I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality

Chapter 503: Enemies Blocking the Way

Jie Ming’s injuries did not worsen further, thanks entirely to the stubborn operation of the Body-Forging Method’s adaptive evolution. It was gradually allowing this body and his remnant soul to “grow accustomed” to their shattered state.

The only thing worth celebrating was that the anticipated pursuers never appeared.

Whether the Prowlers’ diversion had worked, or the main battlefield was tying down the enemy’s high-end forces, it had given him a precious window to breathe.

By rough estimate, only about two days’ journey remained to the Noren Workshop defensive line.

“I hope… no more surprises…” Jie Ming thought weakly, his cracked lips moving faintly.

Yet, as if in direct response to his ill-timed prayer…

Far off to his front-left flank, a clearly malicious mental fluctuation—like a stone dropped into a still lake—abruptly intruded into Jie Ming’s dulled and blurred perception, damaged as it was by his wounded soul.

It was a squad of roughly five wizards. Their energy signatures clearly indicated all were at fifth-ring level.

They had evidently also detected Jie Ming—this solitary, anomalous… and frankly pitifully wretched “unknown entity.”

Without the slightest attempt to conceal their hostility, the squad was speeding straight toward his position! Jie Ming’s heart sank sharply.

He did not stop. He did not even turn to look.

He simply silently increased the output power of the rune-seal wizard artifact at his leg by another notch.

The acceleration field of Great Void Step emitted a faint hum. Carrying his slightly staggering figure, he continued charging desperately toward the encampment.

But his severe injuries were dragging his speed down badly.

Even though Jie Ming had pushed Great Void Step to its current absolute limit, that faltering silhouette was ultimately intercepted by the five streaks of light hurtling from behind.

The five wizards spread out in formation, forming a loose semicircle that faintly encircled him.

Jie Ming came to a halt. His gaze swept over the enemies, and a strange sense of dissonance immediately rose within him.

They were a typical five-person squad configuration, yet they exuded an atmosphere utterly incompatible with ordinary wizard groups.

All five wore deep-crimson-trimmed robes in the unmistakable style of the Chaos Secret Cult. Four of them were women.

And the positioning and bearing of these four female wizards subtly shielded the central male wizard.

This was not the mutual support and cover of comrades in battle. It resembled far more… attendants guarding their master.

Status differences certainly existed in wizard society, but those differences usually stemmed from overwhelming strength, vast knowledge gaps, or generational leaps in research fields.

One wizard might revere another because the other held their life and death in hand, or served as a guiding beacon on the path ahead, or because they coveted the wisdom in that mind.

Yet even the humblest apprentice facing a formal wizard rarely displayed such near-absolute, servant-like submission naturally.

But these four female wizards wore expressions mixed with awe, obedience, and even a trace of fanaticism. Their instinctive positioning placed the central male wizard at the core of protection. It struck Jie Ming as profoundly odd.

His gaze settled on the “holy son” they clustered around.

The man was an extremely handsome male wizard—golden hair, blue eyes, fair skin, features refined to the point of seeming sculpted.

But ugly wizards were rare to begin with, and facial modification was commonplace.

What truly caused Jie Ming to narrow his eyes was the unmasked, almost innate arrogance in the other’s gaze.

Though both were nominally fifth-ring wizards, when this man looked at him, there was a palpable sense of disdain—as though appraising some inferior creature.

Under such a gaze, Jie Ming felt little true anger. Instead, a touch of absurd amusement rose within him.

Facing Jie Ming, who was clearly in extremely poor condition yet still maintained vigilance, the “holy son” appeared exceptionally relaxed.

He even floated forward casually until the distance between them shrank to less than a kilometer—for fifth-ring wizards, practically face-to-face.

The holy son himself did not speak. He merely lifted his chin slightly.

A red-haired female wizard on his left immediately stepped half a pace forward. Raising her chin, she addressed Jie Ming in a condescending tone: “State your identity and affiliation. If you provide valuable intelligence, we may leave you a whole corpse.”

Jie Ming looked at her as though she were an idiot, his gaze incidentally sweeping past the indifferent holy son behind her.

The red-haired witch’s fury ignited instantly.

But Jie Ming keenly noticed that her anger seemed to stem more from the fact that his “idiot” look had unintentionally encompassed the holy son as well, rather than mere personal humiliation.

The holy son finally moved.

With a light wave of his hand—as though brushing away nonexistent dust—he spoke in a languid, impatient tone: “Enough, Lina. Why waste words on such an insignificant ant? Just deal with him. Don’t forget—our purpose on this trip is to pay a visit to that newly famous ‘Martial God.’ If we arrive too late, he might slip away again.”

The red-haired witch Lina immediately suppressed her rage, turned, and bowed deeply to the holy son with utmost deference: “Yes, Your Highness the Holy Son!”

Jie Ming: “…”

He watched speechlessly as this group casually decided his “disposal” without even glancing at the person in question, shaking his head inwardly.

Truly, the longer one lived, the more bizarre specimens one encountered.

From their words, he almost wondered if he had somehow crossed over again—into some feudal world.

Jie Ming quickly excused them. After all, every wizard faction controlled hundreds or thousands of planes. Different planes developing different customs was perfectly normal.

…Probably.

