Black Hearted Mage

During the brief chat, Orcus talked about some knowledge about the plane, which made Caesar understand a lot of things.

It turns out that on the Roland Continent, people could only cultivate to the highest level of Grand Mage, which was considered Level 28 in the Void hierarchy. Furthermore, while ordinary alchemical potions had a good effect on those below Level 23, once promoted to Mage, even the best alchemical potions would have their effects greatly diminished.

About half an hour later, the shadow leopards that had been out on patrol returned one after another. They scattered through the dense forest surrounding the intersection, forming a defensive line. By this time, the elves' expedition team had already prepared to enter the canyon. The path down looked like it had been artificially carved, extremely steep, and daunting.

Looking at the steep stone road before him, Caesars felt his legs go weak. He couldn't help but say to Phyllis beside him, "Phyllis, I don't dare to go this way!"

Phyllis comforted her softly, "Don't be afraid. Close your eyes for a moment and don't move. I'll take you down!"

Just as Caesar was about to ask how to get down, the elven magicians began to cast their spells. Their staffs gleamed, and mysterious rays of magical light emerged from their tips, quickly spreading throughout the expedition. Then, they began chanting incantations, their voices deep and melodious, as if communicating with some mysterious power. As the incantations continued, a faint light enveloped all the elves, including Caesar. He felt a warm energy permeate his body, bringing him a sense of comfort and peace.

At this moment, the shadow dancers, clad in pitch-black leather armor, had reached the edge of the canyon. Without hesitation, they leaped into the depths. Seeing this, Caesars trembled with fear, his heartbeat racing. His eyes widened, unable to believe these men had bravely leaped.

"Don't be afraid, little one," Phyllis said soothingly. "They've been cast with the Feather Fall and Levitation spells. They'll float down gently like feathers. Now, close your eyes, we're going down too!"

After saying this, Phyllis hugged Caesars and leaped into the canyon. Caesars was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, not daring to look down. He clutched Phyllis's leather armor tightly, afraid that he would fall down accidentally.

A gentle rustle of wind reached his ears, the sound of the air currents created by their descent. Caesars was filled with fear, the sensation of falling terrified him. However, despite his uneasiness, he couldn't help but curiously open his eyes and look around.

He noticed several other elven magicians had also descended into the air, following them. Their figures drifted slowly through the air, as light as feathers. Caesars could not help but marvel at their magical abilities.

He looked down again, wanting to see what was happening below. He saw that the shadow dancers who had jumped down first were already standing firmly at the bottom of the canyon. The ground there was rugged and uneven, with boulders of various sizes everywhere, making the terrain complex and varied. Furthermore, due to the lack of light, the entire canyon seemed a little dark, giving people a feeling of oppression.

There was a gravel path winding between the boulders, covered with thick dark green moss, which felt like walking on a thick wool carpet. It was very damp here, and water droplets could be seen dripping from the edges of the tilted boulders.

The elven expedition team advanced slowly southward along the winding path. Caesars walked at the head of the group, treading on the wet moss, carefully sensing the magical elements. The surroundings were filled with dark and fire elements. The dark element was peaceful, while the fire element was a bit frantic.

After walking for over half an hour, two fresh corpses appeared on the road ahead, still dripping with blood. They had fallen from great heights, shattered into pieces. Their bodies were naked, their skin a strange white, and the smell of blood tinged with a foul, pungent stench.

"It's a white-skinned ogre. It must have fallen from above. These damn ogres have crossed the line again. Go back and tell the patrol team to eliminate all those who crossed the line!"

Orcus frowned and spoke a few words. He carefully examined the ogre's corpse, then looked up at the vertical cliffs of the canyon. The body had landed perpendicular to the rock face, having fallen from a height of hundreds of meters. Even the ogre's extremely tough skin could not withstand the impact, and the body shattered.

"Lord Orcus, why does ogre blood stink?"

Caesars smelled a foul odor, which made him feel a little nauseous and extremely uncomfortable.

"White-skinned ogres are different from gray-skinned ogres. Their blood contains a large amount of toxins, so they smell foul. This smell is very pungent to humans, but it is an attraction for other creatures. Ogres often eat rotten meat, even rotten meat with maggots. They have strong stomach acid, so they won't get upset!"

Kaisas felt so nauseous that he almost vomited. The white-skinned ogre's diet was unacceptable to him.

"Stay away, I'm going to destroy this disgusting corpse!"

Orcus donned an alchemical mask and protective gloves and retrieved a large crystal bottle filled with a gray-green liquid. The elves retreated, and Caesars was grabbed by Phyllis and pushed back.

Ocus opened the crystal bottle, and a gray-green mist immediately emerged from the bottle mouth, and a pungent smell immediately filled the air. He carefully tilted the bottle, and a drop of gray-green liquid dripped from the bottle mouth and landed on a piece of corpse.

Then, a sizzling sound continued to sound, and the body piece began to melt rapidly, emitting a large amount of bubbles and smoke. Caesars stared wide-eyed, watching the body piece shrink at an astonishing speed. After only half a minute, it completely disappeared from sight.

There was a strange and unpleasant smell in the air. Caesars frowned and tried to describe the smell, but found it difficult to describe.

"Ms. Phyllis, what potion did Lord Orcus just use? How come the corpse disappeared in a short while?" Caesar asked curiously.

Phyllis glanced at Orcus and replied softly, "It's a super-strong acid called Undead Corruption, arguably the most powerful acid in the world. It can corrode almost anything, whether it's metal, stone, or flesh and blood. Nothing can resist its erosion."

