End of the Magic Era

On the way, Beta understood and followed behind Xiuban like a well-behaved little brother. Lin Yun didn’t care much about that guy, and someone so cowardly was sure to end up under someone’s control.

They were approaching the ruins Beta mentioned when something happened.

Cries of Wyverns could be heard in the sky. In the distance, over a hundred Wyverns were flying in the sky, and he could also faintly feel some vibrations coming from the earth. That was the sign that many Kodos were walking.

And the Wyverns were flying in the same direction that everyone was going towards.

Beta climbed on a tree trunk and glanced at it before falling down with an exclamation.

“Over, it’s over, It’s Lodney! Lodney came!”

Under the cover of a tree, Beta was acting as if he was possessed, trembling all over.

“What’s the matter?” Lin Yun asked with a frown.

Beta crawled up from the ground, clearly terrified. “Respected Sir Merlin, we… We should hurry up and escape… Oh, no… By all means, don’t run into Lodney, he is very troublesome…”

Lin Yun frowned, but didn’t speak. Beta panicked and immediately tried harder to persuade him. “Respected Sir Merlin, this Lodney is very scary, he is one of the three Warlords of the Ash Beastman Tribe, and he is the most brutal one. He was a peak 8th Rank Arch-Warlock, and I heard that he recently advanced to the 9th Rank and signed a contract with a level 38 Abyssal lifeform.

“It was said that it was a true Abyssal Demon covered in flames that stood several dozen meters tall, I even heard that just standing in front of it would burn people to death! And, and, I also heard that when Lodney encountered a level 38 Three-Headed Python, he laughed and said he discovered some new delicacies for his partner.

“That Three-Headed Python was over a hundred meters long! This is too terrifying, but then Lodney summoned that Abyssal Demon, and before the Abyssal Demon could do anything, the Three-Headed Python coiled around it. But the Abyssal Demon was too powerful, without even making move and just by relying on the flames on his body, he cooked that Three-Headed Python… That’s a level 38 Three-Headed Python! It can even swallow Kodos alive! But it was easily cooked and eaten by that Abyssal Demon…

“That’s not all, I heard once Lodney hunted down an Elder of the Dark Elven Race! Although Dark Elves aren’t much in terms of strength, their Elders are very troublesome. I heard that this Elder had some Ultimate Spell so powerful that he could cast it and instantly get rid of an army the size of my former army.

“But that Elder was chased by Lodney and killed at the entrance of the Dark Elven Clan’s gates. He ultimately was attacked by several Dark Elven Elders, yet he managed to escape without injury while easily destroying the Dark Elves’ Ancient War Tree!”

Lin Yun threw a glance at Elsa after hearing Beta’s torrent of words, which Elsa answered with a calm nod.

Lin Yun frowned, clearly not expecting this. A group of several Dark Elven Elders together was a pretty strong line-up. The 2nd and 3rd Elders were both 9th Rank Archmages, while the 4th Elder was at the peak of the 8th Rank, and she was even far ahead of the 2nd Elder when it came to Ultimate Spells, not to mention the Great Elder who was a step away from the Heaven Rank…

Lodney killing in front of the Elven Clan and still managing to escape showed that he was clearly very powerful.

Beta was talking very energetically, but then he suddenly remembered that Elsa was a Dark Elf, so he immediately changed the topic. “Lodney is too powerful, the other two Warlords of the Dark Elven Clan don’t even want to fight him. He often doesn’t listen to the Tribal Chief’s orders, either. This isn’t just because he is overpowered, it’s also because of Lodney’s subordinates.

“Lodney’s subordinates are very powerful, he has over a hundred Flying Riders, and their Wyverns are at least level 33. These riders are all Sword Saints, and he also has over a hundred powerful Demon Arch-Warlocks who had all signed contracts with Abyssal lifeforms.

“Even the slaves, the minimum requirement for Lodney’s Beastman Slaves was level 25, no lower. He also has the tribe’s most powerful Kodo, a level 38 Kodo. I heard that this Kodo can swallow magic beasts on the same level, and is carrying the most powerful war drums of the tribe…”

Beta was drooling as he said all that with anxiety visible on his face and his legs trembling. He was afraid of being found out by Lodney, because with Lodney’s vicious nature, he would definitely slice him to pieces. He couldn’t go over, so he could only hold Merlin’s thigh for now.

Lin Yun frowned. Even if Beta was exaggerating, it wouldn’t be by too much.

