Chapter 78: A Startling Turn of Events! (First Update)

This can't go on any longer!

Ling Mo, who had been sitting cross-legged by the lake, suddenly sprang to his feet. When something so out of the ordinary happens, it can't be good—something must be going on that he didn't understand. No matter how beneficial this lake water was, he couldn't keep absorbing it!

With a sudden stride, he was about to plunge into the lake to pull Catherine out. The hundred-meter distance was nothing to Ling Mo, just a blink of an eye. Yet, the instant his foot came down to gather strength, the ground beneath him lit up. A large square area blazed with intricate runes, dividing itself into sixty-four perfectly aligned tiles, resembling a polished wooden floor! Despite his forward momentum, Ling Mo found himself getting nowhere—whenever he stepped beyond the boundary of a single 'tile,' he would be randomly teleported to another, making progress impossible!

Twice he tried, only to be sent further and further away from the volcanic lake. Gritting his teeth, he glanced up toward the southwest sky and ground out three words: "Me! Di! El!"

In midair, a swirl of black mist slowly condensed into a humanoid form—specifically, a strikingly beautiful human woman. Her long white hair streamed upward, her features were flawless, and her figure alluring, clad in a tight combat suit of green and white. The low-cut design accentuated her ample chest, and the pure white leggings outlined her long legs, ending in distinctive white riding boots.

Though she looked almost human, her skin was a deep gray, an unnatural hue for any human. Most striking were her eyes—devoid of pupils, they gleamed like glowing white gems. Her face was expressionless, hands clasped in a complex gesture as she focused intently on the enchanted floor below.

In the live feed, someone had already gasped in recognition: this seemingly ordinary area was actually the renowned sixth-tier spatial magic—

The Maelstrom Array!

A supremely powerful and destructive spell, it created spatial turbulence within a defined region. Any attempt to move would trigger random teleportation, and the magic didn’t transport the whole—only parts! If not for Ling Mo’s inhuman constitution, by now he would have been sliced to pieces by the magic, his body scattered across the tiles in dozens of fragments!

Ling Mo looked up at the humanoid being and threatened, "Mediel, I’ll give you five seconds to lift this spell. Otherwise, I’ll kill you right now. For a high elemental spirit like you, resurrection isn’t easy, is it? If you don’t want to come back missing memories, get out of my way!"

A struggle flickered across Mediel of the Abyss’s face. Clearly, she didn’t want to become his enemy, but her hesitation quickly hardened into resolve. Not only did she refuse to cancel the Maelstrom Array, but her eyes blazed with white light as she conjured a vortex of darkness between her hands and hurled it at Ling Mo, trying to trap him in place!

Ling Mo’s patience had worn thin. With a furious stomp, the rune-etched floor let out a sharp crack. Two diagonal fissures split the sixty-four tiles, shattering them into debris. As the array vanished, the dark ground reappeared beneath his feet, but by then the black vortex was already descending upon his head.

Unfazed by the looming vortex, Ling Mo flicked his hand. Instantly, the vortex spun in the opposite direction and shot back along its original path, trapping Mediel of the Abyss within it!

Mediel had never anticipated this outcome. While reflecting spells wasn't unheard of, Ling Mo wasn't even a mage—he simply shouldn't have been able to do such a thing! Caught completely off-guard, she was ensnared by her own magic and could only watch as Ling Mo leapt up, closed the distance, and brought down his massive hand as if swatting a fly.

Crack!

The blow was abruptly blocked by the sudden appearance of a stone giant. Nearly as tall and broad as Ling Mo, its body was formed of unknown black-red stone, exuding an impression of immense hardness. A curved, crescent-shaped horn jutted from its forehead, lending it a menacing appearance.

Though the stone giant managed to block Ling Mo’s strike, it was obviously struggling. The arm it used as a shield was already riddled with cracks, and fragments of stone fell away to reveal dark red energy veins within. Before the fragments could even hit the ground, they transformed midair into a swarm of smaller stone giants. Jets of gas erupted from their backsides, propelling them through the air. In unison, they charged at Ling Mo; the moment they drew within ten meters, each exploded, pelting Ling Mo with high-speed shrapnel and forcing him to stagger back several steps.

Seizing the opportunity, the stone giant reached back and yanked the immobilized Mediel out of the vortex. Then, it hurled its own massive body to the ground, shattering into countless stones that formed an impenetrable layer around the volcanic lake. Mediel wasted no time, immediately casting the Maelstrom Array once more. Using the stone giant’s remains as the foundation, she summoned a full one hundred twenty-eight tiles, spreading them across the lake’s perimeter and sealing off all access.

Her work complete, Mediel tore open a rift in space with her hands and slipped inside like a nimble lynx, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Ling Mo was nearly beside himself with fury! He’d never expected that Ife, the Magestone—the stone giant—would sacrifice a body honed over centuries in a single encounter, surrendering it as material for Mediel’s spell! This supercharged Maelstrom Array was simply unbreakable in any short span of time!

With a deep, frustrated sigh, Ling Mo relaxed his combat stance, shrinking his body back to normal size. He stood by the edge of the 'tiles' and looked toward the volcanic lake. At last, he realized the truth: he’d been duped—well and truly played! That old turtle Antoun had been awake the entire time!

He had always worried that the elemental spirits would stop him from placing Catherine in the lake, so he’d stayed alert and ready for battle. But as it turned out, they had staged the perfect drama, lying in wait for him to bring Catherine over. The actions of Mediel of the Abyss and Ife the Magestone made it clear—they weren’t trying to keep Catherine from entering the lake, but rather to prevent him from pulling her out! They wanted her to soak in the lake a while longer!

But why?

Before he could puzzle it out, a dramatic change occurred in the lake. The tranquil blue water that surrounded Catherine suddenly transformed into a raging, deep red flame, engulfing her completely! Yet within the blazing inferno, Catherine seemed utterly unaware of the change. Eyes still shut, she continued her practiced rhythm, opening her mouth to 'drink'—and swallowed a mouthful of searing fire!