Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  “Lady Olivia, this might be your territory, but there’s no need to be so aggressively exorbitant, is there? That is a Fifth Grade divine creature I have there.”

  “It hasn’t even hatched!”

  “But you’ve confirmed its lifeforce with your spells. The odds of successfully hatching it are extremely high.”

  “Hatching a divine egg and accelerating its growth. You and I both know very well how many resources would have to be sunk into such an endeavor. If hatching a divine creature was so easy, do you think you would have been so willing to part with it, instead of keeping it for yourself?”

  “Hmph! Even so, Adept Olivia, there’s no need to push such a hard deal. I imagine that those Fifth Grade Great Adepts would be more than happy to take a divine egg like this into their own hands. After all, it represents the addition of a Fifth Grade subordinate. I believe the conditions they can offer for such an egg can’t be too shabby, can they?”

  “They can certainly offer a lot. Unfortunately, they do not have Lightfire stones in their possession!”

  “You…” Even Greem couldn’t help but feel anger boil in him in the face of such an unreasonable adept.

  To think she was trying to trade for a Fifth Grade item with a mere Fourth Grade item! And the spores of the mutated mushrooms had to be thrown in as well?

  The anger showed on Greem’s face. The fire elementium in the air started to become restless, and the temperature of the room rose exponentially.

  “Adept Olivia, these are your final terms? If so, then I refuse!” Greem wanted the Lightfire stone badly, but he wasn’t willing to pay such a heavy price for it.

  A light flickered in Olivia’s eyes as well. She coldly said, “Since there’s such a great disparity between our ideal terms, and neither of us is willing to accept them, why don’t we settle it with a bet?”

  A bet?

  Greem couldn’t help but be puzzled at this suggestion.

  Chapter 1237 - Battlefield Above the Lake

  There was a large lake in front of Blueberry Villa.

  You could see the bright villa in the distance under the night sky and across the lake’s peaceful surface. Merry music could also be faintly heard.

  With his excellent vision, Greem could even see the small flying platform he had landed on when he arrived.

  “What did you bring me here for?” Greem looked around him and couldn’t help but ask.

  “This is only a temporary home of mine where I rest. I didn’t install a large arena for any sort of training purposes, so we can’t really go all out.” Olivia, who was still dressed in a dinner dress, lifted her hand casually and pointed at the lake in front of them. “Since that’s the case, let’s make this lake our battlefield!”

  Greem listened calmly.

  “We will fight with the area above the lake as the battlefield. Anyone forced out of the perimeter or thrown into the water will be considered the loser. Moreover, since the people in the villa are all my friends and family, I do not wish for any harm to come to them during our exchange. As such, whoever is unable to control their powers and prevent them from spreading out of the lake will also be considered to have lost! How about that? Can you accept those terms?” Olivia stood proudly, the cold night winds making her long black hair flutter in the wind. Her thin dress pressed against her body and further exposed her curves.

  “And what happens after the victor is decided?” Greem did not show any expression, much less any concern or worry on his young and handsome face.

  “If you win, you are free to put forth any terms. If you want the Lightfire stone, I will hand it over with both hands at no cost. However, if you lose, we will have to conduct the trade according to my prior suggestion!” Olivia coldly replied.

  “Reasonable terms. I accept!” Greem nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

  “Let’s enter then!” Olivia let out a soft battlecry and walked onto the lake first.

  Indeed. Olivia ‘walked’ onto the lake instead of flying into the area.

  As she let out her battlecry, two strange halos–one black and one white–suddenly appeared around her. They started to vibrate as they moved up and down. The two halos looked like they were forged out of countless sparks from a distance. Spots of beautiful energy were cast down towards the ground as the halos collided with each other, making for a fantastical, surreal image.

  Empowered by the halos, Olivia’s body seemed to have lost all weight. She stepped onto the lake with her white feet and walked towards the center of the lake, step by step.

  [Beep. Detecting two unusual magnetic fields of opposing magnetic poles. Energy level incredibly high Magnetic poles are in a state of dynamic change.]

  “Dynamic change?” Greem frowned when he heard the Chip’s notification. He couldn’t help but frown and said, “Is it possible to determine the base traits of the two magnetic poles?”

  [Beep. The black halo’s magnetic trait is attraction, while the white halo’s trait is repulsion. A unique magnetic disturbance is created during the collision of these two powers. It is estimated that such a disruption can inflict vicious damage on biological lifeforms. Note: Said damage can ignore defense. Ordinary elementium defenses will not be able to protect against this magnetic disturbance.]

  “Damn.” Greem felt his head hurt when he heard this. For the first time, he felt fear and respect towards this Adept of Torture.

  There were no easy opponents amongst the Fourth Grades, especially if they were someone with a long-established reputation. No wonder Olivia had so confidently challenged him to a duel!

  However, he had already given his word. Backing off before a battle was not Greem’s way of doing things.

  Greem took out his fire coral staff and tapped it against the ground. Flames shot out of the staff and gathered into two wings of fire on his back. These massive Wings of Fire beat slightly as Greem shot into the air like an arrow let loose from a bow.

