Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  These magical creatures typically hid in their lairs deep in the Black Forest. They had their own living areas and hunting areas. They rarely traveled and wandered into other creatures’ territories. Today, bound by a mysterious force, they had suppressed their instinct and desire to hunt. They gathered silently in this forest, awaiting instructions from the rulers of the forest.

  While the numerous magical creatures gathered in the forest center, three rulers of different species with equally savage auras had gathered to discuss the upcoming invasion.

  A large group of harpy witches had grouped up in the southeast corner of this small camp.

  The harpy witches had a sizeable magical creature kingdom in the Black Forest. Members of their realm had gray feathers and were exceedingly ugly. They looked more like birds than humans. Only individuals who had significantly evolved would shed their feathers. They would only retain blue feathers on their joints, pits, and the tips of their limbs.

  The harpy witches gathered here today were clearly elites, even within their kingdom. Their exposed skin was white and smooth. Their figures were slim and curvy, with exceptionally delicate and perfect facial features. The only remnants of their racial origins were their crimson eyes, their sharp, curved claws, and the blue wings extending out of their backs.

  As spellcasters who had awakened to elementium powers, most harpy witches were clad in obvious wind and lightning elementium. When such a large group of spellcasters gathered together, the tide of magic aura they created was enough to trigger resonance with their surrounding’s wandering magic energy.

  A pretty woman draped in a red feather cloak stood at their center, elegant and noble.

  She was exceedingly tall, slender, and beautiful. She would cause a commotion in the mortal worlds with her appearance. However, the unique savagery of the magical creatures could be seen in her purple eyes, marked with dark eye-shadow.

  More importantly, this beautiful woman who combined the gentle beauty of human women and the savagery of magical creatures within herself was actually wearing an intricate crystal crown.

  She was an intermediate Fourth Grade harpy queen!

  Supposedly, Harpy Queen Filoxi’s power as an intermediate Fourth Grade should not have qualified her as a ruler of the Black Forest. However, considering the shocking number of spellcasters in the harpy witch kingdom and their surprising number of strong fighters, she was granted a seat amongst the three forest rulers.

  Meanwhile, a jellyfish-like creature hovered alone in the eastern corner of the encampment. It looked to be about the size of a rhinoceros. It floated ten meters above the ground with thousands of strange strands dragging beneath its body.

  This jellyfish-like creature was semi-translucent, and its body was filled with a light blue liquid. It let out dizzying waves of light in the dim and dark environment of the forest.

  This magical creature faced off alone against the other two rulers but was not at a disadvantage. Even the harpy queen, Filoxi, would betray caution and vigilance when her eyes landed on its strange body.

  The third forest ruler was a giant bear with white hair all over its body.

  It was five meters tall, and it sat upon a log, much as a human would. Its legs were crossed, and it had a giant pipe in its mouth, smiling as it blew out smoke.

  Crude and simple metal armor hung over its body, covering its chest, back, and ribs; the rest of its body was still exposed. A metal helmet sat tilted on its head. Judging by how firm and thick it looked, the helmet had been forged with the unique starfell metal found deep in the Black Forest.

  The three of them could be said to be powerful, uncontested ruler-class magical creatures in the Black Forest’s western regions. They were tyrants that no one dared oppose within the territories they respectively governed.

  Now, encouraged by the magic surge, they had gathered together to discuss an official assault against the human settlements.

  The Silent Forest was already on the edge of the western regions of the Black Forest. Another fifty kilometers east of here, they would enter the human territories of the Central Lands. It was said that the human adepts had constructed a dozen war towers and an entire adept tower at the edge of the forest in preparation for their attack.

  The three rulers showed no signs of fear despite this knowledge. Instead, they were discussing the division of spoils after destroying the adepts’ defensive line.

  “Adepts…we only want adepts!” Harpy Queen Filoxi tapped the crystal staff in her hand heavily as she glared with her purple eyes. “Hold back a little when you are fighting. Don’t kill all the human adepts. What we want are live adepts. The more powerful, the better. If you catch any adepts alive, we are willing to trade for them with dark crystals and Garo fruits!”

  “Garo fruits are a delicacy. I still can’t forget that sweet taste in my mouth.” The white bear betrayed a humanoid look of gluttony. It blew out a thick cloud of smoke and chuckled, “Don’t worry! I will try and hold back when I run into those human adepts. However, I want all their magical crystals. If anyone were to try and fight them for me…hehehe! Don’t blame me if my fists don’t recognize you as an ally any longer.”

  “That is fine! Filoxi wants the human adepts, you want the magical crystals, and I want the human souls, kehkehkeh! There’s no need for any conflict now. It’s a perfect result for everyone!” The jellyfish did not have a mouth. It communicated entirely with mental messages.

  “Since it’s decided, let us begin our attack as soon as possible!” The white bear put away its pipe and stood on two legs as it roared. “Let the little ones sit here for too long, and they might get antsy and restless. The stampede formation might get disrupted.”

