Chapter 890: Path to the Sanctuary

"Darn it, the maneating trees got away again!"

Emily swung her Crimsonblood Sword fiercely, her face filled with frustration. She had been tracking the maneating tree colony for a long time, even delaying the construction of the Salary River Highway, yet still failed to complete the mission.

Just moments ago, she had clearly spotted a group of maneating trees, but the sound of the horses' hooves startled them, allowing the trees to burrow underground and escape without leaving a single one behind.

"My Lord Viscount, what should we do?" asked a knight captain assisting Emily in the search.

Taking a deep breath, Emily calmed her slightly agitated emotions. "Continue the pursuit. This is an urgent task assigned by His Lordship, and we must capture these maneating trees no matter what. However, next time, we must move more discreetly. Pass the order—muffle all horses' hooves with cloth."

"Yes, My Lord Viscount."

As the knight captain went to arrange the orders, Emily crouched near the spot where the maneating trees had burrowed away, her eyes bright and flickering as if deep in thought.

This fourteen-year-old girl possessed a maturity close to that of an adult.

Among the serfs, many girls her age were already married, but as a noble viscount, Emily had no such worries. Her heart already belonged to someone—she had devoted herself entirely to the Lord, and aside from the sky-soaring Dragon Knight, His Lordship, no other held sway over her heart.

"Burrowing away... His Lordship said the maneating trees are controlled by a Draconic Spirit. Now it seems the Draconic Spirit's ability is related to burrowing. So, can it also burrow through water?"

She recalled the previous pursuits and noticed that the maneating trees deliberately avoided rivers when fleeing.

It seemed rivers hindered their movement. Interestingly, the Rivertribe originally lived in a valley near a river. After being slaughtered by the maneating trees, they migrated to another valley across the river, and since then, the maneating trees had never reappeared.

"Then, we should dispatch the knights to encircle and drive the maneating trees, preferably herding them into an enclosed area. We can dig a river around the perimeter... The Shoveltusk Elephants would be perfect for digging—their massive tusks are far more efficient than shovels."

Once her plan was set, Emily immediately put it into action.

Meanwhile, Liszt, who had phased into the material threshold, observed Emily closely. This young follower of his never ceased to amaze him. Her talent was astounding—becoming a Skyknight at fourteen, though his relentless resource investment played a role, without innate talent, no amount of potions could have achieved this.

Now, he saw that Emily was not only gifted in cultivation but also remarkably intelligent, commanding the knights with precision and clarity.

Her plan to capture the maneating trees was something even he couldn’t have improved upon.

"Let’s go, Bard. It seems there’s no need for me to worry here... Besides, there’s no way to intervene. The magic aura flickers and dies, and once they burrow, even if we scry until our eyes bleed, we won’t find their trail." The Crystal White Trace’s sight was powerful, capable of detecting magic with precision.

But once magic was buried beneath the earth, the Crystal White Trace became blind as moles—after all, it wasn’t X-ray vision.

...

"Wyrr-ah!"

The Invisible Dragon Bard let out a cry.

With a beat of his wings, he located the ley node in the reedmarsh and crossed through it.

On the other side, Acheronides had already prepared all the materials needed for the portal. All that remained was Bard’s cooperation to expand the ley node and form a portal leading beyond the material world.

Kenley Truth and the other Magisters of the Arcane Guild stood nearby, excitedly awaiting the chance to witness this pivotal moment.

"Elder Brother, everything is ready. We can begin now," Acheronides said solemnly.

Though her expression remained as composed as always, Liszt could clearly see the tension in her eyes—theories had been painstakingly prepared, and proof-of-concept tests conducted, but whether the portal could truly be established remained uncertain. How could anyone stay calm?

This was no longer the zenith of the Moon Empire, when the weave of magic thrived.

Knowledge was lost, and she couldn't stand on giants' shoulders—everything had to be figured out on her own.

Fortunately, with the help of the Invisible Dragon Bard and her mastery of spatial elemental form, her understanding of space was unmatched in history.

"Ready to begin?"

