"Crack, crack—"
From the flowing black metal, a sharp point continuously protruded upwards.
Gradually, a short copper-red rod, pockmarked on its surface as if it had been soaked in a highly corrosive solution for a long time, broke free from the viscous liquid metal's grasp and slowly rose.
—It was Moriel's red lotus staff! After three days of "persistent" effort, Ithium had successfully devoured a portion of the metal material from this red lotus staff, elevating its quality to the peak of the third tier, and it even exuded a faint fiery energy element.
Although Ronan specialized in ice magic, considering that he was about to practice the "Golden Fire" spirit mantra, Ithium's transformation was quite suitable.
Ronan's gaze was fixed on the now "unrecognizable" red lotus staff, his brows slightly furrowed.
He sensed that the red lotus staff seemed to be under some strong call, wanting to break free and escape.
Ronan extended his right hand to grasp the staff, black runes flickering subtly between his fingers. The red lotus staff trembled violently under this force, and even with the might of the "Ancient Power" backing him, Ronan felt a vague inability to suppress the staff.
In a moment, Ronan slightly loosened his grip.
"Whoosh—"
With a sharp sound that nearly pierced his eardrums, the red lotus staff transformed into a streak of crimson light, instantly breaking free from Ronan's grasp and darting away in a specific direction.
"Boom!"
The ground beneath Ronan exploded, creating a massive pit, and he was propelled into the air like a cannonball, closely following the staff.
Ronan's intention was to catch up and at least ascertain Moriel's general location, so he could make appropriate evasions.
If possible, he still wanted to keep the staff. If he could completely devour the valuable metal on it, Ithium might grow to the Dawn tier.
Such opportunities were rare.
To Ronan's surprise, after chasing the escaping red lotus staff for only five or six minutes, he noticed its speed began to slow down rapidly.
Finally, it fell from the sky, heading straight toward a specific location.
"Is it this close to me?"
Ronan was somewhat taken aback.
His mental energy spread out, and the "Eye of Truth" wove in front of him, carefully probing. He did not sense any powerful wizard presence nearby that was difficult to resist.
After hesitating, he decided to approach slowly.
As he got closer, Ronan discovered that the red lotus staff had fallen in a small village.
The village was home to many people, all ordinary mortals with no energy fluctuations, dressed in gray and black linen robes, their faces filled with sorrow, resembling typical farmers.
At this moment, all these people were gathered in the center of the village, kneeling around a high platform made of rocks and wood, led by the only person in a long robe, as if they were worshipping something.
Ronan looked at the high platform and immediately saw a massive fiery red object, with the red lotus staff inserted straight into the front of it, connecting with the missing lower half, trembling slightly.
Ronan's arrival immediately drew the attention of all the villagers in the small village. They all looked up at him, their expressions filled with shock and panic.
The robed leader seemed quite agitated, pointing at him and shouting some strange words that Ronan couldn't understand.
When a faint energy fluctuation emanated from the other party, he realized it was the syllables of a spell; this guy was also a wizard, but his strength was probably only at the level of a second or third-tier apprentice.
Ronan casually cast a glance, and with a slight release of his powerful mental energy, the native wizard apprentice immediately fainted, collapsing to the ground with blood flowing from his nostrils.
This display of power terrified all the villagers, who screamed and fled, instantly plunging the scene into chaos.
Ronan couldn't be bothered with these ordinary people and slowly descended onto the sacrificial platform built by the villagers, his gaze sweeping over the red lotus staff as he looked toward the massive fiery red object.
This enormous fiery red object looked like a giant crystal, but when touched, it felt soft, as if it were some kind of egg that had not fully hardened.
Its surface was semi-transparent, and one could vaguely see a golden-red, lava-like substance flowing beneath.
When Ronan used his mental energy to probe inward, he was shocked to discover—
At the very center of this massive fiery red object, there was a girl.
The girl had fair skin, was completely naked, and her long red hair spread out like seaweed in the lava-like substance, her body curled up in a fetal position, quietly suspended.
