Meditation Method

"These scrolls..." Kaisalin picked up a pitch-black scroll, strange runes coiling across its surface. "They don't look like ordinary necromancy."

Argyle took the scroll, and the Holy Sword's glow illuminated the words on it. "This is... the mark of the Dark Council! No wonder this necromancer was so powerful. There was an even greater force behind him..."

Kaisalin held a stack of letters and examined them one by one, her expression gradually darkening.

Katerina leaned over for a look, a cold glint flashing through her eyes. "It seems our necromancer friend had quite a few acquaintances in the Imperial Capital. They actually dared conduct dealings with the Dark Council, using necromancers to create chaos along the border, manufacture excuses for war, purge dissidents... including... forbidden experiments?"

Argyle's face turned extremely grim. "No wonder all kinds of incidents have been occurring so frequently along the border lately. If these letters were made public..."

The group fell silent.

Shadow inspected the other items when he suddenly gave a soft cry of surprise. "Jialan, you might find this interesting." He held up a battered notebook, its cover covered in strange runes.

Though Jialan's magic had yet to fully recover, he could already move normally. He accepted the notebook, and the instant his fingers touched the runes, a strange mental ripple washed over him.

"This is... a Meditation Method?" Jialan rapidly flipped through the notes, excitement gradually brightening his eyes. "And one specifically meant to condense mental power!"

The others gathered around. Though they could not understand the notebook's contents, Jialan's reaction was enough to tell them it was no trivial matter.

Jialan continued, "Some parts are rather obscure, but I can make out the general idea. This Meditation Method uses a special breathing rhythm and method of circulating mental power to greatly increase its degree of condensation. No wonder that necromancer's mental power was so formidable..." Jialan was about to say more when his expression suddenly changed. "A lot of people are coming. At least a squad?"

The others' expressions changed drastically. Before long, the footsteps drew closer, the clashing of metal armor especially piercing in the silent forest. Jialan could sense the auras of at least five intermediate-level professionals, and one sharp ripple of Wind Element energy made his heart tighten.

"Prepare for battle!" Argyle shouted in a low voice, already drawing the Holy Sword. But his movements were clearly less fluid than usual; the wound on his chest was still bleeding.

Katerina's figure flickered several times across the snow before vanishing into the shadows. A natural assassin, she was best suited to fighting in this environment. Shadow whistled, and Qiuqiu, who had been playing in the nearby trees, leaped onto his shoulder in a few bounds. Its round eyes watched the depths of the forest warily, while Kaisalin gripped her longsword and stood before Jialan.

The instant the first enemy entered their sight, battle erupted. Katerina flashed out from the tree shadows, her dagger precisely cutting across a warrior's throat, with Shadow's arrow following close behind...

But the enemies reacted quickly as well. An intermediate swordsman swung out a blade aura, forcing Katerina to retreat. Another intermediate knight raised his shield and blocked Shadow's arrow.

Jialan stood at the rear of the group with his mental power fully unleashed. Only a tiny amount of his magic had recovered, enough for just a few apprentice-level spells. He dared not waste even a trace of it, saving it for a critical moment.

"Watch out!" Argyle suddenly shouted.

A cyan Wind Blade tore through the air, too fast to react to. Jialan barely twisted aside, but the Wind Blade still sheared off a large piece of his black cloak. Fortunately, it did not cut his flesh. Looking up, he saw a mage in cyan robes hovering in midair, violent Wind Element energy swirling around him.

"A High Mage of the Wind Element..." Jialan's heart sank. Flight was the mark of an Archmage. Among all casters, only High Mages of the Wind Element could fly through the air without relying on any magical item. A caster of that level was simply beyond what they could handle now.

The wind mage waved his hand again, and dozens of Wind Blades came shrieking toward them. Argyle raised the Holy Sword, and Light Battle Qi formed a barrier, but it blocked only part of the attack. Katerina and Shadow had no choice but to abandon their offense and focus entirely on evasion.

"Retreat!" Argyle ordered decisively. "Run west!"

The group began fighting as they retreated. But the wind mage's assault was too fierce, and they were soon forced into a desperate situation.

Argyle let out a low roar. His armor was already covered in cracks, blood seeping through the gaps in his shoulder guard. Yet the Light Knight still stood tall, the Holy Sword blooming with dazzling radiance in his hand.

Katerina's figure flickered through the tree shadows, her speed still astonishing, but the injury to her left leg kept her movements from being flawless. Shadow, meanwhile, constantly shifted positions using the terrain, his arrows shooting out from unexpected angles now and then to slow the pursuers.

Jialan felt a burning pain in his lungs. Only a little of his magic had recovered, and the drain on his stamina left him nearly unable to breathe.

"There's a gorge ahead!" Kaisalin suddenly shouted. "We can use the terrain..."

Before she could finish, a Wind Blade grazed past her ear and carved a deep mark into a tree trunk. The High Mage of the Wind Element had caught up. With a wave of his staff, the raging wind turned into blades that shredded the surrounding trees.

"You can't escape," the wind mage said mockingly.

Argyle suddenly stopped and turned to face the pursuers. A flash of resolve crossed his eyes. "You go first. I'll hold them off!"

"No!" Kaisalin tried to stop him, but it was already too late. Argyle's Holy Sword erupted with unprecedented light, and his figure seemed to transform into a blazing sun. "Light Judgment!" At the cost of burning his life force, he gained tremendous power for a short time. Golden holy light extended three or four meters from the Holy Sword as it viciously cleaved toward the wind mage in the air.

The wind mage clearly had not expected this move. The cyan magical shield around him shattered in a single blow, then a ring on his finger flashed red, and another crimson shield appeared around him. The shield and holy light held against each other for a moment before vanishing together. The wind mage was sent reeling, nearly falling from the sky. Seeing this, Shadow suddenly drew in a deep breath and pulled his bowstring to its limit, strange light winding around the arrow. This shot contained all his strength and skill.

"Chasing Wind Arrow!"

The instant the arrow left the string, the air itself seemed to tear apart. The wind mage's face changed drastically. He hurriedly steadied himself, somehow producing a scroll in his hand and crushing it. A wall of wind formed before him. But the arrow was far faster than he had expected. The wind wall had barely taken shape before the arrow pierced straight through it.