Glie approached the staff with a composed and leisurely demeanor, feeling increasingly pleased with himself. 'Such a mere staff...'
Glie paused, wondering if the mage was tricking him.
He looked up at Uzuk, who was smiling faintly and gestured for him to take the staff. Glie didn't hesitate. He rolled up his sleeves, focused his energy, and gripped the staff with both hands. To his surprise, it wasn't heavy at all. He couldn't fathom how such a staff could possibly pose a challenge to him.
With that thought, he casually tried to lift it. To his shock, he felt an insurmountable weight. The staff remained stubbornly in place, not even its pendant budging.
Glie found this difficult to accept, his eyes widening as he stared at the staff as if it were a monster.
It wasn't just Glie; Kovida also stared at Glie with immense surprise.
He had witnessed Glie's strength firsthand. Even that casual lift had carried immense force, yet the staff hadn't moved. Could there be some hidden mechanism?
Was this Archmage employing a technique of making the heavy seem light? He then examined the ancient, unadorned staff more closely.
Siri Ke, standing beside them, sighed inwardly at the sight. Glie seemed destined to face a setback.
He then mused that while Uzuk's abilities were formidable, he wouldn't go so far as to alienate the Guangyan family and harm his own brother. A lesson would suffice.
With this thought, Siri Ke felt less tense.
Glie immediately gripped the staff with both hands, planted his feet firmly, and exerted all his strength to lift it, much like uprooting a willow tree.
Kovida, unaware of the true force Glie was exerting, also watched intently.
Glie roared, his arm muscles tensing and bulging outwards. Veins protruded on his forehead, his entire body flushed red. Yet, the staff remained as if fused with the earth, utterly unmoving.
Glie knew he had used all his might. He believed he could even uproot a mountain at this point, yet the staff refused to budge. Enraged, his fighting spirit surged.
A fierce battle intent instantly churned the air, raising dust and scattering stones, forcing Kovida to shield his eyes. Siri Ke also turned away, leaving only Uzuk standing calmly against the wind.
Amidst the swirling winds and turbulent atmosphere, a stern shout, like a clap of thunder, echoed.
Siri Ke quickly turned back to look at Glie. He saw Glie's entire body was a deep red, veins bursting from his muscles as if the power erupting from within was about to tear him apart. The staff, however, only trembled slightly.
Though Uzuk's expression remained unchanged, he felt a tremor of awe within. 'The people of the Guangyan family indeed possess divine strength! To be able to shake Mount Tai?'
Seeing the staff merely tremble slightly, Glie's temper flared. With a guttural cry, he poured all his might into the effort, his body turning a purplish-red. His face was now a deep purple, completely inhuman.
Siri Ke watched in alarm and shouted urgently, "Glie, don't be foolish!"
Xiao Xun and his group entered the forest from the sea of corpses and blood. Deep within the woods, Xiao Xun finally spoke, "Evil spawn! Why do you not reveal your true form?"
The black bear dared not delay. He quickly formed a hand seal and transformed into human shape, appearing exactly like Bije Si, though his spirit had lost all its former arrogance. He looked dejected, like a bruised eggplant.
The eye that was tightly shut on his face twitched intermittently, clearly indicating that the previous battle had aggravated an old injury. The long spear was still ferociously embedded in his flank.
Xiao Xun looked at Bije Si and said, "From now on, you will follow me. Remember, the efficacy of a soul contract means your thoughts can never escape its constraints. Do you understand?"
Bije Si quickly prostrated himself, saying, "This humble demon understands! This humble demon understands!"
The adjutants exchanged glances.
Xiao Xun nodded and continued, "Also, unless it is absolutely unavoidable, you must never reveal your true form."
Bije Si prostrated himself again. Xiao Xun then relented.
Simultaneously, in order to redeploy Jingxiang, Tedarrel decided to launch another western campaign against the beast tribes.
