Chapter 356 The Luanyun Empire’s Battle

The Blue-robed Mage curled the corner of her mouth, then said in a low voice, "Mage Snow Night, those are likely Legendary Experts, only here to hunt a deity attempting to descend into this plane." After speaking, ignoring Shaoke's astonishment, she smiled and continued moving forward.

"Hunt a deity?" Shaoke looked at the Blue-robed Mage in surprise. If those were truly Legendary Experts, how did they end up in the Luanyun Empire? Why didn't the Legendary Experts of the Luanyun Empire stop them? How did they know the deity would descend here? Questions kept circling in the mage's mind, but no matter how much he pressed, the Blue-robed Mage just shook her head and pleaded ignorance.

Time passed quickly. It had been over thirty years since Shaoke and his companions encountered that multitude of Legendary Experts. The battles in the Luanyun Empire continued, but now they were no longer between ordinary soldiers, but among specialized combat professionals who had entered this battlefield.

The Luanyun Empire had completely vanished from this continent. Most of its billions of civilians had died, with a few taken as slaves by other empires. According to Shaoke's speculation, almost all empires on the continent had joined this conflict, and Eighth-tier professionals had become a low-tier unit.

In the sky, large numbers of Tenth-tier and even Eleventh-tier professionals were seen flying past from time to time, frantically hunting for targets to fight. Shaoke couldn't understand what kept this frenzied battle going. The Blue-robed Mage had already left, because the Luanyun Empire had completely disappeared from the world, and their mission from those years was complete. The Blue Feather Empire, as agreed, had paid Shaoke and others generous payment. When it was time to receive their rewards, of the nearly ten thousand professionals, fewer than a thousand remained.

After receiving their rewards, Shaoke did not leave the battlefield like most mages. Instead, he stayed here with some people from the Blue Feather Empire, continuing to kill without a clear goal. From what Shaoke gathered, all Eighth-tier and above mages from the Blue Feather Empire's Death Mage Corps had joined this battle. Thousands of Death Mages continuously hunted non-alliance entities across this desolate land, and other empires had similar teams joining this fight.

Now, Shaoke and more than twenty high-tier professionals gathered in a small mountain hollow—the same mountain forest where he and the Blue-robed Mage had once sought refuge for healing. The once-vast forest had been wrecked by high-tier beings, leaving only this patch of woods. They now relied on hunting the few remaining magical beasts for food and supplies.

In this group, there were also several hundred Savage Giants, belonging to the Maple Leaf Empire. Initially, there had been over a thousand of them, but after seven or eight years of battle, they had lost over half their numbers. Fortunately, with the addition of professionals like Shaoke, they had somewhat curbed the casualties.

The leader was a Ninth-tier Summoner from the Maple Leaf Empire. After tearing off some meat and swallowing it, he said to Shaoke and the others, "I think this battle will end in a little while." He raised his staff, and the over-ten-meter-tall Savage Giants began to organize their weapons, preparing to hunt again. "When that happens, the Maple Leaf Empire will reward you sufficiently for joining." He stood up, signaling everyone to prepare for the next fight.

"Any news? We need more time to rest," a young Eighth-tier Warrior said lazily, lying on a pile of dry grass and stretching. These people no longer cared about their identities; they rested like ordinary folks.

Shaoke lazily leaned against a large rock, reading a thick book. It was one of the rewards from the Blue Feather Empire, a book about ancient magical scripts. He was studying these scripts now to better prepare for future spellcasting combat.

The Summoner scanned the group, then shook his head, fixing his gaze on Shaoke. "Mage Snow Night, do you think our rest time is sufficient now?" He kept his eyes fixed on him, waiting for his answer. He had known Shaoke for three years and knew this mage pretty well. The other professionals looked at Shaoke kindly, waiting for his response.

"We've been resting here for almost half a year. If we don't go hunt some professionals soon, I'd be uncomfortable," Shaoke said, closing his spellbook and activating the flight spell on his robe. His current robe was looted from a noble during a battle. It was black, his favorite color, adorned with countless magical scripts and a strange array of stars. This array was a defensive magic array, and quite effective, which Shaoke highly appreciated.

"Alright! Everyone agrees, so let's set off," the Summoner said with amusement, flying up and hovering beside a Savage warrior. The other professionals each chose a Savage Giant to float beside. Only the warrior who had disagreed glared at Shaoke, then slowly flew off in the direction the Summoner pointed, which made the others laugh good-naturedly. The Savage Giants, wielding seven-to-eight-meter-long sabers, began their march.

