The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 208 The Shadow of Devouring (4.2k)
The effects of the lightning spell had worn off; the blinding blue light dissipated, leaving behind the lingering smell of burning ozone in the air.

Durant, covered in thick earthen armor and resembling a giant rock statue, looked at Lynn's confident smile and felt a chill run down his spine, sensing something was wrong.

Almost simultaneously, Durant's muscles tensed instantly, the restraint from the Enforcement Order space locking him firmly in place, and his face turned ashen!

“Mr. Durant, I think we can have a proper talk now.” Lynn’s voice was calm and expressionless as he approached.

"What kind of bizarre witchcraft is this?!"

With a thought, Durant's body shone with a blinding yellow light, and countless sharp, spear-like rays shot out in all directions!

Bang bang bang!
The ferocious attacks that could normally split mountains and cleave the earth failed to cause the slightest ripple when they struck the invisible barrier around them.

“I just want to leave here, Durant!” Lynn said in a low, firm voice, his eyes half-closed. “Hand over the portal beacon, and I’ll set you free.”

Durant gritted his teeth, summoning the surging magic within him to continue his struggle.

He couldn't believe that a first-tier novice wizard could possess such overwhelming power!

This confinement is either unlikely to last long, or it cannot withstand a certain type of attack... In short, there must be some fatal flaw that he has not yet discovered!
Lynn frowned deeply: "Stop struggling in vain, Durant. Unless you are a second-tier wizard, there is absolutely no way you can break this barrier!"

Upon hearing Lynn's words, Durant felt that Lynn had guessed correctly and went on to try to break free from the constraints.

Lynn felt inexplicably irritated.

rustling—

The surrounding greenery seemed to sway slightly. Not far away, Monn glanced back at the tense Lynn and Durant, his old face filled with confusion and panic. Finally, like a frightened wild beast, he stumbled away, almost fleeing in panic, and disappeared into the boundless green.

"Since you possess such power, why are you in such a hurry to leave, Lynn?" Durant continued to cast spells with his hands, but softened his tone as he spoke.

"With the combined strength of the two of us, we can definitely slay this strange plant that was born from the very essence of this world... Do you know how precious this kind of creature, which draws upon the very origin of the world to grow, is?!"
"If I can devour its essence, I will definitely be able to advance to the second tier in one fell swoop!"

The fervor in Durant's tone was like a wildfire spreading across the autumn sky.

"Do you think this is some kind of strange plant born from a world of moss?"

“That’s right. The Sky-Piercing Fern and those ferocious beasts are not invaders, but beings that have absorbed the world’s essence and thus ‘evolved’!” Durant said firmly. “This is an incredible opportunity, and I’m willing to share it with you, Lynn.”

At this point, Durant gradually realized that his attempts were useless, and his tone softened.

"I have absolutely no interest in your so-called opportunity!" Lynn said firmly. "I just want to return to the Gunn world now! Durant, hand over the portal beacon, and you can continue pursuing your opportunity!"

Durant's gaze was intense as he carefully observed Lynn's expression, trying to find a hint of wavering: "You don't believe what I'm saying, or you don't believe in this opportunity?"

Lynn was quite helpless, and shook his head slightly with a sigh, saying, "This is not some precious exotic plant, Durant... It's just a dormant world invader. I found a lot of evidence among the native creatures."

As Lynn expected, Durant, who had already gone mad, naturally didn't believe it. Instead, he reacted by shouting angrily, "Impossible! I've investigated this place for a long time, and everything confirms my guess!"

Hearing this, Lynn felt a little suspicious. He carefully observed Durant and saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his face was filled with fanaticism, which aroused his doubts.
'Has Durant been subjected to some kind of psychological influence?'

But when Lynn looked at him again, he felt that Durant was clear-headed and had a bright, clear gaze.

Lynn couldn't tell whether he was under some kind of bewitching spell or blinded by his own fantasies!
Kind words are useless against a damned devil... Lynn didn't want to argue with Durant, but simply repeated his request:
"Hand over the portal beacon, and I will set you free."

"I've given you the portal beacon, but how am I supposed to return to Gunn once I've succeeded?" Durant grinned. "Since you can't kill me anyway, why not let me go? When I'm done, I'll take you back to Gunn with me!"

"There is no perfect contract in the world!" Lynn said angrily, his tone icy cold. "Don't think I can't kill you, Durant!"

