Chapter 274 - 165: Burning the Alchemy Seal, The Almost-Born Evil Creature

Chapter 274: Chapter 165: Burning the Alchemy Seal, The Almost-Born Evil Creature

After merging with the power of the evil object, Pei Lingjie was already showing signs of losing his mind.

Sensing this, Pei Ze decisively began to taunt him.

This was partly to draw his enemy’s hatred, preventing Pei Lingjie from attacking Yin Xue.

But it was also because dealing with an out-of-control monster was better than facing a calm, rational, and powerful opponent.

And so, as a murderous Pei Lingjie charged at him, Pei Ze remained calm and composed. He unleashed the Decay Ray and Serpent Rune Seal he had already prepared, momentarily hindering his opponent.

Seizing the opportunity, he activated the Alchemy Engraving on his body without hesitation.

In that instant, hundreds of silver runes lit up on Pei Ze’s body, and he erupted in a brilliant silver light.

Silver Body!

Energy Force Field!

Dimensional Flash!

In the next instant, the silver light abruptly vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already behind Pei Lingjie.

A fist wreathed in crackling lightning tore through the air and slammed into Pei Lingjie’s head!

BAM!

Pei Lingjie was sent flying like a cannonball. With a thunderous BOOM, he crashed into a rock formation over two hundred meters away, not only shattering it but also carving a deep trench five to six hundred meters long into the ground!

"Get out of here, now!"

Tossing out that command, Pei Ze charged toward Pei Lingjie without pausing.

Yin Xue and the others, jolted from their shock by the rapid turn of events, gritted their teeth. They helped Ji Sheng to his feet and quickly retreated.

Even Yin Xue, who was the most worried about Pei Ze, knew that staying would only make them a burden.

Pei Lingjie, having merged with the evil object, was far beyond their ability to handle.

Only Pei Ze could stop him now!

"Damn it, is everyone in the Pei Family insane? To think they’d dare to merge with an evil object!" one of the Wizards muttered under his breath.

"What’s the point of saying that now? Why do you think the Pei Family was purged?" the Female Witch sighed. "I just never imagined their research into evil objects had gone this far. If we’d known, we would have requested more people for this mission."

"I wonder if Pei Ze can beat Pei Lingjie?"

The group fell silent.

Even Ji Sheng had lost to Pei Lingjie. The chances of Pei Ze winning seemed slim.

Their only hope was that he could escape.

Yin Xue sighed, her eyes filled with deep concern.

Meanwhile, after taking a heavy blow from Pei Ze, Pei Lingjie seemed to have regained some clarity. He shook his head, rose to his feet, and watched the approaching Pei Ze.

"I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d already become a Second-level Wizard."

"All the better. When a genius like you dies at my hands, I’m sure those bastards in the Elemental Faction will feel the sting. It’ll be nice to make them suffer a little!"

Pei Lingjie let out a vicious laugh as a black mist roiled around him, coalescing into a lifelike serpent’s head that lunged ferociously at Pei Ze!

A stream of black light and a stream of silver light collided violently in mid-air, unleashing a billowing shockwave. The ground beneath them cracked and buckled, as if an entire layer had been violently scraped away!

After a brief pause, the two combatants launched into another furious assault, clashing in a brutal melee.

After they truly began to fight, Pei Ze made a keen observation. ’Pei Lingjie’s power isn’t as great as I’d imagined. At the very least, he’s not strong enough to defeat a combat-specialized Level 3 Crystalized Wizard.’

’In fact, he’s about on par with the Level 3 Gaseous Wizards I saw during the great war between Red Maple City and the Turin People.’

As his thoughts raced, Pei Ze quickly found the answer, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

"It seems you’re not as powerful as you claim. You may have defeated Ji Sheng, but it cost you dearly, didn’t it?"

Pei Lingjie’s expression darkened. "Even so," he said, his voice cold as ice, "I have more than enough power to kill you!"

"I wouldn’t be so sure."

Pei Ze gave a derisive laugh as crimson patterns suddenly surfaced on the back of his right hand.

A red light flashed, and the crimson patterns spread across his body like ink bleeding on paper, turning pitch-black before their very eyes.

In the blink of an eye, a shimmering phantom of black scales covered Pei Ze’s body, and his aura surged dramatically.

For a moment, the two of them looked strikingly similar, both covered in a phantom of black scales.

The only difference was that Pei Lingjie’s scales were a deeper, richer black and exuded a sinister, corrupting aura.

"!!!"

Pei Lingjie stared at Pei Ze, his eyes wide with shock and suspicion.

’For some reason, the phantom scales on his body feel... familiar.’

But this was no time for contemplation. Having activated his final Bloodline Mark, Pei Ze’s power soared. His attacks grew far more ferocious, and for a moment, he actually began to overpower Pei Lingjie.

"Damn it!"

Pei Lingjie was both shocked and enraged, finding it unbelievable that he was being forced onto the defensive by a mere Second-level Wizard.

In his fury, he let out a roar. The black mist around his body churned violently, growing even denser.

With this surge of power, Pei Lingjie instantly evened the odds, and the two were once again locked in a dead heat.

At the same time, however, the madness in his eyes grew more pronounced. He was teetering on the very edge of losing control.

Pei Ze watched this unfold, a chill running down his spine.

’Even though we seem evenly matched right now,’ he thought, ’the energy in my Alchemy Engraving is finite. Once it runs out and I lose its enhancement, I’ll be no match for Pei Lingjie.’

’Besides, even if the Alchemy Engraving wasn’t an issue, Pei Lingjie looks like he could completely lose control at any second.’