"Now, if we manage to hunt another deity's avatar, the divine source goes to you first, alright?" the Summoner called out loudly to the scout warrior ahead, breaking the monotony of the march.

But the Eighth-tier Warrior refused the Summoner's goodwill, retorting, "You know that if we get the divine source this time, it's Mage Snow Night's turn. Do you want me to snatch it from him? You might as well kill me now!" He glanced at Shaoke and shouted loudly, "Don't worry, I definitely won't take the next divine source. But you should give me an 'Eternal Night Death' so I'll feel safer." He slowed down, waiting for Shaoke's answer.

After checking the surroundings with a purple crystal ball, Shaoke replied, "What do you need that for? You could ask other mages to make one for you." Then he added, "These things I'm planning to use for a staff; the quantity is still insufficient."

Shaoke's refusal displeased the other professionals. An old Ninth-tier Mage instantly appeared beside Shaoke, giving him a strange look. "I just don't understand—even necromancers' staves aren't all made from Eighth-tier Practitioners' heads. You, a mage who isn't a necromancer, want to make such a thing? Are you really planning to become a necromancer? That could cause difficulties for your descendants," he said. After he finished, the others laughed, and even the Savage Giants roared with amusement.

Shaoke knew these people were relaxing in anticipation of the upcoming battle, so he wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he conferred with the Savage Giant beside him, then, as before, perched on the Giant's shoulder, took out his book, and resumed reading.

Thus, the leader, the Summoner, kept taking out a head-sized crystal ball to scout, communicating with his companions and identifying enemy targets. They wandered aimlessly for several days until Shaoke, while reading, suddenly sensed other professionals approaching. The Summoner ahead also noticed the enemy's approach.

"Prepare for battle." The Summoner stopped abruptly, alerted the group, and secretly glanced at Shaoke. Seeing that Shaoke was already prepared, the Summoner's expression turned a little sour—he hadn't expected this Eighth-tier Mage to have grown so powerful.

"They're our people," the old Ninth-tier Mage said after checking with a staff, sharing the information with the Summoner.

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even Shaoke, who craved battle. After all, anyone roaming the Luanyun Empire now was at least Eighth-tier. If the approaching group was several individuals together, they would likely lose someone. No one could be sure the next to die wouldn't be themselves.

After all, those still fighting here were either serving their nations or seeking enormous profits.

Soon, the distant professionals flew closer. The leader was a warrior in full crimson heavy armor, his blood-red aura looking somewhat sinister. Following him were four or five Archers, also with blood-red auras, suggesting they all practiced the same type of battle aura.

"Are you from the Maple Leaf Empire?" the warrior halted, hovering in mid-air, and asked Shaoke, who sat on the Savage Giant's shoulder. He reckoned Shaoke was the group's leader, as otherwise the ferocious Savage Giants wouldn't allow outsiders to rest on them.

"Yes, honorable sir." The leading Summoner floated forward slightly, lowering his altitude to show respect. "Is there anything we can help you with?" He quickly took out his identification staff and handed it to the warrior, who checked it briefly before tossing it back.

"There's a team ahead needing your support. If you're interested, you can come with us now," said the warrior, clearly a Tenth-tier Warrior, while his archers appeared to be Ninth-tier. He then detailed the situation: several imperial soldier teams were entangled with hostile alliance forces, and their side was at a disadvantage, requiring reinforcements. The warrior waited for their answer.

After brief deliberation, Shaoke asked, "Why didn't they contact us?" He took out his own staff, obtained from the Blue Feather Empire, and carefully checked its information.

"They sent out an enemy sighting a month ago, but you stayed in the same position for a long time," the warrior replied, stating the location, then turned and led the archers swiftly away.

"There was indeed such a message," the leading warrior admitted awkwardly. They had received the distress call at the time, but everyone was resting and didn't respond promptly. Now the battle was still ongoing, making the group hesitant.

Shaoke thought for a moment and suggested to the Summoner, "We shouldn't go there. If the battle has lasted so long, it must involve a large number of higher-order beings. We'd probably get wiped out." He flew away from the Savage Giant's shoulder, awaiting the Summoner's final decision. If the Summoner insisted on going, Shaoke would leave the team.

The Summoner was silent for a moment, then communicated with the old Ninth-tier Mage via mental energy. Shaoke, with his powerful mental strength, keenly detected these fluctuations.

