Chapter 338: Astral Phoenix

"Phoenix Veins," Lamia whispered, shock visible in her eyes. "Master isn’t just forming an Astral Avatar of a Phoenix this time. He is forging new veins. Phoenix veins. These veins allow smooth flow of fire mana. Veins said to exist only within Phoenixes of the Primordial Phoenix clan."

Emily, Snow, and Sol were standing close to her at the moment. They didn’t know what the Primordial Phoenix clan was. They didn’t know what Phoenix veins were. But if something could surprise even a being like Lamia herself, then they could only imagine what sort of height Leon was trying to climb at the moment.

The crimson ball behind Leon was no longer just a ball. It had taken the shape of a creature. A bird. Or rather, a Phoenix to be exact. As the Phoenix flapped its illusory wings, flames danced in the air. The fire didn’t feel illusory in the slightest, though. The temperature spiked. An invisible wave of energy erupted outward like air.

But Leon still didn’t open his eyes. And the Astral Avatar wasn’t complete either.

As Leon stayed in the lotus position with his eyes closed, astral energy from the beam of light kept pouring into him. And his Astral Avatar, which had taken the shape of a Phoenix, also continued to grow. Its illusory figure continued to condense, becoming more real with each passing second.

Just then, a notification popped up in the panel before Leon.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully formed Phoenix Veins.]

Then another.

[Description: One of the highest category veins. Category: Mythic grade. It allows the fiery mana to be directly channelled within the body instead of turning mana into fire. The Phoenix veins allow the Host to use fire magic more smoothly and faster. It consumes half the mana to cast any spell.]

Leon wasn’t awake at the moment, or he would have been over the moon seeing the notifications.

His body started glowing as veins became visible in his body. Something fiery was passing through them. Something wild and hot. Leon looked like a statue, lava wanting to explode from within his body, and those veins like cracks across his body.

The remaining monsters immediately noticed it. A sense of dread filled their hearts. All of them shot toward Leon. They were desperate as if their life depended on it.

Lamia also reacted quickly. She leaned forward slightly.

Crack!

The ground beneath her cracked as she vanished the next moment. A trail of cold, condensed air curled up in the air.

Baaaaamm!

The lizard at the front felt a sudden blow to its face, its head snapping to the side. The others didn’t even have time to react.

Boooooom!

Boooooom!

Boooooom!

One was sent flying to the back. Another whistled through the air to the right. Another one slammed into the ground and went deeper as the ground exploded.

The others still hadn’t caught up.

Lamia reappeared, her left hand raised and palm pointing toward the incoming lizard men.

Multiple tornadoes swirled into existence, their origins facing the front like the heads of lances. The air seemed to freeze around them. Her wrist moved a little, fingers descending slightly. And the moment it did...

Those tornadoes whistled forward, leaving behind a trail of white frost in the air.

One lizard monster tried to shift right and dodge one attack. But three more tornadoes struck it. Its body froze at the first tornado. The moment the second tornado struck, its body cracked. At the third tornado, its body exploded, icy debris scattering wildly in the air.

The other lizard men weren’t spared either. Those tornadoes found their targets. With just one spell, all monsters died except one. The one that had pushed Lamia back. The one Lamia had sent flying with a barrage of punches. It had dodged every single tornado successfully.

At the moment, this last lizard man was hovering in the air, its eyes locked on Lamia. "You are no human." A hoarse voice escaped its mouth.

Lamia turned toward it. Her eyes narrowed. ’This one. It was hiding its true strength, or more like suppressing it. That heartbeat back then. It was this monster’s.’ She mused inwardly.

"Who are you?" The lizard man spoke again.

"Hmppph!" Lamia snorted. "Do you deserve to know?"

She raised her palm and pushed it forward slightly.

Instantly, ten more tornadoes swirled into existence and shot forward.

The lizard man raised its hand. The air before it condensed into a curved icy wall. It looked less like a wall and more like a huge shield.

Creak!

Creak!

Creak!

....

....

One after another, those tornadoes struck the icy shield. The shield shattered at the last attack.

"What?" The monster was shocked, its eyes widening. ’She shattered my shield? No one below the Martial Saint realm should have been capable of doing that.’

Meanwhile, Lamia was shocked as well. Not as much as the monster, but the last outcome had definitely surprised her. She raised an eyebrow. "Its offensive power is in the Martial Grandmaster realm. Yet it can cast defensive spells at Martial Saint level?" She whispered. "It’s using all the loopholes the law of the realm has. But..." Her eyes narrowed. "Is that all it can do, or is it hiding even more?"

The monster was also in deep thought.

Before both of them could attack each other...

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!

A violent gust of hot wind exploded outward from Leon’s position.

All eyes snapped toward him. Lamia’s lips curved into a smile immediately. The lizard man’s face turned grim. Emily and others could only stare ahead, their mouths almost touching the ground in shock.

The illusory creature had taken proper shape by now. Even its size had increased. Behind Leon, a blazing Phoenix flapped its wings. With each strike, the air whirled slightly.

The beam of light washing over Leon began to fade. Time passed by. No one dared to move. Not even blinking their eyes.

Under everyone’s stunned gaze, the beam of light totally faded. A crimson glint flashed across Leon’s eyes as he slowly opened them.

[Congratulations, Host. You have condensed your second Astral Avatar. The Astral Phoenix.]