory arrow constantly shifted directions, guiding Greem forward on the correct path.

  That didn’t mean that the shadow core itself was moving. Rather, this was simply the result of a strange characteristic of the pseudo-shadow domain.

  The pseudo-shadow domain had engulfed the entirety of Maple Forest Town, along with thousands of square meters of land in the vicinity. Such a large area was more than enough as a battlefield for ordinary mortals. Unfortunately, it was far too small for two Fourth Grade adepts.

  Both of the adepts could exit the battlefield with a single teleportation spell.

  Thus, an unusual spatial characteristic known as Mythals had been added to the domain to trap Greem within. The effect of the Mythal prevented Greem from ever escaping the pseudo-shadow domain no matter what he did.

  Even if you were to close your eyes and run forward in the pseudo-shadow domain, you would only be running about in a strange curve. One’s sense of space and time in the field was disoriented. It could lead a person to circle within the domain endlessly without any knowledge of this occurrence.

  The true terror of this domain characteristic was the fact that it didn’t influence your sight, hearing, sense, or taste, but your very soul consciousness. Even if you were to circle around the town for ten thousand years, you would never realize that you were not walking in a straight line, but a curved line instead.

  When Greem followed the Chip’s instruction to change his direction of travel continuously, his body started to actually proceed in a straight line, heading straight for Shani’s room.

  Indeed, the shadow core had not been hidden at all. It was simply laid out within Shani’s room. Greem had only overlooked its existence due to the unusual characteristic of this domain. Of course, there was even less possibility he would have made his way here.

  Blue light flickered in Greem’s eyes.

  The Chip projected two entirely different visions of the world in each individual eye using its powerful calculation abilities.

  In Greem’s left eye, it looked as if he was standing in an empty space of darkness, walking about randomly like a blind man. Meanwhile, his right eye showed himself standing in the stone plaza of the town, the tragic destruction caused by his fire magic all around him.

  One in his left eye and one in his right. One false and one true. If it weren’t for the Chip being unaffected by the domain’s powers, Greem would probably have had to defend against the attacks of the Dark Witch passively.

  Greem walked along the scorched stone road towards a wooden building looming in the endless darkness. It was the only building that remained intact in Maple Forest Town.

  Greem arrived at the small building after passing through the street. The thick doors of the house were wide open, and he could faintly sense Dark Witch Shani’s life aura above him.

  It seemed like Shani had hastily swung these doors apart when she returned.

  Greem strode forward into the room. The stairs stretching to the second floor lay right in front of him, in the hall of the first floor. The doors to the dining hall were also open to his left. Adept Cherisha was sitting on her chair worriedly, tilting her head constantly to try and listen and sense for the changes in elementium aura around her.

  There were only twenty meters between them, yet somehow Adept Cherisha had not detected Greem’s presence at all.

  Twenty meters. That was practically like breathing distance for Fourth Grade adepts!

  Perhaps because there was a trace of power contained within Greem’s gaze, Adept Cherisha’s body trembled abruptly. She turned her head in confusion and looked at Greem’s position. She looked all around the empty hall but saw no abnormality or any traces of Greem’s figure.

  As such, she could only consider her sensation an oversensitivity of sorts.

  In truth, with how powerful Cherisha and Mangus were, this dining hall would not be able to trap them in the slightest.

  However, out of fear of Shani’s ‘savagery,’ they didn’t dare to extend their powers anywhere out of the dining hall.

  After all, at this moment, the entire Maple Forest Town was the battlefield of the Dark Witch and the legendary fire adept. It was very likely that some unexpected variance would be introduced if they recklessly extended their powers beyond the dining hall.

  In all honesty, even Adept Holly didn’t want to engage in a head-on conflict against Shani, if possible. That was why he locked himself in his room and contained his power. He was expressing his intent to remain uninvolved with his actions.

  Of course, Adept Holly and the two-headed adept were not helplessly waiting for their deaths either. Instea
d, they were simply using their powers to defend their own little regions.

  If the Dark Witch dared to extend her shadow powers towards them, they had their own means of self-defense. However, if she ever did that, her hopes of a duel against the legendary fire adept would be dashed.

