Black Hearted Mage

As dusk approached, the sun gradually sank, tinting the sky with a vibrant orange glow. Caesars methodically packed up his stall, preparing to leave this bustling place. Though slightly fatigued by the day's busy schedule, his eyes remained sharp and alert.

As always, there were always some greedy people hiding in the shadows, watching him. However, this time, Caesars showed no sign of worry. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a subtle sneer. Because in his heart, these evil-minded people had already become lambs to be slaughtered.

Ancient records of Frostcrown clearly document how his ancestors, through clever planning and precise hunting of the greedy, accumulated abundant cultivation resources. Among these, greedy magicians became their primary targets. To his ancestors, these magicians were like walking treasure troves, a pool of mobile cultivation resources.

As Caesars slowly walked toward the edge of the Imperial City's Grand Plaza, a familiar figure suddenly caught his eye—Rodman, clad in leather armor. Beside him stood a young, petite female mercenary, two sharp daggers tucked at her waist, a dashing presence.

"Rodman, are you healed?" Caesars walked up and greeted his old friend with a smile.

Rodman was busy packing up his stall at the moment. When he heard the voice, he looked up and a confused expression instantly appeared on his face. It was obvious that he did not recognize for a moment that the seemingly unfamiliar old man in front of him was his old friend, Caesars in disguise.

"I am... I am Caesar!" Seeing Rodman's confused face, Caesar couldn't help laughing and hurriedly explained.

"Oh my God! You're so good at disguising yourself, I can't tell at all." Rodman suddenly realized what was happening and lowered his voice to Kaikasas, "Kaisas, someone is following you."

"It's okay, I'll find a secluded place and kill them later. Rodman, let's use the magic communication stone to contact each other, and let me know when you return!"

"Okay, I'll contact you later!"

Rodman, like a vigilant cheetah, stared intently at the receding figure in the distance—Caesars, striding rapidly toward the outside of the square. Just then, the valiant female mercenary was about to catch up with Caesars when Rodman quickly stopped her.

"Don't rush to follow him!" Rodman said in a low voice. "Caesars left in such a hurry because he didn't want those following him to notice that we knew each other. If you rush after him now, you might disrupt his carefully planned plan."

The female mercenary nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, then turned her gaze back to the direction where Caesar had left. She saw Caesar, clad in a magic robe, quickly blend into the bustling crowd outside the square until he completely disappeared.

Caesars's steps were quick and powerful. It was the busiest time of year in Fire Maple City, and hailing a carriage was practically impossible. So, without hesitation, he followed the crowd and walked straight into a seemingly insignificant street. This street was lined with numerous affordable inns, often providing temporary accommodations for mercenaries on the move and without a permanent home.

When Caesars passed a narrow alley beside the street, he suddenly slowed down and deliberately stayed there for a few seconds. Then, he quickly turned around, his sharp eyes like a hawk, scanning the group of people following him.

When people feel guilty, their eyes will often subconsciously avoid and they dare not make direct eye contact with the target person.

As expected, about a dozen suspicious-looking people made various small movements to avoid meeting Caesar's gaze. Some pretended to look down at the goods sold by the roadside vendors; others looked up and admired the facades of the street buildings, pretending to be calm; and still others simply turned their heads to talk to their companions... None of this escaped Caesar's sharp eyes.

This street, like a winding giant python, stretched all the way to the slums at the end. The alley connected to it was like a deep ravine in the python's body, and at a glance, its length seemed to be two or three miles.

Caesars stared resolutely at the slums ahead, secretly calculating his next course of action. Since his destination was there, he needed to change his current direction, keep parallel to the street, and head west.

Shortly after entering the alley, his keen intuition informed him that the people following him were a bit far away. Glancing back, he saw several people stealthily following him into the alley. However, to Caesar's slight disappointment, none of them were magicians. However, he remained undeterred and quickly made a response.

So, he decisively turned and headed west. The pursuit team behind him, initially consisting of only a dozen people, gradually grew in number, as if drawn by some mysterious force. Soon, it had swelled to over thirty.

Kaisas frowned slightly, a thought flashing through his mind: These guys might be communicating with each other through the communication stone. If this continued, he would be in great danger of being surrounded. To avoid this, Kaisas turned again without hesitation and dived into another alley.

The sun was setting, like an old carriage dragging its weary body slowly toward the other side of the mountain. As the afterglow of the setting sun faded, the light in the alley grew dimmer and dimmer, as if the entire world were shrouded in a thick, black veil.

When the more than 30 people saw that Caesars had changed direction again, they followed him without hesitation and filed into the new alley.

In an instant, several dazzling illuminations suddenly lit up in the darkness, like brilliant fireworks bursting across the night sky, instantly illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. This sudden, intense light stung the eyes of those in the gloomy environment, causing temporary blindness. Thus began a thrilling hunt...

