Chapter 57: Chapter 57: It’s Not Me You’re Fighting, It Is

Active Shield!

Everyone present gasped in shock.

The Active Shield was one of the very best defensive items among alchemical-grade Magic Items.

To think Pei Ze had such a trump card up his sleeve!

But no one was more shocked than Pei Shaoqi.

When Pei Ze was driven out of the Pei Family, he had only a few dozen Gold Coins to his name. Where did he get the money to buy an Active Shield?

But there was no point dwelling on it now. Pei Ze’s counterattack came swiftly, and Pei Shaoqi had to suppress his shock and anger, forcing himself to meet the assault head-on.

In an instant, the clearing lit up with dazzling flashes of light as spells flew wildly.

Acid and Freezing Beams crisscrossed, sometimes colliding and annihilating each other.

Other times, they struck their targets simultaneously, only to be blocked and dissipated by the Magic Shield and the Active Shield.

The high-frequency barrage of spells left Cheng Li and the others mesmerized.

They had never witnessed such an intense magical duel before.

Meanwhile, expressions of utter disbelief slowly crept onto the faces of Gu Lin and Yin Guang.

If they were somewhat uncertain before, they were now completely convinced.

To be able to fight on even footing with Pei Shaoqi, who was casting without incantations using a Magic Staff, Pei Ze had to be using the Segmented Casting Technique!

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the profound shock in the other’s eyes.

They were both exceptionally talented and had ample resources provided by their families, allowing them to advance far faster than ordinary Wizard Apprentices. Yet even so, neither of them had managed to become a Third-level Wizard Apprentice.

And yet, Pei Ze had advanced and broken through before them!

The key point was that Pei Ze was an ordinary apprentice who had been expelled from his family and had no resources whatsoever!

’To advance faster than them under such circumstances... what kind of monstrous talent is this?’

For a moment, both Gu Lin and Yin Guang stood frozen in place, their minds reeling. It took them a long time to recover.

Meanwhile, the battle on the other side was reaching its conclusion.

Under the high-frequency barrage of spells, Pei Shaoqi quickly exhausted the spells stored in his Magic Staff. The glow of his Magic Ring had also dimmed considerably, with only one Magic Shield left in its storage.

Pei Ze, in contrast, was completely unharmed under the protection of his Active Shield. He looked vigorous and showed no signs of his Spiritual Power running low.

Seeing this, Pei Shaoqi grew anxious.

He turned to look at his Blood Demon, hoping it could quickly finish its opponent and come to his aid.

But one look sent a chill through his heart.

At some point, the Crow Magic Pet had swelled to a height of two meters. It exuded an oppressive, cold aura, and the sonic booms from its swiping claws were incessant as it battered the Blood Demon, which cried out pitifully.

Anyone could see that the Blood Demon’s defeat was only a matter of time.

"It’s over!"

The thought surfaced in Pei Shaoqi’s mind uncontrollably.

Noting the change in his expression, Pei Ze scoffed inwardly and, without another word, cast a Mage’s Hand.

With a howl of rushing wind, the invisible giant fist slammed into the Magic Shield in front of Pei Shaoqi.

The shield’s light flickered violently.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The invisible fist rained down blow after blow with overwhelming force.

In just a few short seconds, the Magic Shield shattered.

The next blow from the invisible fist landed squarely on Pei Shaoqi, smashing him to the ground and driving him deep into the dirt.

He coughed up a large mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale as he lay limp on the ground, clearly having lost the ability to fight.

Without sparing him a glance, Pei Ze turned toward the Blood Demon and raised his hand, casting a Dizziness Technique.

The fairy-type race had high magic resistance. The Dizziness Technique only stunned the Blood Demon for less than a second before it recovered.

But that was enough. Seizing the opportunity, Wuyu tore off a large chunk of crimson flesh from the Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon seemed able to change its body at will, but it was not actually incorporeal or semi-incorporeal. Unlike Wuyu, it had a physical body; it was just extremely pliable, allowing it to alter its shape.

Pei Ze had a whole Compendium of Magic Pets memorized, so of course he was familiar with the Blood Demon.

He also knew that the Blood Demon had a core inside it. As long as the core was removed, the Blood Demon would die.

Watching Pei Ze expressionlessly cast spell after spell, raining Dizziness Techniques on the Blood Demon as if they cost no Spiritual Power at all, Gu Lin and Yin Guang couldn’t help but swallow hard, their hearts filled with shock.

’He already cast thirty or forty spells during the fight, and now he’s used at least seven or eight Dizziness Techniques. He doesn’t look tired at all. Just how much Spiritual Power does he have?’

