The Ultimate Evolution

The Rivendell prison equally held the distinct flare of the elves; glorious, elegant but not larger than the wooden house that Sheyan resided in previously . However, there was no bed or enchanted torches . A clear aroma of nature lingered around the atmosphere of the prison .

Drinking water was directly obtained by slicing open drooping down vines and sucking on them . The sap water was sweet and exotic . Whenever one felt hungry, one could simply ring a bell by the side . After a while, bowling ball-sized fruits would roll down from a hollow tree by the side .

The fruits were slightly similar to oranges . They had thick skin which emitted a smell that deterred insects . After tearing off the skin, the flesh was juicy and sweet; easily filling up one"s belly .

Although living like this was easygoing, Franklin felt as though time was excruciatingly slow . This was because of his unknown fate . Upon reflecting that others were freely searching for opportunities and accomplis.h.i.+ng missions, he felt exceedingly fl.u.s.tered that only he was imprisoned here .

Under this circ.u.mstances, Franklin could only stroke a bone-beast staff repeatedly . Allowing this impressive weapon to shower him with a sense of accomplishment, that the price he paid for this was worth it .

As for others coming to his aid, Franklin harbored zero hopes . He was clear that anyone attempting to rescue him, would be akin to rebelling against Lord Elrond and Glorfindel . There was simply no chance of that .

Yet, a miracle happened .

Sixteen hours after being imprisoned, the two elf guards were called away . Soon after, a middle-aged elf in a wizard robe strolled in and greeted politely .

“You are free to go . ”

Franklin felt rather stumped . He simply didn"t expect to be released so quickly . Of course, he wasn"t aware of the monumental changes happening in the outside world during his sixteen hours of imprisonment!

Rivendell was already a focal point of the Middle-earth alliance during this period . Yet during these sixteen hours, more news circulated around that once again plunged Rivendell into the limelight .

Firstly, it was regarding the newly awakened twilight elf who exhibited her boundless potential, Melody Sunstrider . The different races and clans in Rivendell had simultaneously received an invitation letter written personally by Melody Sunstrider .

The contents detailed her she suffered the unjust treatment and confinement by Lord Elrond and Glorfindel . Following that, she invited all to gather outside her residence during noon (an hour later), to listen to some words she had to announce .

If she failed to show up, that would mean that Lord Elrond and Glorfindel had violated the teachings of Iluvatar, where they enslaved and humiliated a twilight elf . If that happens, she wishes that all other elf kingdoms would return justice to her .

Without a doubt, the invitation letter had directly ruined the reputation of both Lord Elrond and Glorfindel; creating huge waves of controversies like a huge stone setting off ma.s.sive ripples .

Woodland Realm prince, Legolas, had immediately expressed indignation . The Mirkwood kingdom would never permit such dishonor and slave-like disgrace to a twilight elf from taking place . Thus, he had swiftly notified Thranduil, the elven king of the Woodland Realm, via a magic transmission of nature"s frost . He also notified Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlórien, in a bid to prevent a violation of Iluvatar"s teachings .

The various factions of Middle-earth then unanimously expressed their desire for the elves of Rivendell, not to escalate and blow up their internal affairs . Although they had their own opinions, they firmly believed that this was a matter that the elves had to resolve internally themselves . Nevertheless, should any elf thread on the path of error and affected the state of equilibrium with regards to the Dark Lord, then they would step in and perhaps forcefully .

Under such circ.u.mstances, Lord Elrond and Glorfindel were caught unprepared and felt as though their heads were struck by a rod . They had no idea why the normally pa.s.sive and weak Melody would abruptly display such a menacing demeanor . Therefore, they could find no excuses to prevent her from appearing to the ma.s.ses .

During the gathering, Melody"s speech was swift and concise; only raising two points .

The first point was about her awakening as a twilight elf . Despite her short awakening duration so far, it was only because of being a believer of the sun elf G.o.d, Sin"dorei, that she unintentionally recalled a minor memory of the journey to the Undying Lands . If the elves were to force a voyage, there was only a quarter of a chance they would make it there alive .

Although this information was simple, it directly weakened the resolve of those elves supporting Elrond and Glorfindel in this return to the Undying Lands by half! Even though many elves were unwilling to be entangled in the affairs of Middle-earth and harbored undying dreams to return to the Undying Lands, a mere quarter of a chance wasn"t sufficient for them to gamble with their lives .

Besides, an elf"s longevity was almost limitless, and can only be killed by the power of flames stabbing their hearts directly . Lord Elrond only dared to make this gamble due to his diminis.h.i.+ng vitality, but his supporters may not be willing to gamble on a mere quarter of a chance!

The second point was about the situation revolving Elrond and Glorfindel . She did not reveal any speculations nor did she express her personal opinions . Merely, she revealed that Lord Elrond had been ambushed and that he may perish within five years . Also, she randomly mentioned witnessing Glorfindel adorning the Vilya recently .

Following that, she bluntly terminated her speech .

The entire speech didn"t even last two minutes .

Melody didn"t offer any chance for questions and directly retreated into her residence .

There were differing opinions regarding the first point on the journey to the Undying Lands . Nevertheless, some sly old characters could decipher her hidden implications, which was if they compelled her to make this trip, then she could cause a hundred percent chance of success to dwindle to a mere 20 percent .

As for Melody"s second point, it caused a tremendous uproar . It was simply impossible to fabricate such immaculate description of Lord Elrond"s time of attack to the specific location and details .

A world was filled with mysteries after all, and one could only follow clues to reach a conclusion . Suffice to say, knowing the outcome and then verifying the clues leading to it would be much more easily .

Soon after, the truth of lord Elrond having only five more years to live was verified . Since this matter was proven true, then Glorfindel adorning the Ring of Air, Vilya, should also be authentic . Yet in actual fact, that was a lie fabricated by Melody, nevertheless, everyone believed her!!

As for the relations.h.i.+p between Elrond and Glorfindel, Melody remained totally silent . Nevertheless, her silence actually implied an ocean of a thousand words! The folks of Rivendell weren"t idiots, they could discern causes and effects; naturally, they could easily tell there was an agreement between them .

Without a doubt, more individuals began speculating randomly . Although the rumors differed, but they were absolutely disadvantageous to Elrond and Glorfindel . The rumors were filled with malicious intentions and after alterations into songs and poems by travellers and bards, the reputation of the two high elves went completely down the drain .

No doubt behind the scenes, Sheyan had stirred up everything .

The reason why Elrond and Glorfindel suffered such losses, was because they had no clue why a soft-spoken Melody had abruptly transformed into such an incisive opponent .

Her words were kept at the minimum and so were her actions . She only dispatched a few individuals to deliver invitation letters .

However, whatever she said or did…… . were akin to a hundred blades slicing against their body and heart . It was cutting and decisive!!

At present, even the shrewd and ruthless Elrond and Glorfindel were sh.e.l.l-shocked, baffled and beaten black and blue .

As the saying goes, a wrong misstep leads to a journey of errors . They failed to consider that Melody would retaliate so viciously, and even towards the area that hurt the most . Hence, they were suffering from the complete backlash right now .

While the stirring of confusion and chaos enveloped Rivendell, the dark hand behind the curtains was idly sitting inside a peaceful elvish tavern, sipping and enjoying the taste of fruit wine .

Honestly speaking, Sheyan disliked the taste of this fruit wine . Right now, most of the guests were out in the streets observing the tense situation . The bards were spreading rumors and gathering first-hand information . Only a crippled and unlucky tavern a.s.sistant remained in this tavern, and the only thing he could make was this fruit wine that was more sour than apple vinegar .

After gracefully drinking half of the mug, the tavern door was violently slammed open . The culprit had used such tremendous strength that the entire door snapped with a loud "kacha" .

Following that, a red-faced dwarf rushed in while huffing intensely . Indeed, he was Mister Segimli!

When he noticed Sheyan gesturing at him, he exclaimed .

“Y-y-yo-yo-you…… . … . ”

Sheyan smiled gently at the agitated Segimli and sat him down onto the stool beside him .

At present, Segimly looked exceptionally uneasy and his nostrils flared like an ox as he huffed vigorously . He continued stammering .

“Y-y-you-you"re s-ssay-saying… . ”

Sheyan gestured for the sullen looking and crippled bartender to pour a gla.s.s of wine . He then placed it before Segimli and chuckled .

“Refrain from being anxious my friend . We have the luxury of time, come, drink this first . ”

Segimli panted heavily and regained his breath before drinking the mug of wine in one gulp . However, his countenance instantly changed spectacularly . It was as though his facial features had contracted in together, as the dwarf"s braided beard trembled incessantly .

A full eight seconds later, he exclaimed resolutely .

“For the love of Mahal!! I sincerely beg you to never allow such a devilish drink from sullying my tongue, even if my longevity of a hundred years is on the line . This is practically defaming the good name of wine!”

“But it cured your stutter . ” Sheyan smiled and continued . “I know what you"re thinking . Thus, I can now officially answer you . Yes, and I am not deceiving you . ”

“You really can find enough mithril and adamantium??” Segimli inhaled a breath of chilling air to remove the sour taste in his mouth .

Sheyan nodded and answered .

“Indeed my dear Segimli . If I"m not wrong, this the sixth time you asked me that, and I"ve answered exactly six times . I don"t wish to encounter a seventh time . ”

“What do you want in return?” Segimli inquired urgently .

“Any powerful weapon regarding spatial magic!” Sheyan declared . “The more the merrier . ”

“What about the mithril and adamantium?” Segimli scratched his hand in embarra.s.sment and replied . “Although we are friends, but, this, the clan elders do not know you . Therefore, what if, err… . . ”

“I know you have your doubts and worries, after all, my name is unknown throughout Middle-earth . Hence, I"ve prepared some essentials as keepsake . ” Sheyan calmly a.s.sured and stood up . He brought Segimli into a rear room and opened a seemingly mediocre-looking chest .

Instantly, a warm and gentle glow permeated into Segimli"s pupils . He began stuttering once again .

“M-M-Mother Earth! The tiara of that twilight elf . To forge that requires immense efforts and even three immortal divine arts have been embedded onto it . The jadeite and magic prowess employed to craft this is indeed a grand masterpiece of art . ”

“How much do you reckon this is worth?” Sheyan calmly asked .

Segmili bluntly replied .

“A town in Gondor or any normal flouris.h.i.+ng town of ten thousand . ”

Sheyan laughed and continued .

“Good . Take this as collateral, let your clansmen decide if they trust me . When it is time to gather the spatial magic equipments and you realize that I am a liar, then retain this precious tiara as recompense . ”

“Then we have an agreement, my friend . ” Segimli declared forthrightly . Us dwarves possess an artifact that can create a teleportation magic array, which is the blessing of Mahal . You will get what you desire in three days . Wait! You didn"t steal this tiara from the twilight elf did you?”

Sheyan smiled wryly and shook his head .

“Do you think I possess such herculean might to wrestle this from a twilight elf?”

Still, this young dwarf issued a stubborn look of disagreement on his face .

Fortunately, Sheyan was long prepared . After clapping, the elder elf, Annenia Cyathea, and a few other elves marched over . They bowed politely at Sheyan and announced to the young dwarf .

“The twilight elf"s tiara in Protector"s hand was personally given by lordess Sunstrider . There is no doubt that he is innocent . ”

Sheyan glanced at Segimli and added .

“If I were you, I would be preparing to gather the spatial magic equipments . Otherwise, my friend, you will be faced with an awkward predicament of exchanging something not of worth . I"ll be back in a week with your desired mithril and adamantium . ”

“Fine fine, I"ll go contact my clan . ” Segimli shrugged his shoulders helplessly . Yet just when he was about to leave the tavern, he swung around abruptly and inquired worriedly . “You really can find enough mithril and adamantium??”

Sheyan imploded within . “…this is the seventh time! Did you treat what I said just now as bulls.h.i.+t! Lil" s.h.i.+t!!”

Half an hour later, Sheyan and Reef led a group of elves and finally arrived before the enormous oaken tree, sacred tree Sindalor .

Not only was the hidden expert, Annenia Cyathea, part of this elf group, the formidable s.p.a.ce wizard Elder Desirese Roots was also present .

Sheyan pressed his palm against the sacred tree Sindalor and communicated with Melody .

“Elrond and Glorfindel is presently hard pressed from all sides . According to sources, Elf King Thranduil of Mirkwood and Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien, are both journeying over due to Elrond"s injuries . Moreover, various major factions of Middle-earth have dispatched renowned physicians to Rivendell . Therefore, your safety is guaranteed at least before this event concludes!”

“Mn . ” Melody replied with her typical delicate voice . “I believe you, my protector . I have been unceasingly longing to see you, to lean against your shoulder . ”

“I long for that too . ” Sheyan sincerely replied . “Yet this opportunity is fleeting . Hence, you must bear with this grievance and remain in Rivendell to attract the attention of others . With this chance, I will be free to carry out something of utmost importance . After accomplis.h.i.+ng that, I will return to reunite with you . ”

Following that, Sheyan turn around and issued to the group of elves .

“Our destination is where our Lordess, Melody Sunstrider, was taken captive previously; a place used to breed Uruk-hais with an impressive wizard tower erected there . Can anyone identify it?”

Next, the reply he received left Sheyan in great shock . This was because nearly most of them had been there, including Elf Elders Annenia and Desirese . It was a h.e.l.lish place they personally devastated .

According to the elves, the journey there would require roughly a day and a half . Sheyan was immediately overwhelmed with shock . The memory of his imprisonment during the previous visit to this world was still fresh in his mind . After being captured by the orcs and Uruk-hais, they had marched for at least two and a half days before reaching Saruman"s wizard tower!

However, this duration was actually reduced to a day and a half! This was extremely astonis.h.i.+ng to him .

At this moment, Melody offloaded another surprise onto Sheyan .

“Perhaps this journey can be shortened a little . ”

She then broke off the spirit connection between her and Sheyan . Following that, one could distinctly sense a flow of magical prowess swiftly condensing atop the sacred tree Sindalor . This archaic and ma.s.sive tree begun inheriting Melody"s strength and channelled it incessantly through the roots and into the surrounding ground .

A second later, an over ten meters tall English Yew tree nearby begun swaying . Then, it dislodged itself from the soft soil . One could observe its tree bark wrinkling up as branches rapidly extended forth . Dazzling white rays pierced out endlessly from its bark as the tree"s body transformed .

A mystifying power congealed around the soil and finally streamed into the roots of this English Yew tree .

A mere ten or so seconds later, a herculean yet meek giant ent stood before Sheyan and the elves . Its leafy arms drooped down as it stood amicably .

“This is the ent Farrell . He will a.s.sist you, and the journey to and fro will only require two days . More crucially, although that sinister encampment is in ruins, those vile orcs and Uruk-hais still dwell within the Misty Mountains . Sir Farrell will be a good aid against the forces of evil . ”

Melody"s voice carried a sliver of fatigue and a strand of gratification; evidently, she was happy to contribute a little to this operation .

The rest of the elves then cheered unanimously .

“The eternal sunlight guide us always!”

Following that, everyone climbed onto the branches and shoulders of the giant ent, Farrell, and utilized dangling vines to tie around themselves .

Afterwards, Farrell proceeded with large strides towards the ruins of Saruman"s wizard tower with astonis.h.i.+ng speed .

Summer days in the Misty Mountains left as fast as they came .

Temperature in the region normally plunged to frosty winter conditions for nearly half the year . The next half would be separated into autumn and spring . Only occasionally, would the stingy sun allow its rays and heat to permeate down onto the ground .

Snow and ice would finally melt and usher in a brief period of floods . Perhaps, steam could be seen emitting from the mountain valleys as well .

Sheyan dipped his hand into the incomparably cooling stream water, allowing the chill to penetrate deep into his bones . He then splashed his face with the refres.h.i.+ng snowy water .

By his side, Annenia Cyathea released a nature magic art, "Toxin-probe" . He then nodded with satisfaction .

“The river source isn"t polluted, Sire Protector . ”

Sheyan then scooped the stream water to drink as water beads trickled down the cracks of his fingers, slithering down his neck and into his chest .

The earth shuddered slightly as the giant ent, Ferrell, straightforwardly stepped into the river stream . His roots begun absorbing the water, as he nonchalantly pulled out weapons like spears and stone hatchets from his wooden body .

Ferrell chuckled with a childlike vigor and proceeded to lie down across the river stream, allowing his entire body to absorb water .

Emerald green glows exuded out from the hands of several elves as they unleashed healing nature magic . As the wounds along the ent"s body swiftly healed, the giant ent boomed with a deep m.u.f.fled voice .

“The MIsty Mountains are still filled with these filthy orcs . ”

Desirese Roots appeared rather aged with white hair and beard . However, he was dressed like a vanguard and took the frontlines of the continent . He gazed into the distance and issued resentfully .

“Everytime we bring sufficient forces, the orcs would vanish like spineless rabbits . Yet once we are low in numbers, those gutsy orcs would always provoke our path into the Misty Mountains! This is definitely related to the Uruk-hais commanding them . ”

After a half hour of rest, Sheyan laughed as the group toured past the top of a tiny hill .

“I truly hope more orcs will show up . The more we eliminate now, the less pressure in the next part of my plan . Franklin, how useful will your illusory arts be?”

Ever since Franklin was released from prison, he didn"t rush to locate the other party attached to Mister Wrights or look for missions . Instead, he wisely seeked out and latched onto Sheyan and Reef .

Due to the dangers of the future and that they could hit it off quite well, Sheyan naturally brought him along .

Upon hearing Sheyan"s question, Franklin immediately understood the first audition trial had arrived . He earnest replied .

“That will depend on which aspect . I can confuse the orcs with illusions to prevent them from identifying the genuine target, while simultaneously a.s.sault them with illusory beams . However, the traveling elves though mighty, are mostly long-range combatants . I feel that this team lacks individuals who can storm the front . ”

“Well said . ” Sheyan glance down the hillside and observed the next group of charging orcs . Under the leaders.h.i.+p of Uruk-hais, they prepared to a.s.sault .

“Then what is your plan?”

Franklin didn"t answer and proceeded to take action . He raised the recently acquired magic staff with both arms and released a long incantation . One could observe the target of his magic was the giant ent, Ferrell .

Thick white mist begun lingering around the giant ent as Franklin continued chanting . Yet the ent felt nothing strange .

The thick white mist churned speedily and quickly congregated on the s.p.a.ce beside the giant ent . Finally, it formed into an enormous cloud that took the shape of the ent .

After around ten seconds, Franklin terminated his chant and white mist dissipated . Yet shockingly, an exact replica of the giant ent stood right beside the ent!

Franklin wiped away his perspiration and proudly announced .

“This illusory reality possesses vitality and defense similar to Ferrell, but the ordinary attack power is weakened by 33% . Also, it inherits Ferrell"s pa.s.sive abilities but not the active ones, and cannot be healed . ”

Sheyan"s eyes sparkled as he asked .

“How long does it last?”

Franklin replied .

“Thirty minutes . The higher my intelligence, the longer the duration . Because the giant ent is too formidable, I cannot use other illusory arts after duplicating it . ”

“Got it . ” Sheyan replied . “Can this ability be used on contestants?”

“Not an issue, but I must coordinate with the target of interest . ” Franklin answered .

By now, the orcs had started charging up the hill . The giant ent Ferrell bluntly uprooted a nearby tree, and strode towards the hill edge with rock fragments dripping down .

Meanwhile, Franklin"s ent replica directly stood in front of Ferrell and bluntly endured the first wave of aggression by the orcs; including flaming spears, flaming hatchets and other weapons that could deal additional damage to ents . However, the replica wasn"t affected by those .

The elves flew into action . Each one of the elves were gifted archers and adorned beautiful longbows, that appeared primitive yet exquisite . The arrows shot out carried a shallow green glow at the tip, which would expand like roots upon striking the orcs; piercing deep into their flesh and organs and issuing additional agony .

Annenia Cyathea brandished his magic staff as nature energies started swirling around his body . The exuberant energies congealed on his magic staff and formed a vigorous light globe at the tip .

Whenever an Uruk-hai entered his shooting range, the light globe on his staff would pour out a white and gentle beam at the Uruk-hai"s leg . Instantly after, the Uruk-hai"s leg would swell up weirdly like it was rapidly growing . Yet during this process, the Uruk-hai"s body would remain normal and at the end, its legs would exceed the limits of its body and explode into blood pieces . It was an exceedingly dreadful sight!

This ability of Annenia could be described as the deviating path of healing arts . Originally an enhancing or rescuing ability, it deviated into a terrifying killer move! One could observe that Annenia Cyathea was truly an extraordinary elf, one who imagined outrageous moves to blaze his own trail . It was no wonder he was greatly enlightened by Sheyan"s "Stairway of the Sun" .

Evidently, the orcs and Uruk-hais were minions of the Dark Lord . Therefore, the contestants soon discovered they similarly received fate points when their elf allies killed the orcs . However, the amount of fate points were meagre and ten orcs was only equivalent to a single fate point . Nevertheless, an Uruk-hai provided one fate point .

If they personally killed the foes, an orc would produce one fate point and an Uruk-hai ten fate points .

Despite the ferocity of the elves" a.s.sault, the amount of orcs occupied overwhelming superiority and they swiftly charged up to the top of the hill .

At this moment, the giant ent raised its "wooden club" up high and swiped through horizontally!

With Franklin"s replica absorbing most of the long range damage, ent Ferrell was still thriving with energy . His sweeping tree was as long as 7-8 meters and smashed at least ten orcs flying, before they tumbled down the hill again . The ent then hurled the tree down, with resulted in a frightening explosion that left the affected orcs as meat paste; dying a terribly incorrigible death .

Sheyan observed another endless stream of orcs approaching the hill and hastily shouted out .

“Witness this! I shall display the might bestowed by my high-G.o.d . ”

Although Sheyan"s words were aimed at the elves, the ent was actually the most curious one . He had heard the elves chatting about the miracles of Sheyan"s "Pestilence Monarch" ability . Yet all these while, he didn"t have the chance to witness it .

“3, 2, 1… . ” Sheyan counted composedly and activated the outbreak of his "Pestilence Monarch" ability . A devilish alien "Stairway of the Sun" plant phantom surfaced behind him .

Following that, countless formless rings of viral corruption rippled out towards all corners!

Thump! A sonorous sound echoed out as the earth trembled faintly . Unexpectedly, the giant ent"s branches were swaying as his knees crashed heavily onto the ground . The other tree he uprooted fell to the ground as shock and fear inflicted his wooden countenance .

“What…what kind of nature"s freak!! Impossible, this sensation… . . ahhhhh!!”

In the face of such compressing allure of the "Stairway of the Sun", even the mighty ent shuddered . Moreover, Sheyan wasn"t even aiming at him!

Of course, the situation arose primarily due to the giant ent Ferrell being unconvinced, adopting a despising notion towards the rumours . Otherwise, he wouldn"t be caught so off guard .

Yet due to this abrupt incident, the ent was distracted which allowed the pressure ahead to tighten down onto him .

In this instant, Desirese Roots floated into the sky as his white hair fluttered against the wind . Incisive currents jolted through his wielding staff and within a split second, an unexplainable dimension crack was shockingly tore open on this hill! The dimension crack was roughly a meter high and 40 meters wide . In a flash, the dimension crack streaked 50 meters down the hill!

All orcs and Uruk-hais that were sliced through by the dimension crack stood rooted to the ground . Eventually, their bodies slipped down their waists like wheat being harvested in the fields .

This was a "Dimension Rippleblade" that Elder Desirese Roots unleashed . In the blink of an eye, at least 200 orcs and Uruk-hai were severed in half, causing the offensive momentum of the orcs to instantly wane .

Blood flooded down like a waterfall, surpa.s.sing the absorbing capabilities of the soil as it formed a tiny river of blood downstream . A piercing stench of organs pervaded the atmosphere .

It didn"t seem like Desirese Roots expanded much effort to unleash that ability . He shot a glance of amazement at Sheyan before shooting off to the right, and finally knelt by the side of the agonizing ent .

Following that, a mild white glow emanated out from the elf elder"s palm which caused Ferrell to gradually calm down .

The ent then gazed at Sheyan with eyes that brimmed with immense horror, shock and a certain sadness .

“Why… . . how could such a blood-thirsty verminous plant acquire the grace of lordess twilight elf Melody? Whereas she is pure, incomparably pure!”

Desirese Roots" eyes suddenly turned hollow before replying .

“Oftentimes, at the end of the brightest light, comes the extreme darkness . In the realm of the twilight elves, what they search for isn"t purity but harmony, so is the world we live in . At the utmost end of one"s path, the only way forward is turning back . The most beautiful and bright flowers sprouts from the filthiest feces . Have you ever seen a perfect world? Or seen a completely ugly one? To reach the heavens, one must embrace tolerance and balance . You will never perceive that logic until you reach such a stage . ”

Ent Ferrell asked with a hoa.r.s.e and m.u.f.fled voice .

“But aren"t the Undying Lands said to be a perfect world?”

Desirese Roots paused for a while and gently asked .

“Have you gone to the Undying Lands?”

Ferrell replied in a m.u.f.fled tone .

“Of course not, If I did, I surely would not have returned . ”

Desirese Roots calmly continued .

“Somethings will never be known unless personally experienced . Like a cup of water, you will never know if it is lukewarm or cold until you drink it . ”

(ED: You could stick your finger in it you know…)

Meanwhile, Franklin"s illusion replica suffered immense damages, and without the healing of the elves, its vitality withered away before eventually transforming into a sculpture which crumbled with a clamorous boom .

After regaining his battle capabilities, Franklin brandished his staff and drew a circle in midair . Strange snake-like light ripples shot out from the circle which pranced around the orcs incessantly . The light ripples caused the orcs to clutch their heads as they howled in anguish .

