Chapter 112: Five-Element Forbidden Spell! Holy Advent! What the Hell—Is This a Dark Mage? [8,000 Words]

【The Untold Story Between Me and the Black Mage】
【I Finally Know Who the Black Mage Is—Proof Included】
【You All Guessed Wrong—the Black Mage Is Actually My Husband, and He’s Sleeping Right Next to Me】
【Off Work, Then Transform into the Black Mage!】
【Detailed Analysis of Black Mage Skills: How to Become a Black Mage in Thirty Days!】
...

It must be said, this generation of netizens still boasts wildly fertile imaginations.

After the term "Black Mage" went viral, countless rumors surfaced on the forums—some presented as ironclad facts, even accompanied by seemingly authentic pictures.

Had it not been for Yi Shen himself being the real person in question, he might have actually believed them.

What was even more surprising was that some people had started writing stories directly about the Black Mage!

Normally, Yi Shen had little interest in other people’s gossip, but when it came to his own, he not only read everything in one sitting but also took the time to leave comments under various posts.

Amid this mix of amusement and disbelief, Yi Shen soon left the safe zone of Jingmen and arrived at the small woodland courtyard.

Seeing the soldiers on guard in the distance and sensing the serious atmosphere created by Xiao Su ahead, Yi Shen gathered himself and steadied his mind.

Before long, he was back inside a room where he met Qi Lei and the young girl Xiao Yu again. This time, Xiao Yu wore a predominantly white outfit with a black cloth strip covering her eyes. Zhan Yu was nowhere in sight.

“You look quite spirited,” Qi Lei smiled at Yi Shen. In just two days, Yi Shen’s vitality and aura had noticeably improved—something Qi Lei found hard to truly appreciate himself.

“Not bad,” Yi Shen smiled politely in return. “Uncle Lei, has the person from the Coordination Bureau you mentioned arrived yet?”

Yi Shen had come mainly to meet the so-called person from the Coordination Bureau, but a quick glance around suggested no strangers had appeared.

“Not yet,” Qi Lei said after a pause. “First, have a look at this.”

Qi Lei handed Yi Shen a physical document. For sensitive information, paper files were still preferred over digital ones due to the risk of interception.

Yi Shen took the papers and found two dossiers: one about himself, the other about the Black Mage. However, the Black Mage’s file was under the name Chen Ergou, not Yi Shen’s.

“Both identities are usable and have been recorded in the system. In the future, you can simply use the Black Mage identity. For the name and other details, coordinate with Zhan Yu to have it changed,” Qi Lei explained.

“Someone is already investigating your information. I worry you might get into trouble. For now, communicate with the Coordination Bureau under the new identity.”

Qi Lei briefly explained the reasoning.

Though the Coordination Bureau was a higher authority, there was no guarantee that lower levels wouldn’t intercept various materials.

He had suffered losses from this kind of interference before, so during the past two days, he had arranged a new identity for Yi Shen and officially incorporated the Black Mage into Jingmen’s independent security squad.

Moreover, Qi Lei was notably more courteous towards Yi Shen today.

“I heard from Zhan Yu that you’ve been collecting some materials recently. How’s that going? Do you need to apply for contribution points?”

“The contribution points are fine; it’s mainly the materials I’m short on,” Yi Shen answered honestly.

He had anticipated this—his recent display of power was far stronger than before, so Uncle Lei and the others would surely pay special attention to him.

Collecting materials on his own was slow; if he could acquire elemental materials through Uncle Lei’s channels, his progress on most forbidden spells could leap forward significantly.

“Alright, just tell Xiao Yu what you need—materials, equipment, whatever. I’ll arrange for someone to handle it,” Qi Lei nodded.

As the Black Mage’s appearances increased, many had begun analyzing the figure.

Qi Lei was among the best-informed, as he knew Yi Shen’s true identity and was aware of his recent efforts to gather elemental materials. On the night Yi Shen struck, Qi Lei even knew about his massive acquisition of fire and earth elemental materials from the Tian Alliance in the southern district—materials that later contributed to the Flame Gate skill and the terrifying Hill Giant. With some thought, Qi Lei could reasonably guess that Yi Shen’s skills were closely tied to these materials.

