Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 185 The Pursuit of Andino

Seeing that Richard had already set up the main array patterns for the entire teleportation array, Stephanie couldn't help but feel eager to try it out:

"Master, may I try out the remaining two sub-arrays as well?"

Richard thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

"Okay, give it a try, but don't force yourself."

If Stephena could draw the sub-array patterns of the teleportation array, then that would be perfect. She could then free up her hands to transplant the malevolent spirits and vengeful spirits from the double-eared black bottle into the body of the vengeful spirit abomination, thereby further enhancing the vengeful spirit abomination's combat power.

The combat power of the vengeful spirits differs from that of ordinary vengeful spirits. In addition to the fact that their combat power increases dramatically with their height and size, the number of vengeful spirits deep within the abdominal space that Richard had previously modified is also crucial.

In particular, this time, Richard can transplant at least two malevolent spirits into the body of the vengeful spirit, which will greatly enhance the overall combat power of the vengeful spirit.

Stephena dipped her finger in the ethereal ink and began to carefully draw a small sub-array pattern in the upper right corner of the teleportation array. Richard watched for a while and then nodded slightly.

Previously, he knew that Stephena actually had some talent in witchcraft, although she was far inferior to him, but she was no worse than a third-level wizard apprentice who had studied witchcraft for five or six years.

Currently, although Stephena's magic array cannot be completed in one go, it is still quite skillful, and drawing sub-array patterns is obviously not a problem.

Richard then focused his attention on the two-handled black bottle.

Inside the double-eared black bottle, two large and one small white spirits were wandering and roaring, while a group of faint, almost transparent vengeful spirits trembled beside them. This immediately made Richard's face light up with joy.

It seems that even Gildarts's divided soul, although its total amount of soul is far less than that of a normal first-level wizard, has been successfully transformed into a malevolent spirit.

Needless to say, the souls of Dolores and the Dark Werewolf Chieftain were transformed into two powerful malevolent spirits.

Even Richard, with just a slight sense of it, felt that if he were in the wild and encountered such a powerful and ferocious spirit, it would be quite troublesome.

Spirits are relatively easy to deal with if you know how to use targeted witchcraft or spell arrays to suppress them, but if you are not proficient in targeted witchcraft, they will be very troublesome.

Now Richard has two large and one small evil spirits at his disposal, as well as a host of vengeful spirits. He is confident that even if he were to be besieged by several formal wizards, he could handle the situation in a short time.

At worst, if we let a bunch of vengeful spirits or even malevolent spirits self-destruct, we should have a very high chance of escaping!

Richard began chanting a short incantation, and a huge inverted pentagram magic circle appeared beneath his feet. With a flash of dazzling green light, a massive abomination over three and a half meters tall was summoned, wielding a giant iron axe in one hand and a chain ball in the other.

The summoned vengeful spirit squinted its small eyes and looked around. Finding no enemy, it fixed its gaze on Richard the next second, grinned, revealing a mouthful of rotten yellow teeth, and gave a fawning smile.

Richard couldn't help but smile. It seemed that as he advanced in rank, the intelligence of his corresponding undead summons had increased to some extent.

Richard handed the two-eared black bottle to the Abomination, letting it hold it. He then began chanting a spell, transferring all the evil spirits and vengeful spirits from the bottle to the Abomination's already modified abdomen. Deep within the Abomination's abdomen was a small space inscribed with intricate witchcraft arrays.

Seemingly aware that its master's actions were intended to enhance its combat power, the vengeful spirit showed no resistance whatsoever.

Led by two large and one small malevolent spirits, a group of vengeful spirits surged out of the double-eared black bottle like a tidal wave, rushing towards the small space in the abdomen of the vengeful spirits' hatred.

The entire transfer process was completed in just a few seconds.

Seeing this, Richard's lips couldn't help but curl into an elegant smile.

Now, even if he encounters a seasoned first-level wizard enemy, Richard is confident that he can put up a fight.

It would be best if Gildarts didn't come, but if he dares to come... hmph.

After Richard completed this step, he ordered the vengeful spirits to block the cave entrance as a warning.

The 3.5-meter-tall Abomination stood at the cave entrance, practically filling it to capacity. If Richard hadn't chosen a mountain brown bear cave, the Abomination would probably have been stuck at the entrance.

However, this is also a good thing. It can be said that with the vengeful spirit blocking the way, it would be quite difficult for even a mouse to get in, except for tiny insects like mosquitoes.

-

stronghold.

A flat, open space.

A huge bat, entirely black with a ferocious appearance and sharp, blood-sucking fangs, was lying on the ground. On its back were two hardwood cushions resembling saddles, covered with soft black fur. The bat's upper and lower jaws were also fitted with bridles.

