Chapter 129: Renowned Alchemist Luo Hui (2)

Shen Hui stared in equal astonishment at the purple barrier that had blocked his full-force strike.

His brow furrowed tightly. Everything had happened too suddenly; had that aerial illusion technique struck them, Lei Hang and Feng Jun would have been critically injured, if not killed outright, requiring at least a year or two of recovery.

When Shen Hui launched his heavy attack, Lei Hang and Feng Jun had braced themselves for the blow, certain they could not evade it. They had prepared for the worst, only to be left stunned by this sudden intervention.

As the dust from the massive explosion in the sky dissipated, the crowd finally caught sight of the purple barrier. Hovering before the two men was a shield engraved with the emblem of the Goddess of Holy Radiance. The faint purple glow of the barrier still shimmered upon it, and even from a distance, Lei Hang and Feng Jun could sense the potent spiritual illusion energy radiating from the artifact.

"A superior-grade holy illusion artifact!" someone in the crowd shouted.

What?

The exclamation drew everyone's attention. They stared at the shield with such intensity that one might think they were trying to bore a hole through it.

A superior-grade holy illusion artifact! These were among the rarest treasures on the continent.

The rogue illusionists who had witnessed the scene immediately identified it as a defensive artifact. Among the various types of illusion artifacts, high-level defensive ones were the most coveted. They were items that could save one’s life in a critical moment; no matter how heaven-defying an offensive or auxiliary artifact might be, it could never compare to the value of a defensive one.

In the continental market, even a mid-grade defensive spiritual illusion artifact was prohibitively expensive and hard to find, let alone a superior-grade holy one appearing before their very eyes!

Alchemists were another top-tier profession on the continent—an "endangered species" even rarer than beast tamers. No matter how well-trained a magical beast might be, it was useless to someone without talent as an illusionist. However, the creations of an alchemist were treasures for everyone—illusionists, swordsmen, or even ordinary people. Given such a broad utility combined with the extreme scarcity of the profession, even a high-ranking alchemist would be a target for recruitment by every major power. After all, even on the Holy Radiance Continent, the vast majority of the population were ordinary people, not illusionists or swordsmen.

Lei Hang’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he looked at the artifact that had suddenly appeared to save their lives.

The sudden emergence of a superior-grade holy illusion artifact caused Shen Hui to hesitate. Such items, especially defensive ones, were so rare that even the Shen family—one of the four great families at the pinnacle of the continent's power—possessed only a handful. Who could this person be, who so casually produced a holy artifact to intervene in this matter?

Although she had been a step too late to stop Shen Hui, Shen Duo’s whereabouts were now exposed. She stood atop her five-tailed fire fox, her gaze fixed with complex emotions upon the shield radiating the purple barrier.

"Little Duo, are you awake?" Lei Hang asked with a grin, as if the life-or-death moment just passed had been nothing more than a joke, leaving the onlookers feeling both amused and frustrated.

Shen Duo rubbed her forehead, looked at Lei Hang and Feng Jun, and asked softly, "Are you both alright?"

Beside them, Shen Hui was nearly red with rage. These two boys were insufferable; after suffering so much at his hands just moments ago, they still had the heart to joke with Shen Duo. He felt as though he were being toyed with by Lei Hang. With a resentful snort, he turned to Shen Duo. "Shen Duo, come back with me. The Patriarch is looking for you!"

When an icy gaze fell upon him, Shen Hui’s eyelids twitched.

Before Shen Duo could speak, a resonant, deep voice interrupted.

"Hah! I wondered who was running wild here, bullying my disciples. So, it's a brat from the Shen family!"

As the voice faded, all eyes turned to a corner. A slightly plump old man in a dark gray illusionist robe emerged. His hair and beard were completely white, and his silver hair was tied back, revealing a broad forehead. In his hand, the old man held someone—Shen Duo immediately recognized her as Aisha. Though she was disheveled and her messy, dark hair partially covered her face, Shen Duo recognized her at a glance.

"You brat," the old man grumbled, "you don't even look behind you when you walk. You don't even know when you're being targeted, forcing an old man like me to come out and clean up your mess."

Only then did Lei Hang sheepishly scratch his head. He bowed formally to the old man and said respectfully, "Master."

The old man hummed in displeasure, his beard quivering with annoyance. With a wave of his hand, the superior-grade defensive holy illusion artifact that had been hovering before Lei Hang and Feng Jun returned to him, shrinking into a miniature shield.

Shen Duo was startled; this old man who had suddenly appeared was Lei Hang’s master. While in Luo City, Lei Hang had mentioned him. Like Lina, he had attended the Will Academy, and his master was the continent-famous alchemist, Luo Hui. Shen Duo couldn't help but look the old man up and down again. Was this truly Lord Luo Hui?

She was nearly certain of his identity. Who else but an alchemist himself could casually produce a superior-grade holy illusion artifact?

