Chapter 252: Rune Mage
“Young Master Duanmu, are you alright?”
At this moment, when Wild Lion and Bone Fang saw the Scorpion-Lion withdraw from battle, they endured their injuries and hurried forward to greet him.
They had already received word from the Duanmu Family beforehand, so their attitudes were exceptionally respectful.
“I will truthfully report your performance this time to the family. You will be given sufficiently generous rewards to help you go even further.”
Although it was the first time the Scorpion-Lion had met Wild Lion and Bone Fang, he had long known their information.
Compared to verbal praise, he gave a far more direct promise.
“Many thanks, Young Master Duanmu.”
Wild Lion and Bone Fang were instantly delighted. After all, while they served the Duanmu Family out of gratitude for its cultivation, they naturally also hoped to obtain more Transcendent resources from the family.
Zhou Ming had no mood to listen to their conversation. As the Dark-gold Purple-patterned Python killed the last giant frog, his gaze turned toward Dulag in the distance.
“Surrender or die.”
While observing from the side earlier, Zhou Ming had already discerned Dulag’s strength and methods.
Relying on the spellcasting ability granted by his bloodline, the opponent possessed power comparable to an ordinary High-level Professional Beast Tamer. On Blue Star, he would be considered a regional powerhouse.
Even so, Zhou Ming remained confident he could subdue him, even if he could not unleash his full strength.
“You are nothing more than a base creature born from a small world. What right do you have to question me in such a tone?”
Faced with Zhou Ming’s lofty manner, Dulag felt deeply insulted.
Tamu World had existed for billions of years. Because of its unique devouring characteristic, countless worlds had been consumed over its endless history.
Toward natives of small worlds, the indigenous inhabitants of Tamu World held an inexplicable sense of superiority.
When Dulag had once drifted to Black Reef Island and accidentally awakened the giant frog bloodline within him, that superiority had grown even stronger.
However, a Bloodline Warlock required vast resources. Combined with the Duanmu Family’s formidable strength, he had chosen to endure in silence.
Now that he had advanced to a High-level Bloodline Warlock, he not only intended to break free from the Duanmu Family’s restraints but also to completely seize the benefits brought by Black Rock Gold.
As for a Small Dimensional Rift, with sufficient cost, as a Bloodline Warlock within the Spellcaster system, he was fully capable of destroying it.
As Dulag’s words fell, the wide black robe draped over him slipped off.
On the smooth, rounded green skin of his body were branded all sorts of twisted runes, resembling scars left by cruel torture.
“Rune Mage?”
Zhou Ming had not expected that the Frogman Warlock before him also dual-cultivated the profession of Rune Mage.
According to the intelligence provided by the Scorpion-Lion, within Tamu World’s Spellcaster system, Rune Mages were considered a relatively special existence.
By branding mysterious runes onto their bodies, they absorbed and stored energy particles, thereby achieving spellcasting effects.
Because this did not conflict with Spiritual Power or bloodline, other professions within the Spellcaster system could also dual-cultivate as Rune Mages.
Of course, dual-cultivating as a Rune Mage would divide a spellcaster’s focus and consume various precious resources. Therefore, it was usually used as a supplementary method unless one specialized entirely in that path.
However, Zhou Ming’s keen perception sensed that the runes on Dulag’s body emitted a berserk aura. The energy circulation was somewhat unstable, as though something had gone wrong with the branded runes.
This situation could mean one of two things.
Either Dulag had encountered problems while dual-cultivating as a Rune Mage and required massive resources to resolve the issues with his body—thus choosing to betray the Duanmu Family.
By simply destroying the Small Dimensional Rift, he could monopolize the Black Rock Gold mine.
Or, in order to contend against the powerhouse sent by the Duanmu Family, he had forcefully branded runes onto himself without deeply researching them, thereby forcefully increasing his strength.
Regardless of which it was, Zhou Ming knew he had to go all out.
He pressed his palm against the Dark-gold Purple-patterned Python. The ferocious python instantly became docile and merged into his body.
As a dark-gold snake tail appeared beneath him, he directly revealed his strongest Serpentfolk Form.
Sensing Zhou Ming’s transformation, Dulag dared not delay. He intended to unleash his strongest power to eliminate this unfamiliar powerhouse who made him feel threatened.
As Dulag’s staff struck the ground, the runes on his body began radiating an earthy-yellow light. The solid ground immediately rumbled.
Stone spears shot out from the earth like spring bamboo shoots, rapidly closing in on Zhou Ming from all directions.
Seeing this, Zhou Ming immediately swung the dark-gold snake tail beneath him to evade. However, Dulag’s stone spear spell was not as simple as it appeared.
As Zhou Ming leapt into the air, the stone spears emerging from the surface shot upward like crossbow bolts.
The immense force caused explosive cracks in the air, their power sufficient to pierce through Zhou Ming’s body. The strength of a Spellcaster was immediately laid bare.
Yet Dulag’s twisted expression revealed that employing such means was not without cost—otherwise he would have long ago slain Wild Lion and Bone Fang with this method.
The Steel-Cleaving Sword and the Phantasmal Spirit Sword appeared in Zhou Ming’s hands. His body transformed into a metallic storm, powerful bloodline energy enveloping the blades as he shattered the stone spears aimed at him.
But Dulag responded swiftly. The runes on his body once again erupted with Earth-element energy particles, and four stone pillars rose from the ground.
Each pillar was one meter in diameter, carved with various glowing runes. They formed a barrier that imprisoned Zhou Ming within the area they enclosed.
Then Dulag opened his wide mouth, and dense bubbles flew toward Zhou Ming.
In the distance, Wild Lion and Bone Fang revealed worried expressions. They could already see that Zhou Ming was the main reinforcement dispatched by the Duanmu Family.
“Young Master Duanmu, should we step in to rescue him?”
“No need. This slippery snake has plenty of secrets. He won’t die.”
It was also the Scorpion-Lion’s first time seeing Zhou Ming use his Serpentfolk Form. Though he had long suspected Zhou Ming carried secrets, he wished to take this opportunity to witness his methods.
“Boom…”
As soon as the Scorpion-Lion finished speaking, a several-meter-long sword energy erupted within the stone pillar barrier. Zhou Ming directly unleashed the Blade-Shattering Slash of the Steel-Cleaving Sword.
With his High-level Professional Rank strength, combined with the explosive power of rare equipment, the barrier trapping him shattered into pieces.
“Blood Descendant Secret Technique · Snake Tide Poison Miasma.”
Zhou Ming had already sensed the extremely violent energy within Dulag’s bubble spell. He had no intention of personally testing its power.
Black serpent shadows surged like a tide before him. Under Zhou Ming’s will, they transformed into a torrent that enveloped the bubbles radiating azure light.
“Boom…”
An energy storm resounded across the mine. The shockwave from the explosion swept outward like a raging gale.
The lower-tier warriors who had already ceased fighting could only gather together to resist it. Without mastery of battle formations, they were like wild grass barely holding on beneath a violent storm.