Chapter 17 - The Senior Magus
Ji Hao laughed out aloud. He rushed up towards Ji Wu, who was lying on the ground and moaning in pain.
The blood-red light, which was quite special and powerful, was still wrapped around Ji Wu’s body. Ji Hao has been studying about all kinds of mysterious sorceries from a few Maguspriest grandpas since he had been a little kid. He was very familiar with the internal power of few different bloodlines.
What he saw coming from Ji Wu’s body - the pure and bright blood-red light - was definitely coming from the Bi Fang Clan’s bloodline! Ji Wu was a descendant of the Fire Crow Clan, how could he trigger the internal power of the Bi Fang Clan’s bloodline? Without a doubt, he had betrayed his ancestors and his clan. Especially when this had happened during the worship ceremony.
Ji Hao snickered when he tried to imagine what those elder Maguspriests were thinking at the moment.
“Stop!” Ji Shu cast a shout when Ji Hao was about to hit Ji Wu again. Ji Shu raised his arm and pushed his hand towards Ji Hao from a distance.
Ji Hao instantly felt a great power coming towards him. The temperature of the air had suddenly been raised due to this power. Ji Hao groaned in pain and smelled the scent of hair burning.
A big fire blazed up from the air, quickly wrapping around Ji Hao’s body. At that moment, spell-symbols on Ji Hao’s leather armour suddenly lit up, countless finger-thick, green vines grew from the ground, which rapidly developed into a green cocoon, and shielded Ji Hao from the fire.
The vine-cocoon negated the increase of temperature caused by Ji Shu’s power and put the fire on his hair out. This was the [Green Guard] magic spell, a secret magic which could only be cast by Maguspriests from the Qing Yi Clan. The spell would automatically be triggered when its owner suffered from a life-threatening situation. Once it was triggered, the spell would rapidly absorb the forest’s life force energy, enabling it to grow into a vine-cocoon to protect its owner.
Qing Fu’s [Green Guard] magic spell had just saved Ji Hao’s life. Ji Hao breathed heavily and took a few steps back, while dragging the cocoon back along with him.
Ji Shu’s body was glowing with a fiery light. On his skin, three fist-sized red light balls were shining near his heart, chest and lower belly. Around these light balls, more than twenty light spots were also brightly shining on his skin. These were Ji Shu’s Magus Acupoints. The Magus Acupoints were present inside the body of a Magus from the time they were born. However, it required a tremendous amount of practice and internal power to awaken these Magus Acupoints. Each of the awakened Magus Acupoints could store abundant amounts of power and energy. Once a Senior Magus started to use his or her power, their Magus Acupoints would be triggered and appear on his skin as light spots or light balls.
Ji Shu had an embarrassed expression on his face. He gazed at Ji Hao without saying a word.
Ji Xia took a step forward, waved a big axe and brought a hot gale forward. The fire, which had still been burning around the vine-cocoon, was blown out by the gale. Ji Xia walked up to Ji Hao and guarded Ji Hao behind him, while he glared at Ji Shu.
“Ji Shu, my brother! Aren’t you ashamed?” said Ji Xia.
Ji Hao sighed with relief. He tapped a vine near his hand, the cocoon quickly shrank and turned into countless green light spots, after which it disappeared.
A half of Ji Hao’s hair was burned, wisps of black smoke were coming out from his hair and skin. His arms and legs, which hadn’t been covered by the armour, were burned to blisters.
Ji Shu had only slightly used his power to attack Ji Hao, yet Ji Hao had nearly been burned into ashes. If he had not been protected by the [Green Guard] magic spell, which was cast by Qing Fu with all of her power, Ji Hao would certainly have been killed.
People in the crowd saw Ji Hao’s burning wounds.
“You shameless one! How could a Senior Magus attack a kid?”
“Ji Shu, you humiliated our ancestors!”
“What a loser...Ji Shu...You’re a loser and your son...He is a traitor! He triggered the bloodline of the Bi Fang Clan!”
“Is our bloodline not as good as the Bi Fang Clan’s bloodline? You married one of their women, which is fine. But your son...your son abandoned our bloodline! You bastard! Are you even one of us?”
