One-Eyed Monster

At the foot of Guru Mountain, Scholar Manjia was talking to himself. He had always harbored aspirations for the future. Although he could deduce various possible futures, he was particularly invested in this one.

Elder Rostellum had already lost consciousness; having drunk too much cheap wine, he was in a drunken stupor. At that moment, lost in his dreams, he was gnawing on gold coins and smiling secretly to himself.

「On Guru Mountain, chaos reigned.」

Master Guzan and the others were hurrying toward Moonflow Stream, while on Dawn Peak, a large climbing team awaited the call of their mission.

Meanwhile, Moonflow Stream, an already mystical place, had become even more so.

Although they couldn’t see the moon, and only a few stars were visible, the darkness didn’t affect the young men’s moods.

At this moment, these young men were both panicked and excited.

Their panic stemmed from the unfamiliar environment, but their excitement arose from the fact that the opponent had seemingly revealed himself. Before long, they would see his true face and fight him head-on.

Although they were unsure how the opponent would attack, they found these Little Black Hands, now that they had regained their senses, to be quite formidable.

Igor and Stan Sol were no fools, naturally. They could sense the diffusion of Spirit Power; the Spirit Power emanating from these Little Black Hands had reached a boundless state!

Dark Wizard Reed also knew this wildly growing Spirit Power would pose a significant enough threat to him. He quickly cast aside all reservations, used every trick up his sleeve, and even revealed his hidden true form to fight.

They were redundant at this moment, Stan Sol felt. The level of Spirit Power wielded by the warring parties was far beyond what they could compare to.

In fact, Scholar Manjia’s analysis from the foot of the mountain was proving correct.

This was a clash between the new and the old.

A collision between the Power of Darkness and a nascent power.

While this collision might seem insignificant on the surface, the entire process would generate immense Energy Fluctuations.

It was precisely these two stirring energies that put everyone on the mountain on high alert.

”’What should we do now? Continue with our original plan to sabotage the agreement?’ Igor asked. This was the first time he had felt so powerless; he had truly never encountered Spirit Power of this magnitude before.”

Stan Sol shook his head; his meaning was clear. It was pointless to try and sabotage the agreement now. They could only focus completely, wait for the opponent to make a move, and then meet the challenge.

Kadi also grew alert, sensing a strong, putrid odor.

Wizard Reed gradually floated up. He could hide his figure well in the darkness, especially since he wasn’t skilled in Physique Techniques, allowing him to use the blackness to launch his attacks slowly. The creatures he had summoned would take some time to reach the battlefield, so he decided to serve an appetizer first.

The body, not originally his own, gradually drifted out from under his black cloak. Streams of black smoke trailed from the cloak, slowly drifting forward.

Soon after, Igor and the others found they couldn’t move, as if completely controlled by someone.

”’I can’t move!’ Kadi cried out first. ’It feels like someone has tied me up with some special kind of rope!’”

Instantly, Igor felt the same constriction, an invisible rope binding him completely, rendering him immobile.

”’A Binding Technique!’ Stan Sol grunted, all too familiar with this vicious spell. It used special, invisible ropes to bind a person before invading their very marrow, immobilizing every joint from the inside out...”

”’Battle Pet, come forth!’ Stan Sol commanded. He knew exactly what these invisible ropes were made of; only fire was effective against them.”

At his command, Battle Pet Fiery Blaze leaped out. It circled Stan Sol before climbing onto him. The Flame Armor materialized once more...

Immobilized, Igor and Kadi noticed things continuously falling from Stan Sol, now clad in his Flame Armor, with a SIZZLE. They couldn’t see clearly in the darkness, but from the sound, it seemed to be some kind of oily wax burning off.

”’Blood...Sucking Worms,’ Stan Sol gasped, pointing to himself as he spoke with difficulty to Igor and Kadi. ’Afraid of fire.’”

With all his strength, Stan Sol had managed to reveal the enemy’s nature to Igor and Kadi. It wasn’t too late, nor too early...

Igor and Kadi were quick to understand. They now knew what the enemy was, but unlike Stan Sol, they couldn’t control fire, nor did they possess a Battle Pet like Fiery Blaze.

”’Kadi, can you still command these Little Black Hands?’ Igor asked.”

”’I think so,’ Kadi replied.”

Igor’s mind, as always, worked quickly. Although they themselves couldn’t control fire, some of the Little Black Hands could! And since the Little Black Hands completely obeyed Kadi’s commands, they could borrow their strength.

”’But they’re still in those cages,’ Kadi said, hesitating a little.”

”’We can’t worry about that now!’ Igor urged. ’We can’t wait for Sol; he can’t hold them off alone. We must find another way! Besides, I don’t think those cages can hold them anymore!’”

”’Alright then,’ Kadi said and focused. ’Break free from these cages! We need your help!’”

The moment Kadi finished speaking, a loud BANG resounded. A torrent of fire erupted from mid-air, rampaging wildly.

Igor and the others stared in awe. That wasn’t just fire; it was an entire Fire Dragon—a completely unrestrained Fire Dragon!

”’Can you help us get rid of these worms on us? They’re devouring our bones!’ Kadi pleaded, sounding pitiful.”

”’With pleasure!’ the Fire Dragon rumbled, its voice deep, then it began to circle Igor and Kadi.”

Igor couldn’t quite see what happened, but things began to fall from his body with soft THUDS. Charred black, beetle-like things slid off him, landing on the ground and gradually forming a circle.

So, these invisible creatures had formed the ropes...

But what astounded Igor and the others even more was that the flames unleashed by the Little Black Hands were far more potent than those of Stan Sol’s Battle Pet. In the blink of an eye, the Blood-Sucking Worms on Igor and Kadi were completely incinerated. Moreover, the flames also helped Stan Sol eliminate the Blood-Sucking Worms on him.

Such power...

However, before Igor and his companions could fully process this, an urgent sound came from the sky—something was flapping its wings rapidly in the air...

Following the sound, Igor and the others looked up, only to see a multitude of small red dots in the darkness rapidly approaching them...at incredible speed.