Chapter 1130
Byron had broken through to Fifth-Rank Title Archmage, reaching the very edge of comprehending the Force of Law, but he just couldn't take that final step. Insight into the rules—well, that's not something you can simply steal.
Now Byron happened to see Leon Merlin open a Plane Path. He knew exactly where the Plane Path closed, and he couldn’t help but be delighted—plane smuggling, after all, was his greatest skill. Even the Shadow Tower folks didn’t know the full story; they just thought Byron’s Shadow Stealth was absurdly strong.
He spent his accumulated fortune to borrow Diras’s Shadow Cloak. With the cloak, his Plane Shadow Arcane Sigil, and his nearly limit-level Shadow Stealth spell...
But once he slipped into the Plane Path, he suddenly discovered the true use of Plane Shadow!
Once he mastered that Arcane Sigil and pushed Shadow Stealth to the limit, he could actually lurk within the shadows of the Plane Path!
His Shadow Stealth wasn’t quite perfected, but with the Shadow Cloak, he could just barely unleash limit-level power.
Even when the Plane Path was closed, Byron could still spot the shadow it cast at the opening site. Any scrap of shadow was a doorway for him—he could slip along the darkness, smuggle himself onto the Plane Path, and sneak right through!
Once he got the Blazeforge Realm’s coordinates, the Shadow Tower was naturally overjoyed. They sent a Sky Rank powerhouse to personally guide Byron, using transcendental power to immerse him—like soaking him in a pool of water and letting him feel the water itself...
This method was certainly exhausting, but with Byron’s enormous contribution and only this one reward to ask for, there was nothing left to say—the Sky Rank powerhouses of the Shadow Tower were more than happy to help him.
Only after that did Byron’s strength soar, and he quickly advanced to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage.
Now Byron happened to see Lin Yun open a Plane Path. He knew exactly where the Plane Path closed, and he couldn’t help but be delighted—plane smuggling, after all, was his greatest skill. Even the Shadow Tower folks didn’t know the full story; they just thought Byron’s Shadow Stealth was absurdly strong.
No one really understood that Byron’s trick was smuggling through planes, not just sneaking in like a common infiltrator. The difference was monumental...
Byron wore a confident smile, quietly sneaking to where the Plane Path closed. To an ordinary mage, there was nothing unusual here, everything looked normal.
But to Byron, it was as if he saw a closed door, its shadow cast across space. Those shadows were connected to the door—and to the cracks in the door itself.
That tiny crack was the place where the plane connected to this world. If it closed completely, the Plane Path would be lost for good—vanished from this world.
Byron glanced back at the dozen or so mages trailing him, a smug smile on his lips. His proudest trick was smuggling through the plane right in front of everyone else; no one ever saw the real essence of what he was doing—they just assumed it was Shadow Stealth...
He wrapped everyone behind him in the Shadow Cloak, and the whole group melted into the shadows. Byron led them, slipping along the earth’s shadows into the Plane Path’s shadow, then through the crack in the door, quietly merging inside.
To everyone else, it looked like there was a Plane Path ahead, just hidden. Now they’d pulled aside the concealment and slipped right in, easy as could be...
In the endless darkness, Byron kept leading his group, stealthily merging into the Plane Path’s shadows. Soon, another plane gate appeared before them.
They slipped through the crack in the plane gate and instantly saw a flat stone platform, with a simple building perched atop it—inside, countless alchemical tools were scattered everywhere.
It was clearly an alchemist’s lab, surrounded by thick, blood-red mist. Yet some force kept the mist firmly outside, blocked from entering the lab.
Alchemical research—this was Leon Merlin investigating the Beast God’s Blood, and all his secrets were here!
Seeing this, Byron’s eyes flashed with astonishment!
No wonder Leon Merlin was so confident. No one could steal his secrets, no one could snatch his research—he had a demi-plane lab, and all his work was done inside.
