Chapter 547: Crushing

Chapter 547 Crushing

Tina, the earth sprite, nervously introduced herself in front of Levi.

Fortunately, Levi listened to her introduction until the end.

Levi looked at Tina, temporarily understanding that she was not with the attackers.

He glanced at the three people on the cliff not far away.

Then he looked down at Nezha and Laya on the mountain path below.

Nezha's expression was exceedingly grim as he stared fixedly at Levi in midair.

He had never imagined that Levi's strength would actually be powerful to such an extent.

"Damn it!"

Hearing his voice, Laya advised, "Nezha, there is still time to stop now, I won't tell the Lord..."

"Shut up."

Nezha let

The black runes and dark power were the new strength that Nezha received from the evil goddess Lolth after offering his faith.

This was also the source of Nezha’s confidence—despite witnessing Levi’s formidable strength, he still dared to launch an attack.

Nezha believed that no matter how powerful Levi might be, he could not possibly stand against someone who had already obtained divine power.

“Corrupted Web!”

The black runes upon Nezha’s face flared with light, spreading into the air and transforming into a massive black web.

The corrupted web enveloped the space where Levi stood.

He appeared like prey trapped within a spider’s snare, awaiting final judgment.

Levi sensed the peril radiating from the corrupted web.

Sizzling sounds filled the air.

The atmosphere near the web began to show signs of decay.

As the shrinking web closed in, it resembled thousands of sharp blades slicing through the sky.

Countless fine black cracks appeared in midair.

Even space itself seemed affected.

Levi’s eyes narrowed as he perceived the immense force of laws embedded within the corrupted web.

High-level corruption rules?

That did not surprise him.

Lolth was an evil deity of the Underdark—a god, yes, but not of high rank.

A lesser deity could at most wield low-level law-based powers.

The highest she could grant her followers would be advanced rule-force.

Bestowing true law-powers would severely harm her own essence.

Nezha likely lacked the ability to compel such sacrifice from Lolth.

Only powerful deities who possessed higher-order laws themselves—such as the God of Light—could bestow law-force without damaging their own strength.

For example, the eight-winged angel Russell had once used divine power during battle against the demon lord’s apostle, Basam.

Levi himself wielded advanced rule-force:

Advanced Fire Rule.

Whoosh! Crackling flames erupted.

The corrupted web ignited and swiftly burned away.

Shock crossed Nezha’s face.

How was this possible?

The Corrupted Web was meant to corrupt anything it touched—even fire would transform into corrupted flame.

Ordinary fire couldn't ignite it.

Its burning was fundamentally a clash between two high-level rule-forces:

Levi’s “burning” derived from Advanced Fire Rule, colliding with the “corruption” of the web’s rule.

Both forces were equally ranked; neither inherently overcame the other.

It became purely a contest of raw power.

Clearly, Nezha lost.

Utterly defeated, without resistance.

Levi’s foundation far surpassed his own.

Moreover, Nezha had never truly mastered the corruption rule—he merely borrowed its power from the deity.

During the clash of these rule-forces, he could do nothing.

He could only watch helplessly as the corruption rule was overwhelmed.

Levi, however, fully grasped the Advanced Fire Rule.

In the collision of these forces, he could adapt his flame techniques based on the characteristics revealed by the corruption rule, gaining greater advantage.

His initial explosive assault shattered the web’s defenses, then transitioned into sustained combustion, steadily draining Nezha’s energy.

Nezha felt the dark power within him rapidly fading.

The corrupted web had been entirely consumed by flames.

“It’s over.”

Faced with such an absolute disparity in strength, even receiving power from the evil goddess Lolth proved futile for Nezha.

In the blink of an eye, he was subdued by Levi.

Boom!

A giant blue hand seized Nezha and hurled him beside three drow elves lying atop the cliff.

Levi descended slowly alongside Layla.

All four captives had been suppressed by the Sacred Flame Domain, unable to exert even a sliver of power.

Seeing this, earth spirit Tina quickly summoned a stone guardian.

The guardian lifted her onto its shoulder and carried her up the cliff.

Tina glanced at Levi, then fixed her gaze on the dark-skinned drow sprawled on the ground, her expression grave.

“Why are drow elves here?”

She asked in confusion.

After experiencing near-death moments, Layla regained full clarity.

She looked at Nezha, abandoning all lingering hope.

“This is Nezha from Greenleaf Territory,” she said. “I will investigate this thoroughly.”

Tina turned toward her, speaking sternly:

“This isn’t just about your Greenleaf Territory—it concerns the safety of the entire Elven Forest.”

Layla fell silent for a moment before nodding.

“I understand.”

She took out the Spirit Bloom and relayed everything that happened via the paired bloom to Delwin back in Greenleaf Territory.

Paired Spirit Blooms could transmit voices.

Usually, they grew in pairs, though rare ones bore more than three blooms.

“My Lord…”

Delwin listened silently to Layla’s report, saying nothing.

Only after hearing everything did he fall silent for a long time before finally saying, "I understand."

