The Sheep Became Wolves

Lohr's Magma Eruption Spell blanketed a vast area centered on the battlefield, spanning 1,320 meters.

This nearly engulfed every elemental wizard apprentice clashing at the center, along with a small number of bloodline wizard apprentices.

Ninety-nine percent of those elemental wizard apprentices and bloodline wizard apprentices did not even have time to react before they turned to ash.

Only three apprentices who specialized in defensive sorcery held on for a second or two before running outward like madmen.

Unfortunately, the hundreds of meters they could once cross in an instant now seemed as impossible to traverse as a vast chasm.

Aside from one apprentice who had been close to the edge and luckily escaped the range of the magma eruption, everyone else was ultimately burned to ash.

The earth-element wizard apprentice who escaped did not dare spare Lohr another glance and hurriedly ran in the opposite direction.

"Run! Run now!"

"That sorcery's power is almost at the level of a mid-stage Rank One spell!"

"So he was the one who cast that Magma Eruption Spell that shot into the sky earlier!"

"We can't stay here. We need to get as far away from him as possible!"

Most of the bloodline wizards who had been wandering around the outskirts instantly went pale at the sight. They scattered in all directions like madmen, wanting only to get away from Lohr.

"Another five percent of my elemental energy wasted." Lohr watched everyone flee in every direction but did not stop them.

His main goal was to plunder resources. Even if he could kill everyone this time, he could not slaughter everyone every time. His elemental energy could not withstand that kind of waste.

After looking around the battlefield, Lohr did not immediately head toward the place at its center where the Divine Power Crystal fluctuations were strongest.

Instead, he followed the faint Divine Power fluctuations along the battlefield's edges and began collecting the spoils others had left behind bit by bit.

There was very little in these Divine Power Crystals, usually only two or three grams each, but together they amounted to quite a lot—thirty-five grams in total.

Besides that, he picked up seven Potions shimmering with a pale silver glow, along with several pieces of charred fur.

Most of that fur had been left behind by bloodline wizards. Using this sort of sorcery material when casting spells allowed them to unleash greater power.

The potion bottles, meanwhile, had all been specially made by the Wizard Alliance. Ordinary Rank One spells could not damage them, which was why they had remained intact.

There were also some other sorcery materials scattered on the ground, but Lohr had no interest in picking those up.

He collected the fur mainly because he wanted a bag to carry the Potions and Divine Power Crystals, as well as something to place beneath himself when he wanted to rest.

After gathering the spoils, Lohr finally walked to the center of the battlefield and looked at the reason he had come here.

Two intact Divine Power Crystals and three Potions lay on the blackened ground.

"The Potions weren't taken this time."

Lohr picked up the Divine Power Crystals and Potions, a smile appearing on his face.

"Aptitude Enhancement Potion. A single bottle can raise an apprentice with First-Level Meditation Talent to the third level. I wonder how effective it will be for Seventh-Level Meditation Talent."

He was in no hurry to drink it. Time was precious now, so he would gather more first.

Lohr put away the Potions and Divine Power Crystals, then sensed the locations where the fluctuations from other Divine Power Crystals were strongest.

Just like when he had first cast the Small Lava Eruption Spell, the large Divine Power Crystal fluctuations within a radius of more than twenty li around him had stopped moving.

Clearly, those apprentices were afraid of drawing his attention. Even those who had already seized crystals chose to abandon them.

Some smaller Divine Power Crystal fluctuations were still moving away, but Lohr did not care much about that. After all, he could not take every benefit for himself.

After sensing carefully for a while, he chose a nearby direction with strong Divine Power fluctuations and hurried toward it.

The second round of plundering began!

Time passed, and another three hours went by in the blink of an eye.

Lohr finished the third round of plundering and checked his Sea of Consciousness. The elemental energy in his Elemental Domain was now only around forty-five percent.

"More and more people are willing to take risks."

Lohr sighed after using Reduced Magma Eruption to kill a wolf-shaped bloodline wizard that had suddenly emerged from the darkness to ambush him.

He was carrying 427 grams of Divine Power Crystals now. Calling him the sun of this Dark Forest might have been a bit exaggerated.

But calling him the moon could not have been more fitting.

The fluctuations from the Divine Power Crystals on him could be clearly sensed even three hundred li away, which had drawn many wizard apprentices willing to risk everything for a chance.

After several hours of bloody tempering, most of the frail sheep were already dead.

Nearly all who remained were wolves.

"The farther this goes, the harder these people will be to intimidate." Lohr glanced into the depths of the forest.

Shadows occasionally flashed in every direction around him. All of them were apprentices who had set their sights on him but did not dare make a move.

From the start of the third round until he finished plundering, he had already killed more than fifty wizard apprentices who dared attack him.

Even though he had been conserving elemental energy and mostly casting the reduced-power version of the Magma Eruption Spell, his elemental energy had now fallen below the danger line.

"Let's call it a day. I've gained enough already."

First, I'll find a place to set up a magic array and restore my elemental energy before deciding what to do next.

But before that, I need to clear the area.

With a slight movement of his feet, he cast a Full Magma Eruption Spell in each of the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

He spent twenty percent of his elemental energy, creating four magma eruptions spaced a thousand meters apart that covered a total area of five thousand meters.

"I'm not willing to accept this!"

"That's impossible!"

"How does he still have so much elemental energy?"

Most of the wizard apprentices hiding in the forest vanished without even managing a scream. The rest only left behind a final sentence before being burned to ash in utter unwillingness.

They had begun following Lohr during the third round of plundering and had personally seen him cast no fewer than fifty spells.

They had thought Lohr's sorcery energy was nearly depleted and that they might be able to take advantage of him.

Instead, they met a miserable end, directly burned to ash by magma.

"Splash, splash—"

The magma turned into raindrops, falling upon the earth with a pleasant sound.

Lohr strolled through the rain, listening to the "pitter-patter" of droplets striking the Adaptive Rock Barrier while using elemental energy to trace mysterious arcs beneath his feet.

A magic array was essentially a replicated version of a rune model.

Its power was somewhat weaker than directly casting a spell, and it consumed more elemental energy as well.

Without special materials to aid in its inscription, it could not be preserved for long and would dissipate on its own after two days at most.

Its only advantage was that it could activate automatically.

Lohr had never intended to stay long, so naturally he would not use his spoils to inscribe a magic array that could be preserved for a long time.

He first drew a Magma Eruption Spell around the outer perimeter that covered a radius of one thousand meters, then drew an Adaptive Rock Barrier spell at the center covering a radius of one hundred meters, consuming a total of ten percent of his elemental energy.

After finishing all this, Lohr did not stop moving.

Instead, following the Divine Power fluctuations, he went into the forest and collected the scattered Divine Power Crystals carried by those wizard apprentices.

No matter how small the mosquito, it was still meat. He could not waste it.

After putting away the Divine Power Crystals, Lohr returned to the center of the magic array and directly activated the Adaptive Rock Barrier, making it cover the hundred-meter area around him.

Then he pulled a piece of charred beast hide from the large bundle he carried, spread it over the ground, and sat down.

"First, restore my elemental energy. Then I'll take stock of the gains."