Wizard: My Skills Can Infinitely Break Through

Chapter 202: Chapter 198: Escaping the Underground Palace

Ian leaned against a stone, catching his breath. His chest throbbed with a burning pain.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

His eyes snapped open.

It wasn’t his imagination. The entire wasteland was trembling faintly, as if a giant beast was stirring deep underground.

In the distance, the distorted patch of sky that marked the entrance to the Underground Palace began to show fine cracks.

’The space is becoming unstable...’ Ian’s heart sank.

He collected all the Anchor Stones. With the Soul Weaving Civilization destroyed, its anchoring power was gone. This Secret Realm was about to detach from the Wizard World.

’I have to leave now.’

But what about Alevia and Kevin’s commission? He pulled two lists from his Dimension Ring.

’Forget it. There’s no time.’

The Underground Palace was now like a leaking ball, ready to burst at any moment.

Ian stood up. "Gaga, sense where the Energy is most chaotic."

Gaga flew up from his shoulder, spreading its wings and closing its eyes.

A few seconds later, its small eyes snapped open.

"Below! The Energy deep in the Underground Palace is running rampant! It’s like a pot of boiling water exploding, gaga!"

The words had barely left its beak.

RUMBLE!

A deep, muffled roar echoed from far beneath the ground.

The ground shook violently. A crack the width of a palm split open beneath Ian’s feet, and pale-gray dust trickled down into it.

In the distance, with a loud CRACK, a large piece of the distorted sky over the Underground Palace entrance shattered.

It revealed a swirling, pitch-black turbulence of the Void behind it.

"Run!"

Without another moment’s hesitation, Ian turned and bolted toward the edge of the wasteland.

But he had only run a few dozen meters when a tidal wave of roars and thunderous footsteps erupted behind him.

Demons.

Tens of thousands of them, large and small, poured from the entrance like a bursting flood.

There were Rock Armor Scorpions the size of millstones, Corpse Dogs covered in pustules, and floating Resentful Spirits trailing ghastly green flames...

They charged out madly, trampling and tearing at one another, splattering blood and viscera everywhere.

"Move! Get out of the way!"

A Skeleton Demon Bear over six meters tall and covered in Bone Spikes swatted aside a few smaller Demons blocking its path and charged toward Ian with bloodshot eyes.

Ian’s eyes turned cold.

He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and a marble-sized Gravity Collapse Ball instantly formed.

"Go."

The Collapse Ball flew out silently, striking the Demon Bear squarely in the chest.

HUMMM!

The Demon Bear’s charge halted. Its chest caved inward as bones CRACKED and snapped, its entire upper body crushed into a ball by an immense, invisible force.

It let out a wail as its massive body was sent flying backward like a tattered sack, crashing into seven or eight Demons behind it.

Ian didn’t break stride, flicking his left hand out repeatedly.

Three faint purple beams shot out in a fan-like spread.

Frost Ash Beam!

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

The heads of three pouncing Corpse Dogs exploded simultaneously.

The one on the left froze into a block of ice, the one on the right was burned to charcoal, and the one in the middle suffered the worst fate—the clashing forces of ice and fire made its entire upper body erupt into a fine mist with a BANG.

Foul-smelling chunks of flesh and blood splattered across Ian’s Shield.

The Shield vibrated, wiping the gore away. The stench assaulted his nostrils.

"To the left! There’s a gap on the left!" Gaga shrieked from his shoulder.

Ian glanced over. To his left, a dozen or so Rock Armor Scorpions were clumped together, tearing at each other.

He pushed off with his foot, slid sideways, and slipped through the opening.

As he passed, he tossed out a Gravity Collapse Ball.

BOOM!

The center of the scorpion swarm erupted. Four or five of the creatures were torn to shreds, their Shells and innards sent flying.

Ian broke through the encirclement and glanced back.

Demons continued to pour out like a tidal wave. The patch of sky over the Underground Palace entrance was now shattered beyond recognition.

Black tentacles of Void turbulence snaked out, shredding anything they touched.

A few slower Demons were caught in it and disintegrated into dust before they could even scream.

’The Secret Realm is collapsing...’ Ian’s sense of urgency intensified.

But just then, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

’That timid Alchemy Tree... it’s still in the Laboratory.’

Ian’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

"Gaga? What’s wrong?" Gaga nearly slid off his shoulder.

"We’re going back," Ian said, gritting his teeth.

"Back where? To the caves? Are you crazy, gaga?!" Gaga’s feathers puffed up in alarm.

"The little tree." Ian took out the Small Jade Box from his robes and opened it.

The Five Fruits were huddled together inside, sleeping soundly.

Lucy was even smacking her lips, as if dreaming of something delicious.

Ian poked her gently.

"Mmm... don’t bother me..." Lucy rolled over and went back to sleep.

"Lucy," Ian said in a low voice.

Lucy’s small body trembled, and her two leaves shot straight up.

"Who? Who’s calling me?" she "opened her eyes" groggily.

Seeing Ian, she froze for a moment, then burst into tears with a "WAAAH!"

"Great Demon King! Are you going to lock us up again? Vivian’s new clothes aren’t even dry yet!"

The other four fruits were woken by the noise and immediately joined in, crying in a jumble.

Ian felt a headache coming on.

"Stop crying and listen to me," he said, taking a deep breath.

"Your mother, that little silver tree, is still inside, right?"

The crying lessened slightly.

Lucy sniffled, "Mama... Mama is back home..."

"Your home is about to collapse."

Ian pointed toward the collapsing Underground Palace in the distance. "If we don’t go now, your mother will be gone."

All five fruits froze at once.

"C-collapsing?" Vivian’s voice trembled.

"Mama..." Rice Grain whispered, sobbing.

"Hungry..." Benny muttered inappropriately, earning a kick from Amy.

Lucy "looked" toward the Underground Palace. Although she had no eyes, Ian could feel that she was "looking."

A few seconds later, Lucy said in a tiny voice, "I... I can feel Mama... She’s scared..."

"Lead me to her," Ian said. "I’ll bring her out so you can be reunited."

"R-really?" Lucy hesitated.

"We made a pinky promise." Ian held out his little finger.

Lucy’s silver tendril extended and gently touched his finger.