The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Chapter 277: Chapter 177: Rilis Walks into the Line of Fire, Black Sun’s Plan

The look on Wang Ya’s face was a sight to behold. The young male Wizard and the female Wizard were from the Black Tower in the Inner Zone, caught in a tangled web of love and hate with complicated emotions… And the male Wizard, Comoro, was shockingly also after the Black Sun Inheritance.

Opening the Black Sun Inheritance actually required five Black Sun Badges.

Comoro had obtained four badges and had already trapped and killed two groups of Wizards who came searching for the Black Sun Ruins.

Wang Ya was horrified. ‘If I hadn’t been more cautious and used my Dream Wizard techniques to uncover this, my plan tomorrow with Kaze Antuun to find the Black Sun Ruins with the badge would’ve been a complete disaster.’

‘Comoro’s Wizards are already guarding the Black Sun Ruins. The moment they find the fifth Black Sun Badge, they’ll surely use all their power to kill us.’

‘Four Extreme Wizard Apprentices, plus their other hidden tactics, not to mention Comoro himself—the so-called strongest Level 3 Wizard Apprentice from the Black Tower… There’s no way Kaze Antuun and I can handle a force like that.’

Having obtained this information in advance, however, gave Wang Ya many options to avoid the danger.

Now, Comoro was out in the open, while he and Kaze Antuun were in the shadows. If they exploited this information gap well, they might just be able to get their hands on a piece of the Black Sun Ruins.

Wang Ya’s eyes glinted, his mind racing as he considered the possibilities.

On the light screen, Qiudongqiu flew out of the Circular Tower. The vision continued to play out.

Wang Ya didn’t sever the connection, letting the black eye remain hidden in the room to see if he could gather any more information.

His Dream Power was still plentiful.

He hadn’t reversed time by much—a 24-hour difference at most.

…

A large flock of gray-feathered birds circled and danced in the sky, all moving in one direction.

They were heading toward a valley with a dense, dark forest. The vertical cliffs on both sides were covered in dark-colored vines that squirmed ceaselessly, like living creatures sucking nutrients from within the rock face.

The flock followed the gorge, flying deeper inside. Occasionally, a bird would alight on one of the blooming flowers, only for the petals to snap shut. A moment later, the flower would spit out a clean skeleton, the bird’s flesh and blood having become the vine’s nourishment.

The flowers secreted a special pheromone, extremely alluring to the flock and other creatures, which were then devoured completely.

The deeper they flew, the more outrageous the concentration of Particle Energy in the valley became. It was so thick that the wings of the lead bird grew heavy.

The lead bird’s pupils were filled with dark, bloodshot veins. Its gaze was surprisingly intelligent, as if a human were thinking behind its eyes.

As it led the flock over the final mountain range, the last section of the gorge came into view. There stood a massive, blurry, square-shaped structure, veiled by a vast, shimmering Celestial Curtain… Suddenly, an invisible force struck the lead bird. POP! It disintegrated into a bloody mist, leaving not a trace behind.

At the same instant, the rest of the flock was annihilated by the same force, exploding into nothingness.

The figure of a male Wizard materialized in the void. He frowned slightly and, with a wave of his hand, dispersed the bloody mist of the birds that had trespassed.

「Meanwhile, far from Licorice Camp.」

The Flying Griffins cut steadily through the sky, tearing through the fierce winds as they soared above the clouds, letting out clear cries.

Unable to contain his boredom, Harak began to soar and circle around the two Flying Griffins.

Kaze Antuun merely glanced over, his gaze falling upon Wang Ya, who had just opened his eyes. “What is it?” Kaze asked, his expression grave. “Did you discover a clue?”

Wang Ya nodded lightly, his eyes glinting. ‘That Wizard’s figure… There’s no mistaking it. It was Oby Shao, the third of the Oby Brothers.’

‘The Power of an Extreme Wizard Apprentice is truly terrifying. I didn’t even notice him before he acted and wiped everything out.’

Wang Ya glanced at Kaze Antuun. The powerful fluctuations of his Particle Energy were just a notch weaker, already on par with an Extreme Wizard Apprentice from the Dark Land.

‘The Oby Brothers and Victor must all be at this level of Power.’

‘This is trouble.’

‘Getting the Black Sun Inheritance is not going to be easy!’

After Wang Ya told him what he had discovered, Kaze Antuun fell silent. He was in an extremely foul mood. Seemingly wary of Wang Ya’s presence, he didn’t say much more, but the frosty expression on his face refused to thaw.

Neither of them could have expected this outcome.

Four Extreme Wizard Apprentices were guarding the Black Sun Inheritance, setting a honey trap for anyone who approached.

With the strength and resources of the Antuun Clan alone, obtaining the Black Sun Inheritance was simply impossible.

Besides himself, the clan had only one other Extreme Wizard Apprentice. Unless they could find two more… Kaze Antuun’s mind was in turmoil. He considered numerous plans, but ultimately rejected them all.

There was only one Black Sun Ruins. If they brought more people in, their own share of the prize would become vanishingly small.

Not only would that be unacceptable to him, but he figured Wang Ya Harak would find it unacceptable as well.

The Black Sun Ruins, which required five Black Sun Badges to open… Kaze Antuun’s expression dimmed, and he subconsciously glanced at Wang Ya.

