Wizard Reed's words made everyone present uncomfortable. Arrogant rhetoric always provokes righteous indignation; this is human nature. People generally dislike arrogant individuals, but perhaps it is this very dislike that fuels the unabashed bluster of such people.

However, no one is blindly arrogant; every arrogant person has something they believe gives them license for their behavior. Take Wizard Reed, for example. Ordinarily, he might be cautious and careful, considerate towards everyone and everything, never one to initiate trouble. But once he unleashed his dark skills, an indescribable confidence would wash over him from head to toe, making him incredibly arrogant. In such moments, he believed he was heaven itself, the absolute ruler of the entire world, and would look down on everyone.

This arrogance stemmed from the Power of Darkness. This power granted him abilities beyond the reach of ordinary people, making him feel he could run amok without restraint and act arrogantly before everyone.

"Who will be the first to bravely step into the Eternal Tranquility Realm?" Wizard Reed continued to provoke everyone present with his arrogant words.

Facing such arrogance, does one choose to remain silent or strike back? This was a serious question to contemplate.

Simon, Yuga, and Jemma were all powerful individuals who had walked the blade's edge. They had experienced countless life-and-death situations and encountered many arrogant people; such provocative words no longer shocked them.

They would not act recklessly, for they had much to protect. If they could not withstand even this level of provocation, they would be incapable of defending their homes.

The Adventurers with Class in the Golden Seats of the Alchemy Workshop were likewise not rookies new to their world; they would not be enraged by such simple verbal taunts.

After all, this world was governed by strength. Trash talk could only affect low-level Adventurers with Class. Confrontations between masters depended on actual combat and skills; such verbal sparring merely added a little flavor to the fight and played no decisive role.

Wizard Reed knew this simple truth as well as anyone, yet he couldn't stop spouting these arrogant words. It was in his very bones, an impulse he could not suppress. For years, he had walked alone, rejected by the crowds and despised by those in high positions. Now, as the Dark Arts coursed through his body, he finally felt that primal urge, an impulse that had been boiling within him for a long time, erupt at last.

After this outburst, Wizard Reed felt a wave of relief as new, powerful strength surged continuously within him.

He caressed the Obsidian Staff in his hand. Now, a casual wave from it could plunge the surroundings into deathly silence.

"If no one speaks, then I won't hold back." Wizard Reed raised his hand. A powerful force erupted from the Obsidian Staff, like a firework shooting into the sky. With a ROAR, it shot straight towards the guardians opposite him.

This force was a concentration of deathly energy; Wizard Reed had initiated his attack.

This strike was merely a probe. Wizard Reed knew he lacked the power to defeat these legendary figures in a single blow. If he possessed such strength, he wouldn't have journeyed all this way to find that long-sealed spell.

Simon and the others did not use their Spirit Power to defend. While their understanding of deathly energy wasn't as thorough as their knowledge of Spirit Power, they knew enough to recognize it. Such an attack could be dodged or dispelled; there was no need to waste Spirit Power defending against it.

Although the attack of deathly energy was swift, it was not unavoidable. Simon and the others coordinated their movements and easily dodged it. The force struck a nearby stone, shattering it to pieces.

The moment Wizard Reed attacked the guardians of Guru Mountain, the Alchemists received another secret message from Chief Kuyi Tulan, transmitted, of course, via Milo's Exchange Beast.

The transmission was both news and an order. This message brought a flicker of annoyance and anger to the faces of the Alchemists from the Alchemy Workshop, followed by a subtle sense of relief.

Regardless, this message gave the Alchemists of the Alchemy Workshop a clear purpose. They had already entered full combat readiness but had yet to find an opponent. Although the guardians of Guru Mountain possessed monstrous forms, Milo and his companions hesitated to attack them. After all, Simon was a legendary figure and a senior from their own Alchemy Workshop; they truly couldn't bring themselves to raise their blades against their idol.

Now, having received the Chief's order, their uncertainty vanished. They understood: their enemies, their opponents, were not the monsters of Guru Mountain at all.

The task Chief Kuyi Tulan had assigned them was both simple and complex: retrieve the "monsters" of Guru Mountain and bring them back safely.

This implied that anyone who tried to stop them from bringing back Senior Simon was an enemy. Therefore, this arrogant Dark Wizard was an enemy of the Alchemy Workshop!

Wizard Reed had never imagined that members of the Alchemy Workshop would be the first to attack him. As Brad's massive fist descended, Wizard Reed's surprise was mixed with a strange excitement—an excitement that was also part of his instinct.

"You Alchemists, are you courting death?" Wizard Reed grinned, unable to conceal the thrill welling up inside him.

"Our aspirations merely differ; we have simply chosen different paths," the Alchemists replied calmly. Their sudden action had also taken Simon and the others by surprise.

"If you're willing to die for these nobodies, I won't stop you! If it weren't for the respect I have for your Chief Kuyi Tulan, I would have already sent you to your deaths! HA! HA! HA!" Wizard Reed's words grew increasingly unhinged, as if he were descending into madness.

"Did you find anything?" As the Alchemists and Wizard Reed slowly began to clash, Yuga quietly asked Jemma, who was still crouched on the ground.

"I think I've found something—a clue." Jemma looked exhausted. Opening all her eyes consumed a great deal of energy, and she had expended a considerable amount of Spirit Power.

"We'll cover you. Find out what trickery he's playing. Even the darkest of wizards cannot completely detach from Spirit Power." Simon also communicated with Jemma in their unique way.

"It seems..." Jemma revealed her body. The depletion of her Spirit Power had left her skin somewhat dry and withered, and its color was slowly reverting to normal.

"You found it?" Yuga and Simon were both concerned. They had expended a great deal of Spirit Power battling the Dark Wizard and were now quite fatigued. The sooner they could uncover the despicable Dark Wizard's trick, the sooner they could devise a counter-strategy and stop wasting their energy.

"It seems to be... an infectious disease!"

"An infectious disease?" Yuga and Simon exchanged glances, instantly grasping the nature of the ploy.

Jemma panted heavily, slowly closing her many eyes. She had exhausted too much of her strength and truly needed to rest for a moment.

Identifying this "infectious disease" hadn't been easy. Jemma needed some time to process it, as did Yuga and Simon...