This was Franklin"s main combat method – "Thoughts Confinement" . Not only could it deal damage to foes, it delivered a negative effect of burning the opponent"s MP . Nevertheless, the significance of carrying a powerful extra effect meant that its attack power wasn"t high .

Seeing the supreme meats.h.i.+eld Ferrell still recovering, the elves intended to retreat . Instead, Sheyan halted them . Simultaneously, Reef roared oppressively and bolted forward .

In this instant, excluding the "Faithguard" he placed on himself, several elves instinctively cast various nature"s guardian arts onto the s.h.i.+eld charging individual; abilities included "Ring of Thorns", "Wild Nature Mark", "Bark Magic", movement enhancing abilities and stone magic… .

At this moment, Reef was like a person stamping on heaps of c.r.a.p with house flies buzzing around…without a doubt, he attracted the hordes of orcs . After roaring to the sky with his "Shattering Cardiac Roar", three other elven abilities were completed .

7-8 immeasurably sharp stalagmites abruptly emerged from the ground near him, with surfaces covered in ragged spikes of 5-6 meters . Each stalagmite impacted groups of 2-3 orcs with such exploding ferocity, the countless orcs around Reef were wiped clean!

Tooths of Earth!

After chains of ma.s.sive rock explosions concluded, the miserable Reef stood all alone where he was . He resembled a lifeless flour man, and only a pair of blinking eyes indicated that he was alive… .

At this moment, the battle ent regained its stance and rejoined the battlefield . Unexpectedly following that, Sheyan gestured for all their forces to charge . The foremost charger was naturally Reef, followed by Elder Annenia and his elves . After all, he swore to obey Sheyan"s commands like it was Melody"s before her in the past .

“Charging at this period? Isn"t this welcoming the numerical advantage of the opponents? The orcs can easily encircle and engulf us!” Ent Ferrell exclaimed with a m.u.f.fled tone .

Elf elder Desirese Roots frowned and remained silent .

The situation appeared to be sinking into the awkward predicament that ent Ferrell envisioned . The orcs begun encircling the group to exterminate the elves . Yet the strangest thing happened .

The majority of orcs shockingly exhibited an exceedingly queer display of clutching their heads in agony, s.h.i.+vering, or sneezing . Some were even bending over while coughing violently!

With that delay, Reef roared and slaughtered a way out, leading the group of elves deeper and eventually slaying an orc blood-shaman that was protected by three Uruk-hais .

When that orc shaman died, the army of orcs instantly fell into chaos . They were like a pearl necklace that got unstrung as pearls scattered everywhere .

At present, Sheyan was also charging into the heart of the enemies beside Reef . A flask of curse-mix shattered on the ground as dull-greenish fumes spiralled out .

Some of the elves panicked initially, but soon discovered that the fumes dealt no harm to them but somehow hindered the escape of the orcs . Their morale surged as they started a ma.s.sacre like a knife cutting vegetables .

When the battle ent succeeded in rejoining the group, the orcs and Uruk-hais had already lost their momentum and were currently fleeing .

Facing Elder Desirese and the ent"s delay, Sheyan merely offered an insipid phrase . “We could"ve slain another orc shaman . ” He then proceeded to discuss about the next course of action .

Ent Ferrell and Desirese felt rather ashamed and could not come up with any words in response . Such a feeling was incomparably uncomfortable for an arrogant elf .

During the journey, the group suffered two more orc skirmishes and were delayed substantially . Only around one in the wee hours of the morning, did they pa.s.s through "Blacktooth Pa.s.s" . They then traversed along the immeasurably steep frost valley, through the bridge before arriving in an icy forest .

Recently in the past, the forces of evil entrenched themselves here, producing an unceasing supply of Uruk-hais . Hence, after Rivendell was notified by Melody, they dispatched forces to completely decimate the region .

Moreover, they arranged a permanent "Wizard Eye" formation to monitor the place consistently, and even dispatched birds to scout every three days . Therefore, upon reaching here, it was considered pretty safe .

Inside this icy forest, the elves worked together as they manipulated a few cedar trees to bend and intertwine together, forming a natural "camp" that could block off winds .

Following that, the group scrambled to gather materials and dug out a snowy pit, before raising a bonfire to keep themselves warm .

The contestants" harvest wasn"t small throughout their journey . Although they didn"t undertake any mission, each individual managed to raise minimally 300 fate points . Although the loots were mediocre junk and nothing marvelous appeared, they still managed to acc.u.mulate close to 100,000 utility points .

The duo weren"t stingy scrooges and allocated 10,000 utility points to Franklin .

Once the group settled down, Sheyan found an excuse to "settle some affairs" with Reef . The others didn"t dare to inquire and only asked them to be safe .

In truth, the duo left in search of the treasure buried by Melody . It wasn"t that Sheyan did not trust Melody"s elves, but rather the implications of this matter was so great, that the fewer who know it the better .

In the darkness of night, the duo shuttled through the pine forest, as snowflakes rained down repeatedly and infiltrated their necks . The chilling sensation caused them to s.h.i.+ver frequently as though someone was skinning them alive .

“We were truly pathetic the previous time . ” Sheyan attempted to start a conversation to douse the chilling sensation .

Reef s.h.i.+vered as he replied .

“If we encounter Lurtz now, we will still be in deep s.h.i.+t . ”

Sheyan sneezed and answered .

“Lurtz should be in Isengard now, we wouldn"t be able to meet him even if we wished to . Right, pay attention to this darn compa.s.s . ”

In Sheyan"s hands, was a peculiar object that appeared to be a spittoon filled up with water, with a pitch black object floating within . The object would submerge deeper if ores were detected nearby .

This was an enchanted magic prospect compa.s.s loaned to him from Segimli . It could detect ores that were buried up to three meters deep .

Since Sheyan clearly remembered the direction he pointed to Melody to flee in previously, with the aid of the magic prospect compa.s.s, seeking the lost treasures would not be that difficult .

All of a sudden, Reef yelled excitedly .

“Sunk, it sunk!”

Sheyan was instantly ecstatic as the duo begun excavating the ground beneath the compa.s.s with their monstrous contestant strength .

Ten minutes later, a deep pit could be seen . Moments later, after careful digging, Sheyan unearthed a semi-rusted arrowtip…the two gazed at each other with a dreadful sensation in their hearts . This was an extremely sensitive prospect tool, and this night may very well bring them more of such "surprises" .

Following that…the duo started digging around despondently .

During the long search, they unearthed seven iron ores, three rusted arrowtips, a broken helmet……

Finally, on the verge of desperation, they dug up an unremarkable looking chest . This chest was disguised with mud, gra.s.s, and twigs . Sheyan stared at it vacantly for a long while before opening the chest .

Instantly, the precious treasure acquired from the venerable wizard Saruman emerged before their very eyes . In a flash, the splendorous sparkle irradiated their faces .

[ Items: 14 . 65 pounds of mithril . 3 pounds of adamantium . Three rubies, four sapphires and two cat"s eyes ]

The adamantium and mithril had been purified by magic, and had purities reaching 99 . 9% . Instead in this world, the standard purity of mithril and adamantium was only 40%!

After his previous investigations of the marketplace, Sheyan was sure this was an absolute fortune that even the devil"s eyes would pop wide open with envy .

“I"m really an idiot . ” The muddy-faced Sheyan stood sluggish as he muttered . “With Melody"s tiny physique and strength then, without any machines, how would she be able to excavate things! It must have been extremely infuriating!”

At present, the duo had left the makes.h.i.+ft campsite for 4-5 hours and the sky was almost turning bright . If not for them being able to communicate their safety to the elves, the elves would have started searching for them .

The duo hastily returned to the camp and slept immediately with loud snores . The night of search had been intense and they had exhausted their mental strength . As the habitually clean elves observed the stinky and sweaty duo, they became speechless but could only endure .

Seeing them slumbering so soundly, the elves figured they would be here till the afternoon . Hence, they started to construct a fortified camp with trees and attempted to beautify the campsite as well .

When the duo woke up, it was nearly four in the afternoon where the sun was inclining down the west .

Few sun rays pervaded through the leafy gaps . It was quiet all around as a vigilance welled up in Sheyan"s heart . Logically speaking, the elves should be residing in the camp and be idling around, or whistling on blow leaves and such . Why was it so quiet all around?

He nimbly crawled up and pushed through the thick curtain-doors, and was instantly startled by the transformation of the campsite .

The surrounding pine trees had been hacked down and configured into crenelated parapet walls . A square kilometer radius of trees had been banished afar, resulting in a s.p.a.cious flatland . In this region, any hostile creatures would experience a nightmare when facing the immaculate ranging accuracy of the elves .

“c.r.a.p, what the heck happened . Where did the elves disappear to?” Sheyan inquired inwardly . His doubt was soon resolved .

Trampling footsteps on snow drifted in, as a squad of eleves marched back with raised chests and upheld heads . They appeared arrogant like guards of honor, and even the enormous Ent Ferrell was amongst their ranks .

Beside the elves, were roughly 50-60 dwarves that were striding in with mechanical-like expressions . Sheyan squinted his eyes to find one familiar face amongst the stereotyped and repet.i.tive faces of dwarves . Indeed, he only recognized a single dwarve – Mister Segimli .

Without a doubt, the reason the camp was empty was due to the haughtiness of the elves . They wanted to maintain an overbearing ancient manner of greeting to welcome the group of seemingly haughty elves .

Of course, this wasn"t because the elves were magnanimous enough to greet the dwarves . Their reason was extremely clear – puny b.u.mpkin dwarves, do you recognize this ancient greeting between forces? Will you know how to return this formality?

Nevertheless, the dwarves had a knowledgeable master amongst them as well . Under his leaders.h.i.+p, the dwarves returned a fierce formality which sunk the two forces into a deadlock . It was hard for one to back down first .

Upon noticing Sheyan, Segimli quickly tossed aside the ancient greeting down the cliffs of the Misty Mountains . He was like an amicable little donkey that dove towards Sheyan .

“Beloved friend, ah I really missed yo…… . . your magical winecup . ”

Sheyan was initially beaming with delight but his countenance instantly darkened as he kicked the dwarf .

“Who the h.e.l.l are you, I don"t know you… . . ”

After a round of torture, Segimli begun introducing his travel companions to Sheyan .

First, was his uncle and clan head, Gimli Stonehammer . Next, was the most outstanding blacksmith of this dwarf clan, grandmaster Mcgonical Firestove . Then, a grandmaster of arraying magic into artifacts, Takelin Tinsilk . Lastly, was the apprentice of grandmaster Firestove and several elite warriors of the clan and so on . It seemed as though the core forces of the clan were mobilized .

As for the reason they rushed here, it was fairly simple . The fretting Gimli clan had been constantly seeking for a lifeline . They heard of the congregation of Middle-earth merchants in Rivendell . As the Skifz Ascûd festival was only half a year later, they wanted to try their luck in Rivendell . Never did they expect, the adventuring little Segimli would contact them first!

This caused great delight amongst the dwarves . In reality, when Segimli contacted them, the dwarves weren"t far from Rivendell .

Hence, the anxious dwarves, fearing for any unexpected mishaps, directly seeked out twilight elf Melody; requesting that she dispatched an elf to a.s.sist them . That elf could sense the magic imprint of Elder Desirese Roots . In addition to Sheyan and gang clearing out some of the orcs, the dwarves left in the morning by riding tamed Rock Rams and smoothly located Sheyan and the elves .

Without a doubt, the arrival of the dwarves was a pleasant surprise for Sheyan . That meant that his plan could be brought forward . Thus, Sheyan smiled and led the guests through the icy needle-leaved forest, before finally reaching a hillside that sunlight was still present .

The dried gra.s.s here was soft and warm due to the sun . Sitting down offered a cosy sensation . If complemented with rum and a roasted, sizzling wild boar, an exceptionally nice ambience could be created .

“Segimli has been a selfless a.s.sistance towards me throughout my travels to Rivendell, gifting us with great friends.h.i.+p . ” Sheyan announced . “After learning of his difficult predicament, I started devising a method that could, hopefully, be of a.s.sistance to him . ”

Speaking till here, Sheyan directly produced a tiny portion of the treasures he acquired from Saruman – roughly 30 grams of mithril and a ruby .

He then earnestly said .

“As a devout of a high-G.o.d, all my riches have been consecrated to him, in hopes of being bestowed with something desirable . However, my high-G.o.d commands that I present powerful artifacts of s.p.a.ce magic, to be blessed with my heart"s wishes . In order to express the authenticity of this and because of the camaraderie between Segimli and I, I am even willing to use our lordess twilight"s tiara . This is a supreme quality forging material and mithril I exchanged for my family"s inheritance . ”

At this moment, grandmaster blacksmith Mcgonigal Firestove grabbed the mithril and ruby that Sheyan produced and immediately gasped in shock .

“Ah, this is magic mithril! Its market value is twice of ordinary mithril, hey old man, don"t you find this ruby rather familiar?”

The old dwarf, Takelin Tinsilk, wagged his b.u.t.t as he ran over . His white braided beard was nearly touching the ground as he spoke .

“Why do I feel that this is… . . Elendil"s tears?”

The crowd broke into an uproar . Sheyan immediately felt something was amiss, it seems as though Saruman had done malicious deeds in the past to plunder these wealth . Even worse, the treasures seemed rather valuable and renowned . Nevertheless, he remained composed as he could easily blame everything on his high-G.o.d… . . thus, Sheyan calmly replied .

“If there aren"t any issues, I"m willing to sell them at the lowest cost as a gift for Mister Segimli"s friends.h.i.+p . Right, since I"ve verified that this matter is no scam, can I get the twilight elf"s tiara back?”

“No problem at all . ” Dwarven chief Gimli replied happily . He didn"t show any resistance towards purchasing stolen goods and first allowed Segimli to return the tiara to Sheyan . Then, he produced a wooden case and retrieved a ring for Sheyan inside .

Upon receiving the ring, Sheyan was instantly notified that it was a unique storyline equipment that only storyline characters could adorn . But that was only natural as the mithril and others were all taciturnly understood as Melody"s possessions .

The ring was called Fissure, with the property of enhancing spatial magic by 10% and increase mana cost by 5% .

Dwarf chief Gimli then ordered his underling to fetch a seemingly broken staff, in hopes that Sheyan would accept this sacrificial ritual . Sheyan hesitated a little before calling Elder Desirese Roots over who was gazing at the staff intently . Noticing the elder gazing intently at the staff with a vacant expression, Sheyan instantly knew what he should do……

In the end, Sheyan was left with eight pounds of mithril and one pound of adamantium . He also retained his rubies, cat"s eyes and sapphires, in exchange for a total of six spatial magic type artifacts!

Theoretically speaking, Sheyan didn"t exploit this transaction and in fact made losses . Nevertheless, all of the dwarf"s spatial magic artifacts were wiped clean . The dwarves of the Gimli clan glanced at Sheyan with resentment but could only sigh deeply .

Honestly speaking, the amount of mithril and adamantium they traded was adequate for them to forge an incomparably exquisite artifact . It wouldn"t be an issue for them to display outstanding results during the Skifz Ascûd festival .

However, worldly desires could never be satisfied . Filled with insatiable greed, the dwarves of the Gimli clan wouldn"t stop there . Since they discovered Sheyan who could provide them large amounts of mithril and adamantium, the naturally wished to go further and audaciously set eyes on the throne!

Hence, Gimli immediately requested Sheyan not to trade with other parties during this period of time . To compensate him, the dwarves would bestow a delightful surprise unto Sheyan .

Sheyan purposely tarried for a long while before nodding his heads when the dwarves were on the verge of tears . The top echelons of the Gimii clan hastily left; probably rus.h.i.+ng to the nearest dwarven city to gather more resources .

They left behind 30 elite dwarven warriors that would heed Sheyan"s commands, hailing Sheyan as a "human who earned the eternal friends.h.i.+p of the Gimlis" thus vowing to protect him .

Sheyan tested a little and realized the elite dwarven warriors indeed obeyed his commands faithfully, not slacking off even one bit . However, Sheyan knew that should other dwarven clans step into his tent, the elite Gimli dwarves would proceed with two actions – either smas.h.i.+ng the heads of the infiltrators, or smas.h.i.+ng the head of the "supplier" .

After acquiring another six spatial magic artifacts, Sheyan summoned all the elves and declared with a solemn expression .

“The following matter is of utmost importance . It not only pertains to your personal life and death, but also the fate of our Lordess twilight elf! Therefore, I pray none will speak falsehood and deceive me…… . . now, whoever that can perform spatial magic in your midst, step out now . ”

Without a doubt, elder Desirese Roots stepped forward . The situation was much better than what Sheyan envisioned . Apart from the elder, there were four other elves that leaned towards that aspect . One must admit that the elves" long lifespan was truly an advantage . They could nurture many skills and hobbies for themselves .

Sheyan called them together and announced .

“During my past endeavors dispatched by my high-G.o.d to other dimensions, I made an exceptionally mighty ally in one particular dimension . A gift he bestowed, carries a strand of his spirit aura . Through that strand of spirit aura, will you be able to link me to my ally?”

Sheyan quickly received an answer . A seemingly young elf replied .

“Sir Protector, this matter isn"t difficult . In truth, some elven summoners summon their creatures from other dimensions . If they were incapable of establish a link beforehand, the success rate of summoning arts would plummet substantially . ”

Sheyan coughed and continued .

“I need to emphasize this . My ally is exceptionally, supremely mighty . ”

“That is wonderful news, sir . ” The elf patiently praised . “A mighty creature normally possesses higher intellect . In this aspect, the mightier the creature, the more distinct its spirit glow will be when seeking it out . We will be able to easily locate the creature amongst the vast and obscure dimensions . ”

Sheyan stroked "Ambition" and replied .

“I see . Then we will first locate a place with water . Only by interacting with a water source, can my friend"s spirit aura be additionally distinct . ”

The group proceeded to advance and search, before arriving at the Orc"s metropolis of the past .

This once grand metropolis was now a ruinous heap . One could still observe the aftermath of an incomparably vicious war through the destruction in this area .

Especially Saruman"s wizard tower . It had completely crumbled into the ground, leaving a ma.s.sive pit . The once sacred landmark of the orcs and uruk-hais, was now a common deep lake .

Sheyan surveyed the edge of the lake, discovering the pitch-black water that seemed to devour any sunlight into the deepest depth . Evidently, this lake was immeasurably deep .

Since he located a sufficiently large water source, Sheyan planned to immerse "Ambition" into the water . By now, Elder Annenia Cyathea was pointing his magic staff at Sheyan . At beam shot out from his staff and onto the water surface on Sheyan"s left .

A incomparably sharp silver beam shot out, resulting in a loud "puchi" sound against the water surface . The resultant white splash towered several meters high as the murky green water was dyed mildly red . One could observe a strange creature, one that appeared like a hybrid between a fish and a lizard, rummaging within the waters and attempting to flee . A half-meter long horrifying wound could be seen across its left rib, as crimson red innards rolled out . The stench of blood permeated out, as similar species wrestled each other to feast . The once peaceful lake was now plunged into utter chaos; akin to a pot of boiling congee!

Witnessing this scene, the other elves wielded their longbows and took aim, before firing out . A congregation of arrows haled along rays of death as they drilled into the water and slew quite a number of these aquatic beasts .

“These aquatic beasts were created due to the leakage of dark magic and evil . ” Annenia Cyathea explained . “When we just begun seizing the dark tower in the past, the tower owner directly exploded the entire tower; resulting in this lake that we see now . All creatures that reside in this lake have been degraded by evil . ”

“The aquatic beasts were originally exceedingly avaricious and savage after the elves commenced their slaughter, each vying to fill their bellies . However, when Sheyan submerged "Ambition" into the water, they dispersed without a trace . When a t.i.tanical phantom of Kraken Paul appeared in the lake, the lake became a pool of total silence . Only gasps and the heavy breathing of the surrounding elves could be heard .

Sheyan gazed at the overly confident elf wizard and ordered .

“You can begin . My time is precious . ”

The elf suddenly knelt to the ground with an embarra.s.sed countenance .

“Forgive me, Sir Protector . I never expected that your ally"s strength is so tremendous . To connect with such an invincible creature, I am truly unqualified . A forceful linking may lead to gravely wounding my own spirit!”

The elf said so because he could sense the dreadful terror of Sheyan"s "old friend" .

The creature hadn"t even appeared and was merely a phantom residing beneath the forbidden terrain of the waters . Yet, it brought along an incredibly crus.h.i.+ng pressure .

All hostilities would fade in the face of such a domineering beast! No wonder those savage aquatic beasts had fled in frenzy .

Therefore, attempting a spirit link would be extremely dangerous especially if the disparity of strength was tremendous . A wild beast may not be in the mood to care about one, yet if one purposefully disturbs it, it may fly into a rampage and devour one"s spirit!

It was like an annoying mosquito bugging on . The beast would never endure such annoyance and the consequence may even be an internal rupture of one"s mind .

“The three of you try and establish a spirit link together . ” Desirese Roots contemplated and issued . “Take utmost precautions . I request that protector observe by the side, once the spirit link is established, we must transmit protector"s message as swiftly as possible . With the opposing party"s cooperation, this will be much simpler . ”

The three elves each equipped one s.p.a.ce artifact, where one could observe a gentle white blessing emanating out from them . It wasn"t that they didn"t wish to equip the rest, but that they couldn"t…… . .

The three elves stood in a "品" formation, and executed their magic towards the phantasmic Paul floating in the water . One could seemingly feel countless threads of s.p.a.ce congealing towards that spot, as if s.p.a.ce was freezing up .

This was the primary reason why the amount of s.p.a.ce magic wizards were few .

Spatial magic is exceedingly powerful but incredibly rare . One would need to risk certain dangers in training this magic, but the formidability of the magic would only be noticeable at the later stages of one"s training . It would minimally require several decades or even a century of hard work, but the dangers of training commences at the start; like a shadow that follows the trainee all the time .

The proportion of investment and gains was extremely steep, therefore, the amount of s.p.a.ce magic wizards in all of Middle-earth was supremely rare . Possibly, only the elves with inexhaustible vitality could produce so many s.p.a.ce magic wizards .

If not for the powerful s.p.a.ce magic artifacts brought by the dwarves, the elves probably wouldn"t dare to take the risk .

Sheyan stood by the side silently as he spectated . Honestly speaking, he couldn"t understand the sequence of magic casting, but only felt that the atmosphere was incomparably tense . Only Franklin found this situation rather interesting as well .

Annenia Cyathea suddenly pressed his hand onto Sheyan"s back . Instantly, the sceneries in Sheyan"s view faded away . What remained were only the three s.p.a.ce magic elf wizards and the phantasmal Kraken Paul in the waters .

The s.p.a.ce magic from the three elves dyed the phantom of Paul with a layer of light blue brilliance . Then, the brilliance swiftly a.s.sembled and formed a distorted trace and dove into the infinitely deep darkness . This was probably the connection between spirit fragments and the real body . Though the link appeared weak, it was mysteriously firm that no physical barriers could break it . The three elves strove to be as gentle and amicable as possible, as they slowly approached the main consciousness of Brother Paul .

“Who dares to violate my sovereignty!!!”

All of a sudden, a sea of azure brilliance that could cover the heavens flooded in . The three elves immediately transmitted a clear message at once – “Beloved Paul, Seaman wishes to contact you!!”

The majestic azure brilliance halted for a moment . Though that was so, the three elves were trembling so violently like they had been struck by lightning . Blood oozed out from their nostrils .

In this instant, Sheyan sauntered forward and transferred his thoughts with Annenia Cyathea"s a.s.sistance .

“Dear venerable Paul, I am Seaman Yan, that sc.u.m from the east; Captain of the Dingyuan, the comrade who served you fat delicious beef . ”

“Oh… . I recall now . Are you at the caribbean sea?” Paul"s voice carried no vigilance but a sense of delight . Friendly ties between creatures were more resolute than between humans .

The ma.s.sive brute began complaining to Sheyan .

“My body is infested by barnacles, those darn sh.e.l.ls sc.r.a.ping me with discomfort all day and night . I also miss the flavor of clean fat cow and the taste of rum . ”

“A minor matter my friend, my underlings will be glad to service you anytime . Providing you a comfortable and jovial life is the duty of a friend after all . However, I have something of grave importance that I seek you today . ”

Sheyan resembled a tiny devil, wagging his pointed tail as he slowly lured Paul in .

“There are matters more important that food and cleaning up barnacles?” Paul replied with a low m.u.f.fled voice .

“I guess… . there is . ” Sheyan"s lips curled into a sinister smirk . His expression was akin to pimps inviting customers into a brothel . “My friend, I am in a place far far away from the caribbean sea, yet a place I encountered a gorgeous madam . ”

“Gorgeous… . . madam?” Kraken Paul answered in bafflement .

“Indeed . ” Sheyan smiled . “Her silky tentacles so slender, her eyes enchanting like a sea divinity . Her sucklers round and s.e.xy . Worthy of praise are her superior genes that can breed a supreme generation . ”

Kraken Paul replied with hesitation .

“My friend, I"ve seen numerous gorgeous madams, but all feeble and tiny…… . before anything can happen, I would"ve smashed them by accident . ”

Sheyan laughed loudly and replied .

“My beloved friend, you are being too modest . This madam is not one bit inferior as an invincible existence like you . According to my estimation, her physique may not be smaller than yours! Most importantly, I even doubt you can settle her!”

“Woah woah woah! Impossible, no oceanic creature can be above me, Kraken Paul!” Paul howled agitatedly as though it had been insulted . One could imagine it beating the sea around frantically with its dozen meter long tentacles, sending gigantic waves soaring to the sky . The ma.s.sive fluctuation of mood instantly caused the three elves wizard to turn pale and cough out blood .

