Translator: AnubisTL
The chaotic pillar of light, soaring from the cathedral district, swayed in the night sky, painting Elosia City with an eerie glow.
Ear-splitting alarms tore through the air as countless figures surged toward the pillar, plunging the city into chaos.
Jieming and his companions had anticipated that escaping the royal city after causing such a commotion would be nearly impossible.
Seraphina's presence had been reduced to almost nothing, a testament to her unique innate talent. Even if confronted directly by a demigod-level powerhouse, she could buy them precious escape time.
Kaelen shimmered with complex light, while Anya was enveloped in a faint green aura. Rex's fingertips danced with intricate runes.
In addition to their innate talents, the group spared no expense in activating high-tier wizard artifacts to cast protective magic upon themselves.
Rex had even pre-positioned his Construct army in a hidden forest on the outskirts, ready to provide immediate support.
Should the enemy deploy demigod-level forces, this massive Construct swarm would detonate itself as a delaying tactic, sacrificing itself to buy the group precious escape time.
Contrary to all expectations, their escape proved remarkably smooth.
Though the royal city was in utter chaos, with alarms blaring across the sky, what remained baffling was the complete absence of any high-ranking officials to take charge.
It was as if the entire kingdom's leadership, including its double-digit number of legendary powerhouses, had vanished into thin air.
"Strange..." Jieming muttered, a deep sense of unease rising within him.
This level of chaos wasn't a natural consequence of activating the magic formation.
On the contrary, this "leaderless" state suggested that some other force was secretly disrupting the royal capital's command system.
"Could someone else be operating in the shadows?"
"Uncertain..."
"But it's to our advantage."
"Forget it. Let's get out of here!"
They moved unimpeded, quickly breaching the royal city's outer defense array and vanishing into the dense forest beyond the walls.
Soon, the group stood atop a small hill overlooking the royal city. Behind them, Elosia City blazed with chaotic light, while faint alarms and the panicked cries of the populace drifted on the wind.
Now, they could confirm it: they had truly escaped.
At that moment, the five of them suddenly stiffened, their expressions shifting as they simultaneously snapped their heads upward.
The night sky, which should have been illuminated by the chaotic lights of the royal capital, was now dominated by an even more terrifying sight—a colossal rift!
Like a void torn open by a giant axe, the rift was deep, twisted, and pulsed with heart-stopping waves of planar energy.
It was the planar barrier being torn asunder!
Jieming's pupils constricted sharply.
"This... how is this possible?!" he blurted out.
It wasn't yet time for the monthly contribution point tally. Why were the high-rank wizards tearing the barrier now?
More importantly, this time it wasn't just a single high-rank wizard's projection appearing, as was customary. Instead, multiple phantom figures of high-rank wizards materialized simultaneously!
Almost the instant the planar rift fully opened, several massive, indistinct figures emerged from it in quick succession!
These phantoms, merely by standing outside the rift, radiated a pressure as vast and profound as the abyss itself, causing the very air of the Elosia Plane to tremble.
The sheer power emanating from the high-rank wizards sent shivers down the souls of the lower-level wizards.
Almost as soon as the high-rank wizards' figures materialized, brilliant divine light erupted from the depths of the royal capital's temple, the distant Holy Mountain, and the convergence points of faith power across the Elosia Plane, soaring skyward.
The divine beings of this plane had sensed the planar barrier being torn open and immediately projected their consciousness.
The divine phantoms materialized around the planar rift, radiating Holy Light and bearing solemn expressions. But when they beheld the spectral forms of the high-rank wizards, their serene composure shattered, replaced by shock, fury, and alarm.
"Wizards!" one of the divine beings roared in fury.
A cataclysmic war erupted between the two sides.
Vast divine power clashed with profound wizardry beyond the planar barrier. Each collision resembled a meteor streaking across the night sky or the collision of two mountain ranges, unleashing deafening roars.
It was a clash of fundamental laws, a contest of wills.
The entire night sky trembled, the aftershocks of energy surging like a tempest, causing the lights of the royal capital below to flicker wildly.
This time, however, the wizards showed no restraint.
Instead of merely sending illusory projections to probe or intimidate as they had in the past, several high-rank wizards joined forces, swiftly shattering the surrounding divine phantoms with overwhelming force.
"This is... incredible!" Kaelen murmured in awe.
The others remained silent, their eyes wide with shock.
This was likely the first time they had witnessed high-rank wizards unleashing their full power, and the divine phantoms appeared utterly fragile before them.