  “Very well. Then……” The jellyfish did not finish speaking. All of a sudden, it froze, and its body turned slightly. Its thousands of fleshy strands also reached up and pointed toward the northeast.

  Mysterious rumbling and thundering were coming from that direction.

  These were unusual fluctuations coming from the level of the world principles. Ordinary creatures could not even detect these fluctuations. Only powerful individuals like themselves, who had reached the level of laws and principles, were qualified to embed their Spirit within the principles and decipher the message within.

  The moment the three of them extended their Spirits into the principles, a violent, searing will rushed into their minds. It was a single word– ‘Leave.’

  Harpy Queen Filoxi was caught unaware. She cried out in pain and spat out blood. Small flames appeared on her red feather robe and threatened to blaze up into a massive sea of fire.

  The harpy witches gathered around her also yelped. Some of them jumped forward to protect their queen, while others flew into the air to look for the unseen attacker. The rest gathered their wind powers and attempted to help Filoxi suppress the flames.

  “Do not touch those fires…get away from me!” Her subordinates didn’t know better, but Filoxi could instinctually sense the terror behind those golden flames.

  She cast aside that treasured robe and instantly fled a hundred meters away. When her subordinates’ wind elementium clashed with the burning robe, a massive ball of flames erupted.

  The flames caught three harpy witches that did not manage to evade in time. Their bodies and hair instantly ignited. No matter how they beat the flames or blasted them with magical power, it didn’t help. The magical power they concentrated at the fire only turned into fuel, causing the flames to turn even more ferocious.

  The golden fire consumed three Second-Grade harpy witches in just a dozen seconds, reducing them to piles of black ashes.

  The other harpy witches finally realized the terror of this golden fire. They no longer dared to add more fuel to the flames and hastily fled further away.

  Filoxi had been injured, and the white bear wasn’t doing too well either.

  It was tough, resilient, and managed to easily endure the searing will that had invaded its body through the pri
nciples. It stood on two legs and patted its chest heavily. A red stream of fire shot out of its nostrils, reducing the grass before it to ash.

  However, the Undying Flames were not so easily expelled!

  The white bear lifted its muscular right arm and looked confusedly at the flames burning on its palms. It tried multiple times, through several means, but it simply could not extinguish this seemingly weak fire.

  He couldn’t use magical energy!

  If he used magical energy, it would add fuel to the fire. It would only make it grow stronger. But if he couldn’t use magical energy, what was he supposed to do? Quench it with his hand?

  The white bear extended two claws from its left hand and precisely pinched the flame between them. A short moment later, he let go. The fire was still burning quietly there.

  It was almost as if the fire had planted roots in the bear’s soul. As long as the fire in its soul wasn’t extinguished, this small flame would never go out!

  Chapter 1389 - Present from the Plane

  “Bastard! What happened?”

  Even the white bear could no longer stay calm. He roared furiously, “How did the principle powers attack us?”

  The jellyfish was the only one who had escaped unscathed, having erected a translucent barrier just in time to prevent the searing will from reaching it.

  Without the searing will to guide it, the Undying Flames regressed into ordinary magical flames. They were extinguished with a few simple frost rays.

  The jellyfish ignored its two flustered companions. Instead, it stared into the distance, silently sensing the mild but unmistakable fluctuations in the principles.

  After a long pause, it let out a dejected sigh, “I’m pulling out from the invasion plan this time.”

  “What did you say, you old monster?”

  “Are you serious? You were the one that initiated this operation. The two of us came here at your invitation.”

  The other two rulers immediately started making a fuss. The attack earlier had frightened them, but giving up on a potentially highly profitable operation because of that one incident was being far too cautious.

  The jellyfish was clearly the oldest magical creature in the Black Forest’s western regions, and the most ancient. It turned around abruptly and warned the two young rulers solemnly.

  “Never forget, the two of you, this world remains that of the adepts! We can ambush and assault the human settlements during the magic surge when the adepts are occupied with other more urgent matters; we can obtain what necessary resources we need. As long as we don’t go overboard, the high-grade adepts will have no choice but to turn a blind eye to our actions.

  “However, should a ruler emerge amongst them, that ruler will be incredibly aggressive and radical to maintain their dignity and glory. To provoke such a ruler at this time will spell disaster for our western region.”

  The two newly risen rulers of the western region couldn’t help but frown and hesitate when they heard the jellyfish’s advice.

  It was such a rare opportunity!

  Due to the Black Forest’s expanse and the separation caused by the few major human settlements, the Black Forest could roughly be divided into four regions: the north, south, east, and west.

  Each region contained its own powerful magical creatures. These powerful creatures would often become the rulers of their respective regions, reigning over hundreds of thousands of kilometers of land.

  The western region of the Black Forest was caught between the Central Lands and the Silver Union. They had had to face repeated exterminations from the adepts because of this. Consequently, there were very few Fourth Grade magical creatures, and even fewer capable of becoming rulers.

  Under such circumstances, raiding adept territory for resources was the perfect chance for the magical creatures to grow stronger secretly.

