There seemed to be a leader amongst the enemies. He shouted loudly and gave his orders.
The doors on both sides opened up, and the badly burned forces prepared to charge out and attack Greem.
Unfortunately, the death trap they had prepared for Greem had caught them instead.
Due to the narrow passageway, the many enemies were stuck inside the passage, unable to establish their formations. Greem took this opportunity to seal off their paths with three Demonic Walls of Fire. He then casually summoned a Firestorm and hurled it where the life signatures were the densest.
Flames crackled as the wave of fire seared his enemies.
The sizzling sound of burning never stopped, nor did the constant screams and cries for mercy.
However, the more enemies that burned, the stranger things seemed to become. Not only was there a lack of a burnt smell, but the air also seemed to be filled with the smell of grass and wood. Green sparks started to rise from the scorched bodies of the dead. One could feel their Spirit become invigorated when they came into contact with these green balls of light.
Plant elementium particles were truly the tamest magical particles in the world.
Even a fire adept like Greem was invigorated and refreshed upon coming into contact with such dense plant elementium. Emelia’s bursting headache also became significantly reduced when she absorbed the elementium particles.
The Demonic Walls of Fire sealing the exit paths, the Firestorm to exterminate the enemies, and a few more fireballs to open up a path forward.
It was a violent and straightforward solution, but when supported by Greem’s overwhelmingly powerful flames and incredible spiritual senses, there was no response to it. It was a situation of utter despair!
Before the enemies could surround Greem, his fire spells had already descended on them.
He didn’t even need to apply the Fire Penetration and Increased Fire Effectiveness effects to his flames. The base damage of these fire spells was already enough to sweep away all enemies in his path.
In fact, when Greem traveled past some hidden passages or rooms, he hurled a fireball into the doors under Emelia’s reminder, and all the enemies would be dead.
Greem was like a naughty child running about looking for ant nests with a pot of boiling water in his hand. The ambushes of the enemy, their traps, their offensives– all of these were frail and pointless in his eyes.
All he had to do was throw out his spells!
“Clan leader, this isn’t exactly the plan we discussed earlier, is it? Shouldn’t we prioritize exterminating the forces at the center of the sacred land and taking control of that area? If we take our time like this, Fahssn will teleport back once he hears of the commotion.” Emelia was suffering from a headache, but she still quickly identified the problem.
There was no real need to exterminate the forces and guards hiding all over the place. The most important thing was penetrating the magical spore center and taking control of the most important Spore Source in the sacred land. However, Greem was now playing around as if he had plenty of time. He did not seem to be in a hurry at all and was toying with the guards.
This…confused Emelia!
However, Greem had not established his reputation as the legendary fire adept for nothing. He would never make such an obvious mistake without a plan. Emelia was only asking gently, without any hint of questioning in her tone.
Greem smiled as a sly expression appeared on his fiery face.
“I’m intentionally going slow.”
“Then, you…?”
“Indeed, I am waiting for Fahssn to return. Emelia, if we are fortunate enough, we might be able to avenge your losses as well!”
Emelia took a deep breath, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her pretty face.
She might have tried her hardest to lead Greem to the Marsh Wetlands and into the sacred land, but she had never expected him to kill Fahssn. The reason was simple. She still retained enough respect for the Fourth Grades!
It was hard to truly understand a Fourth Grade creature’s power if you had not ventured to the outside world.
It was only when you had lived in a higher plane like the World of Adepts that you could truly appreciate the terror and might of the Fourth Grades, of these powerful beings who were demi-gods in their own right!
Take the current situation as an example. The sporepeople had been guarding the sacred land for hundreds of years, turning it into an impenetrable land of death covered in traps. Yet, the lack of a Fourth Grade meant that Greem’s invasion was less of a battle and more of a slaughter.
The massive gulf in power between Third Grades and Fourth Grades was not something that could be made up for with numbers!
Moreover, the one invading the sacred land was none other than Greem, an adept powerful enough to be feared even amongst Fourth Grade. It wasn’t hard to imagine why the sacred land was in such trouble.
The fact that Greem was so confident when he would be facing a Fourth Grade meant that he certainly had plans in mind. Emelia knew this clan leader well enough to know that he never exaggerated or made empty promises.
Thus, the nervous Emelia remained silent and started wondering what secret ace her clan leader could be hiding. As smart as she was, she quickly discovered certain things.
The teleportation array from earlier had a tough time completing its teleportation. With how powerful the clan leader was, the teleportation should not have been so difficult, especially over a mere distance of five hundred kilometers.
If the clan leader had teleported over from the Ango’rosh ogre camp, it would not have caused the array to overload in that manner. Judging from this, the clan leader had very likely pulled an ally from the World of Adepts with him through the aid of the directional teleportation array.
Had Lady Mary come?
Emelia couldn’t help but stick her neck out and look at the cave’s shadows, hoping to find signs of the Fourth Grade vampire.
