Phyllof, hidden in the corner, heard every word clearly. Her heart tightened, and she quickly transformed into a streak of light and fled back into Renith’s codex.
She urgently told Renith everything she had seen and heard. After listening, Renith narrowed her eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.
After a moment, she understood the true purpose of those thorns.
These thorns didn’t prevent people from feeling pain—instead, like greedy demons, they madly absorbed people’s suffering to nourish their own growth.
Renith had never heard of or seen such a bizarre plant before, and a trace of caution welled up in her heart.
“As for that statue…”
Renith’s gaze slowly fell upon the towering city wall in the core area.
“If the information is correct, it should be inside there, right?”
“But before that… let’s first welcome this guest who has come from afar.”
Just then, a sharp sword light cut through the sky like lightning, heading straight for Renith’s brow.
The sword light was astonishingly fast, as if time itself had frozen at that moment, carrying a fierce momentum that seemed capable of shattering everything.
Renith’s eyes focused, and she dodged to the left.
The sword light grazed her cheek, leaving a shallow wound on her fair skin. A trickle of blood slowly seeped from the cut.
A figure descended from the sky. He wore a robe as white as snow, gently fluttering in the breeze. The occasional wind made his hem flap noisily, and his long black hair was lifted by the wind, fluttering freely in the air.
His lifeless eyes stared fixedly at Renith, his thoughts impossible to read.
“『God’s Chosen』.”
The figure before her held his sword in reverse grip and slowly clasped his fists, his voice low and hoarse.
“Morist of 『Perseverance』, please enlighten me.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the “Qi” within Morist burst forth like a surging tide, condensing into an extremely powerful aura. The surrounding air was distorted by this force.
Feeling the powerful “Qi” emanating from Morist, Renith couldn’t help but step back twice, as if facing a great enemy. Every nerve in her body was taut, like a fully drawn bow.
This kind of prefix, this kind of powerful aura comparable to a Marquis—Renith thought to herself—this guy’s strength was certainly no weaker than Kolke’s.
“No, not a Marquis… he’s still a Count, just on the verge of stepping into the Marquis realm at any moment.”
Renith quickly analyzed her opponent’s strength in her mind.
Morist gave Renith no chance to escape. He leveled his longsword, the tip aimed straight at Renith like a sharp blade.
With powerful energy wrapped around his feet, Morist charged straight at Renith like a ferocious beast.
What a familiar swordsmanship.
That was Renith’s first impression upon seeing Morist’s sword technique.
But she had no time to think deeply. Facing an opponent of equal or even greater strength while being distracted meant death countless times over on the battlefield. She had to be fully focused now, or one wrong move would mean utter ruin.
“Codex page 80, Earth Magic—Rock Rain.”
Renith rapidly retreated while manipulating the sand and dust around her.
Under Renith’s control, the sand and dust quickly transformed into fist-sized rocks and stones, raining down from mid-air like a storm.
Morist, who had been charging in a straight line, sensed the danger above his head and abruptly stopped.
He swung his longsword, the blade dancing as fast as lightning, splitting the falling rocks one by one. Stone fragments scattered everywhere.
Seizing the opportunity, Renith and Phyllof quickly set up formation arrays nearby. After completing them, she began fleeing rapidly into the distance.
Seeing Renith trying to escape, Morist shot after her like an arrow released from its string. But before he could take two steps, his foot stepped onto a trap Renith had laid.
Renith’s eyes turned cold, and she triggered the trap.
“『Blazing Flame』!”
Renith shouted.
Flames erupted from the rooftop, instantly enveloping Morist, madly devouring everything around him.
Morist let out only a brief, pained grunt within the flames before bursting out as if nothing had happened. But before him now appeared a tall, massive earthen wall blocking his path.
Morist’s “Qi” was no longer concealed. It burst out like a violent storm, crushing the earthen wall.
But behind the wall, four types of magic, ready and waiting, hovered quietly before him, emanating a dangerous aura.
Instantly sensing something was wrong, Morist fled upward, rapidly flying toward the sky.
But these magics were one step faster, all bombarding Morist. The powerful impact froze Morist’s body mid-flight, and he plummeted vertically from the sky like a kite with its string cut.
Renith manipulated the codex from a distance, her eyes fixed tightly on Morist, intending to deliver the final blow.
“Codex page 647, Water Magic—Extreme Cold Ice Feng…”
The codex glowed.
Just as Renith was about to use this magic to settle the score with Morist, an invisible sense of crisis suddenly rose in her heart.
Startled, she quickly had Phyllof cancel the magic while retreating dozens of meters backward.
