Chapter 150: The Phantom Elf King.

The severed hands dissolved into a wisp of black mist. When the sinister man saw the golden-haired Elf behind the Little Fairy, a mocking smile appeared on his face.

“Freyus Estel. What a coincidence. We meet again...”

The Elven King remained expressionless. His silver-glowing sword thrust forward, and the sinister man’s face blurred instantly, vanishing into the darkness. A moment later, it reappeared elsewhere, a chilling gleam erupting from his pitch-black eyes.

Shu Li realized that the power restraining him had disappeared and he could move again. Without hesitation, he pointed with his right hand and silently recited an incantation. A sphere of light burst into dazzling radiance and shot toward the sinister man.

“Argh—!”

The man screamed and instantly dissolved into black mist. The icy aura vanished with him.

Delighted that his attack had struck its target, Shu Li turned toward the Elven King holding him.

A faint glow surrounded the Elven King’s entire body, leaving him in the form of a half-transparent phantom. His brows softened as he gazed tenderly at Shu Li.

“Your Majesty...”

Shu Li had just begun to speak when the Elven King suddenly pushed him away. His body became weightless and began to fall.

Go back.

The Elven King’s gentle voice echoed beside his ear.

Shu Li instinctively reached for him. His fingers passed through the Elven King’s golden hair without catching anything, and darkness swiftly swallowed him.

When light returned to his vision, he found himself sitting on a cold floor, staring blankly at his own hands.

Had everything that just happened been an illusion?

No, it had not.

Several red marks had appeared around his left wrist, unmistakably the imprints left by someone gripping him with great force.

The Elven King had saved him.

Shu Li raised a hand to touch the little flower crown upon his head.

The little flower crown possessed a special ability that could summon the Elven King three times.

The first time had been ten years ago, when Shu Li and his friends went to ask the amethyst tree for one of its branches. They encountered a Dark Elf who had invaded the Faerie Forest, and just as Shu Li’s life hung by a thread, the Elven King descended from the sky and saved him.

Today was the first time the Elven King had appeared as a phantom—and once again, he had saved Shu Li’s life.

Shu Li did not dare imagine where that terrifying creature might have taken him if the Elven King had not appeared.

The man had radiated a horrifying power of darkness. There was no need to guess which side he belonged to.

Yet that sinister face had seemed strangely familiar, as though Shu Li had seen it somewhere before.

“Tch, you’re so slow!”

A childish complaint interrupted Shu Li’s thoughts.

He lowered his hand and looked up. When he saw the little magical beast sitting across from him, he cried out in delight, “Falm!”

“You don’t have to be that happy to see me, do you?” Falm rose and slowly approached Shu Li, swishing its short, plump tail. With mild disdain, it added, “I’ve already gone around the underground palace twice, and you only just teleported here.”

Shu Li studied the little ball bouncing before him and compared it with the majestic enormous magical beast he had seen earlier. A snort of laughter escaped him.

Falm stared at him in bewilderment, then bared its teeth. “What are you laughing at?”

Shu Li covered his mouth and tried hard to suppress his laughter. After coughing several times, he said, “Nothing. It’s just...really good to see you.”

With that, he reached out and pinched one of the horns on the little magical beast’s head.

Falm darted away and brandished its short, chubby forelegs, warning him solemnly, “Don’t touch my little horns!”

“Sorry.” Shu Li raised both hands in apology, then looked around. He and the little magical beast were inside an unfamiliar corridor, while moonstones embedded in the pillars cast a bright glow.

“This is the underground palace, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Of course. Where else did you think it was?” Falm flapped its wings and rose into the air, hovering before Shu Li. “Are you leaving now?”

Relieved to learn that he had indeed returned to the underground palace, Shu Li stopped surveying his surroundings and faced the little magical beast. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Falm...don’t you remember me?”

Falm found the question baffling. “What kind of question is that? Of course I remember you! You’re the Little Fairy who trespassed in the Edas Temple.”

It even opened its mouth in a grin, revealing a pair of sharp little fangs.

“No, I mean we met...ten thousand years ago.” Even after learning the truth from the Fire God, Shu Li still found it difficult to believe.

Falm tilted its head, its golden pupils narrowing into vertical slits. “Don’t ask me. Ever since I was sealed, my memories have been a mess. Who could possibly remember what happened ten thousand years ago? And anyway, how could an underage Little Fairy like you have met me ten thousand years ago?”

Shu Li had hoped the little magical beast would remember him, only for it to claim that it did not.

Had its memories regressed along with its body after it was sealed?