Jingmen’s major guilds had amassed substantial reserves. As the overall commander of Jingmen’s safe zone, Qi Lei had his own resource channels. If these elemental materials could indeed bolster Yi Shen, why not provide him with everything? Gaining such a powerful ally—an old friend’s son and a native of Jingmen—would be a priceless investment.

“Thanks, Uncle Lei,” Yi Shen expressed his gratitude.

Though he knew his own strength had earned him this favor, he also sensed Qi Lei’s genuine sincerity.

After interacting with Uncle Lei and Zhan Yu, Yi Shen’s perspectives had shifted.

He had once thought the upper echelons of Jingmen safe zone were indifferent, causing widespread discontent. But now, he realized that Qi Lei and Zhan Yu had sacrificed much for the zone, even implementing many policies.

Unfortunately, these policies were poorly enforced.

Especially among middle and lower guild levels, some members and offices abused power for personal gain. The issue involved too many people to be solved quickly.

Maintaining stability in the Jingmen safe zone was already a monumental task; true improvement would require generations of reformers.

...

After chatting some more with Uncle Lei, Xiao Yu led Yi Shen to a room on the third floor of the small building.

Xiao Yu still wore her blindfold and a tight white jacket. Her hair was tied in a ponytail adorned with a small ornament.

She had a good figure, and the blindfold added an air of mystery. Judging by the exposed skin, Yi Shen thought she must be quite beautiful. She seemed able to see, as her movements and communication were no different from an ordinary person.

The room was a somewhat unusual archive, containing some bookshelves, electronic devices, and a long table in the center.

“These are the materials we have stored at present. Take a look and tell me what you need, how much, and the names. If you need anything else, just mark it down,” Xiao Yu said, guiding Yi Shen to one end of the table.

A raised information panel appeared on the table. After a few manipulations, the panel displayed various materials and their respective stock quantities.

She stood close enough that Yi Shen could detect a faint floral scent on her—whether perfume or natural, he wasn’t sure.

“Alright.”

Yi Shen nodded and began marking items. He was shocked to discover the extensive inventory Uncle Lei had amassed—not only ordinary materials but also some rare ones!

“How much can I take at most?” Yi Shen asked.

“There’s no limit. You can take it all. If you need more, someone will be assigned to gather them,” Xiao Yu replied in her hoarse voice, which oddly contrasted with her appearance and figure. Yi Shen had grown accustomed to it and found it fitting.

Since she worked alongside Uncle Lei and had helped Zhan Yu find him, she likely possessed some exceptional qualities.

“Good.”

Hearing that, Yi Shen didn’t hold back. Having slain so many beasts, he felt justified in taking a large share of materials. Though he wouldn’t empty the stock completely, taking about 80% of the elemental materials was no problem.

He promptly selected a large batch of elemental and special materials. When he asked Xiao Yu if he could increase the quantity, she agreed, saying others would be dispatched to retrieve more from elsewhere.

These materials were valuable. By Yi Shen’s estimates, they could allow him to develop several basic forbidden spells!

“May I ask something? I’m curious—since you wear a blindfold, can you actually see?” Yi Shen asked casually. Only he and Xiao Yu were in the room. If she couldn’t see, she wouldn’t be able to operate the screens.

“No, but I can sense,” Xiao Yu answered after a moment’s thought.

“Have you been working with Uncle Lei for a long time? You seem to always stay here,” Yi Shen continued.

Xiao Yu hesitated for a few seconds, as if reluctant to answer, then pursed her lips and remained silent, creating a slight awkwardness.

“That’s okay. If you don’t want to say, no worries,” Yi Shen smiled and changed the subject. She seemed a bit socially anxious and not fond of talking; there was no need to push.

“A long time, I guess,” Xiao Yu finally said in a low, vague tone, continuing to work silently.

After finishing the input, Yi Shen added a few more materials and then left with her.

During his talk with Uncle Lei, Yi Shen asked many questions to better understand Jingmen’s current situation.