For a moment just now, she sensed danger lurking in all directions, as if pairs of invisible eyes were watching her in the shadows. If she had continued using that magic, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
If that won’t work, try another one.
Renith gritted her teeth and thought to herself.
“Codex page 722, Fire Magic—Burning Cloud Severing Hai…”
However, it was the same feeling.
That sense of crisis surged up again, making her heart beat faster involuntarily.
Renith gritted her teeth and decided to continue using it.
Suddenly, the wind, sand, and snow around her went wild, desperately sweeping toward Renith. The wind, sand, and snow were like sharp blades, cutting into her skin.
Renith forcibly interrupted the magic, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
This feeling was like…
Heaven and Earth were actively protecting the transmigrator before her.
Renith was filled with astonishment. Could this guy be the biological son of this world? How could Heaven and Earth possibly have a son…
No, there really was someone similar.
Hetis.
He was the hero chosen by this world. He received Heaven and Earth’s favor, always turning misfortune into fortune when in danger. Wasn’t that exactly the same as Morist’s situation?
Was this guy also someone favored by Heaven and Earth?
Renith was utterly baffled.
Alegya, as a god, could naturally understand the will of Heaven and Earth. She had told Renith that the later transmigrators were her enemies, and therefore she must expel and kill them.
But now there appeared a transmigrator protected by Heaven and Earth. What was going on?
A friendly force?
The confusion in Renith’s heart grew even stronger.
Renith hadn’t been this troubled in a long time.
She retreated while pondering countermeasures.
Just then, Morist stood up. He glanced at his white robe, burned away by the flames, and ripped it off, revealing his toned upper body.
The wounds Renith had inflicted on him recovered at an inhuman speed, as if those wounds had never existed.
Morist still held his longsword level, charging at Renith once more, this time even faster than before.
The “Qi” overflowing from Morist’s body was even more vigorous. He stepped across the rooftops like an agile cheetah, closing in on Renith.
Even though Renith had already run quite a distance, he could still precisely locate her position.
But Renith was not unprepared. She had already set up formation traps.
Renith held the codex, waiting for Morist to fall into the trap.
But this time, Morist seemed to see through Renith’s tricks. He leaped backward directly.
The flames from Renith’s formation didn’t even touch the hem of Morist’s clothes.
Morist avoided all the hidden formations and charged toward Renith.
“『Blazing Sun』.”
Morist spoke for the first time in a while.
A white light flashed on the surface of the longsword, and a thin, elongated beam of light extended from the blade, blasting toward Renith.
“This is—!”
Renith seemed to recognize that technique.
“『Sacred Protection』” unfolded in an instant. A massive golden shield enveloped her, blocking that seemingly powerless strike.
Renith had seen this technique more than once. She understood the terrifying power of this skill.
The beam landed on Renith’s Sacred Protection and silently exploded, transforming into a huge sphere of light, like a sun floating in the sky, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
That light was so scorching, so dazzling, devouring everything within a hundred meters, including Renith.
The radiance lasted for a long time before finally fading away. Everything around seemed unchanged.
Renith knelt halfway within “Sacred Protection,” her knees embedded in the ground. Her body trembled slightly, sweat soaking through her clothes.
If she hadn’t activated it in time, she would now be like the nearby buildings—seemingly existing, but actually already dead.
Morist slowly walked toward Renith. Along the way, he gently touched the houses that had been bathed in the white light. These houses were now so fragile that they instantly crumbled into sand, ash, and dust, swept into the air by the fierce wind.
“Who exactly are you?! Where did you get your swordsmanship?!”
Whether it was his fighting stance, his Heaven-protected ability, or his techniques…
Renith saw the shadow of an old friend in him.
“What is your relationship with Hetis?!”
Renith demanded loudly.
Morist stood in place, thinking for a long time, before finally uttering three words.
“I don’t know. But, he’s dead.”
Morist’s voice was utterly flat.
With that, he raised his sword again, the light flickering on the blade radiating a chill.
Renith’s mind roared with disbelief.
You’re saying? Hetis is dead?
“That guy wouldn’t die so easily.”
“Believe it or not, up to you.”
Renith took a deep breath, trying hard to steady her emotions.
She held the codex in her hand. Although the guy before her wasn’t at the pinnacle of cultivation, his skills and Heaven’s protection were enough for him to roam freely within the Empire.
Compared to other transmigrators, this guy was overwhelmingly strong.
Unless Renith advanced further in strength and gained a deeper mastery of herself, she could avoid Heaven’s protection and match him.
And now, going head-to-head with this kind of opponent was extremely irrational. She had to find an opportunity to escape.
