The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 188 Secret Realm Exploration
Sten landed carefully on one of the islands.

David's soul clone was quietly observing all this inside his soul, his mental power spreading out and exploring the surrounding environment.

He discovered that all kinds of exotic plants grew on these islands.

Some plants can even emit a gentle magical scent, and are obviously precious medicinal herbs.

In the center of the island, there is an ancient stone tablet engraved with mysterious runes.

Sten approached the stone tablet and tried to decipher the message on it.

David's mental strength also focused. He felt that these runes contained powerful power. They seemed to be telling the secrets of the secret realm or clues to deeper areas.

At this moment, a space fluctuation suddenly occurred, and Sten and David became alert.

They sensed a powerful presence approaching, apparently members of other wizarding organizations had also entered the secret realm.

David's mental strength quickly contracted to ensure that his presence would not be discovered.

Sten pretended nothing had happened and continued to study the stone tablet, but his hands had secretly clenched his staff, ready to deal with any possible conflict at any time.

"Sten, be careful, there's a dangerous vibe about these people."

David felt his heart tighten, and a very dangerous feeling came over him.

He felt that the wizard might not have passed by here accidentally, but was targeting Sten from the beginning.

"Yes, Master." Sten nodded.

As the auras got closer, David discovered that these wizards actually came from the Cape Tower.

"Edmund." Stern frowned.

Edmund is a crystallized wizard who is quite famous in the wizarding world.

This is a powerful wizard who is recognized to have the potential to become a first-ring wizard in the short term.

Edmund walked slowly towards Sten with a grim smile and a look of disdain in his eyes.

He is just a small liquid wizard, yet he dares to ruin the good deeds of adults again and again. Today will be the day of his death!
Sten felt the other party's hostility and knew he couldn't just sit there and wait for death.

He quickly thought of a countermeasure in his mind, while secretly preparing witchcraft for defense and counterattack.

"It seems you still intend to resist."

Edmund sneered, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm and threat.

Sten slowly raised his head and looked at the other person calmly. The calmness at this moment was just the calm before the storm.

He was ready to fight in his heart, but his expression remained calm. "I don't know who you are looking for, but I advise you not to act rashly."

Edmund smiled contemptuously when he heard this, obviously not taking Stern's warning seriously.

He was a crystallized wizard, and was only one step away from being promoted to a first-ring wizard. It was too easy for him to kill the liquefied wizard in front of him.

Edmund raised the staff in his hand and whispered a spell, and a moist scent filled the air.

Sten knew that this was a precursor to water witchcraft.

He quickly mobilized the energy in his body and prepared for the impending attack.

"Water Curtain Blossom!"

Edmund shouted and waved his staff. Countless water droplets splashed out from the crystal and condensed into water curtains in the air, pouring down towards Sten like a waterfall.

The water curtain contains extremely strong impact force, enough to tear steel apart.

Sten did not dare to be careless. He quickly mobilized the life energy in his body and formed a layer of tough energy armor on his body surface.

His body was as hard as steel as he rushed towards the water curtain.

The water curtain hit Sten's body, making a metallic sound, but Sten's footsteps did not stop at all.

There was a hint of surprise in Edmund's eyes. He didn't expect Sten's body training technique to be so powerful.

But he was only slightly surprised and chanted the spell again. This time, his target was the ground under Sten's feet.

"Water prison cage!"

As Edmund's spell was completed, a large amount of water suddenly gushed out from the ground under Sten's feet, quickly condensing into a water prison, trapping Sten inside.

The water in the dungeon was like a living thing, constantly squeezing Sten and trying to suffocate him.

Sten felt his breath catch, but he did not panic.

He took a deep breath, and the body-refining energy in his body burst out again, and the power gushed out like a volcanic eruption.

The water prison began to tremble under his power, and cracks gradually appeared.

But as Edmund once again activated the crystallized mental power in his body, he continued to reinforce the water prison.

"It seems that Sten will not be a match for the opponent." David judged in his heart.

Then, he directly activated the ice element mark in his body, and the terrifying ice power spread out from Sten's body.

Click click click——

A freezing sound was heard, and the water prison was frozen almost instantly!

"This is."

"Ice Wizard, who is that? Come out!"

Edmund looked at this scene and his expression changed slightly. The opponent's icy power could actually freeze his own water prison.

It can be seen that the opponent's strength is not weaker than his own.

David had no intention of hiding. He appeared beside Sten, with a faint chill all over his body.

His appearance made Edmund feel a little pressured. He could feel that the ice power emanating from the ice wizard in front of him was extraordinary.

What frightened Edmund the most was that the person in front of him was just a soul clone.

It's just a soul clone but it's so powerful that he can't judge how strong the other party is!
David had slowly raised his hands at this time. The chill in the air became even thicker, the temperature around him dropped sharply, and even the water vapor in the air began to condense into ice crystals.

"Frozen!"

As his words fell, a powerful cold current spread out with him as the center. The ground was quickly covered with frost, and even the ground under Edmund's feet began to freeze.

Edmund did not dare to be careless. He quickly mobilized the power of water elements in his body to try to resist the invasion of this cold current.

He waved his staff again, and the water elements under his control formed water walls, trying to stop the spread of the cold current.

However, David's ice power was too strong. Once the water wall came into contact with the cold current, it quickly froze and became extremely fragile, turning directly into countless ice crystals.

"How can this be?!"

"The aura of a first-ring gifted witchcraft. Are you a first-ring wizard?!"

Edmund felt the aura emanating from the ice wizard opposite him, and a look of horror appeared on his face.

He never imagined that the soul clone of a first-ring wizard would sneak into this secret realm!
"The first ring of innate witchcraft?" David narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that the other party was talking about his innate mark.

