Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian was startled but did not answer.

The moment the bone spikes rained down, the rock-like patterns on his body surface subtly expanded, and the three layers of shields instantly compressed and overlapped.

It coalesced in front of him into an incredibly thick, diamond-shaped giant shield with dark red spirit-devouring patterns flowing around its edges.

"Can you stop them?" The man in black robes on the left grinned maliciously.

The torrential rain of bone spurs accelerated its descent, each one entwined with wailing, vengeful spirits, specifically designed to pierce through energy defenses.

But just as the bone spikes struck the rhomboid shield...

Dark red patterns swirled wildly as the [Soul Devouring] ability was activated at full power.

Almost simultaneously, Ian moved with lightning speed, advancing instead of retreating.

He slammed his left foot into the ground, unleashing a powerful burst of physical strength that sent a shockwave rippled through the ground's fungal carpet.

He shot forward like an arrow, defying the remaining bone spurs and flying straight at the black-robed man on the left!

The bone spurs, now devoid of the vengeful spirits' blessing, struck the shield and the jade-colored body with a crisp, clanging sound.

But it can only leave faint white marks, unable to break through the defense!

"What?!" The black-robed man on the left suddenly narrowed his eyes.

He hadn't expected Ian's body to be so strong, and he certainly hadn't expected the other party to dare to get close to him despite the attack.

But he reacted extremely quickly, forming hand seals, and countless pale arms shot out from the ground again, grabbing at Ian's legs in an attempt to stop him.

Ian's eyes were cold, and his forward momentum did not diminish as his right leg swept across like a battle axe.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Those pale arms shattered instantly, exploding into clumps of grayish-white bone fragments.

Without the slightest hesitation, he had already rushed to within five meters of the man in black.

At that moment, the black-robed man on the right launched a sneak attack.

The pitch-black soul dagger, like a venomous snake, emerged from the shadow behind Ian and pierced straight for his back!

Ian seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

He maintained his forward-leaning posture, but his right arm bent backward in an unnatural arc.

The liquefied silver light covering his palm was so dense it was almost tangible, and he precisely grabbed the blade of the dagger that was thrust at him!

"How is this possible?!" The man in black robes on the right was utterly horrified.

His Soul Dagger is a magical artifact specifically designed to target spiritual entities; physical contact should have allowed it to penetrate directly.

But Ian's highly liquefied mental energy, combined with his powerful physical body, allowed him to forcefully "grasp" this ethereal magical artifact in his palm!

"You know nothing about power..."

Ian’s voice was calm as he suddenly twisted the dagger with his right hand.

Click!

The jet-black dagger blade emitted a crisp sound like shattering glass, disintegrating into countless black specks of light.

The man in black robes on the right was struck as if by a heavy blow. He screamed and fell out of the shadows, blood seeping from his seven orifices.

The destruction of the magical artifact caused a backlash that struck directly at the soul.

Ian's forward momentum had already brought him to the man in black robes on the left.

With his left hand's five fingers spread wide, a pale purple light emanated from his palm, and the [Frost Ray] was poised to be unleashed!

The second wave of attacks from the black-robed men on the left has arrived.

He formed hand seals, and the ground's fungal carpet came to life, transforming into pale corpses that roared and lunged at Ian.

Each corpse exuded an aura no weaker than that of a first-level cultivator, and there were more than ten of them!

Corpse sea tactics.

"I don't have time to play with you guys anymore."

Ian's eyes sharpened, and he raised both hands simultaneously.

The Frost Ray was no longer retained; pale purple beams of light shot out in a cross pattern, transforming into two destructive beams, each half a meter in diameter, that swept across the area.

Wherever it passed, the corpses were frozen and burned. The black-robed man on the left frantically raised three layers of bone shields, but they were as fragile as paper in front of the beam of light, shattering layer by layer.

"No!"

A beam of light pierced through his chest, and extreme cold and heat erupted simultaneously, turning him into a wisp of ashes.

In just ten breaths, of the three men in black robes, two were dead and one was seriously injured.

Ian's expression remained unchanged, but his breathing was somewhat unsteady.

The burst of power just now was extremely taxing, especially the two [Frost Rays] that were unleashed at their maximum potential, which was a great test of mental strength and self-control.

