The Synthesis Wizard

From the crimson light earlier, Sunan sensed a distinct wave of energy particles. With this realization, he turned back to where he had slain the Troodons to inspect the corpses on the ground.

As expected, the soul aura of these Troodons had completely dissipated.

It's normal for a creature's soul to dissipate after death, but it usually takes some time and doesn't happen instantaneously.

Yet, mere minutes after the Troodons' death, no trace of their souls remained—a phenomenon that was far from natural.

Rather than dissipating, it seemed as though their souls had been extracted.

Additionally, the Troodons' bodies appeared visibly shrunken, as if drained of their essence.

"So, that crimson light was formed from the Troodons' souls and physical essence."

Sunan pondered this, glancing in the direction the crimson light had vanished. He had a plan forming in his mind.

He continued in the direction the light had disappeared, collecting materials along the way and searching for more sub-dragons.

The ecological park held many sub-dragons, and soon he encountered a Spiny Back Wyvern.

The Spiny Back Wyvern was a legendary-tier sub-dragon species, with adult specimens possessing first-circle legendary combat prowess.

However, it posed no threat to Sunan.

Without even employing his magic tattoos, he easily defeated the Spiny Back Wyvern using only spells.

After collecting materials from the wyvern, Sunan patiently waited for a minute. As expected, a faint blood glow emerged from the corpse, forming a crimson streak that darted off into the distance.

The direction was precisely the same as the first blood light.

This time, prepared, Sunan activated the high-grade Rune Stone in his palm. Enveloped in a cyan glow, he chased after the crimson light like the wind.

However, the speed of the crimson light was astonishing. Even with the Rune Stone, Sunan could barely keep pace, unable to prevent it from slipping away.

When the Rune Stone's energy was exhausted, he was forced to stop, watching helplessly as the light vanished beyond the horizon.

Sighing, Sunan wasn't overly concerned.

He knew how the crimson light appeared now—worst case, he could slay more sub-dragons to trace its destination.

"Speaking of which, this ecological park is unexpectedly vast."

Sunan had traveled a direct path of at least twenty kilometers, yet the park's end was nowhere in sight, indicating its immense size.

With a hypothesis in mind, Sunan didn't rush to locate the light's endpoint. Instead, he explored in its direction, collecting materials and observing the surroundings.

When he felt it was time, he would kill a sub-dragon and adjust his exploration path based on the light's direction.

As he ventured deeper, the number of sub-dragons he encountered increased.

Far among the trees, Forest Drakes ambled, occasionally raising their leaf-scaled necks to nibble leaves.

High above, flocks of Pterosaurs soared, their cries echoing loudly.

In the distance, he could see vast lakes and cascading waterfalls, with aquatic sub-dragons occasionally surfacing, their bright blue scales glinting in the sunlight.

Sunan was increasingly awed.

This ecological park was practically a living encyclopedia of sub-dragon species.

Already, he had identified at least a hundred species.

If he could gain control of this park, he would never lack dragon's blood.

He could even select suitable sub-dragons to form a dragon knight army.

The mere thought filled Sunan with excitement.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous crash cut through Sunan's thoughts.

His eyes flickered as he flew towards the source of the sound.

The closer he got, the louder and clearer the noise became, resembling the sounds of a battle.

Soon, after passing a few towering trees, he arrived at a vast lake.

Above the shimmering water, three figures were locked in fierce combat.

The battle was two against one.

On the side with greater numbers were a figure in black robes and another in gray robes.

The figure in black robes was short, only reaching the waist of an average adult male, resembling a gnome.

From beneath his robes, over a dozen pitch-black tentacles emerged, tapering from thin to thick, each over a hundred meters long and as wide as a barrel at the tips, ending in a maw filled with sharp teeth—a terrifying sight.

Even more startling, though he wore no mask, the space beneath his hood was pitch-black, with only two crimson points gleaming where his eyes should have been.

In stark contrast, the gray-robed figure was corpulent.

His robe hung open, revealing a maw spanning his entire chest and abdomen, filled with sharp, needle-like teeth, with traces of blood and flesh between them.

Their opponent was a man with an unremarkable face but rare green eyes.

He wielded a branch exuding a gentle green light, forming a translucent, light-green shield around him.

It was this shield that allowed him to withstand their combined assault.

Sunan watched for a moment, confirming that all three were third-level wizard apprentices.

The gray-robed figure had clearly pursued a path of biological augmentation, with the maw likely originating from some beast, occasionally regurgitating a mass of flesh that morphed into a bald, grotesque bird, screeching as it attacked the green-eyed man.

As for the black-robed figure, Sunan was unsure.

His appearance suggested a path of partial shadow transformation.

Some wizards, in pursuit of power or longevity, infused their bodies with shadow energy, transforming themselves to wield shadow powers.

While apprentices couldn't fully transform into shadows, partial transformation was possible.

The black tentacles he wielded resembled shadow tendrils.

He might have merged with the bloodline of a strange shadow creature.

Regardless, the power displayed by the black and gray-robed figures was at the level of a third-circle legend, placing them among the upper ranks of third-level apprentices.

Such apprentices were rare, and Sunan was curious about their origins.

He recalled no intelligence reports matching them.

As for the green-eyed man's identity, Sunan had no clue either.

In terms of power, the green-eyed man was on par with the other two but struggled against their combined might.

