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WARLOCK OF THE
MAGUS WORLD

ARC 3 — MORNING STAR CHRONICLES

Chapter 392 - The Central Continent

Magma roiled around like water in a rough sea, emitting heat waves that swept across, a hint of the
incredible power beneath.

A sheet of golden liquid lay at its center, as if a lake within the lake. However, this magnificent sheet
could stop Magi in their steps.

Above the lava lay a giant passage, tiny voices sounding from it now and then. The rock around this
passage was very hard, and no one knew where it led.

*Swish!* A silhouette appeared on the shores of the lake. The light dispersed to show a very young
Magus, his long black hair tied up casually and his skin fine and smooth. His handsome face was filled
with the dignity of a ruler.

This was naturally Leylin, but his robe was currently a little dusty. The hurried round trip had drained
him.

"My Lord!" a middle-aged Magus with bronze skin saluted.

"Are you finished?" Leylin asked casually.

"Yes! Please follow me!" Kubler led Leylin to a hole he'd dug near the lake.

A giant ball lay at the center. The dark ball seemed to made of stone, its surface was a glossy black. On a
side of the ball was a door which revealed that it was hollow.

"According to your blueprint and orders, all parts were made from the hardest layer of this
metamorphic rock to bear the high temperature of the central magma. The joints were even reinforced
by runes..." He reported at Leylin's side like a loyal servant.

He didn't even mention the difficulty in collecting the rock and casting it into shape.

"Good job!" Leylin nodded, looking at the runes inside the ball with surprise.

This Mankestre bloodline Warlock was much better than he'd expected at alchemy.

"No, it's my pleasure to serve my lord, there is no trouble at all!" Kubler saluted humbly with his hands
crossed before his chest.
This sort of respect was expected in front of Magi with higher bloodlines. Kubler had grown used to it
during his time in the Ouroboros Clan.

"The lava lake is becoming more active recently. I'm afraid this means that it's about to erupt!"

At that time, the place would be flooded with lava, blocking the entirety of the passage.

Kubler had come down here when the volcano was dormant, and had still suffered horrific burns. This
had left him in fear of the lava. Although he went with his lord's plan, he was still worried. However, the
servant had no right to make the final decision. He could only make suggestions and had to follow his
master's orders.

"I understand. The eruption will occur in an hour and 23 minutes. Prepare yourself!" With the A.I. Chip's
ability to observe and forecast the eruption, Leylin knew the timing much better than Kubler did.

He had run this plan by his A.I. Chip's calculations, and the success rate was over 90%. Why would he
risk his life if not?

More than an hour later...

A black ball was floating on the red lava as if it was in the water.

Kubler sat inside with Leylin, face pale. Watching the lava outside through a magic screen, he
stammered out, "My... my Lord, this plan is too dangerous!"

Once the ball was crushed, they would be devoured by endless lava! Even if he was a Magus, this kind of
horrifying death made him shiver.

"Calm down!" Leylin stared at lava outside calmly.

*Blub! Blub!* The lava had reached its boiling point, and the whole cave began to tremble, dust falling
off the walls.

[Beep! Eruption will occur in 10, 9, 8...]

The A.I. Chip had begun the final countdown.

"Now!" Leylin's eyes flashed, and the terrifying strength of a rank 3 Magus burst forth.

"Freeze!" With his hands as the centre, a layer of deep blue ice spread out along the walls. Cracking
sounds rang out as this phenomenon soon extended to the outside, enveloping the ball in ice.

This ice was so cold even the boiling lava could not melt it. White vapours arose as the two surfaces
came into contact.

"This can earn us some time!" Leylin said with a smile, and then looked at the screen of the A.I. Chip.

[3! 2! 1! Critical limit reached!]

*Boom!* With the prompt of the A.I. Chip, Leylin and Kubler felt tremors envelop the ball. It was like
they had entered the body of a terrifying ancient monster, and that monster had woken up with a
thundering roar!

"AAAAAAH!" Kubler screamed with fear, his hands waving around as he struggled to find something to
hold on to.

Then, he felt a force that could be from the explosion of the universe as a huge impulse hit the bottom
of the rock ball. The lava rose into the sky like a dragon taking flight, except this dragon had a small rock
ball on the front.
Lava surrounded them and rushed into the passage. The ball shook continuously as it hit wall after wall,
but what frightened Kubler to death was instead the high gravity!

As the ball had rushed up like a rocket, the two inside dealt with an equally large gravitational force.

The intense force pulled at Kubler's skin, making him feel like he was being bitten all over by ants. The
pain made him lie on the ground like a frog, and he felt like if he wasn't a Warlock with a strengthened
body, he would have died long ago.

Booms sounded out and the trembling continued. The terrifying power of nature made Kubler feel like a
tiny ant. All he could do now was pray; pray for an early release from this torment, pray that this rock
ball would hold out

Thumps and explosive noises continued to sound out. This was a giant volcanic range, and today its
central volcano had accumulated enough pressure to erupt.

Masses of black smog were ejected into the sky, forming a sea of gray clouds that shrouded the nearby
lands in darkness.

Rivulets of lava flowed down the mountain slopes, looking like arteries on flesh.

*BOOM!* Finally, with a huge explosion that caused an earthquake, the volcano erupted.

It was as if heaven and earth were torn asunder, and the world was ruined. Red lava, dotted with gold,
burst into the sky transforming into countless fire dragons that flew in every direction.

Fire raged, and explosions rang forth even as the earth quaked. It was like armageddon.

Amidst this terrifying lava were multiple rocks. Boulders that were as large as hills hit the ground with
great force, cracking the earth underneath and ruining everything around them.

*Bang!* Among the countless boulders in the sky was one rock with a particularly regular shape.

This rock ball streaked across the ground, leaving behind it a long track of burnt black. The surface of the
ball was still a dull red, as if it was ready to melt any moment.

The ball soon began to crack apart, and a portion was thrown off with a bang, revealing a hollow
interior.

"So this is the central continent ?" Leylin came out of the ball, exhaling a breath that was as hot as fire
itself.

The hellish scene nearby did not affect him. Instead, he was filled with delightful anticipation. "The
central continent, here I come." he murmured in his mind.

It took a while for Kubler to slowly crawl out of the ball, coughing. His body was in a mess, with some
burn marks on it.

The layer of ice Leylin had made had been thawed within a few dozen seconds of the eruption.
Afterwards, the rock ball had heated up to extremely high temperatures. They would have been roasted
had they not been Magi.

"Exciting! This is so exciting!" After retching for a while, Kubler wiped his sweat off, fear in his eyes.

"Relax! We got out safely, didn't we?" Leylin turned back and smiled. "It's quite fair for us to pay a small
price for concentrating a day's journey into a few minutes!"

"Yes, my Lord!" Kubler could do nothing but smile.

"So is this the central continent?" Seeing Kubler collect himself, Leylin wanted to confirm it with him.

"Yes!" Kubler said even as his expression turned complicated, "This is the Mt. Asura of the central
continent. The land that we are standing on now is undoubtedly of the central continent."

......

Three days later, in a small town.

A giant gleaming revolving gate swung around as carriages and people wearing strange clothes passed
by, some of them official Magi.

Leylin was sitting in a hotel room, the pudding and juice in front of him all but untouched. He was
staring outside with a dreamy gaze.

At that time, the door was opened with a thump and Kubler stepped in.

"My Lord! I've bought tickets for an airship heading to the Black River Domain that leaves tomorrow
morning! In at most four days, we will arrive at the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan!" His voice was
tinted with excitement.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 393 - Airship Network

"Hmm!" Leylin nodded his head inattentively.

"I see many Magi here!" He pointed to the outside.

A Magus who was dressed like a wandering poet was playing a pipe organ. A group of residents were
watching and cheering him on.

"Yes! Over here, official Magi often mingle amongst the commoners and the residents know them very
well too..." Kubler explained to Leylin. "In the central continent, the Magi and nobility communicate in
the Byron language. Hence, my Lord, you do not need to worry about a language barrier. In fact, here
are some materials about the central continent and a few variants of maps as well as information about
communication. "

Kubler respectfully handed over a crystal ball filled with information to Leylin.

For a Magus to learn the Byron language was compulsory. Thus, Leylin and Kubler could communicate
the moment they met. They could understand each other immediately.

Leylin helped himself to a scoop of dessert.

A rich, fragrant, and sweet flavour excited his taste buds, "Nice delicate food, looks like the lifestyles of
the commoners in the central continent are better than in Twilight Zone....."

"Naturally. This is the central continent, the core of the Magus world!" Kubler exclaimed with a hint of
pride. Leylin smiled and shook his head.

Even if the seven layers of the subterranean world did not agree with such a statement, during the
ancient past of the central continent, there was at least a rank 7 Magus overseeing it.

But now? Only a slight hint of their past glory had been restored.
As for this problem, Leylin did not want to do anything about it. After all, the current situation in the
central continent might suit him better.

After a night of good rest, Leylin and Kubler headed towards a location outside of the city.

The busy road there was filled with horse carriages and other means of transportation. Loads of luggage
and goods were being transported on them and the place looked prosperous.

In addition, every passerby on the street had some level of energy undulations on them. There were
very few commoners present.

Leylin and Kubler crossed the wide and sturdy road and saw what looked like a futuristic airport. There
were many white oval-shaped airships at the huge flat field, some taking off and others landing. A
throng of people moved in and out of them like an army of ants.

Some of the airships were towing truckloads of goods, with workers calling out to their partners to off-
load the cargo and luggage. The scene was hot, busy, and messy.

The central continent was huge, its lands vast and boundless. Ground transport was not only slow, but it
was also much more dangerous. Hence, airships had become their common mode of transportation.

Even within the small section of a city, there was an airship docking point with a few Magi and acolytes
on duty manning it.

Their responsibilities included maintaining law and order in the city and the maintenance and repair of
airships.

On top of that, there was a pool of specially trained engineers for the job. With bodies as thin as a
match, bulging eyes and balding heads, Leylin saw them working between the bases of the airships and
the tunnels with spanners and other tools in their hands.
Construction cost and maintenance fees for such airships were very high. Still, as long as the air route
was secure, there were profits to be made. It was a case of large investments yielding great profits. And
such investments could only be made by Magi who possessed great wealth.

The airships of the south coast were smaller than the ones here. Their air routes were limited and their
flying times were regulated. They simply could not be compared to those from the central continent.

"Who is behind these various air routes?" Leylin asked Kubler in a soft tone.

A single airship ticket in an ordinary cabin cost one hundred magic crystals. For Leylin and Kubler, who
naturally chose to travel in the superior cabin, their journey alone had cost them six hundred magic
crystals.

Fortunately, Leylin was rich and imposing as he had control of an entire region's resources. Money came
easily at his beck and call. He had an abundance of magic crystals, so he would naturally not be a
scrooge.

Even though Leylin had the great support of Twilight Zone's resources, when he compared himself to the
enormous airship business, he felt that he was still lacking.

"The central continent's entire airship route is single-handedly managed by the Fallor Family, it is their
private property!"

"Private property?" Leylin was shocked, and immediately asked, " Who is the Magus on their side?"

Such enormous benefits that included crucial traffic involvements, if their background was not up to par,
they wouldn't have been able to manage such a thing.
And for the Fallor Family to dominate the entire continent until now, surely their support was a
formidable one.

"The Fallor Family themselves have two Morning Star Magi. Of course, it doesn't count for much. The
crucial one who has their back is the Monarch of the Skies!"

"Monarch of the Skies? Breaking Dawn Magus?" Leylin nodded his head.

With a Magus who stood at the pinnacle of the central continent devouring those deals, the Fallor
Family were basically relegated to housekeepers. The actual one who had the control over the entire
airship's business was the Monarch of the Skies after all.

"Yes, under the rule of the prestigious and intimidating Monarch of the Skies, the safety of the airships is
guaranteed," Kubler remarked, a ray of yearning in his eyes.

Rank 6 Magus! This was the highest level in the central continent! Every single action of his would affect
the lives of innumerable Magi underneath!......

......

*Woosh* With the whirring of the wind, the airship retracted its anchors, and it started to drifting
upwards into the sky.

Leylin stood on the deck enjoying the wind, a pleased look in his eyes and a smile on his face.

With a mix of sunshine and the taste of fresh green grass, the cool wind blew and lingered around him.

"It's been too long! Too long! I have not been under the sun for so long...."
Leylin looked at the blue and white sky and the golden rays of sunlight. Momentarily, he felt emotional.

Although there were sun stones and spells of everlasting light in Twilight Zone, they were artificial after
all. They could never be compared to the the light and warmth the natural sun gave.

Those who lived in Twilight Zone for a long time constantly faced a land and sky made of thick black
rock. It left them depressed, and on occasion could lead to serious problems as well.

Even though Leylin didn't have such misfortune, he did not want to risk it anymore. He never wanted to
leave the luxurious space and experience the radiance of the actual sun brought again.

Those constantly under the sun would never understand the others who had been in the dark and who
looked forward to its natural radiance!

As the airship picked up speed, the airflow on the deck increased tremendously, enough to blow away
an adult.

Of course, in such a situation, Leylin was unfazed and couldn't hear the announcement made for
everyone to retreat to their rooms. He allowed the strong winds to envelop him all around.

"Very beautiful, isn't it ?"

A sweet female voice was heard. Leylin turned to his right and saw a young lady holding tightly to the
railing. She was tip-toeing and attempting to gaze at the scenery beneath.

Beneath them, past the sea of clouds, patches of farmland and crops could be seen. The windmills
appeared to be toy-sized and the outline of the city far away. Tiny dots of black were moving about on
the roads.
The young female Magus was not frustrated that Leylin ignored her, instead she started to ask more
questions.

"What kind of power do you possess? Where do you intend to go? Do you like the flower cape jasmine?
I like staffs made of walnut, I believe they enhance my magic power, and they smell nice too..." She
chirped on like a sparrow, asking a chain of questions.

"You..." Leylin rolled his eyes and was about to speak up when another voice spoke from behind him.

"Jessia, What are you doing?"

Leylin turned around. A young Magus wearing a golden white robe with a red ruby emblem on it walked
towards them, anger hidden in his eyes.

"No... nothing... I am just out here looking around..." Jessia pulled back her head, looking pitiful.

"Since you are done looking, head back in now! It is dangerous out here!" The youth repressed the smile
on his face.

"Sir Leylin, I'll look for you next time!" Jessia waved while walking away, and the youth was clearly
displeased.

He looked at Leylin, his lip parted to speak, but did not do so. He shot a darting look filled with warning
towards Leylin and turned to walk back into the cabin.

"Ridiculous!" Leylin shook his head in disbelief.

He knew the young female Magus had used him as a human shield and he had negative Impressions
towards both of them.

It was clearly evident that they had not discovered Leylin's hidden undulating energy, hence one
regarded him as a saviour, yet another unknowingly did not dare to challenge him.

"Kubler, come here!" Leylin looked at secret imprint on his hand.

"Master! What are your instructions?" Kubler got onto the deck swiftly and replied respectfully with a
bow.

"Do you know this symbol?" Leylin projected an image of the red ruby emblem that the young Magus
was wearing.

Judging from the proud persona of the young Magus wearing the ruby red emblem on his chest, Leylin
suspected it could be the symbol of a powerful Magus. Unfortunately, he had no idea at all and had to
endure the critical look from him.

Luckily, following Leylin along this journey was a Magus from the central continent, who was
knowledgeable and was able to answer many of his questions.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 394 - Engaged

"This is the crest of the Rolithe Family!" Kubler took a quick glance and concluded.

He knew that his master was not of the central continent and knew nothing about this matter. He went
on to explain, "The Rolithe Family is a rather famous Magus Family in the Black River region. It's said that
there's a rank 3 Magus in charge there!"

"A rank 3 Magus? What stage is he at?" Leylin asked on.

Rank 3 was a period where one prepared to become a rank 4 Morning Star Magus. It took a long time
and was extremely difficult to cross. Within it, there were a few smaller stages, and each stage meant a
large difference in strength for Magi.

For instance, a rank 3 Magus at the Vapour Phase was definitely capable of suppressing a few Magi who
had yet to reach that stage.

"All information regarding the strongest Magi is confidential. We subordinates know very little about
it..." A look of shame appeared on Kubler's face.

"But that Magus Rolithe once won against a rank 3 Vapour Phase challenger, so his might cannot be
underestimated."

"Is that so? I understand." Leylin seemed absent-minded. As long as his opponent was not at the Hydro
Phase or above, he was confident in his abilities.

"It's all up to you now. I hope you won't continue to provoke me, or else..." Leylin lowered his head, a
dark glint flashing in his eyes.

The first class cabin not only had individual rooms but also had the luxury of a dining hall with fine wine,
all included in the ticket price.

After all, given the value of magic crystals, normal food and drink were all very cheap.
Only precious ingredients and high-energy beings could be used to make delicacies that were effective
for Magi. That was why they were sold at such a high price.

"Sit, Kubler." Leylin sat down at a round table with a white tablecloth spread over it without asking
anyone and then called Kubler over.

Kubler bowed respectfully, and seated himself at the edge of the seat, not daring to get comfortable.

He was now a retainer of Leylin and was similar to a high-grade servant. It was natural that he acted
respectfully, lest he be punished by his owner.

Leylin noticed this and sighed inside.

Kubler's behaviour showed how rigid the hierarchal system in the Ouroboros Clan was.

Luckily, he was not only a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock with a pure bloodline but also a rank 3
Magus. The moment he went there, he would be considered one of the higher-ups and would not have
to suffer.

"The fourth level of Kemoyin's Pupil, as well as information regarding the shackles of bloodline! I have to
obtain them from the Ouroboros Clan." Leylin schemed.

Though he had successfully simulated the level of Kemoyin's Pupil through the A.I. Chip and information
regarding multiple meditation techniques in Twilight Zone, he was not that confident. Hence, he still had
an intense desire for the original.

High-grade meditation techniques were usually not for training the body. They also related to a
modification of the spirit, and this was something the A.I. Chip would not be able to calculate.
Just like Sacred Flame before, the A.I. Chip had made changes, but there were a few issues during the
experimentation stage with the guinea pigs. Leylin did not want a repeat of this disaster, especially since
this was not going to be on any guinea pig but himself!

"Mister, do you need anything?" At this moment, a waitress in black, low-cut maid attire with white
socks arrived in front of Leylin's table, asking respectfully.

Leylin opened the menu and took a look. There were all sorts of dishes, and they could be considered
quite sumptuous. "Give me a calf steak and cider. As for Kubler, ask him yourself."

The atmosphere in the dining hall was not half bad either, with warm light from a crystal lamp and a
pleasing fragrance from the fresh flowers on the table.

At a corner of the dining hall, they had even placed a bard who was currently performing.

Even Leylin felt like he had made a good choice in spending those magic crystals!

"Mister Leylin!" After the fresh calf steak was brought out, Leylin arranged the napkin and, with a knife
and fork in each hand, sliced up the steak that was emanating steam. The calf steak here was of a good
quality, and the chef had also spent great effort on it. The moment the fork and knife made contact with
the steak, boiling gravy gushed out.

Just as Leylin raised his wineglass and was about to enjoy himself, he heard a voice like that of a skylark.

He looked aside and found Jessia, who had seen before, waving her arms with all her might, while that
Rolithe's face was as sour as a lemon.

"Oh!" Leylin greeted casually, and then turned his attention to his own food.
However, it was evident that the other party had no intentions of letting him off. Lifting her skirt, Jessia
ran over in little steps, sitting right beside Leylin.

"Mister Leylin, do you like cider? In the Jessia Family, there's a bottle that's not bad in our cellar..."

"Even if you're looking for a shield, does it have to be me?" Leylin raised his head gloomily, taking a look
around.

He then found out that he really was the only choice she had. After reaching the rank 1, Magi could use
energy particle radiation and alter their appearances, retaining their young, bright looks.

There were very few geniuses who, like Leylin and Jessia, had become official Magi before the age of 20.

Many rose to rank 1 after fifty, and female Magi obviously wanted to retain their most youthful and
beautiful looks. On the other hand, many male Magi chose to keep their image at the time they
advanced.

Hence, in the Magus World, there were old and young male Magi, but most female Magi were around
twenty to thirty years old in terms of their looks. There were few who presented themselves as old
women.

In the dining hall Leylin was situated in, it was not that there were no official Magi, but most of them
were middle-aged or elderly men. The few young acolytes and the like did not dare flirt with official
Magi or rival anyone for the affection of the people around.

Thinking about it, it seemed like Jessia's best choice was Leylin.