Shadow bolts, emitting a chilling, eerie magical glow, poured down like a torrential rainstorm. This overwhelming barrage of shadow bolts was unleashed by Caesars with all his might. He frantically channeled his own magical power into the dragon-bloodwood staff in his hand. This almost violent method of channeling magical power increased the already formidable attack power of the shadow bolts to an extreme level.

Each shadow bolt carried a devastating force, whistling away at lightning speed like an unstoppable torrent, continuously hammering down the relentless pursuers. The sharp, piercing sound of bones snapping echoed one after another as the vicious pursuers were struck. Though clad in priceless, high-grade leather armor, capable of withstanding the intense corrosiveness of the shadow bolts, they were powerless against the unparalleled force. One after another, their pursuers, foaming with blood, tumbled to the ground like kites with their strings cut, unable to rise again.

However, Caesars did not stop there. While his enemies were still breathing, he quickly pulled out two fist-sized magic gems from his bosom. One of the gems was dull and lusterless, as if it contained a life force that was about to be exhausted; while the other was grayish-white and faintly emitted a heart-pounding soul wave. This was the legendary Soul Gem.

After all preparations were complete, the true slaughter began. Caesars, his eyes wide, chanted an obscure, ancient spell that no one could understand. As his chant echoed throughout the space, the surrounding light suddenly grew dimmer, as if the entire world was shrouded in a thick haze. The incapacitated enemies watched in horror as gray-green mist slowly gathered from all directions, gradually converging into hideous figures...

As the horrifying cloud of corrosion slowly descended, inhumane and heart-wrenching screams echoed through the sky, one after another.

Surprisingly, the life gem seemed to have no reaction to this, standing there quietly like a silent guardian.

At the same time, the other Soul Gem, emanating a mysterious aura, suddenly shone with a dazzling, eerie light. Wisps of pure, snow-white mist, as if drawn by some mysterious force, slowly drifted toward the Soul Gem, gradually being drawn closer. Finally, as if finding its home, the white mist was completely absorbed into the magical gem, shimmering with a strange light.

Witnessing this scene, Kaisas couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It seems that what the Life Gem desires isn't human life, but things filled with vigorous vitality. Since the Soul Gem has the ability to absorb souls, there's no need to worry about the supply of soul energy in the future!"

Prior to this, Caesars had carefully studied the precious tomes within Frostcrown. He knew full well the crucial role soul power played for a magician. Especially when casting spells, precise control stemmed from a powerful soul force, and this was only one of the many ways soul power could be used.

You must know that when a magician advances to the Grand Mage level, the demand for cultivation resources reaches an astonishing level, truly terrifying. Ordinary crystals are no longer enough to meet their ever-increasing needs. In such a situation, without a vast pool of mana as a solid backing to provide a constant supply of support, one can only rely on meditation to draw the necessary mana. Furthermore, the stronger the soul power, the greater the amount of mana that can be obtained.

When a Grand Mage meditates, the magic power within a radius of dozens of miles is affected. Fortunately, there is a magic pool in the crater. Otherwise, if three Grand Mages meditate together, the other elven magicians would not be able to practice.

A high-level Grand Mage, based on the Void Level, was only at Level 28. A magician's need for Soul Power began at Mage Level 23. Prior to this, a magician couldn't absorb Soul Power. They could increase Soul Power through alchemical potions, but the effect was minimal.

As more than thirty lives vanished, Caesars squatted down with an expressionless face and began to carefully caress each cold corpse. His sharp eyes were like those of a hawk, not missing any item that might be of value.

He expertly untied a jeweled ring from one corpse, then drew a sharp dagger from the waist of another. Each movement was precise and swift, as if he had done this countless times before. Once he was sure there was nothing worth taking from the bodies, he stood up, clapped his hands, and without hesitation, trotted back into the alley.

However, not long after Caesars left, the communication stone he had in his arms suddenly vibrated slightly.

"Where is the target?" A low and urgent voice came from the magic communication stone.

Hearing this question, Caesar continued to quicken his pace and responded to the communication stone: "We are almost at the west gate, he should be leaving the city!" Because he was running, his words were a little unclear.

After saying this, Caesars suddenly accelerated, rushing into the slums like a flash of lightning. The scene here was completely different from the outside. Dilapidated wooden houses were closely connected, and the narrow streets were filled with all kinds of miscellaneous items. The air was filled with a nauseating stench, a mixture of sewage and garbage.

For Caesar, this wasn't an ideal battleground. The overcrowded buildings made casting magic extremely difficult, and a rash attack here could easily trigger an uncontrollable catastrophe, destroying a large area. He carefully navigated the intricate streets and alleys, remaining vigilant in case the enemy suddenly appeared.

When he saw the city wall, Caesar breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally escape the unpleasant smell. He began running towards the towering wall, casting magic shield, magic armor, levitation, and feather fall spells on himself as he ran. Then, with a flash spell, Caesar seemed to glide through the air, floating towards the wall.

"He flew off the city wall!"

When Caesar left the city wall, he said something to the communication stone, and then crushed the gray-white magical creature.