Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

BOOM!

Turbulent spatial energy erupted from the shattered Teleportation Gate, sweeping madly outward in a circular wave.

Reality itself seemed to be torn apart by spatial blades, leaving behind dark fissures.

Amidst the deadly chaos, a brilliant streak of light carved a breathtaking arc, covering several hundred meters in less than a breath.

”I’m safe.”

The moment Su Chen landed, he sent a reply to Ruoruo via Mind Transmission.

Practice makes perfect.

He had gained some experience destroying Teleportation Gates. This time, to be safe, he had cast a Fireball Technique from a distance.

”A Crystal Pillar is about to land to your left, about a hundred meters away,” Yan Ruoruo called out, having a clear view from the clifftop.

During the violent implosion and spatial shockwaves, the tide of Destruction had obliterated many of the Magic Guide Crystal Pillars. However, a few individual pillars had broken free from their fixed bases and been sent flying by the gale-force winds.

’Good stuff.’

Su Chen certainly wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

CRACKLE!

A wild arc of electricity tore through the smoke-filled river valley, and a figure crackling with lightning warped a hundred meters in an instant.

A vast, invisible wave, shaped by his Telekinesis Weaving ability, formed a giant hand that snatched the pillar.

”You...”

A nearby armed figure jumped in fright, unable to even turn his gun around in time.

VMMMM!

A gravity field slammed down on the two of them like a mountain, without any warning. Their combat suits, along with the bones inside, were crushed into a bloody paste and driven into a crater several meters deep in the ground.

Dealing with two small fry didn’t stop Su Chen from examining the pillar.

The structure of this Magic Guide Crystal Pillar wasn’t as bulky as he had imagined. It stood just over 1.3 meters tall, was cylindrical in shape, and had a diameter of a little more than twenty centimeters.

Despite its sleek appearance, it was incredibly heavy.

It weighed over a ton, and he had no idea what materials had been used to forge it.

A strange, runic luster flowed across the translucent, composite Magic Guide alloy. When Su Chen tentatively sent a wisp of his consciousness into it, he met with no resistance, and the Demon Patterns on the surface lit up instantly.

A stream of information was then rapidly decoded and presented in a way he could understand.

[Magic Guide Hub Crystal Pillar (Defense Type II)]

Status: Core structure damaged / Energy saturation 13% / Energy tainted / Functionality impaired

Effect 1: Deploy Barrier (Active)

Description: Draws energy from mineral crystals with the required Spiritual Energy attribute to construct a regional composite Barrier. Features architectural adaptation and linked-array construction capabilities.

Effect 2: Elemental Amplification (Passive)

Description: Cannot be activated due to damaged structural components. Please replace them at the Magic Guide depot in Elemental City.

”Hm?”

’Elemental City!’

This stream of information made Su Chen realize that the previous magical era had likely left behind some contingencies.

However, judging by the damaged components, he could assume that Elemental City had been thoroughly ransacked after the end of its era.

It was just like when he, guided by the will of the world, had ventured deep into an underground gallery and sent a group of cave dwellers to a sacrificial altar.

’Are there any more?’

Su Chen’s eyes lit up. Considering the Magic Guide Crystal Pillar’s ability to be enhanced by linking with others, he was eager to find another one.

This piece of Magic Guide technology was far better than any trap.

”One pillar fell into the river, and members of the Ghost Assault Team worked together to take another one,” Yan Ruoruo reported, having kept an eye on them.

At the same time, Su Chen’s Global Perception swept across the heart of the battlefield like a tide.

The ruins left by the Teleportation Gate’s explosion were a complete wreck. To make matters worse, the water level of Qingxi Stream was still rising frantically.

The collective will of the Ghostly Water Charm commanded the river, wielding its immense power. Every torrent was like an extended tentacle, continuously submerging and destroying the buildings that stood in the valley.

When a warehouse wall suddenly collapsed, a large quantity of unpackaged, pure-white mineral crystals were swept out by the current.

The crystals glittered like frost and snow, radiating Spiritual Light from within.

The mere brush of his consciousness across them made them emit wisps of a resonant glow.

”He’s there!”

”That guy stole the Magic Guide Crystal Pillar!”

Just then, several tracer rounds tore through the night sky, pinpointing Su Chen’s location.

Fireballs, Armor-Piercing Crossbow Arrows, and a hail of bullets flew at him, but only succeeded in blasting scorched earth and rubble from the muddy ground.

In the next instant, Su Chen appeared like a phantom inside the collapsed mining depot.

THUD!

The Magic Guide Crystal Pillar, held aloft by an invisible force, slammed down into a storage trough, its base embedding itself among the mineral crystals that had been refined and extracted from the surrounding rock.

’Absorb.’

HUMMM!

Under the command of his will, the Demon Patterns on the Magic Guide Crystal Pillar’s surface flared to life.

Upon contact, the incredibly hard mineral crystals began to vibrate violently. The Spiritual Light within was forcibly extracted, transforming into wisps of white mist that spiraled up the Crystal Pillar.

Within a few short seconds, they dimmed and cracked before finally crumbling to dust like weathered limestone.

In his mental interface, he saw the pillar’s Magical Energy saturation level begin to climb rapidly.

14%... 15%... 22%.

’Can’t I even charge this thing in peace?’

Seeing his relentless pursuers closing in, Su Chen simply activated the Crystal Pillar’s protective Barrier function.

VMMMM!

A heavy, almost tangible Spiritual Fluctuation spread out, and a translucent, formless Barrier bloomed into existence. It was like an overturned jade bowl, completely enveloping Su Chen in an eight-meter radius.

The fluctuation even penetrated and reinforced the ground two meters deep.

In theory, the range could be extended even further.

The power output could also be increased.

But there was no need.

Volleys of sharp Armor-Piercing Bullets and frenzied Elemental Magic crashed against the Barrier, stirring up nothing but faint blue, water-like ripples, completely unable to achieve any Piercing.