“Calm down, my friend . How about this, I will exhibit one of the madam"s egg . Although the egg is dead, I believe you will be able to sense out its might . ” After ingeniously inciting Paul"s curiosity and fighting spirit, Sheyan chuckled in response .

“But you must agree to two things . ”

“Quick say . I can"t wait to see her eggs . ”

“Firstly, I still have a use for that egg, you must return it to me . Secondly, the distance between us is exceedingly far, it won"t be so easy transferring anything to you . Therefore, you must cooperate, otherwise, we can"t transfer it over . ”

Paul hesitated a little before booming with a m.u.f.fled voice .

“The fist is fine…but to cooperate with you . Davy Jones won"t be very pleased with that . ”

“So don"t let him know . ” Sheyan replied immediately . “Or… . . forget it then? Goodnight?”

“Nononono!!!” The intrigued Paul quickly and urgently refuted Sheyan"s suggestion . “I swear on my tentacles and sucklers, if you dare terminate this conversation right now, I shall make you drink seawater for three days the next time we meet!”

“Fine fine, so will you cooperate with us?”

“Of course!”

“Then what about Captain Davy Jones?”

“You are right, it"ll be fine if he doesn"t know… . . ”

Following that, Elder Desirese Roots created a magic array in order to transfer a "Scorched Oceanfreak Moria"s Egg" that Sheyan acquired previously . The three elves were not strong enough to undertake such a task .

Fortunately, with the cooperation of Kraken Paul, the difficulty of this task wasn"t that difficult . Still, it was an arduous challenge for Elder Desirese Roots . Nevertheless, with the s.p.a.ce magic artifacts acquired from the dwarves presenting their usefulness, no mishaps occurred during this dimension transportation process .

Hence, not even ten seconds later, Paul yelled out monstrously .

“My friend, your eyesight is truly impressive! Though this egg is devoid of life, I can vaguely sense how mighty its mother is! Such an intoxicating aroma, an energy source similar to mine! She can definitely endure my pa.s.sion!”

Sheyan couldn"t help but wipe his perspiration . As it turns out, the way Paul identified his spouse was having an adequate b.u.t.t-size, ability of reproduction, and enduring durability . As long as one will not be squashed, one would be sufficient to satisfy the pa.s.sion of the gigantic kraken .

“My friend! Where are you right now? I must travel there . For the sake of blissfulness, for the sake of future offspring!” Paul was no longer thinking straight as he shamelessly spilled his motive of propagation . One could fathom how excited the kraken was .

Sheyan released a long sigh to Brother Paul"s incomparably excited queries . After a long while of silence, he replied with a troubled tone .

“Where I"m at is a completely different dimension from the caribbean sea . For you to reach me, you must directly partic.i.p.ate in a summoning rite . Yet if Davy Jones knows of this, he will abhor our deeds undoubtedly . ”

The ecstatic Paul answered hurriedly .

“He is presently sailing towards the west, don"t worry about him knowing I was summoned here . ”

Sheyan continued resistantly .

“My friend, your indomitable might incites all of our envy . However, that exact might will become the biggest hurdle during the summoning process . To summon you absolutely isn"t a simple matter!”

If it was another creature, it would certainly be at a loss to Sheyan"s explanation . Instead, Kraken Paul was a heaven-defying monster . He was first an experiment of dark magic from Davy Jones and possessed exceptional abilities . Next, through a fortuitous encounter, the curse brought about by the contestants then had ultimately transformed him into a wise and farsighted colossus .

That was also because Paul suffered only half the effects of the curse due to Sheyan"s disruption then . Hence, he was actually a semi-ghost-semi-physical creature; possessing certain characteristics of ghostly monstrosity . Still he retained a personal thirst for indulgence of his feelings . Most crucially, Kraken Paul was initially a summoned creature of Davy Jones and naturally possessed extensive experience and knowledge with regards to summons .

“I have a way, Seaman Yan!” “The sperm-driven Paul roared out anxiously .

“Just that magic transportation array you employed just now would be sufficient . The greatest mistake you committed, is discussing the mighty Paul in the same frequency as other pathetic creatures . ”

“… . . ” Sheyan speechlessly replied . “Alright, Elder Desirese Roots, any questions?”

Desirese Roots bowed humbly and said .

“Respected Sir Protector, as long as it is maintaining the intensity of the transportation array, I will be fine even with two times the time with the a.s.sistance of those high-level magic artifacts . ”

The same event occurred as previously . Except, for a normal summoning, when a summoning bridge is established between two dimensions, even the lowest tier of summoned creatures would be arrogantly pampered . They would calmly allow the summoner to drag them to the summoner"s dimension, thereby displaying their exceptional status . Instead, the tier-9 legendary Brother Paul was aloof and indifferent . Facing the terribly slow summoning speed, his tentacles flew into a dance without hesitation as he frantically climbed towards Sheyan"s dimension……

“Sir Protector, is this your unrivalled ally?”

When the summoning rite concluded, the elves starred with utter astoundment…their gazes congregated towards Sheyan"s left palm .

On his palm, was a miniature octopus with tentacles coiled around Sheyan"s fingers, who swung around from time to time…

Following that, this miniature octopus appeared to be dissatisfied with the elves" expressions, as it widened its eyes menacingly before blatantly shooting out two thin water pillars .

The honest and thick-headed Segimli couldn"t resist the urge to tease .

“My friend, are you sure you wish to challenge that monster of legends with this? The nightmare of the mines of Moria, predator of all adventurers, the raptor of the Misty Mountains, Oceanfreak Moria? If you really mean it, then this is such a cruel tragedy . Where is your conscience? Hais… . ”

The miniature Paul was finally enraged . He jetted out a shot of black ink into the face of Segimli .

Sheyan smiled wryly and replied .

“Segimli, you will regret infuriating my ally Paul . Once he recovers his strength, you best stay as far away as you can . ”

As it turns out, Paul facilitate the ease of summoning by spontaneously sealing his strength and shrinking his physique, which was an innate ability gifted by Davy Jones . It was primarily to store the kraken inside a fishbowl and nurture it . Yet Paul unexpectedly utilized this ability to facilitate his summoning, but at the cost of temporarily losing its strength .

Sheyan lifted his hand as he observed the mobile and miniature Paul crawling around his fingers . He suddenly thought of wasabi, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and the incredibly chewy taste in one"s mouth……

Sheyan hastily discarded that thought and coughed, dispelling away such dangerous evil from his mind .

By now, Sheyan"s forces had expanded powerfully . Apart from the faithful faction of Melody"s elves, he had thirty elite dwarven warriors protecting him . This force was practically as reliable as a fortified wall .

Sheyan distinctly remembered a saying that was engraved at the bottom of a sculpture in Rivendell .

An army of dwarf resembles a profoundly indomitable chain vest . Each warrior an unbreakable chain . Sharing duty, honor and loyalty that interlocked each other like a chain vest; once locked together, nothing can penetrate the vest .

Thus, after examining the time, Sheyan blatantly traversed the ruins of the orc metropolis, venturing deeper for that icy valley before arriving before the poisonous pine forest .

The elves were worthy of being the blessed children of nature . Upon arriving here, they sensed that something was amiss and glanced around vigilantly . After a quick inspection, one warned .

“Sir Protector . There exists an unknown treachery here . We mustn"t stay here for long . ”

Sheyan glanced at Reef and smiled faintly .

“No worries . The sun has set, we will be safe at least before it rises tomorrow . ”

The group that travelled through the pine forest and arrived by the river edge . By now, Brother Paul"s cooldown duration had concluded and had long regained his strength .

Sheyan then earnestly said .

“Go my friend . I can guarantee that beautiful valiant madam can be reached via this river . Right, I should mention this . This river is linked to other underground rivers and you should probe around . ”

The miniature Paul then hopped off Sheyan"s palm, before striding across the sand like an eight-legged ballerina . Paul then exclaimed emotionally .

“Ah! How intoxicating, I can already smell her alluring fragrance!”

Following that, he gradually crawled into the river .

Segimli grumbled to Sheyan .

“This is murder my friend . I sincerely feel tht Mister Paul should be spending his childhood in a pond, not taking an immense risk by exploring a remote river and being all boastful about this . ”

Just before Segimli could add on, a frighteningly gigantuous tentacle pierced out from the dark river without any warning . The tentacle was at least 7-8 meters long and could be seen to hold incredibly dreadful might . Just from gazing at its squirming sucklers, one"s soul would s.h.i.+ver from panic!!

The tentacle proceeded to meander past several individuals like a winding serpent, and pursued Segimli with lightning pace . The poor Segimli, though alive for a century, was still considered a youth . He screamed sorrowfully with the words "Oh my Mahal" before being forcefully dragged into the river!

Only when Segimli had been dragged into the river, did the elves and dwarves regain their senses . The thirty elite dwarves yelled frantically yet none of them dared to enter the water . To everyone"s knowledge, the dwarves prided themselves as creations of impregnable rocks……hence, they would most likely drown in the water .

Yet soon after, the young dwarf emerged in everyone"s sight again, yet not before he was hurled flying by the tentacle and landed .

The miserable Segimli coughed violently and lamented .

“Ahhhhh I rescind my earlier words, no ahhhhh!”

This soaking and tossing affair lasted for five times before Kraken Paul finished venting his anger, leaving the half-dead Segimli lying on the sand like a spineless scallion . Paul then finished with a wave slap of water, causing all elves and dwarves to appear like drowned rats .

Only after that, did Paul proceeded to search for the female octopus, Oceanfreak Moria .

The dry Sheyan and Reef released a dry cough and announced .

“It seems we forgot to mention…… . Mister Paul is one who loves keeping grudges, oh, wrong, a gentleman who separates grat.i.tude and grievances very clearly!”

The river side was now a plain of silence, looking as though nothing abnormal was happening . The group constructed three large bonfires as they patiently awaited .

After half an hour, everyone felt a sudden tremor beneath their feet . This tremor felt similar to an earthquake .

Closely after, the river water started undulating intensely with ma.s.sive tides . The waters churned turbulently and extinguished their bonfires . One could imagine how fierce the ongoing battle between two hegemons was!

At this moment, Elder Desirese Roots whispered to Sheyan .

“Respected Protector, I am not doubting your plans but…I feel that our main objective, should be placed on Lordess twilight elf"s predicament . I acknowledge that Oceanfreak Moria of Misty Mountains is unparalleled in strength, but I can"t see how slaying or convincing it can be of help to Lordless twilight elf . ”

Sheyan remained quiet and smiled faintly at the inquiry of Melody"s loyal elder .

Sonorous splashes of water erupted from the river as a t.i.tanic dark-blue tentacle stretched out . Yet instantly, two other larger, black tentacles brutally tangled in and pressed the first tentacle back into the water .

This was a tremendously astonis.h.i.+ng scene to the onlookers . The colossus Paul displayed such terrifying might the he could unexpectedly use two tentacles to tie down Oceanfreak Moria that was larger than him . The tentacles continued erupting from the water, as the tussle extended to over twenty meters in radius .

Ocreanfreak Moria"s tentacle waved frantically in the air, but finally unleashed attraction strength from its meter long large sucklers; tightly adhering to a rocky cliff by the edge of the river . The contractions of her tentacles smashed devastatingly against the solid-like-iron walls, and caused fissures to form immediately . Its plight of having its tentacles tossed around was certainly miserable .

At this moment, one could observe a shade of fl.u.s.ter and wariness in the half-meter large eyes of Oceanfreak Moria, as she stared intensely at her abrupt but indomitable foe!

Instead, Brother Paul slapped the water surface excitedly, as he raised two thick tentacles to form a "flexing" gesture like that of champion bodybuilders . It was as though he was rudely parading in front of his opponent, wanting to fully convince her before persuading the flesh of the opposite s.e.x .

“What powerful magic ripples!” Annenia Cyathea gasped in surprise .

Battle Ent Ferrell trudged forward and s.h.i.+elded the elves behind him . His current tree body wasn"t his original wood body and wouldn"t matter much if it was destroyed .

Right in front of Oceanfreak Moria"s five tentacles that were sticking out of the water, five incredibly sharp glacic pillars had strangely froze . The glacic pillars shone with deadly brilliance and hinted of an impending death .

Reef whispered to Sheyan .

“Seems like this d.a.m.ned female octopus didn"t exhibit its deadliest form the previous time we entered this world . Otherwise, the balrog would"ve been destroyed without a fight last time . ”

Sheyan sighed and replied .

“The mother octopus who had just given birth naturally couldn"t display her optimal strength . Eh? What"s Paul doing? Is he trying to resist head on?”

While the duo chatted, those five terrifying glacic pillars rammed straight for Paul . Instead, Paul didn"t attempt to evade but directly unleashed a tyrannical hydro pump towards Oceanfreak Moria .

When the glacic pillars struck Paul, it seemingly failed to damage him one bit but instantly dispersed into light blue mist that froze Paul into an ice sculpture .

Despite so, Paul"s ice sculpture state only persisted for two seconds before he shook free, shattering the ice . His two tentacles whipped down like mountains cras.h.i.+ng into the sea as water lotuses bloomed around . Once again, Paul grabbed Ocreanfreak Moria and hurled her ferociously away .

“Oh, Paul looks as if he can fight ten at one go, and seems like he is immune to water element abilities… . . ”

“Such brute force suffices in subduing his foe but can he win her affection?”

“Can"t say for winning her affection, but occupying her flesh would be a simple affair . ”

“Right boss, shouldn"t another male octopus, Oceanfreak Moria"s husband, be emerging soon? Otherwise, how would we even get Oceanfreak Moria"s eggs?”

“According to online sources, the Misty Mountains are near Moria, and there is only one monstrous beast, which is Oceanfreak Moria . Octopi have similar reproduction habits to hens, laying eggs even without a male partner . However, the eggs cannot breed the next generation . ”

The situation heated up as Oceanfreak Moria was evidently one who wouldn"t admit defeat . She displayed an entire act of grand water elemental techniques for all to peruse .

Sadly, almost all peak water elemental skills ended in failure . Apart from causing the environment temperature to plummet several degrees, nothing was too hard for Paul to handle . The only effective water elemental ability was a rank 6 summoning of waterloids; three towering waterloids of 5-6 meters in height swarmed Paul maliciously, but were effortlessly swiped into vapour by a single tentacle from Paul… . .

When the miserable Oceanfreak Moria was caught for the "nth" time and violently slammed away, it released a melancholic hiss and wrapped itself with tentacles before curling up by the sh.o.r.e without moving; appearing as though it had resigned to the wonton wishes of its foe… .

Paul slapped his tentacles against the water with ecstasy, before dragging this big-eyed octopus madam into the depths of the river . Once again, rhythmic ripples emerged onto the surface of the river… . .

In the interest of saving time, I request readers to simply imagine the pa.s.sions involved between two octopus…oh, this really requires an intense form of imagination!

Roughly an hour later, Paul slapped the water while swimming towards them in high spirits, while Oceanfreak Moria followed behind it like a docile, abused mistress . For unknown reasons, as Sheyan observed this scene, he subconsciously thought of Pan Changjiang striding arrogantly with a teary Fan Bingbing following behind his trail……

Sheyan was all smiles when this affair concluded, it was akin to a boulder being removed from his shoulders . He strolled forward and greeted the pa.s.sionate Paul by swimming to him . He even delivered a gift to Oceanfreak Moria afterwards – two fatty, clean, and alive male bulls purchased from Rivendell .

In lieu of the thoughtful gift and Brother Paul, Oceanfreak Moria"s at.i.ttude towards Sheyan became evidently better . When Sheyan swam away, he managed to even shake "hands" with the tip of Oceanfreak Moria"s tentacle .

Since he created a favorable impression, Sheyan proceeded to call over Annenia and two other elves, who sneakily interacted with Oceanfreak Moria as well . With the children of nature beside him, interactions became fairly harmonious and smooth .

Brother Paul would soon automatically return to the caribbean sea world once the summoning effects wore off . Therefore, he wanted to seize the time to nurture this relations.h.i.+p with Oceanfreak Moria .

When the two gigantic octopuses once again tangled tentacles and submerged to the bottom of the river, Annenia and the two elves bowed humbly to Sheyan and left .

After everything settled down, Sheyan continued pondering by the river edge before abruptly asking Elder Desirese Roots .

“How many resources do we need to establish a permanent summoning array . ”

Elder Desirese Roots was slightly puzzled and dissatisfied with Sheyan acting so mysteriously . Still, he earnestly answered .

“We must see how frequent summonings will be, and what creature will be summoned . ”

Sheyan replied straightforwardly .

“Frequency… . . probably once every three hours for a duration of an hour each . The strength of the creature is roughly similar to Mister Paul . ”

Elder Desirese Roots contemplated a little and responded .

“If you insist on establish that summoning array, I can supply the resources . However, we lack the heart of a stone giant, half a pound of Mirkwood"s Wicked Wishcrow"s fresh blood, three white cow horns, and one ruby . The array will last for a decade and only requires a change of ruby afterwards . ”

“Segimli, can you help me record down the elder"s words?” Sheyan politely asked .

Segimli was currently stroking his wet beard and asked in shock .

“Why? Can you even read in the dwarven language?”

“Those items will be one of the next criteria in my trade with the Gimli clan . Apart from that, I also wish purchase high level magic artifacts that are suited for twilight elves, especially a Sunstrider . I can fork out the materials, but I shall request for a master blacksmith . ”

Sheyan sincerely answered .

“You will get those items my friend! The Gimli clan is pleased to service you . ” An elite dwarf warrior excitedly interrupted . This was an aged, old, warrior with a white beard . Nevertheless, his robust muscles easily surpa.s.sed the thighs of a young man .

Sheyan nodded with satisfaction and smiled .

“Should our cooperation be a success, I will bless the Gimli clan with another surprise . ”

“Oh?” Segimly asked curiously . “What surprise?”

Sheyan smiled without answering and turned to the elves .

“It is time we return . Lordess Twilight Elf is expecting our swift return . ”

The battle ent Ferrell intruded with a m.u.f.fled voice .

“But Annenia and the two elves haven"t returned . ”

“They are very safe, I needed them to leave . ” Sheyan laughed in response . “Don"t worry, they are busy with something of paramount importance to Lordess Twilight Elf and us . ”

No mishaps occurred during the journey back . After numerous bitter defeats, the orcs no longer dispatched minions to give their lives in vain .

Three days after from departing Rivendell, the group once again entered this majestic elven kingdom . Yet before they could even rest for a drink, they received devastating news!

Decree of Holy Nature:

Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, Shelterer of the Misty Mountains, n.o.ble son of Eärendil, and Keeper of Vilya, shall depart for the Undying Lands within the shortest time in search of a way to restore his life .

He will be escorted by the most excellent Melody Sunstrider, and Elven Elders, Sindelwyn Yellowpage and Botehan Youngbud . This delegation of twenty will traverse the thousand leagues as elvish representatives of Middle-earth, to pay respects to the most ill.u.s.trious Illuvatar . We bid Lord Elrond best fortunes in reaching the Undying Lands as soon as possible .

n.o.ble Twilight Elf Glorfindel will a.s.sume command as Lord of Rivendell .

The Ring of Air, Vilya, shall be rescinded from Elrond and safeguarded by Elven King Thranduil and Lady Galadriel against the Dark Lord .

This decree is signed with the supreme authority of Elven King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm, Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien, Lord Elrond of Rivendell, and the n.o.ble Glorfindel .

Any intention to alter this decree will be deemed as challenging the authority of all elves of Middle-earth, and the perpetrator will be subjected to the retaliation of elvish might .

Upon viewing the decree posted on the boards of Rivendell, the elves of Melody became sh.e.l.l-shocked .

Evidently, this decree was introduced after numerous contentions and negotiations by underlying factions, where each received personal benefits upon taking this ultimate step . Elrond would gain the opportunity to travel to the Undying Lands, but losing his authority as head of the elves .

Glorfindel gained the lords.h.i.+p of Rivendell that he so desired and even his elves get to remain . Nevertheless, he lost the opportunity to acquire the Vilya .

Elven King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm and Lady Galadriel did not partake in pointing out the successor of Rivendell, but they acquired the using rights of the Vilya .

Everyone received respect except the newly promoted twilight elf Melody, whose wishes…… . . were utterly neglected without any hint of hesitation .

Such tyrannical conduct caused even the neutral elves to be enraged, each expressing their respective objections . Nevertheless, if mere objections were useful, why would there be a need to battle with might in this world?

Meanwhile, the various races expressed satisfaction with this outcome . Their fears of Elrond bringing away a tremendous mult.i.tude of Rivendell Elves were allayed, and the elvish might in Middle-earth would not weaken . Therefore, they could still contest evil should the Dark Lord rise again .

Faced with this sudden twist, Sheyan was the only one who could remain calm . It seemed as though this outcome was already within his predictions .

As he perused the words of the decree, Sheyan"s lips curled into a cold smirk .

“As expected, you guys can"t refrain from acting…… . . except, I wonder if you knew? Regardless of how well the fox tail is hidden, it has been revealed too early, all according to my expectations . ”

Time swiftly trickled away . During this period, Sheyan didn"t meet up with Melody nor did he communicate with her through the sacred tree . Sheyan didn"t wish for his foes to seize any handle they could use against him .

In his plans, secrecy and timing were of utmost importance . Nevertheless, he was a little worried about offending Elder Desirese Roots .

Fortunately, Sheyan held utmost faith and hope in Melody . In truth, she was the most important piece of his schemes .

To his present perspective, Melody displayed such unwavering faith in him even when he was absent . Therefore, now that she knew of his presence, her courage would be bolstered further! He believed her confidence in him was now unshakable .

“I will never disappoint you . ” Sheyan observed Melody"s elvish residence as he mused to himself .

The fourth night following the decree .

Most of the merchant caravan groups around Rivendell had long departed . A hazy drizzle enshrouded Rivendell as trees and plants regained their emerald-like l.u.s.ter from the water . However, a sliver of withering yellow could be seen at the tip of some leaves . A widespread withering seemed to be impending the month; the cost of organizing this rare century celebration of Rivendell .

The white pebble path was longer pristine and free from mud . Filth and mud could be seen everywhere, and the immortal mountain-like cleanliness of Rivendell had reverted to its original form . Ants manipulated by nature"s magic had perished, leaving behind sh.e.l.ls of carca.s.sess that solidified with the mud .

Half-elf Elrond was wearing a black cloak with golden lines . A falling leaf drifted past his eyes, as he stooped to cough lightly before mounting a carriage . Two vigorous and mighty uni-horn stallions were positioned to haul along the carriage .

After two of Elrond"s close confidants supported him up the carriage, they proceeded to keep guard by the side .

The expressionless Melody was escorted by two female elves up the carriage behind . This carriage exhibited an ivy exterior with edges beaming with hazy green radiance, creating a comfortable and honored impression . One could observe that the green radiance would cause the ivy to continuously grow, before curling around Melody"s spotless and slender wrists . Her wrists were also bound by a maple leaves that appeared blazing red .

Witnessing this scene, Elder Desirese Roots immediately displayed an angry expression and fumed .

“Those withered-up elves! They dare constrict Lordess Melody with the “Nature Restraining Leaves" and use such a despicable energy absorption array!!”

As it turns out, the carriage was also infused with an energy absorption array . It could endlessly absorb one"s nature magic prowess which would be converted to vitality . This was the greenish radiance that constantly grew the ivy .

The blazing red maple leaves on her wrists appeared like ordinary ornaments, but were, in fact, substantial restrictions, preventing external spirit energies from infusing into her body .

With both absorption and prevention of her nature energy, one could be surel that Melody would not be up to no good along the way . Yet this treatment was akin to an exceedingly painful torture to her . Seeing how gentle and peaceful Melody looked, it was hard to imagine that she could endure such agonizing torture .

No farewells, no embraces, no handshakes, no tears . Elrond"s delegation directly departed .

After traveling down the mountain, Elrond jumped off the carriage and gazed deeply back at the majestic city enshrouded with hazy drizzle . Then, he mounted the carriage again . No one could fathom his unfazed expression or his thoughts .

The drizzle slowly crescendoed to a heavy downpour . Unbeknownst when, dark clouds gathered as lightning bolt streaked through the empty air . The place was now engulfed with showering whiteness as visibly plummeted .

It had been two days since Elrond"s delegation departed Rivendell . The vile weather failed to halt their advance but effectively slowed their advancing pace . Howling winds tore against trees and plants, like an invisible and brutal giant hand viciously ripping apart the hair of a feeble maiden .

One"s vision failed to connect with any end, only a vast and ghastly whiteness . The path collecting the downpour emanated an air of overwhelming dread . This path followed a steep precipice that could easily lead to the demise of all .

The carriage eventually halted at the peak of this mountain ridge . n.o.body dared to continue advancing, because such a torrential rain could easily lead to mountain floods or landslides .

Once disaster struck at the bottom, only a few measly travellers would be able to escape . The revered Elrond was now accustomed to being serviced by others, regardless of personal interest or not, he wasn"t willing for such an outcome to happen .

An elf jumped down while risking being drenched from the rain . He nimbly marched to the front of the fidgety uni-horn stallion and calmed them down . Then, he marched to Elrond"s carriage and bowed before alerting .

“Lord Elrond, I"m afraid we can no longer proceed . The journey of a dozen leagues through the valley will be too treacherous in this tempest . ”

Elrond quickly replied with a low voice .

“Alright . ”

Moments later, several elves leapt down the rear-most carriage, and begun constructing a large and marvellous pointed-tip tent . They were meticulous and speedily efficient . Hence, they failed to discover a strange change happening beneath the crystal clear water collecting at the bottom of one elf .

