Chapter 377 - 202: Deeply Hidden, Endless Trump Cards

Chapter 377: Chapter 202: Deeply Hidden, Endless Trump Cards

Serasi’s scales possessed extremely high elemental resistance. Even so, just coming into contact with the stray lightning had sent a numbing sensation through him. ’Just how astonishing is the lightning elemental power coursing through Pei Ze right now?’

Fei Xian was reeling from shock and disbelief, having never expected Pei Ze to be hiding such a powerful trump card.

However, reality afforded him little time to think. Pei Ze was already charging at him again.

After burning the Ephemeral Energy Body Alchemy Engraving, the lightning elemental power Pei Ze now wielded had surged by more than half. He was like a Thunder Giant weighing over a thousand tons, his every move exuding an immense, weighty presence.

Fei Xian took a punch from Pei Ze head-on. The point of impact instantly erupted in a brilliant burst of lightning. His scales shattered, revealing the flesh beneath, which in the next instant was charred black.

Fei Xian let out a muffled grunt, his eyes wide with horror as he stumbled back.

With Pei Ze’s power surging, his scale armor could clearly no longer withstand the lightning’s assault. He had lost any standing to face Pei Ze head-on.

"Damn it!"

Fei Xian was both furious and alarmed, but there was nothing he could do.

Before he could catch his breath, a piercing sonic boom erupted. A dense barrage of metal spikes rained down from the sky, crashing toward him like a furious tide of lightning!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The spot where Fei Xian stood was obliterated as if by the concentrated fire of countless missiles. In an instant, dust and smoke billowed into the air amid a deafening roar.

The next moment, Fei Xian’s figure shot out from the dust and smoke. Wuyu, as a streak of black light, pursued him relentlessly. Its claws, imbued with the Power of Death, continuously struck the wounds where Fei Xian’s scales had been stripped away, forcing him into a desperate, clumsy defense and cutting a pathetic figure.

Under the combined assault of Pei Ze and Wuyu, Fei Xian was immediately put on the back foot.

Outside the Tower of the Holy Ring, the crowd watched this scene, dumbfounded and in utter disbelief.

The tables had turned so quickly. In the blink of an eye, the tide of battle had shifted dramatically. Fei Xian had lost the upper hand, so thoroughly suppressed by Pei Ze that he couldn’t even fight back.

"What was that just now?"

"Looked like an Alchemy Engraving, didn’t it?"

"No way, Alchemy Seals aren’t that powerful!"

"I can’t believe Pei Ze had something like that up his sleeve. He really keeps his cards close to his chest!"

The scene playing out before them had truly surpassed everyone’s expectations.

They had thought it was a fierce battle where both sides were giving their all. Instead, it turned out that Pei Ze had been holding back, only playing this new trump card at the last moment.

"Pei Ze really keeps his true strength hidden," Gu Yi remarked with a sigh.

A faint smile touched Mo Weng’s lips.

’If he weren’t like this, Pei Ze wouldn’t be so full of surprises.’

’Even he, his teacher, had no idea just how many trump cards and contingencies Pei Ze had prepared.’

’Of course, this wasn’t a bad thing.’

’A powerful Wizard must possess enough trump cards and contingencies to keep their enemies guessing.’

While the crowd of spectators was still reeling in amazement, the battle in the arena was already drawing to a close.

Facing Pei Ze with his ignited Alchemy Engraving, not to mention a magical pet with unpredictable powers, Fei Xian was completely on the defensive. In just four or five minutes, he was covered in wounds, a far cry from the high-spirited, confident victor he had seemed just moments ago.

With the battle at this stage, the outcome was obvious.

BOOM!

Sent flying by Pei Ze once more, Fei Xian slammed into the ground like a cannonball, instantly creating a massive crater.

Before he could get up, a torrent of crackling lightning descended, engulfing him with terrifying destructive power.

WHOOSH!

A streak of light broke through the raging electrical storm, shot skyward, and vanished into the void.

The match was decided!

Although the outcome had become predictable, seeing Fei Xian defeated still caused many of the Wizards to gasp in amazement.

The one who was widely considered the favorite to win the Battle of the Holy Ring had ultimately fallen to Pei Ze, the dark horse. It was an outcome few had anticipated.

Gu Yi’s face lit up. ’Fei Xian is eliminated! Now only Wen Huachun is left!’

’As long as he beats Wen Huachun, Pei Ze will be the winner of this Battle of the Holy Ring.’

