Chapter 546: Attack

Chapter 546: Ambush

Li Wei and Laiya walked along the precipitous cliffs of the Yellowstone Territory.

Laiya had mentioned that rock guardians patrolled this area.

Li Wei extended his mental perception, hoping to locate these stone sentinels.

He was also curious about the formidable rock guardians Laiya had described.

His consciousness swept across hundreds of meters, reaching the bottom of the valley where he sensed numerous dormant magical auras.

These auras were faint yet profoundly deep.

It indicated that these beings were in a state of slumber.

Li Wei speculated that these magical signatures might be emanating from the rock guardians Laiya spoke of.

A rough scan revealed that most of the rock guardians possessed fourth-tier strength.

Among them were even fifth and sixth-tier entities.

No wonder Laiya claimed they would pose significant challenges.

To her, indeed, they were troublesome.

But Li Wei found them manageable.

There weren't many high-ranking rock guardians present.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, only remnants of twilight lingered within the canyon.

Laiya gazed toward a distant crevice and said, "Hurry up; we should reach Yellowstone Territory before nightfall."

Li Wei nodded. "Mm."

Suddenly, something stirred within him—he felt Saint Xi awakening.

Calculating the time, it coincided with the end of the Time Suspension spell's duration.

Saint Xi emerged from her slumber.

Though merely one day had passed for Li Wei, she had slept for an entire year.

Glancing at Laiya, Li Wei decided to release Saint Xi once they reached Yellowstone Territory.

Rumbling echoed overhead...

The sound of tumbling rocks filled the air.

Realizing loose stones were falling, Li Wei quickly warned, "Watch out!"

A shadow loomed over Li Wei’s head.

Looking upward, his pupils contracted sharply.

An enormous boulder more than five meters in diameter rolled down the cliff face.

Li Wei leapt backward while pushing Laiya forward several meters through mid-air force.

Boom!

The massive rolling stone shattered the mountain path completely.

Clang clang clang!

Flying debris shot toward Li Wei but was blocked by his invisible armor.

Gazing upward, Li Wei fixed his eyes on a figure vanishing from the mountaintop.

This wasn’t a natural landslide.

It was deliberate murder.

However, whoever did this underestimated him greatly.

Could such a boulder actually kill a great mage?

If caught unprepared, even a sixth-tier great mage might perish under its weight.

After all, mages' bodies are far less resilient compared to other practitioners—they're practically fragile.

Struck directly without any defense, death would likely follow instantly.

Such scenarios rarely occur.

Those who become great mages always possess unique survival techniques.

At worst, they carry defensive magical artifacts.

Li Wei never used defensive magical items because he constantly maintained an invisibility shield.

Most great mages carried multiple triggered-defense magical tools.

Whether those could withstand a falling boulder was another matter entirely.

Even if defended against impact, being knocked off a cliff meant survival remained uncertain.

Laiya stared across the broken path at Li Wei, fear evident in her eyes.

"What... what just happened?"

She stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what had occurred.

The enemy's assault hadn't ended yet.

Grinding sounds came from beside Li Wei as parts of the cliff wall shifted.

Dozens of rocks detached themselves, forming several stone giants encircling Li Wei.

Observing the surrounding rock titans, Li Wei showed surprise.

Were the attackers earth spirits from Yellowstone Territory?

Otherwise, how could they control the rock guardians?

Laiya shared similar doubts upon seeing the rock guardians appear.

She shouted loudly, "Wait! He isn't an intruder!"

Her voice reverberated through the valley, met only with silence.

Instead of answers, the stone giants responded.

Crash!

One giant's fist, large as a cauldron, smashed into the ground, shattering it.

Li Wei dodged the attack swiftly.

Scanning rapidly around him, he searched for signs of the assailants.

His mental awareness spread like flowing water throughout the valley.

He spotted two figures clad in black robes standing atop the peak.

The undulating waves of magic radiating from the pair proved beyond doubt that they were the ones controlling the stone guards.

Li Wei bounded into the air, narrowly evading the pincer attack of the two stone sentinels.

He extended his index finger, lightly tapping the empty air.

"Begone!"

A Ring of Fire Resistance rippled outward from his fingertip with staggering speed.

Thud, thud, thud!

The several stone guards surrounding Li Wei were all cast over the cliff's edge by the expanding ring of fire.

Beholding this sight, Laya’s visage contorted with profound shock.

It was the first time she had ever witnessed anyone invoke magic in such a manner.

No incantation was uttered, nor was any spell matrix meticulously constructed.

It was as though his very words dictated reality.

Clack, clack, clack!

A cacophony echoed from the depths beneath the precipice.