The acc.u.mulated water seemed to possess its own life . The water slowly congealed into a thick hand with crystal like joints, even cyan veins could be seen clearly . Slowly, it abruptly seized the ankle of that elf and pulled!

The elf instantly yelled in vigilance . After all, the feeling of slipping and being pulled was completely different . Yet when his comrade glanced over, the comrade failed to notice any strange happenings . The rainwater-congealed hand had long disappeared after pulling the elf .

When that elf fell heavily to the ground with his back touching the floor, he exhibited an incomparably strange expression while turning stiff .

The other elves didn"t make much of this issue . Nothing abnormal could be vividly observed, and the elves carried on with their duties . Only one bent down to a.s.sist the elf .

To most elves, falling down while laboring amidst a raging storm was a common affair .

Furthermore, when the elf that was a.s.saulted released a yelp, it sounded similar to one accidentally slipping due to the howling winds .

Hence, most of the elves glanced over nonchalantly as they continued toiling after affirming nothing was up .

The only one that felt something awry was the a.s.sisting elf . He immediately felt something was amiss upon pulling his comrade . The arm of his comrade felt exceedingly peculiar, as though it was devoid of strength like he was pulling a corpse .

He hastily bent down and flipped his elf comrade around . Instantly, a shocking deep wound across the comrade"s back right near the heart area greeted him . Then, he noticed the lifelessness in the elf"s eye coupled with his ghastly pale complexion .

Strangely, the periphery around the wound appeared deathly white as though the body had been soaked in water for a long time . There wasn"t a single droplet of blood, and forcefully squeezing the wound resulted in turbid rainwater flowing out instead . Evidently, the aura of life had long escaped this physical body .

While the baffled elf was inspecting his comrade"s wound, he suddenly noticed the rainwater strangely congealing together . Then, it morphed into a shaftless transparent blade that sliced in with indescribable speed .

This elf wasn"t very strong and could be considered extremely weak . In fact, he was only a quarter elf due to his grandpa, and was mostly human . Otherwise, he wouldn"t be tasked with such servant-like ch.o.r.es . Moreover, he definitely wouldn"t choose to spend his best years attempting a trip to the Undying Lands with Elrond .

Thus, the transparent blade sliced in for the kill . The elf only felt a comfortable chill across his throat before feeling nothing; not even agony . Only, he saw something gus.h.i.+ng out from his neck . It was a queer yet somewhat nice sensation, however, his consciousness gradually dimmed as his soul floated to the sky .

The spurting blood from the collapsed elf instantly incited the attention of everyone . A person slipping may be an accident, but two collapsing was undoubtedly uncealable .

“An ambush by enemies!”

The elves howled out in panic . These laborious elf servants were wonderful in ch.o.r.es but a travesty with regards to fighting . The situation fell into a messy upheaval as the elves tried to look for the hidden enemy .

All of a sudden, a strange transparent half gripped the ankle of another elf . The elf who was still trying to find a foe fell and moved no more .

This attack was witnessed by a half-elf beside . That elf instinctively glanced at his own feet and released a terrified scream . He too discovered the rainwater congealing into a transparent and enormous hand that viciously gripped his ankle

In this instant, the elven bloodline in this elf exhibited its superior might as the elf darted away at once .

In spite of that, the transparent liquid hand was displeased with the failed a.s.sault . It immediately swept in with another malicious strike .

What was on the ground? With the pouring rain, only puddles of rainwater apart from solid mountain rocks . When the transparent liquid hand swiped in, the hand merely struck more rainwater . Yet in that instance, the hand abruptly transformed into an incredibly incisive dagger!

The dagger was transparent and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with deadly sharpness, seemingly guaranteeing the chances of puncturing its foe .

The liquid hand seized the water dagger and thrust it ferociously . Fortunately, the elf was pretty agile, possibly due to his superior elven bloodline . The elf continued to dodge repeatedly .

Still, the transparent hand struck with astonis.h.i.+ng speed, jabbing in blades immediately after retracting . Moreover, the terrifying hand seemed to be able to conduct form displacement . The hand abruptly melted into the puddles, and reappeared behind the elf a second later!

n.o.body could fathom the strange positioning of the transparent hand . After a single thrust, the hand then proceeded to stab unceasingly like a windmill without pause .

Fortunately, the exceedingly wretched elf managed to scramble for a tent plank on the ground, and blocked off several blows .

All of a sudden, the transparent liquid hand executed a ghostly flash movement with its water blade . The ghostly flash was actually due to a sudden unparalleled accelerated thrust! It thrust straight for the same spot on the wooden tent plank .

As the saying goes, dripping water penetrates the stone and ropes saw off timber . The solid wooden plank, though extremely st.u.r.dy, ultimately couldn"t handle the endless stabs of the overwhelmingly strong water blade .

Kacha! The wooden plank finally snapped .

Following that, the transparent hand executed a throwing action . Soon after, the hand unexpectedly turned into a sharp blade itself and penetrated deep into the chest of the half-elf .

The half-elf screamed miserably as his skinny body staggered backward before slumping to the ground . The life in his ravis.h.i.+ng blue pupils swiftly faded, as the savage transparent liquid hand dissolved into a puddle after committing murder .

Meanwhile, it wasn"t only these half elf servants that were being a.s.saulted . Eyes were similarly set on the few carriages .

In truth, this meticulously plotted sneak attack was definitely for a.s.sa.s.sination .

Before the transparent liquid hand was discovered previously, the falling rain water above Elder Sindelwyn Yellowpage"s carriage was suddenly ignited . Queer light-blue flames emerged where the flames swiftly upgraded into an incinerating light-blue fireball . This fireball blazed down from above .

Yet at this moment, a layer of green radiance floated up from the carriage"s exterior, s.h.i.+elding the carriage from the sky .

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions occurred . The air became polluted with fiery smoke and a charred stench . A fine horse was caught in the wave of flames and neighed sorrowfully before peris.h.i.+ng .

The light-blue flames churned with greater intensity upon interacting with more rain water . Afar, the uni-horn stallions were edging back in fear . Not only that, the blue flames landed on mountain rocks and caused them to fizzle . The rain water landed on the flames, they seemed to offer the effect of adding oil to a fire .

The green radiating barrier protecting this carriage turned evidently diluted, repeatedly unleas.h.i.+ng greenish brilliance against the crudely splas.h.i.+ng fire flames . The flames appeared to be extinguishable at any second, but the pouring rain continued to fuel the flames; seemingly engulfing the carriage with an inferno, threatening to burn everything to a crisp within a split second .

The decorations of the carriage fell in successions, releasing "ding dang" sounds amidst the loud rain, and complementing the sizzling sounds of a burning horse nearby . The scene was exceedingly strange to describe .

A moment later, Elder Sindelwyn Yellowpage charged out from the ruined carriage .

Of course, he wasn"t the only one to surface . In front of the grim looking elder, a shocking and ma.s.sive earth elemental appeared . The earth elemental was like a threatening great bear that blasted the carriage into smithereens upon emerging from it .

Although the blue flames ravaged the earth elemental"s body wantonly, the elemental seemed to be unbothered . Yet at this time, within the vast whiteness of the pouring rain, an incredibly fierce and deadly glint flashed in .

This glint created an impression of frying one"s eyes . Not only that, it seemed to bring a searing agony that would cause one"s heart to distort . This was an arrow specifically utilized to invade one"s heart .

Not many characters could fire such an arrow throughout the entire Lord of the Rings world . This could be said amongst the elves renowned from rangers.h.i.+p as well!

The reality was that it wasn"t an elf that fired this arrow . Instead, it was the most hated and reviled enemy of the elves .

Uruk-hai Lurtz!

The arrow directly penetrated the core of the earth element . Being an elemental creature, the earth elemental didn"t perish but lost the energy to continue residing in this world . Thus, it instantly degenerated into a heap of rocks that crumbled down .

Yet more terrifying was that the arrow gravely wounded Elf Elder Sindelwyn Yellowpage as well . A frightening puncture wound could be seen at his chest, as fresh blood dyed his robe red .

Concurrently, as the billowing winds howled, a lightning bolt whistled in for the other carriage of Elf Elder Botehan Youngbud .

The two uni-horn stallions that pulled Lord Elrond"s carriage simultaneously raised their front hooves while issuing a furious neigh . A golden brilliance glittered at the tip of their horns . The brilliant resplendent wasn"t a good sign, but an indication that powerful evil loomed nearby .

Amidst the hazy rain, an unfathomable shadow seemed to be approaching .

Be it the majestic and herculean stallions or the unwavering chauffeur, it seemed as though the source of darkness had enveloped their bodies .

The shadow halted . It was as though the shadow was covered in black ink; nefarious, ghostly, and carrying an unrivalled nature of invasion!

Even the falling rain water, once landed on the shadow"s periphery, would be polluted with overflowing evil!

A knight emerged from the shadow . His aura of invasion wasn"t merely polluting the ground, but a.s.similating and corrupting the environment itself . Even the falling rainwater that fell on him was infused with evil!

Be it knight or mount, a pair of crimson glints that could frighten the soul flickered in the darkness . All who looked into those eyes would have their souls sucked into the darkness .

Indeed, the most fearsome dark beings of the Lord of the Rings; eternally formless due to the rings they wielded, and traveling between the realms of reality and shadows .

The most terrifying slaves of Sauron . Darkness followed after them, and the hummings of death sung from their mouths . The Nazgûl, also known as Ringwraiths!

During this period, every single carriage was under siege by unknown forces . All except Melody"s carriage, it was as though the a.s.saulters were clear on the awkward predicament this newly promoted twilight elf was in . Therefore, not doing anything was the best move, yet foiling the imprisonment mechanisms of her carriage would, in turn, cause the situation to sour .

Amidst the rain and mist, a somber and desolate battlefield br.i.m.m.i.n.g with evil . The line of stagnant carriages trapped along a mountain path like a dead serpent . Even the mystical uni-horn stallions neighed in fear and glanced around nervously, stomping repeatedly around with their hooves . Evidently, they would"ve galloped faraway if not for being straddled to the carriage .

“We, meet, again . ” The Nazgûl spoke with a heartless tone to Elrond"s carriage . His voice seemed to be reverberating in from a hollow s.p.a.ce, resonating deep into one"s heart .

“Today, I, Khamûl, Seventh Grand Duke of Númenor, Shadow of the East, loyal servant of Lord Sauron, and Lord of Rhûn, hereby declare; my sword shall taste the blood of half-elf Elrond, his heart sacrificed to the dark one!”

(ED: Khamûl is actually not of Númenorean descent, and is the only Wraith whose name was given by Tolkien, the rest of the t.i.tles are accurate . )

Elrond finally emerged from the carriage, yet was unexpectedly holding a female"s hand .

This female elf appeared exceptionally n.o.ble and graceful . In her hands, was a divine staff that seemed like a tree branch . However, the process of budding seedlings, blooming flowers, ripening fruits, and even withering plants were endlessly occurring on this "branch" .

Upon viewing this elf maiden, Nazgûl Khamûl flickered with a crimson glow .

“Galadriel?? Why are you here?”

Indeed, this elf maiden was Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien!! A pure blooded elf that didn"t suffer even after wearing one of the rings of power! One could fathom her impregnable will .

Concurrently, a fair hand reached out to welcome the streak of lightning headed for Elder Botehan . Afterwards, the lightning"s might was completely exhausted .

A lofty elf with splendid gold hair then trudged out from that carriage and announced .

“How can I be absent from such an event?”

Unexpectedly, twilight elf Glorfindel who should be in Rivendell had surfaced as well!

In this instant, Uruk-hai Lurtz fired off another arrow from his bow .

This was a great bow soaked with fresh blood!

A cold arrowtip whistled in towards Glorfindel like the feasting eyes of a demon .

Though the number of enemies was unexpected, everyone that appeared were all formidable wizards .

As for Uruk-hai Lurtz, an archer who lurked in the shadows while targeting his enemy"s weakness, he could stealthily terrorize the entire field .

This was because the most powerful abilities would require incantation casting time . The incantation process would be the optimal moment for Lurtz to strike fatally .

Lurtz loosed his bowstring with a piercing "tw.a.n.g" that shook everyone . His arrow carried a dreadfully savage aura as it whizzed in . Once the arrow collided in, it would explode with a potent misma that covered the surroundings . Regardless of being capable of blocking or not, his opponent would be forced to retreat, thereby winning the advantage for Ringwraith that specialized in a.s.sa.s.sination .

Yet at this moment, amidst the elven corpses on the ground, a certain corpse rolled and suddenly climbed up . The elf corpse didn"t make any unnecessary movements, yet his left arm strummed gracefully as if he was playing a guitar . A green glow then shot out and blocked the incoming "Miasma Arrow" .

Obstructed after merely whizzing in for twenty plus meters, the arrow exploded with a m.u.f.fled boom before diffusing a hazy, gloomy green miasma that resembled the poisonous fog of Sheyan"s "Curse-mix" . Instead, this miasma ushered in a more intensified threat . Yet the miasma floating around in the empty air offered no effects at all .

The "corpse" wiped its face……revealing the das.h.i.+ng face of Prince Legolas like that of the morning sun . He smiled and announced .

“My father has returned to his kingdom, yet how could his son miss out on such an interesting event?”

All of a sudden, several figures emerged from the falling rain and enshrouding mist . The few figures were extremely familiar . They were none other than the contestants who entered this world with Sheyan and Reef .

The reserve-duty Growth-Hunter MT named Mo Yi and his confidant Shuren . The two plus Yerna who suffered under Sheyan before . They barely managed to a.s.semble a party, yet from the looks of it, their hand in this matter didn"t seem miniscule .

Deducing from the current situation, this so call Elrond"s expedition to the Undying Lands was actually a decoy .

The culprits who plotted against Elrond previously probably knew of his injuries as well; knowing that if he couldn"t return to the Undying Lands within a short period of time, he would undoubtedly perish in Middle-earth . Hence, the optimal time to strike was during Elrond"s journey to the Undying Lands after leaving Rivendell .

Evidently, Elrond had noticed that point too . Hence, his original intent was to bring along most of the elves of Rivendell along with him . However, Sheyan"s stirring with regards to Melody had unintentionally greatly aided the culprits who a.s.saulted Elrond .

Forced into such desperation, Elrond could only bring a few elves to meet the embrace of his enemies . Yet it seems like Mo Yi"s group was pretty talented as well . They managed to convince Elrond to set up a trap in a trap, using himself as bait to lure out his foes . From the looks of it now, this plan was quite an exceptional success .

Prince Legolas, the two Elf Elders, Galadriel, and Glorfindel . This was an incredibly frightening combination . Without a doubt, this a.s.sembly would still occupy crus.h.i.+ng superiority against Nazgûl Khamûl, Lurtz, and a few other dark wizards .

Still, Nazgûl Khamûl and Lurtz didn"t appear to harbour intentions of fleeing . Especially Lurtz, whose eyes flashed with cruelty and coldness . He fished out a leather wine pouch from his waist, and gulped down the contents . Dark-red alcohol leaked out from the corner of his lips and trickled down onto his hairy chest .

Nazgûl Khamûl abruptly released a wild and conceited laughter .

“Wonderful, truly wonderful . You have all arrived, yet today, all shall perish, none shall bar the way of Dark Lord Sauron when he sweeps through all of Middle-earth . Come now, for the Witch-King of Angmar!”

Galadriel scoffed in response .

“Shameless boasting! Should the Witch-King of Angmar reveal abnormal movements, then Gandalf and Saruman would"ve notified us at first notice . I just received the whispers of the wind three hours ago, one of the human kingdoms was a.s.saulted by the other seven Nazgûl . The shadows of the Nazgûl covered that glorious city . Even the fastest Silver Unicorn would require 15 days to gallop to the Misty Mountain . ”

Yet at this moment, roars of laughter erupted from Nazgûl Khamûl; sounding like a rusted blade scratching against a whetstone .

“Indeed, nothing you said is wrong . My fellow Nazgûl are indeed offering the honor and darkness of our lord to the human kingdom . Alas for you, faithful ones of a high-G.o.d are on our lord"s side . A deliberate plot to create seven dark dimension arrays . With the aid of a high-G.o.d, yes, my fellow Nazgûl shall come . Your flesh will return to dust!”

At this moment, seven terrifying pillars of darkness shattered the haziness of the foggy rain, soaring straight up to the sky!

Those seven terrifying pillars of darkness formed a perfect circle with Nazgûl Khamûl . Moments later, the seven pillars of darkness gradually concentrated together, as the eight nefarious ringwraiths a.s.sembled as one!

A sinister yet abstruse voice whispered through the atmosphere from all corners, seemingly carrying vile diabolical curses from h.e.l.l .

“I am Dwar of Waw, my sword desires to sever your breath . ”

“I am Dawndeath Jí Indûr, lover of elf blood . ”

“I am Akhôrahil . Galadriel, your hair will become ornament for my saddle . ”

“King Hôarmûrath will bring terror to your souls . ”

“Your skulls will become a part of me, Adûnaphel the Quiet Avenger!”

(TL: The names and inspiration of the Nazgul came from the Middle-earth role playing game)

“Such a grand affair… . this completely eclipses my expectation . ”

Approximately three kilometers away from the battlefield, a concealed cave could be seen . The cavern entrance was covered with vines . Upon entering the entrance and making a ninety degree turn, one could observe a group of individuals sitting together . In front of them, was a puddle of clear water that was roughly 5-6 square meters wide . Nevertheless, this puddle of clear water resembled a mirror, displaying the battle scene occuring at the distant mountain path with great clarity; not a single movement was overlooked .

The one who spoke was indeed Sheyan . His brows were tightly knitted together . The present Sheyan finally realized that all along, he who deemed himself as the dark hand behind the curtains who manipulated battles to his victory, had actually been pitifully used as a chess piece for someone else"s plan!

Furthermore, the current situation wasn"t merely involving the a.s.sembly of eight invincible Nazguls . There was still Uruk-hai Lurtz . Such a battle on this scale… . honestly speaking, it wasn"t something the current Sheyan could conjure up with his own hands .

This battle situation was akin to a endlessly deep whirlpool . Without possessing adequate strength, don"t mention partic.i.p.ating, even being nearby would cause one to be swallowed up and torn asunder!

“Although this sounds pathetic, but towards this situation… . . I have lost all control . There is no loophole that I can exploit . ” Sheyan mumbled out such words with great bitterness . This was one of the rare times he admitted his miscalculation .

Reef watched the puddle intently for a while before he spoke .

“The mastermind behind this is truly impressive . Making a great sacrifice of achievement points to create a one-time-use teleportation array for those seven Nazguls . The total expense of seven teleportation arrays amount to over a hundred achievement points!”

Sheyan asked curiously .

“Storyline characters can also employ items exchanged with achievement points?”

Reef answered .

“That item can only be exchanged after promoting to a certain military rank . It is called "Point Dimensionfold Tech-device" . If a contestant employs it, he will return to the realm instantly, but will result in lowering all basic attributes of the contestant . Moreover, all rewards and items gain in the world would be forfeited . ”

“However, storyline characters can likewise employ that tool, which will create a truly formidable one-time teleportation array . I heard of a case recently . In one of the Terminator 1 storylines, storyline character Reese (John Connor"s father) was supposed to die . However, a contestant utilized the item to immediately teleport the gravely wounded Reese to a hospital, who was saved after an operation . That is how I am quite familiar with such an item . Looking at it right now, I suddenly thought of it . ”

Sheyan frowned and spoke worriedly .

“Let"s not talk about that . Those guys have already managed to gain the trust of existences like the Nazgul . Their entrenchment in the foundations of this world is simply unimaginable . ”

Reef pondered and replied .

“Boss, I feel that you are overthinking things . The nightmare world is a crazy place but one filled with countless opportunities . Still remember our performance in the Avatar world? It was also our first time entering that accursed world, yet your answer to it caused the sovereign of that planet, fine, one of the sovereigns of the world, Eywa, to reach a compromise . They managed to acquire friends.h.i.+p with those Ringwraiths? Do those rotting creatures still possess brains?”

After listening to Reef, Sheyan"s eyes abruptly flickered brightly . After a brief silence, he replied .

“You are right! My friend, friends.h.i.+p with both Ringwraiths and an Uruk-hai leader is an incredibly foolish idea, perhaps…… . my starting point is wrong . Those guys aren"t totally invulnerable . Let us consider this from a different angle! The perspective of cost!”

“Perspective of cost? I don"t understand . ” Reef asked in puzzlement .

Sheyan paused a little and answered .

“Let"s be more direct, bypa.s.sing the process and to the outcome . After tossing aside whatever d.a.m.n schemes they possess, let"s consider the expense they poured into this wonderful deed . ”

“Firstly, they must"ve persuaded the Witch-King of Angmar . Apart from that Nazgul boss, n.o.body can command the other eight Ringwraiths to a.s.semble . Next, based on your data, they wasted over a hundred achievement points, a tremendous fortune, in conjuring out seven "Point Dimensionfold Tech-device" . No contestant would partake in a losing business . Hence, we can fundamentally affirm their profits would be multiplied that of the costs… . now, should we guess where is the source of these profits?”

“Reputation . Slaying those prominent figures would undoubtedly inflate their reputation, providing them with bountiful rewards . They may have an exceedingly arduous mission to take the heads of elite elves of the Middle-earth alliance . Of course, the battle loots in this process as well . ”

Reef confidently laid out the options .

Sheyan took a hurried breath before replying .

“Yes, spot on . Battle loots…… . I now know their motive! The ambitions of our contestant opponents are truly frighteningly unimaginable . Their ultimate goal is definitely the rings of power bestowed upon the elves!”

“The Elvish rings of powers, crafted with the same treasures as the One Ring, bestowed to the elven rulers . Now of the three rings, the Narya in the hands of Gandalf, Vilya with Elrond, and the Ring of Water, Nenya, adorned by the great Galadriel . If they succeed in this ambush, two rings of power, near the might of the One Ring, will be acquired by them!”

Reef inhaled a breath of chilling air .

“They dare to conspire so audaciously?! Simply inconceivable . Even if they manage to slay Elrond and Galadriel, the eight Nazgul will definitely not allow them to plunder the two divine-tier rings!”

Sheyan earnestly continued .

“Therefore, them falling out with the Ringwraiths is inevitable, that will be our chance!”

Speaking till here, Sheyan took a deep breath before resuming .

“This deduction won"t be wrong . Reef, though it sounds far-fetched, you just need to consider carefully . If presented with this chance, what will be your choice?”

Reef hesitated a little and shook his head with a wry smile .

“I too will scheme for such divine equipments . ”

Sheyan sat up straight and pressed his hand on the ground . He carefully spectated the ongoing battle through the aquatic mirror . Meanwhile, his eyes slowly regained a l.u.s.ter of confidence, which burn with increasing pa.s.sion .

“We still have an opportunity in this battle, a marvellous chance of fis.h.i.+ng in muddled waters!”

Reef sighed with depression .

“Boss, but wanting to join a fight of this level, our combined might… . is truly too weak . ”

Sheyan sneered and answered .

“Indeed, both parties are akin to ma.s.sive boulders, exceptionally solid granite boulders . Yet we are an insignificant brittle egg . However, the boulders are about to collide! The elves won"t be so easily defeated with two invincible divine rings protecting them . When the scales. .h.i.t a deadlock, a simple egg can decide victory or defeat!”

With the eight synchronized Nazguls working alongside a terrifying archer, Lurtz, fleeing would not be a bright idea .

Placed in such a situation, Galadriel raised her left arm without hesitation . A dazzling twinkle flickered atop a finger like the morning star . Indeed, she activated a protection ability of the RIng of Water, Nenya .

Instantly, an incorporeal barrier surged out from her and developed a squarish area of a few dozen square meters around her . The barrier fluctuated with a warm but resolute glow, as it pressured towards the nearby Nazguls .

Naturally, the Nazguls wasn"t willing to be repelled away . They immediately issued ghostly whispers and drew blazing swords to engage the barrier .

Dark nefarious weapons clashed against the barrier of Nenya, instantly inciting out waves of ripples . Although the barrier appeared impregnable, the offences of the Nazguls seemed to be effective; indicating that the s.h.i.+eld would break one day .

Galadriel turned to the ashen-faced Elrond and coldly admonished .

“Are you still hiding your strength now? The strongest of the three rings, Vilya . Let those abominations of darkness receive Vilya"s wrath . ”

Instead, Elrond offered a strange expression, which was an emotionless look . He shook his head slowly and replied .

“I can"t . ”

Galadriel paused for a brief while . As she was about to rage out, Elrond suddenly removed the gown he wore, which caused Galadriel to be utter speechless .

On his left chest, was a terrible devastating wound, caused by the impalation of a large sword . It was deep and long . The periphery of his wound was charred black, as though flames had carbonized the edges . Cracks could be seen and the wound repeatedly diffused out a piercing moisty stench . It was as though the wound possessed its own sentience as it continued drilling deep into Elrond"s body!

A sparkle abruptly flashed in the depths of his wound . With the terribly deteriorated state of his wound, he had to bury the Vilya inside his wound; borrowing its might to resist the powers of corruption!

Evidently, if Elrond dared to move the Vilya, he would peris.h.!.+

Witnessing Elrond"s horrifying wound, Elder Desirese Roots, who was hidden with Sheyan, blurted out subconsciously .

“That wound……shows the special characteristics of a strike by the Witch-King of Angmar! Even a mere scratch or any wound cursed by the Witch-King, will allow him to rapidly devour one"s vitality to strengthen himself . The longer the wound persists, the deadlier the wound becomes! Incurable by medicine or treatment, only death awaits!”

“However, the Witch-King of Angmar rarely uses this frightening ability on foes, because the price of executing it is cruel – the sufferings of the inflicted will come back to haunt the Witch-King of Angmar!”