Hundreds of Fire Crow people started to yell at Ji Shu. Although the stronger one always wins, which was the law of the jungle, in the Southern Wasteland, among the clan people, no one could tolerate such things as a Senior Magus attacking a kid.
Ji Shu was a powerful Senior Magus while Ji Hao was only a Novice Magus, who was also a child. Ji Shu had used his power to attack Ji Hao, which could even disgrace the entire Fire Crow Clan.
And even worse, his son had triggered the Bi Fang Clan’s Bloodline!
In the Southern Wasteland, clans attached great importance to the inheritance of their bloodline. A kid who had triggered the bloodline of another clan had appeared at the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, which, according to the Fire Crow Clan’s people, was not far off from betraying the whole clan.
Thousands of warriors pulled out their weapons and glared at Ji Shu and his people. Some of Ji Shu’s people had even taken a few steps away from Ji Shu.
Jiang Bo had blended himself in the crowd of Ji Shu’s people dressed as a warrior. He was apoplectic with rage when he had realized what just had happened. Full of rage he glanced at Jiang Yao, wishing that he could beat her to death right now. Ji Wu had triggered the Bi Fang Clan’s Bloodline, who could make him do such a stupid thing other than his stupid mother?
How would Jiang Bo deal with this? Seriously speaking, what Ji Wu did could also be interpreted as the Bi Fang Clan challenging the Fire Crow Clan at their worship ceremony, which could even start a war.
Among the subordinate clans of the Bi Fang Clan, the Fire Crow Clan was the most powerful one. If Ji Wu accidentally caused a war between the Bi Fang Clan and the Fire Crow Clan, as the Master Maguspriest of the Bi Fang Clan and Ji Wu’s grandfather, he would have to take the blame. At that time, he might even lose his position and all his power.
Jiang Bo frowned and slightly moved his lips. At the same time, Ji Shu heard someone whispering something in his ear.
He hesitated a bit, then suddenly raised his foot and stamped heavily on Ji Wu’s head.
“Wu!” Jiang Yao saw this, screamed and soon passed out. Everybody stopped shouting and talking, the atmosphere became solemn and quiet. People looked at Ji Wu’s body being stunned. Ji Wu’s head had exploded. His body was still twitching, blood spurted out from his broken neck, mixed with white brain fragments.
“Dear Master Maguspriest and other elders Magi, this was my fault. I haven't taught my son well,” Ji Shu gnashed his teeth, and said word by word. “He betrayed our ancestor’s bloodline, he is damned. Now he died.”
Ji Shu then took a deep breath, tore his own wrist with his fingernail. Warm blood poured out from his wound and seeped into the ground.
“I swear on my blood and my soul, I didn't betray our clan. The traitor is dead, now I’m still challenging Ji Xia.”
Ji Kui and the other Maguspriests glanced at Ji Wu’s body, while nodding at the same time.
Ji Kui touched the dagger that was floating in front of him, and slowly said: “In front of our ancestors, any of the Fire Crow Clan’s people is qualified to challenge another. Whether for the position of the leader, or my position, you are qualified to fight for it only if you're one of us.”
Ji Kui raised his arm and pointed at Ji Xia, and said: “Xia, take it. You had used it to defeat your own father and become our leader. Now let us know if you’re still qualified to lead our warriors!”
“Yes!” Ji Xia answered loudly. He then shook his body, a golden-red fire spurted out from his skin, turned him into a blazing fiery man.
A head-sized light ball was brightly shining in his lower belly, along with forty-two bright red light spots which were symmetrically distributed in his arms and legs.
Ji Hao opened his mouth full of surprise and subconsciously stepped back.
“Abba, I thought you had been demoted from the senior level...Now...You are still a Senior Magus?”
Ji Xia looked at Ji Hao and smiled. He then turned to Ji Shu, whose face had taken a ghastly expression.
“Ji Shu, my brother. Let’s do this! Indeed, my Magus Acupoints were broken by enemies, but I gave up on those broken ‘caves’. During this decade, I have awakened another forty-nine Magus Acupoints.”
After a deadly silence, thousands of Holy Land warriors raised their arms and weapons, shouting and cheering for Ji Xia.