Firstly, though she could not tell Leylin's strength, he was definitely an official Magus. That was the most
important thing! Next, Leylin was young and rather handsome, which was enough for other men to get
mad at.
However, towards this unexpected luck with women and the calamity it could cause, Leylin rolled his
eyes.

"Can I sit here?" At this moment, the young man whose expression was dark also arrived.

Leylin nodded and watched as he sat by Jessia's side, much to her visible displeasure.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Nolan, Nolan Rolithe! This is my fiancee, Miss Jessia!"

Nolan laughed slightly, putting emphasis on the words 'Rolithe' and 'fiancee'.

"En! Honestly, this engaged couple is quite compatible! Both are just as young and full of talent!" Leylin
nodded.

Through their conversation, the aura and waves that were unwittingly emitted, and even their eyes
helped him deduce their general age.

Usually speaking, this would be a perfect pair, but it was a pity that the female did not seem satisfied
with this wedding.

Though there were two extra members here to disrupt things, Leylin was able to enjoy his meal,
completely ignoring Jessia who paid much attention to him, and Nolan who was about to explode.

Before leaving, the guy called Nolan secretly sent Leylin a transmission, "Get away from my fiancee, or
else you'll regret it!"

"Master?" Kubler looked at the expressionless Leylin and asked, sounding him out.
With Leylin's command, he would immediately kill the moron Nolan who dared offend his master.
Though they were all rank 1 Magi, these two were obviously rookies who had just advanced. It was
impossible for them to survive under the hands of Kubler, a Warlock.

"There's no hurry," Leylin waved his hands, though he had some questions. Magi were rational people,
and while Jessia's actions would give rise to Nolan's displeasure, he would definitely recall everything
and not start a feud with another Magus over such trivial matters. Besides, Leylin and Jessia had only
exchanged a few words.

In addition, Leylin would not kill the two of them over something so insignificant. It was not beneficial to
him.

"Looks like the female Magus called Jessia might continue with some tricks!" Leylin touched his chin,
feeling like he was watching a show.

"Yes, master!" After hearing Leylin's instructions, Kubler was unwilling but did not bring it up again.

Two days passed by quickly, the airship stopping outside a station at a middle-scaled city in Black River
Region.

Leylin held a cane and put on a hat, wearing something like a suit. He seemed even more elegant than
young masters of noble families, having the dignified aura only a ruler would have as he walked down
the stairs.

Meanwhile, Kubler was like a loyal butler, following close behind and holding something in his hands.

"Mister Leylin!" Jessia's voice sounded. This was also her stop.
Leylin laughed and approached her.

Nolan stood aside, though he was full of smiles as if he had understood something.

"Sire Leylin, my apologies for my behaviour!"

Nolan resumed his good behaviour, washing away the impatience and seeming poised.

He had realised his mistakes and was now coming forward to apologise.

"It's fine! If I had such a pretty fiancee, I'd be overly suspicious of everyone else well!" Leylin teased.

Jessia rolled her eyes at Leylin and asked, "Mister Leylin, where are you going?"

It wasn't the first time she was asking this, and Leylin had refused to answer.

"Me?" Leylin saw a hint of nervousness in Nolan's eyes, and couldn't help but shake his head and break
into laughter.

No matter how poised and calm he looked, his eyes would give him away in the end.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 395 - A Scene

"I would like to walk around for a while, you may leave here!"

Leylin saw a hint of disappointment in Jessia's eyes after he told her that, and Nolan heaved a sigh of
relief.

He chuckled as he turned around and raised his hand and disappeared among the stream of people,
with Kubler immediately following.

With his astonishing senses, Leylin faintly heard two people behind him arguing in constrained voices.

"This is really...." Leylin shook his head, "Instead of focusing your limited energy on pursuing the truth,
you focus on such things..."

"But I suppose this is probably a commoner's pleasure right!"

He nodded his head after shaking it, called out to Kubler and continued his journey.

"After entering the Black River Domain, the Ouroboros Clan Headquarters—Phosphorescence Swamp
will be very near..." Kubler was naturally very familiar with this place and had a tinge of both fear and
longing.

After hiring a horse chariot, both he and Leylin enjoyed the scenery along the way.

If they had hastened on with their journey, they would not have been so slow in progress. However,
Leylin was not in a hurry and had wanted to enjoy the sights and sounds of the central continent, hence
he chose to travel by chariot.

As night fell, the two arrived at a small town.

Accommodations at the inn were cramped, and the air was filled with the odour of alcohol, sweat, and
manure.

Leylin furrowed his brows at such conditions. Since this was the only inn in town, he still reluctantly
accepted it as it was still better than spending the night in the open.

After putting down their luggage, Leylin and Kubler headed to the main hall intending to have a meal.

The menu for dinner was beef and potato stew with some fresh vegetables. That was all the town had to
offer. Surprisingly it was deliciously prepared with an enticing scent to boost one's appetite.

"Huh?" At this moment, Kubler's expression changed.

A gush of profound ash-colored dust started stirring from the main door of the inn, spreading
continuously and extending to the other parts of the inn enveloping other travellers and the owners
themselves.

*Crackle! Crackle!*

The commoners, whose bodies were covered with the ash-colored dust all stood frozen, their bodies as
stiff as a candle.

"It's a freezing spell! There is a Magus around and we are the target!"

A shocked Kubler stood up and exclaimed with anger. Yellow energy emerged from his body and spread
all around.
A circular radiance surrounded their round table, protecting them against the fate of the other
travellers.

Leylin was totally unfazed by what was happening and was still enjoying the town-brewed wheat wine.

*Bang!*

The wooden main door burst open and 2 Magi wearing black robes entered the room. In front of their
chest, Leylin saw the familiar red ruby emblem.

"Nolan! We meet again!" Leylin raised his glass and greeted casually.

Indeed, Nolan was among the two entrants. He had a vexed expression and stood, glaring at Leylin.
"Where is Jessia? Where? Hand her over!"

"Jessia? Isn't she with you?"

Leylin chuckled.

"She left! I thought she was abducted. Based on the location markings marked on her body, I am sure
she is here!" Nolan's eyes turned red.

"Location markings?" Leylin laughed in amusement, "How insecure are you? To put such a spell on your
lover?"

"I do not care. Uncle! It is him! I am sure this is the Magus who took Jessia!" Nolan tugged at the sleeve
of the Magus standing beside him and pointed at Leylin.
The accompanying Magus shifted his eyes and abruptly took a step up.

A ray of silver flashed by and the light barrier on Kubler's body collapsed immediately.

"A rank 2 Magus!" Kubler mumbled under his breath.

Nolan looked on proudly upon hearing it while the other Magus had no expression on his face.

In his eyes, he did not regard Kubler who was a semi-converted Magus. However, he was distracted by
the silent Leylin who sat quietly by the side.

"Sir, we the Rolithe Family have no intentions to use force. The fiancée of our successor has gone
missing and it is a big matter. We need to inspect this place and we seek your cooperation..."

Power was exhibited first, followed by etiquette. It was a remarkable way of handling the situation,
much better than what Nolan did.

"Absolutely!" Kubler was surprised that Leylin agreed instantly.

"Many thanks!" Seeing how cooperative Leylin is, the two Magi eased the tension on their faces and
Nolan fell silent.

"Over here!"

Nolan looked into an odd mirror he was holding in his hand and rushed forward.

"Let's take a look!" After his satisfying meal, Leylin got up and together with Kubler, stepped forward as
well. The two Magi followed closely as if they were afraid of Leylin's escape.

"Ah.... Jessia...... My Jessia......"

Upon reaching the room where Leylin and Kubler's luggage was, they heard Nolan's cries.

"Bad news!" Kubler rushed in and saw a white coloured woman's dress on the bed, there was a big
patch of blood stain on the stomach area and some portion had dried to a dark colour.

"What happened?"

"Jessia! Jessia! How dare you...." Nolan's face flushed a fiery red as he yelled and stormed forward.

"This is trouble!" Kubler frowned, a layer of yellow scales appearing on him and his huge hand and
suppressed Nolan who had lost his self-control onto the ground.

"Warlock from the Ouroboros Clan?"

The Rank 2 Magus expression immediately changed to become a vicious one as well.

"Even if you belong to the Ouroboros Clan, abducting the fiancée of our Rolithe Family's successor and
treating him with such disrespect, you have to give me an explanation!"

The rays of silver in his eyes amplified and streaks of silver whips appeared in his palm.

"Wait!" Leylin smiled subtly, his hand on the shoulder of the Rank 2 Magus.
"Huh? What is happening?" Although it is just a hand, but it felt like a mountain. In fact, the Rank 2
Magus felt his body stiffen and couldn't even lift a finger.

"Innate spell—Ring of fire resistance!" the Rank 2 Magus emitted a layer of flame from his body, forming
rings of fire with it, with streaks of silver on the edges, blazing the surrounding atmosphere ferociously.

"Annihilation!" Soon after, he heard Leylin mouthing the word.

*Hiss Hiss!* The blazing flames were put out immediately, leaving no room for the smoke to reignite the
fire.

An enormous and horrifying spiritual force assaulted the Rank 2 Magus, destroying his defences, took
over his consciousness and confined his magic power.

"Ra... rank 3 Magus?" The Rank 2 Magus turned his head with difficulty, his throat dry and rough.

Leylin had been using his skills to suppress his spiritual force and energy undulations all this time. Now,
he undid the suppression bit by bit, and a huge tide of energy was released causing the atmosphere to
become heavy.

"So tell me, if I want Jessia, do I need to be sneaky about it?"

Leylin shot them a look and asked sarcastically.

"Of... of course not! It is our mistake! We're sorry!" the rank 2 Magus shook his head promptly. In the
central continent, the sighting of Magi might not be uncommon, but it was not easy to witness the
presence of a rank 3 Magus. And among the large-scale powers, rank 3 Magi were high-ranked with
stable power and authority. They did not need to resort to any unscrupulous methods when dealing
with rank 2 Magi.
At this time, Nolan was speechless. Although Kubler had lifted the spell on him, he lay helplessly on the
floor with cold sweat trickling endlessly.

The Magus with the highest power in the whole of the Rolithe Family was only at Rank 3. If Leylin was
displeased and had them killed, the other Magi might not even have the ability to seek revenge.

Thoughts of killing them crossed Leylin's mind, but he eventually let it slide.

To him, there were no benefits in killing either these 2 Magi or even Jessia. Additionally, he might
provoke an enemy with rank 3 strength.

Even though he was not afraid of the opposite party, he did not want any trouble.

"Follow me!" As such, he looked nonchalantly at the rank 2 Magus and Nolan, who was still lying on the
floor before heading out.

Kubler followed Leylin closely, with the rank 2 Magus and Nolan close behind. In the face of a Rank 3
Magus, they had no chance of trying any tricks, hence they could only follow Leylin's orders.

Leylin walked on with a destination in mind and soon they left the town and reached a paulownia tree
forest.

Nolan didn't quite understand anything, he merely followed suit.

Leylin came upon what seemed like the biggest paulownia tree, and knocked gently on the trunk as if he
were knocking on a door. "Anyone there?"
*Dong Dong!* The tree trunk produced a dull sound, but there was no response and all was quiet.

"You are very clever! And attentive to your set-up. However, you are still not wise. After completing
your work, you can't help yourself but return to find out the reactions of others!"

"I have already noticed you, you should show yourself! Otherwise....." Leylin's voice turned chilly.

"Humph! Alright, alright, here I am, what are you going to do about it?"

*Shhrrk*, the surface of the tree trunk split open to reveal a round door. Jessia, whom they had first
met on the airship, jumped out and grabbed Leylin by the arm.

"Brother Leylin! You are so awesome! How did you discover me?"

On the other side, both the rank 2 Magi and Nolan were speechless, anger filling them to the brim.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 396 - Phosphorescence Swamp

"Jessia, What are you doing? Get back here now!"

Flames blazed in Nolan's eyes when he saw Jessia holding on to Leylin's arms shamelessly with her
breast almost pushed towards him.

The rank 2 Magus on the other side immediately stepped up and delivered a hard slap to the back of
Nolan's head, causing him to bend forward.
Droplets of cold sweat were trickling down his forehead.

It was obvious that what had happened today was all a misunderstanding. The crucial point was, they
were lacking in ability when compared to the opposing side

Moreover, any slight mishandling of the situation would enrage a rank 3 Magus, and on top of that
worsen their relationship with the Ouroboros Clan. At this point, thoughts of death crossed his mind.

"Anyway, it is just a small misunderstanding! Forget it!" Leylin replied indifferently.

Before the rank 2 Magus could reply, Leylin's ice cold voice was transmitted to him, "This is the price for
offending me!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The rank 2 Magus, Nolan and Jessia collapsed and were flung out, blood trickling down the sides of their
mouths.

"Leave, all of you! I do not want to see you all ever again!"

"Thank you for sparing our lives, my Lord!" the Rank 2 Magus gave a respectful bow, and quickly pulled
Nolan and an unwilling Jessia away from the scene.

"I believe such troubles will continue to occur in the future...." The look in Nolan's and Jessia's eyes
when they were leaving left Leylin with the feeling that this matter was not over yet.

The common hatred might have spurred them into an alliance in the future.
"What nonsense is this?" Leylin felt rather gloomy and thought he should not have gotten involved with
matters between husband and wife.

"My Lord, should I..." Kubler spoke up with an ominous glint in his eyes

"No!" Leylin shook his head.

He fiddled with a dark and shiny gold coin in his hand, silent and in deep thought.

......

Phosphorescence Swamp.

This was the general headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan. Very few other Magi ventured out to this
place.

The swamp was a sea of thick black wetlands and the air was a continuous mix of cold and chilly yet hot
and blazing. Occasionally, flashes of green phosphorescence could be seen on it.

"The concentration of energy particles in the air is very high here! This location is a good find indeed!"

Leylin looked at the graphic data collected by his A.I. Chip, nodded his head and told Kubler who was
standing behind him.

Although the average energy concentration in the central continent had far exceeded that of the south
coast and twilight zone, the energy here was even more prominent.
Within Phosphorescence Swamp, the concentration of darkness elemental particles was the highest
followed by that of fire. The concentration of these two elements was ten times higher than the average
of Twilight Zone.

"This is merely on the outside, if an element pool or secret plane was built, I believe the disparity would
be more terrifying...." Leylin thought to himself.

"Yes, such a location with a combination of darkness and fire particles is rare. Historically, when we first
occupied this place, there were 5 Morning Star Magi who combined their forces to destroy a few
powerful enemies, and brought along a country of commoners...." Kubler was brimming with pride as he
explained to Leylin.

"My Lord, due to my current identity, there might be some trouble here!" he added.

He had been framed by others and was wanted by the Ouroboros Clan, hence before the accusations
were lifted, he was afraid of being treated like a criminal.

"Not might, it's already here!" Leylin pointed out. Soon a few profound dark shadows suddenly emerged
from the nearby swamp.

*ROOAAAR!* Two high-energy serpent-shaped living creatures suddenly emerged, making a big splash.
The silhouettes of two Magi could be seen on their heads.

"This is not even the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan, yet patrolling the perimeter are rank 2 high-
energy living creatures and rank 2 Magi! Looks like they have a very strong base!" Leylin felt a resonance
of bloodline from the serpent-shaped living creatures ridden by the Magi. In fact, they seemed to be
blood descendants of the Kemoyin Serpent!

"Kubler! How dare you step foot in this place? Didn't you leave?" From where the 2 Warlocks were
standing, a surprised voice was transmitted out and it didn't sound flustered.
Under these circumstances, Leylin discreetly nodded his head. It would seem like Kubler was indeed
innocent. The grassroots troops understood perfectly and even started to attack before they laid eyes
on him.

"This is not my fault, I was framed by Johnny!" Kubler raised his voice, his face flushing red.

"We do not care about the details, just for the fact that you dare to step foot in Phosphorescence
Swamp and brought an outsider!" Another Warlock immediately continued.

"I apologise! But I am not just any outsider!" Leylin smiled faintly, took a step forward and garnered the
Kemoyin's bloodline and the rank 3 spiritual force in his body, letting off a ferocious explosion.

Just like a hurricane, the energy willfully and violently started to sweep everything away. The awe-
inspiring kind of familiarity in power left the two lower rank living creatures cowering and bowing with
respect.

"A noble rank 3 Bloodline Warlock? Who are you? It is an honour to meet you!" The other 2 bloodline
warlocks who possessed lineage of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's bloodline immediately felt the
suppression from Leylin. They knelt down to show their utmost respect.

"I am a wanderer from afar and unintentionally accepted a Warlock inheritance. I met Kubler along the
way and wanted to take a look at the Ouroboros Clan. Why? Am I not welcome?" Leylin asked
indifferently.

"Sure! Sure! It is an honour for us to receive you!" The bloodline resonance between two Warlocks
could not be faked. Hence the two Warlocks were very sure Leylin was a warlock of a pure Giant
Kemoyin Serpent bloodline! And this level was the highest in the entire Ouroboros Clan! Who would
dare offend him?

"Very well! Show us the way!" Leylin nodded his head and gave the order.
"Yes! Yes! This way, please!" The two Warlocks made eye contact and immediately offered Leylin a
position on the back of a huge snake. Kubler was offered one next, and he was secretly touched.

One of the Warlocks could be seen secretly sending a message, probably with the intention of informing
others, but Leylin did not bother to pay attention to it.

The Rank 2 serpent moved with great speed along the swamp, emitting an aura of terror that made all
other animals stay clear of their path.

"What species of snake is this?" Leylin stroked the dark green scales beneath his feet.

"This creature is an improved version we created using a specialized combination of bloodlines. Their
abilities are very suitable for those of the Ouroboros Clan..." A rank 2 Warlock immediately explained to
a curious Leylin, hoping to pleased him.

"That explains why I have not seen such information before!" Leylin nodded his head, "What is your
name?"

"Maron! My name is Maron, my Lord! " The Warlock named Maron immediately replied with a look of
glee in his eyes.

"Alright Maron!" Leylin nodded his head, knowing what to do to garner reverence.

The two giant serpents glided along with great speed. In about 10 minutes or so, Leylin reached the
depth of the Ouroboros Clan.

Here, a row of massive structures was combined together, forming a small scale Magus city, and at the
front of the gate sat two enormous stone sculptures of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent.
With the delicate black scales coupled with the ferocious pupils, they looked like they could very well be
alive.

At this moment, a small group of Warlocks was already waiting near the gate.

"Haha... Welcome home, my bloodline brothers!"

A young Warlock that looked like a goblin stood in front of the small group, his eyes that glowed with a
purple radiance lighting up upon seeing Leylin. He stepped forward, stretched out his arms and hugged
him.

"Thank you!" Leylin returned the hug unnaturally and asked, " May I know...."

"Oh ! Haha! Look at me! I am so excited by your arrival that I have forgotten to introduce myself!" The
fellow had very fair and exquisite skin that seemed to be emitting some kind of peculiar charm, a
common trait among Warlocks.

"My name is Robin, you might not know this, but as long as a Warlock has the Kemoyin's bloodline in
him, he shall be considered to be a part of our family! My brother!"

Leylin could sense the aura from the opposite party and it was similar to his own Kemoyin's bloodline. In
fact, based on his spiritual force, Leylin was sure the young Warlock had not only long attained the
status of a rank 3 Warlock, but also ascended further, with his strength and spiritual force at a high level.

"Oh, I see! My name is Leylin!"

"Yeah! Leylin right? Follow me! A Lord wants to meet you!" Robin held onto the arm of Leylin with an
expression of excitement, totally ignoring Kubler who was behind him.
"Lord? Might it be..." Leylin's pupils dilated.

"Haha! That's right! My teacher, A Rank 4 Warlock! Morning Star Magus! Duke Gilbert has been waiting
eagerly to meet our new blood!" Robin replied cheerfully.

Upon hearing the name, all the Warlocks bowed their heads in unison in a show of respect.

Rank 4 Warlock! Theoretically, this was the highest level for a Warlock of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline! In fact, it was also a truly high level for the whole of the central continent. Even within the
Ouroboros Clan, there were no more than three Warlocks at such a level!

Leylin took a deep breath: "It is truly an honour!"

"Come! Follow me!"

Robin quickly led the way, with the rest of the Warlocks following respectfully behind.

Leylin noticed how the Warlocks all showed their respect to Robin along the way. It seemed like Robin
held not only a high rank in the clan, but also a great deal of authority...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 397 - Rank 4 Warlock

Following Robin, he passed by various bizarre buildings with strange styles. There were all types out
there, and before Leylin had the time to identify them, he was led by Robin into another building.
After passing around a corner, there came across another Warlock in black gilded clothing.

There were also rings of mysterious black patterns on his face.

