Chapter 1207: Section 1208: Witch Tong
The Abyssal Depth, enshrouded in darkness.
A vast and profound shadow suddenly streaked through the Void, hurtling toward an unknown direction at great speed.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the shadow finally reached its destination—the Touch of the Abyss.
The Touch of the Abyss was a place feared by all Abyssal creatures, for it was the most unstable region in terms of spatial laws within the Abyss; spatial rifts could appear at any moment, and it was highly likely that one second you were living in peace, and the next, a spatial rift could tear you in two.
Upon arriving at the Touch of the Abyss, the shadow let out a sigh of relief.
The lingering voice carried a hint of joy and luck, but was quickly followed by feelings of anger and violence.
The emotions were volatile and extreme.
This shadow was none other than the Lord of the Flameless, who had sneaked away from his own domain.
The joy was because he had managed to escape smoothly before the other Demon Gods realized that the True Spirit which had fallen was his own. Although the Touch of the Abyss was dangerous, with the true form of the Lord of the Flameless, he could survive spatial rifts. But if he stayed in his territory and didn’t move, the Lord of the Flameless was well aware that those greedy Demon Gods would surely attack him while his True Spirit had fallen.
After all, having lost his True Spirit, his power had diminished greatly, yet his rank stayed the same. Those Demon Gods coveting his position would certainly make their move.
If he could hold on for a while and keep the attention of the other Demon Gods away from him, he would have the chance to temporarily leave the barren face and seek refuge in some nascent worlds.
However, the joy was followed by anger because the Lord of the Flameless reflected on his own plight.
Not long ago, he was a supreme Deity, but now he had tumbled from the divine altar into the dust, with more than half his power stripped away. Faced with such a stark contrast, the Lord of the Flameless found it difficult to accept this drastic turn of fortunes.
It was already a miserable enough situation having to hide in the perilous Touch of the Abyss to avoid the scheming of other Demon Gods, and he even had to temporarily sever connections with his myriad of followers… because their faith could also expose his location.
To say, he had almost lost all his eyes and ears, and could only cling to life amidst the dangerous darkness of the Touch of the Abyss—how could he not be filled with rage?
Moreover, the fall of his True Spirit was not just a weakening of his strength, but also represented a near-catastrophic blow to his proud self-confidence.
“It’s all because of you! You’re the cause of everything!” His massive emerald eyes suddenly filled with bloodshot lines as an angry cry echoed throughout the dark Touch of the Abyss.
The thought of the one who had slain his True Spirit filled the Lord of the Flameless with unceasing indignation.
But suddenly, the Lord of the Flameless cowered.
Although he knew not the specifics of his True Spirit’s death, he could sense that the opponent had managed to dispel the True Spirit in an instant. And previously, the opponent had also slain his Demon God avatar in a mere moment.
Instantaneous death!
Such a quick end was not even something the Unparalleled Great Demon God could achieve.
“It must be a miraculous being!” With this thought, the Lord of the Flameless couldn’t hide his hatred, but a trace of fear crept into his eyes.
The Lord of the Flameless knew all too well that if that person were to appear before him again, he probably couldn’t muster even a faint thought of resistance.
For it was the difference in power levels, an insurmountable chasm!
After the emotional turmoil, the Lord of the Flameless heaved a deep sigh and an image appeared in his mind.
The predicament he now faced was all because of this person.
He finally understood why the Cruel Scholar had only secretly left a tracking item on him, without daring to brand him with a mark. Perhaps it was because the Cruel Scholar knew there was something strange about that person.
He remembered the person seemed to be named “Angel.”
The Lord of the Flameless silently repeated this name in his heart, his eyes growing increasingly filled with hatred and violence.
…
In the vacuum above the Abyss, a group of humans was flying towards Sky Island.
This group of humans was led by the wizard, Monty.
Because their mission’s target had been intercepted halfway, their efforts had ended in failure. Monty’s low-pressure vortex cast a gloom over the entire team.
Moreover, too many wizards had died this time, yet they hadn’t gained anything! It could be said that this was the greatest loss Monty had suffered since becoming a True Knowledge Wizard. It was not just a personal defeat, but a major blow to the reputation of the Frostmoon Alliance as a whole.
Although they had successfully escaped, this was far from what Monty had wanted.
In Monty’s mind flashed the image of the detestable alien that had dragged Aoluxiya into the spatial passage at the last moment, and unstoppable hatred seethed in his eyes. He had been so close to the last step! He had not fallen to the great Demon or to a Lord, yet it was a fellow human that had foiled him!
How could he not be upset?
Because of Monty’s resentment, the atmosphere of the entire returning team was exceedingly oppressive.
However, since “Floating Ice” had previously been evaporated in Lassudral, they each used their own flying contraptions on the way back, and some of these vehicles, being all-encompassing types, thankfully spared them from enduring the depressing environment outside.