Before Lynn could finish speaking, a premonition from his own intuition sent a chill down his spine. Almost instinctively, he looked around at the dark and deep surroundings, and a sense of unease, like a leech, crept into his heart.

This feeling of unease made Lynn even less willing to delay with Durant any longer. He stared at Durant, a faint light gleaming in his hand.

Durant met Lynn's cold, sharp gaze. The words of rebuttal that were bubbling in his throat were forcefully suppressed by the piercing determination and seriousness in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he finally took a half step back.
"The portal beacon isn't on me, Lynn."

“I am not a heartless person. I have already placed the portal beacon elsewhere. If I die, you and Felicity will both receive its location information.”

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from not far away, tearing apart the silence.

Lynn's expression changed drastically. He instantly recognized the scream as belonging to Monn, who had just left!
Although one can often encounter wandering first-tier mid-level ferocious beasts here, most of them are stupid and clumsy, posing little threat to Meng En, who is also a first-tier mid-level beast... Even if something were to happen, Meng En could easily escape thanks to his agility.

But at this moment, something seemed to have happened to Mon'en, causing him to let out such a terrible scream!

Moreover, the cry only lasted for a moment before abruptly ceasing, and the surroundings returned to that unsettling silence.

"Tell me where the portal beacon is!" Lynn suddenly turned his head, his voice escaping through clenched teeth.

Durant also sensed a dangerous signal, and his voice rose: "Release the restraints on me, Lynn!"

rustling—

Almost simultaneously, an extremely eerie sound, like a gentle breeze rustling through grass and trees, or the rustling of some kind of reptile, gradually arose and grew closer.

Tell me the location of the beacon, or I won't let you out!

Durant's alarm bells were ringing in his mind, and he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "It's in a mountain hollow about 20 kilometers southeast of the original camp. The boulder is very obvious. You'll see when you get there!"
"Alright, quickly release me from my restraints!"

"You must first swear an oath!"

"Damn it, I swear!" Durant pulled out a pledge and wrote down that he was absolutely true to his word.

Lynn scanned the area, and after confirming that everything was correct, he released the restraint warrant and fled in the opposite direction of the sound without hesitation!

Whoosh!
Durant hesitated for a moment, then chased after Lynn.

"Why run away, Lynn! If we join forces, we can definitely deal with this lurking monster!"

With the restraints gone, Durant's confidence returned instantly, and his panic subsided considerably.

Lynn ignored him and kept moving forward.

He never fights a battle he's not confident of winning. Now that he knows the location of the portal beacon, there's no need to create any more trouble!
Moreover, he has already gained enough from this trip to the Mossy World!
"Damn it, Lynn, aren't you tempted? I've lingered in the Sky-Piercing Fern for ages, and I've even entered its core several times, but I haven't been able to find its true 'origin'... I bet that unknown creature behind me is a breakthrough!"

Durant kept babbling on, chasing Lynn not only to use Lynn's power but also because he was afraid Lynn would actually open the portal beacon and leave. Lynn remained silent, and this dismissive attitude infuriated Durant, who couldn't help but suddenly wave his hand.

rumble--

A giant wall suddenly rose up in front of Lynn, blocking his way.

Lynn frowned, suddenly rising up to leap over the giant wall, but just then, Durant shot a deep yellow earth spike at him!
"Durant!"

Lynn turned around abruptly, but was suddenly stunned. It was as if he had been thrown into icy water. The chill instantly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his heart couldn't help but tremble!
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared beneath Durant.

Like viscous asphalt, it silently clung to Durant's legs, opening its thin mouth and swallowing Durant's flesh and blood bit by bit.

The area that was eaten away instantly became empty, leaving only a smooth cross-section.

The whole process was like biting into a silky cake—slow, clear, and even elegant.

Durant's legs had already been partially swallowed, but he was completely unaware of it.

Durant was initially pleased to see Lynn turn around, but his heart sank when he saw the horrified look in Lynn's eyes.

He certainly didn't think Lynn was making that expression on purpose.

Durant followed Lynn's gaze and looked down at himself. He was immediately struck by lightning, his hair stood on end, and his face turned pale.

"Damn it, what is this thing?!"

As they spoke, the eerie shadow had completely devoured Durant's calf and continued to devour him upwards toward his knee.

Even though Durant can see that his calves are now completely empty, he doesn't feel anything is wrong at all!
However, he was also under the protection of a powerful first-level high-level defensive spell, yet it had no effect whatsoever!

