Chapter 291: The Spatial Confinement Orb

Chapter 291: The Spatial Confinement Orb



Healing or prolonging life?

This question left Fiona silent, her silence revealing the answer.

If this were the case, all the information would fall into place.

It seemed the truth had surfaced.

Augustus, severely injured from his battle with the Bloodline King a decade ago, was nearing the end of his life. He could only rely on the lifeforce of the Life Tree to prolong his existence each month.

But this method was not a long-term solution. His only chance at survival was to transform into a Lich.

By placing his soul within the Soul Vault, he could break free from the constraints of his physical body and become an immortal entity.

This also explained why the Soul Vault was a crystal flask.

And why it contained Moonwell Spring Water.

The Elven race favored crystal flasks as containers, and Augustus held a revered position among them. He could access the Moonwell whenever he wished.

Similarly, this explained the appearance of the Summoners.

Augustus was the Grand Archmage of the Elves and the last remaining great Arcanist in the Queldore world.

Specializing in Spatial Magic, when Xie Shi En opened the crystal flask's stopper in the human world, Augustus sensed the essence of the Moonwell Spring across the dimensions and used magic to influence the Summoning.

Additionally, Lu Heng recalled the secret Dionysus had mentioned before his death.

At the time, he couldn't guess what the secret was, but now he finally understood.

Dionysus, being a Lich, likely knew about Augustus' plan to transform into a Lich.

This secret was indeed enough to ruin Augustus' reputation, so he wanted to use it to bargain for his life.

If this were the case, another contradictory point emerged.

When Dionysus wanted to reveal the secret, it was the Elven Sword Saint Teres who silenced him.

In other words, Teres knew about Augustus' transformation plan.

Did that mean Teres had also betrayed the Elves?

No, something didn't add up.

Lu Heng carefully recalled his interactions with Teres, whose concern for Queen Aureana seemed genuine.

Moreover, Teres taught him the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash, perhaps intending for Lu Heng to resolve the Elven crisis.

From this perspective, it was unlikely that Teres had betrayed the Elves.

If he hadn't betrayed them, then why did he silence Dionysus and keep Augustus' secret? Lu Heng couldn't fathom the reason and asked, "Do you think Teres would betray the Elves?"

Fiona, hearing this, was once again shocked, exclaiming, "Impossible..."

But halfway through her sentence, her confidence wavered.

If someone had asked her yesterday whether Augustus would betray the Elves, she would have answered without hesitation: "Impossible!"

Yet, the events unfolding before her eyes shattered her beliefs.

Grand Archmage Augustus was about to betray the Elves, seeking to transform into a Lich.

This was a devastating blow to the Elves' fate.

If even the Elven Sword Saint Teres had betrayed them, did the Elves have a future? She looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean? Why bring up Lord Teres?"

Lu Heng pondered and replied, "In fact, it wasn't me who destroyed Dionysus' Soul Vault, but Teres.

"Dionysus wanted a chance to bargain for his life by revealing a secret about Augustus.

"He claimed this secret would ruin Augustus' reputation.

"I couldn't guess the secret then, but I know it now.

"As a Lich, Dionysus must have known about Augustus' plan to transform into a Lich.

"When Dionysus tried to reveal this secret, Teres acted, destroying the Soul Vault with a single strike.

"This was clearly a silencing move, as Teres was protecting Augustus' secret.

"So, I suspect Teres has also betrayed the Elves."

Fiona shook her head vigorously, "Impossible, impossible..."

She couldn't bring herself to believe it. If two of the three most powerful Elven elders had betrayed their race, it would crush the Elves' will to survive.

Lu Heng furrowed his brows, thinking, "I also don't believe Teres would betray the Elves. Then why is he keeping Augustus' secret?"

No one could fathom the reason, not Lu Heng, nor Fiona, nor anyone present.

Since they couldn't figure it out, they decided not to dwell on it.