For instance, in a giant steam globe house, the atmosphere is more relaxed.
The owner of this steam globe house, a witch from the Forest of Night Whisper named Tong, is a new recruit in the magical society. She followed Rivetta here and was essentially an unaccomplished spectator.
Although the battle started on a grand scale and ended in a hasty retreat, Witch Tong wasn’t too disappointed; instead, she found her horizons greatly broadened by such dramatic twists and turns.
At the moment, she sat at the tavern’s bar in the steam house, whispering in secret with Rivetta across the bar, sharing their experiences along the way.
Because of the alcohol, the atmosphere in the steam globe house was more relaxed than outside.
With a sip of crimson wine that left her cheeks slightly flushed, Rivetta glanced at the two figures standing near the window and asked Tong, “By the way, why did you bring them along too?”
Her question caused one of the hunched figures by the window to look over.
In the dim light of the candles on the bar, it was clear to see; the hunched little old man’s white eyebrows hung down to his chest, and he wore a black wizard’s hat embroidered with distinctive lanwei flowers.
It was Kantor from the House of Lilith, known as ‘Like Night’.
Kantor nodded at Witch Tong with a smile.
Witch Tong returned a polite smile, but her gaze involuntarily shifted to the figure beside Kantor.
Black gentleman’s attire made the man’s figure seem quite tall.
Suddenly, a waving hand appeared before her eyes, and Witch Tong was taken aback to find that Rivetta was looking at her with great interest.
“I think I understand why you invited them to the steam house,” Rivetta said teasingly, causing Witch Tong’s face to redden. She quickly waved her hand and said, “You’re mistaken, I invited Lord ‘Like Night’ and Lord Illusion Demon inside only because I’m good friends with Lianna, nothing more.”
Lianna with the ‘Rose Crown,’ a first-level witch from Barbarian Cave, an expert in Alchemy Potionology, and a master artisan of fragrances.
“Your friendship with Lianna has something to do with those two?” Rivetta pressed.
“I’ve heard a lot about Lord Illusion Demon from Lianna; it’s just that I really… admire Lord Illusion Demon,” whispered Witch Tong, sneaking a glance at Sanders beside Kantor, who unfortunately, never looked back at her.
“I don’t believe it’s just admiration,” Rivetta shrugged, her eyes teasing. Despite her fear of Sanders, she could not deny his mature, handsome appearance and formidable strength, which made him quite popular among the witches.
At gatherings like tea parties or scent workshops where witches congregated, Sanders’s name was one of the most frequently mentioned amongst the male wizards.
Thinking of this, Rivetta paused suddenly, remembering that the next Tea Party was to be hosted by Lianna. That meant when the group of witches gathered in Barbarian Cave, Sanders would likely be the center of attention again.
“There’s nothing else; it’s really just admiration!” Witch Tong insisted anxiously, her voice growing softer toward the end.
Rivetta didn’t tease her any longer, knowing Witch Tong had only recently become an Official Wizard and was still quite bashful. Pressing further might create an awkward situation.
Rivetta changed the subject, casually flipping through her notebook filled with significant news items gathered along their journey. One name, in particular, appeared with notable frequency.
“Speaking of which, Lord Illusion Demon’s disciple really shone brightly this time,” remarked Rivetta. “Starting from the early records, his name kept coming up, always at the center of the news vortex.”
She flipped through her notes and saw an entry she had made earlier: “…, the evidence suggests that Angel is the mysterious owner of the little shop that stirred trouble in Lassudral.”
Witch Tong followed along with the topic: “Indeed, that’s true.”
Although Angel appeared to be just a spectator like her, all of Lassudral’s major events couldn’t skirt his involvement. In fact, many of the significant issues were provided to Monty by Angel.
“Each of these incidents is enough to push his reputation to an extremely high place,” Rivetta understood that even without deliberate reporting by ‘Glowing City Night Talk,’ Angel’s fame would only grow due to the word of mouth of the surviving wizards.
“Yes, the only pity is that he probably has already…” Witch Tong’s words trailed off, but the meaning was clear to everyone.
Being dragged into the Void by that creature, it’s unlikely that he had any hope of surviving.
Not only Witch Tong and Rivetta felt this way, but Kantor was also very aware of it. Angel’s chances of survival were very slim; facing either Popota or the Demon God who pursued later, it would be difficult for him to make it out alive.
What a pity, Kantor had even considered pairing Angel with Qi Li…
While Kantor was inwardly lamenting, a deep, hoarse voice suddenly broke through to everyone’s ears.
“Angel has not died.”
This voice drew everyone’s attention.
Rivetta turned to look at the window, a glint of light passing through her eyes: “Lord Illusion Demon, why do you say that?”
The previous speaker was Sanders.
Sanders quietly looked through the clear glass window, which showed the darkness of the Void outside, while faintly reflecting the images from inside the room.
After a while, Sanders finally said, “I can sense that he has not died.”