Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Alice’s face instantly turned bright red and Mary, who had been eavesdropping, instantly got excited.

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself! I’ve been holding it in for a hundred years now! You’re not getting away this time.”

  Greem laughed out loud when he heard this. With a girl in each hand, he teleported and disappeared back underground.

  A short moment later, the ground started quaking once again.

  Chapter 1437 - Eye for an Eye

  Silver Union, the Diviner’s Tower.

  Ever since the magic surge erupted, the elderly tower master had locked himself on the top floor of the tower, restlessly reading all the secret archives stored in there for the past tens of thousands of years.

  As he flipped through the scrolls, he continually muttered a series of mysterious words, things like ‘the Three Rulers,’ ‘revival,’ and many other words.

  On this day, the young archivist apprentice Sonke walked into the room carefully with a wooden tray carrying a few simple dishes. He said softly, “Teacher, it’s about time you eat!”

  “No, no, I’m not eating…take it away. Don’t disrupt my train of thought,” The tower master was utterly unlike his usual wise and composed self. He appeared easily angered and temperamental as he waved his hand to chase Sonke away. “Dammit…I keep feeling like I’ve missed something. Why is it that I’m starting to understand the things happening there less and less!? Alice…Alice must have done something. These damned Fate Witches, why do they always like to stir up Fate and turn it into a damned mess?”

  As he smacked the tower furiously, the Omniscient Eye above them suddenly let out a blinding flash of golden light. It rumbled as it turned, casting the golden beam at a certain place to the northwest.

  “The wheel of Fate is turning. Another Great Adept has appeared in the World of Adepts…hurry, Sonke! Help me up there. Who’s the lucky fellow? Let’s see. Is it the one from the Adept’s Association or the one from the Central Lands?” Urged by the old tower master’s ramblings, Sonke hastily put down the food tray and helped his teacher up the narrow spiral staircase leading to the Omniscient Eye.

  Upon arriving here, the old tower master seemed to gain a burst of strength. He pushed Sonke away and lunged onto the altar, projecting all his Spirit into the Omniscient Eye that was rapidly working away like a precise machine.

  The Omniscient Eye looked like a giant, hollow metal ball. It was two meters in diameter and floated above the altar, and a strange eye sat in the center of the metal ball. It had a white sclera, a pupil, and streaks of red nerves that ran throughout the eyeball itself. It darted around as it looked, appearing exceedingly intelligent.

  It wasn’t a magical eye. Rather, it was the eyeball of an actual ultra-grade being.

  It was with the aid of this eyeball that the Diviner’s Tower could observe anything they wanted, regardless of distance or magical obstruction. However, even the most powerful of eyes could not see through the mists gathered by the powers of Fate.

  The people that diviners hated the most were none other than other diviners!

  “The mists of Fate…annoying! As expected, there’s Alice aura on them. Still, judging from the environment, this should be the Central Lands. That means the one who advanced must be that legendary fire adept. Hahaha…even Douglas couldn’t do anything about this fire adept. Could he possibly replicate the legend of the Three Ancient Rulers?”

  One had to admit that anyone who had anything to do with Fate and divination was more than a little eccentric. This elderly tower master who had lived for nearly a thousand years was so off his rocker that his ramblings hardly made sense. As he continued to peek into the distance with the aid of the Omniscient Eye, he continued to babble along, spouting words and names that no one could understand.

  The Three Ancient Rulers.

  Sonke didn’t quite understand what his teacher was saying, but this ancient name drew his attention. This particular name had appeared the most frequently in the records of the ancient times when he was browsing the archives.

  The Three Ancient Rulers referred to the three powerful individuals who had established the three major organizations of the World of Adepts in ancient times.

  First, you had the founder of the Northern Witches. She was the one known as the Witch Queen, Monarch of the Witches, and the Ancient Witch– Salem. Then you had Ignaz, he who had mastered the earth principles and was first Chairman of the Adept’s Association. Lastly, Saint Patrick, the esoteric adept known as the Creator and founder of the Silver Union.

  They were the only three Ninth Grade Great Adepts of the adept faction at the moment. As such, they were also respectfully referred to as the Three Ancient Rulers!

  The fact that his teacher had just compared a Fifth Grade ‘rookie’ to the Three Ancient Rulers was completely beyond Sonke’s comprehension.

  After all, Ninth Grade represented the very pinnacle of power in the multiverse. These people reigned far above the principles of the universe. They were almighty beings that ordinary adepts could never hope to reach.

  As such, his teacher’s very act of comparing the Three Ancient Rulers to this man was already sacrilege. If news of this was heard by the three major organizations, trouble was certain to arise.

  However, this was the Diviner’s Tower- the domain of the old tower master. No one dared challenge his authority under the gaze of the Omniscient Eye.

  After all, being able to live as long as he had was a symbol of power as well!

  …………

  Adept’s Association, the Tower of Observation.

  The seven hundred and seventy-seventh floor.

  The typically quiet top floor of the tower was now crowded with people. Fourth Grade adepts who were typically absent and busy with their work were now all gathered around the new Chief Diviner Nostran, impatiently awaiting news.