After finishing his words, Delwen paused briefly before asking, "Is Nezha here?"

Upon hearing this, Laya replied with a single word: "He's here."

She then placed the spirit-summoning flower beside Nezha’s ear.

Nezha glanced at the spirit-summoning flower but said nothing.

Delwen seemed to realize who was on the other end of the flower.

"If you have truly betrayed the Mother Tree," he said calmly, "I will execute you myself."

It was hard to imagine the pain that must be tearing through his heart at that moment—on one side, a beloved brother; on the other, an unbreakable faith of the elven race.

Hearing this, Nezha let out two cold snorts.

"Heh..."

Nezha had no desire to speak further, and neither did Delwen attempt to continue speaking with him.

Instead, he turned to Laya and said, "Please give the spirit-summoning flower to Archmage Levi."

Laya handed the white spirit-summoning flower to Levi.

Levi accepted it and said, "Lord Delwen, I am Levi."

"Archmage Levi, I deeply regret all these events," Delwen began by apologizing humbly.

After all, there was still something he needed to ask of Levi.

Levi responded indifferently, "There is no need for such courtesy, my lord."

"He is who he is. Whatever he has done has nothing to do with you."

Delwen replied, "Regardless, he remains my own flesh and blood."

"I have a selfish request—I implore Archmage Levi to spare Nezha’s life and allow us elves to deal with him ourselves."

"As compensation, I shall offer appropriate treasures in return."

Levi looked around. Both Laya and Tina were watching him closely.

If not for their presence, Nezha would already be dead beyond recognition.

There was no way Levi would go to such lengths just to bring him here alive—

He would have reduced him to ashes long ago.

This place was, after all, the Elven Forest—the domain of the elves—and Levi had no wish to provoke conflict with them.

Moreover, Delwen had already lowered himself so significantly and even promised compensation.

Thus, Levi agreed without hesitation.

"Very well."

Delwen exhaled slightly in relief and continued, "Then I must trouble Archmage Levi to deliver them to Yellowstone Territory under our custody. I shall personally come later to resolve this matter."

Levi turned toward Tina—she being the earth spirit of Yellowstone Territory.

For this plan to proceed smoothly, approval from Yellowstone Territory was also required.

Understanding Levi’s intention immediately, Tina quickly spoke up: "No problem. Investigating why Drow Elves appeared within the Elven Forest and maintaining peace here are shared responsibilities among all elves."

On the opposite end of the spirit-summoning flower, Delwen heard Tina’s voice and hesitated momentarily.

Recognizing her tone instantly.

"Tina is here too? Then I entrust this task to you," Delwen said.

Tina hurriedly replied, "Of course, Lord Greenleaf."

Laya felt somewhat surprised—she hadn't expected Delwen to recognize Tina merely through the spirit-summoning flower.

That meant their relationship must run quite deep indeed.

With agreement reached, Nezha and the three captured Drow Elves were handed over to Yellowstone Territory.

Thanks to Earth Spirit Tina’s assistance, Levi and Laya arrived swiftly at their destination.

Exiting the canyon, they beheld a rocky city built against towering mountains ahead.

Yellowstone Territory differed greatly from other elven territories.

Primarily because its inhabitants belonged entirely to the Earth Elf Clan.

Though like others, they revered nature above all else,

to them, the Great Earth Mother stood equal in stature to the World Tree itself.

Rock Guardians carried Nezha and the Drow captives into the territory,

drawing curious gazes from many passersby who stopped to observe.

Returning to Yellowstone Territory brought some ease to Tina.

She glanced at Levi and Laya and suggested, "It's getting late today. Why don’t we rest here tonight and resume our journey to the Elven Court tomorrow?"

Laya remained silent while Levi nodded gently. "Yes, very well."

Smiling warmly, Tina added, "In that case, let me show you where you'll stay first."

Once she had settled Levi and Laya comfortably, Tina departed with the Rock Guardians and the prisoners.

She still needed to report the situation to the ruler of Yellowstone Territory.

The appearance of Drow Elves inside the Elven Forest was a major incident—one possibly requiring notification sent directly to the Elven Court.

Chances were high that sleep would evade her completely tonight.

Thinking of this, Tina couldn’t help but sigh softly.

"Sigh~"

One of the captured Drow Elves, borne aloft by a Rock Guardian, subtly twitched a finger, gathering dark energy at its tip.

Without turning back, Tina warned coolly, "Behave yourselves. Don’t cause any more trouble."

Poof!

The darkness gathered at the Drow’s fingertip dissipated silently into thin air.

"Just as a precaution, better impose certain restrictions."

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Grayish-white layers of stone rapidly spread across the bodies of the four captives, enveloping them entirely in moments.

Within seconds, all four figures transformed into statues carved from solid rock.

Petrification magic.

Unlike ordinary petrification magic.

The four who were petrified not only remained alive, but could also be restored from their stone state.

This was no longer on the level of common magic.

This was... the power of rules.

(End of chapter)