"Johnny!" Kubler, who had been following behind Leylin immediately clenched his fists, seemingly
terrified as he hid in Leylin's shadow.

"Greetings to Marquis Robin!" Johnny came before Robin, and then greeted him using the etiquette of
nobility.

"It's Count Johnny! Here, let me introduce to you Leylin here! He's a rank 3 Warlock about to join our
clan!" Robin smiled slightly.

"So it's Lord Leylin!" Johnny bowed, "Though it's the first time we're meeting, I have a request. I wonder
if you could agree to it."

"If it's about Kubler, I'm afraid I can't agree." Leylin immediately answered.

"That's a real shame," Johnny answered indifferently, not looking the least bit exasperated, causing
Leylin to shiver inwardly.

"What if I say I'm the one asking?" At this moment, another voice interrupted.

"Marquis Wood!" Besides Leylin and Robin, the other Warlocks immediately bowed.

Leylin glanced at him. It was a blonde middle-aged man, brightness and resolution in his expression that
also held an imposing aura. There was also the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline on his body, and it even
overshadowed Robin.

"Kubler is a criminal who stole a precious treasure from me. I hope you can hand him over to me."
Wood's eyes were fixed on Leylin, a pressure being emanated from him.

Kubler was ashen, and after seeing Johnny's look of satisfaction, he immediately understood that after
seeing he had a new master, Johnny immediately asked someone else for help.

"So are you handing him over?" In that moment, numerous thoughts flitted through Leylin's mind.

On the surface, Wood was truly a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, as compared to Johnny with Black
Horall Snake bloodline, his bloodline was more noble. In addition, he had entered the rank 3, and from
the perspective of one looking at merely profits, it was better to give Kubler up.

Exchanging a rank 1 Mankestre Warlock who had no hopes of advancing for a favourable impression
from a rank 3 Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, there was little to consider in this trade.

Johnny, who understood this, immediately looked smug, while Kubler looked defeated.

"My apologies, but no."Leylin's voice sounded, allowing Kubler to recover from his despair.

"Master!" Kubler let out a long breath, looking touched.

"Hm?" Wood's gaze that was sharp like a sword pierced towards Leylin, "Have you thought this through
clearly?"

"Of course! Very clearly!" Leylin did not hesitate and met his gaze.
There was the talk of three ways of thought in his previous world, but Leylin's principles had long since
taken shape, and they were to prioritise benefits! The moment he had to make a choice, he would
consider his own benefits and choose the best course of action.

Such a line of thought was not purely about tangible benefits; it also took into consideration reputation,
familial and romantic love, and other such things. Of course, all this varied from person to person.

Some felt that love was priceless and decided to be biased towards it, while others believed it was worth
50,000 or 100,000 units. They would then make the corresponding choice.

For instance, if time was spent on working or going out with family, Leylin believed that working for one
day amounted to 100 units, but with the family, he would lose 300 yet gain 600 from the happiness in
his heart. The total profit would be 200. When comparing things, it was indeed better to go out with the
family.

Using this logic, if his work earned him 1000 and the value of going out with his family were 300, it was
an obvious decision to continue working.

Now, handing Kubler over might give Wood a good impression of him and provide a good foundation for
this period of time. However, in the long run, the gains do not compensate for the losses.

'Kubler followed me and brought me to the Ouroboros Clan. In exchange, I will ensure his safety. All this
complies with the principle of an equal exchange. If I abandon him now, not only will my reputation be
damaged, I will also have abandoned my own values.

"In addition, I'm definitely being watched over by many lords. If I appear to be too cold-blooded, they
will definitely be disappointed. This will cause an eventual loss in the future, which is even worse than
offending Wood.'

Though Magi were generally cold and rational, the leaders always had to advocate for hope, hot-
bloodedness and sacrifice. If the lower ranks of the organisation did not strive to better themselves, and
they weren't hot-blooded enough to sacrifice themselves, what benefits would they gain in the end?

The essence of any group was the unequal responsibilities of the higher and lower levels.

Honestly speaking, Wood was merely a rank 3 Warlock. The moment Leylin entered, he would have a
similar status. At most, there would be a slight difference in their strength. Would Wood actually dare
do anything?

If he withdrew right now, the onlookers would immediately be disappointed, and nobody would then
rely on him.

After comparing these, Leylin finally made the choice that would benefit him the most.

"Good, very good! I hope you won't regret this in the future!"

Two streams of white air were expunged from Wood's nostrils as he glared at Leylin. With a fling of his
robes, he exited from the side, with Johnny following closely behind.

"Don't worry! The moment you enter our Ouroboros Clan, you'll be given the position of a Marquis.
Wood wouldn't dare do anything to you out in the open." Robin believed Leylin was worried about
Wood taking revenge and immediately consoled him.

"So if I don't join, does that mean he'll take revenge very quickly?" Leylin rolled his eyes, but he could
tell that he was being invited to their organisation. He immediately answered, "Of course! Where else
can I go to if not to the Ouroboros Clan?"

"Haha..." Robin burst out in laughter and patted Leylin on the shoulder, "Exactly! In the entire central
continent, the Ouroboros Clan is the best place for Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks to join. You made
the right choice!"
"Alright, let's not let the lord wait too long." Leylin reminded him. If not for the fact that there were rank
4 Warlocks in Robin's organisation, he would not have agreed so readily.

"Oh, right! Yes, come with me!" Remembering there was work at hand, Robin immediately led the way.

The two chatted as they walked, and after passing through a few obstructions, they finally arrived in
front of a small villa.

"My mentor, Gilbert, is a very amiable person. There isn't any etiquette required, so just relax."

Robin smiled towards Leylin and then opened the door to the villa, bringing Leylin inside.

The furniture on this level was all ordinary but placed very cleverly, giving a very warm atmosphere.
Robin left the rest of the people outside and brought Leylin straight to a study room on the second level.

"Mentor, I've brought Leylin here!"

Robin spoke lightly to the wooden door, which then automatically opened with a creak.

"Greetings to Duke Gilbert!" The moment Leylin went in, he did not first take in the surroundings or the
appearance of Duke Gilbert. Instead, he saluted him.

"Good child! Raise your head and let me look at you properly." Upon hearing this, Leylin looked up, his
eyes flitting across.

This place was filled with bookshelves. The smell of black truffles emanated, and behind the red desk
was a bald old man wearing a nightgown. He was clean-shaven, with layers of fine wrinkles on his body.
"Is this the realm of a rank 4 Warlock, a Morning Star Magus?" Though Leylin's senses were more
powerful than the average rank 3 Warlock, he had not sensed this person in front of him. In his spiritual
senses, there was nobody behind the desk, but what was in front of his eyes proved that he was truly
there. The disparity of this left Leylin feeling giddy.

A glint of wisdom flashed in Gilbert's eyes. He scanned Leylin for an instant and then concluded, "You're
very young! You're not even a hundred and have even advanced to be a rank 3 Warlock. Though there
was support from the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline, your talent and efforts are commendable."

"Hm... Are you willing to be my student?" Gilbert asked after staying silent for a moment.

"Of course. Greetings to Mentor!" Leylin immediately bowed.

Since he had already agreed to join their organisation, there was no disadvantage to having another
person to rely on. In addition, this rank 4 Warlock was more than capable of guiding him.

"Haha... good! Very good! I was already planning to give up on disciples, but I've been sent a genius..."
Gilbert chuckled, the wrinkles on his face unfolding.

"Congratulations Leylin! From hereon, you're my junior!" Robin congratulated him.

"En! This is your senior, Robin. There are a few others who aren't here. I'll introduce you to them in the
future." Gilbert was evidently elated.

"Also, your title and territory will be given to you soon. Robin will bring you to take care of all these
matters. You're from another continent, yes? Robin! Bring him to my storeroom and show him Crystal 1
and let him have a better understanding of our Magi in the central continent.
Gilbert saw through a great many things with a single glance, not allowing Leylin to refute anything.

"Understood, mentor!" Robin and Leylin could only bow before leaving the room.

"That's... it?" Leylin was still in disbelief. Wasn't this too simple?

"To officially join us, there's obviously more to do. However, since you're mentor's student, things will
be different!" Robin said all this matter-of-factly.

"In addition, you still have to take care of a few miscellaneous issues. Mentor means for you to take care
of everything before you see him again. He will then consider what knowledge to pass on to you."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 398 - A Morning Star's Final Technique

"By the way, what's all that about title and territory?" Leylin asked hurriedly.

"Oh, that? All official Warlocks who join our Ouroboros Clan will obtain a title and a set territory." Robin
began to go into the details and explain it to Leylin, since they were now on the same side.

Through Robin, Leylin then found out that the hierarchy within the Ouroboros Clan was implemented
similarly to that of the feudal nobility.

There were five rankings, from the highest to lowest, as a Duke, then a Marquis, Count, Viscount, and
then Baron. Rank 1 Warlocks were Barons, rank 2 were Viscounts, rank 3 were Earls. Then came the
surprise- if Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks reached rank 3, they would immediately gain the title of
Marquis! This made Leylin aware that discrimination came everywhere. It was lucky he was in the
privileged class, rather than the one discriminated against. Rank 4 Warlocks would then be Dukes.

The position and treatment he would get were correlated to the title.

There a total of three Dukes in the Ouroboros Clan. They had formed an Elders Association, and were
called the great elder, second and third elder, and they held the most authority in the Ouroboros Clan.

There were, even more, differences as well. If Warlocks who had Giant Kemoyin Serpent or Black Horrall
Snake bloodlines would have their title evaluation and territory given very quickly. However, if it was a
bloodline like Mankestre, things would be slightly more difficult. Take Krubler, for instance. Though he
could be given the title of a baron, but until now, all the processes had not gone through. Territories and
the like? There was no word about it.

But Leylin was different, for he was a pure Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline Warlock, as well as the
student of the third elder, Duke Gilbert. He had a great background, and he was prioritised. Titles and
territories would be presented to him quickly, and also be given the best treatment.

Robin did not bring Leylin out right away, but instead went towards the basement. This was as per Duke
Gilbert's instructions, where Robin brought Leylin to see something.

"Leylin, have you seen the spells of Morning Star Magi?"

While walking, Robin would occasionally speak to Leylin.

"The spells of Morning Star Magi? Of course not!" Leylin's emotions skyrocketed, "You mean we're going
to see that?"

There were rumours that Morning Star Magi could shift mountains and fill seas with just a wave of their
arms, displaying terrifying power able to destroy the heavens and wreck the earth. At this thought,
Leylin's heart began to burn.
"I thought so. Mentor Gilbert believed that only after seeing Morning Star Magi attack would you be
able to understand your path better." There was a hint of a smile on Robin's face.

"I just hope it won't scare you!"

"How's that possible?" Leylin laughed involuntarily. If this was in the past, that might have happened,
but he had gained part of the bloodline memories from the Morning Star Scorpion Man. He had even
witnessed an ancient legendary war, so there was nothing that could scare him.

"Hopefully!" There was a slight smile on Robin's lips. Like Leylin, he did not leave the villa and entered
the underground area.

*Clang!* After opening a metal door, a large complicated maze appeared before Leylin's eyes.

"This is the Disorientating Maze, a spell pattern that us central continent Magi prefer to use. It is
primarily used as sentry and defensive force."

Robin explained to Leylin, "As a student of our mentor, we have the power to enter the first and second
level. As for the deeper levels, our mentor has yet to open it up to us."

Immediately after, he stood in front of Leylin and smiled at the entrance to the maze, "Open!"

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* A layer of rock fell, and a single giant pupil appeared on the wall of the maze.

"Remember, this is another student of my mentor's — Leylin. He will have the same authority as I do."

"Master has already told me."

A spiritual force imprint extended from the giant eye. Leylin could tell that it was the core of the maze,
similar to the spirit genie.

The giant eye stared straight at Leylin. In that moment, a slight force field covered Leylin, and he tensed.

Fortunately, this force field was not on the offensive and merely surrounded Leylin. After extracting part
of his aura, he left.

*Crash!* The maze dissipated, revealing a pathway. There were different small doors at two sides, with
markings on them.

"This is Mentor's laboratory and storeroom. Everything in the villa is a guise. Follow me." Robin headed
into the path, while Leylin followed closely behind.

"Here!"

Robin guided Leylin for about five minutes, and then opened a door before entering.

The moment he entered, he saw an engraving on a door that said 'Image Resource Room'.

In this storeroom, it was exceptionally dim. Crystals flickering with different colours were giving out
magnificent rays of their own.

"Crystal Number 1! It's this one!" Robin picked up a red crystal on a wooden shelf the size of a fist, and
placed it on a pedestal with a depression on it, at the centre of the room.

"This is a projection crystal. We use it to store important footage, such as some important experiments,
or battles between high ranking power."
*Buzz Buzz!* After the spell formation was activated, the light in the room dimmed, almost becoming
pitch-black.

The red crystal on the pedestal suddenly brightened.

A dazzling light shone down!

Leylin found himself standing atop a little hill. Green plains extended as far as the eye could see.

He grabbed at a black beetle that was flying past him, and it went through his palm, appearing on the
other side.

"3D holograms? It's very similar to the simulations of the A.I. Chip!" Leylin sighed in awe. At the peak of
science and magic, there were definitely similarities between them after all.

"This is a classic battle that happened in the central continent's history. This is the attacker." Robin
appeared beside Leylin, pointing to the east.

The scene was pulled closer, and a human city appeared. At the side, many corps were lined up, creating
an imposing aura.

What shocked Leylin the most were the members. All of them were official Magi! There was not one
regular human or knight.

"This is an imitation of the ancient Magus corps, 'Thorned Hammer'. The members were all official Magi,
and the team leaders were rank 2 Magi. The captain and vice-captain were rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi,
and the corps could even cooperate to display a large-scale fire elemental spell! The range was vast, and
on average, its strength was above 470 degrees!"
Robin explained to Leylin.

Now, two Magi flew out from the Thorned Hammer corps. The auras on their bodies far exceeded those
on Leylin and Robin. They were emanating the tremendous bloodthirst of veterans of war. This aura
could even be seen on regular members of the corps.

Lelin knew that this valour and confidence in victory was built upon multiple conquests. Every time this
corps levelled an enemy nest, stepping on the bones of their enemies, they would gain more confidence,
even taking in the resentment of the defeated and increasing the strength of their spells.

This was the way of war of ancient corps.

The two Magi of the Thorned Hammer corps flew out and roared at the city, obviously to urge the city to
surrender.

Above the city wall, it was empty but for one lonely figure.

"This is the other party in this battle—Morning Star Magus, Flame Manipulator, Lord Kason!" There was
a trace of reverence in Robin's voice.

Leylin looked this Morning Star Magus over. The Magus called Kason looked like a middle-aged man,
wearing luxurious gold robes with embedded with them metal at the sides. There was a fiery-red jade
band on his forehead.

Facing this entire corps of ancient Magi, there was no sign of fear in Kason's expression. Instead, he
began to berate his opponent, probably telling them to withdraw lest they suffer the consequences.

After the negotiations fell through, the entire Thorned Hammer corps roared, powerful and complicated
spell undulations connecting all of them and converging on the two rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi in mid-air.
Even through the video, the frightening waves were enough for Leylin's expression to change.

In the face of this ancient corps, all he could do was flee, and he might not even be able to escape
successfully.

At this moment, Flame Manipulator Kason finally moved. Rings of spell rays brightened on his body.

......

First was a red spell, the energy undulations indicating rank 1. Following it was a rank 2 spell...

A total of four rings of light brightened on his body, and at the last spell, it emanated tremendous waves
that even surpassed a rank 3 spell.

"A rank 4 spell?" Leylin glanced towards Robin, who was beside him.

"Wait a while more. The show's about to start!" Robin gazed steadily at Kason, envy and anticipation
evident on his expression.

"Foolish Magi, today, you shall know how the dignity of ancient Morning Star Magi was established!"

Kason warned with righteous words.

Immediately after, the small energy undulations amplified on his body and seemed to change, to the
point that even the rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi grew extremely fearful.

"Rank 1 innate spell—Burning Zone!" As soon as this spell was launched from Kason's body, it covered
the entire region.
"Rank 2 innate spell—Blazing Attachment!" Little sparks were created in the skies.

"Rank 3 innate spell—Lava Region!" Great amounts of flames scorched the surface of the ground,
forming a lava-infused land.

"Rank 4 innate spell—Meteor Descent!" With Kason's yell, meteors appeared in the sky, one after the
other.

"Complement: Ancient Morning Star Magus Final Technique—Fire Rain Annihilation"

After the four innate spells were combined, the fusion generated a change that made Leylin's blood run
cold.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 399 - Final Technique And Meditation Technique

*Rumble!* Numerous meteors exploded in the horizon, forming a rain of fire.

The strength of each wisp of fire dropping down exceeded a thousand degrees!

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

It was as if the world was being destroyed. The earth trembled and the skies wailed. Even the sky could
not hold on, forming countless spatial cracks that were quickly destroyed as well.

The previous two rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi were unable to finish a sentence before they were broken
down into fragments by the flaming meteors. Following that, explosion after explosion wreaked havoc
on the land.

The vast area, with the city at the heart of it, turned into a fiery hell.

Many Thorned Hammer Magi could not resist at all under the onslaught of the fire rain. They could only
watch on in despair as they were swallowed by the flames. As Blazing Rain Of Extinction covered too
large an area, any methods of escape all turned into jokes.

After a wave of the flaming rain fell, the entire Thorned Hammer corps had been exterminated. Besides
the city that Kason was in, which was unharmed, the entire area had turned into a living hell. The Earth's
crust had collapsed, lava boiling, and it was as if they had arrived at an ocean of lava.

*Pak!* The video cut off, and Leylin maintained his expression of shock, unable to come back to himself
for a long while.

"The area that Lord Kason cast a spell on later turned into a region of active volcanos. Every year, it will
erupt a few times, and all living creatures living within a few hundred kilometers would perish as it
turned into an area of death." Robin was still explaining to Leylin.

"When the power of magic is pushed to the extreme, will it create such a terrifying scene?" Leylin
muttered to himself.

"Ever since that incident, all Morning Star Magi in the central continent signed an agreement that unless
there were special circumstances, they could not use final techniques in the central continent, nor
destroy the environment at such a large scale."

Robin smiled wryly. The range of these Morning Star Final Techniques were too terrifying, and if not
regulated, it was impossible to live on the central continent if there were more great battles. Sooner or
later, they would be extinguished, similar to how the ancient era had died.
"Phew..." Leylin sighed.

The scene just now had truly astounded him.

Though he had fragments of the Scorpion Man's memories, there were differences between Morning
Star creatures and Magi. What he could feel was the terrifyingly durable body of the creature. As for the
battle at the end, it was much too profound for him to understand.

Now, there was a Morning Star Magus that had proven to Leylin that once he advanced to the rank 4
realm, just simple spells could create a giant qualitative change.

"How could the power of a rank 4 spell have such a frightening effect? Even if it's a combination spell, it
doesn't make sense!" Leylin mumbled to himself.

Robin shook his head, obviously thinking differently. "Haha, this is the combination final technique of a
Morning Star Magus. The taboo of ancient times! How can it be compared with little combination spells?
Doubling the individual strength of the spells is the apex of a combination spell's achievement! The
amplification of the final technique of a Morning Star Magus is more than ten times that!"

"That's impossible. Regular spells can't support this consumption! Unless..." Leylin's eyes brightened, as
if he had thought of something.

"Exactly, you've already thought of it! That's it! Only by combining innate spells that consume little
energy but have great effects can the Morning Star final technique be formed. The ancient high-grade
meditation techniques are the culmination of many experiments by ancient Magi, designing innate
spells that are the most suitable for combination. It is also a process that can be solidified in the sea of
consciousness!" Robin immediately narrated the details.

"There have to be four levels in a high-grade meditation technique. This is the reason! Only Magi who
form their innate spells by following high-grade meditation techniques are able to combine them when
they are at rank 4, forming the Morning Star final technique. That's why the fourth level in any high-
grade meditation technique is the most precious part!"

"Then how about Magi who use Grine Water to solidify their innate spell model?" Leylin suddenly asked,
and then realised the stupidity of his question.

"Grine Water, combined with an innate spell model? Is that the method to advance in your hometown?
We have something like that in the central continent... Thank goodness you did not choose that!"

Robin's expression seemed to say 'you're very lucky'.

"The combination of a Morning Star final technique is the culmination of precious experience gained by
generations of experiments. The Magi who used random ways to solidify their innate spells would be
extremely lucky if they were not consumed by it. To create a combination final technique? Dream on! I
wouldn't be surprised if they got themselves into an explosion!"

