Should any one of them be determined to be a ‘weakling,’ then what awaited them would certainly be oppression and the erosion of their benefits.
Anyone who could be a ‘friend’ of a lich was no good person. It was only natural that you would be bullied and oppressed if you were weaker than them. Such things happened anywhere you go!
That was why Greem was keeping up a firm attitude even while he tried to stay out of the spotlight.
“Fireman? I’ve never heard of this name. What about you two? Have you ever heard of this fellow?” Sand King’s question was directed at the two giant individuals standing silently by the side.
In all honesty, these two individuals terrified Greem quite a bit as well.
The first one appeared to be a Medusa, judging from her appearance.
Medusas were a species with only females and no males. As for how procreation worked for them? Greem had no idea.
This was a pretty Medusa who was a perfect combination of strength and beauty.
She stood tall, the upper half of her body with the slender curves of a human woman. Her naked body was covered in violet scales, layer upon layer.
Her bosom was plentiful and majestic, almost like two soccer balls had been placed on her chest. Moreover, her chest trembled slightly with her every movement, making for a very enticing sight.
Six equally scaled arms each held several different weapons and equipment. The equipment glowed with magical power. It was obvious that each of them was a powerful piece of magical equipment.
A slender, ten-meter long tail formed the lower half of her body, supporting her as she slithered over the uneven terrain.
Meanwhile, her pointed cheeks perfectly matched the beauty standards of humans. She was incredibly pretty and seductive. However, her narrow, sharp eyes, purple lips, and slithering snake-hair were all indications of her terror and cruelty!
Greem did have a Medusa as his subordinate.
However, this was the first time he had met an intermediate Fourth Grade Medusa.
A Medusa was a vicious fighter at both close and ranged distances. They also had powerful petrification powers and were unusually difficult opponents!
Another unique individual stood not far away from her.
In all seriousness, this fourth individual was simply a large, obscure ball of blue light.
One could faintly see an unusual skeletal structure drawn out of sparks of white light in the midst of the blue light. It neither resembled the skeleton of a human nor a beast. It was a very strange sight to behold.
Starspirit…a starspirit from the Spirit World!
Greem couldn’t help but howl in his own mind.
Goddammit! To think he would run into this unique creature in the boundless depths of space even though he didn’t even meet one of them back in the Spirit World.
Starspirits were unique lifeforms. They had no flesh or body. They were simply a mass of void energy. Starspirits could convert any form of magical energy into void energy and use it to unleash devastating void magic.
As void energy was of a completely different energy system than most supernatural powers, ordinary creatures had almost no means of defending against void magic.
According to records of adepts who had come into contact with void energy, elementium spells were ineffective at defending against void magic. Rather, pure energy shields devoid of any elementium attributes were more effective.
Some adepts had conducted analysis and believed that void energy was a unique energy formed through a combination of mental energy with pure energy. The only way to kill a starspirit was to disperse the void energy shell around them and shatter the void energy core contained within.
However, it was easier to say such things than to actually do it. A powerful starspirit was far harder to deal with than a spellcaster of the same grade in all aspects. Even Greem didn’t want to make an enemy out of a starspirit unless it was absolutely necessary!
“Sand King, you don’t have to keep running your mouth!” The pretty Medusa slithered over. “Kanganas invited him. Do you not believe in Kanganas’ eye?”
Sand King waved both of his giant pincers and said in his booming voice, “Kanganas just loves fighting with people. He only ever invites people who he can’t defeat into the team. It seems like this Fireman fellow has some skills!”
“Alright, since everyone is here, why don’t you explain the mission, Kanganas! If anyone wants out, then speak up. It’s better if you quit now than stay on and drag everyone down,” The starspirit stepped forward, and the air trembled with his unusual mental message.
Greem’s eyes narrowed under the shadow of his hood. Blue light gleamed in the depths of his eyes.
[Beep. Detecting unusual magical energy. Unable to include in any of the current magical systems. Request instructions from Host. What should this magical energy be named?]
“Void energy!”
[Beep. New energy spectrum has been established, known as void energy. Said energy is a combination of powerful mental energy and pure space energy. It possesses the powerful abilities Empower and Mind Infusion.]
“Empower…what kind of ability is this?”
[Beep. Void energy is a special mental energy. It is a form of materialized and energized mental energy. There are four levels of void energy, each indicated by a different color: red, green, yellow, and blue. Red is the most powerful energy level, and blue is the weakest energy level. This also means that the change in color of the void energy would indicate a change in the energy’s power level!
[Meanwhile, Empower is a unique application of void energy! Starspirits can freely imbue void energy onto the surface of any substance. In doing so, unique magical effects can be imitated. For instance: explosion, disintegration, disruption, binding.]
While Greem was silently observing the starspirit and secretly analyzing his unusual void energy powers, the starspirit seemed to have noticed something.
Yellow light suddenly glowed from the depths of the blue ball of light, shooting towards Greem.
