Death Notice

Qin Lun floated within the realm of starlight and law. Across from him, Master Vima stepped forward from the void, a smile gracing her lips.

“You little ones chatted among yourselves for ages, but none of you remembered to come see me!” Vima fixed Qin Lun with a look that was both annoyed and not. “Luckily, you’re not completely hopeless; you did remember in the end.”

“Master Vima, is this your Arcanum Node?” Qin Lun inquired sheepishly.

They truly had overlooked Vima. Casey’s success had come so easily, making them subconsciously believe Vima had no power left to resist. But looking back, even they had hidden cards. A Grand Druid who had lived a thousand years couldn’t possibly be without life-preserving methods.

“This is my mental space, not quite an Arcanum Node!” Master Vima sighed. “The foreign substance Casey injected into me wasn’t a natural poison; it was a fragment of a High Rank Lich’s phylactery. That mongrel knew the Druid class well. If it hadn’t been this high-rank necrotic poison, I wouldn’t have been completely incapacitated.”

“Master, how long before you recover?” Qin Lun asked urgently.

“Soon. Combined with the life-infused fluid holding the Ancient Tree of Wisdom’s leaf sprout you possess, I should regain mobility in about ten minutes! Honestly, if you hadn’t remembered me by the end, I’d have had no choice but to shed my physical body to escape.” Master Vima replied with a faint smile.

“There’s an ancient Elf tree, long planted inside the Sanctuary Camp, that could temporarily house my soul. If I took that route, it would require decades of slumber to recover. All the treasures I left behind would likely have been plundered by that mongrel!” The Grand Druid ground her teeth, her expression fierce.

Vima’s beautiful face twisted with fury; her hatred for Casey seemed intense. The depth of her affection before made the betrayal cut deep. She’d been deceived by his innocent, adorable act, her maternal instincts taking over, showering him with care. Such a sudden betrayal naturally cast a heavy shadow over her heart.

Besides, women held grudges fiercely. If Vima escaped and Casey hadn’t run far enough, turning him into plant fertilizer would probably be the least of his worries. “Ten minutes? No way it can be faster?” Qin Lun asked worriedly, his expression glum. “I doubt the barrier outside can last even ten minutes!”

“And whose fault is that? Who told you to only remember me just now!” Vima arched her delicate brows and rolled her eyes at him. She paused, her expression softening again into a smile. “I only drank the life-infused fluid. The Ancient Tree of Wisdom leaf sprout you have can still be used as a spell component!”

“Oh, Master Vima, are you saying…” A thought struck Qin Lun, and he pressed eagerly, “I can use the Ancient Tree of Wisdom’s leaf sprout to cast Thorn Technique again?”

“Thorn Technique is just a low-rank spell. It can’t unleash the vitality imbued within the Ancient Tree of Wisdom leaf sprout. How could it possibly stop those three High Rankers outside?” Master Vima shook her head. “Even if I faced those three head-on, I couldn’t settle it quickly!”

Qin Lun frowned slightly. Casey and his companions actually warranted such high regard from a Legendary Powerhouse? Their strength must be greater than he’d estimated.

Moreover, Master Vima could only gauge their power from their aura. Setting aside the advantages of the forest terrain, adding in their Law Bodies and all sorts of strange Apostle items, even this Grand Druid might be worn down fighting them.

No wonder Casey and his group dared to target Master Vima. Beyond Casey’s elaborate trap, they clearly also had plans to challenge the Grand Druid directly.

“Don’t worry,” Master Vima said, seemingly reading his doubts. “While Thorn Technique alone won’t stop those three from breaking the barrier, you do have Thorn Technique and affinity with wood elements as a foundation. By using a magical impression I’ve imprinted within my mental space, you should be able to cast an entirely different high-level wood-element spell.”

“Time is short,” she continued, her tone urgent. “Open your mind. I’ll transfer the magical imprint of this wood-element spell directly into your Arcanum Node.”

The transfer of the magical imprint was swift—largely thanks to Qin Lun already possessing a virtual Magic Network Core. This transfer wasn’t like teaching a spell; it resembled a soul-borne legacy.

In fact, once this spell imprint moved from Vima’s mental space into Qin Lun’s magical core, Vima’s mind would lose her connection to this magic forever. The act would also cause her significant harm. If she ever wanted to cast this spell again, the Grand Druid would have to learn it entirely from scratch.

Still, compared to shedding her body and her soul slumbering for decades, plus losing a trove of priceless treasures, this outcome was infinitely better. Master Vima knew well which mattered more.

About ten seconds later, Qin Lun regained awareness within Vima’s mental space. A flash of understanding shone in his pupils as the wood elemental spell etched itself onto the facets of his multi-prismatic core. He instantly grasped the nature of this high-level magic.

“There, done, ahem!” Though merely a single High Rank spell, the soul-legacy form meant Qin Lun could now be considered her half-disciple. Transferring the magical imprint had taken a toll; Vima’s face showed clear weariness. This legacy placed a heavy burden on her too.

“Master Vi… Teacher! I won’t disappoint you!”