  A fire trail blazed behind him, continuing to burn in the air for a long time to come.

  Greem typically rode on his magical golems or used Fire Teleportation when he was traveling. He seldom used the Wings of Fire. There was only one reason for this. The Wings of Fire were too conspicuous and drew too much attention!

  The Wings of Fire, formed entirely out of static flames, continued to flap on his back, allowing Greem to hover in the air and fly around at rapid speeds. However, these two wings were so bright they could be seen from dozens of kilometers away in the night.

  Moreover, the flames burned on for a long time wherever he flew past, leaving behind a clear trail for any pursuers. Escaping with the Wings of Fire was no more than a joke.

  Faced with the Adept of Torture’s terrifying magnetic halos, Greem had no other option but to cast the Wings of Fire and enhance his mobility.

  The Wings of Fire immediately drew the people’s attention at Blueberry Villa the moment they lit up in the air.

  A massive magical barrier appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the villa. Countless black dots rose into the sky and observed from a distance. However, everyone was smart enough to know not to approach and disturb the two Fourth Grade adepts.

  “Are you ready?” Olivia lifted her head and looked at Greem, who was flying above in the sky.

  “Anytime now!”

  He had barely just finished when Olivia raised a hand at him and made a grabbing motion as she shouted, “Come down here!”

  The white halo around her somehow vanished and mysteriously appeared above Greem. The next second, an incredibly powerful and terrifying gravity affected Greem’s body, pushing him down from the air.

  Greem was horrified.

  A layer of powerful fire energy constantly protected his entire body; any foreign power would have to penetrate this invisible forcefield of flames before they could hit him. Yet, now, a simple attack from the enemy was able to penetrate his forcefield and instantly affect him.

  His hair, skin, flesh, bones, and everything inside
his body was being guided and dragged down towards the ground by an invisible force.

  If Greem’s Physique were less than 20 points, that one attack would have been enough to injure his internal organs. If it weren’t for the fire energy around him, the Wings of Fire would not have been able to endure this degree of gravity.

  Greem let out an enraged cry and beat his wings furiously. He then gathered five Blazing Fireballs and shot them at Olivia.

  The best defense was offense!

  The opponent’s gravity control was too strange. He couldn’t let her do as she liked.

  Olivia did not even raise an eyebrow at the sight of the five fireballs.

  She lifted her right hand and pointed at empty air. Two miniature white halos appeared in front of the fireballs.

  Drawn by the gravity, the first two fireballs instantly changed trajectory and crashed together. Their explosion further detonated the other three fireballs behind them.

  Five fireballs containing violent fire energy exploded, causing a massive eruption above the lake. The terrifying flame shockwaves instantly engulfed the thousand-meter-wide surface of the lake.

  The water bubbled and boiled in an instant under the extreme heat.

  White smoke rose, and the entire battlefield was filled with mist. However, even the mist was vaporized by the shocking temperatures before they could spread out. The two Fourth Grade adepts were revealed once again.

  “You think your measly fire powers can compare to my gravity control! Have a taste of my Quadra-Gravity Halo!” Olivia let out a battlecry, utterly unharmed by the previous explosion. The energy in her body surged as three more white halos appeared above the white halo on top of Greem. They merged and formed into a single halo.

  Greem’s muscular body immediately started creaking, the sound of his bones trying their best to resist the pressure. Blood trickled down his orifices, indicating that he had been injured internally. Meanwhile, his body was pressed down from the sky and shot towards the lake like a cannonball.

  Upon seeing the famous legendary adept known throughout Zhentarim about to be injured beneath her Gravity Halo, Olivia let out a wild, boisterous laugh. Her hands continued to weave in front of her, tightening her control over the Gravity Halo and preventing her opponent from escaping.

  Dong! A muffled boom rang out.

  A massive ball of fire crashed into the lake and sunk to the bottom.

  However, Olivia showed no signs of joy at the sight of this. Instead, the smile faded from her face as the black and white halo around her flashed. She reappeared a hundred meters away.

  A massive meteor crashed from the skies and smashed into the water immediately after she teleported.

  A massive pillar of water blasted into the air, rising a hundred meters high before scattering down as boiling beads of water. The terrifying shockwave lowered the surface of the water before producing massive waves that measured several meters tall to roar and surged towards the shore.

  Olivia drew a circle in front of her with her right hand. A strange halo instantly formed and split the incoming waves in half. Not a single drop of vapor even touched Olivia.

  After dealing with the wave, Olivia stared through her halo at Greem, who had appeared in the sky once again. A hint of wariness finally appeared in her gaze.

  What she had just forced into the water earlier was only a humanoid ball of flame, rather than Greem’s actual body. Greem had somehow managed to hide somewhere else and had unleashed that terrifying Meteor Crash while she had let her guard down slightly.

  If it weren’t for her plentiful experience that allowed her to dodge the moment she realized something was off, she would have been hit by that crashing meteor and blown into the lake.