Her eyes were tightly closed, and her expression was serene, as if she were a baby still in amniotic fluid.
"Moriel."
Ronan looked at the girl and softly uttered her name.
Although he had anticipated this, seeing Moriel's appearance still stirred his emotions.
Since "picking up" the red lotus staff, he had deliberately traveled in the opposite direction of where the staff was flying for three days, only to unexpectedly encounter Moriel in the end.
Whether it was due to some unknown reason or merely the whims of fate, it felt somewhat like "enemies are destined to meet."
Looking at Moriel now, she seemed to be in a very "fragile and helpless" state; she appeared gravely injured and was relying on some special method for "self-healing."
The fifth-tier wizard who had been following her was nowhere to be seen.
Ronan glanced at Moriel, who was in a deep slumber within the mysterious "amniotic fluid," thought for a moment, and reached for the nearby red lotus staff.
But just as his palm touched the staff, the long, thick eyelashes of the sleeping girl within the "amniotic fluid" fluttered slightly, as if she were about to awaken from her slumber.
"Does she still have some perception of the outside world?"
Ronan furrowed his brows, weighing his options, and ultimately decided to abandon the idea of taking the red lotus staff.
Although Moriel seemed "fragile" and safe now, who knew when the forces behind her or those hunting her would suddenly arrive?
No matter which group he encountered, the outcome would likely not be good.
The wisest decision was to completely distance himself from this troublesome center.
With that thought, Ronan prepared to leave.
But just as he turned to depart, unbeknownst to him, the beautiful girl floating silently within the massive fiery red object suddenly opened her eyes without warning.
In that instant.
A strange wave spread throughout the world, and Ronan seemed to hear an incredibly melodious bird song ringing in his ears.
At that moment, time seemed to slow down countless times.
Then, a soft, fiery hand reached over his shoulder, gently caressing his cheek from behind.
From an outsider's perspective, it appeared as if the massive fiery red object suddenly extended two delicate, pale arms, gently wrapping around Ronan's neck, pulling him into a lover's embrace, and in a tender, ambiguous manner, yanked him into the enormous fiery red crystal! The next second, a blinding burst of fire erupted, and a raging flame suddenly descended, engulfing the surrounding land in an instant.
In the small village, which was not large, the hundreds of bewildered and panicked villagers were all consumed by the flames under a sky of thick, dark red.
Serena stared blankly ahead.
"Pat, pat..."
A figure slowly approached her.
With each step, a large amount of viscous, blood-like milky light dripped from the person, leaving a long trail of "wet" footprints in the air behind them.
"I hated you when you first arrived, and I still do now."
"What qualifications does a child born of such a lowly person have to enter the royal court?"
"Useless and unaware, foolish and ignorant, only bringing trouble to others. And that face, so detestable."
The man spoke softly, stepping closer to Serena.
Serena stood frozen in place, tears streaming rapidly down her cheeks.
"Look, you've given me another reason to despise you."
The man reached out, his fingers tracing Serena's face as he slowly said, "How can one who carries the blood of the Alba family shed tears so easily?"
"Crack, crack, crack—"
A sound like breaking porcelain emanated from the man, and cracks of light appeared on the surface of his body.
A multitude of tiny light points floated up from him, scattering, yet the man's expression remained calm, still exuding the dignity and composure of a natural superior.
"Hide your weakness. Get lost."
"Don't let me see you again!"
With that, his finger gently tapped Serena's forehead.
From the man's "cracked" body, intense white light clusters emerged, swiftly drilling into Serena's body like burning white doves.
The golden runes on Serena's forehead appeared, as if receiving some form of power, rapidly weaving and growing, becoming more complex and profound. Serena, tears streaming down her face, opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but her entire being suddenly vanished in a burst of intense white light, leaving behind only a distorted trace in the space.
When Serena's figure completely disappeared, and all traces were erased, the man calmly transformed into countless light points and vanished.