"I think we must go for rescue. Maybe our presence will turn the tide," the Summoner said, raising his staff. Without further consulting Shaoke or the others, he led the Savage Giants toward the location. Shaoke and a few professionals stayed put, but the Summoner seemed not to notice, continuing forward. The scout warrior also went with them.

However, as he left, the scout warrior turned and shouted to Shaoke, "Mage Snow Night, if you don't rescue others now, who will come to save you when you're in danger next time?" With that, he flew off after the Summoner. The towering Savage Giants marched swiftly, making the barren land tremble, sometimes with cracks appearing.

"Let's leave this place." Shaoke paid no heed to the scout's words. He looked at the remaining professionals—three warriors and four mages, including himself, eight Eighth-tier Practitioners in total. This gave him some confidence for future plans.

No one said much. After years of constant battle, they were used to relentless fighting. So they quickly formed a loose formation, chose a direction, and began flying slowly, like aimless hunters drifting in search of prey.

For several days, they encountered no hostile professionals, which made Shaoke anxious. Similarly, the other professionals grew impatient with this aimless wandering. If they didn't get some big gains soon, their time here would be wasted.

Just after a meal and rest, a familiar yet eerie aura reached Shaoke from afar. Divine Avatars! The thought flashed into his mind, followed by the other professionals sensing it.

"Kill it," one warrior proposed without hesitation. Divine avatars were rare these days, and the benefits they brought were highly coveted. "We can definitely trap it, even if some of us fall, it's worth it." He flew up, looking at the others, awaiting their response.

"We have no choice." Shaoke took out his staff, quickly sent news of the divine avatar's appearance to the network, then Blinked repeatedly toward the source. His meditation space had become solid, packed with magic power and subtle transformations that allowed him to sustain continuous Blink. The others, after a moment's hesitation, quickly followed.

They soon found the avatar—it hadn't budged, which surprised them. Divine avatars usually hid quickly upon descending to this continent, but this one was different. Overcome by greed, they all focused on hunting the avatar to obtain divine sources and enhance their strength.

A lone female figure sat cross-legged on the barren ground, her body somewhat translucent. Their arrival alerted her. After a quick scan, she floated up and began to attack, having detected no allied signals from Shaoke's group.

Knowing well how divine avatars attacked, Shaoke and his team spread out, continuously casting spells at the female deity. The three warriors fearlessly closed in, sensing no overwhelming pressure from her; she seemed weak, possibly attacked before descending.

Death Ray. A black beam shot from Shaoke's staff. This eighth-order spell's power had increased significantly since he had begun chanting in the ancient magical language. The female avatar flickered and dodged, and Shaoke lost control of the spell. The black beam struck the ground heavily, creating a man-sized hole.

After dodging, the female divine avatar's face grew paler. She waved her sleeve, sending a mass of milky white light that quickly transformed into a dozen ancient giant beasts, roaring as they charged Shaoke's group.

The female deity frowned, drawing a complex twelve-pointed star formation in the air with her finger, then stood on it. She continuously threw white short javelins to block their attacks while rapidly retreating.

"She's already injured. We can kill her," one warrior shouted after breaking through dozens of javelins. Shaoke also noticed her condition and attacked recklessly. The mages even used their spellbooks to continuously cast spells, hoping to kill the divine avatar and gain maximum profit.

The assault didn't last long. According to their plan, Shaoke suddenly brought out a black head, looking like polished black crystal. This was the magic item called "Eternal Night Death," made over thirty years by collecting ordinary souls. It was this item that gave the eight Eighth-tier Practitioners the courage to attempt killing a divine avatar.

Shaoke carefully placed the black head in his robe, then blinked twice to get near the deity. At that moment, the three warriors, as prearranged, quickly flew backward, unleashing countless attacks formed by battle aura toward the avatar.

Shaoke's approach made the divine avatar wary. Her silver-white eyes fixed on him. Shaoke, ignoring the cost, forcibly damaged his spellbook to instantly cast Death Gaze, simultaneously releasing the Death Gaze embedded in his meditation space. He then used his black staff to cut a man-sized rift in the air, stepping into it. Before stepping in, he chanted two syllables in the ancient magical language: "Death." The rift closed, and Shaoke vanished.

The female deity sensed something amiss, but under the three warriors' desperate attacks and Shaoke's two Death Gaze spells—especially the one from the spellbook, which froze her for a full breath—she was momentarily paralyzed. In that instant, the black head exploded under Shaoke's control.