Chapter 185 Sacrifice, Desperate Struggle, and Secret Treasure

Chapter 185: Chapter 121: Sacrifice, Desperate Struggle, and Secret Treasure

The Black Wizard’s eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. This was no longer just about the Divine Sword.

Those two apprentices had seen him and knew he was operating in the Broken Rock Plane. If they made it back alive and reported this to the Pan-Wizard Alliance, the Tower Guardian would investigate. If the trail led back to the Lost Society... He shuddered, not daring to imagine the consequences. Before the Pan-Wizard Alliance, the Lost Society would have no more power to resist than a mere ant.

The Black Wizard gritted his teeth and took out a palm-sized, copper-green Round Disc from his robes. The Runes on its surface were bizarre—a combination of ancient markings and newly carved ones, awkwardly stitched together. The edge of the Round Disc had four short pillars, corresponding to Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire.

One of the functions of this Secret Treasure was to track Element anomalies. For example, both the human body and a clod of dirt possessed the four Basic Elements, but their compositional ratios were entirely different. The Round Disc used this principle to distinguish targets. However, as he held it in his hand, he began to hesitate.

Using this treasure on a large scale would bring about severe side effects. It would extract the user’s Spiritual Power—a massive amount of it—and this extraction was excruciatingly painful. The authentic version of this treasure did not have such side effects because the Wizards of the ancient era had endless Vacuum Catastrophe Energy to squander. However, the Lost Society did not. Therefore, after obtaining the Secret Treasure, they altered some of the Runes, substituting Spiritual Power for a portion of the Energy.

Having a massive amount of Spiritual Power extracted was a nightmare. The Black Wizard had used it a few times, and each time left him with lingering fear. It would take months of rest afterward to fully recover.

But now... The Black Wizard steeled his heart and finally made up his mind. He bit his finger, smeared his blood onto the short pillar corresponding to Earth, and gripped it tightly. The Round Disc instantly lit up. A dull yellow light expanded from its center, spreading downward along the Rift.

"Faster, faster..." he muttered.

The Black Wizard closed his eyes as his Spiritual Power was madly siphoned by the Round Disc. His veins bulged, and his eyes widened in agony. But the Round Disc’s effect was undeniably potent. He sensed it—deep within the Rift, in the direction of the Heart of the Earth Veins, a tiny dark speck appeared within the dull yellow light.

Found them!

At the abandoned nest, Alicia looked at Chen Shang inside the cave, feeling somewhat anxious. Holding Chen Shang’s Space Book, she had dispersed many of the Creation Species. But up until now, not a single one had sent back a message of safety. This meant they were completely surrounded and trapped with no way out.

Suddenly, she felt the Frost Trap she had set several miles away being triggered. A sense of foreboding washed over her. Had the Black Wizard found them? She glanced back at Chen Shang, who was still enveloped in four-colored Elements. She had no idea when he would succeed.

Alicia gritted her teeth and quickly made a decision. She couldn’t stay here anymore. With a flash of movement, she stepped out of the cave and sprinted off into an unknown direction.

Landing outside the Rift, the Black Wizard looked at the Ice Crystals beneath his feet with a cold sneer and stepped inside.

But the very next moment, the ground beneath his feet exploded. Ice spikes shot out from the rocks, interlocking like fangs and sealing off every direction. A dull yellow light flashed across the Black Wizard’s body. A layer of Earth Element Armor blocked most of the attack, but his left calf was grazed, scraping off a bit of skin.

He frowned and looked down. Lacking proper Body Refinement methods, he had actually been injured by a Second Level Apprentice.

At this moment, Alicia emerged from the cave entrance. She gripped the Cyan Jade Gourd in her right hand, while her left hand was already condensing an Ice Cone. She didn’t waste any words. An ice mist surged out first, the freezing vapor instantly swallowing the narrow Rift.

The Black Wizard’s Spiritual Power was disrupted by the Ice Crystal fragments, and his sense of direction began to skew. He pushed out with both hands, causing Earth Elements to blast the rubble apart and scatter the ice mist. The moment his vision returned, the Ice Cone was already at his waist.

He hurriedly dodged sideways to avoid a vital strike. The Ice Cone scraped past his ribs, tearing away a chunk of his Earth Element Armor. He then rapidly dashed forward, landing a backhanded palm strike on Alicia’s right shoulder.

Bone shattered. Her right shoulder caved in, and the Cyan Jade Gourd dropped to the ground.

Alicia let out a muffled groan. Grasping the Ice Cone tightly in her uninjured left hand, she fiercely stabbed it into the Black Wizard’s thigh. It pierced two inches deep, and blood trailed down his pant leg.

The Black Wizard kicked her in the chest. Several of her ribs snapped as Alicia’s body flew backward, slamming against the stone wall before bouncing onto the ground. She struggled to stand up, but her legs had no strength. It felt as if something inside her chest had shattered.

"To think you actually ran out here on your own initiative? Trying to buy time for your teammate? Ridiculous. Did you really think you could escape?" The Black Wizard looked down at the half-dead Apprentice on the ground and sneered. "Tell me his location, and I can spare your life."

"You want the Divine Sword, right? He’s not far from here. Spare my life, and I can take you to him," Alicia said, stalling for time with her words while her mind raced furiously for a way out.

That’s right, she hadn’t left the abandoned nest to run away, but to actively buy time for Chen Shang. This wasn’t because she possessed a fearless spirit of sacrifice, nor was their relationship good enough for her to die for him. Her rational Wizard mindset deduced that since their surroundings were completely sealed off, the Black Wizard would definitely pursue them relentlessly. Only if Chen Shang succeeded would the two of them have a glimmer of hope to survive.

"A very wise choice!" The Black Wizard slowly approached Alicia, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

In truth, he wasn’t going to let either of them go. But seeing a formally educated Wizard Apprentice beg for mercy gave him a thrill of euphoria.