Chapter 161

Words : 1194 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 Early in the morning, a group of people could be seen searching for something. They looked a little strange—dark, heavy bags hung under their eyes, and their bodies were draped in cloaks. This group was none other than Everlight’s team, who were hunting for Clayton. In theory, the task sounded simple. But with an invisible array formation cloaking the area and the night-blooming flower fields stretching so far and wide, the search was anything but easy. It had been hours since Everlight figured out how to track their target. And yet, despite all that time, they still hadn’t found him. Everlight was growing increasingly frustrated. "Still nothing?!" he snapped, his tired yet sharp gaze fixed on one of his subordinates. The subordinate, looking just as exhausted, forced a bitter smile. He replied respectfully, though there was strain in his voice. "Still no sign, sir. But we’re probably close. This is the last area we haven’t checked." Everlight scowled. "Hmph! You’ve said that before! If we don’t find him this time, I’ll deal with you myself." The subordinate gave another bitter smile, helpless under his superior’s wrath. "Yes, sir. I promise—we’ll find him this time." They continued their search carefully. But even after combing through the area for a while longer, nothing turned up. Just as Everlight was about to explode in anger again, a sudden shout came from one of his men. "Sir! We found something!" Everlight froze. He blinked, barely believing what he’d just heard. "What did you say?" "We’ve found a location—most likely hidden by an invisible array formation!" At that, Everlight’s face lit up. "Really? Are you absolutely sure?" "Yes, sir! Let’s move!" Without wasting a second, the team rushed toward the indicated location. Before long, they arrived at a seemingly ordinary spot. One of Everlight’s men picked up a rock and hurled it in a specific direction. The rock floated in midair, paused briefly, then dropped along a strange, curved trajectory. Everlight burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! I’ve finally found it!" His exhaustion vanished instantly—like he’d just downed two shots of espresso. He yelled so loudly that the small creatures nearby scattered in fear. But Everlight didn’t care if his shouting gave away their presence. He had full confidence in his team. Everlight’s squad consisted of about a dozen people: three six-star apprentice mages and nine three-star apprentice mages. Staring at the space before him, Everlight grew impatient. He began chanting, and a fireball the size of a washbasin shot forward. Boom! The fireball halted in midair, then exploded, revealing a strange, transparent ripple. Everlight nodded. He hadn’t expected that one attack to break the array—he merely wanted to gauge its strength. He then ordered his team to form a collective spellcasting circle. Immediately, the group complied and began chanting in unison. After a brief moment, a brilliant light flared, and a dozen interconnected spells launched together. Boom! Bang! Rumble! The barrage slammed into the air like missiles raining down on a battlefield. The raw power of the attack shook the array violently—but it still didn’t fully shatter. Seeing this, Everlight ordered another round of attacks. This time, the spells were even more powerful. As they surged toward the weakened formation, the invisible array suddenly vanished! With no target, the spells struck random areas. Everlight was stunned—and deeply unsatisfied. As he moved in to investigate, a massive vortex of water appeared out of nowhere and surged toward them! Completely unprepared for the sudden counterattack, the entire team was swept up in the brutal current. They sustained severe injuries and, for now, were utterly incapacitated by the vortex’s overwhelming pull. While Everlight and his group struggled helplessly, a young man emerged from the space that had been hidden by the array. He quickly dismantled the formation and fled the scene. Everlight watched him go—and was so furious he coughed up blood on the spot. Meanwhile, the young man kept running until he was far from the chaos. Once he felt safe, he glanced back. No one was chasing him. He let out a long sigh of relief. "Ahhh... My plan actually worked," he said with a grin. That young man was none other than Clayton. Just moments earlier, Clayton had been sleeping soundly—until Dingo woke him with an urgent warning. He instantly knew something was wrong. Seeing a dozen enemies surrounding his hiding place, Clayton remained calm. Thankfully, he had already prepared for this moment. From within the array, he waited for the perfect opening—when his enemies were distracted. He ordered six of his miniature skeletons to cast a combined spell with him, while the others stood by, ready to disable the array if needed. He then cast a Vortex Abyss spell, linked it to a tracking marker, and anchored it to the body of the enemy leader. The strategy worked flawlessly. His enemies were caught off guard, and Clayton slipped away in the chaos. He considered himself lucky to have gotten his hands on an invisible array of mid-tier, one-star material. Drained from the battle—even after a full night’s sleep—Clayton just wanted a break. But before he could even catch his breath, four attacks came hurtling at him from four different directions! He cursed under his breath and dodged. Bang! Bang! The attacks slammed into where he’d been standing seconds earlier, leaving craters and clouds of dust. Looking up, Clayton spotted four unfamiliar figures: one six-star apprentice mage, and three four-star apprentice mages. He didn’t recognize them. They weren’t from the earlier group. He checked beneath his robe and saw several glowing symbols—they were tracking him. The mages stared at him, then exchanged glances. The air grew thick with tension. Clayton braced himself for another fight—until, suddenly... "Hey! You bounty hunters too? Back off—this little runt is mine!" the six-star mage barked. Clayton blinked. He’d assumed they were a team. The other three mages looked insulted. They knew they were weaker, but that didn’t mean they would tolerate being disrespected. "What’s your problem?! Just because you’re a higher rank, you think you can push us aside?!" Two of them nodded in agreement. "Yeah! If we joined forces, you’d be the one in trouble. That arrogant mouth of yours will be your downfall!" The six-star mage paused, realizing he might’ve gone too far—but pride kept him from backing down. "Heh... So what? I could kill a hundred of you like swatting flies!" The three four-star mages had had enough. They were sick of the rigid hierarchy in the magical world. Years of being looked down on had built up, and now they snapped. They exchanged a glance, then locked eyes on the arrogant mage. The six-star mage felt a chill—but it was already too late. The three bounty hunters launched a furious joint assault. Clayton stood frozen. "Uhh..." He hadn’t expected to witness such a dramatic case of dog-eat-dog right in front of him. As the mages fought, entirely forgetting about him, Clayton prepared to run. But just as he turned to flee, all four suddenly stopped fighting—and turned their attention back to him. Clayton froze. "Seriously? Are you messing with me right now?" he groaned inwardly.

Chapter 161

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