’But the fight with Fei Xian must have cost Pei Ze dearly. I wonder if he still has enough strength left to defeat Wen Huachun?’

Many of the Wizards clearly had the same thought, and they all fixed their gazes on the screen.

In the center of the arena, Pei Ze’s expression was as calm and composed as ever.

’The reason I chose to burn the Ephemeral Energy Body was to defeat Fei Xian quickly.’

’Otherwise, if the fight had dragged on, my Spiritual Power would have been nearly depleted, even if I had won in the end.’

’If that had happened, I wouldn’t have had enough Spiritual Power to sustain another fight, even with burning another Alchemy Engraving as a trump card.’

Pei Ze looked toward Wen Huachun, a dark glint flashing in his eyes for a fleeting moment.

’I have less than half of my Spiritual Power left, but I still have two Alchemy Engravings: Rune Disintegration and Silver Body. If I burn one, it should be enough to deal with Wen Huachun.’

’Especially if I burn Rune Disintegration. Basically no one below the fourth rank can withstand that attack.’

’Besides, Wen Huachun also expended a great deal of energy in his fight against Ye Sinan.’

Meeting Pei Ze’s gaze, Wen Huachun gave a slight, bitter smile.

The next moment, he was teleported to the center of the arena.

"That was some kind of modified Alchemy Engraving you just used, wasn’t it?" Wen Huachun said suddenly, standing a great distance from Pei Ze.

"It lets you ignite an Alchemy Engraving for a short burst of power, drastically enhancing its effects. Am I right?"

Pei Ze watched him with a calm expression, offering no reply.

Wen Huachun didn’t seem to mind. He was fairly confident in his assessment.

"A little thought makes the rest obvious. With a constitution like yours, you must have more than one Alchemy Engraving—three or four would be a conservative guess. You still have some you haven’t used, right?"

Wen Huachun sighed. "Even if you only have one left, I’m afraid I’m no match for you."

"In that case, why not just concede?" Pei Ze finally spoke.

Wen Huachun gave a bitter smile. "I’d love to, but if I concede just like that, I’ll have a lot to answer for when I get back."

The Battle of the Holy Ring determined whether Wizard City would receive preferential resource allocation from the alliance in the future. Its importance was self-evident. Even knowing he would lose, he couldn’t possibly concede without putting up a fight.

"Then I’ll oblige you."

Pei Ze had no intention of dragging things out. Without a moment’s hesitation, he ignited Rune Disintegration.

In an instant, an intricate web of silver patterns surfaced on his arm. The arcane Alchemy Engraving seemed to come alive as it lifted off his skin, automatically converging in the air to form an array in the shape of an inverted triangle.

A full sixty-two Alchemy Patterns formed a series of rotating, intersecting rings. Dazzling, mystical golden threads, woven with rhythmic symmetry, transformed into a Rune Array imbued with profound mystery.

The next instant, a golden beam composed of countless minuscule runes shot out from the array’s center, piercing the void like a thunderbolt as it flew toward Wen Huachun!

In that instant, Wen Huachun’s heart clenched violently. A cold chill shot straight up his spine, and his scalp went numb with terror.

’I’ll die!’ The thought exploded in his mind!

The approaching golden beam gave him an intense premonition of death—if it hit him, he would be killed instantly!

’Just as I thought. I knew you had another trick up your sleeve.’

Wen Huachun smiled wryly to himself, then, without hesitation, activated the rune on the back of his hand and vanished in a streak of light.

PSSSH!

The golden beam struck empty air. Silently, more than half of the arena was annihilated, leaving behind a gigantic crater over a kilometer in diameter and dozens of meters deep.

Watching this, many of the spectating Wizards instinctively gulped, a chill running down their spines.

’That power... If you were hit by that, you’d be utterly annihilated, not even dust would remain!’

Back outside the Tower of the Holy Ring, Wen Huachun watched the devastation in the arena on the screen. He couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat from his brow, silently thankful for his decisiveness.

’If I’d held on to any wishful thinking and tried to block that, I’d have been long dead by now!’

’The power of that Alchemy Engraving... even if I’d sacrificed my three remaining Wind Source Birds, I couldn’t possibly have blocked it.’

Fei Xian stared at the screen with a vacant expression. After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.

’At first, I was bitter about losing to Pei Ze. I thought that if we fought again, and I was prepared, I wouldn’t necessarily lose.’

’But now, that thought had vanished completely.’

’Even with another chance, I would still be no match for Pei Ze.’

’The guy is on a completely different level!’