Chapter 126

"Lizardmen, we are just passing through." Luo En said calmly:

"We have no intention of seeking trouble, and we don't have anything valuable. Move aside, it's better for everyone."

The Lizardman leader let out a harsh, hissing laugh:

"Nothing valuable? Then what is that on your neck? My tongue can sense the energy fluctuations it emits."

Only then did Luo En realize that he was inadvertently wearing the green leaf brooch gifted by Ailan, and it indeed contained a trace of natural energy.

"Last chance, human." The Lizardman leader threatened, the scimitar in his hand flickering with cold light:

"Hand over the valuables, and I'll spare your lives."

Luo En took a deep breath, and mental power began to flow within his body:

"It seems the negotiation failed. Andre, are you ready?"

"I've been impatient for a long time." Andre's eyes had completely turned golden, and scale patterns were faintly visible on the surface of his body.

The Lizardman leader let out a roar and signaled his subordinates to attack with his sword.

At this critical moment, Luo En struck first.

"Sonic Oscillation!"

Invisible energy ripples shot out from Luo En's palm, penetrating the air at an astonishing speed, striking the three Lizardmen at the very front.

Those creatures didn't even have time to raise their shields before being hit by the invisible shockwave.

Their bodies flew backward several meters as if hit by a giant hammer, crashing heavily against the wall, and dark green blood immediately overflowed from their noses and mouths.

Immediately after, the wooden staff in Luo En's hand shook, instantly restoring to the original form of the ironwood sword, and his figure rushed toward the Lizardmen on the right flank like lightning.

The sword light was like water, every swing carrying a precise and fatal edge.

"Ch... ch..."

The sword blade grazed the throats of two Lizardmen, the clean cuts barely splashing much blood.

Those two creatures didn't even have time to make a sound before falling down with expressions of disbelief.

At the same time, Andre was not to be outdone.

He took a deep breath, the Crimson Blood Flying Dragon bloodline in his body was fully activated, and dense crimson scales instantly appeared on his chest.

——Dragon Breath!

A scorching flame spewed from Andre's mouth, turning into a surging line of fire that rushed toward the Lizardmen.

The temperature of the flame was extremely high, so much so that the air twisted and deformed in the heatwave.

The remaining three Lizardmen didn't have time to dodge before being swallowed by the flames, constantly emitting shrill screams in the continuous high-temperature scorching.

The entire battle lasted only a few seconds, all eight Lizardman warriors were knocked down, charred corpses and headless bodies lay all over, with no survivors.

"These guys are really too disappointing."

Andre looked at the corpses on the ground, smoke coming from his mouth as he said disappointedly: "I thought there would be some challenge."

Luo En squatted down to check the corpse of the Lizardman leader and found a strange mark: a spider-shaped tattoo was carved on the inside of its left arm.

"It seems this is not an ordinary robbery." He pointed to the tattoo and said:

"This is very likely Mola's mark. I can feel the magic power in it, which indicates that they are controlled by her. I don't think this kind of mercenary would die for their master."

Andre leaned in to observe, a flash of thought in his eyes: "Spider... Old Spider Mola?"

"Very likely." Luo En stood up and patted the dust off his hands:

"It seems Otto was right; Mola really likes to 'test' visitors."

The two continued to move forward, their vigilance even higher.

This section of Lizard Alley had almost no pedestrians, and on both sides of the dark and damp alley were dilapidated buildings, occasionally hearing some rustling sounds, not knowing if it was rats or some other creatures.

After walking for about ten minutes, a heavy sound of footsteps suddenly came from ahead, and the ground shook with it.

"Careful." Luo En stopped immediately, his mental power spreading out to detect the situation ahead.

"A big guy is coming." Andre said vigilantly, holding the sword hilt, ready for battle.

A moment later, a huge figure appeared at the corner ahead.

It was an Ogre standing three meters tall, its skin an unhealthy gray-green, covered in lumps and scars.

The most striking thing was its head—disproportionately large, with a huge single eye on its forehead, and its body covered in mysterious tribal tattoos.

It wore a rough animal skin uniform and held a thick staff, with a purple gem shimmering at the tip.

"Ogre Mage." Luo En whispered, confirming, his eyes becoming heavy: "This guy is much more dangerous than an ordinary Ogre."

The Ogre Mage let out a low roar, and a purple light flashed in the single eye on its forehead:

"Humans... I can feel the special aura on you... Master is very interested..."

It waved its staff, the gem at the tip shining brightly, and a beam of purple energy shot out, striking Luo En and Andre directly.

"Careful!" Luo En shouted, while golden-red energy condensed around his body, rapidly expanding into a ring of light.

"Ring of Radiance!"

The golden-red ring of light met the purple energy beam, colliding in mid-air, producing a blinding flash and a deafening explosion.

The shockwave cracked the nearby broken walls, and rubble flew everywhere.

"Such strong magic power..."

Luo En stepped back slightly to avoid the aftermath of the opponent's energy beam, his own energy output clearly a notch inferior to the opponent's:

"No wonder even high-level apprentices dare not easily provoke it."

The Ogre Mage seemed to be shocked by Luo En's counterattack, but soon roared frantically, the tribal tattoos on its body beginning to flicker with an ominous color.

The single eye turned blood-red, the surrounding air began to twist, and circles of distorted energy ripples spread to the surroundings.

"Mental attack!" Luo En immediately identified this method of attack, quickly constructing a mental barrier, and at the same time reminded Andre:

"Protect your consciousness, it's trying to interfere with our minds!"

Andre gritted his teeth, his brows tightly locked, clearly resisting the invisible mental impact:

"This guy is much stronger than I imagined..."

Seeing that the mental attack had limited effect, the Ogre Mage changed its strategy again.