Lu Heng drew the Aurora Blade and said, "Let's focus on finding a way out first. Everyone, step back. I need to assess the strength of this Spatial Magic."

Everyone moved aside, and Lu Heng released his Quintessence energy, slashing a rift of sword energy into the Spatial Restriction barrier.

The rift sliced through the restriction, causing the space to distort and shatter, revealing a crack.

However, the crack was small, and the Spatial Orb above began to rotate, releasing rings of Arcane energy that instantly sealed the crack back together.

Lu Heng's brows furrowed at this sight.

Although the Rift Slash could breach the Spatial Restriction, the crack it created was too small.

More troublesome was the fact that the Spatial Orb could repair the barrier.

Witnessing this, Lu Heng's first thought was to exhaust the Spatial Orb's energy with multiple Rift Slashes.

But this idea flashed through his mind and was quickly dismissed.

When the Spatial Orb rotated earlier, streams of Arcane energy flowed from the magic hall's dome into the orb.

In other words, the entire Magic Tower was supplying energy to the Spatial Orb.

A single person's strength couldn't compete with the energy of an entire Magic Tower, and even with all their might, they might only deplete half of the tower's energy.

Trapped within the spatial restriction were not only Lu Heng and his two companions but also Fiona and her two deputies.

Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu had no spatial abilities, rendering them helpless against the restriction.

Lu Heng turned to Fiona, asking, "Is there a way to break the spatial restriction?"

Fiona shook her head, replying, "It's useless. This isn't just the magic of a single spatial orb; we're trapped by the Magic Tower. Aside from Augustus, no one in the Queldore world can break this spatial magic."

Lu Heng's eyebrows furrowed as he inquired, "Then what do we do? Just wait here?"

For human mystics, being trapped wasn't the worst-case scenario.

At most, they could wait out the 30-day period and then return to the main world.

The only loss would be the inability to complete the challenge task and miss out on a substantial amount of divine energy.

However, for the elves, the situation was different. Augustus's betrayal of Queldore would bring about a significant crisis, possibly even a threat of extinction.

Consequently, Fiona was more anxious than Lu Heng, but she knew the Magic Tower too well and understood that her abilities were insufficient to break through the restriction.

...

As the Magic Tower's energy showed no signs of depletion, Lu Heng was determined not to give up. He waited for his quintessence energy to replenish and then unleashed the Rift Slash once more.

With a single strike, he cleaved through the spatial restriction, creating a two-meter-long gash, but it was only three fingers wide, making it impossible to escape through this narrow opening.

Lu Heng drew a standard-grade weapon and thrust it into the spatial rift.

As the spatial orb rotated, the rift in the spatial restriction slowly sealed, slicing the standard-grade weapon in two, with the tip falling outside the restriction.

"It seems not everything can get out," Lu Heng observed, beginning to devise a way out.

After his quintessence energy replenished for the second time, he unleashed another Rift Slash.

In the instant the spatial restriction cracked, Su Muyu released the Celestial Phoenix, which flew through the rift and out.

However, when the spatial restriction sealed up, severing the spatial connection, the Celestial Phoenix lost its link and fell to the ground.

The Celestial Phoenix's energy didn't dissipate, but no matter how hard Su Muyu tried, he couldn't make it move.

Su Muyu furrowed his brows in deep thought for a long time before saying, "Let's try again. I'll see if the Life Tree Vine can work."

The two of them tried repeatedly; each time their quintessence energy replenished, they would slash through the spatial restriction with a sword and then attempt to send out various skills and items.

However, after numerous attempts, regardless of the item, it would always be cut in two by the spatial restriction as it sealed up.

The only exception was the Life Tree Vine.

Su Muyu condensed the Life Tree Vine into seeds and tossed them outside the restriction, where they would germinate and grow into Life Tree Vines.

The Life Tree Vines entwined around the Magic Tower, growing continuously.

Every time Lu Heng broke through the restriction, Su Muyu released the quintessence energy of the Life Tree Vines, allowing them to keep growing.