This time, his offensive strategy deviated from attacking along the beast tribe's defenses. Instead, he adopted Viktor's strategy, ordering the excavation of the Taolou Canal. He planned to enter the great plains through the Peddy Mountains, actively preparing for battle, and personally inspected the progress on the Northern Ridge front lines.
As Glie unleashed his power, the staff vibrated with a soft 'boom,' and was actually lifted by an inch. However, this change was as fleeting as a blink of an eye.
Glie had used all his strength but was ultimately unable to sustain it and could not move it an inch further.
Even so, this sent a cold sweat down Uzuk's spine. If this hothead had truly lifted it, Uzuk would have been greatly embarrassed.
It was only then that Kovida understood. The seemingly ordinary staff held profound mysteries. His admiration for the Archmage grew immensely.
Though Uzuk's heart was churning like a stormy sea, he smiled nonchalantly, "The people of the Guangyan family indeed possess extraordinary abilities. I am impressed!"
At this point, Glie was too exhausted to respond. He sat on the ground, gasping for breath, his body still a deep purple, unlikely to recover anytime soon.
Siri Ke, seeing his brother in such a state, felt a pang of heartache. He said solemnly, "Since the Archmage has achieved his goal, Siri Ke will not see you off."
Sensing Siri Ke's displeasure, Archmage Uzuk smiled.
"Although the people of the Guangyan family have lost, I had promised them that whatever they ask for, as long as it is within my power, I will not neglect them."
Seeing Glie's silence, Uzuk continued, "I know you have taken in two disciples. If you do not mind, you can send them to me for training. What do you say?"
Glie, who had been feeling disheartened and had no intention of making any further requests of Uzuk, heard Uzuk's solicitous tone. Moreover, he was indeed planning for the future of the undead. He took a deep breath and said, "Since it is so, I thank the Archmage!"
Uzuk, seeing that Glie had given him an out, bowed deeply. "Then I shall take my leave."
Siri Ke nodded in return. After Uzuk and Kovida left one after the other, he chided, "Glie! Didn't I tell you to obey Lord Svein? Why are you always causing trouble? If His Majesty finds out, how will she punish you!"
Glie, now completely spent, gasped, "Brother, I was only trying to increase the strength of our Guangyan family."
Siri Ke snorted, "As a member of the Guangyan family, do you still care about this little bit of strength? Let's go! Come with me to Misler, and stop causing trouble."
Glie's mount had been lost, and he was deeply unhappy. Leaving like this was unacceptable. He hesitated, reluctant to go. "Is this proper? If Lord Svein blames us..."
Siri Ke glanced at Glie. "What is improper about it? I want Lord Svein to come!"
With that, he pulled Glie and soared into the sky.
Xiao Xun led Bije Si and his group back to the army. Bije Si was now much more subdued and was assigned to the adjutant's sleeping tent by Xiao Xun. The generals of various divisions had already gathered in the command tent, awaiting Xiao Xun.
As Xiao Xun entered the military tent, the generals joyfully presented the spoils of the battle. Xiao Xun then carefully reviewed the situation of each camp. After reading the last battle report, he looked up and smiled, "After this battle, Karul can do nothing more! Roughly calculated, he now only has three to four thousand men, not enough to pose a significant threat. However, if the roots are not removed, they will grow again in the spring. We must uproot him completely!"
In reality, Xiao Xun was being overly cautious. In this battle, Karul was only accompanied by a little over two thousand men; the rest were scattered. His elite forces were lost.
What made Kovida even more frustrated was that King Saien of the Barbarians, who had promised an alliance against Santiroman, directly retreated upon hearing that Gist was killed by Karul, withdrawing his reinforcements.
It was said that King Saien had been wavering, and it was Zu'an, who had always advocated for the alliance, who strongly urged him to retreat.
Upon hearing about Gist's demise, Zu'an cursed Karul for being impolite and not worth plotting with.
With this sole reinforcement abandoning him, Kovida had no choice but to retreat to Qiongdou to continue skirmishing with the Santiroman army. Surrender was simply out of the question.