Above the mage!

Chapter 578 Stone Skin Lizard
"Blackstone Canyon is located 33 kilometers northwest of Green Forest City, on the western branch of the central section of the Sword Mountain Range, between the 'Deadwood Forest' and the 'Iron Peak Mine'."

"The canyon is cold and damp all year round and has several intermittent springs. The underground steam that erupts contains trace amounts of toxins, so be wary of mild poisoning. It is best to take an antidote before entering."
The canyon is divided into three layers: the surface layer is often inhabited by stone-skinned lizards and burrowing spiders, the middle layer is where the stalagmite forest is located, and leyline creatures such as cave spiders and cave elementals are commonly found there.

Gao De emerged from the official mage association of Green Forest City, holding a roll of parchment in his hand:

This is the information about Blackrock Canyon that he just bought for 1 Golden Bird Coin.

He flipped through the pages while pondering.

The Soren School is located right in Greenwood City and won't be moving anytime soon.

The giant oak tree on the rock ridge, which most likely exists in Blackrock Canyon, could be preempted by others or destroyed by leyline creatures at any time.

This cannot be delayed.

So Gaode quickly made a decision to first explore Black Rock Canyon and look for the Rock Ridge Giant Tree, and postpone the challenge at the Art Museum.

Intelligence precedes military action.

The first thing Gaode did after making the decision was not to set off, but to gather information about Black Rock Canyon.

In the wild, especially in areas where creatures from the ley lines roam, you could easily overturn your vehicle if you're not careful.

Therefore, Gaode went to the Green Forest City Official Mage Association to purchase information.

The light from deep within the dense forest was broken into fragmented spots by layers of oak branches and leaves, and the damp air was filled with the scent of decaying leaves and moss.

A figure moved swiftly through the dense trees.

The trees in the forest grew haphazardly, their thick trunks and entwined vines forming a natural barrier, but they were useless against this figure.

He dodged the trees with incredible speed and agility, without making a sound.

It was Gaode.

Beneath him was a spirit warhorse whose body shimmered with a faint starlight.

This is the spirit warhorse he summoned by casting [Summon Mount].

The roads in the wild were not easy to travel, but for the warhorse in its spirit form, it was as smooth as walking on flat ground.

Suddenly, the light ahead brightened, and the dense forest opened up into the open.

Gao De controlled the spirit warhorse to slow down, its hooves kicking up fine stardust on the ground.

What comes into view is an extremely wide, fan-shaped rocky beach, covered with black stones.

Gao De sat on his spirit warhorse and strode forward, approaching the rocky beach.

This is the entrance to Blackrock Canyon.

A faint white steam filled the air, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur. Taking a breath of it caused a slight burning sensation in the throat.

It is the underground steam mentioned in the materials purchased from the Mage Association.

Gao De's gaze shifted to the left side of the rocky beach, where a broken stone tablet stood.

The monument is made of gray granite, and the top is charred black by lightning. Several lines of exquisite symbols are engraved on its surface.

According to the information provided, it is actually a niche magical script that reads "Beware of the net beneath the stone."

I just don't know what this "net" refers to.

However, most people believe that it refers to the web spun by the cave spider.

These leyline creatures mostly live in underground caves, where they weave webs to hunt.

Due to its unique geographical environment, Black Rock Canyon is home to many leyline creatures.

Riding a spirit warhorse in such a place is like being a bright light in the dark, too conspicuous.

Therefore, Gao De dismounted, and with a thought, the spirit warhorse turned into stardust and vanished in the next instant.

He chose to walk into the canyon.

As you walk in from the entrance, the smell of sulfur in the air becomes increasingly strong.

The white underground steam was no longer scattered, but gathered into a thin mist that swirled among the rocks.

Gaode's target is the stalagmite forest located in the middle layer of Black Rock Canyon.

So he has to get through the outer layer first.

He walked inside, referring to the simplified map in the Dharma Masters Association's materials.

The rocks beneath my feet have fine lines that radiate outwards in a peculiar pattern, seemingly formed by the long-term erosion of some kind of energy.

Moreover, the direction of the patterns is exactly the same as that of the stalagmite forest, which actually points to the depths of the Black Stone Canyon.

The further you go, the steeper the rock walls on both sides become, and the rock walls are covered with dark brown cracks.

Occasionally, underground steam would gush out from the cracks, making a hissing sound, like the canyon breathing softly.

Below the rock face, some dead wood lay scattered, but Gao De did not find any more branches of the giant oak tree on the rock ridge.

You can also see some skeletons along the way.

Gaode observed as it moved forward.

rustle!

