Spellcasting Gods

If it were to touch a human body, it would undoubtedly be torn to pieces, leaving no trace of the corpse.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng felt his scalp tingle and immediately abandoned his plan to slowly whittle down his opponent with Arcane Missiles. Instead, he began preparing the most powerful and destructive Fireball spell.

Using the distance he had created with Flash, he had enough time to prepare one or two fireballs, so just two or three seconds later, a dazzling burst of fire shot out from his palm.

As a water elemental, Melroyas was undoubtedly very sensitive to fire and immediately sensed the threat, urging the water to surge forward.

But before it had even reached halfway, a blazing fireball flew straight at it and slammed into its face.

boom!

The violent explosion and intense heat completely destroyed parts of the body, including the head and torso.

For an ordinary flesh and blood body, such an injury might be enough to cause immediate death, but for an elemental being, it is no different from an ordinary injury.

In the blink of an eye, the evaporated parts grew back, only smaller in size.

No fear, no pain, no vital parts...

This is why the mere mention of elemental life causes headaches for both the Alliance and the Horde.

Imagine a warrior confidently wielding his blade to decapitate an earth elemental, only to discover that the elemental hasn't fallen and has even shattered his ribs with a fist the size of a sandbag. How interesting would that look on his face?

Unfortunately, this is the situation Zhang Cheng is currently facing.

He must exhaust the energy supporting the water elemental form before he runs out of magic, revealing what is known as the elemental core.

Of course, this is not easy, especially since water does not have a relatively fixed form. Unless a large amount of water that makes up the form evaporates, it is impossible to determine the location of the element's core with the naked eye.

The only saving grace was that he had already set up several traps containing arcane energy in the basement before the summoning.

Before Melroyas could take more than a few steps, he stepped on one of them, and within half a second, dazzling arcane energy formed a cage made of pillars of light.

Although it only took five or six seconds to break free of its restraints with its terrifying water blades, Zhang Cheng used that time to release two large fireballs in succession, which forcibly reduced its originally tall shape to only two meters high.

Moreover, a deep blue substance, resembling a sapphire, flashed by at the center of the torso.

Although the time was very short, Zhang Cheng still managed to catch it keenly, and risking being cleaved in two by the water blade, he flashed forward, swung his arm and plunged it in, unleashing a powerful fire impact.

boom!

With a muffled thud, the dark blue substance flew out and crashed to the ground.

At the same time, the water elemental's body seemed to lose its life force, instantly turning into scattered, splashing water.

"Phew... I did it! I did it!"

Completely disregarding his water-soaked robe, Zhang Cheng excitedly rushed over to pick up the elemental core called the Pure Water Sphere, then placed it next to a crystal-clear Soul Diamond, loudly chanting the incantation needed for the imprisonment ritual.

Under his guidance, the markings on the ground slowly emitted a pale purple light. After a short while, the sphere of pure water shattered with a snap, and a translucent water elemental soul floated out from within, eventually being absorbed into the jewel...

Chapter 0039 Taming the Elements (Part 2)

Feeling the icy touch emanating from the jewel, Zhang Cheng realized that Melroyas's soul was imprisoned inside, and that it occasionally erupted with fierce resistance, trying to break through the barrier and return to the elemental world.

Unfortunately, now only a soul, it was powerless against the dense protective runes covering the surface of the jewel. After several attempts, it stopped struggling and waited for its two furious eyes to roar through the mental connection: "Mortal! You have no idea what you have done! If Duke Hydraxis knew that you had imprisoned his warriors by despicable means, he would order all the Hydraxian water elementals to hunt you down until the end of time."

“I agree with you. But the question is, do you think I’ll let him know?” Zhang Cheng smiled and shrugged nonchalantly.

Undoubtedly, he was in a very good mood after successfully imprisoning the water element on his first attempt.

He didn't care whether it would lead to hostility with the water elementals of Hydashia.

"What exactly is your purpose?" Seeing that his threats had no effect, Melroyas suppressed his temper and coldly questioned him.

Zhang Cheng pursed his lips and replied with a slightly contemptuous tone, "Purpose? My purpose is simple: to become your master. And you will become my most loyal..."

Before he could finish speaking, Melroyas roared wildly, "You're dreaming! I, the great water elemental warrior, will never bow down to mortals!"

"Hehe, sorry, that's probably not up to you."

After giving a meaningful smile, Zhang Cheng placed the Soul Diamond in a silver box engraved with mysterious symbols, gently closed the lid, then casually found a place to sit down and picked up "The Herb Cultivation Guide" to read it with great interest.

