Chapter 717: Contemplation and the Final Means

**Chapter 717 Contemplation and the Final Means**

As he fell along the staircase, Jie Ming’s mind was occupied with another question: why had Wizard Broadleaf outsourced this matter? After realizing that Wizard Broadleaf likely had other intentions, the doubt had lingered in his heart.

Now, the answer was gradually becoming clear.

The first and most obvious purpose was that Wizard Broadleaf needed helpers.

Although the resistance army’s dimensional channel technology was immature, it possessed extremely strong single-target destructive power.

Relying solely on conventional legions for encirclement and suppression would result in considerable losses.

Hiring wizards skilled in the Reflection Dimension could reduce casualties while avoiding the need to pay extra compensation.

After all, the technology itself served as the reward.

That was one reason.

But the truly important matter was something else.

Wizard Broadleaf wanted to reinforce the concept of “wizard” in the hearts of these resistance Dragonmen.

If the ones pursuing them had always been solely Wizard Broadleaf’s forces, then in the Dragonmen’s eyes, the opponent would merely be a powerful conqueror. No matter how terrifying his strength or how vast his power, their target would essentially remain a single enemy.

A lone enemy, no matter how powerful, left many possible countermeasures—waiting for him to leave, waiting for him to weaken, or waiting for an opportunity to turn the tables.

Yet when other wizards entered the fray, the situation became entirely different.

Just as Halta had feared not the capture itself, but the phrase “new wizards have come again.”

To the Dragonmen, Wizard Broadleaf was nearly a deity.

But now they discovered that such beings were not unique.

A being as strong as a god, whose personal power was vast enough to capture their entire civilization, was merely one member of the “wizard” civilization. This meant that even if they truly overthrew Wizard Broadleaf’s rule, they would still face even more terrifying enemies afterward.

That sense of oppression was enough to shatter the psychological defenses of every creature in a civilization.

Under such despair, the so-called resistance army would have only two choices.

Either abandon resistance.

Or… seek a power stronger than the Dragonman civilization.

And what Wizard Broadleaf truly wanted to see was the latter.

Whether it forced out possible behind-the-scenes manipulators, hidden forces, or even secrets that the Dragonmen themselves dared not lightly touch, all were acceptable outcomes for Wizard Broadleaf.

Even if nothing ultimately came of it, he would lose nothing. The wizards he had invited required no substantial payment from him.

Furthermore, if the other side truly summoned an enemy beyond his capabilities, he could directly entrust these wizards to assist in battle.

Thus, employing other wizards allowed him to obtain free labor, further his own goals, and even have a safety net.

With the wisdom of wizards, they could also locate these hidden individuals faster.

With so many advantages, Wizard Broadleaf naturally would not miss such an excellent opportunity.

Thinking of this, Jie Ming couldn’t help but smile.

“Truly worthy of a wizard—squeezing triple the benefit out of a single matter.”

He had long grown accustomed to this greedy wizardly habit of getting multiple uses out of one thing.

In any case, he himself was not losing out.

The mission was simple, the reward was adequate, and without harming his own interests, Jie Ming could not be bothered to care whether Wizard Broadleaf’s true purpose succeeded. Moreover… there might even be additional surprises ahead.

Soon, the cave appeared before his eyes once more.

Dark red light illuminated the rock walls, countless runes wriggling slowly like living creatures.

The air was thick with the scent of ozone, sulfur, and a faint trace of blood.

At the center of the array, the old Dragonman had already stood up.

Clearly, Jie Ming’s completely overt actions could not be concealed from him.

The emaciated figure stood at the center of the blood-colored array. Under the red glow, his gray-brown scales resembled blood scabs dried for a thousand years.

When his gaze landed on the iron-gray Dragonman in Jie Ming’s hand, his entire body stiffened abruptly.

Not long ago, he had personally sent this young man out from here. Now he was being carried back like prey.

The implications made the old Dragonman’s blood run cold.

In the next second, shock transformed into rage.

Boom!

His dragon wings snapped open, a violent aura sweeping through the entire cave.

“Release him!!”

The roar shook dust from the stalactites.

Jie Ming merely looked at him calmly, even deliberately lifting the iron-gray Dragonman higher.

The old Dragonman stared at him fixedly.

