Age of Adepts

This place was a vast stretch of forest located deep in the Black Forest.

Beneath the Silent Forest’s two-kilometer-wide canopy, the place was filled with powerful magical creatures that usually reigned over their own territories. Meanwhile, ordinary beasts, whose numbers were a hundred times that of magical creatures, had gathered as well. There were innumerable critters and insects as well.

They were of every species possible- so many that it was beyond the realm of imagination.

From the wind condors, razorwind hawks, chimeras, and wyverns flying in the sky, to the razortusk boars, iron rhinos, berserk apes, and earth maulers on the ground. There were even the strange purplecrawlers, bloodsucking spiders, formian ants, as well as the mostly extinct owlbears, bulettes, and gryphons.

In all seriousness, you could probably find every magical creature described in the Monster’s Encyclopedia here. There were even many species and animals yet to be recorded.

Even if an adept scholar that specialized in zoology were present, they would have trouble identifying each and every creature here.

These magical creatures typically hid in their lairs deep in the Black Forest. They had their own living areas and hunting areas. They rarely traveled and wandered into other creatures’ territories. Today, bound by a mysterious force, they had suppressed their instinct and desire to hunt. They gathered silently in this forest, awaiting instructions from the rulers of the forest.

While the numerous magical creatures gathered in the forest center, three rulers of different species with equally savage auras had gathered to discuss the upcoming invasion.

A large group of harpy witches had grouped up in the southeast corner of this small camp.

The harpy witches had a sizeable magical creature kingdom in the Black Forest. Members of their realm had gray feathers and were exceedingly ugly. They looked more like birds than humans. Only individuals who had significantly evolved would shed their feathers. They would only retain blue feathers on their joints, pits, and the tips of their limbs.

The harpy witches gathered here today were clearly elites, even within their kingdom. Their exposed skin was white and smooth. Their figures were slim and curvy, with exceptionally delicate and perfect facial features. The only remnants of their racial origins were their crimson eyes, their sharp, curved claws, and the blue wings extending out of their backs.

As spellcasters who had awakened to elementium powers, most harpy witches were clad in obvious wind and lightning elementium. When such a large group of spellcasters gathered together, the tide of magic aura they created was enough to trigger resonance with their surrounding’s wandering magic energy.

A pretty woman draped in a red feather cloak stood at their center, elegant and noble.

She was exceedingly tall, slender, and beautiful. She would cause a commotion in the mortal worlds with her appearance. However, the unique savagery of the magical creatures could be seen in her purple eyes, marked with dark eye-shadow.

More importantly, this beautiful woman who combined the gentle beauty of human women and the savagery of magical creatures within herself was actually wearing an intricate crystal crown.

She was an intermediate Fourth Grade harpy queen!

Supposedly, Harpy Queen Filoxi’s power as an intermediate Fourth Grade should not have qualified her as a ruler of the Black Forest. However, considering the shocking number of spellcasters in the harpy witch kingdom and their surprising number of strong fighters, she was granted a seat amongst the three forest rulers.

Meanwhile, a jellyfish-like creature hovered alone in the eastern corner of the encampment. It looked to be about the size of a rhinoceros. It floated ten meters above the ground with thousands of strange strands dragging beneath its body.

This jellyfish-like creature was semi-translucent, and its body was filled with a light blue liquid. It let out dizzying waves of light in the dim and dark environment of the forest.

This magical creature faced off alone against the other two rulers but was not at a disadvantage. Even the harpy queen, Filoxi, would betray caution and vigilance when her eyes landed on its strange body.

The third forest ruler was a giant bear with white hair all over its body.

It was five meters tall, and it sat upon a log, much as a human would. Its legs were crossed, and it had a giant pipe in its mouth, smiling as it blew out smoke.

Crude and simple metal armor hung over its body, covering its chest, back, and ribs; the rest of its body was still exposed. A metal helmet sat tilted on its head. Judging by how firm and thick it looked, the helmet had been forged with the unique starfell metal found deep in the Black Forest.

The three of them could be said to be powerful, uncontested ruler-class magical creatures in the Black Forest’s western regions. They were tyrants that no one dared oppose within the territories they respectively governed.

Now, encouraged by the magic surge, they had gathered together to discuss an official assault against the human settlements.

