2022-09-26 13:10:23"You killed them…" Magistrate Huang looked at the two bodies with an expression of sheer terror.
"It would seem that way." Lord Jiang brushed some of Elder Redstone's blood off his hand. Turning to Magistrate Huang, he said, "I want you to spread word that any members of the Redstone branch left in the city by sundown will be hanged."
Magistrate Huang gaped in shock. "What if they cause trouble?" he said in a small voice.
"If any of them cause trouble for your men," Lord Jiang said, "they will face a fate far worse than hanging."
"Yes, Lord Jiang," the old man said, his voice thick with anxiety. After a deep bow to Lord Jiang he left quickly, seeming anxious to be away from the violent scene in the hall.
"We should leave as well," Lord Jiang said. "There are matters to discuss, but we had best do so at the estate, far away from prying ears."
When they
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 43
"It's going to hurt." Lord Jiang gave Arran a serious look. "When I remove the seals, Essence will flood your body. It will not be as bad as taking a Realm Opening Pill, but it will be painful." It was early morning, and Lord Jiang had taken Arran to a distant area of the estate, several miles away from any buildings. Here, the estate's lands more resembled a wilderness than a garden. Today, Lord Jiang would finally remove the seals he had placed on Arran's Realms half a year earlier. Although the prospect made Arran nervous, part of him was impatient to see how strong he would be once the seals were removed. "Are there any dangers?" he asked. "Some," Lord Jiang replied. "By now, your body should be able to handle it, but it will not be easy. There will be pain, and it will last for a while." "Just how long will it last?" Arran asked, feeling some suspicion at what Lord
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 44
When Arran awoke, he immediately felt a flood of Essence within his body. It took him a moment to recall what happened, and when he did, he was relieved that he had survived the ordeal unscathed.He was lying on the grass, surrounded by trees, but he found himself covered with a blanket. When he sat up, he saw that Lord Jiang was sitting on the grass next to him."Finally awake, are you?" Lord Jiang said with a chuckle. "It took you long enough."Arran groaned in discomfort. His body still felt tired, and he was tense from the pressure of the Essence inside of him. Although there was no real pain anymore, the constant pressure made just sitting tiresome, as if he was constantly holding up a large weight."How long will this last?" he asked, feeling slightly miserable."You will gradually start to feel better," Lord Jiang said, "and the worst of it should be over in a few hours. F
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 45
As the days passed, Arran became increasingly proficient at handling the vast amount of Essence he now had at his disposal.Each day, he would spend hours training in the abandoned part of the estate, drawing Essence from his Realms and sending great balls of fire and gusts of wind into the distance, scorching and uprooting trees.The training paid off, with Arran's control over the Essence strengthening and his attacks growing smaller but denser. The fireballs he produced were only half their previous size, but they burned far more intensely, radiating a searing heat as they soared through the air.Although Arran could not be certain, he thought that by now, he could probably harm even adepts using nothing but magic. Adding in the physical strength he had gained through Lord Jiang's Body Refinement techniques, and he thought he should have a decent chance at surviving a fight against an adept.His r
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 46
When Arran arrived at Jiang Fei's cottage, he found the door closed, but some noises came from inside. He knocked on the door, then waited."One moment!" Jiang Fei's muffled voice sounded through the door.When she finally opened the door, Arran was startled at her appearance. Her hair was disheveled and there were dark rings around her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days."Sorry for making you wait," she said with a faint smile. "Come in."As he entered, Arran saw that the main room of the cottage was in a state of chaos. The floor was littered with scrolls and piles of books, and he wondered just what Jiang Fei had been doing these past two weeks."Are you okay?" he asked. By now, he was beginning to feel worried about her."I'm fine," she said, although she didn't look it. "I've just been slightly busy.""Was that why you couldn't see
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 47
The first days after he left Lord Jiang's estate, Arran traveled at night, hiding out during the days and taking care not to be seen when he was out in the open.When he was a week's travel from Silvermere, he began to travel by day. By then, he thought there was little risk of being recognized, and even if someone did recognize him, by the time word reached Silvermere he would be long gone.The lands to the west of Silvermere were rough, filled with rocky hills and dense forests, but the roads were well-maintained, and he made good distance with every day of travel. Still wary of being seen, he spent the first weeks avoiding any towns and villages along the way. Instead, he camped out in the wilderness each night.He did not mind the lack of comfort. Lord Jiang's void bag contained enough food to last him well over a year, and although the nights were cold, he found that he could easily warm his body by circulating Fire
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 48