Greem had done an excellent job of keeping his powers secret. Emelia had no idea that Shadow Demon even existed. Naturally, she could not have known that an incredibly fearsome killer had hidden itself in Greem’s shadow!
…………
The Spore Hall.
This place was the most crucial and vital location in Podling Cave.
An exceptional tall podling stood at the center of this cave, taking up nearly half the space. Many sporepeople were gathered around the tree, seemingly working hard on something.
This unusual podling wasn’t rooted in the earth. Instead, they dug into a large pile of bones. Its stem was a dozen meters thick in diameter, and several dozen branches split off from its main body. The leaves at the edges of the branches appeared like strange mouths, with sharp teeth and viscous slime.
The sporepeople were instructing swamp creatures whose minds they controlled and ordered them to crouch down in front of the tree.
When this happened, the tree would extend its thick vines, wrapping up the swamp creatures and tossing them into the air. The mouth-like leaves would open up and tear wildly at the prey’s flesh.
After a feast, the dozens of terrifying mouths would burp and fall limply against the tree as they napped.
However, a powerful enemy had broken into Podling Cave, and the podling was unsettled.
Chapter 1213 - Clash of the Strong
Most swamp creatures had probably never expected that the true ruler of the sporepeople of Marsh Wetlands wasn’t Fahssn, but this podling of unusual power.
The sporepeople, at their core, were only servants split off from the podling for the sake of taking care of it.
Upon sensing the potent threat approaching its home, the podling shook its green branches, and its dozens of green mouths snapped loudly. It was calling for its servants with its unique mental flux.
As for the fact that those servants were currently trapped in a bitter battle far away from here? That was not within the podling’s considerations!
> As the podling’s odd, screeching cries rang out, a portal suddenly opened in the cave. Fahssn scrambled out of the opening in a hurry, enduring a barrage of attacks from the enemies as he retreated.
Fahssn turned around and fired a green beam at the portal after he exited. He was trying his best to sustain the gate to allow his two allies to return as well.
Unfortunately, Krach only managed to set a single foot through it before he was dragged back by a green tentacle that had appeared out of nowhere. The portal shimmered and disintegrated into countless sparks in front of Fahssn’s pained gaze.
“O’ great master, why have you summoned me back in such a hurry?” Since there was no turning back now, Fahssn stopped worrying about the two puppets that were lost among enemies. He knelt before the podling and asked.
“Enemy…invader. Exterminate invaders quickly!”
Podlings were unusually frightening magical plants.
Their mental activity wasn’t as effective as a human’s, but that didn’t mean that they were unintelligent. On the contrary, this fearsome podling possessed incredible might and viciousness. It had reached advanced Fourth Grade.
The advanced Fourth Grade podling and the beginner Fourth Grade Fahssn; it was the greatest force that the sporepeople could produce!
Swamp Sage Moat knew certain details about this, but he had never revealed anything to Greem. Instead, he simply pushed Greem down along the river and made Greem compliantly travel to the Podling Cave.
Meanwhile, Emelia did not know much either. She had been the spore princess for a very brief duration. She had never been powerful enough to be favored by the podling, which resulted in her not knowing anything about its real power.
Utterly oblivious to what awaited him, Greem charged into the Spore Hall with Emelia, Remi, and Shadow Demon in tow.
…………
The one-meter-thick hidden door quickly turned into magma beneath the blazing fire. Greem strode into the Spore Hall with Emelia in his arms.
Judging by the Chip’s scans, this was the most crucial location of the sporepeople’s sacred land. Before he entered, Greem had wondered about what could have existed in this room. Mountains of resources, materials, treasures, and magical crystals?
It was only when he finally set foot in here that he realized what awaited him. He was shocked and surprised by the fearsome magical plant before him.
Emelia might not be able to appraise the grade and power of this plant, but Greem could. The Chip’s robust scanning and analysis abilities meant that no high-gade creature could escape Greem’s notice without tremendously powerful means of concealing their energy aura.
Advanced Fourth Grade!
Greem’s face paled upon sensing the fearsome energy reaction of the podling. In the Chip’s scans, it appeared as a blinding bright-red like that of a sun.
When it picked up on a foreign presence, the podling’s hundred-meter-tall body abruptly twisted and bent down. All the green mouths pointed straight at Greem. Fahssn stood at the feet of the podling, upon the head of a Fungal Giant. His limbs were merged with the Giant’s head, controlling the colossal creature to advance towards Greem.
There had to be a change in the plans. The enemy’s power was far beyond his expectations.
Greem casually opened a portal of fire in front of him and stuffed Emelia into the rift.
There was no room for a lower-grade individual on a Fourth Grade battlefield.
That was why Greem had put Emelia into a temporary dimension and left Remi outside the hall when the fighting started. He then cautiously evaluated the two enemies he was about to face.
Terrifying…truly terrifying.
Both enemies radiated green energy, indicating the fact that they used plant magic. Greem had the advantage here. After all, fire was the enemy of all plants: their bane and their doom!
However, the intensity of their energy emission was so blinding that Greem couldn’t help but be concerned.