Shu Li lowered his head and examined the back of his right hand. The skin was fair, glossy, and flawless. There was no trace of the Fire God’s Mark that the Fire God had given him.

How could he make the sigil appear?

As he pondered the question, the back of his hand suddenly grew hot. A flame sigil the size of a coin gradually emerged.

Slightly startled, Shu Li held out his hand for the little magical beast to see. “Falm, do you recognize this?”

Falm had already been struck speechless when the mark representing the Fire God suddenly appeared on the back of Shu Li’s hand.

“H-How do you have the Fire God’s Mark?”

The moment the words left its mouth, its round little body erupted with brilliant golden light. A flame sigil resembling the Fire God’s Mark appeared upon its belly.

Shu Li swiftly raised an arm to shield his eyes from the blinding golden radiance.

The little magical beast flapped its batlike wings and flew into an open area. Dazzling flames ignited across its entire body as it began to expand, rapidly growing four or five meters tall. The flames reached all the way to the corridor’s ceiling.

Fortunately, the ceiling was protected by magic and remained unaffected by the fire.

Shu Li lowered his arm and involuntarily rose to his feet, staring at the flames ahead.

An enormous dark silhouette gradually appeared within them. A deafening roar shook the air, making the ground tremble.

Boom—boom—boom—

The sound of a giant beast’s footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.

Without blinking, Shu Li stared at the enormous fire dragon lizard emerging from the flames.

It was tall and imposing, with a ferocious face, enormous horns, batlike wings, and a body covered in red scales. Flames burned around its four pillar-like legs and claws. It moved slowly forward, the ground trembling several times with every step. Its thick tail dragged along the floor behind it with a piercing scrape. A backward-curving hook at its tip glinted with cold light, sending a chill down Shu Li’s spine.

“Sharo Redisino Falm...”

Shu Li involuntarily spoke the enormous beast’s full name.

Yes. The majestic high-ranking magical beast before him was Sharo, the Fire God’s mount—and it was also the little magical beast Falm.

After the War of the Gods ended ten thousand years ago, the Fire God had returned to the Celestial Realm but left his mount behind in the underground palace. Why?

Shu Li recalled what the Fire God had said before he entered the teleportation array.

Little one, I have a use for the Fire Spirit at present, so I cannot give it to you yet...

As Shu Li gazed at the fire dragon lizard, a peculiar possibility flashed through his mind. To confirm his suspicion, he raised his right hand, upon which the flame sigil remained visible, and asked, “Are you...the Fire Spirit?”

The fire dragon lizard slowly lowered its ferocious head. Its golden eyes stared coldly at Shu Li.

“Greetings, Sperien of the Faerie Forest. It has been a long time.” A rich baritone utterly at odds with the beast’s appearance emerged from its mouth. “As you can see, I am indeed the Fire Spirit.”

Shu Li looked up at the enormous beast, his heart overflowing with emotion.

The Fire Spirit he had yearned to find had been in front of him all along. It had merely existed in a different form from the Wood Spirit.

“What...exactly happened? Why have you guarded the underground palace for ten thousand years?”

Shu Li finally voiced the question troubling him.

“I remained here at the Fire God’s command, waiting ten thousand years solely to meet you,” the fire dragon lizard replied.

Shu Li blinked in astonishment and once again found himself trapped in the chicken-or-egg paradox.

Had his journey through time caused this outcome, or had this outcome existed first and caused him to travel through time?

The Fire God had said that the rules of the world could not be broken. Everything could proceed in only one direction, and the future could not be changed—unless someone from outside the rules changed it.

Since Shu Li came from another world, did that make him someone outside the rules?

The Fire God...really had seen through him.

After struggling with the thought for a moment, Shu Li apologized to the Fire Spirit. “I’m sorry. Because of my willfulness, you were trapped in this underground palace and forced to wait ten thousand years.”

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the Fire Spirit’s disappearance was connected to him.

“It does not matter,” the Fire Spirit replied. “We spent most of that time asleep and did not feel the years passing.”

“We?” Shu Li asked in confusion.

“Yes. The two of us—Falm and me.”

As the fire dragon lizard finished speaking, a ball of flame emerged from the top of its head. Under Shu Li’s astonished gaze, the fire condensed into a translucent red figure.

It was a young man surrounded by a scorching aura. He had red hair, golden eyes, and a handsome face. Flowing robes draped his body, and a faint smile softened his features, making him appear warm and captivating.

He separated from the enormous beast, floated downward, and came to stand before Shu Li.

“Greetings, Sperien of the Faerie Forest. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am the Fire Spirit—Sharo.”

The rich baritone finally matched his refined face.