Arran crouched atop the hill, carefully watching the road. The Redstone men could arrive any moment now, and when they did, he would attack as soon as they came within range.He took out the dragonbone bow and nocked an arrow."You're using a bow?" Captain Yang asked. Some doubt sounded in his voice. "I thought you're a mage?"Arran chuckled even as he kept a close watch on the road below. Having bet his life on the belief that Arran was a powerful mage, Captain Yang was clearly worried at seeing him use so plain a weapon."Did you expect me to just start throwing around great balls of fire?" he asked.Captain Yang did not respond for several seconds. I did, actually," he finally said."It's not a normal bow," Arran said with a grin. "Just wait and see."During the past few months of travel he had often practiced with the dragonbone bow,
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 49
Arran stood amid the carnage, panting in exhaustion. All told, the battle had taken less than two minutes, yet he had expended every bit of energy in his body.Now that the fight was over he became aware that he was injured, and after inspecting his body he was startled to find that there were more than a dozen injuries all over his body — burns, cuts, and bruises, none of which he remembered sustaining.Although Arran was hurt, his armored coat had taken most of the damage, and with a quick glance he could see that it was ruined beyond repair. Still, better the coat than him, he thought.It took him some time to catch his breath and slow his racing heartbeat. As the excitement of battle wore off, a deep sense of weariness set in, but he did not allow it to take hold of him just yet.He felt fear, too. During the fight, there had been no time to be scared, but now, he understood just how close
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 50
Arran's stay at Captain Yang's house had lasted longer than he had intended. While his wounds had healed quickly at first, recovering fully wasn't quite as fast as he had expected.In the end, he remained with Captain Yang for a little over two weeks, enjoying both the man's hospitality and the calm and quiet of the small town where he lived.By then his wounds had healed fully, and he knew it was time to go — even if he wouldn't have minded staying another few weeks.He left after saying his goodbyes to Captain Yang, leaving behind some gold despite the man's protests. After two weeks at his house and the help Captain Yang had given him in facing the Redstone men, Arran figured he owed him at least that much.The start of his journey was quick, without any unforeseen delays or unwanted encounters. Nor, for that matter, was there any rain, and the clear skies soon lifted Arran's spirits.
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Chapter 156
True to Snowcloud's word, she had them leave the castle at dawn.Stoneheart and Tuya saw them off as they departed, offering them wishes of good fortune on their travels, along with several small gifts.Tuya gave Arran fifty Essence Crystals, which she said was a token of gratitude for his help in disposing of the army. Arran accepted it gracefully, not bothering to point out that she'd taken twice as much for the armor he'd used. Tuya, he suspected, would have been able to easily handle the matter herself had she wanted to.Stoneheart, on the other hand, had little to offer but his gratitude. The tall novice had last his own void bag in battle months earlier, and it appeared that Elder Naran had confiscated all the belongings of the novices they'd defeated in battle.The giant Elder himself, finally, did not appear. From what Snowcloud said, he'd locked himself away weeks earlier, and it seemed that
Chapter 155
"You idiot!" Snowcloud looked at Arran with tear-filled eyes. "I thought you had died!"Arran didn't respond. She had repeated variations on the same words at least a dozen times in just the past half hour, and by now, he understood there was nothing he could say that would make a difference.When he returned to the castle, he had expected her to be angry, even furious. What he had not expected was for her to hug him while nearly crying her eyes out.In Arran's view, this was considerably worse than anything he'd been prepared for. Her anger, he could weather. But this, he had no idea how to handle. It was clear his absence had hurt her, and that she had spent the weeks he was gone in worry, fretting that he had died or been captured.He had apologized, of course, but it seemed an apology wasn't what she wanted. As for what she did want, Arran had no idea.Part of him blamed Ston
Chapter 154
"Our town is called Riverbend," the woman said, her voice anxious. "I am the mayor."Arran spent some moments in thought. While the village — it was far too small to be called a town — shared a name with his old hometown, the two places were thousands of miles apart, and other than being next to a river, they seemed to have little in common.Still, the name reminded him of the life he had left behind. Even if he did not regret his decision to become a mage, he wondered what things would have been like had he stayed in the real Riverbend. Calmer, probably, and certainly less bloody.Arran shook himself from his thoughts. He had more important matters to handle."What about them," he said, gesturing at the soldiers. "What are they doing here?"Before the woman could respond, one of the soldiers stepped forward, a stocky, middle-aged man with dark skin and several old scars on his face."You gonna kill us?" Although the man's expression was cautious, there was no fear in his eyes. It see
Chapter 153