More guilds had arrived, apparently officially sanctioned, ostensibly to defend against the beast tide. But the real reason was the strange glowing curtain to the north, which had been growing more volatile. The purple cracks were stabilizing and likely to soon form a special dimensional gate.

Such phenomena had occurred before in history—sometimes creating a stable new dimension, other times a temporary dimensional rift, akin to a “special secret realm.”

The Black Mist’s response also centered on this curtain’s expansion. The monsters had mostly stabilized. Yi Shen’s father’s mirror clone appeared in the Black Mist’s core, but no other top explorers had provoked them during Yi Shen’s sleep.

The Coordination Bureau personnel supposedly had arrived in Jingmen, but Qi Lei declined to meet them, citing the Black Mage’s need for rest, postponing the meeting until the next day. For now, Zhan Yu was showing those people around the safe zone and visiting some guilds.

From his talk with Uncle Lei, Yi Shen realized that although this organization represented a higher authority, Qi Lei still held some reservations, and Yi Shen himself became more cautious.

Of course, caution aside, after securing materials from Xiao Yu, Yi Shen’s thoughts were firmly fixed on them.

Elemental materials not only influenced the formation of forbidden spells but also allowed for further attribute enhancements. At his current level and stats, Yi Shen could barely push into the Black Mist’s core region. But if his attributes could increase severalfold, or even tenfold, many tasks would become much easier.

Because Xiao Yu expedited the process, supplies were quickly gathered from various sources: some were wartime reserves in special warehouses, some stored in guilds, others held by trade associations.

Ordinary people would never know these resources existed. Only through Qi Lei’s orders could they be accessed.

All materials were consolidated into a temporary warehouse at Peach Blossom Dock, which Yi Shen effectively commandeered alone—no one else usually came there.

Once everything was ready, Yi Shen began decomposing the materials.

“Hm?”

This time, as he decomposed, Yi Shen noticed something different.

Previously, decomposition manifested as a special white light around him, consuming the materials in front. Now, various phosphorescent lights appeared attached to the materials, allowing Yi Shen to roughly observe what could be extracted.

“Skill refinement upgraded? Or is it due to the change in physique?”

Yi Shen increasingly felt that the changes from his recent slumber were more than just gaining the Moonlight Body.

After some operations, Yi Shen found his decomposition speed had increased at least fivefold. With this efficiency, he might be able to clear battlefield loot much faster in the future.

Of course, compared to the new forbidden spells he had just acquired, this was a minor matter.

Following decomposition, Yi Shen’s system panel emitted a series of prompts: three new attributes had reached special forbidden spell research thresholds, and two others had surpassed two-thirds of the requirement!

【Ding. You performed a spell study, converting absorbed matter into 1,022 research points, gaining an extra 102 water-element research points.】
【Ding. Your water-element research points have reached 5,000. Congratulations! You have learned the beginner-level water-element forbidden spell: Healing Spring.】
【Ding. Your wind-element research points have reached 5,000. Congratulations! You have learned the beginner-level wind-element forbidden spell: Sky-Cleaving Wind Blade.】
【Ding. Your moonlight-element special research points have reached 5,000. Congratulations! You have learned the beginner-level moonlight-element forbidden spell: Sacred Arrival.】

【Healing Spring (S): Consumes 10,000 mana as a catalyst, gathers water elements from heaven and earth to form a Healing Spring, increasing healing effects within a certain area. Restores 5,000 base HP and MP per second, plus an additional 10% of the caster’s intelligence and spirit attributes as bonus HP and MP recovery to allies. The range depends on the concentration of nearby water elements. Duration: 120 seconds. Cooldown: 72 hours.】

【Sky-Cleaving Wind Blade (S): Consumes 10,000 mana as a catalyst, gathers wind elements from heaven and earth to create a Sky-Cleaving zone. The zone unleashes numerous wind blades for indiscriminate attacks. Range and attack strength depend on nearby wind element concentration. Intelligence and spirit increase the coverage runes. Duration: 120 seconds. Cooldown: 72 hours.】

【Sacred Arrival (S): Consumes 50,000 mana, gathers dark light elements from heaven and earth, imbuing the explorer to greatly enhance base attributes by 100%, with additional boosts related to the concentration of surrounding dark light elements. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 72 hours.】

With these three new forbidden spells, Yi Shen’s system panel now displayed five S-rank skills at the forefront!