The yellow light that represented the starspirit’s power clashed furiously with the red light that shot out of Greem’s own eyes. A visible wave of energy rippled through space, causing both the starspirit and Greem to take a step back. Their expressions turned solemn and stern.
The light blue energy outside the starspirit’s body started to change colors. It slowly turned yellow.
This also meant that the void energy level in the starspirit’s body was rising, reaching the levels of combat readiness!
“Alright, that should be enough!” At this point, Lich Kanganas could only step forward personally. “What we need to deal with this time is an advanced Fourth Grade ice dragon. Both of you had best save some energy to use on that creature!”
As his sinister voice rang out, one of a series of teeth hanging at Kanganas’ waist suddenly exploded. A skeletal wall ten meters long, one meter thick, and two meters tall abruptly rose from the ground, separating Greem and the starspirit.
The two of them had no intention of fighting anyway. They were only using this minor conflict to display their power. The wave of energy that had erupted in midair wasn’t powerful, but it was a demonstration of their power.
Sand King and the Medusa looked at each other. They could feel an unnerving law aura in that wave of energy that had erupted.
“Alright, since everyone’s here, let me make some introductions!”
Kanganas hovered in the air, his crimson soulfire gazing coldly at everyone.
“Sand King comes from an unusual plane known as Dune Castle. He is the ruler of that plane– a fairly complete, self-contained small world. He specializes in sand elementium attacks and has decent stealth and offensive powers. Moreover, his defenses are probably the strongest of us all!”
No one could dispute that claim!
Disregarding everything else, you could imagine how powerful Sand King’s defenses were just by looking at his thick shell. Moreover, most insectoid beings
had stubborn lifeforces. This was something that they held superior over most other races.
“Hehehe, skeleton boy, there’s no need to praise me any further than that! For all the good words you are saying about me, aren’t you just planning to make me your meat shield? Let’s lay down the rules first. If there is equipment suited for me in that dragon’s den, no one is allowed to fight with me over it,” Sand King turned his ghostly green eyes and warned everyone else.
“No one will fight with you over equipment!” Kanganas jaw moved as he spoke, “Medusa Sshina is an agile fighter, while I, Fireman, and Starspirit Tulas are all spellcasters. If Gaia’s Barrier is indeed in that dragon’s possession, it will belong to you.”
Sand King finally shut up after getting an assurance from the lich.
“Medusa Sshina, from Shadowsong Plane. She is a ruler with decent authority over there, with over ten thousand Medusas under her command. She excels in close combat and petrification attacks.”
Sshina simply nodded proudly after listening to Kanganas’ introduction, with no intention of adding any further information.
“Starspirit Tulas, from the Spirit World. It’s a powerful plane that can even compare to the World of Adepts. He excels in using the mysterious void energy. As for his powers…,” Having said that, Kanganas paused. Clearly, he had no idea how to describe that unusual void energy.
“There’s no need to go into any further details on Sir Tulas’ powers. I’m sure everyone knows the power and mystery of a starspirit. There’s no need to say anything more!” Greem smiled and said.
He could tell that this wasn’t the first time the rest of them had gathered together. They already had some semblance of synergy between them. Greem was probably the only new guy here.
“So, Sir Fireman, are you going to introduce yourself, or should I do that for you?” Kanganas said coldly.
“I’ll do it myself!” Greem stepped forward. “I am Greem. You can call me Fireman as well. I am from the World of Adepts. I have a small territory of my own in the Central lands of the continent there. As for my proficiencies…naturally, it’s fire magic! I believe this is the main reason why Lord Kanganas has invited me here!”
After a simple introduction, Greem could instantly feel the other individuals lower their guard slightly around him.
Obviously, they had approved of his power and were now treating him as one of their companions!
Chapter 1260 - Opening Gambit
The Chillfrost World.
This place was an unusual world utterly different from any other plane.
The planar laws here appeared to be severely distorted, turning this small plane into a harsh world covered eternally in ice and frost.
The chilling winds howled, and blades of snow and ice slashed through the air.
Looking from afar, the entire world appeared as varying shades of gray and white. Even the skies were covered by a thick and dense layer of dark clouds. No stars or moons could be seen from here.
The ground was covered in sheets of ice dozens of meters thick. Mighty peaks of ice and snow towered above the earth.
This place was exceedingly cold and hostile to most creatures. However, at a single glance, you could still sense the presence of numerous lifeforms in the vast icy plains and the hazardous mountains and rivers.
These creatures were unusual ice creatures, or simply ice elementals of different forms. Any creature that could exist and survive in such a harsh environment would need to have tremendous resistance to the cold!
A skeletal portal radiating death appeared silently upon a vast snowy plain. Five unusual figures of different shapes and sizes emerged from within.
Greem could feel the ice energy pressing in from every direction the moment he stepped out of the portal.
It was a planar world that was extremely hostile towards him.