Leylin's expression was grim. He naturally understood the difficulty in designing a final technique from
scratch. Even he, with his A.I. Chip, did not have much confidence. Those Magi could only weep in
despair.

At this point, a smile appeared on Robin's lips, "Now that I think about it, there are a few Morning Star
Magi like that in the central continent. As many innate spells have long since been solidified, there is
little opportunity to alter them. Though there are those lucky enough to rise to the rank 4 realm, they
wouldn't have a Morning Star final technique. Due to the huge consumption of their innate spells, they
could only be slightly stronger than rank 3 Magi, and are viewed as a disgrace to Morning Star Magi in
the central continent."

"So based on what senior mentioned, the final technique from high-grade meditation techniques are set
by the technique?" Leylin suddenly had a question, "Then at the fourth level of our Kemoyin's Pupil,
what kind of final technique will there be?"

"Your conjecture is right! Each final technique from high-grade meditation techniques is fixed. Since
innate spells are formed from high-grade meditation techniques, they cannot be changed. From the final
technique, one can tell the high-grade meditation technique a Morning Star Magus trains in." Robin
nodded, "As for the Morning Star final technique of us Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, it is the
Flawless Morphing Technique."

"Flawless Morphing Technique?" Leylin was puzzled.

"En! Actually, almost all Warlocks develop Morning Star final techniques that are rather similar after
reaching rank 4. It is similar to an flawless morphing effect."

"Advancement for Warlocks comes from constantly purifying the bloodline and altering the body,
drawing close to the source of the bloodline. That is why after reaching the rank 4 realm, we can even
use the Morphing Technique and simulate the form of a real ancient creature, as well as display all its
strength!"

Robin spoke emotionally.

"In other words, after reaching rank four, Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks can turn into an ancient
Giant Kemoyin Serpent at will?"

Leylin recalled the terrifying durability and strength of the Scorpion Man who was at the Morning Star
realm. If combined with the brain and spells of Warlocks...

"That truly is terrifying..."

Ancient bloodline creatures were originally very powerful, and even Morning Star Magi did not dare
provoke Morning Star giant beasts. If combined with a Warlock's strengths, how formidable could they
become? Just the thought of it caused Leylin's to be stirred up.

"I see. It's no wonder that the solidified spells of high-grade meditation techniques cannot be modified.
Each level is fixed, as this is the optimum combination created by ancient Magi. With no internal friction
and with the force of point mass that Morning Star Magi have condensed to the utmost, this will create
a terrifying qualitative result." Leylin immediately recalled the crimson spiritual force core crystal in his
sea of consciousness.

After reaching rank 3, the crystal had formed a complicated three-layered tessellated structure. The
crystal of the third level had become even more intricate, the runes even more complicated and forming
his innate spell Intimidating Gaze.

When the runes for Intimidating Gaze combined with the ones from before, the new rune had been a
strange crimson. All that was lacking was something in the center, which could then help it fully display
formidable strength.

"This is probably the prototype for my rank 4 Morning Star final technique!" Leylin sighed.

All of a sudden, he was very glad that he had not used the fourth level of Kemoyin's Pupil simulated with
his A.I. Chip.

Though, in principle, the A.I. Chip's version was perfect, most of the high-grade meditation techniques in
the subterranean world lacked a fourth level. The only one was Dragon King's Mystic Might, which was
specifically only able to be used by the dragon race, and had failed to mention all this information.
Without this knowledge, there was a real possibility of Leylin suffering a loss.

If this was the case, he would lose this precious opportunity and become like those poor Morning Star
Magi who reached rank 4 but lacked a final technique. He too would be scorned by his peers.

However, since he knew the principle behind this combination, through simulation with the A.I. Chip, he
would be able to obtain information regarding the real fourth layer.

At this thought, Leylin immediately commanded, "A.I. Chip, using my Warlock innate spell model as the
foundation, simulate a rank 4 innate spell. Refer to the Flawless Morphing Technique as required."
[Mission established. Beginning simulation. Estimated completion time: 158 years, 9 months.]

As per usual, the A.I. Chip gave him an astronomical figure.

Leylin rolled his eyes. When calculating anything more powerful than him, the A.I. Chip always needed a
lot of time.

This also verified his previous notions. If he relied on himself and tried to create a reasonable final
technique, it would be an impossible task.

"In this case, unless they have plans of destroying the core of their spiritual force and take a gamble to
retrain from scratch, all the Magi who use Grime Water are doomed to be cannon fodder."

Leylin suddenly sighed. The Magus World was filled with traps and dangers.

"Alright, let's go out! The introduction to Morning Star Magi shall end here." Suddenly, Robin turned
around for a moment. "Also, all this information may not be that confidential, but it's only circulated
amongst the higher-ups in a few organisations."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 400 - Female Warlocks

"Don't worry, I won't spread this!" Leylin promised immediately, knowing what Robin meant.

"Good! Come, then. I'll show you your manor and some important places like the trading hall! Giant
Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks are our most valuable members. You will enjoy the best we have to offer..."
The Ouroboros Clan held quite a bit of fame in the central continent. There was no doubt that they
controlled a huge region teeming with mortals and acolytes. Parts of this land would often be granted to
the higher-ups within the clan.

Some of the Warlocks in the clan built giant castles in their territory. They preferred to stay there, and
seldom visited the headquarters. Slowly, they would expand their families.

On the other hand, most Warlocks who held a high hope for further advancement were the exact
opposite, choosing to stay behind at the headquarters, leaving the territory to someone else to manage.

Given that Leylin was a Marquis, his territory would undoubtedly be quite large. The production of
magic crystals as well as other resources from it would far exceed the poor south coast and Twilight
Zone.

Additionally, he would be given an isolated manor in the headquarters as his personal residence.

The trading hall was like a stock exchange. A screen hung in the air, displaying various fields of
information as numbers blinked with different colours. Under the big screen were Warlocks of different
ranks looking hurried as they whispered to the staff behind the counters.

Every organisation had a place like this. It was similar to a hall where missions were issued, and handled
part of the exchange of goods. Leylin was very familiar with such places, but never before had he seen
one this large. One message on the screen left Leylin embarrassed, "Rank 1 Giant Kemoyin Serpent
Warlock with a decent bloodline. Selling the opportunity for a night's irrigation of seeds. Price: 1000
contribution points. Additional requirement: The female's appearance must be approved by me."

"This..." Leylin didn't know what to say.

"Haha!" Robin was not surprised at all.

"After the passing of generation after generation, most Warlock families will have their bloodlines thin
out. Exceptions to this rule do exist, but are very rare. Even among Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks,
there are those whose bloodlines are weak enough to match Black Horrall Snake or even Huge
Mankestre Snake Warlocks. Therefore, Warlock families generally search for those with pure bloodlines
to improve their own fading ones. There are some weaker Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks who live on
this income. Although it's difficult for a Warlock to sire a child, it'll happen eventually if they try often
enough."

"That I know!" Leylin said contemptuously. He was quite unhappy about this kind of work, where they
were basically pimping themselves out.

"By the way, you do have a very pure bloodline, Leylin. You're also quite strong yourself, so be careful.
The female Warlocks will go crazy over you!" Robin said with a teasing smile.

"It doesn't matter. I won't do this no matter what!" Leylin said assuredly. This kind of act violated his
bottom line, and he would not do something that went against his basic principles.

"Your wants have nothing to do with it. Some female Warlocks with high bloodline purity will capture
ones like you and not let you go until they become pregnant. Given that the male suffers no substantial
losses and revealing this would generally hurt their reputations, they choose to silently endure, thus
making it hard for us to interfere..." Robin's following words dumbfounded Leylin.

Robin looked Leylin up and down, and nodded to him. "Don't worry. Based on your current strength,
there are few female Warlocks in the clan that can actually capture you."

"Robin! What a coincidence!" Suddenly, a woman's voice rose up behind them. Robin turned back and
saw a female Warlock with long black hair creating a divide in the crowd as she approached them. While
occasionally eyeing Leylin, there was an undisguised hint of excitement on her face which sent shivers
down his spine.

"Who is this handsome fellow? We haven't met before, have we?" The aura of this female Warlock was
the same as Robin's, their spiritual force have both reached the Hydro Phase. She was also a well-built
beauty, with a charming appearance and fair skin.

"This is Marquis Leylin, a new member of the clan who is under Mentor Gilbert's tutelage!" Robin said
with a smile on his face but he felt uneasy.

He transmitted to Leylin, "Be careful! This is one of the female Warlocks I just told you about—Blood
Serpent Miranda!"

"Hello, Marquis Miranda!" Leylin knew her status and gave her a salute.

"Marquis Leylin! So is this the first time you've come here? Why don't you follow me? I can show you
around, and we can even go to my manor later where I show you the enthusiasm of our female
Warlocks!"

Miranda's eyes shone with excitement as she surveyed Leylin and ran her tongue along her lips. This
further increased her charm to the point that few males could resist her.

"My apologies! I'd prefer to be lead by Robin!" Leylin denied. He liked beautiful girls, but it was only if he
was the dominant one. It would feel too humiliating to be used like a tool for mating.

"Don't refuse me so fast! Five thousand contribution points! Five thousand contribution points for one
night! Deal?"

Miranda offered a price without any hesitation, and the Warlocks around inhaled a deep breath. It
seemed like five thousand contribution points was quite the number.

"That's enough!" Leylin's face turned solemn, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"So that's how you want it. Then let me tame you in my own way!" Miranda felt no fear for Leylin, and
instead a foxy expression appeared on her face.

She'd seen through Leylin at first glance, and knew that he was a newly advanced rank 3 whose spiritual
force had not reached the Vapour Phase. Meanwhile, hers was already in the Hydro Phase.

Rank 3 Warlocks were divided into those with Vapour Phase, Hydro Phase, and Crystal Phase spiritual
force. There was a huge gap in strength between each phase. With Leylin being two phases below her,
she was not worried even if he had some secret weapons.

"Right here?" Miranda's eyes narrowed into slits, a dangerous aura bursting forth. Dense scales
appeared on her body in the shape of flowers which made her even more alluring.

"Miranda! Stop!" Another clear female voice arose, and a red snake flew over.

"You!" Miranda waved her hands. Countless black wisps appeared around her, bumping into the red
snake. Robin ended up having to repress the following explosion, but even so many Warlocks were
pushed down by the aftermath of the clash.

"Another one! Leylin, your luck today is just too poor!"

"Another one?" Leylin looked at the source of the sound.

The one who attacked with the red snake just now was also a female Warlock, her long black hair
cascading to her waist like a waterfall. She possessed a voluptuous body that was in stark contrast to her
saintly face.

"This is Marquis Freya! I've never heard about rumors of her capturing male warlocks, but her family's
bloodline has been declining in recent years. They are looking for a suitable male to marry into their
family, be careful!" Robin transmitted to Leylin who currently could only keep silent.
"Freya! If you want a man, there are plenty in my castle that I can gift you. This one is mine!"
Apparently, Miranda had already considered Leylin her own prey.

"Miranda, you slut! I'm not here for romance. I'm here to ask him to join my family!" Freya retorted
sharply.

"No way! I saw him first!"

"So what?" With the argument escalating, the danger around these two women grew and everyone
around backed away.

Leylin stood between them, feeling amused and annoyed. Rather than asking for his own opinion, these
two were fighting over him like he was a victory item. "Listen here! Are you even going to bother about
my opinion?"

"You?" Miranda smiled faintly, "Weaklings have no right to an opinion. Even your Mentor wouldn't say
anything about this. I have an elder backing me as well."

On the other side, Freya expressed her silent agreement.

"Fine! I will let you know who is the weakling!" Leylin drew his sword from its sheath. The Meteor Sword
was a high grade magic artifact; it began emitting a scary aura.

Streams of black light shot at the two women, containing within them the horrifying toxins of a Kemoyin
Serpent. Meanwhile, Intimidating Gaze, his rank 3 bloodline spell, shot forth.

Although similar waves shot forth from the two women, they retreated the moment they came in
contact with Leylin's domain.
"An Intimidating Gaze this powerful?" Robin looked at the weaker Warlocks who had fallen to the
ground. "It seems like Leylin's blood purity is much higher than I expected."

With a flash of black light, two distinct sounds rung out. A red whip in Miranda's hands cracked into two,
and Freya retreated a few steps as a red ring in her hands was crushed into a powder.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 401 - Fourth Grade Meditation Technique

"I will only choose someone I like! Do not provoke me, or else..." Leylin coldly replied, sword drawn, as
he immediately pulled Robin away.

At the bottom of his heart, he was actually a little fearful of these two crazy women.

"Pure Giant Kemoyin Serpent poison! Such a powerful Intimidating Gaze! His bloodline is exactly what I
need!" Freya muttered to herself and watching Leylin's back with a steady glint of light in her eyes.

"Haha! What a personality! I like it!" Miranda was even more excited than Freya.

"Hey. Hey! You saw his ability. Although he isn't as strong as either of us, he will definitely escape if we
try to get him ourselves. I suggest we join hands to deal with him. What do you think?" Miranda moved
close to Freya and bit her ears. "When the time comes, I can let you be first! Of course, if you prefer a
threesome, I have no objections..."

"Nonsense!" Freya rolled her eyes and walked straight out.

......
"Phew....." Leylin let out a long sigh of relief after leaving the place.

"Haha! You will get used to such incidents! You are considered lucky, joining only after you have
attained the 3rd rank. These 2 lady Warlocks are the most powerful. If they can't get a hold of you, the
rest won't have a chance!"

"Thinking back about my past... Sigh..." Robin sighed as if recalling some repressed memories.

Leylin maintained his silence, he was sensible enough not to provoke Robin at the moment.

"This is it, this manor belongs to you!"

After passing through a series of buildings, Robin led Leylin to the front of a big garden courtyard.

At the entrance sat two enormous ash-gray stone serpents. Faint energy undulations were emitting
from them. They were evidently not just ornamental.

Kubler was standing at the front of the gate, dressed like a butler. Upon seeing Leylin, his eyes lit up and
he immediately stepped up and bowed respectfully. "My Lord!"

Robin handed Leylin a pink crystal. "My men have sent the decoration details to Kubler. This is the
master key and identification crystal!

"I assume you will have many matters to handle since you have just arrived. Just remember to be at the
same meeting place tomorrow afternoon. Sir Gilbert will see you then..." He stepped out after giving his
last instructions.
"Show me around the manor! Also, your matter is resolved now!" Leylin was deeply moved as he looked
around at the surrounding structures. He would be spending a long time here if nothing happens out of
the blue.

"As you wish, my Lord!" Kubler thankfully replied. Although a simple matter like his could be resolved
with a word from his Lord, it was indeed rare for the master to care so much about a servant.

Leylin was now not only a Marquis of the Ouroboros Clan, but also a student of Duke Gilbert. His future
was truly bright and immeasurable.

Kubler was naturally filled with enthusiasm as he intended to be a good servant to Leylin. "In this manor,
other than your personal master bedroom, there is also a study room, a laboratory and an arena for
negative energy. There's a bloodline purifying pool, a quiet field of sculptures... In addition, there are
more than enough specially prepared facilities meant for use by Magi who are 3rd rank and below....."

Kubler clearly had been briefed before. During the introduction, he spoke with much familiarity.

"A common facility for other Magi? Looks like it is an exclusive one for the vassals!" Leylin nodded his
head, "Go ahead, pick a set for yourself!"

"Thank you, my Lord!" Kubler bow earnestly, his face filled with joy.

The perks that came with being the retainer of a marquis were definitely outstanding. In fact, they were
better than what he would normally get if he'd become a Baron.

"This manor is too big, and it is a little quiet. Look into whether we should recruit some acolytes or
perhaps buy a few slaves...."

"Leylin casually gave the order and Kubler listened intently.

......

In the study room.

Gilbert unrolled the document in his hand and analysed it closely.

"Hmm, according to what Leylin has revealed, his bloodline is that of Norco Curadu Sfar!?"

"Yes, sir!" Robin replied respectfully.

"This Norco Curadu Sfar is registered in our records. It belonged to a marquis of the Kemoyin bloodline
who went missing during an exploration. Looks like it had been disseminated to the south coast, and he
also left behind a descendant..."

"The south coast! I travelled there when I was younger, it was a barren place..." Gilbert sighed.

To a Magus of the central continent, the south coast and Twilight Zone were poor backwater regions.
The energy in their atmosphere was extremely lacking and their resources were limited, which was the
reason they'd left.

"As for the Norco Curadu Sfar Warlock, he is considered my senior! For Leylin to acquire such an
inheritance, and the corresponding accuracy of events in the timeline, it is clear what will come next!"

"Yes, our men from the south coast have sent over some information!" Robin nodded his head.

"It is a pity that he only acquired part of the inheritance and didn't lay his hands on the fourth grade of
the Kemoyin's pupil!" Gilbert sighed, knowing very well and viewing the status of Leylin from the cinema
room
If he had the full inheritance of a Morning Star Magus, perhaps it might have triggered his interest.
However Leylin had obviously inherited only the external portion, hence he lost all passion.

"I agree with you!" Robin echoed.

For Magi of the south coast and Twilight Zone, even if they were to rise in rank to a Morning Star Magus,
they would still be lacking in comparison to their peers from the central continent.

There were many advanced and sophisticated experiments that could only be implemented on the
central continent. Moreover, a single Magus' lone research would never be on par with the accumulated
research of a huge group.

"Since there are no problems, let's admit him! The Clan has not had any new blood for a long time!"
Gilbert let out another sigh.

Warlocks and Magi were created differently. Not only did they need innate skill with the soul, they
needed to meet the required concentration of bloodline. Warlock bloodlines tend to dilute over the
generations, hence the first and second generation's bloodline were the purest and they held the most
accomplishments. Those who came after would find it difficult to surpass their success.

Even if bloodline mutations occurred, such cases were rare and random. The probability of success was
also pathetic.

Many of the famous Warlock clans of the ancient period did not perish due to external enemies, but
instead due to their own bloodlines gradually withering away until they faded from the world of Magi.

This was a problem of the current Ouroboros Clan as well.

......
The next day, Leylin arrived at Duke Gilbert's villa earlier than reporting time.

The two lady Warlocks of yesterday were either stunned or had other plans in mind, as they did not
approach Leylin which caused him to heave a sigh of relief.

'Amongst animals, it's very often the females that possess formidable physiques and great power!
Serpents, too, are as such! This might have caused the Yin element to become stronger than the Yang
element within the Clan. In fact, it might be the root cause for the female Warlocks' bloodlines to be
thicker than those of the males.' Leylin walked on with a thought circulating non-stop in his mind.

According to what Robin had revealed yesterday, within the Ouroboros Clan, even if the ranks were the
same, a female Warlock's ability was distinctly higher than a male's. This seemed to verify his
conclusion.

In addition, even the legendary Snake Dowager was female!

Leylin shook his head, trying to get rid of such mixed thoughts as he approached the main gate of the
villa.

"Mentor! This is Leylin" he spoke into a purple morning glory hanging by the door frame.

*Crack!* The door of the villa automatically opened once Leylin's voice was heard. As he stepped in, he
saw that the decorations were similar to the day before, resembling a commoner's grand mansion.

The A.I. Chip made a quick scan and discovered nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the more normal it seemed, the more vigilant Leylin became. The decoration of a Rank 3
Warlock already made it beyond his ability to perceive energy.
If Gilbert were to launch a spell in such a seemingly safe place, how frightening would it be?

As Leylin stepped into the study room on the second floor, he once again came face to face with the
bald glossy head of the Rank 4 Warlock, Gilbert.

"Mentor!" Leylin bowed immediately, showing great respect and etiquette.

"Mmm! Very good! Get up!" Gilbert was reading a book that was made of bone. From time to time,
green sparks and howls erupted from its surface, but they very soon vanished into thin air before they
could come into contact with Gilbert.

"You saw the images yesterday, how do you feel about it?" Gilbert closed the book and it made a crisp
sound.

"Very strong! Very terrifying!" Leylin truthfully replied.

"That was a true rank 4 Morning Star Magus, one that qualifies to join the frightening final battle for
power! He was also a true elite of the central continent!"

Gilbert sighed and continued, "In reality, to differentiate between the strong and the weak
organisations, you just need to look at the number of Morning Star Magi they possess! I have very high
expectations from you..."

Gilbert then handed a crimson red crystal ball to Leylin, "This the fourth grade of Kemoyin's Pupil. Since
you have already achieved rank 3 as a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, you are entitled to it. And since
you are a student of mine, I can give it to you directly! As for the requirement of rank 3 Warlocks to
attain Vapour Phase spiritual force and things as such, you will still need to make the necessary
contributions.