Another elf carefully surveyed and added .

“The wound on Lord Elrond is rather weird . It seems to be done by the Witch-king, but also not so . I have a certain understanding of that event . That time when Elrond was adventuring, he was suddenly ambushed by mysterious men; believers of a high-G.o.d… . . ”

This elf was called Annil Yusu . Despite his weak combat prowess, he was one of the two rare elves in Rivendell who possessed unrivaled healing arts . He too followed Melody and came along this time, for fear that Melody would sustain injuries and he could administer emergency aid in time .

The elf glanced at Sheyan at this point . Evidently, he was slightly uncomfortable with "believers of a high-G.o.d" like Sheyan .

Sheyan chuckled and a.s.sured him .

“There are numerous believers of the high-G.o.d . Although we possess the same faith, our doctrine differs . Mutual warfare is a common thing, just like the humans of Middle-earth; believing in the same G.o.d yet pointing swords to settle disputes . ”

The elf nodded with a.s.surance and continued .

“A powerful magic scroll was used by those believers of the high-G.o.d right from the start . Sealed within the scroll, was a single terrifying strike by the Witch-King of Angmar; thereby successfully inflicting hurt on the unguarded Elrond . Nevertheless, the furious Elrond immediately unleashed the might of the exalted Vilya, cutting them down like a raging tempest brewing through a mountain forest . Due to the intense battle, Elrond failed to heal himself with Vilya"s divine might, leading to the Witch-King of Angmar"s strike slowly but resolutely nibbling away at his health . ”

Elder Desirese Roots then inquired .

“Then how do you explain Lord Elrond"s display of power during the banquet of Rivendell?”

Annil Yusu sighed and replied .

“Prior to that, Lord Elrond could still sustain his condition for three years . Yet after displaying his power, his vitality waned to a single year . However, he had no choice but to demonstrate his capable might then, otherwise, Glorfindel may suspect and terminate their collaboration . ”

Galadriel naturally understood what Elrond"s wound signified . Her expression was exceedingly unpleasant as she sunk into a momentary silence .

“Since you are completely relying on the Vilya to live, why use it as a negotiating condition?”

Elrond directly replied .

“To deceive you all . ”

Galadriel was choked with speechlessness . After a brief while, she admonished .

“Where is your honor O elf? Where is your dignity?”

Elrond"s gaze abruptly sharpened as he lashed back slowly .

“Compared to you pure-blooded elves, discriminated half-elves like me; you talk about honor and dignity now? Where was your honor when the arrogant ones undermined my bloodline? Where is your dignity?”

Meanwhile, Legolas released a vicious arrow out . Every arrow he shot carried an emerald brilliance that pierced into the dark Nazgûl; knocking the Nazgûl 5-6 meters back as distinct cracks emerged on their hazy shadow armour .

The elven prince could grasp the situation clearly and hastily issued after releasing an arrow .

“Now isn"t the time to discuss this . Elrond, you forsook your dignity and prestige to live . Since your desire to live is so great, you wouldn"t wish to perish here right . ”

Elrond replied with a grim expression .

“Yes . ”

Legolas wiped his perspiration and sincerely said after releasing another arrow .

“Therefore, hasten up with any methods that can resist those dark lackeys! Also, release Melody Sunstrider, we need to strike back with full force . Should we die here, she won"t escape either . ”

Naturally, Legolas"s words were extremely sensible . The gold-haired Glorfindel hurriedly pointed towards Melody"s carriage . Instantly, the wood of the carriage seemed to be infused with new life . The wood begun expanding as shoots sprouted out from it . Finally, roots drilled into the ground as the carriage became a large tree .

In a flash, the carriage used to imprisoned the pale-looking Melody was transformed into luxurious tree .

Glorfindel was the culprit who created this carriage with a spirit-absorbing array . However, the "Nature"s Restraining Leaves" on her wrists were locked by Elrond and only he could release her .

Elrond flicked his wrists towards Melody, causing the gorgeous "Nature"s Restraining Leaves" to fly out which dissipated into speckles of red light . Then, the red lights wafted towards the exterior foes .

The Ringwraiths darted away but were incapable of resisting the tremendous might of those red powdery lights . Cyan fumes emerged when the lights adhered onto their shadowy nature, as they emitted ghastly and agonizing bellows . One could notice their movements turning distinctly slower .

Melody finally stood up and walked out . Her expression remained unchanged . At present, all her magic powers had been drained and she couldn"t join the battle for the time being . She could only wait until she recovered some magic power .

Yet at this moment, Galadriel yelled out sternly .

“I have to retract the barrier for a while, to allow time for Nenya to acc.u.mulate strength . Otherwise, I won"t be able to sustain for long! Elrond, it"s up to you if you still wish to conserve your strength, I will at most forsake this physical flesh and rebuild it back in the Undying Lands . As for you, you will plunge into everlasting slumber!”

Galadriel then retracted her incorporeal barrier . Elrond"s expression sank drastically as his facial muscles twitched . He took a deep breath and finally fished out a large golden seed .

This seed was the size of an egg and it was coated with cracks . It appeared to be rooted amidst s.p.a.ce and time . Elrond then bent down and dug a hole with his feet before placing the seed into the ground . He then cut his own middle finger, and allowed his blood to drip into the soil .

The mix of blood and rainwater permeated the sh.e.l.l of the seed . Instantly, the earth trembled faintly and following that, a monumental golden tree swiftly sprouted from the ground and reached high for the sky .

Legolas inhaled a breath of chilling air and exclaimed .

“Could that be………the seed of a Gold Evergreen!! You actually managed to acquire such a mythical creature?”

Elrond didn"t reply but clutched his chest and coughed . He then marched towards the golden tree . His complexion was additionally pale as he appeared to be tottering .

Meanwhile, Galadriel"s incorporeal barrier was fully retracted, as she allowed the Nenya to replenish its spirit energy from nature .

The Nazgûl flew into a frenzied a.s.sault . However, the Gold Evergreen fanned out like an umbrella that guarded the elves . Its branches resembled weapons that whipped around berserkly, leaving behind cauterizing gold marks on the shadowy bodies of the Nazgûls; causing them roar agonizingly in retreat .

The Ringwraith"s a.s.sault was hindered while Lurtz was being contained by Legolas . Moreover, Glorfindel was similarly demonstrating his extravagant nature"s divine arts . Humongous logs were colliding forward that repelled out incoming Nazgûl away .

Galadriel was also executing her nature"s divine arts . Innumerable earth hands repeatedly bore out from the ground and curled around the Nazgûl"s feet like roots, causing them to strive with great difficulty to maneuver around .

When the eight Ringwraiths finally managed to deal a substantial amount of damage to the Gold Evergreen, Galadriel once again activated the unparalleled guardian barrier of the Nenya . The Ringwraiths could only be excluded outside .

The situation gradually plummeted into a deadlock . The Nazgûls couldn"t infiltrate in while the elves couldn"t escape .

Nevertheless, the elves were disadvantaged . After all, magic powers would be exhausted eventually . Still, this battlefield took place amidst the Misty Mountains . Therefore, this was a place near the patrol of the elves, and new deviations may occur .

Hence, the pressure on both sides was equal . If the elven army could rush here in time, some of the Nazgûls may fall today .

“Our chance is here . ” Sheyan stood up at this instant . His lips curled into an ominous smirk .

“Now, the crux of this aspect has been revealed . I don"t believe our opponents won"t notice, and when they make a move, they won"t be expecting lurkers in the rear spying on them . Therefore, this is our best opportunity!”

This proverb accurately describes the essential factors of warfare .

Timing, geography, and people to win the war .

Evidently, the Dark Lord"s side was well prepared for this fight . Hence, they had spent quite some efforts in choosing the location of battle .

The elves were presently trapped along a bare mountain path near the peak . Even without rain, the land here was pretty barren . Harsh winds swept through the area and falling off the precipitous cliff would mean certain death . It was extremely difficult to escape .

The forces of darkness naturally occupied the terrain advantage .

Furthermore, the barren land here meant that the favored children of nature, the elves, were considerably weakened when fighting in this terrain .

The golden seed planted by Lord Elrond depended solely on its own internal nutrients and energy to grow . Thus, it managed to deeply root itself and extend out its ma.s.sive obstructing branches . Looking from a bird"s eye view, the Gold Evergreen resembled a mountain demon that stubbornly ruled over this mountain peak .

Yet the cruel reality was this . This incomparably precious Gold Evergreen required an exceptionally high rate of maintenance . Elrond planted the tree here and even employed a secret technique to expedite its growth . However, with the lack in spirit nutrients, the Gold Evergreen would wither and die within two days .

Galadriel activated Nenya as she worked in tandem with the Gold Evergreen . When Nenya needed to replenish energies, the Gold Evergreen would branch out to block . After the Gold Evergreen sustained a certain amount of damage, Nenya would release the guardian barrier again and encapsulate the Gold Evergreen in . Healing and replenis.h.i.+ng, both worked together in perfect harmony .

However, should one pillar of the support crumble, doomsday would descend on the elves .

Adorning Nenya, one of the three Elven Rings of Power, Galadriel was absolutely no weakling . Any contestant would face an insurmountable challenge in contesting her . Alas, the Gold Evergreen couldn"t be spoken in the same light!

It was prematurely grown and its owner, Elrond, was inflicted with grave injuries . Moreover, its physical area was astronomical, and a spectator could easily discover its greatest flaw – the ground where it took root!

The Dark Lord chose this battlefield wisely . A barren mountain ridge . The Gold Evergreen"s roots would find it extremely difficult to grow and absorb sufficient spirit energies . More crucially, this mountain ridge was more than 20 meters wide, where craggy cliffs could be found on both sides . Should a ma.s.sive explosion happen beneath, it may cause a violently enormous landslide to occur .

Of course, a landslide may be a calamity for ordinary mortals, but to the twilight elves and Nazgul, it would merely be a ha.s.sle . However, the foundation of the Gold Evergreen would be destroyed should a landslide happen . This would naturally sever one of the supporting arms of the elves .

Beneath the battle on the ridge, was a deep mountain valley . The pouring rain fell endlessly as streams for all directions congregated at this point . The river flow of this valley was reaching its maximum, the rapid flows rumbling like thunder . One could foresee a turbulent flash flood on the verge of erupting .

Right now, three individuals was standing here . One of them wore a safety helmet and held a flashlight that miners normally possessed . Another was carried a large bag . The last one was round but strong, wearing a beige and elastic sleeveless s.h.i.+rt . His muscles were leaking out .

Looking at the three of them, one appeared to be a miner, one a backpacker, and one a robust instructor . This combination was rather perplexing .

The closest guess would be that these three individuals didn"t belong to the Lord of the Rings world . They seem to be a small scale party . It was as though they had just ended work, and rushed out to have some fun .

The miner raised his head and gaze towards a protruding cliff rock at the top . Even from here, he could clearly observe enormous golden tree roots that had effortlessly drilled through the cliff rocks . The roots continued penetrating deep into more rocks, as they held the frame of the golden tree firmly . The scene exhibited a beautiful resilience of life .

The miner approached a rock ahead . He tapped the rock with his finger before licking his finger for a taste .

“Hey Venus, excavate an evenly deep hole here . At least 51 centimeters deep and get Warehouse to deliver 11 . 3 pounds of explosives to insert . Remember, not too much . It is hard for me to manufacture explosives, otherwise, I will deduct from your merits . ”

Being dubbed as "Warehouse", was the brat carrying the backpack . Venus was naturally the strong male . It seems that the miner was a detonation specialist .

Under his guidance, the explosives were quickly installed .

Miner strolled forward and gently tapped the rock, while listening closely with his ears for a brief while . Finally, he nodded with satisfaction .

“Splendid . Venus, although you underestimated your strength and dug 10 centimeters deeper, but this will make the explosion better . Next up is time for my bomb . Sit back and enjoy the fireworks, let the mountains and rocks tumble . This darn weather though, seems like we must settle this within ten minutes . Otherwise, we"ll be downed by the flood . ”

Following that, the miner hooked out a device from his pocket . It appeared like a detonator . He then strode over .

Yet in this instant, he suddenly felt his feet adhering to the ground like glue, causing him great difficulties in even lifting his feet . Yet he hadn"t stepped into mud at all, this sensation was just like something was fastening him down .

He glanced down before his body instantly felt a bone-piercing chill . The miner could clearly see several acute brown roots abruptly piercing up from the ground, and ruthlessly coiling round his shoe!

A split second later, Venus zipped past Miner while guarding his head with both arms . His flying speed was so fast, even the miner couldn"t glance his head fast enough . Venus then smashed against the rock behind .

Upon falling down, he coughed out several mouthfuls of blood as his complexion paled . One could notice a remnant of mild greenish glow at Venus"s chest . The glow looked just like boiling oil that was actually emitting sizzles at Venus"s chest .

After cras.h.i.+ng down, Venus immediately raised both hands and pounded them together . His gloves suddenly erupted and revealed a pair of steel fists! The steel fists pounded together once more, and instantly sparked countless threads of current jolting throughout his body!

Yet in this very instant, a green beam flashed in from afar . An elven wizard waved his staff which conjured out a mult.i.tude of magic fantasy patterns . Following that, a streak of boiling green beam whistled in through the void and smashed against Venus!

Elven Divine Art: "Nature"s Wrath"!

All of a sudden, a blinding radiance in the shape of a wolf"s head emerged on Venus"s right shoulder . Evidently, he was a Growth-Hunter .

The currents continued lingering around his steel fists . Venus speared forward like there was nothing before him, as he emenated a bearing of desperation .

His fist ferociously pounded against the "Nature"s Wrath" ability, leaving a blinding aftermath of radiance and currents scattering in all directions .

Although Venus sustained heavy injuries as well, he didn"t suffer any negative effects as though he was a man of steel . On the contrary, he continued barrelling towards the elf without placing any obstacles in his eyes .

This was Venus"s ability – "Usurper"s Armor"

Normal individuals would display reactions toward any kind of attack . For example, a human body would shrink instinctively before a collision . Or a fist to one"s nose, would leave the person teary and blood leaking out profusely from the person"s nose .

Yet Venus"s ability, though unable to cancel out damages, could eliminate all negative bodily reactions . Once his ability upgrades to a higher level, it would be able to lower incoming damages, and be immune to repelling effects .

At present, jolts of electricity flashed through Venus"s fists . He lunged towards the Elven wizard amidst the pouring rain, as his twin fists carried a long lightning afterimage while emitting a crackling boom .

Once he could get near the Elven Wizard, the elf would be plunged into an awkward predicament .

Alas, at this moment, a scorching golden sun emerged before him! Venus roared angrily as he unleashed a ruthless punch against the sun s.h.i.+eld . Sparks scattered everywhere but his rival was utterly unmoved .

Reef surfaced!

Right at this moment, the backpacker"s expression changed drastically . He retreated first as the zip of his bag"s front compartment automatically opened . From within, a metallic ball that was roughly the size of a football was produced .

The metallic ball split opened rapidly, folded, and distorted before rooting to the ground . In a flash, it transformed into a Weapon Firing System found in the h.e.l.l"s Gate base of the Avatar world . Black barrels spat out flaming tongues in a flash .

Warehouse then retreated a second step . Within a second, three Spider Mines slipped out from his bag and was buried into the ground!

Warehouse retreated the third step…… . however, a figure came out from nowhere, and viciously collided him into a stunned state . This figure endured the rain of bullets and stepped onto the Spider Mines without hesitation .

Then, came a long blade of glittering oceanic blue that rose above Warehouse .

Sheyan was now in action!

“The enemy will definitely be monitoring the battle closely, and aim to operate beneath this mountain ridge . However, their main focus will be undisputedly gathered on the fighting . The eight Ringwraiths and Lurtz clas.h.i.+ng against the heroic elves, such a deadlock can be broken at any moment . Sudden unexpected deviations may just occur . ”

“More importantly, our rival contestants are aiming for the Elven Rings of Power . Their top priority is absolutely to acquire those precious rings, for once the Ringwraiths lay hands on the rings, they would never be able to wrestle it from them . ”

“Therefore, although it looks like we have adequate time, we must swiftly settle this under-cliff operation . According to my conjecture, reinforcements for that contestant party will definitely arrive quickly, and we have at most five minutes . Otherwise, we"ll be pincered and our lives forfeited . ”

The aforementioned were the words Sheyan used to rally his allies before the a.s.sault . Fortunately, the battle went exceedingly smooth and no unexpected mishaps occurred .

Constrained by Reef, Venus was soon struck into near-death state by the two Elven Wizards . However, after entering near-death state, he simply vanished into thin air!

This was an ability that Sheyan had investigated on before, a supremely useful party skill . Upon entering near-death state, they will be randomly teleported to a safe area within a kilometer; (excluding domains like water or infernos) . Nevertheless, the near-death state would persist for 10 minutes after teleportation .

It seems like the party the duo was facing was extremely valiant . That was obvious if one thought about it . To dare to conspire such heaven-shocking methods and scheme to steal the Elven Rings of Power, how could such a party be trifled with easily?

Time was tight . Honestly speaking, there was no chance to search for Venus and throw in a blade . Hence, Venus luckily escaped a fatal fate .

However, Warehouse was not that lucky .

Ever since Sheyan realized their nightmare imprints were engraved on the shoulders, Sheyan immediately added this mechanic/summoner/resource-master contestant into his "must-kill" list . Sheyan had no choice but to kill him!

Although Warehouse was a Growth-Hunter, under the pressing and frenzied barrages of Sheyan"s saber, he could only retreat pathetically in straitened circ.u.mstances . In truth, he wasn"t adept at such close combat . If only he had ten seconds, no, just five seconds of buffer time! He would surely escape this miserably state, and even turn the tides and bombard his aggressor into smithereens . Sadly, there was no ifs in this world…… . .

Sheyan grimaced as Warehouse howled and stabbed a screwdriver in this belly . Instead, his "+7 West" maliciously hacked against Warehouse"s neck .

This ruthless slash instantly caused Warehouse to tremble violently, because that single blade had surpa.s.sed his limits and dragged him into near-death state .

Even worse, when Warehouse"s party skill activated, it actually teleported him short of 300 meters away . He was still revealed to the line of sight of his opponent . Still kneeling in his near-death state, he could only witness as his opponent chased up . His foe maintained a resolute expression as he raised his long saber, before slas.h.i.+ng down .

“Darn it!” Warehouse screamed as his eyes almost popped from its sockets . He clenched his teeth and shouted . “I will return this ten folds, just you wait!!”

Then, he immediately activated a life-preserving item . It was indeed the same "Point Dimensionfold Tech-device" . Although the cost of it was tremendous, he could travel to another location, through a dimension where he would not be damaged .

Hence, Sheyan"s "+7 West" was resisted by an irresistible force, completely unable to slash in .

Yet a moment later, Warehouse was abruptly overwhelmed with a chain of heart-rendering coughs . Yet even worse, either his physique was extremely weak or his luck was terrible, during the few minutes of his battle with Sheyan before this, he had already coughed violently for four times… . .

Thus, Warehouse could only glare at Sheyan with eyes of panic and hate . Though he couldn"t speak, he was definitely screaming "But no attacks can reach me now, why is my life plundered by a d.a.m.ned cough"… . .

At the same instant that Warehouse coughed to death, Sheyan and Reef received the notifications .

[ You killed Growth-Hunter (no . unknown) . Growth-Hunter was the vice-party leader, therefore, the reward will be 6 achievement points or 6 free attribute points ]

[ Please choose only one as your reward ]

[ Your party is still in combat, party leader please allocate the rewards at your own time ]

[ The limit of slayer achievement points/free attribute points that can be acquired in this world is 10 points . Anything exceeding that will be ineffective and nonrefundable . Please allocate wisely . ]

[ Random equipments will be randomly drawn from the slain contestant as slayer reward . It will then be randomly allocated to party members ]

[ Drawing process will take some time . Calculating data of enemy slain… . please wait ]

[ Note: Three contestants have now died to your "Bronchitis" breakout by coughing blood . Condition met to trigger relevant milestone ]

[ Hidden Milestone: Sanitary Pad Friend ]

[ Condition: Five contestants must die to your "Bronchitis" breakout and cough blood ]

“Eh? Wasn"t it only achievement points? Where is there an option to select free attribute points?” Sheyan was stunned . In his plans, he just needed 3 achievement points to once again raise a level of his "Bronchitis" ability .

Never did he expect there would be a free attribute option as well . Moreover, killing a Growth-Hunter should reward four points, but a vice-party leader offered additional bonus to become 6 points .

“Achievement points or free attribute points?” A thousand notions seemingly pa.s.sed through Sheyan"s mind in a flash .

“Slaughtering the party"s vice party leader . That is not fanning flames beneath their b.u.t.ts, but directly impaling their a.r.s.e with a spear . Their retaliation will absolutely be ferocious . I guess the success rate of my plan will minimally decline by 10% . ”

“Ah… . fine then . This matter involves Melody and failure is not permitted . There is no choice, it seems like I need to modify the plan a little . Still, it doesn"t matter, we"ve already attained 80% of our objective . This is a pretty remarkable feat . ”

Reflecting on that, Sheyan decisively chose free attribute points . Following that, he noticed the absurd "Sanitary Pad Friend" milestone and sighed . The name of this milestone was too suggestive .

At this moment, Reef slapped his shoulder with a queer expression, and gestured to the miner with his mouth . Sheyan drew in a breath of chilling air . The miner was covered with an ethereal layer of yellow screen that resembled an eggsh.e.l.l protecting him .

Sheyan wasn"t foreign to this yellow screen, because back when he entered this world, he too enjoyed such a treatment .

An incredibly perverse ability!

Domain: Absolute Defence!

Previously, he too enjoyed a domain barrier that absorbed all damages . However, it only lasted for ten seconds . It seems that the miner"s one was more outrageous than his . His domain defence had already persisted for at least 5 minutes, and seemed like it was going to carry on!

Nevertheless, this ability came at a price . He could not move nor attack, but merely stood still while others fail to harm him . He was a harmless sitting duck .

Watching as Sheyan sauntered over, the miner smiled faintly and waved at him .

“I know what you are thinking, my friend . This is indeed an exceptionally freakish ability . However, this came at a price of me forsaking all direct combat moves . Speaking bluntly, my close combat and long-range combat capabilities does not differ to even ordinary mortals . ”

Sheyan laughed and replied .

“That isn"t important . What is important, is the two achievement points or two free attribute points that you can offer us . I will patiently wait for your unrivaled protection to vanish . ”

“You"re wrong . ” The miner shrugged his shoulders .

“Kill me, and you gain nothing . In contrast, you will be penalized of basic attributes, for I am someone who belongs to a neutral faction . I was merely hired by the Stockholm party . ”

In order to gain Sheyan"s trust, the miner revealed a bare and s.h.i.+ny shoulder for him to see .

“Look, my nightmare imprint isn"t at the same position as them . All imprints of a neutral faction will be engraved in the internal intestines of our body . Hence, our nightmare imprint radiance exudes out from internally instead . ”

Sheyan glared at the miner and questioned .

“Even if what you said is true, what good does this information do for me?”

The miner smiled and answered .

“I service all contestants of combat factions . I a.s.sisted the Stockholm party with the construction of the teleportation arrays for those Ringwraiths . Most importantly, as long as you have adequate funds, I can provide the same service as well, eighty percent discount moreover . This means you only need to pay a little utility points or achievement points . ”

Sheyan was not the least bit amused by the miner"s outstanding offer . He coldly declared .

“What a s.h.i.+tty and deception reason . It sounds so perfect, just like drawing out heavenly delicacies with a pen . I can"t verify your words at all, but more importantly, my patience is running dry . To prevent you from successfully stalling for time, I will give you another 10 seconds . ”

The miner offered a bleam smile and inquired .

“Then what do you want?”

Sheyan replied without hesitation .

“Pa.s.s me the detonator for the explosives you buried . Can you do that?”

The miner straightforwardly answered .

“No problem . The Stockholm Party promised to guarantee my safety but they failed to deliver . Therefore, for my own safety, I will agree to your request . ”

After speaking, the absolute defence barrier around him vanished . It would be as easy as turning over his palm if Sheyan wanted to kill him . Nevertheless, seeing how cooperative the miner was, he didn"t . The miner swiftly prepared the detonated and handed it over .

Sheyan then activated the probing ability of his helmet and received a nightmare imprint notification .

[ Scanning a Neutral…neutral will be notified and may lead to unknown consequences ]

This notification affirmed Sheyan"s choice not to kill him . He then carefully inspected the detonator in his hand . After confirming there weren"t any traps or flaws, he bluntly waved for the miner to depart .

At this point, the miner took a deep gaze at Sheyan and laughed before speaking .

“Good luck, Major Sir…frankly speaking, you are the first official Major who is just a basic realm contestant . ”

“Therefore, do consider investing in me . ” Sheyan answered casually .

The miner laughed heartily and replied .

“I will, certainly, only within the scope of the realm"s regulation . ”

Following that, Sheyan waited…accurately speaking, he waited for a minute and 18 seconds . When he noticed a figure rus.h.i.+ng through the hazy and dispersing mist from afar, he could clearly sense this – a tremendous killing intent surging in from a hidden distant!

Thus, Sheyan boldly triggered the detonator . A m.u.f.fled sound followed that resembled this comical mountain releasing a sinister fart .

This fumes from this light explosion drifted into the rain and quickly dissipated .

Then, one could observe an indiscernible fissure cracking out . This fissure appeared like a normal crack that was totally insignificant . It was like a minute crack along a bowl .

Soon after, the fissure split into two slightly larger fissures . The two fissures split into four, then eight…… . .

