The chaotic pillar of light erupting from the cathedral district swayed in the night sky, casting Elosia into an eerie tableau.
Shrill alarms pierced the heavens as countless figures surged toward the light, and the city descended into growing unrest.
Jie Ming and the others had assumed that causing such a commotion would make escaping the capital extremely difficult.
Seraphina’s presence was reduced to a minimum, her unique talent allowing her to buy precious time even if confronted by a demigod.
Kaelern’s body shimmered with complex radiance, Anya was wreathed in faint green light, and intricate runes danced at Rex’s fingertips.
Beyond their individual talents, they spared no expense, deploying high-tier wizard artifacts to cast protective spells on themselves.
Rex had even prearranged his army of constructs, waiting in a concealed forest on the outskirts, ready to provide support.
If a demigod-level force was dispatched, this massive construct cluster would self-destruct to delay the enemy, buying them time to escape.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, their escape was remarkably smooth.
It was as if the entire kingdom’s leadership, including dozens of legendary powerhouses, had mysteriously vanished.
“Strange…” A strong sense of doubt surged in Jie Ming’s heart.
This chaos wasn’t an inevitable result of the arrays’ activation.
On the contrary, this “leaderless” state suggested some other force was secretly disrupting the capital’s command system.
“Could there be others acting behind the scenes?”
“But it’s good for us.”
“Let’s get out of here!”
They faced no obstacles, swiftly breaking through the capital’s outer defenses and slipping into the dense forest beyond.
Soon, the five stood atop a small hill on the city’s outskirts. Behind them, Elosia blazed with light yet was mired in chaos, the faint sounds of alarms and civilian cries reaching their ears.
It was clear—they had escaped.
At that moment, all five suddenly tensed, simultaneously looking skyward.
The night sky, which should have been illuminated by the capital’s chaotic light, was now dominated by a far more terrifying sight—a massive rift!
Like a void maw cleaved by a giant axe, it was deep and twisted, radiating palpitating waves of law.
It was the plane’s barrier being torn open!
Jie Ming’s pupils contracted sharply.
“How… how is this possible?!” he blurted out.
It wasn’t yet time for this month’s contribution tally. Why had high-tier wizards torn the barrier now?
More crucially, this wasn’t the usual single high-tier wizard projection—multiple high-tier wizard phantoms had appeared at once!
The moment the plane’s rift fully opened, several colossal, blurry figures emerged from it!
Merely standing outside the rift, these phantoms exuded an abyssal, overwhelming pressure, making the air of the entire Elosia plane tremble.
The sheer power instilled soul-deep dread in the low-level wizards.
Almost simultaneously, radiant divine lights shot skyward from the depths of the capital’s temple, distant holy mountains, and faith convergence points across the plane.
These were Elosia’s deities!
Sensing the plane’s barrier breach, they projected themselves instantly.
The deities’ phantoms materialized around the rift, cloaked in holy light, their faces majestic. But upon seeing the high-tier wizard phantoms, their calm expressions turned to shock, anger, and wariness!
“Wizards!” a deity roared in fury.
Immediately, a fierce war erupted between the two sides!
Vast divine power clashed with profound wizardry outside the plane’s barrier. Each collision was like a meteor streaking across the sky or two mountains crashing together, producing silent yet deafening booms.
It was a clash of laws, a contest of wills.
The entire night sky trembled, the energy’s aftershocks like gales, making the capital’s lights flicker below.
However, this time, the wizards showed no restraint.
Unlike past instances where a single phantom probed or intimidated, multiple high-tier wizards united, shattering the surrounding deity phantoms with devastating force!
“So… so strong!” Kaelern murmured.
The others said nothing, but their eyes were filled with shock.
This was likely their first time witnessing high-tier wizards unleash their full power, while the deities’ phantoms seemed frail in comparison.
Holy light dimmed rapidly under wizardry’s corrosion, defensive arrays were instantly torn apart, and the once-lofty deities roared in angry defiance, their bodies crumbling only to reform with effort.
The deities fought desperately, summoning angel legions and unleashing divine punishments, their holy light surging toward the wizards like a tide.
The light collapsed, the figures faded, and the angels dissolved into specks of light amidst their roars.
As destruction loomed, a massive, ancient deity phantom in the sky let out a plane-shaking roar—it was the phantom of God Above Gods!
Its deafening roar carried fury and resolve.
The surrounding main deities, stunned briefly, began absorbing the remaining faith energy, igniting their divine flames, clearly preparing to amplify their power, trigger the plane’s origin, and perish with their enemies…
To Jie Ming and the others, it was as if the scene before them had skipped a frame.
One moment, the sky was ablaze with law-level clashes, God Above Gods’ roar echoing, everything hurtling toward mutual destruction.
The next, the scene shifted.
All the deities, including the roaring God Above Gods and the struggling main deities, were firmly restrained by the wizards in unimaginable ways.
Some were bound by chains, others locked in runes, some sealed in mysterious vials—none escaped.
The angel legions were like lambs to the slaughter, swept up en masse by the wizards, not one left behind!
The deity phantoms in the sky faded, leaving only their true forms gripped in the wizards’ hands.
This signified the deities had been completely sealed, like captured specimens, floating silently in midair, stripped of their former sanctity and majesty.
The eerie, rapid scene shift made Jie Ming and the others feel nauseous.
By the time they processed what had happened, it was all over.
The wizards had meticulously sealed every captured deity and angel using various methods.
That brief moment felt like a war spanning eons.
Unbeknownst to Jie Ming and the others, in a temporary mental domain formed by the high-tier wizards’ mental energy, powerful wills were rapidly clashing.
Each collision transmitted vast amounts of information—a makeshift “group chat” for the high-tier wizards.
“No wonder old Locke acted during the last contribution tally. He must’ve sensed these kids’ moves and wanted to nab the deities first!” an aged voice said, tinged with irritation.
“I knew that old crook was up to no good, always stealing kills!” another voice grumbled.
“These kids are ruthless. This faith contamination tactic reminds me of my first time exploring a plane …”
“Bullshit! You were scared as a dog back then, hiding for half a day before daring to come out!”
“Bastard, you looking for a fight?!”
“Come on, let’s hurt each other! Think I won’t dissect your specimens in secret?”
Though the high-tier wizards bickered shamelessly in the mental domain, they maintained a dignified facade.
Standing tall, exuding immense authority.
After capturing every deity and angel without exception, the wizards gave a reserved nod toward Jie Ming and the others’ direction, as if acknowledging their contribution.
Then, without looking back, they turned and passed through the massive plane rift, leaving Elosia behind.
Jie Ming rubbed his eyes, unsure if he’d seen correctly.
He could’ve sworn one of the wizards—Locke, likely just beaten by the others—looked bruised, but he couldn’t be certain.
The rift healed swiftly after their departure, the sky returning to darkness, with only the capital’s eerie, chaotic light still flickering.
Everything fell silent, as if the earth-shattering battle had been an illusion.
The five stood in the forest, staring at each other, their faces etched with shock and disbelief.
They’d thought their contamination plan would merely provide the high-tier wizards an “opportunity,” a fleeting “window.”
They hadn’t expected the wizards to act so swiftly, seizing the chance the moment it appeared.
As Jie Ming processed the staggering scene, his wizard artifact flashed with light—a direct communication from the wizard camp.
A deep, authoritative voice resonated in their minds: “The trial mission has been completed ahead of schedule. All apprentices, return to the camp immediately. Your contributions in this plane will now be evaluated!”
Even though he’d orchestrated it all, Jie Ming felt dazed.
It was… over, just like that?