Chapter 552: An Unprecedented Legendary Path

Chapter 552: A Legendary Path Without Precedent

Li Wei listened as the Elven King expounded upon the legendary path.

What he said became clear in Li Wei's heart.

Simply put, the legendary path and the divine ascent were one and the same road.

Once you chose which legendary path to take,

the divine ascent you would follow in the future was already determined.

To change midway and pursue another direction would come at a tremendous cost—

a price nearly equivalent to abandoning all previous efforts and starting cultivation anew from scratch.

And even that might not be possible.

If one only heard the first half of what the Elven King had said—

that the legendary path was essentially about mastery over rules—

then Li Wei would very likely choose to embark on the legendary path of [Lord of Sacred Flame].

His ability to grasp the laws of fire had already reached an impressive level.

Upon initiating this legendary path, his power could rapidly increase within a short time.

Leaping directly to become a high-tier legendary mage was not out of reach.

After all, those who had just entered the legendary realm merely wielded elementary rule-force.

Li Wei had yet to break through into legend but already commanded advanced rule-force—

this alone placed him at the level of a high-tier legendary mage.

All that remained was the accumulation of magical essence.

But after hearing the second half of the Elven King’s words, Li Wei extinguished such thoughts.

If the legendary path was tied to the subsequent divine ascent,

then choosing [Lord of Sacred Flame] to begin the legendary journey was absolutely forbidden.

It was a dead end.

Since ancient times, the law of flame had always been among the most fiercely contested domains.

Countless deities claimed dominion over fire.

Needless to mention the orthodox Fire Gods who ruled true flame laws.

Even the God of Light meddled with a branch of fire—the "radiant heat."

This racecourse had long since been saturated by countless competitors.

A veritable red ocean of contenders.

Perhaps Li Wei could forge a new path blending sacred energy with flame.

Yet ultimately, it would never rival the orthodoxy of pure flame law.

At best, it would remain a mere offshoot beneath the greater doctrine.

Attempting to grow strong under such constraints would bring numerous shackles and obstacles.

A legendary path never before walked.

A divine ascent never before trodden.

The Elven King's implication was now crystal clear:

he must walk an unconventional route.

Through ordinary means, ascending to godhood was virtually impossible.

The paths upward had long ago been sealed shut by countless mortals and gods alike.

Li Wei swept his gaze across all the supernatural traits he possessed,

selecting three:

[Arcane Enlightenment (Epic)] (capable of opening a legendary path)

[Elemental Fission (Epic)] (capable of opening a legendary path)

[Phoenix Rebirth (Divine Spirit Tier)] (capable of opening a legendary path)

These three roads may have never been traveled before.

After brief contemplation, Arcane Enlightenment was discarded.

The Goddess of Magic might well command the corresponding law-force.

Phoenix Rebirth was also abandoned.

It originated originally from the transcendent trait of radiant angels.

Possibly, the God of Light already held sway over its associated law-force.

That left only one viable choice for Li Wide—the concept he brought from another world: [Elemental Fission].

Having reached this conclusion, Li Wei unhesitatingly initiated the legendary path of Elemental Fission.

Others seeking to ascend to legend must first discover their own unique legendary path.

But Li Wei possessed a cultivation panel.

He bypassed this process entirely and activated his legendary path straightaway.

[Elemental Fission (Epic) (Legendary Path)] 0/10000

Even if others found their legendary path, they still needed to spend vast stretches of time exploring how to proceed forward.

With the aid of the cultivation panel, Li Wei's legendary journey was infinitely simplified.

Completing ten thousand elemental fissions would lead him to the end of the legendary path—to stand atop legend itself.

Once the legendary path of Elemental Fission was opened,

options to initiate other supernatural traits along legendary paths vanished without a trace.

Clearly, only one legendary path could ever be chosen.

Li Wei's desire to keep multiple options open was thus dashed.

Still, perhaps that was better—no need to divide attention.

"Ten thousand elemental fissions..."

Li Wei murmured softly to himself.

Elemental fission was no ordinary spell—one couldn't simply cast it whenever desired.

Even the humblest fireball, when enhanced by elemental fission, became terrifying beyond measure.

After releasing an elemental fission, ambient magical elements in the surrounding area would enter a state of heightened energy.

For a period thereafter, further elemental fissions could not occur.

If spellcraft were to lose control under the influence of elemental fission,

it would most likely evolve into a catastrophe.

The principle of elemental fission was identical to that of nuclear fission.

Li Wei had originally derived the supernatural properties of elemental fission by drawing upon the principles of nuclear fission.

Nuclear fission was no child's play.

Elemental fission even less so.

At the very least, it absolutely could not be used within the Elven Forest.

A single misstep might provoke great trouble.