  Seven hours ago, a surge in principle fluctuation from the depths of the planar system had alarmed everyone. They were not aware of the disturbance’s source, but they could faintly sense that a groundbreaking event was about to happen in the World of Adepts.

  Adepts below Fourth Grade were not too tightly connected with the planar system. Even if some of them also felt something unsettling, they couldn’t verify it in any way. However, these Fourth Grade adepts were all able to pick up on something through the law powers they had grasped.

  For the sake of clarifying their doubts, all of them had put aside their work and gathered on the top floor of the Tower of Observation, seeking counsel with this newly assigned Chief Diviner Nostran.

  Maztan, his predecessor, had used up the last of his life force on a divination seventy-eight years ago and died on the astrology platform. Meanwhile, Nostran was an elite who had been selected by Domhnall from the diviners in reserve and promoted to his current position.

  The brilliant light on the astrology platform persisted for two hours before Diviner Nostran finally stepped down, supported by a few female apprentices.

  “How was it? Did you manage to confirm it?” As the leader of the Association, Domhnall was the first to step forward and ask solemnly.

  Nostran didn’t dare offend this elderly adept who held absolute authority and control over him. He shook aside the female apprentices and stepped before Domhnall. He bowed and said, “I’ve confirmed it. It’s him!”

  Domhnall took in a deep breath of air.

  The crowd behind him fell utterly silent.

  A Fifth Grade Great Adept couldn’t quite threaten the Adept’s Association, which had a firm foundation. However, a Great Adept remained in the World of Adepts was very scary indeed.

  If Greem took the risk of enduring planar backlash in order to wreak destruction in the east, the entirety of the Adept’s Association would probably quake beneath his boots.

  Cerveris’ expression was particularly ugly among the crowd of Fourth Grade adepts.

  Gloria appeared much more composed than him, but the quickly flickering ligh
t in her purple eyes betrayed her real emotions.

  She and Cerveris were probably Greem’s most hated people within the Association. Even though they belonged to their own factions and served their own ends, the hostility had escalated to the level of a personal grudge after two fights.

  Now that Greem had become a Great Adept, he would most definitely be banished from the planar world eventually. However, what little time he had left would be more than enough to do whatever he wanted.

  If……

  While everyone was talking amongst themselves and trying to digest this information, the Tower of Observation trembled as alarms started blaring.

  “Warning…warning. Enemy assault: target creature has been locked on!” Tower Spirit Rafatus’ sharp voice echoed in the hall.

  “Who? Who is it? I need an image of what’s happening outside,” Domhnall roared and tapped his staff heavily.

  The wall of the hall suddenly turned into a mirror and revealed what was happening out there.

  The Tower of Observation was now fully armed for battle.

  Layers of forcefields and barriers covered every entrance, window, and balcony. An even larger dome-shaped barrier protected all the magical facilities surrounding the tower.

  The attack from outside had also triggered the Tower of Observation’s defense mechanism.

  The runic stones that continually circled the tower had been activated. The defensive and offensive arrays carved on them lit up and started to move toward the enemy along certain profound orbits.

  A hidden door somewhere in the tower opened, and a hundred apprentice adepts took to the skies on high-grade voodoo beasts. They were all wearing specially crafted runic armor and held runic crossbows in their hands. The magical glow of their equipment was bright enough to see in daylight.

  Meanwhile, something was happening on the ground as well. Bunkers hidden all around the tower opened up, and thousands of armored rhinos charged out, runic riders riding upon their backs equipped with special javelins.

  Meanwhile, the other Association adepts also hurried to the closest magical facility after hearing the alarms.

  In the blink of an eye, the area around the Tower of Observation had become empty.

  All the Association adepts who had gone into hiding commenced looking around the skies, hoping to see who it was that dared to knock on the doors of the holy land of all adepts.

  To their surprise, it wasn’t a raging army nor a giant beast. There was only a single young male adept in a red robe hovering in the air.

  No other enemies could be seen apart from him!

  While the numerous low-grade Association adepts felt relief, the Fourth Grade adepts crowded on the top floor couldn’t help but feel their hearts tighten at the sight.

  This was bad…it was actually him!

  Chapter 1438 - Intimidating the Association

  Two and a half kilometers away from the Tower of Observation, Greem stood proudly in the sky, assessing the tower in front of him with a cold gaze.

  The tower’s defense mechanism had left an indelible impression upon him the last time he visited. At this moment, having advanced to Fifth Grade and on the verge of leaving the World of Adepts, Greem no longer had any reservations. All he wanted to do was vent the frustration that had been building in his mind over the past hundreds of years.

  Domhnall remained frozen on the spot. His lips trembled, but he did not give any orders.

  Even though they had not received any orders from their superiors, the adept forces that had flown into the sky began taking actions according to their training and the tower’s defense policies. They immediately charged at the unusual enemy.

  Two and a half kilometers…two kilometers…one and a half kilometers……

  After another hundred meters, the enemy would be within the optimal shooting distance of their Godslaying crossbows. The members of the Godslayer force held their breaths and raised their crossbows, quickly estimating the remaining distance as they did so.

