Chapter 44: The Missile
Chapter 44: The Missile
The group of four newcomers looked ordinary in appearance, but their bearing was extraordinary and their aura was refined.
“Nobility out on training?”
Li Yi’s eyes flickered with a thoughtful gleam as his expression changed slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
The leading youth had silver hair and was around fifteen years old. He wore cloth armor and carried a longsword at his side. Every movement he made carried a majestic and radiant air. Green light glimmered under his feet with each step, as if lotuses bloomed, faintly hinting at the nascent form of an aura. One could see that once he succeeded, the aura beneath his feet would certainly be the “Aura of Radiance”, surpassing even the “Heart-Scorching Aura”!
The girl beside him had a slender figure, yet she carried a massive greatsword on her back that was as long as she was tall! Perhaps to temper herself, this dragon-slaying greatsword didn’t even have common enchantments like “Sharp” or “Sturdy”.
The other two were likely servants. One was a young, stout fellow holding a “Mountain Shield”, his demeanor steady and solid.
The other appeared slightly older, an archer whose equipment was the most meticulous. Apart from a longbow named “Lament of the Forest”, he also wore a matching set—”Undercurrent of the Woods”.
Upon seeing Li Yi, the group also paused in surprise.
“Zhang Jue, this young mage is returning to danger alone. Could he be one of those so-called Heaven’s Prides?” The silver-haired youth asked the archer in astonishment, turning his head.
Most archers and crossbowmen also practiced eye techniques to enhance their shooting skills, and this archer named Zhang Jue was no exception.
He looked at Li Yi, a trace of faint blue light glowing in his eyes. After only a moment, his expression turned disdainful. “Half-step into the fourth level! This kid is most likely a ‘corpse picker’, a worthless piece of trash!”
“Corpse picker” was a special profession. When many powerful individuals charged into the inner rings of the Heaven’s Net, they would casually kill low-level monsters and couldn’t be bothered to deal with the remains. This led to the birth of this luck-based profession.
“A corpse picker?” The silver-haired youth had originally intended to befriend him, but upon hearing this, his interest waned. He spoke coolly, “In that case, we have important matters to attend to. Let’s hurry up and go.”
However, the beautiful girl seemed to have noticed something, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Just moments ago, she had seen with her own eyes a flash of light in the young man’s eyes, clearly the psychic spell—Focus Mind!
How could someone at the half-step into the fourth level possess such a spell?
Moreover, this young man’s expression was calm, his demeanor steady and solid as a mountain. Where was the timid, trembling look of a corpse picker?
“Young man, this place is very dangerous. If you’re willing, we can travel together and watch out for each other.”
The girl leaned forward slightly, her demeanor gentle as water, her smile captivating. With that smile, a hundred charms seemed to bloom.
Only then did Li Yi notice that beneath her eyes, she naturally had two tear moles, like symmetrical tear tracks, adding to her enchanting aura.
“Two tear moles? Could she be from that…” A thought surfaced in Li Yi’s mind. He smiled and politely declined, “No need. I’m someone who prefers to come and go alone.”
“Miss Fangfei, pay him no mind. Corpse pickers like him are greedy and have no real skill,” Zhang Jue said with dissatisfaction, his voice cold and mocking. “Bringing him along? More trouble than he’s worth!”
“Fangfei, let’s go!” With many matters at hand, the silver-haired youth was unwilling to wait any longer and urged gently.
“Alright, take care of yourself.” The tear-moled girl didn’t leave immediately, offering a gentle reminder.
“Fangfei? A good name!” Li Yi returned her smile. He thought for a moment and offered a warning, “However, if I were you, I wouldn’t choose that direction.”
“Why?” the girl asked curiously.
“In that direction, about thirty meters away, there’s a level 1 magical beast—a Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque!” Li Yi’s expression was calm and sincere. “To be honest, your team’s equipment and strength are quite ordinary. Dealing with that Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque would be a bit of a struggle…”
“Thirty meters? You can see thirty meters?” Zhang Jue curled his lip and snorted lightly. “With my ‘Forest Eye’, aided by the ‘Undercurrent of the Woods’ set, I can only see a little past fifteen meters. And you, kid, can see thirty meters at a glance? Miss Fangfei, I’ve seen many like him—no real skill, but quite the talker, able to turn lies into truth!”
“If there really is a Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque, that would be perfect!” The silver-haired youth didn’t take Li Yi’s words to heart and declared boldly, “Our target is precisely a level 1 ape-type magical beast!”
Li Yi smiled faintly, offering no further comment.
“If you run into trouble, you can fight while retreating and move closer to my location.”
Seeing that the group was about to disappear into the green mist, he hesitated for a moment, then looked at their retreating backs and offered another reminder.
From within the pale green mist came only a sharp, cold laugh—it was Zhang Jue’s.
Turning his back to a large tree, Li Yi sat down cross-legged, as steady as a mountain.
He originally didn’t care about the fate of that group. However, the girl’s smile and her word of concern made him change his mind.