  If they gave up on this opportunity, an explosive development would remain no more than a fantasy among the magical creatures.

  After all, magical creatures lacked the adepts’ organized power system, alchemy system, and legacy system. Every single resource they required for evolution in their lives had to be slowly discovered somewhere in the Black Forest. That was far too difficult for the inhabitants of the Black Forest, who had neither an industrial nor commerce system.

  “How powerful is this adept powerhouse that appeared out of nowhere?” Harpy Queen Filoxi asked solemnly.

  It was a very crucial question!

  If the opponent was just a peak Fourth Grade powerhouse, they still had a chance of fighting back with their powers combined. If they could lure the adept to the few death zones that could be found in the Black Forest, it might even be possible to kill the adept.

  The jellyfish replied coldly, “Judging from the principle aura I could sense, that fellow’s probably even more powerful than an ultra-powerhouse. In a certain sense, we should treat him as a Fifth Grade adept!”

  “How is that possible? Isn’t the upper limit of power in this world peak Fourth Grade? Why is there an exception like this?” Filoxi couldn’t help but let out a piercing cry.

  Horror and frustration appeared on the white bear’s face.

  “This is bad. Bad…without those magical crystals, only a few of those cubs back at home will be able to grow up properly.”

  “Hmph! That adept has already announced the Central Lands as his property. Feel free to provoke an ultra-grade adept if that’s what you want. At any rate, I won’t be joining you,” The jellyfish snorted. “The reason I have managed to live so long is that I’ve always been able to tolerate when it was necessary. You guys are thinking of fighting an ultra-grade adept in their own world. Hmph! Sick of living?”

  Having said that, the jellyfish turned and drifted into the depths of the forest.

  Its semi-translucent body glowed with a strange blue light as it started flickering through the trees, rapidly vanishing into the darkness.

  The white bear watched in dumbfounded silence, then burst out in a series of curses. However, in the end, he did not give the order for the stampede to advance.

  Just as the white bear was about to leave in frustration, Harpy Queen Filoxi beat the blue wings on her back and flew over.

  “Bernie, you aren’t thinking of giving up as well, are you?”

  “What is it? Do you still intend to attack?” Bernie the white bear rebutted angrily.

  “The Central Lands are a definite no, but we might have chances in the other regions, no?” Flioxi flexed her sharp tongue as she said, “Don’t forget. The western regions border the Silver Union as well. While those over at the southern regions are attacking the Silver Union, we can hurry over with only our most elite subordinates. Maybe, just maybe, we might be able to get our share of the spoils.”

  Bernie couldn’t help but hesitate after hearing Filoxi’s suggestion.

  “Those bastards from the southern regions have dibs over that area. Will they try and get revenge on us if we run over and join them?”

  “Hmph! You want the spoils from war, yet you are fearful of everything. How can you hope to strengthen your family like this?” Filoxi clicked her tongue and mocked. “If you miss this magic surge, you won’t have enough magical crystals to hasten your tribe’s growth. How long will it take for them to mature and grow powerful with just time alone to help? It’s all up to you if you want to take a risk.”

  White Bear Bernie was a brave but straightforward bear. It instantly made up its mind.

  “Alright, count me in. I need to go back and make some simple arrangements in the west. I will regroup with you later. As for the little fellows we’ve gathered here? Just let them move freely! As long as we don’t show ourselves, the adepts have no reason to come find trouble with us.”

  After a simple discussion, the two rulers left the camp in their own way.

  Before they left, they gave the order for the massive stampede that had gathered from the surrounding thousands of kilometers to charge out of the forest, rushin
g toward the closest human settlement.

  However, the figures of the intermediate and high-grade magical creatures had vanished from the rumbling stampede. That undoubtedly made the stampede much more chaotic and disorderly.

  Correspondingly, they became far less of a threat!

  …………

  The Ahlden Mega-Rift.

  Greem finally managed to let out all the anger and resentment seething in his heart through this plane announcement.

  He stood silently at the edge of the mega-rift. He used his Burning Domain to wash away the abyssal aura that lingered on the earth.

  It was a principle power from another larger planar world. Every trace of the abyssal aura contained the savage, violent, chaotic, evil will, and power of the Abyssal World.

  What he needed to do now was to neutralize the abyssal aura with his fire energy. He could then wait silently for the World of Adepts’ planar laws to regain control over the land.

  Even if he didn’t do so, the World of Adepts’ world consciousness would eventually regain control over the land in the absence of the demons. However, with his aid in defeating the demons and banishing the Abyssal will, the world consciousness had a much easier job regaining control over the land.

  Consequently, with every inch of land that the World of Adepts regained, Greem could feel pure life energy surging into his soul.

  It was clearly the planar consciousness rewarding him for righting all wrongs!

  This reward might be minuscule, but as he continued to purify the land, the stream of life energy slowly gathered in his soul, improving his Spirit slightly.

  More importantly, it purified Greem’s soul, making him feel a warmth, as if he was within his mother’s womb. It was incredibly relaxing and comfortable.