If I can uncover this secret, I’ll have a shot at breaking through to Sky Rank. Ha, this is almost too easy...
No wonder Mafa Merlin was so confident. No one could steal his secrets, no one could snatch his research—he had a semi-dimensional lab, and all his work was done inside.
This was the safest place of all. As long as he only brought results outside, no one could ever figure out the true alchemical techniques or secrets. Even if they tore apart his entire camp, they wouldn’t find anything valuable.
Too bad he ran into me—Byron the plane smuggler. His secrets, his achievements, they’re all mine now!
Damn it, that bottle of Golden Transcendence Potion—could it be the legendary potion that helps mages achieve transcendence?
If I can steal that potion, I’ll become a Sky Rank powerhouse. Then I can go wherever I want, to any plane—if I know where the plane gate opens, I can have anything I desire...
Byron’s heart burned with excitement. He blended into the shadows, slipped out of the plane gate, and tried to inch closer.
Just then, as he glanced at Lin Yun’s research, the world suddenly shifted—everything blurred in an instant, and even space itself seemed to ripple.
The alchemist’s lab ahead vanished, the stone platform disappeared...
On both sides of their bodies, two walls of plants appeared, each over three meters tall, like dense hedges of holly—thick clusters of leaves packed together.
Only the front and back offered a way forward. The ground was covered in turf, soft as clouds beneath their feet.
The sudden change shocked the shadow mages. They were kings of the shadows, masters of ambushes, but out in the open, their fighting power was worse than a regular elemental mage.
Something had clearly triggered a change here.
"Lord Byron, what do we do? Have we been discovered?"
Byron tried to blend into the surrounding shadows, but his heart sank—he couldn’t merge with any of them, not even the ones he could see clearly...
It was as if the shadows were visible but didn’t really exist, or as if some force was actively blocking his entry.
"We’ve probably triggered some kind of alchemical formation. Judging by the look of things, it’s a maze formation. All we have to do is walk out of the maze."
A mage nearby tried to fly up, but no matter how high he went, the plant walls—over three meters tall—always stayed just a bit higher. There was simply no way out.
"Don’t bother trying. This is a maze formation—unless you find the right path, you’ll never get out. Unless you’re strong enough to destroy the entire maze in one blow, you’re stuck here for good."
Byron had seen plenty of maze formations before, but never one this bizarre. In every other maze, he could always find shadows to merge with, but here, there was nothing—the Shadow Stealth spell was useless...
Cold sweat broke out on Byron’s brow. He forced himself to steady, gripped his staff, and unleashed a volley of Shadow Arrows.
Byron led the group forward, each step cautious. After about twenty meters, they reached the first turn. Just as they rounded the corner, Byron spotted a sudden burst of fire ahead.
A pillar of fire, over three meters thick and nearly as tall as the corridor, blasted forward, swallowing the lead shadow mage.
A flash of black-gray light flickered in the flames, then vanished. When the fire died down, only a staff lay on the ground—the mage was nothing but ash.
Cold sweat broke out on Byron’s brow. He forced himself to steady, gripped his staff, and unleashed a volley of Shadow Arrows.
Byron, strongest among them, threw up a Shadow Shield, blocking the fire and splitting its force. The flames sank into the plant walls, but the deep green leaves stayed fresh and untouched.
One eye was blinded by the Shadow Arrows; the other, tiny and vicious, glinted with malice. Four stubby legs braced it on the ground, and its gaping jaws spat another scorching fire pillar.
Byron, strongest among them, threw up a Shadow Shield, blocking the fire and splitting its force. The flames sank into the plant walls, but the deep green leaves stayed fresh and untouched.
"Kill that thing, you idiots! What are you waiting for? If you keep stalling, we’ll be burned alive!"
Byron roared, panic and fury in his voice. The Shadow Shield was draining his mana at a terrifying pace.
The mages behind him raised their staffs and chanted, sending a barrage of Shadow Arrows flying. In less than three seconds, the monster was riddled like a pincushion.