Chapter 93: Chapter 78: Still a Big Fish (Part 2)

Though he hadn’t admitted it outright, his words were as good as a confession.

Su Ya and Peng Yan’s expressions changed in an instant, their hearts a mixture of shock and fury.

They never imagined Huo Nan could be so utterly depraved!

To kill Pei Ze, he had actually stooped to making a deal with a heretic!

If this ever got out, there would be no place for him in all of Chenxi City!

Pei Ze, however, remained as calm as ever. He said lightly, "You trust Huo Nan’s promise that much? Aren’t you afraid he’ll go back on his word?"

The man scoffed. "He’s welcome to try, provided he isn’t afraid of the backlash from the Soul Contract."

The Soul Contract was a type of trade agreement.

Both parties would swear an oath on their souls. If either side violated the terms, their soul would be instantly annihilated. Not even a Wizard who had mastered Rule Power could save them. It was known as one of the most stringent contracts in existence.

Many deals between Wizards used such contracts as a safeguard.

Hearing this, Pei Ze nodded in understanding. He touched the Recording Ring on his finger, then turned to Su Ya and Peng Yan. "You two, stand back. Do not interfere in the coming battle."

Su Ya and Peng Yan froze, instinctively wanting to refuse, but the words died on their lips as they realized Pei Ze was right.

Against a Legendary Knight, if they were to rashly join the fray, they would only be a burden to Pei Ze.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the two finally complied and moved back.

The man watched this unfold with a cold sneer, making no move to stop them.

’Just two Senior Grand Knights. I can crush them whenever I please.’

’It won’t be too late to deal with them after I’m done with Pei Ze.’

"To be honest, my favorite thing is killing young geniuses like you."

Li Ke licked his pale lips, a chilling smile spreading across his face.

"Sacrifice your soul to my Divine Master. I’m sure he will be most pleased."

Facing Li Ke’s malicious gaze, Pei Ze simply gave a scornful smile.

The next moment, he abruptly raised his hand.

With a flash of light, a dense barrage of Magic Missiles erupted, hurtling toward Li Ke like a torrential downpour.

The piercing whistle of their flight instantly echoed over the street.

"Silent casting!"

Li Ke was startled but not panicked. He stomped his foot hard, and with a series of sharp cracks, the ground beneath him shattered. Rubble flew up his ankles, rapidly encasing his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, a thick layer of rock armor covered Li Ke from head to toe, transforming him into a three-meter-tall Stone Giant.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The Magic Missiles struck the rock armor one after another, blasting out basketball-sized craters that were quickly filled by new stone and earth.

After the volley of Magic, Li Ke was completely unscathed.

"Twenty Magic Missiles... Modified Magic, then."

Li Ke had fought his fair share of Wizard Apprentices and was intimately familiar with the Magic Missile technique. He immediately recognized that the Magic Pei Ze had cast was different.

Not only had the number of missiles doubled, but their power was also unusually high.

"Silent casting and modified Magic... It seems you’re even more formidable than I thought!"

Instead of being alarmed, Li Ke was delighted.

The more exceptional Pei Ze was, the greater his own reward would be after offering the boy’s soul to the Divine Master.

With a savage laugh, Li Ke lunged forward, charging toward Pei Ze with heavy, thundering steps like a mammoth.

The ferocious, terrifying momentum was so overwhelming that even Su Ya and Peng Yan, a hundred meters away, couldn’t help but feel their hearts pound with worry.

Pei Ze, however, remained calm and composed throughout. He unhurriedly raised a finger and pointed.

A fiery light flared in the empty air, rapidly swelling into a blazing, basin-sized Fireball. With a whoosh, it shot like a cannonball toward the menacing Li Ke.

The two forces collided violently in the middle of the street!

BOOM!

A deafening roar erupted along with a blinding flash of light!

A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact, spreading in all directions. The stone slabs on the ground shattered in its wake, and dust filled the air.

WHOOSH!

Li Ke burst through the dust, his massive rock body now pitted and scarred.

The front, where the Fireball had struck, had mostly crumbled away, faintly revealing his true body beneath.

Li Ke’s expression was grim.

He had thought that for a Third-level Wizard Apprentice of Pei Ze’s age, mastering a single piece of modified Magic was already impressive.

He never expected that the Fireball Technique was modified as well, its power more than fifty percent stronger than any he had previously encountered.