Durant's forehead was covered in beads of sweat, his face was deathly pale, and several magical lights flashed in his hands as he tried to dispel the entangled shadows.

He finally understood why he had only heard one scream... If Lynn hadn't reminded him, by the time he spotted the shadow, he probably wouldn't have much flesh left in his body.

However, no matter what kind of attack it was, when it encountered the shadow, it was as if it hit the void, passing through it lightly and causing a mess all around, without having any effect.

"Damn it!" Durant took a deep breath, his face hardened, and he conjured a sharp blade in his hand, then swung it fiercely at his own thigh!
Swish!
He groaned, stopping the gushing blood. His face was deathly pale, but his eyes revealed a look of joy.

The shadowy figure ceased its entanglement as it fell alongside the severed flesh.

However, the smile that had just begun to appear on his lips froze instantly.

Just half a second later, another shadow gathered at the cut end of his thigh and began to devour it again!
"No...no...no!" Despair was evident in Durant's eyes as he made his last attempt to escape his soul.

The illusory spirit instantly detached from the broken body, but Durant was horrified to discover that his soul's legs also showed the same defects!
What made him feel even weaker was that the pitch-black shadow, like a leech clinging to his bone, had also clung to his transparent soul body...

"what--!"

After a piercing scream, the world fell silent again.

Lynn, who was not far away, was shocked and increased his speed. He understood what that scream meant!
'Durant lingered around the Twilight Mother Pillar for so many days, why did that shadow only suddenly appear when I arrived?!'

Lynn's eyes flickered, and a suspicion began to form in his mind.
'Could it be that my true form has been exposed because the camouflage of the Urzasha Assimilation Worm was damaged?!'

Before Lynn could think any further, he, who was always observing himself, suddenly realized something was wrong.

Suddenly, a barely perceptible dark spot appeared on my toes!

hum!
The pale blue protective force field instantly overloaded, manifesting a barrier on the body's surface that appeared almost tangible.

But the dark spots did not stop at all, and continued to invade as if they were unaffected!
Lynn's heart sank to the bottom, his face turned cold, and without considering witchcraft any longer, he immediately activated the Black Moon Enforcement Order with all his might!

For the first time in this world, Lynn unleashed his Black Moon Spirit Body without reservation or concealment. The deep and obscure aura spread rapidly in all directions, and the Enforcement Order emitted a joyful hum, completely opening itself to Lynn and activating its full highest authority!
Lynn clenched his teeth, put his fingers together, and precisely sliced ​​off a layer of flesh from the toes!
The radiance of the enforcement order followed closely behind, and the invisible spatial power, like the most solid cage, instantly imprisoned the piece of flesh and the writhing, struggling dark spots within an extremely small cage.

Rustling——

The shadow seemed completely unconcerned, devouring Lynn's fallen flesh and blood before continuing to drift towards him.

The shadow's speed noticeably slowed down when it encountered the confined space.

Just as a glimmer of hope appeared in Lynn's heart, he saw the seemingly indestructible spatial barrier thinning rapidly like melting ice, and was penetrated in the blink of an eye!
hum-

Lynn activated the Enforcement Order almost simultaneously, but this time the shadow broke through the barrier even faster. He didn't even have time to use the Black Moon Enforcement Order again before he saw his toes covered in mottled shadows.

In a daze, Lynn seemed to see himself being swallowed up inch by inch by the shadows, and then disappearing completely like Durant and Monn.

A profound despair, unlike anything Lynn had ever felt before, gripped his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Well--"

Just then, a faint exhalation sound suddenly rang out.

The sound seemed to come from right in front of me, but upon closer listening, it seemed to come from all directions, as if the entire mossy world was sighing.

The next second, the dark shadow that had been clinging to Lynn's feet and was supposed to greedily devour everything suddenly stopped expanding.

Then, as if given life, it began to twist and converge upwards, eventually standing up.

The viscous shadows continued to flow and shape, eventually coalescing into a slender, blurry human figure.

This figure was far more agile than the original shadow.

It first stretched lazily, letting out a comfortable sigh.

Then the oddly shaped head tilted to one side, staring at Lynn with a pitch-black, featureless face, its voice low and deep:
"I thought you all died in that war..."

"But tens of thousands of years have passed, and the people of Black Moon Academy are still not all dead?"

(End of this chapter)