This means that the ferocious beast in front of us has already been tamed and become a rare flying mount.

At this moment, the giant vampire bat was enjoying the caresses of its owner, Andino Neville. Its enormous wing membranes had been retracted, so its wingspan was not visible.

Its face, which closely resembles a rat's head, is squinting and displaying a rather human-like expression, as if to say, "Master, your touch makes me feel very comfortable."

Gildas just found Ondino and talked about the tracking.

"Ondino, let's set off now!"

"Gildas, my bats can't carry the weight of four people. How about you and I go first?" Ondino clearly didn't think that the killer Gildas mentioned needed to send out a whole team.

Firstly, it's because Gildarts himself is weaker than him.

Moreover, the opponent only killed one of Gildarts' clones in the Norman Secret Realm. It is very likely that the opponent was only at the peak of the Apprentice level and then launched a surprise attack on Gildarts' clone.

As for the possibility that the other party was a high-ranking member of the Night Elves who used some kind of secret method to infiltrate the Norman Secret Realm and kill Gildarts, this possibility cannot be ruled out, but it cannot explain why the other party did not leave through the gate of the Night Elf Secret Realm.

Therefore, after listening to Gildas's account, Ondino concluded that Gildas had been careless and had been killed by a sneak attack from one of the three academies' students.

"This..." Gildas pondered for a moment and felt that Andino's suggestion was not unacceptable.

Because Andino, as the squad leader, is the strongest among them, having reached the upper-middle level of a first-level wizard, if he can't defeat the opponent...

Even with two more players, the chances of defeating the opponent are slim.

Of course, the main reason is time!

Since waking up, Gildas could feel the tracking mark moving at high speed. If they didn't ride the giant vampire bat to catch up, Gildas worried that by the time the four of them caught up, the target might have already reached a relatively remote location in the Underdark.

That could lead to many unforeseen problems!

After all, in the Underdark, various monsters and night elf reconnaissance teams emerge one after another, and the further away from the stronghold, the weaker the control of the three academies becomes.

Gildas immediately nodded and said, "Very well, Ondino, let's do as you suggest."

"Don't worry, as long as you avenge me this time, all the enemy's spoils will be yours, and I will also give you that bottle of corrupted blood."

"Hahaha, Gildas, you said it yourself, it's not like I'm taking advantage of you!" Ondino grinned.

It's clear that Ondino is very interested in the conditions offered by Gildas.

The spoils held little appeal for Ondino, since in his mind, the other party was merely an apprentice at the limit who had killed Gildas's clone through a sneak attack.

However, corrupted blood is a rare and valuable substance that further enhances the bile-spitting ability of its inhabitants.

"Gildas, let's set off!"

Gildas and Ondino each leaped lightly onto the back of the crouching giant vampire bat and sat on the cushion, Ondino in front and Gildas behind.

Andino gently flicked the reins, and the giant vampire bat unfurled its exaggerated membranous wingspan, which was at least seven or eight meters wide. With just a few gentle flaps, it stirred up a huge whirlwind, propelling the giant vampire bat into the sky.

Although the giant vampire bat is not fast in flight, it is definitely several times faster than ordinary land mounts. Moreover, it has a great advantage: it is silent.

Unlike typical birds of prey that make significant airflow noise when flapping their wings, giant vampire bats can approach their targets silently by gliding primarily during subsequent flights with just a slight flap of their wings.

This is one of the reasons why Gildass agreed to Ondino's request for the two of them to pursue him in giant vampire bats.

Stealth and surprise!

Suddenly, Richard, inside the cave, felt a sense of foreboding.

Richard had encountered this situation several times during his time as a wizard apprentice, let alone now that he had been promoted to a full wizard. He immediately realized that pursuers were probably approaching.

"Stephena, how much more time do you need?"

"Master, it will take about two more minutes to complete the last array pattern," Stephania said, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead.

When she was watching Richard, she thought the job was relatively easy, but when she did it herself, she found it particularly mentally taxing. Although it wasn't difficult for her, she still needed to concentrate all her energy carefully.

"Okay, hurry up. Once the array pattern is finished, teleport away immediately. I'll be there shortly." Richard said, handing Stephania a high-grade magic stone and several mid-grade magic stones.

These mid-to-high-level magic stones were loot obtained in the Norman Secret Realm when Gildas' werewolf clone was killed.

It's a pity. If Dolores hadn't self-destructed, she probably wouldn't have had fewer mid-to-high-level magic stones than Gildarts.

"Master, are enemies chasing us?" Upon hearing Richard's words, Stephania immediately realized what was happening and asked with a tense expression.