Shen Hui, who had been invincible for years, was also dumbstruck. He could not, for the life of him, imagine encountering the renowned alchemist Lord Luo Hui in Lorcadan. Wasn't he supposed to be in the Cass Empire? How did he end up in Lorcadan?

Shen Hui felt a pounding headache. He had been completely certain of taking Shen Duo away, but now, he had zero confidence left. Luo Hui was a figure even the Patriarch of the Shen family respected; he didn't have the audacity to stir up trouble for him. He hadn't known that Lei Hang was Luo Hui’s disciple. Who would have guessed that Luo Hui, who possessed no alchemy talent himself, would take Lei Hang as a student?

If he pushed any further, and Luo Hui brought out a superior-grade offensive holy artifact, he would be in deep trouble. No one knew better than he did that the defensive artifact had been sealed with the purple spiritual illusion energy of an Illusion Saint; that was the only reason his aerial illusion technique had been blocked so easily.

Shen Hui realized he had kicked a hard iron plate—and had likely injured his own foot in the process.

"So it is Lord Luo Hui. Please forgive this junior's ignorance." Shen Hui dropped his stance, retracted his killing intent, deactivated his armor, and landed on the ground, bowing deeply to Luo Hui with the utmost humility.

The onlookers were stunned. This pudgy, disheveled old man was the renowned alchemist Luo Hui? Were they dreaming? To actually see Lord Luo Hui! Lorcadan’s policies really were excellent; even Lord Luo Hui had come. It was truly a place of abundant talent!

The fight was now effectively over. Under Shen Hui’s signal, his two subordinates also deactivated their armor and stood respectfully behind him.

Shen Duo walked behind Lei Hang and Feng Jun.

Luo Hui looked at Shen Hui with his nose in the air. "The Shen family’s investigation team is so 'polite' to me that they try to launch a heavy attack on my disciples. I am truly surprised. My dear Shen boy, I’m afraid I cannot accept such 'respect.' Who knows, perhaps one day you’ll treat me the same way!"

No matter how dark Shen Hui’s face turned, he dared not express anger in front of Luo Hui. "Lord Luo Hui, how can you say such things? If any member of the Shen family dares to treat you this way in the future, just let this junior know. Even if I have to chase them across the entire continent, I will punish them for you. This time, the fault lies with me. I did not know Brother Lei was your disciple. Please, show some face to our Patriarch; forgive the ignorant."

Luo Hui chuckled. "I think my disciple was right about one thing: the Third Elder of the Shen family chose you as the team leader because of your silver tongue! You certainly know how to talk! Hahaha."

The blatant contempt was almost too much for Shen Hui to bear. He clenched his fists tightly under his robe, forcing himself to smile back at Luo Hui. He then glanced at Shen Duo, who was standing to the side. When he saw his gaze sweep over her, Lei Hang casually shifted closer, blocking Shen Hui’s line of sight.

"Since Lord Luo Hui has reunited with his disciple, and I have urgent matters to attend to, I will not disturb you further. Farewell."

With that, he and his two subordinates vanished into the crowd at high speed. On the road back to the Shen family’s main city, every time Shen Hui thought about facing the iron-faced Third Elder, he wished he could just self-destruct and be done with it.

Once Shen Hui had left, Lei Hang approached his master with a fawning expression. "Master, what brings you to Lorcadan?" He looked like a joyful child, his usual authority and pride completely vanished, leaving those nearby feeling rather awkward.

Luo Hui didn't answer, merely glaring at Lei Hang with a look of "iron failing to become steel."

Shen Duo quickly intervened. "This is not the place to talk. Let’s head to a tavern." There were still many rogue illusionists nearby, all straining their ears to listen!

Lei Hang, too excited to see his master, had momentarily forgotten his surroundings. He coughed, masked his embarrassment, and bowed to his master. "Master, please, this way."

Luo Hui glanced at the delicate young girl being protected by his disciple, a gleam of shrewdness in his eyes.

Lou Jingbai had already transformed into its mimetic form, perched on Shen Duo’s shoulder, curiously eyeing Luo Hui. Feng Jun still maintained his usual icy, expressionless face, but upon seeing the closeness between Lei Hang and Luo Hui, a rare flicker of crisis flashed in his eyes. He silently turned his gaze to Shen Duo, and upon seeing no particular reaction on her delicate face, he sighed in relief. Then, without Shen Duo noticing, he moved a little closer to her.

The news that a renowned alchemist had appeared in Lorcadan spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the city within a day. It attracted flocks of rogue illusionists. Coincidentally, as it was the recruitment season for the Jocelyn Academy, those who lived long-term in Lorcadan noticed that the streets had become significantly more crowded than in previous days.

The group found a small tavern and booked a private room. After ordering drinks, the landlady personally delivered them, along with a few exquisite snacks, her eyes darting toward Luo Hui the entire time. It wasn't until Lei Hang coughed twice as a reminder that she finally left the room, clearly reluctant to go.

As soon as she was out, Luo Hui waved his hand, and an artifact resembling a handkerchief covered the entire room.