Water Mage in the Flame Realm-Chapter 397 - 384: The Underestimated One

Awesome.

After hearing this, Andrew had no other thoughts but the word "awesome".

Because it was truly goddamn incredible!

You should know that after Lidzmat slaughtered and devoured the Titan tribe and the Dragon tribe, it lay low for a full three years, likely to digest what it had consumed and elevate its own strength to a higher level.

Three years later, Lidzmat was more cunning and powerful.

However, faced with such a formidable enemy, Xu developed such a targeted strategy with the "Heart Fire Series" in such a short period of time.

Lidzmat’s "Seed of Greed" could trigger human greed, leading fire element professionals to fall and become earth fire professionals, already an incredibly abnormal ability.

In Andrew’s view, the "Heart Fire Series" was even more abnormal!

Andrew asked, "You said the magic effect of this ’Heart Fire Reincarnation’ gives people a chance to reincarnate and be reborn, right? Did Lord Xu cast this magic on himself? Maybe he didn’t actually die and was reborn somewhere?"

In Andrew’s view, it was truly a pity for someone as remarkable as Xu to be assassinated and killed.

He really hoped that Xu hadn’t actually died and had a chance for rebirth.

But he saw the old man shake his head: "Xu didn’t cast ’Heart Fire Reincarnation’ on himself."

"Why not?" Andrew stared at the old man, "Are you so sure Lord Xu didn’t cast Heart Fire Reincarnation on himself?"

"I’m sure, because even if Xu wanted to, he couldn’t cast ’Heart Fire Reincarnation’ on himself." The old man wiped away a tear and said, "Heart Fire Reincarnation was developed by Xu for the Fallen, and is only effective on them. Xu’s magic power, while cleansing the power of corruption, also utilizes that immense fallen power, making reincarnation possible. Non-fallen individuals don’t have fallen power to use and are immune to Heart Fire Reincarnation."

Andrew frowned repeatedly at this explanation.

The Fallen have a chance at reincarnation, but non-fallen don’t?

He couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t this strange? The fallen get a second chance, but good people don’t have this benefit?"

The old man asked back without answering: "Do you think this is a benefit?"

Andrew was stunned: "Isn’t it?"

The old man smiled bitterly, "It is, and it isn’t. Heart Fire Reincarnation wipes away fallen power, but it also adds something. After rebirth, one’s feelings of guilt and sin are magnified. The rebirth brought by Heart Fire Reincarnation, strictly speaking, is a journey of atonement. The key is that it doesn’t stop until guilt and regret disappear. In other words, as long as you still regret, still feel you haven’t made amends, the reincarnation and rebirth won’t stop."

Andrew: "..."

The old man continued, "After Xu developed Heart Fire Reincarnation, he only had time to use it on me before he died. So I should be the person in this world who understands ’Heart Fire Reincarnation’ best apart from Xu. After I was killed by Lidzmat’s ’Seed of Greed’, my consciousness drifted and then settled into a suitable body for a new life, and it was after the ’Great Escape’."

"The Great Escape?"

"After Xu’s death and Lidzmat’s appearance, the human race was defeated, and Li had to single-handedly lead the race to escape from the Flame Realm to this Water God Realm during that period of time."

The old man said, "I just mentioned, on the day Xu was assassinated and killed by me, Lidzmat appeared, no longer hiding in the shadows behind the fallen. Since Xu was already dead, Li alone couldn’t perform the ’Water and Fire United,’ so Lidzmat didn’t need to worry.

After three years, the Lidzmat that reappeared was different from the one that slaughtered the Titan and Dragon tribes. It must have digested the Dragons and Titans it ate, and its strength had reached an unbelievable level.

Centered on its body, the surrounding time and space distorted into a massive domain. Entering this domain, at least half of the Warm Fire Professionals would immediately be corrupted and then become fallen. The rest struggled to resist the corruption while being unable to defend themselves against their fallen companions, with only a handful barely escaping the domain alive.

The number of Warm Fire Professionals dwindled, while Earth Fire Professionals grew. The early form of the Magic Guild was already in place at that time.

As for Water Element Professionals..."

Andrew listened intently, unconsciously holding his breath.

Even though the old man just said Water Element Professionals naturally had strong soul defenses against Lidzmat’s "Seed of Greed," far exceeding the combat-strong but defense-weak Warm Fire Professionals, who could guarantee no surprises?

Back then, the old man was a top-tier Deep Blue Guard; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been Li’s professional partner, yet even he fell!

The old man said, "Among the Water Element Professionals, the Water Mages led by Li had the strongest resistance, completely immune to the ’Seed of Greed.’ While Deep Blue Guards like me struggled, we also withstood the ’Seed of Greed’s’ corrosion. So Lidzmat retreated in part, sealing the power of the Deep Blue Guards and cursing them to degrade to lower-tier warriors, forever unable to break through to Tier Nine."

Upon hearing this, the last remnants of doubt about the truth of the old man’s words disappeared from Andrew’s mind.

Because what the man said about "cursing all Deep Blue Guards to degrade and never break through Tier Nine" was precisely the "Earth Fire Curse" that had troubled Ivan.

The Desert Hunters could never break through Tier Nine, and this cursed power had been planted long ago in ancient times.

Even today, except for Ivan, the other Deep Blue Guards in the Flame Realm are still trapped by the Earth Fire Curse, living only as Desert Hunters.

Andrew secretly resolved: "Although it’s a bit early to think about it now, after completing the task given by Lord Beiru and returning to the Flame Realm, I must also liberate the Desert Hunters, besides Ivan, from the shadow of the Earth Fire Curse!"

