Chapter 213: The Witch Tea Party Held in the Land of the Fallen
“Oh~ The effect seems okay.”
I paused for a moment in the distance to observe my handiwork, but from this far away, the island didn’t seem to have changed much. Could it be that the power was insufficient?
It looks like I need to try again. Although the spell effect comes from the basic consumption construction spellbook, “Resonance” and “Float” consume massive amounts, after all, I need to surpass the original spellbook effects to achieve other results.
When I can’t interfere with magic power using my mental power, I can only rely on the understanding built into the spellbook, and I am satisfied that I can achieve other effects by just pouring in more magic power.
When my mental power is sufficient to interfere with magic power, I can already imagine how I could play with the spellbook then!
If my mental power can interfere with magic power, then certain fixed limitations of the spellbook won’t be an issue for me.
Moreover, my magic source has already reached over a thousand, and the so-called witch transformation progress will also speed up, and the quality of my mental power will improve in tandem. By then, I can interfere with magic power.
I remember someone telling me that after learning the Witch Meditation Method at the start of the school year, I’d have the qualification to interfere with magic power. It turns out that I do have the qualification, but my ability is still lacking.
After witnessing the effect I created with my own hands, I reinforced my shield and headed toward the Witch Tea Party.
On the way, I also casually opened the Memory Shelf and began comparing maps. According to my current direction, the venue for the Witch Tea Party should be… the Land of the Fallen.
That place is also the most chaotic area on the entire communication competition map, and it also has special weather—shadowy clouds hovering overhead, with dead trees that do not grow.
It’s somewhat similar to the adjacent Land of Eternal Darkness, but there isn’t much intersection between these two regions.
Compared to other places, the Land of the Fallen is relatively low-lying and dark and humid. The most conspicuous feature below is a chasm that resembles a passage to the abyss, which is also the favorite haunt of creatures from the dark land, and it establishes a chaotic food chain characteristic of the abyss, at least ensuring a self-sustaining cycle in the short term.
By the way, would it be somewhat… risky to hold a Witch Tea Party here? In any case, it’s likely that Tan Han and the others prepared this, which means their choice of location should not be bad—at least it shouldn’t be a trap for me.
Moreover, the area of the Land of the Fallen is quite large, as there are a total of six academies operating here!
The Inferior Demon Academy, the Little Demon Academy, the Succubus Academy, the Fallen Academy, the Undead Academy, and the Undead Academy.
Although there seems to be a strange academy mixed in, it doesn’t affect much.
By the way, I wonder if any of the seniors from the outside world would secretly hide in an abandoned place to watch the exclusive livestream of the Succubus Academy members?
After all, this is a formal competition venue, and the various academies should know what restraint means.
As I got closer, I could feel the eerie environment of the Land of the Fallen more and more, which fits the stereotype I have—a deep black ground with very few weeds, and the dead tree trunks only have the outer layer of bark left; the insides are already hollow.
The air is filled with a pungent, decaying smell, and ash-like particles drift through the air.
Unknown insects crawl in inconspicuous corners, eventually being swallowed whole by unseen creatures, making it feel as if this place has been filled with the law of survival of the fittest from the beginning.
I also recalled the unpleasant impressions introduced in the Inferior Demon Academy.
Do the students born here really have “self-awareness”?
This is a communication competition, although many of the smaller academies don’t have flashy displays like Aphhemia Academy when they make their appearances, they bring a chilling feeling just by showing up.
If the Inferior Demon Academy is like this, then what about the other academies?
Suddenly I feel that this world is quite sad, extraordinary power reigns supreme, people live in a “beautiful” swaddle, while some pursue the extraordinary and enter the Extraordinary Academy, only to find that the extraordinary looks like this.
I wonder if the students of the Inferior Demon Academy regret this concept.
Perhaps at this moment, they are even crazier than I am.
Riding my broom, I continued deeper and saw many phantoms from the Ancient Battlefield drifting out. They wandered at the fringes, but I didn’t stop them; after all, wasting magic power to k*ll them didn’t have any real benefits—let the beings of the Land of the Fallen worry about them.