  However, their consciousness’s abruptly terminated at this moment.

  Greem let out a muffled grunt. He didn’t wave his hand or utter a single word. There wasn’t even the customary flash of light indicative of all elementium magic. All the members of the Godslayer force burst into flames, along with the flying beasts they were riding.

  Unstoppable golden flames surged out from their souls and rushed out of their bodies. They were like candles that had been thrown into a furnace. They melted into unrecognizable puddles in an instant before being vaporized and wiped from existence.

  This powerful force consisted of seventy-eight apprentice adepts, which had undergone special training to wield the Godslaying crossbows proficiently, could easily hunt down unprepared Third Grade adepts. Even a Fourth Grade adept would risk dying if these Godslaying crossbows surrounded them.

  Unfortunately, such a powerful adept force had been tragically exterminated by the enemy without even knowing how their foe had done so!

  The adept forces charging forward on the ground abruptly halted their mounts and stared at the lonely figure in the sky with fearful eyes. The horde of flying beasts sprinting around them continued to rush into the air like a tide, forming several giant arrows as they lunged at the enemy.

  Meanwhile, the closest runic stone levitating in the air had moved into its position.

  The complicated patterns on the runic stone lit up in sequence. Incomparably violent magic energy surged into the stone, converted into five-meter-thick lightning bolts that blasted at the enemy from above.

  Greem didn’t even lift his head. A piece of tome-shaped divine equipment appeared above him, forming a barrier that protected him.

  The violent lightning clashed with the tome in mid-air, emitting a blinding flash and a shower of plasma. The fierce and quick lightning bolt managed to cause a few ripples to appear on the barrier, but the plasma that resulted didn’t even manage to faze it.

  The tome quickly reverted to its normal form after the lightning bolt. Not a single sign of damage could be seen on it.

  The adepts in the tower all drew in a breath of cold air in unison.

  That violent attack from earlier was about 9,000 points of power. That was practically equal to the attack of a peak Fourth Grade adept. It didn’t even graze the enemy.

  The defensive power of the opponent’s magical equipment couldn’t be more obvious!

  Controlling Fifth Grade divine equipment while Greem was still a Fourth Grade had been like having a scrawny bull pull an oversized cart. It was difficult to bring out the full power of the divine equipment. However, with the increase of Greem’s power, this Fifth Grade divine equipment’s true might was finally unveiled.

  Since Greem was here to vent, naturally, he wouldn’t sit around after just being attacked.

  Upon seeing several ten-meter-tall and five-meter-thick runic stones float over and establish blinding energy chains with the tower as if preparing for a barrage, Greem simply chuckled. His lips parted slightly as he released a breath of invisible flames at the few closest runic stones.

  The breath of fire only appeared to be a weak breath of air initially. By the time it reached a few dozen meters away and had absorbed the wandering fire elementium around it, the breath turned into a roaring red flood of flames measuring over a hundred meters in length.

  The fire washed against the runic stone. The energy barriers that popped up in response exploded after only half a second.

  As everyone watched on, this runic stone that had the defensive power of a small adept tower was roasted bright red in a matter of seconds. The roasted stone rapidly melted and fell from the sky as a shower of boiling lava.

  With the first stone, there was quickly a second and a third.

  These high-grade runic stones that contained numerous offensive and defensive arrays were made out of incredibly tough and magic-resistant materials. Each of them was worth over a million magical crystals. However, they were now melting like candles be
fore the adepts’ eyes.

  Domhnall felt like his heart was bleeding when he saw this.

  He quickly took out a messaging wand and gave the order to stop all engagements.

  The voodoo beasts that were nearing within a thousand meters of Greem hastily stopped and returned to the surface according to the instructions from the adepts.

  The next second, Domhnall’s old and decrepit form appeared outside the tower, standing off against Greem with a one-meter-thick elementium barrier between them.

  “Greem…Lord Greem, I didn’t think you would advance to Fifth Grade so quickly. May I know for what purpose you have paid us this honorable visit?” Domhnall asked, even though he knew clearly why Greem had done so.

  As for the destroyed runic stones and the exterminated Godslayer force? He didn’t even attempt to mention them.

  “Hehehe. I advanced to Fifth Grade, so I thought of coming here for a stroll before I go and pay a visit to a few of my old friends while I’m at it. I wonder if Sir Domhnall could do me a favor and bring them a message?” There was no need for Greem to put on any facade at this point. He was very clearly here to settle some grudges.

  The muscles on Domhnall’s face twitched. He asked with a forced smile, “Ah, I see. May I know who Lord Greem intends to visit?”

  “Gloria and Cerveris!” Greem chuckled coldly. “The two of them were always finding trouble with me back in those years. Now that I finally have the opportunity, I wish to repay them for their hospitality!”

  “Haha, what an unfortunate coincidence then!” Domhnall also let out a cold chuckle as he said, “Both of them have gone exploring in the depths of space. They are not currently in the Association. If you wish to look for them, why don’t you go and take a venture in the realms beyond, Lord Greem?”