Suddenly, a faint sound of gravel rolling down came from the rock pile on the right side.

The sound was faint, yet exceptionally clear in the silent canyon.

Gaode immediately stopped and went on alert.

Four creatures, almost blending into the rock, awaken from their camouflage.

They have a rough, grayish-brown surface, with the luster of mineral crystals shimmering between the scales.

This is the stone-skinned lizard warned about in the information:

First-tier ley line creatures, with a few elite individuals reaching second tier. They feed on lichen and moss, and spend most of their time curled up in a rock-like camouflage.

The largest stone-skinned lizard was over six feet long, and its throat throbbed, making a menacing sound like stones colliding.

This is a scare tactic used by the stone-skinned lizard, and it also marks the location of its prey.

The other three flanked from the sides, their forked tongues probing the air for the scent of their prey.

The four stone-skinned lizards were all ordinary specimens, with no elite individuals among them. They were clearly startled by his footsteps, which is why they abandoned their disguises and launched an attack.

A Tier 1 ley line creature. Even the largest one is only at the late Tier 1 level.

"A source point delivered right to your door." For Gao De, such ley line creatures posed no threat whatsoever.

【Frost Arrow】!
With a thought, Gao De's liquid mana, cultivated from the "Secret Transmission of Pure Ice," instantly decreased by one drop.

The power of Zhenbing carried a bone-chilling coldness, fundamentally different from ordinary magic.

【Frost Arrow】is a spell that awakens when breaking through to the first level of the "True Ice Secret Manual".

Similar to the [Flame Arrow] that Gaode previously mastered.

Of course, as a first-level spell, its power is definitely much greater than that of [Fire Arrow].

Not to mention, Gaode was using the True Ice Mana, which greatly enhances ice elemental spells.

A crystal-clear ice arrow took shape in Gao De's right hand, its shaft wreathed in visible cold air.

The surrounding damp air instantly condensed into tiny ice shards, which landed on the basalt with a soft "tinkling" sound. The tips of the ice arrows were exceptionally sharp, with tiny ice ridges faintly visible.

With a wave of his hand, Gao De launched the ice arrow, sending up a burst of white, chilling air wherever it passed.

He was aiming at the largest stone-skinned lizard.

This lizard reacts extremely quickly, and its movements are indeed very fast.

It immediately sensed the terrifying chill emanating from the ice arrow, and with a sudden burst of energy, it slid rapidly along the basalt surface, trying to dodge it.

Its scales rubbed against the basalt, leaving a shallow mark, making it much faster than an ordinary Tier 1 creature.

However, Gao De's mental strength of 310 gives him an amazing ability to manipulate magic.

The ability to control the direction of the [Flame Arrow] was initially achieved thanks to the blessing of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.

This time, he relied solely on his mental power to manipulate the ice arrow to make a nearly 45-degree turn in the air.

The icy arrow, which had been redirected, precisely caught up with the gliding stone-skinned lizard and pierced the gap in the scales on its side of its neck with a "plop."

The Stone-skinned Lizard, as its name suggests, has skin as hard as rock, and ordinary attacks and spells cannot penetrate its thick skin.

Gao De used liquid mana cultivated through the "Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" to cast spells.

Because the progress of "The Secret of Perfect Ice" is only one level, this spell did not undergo level-up casting and is equivalent to a standard level one spell in terms of power.

In this situation, even if it gets hit, it shouldn't be a big deal.

But in reality, with a cracking sound like porcelain shattering, the ice arrow pierced the gaps in the lizard's scales.

The lizard's body froze instantly, and the "click" sound in its throat stopped abruptly.

Immediately afterwards, ice crystals spread from the wound at a visible speed, covering its entire body.

Seconds later, the six-foot-long stone-skinned lizard turned into a crystal-clear ice sculpture, even the terror in its pupils was frozen in time.

The other three smaller stone-skinned lizards were still in the forward-rushing posture.

They had intended to launch a surprise attack while their companions were distracted, but after witnessing their leader being frozen in place, their movements clearly faltered.

Gao De ignored all of that and made another move.

Gao De didn't even intend to expend much mana to deal with these small fry.

With a thought, he channeled his pure ice magic power, and without any lengthy casting motions, three ice bullets the size of pigeon eggs formed in his palm.

Ice Bolt Technique!
As the ice element version of the magic missile [Ice Bullet], it also fires three ice bullets.

With a flick of his finger, Gao De launched three ice bullets like meteors into the battlefield, automatically splitting into three directions in mid-air and locking onto a stone-skinned lizard.

These ice projectiles may appear small, but they contain concentrated pure ice magic, leaving three faint trails of ice mist behind them as they fly.

