200: Big gift bag from heaven

That descending aura was overbearing, decayed, and carried a sense of wilting.

A dying Legend?

Stone Rock stood at the breach in the city wall.

His massive figure blocked the surging tide of soldiers behind him.

He looked up at the smoke pillar that shot straight into the sky from the center of the Crimson Tower, his brow deeply furrowed.

That was also a Legend.

"A starved camel is still bigger than a horse; I understand that principle."

He reached into his 懷, his fingertips touching a warm jade talisman.

It was a life-saving trinket that the Lord had personally given him before his departure.

A warmth flowed from his fingertips into his heart, instantly making him feel much more at ease.

"Besides, even if I accidentally kick the bucket here, I can just take a stroll in the Hall of Valor and come out a good man again. What's there to be afraid of?"

Stone Rock grinned broadly, a hearty laugh escaping him, and the solemnity on his face vanished.

He hoisted the Lava Greatshield onto his shoulder and strode with large steps towards the depths of the fortress.

At the same time, a brief message was transmitted via the Sky-Peering Vine.

He bellowed a command to his personal guards behind him.

"Everyone, keep up, and make it snappy! If we're late, others will have drunk all the soup!"

"Roar!"

The soldiers roared in assent.

Following their commander's footsteps, they surged into this war fortress, which now stood wide open.

The interior of the fortress was even more chaotic than expected.

The collapse of the central main tower seemed to have utterly shattered the command structure here.

The Sunflame Mages, dressed in crimson-gold robes, were now leaderless.

Some were still stubbornly resisting, while others had already begun to flee in all directions, unable to organize any effective defense.

The Infinite City's legions moved as if through an uninhabited land.

The battle had become a one-sided affair.

Soon, Stone Rock led a 隊 of personal guards to the impact point.

Before them was a giant crater.

Centered around the collapsed remains of the main tower, countless grotesque cracks radiated outwards.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of charring and a faint scent of decay.

Rubble and broken metal structures were scattered everywhere.

Some areas were still burning with black flames that the soldiers, despite their efforts, could not extinguish.

"Tsk, quite a commotion, but where's the person?"

Stone Rock stood at the edge of the huge pit, craning his neck to peer inside.

Aside from a bottomless hole, he didn't see a single hair.

He scratched the back of his head, displaying a simple and honest demeanor, muttering to himself.

"Where did he go? Such a big living person, could he have burrowed into a crack in the ground?"

He began to circle the giant pit, his heavy footsteps making the rubble crunch.

From time to time, he would kick away a piece of rubble blocking his path with the tip of his foot.

He also bent down to pick up a melted iron piece, examining it against the light for a long time, as if it were some rare treasure.

He mumbled to himself, like an old farmer who had lost his way home.

"Strange, truly strange..."

While he was dawdling, the sounds of battle in the distance gradually subsided.

The fighting at the Crimson Tower was nearing its end; apart from the sporadic sounds of clearing the battlefield, the surroundings were unusually quiet.

"Forget it, forget it. If I can't find him, so be it."

Stone Rock seemed to have finally run out of patience. He straightened up, stretched, and his joints popped.

He hoisted the greatshield, looking ready to call it a day and go home, and turned to leave.

At this moment.

Hundreds of meters away, in a collapsed shadow, Valerius had reined in his aura to the extreme.

He was almost one with the ruins beneath him, like a true rock.

Damn the void storm. If he hadn't been severely wounded while escaping and accidentally crashed into it.

Why would he be in such a state now...?

He was now even more miserable than when he had just escaped from the battlefield.

Having exhausted his origin, he had broken free from the void storm.

When he awoke, his body had already smashed through this unlucky fortress like a meteor.

At this very moment, intense pain was wildly emanating from every corner of his body.

That half of his body annihilated by divine light.

The golden order runes spreading from the wound had completely gained the upper hand, constantly eroding his last bit of vitality.

His power was at an unprecedented low.

He hid in the corner, staring intently at the burly man who was loitering by the pit.

This damned barbarian was circling around like a headless fly and just wouldn't leave!

And in his current state, he had no confidence in a single, decisive blow.

Moreover, that guy had a Legend-level protective force on him.

If he missed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He could only wait.

Wait for this slow-witted fellow to leave on his own.

But why wouldn't this guy leave?

What's so interesting about a broken pit?

Valerius's patience was being eroded bit by bit, and the anxiety brought on by his injuries almost drove him mad.

Finally, the big man seemed to have gotten tired of looking.

He shook his head, cursed under his breath, and turned around, apparently ready to leave.

Valerius's heart lightened.

At this moment, the space where he was located seemed to have a faint spatial fluctuation.

And Stone Rock's action, seemingly preparing to turn and leave, suddenly paused.

The simple and honest expression on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a shrewdness and ferocity completely at odds with his appearance.

"Domain · Earth Pulse · Myriad Ton Barrier!"

"Aura · Immovable Rock Army Array!"

Boom—!

There was no warning whatsoever.

The earthy yellow domain brazenly unfolded with him as the center, and a mountain-like oppressive force instantly enveloped the entire ruins.

The ground trembled violently, and the air was squeezed as thick as mercury.

His massive body twisted with astonishing explosive power.

The Lava Greatshield in his hand was aimed at the shadow of the collapsed tower to his side and behind him, and he smashed it down fiercely.

"Get out here for me!"

Beneath the shadow.

With the overwhelming domain pressure, all the hairs on Valerius's body stood on end!

Bastard!

It was a trap!

This seemingly honest guy had been acting all along!

He had discovered me long ago!

There was no time to think; the instinct for survival overrode everything.

Valerius, in a hurry.

Could only wring out his last ounce of strength, condensing an energy longblade, and barely, precariously, parried the shield.

Bang!

A deafening crash.

The energy longblade shattered in response.

Valerius was struck hard, flying backward and plowing a long furrow in the ground.

"Pfft—"

Stone Rock was also shaken back half a step by that cold law power.

The shield was instantly covered in a layer of black frost, which was then dispelled by the rising flames on the shield's surface.

He stabilized his stance.

Looking at Valerius, who was struggling to his feet nearby, violently coughing blood, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Hey!"

"Why is your Legend weaker than me?"

Stone Rock slammed the greatshield onto the ground with a dull thud, making the earth jump.

He watched Valerius slowly straighten up.

There was not a hint of honesty in his eyes.

Only the excitement of a hunter seeing his prey caught in a net.

Valerius straightened up.

He stared intently at Stone Rock, the shock and anger in his eyes almost materializing.

He couldn't understand.

He had clearly reined in his aura to the extreme, so how had this mere twelfth-tier opponent discovered him?

Just then, a voice with a hint of playfulness drifted down from the sky.

"Stone Rock, well done."