Clearly, Stephania knew that the people who dared to pursue them, whether from the Night Elves or the three academies, were definitely experts with the strength of formal wizards, and that staying behind would not be of much use to her.

"Okay! Don't worry, I can hold them off for two minutes, it shouldn't be a big problem." Richard smiled slightly, which reassured Stephanie a lot.

After Richard finished speaking, he bundled together twenty Fire Dance Stars mixed with twenty packets of Silver Moon Dust, added a trigger device, and buried them underground a few meters away from the teleportation array.

"Watch out, don't step here!" Richard warned.

When Richard returns, he will step on the metal bomb, and two seconds later, the bundle of alchemical bombs will explode violently, destroying the teleportation array and causing the cave to collapse, erasing all traces.

Even if they dig again, the other party won't get any useful information.

Just then, a malevolent warning sound came from the cave entrance, and Richard knew that the enemy had arrived.

Although he didn't know how the enemy had evaded the natural trigger array he had set up, it was clear that this enemy would be difficult to deal with.

Richard cautiously cast a magic armor spell on himself first.

Then, Richard, dressed in a ferocious black bone armor knight outfit and a skull mask, appeared and slowly walked out of the cave.

Only a giant bat lay prostrate on the ground, with two black-robed figures standing beside it, exuding the aura of formal wizards. One of them bore an eight-tenths resemblance to the dark werewolf he had killed in the Norman Secret Realm.

In an instant, Richard understood what was going on, such as how the other party had avoided his Green Vine Warning Formation and how the other party had accurately located him.

Gildas was visibly taken aback when he first saw the man in black armor. Clearly, the other man was a first-level wizard, just like himself, but his aura seemed a bit unstable, perhaps due to an injury or something else.

However, he was only at the first level, which immediately put his mind at ease.

"So you're the one who killed my werewolf clone? Who are you?" The hatred in Gildas's words sent a chill down Richard's spine. This resentment was so intense that it was probably beyond saving, not just a matter of life and death.

Faced with this irreconcilable conflict, Richard was not one to hesitate.

Judging from his aura, Gildarts's aura was obviously unstable, fluctuating wildly. This was most likely because after he killed the werewolf clone, his main soul was also severely injured.

Since that's the case, Richard silently made up his mind that if he had the chance later, he would give Gildas a good beating.

Ideally, you should inflict further damage on them, rendering them unable to track you!

The other person's aura was clearly stronger than Gildas's. Richard felt a chill run down his spine from the aura emanating from him. Not only was his aura much more powerful, but it also carried the scent of blood and fire, indicating that he was a seasoned first-level wizard with rich combat experience.

If it weren't for the fact that the teleportation array was still a little short, Richard would have definitely turned around and left, and would never have considered confronting the other party head-on.

Hopefully, Stephena won't make any mistakes when drawing the last array pattern.

but

Fortunately, he had already transplanted the two large and one small evil spirits into the body of the vengeful spirit, so he still had a fighting chance.

What he needs to do now is to delay as much as possible.

Ondino looked at Richard with considerable surprise. He had thought Richard was just an apprentice at the limit, who had killed Gildas' werewolf clone by sneak attack. He hadn't expected him to actually be a formal wizard.

Moreover, he had never seen the opponent's appearance before, and this defensive magic seemed quite unfamiliar.

However, judging from his breathing, he seems a bit unstable. Could it be that he is still recovering from serious injuries?

The opponent's summoned creature is also an Abomination, but its size... it seems to be a newly promoted Abomination!

This made Andino feel that he had figured out the other party's background.

Upon hearing Gildas's question, Richard knew that he had not been completely exposed.

Clearly, after killing the werewolf clone, Gildarts' soul was imprisoned and transformed into a malevolent spirit. Perhaps for this reason, Gildarts' original self still doesn't know who killed his clone.

Richard lowered his voice, altered his tone, and imitated the deep, middle-aged man's voice, saying, "I come from the continent of Urdt."

Since the goal is to buy time, Richard naturally chooses to avoid taking action if possible.

Chatting with the other person for a while and making up your own background is obviously better than a bloody battle!

"Gildas, stop talking nonsense. Just capture him and ask him, and you'll know everything!" Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Ondino interrupted Richard's long-winded explanation.

At the same time, he waved his short staff, and a huge inverted pentagram magic circle appeared in front of him. After a dazzling green light flashed, an abomination that was much taller and stronger than Richard's vengeful spirit appeared in the center of the magic circle.

It was at least four meters tall, with an even larger belly, but its face was darker, and its whole body emitted a foul stench, several times more pungent than a basket of rotten eggs, completely different from the corpse stench emanating from Richard's vengeful spirit.