Having reached this conclusion, Li Wei made his decision.

"It's time to leave the Elven Forest."

Li Wei waited for Saint Xi to awaken from her slumber, then bid farewell to the Elven King and departed the Elven Forest.

He set out in search of the final fragment.

Simultaneously, to complete the Legendary Path.

"Farewell, Layla."

Li Wei waved goodbye to Layla.

He arrived at a platform atop the World Tree.

The Elven King awaited him there.

When Li Wei and Saint Xi arrived, the Elven King cast an extra glance at Saint Xi, noticing something unusual about her life force.

Clearly, only a month had passed.

Yet the Elven King felt as though thirty years of Saint Xi's lifespan had already elapsed.

Mastering the laws of life, he was extremely sensitive to the vital energies of all things.

That was how he detected the anomaly in Saint Xi.

The Elven King did not press further—it was Saint Xi's own secret.

It had nothing to do with him.

The Elven King said, "I will send you both out of the Elven Forest."

"The fewer who know of this matter, the better."

Li Wei nodded and replied, "I understand."

Seeing this, the Elven King opened a spatial rift.

"Farewell, Elven King."

With a parting word,

Li Wei and Saint Xi stepped into the spatial rift and vanished.

The Elven King lifted his gaze toward the sky, a faint trace of anticipation flickering in his eyes.

He hoped they would succeed.

Far away on the other side of the world, the Beast King slightly raised his head at this moment, looking toward the sky beyond the palace.

As if sensing something.

"Have they set out?"

"Even if hope is slim, I still wish you could bring a glimmer of hope to this world."

Whoosh!

Li Wei and Saint Xi emerged from the spatial rift.

Looking back, the vast, boundless Elven Forest lay more than ten miles behind them.

He had left the Elven Forest.

A hundred li ahead lay the human kingdom.

Not even a hundred li—after traveling twenty or thirty li,

Li Wei and Saint Xi spotted a military fortress town.

They did not linger, instead following Saint Xi's guidance toward the direction of the final fragment.

Along the way, whenever Li Wei had the chance, he unleashed elemental fission.

Boom!

A small fireball flew a hundred meters before suddenly exploding, transforming into a super fireball over fifty meters in diameter.

As the flames died down, a charred crater remained on the ground.

Li Wei casually cast a water spell, summoning rain to extinguish the lingering flames and prevent a forest fire.

The amplification effect of elemental fission on spells exceeded imagination.

Until now, Li Wei had never used elemental fission on ordinary spells. Most of the time, he reserved it for his ultimate technique—"Meteor Fireball Art."

Based on the characteristics of elemental fission, he had also developed a new ultimate move—"Solar Core Detonation Art."

Watching the drizzling raindrops fall,

a flash of inspiration struck him.

Could elemental fission be applied to spells of other elemental schools?

Thus, Li Wei attempted to amplify various elemental spells using elemental fission.

In the end, he discovered that elemental fission was unsuitable for other spells.

Even among fire-based spells, only those related to explosion were appropriate for elemental fission.

Elemental fission converted magical elements into pure energy for release.

During this process, no matter how sophisticated the spell structure, it would be violently destroyed.

Once the spell structure was ruined, its function naturally failed to manifest.

Ultimately, every spell became an explosive spell.

Only the attributes of the magical elements involved in the explosion differed.

"Light Burst!"

Boom!

Countless light elements shattered, forming a super flashbang that blinded every living creature within a hundred meters.

Li Wei slowly turned around.

"Though light-element spells are not particularly suited for elemental fission amplification, when facing specific enemies, an amplified light spell can produce astonishing effects."

The previous Light Explosion spell was essentially an illumination spell enhanced with elemental fission effects.

An illumination spell typically produces only a single stable orb of light that radiates steadily.

But amplified by elemental fission, the orb instantly transforms into a super flash grenade.

It not only blinds enemies across a wide area but also deals devastating damage to dark creatures weak against light-based magic.

Li Wei invented the Light Explosion spell because he had thought of the Drow elves.

Drow elves are denizens of the Underdark races.

Their appearance in the Elven Forest meant one thing: the dark races from beneath were beginning to invade the surface world.

Li Wei had already begun preparing himself for confrontation with such creatures.

After clearing away all traces left behind by the Light Explosion,

Li Wei flew over to Sainte Shea. “Let’s go.”

Sainte Shea rose and soared into the sky.

She had grown accustomed to these antics.

There was something odd about Li Wei.

Ever since leaving the Elven Forest, he had been searching everywhere for secluded spots to cast various spells.

Each time he released a spell, it caused quite a commotion.

Gradually, Sainte Shea became used to it.

Flying alongside her, Li Wei followed closely.

Sainte Shea did not reveal her true dragon form.

