章 23: The Pie that Fell from the Sky
編集者: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After the incident with the assassin, in order to keep up his guard, Yang Ling increased the frequency and manpower of the patrol squads and arranged for undercover guards. At the same time, he ordered someone to build a hidden beehive in the largest pine tree in his yard. He stationed a team of Horned Bee Beasts there. This way, even if assassins were able to avoid the patrol team and undercover guards, it would be hard for them to avoid the Horned Bee Beasts and their astute sense of smell.
Ever since the lackeys of the Anca family retreated back into their castle, the townspeople had finally managed to enjoy a few days of peace. The flow of traffic on the streets had also gradually increased. Be it on the streets or in the bar, many people were cursing the Anca family and the evil deeds they had committed over the years. They were also praising the generous Yang Ling.
Because of Yang Ling, people who lived with him were also treated with the utmost respect. They need not queue for their meals, as people would make way for them when it got too crowded. Sometimes, people would even treat them to drinks when they visited the bar, much to the fancy of the thief Fenlist. Fenlist would head out from time to time and brag about how generous and powerful Yang Ling was, making it such that many wanted to work in Yang Ling's manor.
Seeing the tall, sturdy Barbarians, the expert archers from the elf tribe, and the swordsmen in Yang Ling's manor, the townspeople were joyful, feeling an unprecedented sense of safety. They believed that as long as Yang Ling was around, the Anca family would not dare try anything too brazen. Only Yang Ling understood that this was merely the calm before the storm. The slower Ymir was with his revenge, the more prepared he would be when he struck.
The Anca family castle was heavily guarded, with a guard stationed every five steps leading to the castle. Since he could not charge into the castle for the time being, all Yang Ling could do was make good use of his time and increase his abilities. He instructed Casey to continue gathering powerful swordsmen and troops. After he settled all the miscellaneous stuff in the manor, he headed back into the Terras Forest to train.
Yang Ling felt right at home in Terras Forest. The air was fresh there, the surroundings green. Of course, there were also countless Magical Beasts of varying levels. When he was lucky, he could even chance upon an ancient tree with spiritual qualities.
For some reason, the spiritual energy within Terras Forest was especially rich. Whenever he meditated up on a tree at night, Yang Ling would feel a blanket of spirit energy wash over him. As a result, his wizard powers would improve drastically. Just like that, by hunting with his Magical Beast army in the day and cultivating his Wizard Mantra at night, he unknowingly went further and further away from the edge of the forest.
One day, after killing a few Iron Lizards and obtaining a few lychee-sized Blood Orbs, Yang Ling leapt to the tallest pine tree in the vicinity and sat with his legs crossed. He consumed the Blood Orbs and started silently chanting the Wizard Mantra, slowly circulating the wizard power within his body.
While his wizard powers were circulating, Yang Ling instinctively made mysterious hand signs, his speed getting faster and faster. Slowly, the wizard powers flowing within his body became richer and richer, from a mere streak of water to a winding stream, then a roaring river formed by the merging of thousands of streams.
At the same time, more and more spiritual energy gathered around Yang Ling, causing the trees around him to sway without the wind. From far away, the place Yang Ling was at seemed to be enveloped by a large fog.
Some time later, Yang Ling, in his daze, heard the sounds of roaring and a pathetic cry coming from nearby. He opened his eyes to see a group of warriors and an enraged Unicorn engaging in a fierce battle on the ground near him.
"Gors, Ice Frost Technique, quick, freeze it!" A warrior in navy blue armor was shouting as he rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the lightning-fast impact of the Unicorn.
After being hit by a purple lightning that had appeared out of thin air, the charred spellcaster spat out a mouthful of blood. "Hanks, I have already exhausted all of my Magical Energy. Leave, leave quickly, don't worry about me!"
The unlucky spellcaster had just said this when his brain was split in two by the Unicorn that had charged over, his blood and brain matter spilling out. Even Yang Ling, who was hiding on the trees, felt his skin crawl, much less the warriors around them.