The old man continued: "A huge number of Warm Fire Professionals fell or were killed. The Deep Blue Guards were also collectively sealed. The defeat of the human race was a foregone conclusion, inevitable. The other races, who had previously distrusted us humans, realized then they had wronged the human race, so they did their utmost to save a small number of surviving Warm Fire Professionals. The Warm Fire Commerce Association in the Flame Realm you mentioned earlier was likely founded by that small group of Warm Fire Professionals, rebuilt afterward."

Andrew nodded.

Thinking that Warm Fire Mages, Crimson Knights, Deep Blue Guards, all had fallen.

The only ones left were the Water Mages led by Lord Water God Li, right?

Lidzmat couldn’t induce the Water Mages to fall or seal them, so the only option left was—

"Slaughter," the old man said, "Lidzmat’s approach to the Water Mages was slaughter, sheer slaughter."

Andrew’s lips moved slightly, wanting to speak but holding back.

The old man said, "You want to ask if Lidzmat devoured the Water Mages after killing them? Just like it did with the Titan tribe and Dragon tribe three years ago?"

Andrew nodded, "Yes."

The old man said, "Lidzmat wanted to do that, its true name is ’Dragon of Greed,’ which is insatiable. As long as it believed something could further its power—a Titan, a Dragon, a Strange Fire holder among Fire Element Professionals—it would eat it. Including Deep Blue Guards. In some sense, the Deep Blue Guards were partially eaten by Lidzmat, leading to their collective degradation.

As for the Water Mages, Lidzmat was extremely, extremely, extremely interested. Its interest possibly exceeded its initial interest in Titans and the Dragon Race. Lidzmat found the Water Mages extremely appealing. The level of interest was such that it might have thought that with Xu being assassinated, there was no one left to stop it. But when Lidzmat targeted the Water Mages, it faced a huge resistance. The Water Mages led by Li showed the greatest resistance, becoming completely immune to the Seed of Greed. Even the Deep Blue Guards, like me, though it was difficult, withstood the erosion of the Seed of Greed. So Lidzmat retreated and instead sealed the power of the Deep Blue Guards, cursing all of them to regress to lower-tier Warriors, forever unable to break through to Tier Nine."

Upon hearing this, Andrew’s last sliver of doubt about the truth of the old man’s words was dispelled.

Because what he said about the Deep Blue Guards being cursed by the Earth Fire Curse, unable to break through Tier Nine, was consistent with known truths.

Even today, aside from Ivan, the Desert Hunters are still trapped by the Earth Fire Curse, unable to break through to Tier Nine, only able to live their lives as Desert Hunters.

Andrew was struck by the revelation of the warm fire mages, the taskmasters, and the cursed Deep Blue Guards all having a possible route to redemption—

He moved his lips slightly, but held his tongue.

The old man spoke, "After developing Heart Fire Reincarnation, Xu only managed to use it on me before he died, so I might be the person in this world who understands Heart Fire Reincarnation the best."

"After Lidzmat killed me with the ’Seed of Greed,’ my consciousness drifted before finding a new body to be reincarnated into. That happened after the ’Great Escape’."

"The Great Escape?"

"Yes. After Xu died, Lidzmat revealed itself, and with the Human Race in defeat, Li had no choice but to take the lead and flee with his people from the Flame Realm to the Water God Realm."

The old man continued, "As I just mentioned, the day I assassinated and killed Xu, Lidzmat appeared and no longer hid in the shadows behind the fallen. With Xu gone, Li couldn’t perform ’Water and Fire United’ alone, which took away Lidzmat’s only concern.

After three years, the Lidzmat that emerged was not the same as the one that had slaughtered both the Titan Race and the Dragon Race previously. It must have digested those Dragons and Titans it consumed, and its power had reached an unimaginable realm.

Its body became the center of a massive domain, twisting the surrounding time and space. As they entered the domain, at least half of the Warm Fire Professionals instantly succumbed to erosion and fell. The other half, while struggling to resist the corrosion, couldn’t fight off attacks from their fallen comrades, and only a scant few survived to escape that domain.

The number of Warm Fire Professionals dwindled, while Earth Fire Professionals increased. The Magic Guild’s embryonic form was already taking shape back then.

As for the Water Element Professionals..."

Hearing this, Andrew couldn’t help but focus with bated breath.

Though the old man had just mentioned that the Water Element Professionals had a natural advantage in soul defense and far greater resistance to Lidzmat’s "Seed of Greed" compared to the heavily offensive but weakly defensive Warm Fire Professionals, who could guarantee that there would be no exceptions?

After all, the old man was once a top-tier Deep Blue Guard; otherwise, he couldn’t have been Li’s professional partner, and in the end, didn’t he also fall?!

Then the old man said, "Among the Water Element Professionals, the resistance of the Water Mages led by Li was strongest, reaching a point of complete immunity to the Seed of Greed. And Deep Blue Guards like me, although struggling, also withstood the erosion of the Seed of Greed. So, Lidzmat resorted to sealing the powers of the Deep Blue Guards, cursing all of the Deep Blue Guards to degrade to lower-tier Combat Classes, never to break through Tier Nine."

Upon hearing this, the last thread of doubt in Andrew’s heart about the truth of the old man’s words was worn away.

Because what the other person said about the Deep Blue Guards being cursed by the Earth Fire Curse eliminated any doubts he had.

The Desert Hunters could never break through Tier Nine. This part of the Earth Fire Curse has continued to plague them, forcing them to live their lives confined to being Desert Hunters like Ivan, and the others remain in the grip of the Earth Fire Curse.

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