After entering the territory of the Land of the Fallen, I compared my position on the map again. If there was any place in the Land of the Fallen suitable for hosting a Witch Tea Party, it would be the ancient dragon remains that resemble a dragon’s bl**d nest, a landmark similar to the World Tree of the Elves.
Naturally, it refers to the Bone Mountains of the Land of the Fallen.
The description of this area on the communication competition map is simple and straightforward: it’s a peak piled up with bones, with countless weathered white bones forming the mountain. A prehistoric giant sword penetrates a deep-sea troll, pinning it to the ground, and the troll’s corpse blocks access to the deeper levels of the abyss, while that sword stands there, making this place an excellent composition.
The decayed corpse of the troll has become filth, and the filth has birthed a scene reminiscent of the abyss, nurturing the chaotic creatures and plants of the abyss.
I hovered in the air, gazing down at the scene below; d*ath seems to be the eternal theme here, as if danger lurks everywhere, ready to draw attention with any noise.
And even more chilling was ahead; with my arrival, I felt countless eyes staring at me. The abyss is filled with bones, and even in d*ath, hollow eye sockets seem to emit ghostly flames looking at me.
Is this really the place chosen by Tan Han?
Even though the Wizard Tower isn’t far from here, if they intentionally keep their distance from me, why haven’t I seen any figures or signs of their arrival?
As the pillar of ritual light appeared before my eyes, I discovered that the towering and magnificent mountain made of bones had the ritual light column shooting straight into the clouds from its peak.
But that isn’t the most spectacular part; the most stunning is that giant sword, which is wider than I don’t know how many times my length. At this moment, embedded in the ground, it seems to pierce through heaven and earth, even more shocking than the Bone Mountain, and the giant troll pinned beneath the sword is unrecognizable; only the exposed remains can identify it as a once-great life form.
The giant sword remains, but the one who wielded it has vanished. Yet the sword’s point faces the Bone Mountain, especially the flat area at the peak, as if someone built an altar there.
However, when I arrived at the Witch Tea Party site, I found that the long tables and chairs set up for the tea party were ready, but there was only one person.
“Lan Baihui?”
I asked tentatively, for I am not very familiar with many of the top ten from the Witch Academy, but I had met her ahead of time to confirm her name, and we had chatted a bit.
At this moment, Lan Baihui sat in one of the chairs, her back held tightly by bony arms extending from the chair, restricting her to that seat.
With my arrival, she also became agitated, but her mouth was bound, so she could only make muffled sounds.
“How did you end up here?”
I stepped forward to prepare to untie her bindings, but I still asked, knowing that this is clearly a trap. Lan Baihui was captured here, perhaps forced into holding the Witch Tea Party to attract witches…
Wow… Such methods exist, I’ve learned something!
Even though I have realized that this is a trap, I still remained undaunted, moving behind Lan Baihui to release her from her bindings. I noticed the alchemical markings on the bony arms extending from behind her; they were probably some kind of unique artifact to the academies in the Land of the Fallen.
“Xiao Han, hurry, it’s a trap!”
“I know, stop wasting time; what’s their plan for ambushing me?”
I spoke impatiently while scanning the surroundings, seemingly examining where the hidden troops might be.
Lan Baihui had an issue. Something felt off the very first time I saw her.
“Every! Complete skeleton buried here could possibly be their embedded power! The undead; they deliberately prepared undead artifacts. This time, it is a deliberate ambush targeting our Witch Academy!” Lan Baihui spoke in a somewhat chaotic tone, but I understood what she was trying to convey.
This time, it’s a deliberate ambush led by the undead against the Witch Academy, using a ritual that targets the Witch Academy. If they were to specifically target the academy, they shouldn’t have calculated that they could kidnap a witch to cooperate.
