Chapter Thirty: The Little One Has Finally Become a Monster

Unable to ascend the mountain during the day, Wang Daxiang refused to give up; instead, he led his team to set up camp at the foot of the mountain road. He was convinced that a monster inhabited the castle—only such a creature could have caused the horrific scenes in Snow City. The principal forbade them from climbing for their safety, but as a righteous paladin, Wang Daxiang could not allow that monster to threaten Snow City any further.

“Brothers, that big green frog must be one of the monster’s minions,” he said late at night, rallying his fellow paladins who stood in formation, his back to the mountain path. “We must be vigilant and protect Snow City!”

“Captain, look out!” a teammate suddenly shouted. Wang Daxiang was startled, but before he could react, a violent impact from behind sent him flying.

“What’s going on…” He could have sworn the frog was still some distance away.

With a crash, Wang Daxiang smashed into a tent.

“Captain!” The paladins rushed over and dug him out. “Are you alright?”

“Cough, I’m fine!” Wang Daxiang spat out blood, grateful for his family’s armor. “What just hit me?”

“No idea, Captain.”

“It looked like a treant,” someone said. Though no one saw clearly, they glimpsed something resembling a tree moving at over three hundred miles an hour; it had struck Wang Daxiang and then sped off.

“Damn those Windrider Academy people, racing treants again,” Wang Daxiang muttered, straightening his clothes.

“Captain, look out above!” came another urgent shout.

“What is it now?” he wondered, glancing up just in time to see a shadow descending from the sky.

With a cry, Wang Daxiang was slammed to the ground again, his teammates shouting themselves hoarse, “Captain!”

Lin Lei, who had just landed, was momentarily confused—why were these paladins calling him captain?

“You’re too polite, comrades,” he waved dismissively, then sprang up; the skeleton had already entered the city, and he needed to hurry.

Wang Daxiang struggled to his feet, thankful his helmet was sturdy; otherwise, he might not have survived those two attacks.

“That voice…” he gritted his teeth. He knew it beyond doubt—the voice he’d just heard was all too familiar.

He would never forget that voice—it belonged to the little devil.

“Heh heh… heh heh heh heh…” Wang Daxiang suddenly burst into laughter, his teammates staring at him in confusion. Had the captain been knocked senseless?

“So that’s it, so that’s it—I understand everything now!” Wang Daxiang clutched his head, mentally reviewing the day’s events; rage surged within him. “That kid, it’s that kid causing trouble again—he’s come to Snow City!”

“Captain, who is that kid?”

“Never mind—grab your weapons! After him!” Wang Daxiang drew his longsword, murderous intent blazing in his eyes. This time, he would not let that troublemaker escape—his side had the numbers; they were sure to catch him and teach him a lesson.

The paladins mounted their horses and charged after Lin Lei. The pounding hooves woke some residents, who opened their windows to see what was happening.

“What’s going on?”

“Disturbing the peace in the middle of the night!”

“Where is it, where is it! The woman—the woman!”

The treant’s gallop down the street was equally noisy. A woman, hearing the commotion, opened her window; the skeleton immediately leaped up and grabbed her shoulders.

“What is this!” The woman felt pain in her shoulders and saw a skull glowing red before her. “Ghost! Aaah!”

Her head lolled and she fainted.

“There!” Lin Lei heard the noise, turned, and flew over—he had just mastered the technique for using his wings.

Some awakened residents watched in awe as he flew overhead.

“My God, am I hallucinating?”

“Wife, come quick—there’s a child flying!”

“You fool, who flies in the middle of the night?”

The street became chaotic; more and more residents got up and saw Lin Lei and the treant.

“She’s not the one, she’s not the one.” When Lin Lei reached the scene of the scream, the skeleton had just released the unconscious woman and, still riding the treant, continued to flee. Lin Lei finally caught up; he would not let it escape so easily.

He picked up a stone and hurled it; with a crack, it struck the skeleton’s head, knocking it askew.

“Who hit me?” The treant stopped; the skeleton reached up to straighten its skull and fixed its gaze on Lin Lei. “It’s you, necromancer—why are you following me?”

It mistook Lin Lei for the necromancer who had resurrected it.

“Come with me. You don’t belong in this world,” Lin Lei landed on the ground.

“My affairs are none of your concern.” The skeleton glanced around Snow City, noting the increasing lights on the streets. “This isn’t the place… Where is it… Ah, there’s the lake—yes, the monastery should be on the other side! That woman turned my territory into a school again!”

Growing more agitated, the treant sped toward the Clergy Academy.

But Lin Lei flew ahead to block its path. “You cannot go any further—return to the graveyard.”

“You can fly!” Only now did the skeleton notice Lin Lei had flown ahead. It was surprised—what kind of skill was that? It had never seen it in life.

“Forget the necromancer—charge!” The skeleton did not stop the treant; it rushed at Lin Lei.

“Watch me knock you flying!” Lin Lei raised his right hand, and as the treant closed in, he punched. But in the next instant, it was Lin Lei who was sent flying, rolling along the street before he finally stopped.

“What just happened?” Lin Lei stood up, battered and bewildered. The treant’s strength was greater than his own; since he began cultivating, he had never encountered such a thing.

The treant sped off again.

“That undead was a powerful mage in life; he reinforced the treant to be harder than stone,” the earring explained. “You can try strengthening your own body.”

“Strengthening my body—does that mean channeling energy throughout my limbs?” Lin Lei understood: the earring wanted him to consciously distribute more energy from his core. Until now, the flow of energy within him was self-directed; Lin Lei still lacked full control.

That was why he struggled with spells, though he had just picked up some tricks while controlling the feathers to fly.

“I’ll try.” Lin Lei flew to the rooftop, taking a shortcut to get ahead of the treant.

“Necromancer, move aside,” the skeleton called, as the treant barreled toward Lin Lei. He decisively unleashed the energy from his core, sending it flooding through his body.

“I must control it!” He took a deep breath, and the energy successfully locked in place. His body began to swell, joints crackling in succession. Lin Lei felt strength surging through him, but he needed to release it quickly or risk exploding.

He pushed off the ground, shattering it beneath his feet, and shot toward the treant in a flash.

In the next moment, Lin Lei appeared before the treant.

“Wind God Kick!”

He twisted in midair and swept his right leg fiercely at the treant.

With a thunderous crash, Lin Lei’s leg tore the treant’s trunk in two, branches and leaves blasted apart by the force, leaving scars on the surrounding walls.

The paladins arriving from afar ducked hurriedly as blades of wind grazed their helmets, sending them clattering to the ground.

The leopard, who had followed behind, was momentarily stunned by the spectacle.

“The little one has finally become a monster.”