Within a short time, fissures covered this mountain wall like a cobweb . Finally, “Kalei" sound erupted as numerous rock fragments fell down .

Instantly, half of this mountain body begun trembling faintly . Then, a landslide . The cliff rocks around the golden tree"s roots begun rolling and tumbling down .

After the explosion, a dispute arose amongst the members of the other part of the Stockholm Party . This was because they were clear that the landslide was in action, meaning the members on this side had succeeded . Therefore, their lives were temporarily unimportant… . . it was more crucial to steal the two Elven Rings of Power! Yet at this point, they hadn"t positioned themselves properly .

Sheyan"s goal was fairly simple . To rescue Melody amidst the chaos . The biggest hurdles thus far were the elves, but with them being stalled right now, they could at most drag her down a little .

However, the members of Stockholm Party were definitely formidable foes . Sheyan was still clueless about their party const.i.tution, but he knew they definitely possessed outstanding might .

Furthermore, noting that their nightmare imprints were engraved on the shoulder, this signified that killing Sheyan and company would supply them with generous profits as well . The achievement points gained from slaying a single was equivalent to the amount gain from a main mission .

Evaluating the capabilities of the elves, apart from the gravely wounded Lord Elrond, the next weakest would be Melody . Ever since she had been imprisoned, it meant that she would receive less aid from the elves . In the end, she may even become an easy kill for the enemy .

Sheyan questioned himself . If he was the enemy party leader, he would never let go of such a golden opportunity .

Thus, although the three cannon fodder, Mo Yi, Shuren, and Yerna would attract the opponent"s attention as well, Sheyan still felt an immense risk towards this .

Hence, he seized the chance to ravage the mountain solely to catch the Stockholm Party unguarded with such an abrupt change of events .

In this circ.u.mstance, they will have to select from two options . First, scramble to steal the two Elven Rings of Power, or fall back and seek vengeance for their vice party leader . Of course, there was the choice of splitting up and pursuing different objectives .

In that case, the threat to Melody would be reduced once again, while Sheyan would a.s.sume some of the risk that was initially directed to her . Sheyan was well aware of the dangers involved but this was something inevitable .

This was because if he didn"t do this, then Reef would have to do it . Yet without an MT like Reef s.h.i.+elding Melody, she wouldn"t be able to exhibit even 50% of her capabilities . This would be disadvantageous to the big picture .

Mild tremors swept throughout the mountains as a disastrously ma.s.sive landslide begun . Amidst the torrential rain, clouds of rolling dust could still be seen spiralling up and covering the sky .

Without hesitating, Sheyan turned to flee . The further he could flee would directly determine if Sheyan"s ploy would be a success or failure, resulting in even life or death!

After Sheyan hurled a flask of "Curse-Mix" behind and begun to sprint frantically, he suddenly felt a strange sensation overcoming him . Instantly, his nightmare imprint transmitted clear notifications .

[ You have been struck with Black-Iron Party skill "Predator"s Tracer" by an unknown Growth-Hunter . If successfully imprinted, caster will be able to lock onto your position . You will also receive additional 5% of damages for a duration of 30 minutes . This effect takes precedence ]

You have been struck with Black-Iron Party skill "Predator"s Tracer" by an unknown Growth-Hunter . Your party prestige is higher, suppressing other party"s skill… . ]

[ You have been struck with Black-Iron Party skill "Predator"s Tracer" by an unknown Growth-Hunter, suppressing other party"s skill… . ]

After a conflicting list of notifications, Sheyan was finally presented with a red notice .

[ Unknown Growth-Hunter"s Black-Iron Party skill "Predator"s Tracer" has successfully imprinted . You are now the prey ]

“Prey??” Sheyan"s lips curled into a malevolent sneer . “Fine then, catch up if you have the b.a.l.l.s . ”

Sheyan left deep footprints on the muddy ground during this intense chase off . He didn"t look back once to prevent his speed from dropping by even a millisecond . After sprinting for a kilometer, the sounds of rus.h.i.+ng water roared in from ahead . A rapid stream of turbid water was cras.h.i.+ng down the mountain, with fragments of wood and leaves flowing along the current .

A broad wooden raft was floating on this rapid stream that was caught between rocks . . It was a strange wooden raft that not crafted or bundled with any vines . Instead, the logs adhered to each other naturally and were incredibly perfect and queer . Evidently, this was a masterpiece by an elf .

Sheyan directly jumped onto the wooden raft and smashed the rocks . Immediately, the turbulent steam propelled the wooden raft forward at maximum speed .

Upon glancing back, Sheyan spectated three contestants halting as they cursed aloud . Nevertheless, he couldn"t hear them clearly .

If it was Reef or Brother Black, they would probably be at a loss right now . However, for Sheyan who even dared to challenge typhoons, manipulating the wooden raft along this mountain flood was practically as simply as navigating through a little ca.n.a.l . What more, with a wooden raft, constructed by elven magic, that was firm and reliable?

After being flushed by the rapid stream for a few kilometers, Sheyan finally sighed and relaxed a little .

All of a sudden, through the gaps of this wooden raft, a peculiar gush of water shot up which congealed together into a ma.s.sive yellow liquified hand . This ma.s.sive hand grabbed Sheyan and viciously pulled him, causing him to fall backward

To his horror, while falling backwards onto the raft, another gush of turbid water shot up and morphed into an acute aquatic spike in a flash . The spike was positioned behind and if Sheyan fell, the spike would undoubtedly puncture his heart from the back!

Such a weird style of attacking was completely unexpected by Sheyan . After losing his balance, he immediately pressed his hands backward was was coincidentally on the aquatic spike .

Blood spurted out and a large mangled flesh hole was punctured through on his left hand . One could clearly see his white bones .

Still, Sheyan steadied himself to receive the next move from his opponent .

Although he suffered such an abrupt sneak attack, the vigilant Sheyan still managed to sweep out his "+7 West" in retaliation, managing to slash the retracting liquified hand . The hand exploded into water droplets, but the next notification caused Sheyan to inhale a breath of chilling air .

[ Enemy ??? is immune to your attack! ]

“Hohoho, foolish piece, obediently accept your fate of death! How can a basic realm contestant contest an Awakener? Know this, you died by the hands of Devil King Drubal!”

A deep and wretched voice resonated out of nowhere .

Amidst the four directions of torrential rain, stretching towards the far ends of the hazy downpour; yet apart from Sheyan, none other was in sight .

The fallen Sheyan slowly climbed back up on the wooden raft .

His movements were firm but gradual . His muscles slowly contracting, chunk by chunk, as they supported his vigor .

He chose silence in response to his opponent"s provocation, wholeheartedly focused on sensing his enemy"s movement .

All of a sudden, that large liquified hand emerged behind him again . This time, the liquified hand congealed near his shoulder, and shockingly wielded an frost spike . The hand then plunged the spike down onto Sheyan"s body!

Sheyan hastily spun round, yet the frost spike was simply too swift . The outcome of him spinning round was a vicious frost weapon stabbing in his underbelly .

Sheyan"s facial muscle spasm from the pain but his action exhibited his fearlessness . He immediately hacked towards the liquified hand with his saber .

Sadly, a merciless notification greeted him again .

[ Enemy ??? is immune to your attack! ]

Facing such a disheartening notification, Sheyan"s bit his lips forcefully and swallowed blood back down his throat . He quickly arced his body down as his eyes flashed with a glint that resembled a famished wolf!

“Awakener?! What a freaking big shot eh? Come, bring it on!”

A short three minutes later, Sheyan"s body was riddled with wounds . He tottered around the raft as blood trickled down his body and formed a puddle of red beneath his feet .

To sustain till now, he had consumed an "Honorary Medicine Dosage", and even activated his party skill "Gloryheal" .

Noteworthily, the opposing party actually attempted to disrupt Sheyan"s party skill . Yet the disruption failed where Sheyan even received a notification .

[ The enemy"s attempt to disrupt and suppress your party skill has failed ]

[ 15 party experience points will be deducted from enemy"s party, and transferred to your party ]

Despite that, such a tiny victory did little to conceal the despairing state of reality Sheyan"s was in .

This invisible foe was consistently dealing grave damages to Sheyan . In truth, his offensive might was exceedingly deadly . One could infer this from how he took down the half-elf storyline characters . To him, they were as good as dead from the start .

A liquified hand once again appeared with its frost spike . Although Sheyan strove to dodge, the opponent"s speed was seriously unrivalled . Dodging completely was out of the question, and he could only hope to retaliate after being stabbed .

Yet once again, Sheyan swept his saber forth after being stabbed . But this time, the notification wasn"t [ Enemy ??? is immune to your attack! ] . Instead, blood gushed out from the severed wrist of the liquified hand!

Moments later, the water fell onto the raft and back into the rapid currents .

“Ah it is like that . ” Sheyan"s complexion was deathly pale from losing excessive blood . Blood stained his lips but a faint smile was displayed across his face .

“Your combat style is truly bizarre and weird . Such supreme damage yet capable of a.s.saulting foes without a physical self . If this water elemental hand can attack unceasingly without repercussions to the main body, such an ability would be too perfect! What a pity, nothing is absolutely perfect in the realm . From the looks of it, I"ve won!”

As it turns out, Drubal possessed an incomparably indomitable defensive ability . "Aquafract" was an ability that could be employed only once every hour . After activating it, one"s body will be covered with three layers of lightless defensive barrier .

After sustaining a certain amount of damage, the first layer of lightless barrier will shatter . The user will be immune to all attacks . In contrast, when receiving damage from a storyline character, the lightless barrier would absorb a large portion of damage rather than offering full immunity .

The lightless barrier would last for only half an hour .

Those were the notifications of attack immunity that Sheyan received .

Sheyan didn"t wait for Drubal"s response nor was he expecting one from his opponent . Instead, he leisurely issued .

“Most crucially, I pondered over this right from the start . Under such circ.u.mstances, you were actually able to chase me down from the shadows . Moreover, your abilities are related to water, hence from a logical standpoint, shoving me into the flood waters would undoubtedly enhance the killing potential of your liquified hands . a.s.sa.s.sinating me discreetly in such an environment would remove the risk of my retaliation . After all, flipping over this wooden raft would be as easy as overturning your palm . Yet till now, five minutes have pa.s.sed since our fight has commenced, why do you still battle with me on this raft willingly?”

As Sheyan spoke with blood streaming from his lips, he roared in laughter as he raised his long saber while hacking down ferociously against the wooden raft beneath .

“The only explanation is that you are unwilling to engage me in the water! Piecing in the fact that my virus seems to be utterly ineffective on you, I can roughly deduce that you are employing a special method to exist here!”

Moments later, a ma.s.sive splash occurred as a ruined wooden raft submerged into the water .

At present, Sheyan"s location was already out of the scope of the torrential storm, that spanned several kilometers including the battle of the elves and Nazgul . His location merely experienced normal rain and the water flow was no longer that rapid .

Sheyan was a great swimmer and one could say there was little difference between him being on land or in water . Upon submerging, he immediately discovered, just roughly ten meters away from him, a crystal-clear body swaying in great contrast to the flowing muddy waters .

If one inspected closely, one would notice this crystal clear body had the shape of a human, with a head, hands and feet!

Indeed, this was the reason why Drubal was perfectly immune to Sheyan"s virus . The reason why he wasn"t willing to wreck the wooden raft .

Right now, his "Elemental Form" was in play, making his body into an aquaform existence . Not only was he invulnerable to the viruses, he had a 33% chance of negating damages when suffering a physical attack . Moreover, his lightless barrier would only be triggered upon receiving an attack!

No wonder Sheyan required six to seven slashes to utterly destroy Drubal"s "Lightless Barrier", and finally manage to deal some damage .

Nevertheless, Sheyan maintained a resolute calmness . If it was others, they would probably have been shaken by the unknown whereabouts of the enemy, and fall into despair from the enemy"s invulnerability . This would cause they to misjudge and fall into the hands of the mystifying Drubal .

“Ah truly, an Awakener…lives up to his name!”

Although Sheyan sounded pretty calm, great ripples were jolting through his heart .

Bear this in mind, from the commencement of battle, Sheyan had only inflicted real damage once . To figure out his opponent, Sheyan had paid a grievous price; seemingly dis.h.i.+ng out most of his aces!

The most frightening thought was that the "Pestilence Monarch" ability that Sheyan relied on the most, had been marginalized . The "Influenza" and "Bronchitis" viruses were totally negated by Drubal"s elemental body!!

At this moment, what could Sheyan do? What else was he left to do?

Without a doubt, Drubal was bent on maintaining his secret . For the sake of safety, he persisted in not wrecking Sheyan"s wooden raft . This was the same logic as a sniper not willing to reveal his location just for a simple attack . It didn"t mean that he wasn"t adept in water combat .

Truthfully speaking, one would have to be mentally lapsed to duel with a water elemental in the floodwaters . Just by noting how Drubal was able to tail the wooden raft and unleash repeated a.s.saults at Sheyan, one could tell he wasn"t weak in a water fight .

Therefore, the first thing Sheyan did was to immediately swim for the sh.o.r.e . Fortunately, this river was merely a bit more than 20 meters wide .

Sheyan suffered another attack from Drubal after stepping onto sh.o.r.e . Nevertheless, the terrain a.s.sisted him greatly from here . He hastily jumped on different rocks, where the surprising skirmishes of the liquified elemental hands failed to land on him .

As Sheyan fled pathetically, Drubal continued to chase persistently beneath the mild drizzle . His aquaform body appeared to be strangely sliding across the road, looking just like a watery phantom .

In the midst of fleeing, Sheyan suffered two more attacks . Drubal"s attacking method was extremely simple . He first placed his right hand onto the ground, which dissolved completely into thin air . Following that, a liquified hand wielding a glacic spear would materialize out of nowhere, and strike at Sheyan from the side .

Drubal"s first strike was dodged by a miserable roll from Sheyan, but his next strike successfully left a deep wound on Sheyan"s thigh .

Before Drubal attempted his third strike, Sheyan halted unexpectedly . This wasn"t because he was too exhausted, but there was nowhere to retreat due to the incredibly steep cliff ahead!

“You have 10 seconds to consider my suggestion . ” Drubal slowed down as his gloomy voice echoed through the valley . This was followed by clutching his mouth as he squeezed out a voice amidst the coughing .

“A sitting duck waiting to be captured, but I won"t kill you . Display all your possessions, and you can scram after I select three pieces . If you dare resist, your blood and flesh, mince by mince, will coat my blade . Now, tell me your decision . ”

Sheyan panted wretchedly . His thigh wound was severe and revealed his eerie white bone . He couldn"t even stand straight as he miserably leaned to the side .

Yet Sheyan stared into Drubal"s eyes with a fiery pa.s.sion . Such a glare caused Drubal to feel uneasy, as though all his defences were being brutally torn apart . All secrets were laid bare before this man!

“You"re but an arrow at the end of its flight! A despairing loser . If you truly have such confidence, come finish me off? Why bother with such superfluous words?”

Sheyan glared at Drubal and continued word by word .

“Only one possibility – to kill me, you must pay a price! An immense price!”

Drubal"s expression appeared fuzzy in his aquaform state . However, Sheyan could observe a layer of azure blue ripple fluctuating from his body, as though Drubal"s emotions were chaotic .

Sheyan then declared .

“Sustaining your aquaform will sure require loads of MP . Employing water to conjure up limbs and indestructible weapons will similarly exhaust MP . For you to chase me till now, although you vitality remains well in the green, your MP is surely drying up!”

“Continue to fight on and I bet you will soon be utilizing a precious MP replenishment item . Perhaps an honorary level medicine . Sadly, you plan to backstab the Nazgul and make the elite elves your rivals . Yet with your plans going awry, who knows if something unexpected were to occur again and you employed an honorary medicine here, you would be forsaking an additional lifeline! That is the reason for your suggestion, aren"t I right?”

Drubal shut his eyes as the radiance of consuming an honorary medicine shone from his body . He then callously answered .

“A pity . You"ve personally ruined your only chance at surviving . To let such an intelligent contestant mature is to make a terrifying foe for the future . Therefore, die . ”

“Oh really?” Sheyan smirked . “Can you really block me if I wish to leave?”

Sheyan then produced the object he acquired in the Avatar World, the "Unmodeled Amniotank" . He chuckled blatantly .

“After all, I"m still a contestant . A tiny loss won"t amount to much . To be able to drag you here and waste your honorary medicine, I am already satisfied . Goodbye, moron!”

“Sorry but forget about going anywhere!” Drubal roared . “Can a basic contestant like you fathom the terror of a peak Awakener? Come out, "Misty Jailhouse!”

Instantly, countless transparent liquid strands jetted out from Drubal"s side . These fine strands intertwined together and evaporated into a dense ma.s.s of mist that encompa.s.sed an expansive s.p.a.ce around Sheyan and Drubal .

Following that, Sheyan immediately received a notification .

[ Sealed by opponent"s high rank halo ability – Misty Jailhouse ]

[ Within the "Misty Jailhouse", all abilities have a 15% chance of failing . Attacks dealt to opponents will have a 25% of missing . These effects are perfectly stackable with other similar effects ]

[ The mist has perfectly obstructed your tracking coordination from the realm . Within the "Misty Jailhouse", various realm returning items will be rendered ineffective ]

[ Within the "Misty Jailhouse", all lifeforms will receive additional HP regeneration speed ]

[ Any attempt to leave the "Misty Jailhouse" will bear consequences . The glutinous water elements will bind your limbs, causing your movement speed to decline by 80% . Unless you can deal 20,000 damage to break through this jailhouse ]

After Drubal executed this ability, Sheyan discovered the water element covering his body thinning out . If one deemed Drubal"s weight to be 180 kg previously, then it should be just 150 kg right now .

Drubal glared at Sheyan and issued one by word .

“Now, can you still run?”

Sheyan scoffed in response .

“I casually displayed an item to scare you, and you reacted with such an excessive move . Didn"t that drain more MP? Although your MP had been replenished fully with the honorary medicine, how long can you sustain it? Three minutes? Four?”

Drubal roared fanatically and smashed a fist into the ground .

“Even an entire minute will be too long to finish you!”

Drubal"s roar echoed into Sheyan"s ears .

Shuala! Sheyan suddenly felt an immense terror flooding in, as a glacici spear drilled out from the ground and stabbed in maliciously! The speed of this liquified hand far exceeded Sheyan"s agility . Although Sheyan attempted to dodge, his back tasted sad blood once again .

“I will honor my words . ” Drubal gritted his teeth and proclaimed . “Your blood and flesh, mince by mince, will coat my blade!”

Sheyan suffered another stab where his HP plunged to the periphery of crisis . Just another stab and he would fall into near-death state!

Falling into near-death state in a solo fight, even if he had "Life-link", it would just delay his death for a few minutes .

At this moment, Sheyan sighed . His sigh was not without regret but it carried a strange aura . It was as though he finally received liberation .

“Mister Drubal . I originally planned to sacrifice an elven wizard on my side, letting him detonator only once you guys reach the bottom of the cliff . Yet I did not do so, do you know why?”

Drubal was already acc.u.mulating strength to unleash his next strike . He ignored Sheyan, but Sheyan continued .

“The first reason is my fear that the elven wizard will fail to grasp the correct timing . If you succeed in escaping, then you wouldn"t pursue me with all your strength and lessen the pressure for my comrade . ”

“Yet another important reason, is I wish to understand the dreadfulness of a party; one who dare to arrange such a daring and ma.s.sive scheme . ”

“Of course, the main reason was that I accidentally killed your vice party leader, that backpack male . The reward I acquired from his death, allowed me another choice . A new ace, an unthinkable one!”

Drubal sneered and mocked .

“Still boasting when you"re about to perish?”

Sheyan ignored him and continued .

“On hindsight, for a basic realm contestant to challenge an Awakener is truly forcing it . ”

“Therefore . ” Sheyan lifted his head and stared into Drubal"s eyes . In his eyes, Drubal was akin to a bewildered prey that had fallen into his trap!

“Mister Drubal, you ought to feel honored, for you are the first prey to witness my breakthrough to a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter!”

“A powerful, fertile, and sumptuous prey!”

While declaring, Sheyan frenziedly poured his free attribute points into physique . This pure physique attribute which had been left untouched for a long while suddenly soared frantically, all the way till the 50 points boundary!!!

Presently, the impression Sheyan released was akin to a millenium old wild dragon that laid dormant in a prison . In a flash, the chains were shattered . A howling roar erupted into the skies, the seas and the cosmos .

If not for today"s affair, Sheyan will probably continue acc.u.mulating free attribute points, and ambitiously raise two attributes to the pure 50 points boundary . However, after experiencing the recent worlds, he felt that dream was too unrealistic .

Hence, he changed his mind . With the despairing impa.s.se, Sheyan ultimately laid down his own aspirations and charged to the boundary!

In that instant when he touched the pure 50 points attribute boundary, Sheyan immediately felt as though time stopped flowing . His surroundings turned fuzzy like he was in a maelstrom . A dazzling brilliance emerged from his nightmare imprint on the chest followed by a list of notifications .

[ Congratulations! Your basic attribute, Physique, has broken through the pure 50 points boundary!!! ]

[ You are the first person to breakthrough the pure physique 50 points boundary in this realm! ]

[ You receive a bonus 30 achievement points . Please claim this award of honor back in the realm ]

[ You receive additional basic attribute awards . Please select within 10 seconds ]

Thee options from the realm emerged before Sheyan"s eyes . Each option glittered with incredible splendour . One could tell they were absolutely extraordinary .

[ A: Basic attribute ability reward I (pa.s.sive): Alloy Build – raises HP by 300 points, defence by 35%, and resistance towards negative buffs (includes virus, true damages, elemental damages) by 15% . This effect takes "Domain Precedence" ]

[ B: Basic attribute ability reward II (pa.s.sive): Steel Build – raises HP by 500 points, all defence and resistance bonus from equipments increase by 50% ]

[ C: Basic attribute ability reward III (pa.s.sive): Flesh Build – increase HP by 1,000 points and 25% of maximum HP value . However, user will permanently lose the capability of wielding s.h.i.+elds, and abilities that enhance s.h.i.+eld capabilities would be forgotten ]

[ Detail: calculating 25% increase of user"s maximum HP does not factor in the 1,000 HP increase first ]

Facing the three options, Sheyan couldn"t help but hesitate a little . Each option was incredibly powerful, but strictly speaking, option "A" provided a slight pit of advantage . By decreasing damages, the damage absorbing effect of "Stronghold" would be refined .

When Sheyan was about to select "A", he suddenly remembered his present predicament .

The predicament of being pursued and forced into a miserable mess by an invincible Awakener .

The reason Drubal was such an enormous problem to Sheyan, was because he was an opponent that Sheyan hated the most . One with low attack frequency but incredibly astounding single damage output . A complete bane of Sheyan"s "Stronghold" innate .

More importantly, Sheyan also suffered the tremendous suppression of an Awakener on all sides of attributes .

Drubal"s glacic spears and liquified hands unleashed tyrannical deadliness with each attack . Moreover, each attack was incredibly fast . Even though Sheyan could sense with his perceptive sense, his body could not follow his mind in time to dodge . Along the way, he only managed to rely on luck to dodge a single strike .

With Sheyan breaking through to become a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter, his main attribute focus was definitely physique . Right now, he could choose a secondary attribute to receive additional attribute bonus .

Sheyan was well aware of all these and thus decided to select agility this time – increasing movement speed by 30 points and evasion by 10% .

From the looks of it, Awakener Drubal"s main attributes was probably spirit and intelligence . His agility didn"t seem that impressive but merely reach the edge of being able to completely suppress Sheyan . Thus, with this new bonus, Sheyan had confidence of destroying this total suppression and overcoming his miserable state .

“Drubal"s weakness should be his high consumption of MP . Meaning he cannot last for long in a battle!”

“In my original plan, the bonus from promoting to Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter, and the bonus of a pure 50 points boundary, in addition to bonus HP and movement speed, should be sufficient in draining Drubal"s MP to the fringe . If any derivations occur, I can still employ my dark-gold "Unbeatable t.i.tan Leech"… . . a full retreat wouldn"t be an issue . ”

“Yet I never expect the bonuses from a pure 50 points physique boundary breakthrough to be so generous!! With this, why can"t I eliminate this brat? Anyway, I still have a mission to accomplish in this world, and this guy"s attacks poses a true threat to me . ”

“With the Stockholm Party low on manpower today and Drubal pursuing me alone, if I don"t eliminate him here, this threat would amplify terribly with his comrades around . The difficulty of killing him would multiply manifold then . Hence, slaying him here would mean shaving off a great deal of trouble in the future!”

These notions flashed through Sheyan"s mind and instantly stirred his heart . However, for him to accomplish this deed, he needed to choose the option that would provide the most upgrade in this instant . Without a doubt, that was option C!

Furthermore, Sheyan didn"t employ a s.h.i.+eld in the first place . This meant that potential of options "A" and "B" would be limited somewhat . He could only enjoy the fullest potential of option "C" .

More importantly, Sheyan considered his party skill – "Gloryheal" . A skill that could restore all his health . Thus, if he selected option C, his maximum HP value would soar to the most . Without a doubt, "Gloryheal" would have the greatest effect which meant he wouldn"t lose out that much in the long run as well .

Thinking of that, Sheyan affirmed himself to select option C!

His current HP value was 155 / 1,300 points . Instantly, it swelled by 1,425 points (1,000 + 425)!!

Now, his total HP skyrocketed to 2,725 points . From his original danger state of 155 points, it now exploded to 1,580 points . This was even more perverse than him consuming an "Honorary medicine dosage" from his previous state!

Simultaneously, Sheyan received an extremely important notification from his nightmare imprint .