About half an hour later, he tossed the book aside, opened the box, took out the Soul Diamond, and asked in a completely emotionless tone, "Melroyas, tell me, have you changed your mind?"

"Yes, great master, I am your most loyal and reliable servant." The hollow and emotionless voice of the water elemental echoed in his mind.

There was no anger, no resistance, and no furious roars; there was only subservience and obedience.

Those who don't know the reason would probably find it hard to imagine why Melroyas, who had maintained an arrogant attitude not long ago, would suddenly become like this.

The answer is simple: the small silver box is actually a magical item that forcibly weaves memories through illusions and mental stimulation, ultimately achieving the goal of making the elemental souls obey its will.

As the magical city of Dalaran, it has long mastered a series of methods to control the elements. Not to mention a mere water elemental warrior, even if Duke Hydraxia himself came, he would not escape the fate of being enslaved.

Seeing that the brainwashing was successful, Zhang Cheng immediately used his remaining magic power to summon the elemental soul imprisoned in the jewel.

With the sound of water splashing, Melroyas appeared before him once again.

This time, however, the massive water elemental did not make any attack, remaining quietly in place, seemingly waiting for orders.

"Is this what it feels like to gain power and control your destiny? No wonder so many mages lose themselves in the pursuit of great power. This addictive feeling is truly indescribable..." Zhang Cheng squinted and couldn't help but sigh.

It's important to understand that summoning and controlling elements doesn't just mean an increase in combat power, but also an increase in the mage's overall strength.

The instant he completed the summoning, he gained two more talent points and learned how to "create mana onyx".

This means that, according to the game's standards, his mage level has increased from level 26 to level 28, and both his maximum magic power and the power of his spells have been comprehensively enhanced.

After immersing himself in the wondrous sensation for a few minutes, Zhang Cheng immediately forced himself to come to his senses. While using the ubiquitous magical nodes in Dalaran to restore his mana, he took out the scalding essence of fire, preparing to imprison the next elemental soul.

With Melroyas's help and the advantage of his own frost talent, he believed that defeating a fire elemental of similar strength would not be difficult.

Before the summoning ritual could even begin, he heard a knock on the door upstairs, followed by Jenny's voice coming through the crack in the door: "Sir! Mage! Someone is looking for you!"

"Looking for me? Who is it?" Zhang Cheng was slightly taken aback, then quickly asked loudly.

“One is Garrick, whom you know, and the other is his friend Frank,” the girl answered truthfully.

"Garrick and Frank?"

Zhang Cheng suddenly had a bad feeling. He quickly put away the Flame Essence, canceled the summoning of the Water Elemental, grabbed the Soul Diamond and stuffed it into his pocket, then opened the door and walked out of the basement.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold into the living room, he saw two young men pacing back and forth anxiously. Frank, in particular, looked travel-worn, his eyes revealing his exhaustion and anxiety, and his arm was wrapped in bandages, suggesting he was injured.

"What's going on? What happened?" Zhang Cheng frowned instinctively.

“By the Holy Light! Sir Mage! I’ve seen you! Please, please find a way to save us. Since you left, those damned undead have surrounded the town from all sides, relentlessly hurling plague into it. In just a few days, all our cats, dogs, pigs, horses, chickens, and ducks have turned into man-eating monsters. In the last few days, some people have also shown similar symptoms. I’m afraid… I’m afraid the Stratholme tragedy is repeating itself in our town!” Frank was clearly very agitated, describing the events rapidly and incoherently.

"Throwing plague? Have you told the archmages about this?" Zhang Cheng's face instantly turned gloomy.

Of course, he wasn't worried about the lives of the farmers in the town, but rather whether his mission rewards would be reduced as a result.

Garrick shook his head with a wry smile: "Your Excellency, we are just militiamen with no status or position. How could we possibly have the opportunity to meet the Archmage? The reason we came to see you as soon as possible is to ask you to deliver this message to the Kirin Tor Council."

"Damn it! What are you waiting for? Follow me, I'll take you straight to see Archmage Ansrem Ruinvivor."

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Zhang Cheng didn't even change out of his wet robe. Leaning on his flint staff, he rushed out of the house and headed towards the tower in the center.

Although he wasn't sure whether the Forsaken were trying to silence him or test the plague's power, one thing was certain: if he didn't act quickly, the town would soon become a monster-infested wasteland...