After he received the crystal ball, the A.I. Chip immediately recorded the fourth grade of the Kemoyin's
Pupil meditation technique and started to deduce a comparison with the current version, optimizing
many abilities.

"Thank you, Mentor! If I attain the status of a Morning Star Magus in the future, I will certainly protect
the Clan!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 402 - World Of Gods

Being imparted the fourth level of Kemoyin's pupil meant he had genuinely entered the core ranks of
the circle.

Although such meditation techniques needed a matching bloodline, and was useless to an outsider, it
was still considered to be very high in value.

Seeing how he was admitted to the clan with sincerity, Leylin was rather shaken, and he too made an
oath.

With his current strength, any words that he spoke of would hold its own weight and have a tremendous
effective.

Gilbert looked at Leylin deeply, " Very well! I hope you will engrave in your memory the words you have
spoken today!"

"From herein, I shall strive to impart to you everything I know. As for how much you can learn, it will all
depend on your diligence and luck..." he added.
"Thank you, Mentor!" Leylin gave a deep respectful bow. He knew that, as a Morning Star Magus and an
elder of the clan, Duke Gilbert was very busy everyday. It was most definitely not easy to take time out
every day to teach him.

This also meant that Gilbert was optimistic about Leylin's future. Besides, regardless of the
inconveniences, it was not going to be a long journey!

Because it was as such, this opportunity was even more precious!

Thereafter, Leylin would be at Gilbert's manor, receiving his teachings on foundation subjects. Although
Leylin had already learnt most of it, the content from the southern coast and Twilight Zone differed from
that of the central continent and Gilbert aimed to acknowledge and reverse these discrepancies.

Even though it was just basic foundational knowledge, with Gilbert's way of narration Leylin gained even
more insight from the content.

In addition, Gilbert had placed his personal library in a separate concealed room, allowing Leylin to
browse the books freely. Content that he needed to memorize were those relating to history and magic

"Introduction to dimension theory!"

"Space communication knowledge!"

"Research on the boundary of the stars!"

Leylin as usual, approached the concealed room and picked out three thick books that he had marked.
After flipping to a specific page, he started to read.

With the illumination of the unceasing flame in the concealed room, Leylin was focused and devout.
These were qualities that all researchers should have.

After an hour had passed, Gilbert approached Leylin. He saw the contents of the book in his hand and
was all smiles.

"Well? I see you are interested in interdimensional travel?"

"Yes, Mentor!" Leylin nodded his head and admitted it. Magi from ancient times were formidable
because they had plundered an enormous amount of the world's accumulated knowledge and their
consistent research to upgrade themselves. Leylin wanted to be like them.

"Interdimensional travel may be dangerous but it is also very enticing. Once you succeed, the benefits of
the world will be solely reaped by you!"

Gilbert let out a sigh and pulled out a chair, "Alright! Today I will tell you about the research the central
continent has conducted on interdimensional travel!"

'The central continent has already begun research in this field?' Leylin's heart skipped a beat. He sat
upright and was all ears.

Gilbert gave it some thought and decided on where to begin. "First of all, you need to understand the
concept of worlds and dimensions!"

"The multiverse is wide and borderless. Even the ancient Magi at their peak they were unable to explore
to the extreme ends of it. Surrounding the Magi were the existences of multiple other great worlds as
well. And so, a plane is but a small tiny world. If the world of the Magi is the sun for instance, a plane is a
small star! However, no matter how small the plane is, their surface area will still exceed what you have
imagined it to be...."

"And among the different worlds and dimensions, all kinds of bizarre living beings exist within them. In
fact, there are existences that surpass that of the Magi in history. Some were the ones who initiated the
start of a brilliant civilization. While other were the amalgamation of consciousnesses and concepts. No
living organisms exist there, only a terrifying mix of chaotic beings with consciousness...."

"The ancient Magi won by means of conquering these worlds and researching their powers. They
robbed the necessary resources and created their own splendid civilization...."

"And so, the basis of interdimensional travel is a cosmic gate! One theory states that the cosmos is the
highest state of the multiverse. It is also the core of all dimensions, time and space! Through the
cosmos, the world of Magi could connect to any other world at will!"

"I see! So it simply means, that the so-called Star Realm is actually a central hub for various dimensions
and the world! " Leylin remarked after some thoughts.

"Yes, you can look at it that way! However the mystery of the Star Realm can never be fully
comprehended, so you need to show your utmost respect!" Gilbert smiled and gave Leylin a stern
warning.

"Yes! I understand now, Mentor" Leylin nodded his head in compliance.

"By opening the cosmic gate, you will be exposed to countless dangers. There were Magi who stumbled
into unknown worlds carelessly and died to attacks from various dangerous creatures. And others who
went and came back to the Magus world with unusual and terrifying curses..."

"Of course, on the whole, Magi dominated the various worlds, well, except for that world....."

"Are they the formidable enemy that we fought with, during the battle that ended our golden period?"
Leylin vaguely remembered the details from the antique book he had read back in Twilight Zone.

"Right!" Gilbert replied with a tone of seriousness.

"Magi from the ancient past conquered one dimension after another, causing many living creatures to
bow and surrender and to be used as slaves. However, the huge victories and glory soon clouded their
egos, and they became greedy for more insane strategies of attacks, ignoring all signs of dangers, until
they met that world...."

"What kind of world is that?" Leylin couldn't help asking, knowing very well the formidable power it
possessed yet not knowing the seldom-mentioned details.

"It is a world that consists of multiple planes that can no longer evolve any further. Clusters of smaller
dimensions are suspended at its edges. And surrounding the entire world is yet another strong layer of
crystal walls!"

As a rank 4 Magus of the central continent. Gilbert naturally knew the details of ancient secrets very
well.

"There are many strong Magi in that world, some at rank 7, rank 8.... Of course, they are not called Magi
there, instead they address themselves as—Gods!"

"Gods?"

"Yes, and so that world is known as the 'World of Gods' ! Although the opposing side is extremely strong
and powerful, the Magi at that time were also at the peak of their own prosperity. Resources in the
World of Gods were plentiful and this made the ancient Magi jealous. They saw great value in the Gods'
lands and sought to attain them. Hence, those Rank 7 and Rank 8 Magi who wielded horrifying powers
started a war with them....."

"What happened next, you should know very well! " Gilbert turned to look at Leylin.

"Yes, I do! Neither side won! Many of the ancient Magi died one after another to the point that it ended
our golden period. The door to the cosmos, on the other hand, had no choice but to be sealed too. All
this led the collapse of the Magus world! "

"Mmm! The way I see it, our Magus world and the opposing World of Gods are each at one end of a
funnel and the cosmos is the link between us. As for the planes and other worlds, they are sprinkled
between us along the way!" Gilbert explained his personal opinion.

"As the strength of both sides were similar, the opposing Gods did not have an easy time. There were
rumours that their most powerful, the 'Supreme God,' suffered an irreversible injury that caused him to
sink into an eternal sleep. As for the other fallen Gods, the numbers were astounding, hence it was
termed the 'Sunset of the Gods'..."

"So..... after finding out about it, the new generations of Magi recently reopened cosmic gates and
started conducting interdimensional travel!" Leylin guessed.

This explains why the central continent is much more prosperous than all the rest.

"In the beginning, it was the lone decision of a single Morning Star Magus to do so, but when it was
revealed that there were no signs of invasion from the World of Gods and no adverse consequences, the
other Morning Star Magi followed suit..."

Gilbert smiled bitterly.

In the central continent, if you did not improve, the others would naturally improve and leave you in the
dust. Since using cosmic gates would cause no harm and yet reap great rewards, then how could the
rest of the Magi endure this temptation?

"After some cautious travel, we finally got word of the World of Gods. The external layer of their crystal
wall system had been stabilized, reinforced and hardened, resisting all external intruders and it had
already reached a new, stronger level of sealing..."
"Upon hearing this news, all the Magi in the central continent unanimously let out sighs of relief, and
decided to carry out even more interdimensional travel, slowly regaining the glory of our ancient past,
so much so that a few Rank 6 Magi, those we now call Kings, started to appear...." Gilbert said
conclusively.

Leylin nodded his head. The current Leylin, with his newfound knowledge of the central continent and
battle of the ancient past, finally understood the total picture. At the same time, he looked forward to
experiencing interdimensional travel.

"The world where I used to live in, is it a part of the endless multiverse?"

At the bottom of his heart, Leylin was suddenly filled with indifferent expectations.

The current Leylin had already combined innate spells with science and technology, embarking on his
own personal journey. Even if other Magi were to achieve the much needed accumulated knowledge of
science and technologies, they might not be able to match up to his rate of advancement.

Moreover, the A.I. Chip had fused with his soul when he was shuttled through space and time. This was
not something any Magus could achieve, and the probability of success was simply too low. Even if other
Magi were to try and attempt it, their soul would likely be destroyed at the end.

"But, as your Mentor, I would like to remind you this. You are too weak to conduct research on this
currently!"

Gilbert pressed on the interdimensional travel research that Leylin held in his hand.

"Only when you have reached the status of a Morning Star Magus will you be able to venture out into
the cosmos!"

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 403 - The Astral Gate

"Morning Star Magus?" Leylin looked doubtful as he glanced at his Mentor.

"Yes. Only the massive spiritual force of Morning Star Magi can withstand the consumption as you step
over. In addition, many dangers in various worlds are unable to be dealt with by regular Magi. At the
very least, you need to be at the Morning Star realm." Gilbert looked stern.

"With your current spiritual force, with the help of the spell formations and the astral gate, you'll at
most be able to approach a few Magus Worlds and receive a few sections of incomplete information
even if you drain all your spiritual force. You may not even be able to obtain all of the information."

Gilbert shook his head.

"If you really must do this, you could aid me in my experiment regarding projection of coordinates."

After that, through Gilbert's explanations, Leylin found out some fundamental information on how to
use the astral gate.

This experiment of crossing over to different worlds consumed a lot of energy, and there were rules
when it came to transporting objects. In general, receiving information through spiritual force consumed
the least energy, but the moment any substance was to be transported, the consumption would
increase several times. If a Magus were to go over, the energy required was tremendous, to the point
that it might even cause Morning Star Magi to exhaust themselves!

In reality, in both ancient and recent times, there were so many Morning Star Magi who had consumed
large amounts of resources and energy only to find a desolate world, ending up with nothing despite
their efforts.
The astral gate had always been a place where fortune and danger coexisted.

The Magi in the central continent seldom travelled over. They preferred to send out a few spiritual force
coordinates, as well as use things like teleportation spell formations.

This was similar to setting down fish bait, and then waiting for the other side to accept it.

Though the chances were so small that they were below one in ten thousand, there was a real possibility
of intelligent beings receiving the spiritual force tokens that were floating in spatial cracks.

Next was to bewitch these beings and then gather information regarding these other planes and
determine their coordinates. If this information was determined valuable enough, Morning Star Magi
would then open the true astral gate and then travel there in great numbers, seizing control of the
plane!

"Why does it sound like we're doing the same thing as a cult, as if some satanic summoning ritual?"
Leylin was bewildered.

"It is something like that! Those devils or whatever they are come from a different plane near us. They
like to gather spirits through this method. If not for them concealing themselves so well, we would have
long since used the coordinates and tried to kill them!"

A killing intent rose in Gilbert's eyes.

"Well then, Mentor. I would like to enter your experiment with the astral gate!" Leylin immediately
requested.

"Alright. While I am experimenting, you can be my assistant, observing and studying by my side." Gilbert
watched Leylin's resolute gaze and nodded.

......

After leaving Gilbert's villa, Leylin was in a very good mood. Not only had he gathered many ancient
secrets, he was now qualified to participate in the space experiments.

"In the future, I want to make my own astral gate!" Leylin decided.

At the very least, he would need to go to that Purgatory World at least once. He would gain a solution
for the shackles of his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline there.

Of course, this was the hope of the entire Ouroboros Clan. Leylin's mentor, Gilbert, and the two other
Morning Star Warlocks were crazily searching for the coordinates of the Purgatory World.

It was a pity that the multiple worlds and coordinates were like the numerous stars in the sky. With their
method of trial and error, it was impossible to know how long it would take from them to find Purgatory
World.

However, Leylin had plans of his own. He would not mention them yet.

"Leylin!"

Around a corner, Leylin heard a voice and halted his footsteps, seeing a blonde middle-aged Magus
walking over. However, there was no longer the calm and dignified look he had had. Instead, he was
flustered, and even the energy fluctuations around him were unstable, as if he had gained injuries.

"What is it?" Leylin was in no mood for this sheltered Warlock who had once threatened him before,
Woody.
"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have someone backing you, you gigolo!"
Woody's expression was terrible, looking as if he wanted to gobble Leylin up.

"Gigolo?" Leylin's heart jumped, and he had a bad feeling about this.

"Woody! Aren't you starting yet?"

A female voice that made Leylin's hair stand. He then saw that Warlock Freya from before, pulling at a
pet that seemed to be a black sheepdog.

Upon closer inspection, Leylin realised there were complicated black patterns on its face, its eyes
flashing with intelligence. However, all that was inside them was now despair, frenzy and an
unspeakable dread.

"Morphing technique! This is—Johnny!" Magi naturally did not recognise people by their appearances.
The familiar spiritual waves immediately allowed Leylin to tell the true identity of this sheepdog.

"This is—Crazy!" Seeing the dog leash around the sheepdog's neck, Leylin could confirm Johnny even
had thoughts of suicide.

"Wooo!" After seeing Woody, the sheepdog began to whimper even more, as if hoping its original
owner would save it.

Woody paled in anger, but did not do much.

He then gritted his teeth, bowing slightly to Leylin, "Marquis Leylin, please forgive me for my previous
offences. Please do whatever you please with Johnny."
Having said this, Woody immediately turned to leave, disappearing after turning a corner.

"How is it? Do you like my gift? To change him into this form, it used up a precious morphing scroll I got
from my Mentor!" Freya pulled the black sheepdog till it reached his side, anticipating his reaction.

"I..." Leylin could only force a smile.

He had heard from Robin that compared to the wanton Miranda, Freya kept her chastity and did not do
anything to charm male Warlocks into becoming their toys. However, in order to improve the bloodline
in her family, she would go around looking for suitable candidates.

At this moment, she seemed to have chosen him! The earnest look on her face seemed to be giving
Leylin a headache.

Though she was a student of the Second Elder and was thus doted on, for her to become hostile to
another Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock and even punish members in the same circle as she was in, she
would definitely be under immense pressure.

Of course, as a Warlock, she had inherited emotional instability and perhaps would not think too much
of her actions.

Through the A.I. Chip, Leylin noticed the unstable aura on Freya's body. It was apparent that pressuring
Woody was not such a simple task, and both sides would suffer losses. The reason Woody had
automatically conceded was because his bloodline instability was not flaring up. He knew how to weigh
his benefits.

"I- Whatever! Do whatever you want with Johnny!"

Looking at the whimpering sheepdog on the ground, Leylin really sympathized with it.
"Also, here are two things for you!"

Leylin passed her a high-grade healing potion, as well as a high-grade potion of tranquility.

He was not one to accept favours from others. A healing potion was a small matter, but what was more
important was the high-grade potion of tranquility. This was the strengthened version of the potion of
tranquility, and Leylin had even added parts of the Icy Jade Scorpion's bloodline. Though the effects
were reduced, it was still very effective for Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks.

He really hoped this potion could slightly inhibit her crazy tendencies and stop her from bothering him.

Watching Leylin seemingly fleeing and disappearing along the road, Freya caressed the two potions in
her hands and smiled, "It's great as long as you have a good impression of me! You'll be mine."

......

If Leylin knew what Freya was thinking, he would probably regret his actions. Now, however, he had
found Robin.

"Hm? You want to take a look at your territory?" Robin looked at Leylin in front of him.

"Yes! Mentor Gilbert has finished his teachings, and all that's left are preparations for the astral gate.
There's nothing left for me to do, so I want look at the territory."

Leylin spoke. After his current trip, Gilbert was done with teaching him. He was a rank 4 Warlock and
had numerous tasks to carry out. On top of that, he had to focus on his research and could not continue
coaching Leylin.
Before conducting the astral gate experiments, a lot of time was needed to prepare the materials, adjust
the frequencies and the like.

Leylin wanted to make use of this time and first leave the headquarters. A part of it was because he
wanted to see his territory, but another reason was because he was really a little scared and wanted to
hide outside.

"Oh, it was Freya!"

Robin thought for a moment and suddenly began to laugh. He seemed to have some knowledge
regarding what had just transpired.

"She's actually not half bad! She hasn't had a partner in the past, and her mentor is also a Morning Star
Warlock. You should just marry her!" Robin even teased as he suggested.

"If I really want to marry someone, I can take her into consideration, but you know..."

Leylin's lips quirked in a wry smile. Though Freya was doing all she could to get into his good books, her
final goal was to make him a breeding machine. Even if they did become companions, she would want
him to marry into her family. How could he stand this?

In the deepest part of his heart, Leylin believed himself to be a male chauvinist, and he could not stand
for this.

"That's true. Besides, you're still young!" Robin thought for a moment and then nodded, as if having
expected this.

"Young? I'm almost a hundred!" Leylin was speechless.

"Haha, I'm almost five hundred, and I've had 24 wives! I've married into several families." Robin's
expression showed his experience in this area.

"When you're at my age, you'll think little of this sort of thing."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 404 - Territory

The wind blew, bringing about with it a refreshing feeling.

Leylin rode on a horse, looking at the scenery on both sides. Great numbers of farms joined to form a
large field which many farmers were working on.

At the two sides of the roads, purification towers could be seen everywhere.

These were specifically to remove the unwittingly emanated radiation pollution from the bodies of
Magi. This allowed regular humans ad Magi to exist in harmony.

Robin did accede to Leylin's request in the end, even sending another Warlock to bring Leylin to his own
territory.

"Marquis Leylin, confirmation of your title as nobility and your proof for your territory has been handed
down. From hereon, your title shall be recognised throughout the central continent. The plains to the
east of the Black Lustre Mountains are all yours. All the regular people living here are automatically your
subjects." The white-haired rank 2 Warlock said.

"Give me the map." Leylin got off the horse, and Kubler immediately unfolded a slightly yellowish rolled-
up map.

With the map, the outline of the territory was even clearer. Not only was the area large, including a few
fertile fields, there was even a coastline and a few good ports.

A Marquis of the central continent naturally had more gold than one in the south coast. The range of his
territory was even comparable to a large kingdom of the south coast.

Of course, for Leylin who had been the Guardian of Twilight Zone and ruler of fifty million people, he
was not moved the slightest.

Meanwhile, Kubler and the rank 2 Warlock's expressions were full of envy.

If the produce from the vast area in this territory was turned into resources for Magi, it would be a huge
source of revenue for regular rank 3 Warlocks.

"Kubler, look for a few skilled administrators and build a governing structure. Oh, and also, for my seal
of nobility, design it like my secret imprint." Leylin instructed casually.

Kubler lowered his head respectfully, expressing his understanding.

Seeing this, the white-haired Warlock glanced at Kubler with a hint of envy in his eyes.

From his perspective, Leylin was a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock and was the student of a Morning
Star Magus. He had boundless potential, and Kubler was his first vassal and was trusted. It was natural
that his status would rise as time passed.

At Robin's side, even if he tried to climb through the ranks for his whole life, he could only enter the elite
circle.
With this comparison on both sides, he was even more envious and jealous.

"Master, as a Marquis, you will need a castle to be the core of your power," Kubler warned timely.

"En! Buy a few slaves, and with food and money as their pay, recruit a few people to help with
construction. It should be done here." Leylin pointed at a place on the map.

This was a field close to the coastline, one that was within walking distance of a port.

"Understood, kind master!" Kubler praised.

In reality, after the Ouroboros Clan had conferred all this to Leylin, he had now gained authority over the
life and death of all beings in his land. He was even allowed to make his own army and kingdom.

In the central continent, commoners could be forced to bring their own food when conscripted, being
forced into labour. They themselves would have to take care of logistics after wars.

Leave alone food, Leylin was even giving out a pay. This made him benevolent beyond compare.

"Name the castle 'Onyx Castle.' Gather a few scholars and architects. After the design is done, bring it to
me." Leylin was not in the least concerned about these small matters, giving Kubler free reign.

What he really paid attention to was at the bottom, "Beside Onyx Castle, I am planning to create a
Magus Tower."

"Magus Tower!" The two beside him immediately gasped. This would be insanely expensive.
"Yes, and it should be made with the highest of standards!" In Leylin's eyes, Onyx Castle was a place
where regular people would place their focus. This Magus Tower would be the his true residence.

