The Mage Was Me All Along?!

It was an extremely bizarre monster.

Its basic appearance is similar to that of an ordinary fishman.

But it just so happens to have a cat's face.

It's chilling to look at! In the darkness.

Roger lay down on the spot and slowly activated "Concealment"! The Cat-faced Fishman sniffed the air suspiciously and walked slowly toward the riverbank.

It seemed to have sensed something was amiss.

But Roger's 541 points of Concealment were a significant advantage.

It didn't find a single hair.

In the end, they could only leave disappointed.

Roger calmly observed the movements of the Cat-faced Fishman in the cave.

The reason they didn't take action was...

This is because these monsters are displayed as "Nightmare Template" in the Qi Divination Technique! This means that they are monsters created purely by the Nightmare Dragon.

Considering this is the back entrance to the Jade Phoenix Nest.

The purpose of these monsters is obvious—they are the eyes and ears of the Nightmare Dragon!

Once Roger makes a move.

That might alert the Nightmare Dragon itself.

If the two sides were to engage in a fierce battle at that time, it would inevitably be hasty and would not be in line with Roger's style of planning before acting.

Using skills such as stealth, he cleverly bypassed the "Cat-faced Fishman's " territory and arrived at the bottom of a set of steps.

On the steps.

Tall figures were moving back and forth.

These creatures, known as "Half-Goat Men," are also Nightmare Template.

Roger held his breath and used all his strength to finally break through the gaps in the group of Half-Goat Men and reach the top of the steps.

There.

Roger saw a desolate, deserted underground plaza.

The square is paved with a single, flawless piece of jade.

At the end stood a small stone pillar. Ya told him in her heart that as long as she touched the stone pillar with both hands, she could enter the real "Jade Phoenix Nest".

Roger was deeply moved upon hearing this, but he didn't immediately relax.

He walked slowly around the square for a while.

Very soon.

He then discovered yet another group of Nightmare Creatures lurking in the shadows—

Those were a group of monsters called "Shadow Specters".

These Shadow Specters are frighteningly high level—each of them is LV90+!

Roger sensed a powerful killing intent lurking in their claws in the darkness.

He had no doubt about the fighting capabilities of these Shadow Specters.

Once you get entangled with them.

Roger will probably have to use what he has in his hand!

More importantly.

These Shadow Specters possess extremely strong sensory abilities; they can freely enter and patrol the Shadow Realm and the Prime Material Plane.

This thwarted Roger's plan to sneak through the Shadow Realm.

Roger tentatively took a few steps closer.

Two Shadow Specters immediately flew over.

Startled, Roger quickly activated his Concealment and obediently hid.

The two Shadow Specters, like the Grim Reapers, swept quickly over his head, but ultimately failed to spot Roger.

In the next half hour.

Roger tried approaching the issue from different angles.

But each time, the Shadow Specters almost realized it.

If it weren't for his ridiculously high level of Concealment skills, the two sides would probably have already started fighting fiercely.

Even so.

Roger could also clearly sense that the Shadow Specters lurking near the square were becoming restless.

They may not be very intelligent.

But his intuition is terrifyingly strong.

They may have sensed that something was approaching.

The longer it drags on...

The higher the probability that this place will be watched by the Nightmare Dragon! Thinking of this.

Roger couldn't help but feel a little anxious. "I need to find someone to distract me so I can break through."

"Cindy won't do; if she goes up there, she'll just be wasting her time."

"We need to find someone who can fight, withstand attacks, and run away..."

In addition to the above conditions.

Because ordinary characters cannot attract the attention of all the Shadow Specters.

So Roger still needs to find someone strong enough.

After much thought, it seems that the only option left is to seek help from the Sea Serpent Church.

He had just tucked the Divine Art Badge into his palm when a line of information suddenly flashed across the data bar.

"Friendly Cooperation Contract: Your friendly partner ' Sonsonia's' Fear Authority Rank has exceeded 0.5, promotion successful!"

"Sonsonia (Terrified Clan Greater Devil LV103/ Lord Template / Fear Authority Rank 0.53)"

"Has the Queen bestowed upon her the title of Immaculate Mother?"

Roger's eyes lit up.

He suddenly had a perfect plan.

He then slowly retreated to the junction of the square and the steps.

This area happens to be a no-man's-land between the "Half-Goat Men" and the "Shadow Specters".