’Even those veteran Third-level Wizard Apprentices who cultivate Advanced Meditation Techniques probably can’t compare!’

Hearing the Blood Demon’s screams, Pei Shaoqi quickly realized Pei Ze’s intention. His face changed dramatically, and he struggled to lift his head, yelling, "Stop, Pei Ze! I surrender! Stop!"

His father had paid a huge price to get that Blood Demon for him. If Pei Ze killed it, his loss would be immense.

"Pei Ze, you..."

Pei Shaoqi tried to say more, but Pei Ze stomped heavily on his back. He let out a pained cry, unable to speak another word.

About a dozen breaths later, Wuyu tore open the tattered Blood Demon’s abdomen with a single claw and pulled out a translucent, crimson bead.

As the bead left its body, the Blood Demon froze. The next instant, it melted like snow, SPLATTING onto the ground in a puddle.

CAW!

Wuyu flew to Pei Ze’s side, presenting the crimson bead to him as if seeking praise. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Well done."

Pei Ze took the bead and praised Wuyu with a smile.

A Blood Demon’s core was a fine prize. It was a precious material for making puppets, specifically puppets with life-draining properties.

After stowing the Blood Demon’s core, Pei Ze removed his foot and grabbed Pei Shaoqi by the collar, hoisting him up.

Pei Shaoqi’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Pei Ze, his gaze filled with venomous hatred.

Pei Ze sneered and, without another word, punched him in the face, distorting his features.

"A defeated foe should act like one."

"I don’t like that look in your eyes."

The punch made Pei Shaoqi’s vision go black, and he nearly passed out. When he caught his breath, he decisively backed down, averting his gaze.

Pei Ze said coolly, "Hand over all your points."

Pei Shaoqi’s cheek twitched, but he didn’t struggle. He probably knew it was useless and silently transferred his points to Pei Ze.

"That’s more like it."

Pei Ze smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then tossed him aside like a piece of trash and looked over at Cheng Li’s group of four.

The four were still lost in the shock of Pei Shaoqi’s defeat and didn’t snap out of it until they met Pei Ze’s indifferent gaze. They all shivered in unison, startled back to their senses.

Cheng Li swallowed and said cautiously, "Pei Ze..."

Pei Ze cut him off bluntly, saying coolly, "You all hand over your points, too!"

The four of them immediately paled but didn’t dare defy Pei Ze’s words, terrified of getting beaten like Pei Shaoqi. After a moment’s hesitation, they obediently transferred their points.

"Take this guy with you," Pei Ze said, pointing at Shaoqi on the ground.

Cheng Li and the others scrambled forward. They clumsily helped Pei Shaoqi to his feet and fled as if their lives depended on it.

Before leaving, Pei Shaoqi shot one last venomous glare back at Pei Ze.

Pei Ze noticed his glare but paid it no mind.

’No point in arguing with a dead man.’

Turning around, Pei Ze looked at Gu Lin and Yin Guang with a faint, unreadable smile.

"Now it’s your turn."

Gu Lin gave a forced laugh. "Um... I don’t want the Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy anymore. Can we just let this go?"

Pei Ze smiled without a word.

Gu Lin quickly added, "At least we didn’t attack you, right?"

Pei Ze smiled faintly and said, "Hand over your points, and I’ll let you leave."

’If it weren’t for the fact that they hadn’t attacked, I wouldn’t just be asking for points. I’d beat them to a pulp first.’

Seeing that Pei Ze was unyielding, Gu Lin sighed and said grimly, "Pei Ze, the reason I don’t want to fight isn’t because I’m afraid I can’t beat you. I just don’t want us to end up mutually wounded."

"You’re very strong, that’s true, but you just fought Pei Shaoqi. You must have used up a lot of energy. Do you still have the strength to face both me and Yin Guang at the same time?"

Yin Guang, standing to the side, took a step forward in coordination, making his stance clear.

If Pei Ze truly wasn’t going to back down, he would join forces with Gu Lin.

With their combined strength, even if they couldn’t defeat Pei Ze, they could at least fight him to a standstill.

"Mutually wounded?"

Facing their veiled threat, Pei Ze just smiled dismissively.

"You’re mistaken about one thing."

Gu Lin frowned in confusion. "What?"

"You won’t be fighting me. You’ll be fighting it," Pei Ze said, glancing at Wuyu beside him.

As he spoke, Wuyu abruptly dissolved into a thick cloud of black mist.

The next second, countless pure-black crows scrambled out of the mist, surging toward the sky like a torrent. In an instant, a sun-blotting cloud of them covered the entire sky.

Gu Lin and Yin Guang looked up in horror, their vision filled with nothing but an endless darkness composed of black crows.