Pillar of Yita

He opened his mouth wide.

Then came a scream of agony.

Fang Hong saw the middle-aged Arcanist fall to the ground, and his heart steadied slightly. He already knew that the key figures were Nulman and this middle-aged Arcanist, and when Nulman made his move, he confirmed it. His Excellency the Governor was indeed extraordinary, with swordsmanship far superior to the Bain Knights, though his level seemed not yet awe-inspiring, estimated to be around Level 25.

The middle-aged Arcanist’s level was similar, but compared to a Swordsman, an Arcanist posed a far greater threat in combat. Solving the latter was a significant advantage for him.

However, His Excellency the Governor acted a bit late, not yet reaching the position of the four Bain Knights, and the latter’s previous offensive had stalled, making breaking through the Energy Angel’s defense challenging. At this moment, it was clearly the opportunity he sought, the only chance to escape from here.

Fang Hong withdrew his hand, several familiar Alchemy Array constructs flashing through his mind:

”Elemental recognition, material separation, structural reshaping, property alteration.”

Wearing reinforced gloves, his right hand traced a rough shape in the air, and behind him, the Siren Gears flashed with layer upon layer of Silver Formations, merging and slowly overlapping.

If that Arcanist were still present, he would easily disrupt his control over Ether; compared to their understanding of Ether Theory, even a Magic Guided Conductor was far inferior to a craftsman. But in terms of controlling Ether, a Combat Artisan was far less adept than the former. Still, the opponent clearly could no longer achieve this.

And it was at this moment.

A thousand years after the disappearance of the Numelin Elves, here, in the Bain fortress, Ancient Elven Alchemy revealed its brilliance once more.

The knights still advanced, but time seemed frozen. As if guided by Fang Hong’s gestures, the surrounding solid stone walls slowly changed shape, turning into quicksand and converging towards the center. This sudden change shocked everyone present; the knights were terrified and instinctively retreated.

Numaner’s face was both surprised and angry, as if realizing something, he shouted angrily: ”Don’t retreat, charge forward.”

But how could they charge forward with the Energy Angel blocking the way—

Moreover, everything happened so fast that before Nulman could finish speaking, the swirling quicksand coalesced into a solid barrier, isolating both sides. He stopped in his tracks, the four knights barely halting before the wall, everyone wide-eyed, looking at each other in disbelief.

What kind of sorcery is this?

Is this what they call Alchemy?

On the other side of the wall.

Fang Hong stood silently before the wall, countless paths of light raced through his mind, connecting countless stars to form a grand Star Chart. But when the last few light points connected to this Star Chart, all Alchemy structural points dimmed, as if returning to their material form.

He opened his eyes, his body swaying slightly.

The magical power demand of the Siren Gears was still the same as before, massive, and he had never attempted such a large-scale transmutation with it before, nearly draining his magic power completely.

But the calculations were correct; there was no issue of magic power depletion without the wall being sealed.

Fang Hong glanced at his now-empty Mana Pool, then flipped the empty Magic Storage Crystal down, replacing it with a new pair. Having learned from the lesson at Idus, he now carried double the average number of Magic Storage Crystals.

Though this occupied extra load-bearing capacity, considering the ’appetite’ of the Siren Gears, it still seemed barely sufficient.

He rubbed his dizzy forehead, the dizziness caused by overuse of spiritual power. However, there was no need for alarm; it wasn’t his first time using Ancient Alchemy, and he knew the symptoms would soon pass.

Then Fang Hong raised his head, glancing at the wall before him—a metal luster flashed across it, resembling cast iron.

But this was not some turning-stone-to-gold trick.

He used the material of the Energy Angels sealed within the wall, forming a layer of metallic armor on the surface in a short time. In this way, a Level 20+ character could not possibly penetrate this wall in a short period, right?

Unfortunately, three more Energy Angels were lost, and he had vowed to better cherish his Flexible Constructs from now on. How did it end up like this again?

Fang Hong felt heartache to the point of breathlessness.

He cast one last glance at the wall, then turned to leave, without removing his Wind Goggles, as he needed to retrieve the ’Hornet- I’ from the other side. Having lost the Energy Angels, if the ’Hornet- I’ could not mitigate the loss, he might truly bash his head here, and the Combat Artisan profession would seem too tragic, wouldn’t it?

As he walked, he also retrieved several Fire Giants from under his coat.

Though he had temporarily sealed His Excellency the Governor on the other side, it didn’t mean he was safe. Fang Hong was actually quite clear-headed—this battle tonight was just beginning. He needed to fight his way out, all the way through the castle, until finally crossing the Central Court and outer areas to escape this place.

Countless troubles awaited him.