But he didn't rest; he strode towards the heavily wounded man in black robes.

"Tell me, who sent you?" Ian stepped on his chest, his voice icy.

The man in black robes gave a bitter laugh, the soul fire in his eyes now dimmed like a candle flickering in the wind.

"You...can't escape!"

Ian frowned. "What organization are you?"

"Heh...you wouldn't know..." The black-robed man's breath grew weaker and weaker.

"We're just... the outermost cleaning crew. You're dead..."

Before he finished speaking, the soul fire in his eye sockets suddenly surged and then exploded.

Self-destruction!

Ian retreated rapidly, but was still hit by the aftershocks of the explosion, causing his shield to vibrate violently.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the black-robed man's body had turned to ashes, leaving not a trace.

"Specializing in hunting lone wolves..."

Ian's eyes were serious.

The other party is clearly a well-organized force that specifically targets lone wolves who rank high on the contribution leaderboard.

Why?

Is it because the lone wolf has no connections, and killing him wouldn't provoke retaliation from a major organization?

If it's for merit, why not kill those organized wizards? Lone rangers are easier to kill, but the total merit gained is far less than that of members of large organizations.

Unless... their goal is not merit.

Ian recalled the signal the man in black robes had given before his death, and a chill ran down his spine.

We must leave immediately!

He quickly cleaned up the battlefield and found a jet-black bone token among the belongings of a man in black robes.

The front of the token is engraved with a distorted symbol, resembling an eye without a pupil.

There was nothing else of value besides that.

Ian put away the token, glanced at the remains of the bloody hand, and ultimately didn't touch it.

Who knows if there are any tracking or curse marks on it.

"Gah, Ian, there are many presences approaching!"

"At least five directions, and they're moving very fast!" Gaa exclaimed urgently.

"Walk!"

Without hesitation, Ian chose a passage that was completely opposite to the way he had come.

Less than a minute after he left, five figures in black robes appeared in the cave like ghosts.

They stared at the three patches of ashes on the ground and the remains of the bloody hand, and remained silent for a moment.

"The third, fifth, and seventh brothers are dead," the leader in black robes said in a low voice.

"The target's strength was misjudged. He is at least a late-stage level one combatant, possesses soul-devouring abilities, and is suspected of mastering complex, highly destructive witchcraft."

"Should we go after them?" the other person asked.

"Pursue. The marker has been sent; he can't escape our grasp. Notify Hunting Team Three to ambush him at the seventh intersection."

"Yes."

The five figures separated and chased after the direction Ian had fled.

Meanwhile, Ian was frantically navigating through the maze-like passages.

The passage became increasingly twisted, and the vein-like patterns on the rock wall turned an eerie purplish-black.

The concentration of demonic energy in the air was also increasing, and even with the [Soul Devouring] property filtering it out, Ian was finding it somewhat difficult.

"We must find a relatively safe area as soon as possible."

He quickened his pace, but the maze seemed to come alive, its passages constantly changing and rearranging.

Sometimes what is clearly a straight road turns into a dead end when you go in.

Sometimes what appears to be a wall turns into an illusory projection when touched, behind which lies a bottomless pit.

"Ian, to the left! There's a faint trace of ordered energy in the left passage," Gaga suddenly shouted.

Ian turned to the left without hesitation.

This passage is narrower than before, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

The vein patterns on the rock face are lighter in color and their pulsation is relatively gentle.

Most importantly, the concentration of demonic energy in the air has decreased significantly, and the whispers of mental pollution have also weakened considerably.

"This place... seems to have been 'cleaned up'."

Ian crouched down and touched the ground.

The fungal carpet has charred burn marks and retains a faint scent of light element, which is the effect of purification-type witchcraft.

A group of wizards passed through here, and they were quite powerful.

He hesitated for a moment: should he continue alone, or try to join up with possible "allies"?

"It's too dangerous here, let's regroup."

Ian made a decision to continue deeper into the passage.

However, just as he turned the next bend...

At the end of the passage ahead, a familiar figure, with its back to him, slowly turned around.

The latest chapter has ignited the plot! Stay tuned for more updates.