‘There’s only one option left,’ he thought. ‘I have to bring in the Wizards from the Illusory Dream Lineage.’

But striking a deal with Wang Ya Harak was one thing; striking a deal with the entire Illusory Dream Lineage was another matter entirely.

At that point, he figured his Antuun Clan would be lucky to get even a thirty percent share.

Kaze Antuun couldn’t think of any other way out. His face was thunderous. After going through so much, something that should have been theirs was still beyond their grasp, and might even fall into the hands of others.

‘How can I allow this? How can I accept this?’

And yet, he was powerless to change the current situation… Kaze Antuun clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. ‘The hope of the Antuun Clan!’

Wang Ya couldn’t accept this outcome either. The Black Sun Inheritance would be of immense help to him. Whether it was the True Yang Lock, a Level 2 Sublimation Witchcraft Artifact; the inherited knowledge of Special Particle Energy; or the Black Sun Wizard’s experience in achieving Perfect Balance, all of it would provide him with invaluable foresight.

He frowned, able to think of only two viable solutions.

The first was to bring in the Illusory Dream Lineage. If an Illusory Dream Wizard were to take action personally, there would certainly be no issue.

But he had to consider the potential repercussions from the other side—the Black Tower in the Inner Zone, which was home to several Level 3 Great Wizards.

The presence of a Level 3 Great Wizard was the deciding factor for establishing a foothold in the Inner Zone.

To a Wizard Influence from the Outer Zone, they represented an overwhelmingly superior force, an attack on a completely different level.

The involvement of an Official Wizard carried different weight and could easily provoke a High-Level Wizard from the opposing side to intervene. Comoro Sack’s background was not simple. He was backed by a powerful Wizard Clan within the Black Tower, though it was unknown if that clan had a Level 3 Great Wizard.

Wang Ya had not revealed any of the information about the Black Tower to Kaze Antuun.

Based on the information he had gathered, he could potentially exploit Qiudongqiu Lola’s desire to bring Comoro back to the Black Tower.

‘The Black Sun Ruins require five Black Sun Badges to open…’ Wang Ya felt a headache coming on. ‘This Black Sun Great Wizard’s methods are a real pain. Not only did he encode fake locations and fake Wizard Ruins onto the badges, but he even split the key itself into so many pieces.’

‘Just how paranoid was he? The Cao Aman of the Wizard World?’

Wang Ya narrowed his eyes. ‘That plan won’t work. If those four Black Sun Badges are taken back to the Black Tower, the Black Sun Ruins will be lost forever.’

‘I have to find a way to get my hands on those four Black Sun Badges.’

‘And at the same time, I have to ensure Comoro Sack survives.’

‘It’s best if no Official Wizards get involved.’

Bringing in the Illusory Dream Wizard was Wang Ya’s last resort.

‘Four Extreme Wizard Apprentices… It’s not like there’s no way to deal with them…’ Wang Ya’s gaze fell on Harak, who was perched on his shoulder.

Harak was at the Beast King Level, equivalent to an Extreme Wizard Apprentice. With his numerous Extraordinary Traits, he was one of the most fearsome beings even among their ranks.

His Life Force, Defense Power, swarm tactics, and various other countermeasures were all perfect.

‘If I turn Comoro Sack into one of the Bacteriophage Infected, his Life Force will be preserved.’

‘Worse comes to worst, I could kill him, turn him into a Black Soul, and then revive him using Harak’s Black Servant ability.’

‘I just need to find three more Extreme Wizard Apprentices.’

‘I’m confident I can fight Comoro Sack. As a fellow Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, I won’t lose to anyone.’

‘I’m also confident in Harak.’

‘Victor and the Oby Brothers are, at best, second-rate among the Extreme Wizard Apprentices of the Dark Land.’

‘Stronger than Tuta Wizard, but weaker than Wizard Yi Si.’

‘Kaze Antuun is on par with Wizard Yi Si.’

Wang Ya nodded to himself. ‘This plan is feasible, and there’s a good chance it will succeed.’

‘From what I know, the Antuun Clan has one other Extreme Wizard Apprentice besides Kaze Antuun.’

‘Just because I don’t want the Illusory Dream Wizard to get involved doesn’t mean my senior sister can’t.’

‘The image of Wizard Kelan surfaced in Wang Ya’s mind. In terms of Power, his senior sister was also unfathomably strong.’

The corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile. A plan to deal with the Black Sun Ruins was gradually taking shape.

Kaze Antuun was still stewing, his foul mood making it impossible to maintain a Wizard’s usual composure. He just wanted to vent his frustration.

The Flying Griffin had left the Separation Land far behind, entering the sphere of influence of the Land of Decay.

Fierce, tearing winds whipped against their faces and robes.

Suddenly, Wang Ya’s expression shifted. A strange throb of premonition echoed in his heart, a feeling of imminent danger.

The feeling wasn’t very strong, and the sense of crisis it brought was relatively weak.

Kaze Antuun seemed to sense something as well. His already gloomy expression turned incomparably cold.

A black-mottled pattern surfaced on Wang Ya’s palm.

‘This is… the aura of a curse!’

An image of a person surfaced in Wang Ya’s mind.

“Wang Ya Harak, I told you I would make you pay in blood. You finally left the Dark Land.”

A woman’s voice, filled with resentment, echoed all around them.

The floating clouds in every direction turned from white to pure, inky black.