“Damned intruder. I will devour you!” The podling, in particular, appeared to be very vicious and savage. It seemed to go berserk upon seeing the enemy.
The podling’s thick stem swept across, and three large green mouths opened as wide as they could, snapping ferociously at Greem.
[Evade…evade…evade…detecting imminent danger. Suggesting host take evasive measures immediately!] The Chip’s warnings blared in his mind, but the enemy’s attack was too fast. There was no time to dodge now.
Greem tapped his staff, and three layers of Lava Shields appeared in the path of the podling’s strike. Unfortunately, all the Lava Shields were smashed to pieces by the green vine, and three green mouths appeared next to Greem.
In the blink of an eye, a dome-shaped fire forcefield appeared in front of Greem, preventing the three mouths from biting him.
Dong!
Greem was instantly blown away into the air like a top sent flying by a naughty child. He crashed into a wall and became embedded in the rock.
The three mouths seemed to have been dazed for a moment before regaining their senses. The effects of an unusual power silently extinguished the magical flames that had spread to the podling’s branch.
Fahssn charged forward with the Fungal Giant with this opportunity, intent on beating Greem while he was down.
What incredible power!
Greem recovered after shaking his head a little. The Chip projected a fearsome number in his mind.
Forty-six points of Strength.
That was the Strength demonstrated by the podling in its first strike!
Greem spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood landed on the crushed rocks by his feet, and a purple fire started burning on the ground. He pulled himself out of the stone wall with considerable difficulty. His muscular chest had caved inwards, and cracks covered his blazing body.
Some of the cracks were so large that lava was flowing out.
The enemy was scary. Even with a plant’s slender body, the podling had as much as 46 points of Strength. That was more than enough to crush Greem, with his mere 27 points.
Greem had only been so severely injured earlier because he had been caught unaware, which allowed the enemy to shatter his defenses.
Greem looked at Fahssn as the Giant charged at him. He waved his staff, and three torrents of fire blasted forward, stopping the Fungal Giant from advancing any further. Meanwhile, white light appeared around Greem as he used the pure, holy light to heal himself.
His caved chest started to swell up as his damaged body recovered with the surge of fire energy from the Heart of Principles.
However, this healing only persisted for a while before Greem had no choice but to leap away with Fire Teleportation.
His tall outline had just vanished when another thick branch from the podling smashed the ground where he had just been.
Those thin, slender branches were actually as sturdy as rods forged of steel. A single strike from these iron whips was enough to pulverize the ground and shake the earth. Web-like cracks spread out from the point of impact.
Greem had just appeared in another corner of the hall three hundred meters away when the podling immediately detected his presence. Its terrifying body that took up nearly half the space in the hall twisted slightly, and the branches whipped at the adept at howling speed.
The green mouths on the ends of the branches also lashed out viciously as the branches struck.
Greem had a feeling that he would end up much worse off being bit by the branches than being struck by the branches.
Dammit! Where did such a terrifying monster appear from?
No! I must force out its true power, slowly, bit by bit.
Greem grit his teeth and grunted, once again teleporting away.
He had prepared to dodge this time. The moment his body rematerialized, he hurled a fearsome Scarlet Firestorm at the podling’s stationary roots.
The dozens of green mouths on the podling hissed simultaneously and spewed out green smoke to resist the
flames. The green smoke clashed with and neutralized the explosive tide of fire in midair.
A Firestorm of eight hundred and ninety points of power was neutralized, just like that!
Greem frowned slightly.
What tremendous poison.
Such incredible Strength and such ferocious poison attacks. This enemy was not going to be an easy opponent!
However, Greem was no ordinary fire adept either. The power he possessed was beyond the imagination of the average person.
Greem teleported away once again, dodging the combined attacks of Fahssn and the podling. He planted his staff in the ground upon appearing, waving his hands around. In a single breath, he had summoned several fireballs and shot them at the podling’s stem.
The podling screeched and whipped the fireballs to shards with its branches.
However, just as the podling twisted its body in a gloating fashion and prepared to lunge at Greem again, a terrifying tide of fire erupted on the pile of skeletons where its roots grew.
Chapter 1214 - The Battle
Where did this attack come from?
For a moment, the podling was utterly confused by the Scarlet Firestorm.
It had defended against all attacks from the fire adepts. So, where did this Firestorm come from?
The podling shook its body violently, spewing dense poison mist from its stem and screeching for its servants to attack the enemy. Meanwhile, most of its focus was spent on finding the concealed enemy.
In the face of the horde of sporepeople, swamp creatures, and the Fourth Grade Fungal Giant controlled by Fahssn, Greem once again leaped away with Fire Teleportation.
The moment he reappeared, Greem quickly cast his spells and directed a chain of fireballs at the podling.
The podling waved its branches and vines, ferociously lashing out at the fireballs. Just like the last times, even after it shattered all the fireballs, a terrifying fire spell abruptly erupted over its body and spread all over.
The podling might not be as cunning as a human, but it wasn’t stupid.
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