After an unknown number of repetitions, the Life Tree Vines covered the top of the Magic Tower.

"If someone sees the Life Tree Vines, they might discover us," Su Muyu said, having thought of this method.

Although it was a bit passive, it was the only option.

As the Life Tree Vines grew more lush, over the course of a day and night, the entire Magic Tower transformed from its original azure hue to a verdant green, adorned with Life Tree Vines.

Half a day earlier, the Elven Guard had noticed the Life Tree Vines on the Magic Tower, but ordinary elven guards had no authority to enter the tower.

The guards could only report the situation, but at that moment, Queen Aureana was at the Moon Goddess Lake, Grand Archmage Augustus couldn't be found, and General Fiona was also missing.

Outside Koloss City, a large number of bloodline demons had appeared, plunging the elven capital into chaos and panic.

After a day and a night, Captain Eric finally broke through the bloodline demons' blockade and returned to Koloss City.

He first searched the city for Fiona but couldn't find her, so he eventually climbed the Magic Tower.

Upon seeing Eric and the blood on his armor, Fiona immediately asked, "What happened in the city?"

Eric wiped the blood from his chest armor and explained, "The Abyssal Summoners opened a portal, and a large number of bloodline demons poured in. The city guards have closed the gates and are defending. The bloodline demons can't breach the city for now, but the situation is critical."

Fiona punched the spatial restriction and exclaimed, "Hurry! Hurry up and release the restriction; let us out!"

Eric tried various methods, but his arcane talent was average, and he knew very few spells, making it even more impossible to break the restriction set by a Grand Archmage.

He ran out and called a team of arcanists, who attempted various methods but still couldn't break the restriction.

Fiona urgently asked, "Where is Augustus? Where is he now?"

Eric's expression was a bit surprised because Fiona directly called Augustus's name without adding the title "Sir," which seemed a bit disrespectful.

"I don't know; the Elven Guard is also searching for Sir Augustus, but they haven't found him. The Queen is not in the city, and Generals Erlondo and Keldrin are both on missions outside. Only a few captains are left to command the guard against the bloodline demons," Eric replied, his voice slightly rushed.

Fiona watched the arcanists casting their spells and pressed, "How much longer? How long until you can open the restriction?"

The arcanists wore expressions of helplessness, "This is the Magic Tower's restriction; we are powerless."

Fiona knew this wasn't the time to lose her temper, so she suppressed her anger and quickly devised a strategy.

Lu Heng reminded her, "We need to recall the elder elves who can control the situation. Augustus might be performing the transformation ritual. Whether it's Serene or Teres, call one of them back to take charge."

Only they have the ability to break this Spatial Restriction."

Fiona nodded in agreement and shouted, "Quickly! Send a message to Serene and Teres, telling them the situation in Kolos is critical and they are needed for a Saturating Rescue."

"Yes, I'll go deliver the message now." Eric hurried off, arranging for Arcanists to use magic to send the message.

...

As the Bloodline Clan's teleportation portal opened, a large number of Bloodborn Demons flooded into the Queldore World.

Koloss City closed its gates, defending against the Bloodborn Demons' attack.

Fortunately, Koloss City was a mighty fortress built by the Elven Race over thousands of years, with strong defenses. Even without an Elder in the city, it could withstand the Bloodborn Demons' assault.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Half a day passed.

A flash of sword light appeared, repelling the Bloodborn Demon army.

Subsequently, Teres ascended to the top of the Magic Tower and, upon seeing the group trapped within the Spatial Confinement, wore a puzzled expression.

"What's going on here?"

Lu Heng, worried that he and Augustus were in cahoots, didn't explain and instead said, "Quickly, break the Confinement and let us out."

Teres narrowed his eyes and said, "Wait a moment. What did you do to get trapped here?"

Lu Heng was immediately enraged, "I was about to ask what you're up to. Are you also planning to betray the Elven Race?"