At that moment, the black-robed figure, frustrated by the stalemate, spoke in a voice as sharp as an adolescent's.

"Traveler!"

"Stop struggling. Hand over the Azure Spirit Branch, and I'll spare your life."

Traveler!

Sunan was taken aback, looking at the green-eyed man with surprise.

Could he be the Traveler?

The last member to join the Forest Cabin, who hadn't been seen since?

"Most likely, yes. I heard from Evans that he encountered the Traveler in the underground world."

Sunan couldn't help but grin.

He had hoped to meet the Traveler, but not under these circumstances.

In response to the black-robed figure's offer, the Traveler chuckled and said:

"Save your breath, Black Hand. Everyone knows how worthless the Immortals' promises are. Only a fool would trust you."

Black Hand replied coldly, "I can swear an oath."

"Heh, I don't trust the Immortals' credibility. Who knows if you'd tamper with the oath? How about this: you sign a soul contract to become my follower, and I'll give you the Azure Spirit Branch."

"You court death!" Black Hand's voice turned icily hostile.

The Traveler remained unfazed, grinning, "No need to get excited. You want the Azure Spirit Branch so desperately, chasing me for over a year, which means your bloodline rejection must be severe, right?"

"If I destroy the Azure Spirit Branch here, can you last until you find another solution to your bloodline rejection?"

As the Traveler spoke, the crimson glows within Black Hand's hood flickered more intensely, betraying his unrest.

Had he not feared the Traveler might destroy the branch in desperation, Black Hand and Bloodmouth would have already killed him!

That damned bastard!

Seething, Black Hand's voice revealed none of his inner turmoil as he coolly asked, "What do you want?"

"How about this," the Traveler proposed leisurely. "Let me leave first. Once I'm safe, I'll place the Azure Spirit Branch somewhere and send you the location via crystal message."

"How do I know you won't run?"

"I can swear an oath."

After a moment's hesitation, Black Hand exchanged a glance with Bloodmouth, signaling him to block the Traveler's retreat, and then said:

"Fine, let's swear the oath now."

The Traveler calmly recited the oath conditions.

Black Hand coldly interrupted, "No tricks. Add time limits and specific safe distances."

Oaths needed specificity, detailing every aspect to avoid loopholes.

Demons were experts at exploiting such gaps, having cost many their wealth, freedom, and even souls.

The Traveler, unbothered, repeated the oath but omitted the branch's name, using 'item' instead.

"Are you mocking me?" Black Hand's voice turned frigid, suddenly realizing, "You're stalling!"

The Traveler smirked, "Just now realizing? Too late!"

As he spoke, the lake beneath them erupted violently.

Amidst the cascading spray, over a dozen massive shadows surged toward Black Hand and Bloodmouth.

Black Hand instantly recognized the shadows: serpentine necks ending in reptilian heads, each over a hundred meters long.

"A Multi-Necked Dragon!"

Black Hand was startled.

This was a high-tier sub-dragon, nearly at the fourth-circle legendary level!

"Roar!"

Amidst the deafening roars, the blood-red maws lunged at Black Hand and Bloodmouth.

Frantically dodging, Black Hand caught a glimpse of the Traveler escaping, and, panicking, tried to pursue, only to be intercepted by a neck, leaving him both shocked and furious.

Clearly, the Traveler had lured the Multi-Necked Dragon here, feigning surrender to buy time.

He must possess something to avoid the dragon's hostility.

"Damn him!"

Furious yet helpless, Black Hand could do nothing.

The lake was the Multi-Necked Dragon's domain, making escape difficult.

He could only watch as the Traveler vanished into the horizon.

"Ah!!"

Black Hand's roar of frustration echoed over the lake.

Half an hour later, the Traveler reached a nearby canyon and dug a tunnel deep into the mountain.

After concealing his tracks and setting up a few alert formations, he sat at the entrance, meditating to recover his mental power.

The Multi-Necked Dragon could only delay Black Hand and Bloodmouth, not defeat them.

Before long, they would catch up, and he needed to recover and find a way out of the ecological park.

"What a pity. I found such a large park and hoped to claim it, but now it's impossible."

Staying in the park would inevitably lead to a confrontation with Black Hand and Bloodmouth.

As precious as the park was, life was more important.

Moreover, given the park's scale, the energy needed to maintain it must be astronomical. Even if he controlled the park, he couldn't solve the energy issue.

Years of adventuring taught the Traveler a harsh truth.

That which couldn't be turned into a tangible benefit, no matter how precious, was worthless to him.

One must know one's limits; succumbing to greed leads to death.

Taking a deep breath, the Traveler prepared to meditate, but suddenly sensed an alert trigger.

The Azure Spirit Branch instantly appeared in his hand as he gripped it tightly, demanding in a low voice:

"Who's there!"

It couldn't be Black Hand and Bloodmouth; they wouldn't have escaped the dragon so quickly!

Soon, a figure appeared around the corner.

Seeing the wary Traveler, Sunan smiled warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Traveler."

"Who are you?"

The Traveler scrutinized Sunan.

He sensed the unrestrained energy particles emanating from him.

Another wizard apprentice!

And given their proximity to Zone 2 of the ecological park, he must be a third-level apprentice.

Yet, despite scouring his memory, the Traveler found no match.

"Relax, I'm not your enemy."

"As fellow members of the Forest Cabin, we might better fit the definition of friends."

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