Among explorers above level forty, few, if any, on Blue Star would possess so many S-rank skills!

The water-element forbidden spell was a healing skill. Although it slightly disappointed Yi Shen, it filled the gap of lacking a large-area healing ability. This skill also had a friendly-target identification feature, likely allowing him to use his spirit power to distinguish allies from enemies, much like the Flame Gate’s control method.

The wind-element forbidden spell was a standard offensive skill. From its description, it probably functioned as a battlefield formation, unleashed to attack continuously without the need for manual control. It was unclear which was stronger—the Sky-Cleaving Wind Blade or the Flame Gate.

The last one belonged to the moonlight-element special category and was the first forbidden spell Yi Shen had derived from special materials. These materials mainly came from moonlight shards and moonlight sources produced by beasts in the Moonlight Realm.

At the battlefield, Yi Shen had already accumulated over 4,000 points of such special materials. With additional supplies from Uncle Lei obtained in the Moonlight Realm’s secret area, Yi Shen’s special research attribute reached 5,000, unlocking the new skill Sacred Arrival.

Sacred Arrival differed greatly from the other four skills in consumption, duration, and effect. It functioned more like a state buff.

After decomposing so many materials, Yi Shen’s base attributes had reached over 70,000, with his highest intelligence exceeding 100,000. If the moonlight attribute could truly double or multiply these stats, wouldn’t that be a phenomenal boost?

Given the significant impact of forbidden spells, Yi Shen decided to test these new skills in the field at night. He contemplated whether, under the moonlight state, he could simultaneously unleash fire or earth forbidden spells to create a stacked effect.

Or perhaps, while in the moonlight Sacred Arrival state, he could activate his bloodline powers concurrently to inflict special effects on the Black Mist.

Previously, lord-class monsters and advanced Black Mist had blocked his path. Now, with his strength greatly enhanced, he was eager to uncover the secrets lurking behind this strange race and see if he was powerful enough to unveil their mysteries.

Of course, mere speculation was insufficient. After finishing material decomposition, Yi Shen reported to his mother, coordinated briefly with Zhu Qing and her team about follow-up work, then set off again toward the northern Jingmen safe zone.

To outsiders, three days likely wouldn’t change much—they’d think he just slept.

But Yi Shen knew his comprehensive strength and spirit power had elevated him to an entirely different tier from three days ago!

Jingmen Safe Zone.

Northern Plains.

A black jeep moved steadily forward.

The vehicle had been heavily modified, with cutouts. A woman inside used binoculars to scan the surroundings.

Far off on the plains, black mist could be seen. No animals flew overhead. The sun was still rising, but the fields were bathed in a crimson glow. The main cause was a vast area of scorched earth, with only a few struggling grass shoots remaining—a wasteland scene.

Further away were uneven hills and earthen mounds. Some spots had huge voids; others showed bizarre, hundred-meter-tall hills resembling damaged Hill Giants.

Though these Hill Giants lost their souls when their timers expired, their earth and wood bodies remained. Yi Shen had created over fifty of them in one night. Much of the northern terrain had been reshaped. If such skills were used to build fortresses, constructions could finish remarkably quickly.

“The Black Mage is no ordinary figure,” the woman in black leather said.

She had short hair, and like many high-level female explorers, favored leather attire that accentuated her figure and wild allure.

“Indeed,” the man wearing special glasses on the jeep replied.

Strangely, he held a heavy weapon resembling a sniper rifle. Its material shimmered with a peculiar radiance, unlike ordinary firearms.

“Bang!”

The sniper fired instantly, a fiery red beam striking a flying gargoyle three kilometers away with a perfect headshot.

The gargoyle took over 100,000 damage and plummeted, quickly entering a petrified self-defense state.

Another red beam followed, instantly killing the monster.

