‘Turbid Wind’
Facing the onslaught of giant bugs, Ivan casually took out a potion. Within the potion, a sticky substance as black as cotton floated about, which was, indeed, the manifestation of the Black Magic Wind he had refined.
He blew lightly towards the mouth of the bottle, and the wind-floss drifted out of the potion bottle, forming strands of breeze tinged with black light.
The breeze created blew forward, and each strand swept precisely over a giant bug. Some of the bugs were charging towards him, while others were still expanding and transforming.
Struck by the black breeze, all the giant bugs’ movements seemed to freeze at that moment, as if they were petrified.
Wherever the Turbid Wind passed, it left a sensation as if all things were being obliterated.
In reality, Ivan was merely exploiting the special effect of the Black Magic Wind to bully these giant bugs with weak willpower, causing them maiming or even death.
As Ivan made his move, the masked sorcerer made his as well.
He casually threw a dark red potion into the midst of the densely packed bugs. As the potion shattered upon hitting the ground, it splattered many tiny dark red pebbles, which melted into the bodies of the nearby giant bugs.
In a matter of seconds, the bugs went from ferocious to tame and docile. The masked sorcerer had suddenly acquired several strong insect guards.
This display of puppet magic impressed others and also made Ivan more wary.
Both sides made their moves, one side producing an unending breeze of black, and the other commanding puppet insect guards. In the blink of an eye, they subdued the bugs’ charging momentum and easily suppressed the situation.
Under such circumstances, Wind Moth and Scented Butterfly couldn’t even get involved and could only stare in a daze.
“Something has rolled down.”
Soon, Wind Moth noticed a blood-colored pearl rolling down along with the black liquid. The pearl, the size of a fist, was about to fall into the stone pool.
It felt an unusual attraction to the blood-colored pearl, unconsciously swallowing its saliva.
“Sorcerer Ivan, lucky you, this is the Bloodline Essence Power of the Black Scythe Lord, infused into the bodies of bugs to improve their bloodline potential; it’s quite a rare treasure.”
“Is that so? Could it be that my bug luck is even better than yours?”
“That remains to be seen. The Bloodline Essence Power is just an ordinary treasure here, but there are higher quality items still to come. We will see the outcome then.”
As they spoke, the masked sorcerer’s nearby canal also yielded a blood-colored pearl. Before the pearl could fall into the elements pool, the masked sorcerer summoned it into his hand and pocketed it.
This action enraged the Insect Being within the stone pool, who turned to the masked sorcerer and let out screeches and roars of anger sounding like a mix of bestial and insect-like noises.
On Ivan’s side, seeing that Silkworm Queen liked it and that it was beneficial, he didn’t stop it from swallowing the pearl.
Shortly after ingesting the blood-colored pearl, Ivan could tell that the Silkworm Queen was adapting to absorbing the energy around it much better, and the side effects were reduced; it clearly benefited the Silkworm Queen greatly.
The words of the masked sorcerer were still accurate, making Ivan somewhat unable to fathom the sorcerer’s thoughts.
In the following time, each person took control of one side, with a clear demarcation of their attack ranges, preventing any giant bugs that tried to approach.
It wasn’t long before another blood-colored pearl rolled down. Ivan still let the Silkworm Queen eat it, and the masked sorcerer, as usual, pocketed it for himself, causing the Insect Being’s anger towards him to increase.
“Stop howling. I’m not a man who mistreats his subordinates. The next one is yours.”
To placate the Insect Being, the masked sorcerer compromised.
When the third blood-colored pearl fell, the Insect Being finally obtained its coveted item, and its resentment lessened significantly.
Just at that moment, the figures of other sorcerers appeared in the distance, with three sorcerers arriving, including Randall and his friend Molly.
Ivan was well aware that more sorcerers were rushing over, and with only five stone pools available, it would be impossible to maintain a calm hold on them for long.
“Randall, isn’t that your apprentice?”
“As you can see, Ivan got here before us.”
“Judging from the battle, he’s ahead by more than just a step. You’ve taken on a good apprentice this time.”
On the other side, Randall and his companions also saw Ivan and the masked sorcerer, and Molly realized she had underestimated Randall’s apprentice. To get here ahead of them, he must be no ordinary sorcerer.
“Haha, of course,” Randall said with a proud laugh, “Let me tell you, I snatched Ivan from the Hunting Team. I recognized his potential at a glance, and as expected—”
As for his boasting, Molly listened intently, giving Randall plenty of face.
The leisurely demeanor of the two caught the eyes of many.
Stay tuned for updates on empire
“Sorcerer Randall is looking to reproduce the human race,” surmised the Scented Butterfly.
“Really?” the Wind Moth asked dumbly.
Ivan gave the two insects a look and, somewhat speechlessly, watched as the two mentors quickly approached. In this situation, to have the mood for romance, no one else came close.
After thinking for a moment, he turned and asked, “Sorcerer Solomon, you wouldn’t mind if I shared the news with my mentor, right?”
“It’s of no consequence. Those are trifles to us.”
“Then, thank you very much.”
If Ivan’s expectations held true, the masked sorcerer was completely indifferent to the news, and he immediately relayed the details about the stone pools to Randall. As for the mentor’s friend, that was beyond his concern.
In a moment, Randall reached the centermost pool and sent the Golden Beetle General into the water. Sorceress Molly went to the other side of Ivan, releasing a colorful mantis that landed on the black liquid in the pool.
Another sorcerer also arrived effortlessly, pensive at the sight, and from his person leaped a winged centipede.
Now, all five stone pools were occupied, and the battlefield was divided into five sections. The sorcerers each showed their skills, easily guarding against the approaching monstrous insects without breaking a sweat.
“Sorcerer Ivan, it seems my bug luck is a notch higher. Here’s an energy crystal,” said a sorcerer, as a black miasmic bead rolled down towards him.
With a bead filled with black miasma tumbling down, the masked sorcerer spoke to Ivan as casually as ever, and just like before, before the bead could roll into the pool, he used a Secret Technique to suppress the restless Insect Being and seized the bead in his hand.
Only then did Randall and the others take note of the true face of the Insect Being.
Putting aside the shock and anger in their hearts, Ivan focused intently on the small channel in front of him, where a stroke of white became visible as the black liquid slowly cascaded down.
The masked sorcerer’s voice had barely faded, and the smile on his face was yet to recede when it froze into a rigid hue.
“This is an energy crystal filled with the Power of Space, which can be used to create spatially magicalized items.”
“Is that so? Then I won’t hold back.”
After communicating with the Silkworm Queen and seeing its eager desire, Ivan himself did not intervene; instead, he discreetly remained on guard against anyone else who might have the foolish idea to snatch it. The food in his bowl was not meant to be shared with others.
The onlookers could only watch in dismay as the Silkworm Queen devoured the bead, filled with pure white miasma, prompting some to inwardly lament the waste of such treasure.
Not far off, another four sorcerers arrived, having observed the recent events.
The four stopped and spoke among themselves in hushed tones, evidently having formed an alliance.