“Is this Witch Tea Party your doing?” I turned to ask; under the effect of Spirit Vision, I was forced to see the opponent’s spell effects. She wasn’t Lan Baihui, but she could open access to the Witch Academy, indicating that they had indeed captured a student from the Witch Academy.
“I’m sorry, my mind was hazy at that time, they seemed to have methods to confuse the mind…”
“I don’t blame you, you did well; this place is indeed suitable for hosting a Witch Tea Party.” I smiled and then stepped forward to crush the suddenly moving bony undead at my feet, reducing it to shattered bones.
The methods of the undead?
There are so many bones here; if they could all be awakened, wouldn’t that form an undead army?
“No… It’s not that. They specifically chose this place to disrupt the ritual. They want us to be unable to hold the ritual here. Our Witch Academy has very few ritual locations, and each requires careful consideration…”
“But it’s still intact, right? Don’t say such negative things, Lan Baihui. What’s your condition? Do you have any fighting strength left?”
“My magic power was forcefully exhausted, and recovery will take time…”
“Look who’s here! A small fry! I thought the first to arrive would be Tan Han.”
“You’re quite attentive to Tan Han, aren’t you?”
I turned around and saw a rising undead skeleton, with hollow eye sockets flickering with ghostly blue flames, making it obvious—even without Spirit Vision, I could see that this was just a puppet.
Undead spells, how cautious. But since these are controllable spell effects, there must be a source for casting. Under Spirit Vision, I could clearly see the direction of the energy flow and had a rough plan in my mind.
“Hehe… you’re not bad yourself. Being the second new student from the Witch Academy, that’s quite a catch.”
“Are you sure you caught a fish? Be careful not to break your fishing rod; do you really dare to threaten me, using just a puppet to talk?” I struck and shattered the undead.
Although there are plenty of skeletons here and if they could form an undead sea, it would indeed look impressive, but if they’re all this strength, then sorry, this ambush tactic is unqualified.
“Undead operate this way; who confronts you head-on? Isn’t a puppet good enough? Just watch your ritual shatter! I know organizing a ritual for you witches is not easy. Without this place, where can you go? The Elves’ World Tree? The bl**d Clan’s bl**d Pool? Or perhaps the Wizard Tower? Hahaha.”
They don’t think there’s anything wrong with not showing their faces, and they’ve pushed the caution of the fragile caster to the limit.
“So you guys in the Land of the Fallen don’t have internet, huh? Or are you having too much fun in the Land of the Fallen and don’t know what’s happening outside? If you have any more tricks, let’s see them. Didn’t the Land of the Fallen have six academies? Why is it just you? Or is it that only you are the fool planning to scheme against the Witch Academy?”
“The Witch Academy… Hehe! It’s not an unapproachable academy. We in the Land of the Fallen can trample you into the mud when united! Well then, since you’ve only come here alone so far, we’ll eliminate you first!”
“Come on.”
I shrugged, but my body was already ready to fight.
“Lan Baihui, a recovery potion for you, protect yourself when the time comes.” I tossed it over, but of course, that wasn’t a recovery potion; I tore off the label, and if she drank it, she would likely get poisoned.
“Okay.” Lan Baihui replied without immediately drinking it, instead approaching me as if we were going to fight side by side.
“d*e!”
With a low shout, a voice that was clearly not Lan Baihui’s rang out. A short kn*fe made of bone lunged toward me.
Clang!
With a crisp sound, the bone kn*fe struck my localized protective shield and couldn’t advance an inch.
At that moment, I turned around and grabbed both of her wrists holding the kn*fe, instinctively casting a restraining spell to bind her hands, then I swung my right hand and slapped her across the face.
Smack!
A crisp sound bewildered “Lan Baihui,” but her disguise was also shattered by my slap, revealing her true form.
Originally, Lan Baihui could be considered to have average looks, but at this moment, she became enchanting, her figure became sultry, and a slender tail protruded from behind her, ending in a heart-shaped tuft.
“Tsk… a Succubus, no wonder there’s such a sensual aura.”
I disdainfully cast a Fireball Spell to send her off; this creature completely ruined my ideal image of Succubi.