“These monsters aren’t low level. From the footage, his skills can clear mobs on a large scale—a true war machine. If we could recruit him, maybe we’d have a chance against the Coordination Bureau,” the man said, holstering his gun. He was a specialized gunsmith, a profession well-suited to modern weaponry.

“Old Five, you can only dream about that. The Coordination Bureau probably has already contacted him. We don’t stand a chance,” said the man driving, clad in armor. A greatsword rested beside his seat. They sped recklessly across the plains, quickly dispatching any monsters that appeared—testament to their strength.

They soon reached a hillside near the advanced Black Mist zone and stopped. The trio took out detectors.

Yet, just by looking from a distance under the sunset, their expressions grew grave.

“Three dark shadows? Could those be three lord-class monsters?” Old Five—the gunsmith—asked. They came from a northern gathering area, here mainly for the special secret realm and lord monsters.

Seeing the Black Mist firsthand was still a shock.

“This mist feels overwhelmingly oppressive. It won’t be easy to handle. I doubt just the three of us can manage,” the woman said with a nervous laugh.

“It’s not doubt—we definitely can’t handle it. I can at most hold off one level-60 lord monster. Three? Unless the boss comes, it’s impossible,” said the armored driver, known as Third Brother. His muscles were huge, but he simply stood back now.

“How so?” the woman asked.

“Let’s hunt some elites first, see how the drops are. I don’t recommend going into the Black Mist now. That’s at least a level-two civilization. Who knows what’s in there? Let’s wait for the special realm to open and see if we can get anything then,” Third Brother suggested.

“Let’s message the boss. Three lord monsters could yield plenty of loot. Maybe he’ll come,” Old Five said. “If we wait too long, we might miss out.”

“Hahaha, three lord monsters with territory effects would require half the elite explorers from the central war zone to take down. Didn’t you see the guilds just sitting on their hands, waiting to swoop in?”

The three chatted for over ten minutes before deciding to clear nearby monsters first.

Level-60 elites were rare in the secret realm. With so many valuable items on the battlefield, it was worth collecting more. Their intel also mentioned a special mirror clone stronger than elites, likely dropping better loot.

Soon, the trio launched their assault, but the monsters’ response was fiercer than expected—over thirty mirror clones charged out!

“Holy crap!”
“This is way too intense!”
“Retreat!”
“Where’s the car?”
“Forget the car, just run! Damn it!”

Though they killed some elites earlier, the Black Mist’s reaction far exceeded their expectations. Old Five deployed many skills, setting up mechanical devices and a fortress on the ground to snipe the moonlight clones.

After five or six minutes, they finally found a chance to escape. Though uninjured, it was their first time in years being so thoroughly embarrassed.

Still, seven or eight mirror clones pursued, attacking relentlessly. The trio tried to fight back.

At that moment, a black figure suddenly appeared in the distance.

“Shhh-shhh-shhh!”

Three violent gusts of wind erupted in the sky, instantly cutting off the retreat of the over thirty mirror clones! Scattered wind blades whirled everywhere—not the lowest level, but powerful ones.

The black figure descended, and all the mirror clones burst into flames! Though Old Five and the others didn’t recognize the newcomer, they watched the clones’ health plummet rapidly!

They had considered their own attacks strong, but facing an explorer capable of wiping out high-level mirror clones en masse far exceeded expectations!

Moreover, the clones seemed to realize something and began retreating. Under this one person’s pressure alone, over thirty clones were ready to give up!

“Damn.”
“What skill is this?”

One clone, cornered by the Black Mage in the wind formation, was shredded within three seconds, transforming into a special loot orb.

This was no longer a battle but a one-sided massacre!

The black figure did not stop, chasing down the other clones relentlessly!

“Is that... the Black Mage??”
“No way he’s this powerful, right?”
“????”
“What’s this new skill? I thought he was a fire mage—how does he have wind spells too?”

“His attributes are high. Average DPS exceeds 50,000,” Old Five frowned. Even at full power, his sniper’s headshot damage barely cracked 100,000, but the Black Mage’s basic skill dealt over 50,000 DPS in AoE!

Where did this top-tier expert come from? Weren’t there supposed to be no elite explorers in the central war zone??

(End of chapter)