“H-Hello, Sharo.” Shu Li looked at him, then pointed toward the fire dragon lizard. “What exactly...is the situation between you two?”

“Awooo—finally, I can move freely again!” The fire dragon lizard let out a rough cry, shook its ferocious head, and slapped its tail against the ground with a series of thunderous crashes.

“Falm is the Fire God’s mount,” the Fire Spirit explained. “When we merge, we can unleash our greatest combat power.”

Two streams of hot air burst from the fire dragon lizard’s nostrils. “One sweep of my tail can send an entire army of skeletons flying. I don’t need your help at all.”

“Yes, you can certainly do that. However—” The Fire Spirit calmly exposed its embarrassing weakness. “When you sent the skeleton army flying, you also sent all our allies on the front lines flying with them.”

“I-I just couldn’t control my strength!” the fire dragon lizard protested guiltily.

The Fire Spirit turned to Shu Li and explained, “Falm cannot distinguish friend from foe once battle begins. That is why the Fire God had me merge with it and keep the situation under control.”

Otherwise, with Falm’s destructive power, every thousand enemies it killed would cost them eight hundred allies. The losses would be far too severe.

Understanding dawned on Shu Li, and he gazed at the fire dragon lizard in amazement.

Now that it had separated from the Fire Spirit, its true nature was almost identical to that of the little magical beast.

So that earlier sense of incongruity had not been his imagination.

Having finally found the Fire Spirit and fulfilled his wish, Shu Li was in excellent spirits. He politely explained to both the Fire Spirit and the fire dragon lizard why he had truly come here.

To learn how to cast fire magic without speaking, he needed the Fire Spirit’s recognition and assistance.

“Would you...be willing to leave with me?”

He needed to rejoin the mother tree as quickly as possible. After such a long delay, he wondered whether she had grown anxious.

“You possess the Fire God’s Mark,” the Fire Spirit said. “You may command us however you wish.”

The fire dragon lizard flicked out its forked tongue. “I’ve been sick of this place for ages.”

After enduring the taste of dirt for ten thousand years, it desperately wanted to leave, hunt to its heart’s content, and feast upon fresh beast meat and tender fruit.

“Hiss...”

Drool spilled from its mouth and splattered onto the corridor floor.

Shu Li nimbly jumped backward to avoid it.

“Little Fairy, do you have any more fruit?” the fire dragon lizard asked eagerly.

The corner of Shu Li’s mouth twitched. He took out a fruit. “Something this small won’t even fill the gap between your teeth, will it?”

The fire dragon lizard narrowed its eyes and flicked out its tongue. “Then...I’ll just do this...”

The next instant, the enormous magical beast transformed into a tiny ball of flesh. Under Shu Li’s astonished gaze, it flapped its batlike wings and flew over to him. Wrapping all four short, chubby paws around the fruit, it began gnawing away with obvious relish.

Shu Li looked questioningly at the Fire Spirit.

“Today is Fireday, so Falm’s body would normally shrink automatically under the seal’s influence,” the Fire Spirit explained. “However, your Fire God’s Mark has broken the seal. Now that its power has been restored, Falm can change its size at will.”

Falm finished the fruit but clearly wanted more. It stared intently at Shu Li with bright, eager eyes. “Little Fairy, if I can eat delicious fruit every day, I’ll go back to the Faerie Forest with you. Hehe.”

Unable to resist its ravenous expression, Shu Li gave it another fruit. Falm accepted without the slightest hesitation, swishing its short, plump tail as it happily devoured the treat.

“If both of you leave, what will happen to the underground palace?”

Without the magical beast guarding it, the adventuring party would probably help themselves to all the treasures inside.

“We need only activate the underground palace’s defensive magic array,” the Fire Spirit replied with a smile. “Then no one will be able to break in.”

Shu Li remembered the defensive barrier he had seen ten thousand years ago. Even the formidable forces of darkness had been unable to breach it, let alone a mere adventuring party.

Although Shu Li did not know why the desert adventuring party was searching for the Edas Temple, he did not want them damaging the underground palace. As for the Sunfire Crystals desired by the white mage, Shu Li could give him a few.

“Let’s go!” Shu Li stopped hesitating and began searching for the direction from which he had come.

With guidance from the Fire Spirit and Falm, he quickly found the mother tree.

“Eunomysis—I’m back!”

Shu Li returned to his smaller form and flew toward the mother tree’s roots, beating his luminescent wings.

“Sperien! You’re finally back!”

The mother tree’s voice trembled with excitement. One of her roots shot through the breach and gently wrapped itself around him.