"So you even know that much. It seems you've done quite the thorough investigation on me?"
Leilin shook his head. "But do you also know that the one thing I despise above all else is being coerced?"
Leilin's expression darkened in an instant.
"Besides, compared to you White Wizards, I actually find Dark Wizards easier to deal with. After all, once you show them enough power to keep them in check, they'll obediently behave like dogs — unlike you lot, who resort to underhanded tricks behind the scenes..."
"It seems Lord Leilin holds quite the prejudice against us White Wizards. That truly is a most regrettable thing..."
Nuonuofu spoke slowly, the light radiating from the golden staff in his hand growing ever more blinding.
"Are you done running your mouth? For a fellow like this who came from Dark Wizards, I said ages ago we should've just dealt with him outright!"
Majilian, standing beside Nuonuofu, also spoke up, her voice shrill and piercing.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Though the giant tree wizard beneath them said nothing, masses of roots had already begun spreading outward, thoroughly enveloping a vast area around them. The ground was covered in a lattice-like network of root systems.
"So you pursued life force to the point of complete plantification, fusing yourself entirely with plant life? How pathetic!"
After a mere glance, Leilin took in everything about his opponents. He shook his head. Though he said nothing further, the pity flickering in his eyes alone was enough to send the great banyan tree into a frenzy.
Infinite green light rained down, coalescing in the void into translucent green crystal that sealed the space around Leilin completely.
"Same as last time — Guofate handles suppression, you provide amplification, and I take the main assault!"
Nuonuofu stepped to the forefront, the golden staff in his hand surging upward and transforming into a golden holy lance.
"Understood!" Majilian answered from the other side. Intricate and mysterious runes surfaced continuously from her body, sinking into the giant tree beneath them and into Nuonuofu himself.
With the amplification, their spiritual power crystallization became far more pronounced — they were even pushing toward some kind of limit.
"Still approaching the third-rank limit after amplification?"
Leilin let out a sigh, unmistakable disappointment in his eyes. He waved a hand.
Boom! A ring of black flames ignited spontaneously around the carriage, forming a layer of defense. "Stay inside. Don't come out and get in the way!"
Crack! Crack! Countless probing plant tendrils met the black flames and were instantly incinerated to ash, drawing a shriek from the great banyan tree wizard. The clinging black flames even showed a tendency to spread along the roots, forcing the enormous tree to sever that entire section of its root system, deliberately cutting the connection. Bright green sap gushed from the wound in torrents.
"Raaargh..." The face on the banyan tree's trunk let out an incoherent roar, but it made Nuonuofu and Majilian's expressions change drastically.
"Flames that burn the soul! It seems Lord Leilin came upon some truly extraordinary inheritance during his time in hiding!"
Golden light erupted from the holy lance, enveloping Nuonuofu's entire body as though he had donned a suit of golden armor.
"Oh? Did you really think I've reached my current level of strength by inheriting some legacy?"
Leilin found this notion rather dismissible.
"Holy Lance of the Sanctum! A judgment of light and justice!" Nuonuofu roared, golden flames seeming to ignite all over his body.
He hurled the lance forward with all his might, sending it streaking like a golden meteor.
The golden holy lance crossed the distance to Leilin in the blink of an eye. At its tip flickered faint black lines — hairline spatial fractures.
"I have to say! For a third-rank wizard, you've done remarkably well!"
Leilin yawned, extending his palm. Whether it was the golden flames or the spatial fractures, both collapsed directly beneath his pale hand.
He caught the tip of the golden holy lance bare-handed. Its terrifying sharpness couldn't so much as scratch his skin.
"Don't embarrass yourselves by bringing out toys like these anymore!"
Seeming to mock the three wizards opposite him, Leilin casually applied force with both hands.
Crack! The golden lance snapped in half, letting out a piercing wail. Golden sand continuously poured from the break as the shaft rapidly disintegrated.
"No! Impossible!"
Nuonuofu stumbled back several steps, his face ravaged by the backlash of the holy lance's destruction. Blood streamed from the corners of his mouth, and two red trails slid from his eyes. "This is our academy's treasured inheritor artifact! Even a wizard at the absolute third-rank limit shouldn't be able to budge it!"
"Run! His terror exceeds even that of Gegewu!"
Majilian grabbed Nuonuofu. The banyan tree beneath them ripped its roots from the ground and retreated like a giant, each stride covering hundreds of meters.
"Follow the same formation as when we fought Gegewu! Activate the interference array!"
Shock still lingered in Nuonuofu's eyes, but he had already recovered his composure. He pulled out a white handkerchief, pressed it firmly against his bloodied mouth, and issued the command.