"Why not construct it at the headquarters? Not only will you be supported with resources, it can even
help guard the clan," Kubler proposed.

"No!" Leylin shook his head. Though constructing it at the headquarters would net him technological
support as well as resources, he would have to incorporate it into the joint defense system.

Leylin had far too many secrets. How could he stand to reveal them to anyone else?

In addition, a Magus Tower was a prerequisite to experiments on cosmic gates. Hence, Leylin made up
his mind and decided to construct it alone in his territory.

"In that case, the blueprint and expenses..." Just the thought of it made Kubler feel faint.

"I'll complete the design myself. As for the expenses, don't worry about it." Leylin smiled slightly.

He had milked the entirety of Twilight Zone for all its worth. Though it was far from the wealth that the
central continent had, when all of it was concentrated on one person, it was still rather terrifying.

His magic crystals had filled an entire spatial ring, and he also had all types of precious materials. This
was enough to cover the cost of constructing a Magus Tower, and this would be no ordinary tower, but
one constructed based on the highest standards!

How could a regular Magus Tower contain Leylin's ambitions?

In addition, high-grade Magus Towers would be able to boost a Magus' own strength, and were a place
where many experiments would be conducted. Hence, many high-ranked Magi would plan to make their
own Magus Towers.

However, there were few who could afford to make one themselves without feeling the burden it would
put on them. Others would need to live and accumulate resources for hundreds of years before they
could even dream of regular Magus Towers. As for top-grade towers? They could only dream about
those.

"I'll need many male slaves and stonemasons for the construction of the castle and tower. Do you have
any means of getting them?" Leylin glanced at the old Warlock.

"Of course." The old man bowed, "Actually, there are a few specific channels my master has access to.
They provide half-beasts, gnomes, dwarves, and adult slaves."

"En! Then I'll leave that to you. I'll need at least ten thousand people. The method of payment shall be
with magic crystals."

The moment Leylin's words were heard, a hint of elation could be seen in the old Warlock's eyes.

The central continent used gold and silver as their currency. Magic crystals were higher-grade currency
that would have a higher exchange rate in the black market. By doing this, he would definitely be able to
make some profit secretly.

Of course, Leylin no longer cared about such trivial profits. If this could motivate the old man into
working even harder, then so be it.

......

No matter what they had once been called, Leylin had decided to rename these lands the Onyx Castle
Plains. This land was now the heart of his developing territory.

Under observation by overseers touting whips and clubs, groups of adult slaves transported large pieces
of granite across the lands.

The granite had been divided into equal sizes from a nearby stone quarry and was then transported
here, being piled up to to form a large castle.

Leylin's Onyx Castle had two layers of city walls as defence. The outer layer was slightly lower than the
inner wall, and there were many sentry towers, watchtowers and the like.

Outside the Onyx Castle, there was also a channel forming a very wide moat.

The building was mostly constructed by piling up granite. Near the end, he would invite Magi proficient
at manipulating earth-elemental energy particles to reinforce the structure and fill the parts between
the granite, forming a large body. After that, he would get a few renowned sculpting masters to do more
work.

After the construction was done, it would definitely not lose out to the grandeur of common nobility.

To complete the Onyx Castle, many slaves and the people that Leylin had recruited would put all their
effort into working day in and out.

The meals that Leylin provided were not bad, with black bread and fish soup. For slaves and poor
peasants, all these were hard to come by. Hence, they worked even harder.

"Master, ten thousand male slaves have been transported over. A part of them are at the stone quarry,
while the rest are here." Kubler followed behind Leylin, seeming like a very calculating housekeeper.
As Leylin was paying with magic crystals and could be said to be rich and overbearing, not caring about
the source, he was the best client for slave traffickers.The old man from before had also worked doubly
hard, and soon enough, ten thousand slaves were bought.

This was not a small number, and thus helped Leylin gain a deeper understanding of the power Robin
had.

"We need to use these slaves efficiently. We need to divide them into classes. Those who are diligent
and proactive can get a small piece of land after construction is completed. They can become my
farmers or soldiers. As for the lazy ones and the rebels, they can be a slave till they die, or we can just kill
them."

Leylin spoke indifferently. He had gone through a lot and had much experience in administration.
Everything he said had Kubler nodding along.

"Tell me the progress of the construction."

"Master, with this rate, your castle can be completed in spring next year. The entire cost comes up to
around 1.5 million gold coins."

Kubler lowered his head and gave it a thought, and then announced a number that could cause a few
normal kings to faint.

"Alright, that's not bad." These were trivial matters. Leylin let it pass through his ears and did not think
more into it. The construction of the Onyx Castle was not the most important thing. What was more
terrifying was the blueprint in his hands.

Kubler was fearful and apprehensive as he looked at the blueprint in Leylin's hands.

This was the structure of the Magus Tower that Leylin had designed himself.
The entire Magus Tower would be constructed with blurite metal, which was a stable alloy created by
Magi. There would be a total of three layers underground, with laboratories, summoning and binding
rooms, and a huge negative energy reactive pool at the bottom-most layer.

On the ground, the first floor would be the living room. The second would be the master bedroom and
library. The third would be the Magus garden and ecological laboratory. The fourth would be the storage
room, and the highest would have a positive energy reactive pool that would be the counterpart to the
underground negative energy reactive pool.

Almost all energy particles had positive and negative properties. This sort of energy pool would seize
countless energy particles and be a costly structure that could gather energy.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 405 - Internal Affairs

In Twilight Zone, Siegfried had been extremely proud of just the earth-elemental energy particle pool
that he had saved up for over hundreds of years.

However, Leylin had basically constructed energy particle pools of various elements, and even made two
pools for each element.

This terrifying consumption was enough for Kubler to want to faint.

This was not all. Kubler knew what his master was planning. Not taking into consideration the tower
itself and the spell formations for each level, it was the intellectual core that Leylin was planning to
make, one using a Domore Crystal and a fourth-grade magic scroll that could give the crystal life.
A fourth-grade magic scroll was not something that could be bought with magic crystals. If not for
Leylin's status as Gilbert's student, he might not have even found a way to obtain it.

With a tower genie, all the defenses of the tower would coordinate with each other. This intellectual
being that would only recognise one master would be a great helper for a Magus.

After all these resources and materials were brought out, Kubler believed that this Magus Tower would
not be unpresentable even for a Morning Star Magus to live in.

Its defensive abilities would be able to hold on for a long time against the joint attacks of multiple rank 3
Magi.

"The construction of the Magus Tower is a large project. With the people we have now, we can only
make some preparations. After the Onyx Castle is completed next year, I shall live here and watch over
the building of the Magus Tower."

In Leylin's plans, the Magus Tower was something long term that would take more than a decade to
complete.

The blood, sweat and resources put into it could not be calculated, but after all was said and done, he
would have a solid foundation in the region.

The amplifying effect that Magus Towers could provide for Magi was considerably frightful, especially
for a high-grade building like this. Leylin reckoned that as long as he was at the Gaseous Spiritual Force
stage and within the scope of the tower, he would not need to be afraid of any rank 3 Magus, even if
they were at the Crystallised Spiritual Force stage.

Of course, if the offender was a rank 4 Magus, even one of the disgraces that did not possess a final
technique, could destroy him.
The terror of Morning Star Magi was something he had really understood through experience.

If those true Morning Star Magi used a final technique, half of his territory would be wiped out, and his
Magus Tower would be useless. Unfortunately, he would be done for immediately.

"Kubler, have you found the people I asked you to look for?" Leylin glanced towards Kubler.

He had gotten Kubler to look for talents at administration. Also, he needed many more vassals that
would help him build up his power. In addition, when construction of the Magus Tower began, he could
let them come and take over, and thus save him some strength.

As long as he personally took the last step of giving the tower genie life, he would be able to have
complete control of the tower, and there would be no other issues.

"Master, my apologies." Upon hearing Leylin's words, Kubler's heart sank and he quickly knelt.

"What's wrong?"

"There are many talents, and even a few came in answer to the recruitment. I have taken them all in. As
for vassals, all my friends have the Mankestre Snake bloodline and may not be able to meet your
needs."

Kubler looked ashamed.

His clan of friends was obviously of the same rank as him. If he were to bring them to Leylin, it was just
seeking death. He would obviously not do so. Higher-ranked Warlocks would naturally want to serve
Leylin, but he lacked the connections and could not get into contact with them.

"En! That's true." Leylin stroked his chin, having guessed the reason. He considered looking for Robin,
where he would surely be able to recruit a few Warlocks.

He could not even consider Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. However, among the rank 2 and even rank
3 Warlocks, there were surely some who would think this was a dream come true, even going as far as
hugging onto his leg, crying and yelling in hopes of getting the position.

"Let's look at the talents you recruited who can take care of our internal affairs."

"Understood, master." Seeing that Leylin did not punish him, Kubler relaxed and brought Leylin to
another makeshift camp.

Here, a few regular humans whose auras were so very weak, waited in trepidation to meet with Leylin.

Leylin even felt that if he did not intentionally moderate himself, just the radiation from his body would
kill all these people, and it would not be a peaceful death.

Of course, out of all these regular humans, there were one or two acolytes. However, in Leylin's eyes,
they were just slightly-larger ants and were not much different.

"Greetings to the Marquis of Onyx Castle!" A few of them called, and then bowed respectfully to Leylin.

He scanned them and realised most of them were elderly, with one of them being a resolute-looking
middle-aged man.

"Announce your name and capabilities." Kubler saw Leylin's expression and shouted.

"I am Saltcliffe, proficient in internal affairs." This was an old man.

"My name is Royce, and I'm adept at training troops. I was once the commander in a dukedom." This
was the middle-aged man.

"My name is Alesandor, and I'm proficient at internal affairs and law." This old man was brimming with
the waves of an acolyte, and Leylin shot him a second glance.

"Alesandor, have you taken the blue berry essence before?" Leylin's nose wrinkled and he suddenly
asked.

This blue berry essence was a special secretion of plants, and had the effect of lengthening the lives of
acolytes who were below official Magi. However, their strength would be fixed, and they would never
be able to improve.

"Yes, my lord. I am now only a hundred and fifty, and I have a hundred or so more years to work under
you."

Alesandor was truly a magician who knew the way they thought.

What Leylin needed was long-term support. Regular old geezers would be so old they could not move in
ten or so years. What use were they?

"Very good. You and Royce, from just now have been recruited." As for the old people who were
experienced but on the verge of death, they could only take their leave regretfully.

After they left, Royce and Alesandro bowed once more, "Master!"

This was the etiquette used when vassals greeted their masters.

"From hereon, you are all my subordinates. Royce is in charge of security and the army, while Alesandro
will take care of internal affairs. As long as you work hard, I will bestow upon you titles and your own
land, and also take in your descendants to work for me."

As nobility, Leylin naturally knew what they wanted, and want to use it to motivate them to work
diligently.

As expected, after hearing his promise, Royce and Alesandro all knelt in gratitude, kissing the ground
under Leylin's feet. "I shall offer my loyalty and respect, even if the world were to end."

"En! You can go. Kubler will give you more details." Leylin waved his arms.

He was in no mood to deal with this, and could only pass on his authority to someone else to make
decisions.

If this was in the middle ages in the previous world, doing something like this would mean certain death.
He would be made a figurehead by his subordinates, or even killed, but it was different here.

Leylin himself held absolute power and did not have to worry about what his subordinates thought.

Under the deterrence of Magi, those two would not dare to have any strange thoughts or plans.

"It's about time I return. Not only do I need to gain experience from Mentor Gilbert, it's best to obtain a
spell formation to vapourise my spiritual force."

Leylin looked at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock, Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Vitality:
35.7, Spiritual force: 215.3, Magic power: 215 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force).]
After entering rank 3, the effects of the Giant Serpent's Breath Potion had weakened.

Though the environment in the central continent was much better than in Twilight Zone, after using
such great amounts of resources, his spiritual force was now stuck, still around the level where he had
just entered rank 3.

However, Leylin was confident because the clan was a group formed entirely out of Giant Kemoyin
Serpent Warlocks. There were many formulas and products used to raise a Warlock's spiritual force.

In addition, with Gilbert's help, he would soon reach his current goal.

The Vapour Phase spell formation would thus become essential.

*Buzz Buzz!* Rays of light were emanated from the suspended imprint on Leylin's body, forming a
scarlet rune.

"Mentor Gilbert's ready now? Alright, I'll get back as soon as possible!" Leylin spoke to the secret
imprint and then called Kubler over, telling him to oversee the project while he made his way back.

Phosphorescence Swamp.

The black swamp held within an aura of death, occasionally generating green flames.

Leylin walked atop the swamp, feeling his body jubilant and excited, and could not help but nod. "As
expected of the final choice made by the clan amongst many others. This environment with the particles
around is very suitable for the advancement of those with Kemoyin blood."

The headquarters of the clan were similar to before. Many Warlocks resided, lived and researched in
this small Magus city.
Leylin went straight to find Robin and found out that Miranda and Freya had received a mission recently
and had left. Knowing they were no longer in headquarters, he could not help but sigh in relief.wood

"Haha!" Seeing Leylin like this, Robin as a senior could not hold back his laughter.

After the teasing, the two doves into work.

"The cosmic gate experiment is very dangerous. The creatures from other dimensions could be terrifying
existences with strength surpassing Morning Star Magi. In the White Terror incident 214 years ago, the
great pioneer, Morning Star Magus Borrell made contact with another world recklessly and met with a
fearsome consciousness formed from terror. Not only did he fall, all his descendants all died as well.
Even if they were not on this continent, they met the same fate. I hope you can reconsider."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 406 - Interdimensions Experiment

"Duke Gilbert has already told me in detail about the dangers related to the cosmic gate!" Leylin had a
smile on his face, but his expression was as resolute as ever.

"But if we don't communicate with other worlds and obtain their unique knowledge and resources, how
can we improve? In the pursuit of knowledge, I'm willing to do anything!" Magi desired truth more than
any other being did.

Having seen Leylin's expressions, Robin let out a long sigh, "In that case, prepare the designated
protective gear and memorise the escape spell..."

Gilbert's basement laboratory, the core of the region.

Scribbles of detailed and complex runes and graphics dotted the four walls. Leylin need only slightly take
a glance to discover that there were quite a few high-level runes he himself had yet to see.

"High-level air isolation rune! And this flawed rune pattern! It seems like I have seen this previously in
the ancient records of Twilight Zone..." Leylin let out a gasp of surprise, and at the same time ordered
the A.I. Chip to record all of the runes down.

At that point in time, a layer of black film appeared atop him. Like a protective suit, it enveloped his
entire body, not leaving the smallest part uncovered.

Moreover, after having entered the area, he had experienced at least three sterilisation-like procedures.

This biochemical clothing could effectively isolate any pollution that would be passed on from other
worlds through the cosmic gate. Hence, it was an essential piece of equipment for experiments on it.

"Just based on the meticulous preparation, one would be able to tell the complex and terrifying nature
of cosmic gate experiments..." Leylin sighed once again. His eyes could not help but once again gaze at
the center of the laboratory.

At the center, a large area of starlight was giving off bright rays. The interior seemed to contain
something, but given Leylin was unable to see clearly given his current eyesight.

"That is the physical state of a cosmic gate. Just opening one would exhaust my resources greatly,
maybe even making me bankrupt..."

Leylin silently contemplated in his heart. The energy consumption of a cosmic gate was just too
terrifying. After giving it some thought, he realised that even he, with his vast funds, could not endure
such a thing. It was no wonder that some Morning Star Magi would become bankrupt after studying
cosmic gates.
"Quick! Prepare the experiment!"

Robin had a layer of protective film around his body as well, and was going about his preparations at a
table in the corner.

In reality, they were still some distance away from the real gate to the Star Realm. Duke Gilbert was at
the center of it all, where a circle of magic runes was radiating a golden glow.

The students, including an old man, whose spiritual force had reached the Crystal Phase, could only wait
outside this circle, unable to advance further.

"The running time of a cosmic gate is very precious. Currently, it is at its lowest limit and can only allow
the passage of spiritual force coordinate markers! All of you, come try one by one!" Duke Gilbert's voice
echoed.

"Leylin, it's the first time you're taking part in experiments like these! You can just observe what I do
first!" Robin said from beside him.

"Yes!" Leylin's eyes radiated a sparkling blue glow, and he stared at Robin's movements attentively.

Duke Gilbert took out a piece of golden crystal, and threw it towards the centremost blue flame.

*Boom!* The golden crystal collided with the blue flames, and instantly a violent reaction occurred. A
large amount of golden light was radiated, which was immediately absorbed by the blue flames.

Blue rays of energy extended towards the loops of the spells before finally arriving before the few rank 3
Warlocks and forming a mercuric mirror that caved in slightly, one that had at its center a black ripple.
"This feeling! It's quite similar to that of the ancient teleportation spell formation, but it possesses a
greater degree of disorder and violence..." Leylin compared the two in his mind.

A bright silver ray of spiritual force emerged from Robin's head, and rapidly formed a flower bud in the
air. Runes were formed on the surface which quickly went into the mirror.

"This spacetime positioning experiment is extremely simple. With the repeated casting of coordinates
into cosmic gates, we might stumble upon a different world, or it might be picked up by an intelligent
being. Generally speaking the probability is extremely low, and there may not even be a single case of
success within ten thousand tries!"

"Then isn't this just trying our luck?" Leylin rolled his eyes in his heart, and was somewhat speechless.
However seeing Robin's pale face, he knew that things were not as easy as what he had said.

"In the past, it was impossible for me to use my spiritual force to sense movements in the Twilight Zone
through teleportation spell formations but now I have to use my spiritual force to explore the world!
The difficulty level is incomparable! Even though I have already reached rank 3, and have the support
and help of other Magi, I'm afraid the difficulty levels have not decreased much..."

*Boom!* Suddenly, an explosion sounded from Robin and he immediately took a few steps back, face
pale.

"We have failed! My spiritual force coordinate marker met with spatial dysfunction, and has been
completely extinguished!"

What they were doing now was sending the coordinate marker made from spiritual force to the cosmos
between the various worlds to float in between, and they could only hope for good luck for the spiritual
force to land in another world.

But the gaps between the worlds were fraught with dangers. The most fundamental was that of spatial
interference, and there could even be a few strange beings that specifically stay within this space, who
would not only destroy the spiritual force markers but even follow the markers back upstream,
retaliating by launching an attack on the Magi who had sent out the markers!

As a result, Duke Gilbert would have to be watching on the side.

The destruction of the spiritual force marker was a common occurrence. Robin failed twice after, which
caused his face to become as pale as a corpse.

'With the amount of spiritual force that he exhausted in this experiment, Robin will have to rest up for a
few days and spend time meditating to recover completely!' Leylin thought to himself.

Like Robin, many other students in the laboratory had failed many times, and not one of them had
successfully found an alternate world.

But there were still many differences between them. A female Warlock who possess a Vapour Phase
spiritual force managed five attempts before she had to retreat to a corner to recover. Meanwhile,
Robin was at his seventh attempts, while the white-haired old man, the strongest of the bunch, had
made more than ten attempts.

"The disparity within rank 3 Warlocks is simply too huge!" Leylin let out a sigh in his heart after having
seen this scenario.

"Phew! I can't do this anymore! It's your turn!" After having failed once again, Robin's face was so pale
that the blood vessels below were visible. He immediately retreated, and Leylin took over his position.

"You must have understood what was happening from your observations before this, right? It's very
easy, just simple usage of your spiritual force!" Robin retreated to the side, and swallowed a purple
capsule which made him look better instantly.

"Alright! Let me do it!" Leylin eagerly walked forward, and large amounts of bright silver spiritual force
were condensed into silvery-white seed-shaped substance.

Constructing a coordinate marker from spiritual force only required a simple usage of spiritual force, and
any ordinary rank 1 Magus could do this easily.

Under Leylin's control, the silvery-white seed slowly floated beyond him, and touched the indentation in
the mirror.

*Bloop!* As if falling through a layer of water, the silvery-white seed instantly penetrated the mirror.

However, instantly, Leylin's face registered a change. He immediately felt his connection to the marker
weakening. It took a large amount of spiritual force to maintain the connection.

Rays of silvery-white spiritual force repeatedly disseminated from his sea of consciousness, and he
managed to maintain a faint connection to the marker.

'No wonder only those at rank 3 or above can participate in this experiment! Just one attempt could
drain the life out of most rank 2 Magi!' Leylin sighed in his mind. Suddenly, he could feel the spiritual
force seed he'd scattered coming under the control of a frantic tsunami, only able to float and sink with
the waves. He was unable to pick a path to advance.