From the vague planar consciousness to the creatures that lived in this world, and even a single blade of grass, single flower, or even the chilling winds blowing past him; every single thing in this world seeped with hatred towards him.
When Greem set foot on the snowy plains, the snow and ice crunched beneath his feet. Countless silver chains glowing with law powers appeared out of thin air and bound him firmly.
These silver chains reached into empty space on one end, while the other end was tied firmly around Greem. The powers of the planar laws furiously suppressed Greem’s fire powers.
Greem’s energy aura dropped rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he went from intermediate Fourth Grade to beginner Second Grade. If it wasn’t for the wildly pumping Heart of Principles sending surges of pure fire energy all over his body and resisting the suppression of the laws, Greem might even have fallen below Second Grade.
Without energy protection, the ice energy all around started to surge towards Greem.
It almost seemed like it was intent on freezing him to death on the spot.
The cloak that Greem wore instantly hardened. A layer of blue frost started to creep up the fabric at a visible rate.
Greem could only feel the sharp stinging chill of the wind. His entire body, flesh, and even bones were rapidly freezing and hardening in the cold. If it weren’t for his exceptional Physique, he would have already succumbed to the cold and been turned into an ice statue!
“Hmph! What a vicious opening gambit!” Greem grunted and tapped his staff against the ground. A strange surge of warmth ran through his body, expelling all of the cold.
As he waved his staff, the temperature within five meters of Greem started to rise rapidly. Soon, his surroundings were just as warm as he liked it.
However, this ‘insignificant’ action of his clearly incited an even more ferocious retaliation from the planar laws. Even more law chains reached out from the air and reached towards Greem.
They were so aggressive that it seemed like they almost wanted to exile Greem from the plane entirely!
Greem’s companions were not spared from this treatment. They were also suffering badly from the planar suppression.
It couldn’t be helped. It was always the scenario facing anyone that invaded a foreign plane!
If they were only a few small fries, they would not have enjoyed the privilege of complete suppression from the planar laws. However, it was because all of them were so overwhelmingly powerful that they were suffering so. Their bodies and souls were all seeping with law powers from their own worlds.
Law powers of two different sources could not co-exist.
That was why they had triggered such vicious planar suppression when they entered the plane.
However, even after their elementium powers had been suppressed, they still had powerful physiques and terrifying innate abilities. Thus, even bound by layers upon layers of law chains, they could still move freely and with ease.
Of the five people in the party, Greem was probably the one with the weakest physical body.
That was why Kanganas, Sshina, Sand King, and Tulas turned to look at Greem once they were done familiarizing themselves with the environment. They wanted to see how he would break free of this annoying suppression.
Greem’s performance surprised them immensely!
Due to his ‘reckless’ use of his law powers, the planar consciousness had unleashed severe backlash onto him. However, Greem simply waved his staff, and a cloud of fire engulfed him. The terrifying backlash then vanished without a trace.
Almost…as if it had never existed to begin with!
“Let’s go! This place is over five hundred kilometers away from the ice dragon’s den still. Let’s hurry and move out!” Greem walked away casually as if nothing had just happened.
The other four members of the party couldn’t help but exchange looks.
“Bone, how did he managed to resist the planar backlash?” It was Tulas, the mysterious starspirit that posed the question.
“Indeed. His Physique is not as high as mine, and even I would have been injured from that earlier backlash. How did
he manage to dispel it?” A booming voice chimed in. It was Sand King.
“Don’t ask too many questions. All of us have our secrets. If you don’t want any trouble, I suggest you all shut your mouths!” Kanganas replied coldly.
However, before they set off, he squeezed out a single sentence from between his teeth.
“Be careful. That guy has an ultra-grade item on him.”
Having said that, the lich floated into the air by himself and flew after Greem before the rest of the party could ask more questions.
An ultra-grade item.
The three members of the party were shocked. When they looked at Greem again, their impression of him had changed entirely.
There were no weaklings among those who could control an ultra-grade item!
…………
Traveling through a plane that was actively hostile against you was tough business.
However, Greem was protected by the Orb of the Fire God. It wasn’t that hard for him now that most of the planar backlash had been neutralized.
He continued forward with some difficulty. The Chip had projected a countdown to the corner of his eye. The number was ticking and changing constantly.
[37 hours, 26 minutes, and 41 seconds until planar suppression is dispelled.]
The Chip had been working at full power to decipher the planar laws here the moment they set foot in Chillfrost. As the analysis progressed, Greem’s power slowly rose again.
What stood before him was a vast, boundless plain of snow and ice.
There was only white wherever he looked. White ice pillars of strange shapes, piles of white snow, and white snowflakes dancing in the air.
Bone-chilling winds soared past him, but they were roasted warm by the layer of fire around Greem the moment they approached. When the wind reached Grem, it was merely a warm breeze, pleasant and comforting.
However, when the warm breeze passed by Greem and met with the crushing cold once more, the air crackled. The moisture in the air froze into snow powder and ice shards, and all of it fell to the ground.
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