Kaisas couldn't help but gasp, amazed at the power of this strong acid. He continued, "Isn't this acid very dangerous? What if it accidentally comes into contact with the skin or if the volatile gases are inhaled?"

Phyllis nodded seriously. "Indeed, the undead rot is extremely dangerous. The vapors it emits are not only highly toxic but also highly corrosive. If they come into contact with the human body, the consequences will be disastrous. Therefore, we must use it with caution to avoid any accidents."

Caesars nodded gratefully, indicating he understood the danger. He turned to look at Orcus in the distance, who was intently cleaning up the remaining ogre corpses. Orcus's movements were skillful and swift, each drop of undead rot landing precisely on the corpses. With a series of sizzling sounds, the corpses gradually disappeared.

In less than a moment, the ogre's corpse had completely disappeared. Orcus put away the crystal bottle with satisfaction and walked towards them.

"Let's wait a moment. The air is filled with poisonous fog."

Half a minute later, the pungent smell became much lighter, and Ocus finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took off his protective gear and led the team to continue walking deeper into the canyon.

"Ms. Phyllis, how far are the ruins?" After walking for a while, Caesars suddenly asked.

The slippery and uneven path made it very difficult for Kaisas to walk. After more than an hour, sweat had already appeared on his forehead, and his underwear was sticking to his body due to the sweat, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

"We're almost there. Only about half a mile to go, and we can already see the outline of the cave!" Phyllis replied with a smile. She pointed ahead, her eyes revealing anticipation and excitement.

Following the direction Phyllis pointed, Caesars saw a vast cave in the distance to the southwest. With a sudden thought, he quickened his pace. A violent aura of fire elemental energy washed over him, stirring even the dark elemental energy.

The elements here seemed unable to be absorbed, as if they were resisting something. Kaisas was filled with curiosity, and he couldn't help but wonder what secrets this relic concealed.

With intense curiosity, Kaisas followed the elven expedition team onward. They approached the cave cautiously, observing everything around them with vigilance. Before long, they finally reached their destination—the Demon Ruins.

Caesars continued walking forward, and when he reached the front of the cave, he couldn't help but feel an indescribable shock. The scene before him made his eyes widen: the dark rock seemed to have been baptized by fire, appearing to have been melted, leaving traces similar to flowing magma.

"Ms. Phyllis, have these black steel rocks ever been melted?" Caesars couldn't help but ask.

As a studious magic apprentice, he had some basic knowledge of various geological phenomena. He had read geography books about the crater and the area surrounding the Endless Forest, and was well aware of the hardness of Black Steel. Normally, Black Steel was difficult to find, even in volcanic areas, because it was so hard that even the high temperature of magma could not melt it.

"That's right. The demons tried to melt the black steel rock in order to escape into the magma deep in the earth's core. However, their plan didn't work. Fortunately, they encountered a powerful being who was not afraid of fire or high temperatures. In the end, she sucked away all the energy in the demon core!" Ms. Phyllis explained.

"She? She's actually a woman!" Caesar asked in surprise.

He suddenly remembered that his ancestor had brought back a powerful helper from the Abyss over 10,000 years ago. This discovery made him wonder if this mysterious woman was the one brought back by the legendary ancestor.

"Well, she's incredibly old. I heard she's hundreds of thousands of years old. But she's a head taller than you are now, and looks like a little girl. There used to be an active volcano on the southeast side of the crater, but she drained away the fire element, turning it into a dormant volcano!"

As Orcus spoke, he recalled the scene of that year: that small figure, unfazed by flames and intense heat, moving like a ghost around the crater. She seemed unfazed by the terrifying surroundings, and instead seemed incredibly excited. She stretched out her hands, drawing on the elemental energy, directly absorbing the incredibly violent fire element, transforming it into her own strength.

Thinking of this, Ocus suddenly looked at Caesar, a hint of doubt in his eyes. He seemed to realize something, but he didn't dare to speak it out loud.

At this moment, Caesars was stunned. He couldn't imagine that someone who was hundreds of thousands of years old could still look like a little girl. This phenomenon beyond common sense made him feel very confused, and he even began to doubt all the knowledge he had learned.

"Today we're going to catch a few golden-eyed black snakes. We won't be catching ordinary black snakes. When you see a giant red snake, don't run away. Slowly retreat. It usually won't leave its lair. Everyone, check your potent antidote and your weapons and equipment. We'll be in soon!"

After hearing this, everyone came to their senses and began to follow the instructions. They carefully checked their belongings, making sure everything was ready. However, everyone was filled with tension, filled with anxiety about the environment they were about to face.

As the leader, Orcus reminded everyone that this wasn't their first time here, and the elves knew how to handle it. The giant red snake was usually a bit lazy and didn't like to swim much. But its attack speed was as fast as lightning, and its movement speed was equally astonishing.

After everything was ready, several Elf Shadow Dancers entered stealth mode and first entered the dark cave to explore the way. Then the magician entered the cave, and the spellbreaker walked at the end of the team.

In the dim light, dark elements visible to the naked eye appeared deep in the cave, like a gray-black fog. Caesars could not see the road clearly, and his steps became unsteady, and he almost fell several times.

"Orcus, give the little guy darkvision. He can't see the road clearly!"

"I was careless!"

Hearing Phyllis' words, Ocus apologetically cast dark vision on Caesars, allowing him to see the road under his feet clearly in the dark.

Caesars saw the road clearly under his feet. It was a downward slope with wavy patterns. It was formed by the flow of melted black steel rock, which looked somewhat similar to obsidian.