Instantly, the two lumps of fat, one large and one small, collided violently. In an instant, the vengeful spirit, which was at a disadvantage in height and size, was overwhelmed and beaten by the bile-spitting creature.

"Judging from your size, you abomination have only recently reached the level of a first-level wizard and are no match for me, a bile-spitting beast."

"If you know what's good for you, surrender and honestly tell me where you're from, and I might spare your life!"

"Victory is assured," Ondino said with a smug look on his face.

Suddenly, a faint fluctuation of spatial energy emanated from within the cave. Ondino's expression changed instantly, and he shouted, "Gildas, they're stalling for time! Attack!"

At this moment, Gildas also clearly sensed that subtle energy fluctuation.

Only then did he realize that he had been tricked by the black-armored man opposite him. All that talk about coming from the continent of Urdt was probably just a hoax. His pale face instantly flushed with anger, and he roared, "You dare trick me? Die!"

"Shadow Bolt!"

"Shadow Bolt!"

Two enormous arrows, one from the left and one from the right, composed of dark elemental energy, shot straight at Richard.

Richard instantly unleashed two mental shocks, two invisible waves that caused ripples in the air and collided with the rapidly approaching Shadow Arrow!

"boom!"

"boom!"

The two Shadow Bolts exploded in mid-air, instantly releasing dark elemental energy!

"Huh! A mental shock?!" This immediately surprised Ondino and Gildas.

The two quickly exchanged a glance and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

It should be noted that those two mental shocks were instantaneous. If they weren't solidified spells from a defensive magical artifact, then they were most likely the opponent's innate magical arts.

However, based on their understanding, none of the three academies had a high-level meditation technique that would generate this kind of first-level mental magic upon advancement.

Judging from the opponent's aura and summoned creatures, the opponent is obviously a shadow-type wizard, or even more likely a necromancer. Could it be that the opponent is really a wizard from the continent of Urdt?

In that case, the fact that the other party infiltrated Norman's Secret Realm and killed his werewolf clone is not so simple.

While the two were still stunned, Richard immediately stopped fighting and flew back towards the cave.

"Oh no, they're trying to escape!"

"Hurry and chase after them! Capture them first, then we'll talk! Quick!"

At this moment, the vengeful spirit that was at a disadvantage suddenly roared, and its huge iron axe collided heavily with the giant blade in the hand of the bile spitter. After being pushed back several meters, a vertical slit instantly split open in the middle of its belly, and two fierce spirits, one large and one small, rushed straight at Gildas, while a group of vengeful spirits rushed towards Ondino.

That's right, there are two evil spirits, one big and one small. Richard kept one and didn't intend to use them all at once.

"A malevolent spirit!!" Gildas's expression changed drastically. His soul was severely injured, and he was most afraid of attacks from malevolent spirits.

"Bone Shield!!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Unexpectedly, the two evil spirits didn't fight him at all, but instead self-destructed.

Gildas cursed inwardly, "Damn, is this how you fight?!"

Clearly, the self-destruction of two fully-fledged wizard-level evil spirits would severely injure even Gildarts in his prime, let alone in the current situation.

This immediately worsened Gildas' already serious injuries!

When Andino defeated the group of vengeful spirits, he saw Gildas lying unconscious to the side.

This enraged him, since his mission to accompany Gildas in the pursuit was a task assigned to him by the High Wizard of Graf.

Unexpectedly, not only was the person not captured, but Gildas's fate was also unknown. Now, even if he goes back, it will be difficult to explain!

"You're dead!" Ondino roared, having been enraged by the other party.

Richard flashed forward, stepping on the pre-installed time-delay fuse. The next second, he was holding the three-headed serpent statue and arrived above the teleportation array.

Just then, Andino arrived at the cave entrance and watched Richard's figure disappear without a trace in a flash of white light.

Enraged, Ondino rushed forward and took a look.

"Huh, it's just a long-distance teleportation array, not a cross-continental teleportation array. I need to study it quickly, because the teleportation array on the other side might be..." Just as he was pondering this.

"boom!"

A deafening roar erupted from inside the cave!

Because the cave was a relatively enclosed environment, and Richard had placed a very heavy alchemical bomb, even the experienced first-level wizard Ondino was seriously injured when caught off guard.

When Andino finally managed to crawl out from the collapsed rubble, his appearance was unrecognizable. His face was ashen, his black wizard robe was mostly torn, and his right leg was broken. He looked utterly miserable!

Clearly, this was a failed manhunt, leaving them humiliated and empty-handed!

"That was a fucking humiliating performance!"

Andino felt like dying!

(End of this chapter)