If someone respects me by a foot, I respect them by a yard.
This was his principle.
He raised his palm. After several increasingly skilled and precise Magic Gestures, a dark, mystical Mana Missile lightly rose into the air.
Mana Missiles didn’t necessarily need to be numerous. In his view, being refined and powerful was also a valid path.
His hand formed a claw shape. This Mana Missile began to swell bit by bit as if being inflated, a fierce intent brewing within it.
Gradually, as if turning from extreme yang to yin, the Mana Missile began to shrink back again, its killing intent drawn inward, only its color becoming a bit brighter.
Bloodline Ability—Bearing the Stele!
Li Yi tilted his head slightly, as if noticing something.
When using the Bearing the Stele ability, as he suppressed the spell, the rebound of mental pressure would gradually gather, building up like a crushing mountain!
But here in this dense forest, it was significantly weakened.
It turned out that after absorbing the pale green air, his mental power had connected to some extent with the Behemoth’s Breath, like Soul Chains, sharing the burden of the mountain-crushing force.
“Good, I can strengthen it a bit more…”
Li Yi muttered to himself. His finger plucked like a string, and a second round of expansion and contraction began.
Back and forth, by the sixth time, he had once again reached his mental limit.
A hint of pallor showed in Li Yi’s eyes, but the smile on his lips grew even more chilling.
At this moment, the Mana Missile was no longer dark and mystical but had turned a purplish-red, like a Dragon’s egg. One could vaguely see a living, rhythmic flow pulsing within it!
“What should this thing be called? Can it still be called a Mana Missile?”
…
At that moment, the roar of a giant beast, the sound of heavy impacts, the explosive bursts of Battle Aura, and the whistling of arrows surged forth like a clashing army!
The thick mist was scattered by a massive crimson shadow, like a stone breaking through water. A huge blood-red ape charged out with a furious howl!
It was precisely the—Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque!
Embedded in the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque’s body were five or six long arrows, and seven or eight sword wounds. None had struck vital points, instead fueling its ferocity, sending it into a rage.
True to its name “Moon-Snatching”, its giant claws spread open, Mana gushing forth, condensing into the form of a demonic moon. Countless icy moon blades shot out in all directions like hidden weapons!
The stout fellow with the Mountain Shield used countless “Fortress Blocks” to withstand its charging momentum. Moon blades bloomed on the shield’s surface like roses, forcing him to retreat step by step.
The male and female swordsmen, one surrounded by golden radiance, the other by surging water waves, attacked from left and right. Their combined assault was fearsome in sound and fury, but the actual effect was minimal.
It was clear that while their Battle Aura was of high quality, their cultivation level still fell short!
As for the archer, his tactics were too conservative. Maintaining an extreme distance, he took occasional potshots with his bow, which were almost entirely ineffective.
Thump!
A giant claw swept horizontally, moon blades burst forth. The stout fellow’s Battle Aura faltered. Like an iron ball, he was sent flying, crashing through a large swath of trees.
The giant ape roared triumphantly, swung a leg to kick the silver-haired youth away, and caused several moon blades to bloom in its palm as it reached for the tear-moled girl.
The girl had a gentle side, but now she was steady and experienced. Her right foot left a mark on the ground as she darted swiftly, like an invisible green wave crossing the sky, evading the moon blades and slicing off one of the beast’s massive thumbs.
In great pain, the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque went Berserk again. Ignoring the others’ attacks, it focused entirely on pursuing the tear-moled girl relentlessly.
The tear-moled girl was horrified. She discarded her cumbersome greatsword and turned to flee.
But with her speed, how could she escape the ruler of this jungle?
Just as she was panicking, a seated figure gradually drew nearer in her vision. In his palm floated a strangely colored energy sphere, bobbing up and down.
What kind of magic was this? The flowing light within it seemed alive! Its ferocious aura was no less than divine punishment!
“Lie down, lower your head, don’t move!”
Li Yi’s voice was firm and powerful, issuing three consecutive commands.
The tear-moled girl knew well that if she lay down and the giant ape caught up, she would most likely be crushed underfoot.
But for some reason, Li Yi’s command held a certain magic that made her unconsciously obey and drop to the ground.
His finger pointed forward and pressed down.
The Mana Missile transformed into a crimson, straight, and blindingly bright trajectory. Like a sharp blade cutting through emptiness, all that remained in its path was a blood-red stain.
The tear-moled girl lay on the ground. Behind her head, an earth-shattering explosion roared, and a crimson light showered down, staining the ground a vivid scarlet!
She got up and looked back. The once-arrogant giant beast had a small portion of its head completely obliterated!
A single spell, killing a level 1 magical beast?
Thinking back to how the four of them had struggled in their fight, the tear-moled girl felt her mind couldn’t quite process it.
“What… what kind of magic is this?” The silver-haired youth was equally incredulous. After a long pause, he swallowed and asked.
“Well, a Mana Missile!” Li Yi shrugged and said calmly.