Teres's gaze turned cold, and he hummed, "What nonsense are you spouting? You must have been trapped while looting treasures, taking advantage of the Bloodborn Demons' attack on Koloss City to loot amidst the chaos."

Due to the previous batch of summoned human teams, which included a Raider squad, it was difficult for the Elven Race not to think in this direction.

Lu Heng pointed at Fiona beside him with a stern face and said, "So, is she here to plunder too?"

Teres was also confused and asked, "Fiona, what's going on?"

Fiona didn't want to reveal Augustus's betrayal; she was unwilling to accept this in her heart.

Lu Heng had to speak for her, "Augustus has already betrayed you. If you're not in cahoots with him, quickly break this Confinement!"

Teres was startled and loudly refuted, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Lu Heng's gaze darkened, and he questioned, "Ten days ago, you destroyed Dionysus's Soul Vault to keep Augustus's secret, right? It's so obvious you're covering for him. Do you dare say you don't know?"

Teres's expression froze at this question, and he scratched his head, asking, "What are you trying to do? Augustus is Queldore's greatest Arcanist."

Lu Heng didn't want to continue with this nonsense and questioned, "I'm just asking, do you know Augustus's secret? The one that could ruin his reputation."

Teres's expression darkened, and he rebuked, "This is not something a human like you should be meddling with!"

Lu Heng immediately retorted, "Yes, I shouldn't be meddling. Then wait for Augustus to turn into a Lich and destroy Koloss City."

Teres was startled, and his eyes were filled with confusion, "What do you mean? Augustus is turning into a Lich?"

"Are you still pretending not to know? The secret Dionysus wanted to reveal, the secret you tried to cover up by silencing him, is that Augustus is turning into a Lich. We've all seen his Soul Vault."

Since the matter had already reached this point, Lu Heng decided to reveal all the secrets.

Teres's face was filled with disbelief as he looked at Fiona and asked, "Is he telling the truth?"

Fiona, filled with sorrow, nodded her head.

Teres's mind felt like it was exploding, and he stood there in a daze, "How is this possible!"

Lu Heng scoffed, "Do you really not know, or are you just pretending?"

Given Teres's status, there was no need to act to this extent.

If he were truly in cahoots with Augustus, he could have directly taken action and eliminated everyone present.

Teres processed this shocking information, his mind buzzing.

"I didn't know Augustus was turning into a Lich. Regardless of whether what you're saying is true or not, I'll release you first and then deal with Augustus."

Saying this, Teres broke the hub of the Magic Tower, cutting off the supply of magical energy.

Without the Magic Tower's energy, the Confinement formed by the Spatial Confinement Orb was quickly dispelled.

The Spatial Confinement Orb fell from mid-air, and Lu Heng caught it, quickly examining its attributes.

[Spatial Confinement Orb]



[Item Level: S-grade]



[Specifications: Diameter 20 cm, Weight 1.6 kg]



[Attribute: Spirit +10]



[Effect: Energy Amplification]



[Divine Skill: Spatial Confinement]



[Spatial Confinement: Releases a radius of 20 cm, confining all targets within the area. The internal space of the Confinement is isolated from the outside, preventing targets from using any teleportation or spatial skills to escape until the Confinement is externally dispelled or the duration limit is reached.]



[Evaluation: This ancient Orb contains profound and mysterious spatial power, with a faint blue light flowing on its surface as if it could perceive and distort the cracks of time and space. Its power, despite the passage of countless years, still emits a heart-pounding energy fluctuation.]



Before Augustus acted, he had mentioned that this Spatial Confinement Orb was to be exchanged for the Grand Arcane Mage Codex.

Both are S-grade treasures, so the exchange wouldn't be a loss.

However, it was uncertain if Augustus's words still held true.

Lu Heng didn't bother with these details and kept the Orb, then quickly left the Magic Tower with Teres and Fiona to find a solution to the crisis facing the Elven Race.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end