The Holy Light rapidly dimmed under the corrosive influence of the wizards' spells, and the defense arrays were instantly torn apart. The once-lofty divine beings now roared in fury and defiance as the wizards' attacks relentlessly disintegrated their forms, forcing them to desperately reform.
The divine beings fought back fiercely, summoning legions of angels, unleashing Divine Punishment, and surging Holy Light toward the wizards like a tidal wave.
Yet the Holy Light dissipated, their forms faded, and the angels dissolved into motes of light amidst their anguished cries.
As destruction loomed, a colossal and ancient divine phantom suddenly roared across the plane—the phantom of the Supreme God!
His deafening roar, filled with fury, terror, and desperate resolve, reverberated through the heavens.
The surrounding Great Gods, momentarily stunned, quickly absorbed the last vestiges of faith power, ignited their Divine Fires, and prepared to unleash the plane's origin power in a suicidal strike against their enemies.
Then... the war ended.
Jieming and his companions felt as if reality had suddenly skipped a frame.
One moment, the sky was ablaze with law-level collisions, the Supreme God's roar still ringing in their ears, and everything was hurtling toward a cataclysmic end.
The next, the scene had abruptly transformed.
Every divine being—the roaring Supreme God, the struggling Great Gods—had been firmly imprisoned by the wizards through methods beyond comprehension.
Some were bound by chains, others sealed by runes, and still others trapped in mysterious bottles. None escaped.
The angel legions fared even worse, like lambs led to slaughter. The wizards rounded them up in droves, leaving not a single one behind.
The divine phantoms representing the Gods gradually dissipated in the sky, leaving only their true forms clutched in the hands of the wizard phantoms.
This signified that the divine beings had been completely sealed, now suspended motionless in mid-air like captured experimental subjects, stripped of their former sacredness and majesty.
The bizarre and rapid shift in the scene even made Jieming and his companions feel nauseous.
By the time they realized what had happened, everything had already settled.
The wizards had meticulously sealed each of their captured divine beings and angels using various methods.
This fleeting moment felt like a war spanning countless epochs.
However, in a region unknown to Jieming and his group, the high-rank wizards had formed a temporary mental realm with their mental power, where powerful wills clashed rapidly.
Each collision transmitted vast amounts of information—essentially a massive, impromptu "group chat" among the high-rank wizards.
"No wonder that old fox Locke suddenly made his move when calculating contribution points last time! He must have sensed these youngsters' actions and tried to capture the divine beings first!" An aged voice grumbled with displeasure.
"I knew that old bastard was up to no good! He always tries to strike first and steal the kill!" another voice grumbled.
"These young ones are ruthless these days. This method of corrupting faith power reminds me of when I first explored this plane..."
"Bullshit! You were cowering like a dog back then, hiding in the shadows for ages before daring to show your face!"
"You bastard! You looking for a fight?!"
"Bring it on! Let's hurt each other! You think I won't secretly dissect all your experimental subjects?!"
Though the high-rank wizards were bickering shamelessly in the mental realm, on the surface they maintained an air of dignified composure.
Their postures were ramrod straight, radiating formidable authority.
After securing all the divine beings and even the angels without leaving a single one behind, the high-rank wizards nodded stiffly in the direction of Jieming and his group, as if acknowledging their contribution.
Then, without a backward glance, they turned and strode through the massive planar rift, departing the Elosia Plane.
Jieming rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was seeing things.
He thought he spotted one of the high-rank wizards with a bruised and swollen face (Wizard Locke, who had just been ganged up on by the others), but he couldn't be certain.
The planar rift swiftly healed after they departed, the sky returning to its pitch-black state. Only the direction of the royal capital continued to flicker with an eerie, chaotic light.
Everything fell silent, as if the earth-shattering battle that had just transpired were merely an illusion.
The five stood in the dense forest, exchanging stunned glances, their faces etched with shock and disbelief.
They had believed their pollution plan would merely provide the high-rank wizards with a fleeting "opportunity," a momentary "window of vulnerability."
They never imagined the high-level wizards would act so swiftly, seizing the chance the moment it presented itself.
As Jieming was still processing the astonishing spectacle he had just witnessed, a light flashed on his spell artifact—an active communication from the Wizard Camp.
A deep, authoritative voice resonated directly within their minds: "The trial mission has been prematurely completed. All apprentices, return to the camp immediately. Your contribution points will be assessed based on your performance within the plane!"
Hearing this news, even Jieming, who had orchestrated the entire event, felt a sense of disorientation.
Was it... really over?
(End of the Chapter)
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