  As such, even though Greem and Shani were tearing the town apart, it was perfectly peaceful in the dining hall and Adept Holly’s room. Neither of them had detected any abnormalities.

  Greem smiled. He did not disturb the two-headed adept’s ‘neutrality.’ Instead, he stepped upon the stairs leading to the second floor.

  Chapter 1099 - Shadow Diamond

  The corridor was dark and silent.

  The somewhat old wooden floorboards creaked beneath his feet.

  A thick, suffocating shadow aura masked the air.

  The closer Greem got to the shadow core, the more suppressed the flames around him became. They could only extend fifty centimeters out of his body, barely enough to protect his body and his clothes.

  The corridor in front of Greem was like a haunted house in his double vision of material and immaterial. Traces, strands of nearly solid shadow energy dissipated from the second room to the left, slowly but surely dancing across the corridor.

  The aura was so thick that these shadows were showing signs of coming to life.

  They wandered and squirmed down the narrow corridor in clusters of darkness, continually twisting and morphing into all sorts of unusual shapes. From a distance, these shadows look like horrifying demons awaiting their prey with bared fangs.

  Greem had just stepped into the corridor, into the swarming darkness, when the closest shadow to him immediately transformed into a large mouth with vicious fangs. The mouth bit furiously at him.

  Greem let out a furious grunt. His right hand shot forward, enveloped in flames, and pierced straight into the mouth. It didn’t matter how the shadow bit or tore; it simply could not penetrate the fire to injure him in the slightest. Greem’s hand probed around the large mouth. When he finally retracted his arm, there was a dark, gleaming crystal in his palm.

  Having lost the black crystal, the mouth quickly dissipated, roaring and howling ferociously as it did so.

  Greem lifted the black crystal to his eyes as the Chip quickly projected its information.

  [Substance Name: Shadow Shard

  Substance Category: Dark Energy Crystal

  Item Grade: First Grade

  [Item Applications: Enchantment (Used to enchant weapons with shadow damage). Alchemy (Basic material for dark attribute magical equipment). Potion-Brewing (Necessary material for anti-shadow-damage potions). Summoning (Basic material for summoning shadow creatures).

  [Special Applications: Used to synthesize Shadow Crystals (100 Shadow Shards can be converted into a single Shadow Crystal).]

  ……

  A series of broader applications for the Shadow Shard was listed below, but Greem couldn’t be bothered to read it any longer. It was just a First Grade adept material. It wasn’t worth his time at all.

  He casually tossed the Shadow Shard into his storage ring and prepared to move forward.

  Perhaps sensing the might of the enemy, these natural clusters of shadow rapidly gathered together. They formed a single strange shadow creature the size of a dwarf, but with vague, indistinguishable facial features.

  The moment the creature formed, a dangerous and unpredictable aura radiated from its body.

  The Chip’s warning blared out in Greem’s mind instantly.

  [Beep. Detecting the biological flux of a Fourth Grade shadow creature. Initial analysis suggests the creature is a shadow assassin. Threat level to host has reached Dangerous. Advising host to remain cautious!]

  So fast?

  Greem paused for a moment. His gaze couldn’t help but fall on the door behind the shadow creature.

  Dark Witch Shani couldn’t have spawned a Fourth Grade shadow creature in such a short time, even if she was the literal God of Adepts herself. Unless…there was some unusually powerful shadow treasure in the shadow core. Otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve such a feat through the might of a single adept.

  If she did possess such a powerful artifact, why did she not just use it against him? Could it be that the item has some sort of restriction, or that it was no more than a support item?

  Greem glanced at the quickly forming creature while his mind rapidly analyzed and assessed what secrets lied beyond the door.

  He was about to fight the Fourth Grade Dark Witch momentarily. The best way to gain an advantage on the battlefield was to figure out her trump card before it even began. It was something that a high-grade adept should do prior to every battle!

  However, Greem didn’t have much time left to think or analyze.

  The strange energy flux from the shadow core in the room was getting increasingly intense and distinct.

  It didn’t matter if Shani was brewing some powerful attack or summoning some terrifying creature. Greem had no obligation to idle around like a gentleman and wait for her to be done. At this moment, there was only one thing he needed to do. Regardless of who stood before him, Greem would have to eliminate them with the momentum of lightning and immediately interrupt the Dark Witch’s action.