To some extent, the talent mark and the first-ring talent witchcraft are indeed very similar.

David did not respond to Edmund's surprise. He just looked at him coldly with a hint of contempt in his eyes.

He knew that although Edmund's strength was not weak, it seemed insignificant in front of his talent mark.

David's hands continued to remain raised, and his icy power surged towards Edmund like a tide.

Edmund tried to resist with more water elements, but he found that his own strength was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in front of David's icy power and he could not stop it at all.

The frost continued to spread, and Edmund's feet began to freeze, and his movements became slower and slower.

The corners of David's mouth rose slightly, and he mobilized more icy power. He wanted to make Edmund completely lose the ability to resist.

Edmund felt unprecedented pressure, and his water elemental power seemed pale and powerless in front of David's ice power.

He began to regret his underestimation of the enemy, but it was too late now.

He tried to step back, but the frost had spread to his legs, making it difficult for him to move.

David's eyes turned cold, he clasped his hands together, and then pushed them in Edmund's direction.

A huge cold current swept towards Edmund like a strong wind.

Edmund tried to resist with his last bit of strength, but it was all in vain.

The cold wave hit him, freezing his entire body.

Edmund was frozen in the ice, his expression frozen in fear and despair.

The power of the ice element soul can not only freeze the body, but even the soul.

David slowly lowered his hands, the cold air around him began to dissipate, and he looked at the frozen Edmund without a trace of pity in his eyes.

Afterwards, his space soul swept over and directly enveloped the ice sculpture, and put it into his space ring, intending to bring it back to the Bright Continent when the time comes.

"Master, this Edmund should be a member of the slave organization." Sten stepped forward and said.

The other party's goal was too clear, and the only people he had made enemies with recently were from the slave organization, and these people were really lingering around.

David nodded, agreeing with Sten's judgment.

The people from the slave organization are indeed lingering around, and their methods are ruthless and they leave no room for mercy.

Edmund's actions this time undoubtedly proved the slave organization's hostility towards him and their determination to get rid of him at all costs.

David knew clearly that this encounter was just the beginning, and he might face more challenges from the slave organization in the future.

He must always stay vigilant and constantly improve his strength in order to survive in this dangerous world.

David took a deep breath and put his thoughts aside for the moment.

He knew that the most important thing now was to continue exploring this secret realm and searching for possible treasures and secrets.

He said to Sten: "Let's continue to move forward, but be more careful. The slave organization may have other ambushes."

Sten nodded, and the two continued to go deeper into the secret realm.

The two of them collected precious resources around them while going deeper into the secret realm.

Afterwards, the two came to a forest, which was the Black Mist Forest recorded on the stone tablet.

This forest gets its name from the black fog that lingers all year round, and it hides countless secrets and dangers.

David and Sten both knew that the Black Mist Forest was a place full of unknowns, but it was this unknown that stimulated their desire to explore.

They prepared some necessary equipment and supplies, and then stepped into this mysterious forest.

As soon as they entered the Black Fog Forest, David and Sten were surrounded by thick black fog and visibility became extremely low.

The sounds in the forest also became weird, with cries of unknown creatures coming from time to time, which made people shudder.

David's icy power seemed even colder in this forest. He could feel the surrounding water vapor turning into a thin layer of frost because of his power.

Sten followed closely behind David, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, ready to deal with any possible danger at any time.

The two walked through the forest for a long time, and suddenly, they found an open space shrouded in black fog.

In the center of the open space, there is an ancient stone tablet with some strange symbols engraved on it.

David approached the stone tablet and tried to decipher the symbols, and found that the symbols seemed to be an ancient language, recording the secrets of the Black Mist Forest.

After some effort, David finally deciphered the information on the stone tablet.

It turns out that this forest was once the home of a powerful wizard civilization, and the black fog was caused by the destruction of a powerful magic circle.

The purpose of this magic circle is to protect a secret treasure in the forest.

Based on the clues on the stone tablet, David and his companions began to search for the entrance to the treasure in the forest.

"Is this a concealing magic circle?"

David stood in front of the seemingly ordinary open space, his eyes piercing through the black fog and focusing on those invisible energy fluctuations.

His extraordinary perception allowed him to sense the witchcraft energy flowing in the air, and it was clear that this clearing was not as ordinary as it appeared.

David closed his eyes and concentrated his mind. His perception was like an invisible tentacle, gently reaching into the space protected by the concealment array.

He could feel the energy structure of the magic circle, which was complex and exquisite. It not only hid the entrance to the treasure, but also set up multiple traps and protective measures.

David knew that cracking such a magic circle required great patience and precise operation. Any mistake could trigger the trap and even cause the complete collapse of the magic circle.

He took a deep breath and began to carefully analyze every detail of the magic circle.

The complete structure of the magic circle gradually emerged in his mind, and every line and every node were clearly presented in his mind.

David began to try to untie the first node of the magic circle. His fingers moved in the air, as if he was weaving an invisible net.

His movements were fast and steady, and each stroke was precise, as if he already knew every part of the formation.

As time passed, beads of sweat appeared on David's forehead.

Finally, with David's unremitting efforts, the first node of the magic circle was successfully solved.

Then, the second, the third... As each node was unlocked, the energy fluctuations of the magic circle began to become chaotic, and the scene on the open space began to change.

A faint light gradually emerged in the center of the originally ordinary open space, and the light became brighter and brighter, eventually forming a glowing outline.

The outline was an ancient stone door, engraved with mysterious runes and patterns, and was obviously the entrance to a treasure.

David opened his eyes, showing a trace of fatigue, but with a smile on his face.

He stretched out his hand and gently pushed open the stone door. Behind the door was a hidden path.

(End of this chapter)