The first one to be hit was the lizard on the left.

The ice bullet landed on its head, without a violent explosion, only a faint "thump".

However, the freezing power contained within the ice bullet erupted instantly, freezing the lizard's head in mid-air.

His cervical spine cracked under the strain, his body lost control, and he fell heavily to the ground, twitching a few times before becoming still.

Seeing this, the other two lizards tried to turn and run away.

However, the speed of the ice bullets far exceeds their reaction speed.

The lizard on the right had just taken a step when the ice bullet struck its back.

The freezing power seeped into its body through the gaps in its scales, and its limbs instantly lost all feeling, collapsing to the ground as if its bones had been removed.
The last lizard tried to hide in the pile of rocks, but was hit in the tail by an ice bullet.

Ice crystals spread rapidly from its tail to its body, freezing it firmly in the cracks of the rock. Only a faint struggle remained before it fell silent.

On the source page: One ring - [Stone-skinned Lizard] (4/7)

In just a few breaths, all four stone-skinned lizards were dealt with.

Gao De nodded with satisfaction upon seeing the result.

As a late-stage second-ring mage who could attempt to advance to the third ring at any time, instantly killing four first-tier ley line creatures was nothing to boast about.
However, he used the True Ice Mana cultivated from the "Secret Transmission of True Ice" to cast spells, which is essentially equivalent to a mid-stage first-ring mage.

Despite being a mid-stage first-level mage, he was able to instantly defeat four Stone-skinned Lizards known for their defense.

This combat power far exceeds the normal level of mages of the same rank.

Its immense power stems entirely from the superb enhancement of ice elemental spells by the power of the True Ice Mana.

The same Frostbolt from the first ring, when cast by an ordinary first-ring mage, will at most leave a white mark on the Stoneskin Lizard's scales.

The power of True Ice can not only penetrate its defensive gaps, but also trigger a "freeze spread" effect, instantly freezing the creature's body.

In terms of sheer magical power enhancement, "The Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" is far superior to "The Longevity Scripture of Qingmu".

Of course, both are rare cultivation methods. It's not that the "True Ice Secret Transmission" is more powerful than the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture," but rather that they have different focuses.

"The Secret of Zhenbing" is like a combat-based cultivation method that can greatly enhance a mage's combat power.

The "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" is an auxiliary cultivation method. Although it cannot bring the huge combat power bonus to mages like the "True Ice Secret Transmission", it can give high virtues a lifespan and spiritual power far exceeding that of ordinary mages.

To put it bluntly: one applies to spells, and the other applies to the mage's own basic attributes.

One cannot have both; it depends on which one the monk values ​​more.

Of course, this applies to ordinary monks.

Gaode's choice is simple: it wants them all.

From this perspective, even without advancing to the third ring, Gao De still has an opportunity to drastically increase his combat power:
That is, the "Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" has broken through to the second level.

And this was inevitable.

After all, Sunafa, who also possesses the Zhenbing bloodline, only took two years to go from the first ring to the fourth ring.

While the environment of the North certainly plays a role, Gao De doesn't stay in the North like she does for extended periods, so her progress will be much slower.

However, if not deliberately suppressed, it will take at most three or four years to reach the fourth ring road.

Based on this pace, his "Secret Manual of Perfect Ice" is expected to break through to the second ring within a month.
Before the challenge at the academy ends, you will definitely reach the late stage of the second ring and officially catch up with the cultivation progress of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

With this in mind, Gaode felt even more confident about the art museum challenge.

As for now.

Gao De composed himself, narrowed his eyes, and quietly unfurled the Mandora's Eye.

As far as the eye can see, the energy trails in the air become clearly visible:

The subtle energy fluctuations that were originally hidden among the pile of rocks now resembled pale golden threads, guiding the creatures to their hiding places.

He needs to actively seek out the disguised and hidden stone-skinned lizards.

Looking at the Source section: [Stone-skinned Lizard] (4/7), and it happens to be at the "spawn point" of the Stone-skinned Lizard, no one can resist spawning a wave of monsters and lighting up the Source point!
As Gaode moved, he scanned his surroundings.

Soon, he detected a faint energy fluctuation from behind a rock wall in the distance, at a distance of nearly a hundred meters.

Its fluctuation characteristics are completely consistent with those of the previous Stone-skinned Lizard, and its aura intensity is similar to that of its previous prey, so it is obviously also a first-order ordinary individual.

A sharp glint flashed in Gao De's eyes.

The chilling power of the True Ice Magic was already circulating in the magic veins!

(End of this chapter)