'If it's like this, everything depends on luck!' Leylin smiled grimly; if he could not even control his
spiritual force, of what use would anything be? The only option was to pray that he was lucky.

"Hmmm? Not good!" At this instant, two large air tides collided in the silver space, wedging his marker
in between them.

Leylin tried to move the marker away, but it was to no avail. He could only watch as the two air tides
collided, giving rise to a huge storm and extinguishing his seed.
"Ugh!" Leylin held his head. The instant he had lost his spiritual force seed, his head felt as if it had been
sliced apart by a knife. The spiritual force in his sea of consciousness was also depleted by a third.

'Does this mean that I can only condense these coordinate marking seeds and try my luck for three
times at most in a single session?' Leylin was rendered speechless. With the experiment being
completely dependent on pure luck, and no way to increase the success rate, his seniors had a huge
advantage when compared to him.

It was no wonder that Duke Gilbert had solicited the help of so many students. The greater the number
of attempts made, the greater the hope to succeed. However, the chances were still low and completely
dependent on luck.

Leylin subconsciously reached for his waist pouch, before quickly withdrawing his hands.

The Coin of Destiny could only make predictions about matters beneath the Morning Star realm. Once
the matter involved the crossover of various worlds, no matter how slight the contact, the coin would be
completely destroyed without being able to make a single prediction.

"You failed? That's normal! Try again!" Robin encouraged him.

Leylin rolled his eyes at Robin, and once again condensed a spiritual force marker, sending it through the
lens.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 407 - A Plan

'Huh? Things are going much more smoothly this time!' Leylin was amazed for a moment, and then fell
back into silence.
In the middle of that thought, his spiritual force symbol had entered turbulent space again. An eastern
wind soon picked it up, sending it forth into the distance.

What awaited it in the distance was a terrifying fire whose aura was slowly but surely increasing.

Through the response from the symbol, Leylin vaguely saw an incomparably enormous world.
Surrounding this world was a membrane of sorts.

"Really? Is Lady Luck on my side?" Although Leylin had his doubts, he continued to dash forwards with
his spiritual force.

"Who is it? This is the Blazing Flame King's territory, get lost!"

A loud rumble was heard, and Leylin felt a powerful aura that caused his symbol to crumble apart.

*Thump thump!* Leylin stumbled a few steps backwards, blood oozing out from both his nostrils.

"What happened?" Robin immediately stepped towards Leylin and supported him.

"I seem to have discovered a world, but was blocked at the edge and attacked by a self-proclaimed
king!"

"Oh! That is the Blazing Flame World! It is under the control and protection of the Monarch of Blazing
Flames, Breaking Dawn Magus Aragorn!" Robin's expression showed both understanding and
indignance.

"They were already under his subjugation! " Leylin remarked with his eyes opened wide.
"Yes! A few of the famous Breaking Dawn Magi here have already attacked and conquered some worlds
with horrifying accomplishments. We even suspect that it is the spoils of these wars that have allowed
them to enter the Breaking Dawn realm..."

"Afterwards, the Breaking Dawn Magi and their subordinates will protect the conquered world, stopping
us from spying on them. On top of that, the guardians and other Radiant Moon Magi use their spiritual
force to invade unconquered ones, at the same time destroying our spiritual force symbols!" Robin's
smile was forced and bitter.

"Therefore, avoiding probes by those formidable powers and camouflaging our spiritual forces until the
time is right are topics that are very valuable for research!"

"Ah! " At this moment, the rank 3 old man looked as if he had provoked something, stumbled backwards
and looking upwards, shouted :"Be careful, it is heading this way!"

*Ji Ji!* An unpleasant sound transmitted out from the mirror in front of him.

A huge tentacle stretched out from within the mirror. It appeared to be some species of octopus, but
without suction pads on the pure black tentacles, it looked extremely illusionary.

"Intimidating Gaze! Toxic Bile!"

Despite facing possible death, the rank 3 Warlock showed no fear. He extended his domain and under
his manipulation, Toxic Bile manifested itself and became a trident, piercing through half the body of the
black octopus-like creature.

*Peng!* The mirror shattered into pieces as the octopus succeeded in squeezing its way through. It's
skin was filled with eyeballs all over, making it a horrifying and gross sight.
*Phush phush!* The highly toxic black poison fork had pierced straight into the body of the octopus, yet
no injuries were inflicted.

"Innate skill of virtual transformation! This is most common attribute among the living creatures in
space!"

Leylin momentarily remembered what he had recorded.

Soon after, a huge ball of pitch-black smoke was puffed out from the mouth of the octopus and started
to attack in the form of infrasonic waves. Leylin immediately retreated to a distance.

The old man yanked the crystal crucifix that he wearing and held it up in front of himself.

*Thud!* Beneath the octopus' black tentacles, the crystal crucifix proved to have no effects and it was
penetrated through easily.

The octopus came face to face with the old man and pounced on him. Countless big and ferocious teeth
started appearing beneath.

"A pretty good creature!" However, the octopus did not came into contact with the old man's face. It
was grabbed firmly by yet another palm.

*Snap! Snap!* Multiple sharp teeth were gnawing on the hand, producing a spine-tingling sound, yet
there seemed to be no effect at all.

"A space creature! One that has not been seen before! This experiment is indeed valuable!"

Gilbert was full of smiles as he manipulated a layer of blue flame in his hand to cover the entire octopus.
After the ignited flame shrunk considerably, what remained in Gilbert's hand was a blue crystal ball with
a black octopus swimming within it. It looked like a pocket-size ornament.

"And these too!" Gilbert took a deep breath.

A huge hurricane was generated, and Gilbert sucked up the smoke that the octopus had puffed out into
his stomach.

In a flash, the smoke that had caused them so much trouble vanished into the thin air.

"Truly a Morning Star Magus!" Leylin exclaimed with a tense gaze.

"Great! It's all thanks to Lucian for this successful experiment. I will remember your contributions. As for
the rest of you, everyone will get ten thousand contribution points!"

Gilbert then declared the conclusion of the experiment. Looking at his expression, Leylin was sure
Gilbert couldn't wait to lay his hands on the newly captured strange creature for experiments.

"The astral plane might be dangerous, but the gains are rich too!" Leylin felt gloomy from the bottom of
his heart.

While walking out of the laboratory, Robin smiled and turned to Leylin to make introductions: "This is
Lucian, and this is Kesha, they are both my fellow students!"

Lucian was in fact the old geezer who was in the Crystal Phase. As for Kesha, she too was a rank 3 and
Leylin gave both of them a respectful greeting.
Lucian and Kesha extended a warm welcome to their new junior before leaving. Both of their spiritual
forces had been exhausted considerably and they needed to rest and restore their strength. especially
Lucian; he was almost seriously hurt in the process hence he was in a dull mood.

Leylin understood Lucian's feelings, but he was left speechless after he had to adopt nine more
purification processes after the appearance of the strange creature.

At the trading hall of the clan, bright twinkling lights were being emitted from the huge screen. Some
fixed assignments and resource exchanges appeared on it from time to time.

Leylin intentionally looked for the poster selling the life seed. Little did he expect to see there were
many messages left under it. That it was a popular item for sale left Leylin speechless.

He only looked at the messages for a short while before turning elsewhere.

After numerous promotions to a higher position, the processing capabilities of his brain had
strengthened immensely. He was now comparable to a regular computer. With just a few glances, he
could assimilate the information that he needed from the huge screen easily.

"Rank 3 Vapour Phase spell formation, a must-have item for supplementing the vitality and strength of a
Rank 3 Magus. Sale price: One hundred thousand contribution points!"

This was exactly what Leylin needed now.

Cultivation of a Rank 3 Magi was to further compress and concentrate the already small spiritual force
seed.

Firstly, the bright silver spiritual force would be turned into vapour, after which it would enter the liquid
phase and finally crystallisation.
At the final stage, all of the spiritual force would be condensed to a single point, the point mass. This
was the raw material required for advancing to become a Morning Star Magus!

Leylin was currently stuck at the beginning stage of rank 3 and had not even entered Vapour Phase.

"With the help of this spell, together with medication and the right meditation techniques, it should only
be a matter of time before I enter the Vapour Phase!" Leylin reckoned.

There was a door for every stage within the 3rd Rank. And once a Magus reached the Hydro Phase, they
would be allowed to experience entry into the astral gate independently with the assistance of the Magi
tower.

Of course this wasn't a door built specially for the astral plane. It was built for eventual interplanar
exploration in the future.

"Mentor Gilbert might be willing to trade the astral gate blueprint with me for a favourable price!
However, it will be very difficult to acquire the astral stone..."

According to his Mentor, the so called astral stone was a necessary material when building a astral gate.
The origins of the astral stones were unknown, and the Morning Star Magi kept them within their own
circle. Thus, it was seldom seen outside.

Experiments on interplanar travel depleted the energy within these astral stones, and they would then
have to be replaced. Thus, Morning Star Magi didn't have enough of them on hand for their own use,
leave alone selling them outside.

Given their sky-high price, even if Gilbert were willing to sell some to him, Leylin wasn't sure he had the
financial capabilities to buy them.
Leylin skimmed over the screen at a lightning-quick pace, looking out for anything associated with
experiments on the astral plane. Unfortunately, high-grade research like that would not normally be put
on sale. Even the rare piece was immediately gobbled up for a very high price!

Leylin stroked his chin in contemplation. 'Looking at the current circumstances, interplanar travel was a
hot topic in the central continent. Although the weaker Magi did have some knowledge of it, most of it
was still a big secret!

'It isn't realistic to expect to buy a astral stone, and the Vapour Phase spell formation is expensive as
well. It's a better idea to slowly accumulate contribution points as I grow my spiritual force!'

Leylin thought about the ten thousand contribution point reward that Gilbert had handed out today,
and exclaimed that such extravagance was indeed worthy of a Morning Star Magus. A few more visits to
his experiments and Leylin would be able to afford the Vapour Phase spell formation.

It was a pity that most Magi believed in the principle of equal exchange. Leylin's income today was a
payment for the help he rendered, and there was a bonus due to there being gains from this
experiment. Gilbert was not one to just randomly reward his students some points.

'I need to accumulate contribution points, and get a hold of some spiritual force potions that work for
rank 3 Warlocks!' Leylin set these two short term goals.

"It would be the wisest, most compatible and safest way through potions!"

Leylin looked at the screen. There were many highly paid requests for Potion Masters to concoct various
potions. There were also contracts available for long-term patronage.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 408 - Precipitating 3 years

Potions Grandmasters were rare in the south coast, and at that time, Leylin was only a rank 1 Magus.
Thus, he needed to avoid doing things that would leak his secret and lead to trouble.

But the central continent posed no such problems. Even the Ouroboros Clan alone housed a few
reputable Grandmasters, not to mention the entire continent.

Furthermore, Leylin had already become a rank 3 Warlock, and his strength now was leagues ahead of
what it was before. With Gilbert as his back-up, he had no cause for fear. Thus, it wasn't much of a
problem to reveal a bit of his prowess in the field.

It was still important to keep it a secret on the whole. Leylin's Potioneering ability was honed over many
years by personal tests and A.I. Chip simulations. In addition to the Chip's assistance during the act itself,
he'd reached a level of skill that bordered that of the most respected Potions Grandmasters, a
mysterious and unfathomable realm.

But it was unnecessary to show his complete prowess. On top of that, through Potioneering, he could
get hold of the majority of the recipes from the central continent for free. Moreover, most were
exclusive, and would contribute greatly to Leylin's database.

Leylin hoped from the bottom of his heart that, after acquiring all the information the central continent
had with regards to Potioneering, he will have a breakthrough in his skill!

......

3 years later.

Leylin was in his manor in the Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Because of the many people and slaves in
the region, the manor was not as empty as it once was. Once it had started functioning properly, clean-
cut slaves and coquettish maids were walking about everywhere.

There were even some acolytes mixed into this sea of people.

Leylin had gathered all the gifted people in his territory and brought them here. He normally left his
Warlock vassals to guide them, and only came out to teach himself when he was in a good mood.

This arrangement of Leylin wasn't well received by the acolytes but they stayed on for the opportunity
to work under him. Some of the acolytes and Magi even specially moved to his territory.

Inside the specialized living area, Leylin was conversing with Robin.

"Honestly speaking, Leylin, your Potioneering ability has greatly surprised me!" Robin was playing with
the test tube in his hand. The purple liquid inside rippled and reflected a myriad of colours.

Leylin had granted himself both wealth and fame through the selling of potions and Potioneering for his
clan members over the last three years.

The number of high-ranking Magi and Magi of affiliated clans seeking for Leylin's Potioneering had been
on a steady increase.

And Leylin wouldn't reject their offers most of the time, though his success rate was a little lower than
the Potion Grandmasters of the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin's fee was much lower when compared to theirs.
Besides, many Potions Grandmasters had already filled their schedules with requests and were unable
to take on any more requests.

Precisely because of this, Leylin was able to come across the recipes for a large number of rare potions,
which added to his Chip's database as well as his own skill.
"I just have a slight interest in Potioneering. After all, I started my time as a Magus by becoming a
Potions Master's acolyte!" Leylin laughed weakly, his eyes and expression tinged with nostalgia.

"That itself is extraordinary! And I have to mention that it's more than impressive for you to keep up
with your meditation technique while making vast improvements in your Potioneering skills!" Robin
looked closely at Leylin, "Your spiritual force is almost ready to move on to the Vapour Phase, isn't it?"

"Indeed! I'm about to buy a Vapour Phase spell formation and plan to try and break through soon!"
Leylin nodded with confidence. He had nothing to hide.

He'd earned a lot of contribution points through Potioneering. With that and his own resources, Leylin
had indiscriminately bought spiritual force potions for his own use from the Ouroboros Clan. With the
fourth layer of Kemoyin's pupil as a guide, Leylin's path had been clear of any obstacles. With a distinct
aim, his spiritual force had improved significantly in this period.

The resources of the central continent could not be compared to those of Twilight Zone and the south
coast. In addition to the energy-rich environment, it was much easier for Magi to break through and
better themselves here than elsewhere.

"Mm! A Vapour Phase spell formation costs roughly 100,000 contribution points. With the addition of
the necessary materials for it, the total will come up to about 150,000! Do you have enough? If not, I can
lend you some for now!" Robin said in goodwill.

"Thank you so much!" Leylin laughed.

Although Potioneering was a very profitable business, Leylin had only been in it for a very short time.
He'd even spent a huge number of contribution points to purchase spiritual force potions. Thus, he was
not so well-off.

The Ouroboros Clan allowed one to exchange magic crystals for contribution points, but there were
some considerations that led to Leylin not considering that path. One of them was a fixed limit on the
number of crystals a Magus could trade for.

"Oh and here is the information I plan to handover to the clan! Help me do an appraisal!" Leylin
chuckled as he handed a folder to Robin.

After skimming through, Robin lifted his brows and looked back at Leylin, straightening his back in
astonishment. "You... You actually want to bestow your high-grade potion of tranquility to the clan?"

The high-grade potion of tranquility was an improved version of the one Leylin acquired from the great
Magus Serholm, which helped to suppress the emotional instability of Warlocks. Of course, what he
offered the guild was the rudimentary version that was not based primarily on the Icy Scorpion's Breath.
But it still proved relatively impressive in repressing the emotions of high-rank Warlocks

The emotional instability of high-rank Warlocks was quite obvious. Although there were some methods
and potions to control them circulated inside the Ouroboros Clan, the Magi could never have enough.

As long as the root of this problem was not dealt with, such medicine would always be in high demand.
In the past three years, Leylin had refined and manufactured vast quantities of high-grade potions of
tranquility, turning them into one of his biggest sources of income. That he was willing to sell the
formula left Robin extremely surprised.

"Of course!" Leylin laughed as he shook his head. He did not have the time to concoct and sell potions of
tranquility for money. Furthermore, this was an advanced potion! Normal Potions Masters would not be
able to achieve a high success rate at concocting it. It would still be easy for him to return to the
business to earn contribution points if he wished.

"Just this alone is worth around 25,000 contribution points. Looking at you now, it doesn't seem like you
lack points!" Robin laughed bitterly.

"I wish! Honestly, I was thinking of borrowing some from you, senior! I still have a shortage of them!"
Even as he said this, Leylin slyly lifted the corners of his mouth, making Robin feel a little closer to him.

At times, the bond between two people can be improved through the act of mutual support.

"Oh! You won't be able to support your Magus Tower's construction much longer, will you?" Robin's
expression changed into one of understanding, and Leylin just chuckled bitterly.

The construction of Leylin's tower was more or less done over the part three years and now it was
mostly down to the detailing and decoration of each floor.

And Leylin's expectations were exceptionally high. The materials selected were practically the most
premium ones and the resources exhausted were comparable to a chain of mountains.

To be honest, Leylin's weath was enough to sustain the following add-ons to his tower but he didn't
want to be completely transparent. So the facade of a poverty-stricken individual was absolutely
necessary.

"Ah... Leylin, I told you so! Why did you not set your standards lower back then during the planning
process, or build it here at the headquarters directly? It wouldn't have resulted in this situation then!"
Robin consoled.

"No!" Leylin shook his head with a resolute tone.

"The Magus Tower is a reflection of the rank of its Magus. If I were to build one, I will do it with the best
of my abilities! Moreover, I have to think about the future. The Tower being in my territory will act as a
deterrent to the surrounding forces."

"Makes sense. But it is still unwise to use up all your resources for it! I almost prostituted myself when I
was building my mine, even with my family and the clan's resource...." Robin pummeled his chest, fear
lingering in his voice.
Leylin could only roll his eyes at the near-promiscuous flashback as Robin moved on to the main
concern, "Anyway, how much were you thinking of borrowing?"

"I'd like to ask, how much are you able to lend, senior?" Leylin asked as a smile tugged at the corners of
his mouth...

In a short while, Leylin arrived at the trading hall of the Ouroboros Clan with a large number of
contribution points in hand.

After spending the past 3 years here, Leylin was already familiar with the place and headed straight to
his destination upon arrival.

'A.I Chip, Report my current status!' Leyin silently said in his head.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 3 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent Strength: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Vitality:
39.1, Spiritual Force: 240.5, Magic Power: 240 (Magic Power synchronized with spiritual force)]

The A.I Chip faithfully processed and sent the information.

As a Magus, spiritual force and magic power were the most important numbers. Vitality was the
foundation upon which spiritual force was built and sustained, and had to be strong enough; otherwise,
the Magus' body would collapse.

When his strength and agility reached their maximum, Leylin temporarily took his focus away from them
and raided for potions and alchemist spell formation in the clan that can boost his Vitality resulting in his
terrifying increase to nearly 40.

Looking at these numbers, Leylin felt that his own body terribly surpassed many high-energy beings. Not
only was his rate of recovery alarmingly fast, he was able to take on any Magi below rank 2 unarmed!
His bulky physique made cultivating his spiritual force a piece of cake, and he was already prepared to
break through the bottleneck that was the Vapour Phase.

"A.I Chip! Simulate my current shape and compute the conditions needed for me to move on to the
Vapour Phase!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 409 - The Completion of the Onyx Castle

Leylin immediately commanded the A.I. Chip again.

[Task established! Initiating simulation, preparing main stats...] The A.I. Chip rapidly operated, and
projected a 3D hologram in front of Leylin, which faintly resembled himself.

Apart from gathering and analysing large amounts of data, it could also run breakthrough simulations
and obtain concrete probabilities and numbers. This was what made Leylin different from other Magi,
who could only make deductions based on rough estimates of probabilities and slipshod experiments, or
even through luck! And this was one of the reasons for Leylin's successful breakthroughs every time.

[Beep! Simulation completed! Conditions for breakthrough: sufficient spiritual force, the bloodline
essence of the Corrosive Lizard, three portions of Purple Leaf Snake scaled-fruit, and a complete Vapour
Phase spell formation! Success rate: 86.9%!]

The A.I chip presented this to Leylin.

"A close to 90% chance of success is enough!" Leylin clenched his fist tightly.

As they did not have the precise calculations of the A.I Chip, other Magi could only gather some
materials that would help in the breakthrough. One would already thank the heavens if they had more
than a 50% chance of success, let alone such an accurate forecast.

Leylin felt that after the A.I. Chip had fused with his soul, it had improved with his own progress, and its
strengths had been amplified largely. Its predictive ability now greatly surpassed even the best A.I. Chips
of his previous world.

In other words, his current A.I. Chip, even if placed in his previous world, would be too sophisticated to
be copied.