Moments later, the anger slowly subsided.

He retracted his dragon wings and forced his breathing to steady, though his dark red vertical pupils grew even deeper.

“You… are the wizard?”

Jie Ming nodded calmly. His three eyes observed both the old Dragonman and the surrounding array at once.

“Judging from the energy structure of these arrays, you have long been prepared. The energy crystals required have already been gathered, yet you never activated it.”

“Only after everyone disappeared did you finally get the resolve to act…”

Jie Ming’s voice drew out in a long tone, causing the old Dragonman’s muscles to tense involuntarily.

“Having a final means yet delaying its use for so long has only one explanation: using it will cost you your life.”

“So you have been hesitating. You were not waiting for the right moment—you simply lacked the courage to die.”

The air suddenly fell silent.

The old Dragonman remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking slowly.

“You are correct. Activating this array requires an elder to sacrifice themselves. But an old thing like me grows more afraid of death with age, so I kept delaying the next step. I didn’t expect you to notice. So…”

The old Dragonman looked warily at Jie Ming. “You are here to stop me?”

“No.” Jie Ming shook his head, his tone as casual as discussing the weather.

“On the contrary, I will not stop you. I merely wanted to remind you that if you intend to use this move, it would be best to do so now.”

The entire cave fell deathly still. The old Dragonman’s expression changed. “What exactly do you want?”

Jie Ming did not answer. He simply shook the iron-gray Dragonman in his hand.

“If you are willing to cooperate, I can ensure the safety of his wife and child.”

Upon hearing this, the old Dragonman’s expression twisted instantly. “Those two low-grade bloodlines?”

“If they die, then let them die!”

“I am the Tenth Elder! Pure-blood heir of the Kebo Family! My bloodline originates from the primordial True Dragon of this world! And you… actually wish to threaten me with such mixed-blood descendants?!”

Jie Ming blinked, then couldn’t help smacking his lips. “Bloodline supremacy, huh… I overlooked that issue.”

He waved his hand. “Fine. I don’t care about any of that. In short, are you going to die or not?”

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Faced with Jie Ming’s completely unreasonable behavior, even the well-experienced Tenth Elder found himself unable to understand.

At first, he had assumed this was some internal wizard conflict—that this wizard was at odds with Wizard Broadleaf and wished to sabotage the operation. But now, he could no longer make sense of the situation.

Yet after a long silence, the old Dragonman discovered with sorrow that he still had no choice. He could only slowly raise his arms.

The array lit up.

Countless dark red patterns awakened at once. Energy fluctuations surged madly.

Under the tremor of vast power, the cave walls shook, stalactites cracked, and the compressed air emitted sharp explosive sounds.

The old Dragonman’s body turned into points of light that were continuously extracted by the array. His eyes, however, remained fixed on Jie Ming, filled only with the resolve to face death. “You will pay the price for your arrogance, wizard!”

“Ah, yes yes yes…”

Jie Ming replied perfunctorily while locking the All-Purpose Eye onto the array, recording its operating principles and all relevant data.

The array’s operating principles did indeed contain elements related to the Reflection Dimension, but there were even more new components.

Jie Ming was not yet clear what they were exactly. He could only wait to see the results. Regardless…

“Indeed, there are additional gains.”

Only after the old Dragonman was completely drained, the array continued operating normally, and no further changes occurred did Jie Ming end his data collection. Then his figure vanished abruptly.

When he reappeared, he was already floating high above the town.

The night was deep and heavy.

The entire town remained immersed in slumber.

Only sparse lamplight and the footsteps of patrolling soldiers echoed along the stone-paved streets.

Yet deep beneath their feet, a disaster capable of destroying the entire region was brewing.

“Hmm… causing too many casualties would not be appropriate.”

With that thought, Jie Ming raised his hand. His spiritual power surged outward like a tsunami.

Buzz…

Vast spiritual power descended from the night sky like an invisible giant net, covering the whole town.

Jie Ming’s spiritual power swiftly located every sleeping Dragonman and enveloped them.

In the next second, spatial wizardry activated simultaneously. Countless silver-white lights flashed across the town.

Residents in their beds, patrolling soldiers, night-shift merchants, and newly hatched young dragons… all vanished within the light. The entire town instantly became an empty city.