Laya turned her head to look toward a vantage point she could see, but Li Wei could not.

Countless stone guards were scaling the sheer rock face, swarming upward.

A sudden chill ran down Laya’s spine, a wave of dread gripping her heart.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Why are there so many stone guards?"

"Who exactly is the assailant?"

Li Wei, too, wished to ascertain the identity of their attacker.

He prepared to soar toward the summit of the mountain.

Having ascended a mere five meters, a silhouette materialized abruptly beside him.

An invisible blade thrust toward his throat.

The unseen edge bypassed his invisible armored shield, striking Li Wei dead center in the neck.

Splat!

Fresh blood trickled down the invisible blade, staining the unseen edge crimson.

Li Wei turned his head to look at the assassin who had suddenly materialized beside him.

A flicker of astonishment lingered in his eyes.

The assassin afforded Li Wei no time to react; the sharp blade sliced across Li Wei's neck, seeking to sever his head entirely.

Crack!

The incomparably sharp, invisible blade unexpectedly became lodged.

The keen edge could not sever Li Wei's cervical vertebrae.

Those bones possessed a resilience comparable to that of a dragon's skeletal framework.

The dripping blood transformed into clusters of sparks that leaped upward, enveloping the assassin.

A ring of golden flame haloed within Li Wei's pupils.

Advanced Fire Laws!

Thermal Focus!

Two scorching, fiery-red rays erupted violently from his eyes.

The assassin's reaction speed was nothing short of astonishing.

Even against an attack executed at point-blank range, he managed to react in the nick of time, swiftly abandoning the invisible blade and flipping backward to evade the onslaught.

The scorching rays swept past the assassin's wake, searing two deep gouges into the cliffside; wherever they passed, the stone liquefied and dripped away.

The assassin had evaded quickly, yet he did not escape unscathed.

The black cloak enveloping him was ignited by the sparks born from Li Wei's blood.

By the time he extinguished the flames, the cloak had been incinerated completely, revealing his true appearance.

The pointed ears on either side of his head proved him to be an elf.

Yet his skin was starkly black, a strain of the elven race Li Wei had never before encountered.

Beholding the dark skin of the elven assassin, Laya gasped in horror.

"A Drow!"

"Why would a Drow appear within the Elven Forest?" Laya was thoroughly shaken.

The Drow race was otherwise known as the Fallen Elves.

They did not reside within the confines of the Elven Forest.

The Drow dwelled in the pitch-black, sunless depths of the Underdark.

They consorted with the chaotic and dark races of the subterranean world.

The true reason the elven race deemed them fallen, however, was that the Drow had abandoned their faith in the World Tree and the Elven God, choosing instead to worship the dark deities of the underworld.

The Drow prostrated themselves before Lolth, the evil deity of the Underdark.

Worshiping a malevolent god was an absolute abomination.

Consequently, the Drow were regarded by the elven race as mortal enemies.

The Elven Forest strictly forbade any entry by the Drow.

It was for this reason that Laya lost all color in her face upon beholding the Drow.

"A Drow?"

Li Wei narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed upon the black-skinned elven assassin before him.

Having failed to kill in a single strike, the assassin retreated swiftly, intending to flee.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Li Wei was just about to strike.

A horde of stone guards materialized above Li Wei's head, lunging down at him.

Thud, thud, thud...

The stone guards swarmed Li Wei, surrounding him so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through.

Laya drew her staff, preparing to cast a spell to rescue Li Wei.

A figure materialized behind her, grasping her arm firmly.

"Do not move."

The familiar voice reached her ears.

Leya's heart jolted violently, disbelief flooding her senses as she swiftly turned her head back.

"Neezha? Why are you here?"

Seeing his face clearly, Leya was utterly stunned.

She had never imagined Neezha would appear in this place.

Her gaze fell upon the black cloak draped over Neezha’s shoulders, and her expression froze momentarily.

This cloak was identical to those worn by the Drow elves.

Was Neezha allied with them?

That suspicion surged through Leya like lightning.

Otherwise, there was no way to explain why he had suddenly appeared here, dressed exactly like one of the Drow.

Faced with Leya’s question, Neezha offered no reply.

He didn’t even glance at her once—his eyes fixed intently on Levi, who was surrounded entirely by stone guardians.

Suddenly, fiery red light burst from between the cracks of the layered rock formations.

In the next instant, an earth-shattering explosion roared across the valley.

The sheer force hurled every stone guardian into the air, scattering them wildly.

Leya instinctively staggered backward several steps, letting out a frightened cry, raising her arm reflexively before her eyes to shield them from the dust and debris.

Her back bumped against Neezha’s chest—but it brought her no sense of safety whatsoever.

