After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply-Chapter 788 - 542, Announcement

"Super Magic Heart Slash *Third Stage!"

"Starfire! Air Flow Slash!"

"Ice Waltz!"

"Super Theft!"

Boom!

It was as if a chain of alchemy bombs exploded in the air, magical energy rampaging, emitting deafening sounds.

"What’s happening?"

"Seems like some Sacred Rank adventurers are fighting?"

"Why are they all dressed in black robes? What are they up to?"

The citizens pointed at the sky, murmuring in discussion.

The more attention they drew, the more anxious Lin Da became.

If the "traitor" Evelyn realized, even his five pairs of wings wouldn’t suffice to escape.

White Dove Adventure Group’s wind mage chanted a spell, dispersing the black mist created by the explosion.

Hiss...

When the scene behind the mist came into view, everyone gasped sharply.

In the void, a vast swathe of eerie blue light appeared, and as space fragments crumbled, hexagonal crystal blocks were exposed beneath.

They were the size of a thumb, densely packed in a honeycomb pattern. Pulses of magical radiance flickered like breathing, shimmering on the barrier.

Despite Lin Da and over ten others attacking with their Ultimate Skills simultaneously, the barrier remained entirely unscathed.

"We’re doomed. This tiger is dying here today." Taige hung his head in dejection, "sitting" mid-air and utterly giving up.

"This is way too tough." Kafni scratched her head, clicking her tongue.

Bailuo, Isa, Lia... everyone stared at the eerie blue barrier with heavy hearts.

Lin Da tilted his head back, gazing at the yellowing sky.

The rays of sunset lazily fell upon the clouds, the broken patterns of light on the leaves of the Azure Tree scattered by its branches. A sparrow tilted its head, preening its feathers.

The city seemed peaceful as usual.

No one realized yet—they were already enshrouded by the barrier, trapped like fish in a barrel.

To sustain such a vast barrier, at least one Magic Tower was required.

But to achieve this, it would surely catch the attention of Cyan City’s Knights Order.

Lin Da secretly thought to himself that this barrier was likely powered manually.

Cyan City was vast, five times the size of White Dove City, with over five million permanent residents. Enveloping such a massive city consumed enormous magical energy.

Even a Law Tier mage at level 89 might find it beyond their capabilities.

Eliminating all impossibilities, the answer became glaringly obvious.

What Lin Da deduced, others naturally figured out too.

"Coldmoon Duke?" Isa exclaimed in shock.

Though the magical energy required by the barrier was vast, it posed no issue for a Legendary Rank.

Boom——

Just as everyone was feeling unsettled, a dull roaring sound came from afar.

It felt as if a towering peak had crumbled, sending waves of dust rippling across a thousand miles, reaching Cyan City.

The tremendous vibrations caused numerous houses in the city to collapse.

Adventurers scrambled into the streets in panic.

"What’s going on, what happened?"

"An earthquake! It’s an earthquake!"

"Have the Knights Order all died in the stomachs of elves? Why wasn’t there a disaster warning? Are the Earth Mages eating crap?"

"There might be aftershocks. Everyone quickly head to open areas to take cover!"

Panic spread through the city like a plague.

Children wailed, the injured screamed, a cacophony of chaotic footsteps... blending into a chaotic stew.

Lin Da and his companions hovered mid-air, dumbfounded.

On the horizon, a twisted black flame roared upward like a hand reaching out from hell, piercing the clouds and bridging heaven and earth.

Even though Cyan City and the northern region were separated by the endless Kada Mountain Range, the black pillar of fire was still vividly visible. Even across thousands of miles, Lin Da could feel the heat scorching his face, and the air temperature clearly rising.

To the naked eye, the sun appeared the size of a fist, though it was actually larger than the Mystic Continent. Yet the black pillar Lin Da saw looked like an infant’s arm.

He dared not imagine the calamity at the source.

"Could it be, could it possibly..." Lia stammered, trembling as she pointed north.

The group’s hearts wavered in unease.

No one dared to complete the two words she didn’t say.

The pinnacle of adventurers’ aspirations, Mystic Continent’s center of power, a sanctuary impenetrable to demons for tens of thousands of years—how could the Royal Capital be in peril?

Lin Da’s head throbbed, his breathing faltering.

The version of the game he found himself in—was it "Cangqing Tree Firelight," "Four Great Dukes’ Dispute," or "Showdown at Demon King’s Castle"?

Adventurers in Cyan City at Moon Rank or above ascended to investigate.

When they saw the horrifying black flames in the north, their pupils constricted, and their unease reached its zenith.

Suddenly, a crisp female voice entered everyone’s ears.

[——Adventurers of Mystic Continent, I am First Princess Angelite *Olie.

What you’re hearing is a magical transmission broadcast across the continent at the expense of Great Sage Akaron’s life.]

Princess Angelite sighed deeply and continued:

[One hour ago, the Four Great Dukes betrayed the kingdom, causing the Royal Capital’s barrier to fall. It was invaded by the Demon Lord’s Army led by the "Angel."

Three Legendary guardians have perished.

The demons have seized our Holy Tree.

Passages above the 45th floor of the Mystic Realm have been severed.

But we have not lost hope!

All adventurers of Moon Rank or higher are to proceed to the Elf Forest.

The Elf race’s Life Tree still connects us to the 49th floor, preserving the path to Legendary Rank advancement.

I, Angelite *Olie, alongside my brothers, will hold the last defensive line.

Adventurers, I implore you.

Please reclaim the Holy Tree and save the Royal Capital!]

In their souls, everyone seemed to see a golden-haired woman resolutely gripping her sword, marching toward the thousands of demons beneath the black flames.

At the front of the dark legion stood the first of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Legendary Rank "Angel" himself.

With that, Angelite’s voice completely faded.

At that moment, the entire Mystic Continent was in shock.

The rebellion of the Four Great Dukes.

Failure of the Royal Capital’s barrier.

The loss of the Holy Tree.

The path to the 50th floor, where the Sword of Brave resides, severed.

If the "Life Tree" of the Elf Forest were to fall to the demons...

New legends among adventurers would become mere fantasies.

On the rubble-strewn streets, a golden-haired woman clutching a baby collapsed to her knees, face pale. "How could this happen? The Royal Capital cannot fall..."

"The demons’ next target might be the provincial capitals!"

"I must flee Cyan City!"

Panic gave way to unprecedented turmoil, chaotic footsteps roared like driving rain. Wealthy merchants spurred their warhorses to charge recklessly, ignoring the prohibition on flight. Moon Rank adventurers vied to escape northwestward—toward the Elf Forest.

Knights struggled to maintain order, but seeing the despair etched on people’s faces, the imperial insignia on their shoulders seemed dim. In the wake of the collapsed monarchy, swords lost their meaning.

"Bah, survival comes first!"

A knight threw off his armor, joining the fleeing masses.

Currently, the safest place in the Mystic Continent was the Elf race’s capital, the Elf Forest!

However, when knights, adventurers, and civilians reached the northern city walls, despair overtook them. A solid wall of air blocked everyone’s path.