It inserted its staff into the ground and began to chant an obscure spell.

The ground shook, and rubble and dust began to condense, forming three earth-stone giants, each over five meters tall, exuding rich elemental energy.

"Go! Tear them apart!" The Ogre Mage commanded the three earth-stone giants to rush toward Luo En and Andre.

"I'll deal with these stone men, you take care of that Ogre!"

Andre shouted to Luo En, while fully activating the dragon bloodline in his body, his whole body seemingly wrapped in crimson scales.

Luo En nodded, his eyes becoming exceptionally focused.

"It's time to go all out."

Mental power erupted instantly, sweeping through his body like an invisible storm.

The Ogre Mage seemed to feel the danger, a flash of panic in its single eye.

It waved its staff, condensing an energy shield, trying to protect itself.

"Mental Interference!"

Luo En suddenly urged his mental field, and an invisible ripple erupted from him as the center toward the surroundings.

The oscillating ripples penetrated the air, striking the Ogre Mage's mental core directly.

This move was originally designed by wizard apprentices specifically for creatures with intelligence.

The energy shield was easily penetrated under the impact of the mental ring, the Ogre Mage let out a painful howl, its huge body staggering back a few steps, and the staff slipped from its hand.

Its eyes were full of disbelief, seemingly unable to understand why its defense was so easily broken.

But Luo En's attack did not stop.

Following the mental interference, he guided the light and fire elements in his body to condense.

"Ring of Radiance, maximum power!"

The ring of light formed this time was three times larger than before, with a diameter of six meters, golden-red energy dancing on the ring, flickering with dangerous light like a living thing.

The ring of light suddenly scattered out, penetrating the Ogre Mage's body at an astonishing speed.

Unlike the ordinary Ring of Radiance, Luo En mobilized more magic power for this strike; although the efficiency was far inferior to the super-magic techniques of official wizards, it undoubtedly greatly increased its power.

The moment the ring of light passed through its body, the Ogre Mage's body seemed to be ignited from the inside, and golden-red energy could be faintly seen flowing in its blood vessels under its skin.

Its giant eye instantly lost focus, its mouth wide open, but it couldn't make any sound.

A figure had already flashed in front of the Ogre Mage like a ghost, the ironwood sword in its hand exuding cold light.

——Dawn Cross Overlimit!

The sword light crossed the night sky like a meteor, so fast that the trajectory was almost invisible.

A perfect cross-shaped cut appeared on the Ogre Mage's chest and neck, the cut so neat it was outrageous, as if measured with a ruler.

The Ogre Mage's expression froze in shock and fear, its huge body slowly falling, crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and its life force vanished in an instant.

And those three earth-stone giants also lost their energy support the moment their master died, collapsing into a pile of lifeless rubble.

Andre panted heavily, his body bruised in many places by stones, but basically unharmed.

"This is amazing..." Andre looked at the Ogre Mage's corpse, his eyes full of shock:

"You ended the battle almost instantly."

Luo En put away his sword and said calmly: "Direct confrontation consumes too much energy; the best strategy is to take the opponent by surprise and kill them in one blow."

He walked to the Ogre Mage's corpse, picked up the staff, and carefully examined the purple gem at the tip.

"Energy crystal, still retaining a portion of energy."

He commented, casually dismantling the staff and collecting the energy crystal separately: "It might be helpful for my future research."

It's a pity that these wild spellcasters use their own naturally awakened rough spells; otherwise, he could have collected a few more spell models.

Andre looked back at the road they came from:

"We've already dealt with more than a dozen Lizardman warriors and an Ogre Mage capable of contending with high-level apprentices. That guy must have something wrong with its brain, actually sending so many elite thugs over like they're throwing their lives away..."

"I don't think it should end so easily." Luo En nodded and continued walking forward:

"But no matter what, I must see that old woman today and figure out why she attacked us."

The two continued to move forward, the surrounding environment becoming increasingly dark and weird.

Some spider-web-like patterns were faintly visible on the walls, and the air was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura.

Turning the last corner, an ancient brick building appeared in front of them.

A faded wooden sign hung on the door, with the words "Labyrinth Pawnshop" simply carved on it.

"We're here." Luo En took a deep breath, vigilantly observing the surroundings: "Stay alert, this place is full of weirdness."

The two carefully approached the pawnshop and pushed open the wooden door that looked like it was about to fall apart.

Inside the door was a dim space, piled with all kinds of strange items:

Faded portraits, broken sculptures, rusty weapons, dusty jewelry... the air was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura.

"Is anyone here?" Luo En called out softly, his mental power vigilantly probing the surroundings.

Responding to him was a slight movement coming from behind the curtain in the corner.

The curtain was gently pushed aside, and a hunched figure slowly walked out—it was exactly that old hag with unhealthy yellow skin.

"What rare guests."

The old hag's voice was dry and hoarse, like tree bark rubbing:

"A young wizard apprentice and a Bloodline Knight... I've lived in the Black Mist Forest for so many years, and I've rarely seen a combination like you."

Luo En and Andre looked at the old hag vigilantly, not relaxing their guard.

"Are you Mola?" Luo En asked directly.

The old hag revealed a smile with almost no teeth:

"Yes, child, I am Old Spider Mola. It seems you already know my name, yet you still ventured here... Courageous."

Luo En looked directly into Mola's eyes, which were deeply sunken in their sockets:

"The ambush in Lizard Alley last time, and the Lizardmen and Ogre Mage on the road today, were all arranged by you, right?"

Mola's smile deepened, a flash of appreciation in her eyes: "Smart child. Yes, those were all my little 'greetings'."

"Greetings?" Andre sneered, golden light flickering in his eyes: "You call that a greeting?"