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Translator: AnubisTL
Leveraging the terrifying firepower network constructed by the Great Light Phase, Jieming finally managed to stabilize the precarious battlefield, gaining a brief moment to catch his breath.
He immediately diverted a portion of his attention to swiftly scan the entire battlefield.
His gaze first turned skyward.
There, in what should have been a battle of overwhelming superiority, a strange stalemate had taken hold.
The severely wounded fourth-tier wizard and third-tier wizard Levin Mills were locked in a clash of surging energy. The shockwaves distorted the surrounding space, creating the illusion that the very heavens were about to collapse under the force of their struggle.
Yet after observing for only a few seconds, Jieming's brow furrowed slightly.
"...So weak."
This was his most immediate and objective assessment.
Not arrogance, but fact.
The fourth-tier wizard in the sky was nothing more than a "showpiece" with raw power but no substance!
His combat skills and mastery of his own Rule were shockingly poor.
Compared to a normal fourth-tier wizard, he would likely be easily overwhelmed even by many seasoned third-tier wizards.
Jieming could clearly see that the opponent was undoubtedly using a space-type rule, but his application of it was crude and barbaric, utterly lacking in finesse.
In battle, he relied solely on the instinctive dominance of his higher energy tier.
Jieming even suspected that the mutant spider-snake monster he had captured possessed finer control over spatial abilities than this fourth-tier wizard.
In contrast, Levin Mills' mastery of the "life" rule, though its specific application remained unclear and his techniques lacked refinement, was bolstered by his seasoned experience and endless resourcefulness. He relentlessly suppressed the fourth-tier wizard, who possessed only raw power, maintaining the upper hand throughout the battle.
Had the fourth-tier wizard not been fortified by his inherent high-level attributes, Jieming had no doubt this seemingly grand battle would have ended long ago.
As Jieming analyzed the battlefield, Jack seized the opportunity created by his companion's sacrifice!
In his incarnation as a construct giant, Jack completed a brief charge-up. A beam of mixed magic, condensed with terrifying energy, tore through the air like a roaring dragon, hurtling straight toward Jieming.
This strike rivaled the full-force attack of a third-tier wizard!
Yet...
Jieming didn't even consider dodging.
With a mere thought, the massive "Great Light Phase" behind him blazed to life.
A torrential barrage of energy bullets erupted forth, not in a chaotic spray, but under Jieming's precise control. They converged in a specific region before him, colliding in a cataclysmic burst!
Under his control, the energy bullets originally intended for attack transformed into a dynamic shield, a region of constant, violent energy reactions.
Boom!!!
Jack's full-force strike slammed into this chaotic energy field, vanishing like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
The powerful energy beams bombarded the "reactive armor" formed by the energy bullets, rapidly disintegrating and neutralizing them in a continuous series of micro-explosions. Ultimately, not a single attack managed to so much as scratch Jieming.
This effortless defense, combined with Jieming's nonchalant expression, completely infuriated Jack and his companions.
Their attacks grew even more frenzied, yet they remained unable to breach the devastating barrage of light-stream bullets.
Amidst the intense battlefield, Jieming's attention was drawn to another question.
While maintaining the terrifying output of his Great Light Phase, he casually addressed Jack as if engaging in idle conversation:
"Senior Jack, I'm curious. Back in the plaza, why did you invite only me?"
Though Jieming still didn't know their exact motives, it was clear Jack and his group intended to hunt wizards.
So... it still came down to cost-effectiveness.
If you're hunting prey, a first-tier wizard is always easier to deal with than a second-tier wizard.
In fact, Jack's subsequent recruitment efforts proved this to be true.
So Jieming was puzzled.
But as Jieming asked his question, he overlooked something else.
His relaxed, almost nonchalant demeanor stood in stark contrast to the life-and-death struggle unfolding around him, as if he were merely conducting a casual inquiry.
This was undoubtedly a profound insult.
Jack and the others' faces twisted with rage, their attacks growing increasingly frenzied, yet achieving little.
After a moment of silence, perhaps searching for a weakness in Jieming's mental state, Jack rasped, "Do you remember the question you asked me a few days ago?"