In the days after the battle, Arran hunted the escaped soldiers with grim determination. Deadly though the battle had been, many survivors had managed to flee, and thousands of them now filled the woods surrounding the camp.After just three days, he had already killed more soldiers in his hunt than he had killed during the battle, and even if most of the temporary strength of the Blood magic dissipated quickly, he could feel that there were permanent benefits, as well.Perhaps he wouldn't be able to shrug off major wounds the way he had right after the battle, but any small wounds he sustained healed easily, and his strength had more than doubled.Several times, groups of soldiers tried to ambush him. They did not live to regret the mistake. Arran's Shadowsight allowed him to see through their ambushes easily, and even if most of the strength of the initial battle had dissipated, Arran was strong enough to crush them effortlessly.More troublesome were the ones who neither fought nor
Chapter 152
Stoneheart braced himself for Arran's Battering Force attack, throwing up what seemed to be a shield of Wind Essence.Before the attack could hit him, however, it smashed into its actual target — the Shadowcloaked mage who was heading toward Stoneheart with a raised sword in his hands.The attack hit the mage squarely in the back, sending the man flying into Stoneheart's shield. Stoneheart staggering back from the force of the impact, while the mage crashed heavily to the ground.The force of the attack proved enough to break the mage's concentration, causing his Shadowcloak to fail. With a brief flicker of light in the air, the short, fat man suddenly became visible to the eye.Despite taking a direct hit that should have incapacitated him, the mage got to his feet immediately, and without even a second's hesitation, he turned to Arran and shot a stream of white, lightning-like fire from his hands. It hit Arran in the leg, burning straight through his armor and leaving a fist-sized h
Chapter 151
The mage's thunderous words immediately set the entire camp in motion, and within moments, Arran's Shadowsight told him that hundreds of soldiers were beginning to move into the woods, with many more following behind them.It was exactly what he had hoped would happen, and he could not help but feel excited at seeing his enemies fall into the trap so easily. While he had prepared for the possibility that they would see through the ruse — it was hardly subtle, after all — it looked like everything would go according to plan.His spirits rose further when he realized that his enemies' advance was chaotic, lacking any sort of organization. Rather than progressing in tight ranks, as he imagined a real army would, they moved forward in a disorderly mass.Their sloppy advance allowed Arran to continue attacking in much the same way as he had before, striking quickly and furiously, then disappearing into the woods again before they could respond.Several of the soldiers had the presence of m
Chapter 150
Arran put on the armor as quickly as he could, but it still took him more time than he would have liked. Between his coat, the helmet, the gauntlets, the gorget, the greaves, the cuisses, and all the other parts, suiting up was a slow affair, and that was hardly the only downside of wearing full armor.The quality of the armor was impressive, all the more so because Tuya had managed to find in just a few hours during the dead of night. All of it was enchanted, and it fit him better than he had any right to expect.Even so, wearing it made him slower and affected his balance, and when he put on the helmet, it immediately restricted his vision. To any other mage, the sacrifice would be far too large for a little added protection.But Arran wasn't like other mages. The control he had gained from the Tempering easily compensated for the bulk and weight of the armor, and in the dark of night, his Shadowsight would be far more useful than his eyes.When he finished suiting up, whatever part
Chapter 149
"I think we're getting close," Stoneheart said, looking at the six dead men on the ground in front of them.They had already spent the better part of two weeks in search of the army, and although they had come across several scouting parties, there was little sign of the main force.The region was hilly and densely forested, and the terrain made it far harder to find the army than they had anticipated. In such an environment, they could have easily passed within a mile of their enemies without ever noticing.Initially, they had thought they could simply capture a few scouts and wring information from those, but the scouts fought with an almost religious fervor, choosing death over capture. And when they finally caught one alive, the man bit off his tongue before they could make him speak.After that, they had stopped trying to capture their enemies alive.Still, even if the scouts they found would not talk, they knew they were getting closer. Just in the past two days, they had encoun
Chapter 148
"What did he say, exactly?" Snowcloud looked at Arran intently as she asked the question.They were sitting in her quarters, which Arran could not help but notice were far nicer than his own. While he had a single room with just a bed and a desk, Snowcloud had three full rooms to herself, including a bedroom, a small library, and the well-furnished sitting room they were currently using. Not that he was jealous, of course — although a bit more space would be nice.Arran quickly told Snowcloud about his meeting with Elder Naran and Stoneheart, and the offer Elder Naran had made them.When he finished speaking, Snowcloud frowned, seeming taken aback by the idea. "He wants the two of you to face an entire army together?""I assume he wants me to defeat the army, and Stoneheart to defeat their leader," Arran explained. "With the Blood magic, the soldiers' numbers won't make much of a difference to me.""But it's an entire army," Snowcloud objected. "With thousands of soldiers."Arran shoo
