Transmigration To Magus World-Chapter 160 - 164: Predicament

Chapter 164: Predicament

When a Innate Magus Stage expert strikes, it is a display of sheer power, enough to terrify both gods and ghosts, coupled with an overwhelming pressure of mental will.

At the moment of impact, Aizen’s horn-like punches collided with Lother’s palm.

The clash was so intense that Aizen felt his world darken, his breath nearly stolen, and his consciousness teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Lother’s hand, as swift and slippery as a fish in water, slipped past Aizen’s fists, aiming directly for his chest and lungs.

"Ha!"

In that critical moment, the power of the Ice Spirit Art surged within Aizen, clearing his mind instantly. With a decisive motion, he crossed his arms to intercept Lother’s wrist, clamping down with the force of iron shears.

But Lother neither flinched nor dodged.

"Crack!"

Aizen felt searing pain in his arms, but his grip managed to slow Lother’s strike. Even so, the Innate Magus Stage expert’s palm brushed against his chest.

"Die!" Innate Magus Stage snarled, releasing an explosive burst of internal energy.

"Hiss!"

Aizen gasped sharply as his chest collapsed inward by over three inches. Despite his defenses, the blow connected.

"Pfft!"

Blood spurted from Aizen’s mouth like an arrow. His face turned deathly pale as his body was hurled into the air like a tattered sack, falling toward the underground river. He intended to use the momentum to escape.

"Stay here!"

Innate Magus Stage launched himself like a great rock, pursuing Aizen with outstretched claws.

It didn’t matter if it was a river or a cliff—he would jump into the depths to capture his prey. A Innate Magus Stage expert is far beyond the ordinary, moving through water like a fish and scaling mountains with the agility of a monkey.

With a snap, Innate Magus Stage’s hand extended unnaturally, reaching for Aizen’s ankle.

This was a mastery of the 72 Transformations, a technique allowing control over the body’s size and proportions. Clearly,Lother’s strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Innate Magus Stage Sorcery artist.

However, just as his fingers were about to grasp Aizen’s ankle, Lother’s eyes flashed with alarm. Abruptly, he retracted his hand and retreated with swift movements, as if avoiding something.

"Boom!"

A massive spray of water erupted as Aizen plunged into the underground river, quickly carried away by the turbulent current.

"Sixth Master, this..."

The surrounding bandits hesitated, their faces filled with disbelief and trepidation.

For Aizen to escape Lother’s grasp was astonishing. They feared Lother might vent his anger on them.

"Chase him! Deploy people to block the riverbanks along his route immediately!" Lother barked, his expression dark.

He recalled the black lotus Aizen had suddenly revealed in their confrontation, his heart filled with bitterness.

"That brat actually had a Wrath Lotus, a weapon of such devastating power. If I hadn’t withdrawn to avoid it, I might have been gravely injured. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have escaped today."

The icy river’s rapid currents surged around Aizen as he kept his mouth and nose tightly shut. Instead, he relied on his open pores, breathing through them like fish gills.

Carried along by the current, Aizen used his senses to detect and avoid rocks and other obstacles in his path.

Suddenly, he kicked off a large boulder protruding from the riverbed, propelling himself out of the water. He landed in a small recess carved out by the underground river, a damp but temporarily safe refuge.

Panting, Aizen lay inside the hollow, his chest heaving painfully. Every breath burned like fire, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Even within the Innate Magus Stage, there are significant differences in strength," Aizen murmured, reflecting on his experience.

"Those who have just entered the Innate Magus Stage are known as Titan Stage Experts. Their punches and palms can rend tigers and leopards, and every move carries an unparalleled mental impact."

His face was pale, his body battered, but his eyes gleamed with determination as he planned his next steps in this dangerous game of survival.

"This Lother’s roar alone shook the mountains and rivers, and his strikes nearly crushed me in just a few moves. He must be at least at the mid-stage Titan Stage. Otherwise, there’s no way he could be this strong," Jiang Cheng concluded, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses exposed during their battle.

"Thankfully, he isn’t at the late-stage Titan Stage. If he had reached that level, his skin and flesh would be as durable as refined steel—a true Golden Body—and he wouldn’t have been so wary of my Wrath Lotus."

Aizen retrieved the black Wrath Lotus and carefully tucked it back into his robes.

He began channeling the techniques of his Demonic Body Cultivation, a method that healed and reinforced the body by breaking and rebuilding it stronger than before.

After a brief session, his injuries improved slightly, but the process was slow.

"Time is short. I’ll need medicinal assistance to recover faster."

At the Innate Magus stage level, Sorcery artists begin cultivating their Primordial Spirit, dramatically enhancing their spiritual power.

Some experts even achieve the ability to lock onto a soul within a thousand miles. By capturing a trace of their enemy’s aura, they can locate and eliminate their target anywhere within that range.

While Lother likely hadn’t reached such a level,Aizen knew that if their distance closed, Lother’s heightened senses would undoubtedly reveal his location.

Aizen sank his consciousness into the System Shop, which refreshed regularly. He had noticed that there was always about a 60% chance that the shop would stock Minor Rejuvenation Pills.

This time was no exception.

Spending 2,000 Wisdom points to exchange for an activity token, Aizen purchased a Minor Rejuvenation Pill and consumed it.

As the pill’s potent medicinal effects took hold, his injuries healed rapidly, and his body grew stronger under the sculpting influence of his Demonic Body Cultivation.

Meanwhile, in the expansive mountain range surrounding Luma Mountain, the bandits of the Nine Great linked Cloud Strongholds had sealed off all river routes.

Key exits of the underground river and various other passageways were heavily guarded. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

To the local bandits, the layout of the underground rivers and waterways was as familiar as the back of their hands. Aizen’s chances of surfacing without being noticed were slim.

On a small hill, a short-haired, burly man wearing a mink coat laughed heartily, slapping Lother—who wore his signature black eyepatch—on the shoulder.

"Sixth Brother, are you getting rusty? You let a quasi-Innate Magus Stage brat escape! Need me, your Third Brother, to help you save face?"

Lother’s face darkened. "Spare me the sarcasm, Third Brother. Your strength may surpass mine, but back when you were at my level, would you have dared face something like the Wrath Lotus head-on?"

"Hah!" The short-haired man chuckled coldly, his eyes gleaming. "That demon brat lives up to his name—crafty and resourceful. Even if he used the lotus to escape your grasp, surviving one of your strikes shows he has some skill."

He narrowed his eyes, a glint of killing intent flashing. "But he won’t hide for long. I’ve cultivated my spirit to a high degree. While I can’t lock onto a soul within a thousand miles, I can manage it within ten. I’ll search for him along the river while you guard the exits."

"What about the Three-Life Stone when we catch him?" Lother asked coldly.

"Hahaha! Brothers don’t haggle over trivialities. We share women—why not share a toy like the stone? We’ll let the nine of us enjoy it in turns. That way, the eldest and the others won’t have room to complain."

The two walked toward one of the underground river’s exit points, their grim laughter echoing ominously.

Deep within the underground river, Aizen slowly opened his eyes. The potent effects of the Minor Rejuvenation Pill had healed him completely, and his body felt even stronger than before.

Despite his recovery, a sense of impending doom loomed over him.

This visceral sensation of a life-or-death crisis was one that came with heightened cultivation and spiritual power. It was a forewarning, an intuition honed by mastery of the martial and spiritual Stage.

"It seems this is my tribulation. If I overcome it, I will soar like a fish leaping through the dragon’s gate... If I fail..."

Aizen’s eyes glinted coldly as he focused his mind and sank back into the System.