[ Warning! Warning! Contestant no . 1018, your basic physique attribute has reached the 50 points boundary! ]

[ You are now an official Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter ]

[ You are now qualified to challenge the boundary trial and ascend to be a Growth-Hunter! You can check relevant information at any time . Please only undertake the trial when you are sufficiently and mentally prepared ]

[ Awakening your Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter form can only be done 5 times . You can only receive additional rewards after awakening, do you wish to awake now? After expiring all 5 times, you must then challenge the boundary trial ]

[ Warning: Contestant no . 1018, these information you have received is cla.s.sified as top secrecy by the realm . You cannot reveal this to basic realm contestants or others outside the realm . If revealed, you will be subjected to severe punishment ]

Sheyan naturally selected to awaken now . The radiance from his nightmare imprint dazzled vigorously on his chest . The striking blindness was comparable to the nightmare imprint glow of an official Growth-Hunter!

[ Physique boundary breakthrough: Physique is now your primary attribute . Choose from two options from the following as your bonus . This bonus will be temporarily terminated after awakening ends, unless you officially promote as a Growth-Hunter ]

[ A: Defence increase of 15 points ]

[ B: Physique increase of 15 points ]

[ C: HP increase of 300 points ]

Sheyan very resolutely selected option B and C . Since he chose the path of "Flesh Build", then he would go all in . His HP now swelled by another 450 points and his defence by 7 . 5 points, bringing to a total of 2,030 / 3,175 HP!!!

Following that, Sheyan decided on agility as the secondary attribute and selected the options to increase movement speed by 30 points and evasion by 10% .

According to vague hints from Reef, the secondary attribute selection can be retaken after one promotes as an official Growth-Hunter . Therefore, Sheyan still had the time to slowly ponder over it .

If Drubal could witness Sheyan"s HP now, he would immediately flee with all his armies… . .

During that instance of boundary breakthrough, Sheyan entered a state of time contraction, allowing him at least several minutes to select and ponder . Instead to Drubal, all he saw was Sheyan slowly climbing back up after rolling on the ground . Instantly after, was the dazzling brilliance from his nightmare imprint!

Drubal noticed Sheyan"s change . He was initially surprised because the advancement of a basic realm contestant to a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter was extremely easy to differentiate out . It was like even though one didn"t know the brand models of cars or trucks, one could still easily differentiate between a car and a truck .

Still, Drubal"s astonishment quickly faded with the wind, before he sneered sinisterly .

“You actually advanced as a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter now? But so what? A swine is always a swine! Counterfeits are eternally counterfeits! No need to struggle any longer, you will die by my hands today!”

Before he even concluded, Drubal bent and pressed both arms on the ground .

Instantly, two liquified hands with glacic spears materialized on Sheyan"s left and right . The spears then thrust in unanimously! Obviously, Drubal"s ability was magnified powerfully in his "Misty Jailhouse" .

Even though Sheyan strived to evade, it was futile . He groaned miserably as he rolled on the ground . Nevertheless, he no longer retreated but charged at Drubal, resembling that of a frantic fish in a web .

Drubal"s lips curled into a malevolent smirk . He took a deep breath . On this muddy ground, he could easily draw out liquid with his elemental body . He was essentially as nimble as flowing water, and more critically, his agility was higher than Sheyan . Hence, after drifting 20 meters away effortlessly, Drubal"s right arm abruptly vanished into thin air .

A second later, a liquified hand seized Sheyan"s ankle and fiercely pulled, causing Sheyan to pathetically kiss the ground .

Drubal laughed hysterically while treating Sheyan as a little clown . This act of slowly torturing one to death gave him immense pleasure and satisfaction .

Sheyan"s body stiffened after cras.h.i.+ng onto the bud . A second later, an icy spike smeared with blood pierced out from his back .

As it turns out, the sneaky Drubal had conjured out an icy spike while Sheyan was falling . When Sheyan fell, the icy spike directly pierced through his belly . A chilling frost directly permeated through his innards and dispersed throughout his body .

This would be fatal for any normal human . Even for contestants, it would be a severe injury .

Sheyan groaned in agony but released a counter slash in response, hacking against the crystal-clear liquified wrist holding his ankle . Sadly, he unfortunately encountered the 33% chance of the elemental form"s invulnerability to physical damage .

Under this circ.u.mstance, Sheyan clutched his belly as blood seeped through the gaps of his fingers . Still, he maintained a tragic posture while attempting to flee .

Soon after, he noticed a indistinct pitch-black cavern hole at the bent of this cliff, where he immediately fled in .

The "Misty Jailhouse" still encompa.s.sed Sheyan at present . As for Drubal, he needed to keep sight of Sheyan for him to unleash a.s.saults . Any delay in time would cost him more MP, which led to the prospect of future success walking further away .

Hence, Drubal dashed for Sheyan without hesitation . He wasn"t afraid of a counterattack . Honestly speaking, he didn"t need to fear close combat due to his elemental form . What more a trifling Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter?

The cavern path was slightly slanted upwards, causing the air here to be stale and dry . If Drubal unleashed his liquified hand here, its magic prowess would definitely be significantly impaired .

The cave was filled with algae unique to the Lord of the Rings world . Stubborn reddish-brown lifeforms that stretched out gradually over death, occasionally emitting twinkles of dull phosph.o.r.escent . Thus, the cave wasn"t fully dark but exceedingly dim . Still, visibility was manageable .

The atmosphere was stifling and filled with a dense dryness . Sadly, Drubal couldn"t distinguish this due to his elemental body losing all sense of smell and touch .

Thus, just as Drubal was about to round a corner, a ma.s.sive and menacing dark figure pressured in like Mount Tai . It was shockingly a large bear!

Joy, anger, sorrow or fear couldn"t be seen clearly on Drubal"s sparkling blue face . Nevertheless, a veteran of battles knew he had to be cautious at this moment . An enemy on the brink of despair would retaliate with everything to bring him down together . The enemy would erupt with the most fearsome strength!

Therefore, Drubal immediately raised his left arm which morphed into a mirror-like ice s.h.i.+eld . Before the large bear slammed into the ice s.h.i.+eld, hundreds of incredibly fine and sharp ice shards sprouted from the surface of the s.h.i.+eld, impaling holes throughout the body of the bear .

Ice shards broke clamorously and lodged within the bear"s flesh, tearing out countless chunks of bloodied flesh .

Knowing that his enemy could ambush him anytime, Drubal materialized a halberd of ice and snow before hurling it straight ahead . If anyone dared to mount a sneak a.s.sault, they would be penetrated with chilling death .

However, his expectation wasn"t met . Apart from killing this bear of the Lord of the Rings world, his foe"s retaliation did not arrive .

Drubal"s facial muscles twitched a little as he panted lightly . Every second of his mana consumption was tremendous . To sustain both his "Misty Jailhouse" and his elemental form required MP…… . furthermore, using his elemental form in this dry cave required an additional 10% MP consumption!

At this moment, an ominous sensation overcame Drubal .

“Could this be that brat"s ploy? Intentionally wasting my MP… . . impossible! He"s just a stray dog! Moreover, he already consumed his honorary medicine, and his ace ability that restored all his HP . How can he reverse this? Killing him should be as easy as a pinch . ”

After rounding another corner, a large cavern s.p.a.ce 20 meters appeared before Drubal . He could observe as a wounded Sheyan was dressing his wounds .

This was the end of the cave . It was a dead end for his foe . Wounds covered Sheyan"s body as he leaned against a stalact.i.te of this bear"s den . Blood drenched him like a pouring rain . One could observe distinct blood footprints around .

At this moment, Sheyan heard a sound and spun around . He noticed Drubal and chuckled without energy .

“I just knew a wild beast wouldn"t delay you for long… . . but you just reached?”

His words were gentle and light, unlike how a despairing prey that Drubal thought him to be . Instead, he sounded as though Drubal was here to save him .

Observing Sheyan"s expression, Drubal couldn"t help but feel perplexed . He originally harbored a hundred percent confidence of hunting Sheyan down . Instead, he felt a ridiculous sense of loss at present, and couldn"t help but reply Sheyan .

“Indeed . Where can you run off to now?”

Sheyan sighed and replied listlessly .

“I"ll agree to your conditions just now . My most valuable items for you to choose three? And you"ll spare my dog life?”

Drubal didn"t know whether to laugh or cry at Sheyan"s words . He wanted to strike Sheyan down immediately . Yet at this instant, Sheyan actually displayed his attributes . Moreover, the first thing he exhibited was shockingly the properties of "Pestilence Monarch", an evolvable rank 9 hidden ability!

As a contestant, Drubal was instantly allured by the words "evolvable", "hidden", and "rank 9" . It was like how the descriptions of "big b.r.e.a.s.t.s and b.u.t.t", "erotic", "wretched prom queen" would entice a reader…… . thus, he couldn"t help but look and gasped with shock .

(ED: Them a.n.a.logies! They just get better . . )

Yet with this delay, Sheyan abruptly leapt up and brandished his "+7 West" . He then furiously hacked down onto Drubal"s head!

Drubal couldn"t dodge in time but scoffed at his attempt .

“Overestimating yourself!”

He immediately raised his left arm that had morphed into an icy s.h.i.+eld, while his right hand morphed into a long ice halberd .

Yet before Sheyan"s blade struck against the icy s.h.i.+eld, he unexpectedly twisted his body and allowed his shoulder to slam into the s.h.i.+eld!

At least eight ice shards pierced his shoulder, sending blood gus.h.i.+ng out . Nevertheless, Sheyan successfully knocked the ice s.h.i.+eld aside, as he released a spinning slash to parry aside the incoming ice halberd .

Triggered with "Zergling Rush" beforehand, Sheyan hacked down three slashes onto Drubal"s elemental body . Instantly, a few deep splits tore through the crystalline water body .

The two was now engaged in close combat .

Two minutes later . The heavily panting Drubal scanned the ghastly Sheyan who was covered in wounds .

Right now, his once utterly crystalline elemental body had became like a semi-shattered porcelain . Terrifying splits extended throughout his body .

Drubal couldn"t help but exclaim .

“You… . . what kind of freak are you?”

Right now, Sheyan looked as though he could breath his last at any second, but he just wouldn"t take that last breath . After hearing Drubal"s question, his eyes shone with craftiness . He inhaled and replied .

“Guess . ”

Drubal was about to speak but the mist enshrouding the atmosphere suddenly dissipated . The "Misty Jailhouse" was signalling the soon conclusion of its ability with the lack of mana .

Drubal"s expression sank drastically . Yet before he could react, a humongous t.i.tan leech erupted from his side . Squirming its tail and head, the leech smashed in with sticky sludge .

Eventually, Drubal managed to escape the demonic grip of the leech, but realized, unbeknownst when, Sheyan turned from pa.s.sive to active and blocked off the only cavern exit!

Observing the exhausted Sheyan ahead and a frightening t.i.tanic leech squirming to him from behind, Drubal too a deep breath . He clenched his teeth and questioned .

“This was all part of your plan, wasn"t it?”

Sheyan didn"t answer his question but indifferently replied .

“If you possess any realm returning tool, then please use it . If not, please tell me your dying words . ”

Drubal released a frantic howl as a strange transformation occurred . He returned to human form but his body was guarded with a layer of azure liquid armour . He then barreled toward Sheyan with indescribable pace like a steam train .

One could observe Drubal"s liquified armor boiling up amidst the speedy charge, before igniting into flames that pushed Sheyan aside .

Drubal succeeded in charging out and when his charging state ended, the azure liquid armour around him was utterly depleted . Nevertheless, he had pulled open a gap of minimally 200 meters from Sheyan!

From afar, Drubal, who had successfully distanced himself, told Sheyan seriously .

“You"re a fearsome opponent, but…next time we meet, you won"t be so lucky!”

Drubal"s tone was heavy and even carried a hint of respect which wasn"t there before . Right after he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and ran away without any care for his pride . His action displayed no hesitation!

He knew that his speed, at least, was faster than his opponent . He might have fallen into the trap of the insane MT today, but he could still have his revenge in the future .

In this world, anything is possible as long as one survived . Only a living person could display pride! The dead could only rot within the embrace of flies and maggots .

Drubal thought that someone as shrewd as Sheyan wouldn"t waste his time on the inevitable . But contrary to his expectation, as soon as he moved, Sheyan immediately chased after him like a mad dog!

Nevertheless, it only took a while for Drubal to breathe a sigh of relief . Even though Sheyan"s speed had increased, it wasn"t by much . Their speed now were about the same . Sheyan will never be able to close in on him .

More importantly, even though they were now outside the range of the party communication channel, Drubal had earlier requested for help via a "Floating Magic Snake" made from water element when he felt something was wrong . On a rainy day like today, a "Floating Magic Snake" can easily travel for over 5 kilometers .

If Sheyan dared to chase after him for 8 minutes… . no, not even that, just 5 minutes! He would be able to regroup with his allies and they could gang up on Sheyan .

Alas, there were always unexpected factors when theories were put into practice . Drubal suddenly sneezed . And it happened when he was trying to jump over a boulder . Drubal crashed to the ground, resulting in the distance between the two to be shortened by over 30 meters .

Not even 20 seconds afterwards, Drubal felt an inexplicable chill all over his body . The chill seemed to emanate from deep within his bones, making him s.h.i.+ver uncontrollably for a few seconds . His movement speed plummeted in those few seconds . As a consequence, his pursuer caught up by another 30 meters .

A short while after, Drubal was overcome by a fit of coughing so severe that he was bent at the waist . Under a series of abnormal conditions that he found extremely perplexing, his initially confident flight only lasted for a mere 37 seconds before he was forced to the ground by Sheyan"s "Hornrage" .

Even if he is an Awakener, what could a magic-based cla.s.s who ran out of MP do? (For details, please refer to scenes of Warriors vs . Mages that ran out of mana in WoW or LoL . )

Sheyan showed no mercy and unleashed a flurry of slashes with "+7 West" while Drubal"s cries reverberated on this corner of Middle Earth . Every dog has its day; Drubal"s actions a moment ago were fully paid back in kind by Sheyan . The difference was, Sheyan had thousands of HP that he could use to expend Drubal"s MP, while Drubal could use nothing to waste Sheyan"s strength .

As he saw Sheyan once again raise that weapon which was merely of a dark blue grade but was very lethal, Drubal, whose voice had gone hoa.r.s.e from howling, took a breath and said, “You"ve already chopped off one of my arms and one of my legs . That should be enough to vent your anger . Can we talk business now?”

Sheyan, upon hearing Drubal"s words, suddenly laughed and said, “Interesting . Really interesting . It"s been a while since I"ve met such an interesting person . What kind of business?”

Drubal spat out the blood in his throat and replied with a wry smile, “The business of ransoming my life, of course . ”

Sheyan placed "+7 West" on Drubal neck to let him feel the bone-chilling sensation of the blade .

“Then why do I feel like you"re stalling for time?”

Drubal sincerely replied, “You can injure me to a point close to death, then take me to a place you deem safe . We can talk there . ”

Sheyan merely laughed and said, “You"re playing this kind of game with me? I happen to know that your party has a skill that can transport a near-death contestant out . Do you truly believe I would fall for your tricks? However, it"s rare to meet an interesting person like you . I will therefore give you 60 seconds – not to persuade me, oh no – you have to complete the deal within the 60 seconds . Because as soon as time is up, I will immediately kill you without hesitation . ”

Drubal"s heart sank . He realized that the person in front of him was a bold risk-taker, yet he also paid careful attention to details, in addition to being extremely confident . In front of this kind of people, it"s better to show his hands instead of playing tricks .

Sheyan added, “Killing you will net me at least 6 achievement points or 6 free attribute points alongside a random equipment . More importantly, you previously forced me into a corner and now you"ve seen all my cards . If I let you live, I risk my information being revealed . Unless you offer something a few times more valuable than usual, I will never agree to a deal . ”

Drubal gritted his teeth and said, “I will offer you a mission with an E difficulty rating, that has a Realm evaluation of "Golden Side Mission"! Is that enough to ransom my life?”

As he said that, Drubal uncurled his fingers . On his palm sat an extremely ordinary metal nut . He set the status of the nut to "Display" . The description of the nut read:

[This item marks the beginning of a magnificent mission . After using it, you will obtain a mission with an E difficulty rating, that has a Realm evaluation of "Golden Side Mission"! What are you waiting for?]

For some unknown reason, the nut gave off an extraordinary feeling . Sheyan said, “You have 33 seconds left . Why didn"t you use it yourself?”

Drubal smiled and replied, “When I chanced upon this nut, there was an electrical wire beside it which can activate the same mission . Therefore, the reason I didn"t use the nut myself was because I"ve already completed the mission . ”

Sheyan couldn"t help feeling some admiration for the mental fort.i.tude and ability displayed by Drubal under the current situation . As expected of the core member of a team that could devise a plan to wipe out the Elven heroes in one fell swoop . Despite that, he coldly said, “Not enough . This thing can at most compensate me for the leak of my information . You will need to offer more for your life . ”

Drubal fished out 5 strange-looking stones without a word . The outer layers of the stones were semi-transparent and a lavlike substance could be seen in them . Their description read:

[Unknown strange object: The Tear Stone of a Balrog]

[The merciless Balrogs are creatures that do not love; they will never shed tears out of grief . Yet, this object is definitely the tear of a Balrog wrapped in stone . The circ.u.mstance of its origin is unknown . ]

[Note: The dimensional researchers are very interested in these kind of things . Each Tear Stone of a Balrog can be exchanged for 3 achievement points . ]

After thinking for a while, Sheyan said, “Share your missions with me . Let me take a look . ”

Drubal appeared very cooperative and did as he was told . Sheyan saw that Drubal"s main mission was to heavily injure or kill a core member of the Middle Earth Alliance . There was only 7 hours left until the time limit was up . His branch mission was actually to stop Elrond from reaching the Undying Lands, and he had 6 hours left to do so . They obviously couldn"t stay in this world for much longer . After a bit of consideration, Sheyan said,

“Deal . ”

They completed the transaction . Of course, Drubal bound Sheyan with a contract to prevent Sheyan from killing him after receiving the goods . However, after the transaction, it was Sheyan who ran for his life .

Looking at Sheyan"s disappearing silhouette, Drubal laughed out loud . But after a while, his laughter gradually turned bitter . It was the first time he suffered such a loss since entering the realm!

Sheyan didn"t dare to linger . Not that he was afraid of reinforcements, but Melody"s safety was currently in question . In fact, he didn"t know what the situation was on that side at all . That"s why he had to immediately obtain relevant information so that he could make corresponding plans .

On the way to the meeting place, Sheyan couldn"t run at full speed because he was continuously using medicine to treat himself . After all, a heavily injured Sheyan is a useless Sheyan . Now that he had time to think, he kept pondering on a few questions that he had after his boundary breakthrough .

His first doubt was regarding the 50-point boundary breakthrough . There was no way he was the first to achieve that . After inquiring, it turned that what he obtained was the perfect reward because he was the first to break through the pure 50-point Physique boundary as a basic realm contestant .

If he broke through the pure attribute boundary after becoming a Growth-Hunter, he will still get a reward, but it will be very ordinary .

Sheyan actually wanted to break through the boundaries of both Strength and Physique at the same time, but he was in a tight situation . Besides, the notifications came right after his Physique broke through 50 points . He wasn"t given the time to break through the Strength boundary at all .

Sheyan only found out after enquiring that it was impossible for a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter to have Dual Specialty . Only before completing the official advancement mission for the boundary breakthrough would a contestant be asked if they would like to take the breakthrough test for a Dual Specialty Growth-Hunter . The difficulty would naturally double .

The solemn rain fell upon the dark mountains .

The geographical layout here was a bit similar to the Alps mountain range . It felt like the mountains encompa.s.sed all 4 seasons by themselves – summer under the mountains, spring at the foot of the mountains, autumn at the slope, and winter at the peak .

The foot of the Misty Mountains displayed a scene full of lush greenery and springs, bursting with life .

An abundance of flowers were blooming . Irises, jasmines and many other flowers filled the air with a mild fragrance . A deep breath here would rejuvenate the spirit .

The beautiful flora exclusive to the world of The Lord of the Rings aside, even the edges of the mountain slopes were soft and tender – like the curves of a woman"s chest, greatly pleasing to the eye .

However, the large amount of dead bodies scattered on the gra.s.sy slope defaced the beautiful scenery, as if someone p.i.s.sed on a masterpiece .

The faces of these bodies were all scrunched up as though they were grimacing in pain . Their skins were all sickly pale . On each of their throat was a b.l.o.o.d.y hole . It seems like their killers weren"t only after their blood but also their meat . The deep marks of tooth bites were still visible . The whole scene gave off an indescribable eeriness .

They were all elves . Even though their terrifying facial expressions were far removed from the elegant facial features one would normally a.s.sociate with the elven race, their pointy ears gave away their ident.i.ties .

Sheyan examined the corpse in front of him one more time . His heart kept getting heavier . Even though the body was shriveled up to only about a meter in length, but Sheyan could still identify him as the elf who leisurely talked with him not long ago – the firm but kind Elder Desirese Roots . Amongst the other corpses, he also found the remains of the Great Annil Yusu . From this, it could be seen that the Melody"s followers had almost been completely annihilated!

More importantly, the escape route that Sheyan arranged before was not in this direction . Even Sheyan had to search for the hidden signs that they agreed on beforehand in order to find this place . This showed that the group of elves were forced to flee here, and they weren"t even given the chance to turn back .

There were no signs of any struggle . This could only mean one thing – the enemy was so strong that they completely overwhelmed the elves!

In front of the enemy, the elves couldn"t even fight back! The reason the bodies appeared one by one was because, once the elves knew they were no match, they used their lives to stall for time out of their loyalty to Melody .

"Based on the way they died, could they have met a Vampire? But there were never any Vampires in the Lord of the Rings!" thought Sheyan as he rushed to catch up .

"Of course, it could also be the special flesh-devouring ability of the Nazgûl… If that"s the case, then Reef is in huge trouble . However, The Lord of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king of Angmar, most probably wouldn"t appear here . On the other side, Galadriel, Glorfindel and Legolas could all gain the upper hand if they 1v1 a Nazgûl . They even have Elrond with them, whose strength remains a mystery . "

"It might not be hard to ama.s.s enough strength to defeat the four of them, but to kill them would require the cooperation of all 8 Nazgûls . It"s unlikely that one of the Nazgûls would pursue Melody . She"s not as important . "

As various thoughts ran through Sheyan"s mind, he suddenly saw that the party communication channel had been connected . This showed that Reef was now within a kilometer from him . Sheyan immediately shouted at him .

“Reef! Where are you?!”

Reef shouted back, sounding out of breath .

“Do not come here! Run! If you come here you will only die a pointless death! The strength of the enemy is beyond your imagination!”

Sheyan was stunned .

“But I"m already a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter! I still can"t help?!”

Reef coughed and helplessly said .

“You have no idea who the enemy is! He"s someone you can"t even imagine!”

Sheyan seriously asked .

“Who?”

Reef gasped out .

“Elrond . ”

Sheyan was absolutely shocked .

“How could it be Elrond? Why is Elrond killing you guys? I saw a lot of corpses on the way here and they all belong to people from our side . Was all of that Elrond"s doing?”

Reef was heavily gasping for air . From the sound of it, it almost sounded like each gulp of air could be his last .

“That"s right, it was him . The Elrond in front of us is no longer the Lord of Rivendell that we knew . He"s now a terrifying monster . ”

“Location,” Sheyan"s voice was cold .

Reef could hear the determination in Sheyan"s words . He finally gave in and disclosed their location . They weren"t far; the place was in a forest on a hill to Sheyan"s right .

Sheyan immediately rushed over . As he got close, his whole body suddenly jolted . Glimmers of gold appeared on the surface of his body . That was the sign of "Life-Link" being activated, which means that Reef was currently on the brink of death!

Realizing this, Sheyan rushed wildly across the dense forest . After over a hundred meters, he was abruptly a.s.saulted by the smell of blood . The tall figure of Elrond appeared within his sight . Elrond was currently closing in on Melody step by step . He had a peculiar gait, as if all his joints were stiff .

Melody was leaning on a big tree and looked like she did not have an ounce of energy left in her body . However, she still held her head high! Even under such dire circ.u.mstances, she refused to back down! Reef on the other hand was in an extremely terrible condition even though he was protected by the "Life-Link" .

Seeing this, Sheyan unleashed the full force of the Pestilence Monarch!

The elves had an unusual sensation towards the strong Pestilence Monarch ability . Melody and two other surviving elves immediately lifted their heads, their eyes full of disbelief . Elrond, however, showed no reaction at all . Sheyan could already make a rough guess of what happened . When he was 20 meters behind Elrond, he pulled out Ambition, activated Rum and Songs, and pulled the trigger!

BANG!

Amidst a loud boom and green smoke, the lethal lead bullet crashed into Elrond and caused him to stagger! It seemed like the dizziness effect was even effective on him!

Sheyan rushed to Reef"s side and used a 3000 utility points bandage on him . The bandage can heal 1000 HP within a minute, under the condition that he wasn"t interrupted .

At this time, Elrond turned around and stared at Sheyan with a ferocious glint, before unleas.h.i.+ng a series of shrill howls at Sheyan . Sheyan"s heart trembled at the sight of Elrond .

The Elrond that Sheyan knew used to be tall, magnificent and naturally awe-inspiring . Even when he was severely ill, he had the bearing of a great hero .

But the only feeling Elrond gave out now was ferociousness! A ferociousness mixed with the greed and hunger of wild animals!

His skin right now was pale purple in color . It was covered in spots, each one the size of a fingernail . At first glance they looked like age spots, but upon closer inspection one would see that they were actually cl.u.s.ters of bruises .