She didn’t even have the chance to say anything before I sent her to be resurrected; this twist caused the student from the Undead Academy lurking in the shadows to curse angrily for being useless.
With such a great opportunity, it was all seen through; what kind of trash is this!
“Is that all? Just this? Is that enough? With such a grand setup, this is all you bring? What stinking fish and rotten shrimp are the academies in the Land of the Fallen? I can accept lowly tricks, but there should at least be some skill—what’s this?”
At this moment, I furiously mocked them. Of course, I wouldn’t underestimate my opponents, which is why I pushed them to reveal their remaining tactics.
“If that’s the case, let’s not pretend; this is an ambush we intentionally left for Tan Han, let you experience being besieged!”
As the opponent controlled the puppet to announce, I finally saw other academies hidden in the inconspicuous dark corners preparing for an ambush.
Those are Inferior Demons, and one that looks almost as ugly as an Inferior Demon is a Little Demon, along with the Fallen Academy and the Undead Academy; I didn’t differentiate them, but the members of the Succubus Academy are easy to recognize.
“Wow~ The academies in the Land of the Fallen are so harmonious? They can actually team up?”
“Don’t think too poorly of us! We… Hehe, just come experience the power of our Undead Academy, Ring of the Dead!” As the Undead spoke, I heard the sound of bells resonating throughout the area, indicating that there was more than one student from the Undead Academy.
But… what are they planning using the entire Land of the Fallen as an ambush?
To unite like this, they must have some common goal, at least a shared interest.
“Ring of the Dead? With your level, you dare to use such a name? Are you completely ignorant? A name like that doesn’t suit your level of skill!”
Even though I said this, my opponents definitely wouldn’t be weak. That bell sound was clearly an undead artifact, something that couldn’t be done by their own strength. If they could use the external force of the artifact, perhaps they could accomplish something—do the weapons of the Undead Academy indeed violate the rules?
I squinted slightly as the bones on the ground ignited with undead flames under the bell’s sound, the moving bones producing a cacophony of crisp sounds.
Even the Bone Mountain here has relatively intact skeletons that were “awakened”; they rose in chaos, gaining “spiritual light” under the bell sound, rushing toward me upon command.
The ominous bones flowed like a tidal wave; at this moment, just witnessing this commotion could barely qualify as the “Ring of the Dead” version.
Along with the tide of the undead sea, students from the other academies also approached me under this great force.
This is an open ambush against me!
Just as I was thinking about how to deal with these undead cannon fodders and the sneak attacks from those academies in the Land of the Fallen, I noticed a black spot in the distant sky.
No holy light effects, flying, and intentionally coming here; it looks like reinforcements have arrived.
Although I am not afraid of these undead and the others from the Land of the Fallen, this endless sea of undead will eventually drain my magic power. If I can’t k*ll the ones controlling the undead before my magic is exhausted, I could really encounter danger.
Solo battles are indeed disadvantaged, and such fighting provides no inspiration; the monotonous slaughter will only wear down my patience, and those undead can’t even score me points!
“Tan Han! This–”
As I got closer to the opponent, I called out, also attracting their attention.
Tan Han, who came rushing, was also shocked by the current situation—the overwhelming undead offered the most direct visual impact!
“Xiao Han, you stirred up a nest of undead while holding the Witch Tea Party here?”
“This isn’t my fault; I’m also an invitee.”
I waved the invitation letter, for I dislike being the scapegoat, and I can’t let them misunderstand, right?
Am I really the kind of person who likes to cause trouble…? Although I have indeed caused a lot of trouble for the Witch Academy along the way, misunderstandings are absolutely unacceptable.
“Hmm?”
At this moment, Tan Han was also confused, but she quickly reacted, knowing this isn’t the time to get stuck on that.
Besides, it isn’t just Tan Han who’s here; Mini’an is accompanying Tan Han, while the other duo we’ve met… might not be fast enough, and they haven’t arrived yet. I remember they both lack flight licenses.