Referring to the memories of the Horned Bee Beasts he controlled, Yang Ling understood how powerful the Unicorn before him was. It was a high-level Magical Beast. It not only had immense strength, it was also incredibly adept at light magic. There was no way an ordinary spellcaster could catch up to it, not even with a horse.
"Quick, get into the formation, create the Magic Shield, quick!"
With the shout of a heavily armored warrior, the other frightened warriors quickly got into a circular defensive formation, surrounding the rest of the pale spellcasters. At the same time, the spellcasters raised their right hands. A brown defensive veil appeared in front of them.
Great Spellcasters, Great Swordsmen?
Seeing the Battle Energy radiating from the swords of the warriors, seeing the thick Magic Shield conjured by the spellcasters, Yang Ling's heart shook, and he nearly exclaimed in shock. A full twelve Great Swordsmen, five Great Spellcasters—they could massacre a city, much less hunt. It was no wonder that they would dare fight the terrifying Unicorn.
The Unicorn released a thunderous snort. In its anger, the Unicorn charged forward at high speed, sometimes releasing frightening bolts of purple lightning. Under its manic attacks, the protective veil around the warriors shook wildly, groaning with every impact.
Seeing the manic Unicorn, Hanks could not help but wipe the cold sweat off his forehead. "Brothers, it has been almost thirty minutes; I think that Miss and the rest will have successfully returned to Wissen Town. We have completed our mission. The protective barrier won't last much longer. Split up and run for your lives, then report back at Wissen Town!"
"Hanks… Hanks, run with the rest!" An elder dressed in a black robe stood up slowly. He spat out a mouthful of blood before saying, "I am now old and useless; I can't run. Furthermore, it's about time for an old man like me to go visit my partner. The barrier won't last longer; leave now, I will be behind you!"
After letting out a loud shout, the old man gripped his staff and began reciting an incantation. Quickly, a massive amount of Magical Energy gathered beside him.
After hearing the mysterious chants of the elder, the expressions of the people around him changed drastically, especially the rest of the Great Spellcasters. They understood the meaning of the old man's actions, and their faces were laced with tears.
"Brothers, run, run quickly, don't waste this kind gesture of Master Gibson!" Looking at the elder who was halfway through his incantation, the heavily armored Hanks understood that there was no turning back now. He bowed with teary eyes, then started running away. Behind him, the rest of the spellcasters clenched their teeth and cast an acceleration spell on themselves and the rest of the warriors before following Hanks with tears in their eyes.
The Unicorn felt uneasy when it saw the group charge out of the barrier. As a high-level Magical Beast, it understood that the elder in the barrier was charging up a terrifying spell. It did not dare act recklessly, but seeing the rest of the group escape farther and farther away, it felt like it was being robbed.
After a moment's hesitation, the Unicorn let out a roar before chasing after the group with full speed. But it had just started running when the brown barrier scattered into the wind. Following that, an incredible explosion tore apart that section of the forest, with the old man at the center.
"Gibson…" Looking back at the magnificent explosion, Hanks led the group to kneel, tears covering his face. After clenching his teeth, he led the rest of the group to escape.
A long time later, after the dust has settled, a meteor-like crater had been formed in the ground. Yang Ling searched hard, but he could not find any traces of the elder. He might have been obliterated by that blast. But unexpectedly, he found the Unicorn under a large tree, covered in blood, its eyes glazed and without life, its breathing shallow. It might not have much longer to live.
Yang Ling cautiously looked at the heavily injured Unicorn. The Unicorn also tried its best to open its eyes to look at Yang Ling. They looked at each other silently for a few minutes. Slowly, two streaks of tears laced with blood began to fall from the eyes of the Unicorn. It might have been an illusion, but Yang Ling seemed to be able to sense a boundless sadness and anger, as well as a shred of injustice, from its eyes.
Grief, sadness, injustice?
Looking at the nearly dead, motionless Unicorn, then looking at its tears, Yang Ling understood that this was a high-level Magical Beast that possessed intelligence. After a moment's hesitation, he bit his index finger and placed it gently on the creature's head.
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