Chapter 0040 The True Face of the Plague

After navigating the still-expanding streets, Zhang Cheng, accompanied by two young men, quickly arrived at the entrance to the tower. He addressed the towering arcane golems guarding either side, stating directly, "I need to see the Archmage! Immediately! Right now!"

A flash of light appeared on the puppet's head, as if it were communicating with someone. After about a minute, it responded in a metallic voice: "The master agrees to see you, but only on your own, not including the two attendants behind you."

“Okay, I understand.” Zhang Cheng nodded slightly, turned around and said to Garrick and Frank, “Don’t go anywhere, just wait for me here.”

“Understood! In fact, we have nowhere else to go right now. According to the messenger’s report, Southshore seems to be harassed by a terrible necromancer and has no energy left to attend to anything else, so Dalaran is the town’s only hope.” After saying this, an expression of near despair appeared on Frank’s face.

He couldn't think of anything else he could do if his request for help failed.

Perhaps rushing back to fight alongside family and friends to the death, until being killed or infected with the plague and turned into a monster, is a good option...

Sensing the inner turmoil of the two young men, Zhang Cheng patted them on the shoulder in comfort, said nothing, turned and stepped over the threshold, disappearing into the corridor.

Unlike the previous time when he jumped directly from the top of the tower, this time he climbed more than two hundred steps in one go before finally entering the alchemy laboratory on the top floor, panting heavily.

Before he could even utter a greeting, Ansrem Ruinvivor, standing in front of the workbench, called out without turning his head, "Ah, you've finally appeared. Come here, I have something interesting to show you."

"Something interesting?" Zhang Cheng blinked in confusion.

“Yes! Something interesting! Remember those plague samples you brought back? I did some small tests in my spare time. Guess what I found?” The archmage said, picking up the wooden cage that was placed on the table.

Inside, there was a large, black rat with fierce eyes.

Unlike most mice, it seemed neither afraid nor aggressive, simply staying quietly in its cage.

Zhang Cheng walked closer, bent down to examine it carefully for a while, and asked somewhat uncertainly, "This rat seems a little strange? Have you done anything to it?"

“Haha! That’s right! I extracted a special ingredient from those magical plagues that can significantly improve the intelligence of animals and strengthen their muscle tissue. Of course, the side effects are also considerable. Judging by the time, it should be about time.” Ansrem Ruinvivor looked up and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

The words had barely left his mouth!

The rat's body suddenly began to swell rapidly, bursting through the cage in less than half a minute, transforming from the size of an adult cat into the size of a fierce dog.

Even more terrifying, its fur had all fallen out for some unknown reason, revealing a bloody, mangled skin, just like the horrific plague dogs of the Plaguelands, and it was emitting a low growl.

Damn it!

Zhang Cheng cursed under his breath and quickly took several steps back. He didn't want to experience the consequences of being bitten.

However, his worries were obviously unnecessary. Just as the rat was about to launch an attack, countless energy orbs drew graceful arcs in the air and struck the target all at once, instantly blasting it to pieces. Even the hard marble floor, which had been reinforced by magic, was blasted with countless small craters.

As one of the few archmages in Dalaran, how could Ansrem Ruinvivol allow a mutated rat to run rampant on his territory?

Staring at the dark red, viscous substance on the ground, Zhang Cheng's lips twitched involuntarily.

Even though it's the same basic Arcane Missiles, the power the opponent unleashed was at least a hundred times stronger than his. No wonder he dared to return with just over three thousand men and rebuild Dalaran right under the nose of the Dark Queen Sylvanas.

It's important to know that Undercity is only separated from Dalaran by Lake Lordamere. The Forsaken can reach it by water in just over thirty hours, while the Alliance reinforcements would have to cross the ocean and land in Southshore, and then march for several days and nights to get there.

Without a doubt, this is the confidence and strength that comes with power.

"Well, have you figured anything out?" Ansrem Ruinvivor looked up and asked with a half-smile.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Zhang Cheng frowned and replied, "The substance you just mentioned seems to have overdrawn the mouse's potential, and I think it has also given it some characteristics of other animals."

"Commendable keen observation!"

The archmage nodded approvingly, then picked up a small vial of plague sample and sighed in a deep voice, "I must admit, the Royal Apothecary Society of the Forsaken is indeed a remarkable organization. They have actually invented a technology that can fuse the characteristics of many animals."

Whether it's a human or an animal, once infected, it will immediately begin to undergo tremendous changes within its body, even mutating from one organism to another.