“This can’t be the force you mentioned in your documents, the evolutionary force, can it?”
“Exactly, it is the Power of Rebirth.”
Pearney was the first to react, her eyes sparkling differently after hearing his confirmation.
Justine, slower to realize, also felt moved upon hearing it.
Under Ivan’s non-secretive circumstances, many knew of his ascension to Level 2 Sorcerer was aided by a life evolutionary power, specifically ‘the Power of Rebirth.’
This Power of Rebirth came from the Ant Being barrier at the academy, nurtured bit by bit by the Ant King Rebirth Cocoon Array.
Because of this power’s existence, many veteran Level 1 Sorcerers at the academy, like Christian and Madeline, hadn’t set off to other paths, all were subtly competing for this power.
Of course, when Ivan returned, all these undercurrents quieted down.
“With so many nodes here, nurturing for countless years, and cultivating so much power, isn’t it enough to nurture multiple Level 2 Sorcerers?” Pearney asked, both eagerly and nervously.
She couldn’t help being anxious. After all, the power to ascend to Level 2 Sorcerer is rare and hardly replicable anywhere, who wouldn’t want to use it to become a Level 2 Sorcerer?
“Perceive more thoroughly, see if you can discern anything else?” Ivan’s response, however, did not meet her wishes.
“The swamp’s aura is quite thick, the powers somewhat mixed, it turns out it’s been contaminated,” Pearney sighed inwardly, upon perceiving carefully as told, indeed discovering something different, unfortunately, it wasn’t good.
“What about the other nodes?”
“You didn’t notice earlier, but they are the same.”
As Ivan’s thoughts flashed, he reviewed each hidden node in turn, and the situation was invariably bad.
This struck Pearney hard, turning hope into disappointment.
“Has it been too long?”
“There’s that factor, but the main reason is that it was not originally intended for human sorcerers. If I’m not mistaken, it was actually meant for the original creatures of the Ant Beings’ secret vault, and for some reason, the supply chain was disrupted, leaving only a barely detectable thread.”
Hidden nodes were different from the Ant Being barrier; the Ant Being barrier had been modified long ago by ancestral sorcerers and had been carefully maintained ever since, becoming adapted for human sorcerers.
The hidden nodes were buried deep in the swamp, still retaining the original Ant Being setup.
“Are you talking about the swamp ants?”
“One could say that, but it’s not just for the swamp ants; now, they are all that’s left.”
“Such a great fate for the swamp ants.”
Hearing Ivan’s explanation, Pearney could only give up.
She soon moved on, knowing that following Ivan would provide her more resources and opportunities than before – how could she not find a good opportunity? The answer is no.
Seeing her quick change in mindset, Ivan internally praised.
On the path of sorcery, Pearney was considered a promising seed, just slightly lacking in comprehension.
Looking at Justine, she didn’t have such a strong desire to become powerful, her mindset in some aspects was even more stable than Pearney’s.
However, Justine had become an official sorcerer with the help of the Black Magic Wind Fire Array, inherently flawed, hence every step of her cultivation after wouldn’t be smooth.
Time flies.
In the following week, Ivan, accompanying the two, had covered every hidden node under the swamp, and he had successively identified the ones with issues, mastering the situation thoroughly. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
“Ivan, are we not continuing the investigation?”
This investigation was tedious, but both were somewhat happy to continue.
Justine mainly felt joy since she could be with Ivan, plus not everyone could witness the deep scenery of the swamp, which was somewhat romantic.
Pearney was also happy, while simultaneously broadening her horizons.
“It’s enough, next we need to repair the disconnected areas one by one, you won’t be able to help.”
“Alright, then we won’t disturb you any longer.”
Over the following days, the operation of the Ant Being barrier grew louder, causing occasional slight tremors at the academy. Ivan sometimes took his group to the nearby Tidal Swamp to busy themselves with something.
Another week passed.
Ivan had repaired the places that needed fixing, and most of the hidden nodes were reconnected to the Ant Being barrier. The remaining ones were severely damaged and he completely severed them, since they didn’t affect the overall situation and weren’t worth the effort to salvage.
In fact, the situation of all the nodes wasn’t very optimistic.
These nodes had been buried for countless years, unattended and only maintained by the minute force fed back from the Ant Being barrier. It was fortunate they hadn’t completely failed.
After the repairs, Ivan took the swamp ant to the Ant Beings’ secret vault.
“Sorcerer Ivan, please command me as you wish,” the swamp ant returned to its birthplace without much emotion, still displaying a wholehearted and diligent demeanor.
It didn’t know that an event concerning its own fate was about to occur.
“Swamp ant, you’ve followed me for many years and have earned many merits for me along the way, do you remember all that?” Seeing its rigid behavior, Ivan finally made up his mind.
“Uh-huh.” The swamp ant still appeared dazed, especially in his presence.
“I’ll give you an opportunity to strip away the higher-level puppet’s heart controlling you, to release all your potential, but this will greatly damage your vitality,” Ivan added.
“I will follow your instructions,” the swamp ant unconsciously looked up at him then quickly lowered its head.
“I can give you this opportunity, but just to be clear beforehand, I hope you don’t do anything unnecessary, weigh it yourself,” Ivan emphasized in a deep voice.
As a direct descendant of the ancient Boulder King Lord, nurtured by the entire tribe of Tidal Flats Ant Beings, theoretically the potential for the swamp ant’s growth was high. However, its power hadn’t advanced for a long time, indicating it had reached its limit.
In fact, this was caused by the domineering character of the higher-level puppet’s heart.
If the control of the puppet’s heart was not removed, and its identity as a puppet revoked, the swamp ant’s limit would indeed be there.
Taking various factors into account, Ivan decided to release the swamp ant from its puppet identity. With his comprehension of the “String Control Sacred Heart” and his current strength, he was fully capable of doing this.
“Uh-huh.” The swamp ant was stunned for a moment, then it heavily nodded its head.
“Endure it, this will hurt,” Ivan warned and then stretched out a hand and pressed it on the swamp ant’s head.
As soon as he exerted force with his palm, a dark force probed into the head, making the swamp ant feel as though a hand had indeed been inserted into its brain, vigorously stirring inside.
Then with a hard pull, it felt like the head was about to be torn in two.
“Roar!”
The swamp ant lay prostrate on the ground, but couldn’t help letting out a painful beastly roar.
However, the situation didn’t stop there, that tearing sensation quickly spread throughout its body, as if wanting to crush its torso, limbs, and wings into pieces.
This was not just a little pain, it was clearly grinding it into pulp!
In just a few seconds, the swamp ant writhed in extreme pain and was soaked with its own blood and sweat.
“Done.”
Ivan, seemingly oblivious, forcefully extracted a red, heart-shaped item from its head, a strange object that was half-solid, half-ethereal, still tainted with turbid power within.
At that moment, the swamp ant was finally liberated.
Though the pain hadn’t completely subsided, its entire body felt unspeakably lighter, as though a mountain range it had been carrying was now gone, and the clouds had also been wiped away from its spirit.
“How is it?”
“I suffered quite an injury, but my whole body feels transparent now.”
Hearing Ivan’s inquiry, the swamp ant looked up at him with a complicated expression. When it saw the puppet’s heart in his hands, a deep dread appeared in its eyes.
Ivan smiled in response, his palm emitting a burst of dark gray flames, completely incinerating the puppet’s heart.