Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

"Currently, the Crimson's main force is pressing hard on 'Falling Star Plains,' so we still have time to retreat," Barrett said in a distressed voice.

Warren's news was like a thunderbolt, silencing the entire camp and plunging it into immense panic.

A crushing defeat at the front!

The loss of two key nodes means that the "Furnace" logistics base has instantly transformed from a second-line to the front line!

Sterling and Eleanor looked extremely grim. Without any hesitation, they hissed out the order:

"Order! All personnel prepare immediately, abandon the 'Forge' camp, take all supplies, and retreat to the 'Gray Rock Fortress' rendezvous point! Quickly!"

The entire camp instantly went from celebrating last night's victory to utter chaos.

Shouts, cries, and the clanging of supplies being moved filled the air.

Ian had already sensed something was wrong with his Sky Eyes the moment the two wizards flew into the camp area.

He quickly gathered his essential items, his face darkening.

He touched the dimensional ring on his chest, but felt no sense of unease.

He's so rich! And his promotions are so fast!

In this chaotic retreat where order collapsed and everyone was in danger, he was like a child carrying a gold brick, stumbling along among the refugees.

Once the camp is disbanded and the original order is gone, countless greedy and vicious eyes will be drawn to his wealth and secrets on the long road to "Gray Rock Fortress".

Not only the people in the camp, but also the deserters who fled from the front lines, wizards from other families, and even... some high-ranking officials with ulterior motives.

On a chaotic escape route, anything can happen.

Ian took a deep breath, his eyes regaining their sharpness and calm.

He glanced at the chaotic camp, then looked in the direction the Crimson Court might pursue, and finally turned his gaze to the north, where the retreat route lay shrouded in uncertainty.

"Gray Rock Fortress..." he murmured the name.

He got up and went out, heading towards Hank's team, which was already mostly organized.

Just as I stepped outside, Sterling's voice came from above.

"Ian, you stay close to me and don't wander off!"

Ian paused, his mind racing with countless thoughts.

He looked up, and their eyes met in mid-air.

He could clearly sense the undisguised malice emanating from Sterling!

"It seems he saw through my disguise long ago; he's not Alivia's student at all!"

Since Ian's arrival, the most serious life-or-death crisis has loomed over him!

After a moment of silence, he bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Wizard Sterling."

Suddenly, three extremely powerful auras appeared in the vision of the "Eye of Vigilance" high in the sky, rapidly approaching the camp.

"Hahaha! Sterling, I told you last night we'd be back soon!"

From mid-air, Sares's wild laughter echoed, causing chaos in the camp.

They no longer cared about packing their things; their expressions were filled with fear, and they hurriedly looked up at the sky.

Before Sares' laughter had even faded, three powerful auras descended upon the outskirts of the "Furnace" camp.

Besides "Blood Blade" Sares and "Shadow Warrior" Phantom, there was also an old man with a gaunt face, wearing a dark red robe with gold trim.

There were no violent magical fluctuations around him, but all the wizards could sense that his spiritual power had been condensed and materialized.

This person was none other than Murphy Davis, the first-level peak wizard of the Crimson Court—the "Liquefaction" wizard.

"Sterling, you managed to hold out last time, but let's see where you run this time!"

Sares grinned maliciously, blocking their path from the left and right with Phantom.

Murphy merely glanced at the camp, his gaze settling on the heavily injured Warren and Barrett, and his withered fingers tapped lightly.

"Blood Erosion!" A thin line of blood shot out silently, incredibly fast.

Barrett was left with only half his body; his shield had just lit up when it was pierced by the health bar.

Immediately afterwards, his entire body melted like a wax figure, turning into a pool of filthy blood without even uttering a scream.

Warren was horrified and turned to flee, but was struck in the back by a bloody blade from Sares and fell to the ground with a scream.

"You are... a liquefaction wizard!" Sterling's pupils constricted as he exclaimed in surprise.

Then, without hesitation, he took out the dark gold [Heart of Lava] potion again and gulped it down.

As the medicine entered his throat, his aura surged once more, and his skin cracked, emitting flames like magma.

He roared and charged at Murphy, trying to stop him for a moment.

Eleanor gritted her teeth and swung her staff, unleashing a barrage of ice spikes at Sares and the Phantom, but the two easily blocked them.

"A desperate struggle!" Murphy's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if he had a mouthful of phlegm stuck in his mouth.

As he raised his hand, a crimson ripple spread out, easily catching Sterling's desperate attack.

Meanwhile, Sares and Phantom, grinning maliciously, chased after Eleanor and Warren, who were fighting and retreating.

The camp below was in complete chaos. Of the four wizards in the camp, one was dead, two escaped, and one was locked in combat. The apprentices' last line of defense collapsed.

"Run!" someone shouted, and hundreds of apprentices and servants scattered like ants in a pot, abandoning their supplies and fleeing in all directions toward "Gray Rock Fortress".

The Crimson Royal Court's pursuit force had already poured out of the canyon. Nearly thirty advanced apprentices, leading dozens of intermediate apprentices, began their indiscriminate slaughter like wolves among sheep.

Screams, wails, and the roar of witchcraft echoed through the canyon, turning the retreat route into a bloody slaughterhouse in an instant.

Ian made his decision the instant Murphy appeared and Barrett died.

He didn't rejoin Hank's team, but quickly changed into a gray robe.

Pushing the advanced apprentice's speed and powerful physique to the limit, he burst through the gap like a gray afterimage, following the chaotic flow of people.

He dared not head north along the main retreat route, which would inevitably be a target for snipers, and instead turned northeast.

Using the rugged, rocky terrain, they made every effort to stay away from the center of the battlefield.

After running for more than ten miles, the noise and explosions from the camp behind them gradually faded into the distance.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to change direction and detour north, [Vigilant Eye] spotted nine figures behind a rocky ridge ahead.

Dressed in crimson royal court attire, they were making a leisurely march toward the camp, seemingly on a flanking maneuver.

The leader stood out; he was very young, looking no more than twenty years old.

His face was so handsome it was almost otherworldly, with long, dark red hair casually draped over his shoulders, a golden headband tied around his head, and a cynical smile playing on his lips.

His attire was also different from others; he wore a magnificent wizard's robe with gold trim and had a disdainful look in his eyes.

This man is Mitchell Davis, the grandson of Murphy Davis.

"Leon, are you sure there are any fish that slip through the net on this road? Don't waste my time trying to earn military merit."

Mitchell's voice was tinged with impatience and arrogance.

Beside him stood Leon Osborn, a reconnaissance member of the "Furnace" camp who had been missing for a long time.

At this moment, Leon was bowing, his face full of flattery and humility.

"Young Master Mitchell, I swear on my life that the largest number of Shadowmoon apprentices fled from this direction, and... and the potion master I reported to you about is very likely to have also fled in this direction."

"Oh? Is that the kid who concocts the [Rock Bear Potion] and whose advancement speed is so bizarre?"

Mitchell's interest was piqued, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. "His secret might be more valuable than killing a dozen senior apprentices."

Just then, Ian's figure was also spotted by their forwards.

"There!" a Crimson Apprentice pointed in Ian's direction.