They were currently within the territory of the Human Empire; transforming into a dragon would make them easily discovered.

Li Wei didn’t want to attract unnecessary trouble.

“How much further?” he asked.

With a helpless tone, Sainte Shea replied, “Hardly any progress at all.”

“What? That far?”

Frowning, Li Wei furrowed his brow.

After pondering briefly, Sainte Shea said, “Although I don’t know the exact location, there seems to be a sea in my memory.”

Li Wei concentrated, thinking hard. “A sea?”

He pulled out a world map from his spatial ring.

This map had been hastily purchased from a human city's Mage Association.

Once revealing his identity as an Archmage, the association readily cooperated, selling him their sole copy of the grand world map.

The reason it was the only one wasn’t due to its rarity—it simply hadn’t ever been bought before.

The Mage Association took this opportunity to do Li Wei a favor.

Originally, they intended to give it to him for free.

But Li Wei refused to owe anyone a debt of gratitude and paid for it instead.

Besides, he wasn’t short on money.

The magical stones gifted to him by the wealthy Alice still remained unused.

Moreover, when departing from Velred City, another affluent woman—Guswey—had taken many valuable items from the Ice Queen’s treasury just for him,

fearing he might suffer hardship or lack funds while traveling.

Now, though Li Wei couldn’t claim his wealth rivaled nations,

it certainly surpassed most cities.

He could afford to purchase an entire city without breaking a sweat.

Glancing at the map, Li Wei located a previously passed human settlement.

Confirming his current position, he followed Sainte Shea’s indicated direction and found the ocean marked on the large-scale map.

“The Endless Sea?”

Surprise flickered across Li Wei’s face.

On the global map, the only ocean ahead was indeed the Endless Sea.

It spanned vast expanses.

Waters near the Sky Continent were divided into multiple regions.

Some areas fell under the control of the Human Empire.

Others were occupied by alien sea-dwelling races.

Yet which specific region matched Sainte Shea’s recollection remained unknown.

Logically speaking, Li Wei hoped to avoid venturing deep into the Endless Sea.

It brimmed with dangers.

Even legendary heroes risked death within its depths.

So far, humanity had explored merely a fraction of the immense Endless Seas.

The Abyssal Depths sealed by the Spatial Tower represented only one of countless perilous zones.

Rumors claimed that ancient evil gods roamed the deepest parts of the Endless Sea.

These weren't mere outer deities existing beyond the material plane, relying solely on worshipers’ offerings to exert minor influence upon the main world.

No—they were real, tangible evils dwelling within reality itself.

Li Wei had once faced such a god directly.

Even now, fear lingered in his heart.

“Forget it. One step at a time. Overthinking won’t help,” he muttered, shaking off distracting thoughts and folding up the map.

Knowing their destination lay within the Endless Sea,

both Li Wei and Sainte Shea quickened their pace,

refusing to waste any more time en route.

Upon reaching the Endless Sea, boundless skies and endless waters awaited—ample space for Li Wei to unleash his full magical prowess.

Hum!

In the human city, a figure completely shrouded in a black robe stepped out of the teleportation portal.

His nostrils flared slightly, catching the faintest, almost imperceptible scent of a giant dragon lingering in the air.

Beneath the shadow of his hood, the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

"I have finally caught up with you."

"To think you could run so far, fleeing all the way from the Northern Realm to this place."

The cloaked figure sensed the direction from which the aura had departed.

Then, his form vanished from the spot.

"Hmm? What is this?"

The cloaked man materialized at the edge of a massive crater left by an explosion.

Squatting down, he reached out to touch the scorched earth.

"Why are there traces of magic here?"

"Did they encounter an enemy?"

"It matches the intelligence reports; that dragon is accompanied by a human mage."

"A human mage is nothing to worry about; even a sixth-tier archmage poses no real threat."

"The key is that dragon... if it is a legendary-tier dragon, it might require a bit of effort."

The black-robed man rose slowly and vanished once more from the spot.

Not even a single footprint was left behind.

Like a phantom, he came without a shadow and went without a trace.

The cloaked figure tracked the aura left behind by Sheng Xi all along the way.

As he journeyed, he discovered numerous traces left by Li Wei's spellcasting.

Upon seeing them, the robed man grew deeply perplexed.

He could not help but develop a shred of curiosity regarding the human mage traveling with the dragon.

"What exactly is this mage doing?"

"Ah, the scent grows faint from this point onward; they accelerated."

The black-robed man glanced back and noted that the direction the pair was heading was exceptionally clear, cutting a straight line directly ahead.

Though he did not know their final destination.

The cloaked man already had a plan in mind.

Stepping into the teleportation array of the nearest city, the figure vanished, teleporting toward the distant horizon.