Chapter 95: Chapter 79: Just How Many Crows Does This Kid Have?

He certainly wanted to leave the North District, but it wasn’t worth risking his life over.

’Better to get out of here, and fast.’

’As for my agreement with Huo Nan... to hell with him!’

’Worst case, I’ll just keep hiding in the North District. I refuse to believe those Wizards can keep the district locked down forever.’

With his mind racing, Li Ke quickly made his decision and began to break through in the direction opposite to Pei Ze.

Pei Ze noticed Li Ke’s movement immediately, a derisive smile playing on his lips.

"Planning to run away already?"

"Weren’t you going to offer my soul to Ah Beipu?"

"Or is this the extent of your loyalty to your so-called Divine Master?"

"Then again, he’s just a worthless rock, after all."

"You!!" Li Ke exploded in fury, his face turning livid.

But ultimately, he didn’t fall for Pei Ze’s goading, merely shooting him a venomous glare before continuing his breakout.

Pei Ze shook his head to himself.

’Ah Beipu isn’t very good at his job, is he?’

’A respectable mid-level leader in the cult, and he can still stomach it after his Divine Master has been insulted so badly.’

’His faith can’t be all that strong.’

While mocking him internally, Pei Ze’s hands never stopped. With a mere thought, Wuyu finally unleashed its full power, a massive cloud of black fog erupting from its body.

WHOOSH!

The black fog shot toward the heavens like a pillar of smoke. Thousands of crows burst from the mist, pouring down from on high like a deluge, their target locked on Li Ke.

Li Ke’s face twisted in horror as he looked at the flock of crows that blotted out the sky.

At this point, how could he not realize he’d fallen for Pei Ze’s vicious trap?

’This bastard clearly had so many familiar derivatives, but he kept them hidden, slowly wearing down my strength like a frog in boiling water.’

’If I’d known from the start that Pei Ze had this many familiar derivatives, I would have turned tail and run without a second thought.’

But now, with less than twenty percent of his Elemental Power remaining, his chances of escaping the thousands of surrounding crows were slim to none.

"You despicable bastard!"

Amidst Li Ke’s impotent roars of fury, the oppressive flock of crows engulfed him like a tidal wave.

Not far away, Su Ya and Peng Yan stared, dumbfounded. Their mouths went dry, and they were so stunned they couldn’t snap out of it for a long moment.

They had vaguely guessed Pei Ze must have a considerable number of Fog Crows, but they had never imagined it would be this many.

Judging by the dense, scalp-tingling swarm, there had to be two or three thousand of them!

And these weren’t ordinary crows!

A single one of them had the power to crush a Senior Knight!

Over two thousand familiar derivatives, each comparable to a Peak Knight... that was enough to overwhelm a fully-equipped, ten-thousand-strong legion of the City Guard Army in a frontal assault!

For a moment, Peng Yan stared blankly at Wuyu on Pei Ze’s shoulder, his awe-filled gaze making it seem as if he were looking at a Legendary Creature.

Su Ya was just as astounded.

’No wonder our Knight instructor always spoke of Wizards with such a yearning tone.’

’To raise a single crow to a level comparable to a Legendary Knight... the methods of a Wizard are truly beyond comprehension.’

Looking down from above, it was as if a giant black cocoon had materialized in the middle of the wide street.

Flashes of earthen-yellow light occasionally flickered from within the black cocoon before vanishing.

That was Li Ke, unleashing bursts of power in an attempt to break free.

But it was useless.

Each burst killed a large number of Fog Crows, but against the impenetrable swarm, it was a drop in the ocean.

After several attempts, the black cocoon fell silent, and the light ceased to flash.

A dozen breaths later, the flock of crows suddenly scattered, revealing Li Ke within.

The Frenzied Drinker’s body of rock was long gone, torn to shreds by the Fog Crows’ talons.

His exposed body was drenched in blood, covered in gruesome wounds.

