At the same time that a great upheaval erupted outside the vast Cuidao Forest, an eerie transformation quietly unfolded deep within the labyrinth.
One after another, maple leaves materialized from the void.
Around the golden scales of balance, countless visions intertwined, and amidst these visions, a recurring scene emerged maple leaves drifting down from the sky.
If it were the season of snow, snowfall would be an expected sight.
Yet now, what descended from the heavens was not snowflakes, but maple leaves yellow, orange, and crimson falling in a silent rain of leaves.
"This… What is happening?"
Lynn noticed that aside from the area where he stood, the rest of the labyrinth was entirely blanketed by maple leaves.
However, the place where the maple leaves fell most fiercely was precisely where the white-robed wizard resided.
The white-robed wizard had just torn through a section of the labyrinth, stepping into a new area.
But the moment he set foot in that space, maple leaves rained down like a torrential downpour.
If the leaves falling elsewhere in the labyrinth resembled a drizzle, then the area around the white-robed wizard was engulfed in a storm.
The leaves cascaded down in waves, and in mere moments, a thick layer of vibrant foliage covered the ground, forming a dazzling sea of maple leaves.
Suddenly, a hazy glow of maple-red light flickered, and a figure quietly emerged before the white-robed wizard.
The figure wore a cloak that seemed to be woven from maple leaves, draped over a wide, flowing robe. A faint aura of nature enveloped him.
His face was cold and stern, his eyes devoid of warmth, sending chills down the spine of anyone who met his gaze.
As this figure appeared, the maple leaves in the sky grew denser, swirling down like a veil that blotted out the heavens.
The Whiteheart Tower Master's eyes narrowed, and a flash of astonishment flickered within his deep gaze. He spoke in a solemn voice:
"A Nature Wizard?!"
The figure in the maple-leaf cloak did not reply. He merely stared at the Whiteheart Tower Master with his cold, piercing eyes, as if seeing straight through his soul.
Despite his immense power, a chill crept up the Whiteheart Tower Master's spine.
At the same time, within the dreamlike space, Lynn, through a mysterious connection, heard snippets of the white-robed wizard's words.
His pupils contracted sharply as he stared in shock at the figure before him, murmuring:
"A Nature Wizard! That is a Nature Wizard!"
The aura emanating from the figure felt boundless as if every falling maple leaf carried the rhythm of the world, imbued with an enigmatic power.
Lynn's mind reeled.
He had spent a long time within the Furnace, and to his knowledge, there were only three Nature Wizards within it.
No more precisely, there was only one true Nature Wizard and two apprentices: Rosalind, Colin, and himself.
And yet, here in this labyrinth, an unknown Nature Wizard had appeared out of nowhere?!
Judging by the grave reaction of the white-robed wizard, this figure's power was likely no weaker than that of a Morning Star Wizard!
A Nature Wizard who had reached the Morning Star realm… And no one knew how long he had been lurking in this labyrinth, completely undetected…
Suddenly, a thought struck Lynn, and he muttered under his breath:
"Could it be… he was the one who left that message?"
From the beginning, he had found it strange the golden scales of balance operated based on the transcendent language he had learned in the first layer of the labyrinth.
Yet, every time the golden scales appeared, a whisper in the ancient Wizard Tongue accompanied them.
That language was completely at odds with the labyrinth's established rules, yet it persisted.
Now, as he gazed upon the Nature Wizard clad in maple leaves, a realization dawned upon him:
That whispered Wizard Tongue message was likely left behind by this very man.
At that moment, the Nature Wizard finally spoke.
His voice was deep and rough as if he had not used the Wizard Tongue in a very long time. He spoke haltingly:
"Wilt… Spirit… Maple Sea…"
As his words fell, the world suddenly changed.
Every place touched by the drifting maple leaves underwent a bizarre transformation.
The leaves were no longer harmless embellishments; they now carried an eerie presence, each one imbued with an unknown force.
"A domain spell!"
The Whiteheart Tower Master's expression shifted dramatically as a wave of shock crashed over him.
This Nature Wizard had no intention of engaging in conversation his first move was an immense domain spell!
The Tower Master could feel his magic was being restrained, as if certain powers were being stripped from him.
What alarmed him even more was that the countless maple leaves swirling in the air exuded an ominous threat. He could already foresee the devastation that would follow if he dared to make a move a flood of leaves that would crush him with overwhelming force.
Domain spells were not inherently terrifying; their strength lay in their vast coverage, making them highly effective in large-scale battles.
However, in single combat, domain spells were rarely as lethal as direct offensive magic of the same level.
Yet, this Nature Wizard had merely activated his domain, without even unleashing its full force.
And still, the Whiteheart Tower Master felt an overwhelming dread, as if his very life force was in peril!
This sensation… there was only one explanation!
"He's not just a Fourth-Level Morning Star Wizard!"
The Whiteheart Tower Master's face turned ashen, then immediately flushed red.
Just then, a small, pure-white cloth doll appeared beside him. Its expression was eerie, with hollow, lifeless eyes.
In the next instant, the doll exploded!
"Hiss!"
A piercing shriek, sharp as the wail of a dying infant, echoed through the air, shaking the void itself. The force of the soundwave was enough to shatter everything around it.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, the domain's power erupted. The doll had sacrificed itself to block the fatal attack aimed at the Whiteheart Tower Master.
Yet, even with the doll's protection, the backlash from its self-destruction caused his internal energy to churn violently. His face flushed red, and a searing pain tore through his chest as if he was on the verge of rupture.
"Retreat! If I don't leave now, I'll die here!"
Terror filled the Whiteheart Tower Master's eyes his mind had been utterly shaken by the overwhelming might of the maple leaf domain.
Before entering this "landscape" he had devised three contingency plans.
When the first plan failed, he immediately moved on to the second returning to his own conquered pocket world.
Unlike the Lord of the Furnace, he had been a Morning Star Wizard for a long time, long enough to have seized a small world of his own and expanded the will of the Wizard World within it, fortifying it into an impenetrable stronghold.
Within that world, he had invested immense resources to construct an interdimensional teleportation array, allowing him to escape with just a single thought.
But at this very moment, he made a chilling discovery his interdimensional teleportation had been completely nullified!
Within this domain, he felt as though his power as a Morning Star Wizard had been forcibly stripped away and reduced to nothing more than a mere mortal!
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