Jieming paused, recalled the moment, and nodded slightly.
Of course he remembered.
After witnessing the fat wizard's astonishing transformation, he had asked Jack why the wizard—once corpulent, now emaciated—would resort to such a self-destructive technique.
At the time, Jack had given no direct answer.
Now, with a roar that seemed to carry the weight of countless grudges, he finally revealed the answer:
"Because he could never master any better techniques!"
"Jieming! Not everyone is a Favored Son of Heaven like you! Not everyone can casually grasp such profound knowledge!"
"You, a genius, have you never wondered why you never heard my name mentioned by Mentor Clark?!"
"Because even though I was lucky enough to choose the most promising 'Logistics Department' thanks to my parents' guidance, I simply lack the intelligence and aptitude! I don't even deserve to call myself Mentor Clark's disciple! I'm just an ordinary apprentice!"
The words seemed to evade the question, but Jieming now understood the answer to his earlier inquiry.
It was "jealousy."
The man resented his own mediocrity and was consumed by envy for Jieming's innate talent.
Thus, when choosing his "prey," his subconscious had driven him to fixate on the dazzling Jieming in the plaza.
"I see..."
Having finally grasped the full picture, Jieming suddenly chuckled softly, a nameless doubt in his heart quietly dissolving.
The sound of his laughter pierced Jack and the others' fragile nerves.
"You look down on me?!" they roared, their attacks growing even more frantic. Yet Jieming, controlling the Great Light Phase with unwavering precision, steadily pushed them back, leaving them looking increasingly disheveled.
Jieming's laughter wasn't born of contempt, but from a sudden sense of relief.
The wizard world often seemed excessively cold and rational, so rational that betrayal and murder were committed without hesitation for personal gain. This had always left Jieming feeling alienated.
But Jack's recent outburst—so full of personal emotion and irrationality—made him realize that even in this world, so-called "reason" was often just a facade.
He couldn't help but recall Amy and Victor from his past. Though their outward expressions of emotion were completely different, their core essence remained the same.
Beneath the shell of rationality, there still lay living spirits—souls that could cry, laugh, envy, and rage.
The clarity of his thoughts even enhanced his control over the Great Light Phase, making it more fluid and precise.
As his power grew, Jack and his group were driven back step by step. Though they clung to survival with their fourth-tier magical artifacts, their defeat was inevitable.
The final blow came with the conclusion of the battle on the flank. The remaining Black Giants and severely wounded first-tier wizards, at the cost of another comrade's life, finally managed to eliminate the last two enemy second-tier wizards!
The scales of battle tipped decisively.
Soon, amidst desperate and resentful roars, Jieming and the remaining wizards systematically annihilated Jack's group.
Some tried to flee, but in their panic, they stumbled into the nearby spatial turbulence, their bodies and souls instantly torn apart.
The ground battle had temporarily ended, but Jieming dared not relax. His brow furrowed as he gazed skyward.
The aerial battle had also reached its climax.
The result... was a crushing defeat for the fourth-tier wizard!
His dao body plummeted from the heavens like a meteor, crashing heavily into the earth and sending dust billowing into the air.
He struggled twice, but his severe injuries left him too weak to rise. All he could do was glare furiously at Levin Mills, who descended slowly from the sky.
Levin Mills had no time to spare for this defeated opponent.
Though his wounds were healing rapidly thanks to rule power, the massive tear in his wizard's robe—torn by spatial blades—the large bloodstains, and the violently fluctuating soul qi all testified to the heavy price he had paid to defeat this "watered-down" fourth-tier opponent.
Levin Mills' gaze swept past the ruins, locking eyes with Jieming below.
Silence spread through the swirling dust, broken only by the crackling of residual energy.
Jieming grinned, a cold smile spreading across his face, and broke the silence first. "How about we both withdraw?"
Levin Mills paused, his icy gaze sweeping over the Great Light Phase still slowly revolving behind Jieming, radiating a heart-palpitating energy signature. He shook his head slowly and firmly.
"...No!"
(End of the Chapter)
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