Having seen the information displayed in the Death Notice, Qin Lun was elated. This was a wood-element spell teetering on the brink of Peak Ninth Rank—only half a step away from the Legendary Domain. It was the highest-rank magic he’d ever acquired.

Crucially, the Death Notice information revealed this Ninth Rank spell had no restrictions concerning Mana Value or spell components. As long as a caster possessed wood element affinity, they could cast it. However, the power depended entirely on the Mana Value consumed, the terrain, and any spell components used.

“Ahem! Wait, don’t rush!” Master Vima spoke wearily. “You need to know, this spell places extreme demands on mental focus. Controlling it will be very difficult for you.”

“Also,” she cautioned, “my rain cape is woven from the Ancient Tree of Wisdom’s leaves and branches. The barrier magic it creates is linked to this spell and might trigger chain reactions. If you feel the magic spiraling out of control, stop immediately. Don’t try to force it. If you do… your life could be in danger.”

“Understood, Teacher Vima!” Qin Lun’s eyes glinted as he nodded, a smile on his lips. Inside, though, he felt unreasonably confident.

He wasn’t like other Mages. With the Death Notice as his analytical tool, Qin Lun didn’t believe he faced any real risk of magical backlash. And judging from the Death Notice information, he could see no obvious flaws in the spell either.

“Qin Lun, what’s wrong?” Seeing Qin Lun open his eyes, Hill and Hansen immediately stepped closer, their concern evident. Their fearlessness toward death didn’t mean they cared nothing for life. Any escape plan Qin Lun might get from Master Vima would be tremendously welcome.

Qin Lun didn’t speak immediately. He used his pinky finger to hook out the Ancient Tree of Wisdom leaf sprout from the crystal vial. He paused thoughtfully, then pulled the single bottle of diluted Holy Water from his Storage Space. He quickly poured the green liquid from the crystal vial, along with the diluted Holy Water, straight into Master Vima’s mouth.

Diluted Holy Water worked well against necrotic toxins. Combined with the life-rich green fluid, it should accelerate her recovery.

Only when he saw Master Vima’s purple-tinged complexion begin to improve did he turn back with a smile. “It should be fine. Do you have any high-concentration Mana potions? Give them all to me!”

Hill and Hansen silently sighed in relief. Shepherd immediately retrieved two tubes of concentrated Silvermycin from his Storage Space. The Disciple handed over a vial of thick, blood-red liquid instead.

Qin Lun took the Silvermycin from Hill but pushed back the vial of crimson liquid from The Disciple.

No kidding—that blood-red stuff was water from a demonic blood pool! While packed with immense mana, he was casting a life-prospering wood-element spell, not dark magic. Drinking this might cause nasty side effects.

Qin Lun took out his last tube of concentrated Silvermycin from his own Storage Space. Tipping his head back, he downed all three tubes in one go. These wouldn’t boost his Mana Value cap, but they would steadily replenish spent Mana Value over the next few minutes. Better than nothing.

He considered further, then retrieved a small flask of high-quality Royal Jelly and two Self-Healing Crystals. These items restored both Health Points and some Mana Value—not purely Mana restoration.

But remembering Master Vima’s warning, Qin Lun still worried about having enough Mana Value. Survival was key right now. Exhausting all recovery items would be worth it if they made it through this.

“Back up a bit!” Qin Lun ordered, taking a deep breath to steady himself and calm his nerves.

Thump! Qin Lun drove his right fist—clenched tightly around the Ancient Tree of Wisdom leaf sprout—deep into the earth. He held that pose, absolutely still.

“Huh? Was that it?!” A soft breeze blew past. Hill and Hansen glanced around nervously, scanning their surroundings yet finding no sign of change. Utter confusion marked their faces.

Boom-Bang! Just as Hansen and Hill were completely baffled, a deep, muffled sound resounded. The dozens of huge vine pillars making up the cage barrier suddenly expanded and contracted simultaneously. The sound echoed like the heartbeat of a giant. A faint ripple of force spread outwards like a gentle gust.

Boom-Bang! When the second ‘heartbeat’ boomed, the ground trembled slightly. Not just the cage barrier’s pillars, but all trees within the area pulsed violently. Countless green leaves rained down in a shower.

The once faint rippling force surged abruptly, transforming into a gale that whipped at the robes and clothes of everyone inside and outside the barrier. The barrier itself trembled violently before crumbling into countless tiny sparks of light, vanishing into the air.

“Huh?!” Randy and Aaron, who had been attacking the barrier, immediately leaped back to Casey’s side. Even Fink and his two companions halted their assault.

Though unclear what had happened, the barrier hadn’t collapsed from their attacks; it had vanished on its own. Caution was necessary until the situation was clearer. Besides, Randy’s barrier, surrounding the caged one, remained active. They weren’t unduly worried about tricks.

“Casey, I sense an extremely intense surge of wood elements… What is this…” Randy turned, his expression deeply serious, toward the young male Elf whose brows were now deeply furrowed.

Boom-Bang! Before Casey could respond, the third heartbeat resonated. This time, Casey and his group finally reacted, their expressions shifting dramatically.