I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

Elf Forest, Caspar Valley,

Lis frowned, dodging the attacks of the surrounding Earth Element Giants, and with a backhand stroke of his Longsword, he cleaved one from head to toe, causing its body to instantly collapse.

The Earth Element Giants of both Bronze Level and Silver Level were unable to withstand Lis's attacks, and Lis's agility was akin to that of an Elf Ranger, granting him ease as he moved across the battlefield.

Other Elves in the team were also continuously supporting Lis, trying to tie up the Giants that were coming at them from all sides.

Lis did not linger in battle. After eliminating the threatening Giants nearby, he caught up with the team.

Perhaps it was the commotion caused by this group of Elves that was so great that all the Earth Element Giants in the vicinity rushed towards the team.

At this moment, the speed of advancing could not be reduced by the slightest; otherwise, they would only be worn out by the endless onslaught of Earth Element Giants.

Lis controlled his Strength to stay within a reasonable range, surprising but not inciting suspicion among the Elves around him.

Continuously repelling the Earth Element Giants attacking from around him, Lis's mind raced with thoughts.

He had just sensed an unusual energy from the Element Core exposed by an Earth Element Giant, but the flash of dark light in his eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared, to the extent that Lis even doubted whether he had seen it correctly.

However, considering the current anomalies in Caspar Valley, it was very possible that this was the source of the Giants' rampage.

What could it be, affecting such a wide area?

Lis had some doubts. To be honest, even a Legendary Strongman would find it impossible to influence so many Earth Element Giants in Caspar Valley, let alone those below Legend.

Is it the power of gods?

Is it the influence of the Elf Royal Court, the power left by Demogorgon?

Lis's mind raced with thoughts, unable to comprehend the purpose behind all this.

Truth be told, if someone truly wished to prevent the team led by Ricardo from returning to the Elf Royal Court, there were many ways to do so.

Causing such a large disturbance that it affected all the Earth Element Giants in Caspar Valley seemed excessively conspicuous—was it intended to arouse the Elf Royal Court's suspicions?

Moreover, why act so close to the Elf Royal Court? From the Bolin Kingdom through the Elf Forest, there were plenty of opportunities to act.

Lis felt faced with a tangled mess of doubts, too numerous to sort through, but soon calmed down.

First, let's see what exactly that shade of black in the Earth Element Giant's Element Core is?

Having made up his mind, Lis began to change the intensity of his attacks. Previously, when facing Earth Element Giants, he had aimed to sever their legs or lower bodies, to prevent them from chasing after the team.

Their fallen bodies also acted as barriers to prevent other Giants from getting close.

Lis's sword blade swirled, now more frequently targeting the chests of the Earth Element Giants.

The Element Cores within the body of an Earth Element Giant did not have a fixed location, but they were generally located within their chests, after all, that was where the Giants were most Solidly defended.

But no matter how Solid the rock, it was of no consequence to Lis.

Under his fierce attacks, all the Giants approaching the team had their chests ripped open by the glistening Longsword, falling one after another amidst a flurry of shattered stones.

Minutes later, Lis retreated back into the midst of the team, pretending to catch his breath as though the vigorous assault had significantly drained him.

Seeing this, the Elves in the team tacitly protected Lis, continuing forward and jointly dealing with the Earth Element Giants that followed.

Lis had earned their respect with his Strength, and they felt quite at ease under his protection just now; it was their turn to exert themselves.

Lis pretended to quietly recover his Strength, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

While breaking open the bodies of the Earth Element Giants just now, he had stealthily searched for the Earth Element Cores within them.

In the bodies of the dozen or so defeated Giants, he indeed discovered several Element Cores, but to his confusion, the twisted black light he saw before was nowhere to be found again.

Of course, it was impossible that he had seen wrongly before.

It meant that the black light was deeply hidden within the bodies of the Giants; discovering it once was already exceedingly fortunate.

Should he continue searching?

Lis hesitated, as the efficiency of this method was too low.

Moreover, maintaining the Strength he had just displayed would be embarrassingly excessive.

If possible, Lis did not want to reveal Strength that extended into the Extraordinary Domain.

Perhaps…

At that very moment, the ground under the Elves' feet began shaking violently. A fissure several meters wide appeared abruptly, and a giant hand made of deep cyan rock stretched out from it.

A dreadful aura spread instantly, causing many Elves to grow pale.

Even though the Giant had not fully emerged, there was no doubt it was a Gold Rank Earth Element Giant!

Ricardo, who stood at the front of the team, noticed the anomaly behind them and his expression darkened.

How could their luck be this bad?

All the Gold Rank Giants that could have collided with the team had been lured away by Gold Level warriors or Rangers that Ricardo had arranged.

Who would have thought they would encounter a Gold Level Giant awakening from the opposite direction, awakening right in the middle of the team?