"Boom!"
From the thick, blood-like black clouds in the distance, Lin Di Si, with a pointed tail, horns, and clad in armor, emerged slowly, grasping a bloodied figure with limp limbs in one hand.
It seemed to be the young man who had previously sent Serena away.
"She escaped. It was a high-tier spatial teleportation array."
A pale-faced, middle-aged wizard with purple hair, one arm seemingly torn apart, emerged from the thick clouds and approached Lin Di Si.
Lin Di Si's expression was indifferent as he glanced at the young man tightly held in his grip and said lightly, "I never expected that a legitimate heir would be willing to make such a sacrifice for the most inconspicuous and marginal illegitimate daughter of the Alba family. Truly touching sibling love, but it's a pity we couldn't keep the Life Set on him."
Lin Di Si casually lamented, then asked Doru beside him, "Have you found that little sparrow from the Phoenix family?"
Doru shook his head.
"Keep looking.
What can be hidden in this southern land?"
"Yes."
The two figures gradually faded into the air, disappearing along with the dark red clouds above them.
As the "pollution" of this world dissipated, the sky returned to clarity.
At the location where the previous battle had erupted, several figures slowly emerged.
All were elegantly dressed wizards, exuding powerful mental energy fluctuations of the Dawn tier.
Among them, the foremost was an elderly man with white hair, a dignified face, and deep-set eyes, whose imposing presence suppressed all the Dawn Wizards around him; he was evidently a fifth-tier wizard.
"Lord Ronan."
Someone spoke respectfully in a low voice.
The leading wizard merely shook his head, muttering a few words. The group nodded solemnly and then vanished, as if they had never been there.
The beautiful girl, completely naked, clung tightly to Ronan's body like an octopus, her arms wrapped around him as they "kissed" passionately.
This enchanting scene, however, left Ronan feeling not an ounce of tenderness.
On the contrary, all he could feel was the searing pain of flames burning his flesh, as if he were submerged in lava, every cell in his body threatening to ignite.
"Get off me!"
Ronan roared inwardly, delivering a powerful punch to Moriel, who was "frenzily biting" at his face.
Her stunning cheek twisted and deformed under his blow, but in the next second, it returned to normal, her body seemingly fused with his, making it impossible to break free.
Ronan noticed Moriel's eyes, hollow and devoid of spirit, as if she were being driven by some instinct.
He attempted to channel his mental energy to cast a spell, but within this "amniotic fluid" he had inadvertently been "pulled into," he could only detect fire energy particles, unable to capture any other type of free energy.
Even Ithium lost its vitality in this terrifying liquid, which was many times hotter than lava; all Ronan could rely on was the strength of his own body.
He struggled continuously but sank deeper and deeper.
Gradually, it seemed even his consciousness began to burn, becoming somewhat hazy.
In a daze, Ronan seemed to see a giant bird with golden, red, and orange wings, dazzling and majestic, soaring gracefully beneath the sky.
Its head adorned with a crown, its entire body enveloped in a sacred glow, flames flowing as it elegantly danced in the heavens. A surge of primal instinct from deep within his bloodline awakened, and the six percent of his Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline was fully activated at that moment, countless frost particles bursting forth from every pore of his body.
In that instant, he seemed to transform into an enormous eight-headed serpent, spewing frost and roaring angrily at the giant bird above. At that moment, the once completely scorched earth, the original fiery "giant egg," now exhibited large patches of deep blue.
The surrounding raging flames also quietly extinguished half, transforming into boundless ice and snow.
The powers of fire and frost intertwined and alternated continuously.
At the center of these two forces, one could see a man and a woman tightly embracing, entwined like lovers, yet also battling fiercely like enemies. However, this scene did not last long.
Soon, countless crimson tendrils began to grow from the naked girl within the "giant egg."
These tendrils pierced into the man's body, causing him to shudder violently.
Following that, the external frost rapidly melted, while the power of the flames surged higher and higher.
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