Chapter 123: Rock Demon Incarnation

Chapter 123: The Rock Demon Incarnation

Li Wei removed the spatial ring and tossed the severed hand into the dark river.

He lectured the Shadow Servant, "Next time, bring back only the spoils—no need to carry severed limbs."

The Shadow Servant nodded vaguely, half-understanding.

In his eyes, the severed hand was still part of the loot.

Unfortunately, Li Wei had no use for it.

Li Wei extended his spiritual energy, attempting to open the spatial ring.

He sensed Veld’s spiritual imprint within—his own energy could not penetrate.

It was like a lock and key.

The ring recognized only Veld’s spiritual resonance; others could not unlock it with their minds.

But where there was a lock, there was always a way to pick it.

The simplest method: shatter Veld’s spiritual imprint outright.

This required immense spiritual strength—

at least stronger than the one who left the mark.

Li Wei released his spiritual energy, seeping it into the ring, scouring away Veld’s imprint.

"It feels even easier than practicing illusion-form techniques," he mused.

"Veld’s spiritual power doesn’t seem strong—feels weaker than mine."

Under the relentless wash of his energy, the imprint grew fainter.

Crack!

At last, it shattered. The spatial ring forced open.

"Not bad. Seems Veld’s spiritual strength really is inferior to mine.

Could it be due to my spiritual awakening?"

Li Wei wasn’t certain.

But likely, that played a part.

Besides, Veld was a Circle Mage—such mages often neglected spiritual cultivation.

Their spiritual power tended to be weaker than traditional mages of the same rank.

Li Wei inscribed his own spiritual mark upon the ring and began inspecting its contents.

One glance, and astonishment flooded through him.

"As expected—mages are always rich!"

Inside were three chunks of mithril ore, each the size of two or three fists—

larger than any Li Wei had ever seen.

Clearly, Veld had acquired one while trapped underground.

No wonder he hadn’t wanted to leave. Perhaps he hadn’t been lost at all—

maybe he’d stayed behind searching for mithril, unwilling to return.

Li Wei recalled Leian’s final words: “teleportation scroll.”

So Veld must have been teleported away.

But this was deep underground—where could he have been sent?

If unlucky, perhaps buried alive in solid earth, crushed instantly.

Li Wei hoped Veld was dead.

Better yet, if Leian died too.

Then no one would know he possessed Veld’s spatial ring.

He transferred the items from his pockets into the ring, then carefully tucked it away—into his pocket, not on his finger.

He wasn’t foolish enough to wear it openly.

What if someone recognized it?

"I wonder if I fully erased Veld’s imprint…"

"For safety, I should use this ring sparingly.

Once I return, I’ll search for better ways to cleanse such traces."

He stepped forward.

The contents of Veld’s ring were too disordered—he’d sort them later.

Now, first, retrieve the ant-king’s carapace and store it before someone else took it.

"Leian… are you really an instructor at the Knight Academy?"

Li Wei harbored deep doubts.

"Heh. Knew there was someone following me."

Leian’s voice drifted from ahead.

Li Wei froze.

"Lilith? Why are you here?"

Leian sounded surprised, genuinely taken aback.

"Who are you? I don’t know you," Lilith replied coldly.

Leian’s expression shifted—suddenly understanding.

"So it’s you. Never mind. If it’s you, I don’t care to fight." His tone turned dull, disinterested.

"Why are you tailing me?" he asked.

"I got lost," Lilith said simply.

"...Follow me," Leian sighed.

Only when the footsteps faded did Li Wei resume his pursuit.

"Do Leian and Lilith know each other? Does he know about her second personality?"

Suspicion surged within him.

Leian was no mere knight academy instructor.

He must have once been a practitioner from Hansha City.

"Orcs?"

Doubt stirred in Li Wei's heart.

Lilith could conceal her beast ears, hide the traits of a half-beast.

Perhaps Lei An possessed similar means.

That absurdly powerful body of his did fit the profile of a half-beast practitioner.

Beastkin practitioners typically had physiques far stronger than human peers of the same rank.

They were more likely to awaken extraordinary traits that enhanced their bodies.

Half-beasts inherited this trait as well.

Only a tiny fraction of beastkin possessed magical talent.

Among the three great races—humans, beastkin, and elves—

elves had the highest innate gift for magic; nearly every one of them could wield spells.

Humans came second. Yet due to their vast population, the number of human mages was no less than elven mages.

Beastkin had the weakest magical aptitude. Even with greater numbers than humans, beastkin spellcasters were exceedingly rare.

Most gifted among them were beast shamans or blood sorcerers who relied on innate talents.

They used magic, but never sought the truth behind it.

As for other races—goblins, dwarves, giants, dragonkin—their populations were too small to rival the three great races.

Each race had its own traits.

The beastkin might be weak in magic, but they possessed overwhelming physical strength and brute force.

An untrained adult beastkin still surpassed a seasoned human soldier in strength and constitution.

Some with special bloodlines could even match the physique of an extraordinary practitioner.

Following behind Lei An and Lilith, Li Wei found the exit.

Emerging from the mine tunnel, he saw neither Lei An nor Lilith.

At the center of the camp stood a rock giant over five meters tall.

Several corpses in black robes lay scattered around.

"Cough!"

The rock giant gripped one black-robed figure, ready to crush him to death.

Li Wei shouted urgently, "Hold! Spare him!"

The rock giant turned to look at Li Wei. Had it not recognized him, it might have already attacked him as an accomplice.

A voice emerged from within the giant—Allen’s voice.

"Why?"

Li Wei spoke quickly, "He's the assassin leader. Keep him alive—we can learn who sent them."

Hearing this, Allen glanced down at the man in his hand.

Snapped all four limbs with a twist, then dropped him onto the ground.

*Crack, crack, crack!*

Clumps of earth began peeling away from the rock giant’s form.

Slowly, Allen descended from within.

Li Wei’s eyes widened slightly—he hadn’t expected the rock giant to be Allen himself.

Curious, he asked, "What spell was that?"

Allen replied, "Not a spell. An extraordinary trait."

Upon advancing to the fourth tier and becoming a Grand Mage, Allen had gained a new trait—*Stone Demon Incarnation*.

When activated, it consumed all his mana to absorb surrounding soil and transform into a rock giant.

The more mana he had, the stronger the resulting form.

Its power stemmed from the essence of stone demons.

Hearing this, Li Wei stopped questioning.

To press further would be impolite.

He glanced at the corpses lying around, realizing the assassination attempt had utterly failed.

Allen’s strength far exceeded their expectations.

(End of Chapter)