It had almost shattered his stone form!

A chill went down Li Ke’s spine, and he shed his contemptuous attitude.

He looked up and saw Pei Ze just ten meters away. A cold smile appeared on his face as he kicked off the ground. His intimidating form instantly closed the distance, a massive stone fist smashing down toward Pei Ze’s head!

BAM!

The stone fist passed through Pei Ze’s body without resistance, slamming into the ground and cracking the pavement.

"An afterimage!"

Li Ke’s brow furrowed. He understood instantly.

’The cunning brat used the flash from the explosion as cover to move.’

But before he could locate Pei Ze, a gloomy gray beam of light shot out from behind him at an angle, striking him with perfect accuracy.

Instantly, Li Ke felt his body grow heavy. A wave of powerlessness washed over him, and he felt significantly weaker.

Weakness Beam!

Li Ke gritted his teeth and spun around, only to be met with a sky full of black fog.

Accompanied by the dense sound of fluttering wings, innumerable crows burst from the black fog, swooping toward him like a tidal wave.

CRACK! CRACK!

The dense swarm of crows enveloped Li Ke like a black cocoon. Every second, dozens, even hundreds, of sharp talons raked across his stone body, tearing away chunks of rock and earth.

A hundred meters away, Peng Yan’s spirits soared as he watched the scene, a grin spreading across his face.

"Master Pei Ze is so strong! He’s even gaining the upper hand against the Drinker!"

But when he turned to Su Ya, he saw that her brow was still furrowed with worry.

"What’s wrong?" Peng Yan asked, confused.

Su Ya shot him a helpless glance and sighed. "The Drinker isn’t that easy to deal with."

Peng Yan was completely bewildered. "But Master Pei Ze clearly has the upper hand."

Su Ya shook her head. "Don’t forget that the Drinker, like any Legendary Knight, has mastered Elemental Power. That’s a force on a much higher level than battle aura. Just watch closely and you’ll see."

Dubious, Peng Yan turned his head back and stared intently with wide eyes.

This time, he immediately noticed something was different.

At some point, a faint yellow aura had enveloped Li Ke’s body. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The aura was incredibly faint and thin, but under its protection, the Fog Crows’ talons, which could previously tear off chunks of stone, could now only scrape away a bit of dust.

In contrast, wherever Li Ke’s aura-wreathed fists passed, the Fog Crows were annihilated as if struck by lightning, dissipating into nothing.

Even those merely grazed by the aura would shudder violently and rapidly disappear as if corroded.

"Th-this is Elemental Power?!" Peng Yan gasped.

Su Ya said gravely, "That’s right. It’s the Power of Earth Element, and it’s infused with the Power of Corrosion rumored to be unique to Ah Beipu. It’s far more formidable than ordinary Power of Earth Element!"

Hearing this, Peng Yan’s expression also grew heavy with worry.

’The Drinker is so powerful... I wonder if Master Pei Ze can win?’

Because of his barbarian bloodline, many of the Knight Students ignored him, and most Wizard Apprentices looked down on him. Only Pei Ze had shown him no disdain, even gifting him potions and a dimensional bag. This made Peng Yan grateful to Pei Ze from the bottom of his heart.

He had long since resolved to follow Pei Ze to the death, if only Pei Ze would allow it.

As he thought of this, Peng Yan’s gaze grew resolute.

’If Master Pei Ze is defeated, I’ll risk my life to stop that Drinker and buy him time to escape.’

Su Ya’s expression flickered, a fierce internal struggle playing out within her.

After a moment, she seemed to reach a decision. Her expression calmed, and a look of resolve settled in her eyes.

’To gain something, you must be willing to sacrifice.’

’Since I’ve decided to become Pei Ze’s follower, I can’t be half-hearted about it.’

’A genius Wizard Apprentice has no shortage of exceptional followers. If I lack unwavering conviction and loyalty, how can I ever hope to stand out from the other competitors and earn my place by his side?’

At this thought, Su Ya took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her sword hilt.

She still had the Blood Boiling Potion Pei Ze had given her. After taking it, her strength should temporarily rise to the level of a Peak Grand Knight. If she joined forces with Peng Yan, even if they couldn’t defeat the Drinker, they should have no problem covering Pei Ze’s escape.

The commotion here was significant; the City Guard Army would surely be alerted soon.

If they could just hold on for a little while, reinforcements would arrive.