C13 Outside the Verge of Serenity

"Arcanists, there is only one minute remaining before the Verge of Serenity's gate opens. Please prepare for battle," an artificial intelligence voice announced.

At that moment, everyone rose to their feet, their faces set with gravity. Those who had been smoking quietly snuffed out their cigarettes. Some had already conjured their arcane spells, their hands aglow with a spectrum of radiant colors.

Casting an arcane spell in advance was a battle tactic, allowing for preemptive action and a calm mind. This ensured that an arcanist's Magicka remained stable, enabling their spells to unleash their full potential. Should a sudden event occur, arcanists with weaker mental resilience might find themselves unable to cast their spells amidst the panic.

"Liu Feng, be prepared," Lei Boshi said, his usual warmth replaced by a rare sternness. His hands crackled with electric arcs, flickering with purple light and making a snapping sound.

"Understood," Liu Feng responded, nodding solemnly. Aware of the impending danger, he conjured a sphere of red flame in his palm.

"Countdown commencing: ten, nine, eight..." the voice continued until it reached one.

A deep, thunderous rumble filled the air as the massive door, over a meter thick, slowly swung open. This barrier was crafted from Anti-Magic Gem, an exceptionally durable material capable of withstanding demon assaults and even arcane spells.

In silence, everyone's gaze was fixed on the door, accompanied only by the sound of their own heavy heartbeats and the door's booming echo.

As the door parted, a sliver of light spilled through, revealing the world beyond. With the door fully open, a breath of the outside world unfolded before their eyes.

Everyone exhaled a collective sigh of relief, fortunate to find no demons lurking at the threshold. There had been instances where demons ambushed unsuspecting arcanists right at the entrance to the Verge of Serenity, leading to immediate and total defeat.

Ruins sprawled before them, the once towering skyscrapers now reduced to gray husks piercing the sky. It was clear that the area beyond the Verge of Serenity had once thrived with skyscrapers rising in abundance. Now, all that remained was a landscape to be mourned.

A palpable sense of sorrow and resentment hung in the air, weighing heavily on everyone's spirits. The thought lingered that their own city might one day share the same fate—reduced to ruins overnight, its existence erased, becoming nothing more than a footnote in history.

Everyone felt a mix of helplessness and desolation. Demons, even the cannon fodder at the slave level, were immensely powerful with sturdy bodies that required several low-level arcanists to handle. Furthermore, the number of demons was a hundred or even a thousand times greater than that of humans. The fact that humans managed to survive in a world teeming with demons was not solely due to their combat strength but also their tactics, the trust and unity among themselves, and what could only be described as a miracle!

The world of demons was ruthlessly cold-blooded. When demons launched an assault on a human city, it was the General level demons that commanded the slave level ones to serve as the vanguard, depleting the arcanists' Magicka and combat strength. Only when the arcanists were nearly drained of magic would the General level demons join the fray.

The Overlord level demons adhered to this same tactic, striking only at pivotal moments to inflict severe damage on the city.

Humans could employ the same strategy.

However, they did not. Instead, it was always the strongest who led the charge, cutting down the enemy leader amid the chaos of battle and considering it their duty to protect their comrades and families.

After a heavy sigh, Lei Boshi spoke with authority, "Let's move out and search for the Water Spirit Seed. We must be swift and regroup before nightfall. We'll split into teams. Liu Feng is with me, and Qin Wu will team up with Ai Xinran. Once we locate it, don't engage recklessly. Send a message immediately, and we'll converge for a coordinated attack."

Despite his frugality, Lei Boshi was a man of responsibility. His rule was that he might skimp on his teammates' money, but he was committed to ensuring the team's safe return.

"Yes," the team members responded in harmony.

...

"The outside world is fraught with danger. It may seem tranquil, but a dark wolf could be lurking in the woods, biding its time to strike at the arcanists' most vulnerable moment. Your cultivation is too low to detect the presence of demons, so stay close to me," Lei Boshi explained as they moved forward.

"Understood," Liu Feng acknowledged with a nod.

"The Water Spirit Seed we're after thrives in the driest of places..."

The Water Spirit Seed emerged in areas where the concentration of water elements was highest. Its presence would also drain all the moisture from the surrounding soil.

Lei Boshi and Liu Feng advanced in silence along a small creek, searching for the Water Spirit Seed. The grass beside the creek bore an unhealthy yellow hue, and the further they progressed, the more pronounced this sickly coloration became. Even the creek water showed signs of drying up.

"What do we do once we find it, Uncle Lei?"

"We'll take it quietly. If there are any demons, that complicates things. We'll need to deal with them first, then retrieve it. Alternatively, we could snatch it and then take care of the demon." Lei Boshi said with a sly chuckle.

"Got it."

As they neared the Water Spirit Seed, the air grew thick with mist, transforming the meadow into an ethereal wonderland. It felt like they had stumbled upon a hidden paradise, a place where one could blissfully spend eternity.

"Snap out of it!" Lei Boshi's shout pierced the air, jolting Liu Feng back to reality. The vacant look in his eyes vanished, replaced by a lucid gaze, his mind now clear.

When one is trapped in an illusion, a strong external stimulus—be it a sound or a touch—can jolt the will back to consciousness.

"What just happened to me?" Liu Feng asked, puzzled.

"There might be a demon around here, likely one associated with water and illusion. It's using the Water Spirit Seed to influence people's minds. Demons are drawn to places with element seeds; they can use them to accelerate their training," Lei Boshi explained.

A shiver of fear ran through Liu Feng. It was a frightening thought, to have been so easily ensnared by the illusion. If not for the disruption, the demon could have easily ended his life with a mere slap.

"Stay alert. The illusion has been shattered, but that doesn't mean there aren't others lurking around."

Liu Feng nodded in agreement.

They continued their trek along the parched creek bed.

"Stop here. Let's send them a message to come quickly," Lei Boshi instructed calmly.

Liu Feng pulled out his phone, activated the GPS, and sent a coordinate via WeChat.

"I'll set things up. We'll make our move once they've arrived." Lei Boshi's finger was entwined with a sinister black light, not the secretive and sly kind associated with shadows, but a terrifying darkness—the light of a curse.

As he traced his finger through the air, a massive spider web composed of black lines materialized, slicing through the sky. Then, torrents of Magicka burst forth from Lei Boshi's being. The spider web gradually vanished from view, as if it were sinking into the fabric of space itself.

Five minutes later, after a relentless journey, Ai Xinran and Qin Wu arrived on the scene.

Lei Boshi, usually the picture of honesty and composure, now sported a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth. An unusual excitement danced across his features, a reflection of the allure of the arcane. It was the fundamental human yearning for the arcane—its desire, anticipation, and passion—that stirred within him.

With the web now in place, Lei Boshi's true nature was dramatically unveiled.