He Mi Mi placed a "Servant Re-Summoning Scroll" here.

Although Sonsonia was not his servant.

However, under the "Unpaid Service" terms.

She couldn't refuse Roger's call.

After some preparation.

Roger changed into "Shadow Boots".

Then he activated the ability attached to the boots.

The next second.

His figure slowly disappeared from the spot.

"Hint: You have entered the Shadow Realm. You may use the ' Shadow Stepping Stone ' an unlimited number of times within 60 seconds."

And at the very moment Roger's body vanished into the Shadow Realm.

He activated the Servant Re-Summoning Scroll with both hands and feet!

Accompanied by the Purgatory Black Fire.

The aura of an Ascended being emanating from the Devil Lord suddenly descended upon the plaza! At that moment...

All the Shadow Specters were drawn to it! Although Sonsonia was most likely a disgrace to the Ascended, her status was still there—compared to that, even if there was some commotion in the Shadow Realm, it was subconsciously ignored by the Shadow Specters.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Roger stepped onto the taut "Shadow Stepping Stone" one foot at a time.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had traversed between the Shadow Realm and the Prime Material Plane!

In the blink of an eye.

He crossed the entire square and arrived at the stone pillar!

The next moment.

He placed his hands on the stone pillar and distracted himself by using his Contract Master ability to cancel the "Servant Re-Summoning Scroll"! Poof.

The black flames on the scroll vanished completely.

Before Sonsonia could even arrive, she was driven away by another powerful repulsive force!

"Perfect!"

Roger excitedly felt the powerful attraction emanating from the stone pillar.

It was at this moment.

A surging, fiery black spear came from the unknown and pierced Roger's heart! "Insect... die!"

The voice sounded furious.

Intense pain swept over Roger's entire body.

On the data panel.

"Notification: You have been killed by the ' Nightmare Dragon '"

"100% Fortitude activated, you have entered Near-Death State."

The next second.

The stone pillar shone brightly.

The powerful attraction sucked Roger's 'corpse' and the black spear together! The Shadow Specters belatedly flew over.

But it was too late.

In the vast underground world.

Suddenly, a furious dragon roar rang out! Immediately afterwards...

It was a massive earthquake! A large-scale landslide occurred near the Flame Great Rift.

In a short time.

The underground was in complete chaos.

"Hint: You have entered the ' Jade Phoenix Nest '"

With a soft "poof".

Roger casually pulled the black spear out of his body.

Hot, moist blood splattered all over his face.

It hurts a lot.

But fortunately, he's gotten used to it.

Under the effect of Quick Resurrection, his body is rapidly recovering from the Near-Death State and slowly regaining its health.

He casually poured a few bottles of potion into his hand, then examined the spear in his hand with satisfaction.

This black spear is the Nightmare Dragon's "Bone Spurs," which not only possesses extremely strong penetrating power but also carries the Authority Rank power of the Nightmare Domain.

That is precisely why.

The relationship between this spear and the Nightmare Dragon is extraordinary.

Roger had long anticipated that this cunning old fox would make a move when he tried to get in through connections—

So he hesitated for a moment when the spear appeared.

Ultimately, they chose to take the hit head-on.

The goal is to get this spear!

In this way.

He would then have the opportunity to pinpoint the opponent's location using the Ultimate Hunter and divination techniques!

In general.

You can sneak into the Jade Phoenix Nest by using one Quick Resurrection opportunity.

This deal is not a loss for us.

The Nightmare Dragon has been trying to get in for 500 years, begging and pleading, but it still can't get in.

He slipped in by himself in no time.

Roger would have suspected something was amiss if he hadn't paid a price!

I came to my senses.

A cold voice rang in his ear:

"You've come..."

"Now I can rest in peace."

"The task is now in your hands. The new generation of 'Jade Phoenix' will soon be born from the Ashes Field. Do not let the North Wind obtain it!"

Having said all that...

Before Roger could even look up.

The data panel then displayed this message.

"Insight: You realize that the God of Mist's obsession has dissipated."

"Oddity: The kingdom of the God of Mist has collapsed... The mist in the Mist Shadow Mountain Range has vanished..."

"Notification: You have gained control of the ' Jade Phoenix Grand Formation '."

"Etc!"

Roger sprang to his feet with a somersault.