Elsa was worried and softly said, “Merlin, we should stay away. Each of the three Warlords can be compared to one of our Clan’s Elders. And this Lodney is extremely ruthless and powerful, he has over a hundred Flying Riders and the subordinates he brought are powerful, we might not be able to contend with them.”

Enderfa also nodded. “Fighting those Beastman isn’t necessary, we would only waste our strength and time. These Beastmen are mad dogs that will bite whoever they see, not letting go until their last breath. We should avoid them.”

Lin Yun raised his head to look at the sky and frowned. “They noticed this place.”

He had just sensed two Wyverns flying over from a distance.

“It’s over, it’s over, the Flame Dragon Warlord definitely discovered us, we are dead… We are truly dead…” Beta fell to the ground, fear plastered on his face.

Enderfa inched closer to Lin Yun, looking quite serious. “Merlin, what should we do? These Ash Beastmen aren’t weak, a frontal battle will be very troublesome…”

Lin Yun slightly frowned. He looked at the despairing Beta and then threw a potion bottle at Xiuban.

“Xiuban, make him drink that, nothing can be left in the bottle.”

Xiuban caught the bottle and picked up Beta with a nasty grin before forcing his mouth open to pour the seemingly terrible potion into his mouth.

The black potion was emitting a strong, pungent smell, making everyone who smelled it want to throw up. Beta was extremely frightened, and he kept struggling, but there was no use. Xiuban was firmly keeping his mouth open.

Xiuban cautiously and solemnly poured all of the potion into Beta’s mouth, not spilling a single drop. After he was done, Xiuban saw that there was a bit of liquid stuck inside, so he directly broke the glass and made Beta eat the shards.

Beta had a nauseated expression, his eyes filled with fear. He wanted to shout, but he couldn’t, as Xiuban was firmly covering his mouth.

After a while, Beta looked at Lin Yun with fear. “Respected Sir Merlin, what… What did you make me drink?”

Lin Yun didn’t answer, but Enderfa floated over. His three faces looking at Beta as if he was a lamb ready to be slaughtered while he cracked a joke. “Fool, Merlin is a formidable alchemist. Could it be that you don’t know? Who wouldn’t want to drink an alchemist’s potion? Moreover, Merlin is a formidable Artisan. What do you think you drank?”

Beta was almost scared into pissing his pants when he heard that. The Ash Beastman Tribe had no potions. The best medicines were some low-level goods made by the tribe’s Prophets, and they came with severe side effects. Alchemists were only mentioned in legends that spread long ago.

In the legends, the most powerful alchemists were Artisans, and the potions they made could double someone’s strength. Moreover, there were even potions that could make someone advance to the Sword Saint realm and potions that could alter someone’s gifts. Anything one could think about could be made by the alchemists.

Some alchemists could make powerful arrays and resist an army on their own. Beta wasn’t convinced before until his army was annihilated by these powerful arrays. Only then did he believe in the legends.

He had known that Merlin was a powerful alchemist, but he hadn’t expected Merlin to not only be an Artisan, but also be proficient in potioneering!

“Respected Sir Merlin, Beta is your most sincere servant, I absolutely won’t betray you. Please… Don’t kill me…”

Beta was so scared he felt his heart about to jump out of his chest. That potion was as nauseating as a Kodo’s stool, it was definitely highly toxic!

Lin Yun emotionlessly glanced at the weeping Beta. “If those Beastmen discover us because of your weeping, you’ll be the first to die.”

Hearing this, Beta instantly covered his mouth, pleading with his eyes while continuously kowtowing towards Lin Yun.

“This bottle has been prepared with great difficulty. It is called Intestine Severing. Using it on you is a waste… If you swallow just one mouthful, your intestines will start rotting little by little in three days, and your body will start rotting from the inside. Given the constitution of Beastmen, you’ll survive for at least a month. Do note that when your final internal organs rot away, they will burst out of your chest and you’ll die…

“You swallowed an entire bottle, so if you don’t take the antidote within half a day, your intestines will start rotting, and within a week, your internal organs will be completely rotten. You’ll suffer horribly until your death.”

Let alone Beta, even Xiuban’s face turned white.

The cowardly Beta was a bit smarter than Xiuban, and when he heard that, he knelt with loyalty.

“Respected Sir Merlin, rest assured, your loyal servant won’t betray you. Tell me what you wish of me and I shall do it.”

Lin Yun nodded.

“Go and take care of those Ash Beastmen, don’t make them discover us. If they find us, you’ll definitely be the first to die, and miserably at that. Truth be told, there is no one in the entire God Nation that can remove this poison. No one could compound an antidote before your death. Even I spent five days compounding the antidote.”