Chapter 367 Ended Before It Began

After making the decision, everyone officially stepped into the territory of the Yisage Empire. Just one magical hour after entering, a large number of Eighth-order Practitioners from the Yisage Empire flew over from several directions, surrounding them warily. If Shaoke or the others made any hostile moves, they would not hesitate to engage in battle—a battle that would end in the complete annihilation of one side.

"We're just visiting the Yisage Empire for sightseeing and have no intention of harming this empire," the Summoner said, flying slightly forward. He produced his identification and registration records from the military departments of other empires to prove his claims. The Yisage people signaled for him to hand over the documents, but before the Summoner could act further, the Blue-robed Female Mage interrupted their conversation.

"We only entered your empire by accident. We'll leave right now," the Blue-robed Mage said, gesturing for the others to follow her. Though unsure of the reason, Shaoke and the rest, including the Summoner, quickly retreated. At that moment, a mage shrouded in white mist on the opposite side shouted loudly.

"Everyone, since you've come to the Yisage Empire, why not enjoy your stay here?" As the mage finished speaking, over twenty Eighth-order Practitioners from the Yisage Empire swiftly pursued Shaoke and his group, apparently intent on forcing them to stay.

Shaoke suddenly slowed down and asked, "Are you planning to escort us out personally?" As he spoke, a flame burst from the tip of his staff. This flame was no longer the green flame of years past; after he had studied the ancient spellbook, it had turned pitch black. As the black flame appeared, the space around him twisted faintly, creating an eerie sight. This eerie phenomenon immediately caused the Yisage Empire practitioners to slow down as well.

Only those eerie Eighth-order Space Mages, the most troublesome opponents for any practitioner, could distort the surrounding space.

"I think our departure has nothing to do with you anymore," Shaoke said, hurling the flame into the air. It formed a wall of fire that burned fiercely. As the fire blazed, fine cracks appeared in the surrounding space. Shaoke stood in the distance, the black spellbook flying out from his eyes and floating before him, ready for an attack.

At Shaoke's signal, Mage Meigan, the Blue-robed Mage, and the others swiftly flew out of the Yisage Empire's borders. Shaoke stood still as the Yisage people halted. "I think you have no right to cast this spell here," the mage wrapped in white mist said in a low voice.

"If you're unhappy, you can kill me now," Shaoke replied, flying slightly higher. Fueled by his powerful mental energy and magic power, the Arcane Fire in the air grew even larger. "You're not from the Yisage Empire," Shaoke said, scrutinizing the Eighth-order Practitioner before him. Thanks to a special embedding technique, he could easily see through ordinary concealment spells. Through the white mist, he noticed the Orpheus Family emblem clearly hanging on the other's robe, prompting him to ask, which made the white-misted mage step back slightly.

After half a magical hour had passed, over twenty Yisage Empire practitioners stared silently at Shaoke. By then, larger cracks had appeared in the space around the flame. Shaoke could no longer control the flame. This flame had been condensed using the methods of Ancient Spellcasters, incorporating his understanding of spatial magic.

A warrior swiftly flew off toward the interior of the Yisage Empire, followed by other practitioners. The mage in the white mist was the last to leave, casting a deep glance at Shaoke before departing without a word.

After they all left, Shaoke struggled to completely extinguish the flame. Only then did he use the technique of tearing space to fly away, heading toward the distance. Soon he reached the empire's border, where the Blue-robed Mage and the others had been waiting for him.

"That mage in the white mist belongs to the Orpheus Family," the Blue-robed Mage quickly informed Shaoke of her discovery. Mage Meigan and the others had already heard this from her and remained impassive. Shaoke simply nodded, indicating he understood, and the group fell silent.

The Summoner broke the silence, saying, "Perhaps we should have finished them off..." He waved his staff, seemingly regretful now. "I think things will get much worse for us from now on." He sighed and fell silent again.

The warrior, bare-chested, shook his spear indifferently and said, "What's the use of talking about it now? For all we know, the Orpheus Family has already learned the identities of everyone involved. Our families might be destroyed before long." He turned abruptly, looking at the other practitioners, uncertain of their thoughts.

"Just a family," the Blue-robed Mage said, taking a deep breath before changing the topic. "I think we can't resolve matters inside the Yisage Empire. If we make a big move within their territory, I believe the empire would send an invasion signal before the battle ends. Then a Thirteenth-order powerhouse would easily cut off our heads. What could we do then?"

She paused, considering further. "If we had advanced to Ninth Rank, we wouldn't have been so passive just now." She frowned, put away her staff, and touched the blue crown on her forehead, looking dejected.

"As for that Violet Family you mentioned earlier, let's raid them now," Mage Meigan said, his face twisted with anger. He was furious about the Orpheus Family incident and was eager to become a powerful Nine-rank Mage rather than remaining stuck at the Eighth Tier or merely becoming an ordinary Ninth-order being.

Shaoke thought for a moment and added, "If we destroy the Violet Family, the Blue Feather Empire might not allow us to stay there anymore." He glanced at the other practitioners, who were quite tempted by Mage Meigan's suggestion. After all, no one wanted to use the military's ordinary methods to become a common Nine-rank Professional. Of course, they didn't consider the possibility of failure. They were all familiar with the success rate of advancing from Eighth to Ninth.

After further discussion, the group returned to the Blue Feather Empire. On the way, they finalized their plans. The Blue-robed Female Mage began recruiting other Wandering Practitioners, while the remaining Eighth-order Practitioners prepared for their families' future relocations.

The situation in the Blue Feather Empire wasn't as dire as they had imagined. The Orpheus Family didn't intercept or pursue Shaoke and the others. The families of the Blue-robed Mage and the others also escaped destruction. Though they didn't know the exact reason, they could guess: no family, no matter how powerful, is without enemies. Perhaps the Orpheus Family's adversaries had helped them.

Shaoke returned to Bloody Fortress and explained his future plans to Man Fashi and the other female mages. This decision left the two female spellcasters silent for a long time. They knew the male mage before them would go to great lengths to obtain advanced Ninth-rank advancement methods. All they could do now was silently support his choices. But during her conversation with Shaoke, Mage Roman suddenly started crying, blaming herself. If her family were still strong, she could have obtained some Ninth-rank advancement methods from her family to help Shaoke.

Two years passed quickly. The Blue-robed Mage again summoned Shaoke using the scepter. By then, she had gathered enough people this time, including a large number of wandering Eighth-order practitioners, among whom a Space Mage had joined this raid.

The meeting point was the ruins of Mage Meigan's former family, not far from the Violet Family. This location would allow the Space Mage to teleport everyone instantly, delivering a devastating blow to the family—provided, of course, that the family no longer had any Twelfth-order Practitioners.

When Shaoke arrived, nearly fifty or more Eighth-order Practitioners had already gathered. There were also seven or eight Nine-rank Professionals among them. Their goal was to obtain the family's Tenth Tier advancement methods. Shaoke admired the Blue-robed Mage, wondering how she had managed to gather non-mage practitioners, since the Violet Family was solely a mage family and unlikely to have advanced Ninth-rank methods for other classes. But he didn't ask. He stood quietly in a corner, pulling his cloak tight to rest, preparing for the upcoming battle.