Rise Once More

As the yellow sphere enlarged, Maven began to make runes, and the energy within it began to respond to Maven's runes, and little wisps of it began to move towards Elias' body.

Magnus tensed as he realized the most important portion was about to begin; his teeth gritted, and he quietly prayed for things to go smoothly. Philips, Madeline, and Noah were waiting nervously when they spotted a large group approaching.

Philips concentrated on the group and was astonished to see that the majority of the individuals in the group were under the influence of a restraint spell, leaving only three people free.

One of the three individuals was a male who was sweating profusely and appeared to be striving to get to where they were. Philips remembered what Magnus had told him earlier, and the new group's identity was clear in his mind.

Magnus had observed the group as well, but he paid no attention to them; even as they approached his side, he remained mute. Mathias nodded as he mimicked Magnus attitude; it appeared that he had arrived at an inconvenient time.

Mathias shook his head, at least he had arrived in time; as Magnus witnessed the explosion, he raced away without a thought, leaving them all behind, even the freshly captured Heigong cultivators, while Magnus' spell steadily lost its power because of the distance.

Mathias was worried about what may happen and quickly brought everyone here; he felt more at ease now that he was closer to Magnus. Even Philips's presence made him feel safe, Philips was far stronger than him, Mathias never wanted to concede his inadequacy in fighting; after all, cultivators who specialized in alchemy like him were expected to demonstrate a minimum degree of proficiency.

Mathias and the two girls who followed him proceeded towards the rest of the group a few meters away from Elias and Magnus. Mathias was perplexed by the scene, particularly by the two people standing close to Magnus, but he opted not to ask any questions.

Lissandra clenched her teeth as she drew closer to Madeline knowing that if Magnus didn't arrive, her and Elizabeth's deaths would be guaranteed. This enraged her even more because she knew Magnus only came because Madeline was here.

"What exactly happened here? Did Elias lose the fight?" Lissandra put her feelings aside and inquired.

-" He utilized his Aurelion Mark, but the Heigong Elder was stronger than imagined, and Elias felt compelled to sacrifice himself." Madeline continued to seem distraught as she talked.

As Mathias learned of Elias's use of the Aurelion Mark, he gazed over the two men and the yellow orb of energy next to them. Mathias was dumbfounded when he realized what was going on. -"Don't tell me they're attempting to revitalize Elias's mark with the residual energy?"

Even more surprised than Mathias was Reynald, the last Heigong elder; he had not anticipated Brent to lose, and given the scenario here, not a single member in his group remained.

The Heigong cultivators' faces darkened as it dawned on them that this expedition would result in devastating losses to the Heigong. As Magnus emerged, their escape plans were crushed; all they could do was pray that the other groups would achieve something and get away.

A faint tremor could be felt across the Verdant Forest as the Heigong cultivators drowned in self-pity. This astonished everyone; they glanced about but couldn't discover anything that was causing it.

Philips was on high alert when his Voice Resonating Stone vibrated once more. He activated his stone once again, and Jeffrey's terrified voice resonated before he could say anything. -" Something is amiss here, the river near the treasure spot is behaving strangely, and a large earthquake has just begun."

-" We can feel the earthquake too. Is someone there? Or is the treasure reacting because of the chaos inside the Verdant Forest?" Philips was pensive, every time he thought that the situation was calming down something unexpected happened.

"We can also feel the earthquake. Is there anyone there? Is the treasure reacting to the turmoil within the Verdant Forest?" Philips was pensive, every time he thought things were settling down, something unexpected happened.

-"Keep your distance, we're almost done here, and I'll be back shortly to reinforce your group." Philips instantly deactivated the stone and investigated Elias's condition. As the energy wisps permeated his body, his tattoo gradually began to turn yellow, leaving just the center of the tattoo black.

Maven was concentrating on filling Elias's body with energy when something unexpected caught his eye; he gave it a cursory glance and grinned. - "What a dreadful being, do you still have any prospect of sustaining your life?"

Everyone was taken aback by Maven's comments, but the whirly laugh that followed surprised everyone even more. -"HAHAHAHAHAHA, Quite the surprise to find you here Maven. My fate is already sealed." A little red ball that had been lurking inside the wreckage of the previous combat rose up into the air. "But, at the very least, I get to see this magnificent moment."

Reynald was astonished; he knew his red orb was Brent, and for him to be in this form, he had to have been slain during his Blood embryo. The Heigong elder began to wonder what type of combat had taken place here for someone like Brent to be killed even after utilizing his ultimate technique.

-"Brent what happened here? Where is everyone? Did you find Edward? Dont tell me that everyone else is dead." Reynald was perplexed by Brent's actions, the enormous failure of this expedition would seriously weaken the Heigong.

With Paul's disappearance, the Heigon was likely to lose three Immortal Soul Elders, this wasn't something to be taken lightly.

" Don't worry, Reynald; even if they perished today, their sacrifice will be for the greater good." The little red ball energy was dwindling with time, and Brent appeared to be doing his best to hang on for a few more seconds. " Edward has finally retrieved the treasure, and with it, the Heigong will rise once again!"

-" Treasure? What are you on about?" When the earthquake became stronger and the QI in the vicinity began to form ripples all over the sky, Reynald became suspicious.