  What ability was that? To think he could allow a ball of fire to mimic his soul aura, while he hid himself for a sneak attack…dammit! This legendary fire adept did indeed had the power to support his reputation!

  Light flickered in Olivia’s eyes. Her gaze couldn’t help but land on the staff that Greem held in his hands. For some reason, she kept having a feeling that that staff was projecting an unusual spiritual pressure on her, making her feel somewhat restrained.

  There was something odd about that staff.

  Chapter 1238 - Clash of Powerhouses

  The previously merry and rowdy Blueberry Villa had fallen completely silent.

  As the magical barrier rose around the compound, the human servants ran into the buildings to hide, panicking and pale. The adept guests at the banquet took to the skies and observed the giant lake from within the barrier.

  A large ball of fire hovered in midair above the water’s surface, standing off against the black and white halos.

  The two individuals moved quickly across the surface of the lake, the fire and the halos colliding and clashing.

  Every clash sent tremors through the air that shook the very space itself. At least half of the surface of the lake was now burning with fire.

  However, even the most ferocious and violent of the flames could not suppress the black and white halos’ existence. The flames would disperse, and the fires extinguished where the two halos shone. It didn’t matter what form the flames took. They were shredded to scattered sparks by the halos and fell down to the lake below, making it seem as if the water itself was burning.

  As Olivia’s friends, families, and subordinates, all the adepts present were familiar with that pair of black and white halos. However, no one had seen that formless, shifting golden flame.

  The few Third Grade adepts that hovered in the air couldn’t help but cast their gaze at a strange adept hiding underneath a thick, black cloak. They then looked towards the young handsome adept standing beside that person.

  Toyn. He was Olivia’s most trusted subordinate among them all.

  Toyn could feel the burning gazes from his companions. He couldn’t help but bitterly smile as he said, “I only know that Lady Olivia’s guest tonight is that legendary fire adept, Greem, from the central lands. As for why they are fighting now? I have absolutely no idea. Judging from how things are going, it’s only a friendly duel rather than a deathmatch!”

  “Greem? I seem to have heard of this name before. It seems like he’s fairly well-known over in the Central Region!”

  “Mm, I have heard of him as well. Hah! I even heard that this Adept Greem advanced to Fourth Grade in just two hundred years after he started learning magic. I can’t believe those fools from the central lands actually dared to come up with such a laughable lie for the sake of making themselves look better!”

  “Truly! Truly! Those weaklings from the central lands! How could they possibly compare to Lady Olivia. Hmph!”

  Everyone present here was an elite adept of the Association. They had far too many means by which to investigate and obtain information from the other regions. Unfortunately, the ineffectual rulership of Zhentarim in the past had left too deep an impression on them. That is why they refused to believe these legends of Greem when they heard them.

  Billis lifted his head when he heard everyone’s cold, mocking words. He gazed coldly at everyone present from under the shadow of his hood.

  There were seven Third Grade Association adepts.

  Judging from the nearly imperceptible energy aura leaking from their bodies, only one or two of them made him wary. The rest of them were easy prey. If there were no rules to the fight, Billis had confidence in devouring all of them in single combat.

  That was why he felt a genuine hatred and disgust for the arrogance that they showed in their each and every action. If this weren’t the enemy territory, he would want nothing more than to start a slaughter and allow these arrogant Association adepts to witness the ferocity of Central adepts.

  The Association adepts did not seem to care about Billis’ cold attitude. They continued to talk amongst themselves and mock all they wanted.

  Suddenly, a middle-aged adept reached out with his hand and cast a spell. “Three thousand points…the inten
sity of their shockwaves has reached three thousand points of power!”

  “What? That’s impossible. If the shockwaves are at three thousand points, this place would have been razed already.”

  “Perhaps they are able to restrain their powers…can you guys see? The shockwaves of their attacks aren’t even radiating out of the lake.”

  The Third Grade adepts obviously couldn’t believe that a Central adept could hold his own against their master. Each of them hastily cast their own spells to examine the energy levels in the distance.

  “Three thousand one hundred and sixteen points of power at the edges of the shockwave.”

  “Four thousand five hundred points at the core of the explosions.”

  “I estimate the energy level at the moment of collision to be over five thousand seven hundred points.”

  The adepts couldn’t help but break out in cold sweat as the numbers appeared before them. For the first time, they felt like this magical barrier around them was too thin and fragile.

  Even though it seemed like both individuals in the fight were restraining their power and preventing the shockwaves from emanating beyond the lake, who knew what could happen? Who could maintain such precise control during such an intense and ferocious battle!

  If either of them got too excited and failed to rein in their powers, it would be no more than a wave of their hands to destroy Blueberry Villa.

  All the Third Grade adepts immediately started applying magical defenses to themselves without any hesitation.

  Even Adept Toyn, who was in charge of Blueberry Villa, slowly turned the snake-eye ring on his little finger. He quickly gave instructions to the Second Grade adepts watching from below them to evacuate everyone.

  Seeing how nervous the Third Grade adepts were, the other low-grade adepts immediately realized the danger of the situation. They retreated into the building and activated all the defensive arrays before finally being able to relax.