Unfortunately, when he looked around, he didn't see a single ghost!

If it weren't for the chat history in the data panel, Roger would have thought he was hallucinating! "This is too sudden..."

"At least give us a few more words of explanation!"

Roger scratched his head, his head throbbing badly.

However, he understood.

That obsession has lasted for a very long time, it's quite remarkable. Its consciousness is very thin and weak, and its behavior is almost instinctive. It would be reasonable for it to dissipate at any time.

Fortunately, he still had Ya.

The God of Mist, in his previous contact with her, had told her some information about the Jade Phoenix Nest.

Led by the Mist Fairy.

Roger successfully passed through the rocky forest near the back door and arrived at a vast and desolate space.

This is the Jade Phoenix Nest.

To be honest.

The layout and environment here are very different from what Roger had imagined.

In his fantasy.

As a blessed land for Qi Refiner, the Jade Phoenix Nest should at least be on par with the "Xianpeng Water Mansion," right? But that's not the case.

Roger rode his Somersault Cloud high into the sky and looked down, only to find that the entire Jade Phoenix Nest was just a desolate red soil basin!

Apart from the "Phoenix Forest" in the northeast corner.

The rest of the area is composed of a shocking red and black color scheme!

Cracks are visible everywhere on the ground.

If you add some sulfur and magma...

Even Roger would believe it if you said it was some level of the "Abyss"!

"The God of Mist told me that the most precious treasure of the Jade Phoenix Nest is in the ' Ashes Field,' which is also what the Nightmare Dragon has always wanted."

"However, before that, you'd better make a trip to Phoenix Forest."

Ya tried her best to recount every detail of that obsession.

Roger nodded.

He immediately headed towards Phoenix Forest.

After gaining access to the Jade Phoenix Grand Formation.

Roger was able to move freely within this area, so it didn't take him long to reach his destination.

It was a strange forest covering nearly a thousand acres.

Every phoenix tree in the forest is in full bloom.

Once you get close.

The fiery clouds, adorned with vibrant flowers, were reflected in Roger's eyes.

He lingered outside Phoenix Forest for a while.

Then, following my senses, I slowly moved forward.

They hadn't walked far.

Roger then saw an antique-style bamboo house.

The bamboo house has no doors on any of its four sides.

But some windows were open.

After confirming that there was no danger inside, he jumped directly in through the window.

Bundles of bamboo books were displayed on the first floor of the bamboo building.

Roger picked up one of the bundles and opened it, discovering that it was covered with incredibly complex incantations written in jet-black ink.

Before he could read it carefully...

Unexpected news then arrived.

"You have acquired a new profession: Jade Phoenix Mage"

"Jade Phoenix Mage Class Options: 1. Part-time 2. Advanced 3. Expansion Module 4. Abandon"

"Etc!"

Why is the option for Expansion Module highlighted?

"Isn't the Expansion Slot supposed to be off-limits to mage classes?"

Roger was taken aback.

He then slapped his forehead and opened up another translation for "Jade Phoenix Mage".

"Phoenix Handler: A profession that grows and shares glory and disgrace with the Mythical Creature 'Jade Phoenix'"

"This translator... let's leave it to Jade Phoenix Mage!"

After briefly understanding the basic mechanism of Jade Phoenix Mage.

Roger knew.

I'll definitely have to hand over this Expansion Slot.

That's what he was thinking.

I just randomly selected 3 from the data column.

"Hint: ' Jade Phoenix Mage ' has been added to your Expansion Module system."

"You've reached a new milestone - the Mage Was Me All Along (click to view content)"

"The Mage Was Me All Along: I can beat him and I still joined, so it's understandable."

"Corresponding title: Novice Mage (You have gained the ability to cast the 'Greasy Spell'; 3 times per day)"

"You do not currently meet the prerequisites for ' Jade Phoenix Mage '. The extended content is taking effect with a delay..."

"The prerequisites are as follows: 1. Possess a newborn 'Jade Phoenix'"

2. Proficiently master the skill of ' Play Flute ' (click to view details)

"Play Flute: an elegant musical technique"

"Prerequisite knowledge: Music Theory Knowledge / Musical Instrument Knowledge (200+)"

"Prerequisite skill: Musical Instrument Performance / Oral Dexterity (or any skill that enhances verbal dexterity)"