  At the thought of this, Greem stepped forward without any hesitation. The Fire Dragon’s Breath pendant on his neck glowed as an overwhelmingly oppressive stream of fire emerged from his mouth, rushing down the dark corridor in the shape of a fan.

  Of course, the Fourth Grade shadow assassin was well within the range of this attack.

  When the breath of fire burst through the barrier of darkness and approached the shadow assassin, it vanished instantly.

  Indeed. It had vanished, not teleported.

  Greem had fought against all sorts of shadow creatures in the battle from earlier. These shadow creatures might excel at shadow magic and possess some strange shadow powers, but their every movement was accompanied by weak, nearly imperceptible traces of elementium flux.

  If it weren’t for the Chip, even Greem himself would not be able to capture Shadow Teleportations and Shadowstalk of this level.

  However, when the shadow assassin disappeared, Greem could not pick up on any elementium flux, no matter how he tried. It was almost as if it had just blended into the background, making it impossible for anyone to track it based on changes in the elementium flux.

  The fire dragon’s breath pierced through the black afterimage that the shadow assassin had left behind and ignited the entirety of the corridor.

  However, the shadow assassin was nowhere to be seen nor sensed.

  Just as Greem’s fire breath came to an end and his Spirit was in a momentary state of recovery, a short black figure slid out of the space behind him without a sound. The two black daggers in its hands stabbed towards Greem’s heart without stirring the air in the slightest.

  As a Fourth Grade fire adept, there was no way that Greem could not have picked up on the abnormality behind him.

  However, while the assassin’s movements appeared light as a feather, they were as fast as lightning in the eyes of an objective observer. Moreover, though the daggers were dark, lightless, and void of any elementium aura, they gave off the impression of lethal weapons.

  Greem’s mind turned in the face of the shadow assassin. The fire coral staff in his hand gleamed, and yet no defensive magic had been cast. Instead, he chose…offense.

  The two pitch-black daggers pierced the barrier of flames and the armor of magma, diving straight into Greem’s back. The blades wove between his flesh and moved through the fire, swiftly slicing and cutting to inflict as much damage to Greem as possible.

  Greem endured the terrifying agony and instantly hit the shadow assassin’s body with a red beam of light.

  The next second, dense fire elementium in the air gathered into nearly solid chains of fire, firmly binding the shadow assassin to Greem himself.

  Flame Shackles!

  Binding
fire magic.

  It could bind the enemy to the caster, forcing them to endure three times the constant fire damage of the spell if they attempted to flee.

  The shadow assassin could not be bothered to attack Greem any longer at the sight of this. It flickered, attempting to flee from Greem’s side. Unfortunately, before its black body could merge into the darkness, the Flame Shackles on its body dragged it back out again.

  It tried to teleport another two times. Failing to do so, it started to wave its daggers furiously in an attempt to sever the Flame Shackles.

  However, this was enough of a buffer for Greem to lock on to its soul flux and elementium aura thoroughly.

  Greem reached out with his left hand and cuffed the shadow assassin on the neck. Violent golden fire immediately flowed along his arm and onto the assassin’s body. The shadow assassin started howling and flailing about violently, slicing up Greem’s arm badly.

  However, regardless of how badly wounded he was, Greem did not loosen his grip at all. The golden fire continued to surge into the assassin’s body without end.

  Finally, eleven seconds later, the shadow assassin could no longer endure the effects of the law fire. It exploded with a loud bang and turned into scattered black mist. A dark black gemstone fell out of the fog, and Greem caught it in his hands.

  A Shadow Diamond. A Fourth Grade Shadow Diamond!

  Greem couldn’t be as calm as before now.

  After all, a Fourth Grade Shadow Diamond was very rare, even in the World of Adepts.

  A Shadow Shard was only a First Grade adept material, and a hundred Shadow Shards could be synthesized into a Second Grade Shadow Crystal. A hundred Second Grade Shadow Crystals could be synthesized into a Third Grade Shadow Stone. Finally, a hundred Third Grade Shadow Stones were required to synthesize a Fourth Grade Shadow Diamond such as this.

  It was said that a Shadow Diamond was already a top-grade adept material!