Liszt clenched his fists in excitement, he could hardly wait for what was about to unfold. "Then let’s begin! Bard and I are fully prepared!"

"Woo-yah!"

And so, without any grand ceremony, only a group of watching mages, Acheronides activated the massive magic array set up in the reed marshes. This array, costing over a hundred thousand gold coins, had nearly drained the Flame Territory’s finances for several months. Finally, with an unremarkable shift, it came to life.

The glow of magic flickered as the ambient drifting magic power roared toward the array.

Boom!

The dense magic elements directly summoned thunder and lightning, along with bursts of flame and howling winds. These changes did not last long.

Soon, a swirling vortex in the air formed above the lake in the reed marshes. The vortex continuously expanded, eventually stretching downward like a funnel into the lake, churning the water outward and revealing a dark, yawning void.

"Brother, the rift in the material boundary has been torn open. Now, you and Bard must stabilize the opening beyond the material world. According to Acheronides’ plan, channel spatial magic between the Mana Web and the rift to achieve a stable dynamic equilibrium!"

"Understood!"

Liszt patted the neck of the Invisible Dragon Bard.

Immediately, the man and dragon charged into the expanding black vortex. The vortex was not vertical but slanted downward toward the lakebed. Yet, upon entering, he realized they had already arrived beyond the material world. Through the Crystal White Trace’s vision, he saw a massive breach in the material boundary.

Faintly visible around them were the Mana Web’s threads stretching out, attempting to repair the vortex rift.

"Time for us to act, Bard! Channel your magic power—Dragon Breath Shatters the Void!"

"Woo-yah!"

A breath.

A hazy white mist coated the edges of the vortex rift. This spatial magic acted like both glue and stabilizer, quickly coalescing around the rift. After a complex transformation, the spatial magic successfully formed a barrier between the rift and the Mana Web, blocking its repair attempts.

Moments later, everything was completed. The vortex rift ceased expanding, and the Mana Web could no longer mend it—a stable balance was struck.

Just like the entrance to the Great Vortex Magic Teleportation Circle.

WHOOSH!

Liszt and Bard flew out of the rift effortlessly, encountering no resistance. The magic array around the reed marshes had collapsed during the activation, all its materials drained of magic power and rendered useless. Yet, the vortex rift had stabilized into a self-powered magic portal.

"We’ve succeeded, Acheronides!" Liszt let out a booming laugh.

"We still need to observe it for a while, brother. To prevent the magic gate from collapsing, Acheronides must personally monitor it."

"Hop on!" Liszt guided Bard in a swift, low glide, then reached out to grasp Acheronides’ extended hand, pulling her onto the dragon’s back.

With a sharp maneuver, they plunged back into the magic gate.

Left behind, Kenli and the other mages marveled at the self-spinning vortex portal, no longer requiring the magic array to function.

The surroundings of the reed marshes were forcibly altered. The lake water overflowed its banks, swirling along with the vortex, and fish and shrimp-like creatures from the lake were flung onto the banks. This originally modest-sized lake, now accentuated by the vortex-shaped magic gate, appeared profoundly mysterious.

"A miracle, truly a miracle!" Kenli was utterly enchanted, yearning to step inside and experience the gate's wonders firsthand. But she knew that without the dimensional rift being fully stabilized, any mortal entering would be disintegrated into tiny particles by the peculiar space, merging into the world beyond matter.

Another magician exclaimed in awe, "Joining the Magic Guild was the most important and successful turning point I've ever made on my lifelong pursuit of truth!"

"As expected of the living incarnation of truth in the mortal world, Akeloides has restored the ancient Archmage's glory!"

"A place where miracles happen!"

"Grand, magnificent, unbelievable... I don't even know how to describe it!"

"I have witnessed the mysteries of truth. My teacher led me into the world of magic, and here I have found magic's ultimate destination!"

"Praise Akeloides, praise His Highness Liszt—we have completed a magic gate!"

Even a white-haired great magician trembled with reverence, declaring in the most devout tone, "This gate... it leads to the Holy Sanctuary!"

https://

Remember, the first release of this book is at:. Mobile reading URL: