One-Eyed Monster

Wizard Reed also slowly began to sense that something was amiss.

Firstly, the several sources of Spirit Power that had been rapidly approaching Moonflow Stream earlier had drastically slowed their advance. Meanwhile, the Spirit Power of the imposter Great Mentor remained motionless. It appeared these vanguards were finding the imposter’s group more difficult to deal with than anticipated.

His strategy was to meet all changes by remaining unchanged, but he hadn’t expected the enemy to use the same tactic against him.

There were surely some experts on the side of the imposter Great Mentor.

Another source of Spirit Power was also causing Wizard Reed some trouble. From this Spirit Power, he could distinctly perceive the strength of the wind and the softness of water. It was clear that Wizards controlling the Natural Forces were ones Wizard Reed was particularly wary of.

He was somewhat wary of Wizards. Whether they were Sages of the Six Elements or not didn’t significantly affect him, but their ability to discern the principles behind his arts was a critical concern.

Wizard Reed could feel that the Spirit Power emanating from that particular Wizard combined attributes of ice and wind; these two elements appearing in the severe winter climate were truly deadly.

Wizard Reed was not afraid of the suffering caused by the cold and frost; he feared the damage the cold and frost could inflict on this mountain. The mountain’s secret was contained within a scroll. He even knew the scroll’s location, but without the Fossil Key, he couldn’t unlock the ruins.

However, just because he couldn’t open it didn’t mean the cold and snow couldn’t damage these ruins.

The scroll was hidden within, devoid of any protection. Even that Wizard’s natural attributes could damage its surface.

What he wanted was not just the content recorded in the scroll; he intended to take the very canvas that enveloped the entire scroll as well.

He would not overlook any detail concerning the scroll.

His purpose in coming here was solely to retrieve the scroll; this scroll held the secret of Guru Mountain.

Power is something everyone seeks. On this continent, even with the principle of Equivalent Exchange, people’s pursuit of power showed no signs of abating.

Everyone has their own methods of pursuing power, dreaming of standing at the apex of this world. Like Wizard Reed, who always fantasized that Willem of the Black Crow could change the world with him, toppling those currently in high positions.

Spirit Power Feedback from afar informed Wizard Reed that those approaching were testing him. If he lost his composure at this moment, all his plans would collapse.

Especially that illusion—it remained perfectly still, and he was unsure how to face it.

The other sources of Spirit Power, however, displayed distinctly different behaviors. They either sent out their Exchange Beasts or slowly approached, step by step, all in an exploratory manner.

Wizard Reed dared not act recklessly for now. He needed to maintain his own composure to create more duplicates. His duplicates were his main combat force. As long as he kept his true body hidden outside the opponent’s predictive range, he could secure victory using only them.

In truth, Wizard Reed’s actual body was incapable of engaging in any proper combat. After all, although Dark Arts offered shortcuts, they also demanded sacrifices. Wizard Reed’s original body was long gone; the one he had now was a patchwork.

It was this patchwork body that granted him powers others did not possess and allowed him to master so many secret techniques.

The fierce winter wind howled. No one knew what would happen next, but the atmosphere was tense, as if a ferocious battle was about to erupt here.

The first to arrive were Alchemist Milo’s ants. These small ants possessed no offensive skills, but they could provide Milo with a visual feed. Milo had released the ants here primarily for reconnaissance. However, at Moonflow Stream, they could see nothing; apart from sensing the boundless Power of Darkness emanating from the opponent, the ants detected little else.

Milo was unwilling to give up. He continued to release his ants, attaching a detonation Alchemy Equation to them. He had to attack proactively. Milo was often impulsive, unlike Kuyi Tulan. He was a straightforward individual who didn’t overthink things.

Since his ants could sense the opponent’s Spirit Power, he decided to let them track its source. Much like letting a dog catch a scent to track something, Milo’s ants were even more effective than hounds. Milo primarily used Exchange Beasts as his main weapon. While his other skills were not lacking, he was particularly formidable when it came to his Exchange Beasts.

His ants successfully latched onto a tendril of Spirit Power. Although this Spirit Power was very diffuse, he had enough ants to cover every direction of Moonflow Stream, ensuring he could trace and firmly attach to it.

This was Milo’s specialty. Whether using ants for surveillance or tracking, he could achieve perfection. His greatest failure had been his inability to use these ants to locate the Great Mentor. But now that he had found the Great Mentor here, there was no way he would let him disappear from sight. Therefore, he was determined to strike hard at anything that might impede his reunion with his master.

Even though he didn’t currently know the exact level of the opponent’s strength, he intended to latch onto them firmly.

Wizard Reed, finding these ants exceptionally troublesome, was forced to set traps everywhere for them to fall into. However, he underestimated their numbers. A dense stream of ants constantly surged in this direction, creating a peculiar sight against the vast, snow-covered land.

Knowing he couldn’t expose his true body, Reed continuously released what he had collected. These Malice Spirit Entities would unconsciously transform into his duplicates. These were not merely his duplicates but also constituent parts of him. Therefore, he fragmented these parts and scattered them to every corner, hoping to draw the ants toward them.

It was a battle of wits and courage. Despite no actual contact between their true bodies, their minds had already clashed for several rounds: one pursued while the other scattered; one sought while the other hid.

Back and forth they went, progressively expanding the area. Gradually, several large, dark clusters of ants formed on the snow-covered ground of Moonflow Stream.

These ants swarmed together, crawling restlessly as if awaiting orders.

Milo sensed the opponent’s aura growing stronger. He knew that what his ants had found was not the enemy’s true body. He couldn’t pinpoint the opponent’s exact location yet, but he could create a significant disturbance.

I have an art, and it’s called Explosion!