As the crows scattered, he collapsed to the ground as if his support had been pulled away, barely breathing. All of the arrogance he’d shown upon his arrival was gone.

Pei Ze waved the crows away and strode over to Li Ke, looking down on him.

Li Ke met Pei Ze’s gaze and struggled to open his mouth, as if trying to say something. But his throat was choked with blood, and he could only manage a few gurgled groans.

Pei Ze’s gaze was cold. With a flick of his wrist, a Fine Steel Longsword appeared in his hand.

With a flash of the blade, Li Ke’s voice cut off. His eyes widened, and the life left him.

And just like that, the last Frenzied Drinker of Ah Beipu’s forces in Chenxi City had fallen at Pei Ze’s hands.

Seeing Pei Ze finish off Li Ke with a single strike, Su Ya and Peng Yan breathed a collective sigh of relief, which was quickly followed by looks of genuine, joyous surprise.

They had been sure they were going to die tonight, but Pei Ze had unexpectedly unleashed his incredible power and, against all odds, killed the Frenzied Drinker—a monster whom every Wizard Apprentice feared.

It was absolutely astounding!

Gazing at Pei Ze’s back, Su Ya couldn’t help but marvel to herself.

’The more I’m around him, the more I realize how unfathomable he is. He has an endless arsenal of tricks, like a bottomless abyss you can’t see into.’

"That was incredible!" Peng Yan, his vocabulary limited, managed to force out the words after a long pause.

Su Ya rolled her eyes at him and strode toward Pei Ze, a brilliant smile on her face.

"Lord Pei Ze..."

Just then, a figure appeared like a phantom behind Pei Ze. A sharp blade sliced through the air, striking toward the back of his neck like a bolt of lightning.

In the darkness of the night, the gleaming blade shimmered with a faint red glow—the Power of Fire Element!

The color drained from Su Ya and Peng Yan’s faces as they shrieked a warning.

"Look out!!"

The warning had barely left their lips when the blade slammed viciously into Pei Ze’s neck!

CRACK!

To everyone’s surprise, the expected spray of blood never came.

A faint light flashed across Pei Ze’s body, and it was as if an invisible suit of armor had shattered, dissipating into a gentle breeze.

But the blade had been stopped.

As if he had anticipated this all along, Pei Ze spun around without a hint of panic, a dazzling starlight already coalescing at his fingertips.

The next moment, twenty Magic Missiles materialized from thin air and shot toward the attacker like a torrential storm.

At such close range, the attacker had no time to dodge and was struck squarely by the volley of Magic Missiles.

Even with the protection of his Elemental Power, the violent blast of energy sent him stumbling back with a muffled grunt. He retreated more than twenty meters before regaining his footing, staring at Pei Ze with a mixture of shock and fury.

"Huo Nan!"

In the moonlight, Su Ya quickly made out the attacker’s face and couldn’t help but gasp.

Peng Yan was shocked as well.

Huo Nan didn’t spare them a glance. His eyes were locked on Pei Ze as he snarled through gritted teeth, "You knew I was here all along?"

Pei Ze smiled faintly and tapped the Recording Ring on his finger. "Whether that Frenzied Drinker finished me off or not," he said calmly, "you still had to come back for the Recording Ring, didn’t you?"

At his words, Su Ya and Peng Yan froze for a moment before realization dawned on them.

The Recording Ring could record images. To avoid leaving evidence behind, Huo Nan would have to come back to retrieve it.

They felt ashamed. They were supposed to be Pei Ze’s protectors, yet they hadn’t even considered something so simple.

Thank goodness Pei Ze had anticipated it. If he’d been ambushed right after killing the Frenzied Drinker, at his most unguarded moment, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Huo Nan was silent for a long moment after hearing Pei Ze’s words. When he finally spoke again, his tone was ice-cold.

"You truly are brilliant. But that just makes me want to kill you even more!"