The crisp sound echoed through the air, and despite the protection of their jade armor, the group was unable to withstand the force. .
They were all sent flying, defeated by the powerful assault.
Yet, the defense of the jade armor was indeed remarkable.
Even under the assault of an SS-level skill, they sustained no grievous injuries.
It was merely the terrifying heat that turned their skin a blistering red, leaving them with scalds and burns.
In such a state, their ability to fight was completely lost, and they let out continuous wails of agony.
Some among them were quick-witted, promptly shedding their jade armor.
This act surprisingly reduced the damage caused by the burning flames.
However, their realization of a way to counteract came too late!
Howard, seizing the moment they were repelled, had already broken out of their encirclement.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Brothers, we can’t let the news of the mine escape. Otherwise, we’ll all be executed!”
“Chase him down and kill that guy!”
Screams and roars kept erupting.
From different directions, hundreds of figures emerged, some charging out from the depths of the forest.
Although they were shaken by the terrifying spectacle of the Roar of the Fire God skill, which had left over a hundred of their comrades rolling on the ground in agony, the murderous intent in their eyes did not diminish.
Mining in secret, and even plotting treason – if the Empire learned of their deeds, it would be a capital offense!
Feeling the intense murderous intent, a sense of dread sank into Howard’s heart.
Escaping their onslaught was proving to be a formidable challenge.
Yet, Howard was not one to surrender without a fight.
He accelerated, hoping to put some distance between himself and his pursuers.
If he could just get out of the mine’s vicinity, Howard was confident he could shake off their pursuit.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sound of cutting through the air abruptly rose.
Three feathered arrows shattered the tranquility, hurtling towards him with the ferocity of thunder.
Sensing the formidable power behind them, Howard instantly turned around.
He could no longer afford to hide his abilities.
The Soul Nurturer emerged, unleashing a fierce cold wind.
It transformed into dozens of shattered ice blocks, hurtling towards the incoming arrows.
The difference in the effectiveness of skills, with or without equipment, was starkly apparent.
Howard could feel the archer’s strength.
Without a weapon, he would definitely not be able to withstand those three feathered arrows.
The ice blocks, infused with magical power, collided with the arrows.
After shattering twenty blocks, the force within the arrows finally dissipated, falling to the ground.
Witnessing this, Howard let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at the archer.
To his surprise, the archer was staring back in astonishment.
Not just the archer, everyone was stunned.
“That guy’s weapon… it doesn’t seem to be forged from Celestial Ore!”
“No, he hasn’t activated the Celestial Ore. Where did that power come from?”
“Such a strange person!”
The unfamiliarity with Howard’s cultivation system left the group in a state of perplexed stupor.
Howard couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Fortunately, they hadn’t speculated in other directions.
Or rather, these rebels didn’t care whether Howard was from their plane of existence or not.
“Keep on the chase!”
“Guidance of the Reaper!”
The archer, wielding the jade stone bow, once again drew his bowstring.
Remarkably, a purplish-black mist bloomed along the string.
An arrow, formed and solidified, burst forth with a sound that tore through the air, heading straight for Howard.
As the arrow flew, the eerie purplish-black mist transformed into a gigantic skull that snapped its jaws in a terrifying display.
Before the arrow even reached him, Howard felt an oppressive force bearing down on his spirit, immediately realizing that this skill must have a mental suppression effect.
Faced with such an attack, one could either defend or counter with a fierce offensive to shatter it.
Howard, lacking defensive skills and knowing that a mere MP Shield would be insufficient, chose the latter.
His gaze turned icy, and the Bow of the Songweaver appeared in his hands.
Another weapon, not crafted from jade stone, emerged, sparking a flurry of discussions among the group.
At this point, they finally considered the possibility that Howard might not belong to their plane.
“This guy… his weapons, none are forged from Celestial Ore!”
“Without relying on Celestial Ore, he can still execute skills and launch attacks? Could he be from another plane? Or has he received a legacy from another plane?”
Exclamations of surprise and speculation filled the air.
A murderous intent began to brew in Howard’s heart.
Should these people spread the word that he wasn’t from this plane, this power might turn against him.
