"Your name is Leilin! They call you Blood Hand, is that right? Good! Very good! How dare you ruin my plans!!!"
The Black Wizard cackled coldly, suddenly launching his attack!
Tangible silver spiritual power surged, drawing upon the energy particles in the void and forming a massive, colorful tidal wave that was several times the volume of what Leilin could produce at his limit. It crashed forward with overwhelming force, bearing down on him in an all-encompassing wave.
"So powerful! Tangible spiritual particles — whether for casting spells or catalyzing reactions, their effectiveness is far beyond the ethereal spiritual power of first-grade wizards like us!"
Leilin's expression turned grave. His pupils instantly shifted to amber.
Behind him, a mass of dark-element energy particles condensed, forming the terrifying image of a black serpent.
The serpent stretched dozens of meters long, its eyes the same amber shade as Leilin's own. Its scales radiated rings of black light, and it hissed without cease.
Boom! The serpent collided with the elemental tide. Like enormous deep-sea waves crashing against a reef, the impact produced a thunderous roar.
Amid the kaleidoscope of multicolored light, both the black serpent's phantom and the elemental tide were completely annihilated. A massive pillar of air shot skyward before crashing back down, forming a devastating shockwave that swept across the surrounding area.
Leilin staggered back four or five steps in an instant. His face went pale, and two trails of blood ran from his nose.
"Kekeke! Not bad at all! Among all the first-grade wizards I've encountered, you're the strongest — you've even come infinitely close to the second-grade realm!"
The Black Wizard opposite him stood motionless, only his robes fluttering in the wind.
"What a pity, though! First-grade is first-grade! There's still an enormous gulf between us! The thrill of personally snuffing out a genius... it's truly intoxicating..."
The Black Wizard murmured, and the emerald light in his eyes surged violently, nearly becoming solid — like two pillars of green radiance.
"Wail of the — cough, cough..."
Just as the Black Wizard was about to act, the light on his body suddenly flickered, and he fell into a violent fit of coughing.
Rings of green light, like living vegetation, struggled to emerge from his body one after another. The green spores on his hands had already taken root and begun sprouting, with green plant-like tendrils growing and spreading across his body.
"So that's it! Killing Leonid, a second-grade wizard, didn't come without a cost!"
Leilin watched the scene, and his heart suddenly settled. This second-grade Black Wizard had definitely suffered no minor injuries after killing Leonid.
This was extremely favorable for his plans going forward.
At that moment, the Metal Realm gate in the distance emitted a tremendous boom. The fluctuation was so clear that Leilin could feel it deeply even from where he stood.
Then, an existence of unfathomable depth — at least a second-grade wizard — passed through the realm gate and arrived.
"You damned dark spawns! Accept the judgment of thunder!"
The voice was filled with fury, brimming with what seemed like raging flames.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Countless bolt-like streams of blue lightning streaked across the sky, then fell like rain.
CRACK! A bolt of lightning as thick as a barrel struck straight down, hitting a Black Wizard who couldn't dodge in time.
The Black Wizard was instantly reduced to charcoal in the lightning, his body splitting apart.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The platinum-colored realm gate continuously expelled bursts of light. With each flash, batches of White Wizards arrived on the plaza.
These White Wizards wore uniform attire and radiated a hardened, battle-forged aura.
Unlike the Black Wizards, each of whom excelled in individual combat, the White Wizards had a more specialized division of labor. Their dedicated combat wizards, in particular, had been tempered through blood and fire, possessing combat strength that was by no means inferior to the Black Wizards!
With the help of these White Wizards, the Four Seasons Garden's disadvantage was quickly reversed, and the Black Wizard of the Thousand Leaves Hand collapsed in retreat.
"They're here — reinforcements from the White Wizard Alliance," Leilin murmured softly.
Then he looked at the Black Wizard before him, who had already suppressed the green plant tendrils.
"My lord! Look — the White Wizard reinforcements have arrived. Are you still confident you can destroy the realm gate under their noses?"
Leilin asked with a faint smile.
"Enough time — enough for me to kill you before I retreat!" The Black Wizard was silent for a moment, then sneered.
"Oh?" Behind Leilin, the runes of the Gravitational Array flared to life, and a brownish-yellow Gravity Array materialized across his chest.
In an instant, a wave of brownish-yellow light blanketed the ground, and the surrounding gravity increased nearly thirtyfold.
"The Ancient Gravitational Array, and a Gravity Array as well? You've actually reproduced both of them?"
A hint of wariness crept into the Black Wizard's voice.
With the boost from these two arrays, even in his complete state, he wouldn't have been entirely confident about taking Leilin down. In his current weakened condition, Leilin would certainly escape.
"Actually, I'm still on the Black Wizards' side! After all, my origins can't be changed!" Leilin spoke rapidly and urgently. "Rather than completely destroying the realm gate here, I believe one that remains in Black Wizard hands would be far more valuable..."