The biggest change on him was his ears . Gone were the signature pointy ears of the elves; in their place were two round, rotting ears . Not only that, his mouth, his nose, his eyes and his face were starting to rot as well . His sharp teeth were blindingly white and were utterly intimidating . Two trails of dried blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth .

Sheyan sucked in a deep breath . His chest once again radiated with light . After his duel with Drubal, Sheyan"s Awakened state could still last for 3 hours . On his way here, he had already recovered to his optimum condition!

Sheyan saw a blur and Elrond was suddenly in front of him . The fingernails of Elrond"s right hand were as sharp as animal claws and carried a dense black glitter . Those fingernails were mercilessly thrust at Sheyan . Sheyan remained firm and took the blow with his body . Then, he immediately countered with a slash at Elrond"s shoulder .

The sensation transmitted through the blade made Sheyan feel like he was slas.h.i.+ng at thick leather instead of a living body; even the sound emitted was a dull thud . Meanwhile, Elrond"s claw gave Sheyan more than 140 points in damage . If it was the old Sheyan, this attack alone would have shaved off over 10% of his HP! It would only take about 8 attacks from Elrond to force him into a critical state .

No wonder Reef tried to stop Sheyan from coming over . Reef knew that Sheyan"s job of being the bait wasn"t easy, so Sheyan must have used up all his cards in the process, including the "Honorary Recovery Dosage"s and Party Skills . Even if Sheyan rushed here, he would only be like an arrow at the end of its flight . For the old Sheyan, any enemy that can cause over 100 points of damage to him was highly dangerous .

Elrond stared at the blood left on his right hand . Greed and excitement filled his eyes . He howled, stuck his hand into his mouth and started sucking attentively .

But the next instant, his expression changed . He started vomiting out a black substance . When his vomit sprayed onto the earth, it corroded the soil with a loud hissing noise .

Sheyan"s blood contained a large amount of Viruses . Despite Pestilence Monarch not being that strong and being unable to infect enemies yet, if the enemy drank Sheyan"s blood, it could still give the enemy stomach ulcers or even gastric perforation .

Taking advantage of this, Sheyan dashed in front of Melody to s.h.i.+eld her from Elrond . Sheyan wasn"t in a rush to attack . Reef was still recovering, so the best move right now was to stall for time .

Melody stared at Sheyan"s strong body with a dazed expression . Her eyes were once again filled with tears .

“I knew you would come, my protector . Whenever I was in danger, you would always appear in front of me!”

Elrond, who was done throwing up, once again emitted a weird cry . He surged towards Sheyan with his arms outstretched, looking just like a demon from h.e.l.l .

Sheyan felt something was weird looking at Elrond totally abandoning his strength in magic and initiating a physical fight instead . Since Elrond had lost all rationality and was merely relying on his primal instinct to fight, why did Reef look like he had totally given up and had even forbade Sheyan from coming?

Honestly speaking, the way Elrond fought right now posed no threat to Sheyan . His moves were made without any underlying intent or order to them . It wasn"t hard for a battle-hardened person like Sheyan to parry Elrond"s attacks . Coupled with a formidable HP of 3000, he could persist for a long time .

It didn"t take long for Reef to escape his critical condition under Sheyan"s deliberate attempt to buy time . After Sheyan signalled to him to show that he could still hang on, he started to slowly consume some food to further recover his HP . Reef took a deep breath and sighed .

“Boss, you shouldn"t have come here . ”

Sheyan lifted his brows and said .

“Why do you say that? This guy isn"t that strong . I feel that even if I"m not a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter, we could still take him down if we gang up on him . ”

Reef"s facial muscles twitched and indignantly exclaimed .

“That"s what I thought at first . But when Elrond"s HP dropped to a certain level, he became really terrifying . ”

One of the lucky surviving Elven mage added in a shaky voice .

“That"s right . In order to survive, the dastardly Elrond casted a Splitting Spell on himself . ”

“A Splitting Spell? What is that?” asked Sheyan curiously . After hearing what they said, Sheyan started focusing entirely on evading and parrying Elrond"s attack without attacking back .

The mage replied in anger .

“You should know that Elrond is a "messy-skinned" (a derogatory term for Peredhil, the half elves of LOTR) . When he realized that he had no hope of reaching the Undying Lands, he used a Splitting Spell to split himself in half, separating into a part with Elven blood and another part with human blood . The Elrond with Elven blood inherited the magic power that he had cultivated for thousands of years, along with the horrifying injury caused by the Witch-king of Angmar . It violently self-destructed when it was in a critical condition . The force from the destruction was so devastating that it heavily injured 3 Nazgûls and killed 5 followers of the high-G.o.d . ”

This piece of news was a pleasant surprise for Sheyan . He had already killed off a few people from the Stockholm Party . Add Elrond"s kamikaze on top of that and the damage to the Stockholm Party was staggering . Considering the time they had left, they wouldn"t be able to mess with him anymore .

He deflected a blow from Elrond and said .

“What happened afterwards? Does that mean that the Elrond in front of us is a pure-blooded human?”

The Elven mage said .

“He is, but this Elrond is in a heavily deformed state . He was originally a "messy-skinned", so his body has a natural tendency to maintain the balance between the Elven blood and the human blood in him . After his Elven bloodline was eliminated, it was impossible for his half-elven body to become purely human . The only reason he is still alive is due to the immense power of the divine art of Splitting Spell, but he is reduced to a strange, berserked state and he won"t have long to live . If he wants to continue staying alive, he will need to re-construct the other half of his Elven bloodline within his body!”

Sheyan now vaguely understood the truth of the matter . When he could no longer avoid Elrond"s attack, he hacked down on Elrond"s chest to force him back and said .

“Is that why he was chasing after your group and consuming your flesh?!”

“That"s right,” answered the Elven mage with a wild, painful expression . “His ultimate target is Lady Melody . Only with the flesh essence of a Twilight Elf can his newly constructed Elven bloodline maintain a balance with his human bloodline . But don"t worry; he will not touch Lady Melody before consuming us . Consuming the flesh essence of Lady Melody is not a simple matter . He needs to absorb as much flesh essence of other elves as possible to lay down the foundation, in order to increase his success rate . ”

“I understand . ” Sheyan kicked back the charging Elrond, and asked another question . “This garbage is pretty weak . How did he incur such heavy casualties before?”

This time, it was Reef who replied .

“Due to Elrond"s inner workings losing its balance and the human bloodline taking complete control, his soul has to cooperate with the Splitting Spell and suppress the Elven side . If not, he will lose control of his energy and his physical body will collapse . Therefore, his body is merely fighting out of instinct . He sees us as nothing but prey . ”

“However, when his HP drops, it would mean his human bloodline is weakened . After dropping to about 50%, the Splitting Spell can already suppress the body by itself and no longer requires the soul"s help . Elrond will then regain the clarity of his mind . An Elrond with a clear mind full of battle experience is simply a nightmare . He would then burst forth with terrifying strength, showcasing astonis.h.i.+ng battle techniques, and drag away an elf to absorb the elf"s flesh essence . A few minutes later, he would repeat the cycle!”

“More importantly, the first time we met Elrond, he only regained control of his body when his HP dropped below 30% . But after absorbing all these flesh essences, his soul can already take control of his body at 55% HP . ”

“Why don"t we just drag the fight on without injuring him further, and maintain the situation at a standstill?” asked Sheyan .

Reef could only force a bitter smile as he answered .

“First of all, we can"t afford to . The Elrond who is relying on primal instinct would only attack without defending . His damage is really high . Even if both of us cooperate, how long can we hold out for? Half an hour at most! While the duration of the Splitting Spell is 24 hours! Secondly, Elrond"s body is in a terrible condition . His HP will drop even if we don"t attack him . ”

“I understand,” replied Sheyan with a nod of his head . “Wasn"t the seal on Melody released? Why hasn"t she made a move?”

The Elven mage dejectedly said .

“Elrond has apparently planned this for a long time . He marked Lady Melody"s body with a spell . More importantly, he even borrowed the power of the Elven Ring, Vilya to directly seal Lady Melody this time . The seal is a hundred times stronger than the double seal from before!”

Sheyan released a groan . Because he looked away for a moment to steal a glance of the ring on Melody"s finger, he suffered a heavy blow to his head . Even though he had various abilities suppressing the explosive hit rate he receives, he still suffered an explosive damage . His head was instantly covered in blood .

Melody immediately cried out in alarm with tears streaming down her face . Sheyan gritted his teeth and asked .

“Is there no way to break the seal?”

The other surviving Elven mage replied in a tearful voice .

“My lover, Saya Redmarks, is the most proficient sorcerer in Rivendell in breaking seals . He tried to unravel the seal but unfortunately, he failed . Even though Vilya had expended almost all its energy in continuously healing Elrond, the backlash was still extremely terrifying . When Saya had removed Vilya up to the 2nd joint of Lady Melody"s finger, he was instantly frozen into an ice statue . ”

Sheyan suddenly squinted and asked .

“Does that mean that all I have to do is remove the ring from Melody"s finger?”

The Elven mage wiped away her tears and replied .

“Yes, theoretically speaking, that is all that needs to be done . But as soon as you exert force on the ring to remove it, you will be instantly frozen solid!”

Sheyan took a deep breath and glanced at the two surviving elves with guilt-ridden eyes . He stepped aside to avoid Elrond"s strike, stabbed his blade into Elrond"s abdomen, and twisted ruthlessly!

Elrond released a painful groan . He was about to counter attack, but right at that moment, he inexplicably sneezed . Sheyan immediately took a step forward and headb.u.t.ted Elrond"s nose with his forehead, followed by knees and kicks . Sheyan took an attack from Elrond, then activated "Zergling Rush" to land 3 consecutive slashes on Elrond"s neck . The blade emitted a terrifying sound as it cut into muscles and bones!

Elrond"s clothes were instantly soaked in blood . He bellowed out in pain and rolled away . After reaching a safer place, he appeared to be stunned for half a second before slowly reaching out to his neck and lifting his eyes up . In this moment, the feeling of madness, greed and brutality that enveloped his body only a moment ago disappeared without a trace . His eyes were firm and cold; filled with the confidence of having victory within his grasp!

“Wow, my fellow clansmen . You"ve really hurt me this time . My head was almost decapitated . ”

Elrond produced a piece of handkerchief, gently wiped on the blood on his neck, and said with a slow elegance .

“Oh, it seems we even have a follower of the high-G.o.d here . The high-G.o.d is almighty, yet why does he bother with weaklings? Fine, I don"t like wasting time . Please offer your flesh to me to pay me back for the protection I provided in Rivendell throughout all these years . ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Elrond immediately pounced on an Elven mage beside Melody . The mage was ready for him . He emitted a cry and burst into flame . He was preparing the AoE spell, Ring of Inferno .

At the same time, Sheyan also leaped over to help . He threw a bottle of curse-mix to the ground . The curse-mix is a weapon of ma.s.s destruction that can cause an AoE stun for 1 . 5 seconds . Sheyan believed that the current Elrond should still be susceptible to stun .

Under the reminder of Reef and the Elves, Sheyan had already highly estimated the level of Elrond"s ability after he regained his mind . Even so, Sheyan quickly realized that his estimation was still not high enough!

The difference between the Elrond who fought on instinct and the Elrond who fought with awareness was like the difference between heaven and earth!

When Elrond pounced, both his feet had visibly left the ground . Yet after successfully luring out the attacks from Sheyan and the mage, he gave a cold sneer . A gold-plated b.u.t.ton on his coat suddenly emitted a faint green glow . That"s right, even if all his magical power was left with his Elven half that self-destructed, he could still use magic items!

The spell stored in the b.u.t.ton was merely a 2nd-rank minor divine art of the Druids: Vine Spell .

A thick vine grew out from the ground with a "swoosh" amidst a scattering of soil . Usually, the vine was used to bind cavalries and the likes in order to buy time for spellcasters .

But Elrond used it to grab his own waist and jerk himself away, narrowly avoiding the shockwave produced by Sheyan"s curse-mix . He curved in the air and was flung towards the other mage instead!

Right now, Sheyan was situated quite a distance away from the mage . The other Elven mage couldn"t control his magic and released the Ring of Inferno . He was also helpless to save his compatriot .

Sheyan"s eyes flickered as he hesitated for a moment but he quickly regained his determination . He could have caught up to Elrond but his plan required a sacrifice .

The next moment, the long wail of the captured Elf reverberated through the forest .

Elrond laughed while he carried away his prey . He took a huge bite on the elf"s neck and sprinted away while chewing huge mouthfuls . Melody was currently sealed by the Ring of Air, Vilya and was as good as useless . She even had a magic mark on her body . Elrond would only need a couple of minutes and wasn"t worried that his remaining preys could run anywhere .

As soon as Elrond left, Sheyan instantly dashed towards Melody as if he had been waiting for this moment all along! Reef rolled his eyes and thought, "Are you really that thirsty?" The strange thing was, Sheyan seemed to be chewing on something in his mouth!

Melody"s gaze on Sheyan was full of sadness and longing . She pouted her pale lips slightly, hoping for her loved one to give her a final farewell kiss . Her only wish right now was for Sheyan to leave immediately after the kiss, run away to safety and live happily ever after .

Sheyan rushed in front of Melody like a gust of wind . He had no intention of indulging in intimacy . He grabbed Melody"s slim hand roughly and stared at the ring that was exuding a crisp cold on her finger . The Ring of Air, Vilya!

Under the perplexed gaze of everyone around him, Sheyan"s mouth formed into a smirk . He directly used his thumb and forefinger to pinch the ring that could be considered a divine artifact, and attempted to pull it out!

“NO!” Melody cried out in dismay .

Yet as Sheyan"s fingers touched the Ring of Air and started to pull, an illusionary image of a stern looking middle-aged Elf appeared above his head . The Elf shouted with an angry expression .

“How dare a lowly ant like you defile the dignity of Sire Vilya!!!”

The illusionary image then raised the precious looking staff on his hand . A cold lightning struck Sheyan head on! This was precisely the same move that took care of the previous Elf who tried to remove the ring .

But when the lightning hit Sheyan, a layer of hazy glow enveloped his body . The lightning divided itself into into countless cold, snake-like electrical current, which traversed along the surface of Sheyan"s body to freeze an area of 8 meters around Sheyan into solid ice . Amidst all this stood Sheyan with the same smirk on his face, looking perfectly fine!

“A lowly ant like me loves to defile the dignity and purity of those above me – but only if the person above me is a young and beautiful woman . ”

That"s right, the moment Sheyan"s fingers touched the ring, he used an item from his interspatial region . An item that he never thought would be useful!

The Scorched Ocean-freak Moria"s Egg! After consumption, one would be immune to all fire element and water element damage for 100 seconds . Not effective against the damage caused by contestants .

After using it as a medium to summon the Octopus Paul, it only had 3 uses remaining . For Sheyan, he only needed 1 use of the egg . He knew that, even though Vilya is called the “Ring of Air”, but in the movie, it"s claim to fame was when Elrond used it to control the river and swept away the chief of the Nazgûl! Besides, someone already tried to remove the ring so he already had an idea of the effect . He naturally had to take this gamble!

To Sheyan"s surprise, there seemed to be a huge might opposing him from removing the ring by force . Someone probably casted a certain kind of divine art on the ring .

The purpose of the divine art should be to prevent the ring from falling off due to gravity . When Elrond casted the spell, he could never have imagined that someone could break the seal with such a crude and barbaric method! Therefore, as Sheyan pulled with all his might, the Ring of Air was still slowly forced out .

So crude, so barbaric!

To take by force!

The situation was as crude and as barbaric as a G.o.ddess being forced upon by a hooligan!

Needless to say, the illusionary image above Sheyan got even angrier . He furiously hurled down attacks on Sheyan . With Sheyan at the center, an area of almost 30 meters square was already covered in a thick layer of ice . The surrounding temperature dropped by at least 20 Celcius (68 F) . Even Reef and the remaining Elf had ran away to the side in fear of being dragged into the mess .

A stream of notifications that read “The enemy inflicted 13112 points of ice damage on you; you are immune to this type of damage” appeared on Sheyan"s battle log . Sheyan couldn"t help but shudder . Even with his insane amount of HP, he would still be killed in 1 hit without the Scorched Ocean-freak Moria"s Egg!

Under such duress, with a mix of sweat and blood flowing down his face, Sheyan could still smile at Melody . He gently told her .

“There, there . Don"t be scared . Before Elrond consumes your flesh essence, he is the last person in the world who wants to see you hurt . Therefore, when he was making the seal, he would have designed it so that you wouldn"t be harmed by the backlash when someone tries to remove the seal . ”

Melody stared at Sheyan with watery eyes and didn"t know what to say . She could only nod . After Sheyan left, this pure Elven maiden had fantasized multiple times of how they would meet again . Never could she have thought that they would reunite in a situation of life and death!

Sheyan kept smiling and said .

“Don"t worry, I can save you! This is the protection bestowed upon me by my G.o.d . Even something as strong as Vilya can"t harm me . ”

Tears once again streaked down Melody"s face . Sheyan"s words were almost exactly the same as the time he rescued her from the arrow of the Uruk-hai, Lurtz!

Under constant effort from Sheyan, the miserable Ring of Air had already been moved from the base of the middle finger to the top joint . There was only about 1 centimeter left!

But right at that moment, a sorrowful shout resounded from far away! It was the voice of Elrond! He had finally realized the irregularities regarding the seal and had immediately rushed back .

He recklessly charged forward with everything he had, leaving behind him a trail of fallen trees . If G.o.ds stood in his way, he would slay G.o.ds! He charged like a demonic dragon!

A sharp edge entered Sheyan"s eyes as if a switch was flicked . Reef resolutely lifted his s.h.i.+eld and stood in Elrond"s path even though he hadn"t fully recovered . Sheyan was currently suffering the backlash of the seal . The terrifying power of the backlash was something no one wanted to try . Even being on the perimeter was difficult enough .

Elrond reached Reef almost in the blink of an eye . Reef roared with all his might but Elrond completely ignored him! When the debuff was inflicted on Elrond, the surface of a ring on the littlefinger of his right hand suddenly cracked . The magic item instantly dispelled the slowing effect on Elrond!

Even though Elrond had lost his magic power, he still retained his understanding and knowledge of magic .

It was akin to how a bankrupt ex-billionaire would still know the most efficient way to get a female star into his bed .

It"s obvious that he had made preparations to handle any unexpected situations he would encounter . He should have quite a few magical items on his body . These items were all disguised as normal, everyday objects, but they were all just waiting to be activated .

That"s why Elrond was still a monster . A monster who had lost all his magic power, but could still be a physical/magic dual-type through the use of tools!

Alas, man proposes but G.o.d disposes . Even with all the preparations he had made, he"s almost at his wit"s end . It"s the time for both sides to lay down their cards on the table .

As soon as Melody regained her freedom, she would be able to display the strength of a twilight Elf . There would also be 2 formidable MT"s protecting her in Reef and Sheyan . Defeat would almost be a certainty for Elrond .

But if Elrond managed to rush over and interfere with Sheyan"s removal of the ring, then Elrond would have the overwhelming advantage!

However, when the charging Elrond was only 10 meters away from Sheyan, he started s.h.i.+vering and coughing violently! The terrible coughing noise echoed throughout the forest . The whole ordeal was really ridiculous, and extremely bizarre . Even the Elven mage at the side couldn"t believe it .

The terrible power of the Pestilence Monarch was showing its might at this critical juncture!

Elrond possessed a wealth of battle experience and he had maintain a high awareness . As soon as he felt something was wrong, he immediately activated the magic items on his body without hesitation .

At least five items on him exploded and burst into sparks of light, including his belt, his hairpiece and the accessories he wore on his waist . He was instantly surrounded by multiple rays of light that circulated around his body . But none of them could dispel the debuffs caused by Pestilence Monarch!

As the Lord of Rivendell, every magic item he brought was a rare object of high quality . Especially because he knew that these items would determine his life or death, he couldn"t be careless . The items cost him a fortune .

But harsh reality hit him right in the face .

Ineffective!

They were all ineffective!

The power of a 9th rank, mutated, hidden S-grade ability was showcased in its full glory!

If Elrond was still the Elven king from before, he would have instantly noticed the irregularities from the Pestilence Monarch aura as soon as he stepped into its area of effect due to the natural affinity that the Elves had towards plants . Unfortunately, he"s a human now…

That"s right, in a human body, Elrond couldn"t withstand the weird and terrifying might of the Pestilence Monarch!

Sheyan didn"t want to alert Elrond, so he merely let the viruses in Elrond"s body to remain dormant before this . He only activated them now, and they turned out to be a great help .

At the same time, the Ring of Air, Vilya had been continuously releasing a series of noises which sounded rather similar to radio static . It sounded as if was really unwilling yet really helpless . In the end, it was forcefully pulled off Melody"s finger by Sheyan .

But a few strains of light remained on the surface of the ring . They stuck themselves to Melody"s finger like thick and tenacious glue and refused to let go .

It"s obvious from the strenuous look on Sheyan"s face that as soon as he was forced to defend himself, the ring would snap back into place . All his previous effort would be wasted .

A cold glint flashed across Elrond"s eyes . He definitely couldn"t give up! He released a roar in anger, and his body emitted the sound of something breaking apart . He then held his right hand with his left and took aim at Sheyan .

It"s common knowledge that the Elves were exceptional, natural-born archers . There was a saying that all Elves could be divided into 2 categories: those that can hit the target with a bow a hundred times out of a hundred, and those that can hit the target ninety-nine times out of a hundred .

Within Elrond"s long life, he spent a large portion of it on magical studies, but he had also dabbled in archery before . His mother, Elwing was even someone who left her name in Elven history by relying on her strength in archery .

The technique that Elrond was using now was the strongest archery skill his mother left behind!

The Arrow of Death!

(T/N note: The word used for "arrow" here could also mean "vow" . )

With his body as the bow, his limb as the arrow; to direct with his flesh, and draw with his soul!

Elrond"s whole body looked like fully-drawn bow that is about to release a terrifying arrow!

With a crack, the index finger of Elrond"s right hand shot out with force, like a b.l.o.o.d.y arrow full of malice . The force of the finger was so great that it produced a series of exploding noises from the compression of the air . A feeling of dread filled the entire battlefield!

The surrounding trees and gra.s.s rapidly withered away . A gigantic whirlpool formed within the clouds above them . This skill completely absorbed the living breath of all lives around Elrond . It"s a double-edged sword that harmed himself first before damaging the enemy!

The strike was projected like an arrow, yet no arrows in the world could traverse with such speed .

The strike was as quick as lightning, yet no lightning in the world could produce such a thunderous roar .

The strike was as sudden as light, yet no light in the world could contain such murderous intent!

Faced with such an attack, Sheyan"s expression instantly stiffened . He could clearly feel the threat of death! Even if he had "Life-Link" on him, he wasn"t invincible . As long as the attack of the enemy was strong enough, it could take out both Sheyan and Reef at the same time!

What would Sheyan do now? Would he stay or would he go?

At that moment, a strange feeling enveloped Sheyan . Someone unexpected appeared a distance away diagonally behind him . The person was Franklin, who had almost no sense of existence since the beginning of the battle .

He pointed his staff at Sheyan and a light burst forth . He seemed to have planned this for a while . An illusionary image which looked exactly like Sheyan was projected out from Sheyan"s body!

This was Franklin"s special ability – Complete Copy! The doppelganger produced would completely inherit the target"s HP and defense . However, it couldn"t use any skills and only had 33% of the target"s attack power .

The doppelganger produced by Franklin materialized in front of Sheyan and blocked Elrond"s last ditch attempt!

Sheyan was only affected by the resulting aftershock, but even so, he felt as if heaven and earth lost their original colors and turned into a world of black and red . The only sight he could see was the eerie white bone, and the only sound left in his ears were the howls of distressed souls .

From an outside perspective, after Elrond"s Finger Arrow hit Sheyan"s doppelganger, the dimension itself shook . The finger and the doppelganger both exploded into a large cloud of b.l.o.o.d.y mist!

Throughout all this, Sheyan hadn"t forgotten what he had to do . With a shout, he forcibly tore Vilya completely free from Melody"s finger!

The shrill sound of the seal breaking rang out in the ears of everyone present . A large clutter of light dispersed helplessly across the forest .

Sheyan"s crazy method of breaking the seal by force had actually foiled Elrond"s intricately woven plan!

The weak-looking Melody stood up at once . A soft green glow covered her completely . She opened her mouth, and a voice as sweet as an angel"s echoed through the dense wood . Her song breathed life back into the dead trees around them .

The injuries of Sheyan and the others there were healing at a surprising speed . Franklin"s MP that had bottomed out was also filling up like the rising tide . The life in her song calmed their hearts . Next, Melody casted the Twilight Elf"s blessing on both Sheyan and Reed . Small globes of green lights from the surrounding congregated themselves around them both .

Sheyan and Reef instantly felt refreshed, as if they were born anew . A feeling of coolness filled their bodies and washed away all impurities . But the most surprising thing was that when the Stairway of the Sun within Sheyan was touched by this gust of energy, it felt as if it jumped in joy . Sheyan was filled with an indescribable bliss .

The Melody now was no longer the Melody from before . Her Twilight Elf"s blessing was a lot stronger . When Reef and Sheyan read the notification, they instantly turned speechless .

[You have received the Twilight Elf"s blessing: You receive a strong Rejuvenation spell . All the debuffs on you are dispelled . Your HP will recover by 5% per second until it is full . All resistances increased by 45% . All beneficial effects determined by probability will have their percentages increased by 15% (including, but not limited to: hit rate, explosive hit rate, a.s.similation success rate, etc . ) For every damage you receive, 25% of the damage will be converted into your HP . Duration: 48 hours . ]