And their status as rebels?
Betraying the Empire was vastly different from betraying their plane of existence.
Taking a deep breath, Howard no longer held back and activated the Starry River Map.
Buzz—
In an instant, pale blue starlight flickered, leading to an astonishing scene.
The sun vanished abruptly, and the nearby area dimmed instantly. .𝘤𝘰𝑚
Were it not for the moon’s soft glow in the sky, people might have plunged into total darkness.
This was the effect of the Starry River Map, the Stellar Realm!
Under the Stellar Realm, Howard’s condition surged dramatically.
Drawing the Bow of the Songweaver, he unleashed the Supreme Star Dominion skill.
Countless starlights converged, gathering on the Bow of the Songweaver, transforming into a blue feathered arrow.
Whoosh!
The sound of tearing through the air resonated as the starlight-formed arrow whistled out, colliding directly with the arrow emanating the eerie skull.
A crisp explosion sounded.
The skull shattered into nothingness, while the starlight arrow, with its piercing attribute, continued its relentless trajectory towards the archer.
Having shattered the Guidance of the Reaper skill, Howard drew his bow again, this time aiming at the sky.
“Celestial Descent!”
As he pulled the bowstring, the stars in the sky seemed to respond to Howard’s call, immediately transforming into countless arrows.
Like meteors, they hurtled towards the group at breakneck speed.
Thwack! Thwack!
How swift were the arrows formed from starlight?
They left almost no time for the group to react, striking them directly and causing blood-red damage numbers to continuously pop above their heads.
Moreover, those hit thrice by the starlight arrows found themselves in a bizarre state, unable to move and helplessly subjected to the relentless assault of more starlight arrows raining down upon them.
Seeing this, Howard was about to advance and finish off the people immobilized by his Celestial Descent skill, when suddenly, a tiger’s roar erupted nearby.
Looking up, he saw a white tiger materializing, its head thrown back in a ferocious roar.
The terrifying sonic waves, though not strong enough to shatter the Stellar Realm, caused Howard immense pain.
Blood trickled from his eyes, blurring his vision.
“This person is a master! Beyond our ability to contend with!”
In an instant, Howard made his judgment.
Forgoing his attack, he grabbed Aurelia and turned to flee.
With Howard gone, the Stellar Realm quickly dissipated.
The newcomer, a woman riding the white tiger, arrived on the scene.
She glanced at the trapped group with furrowed brows and a particularly troubled expression.
Fortunately, the controlling effect of Celestial Descent didn’t last long.
Within a few breaths, they had all recovered.
“Elder!”
Upon seeing the woman riding the white tiger, everyone promptly showed their respect, including the archer.
“Pursue them, but do not kill. Send more puppets for them to fight, and leave behind evidence of those families!” commanded the woman on the white tiger, having received information from the man in the blue robe.
“Tell me everything about his battle, without missing a single detail!”
“Yes!”
Unbeknownst to Howard, the powerful woman had not pursued him.
Moreover, with his eyes continuously bleeding, his vision was completely obscured, forcing him to rely solely on his soul’s power to sense his surroundings.
He felt the presence of pursuers behind him, keeping him on high alert.
It wasn’t until Aurelia regained consciousness.
Waking up, Aurelia felt something dripping onto her face.
Wiping it with her hand, she realized in shock that it was blood.
Looking up and seeing Howard’s face covered in blood, Aurelia panicked.
She hurriedly exclaimed, “Howard… you… are you alright?”
At that moment, Aurelia’s heart was in turmoil.
She had never imagined that Howard would go to such lengths to save her!
Now, Howard looked even more dreadful than the last time!
“I’m fine! But we still have pursuers behind us. Do you know where we are?” Howard asked, his pace unslowed.
Aurelia, realizing this wasn’t the time for panic, looked around carefully, taking in their surroundings.
“I remember now! This is Liria Forest. The monsters here are few and far between, and they’re generally of a higher level, so people rarely come here. I recall there’s a waterfall to the east. If we follow it down, we can get through Liria Forest and back to Stormwind City!”
“A waterfall?!”
A flicker of joy crossed Howard’s heart!
𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