Neezha had changed.

Changed so much that she barely recognized him anymore.

She could no longer tell whether he was friend or foe.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Howling winds swept across the land.

A massive tornado spiraled upward, tearing through the sky above the canyon.

Levi hovered high above the gorge, gazing down at three figures standing atop the cliffs.

The assassin had already regrouped with the two elves controlling the stone guardians.

When they saw Levi break free from their encirclement and rise before them—

All three wore expressions of shock.

"Don't be afraid," said one. "He has triggered the aerial defenses of the Elven Forest."

"He is about to face something far worse than what came before."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when the entire Rift Canyon trembled violently.

It felt as though some great dragon beneath the earth had just stirred.

Boom! Boom!

Countless stone guardians emerged throughout the canyon.

Even more appeared along its towering walls.

The five-meter boulder which had fallen into the chasm now transformed under the quaking ground—an eight-meter-tall colossal stone sentinel rose where it once lay.

Every single guardian lifted their heads toward Levi suspended in midair.

Then came a titanic figure striding forth from within the canyon—a Stone Lord whose form dwarfed all others, exceeding a hundred meters tall.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Each step echoed heavily, shaking the very foundations of the world.

Vroooom!

An invisible force erupted from the Stone Lord, spreading outward and enveloping the space around Levi.

Gravity Field!

Buzzzz!

Gravity surged forth—and instantly, Levi plummeted downward.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

All three elves atop the cliff collapsed onto the ground, crushed under immense gravitational pressure, struggling for breath.

The Gravity Field made no distinction between allies and enemies.

Only the stone guardians remained unaffected.

They activated their throwing ability, hurling massive stones forged from raw earth elements toward Levi soaring overhead.

After descending a certain distance, Levi stabilized himself against the pull of gravity.

Just as he attempted to ascend again—he was assaulted from all directions.

Rocks rained down endlessly, blanketing the airspace around him.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Empowered by the Gravity Field, each projectile became even deadlier.

Buzz!

For a moment, time itself seemed frozen.

Sacred Flame Domain! Activate!

His Sacred Flame Domain forcibly carved open a pocket within the oppressive gravity field.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every thrown stone that touched the edge of the flame domain was deflected away.

Levi narrowed his eyes—the range of his Sacred Flame Domain rapidly expanded.

Within moments, it overwhelmed the Gravity Field completely, engulfing every enemy present.

Levi’s Sacred Flame Domain surpassed the power level of the Stone Lord’s Gravity Field.

Easily crushing it, launching a fierce counterattack.

The three figures clinging to the cliffside finally escaped the grip of gravity—they exhaled deeply in relief.

But in the next second—they found themselves seared by unbearable heat—as if their bodies were being roasted alive.

Sweat poured from every pore.

Levi stared directly at the enormous Stone Lord not far ahead.

Flames gathered from across the heavens and earth, converging before him into a blazing fireball of unimaginable size.

The terrifying ripple of magical energy spread outward.

Everyone's faces twisted in horror, sensing the breath of death approaching.

"Wait!"

Finally, someone who had been hiding nearby could no longer restrain themselves, stepping out to shout loudly toward Li Wei in the sky.

Li Wei looked down to see a long-eared elf with yellow skin and golden hair standing on the cliff edge.

On her face, three stripes resembling a feline's whiskers were painted on each side.

The suddenly appearing female earth sprite spread her arms wide and shouted, "Please wait! The Rock Lord means no harm!"

"Rock Lord, stop."

At the earth sprite's command, the Rock Lord, who had been moving toward them, halted in its tracks.

Li Wei revealed a trace of surprise.

The Rock Lord had already reached the peak of the sixth tier, only a step away from becoming a legendary elemental lord.

Yet it would obey an elf.

Seeing the Rock Lord pause, Li Wei also ceased gathering his power.

However, the massive fireball that had already manifested did not vanish.

It floated in midair, menacing everyone present.

The earth sprite, seeing that Li Wei was no longer continuing his spellcasting, breathed a sigh of relief.

She glanced at the enormous fireball hovering in the air above—danger still loomed.

The earth sprite quickly spoke: "Hello, my name is Tina. I am an earth sprite of the Yellow Stone Territory."

"The Rock Lord did not attack you of its own accord. It awakened because you triggered the aerial prohibition defense of the Elfwood."

"I only just arrived here myself."

When she saw forest elves, drow elves, and human mages gathered here, she became somewhat bewildered.

She completely failed to understand what had transpired.

Only upon witnessing the astonishing power of Li Wei's magic did she dare risk stepping forward to prevent further conflict.

(End of Chapter)