The Silent Forest was already on the edge of the western regions of the Black Forest. Another fifty kilometers east of here, they would enter the human territories of the Central Lands. It was said that the human adepts had constructed a dozen war towers and an entire adept tower at the edge of the forest in preparation for their attack.

The three rulers showed no signs of fear despite this knowledge. Instead, they were discussing the division of spoils after destroying the adepts’ defensive line.

“Adepts...we only want adepts!” Harpy Queen Filoxi tapped the crystal staff in her hand heavily as she glared with her purple eyes. “Hold back a little when you are fighting. Don’t kill all the human adepts. What we want are live adepts. The more powerful, the better. If you catch any adepts alive, we are willing to trade for them with dark crystals and Garo fruits!”

“Garo fruits are a delicacy. I still can’t forget that sweet taste in my mouth.” The white bear betrayed a humanoid look of gluttony. It blew out a thick cloud of smoke and chuckled, “Don’t worry! I will try and hold back when I run into those human adepts. However, I want all their magical crystals. If anyone were to try and fight them for me...hehehe! Don’t blame me if my fists don’t recognize you as an ally any longer.”

“That is fine! Filoxi wants the human adepts, you want the magical crystals, and I want the human souls, kehkehkeh! There’s no need for any conflict now. It’s a perfect result for everyone!” The jellyfish did not have a mouth. It communicated entirely with mental messages.

“Since it’s decided, let us begin our attack as soon as possible!” The white bear put away its pipe and stood on two legs as it roared. “Let the little ones sit here for too long, and they might get antsy and restless. The stampede formation might get disrupted.”

“Very well. Then......” The jellyfish did not finish speaking. All of a sudden, it froze, and its body turned slightly. Its thousands of fleshy strands also reached up and pointed toward the northeast.

Mysterious rumbling and thundering were coming from that direction.

These were unusual fluctuations coming from the level of the world principles. Ordinary creatures could not even detect these fluctuations. Only powerful individuals like themselves, who had reached the level of laws and principles, were qualified to embed their Spirit within the principles and decipher the message within.

The moment the three of them extended their Spirits into the principles, a violent, searing will rushed into their minds. It was a single word– ‘Leave.’

Harpy Queen Filoxi was caught unaware. She cried out in pain and spat out blood. Small flames appeared on her red feather robe and threatened to blaze up into a massive sea of fire.

The harpy witches gathered around her also yelped. Some of them jumped forward to protect their queen, while others flew into the air to look for the unseen attacker. The rest gathered their wind powers and attempted to help Filoxi suppress the flames.

“Do not touch those fires...get away from me!” Her subordinates didn’t know better, but Filoxi could instinctually sense the terror behind those golden flames.

She cast aside that treasured robe and instantly fled a hundred meters away. When her subordinates’ wind elementium clashed with the burning robe, a massive ball of flames erupted.

The flames caught three harpy witches that did not manage to evade in time. Their bodies and hair instantly ignited. No matter how they beat the flames or blasted them with magical power, it didn’t help. The magical power they concentrated at the fire only turned into fuel, causing the flames to turn even more ferocious.

The golden fire consumed three Second-Grade harpy witches in just a dozen seconds, reducing them to piles of black ashes.

The other harpy witches finally realized the terror of this golden fire. They no longer dared to add more fuel to the flames and hastily fled further away.

Filoxi had been injured, and the white bear wasn’t doing too well either.

It was tough, resilient, and managed to easily endure the searing will that had invaded its body through the principles. It stood on two legs and patted its chest heavily. A red stream of fire shot out of its nostrils, reducing the grass before it to ash.

However, the Undying Flames were not so easily expelled!

The white bear lifted its muscular right arm and looked confusedly at the flames burning on its palms. It tried multiple times, through several means, but it simply could not extinguish this seemingly weak fire.

He couldn’t use magical energy!

If he used magical energy, it would add fuel to the fire. It would only make it grow stronger. But if he couldn’t use magical energy, what was he supposed to do? Quench it with his hand?

The white bear extended two claws from its left hand and precisely pinched the flame between them. A short moment later, he let go. The fire was still burning quietly there.

It was almost as if the fire had planted roots in the bear’s soul. As long as the fire in its soul wasn’t extinguished, this small flame would never go out!