Also…

Holy Son? Martial God?

What even was that?

A bunch of ancient monsters hundreds or thousands of years old, still using chuunibyou titles like that?

But on second thought, Jie Ming found it reasonable.

In the wizard world, power was everything.

Without power, chuuni behavior was laughable. With power to back it up, chuuni became an awe-inspiring honorific or moniker.

Someone like Jie Ming, who lacked any flashy title, was actually rather rare among fifth-ring wizards.

…Probably because the probability of anyone surviving his attacks long enough to spread a nickname was rather low.

Due to his damaged soul reducing his control over thought, all sorts of random musings swirled in his mind. Yet Jie Ming’s actions showed no hesitation whatsoever.

In the instant the red-haired witch Lina bowed in compliance and had not yet fully turned back—

Jie Ming’s right hand, which had been hanging naturally at his side, abruptly rose.

On his arm, a wizard artifact embedded in a specially made bracer flickered faintly.

HUM!!

Dark-golden radiance erupted from his fingertip with no charging prelude—like lightning tearing through dark clouds!

“Your Highness, careful!”

“Insolent!”

Shouts of shock and fury erupted almost simultaneously from the other three female wizards.

Their reactions were lightning-fast. In an instant, curse chains, energy shields, and mental assaults surged toward Jie Ming and that dark-golden beam to intercept.

But the speed of Trigram Fire Annihilation Divine Light was the speed of light.

Pfft!

A soft sound.

Before they could fully react, the dark-golden light pierced the hastily conjured deep-crimson shield at Lina’s side like a red-hot iron rod through paper—accurately penetrating her left chest.

The beam passed straight through, leaving a bowl-sized, smooth-edged, charred cavity.

The annihilating power carried by Trigram Fire Annihilation Divine Light continued to shred her heart and pulverized the soul within.

The shock and fury on Lina’s face froze instantly. The light in her eyes dimmed rapidly, like a candle snuffed out.

She opened her mouth as though to speak, but only a gush of black blood mixed with organ fragments poured out. Her body went limp and plummeted straight down from the air.

Instant kill.

A fifth-ring wizard—on guard—slain in a single strike.

Yet what appeared on the remaining three female wizards’ faces was not sorrow or fear for their fallen comrade, but an even more blazing, almost twisted fury!

“How dare you… commit such outrage in front of His Highness the Holy Son!” a purple-haired witch shrieked, her voice trembling with extreme rage.

“Filthy ant! You have defiled His Highness’s gaze!” another silver-haired witch gnashed her teeth, killing intent boiling in her eyes.

The focus of their fury was not Lina’s death itself, but the very act of Jie Ming “daring to kill in the holy son’s presence”—an unforgivable blasphemy.

Jie Ming’s expression darkened.

“You people are insane!” He could not help cursing aloud.

The constant, searing pain deep in his soul grew even harder to endure amid this absurd dialogue and clamor. An indescribable irritation surged in his chest.

Right now he simply wanted these noisy flies to shut up.

Without the slightest hesitation, dark-golden light flared at his fingertip once more—this time aimed at the purple-haired witch who had shouted loudest.

But this time, the attack did not land as expected.

Just as Trigram Fire Annihilation Divine Light was about to strike the purple-haired witch, a seemingly thin yet flowing with iridescent halos semi-transparent barrier abruptly materialized in front of her.

Screech!!!

The dark-golden radiance slammed viciously into the rainbow barrier, igniting violent energy turbulence!

Highly condensed destructive energy clashed fiercely with the rainbow barrier. Piercing annihilation howls rang out. Wild energy shockwaves blasted outward, plowing deep furrows into the ground.

After a brief deadlock, the rainbow barrier finally emitted an overloaded cracking sound and shattered explosively into countless specks of light.

But the power of Trigram Fire Annihilation Divine Light had also been largely neutralized. The remaining beam grazed past the purple-haired witch—who had barely escaped—leaving only a charred scorch mark on her arm.

Jie Ming’s brows furrowed slightly. His gaze shifted to the source of the rainbow barrier—the “holy son.”

At some point the holy son had raised his right hand, palm forward, fingertips still dusted with faint rainbow motes.

The lazy, arrogant expression on his face finally changed. When he looked at Jie Ming now, surprise mingled with… even greater interest.

“Oh? Interesting.” The holy son lightly clapped his hands, as though he had discovered some novel toy. “No wonder you dare act so arrogantly. That attack… its power is barely passable.”

He sized Jie Ming up and down, lingering especially on Jie Ming’s paper-pale face and unsteady aura. A playful curve tugged at his lips: “But judging by your state, you’re already at the end of your rope, aren’t you? To unleash such an attack in this condition… this Holy Son is growing quite curious about the secrets you carry.”

With his words, the remaining three female wizards—as though receiving an order—swiftly adjusted positions to once again shield the holy son at the center. When they looked at Jie Ming now, anger was joined by a greater degree of wariness and caution.

To break through “Rainbow Sanctuary” deployed by His Highness the Holy Son in a single strike—this bizarrely conditioned enemy’s threat level required reevaluation.

Jie Ming said nothing. He simply stood quietly in place. His shattered soul keened in agony deep within, yet his gaze grew increasingly cold.

These insane flies seemed… even harder to swat than expected.