"The Purple Leaf Snake Scaled-fruit and the bloodline essence of the Corrosive lizard are the most
commonly used supplementary materials when Warlocks attempt to make their breakthroughs, and can
be found in the trading hall. Even though they are pricy, I can still afford it!"

Having saved up money as a Potions Grandmaster for three years, and with the huge loan from Robin,
Leylin could be said to have ample funds.

'After this, I'll have to return to my territory to make the breakthrough, as well as to take charge of the
construction of the Magus Tower!' Leylin thought to himself.

A Magus Tower was being constructed next to Onyx Castle. This tower could be said to be his actual
foothold in the central continent, and even as he was Potioneering for the majority of the past three
years, he had not once loosened his watch on the construction of the Magus Tower.

Furthermore, the basic structure was already complete. The remaining portions, such as the installation
of the elemental pools, adjustment of the spell formations and the like would have to be done by
himself. The other Warlocks could only assist, after all, Leylin would not give anyone access to the
secrets of the core of his tower.

'The ability of a rank 3 Vapour Phase allows the activation of rank 4 spell scrolls. Then, we can even
purchase a Scroll of Life from Mentor, that can be used to construct the entire intellectual core of the
Magus Tower. Hopefully Mentor's price won't be too hefty...' Leylin thought casually, while looking for
the data from the screens to carry out his transactions.

Even though he seemed preoccupied, under the tremendous assistance of the A.I chip, all the resources
chosen were top-notch, and even the Vapour Phase spell formation was successfully obtained.

However, during the transaction, he had also obtained some news that made him frown.

"Miranda and Freya returned after completing their task? But they were seriously injured? Why is that
so?" Leylin asked. These two were rank 3 Hydro Phase Warlocks. With the addition of their bloodline,
their strengths were a few levels higher. That they would be seriously wounded had piqued his curiosity.

"Sorry! This is a secret! Even I am unable to get any news!" The peddler who had transacted with Leylin
was a skinny Magus with a huge grin on his face. He did not dare offend Leylin; after all, Leylin was a big
customer, and he had previously earned a huge sum from a previous transaction involving potions of
tranquility.

The Magus came closer and lowered his voice, "However, reports say that a mysterious person attacked
them when they were exploring some ruins! This left the second elder furious, and he swore to find the
culprit..."

"So it's like that!" Leylin nodded, and quickly completed the transaction.

He had to return to his territory as soon as possible to make the breakthrough. He'd merely asked out of
curiosity; no matter how chaotic it was here, it would not affect him.

......

Onyx Castle.
Construction had been completed in the last three years. The entire structure was built out of sturdy
granite, and was reinforced by earth-elemental spells that closed up the gaps between the underlying
rocks. From the outside, the entirety of Onyx Castle looked grand and expansive, exuding a feeling of
deterrence. This was the core of Leylin's territory.

With the amount of reinforcement it had gotten, Onyx Castle could last a few thousand years at the
least. After seeing it, Alesandor remarked that he could hold the fort against fifty thousand elites with
just a few thousand man, but of course this only applied to regular humans.

The castle was carpeted in cashmere. Silver cups and golden lampstands were everywhere. The place
was filled with a flowing light, and its luxury was something few royal palaces could rival.

If a commoner were to use the castle, it might have stirred up criticism and attacks from other jealous
leaders. But since the lord of the castle was a strong Magus, there would be no problem.

The strength Leylin possessed was enough to let anyone with negative intentions despair. The people
would only compliment the nobility of its lord, and not for a moment have any designs on it.

"Looks like Royce and Alesandor have taken care of this place fairly well!" Leylin slowly walked into the
castle.

He looked at the castle's surrounding farmland. A lot of it was already being cultivated, and large
windmills were turning slowly as farmers cleared the earth of weeds.

These were slaves he had previously purchased, with a portion of them being leaders.

In the process of the construction of the castle, a portion of the outstanding slaves and citizens had
received rewards in the form of land. Since then, they had settled down and built a relatively prosperous
area.
Soldiers and tall knights patrolled the place from time to time.

Royce and Alesandor who were appointed and nominated to oversee politics and military matters
respectively had exhausted their time and effort into building a foundation over here due to the
temptation of status and territory. At least in Leylin's eyes, the Onyx Castle looked more or less like a
Marquis' palace.

"Welcome home, my Lord!" Once they neared the main gate, Kubler quickly hurried out. He was
wearing a butler uniform and looked very energetic, with Royce and Alesandor following behind him.

"Mmm! Well done!" Leylin nodded his head slightly, and acknowledged Kubler's work. He was not one
to leave the power in the hands of only two people, and hence he'd left Kubler here as well.

Even though he could be sure that Royce and Alesandor would not dare to betray him, corruption was
inevitable. However, with Kubler around, Royce and Alesandor would not dare to cross the line.

"Master! The latest survey has been completed. Within your territory, there are a total of 13,572
soldiers. The total population is...."

Before Kubler could finish his sentence, Leylin waved his hand and interrupted him. "Write a report
about that stuff and hand it over to me later. For now, follow me. I want to look at the progress on the
Magus Tower!"

Leylin had invested in the Magus Tower more than ten thousand times what he had invested into Onyx
Castle! He would naturally devote minimal attention to it, instead electing to let the A.I. Chip scan
progress reports every now and then.

"As you wish, Master!" Kubler followed Leylin in his rightful position. Meanwhile, Royce and Alesandor
exchanged glances and could only smile grimly.
A small distance from Onyx Castle, atop a mountain, was a huge piece of construction land with various
workers running about.

Because they were building a Magus Tower, they could no longer use ordinary human slaves. Ordinary
humans were useless when it came to certain special construction materials, not to mention the
possible contamination caused by long-term contact with such materials. Even with a purification tower,
ordinary human slaves would perish within a short period of time!

"Hurry! Quicken your pace! Or else there won't be any alloy rods for dinner tonight!" A youthful Warlock
with an iron whip in his hands was shouting in a strange language.

Warlock acolytes, and even some formal Warlocks, were doubling up as foremen and architects in the
construction site, rushing a few strange slaves to speed up their work.

These slaves were large in stature, with hard skin the colour of stone.

These slaves were from the Stone tribe. Leylin had previously deciphered a book written in the Turin
language from the pocket dimension of the Ancient Spirit Slaying Sect. In it there was content left
behind by the craftsmen of the Stone tribe.

The Stone tribe was a type of human race. Because of their naturally large stature in addition to their
stony exteriors that were as powerful as defensive spells, they could be said to have tough bodies. They
were the species ancient Magi favoured to be construction slaves. Much of the construction in the
Ancient Spirit Slaying Sect was done by them.

The members of the Stone tribe spoke in the Turin language, mentioned by the young Warlock, which
was a difficult one to learn. Still, for Magi, it was no big deal.

The Stone tribe existed in Twilight Zone and the south coast, but Leylin had not expected them to be
present here as well, let alone being sold as high-class slaves!
For the construction of the tower, Leylin could only grit his teeth and buy a large batch of these slaves. It
cost him no small amount!

Leylin's arrival naturally attracted the attention of some Magi. Not long after, an extremely good-looking
and youthful Magus came before Leylin and bowed respectfully, "Master!"

What was shocking was that his voice sounded extremely aged, which was not consistent with his
appearance.

"Rise, Parker! What's the progress on the construction of the tower?"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 410 - Attempt At Vaporisation

In his three years in the Ouroboros Clan, it was not as if Leylin had done nothing but brew potions.

Through the support of Robin and a few other seniors, he'd gathered a few henchmen and organisations
under him.

In the Ouroboros Clan, it was a fixed tradition for lower-ranked bloodline Warlocks to support higher-
ranked bloodline experts.

Leylin was a pure-blooded Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, and even had a Morning Star mentor. He
could be said to have boundless potential, and it was obvious that some Warlocks would want to side
with him.

Of course, as he was still not as strong yet and had not done anything to gain himself a reputation, no
powerful people would side him. This Parker in front of him was Leylin's biggest gain!

Parker had been introduced to him by Robin. He was a Black Horall Snake Warlock, and his limit was
rank 3. Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks would obviously not become someone else's subordinate and
become a vassal.

Besides, Parker had only just entered rank 3 and had not even reached the Vapour Phase. Due to his age
and the injuries and poison accumulated in his body due to his adventurous lifestyle, he had lost all
hopes of advancing.

He had joined Leylin's side to make preparations for his family.

Despite all that, Parker was a rank 3 Warlock, and was Leylin's strongest vassal. Thus, Leylin naturally
treated him well, and even took in his grandson as a disciple to strengthen their bond.

"The main structure of the Magus Tower has been completed. It's exactly the same as is in your
blueprint, but the energy circuit and spell formations need to be done by yourself, my Lord. I wouldn't
dare make that decision myself."

Parker had experienced much in his life and knew what could be done, and what could not. Just these
few sentences pleased Leylin a lot.

Leylin couldn't help but turn towards the construction site.

A tall black spire had already taken shape, possessing a vast power within, as if making its presence
known to the whole world.

Parker continued with his report. "Also, we have already stocked up on many of the materials to create
the elemental reactive pool and garden. There's also something regarding the Faens Family..."
"The Faens Family?" Leylin's brows furrowed. That was Freya's family. It was said that there were signs
of their bloodline declining, and it had been a long time since any descendant had awakened their Giant
Kemoyin Serpent bloodline. For this reason, Freya was now going around looking for pure-blooded Giant
Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, and had thus considered Leylin.

"What do they want?" Leylin asked, suddenly alert.

Of course, he was even stronger than before and was not afraid of her. However, this was still
troublesome.

"The Faens Family sent people to contact us, hoping to sell a large amount of materials for the
construction of the Magus Tower at a low price. I've seen them, and they are all top-grade materials and
of great quality... They have even expressed their intentions in helping construct the tower, my Lord! In
times of need, they also offered to send over manpower..."

Parker made sure to note Leylin's reaction as he made the report. Rumours were already circulating
about the previous incident, and he himself wondered whether his master had chosen her.

Leylin twitched upon hearing the news. He glared at Parker, which resulted in him lowering his head
deferentially.

"We can purchase everything at full price, we don't need their discount. As for any assistance they
provide, reject it all," Leylin commanded. Though he knew the other party was expressing goodwill, just
thinking of their goal caused Leylin's expression to warp. He had to resist rolling his eyes.

"Understood, master." Parker acquiesced, though he felt a tinge of pity.

The Faens Family was prestigious amongst the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. They went back a
thousand years, and had an unfathomable background. If he had their sponsorship, the construction of
the Magus Tower would go much smoother.
However, Leylin would definitely not agree to it.

If not, the Faens Family would definitely throw out more bait and lure him into a trap.

Though he could be ruthless, taking all the bait but not caring about them, that would be too shameless
of him. Leylin believed that unless he was in dire straits, he would not do such a thing.

After all, all the resources he had plundered from Twilight Zone were more than enough for him to use
for himself as well as to construct the Magus Tower. Since his needs were all taken care of, Leylin would
not even consider this. It was much too shameless.

It was now night.

In the large Onyx Castle, candles and oil lamps were used everywhere to illuminate the area. There were
even illumination spells such as Eternal Light in several areas, filling the interior of the castle with light.
From afar, the castle was like a large, dazzling column of fire, overflowing with radiance and heat.

All his subordinates and vassals were gathered in the ballroom. After enjoying a sumptuous meal
together, Leylin returned to his bedroom alone.

This was the most secure area in Onyx Castle. Not only were there many regular elite human troops
patrolling, if one went further in, some specific detection spell formations and guard Warlocks would
appear.

He closed his eyes inside his bedroom, and the general situation in the castle entered his vision. He
could not help but nod. "Looks like Parker and the rest are doing quite well."

The defence of Onyx Castle was not bad. Though it was far from perfect, it was impossible for rank 2
Magi to sneak in.

'To truly make Onyx Castle a strategic stronghold against Magi, it might take over a hundred years to
strengthen the defensive spell formations bit by bit. The radiation unwittingly given off by high-ranked
Magi residing here has to affect the whole castle and strengthen it...' Leylin rubbed his chin as he
pondered.

The higher ranked a Magus was, the easier it was for them to affect their surroundings. Leylin believed
that just by emitting the terrifying might of their bodies in the castle, Breaking Dawn Magi could affect
the quality of the castle itself. The powerful members of the Magus World could even give the castle a
life of its own, having it give birth to many strange creatures.

These were the best foundations in creating defensive spell formations. As long as one subdued the
castle's spirit and enslaved all the strange creatures, the defence of the castle would reach its peak.

With his own radiation, he could achieve a similar effect. However, the time taken would be more than a
century.

If numerous Magi were to reside here, this time could be shortened.

Hence, the older a Magus' castle, the more profound the strength of the defence. There would also be
many strange occurrences that even the Magus family occupying the castle would not be able to
explain.

But now? There was still a long way to go on his own.

Leylin calmed his thoughts and conveniently pressed some button on his bed. With a mechanical sound,
the large bed in front of him opened up and revealed a passageway that led downwards.

Leylin walked in expressionlessly. After he entered, the machine closed itself and no trace of it could be
seen from the outside.

The path was long, and by the time Leylin had walked to the end, he had reached deep underground. It
was at least several thousand meters below the surface.

At the end of this path, there was a standard underground laboratory. The surrounding stone walls were
full of runes that prevented energy from dissipating and isolated all auras.

"Though this is still very crude, it's good enough." Leylin waved his hand as he entered the laboratory,
and a defensive screen of light closed off the pathway. This screen was still flickering with a glaring light,
and it was obvious that it concealed an extremely powerful defensive spell formation.

This was a temporary laboratory Leylin had constructed. Before the Magus Tower was done, some
secret experiments could be done here.

Leylin patted the spatial pouch on his waist, and silver rays lit up. Three items appeared on the ground.

One was a giant green crystal that contained a spell formation. Within the transparent crystal were a
few runes that were constantly shifting like a fog.

Another was an irregular black vessel in the shape of a shell. It held within a it green blood that emitted
a nauseating smell.

The last was a set three purple fruits that looked like apples, although they had a fine layer of snake-like
scales on top.

"A vapourisation spell formation, blood essence of the Corrosive Lizard, and Purple Leaf Snake-scaled
Fruit." Leylin extended his slender fingers, looking through these items once more.
The A.I. Chip cooperated with a scan, and then relayed the news that there was no mistake.

"Let's begin!" Leylin muttered, sitting cross-legged at the heart of the vapourisation spell formation.
With a flick of his hand, two pieces of pure magic crystal essence entered the groove in the spell
formation.

The vapourisation spell formation trembled, and the runes within began to undulate violently.

[Host body beginning attempt to break through the bottleneck of the Vapour Phase. Beginning real time
monitoring] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice followed soon after.

"Next is the blood of the Corrosive Lizard." Two streaks of black shot out of Leylin's eyes, disappearing
into the black shell.

*Plop Plop!* The green blood began to bubble, mist rising and forming a large green lizard in the air. On
its skin were numerous signs of corrosion, and its white bones and internal organs could somewhat be
seen.

*Hiss hiss!* The green lizard's front claw scratched at the earth, as if it was eager to give something a
try.

As if provoked by the Corrosive Lizard, Leylin felt the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body begin
to stir.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 411 - Banquet

Leylin's pupils turned amber in an instant.

As if it had been provoked, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body operated frantically,
emitting mysterious energy. This energy was nutritious to him, and thus his body immediately absorbed
it.

Under the effect of these mysterious substances, Leylin's spiritual force began to increase; slowly, but
surely!

"This is the power of the Kemoyin bloodline! Warlocks definitely have a huge advantage in this regard!"
he exclaimed.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent was a terrifying ancient species, adults of which possessed Morning Star
strength. In other words, until a Kemoyin bloodline Warlock attained rank 4, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline in his body would release a large amount of power to help in his advancements.

All bloodline Warlocks would receive this aid, but not all bloodlines were created the same. For instance,
a Black Horrall Snake bloodline would exhaust its aptitude when helping the Warlock rise to rank 3, and
could not help with the advancement to the Vapour Phase or further breakthroughs. It would even
become an obstacle to the Warlock's progress.

"It is likely that the improvements of Warlocks, and my previous personal breakthroughs were largely
attributed to this mysterious energy. Of course, the bloodline shackles thereafter is also largely due to
this cause!" Leylin ordered the A.I Chip to record the nature and content of this particular energy so as
to allow for future study.

At the same time, under the influence of the boiling Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline, a terrifying
phantom in the shape of a black snake had appeared behind Leylin, exuding a powerful and cold
majesty.

Thankfully, Leylin had gone underground and even set up a spell formation specifically to isolate his
aura. Otherwise, he would definitely have alarmed the nearby Magi and Warlocks.
*Hiss* The enormous lifelike Giant Kemoyin Serpent phantom flicked its tongue, and rushed towards
the Corrosive Lizard.

Compared to the enormous snake, the Corrosive Lizard was alike to a pitifully small rat. Even its roars
had been suppressed into whimpers.

*Rumble!* The giant snake phantom opened its big mouth and swallowed the Corrosive Lizard whole.

"Hmmm?"

Just at the instant when the giant snake shadow had swallowed the Corrosive Lizard, Leylin felt the
bloodline strength in his body surge, as if it had become more concentrated. A large amount of strength
began overflowing from his body.

The A.I. Chip showed that his spiritual force had begun to skyrocket.

255... 267... 289... It only stabilised at a value of 299.

The abrupt surge of spiritual force caused Leylin's vision to blur even as his brain ground to a
momentary halt.

"Compress!" A spell entered the Vapour Phase spell formation. Very soon, a resplendent glow erupted
from the spell formation and enveloped his body.

The originally violent bright silver spiritual force in his sea of consciousness shrunk under the pressure.

The large amounts of spiritual force particles, under repeated compression, gave off a greater bright
silver glow, and in the end slowly gathered together to form... a fog!

That was spiritual force in Vapour Phase, the result of a successful compression of his bright silver
spiritual force! Leylin was overjoyed at the sight.

Originally, the bright silver spiritual force was only an indistinct glow. But now, it had become corporeal!

After the first trace of spiritual force had taken shape, the rest of the spiritual force followed suit, and
the conversion became much easier.

Leylin shut both his eyes tightly. The energy around him shrunk, but it now held increased longevity and
was more terrifying than before.

*Kacha! Kacha!* Light glowed from numerous cracks that appeared on the spell foundation surrounding
him, until eventually it crumbled into dust.

It was at this instant that Leylin opened both his eyes. All the spiritual force in his sea of consciousness
had been converted into a thick fog!

[Ding! Host has entered the Vapour Phase! Spiritual force has experienced changes, re-tabulating
results!]

The A.I chip intoned, and not long after a set of data was projected before Leylin's eyes.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock (Vapour Phase). Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Strength: 23.6, Agility:
20.1, Vitality: 39.1, Spiritual force: 251.3, Magic Power: 251 (Magic power in synchronisation with
spiritual force)]

Even though his spiritual force had reduced from before, it actually gave Leylin a sense of relief.

The surge previously was just a surface phenomenon. Not only was the additional strength hollow, it
was not consolidated. The quality of that type of spiritual force was very low. If not for having been
compressed into a vapour, it would have actually impeded further progress.

And now, even though the total amount had decreased, the quality had increased quite a bit!

"Vapour Phase!" Leylin lightly waved his hand, and a foggy spiritual force immediately appeared at his
fingers.

This was the first time that his spiritual force had taken a physical form. The bright silver previously was
just an indistinct glow, but this haze now was tangible!

Just that alone showed how tremendous the changes to his spiritual force had been.

"This is but the beginning! Rank 3 Magi at the Crystal Phase can actually directly condense their spiritual
force into crystals that would not dissipate easily. Even after long-term storage, these crystals could be
used to replenish their spiritual force, or even sold to others..."

According to a few deductions of the A.I Chip and Leylin's own conclusions, this was his future path.

[Warning! Warning! More than 12.6% of the Host's cells are injured! Immediate treatment suggested!]
The emotionless voice of the A.I. Chip sounded out and Leylin stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

"This must be the after-effects of the surge and sudden concentration of spiritual force. I'm afraid that,
apart from my cells, even my sea of consciousness might have been affected slightly!" Leylin smiled
wryly, and thereafter waved his hand once again.

The three sets of Purple Leaf Snake-scaled Fruit that he had bought appeared in his hands.

"Thankfully Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks have a lot of experience, they even knew of some suitable
medicine. The A.I. Chip ran some simulations as well..." Leylin swiftly swallowed a fruit.
The exterior of the fruit had fine scales that felt like hard ice to his gums and teeth.

When it entered the stomach, the icy sensation of the fruit immediately disappeared, instead being
replaced by a flow of warm heat that swiftly spread throughout his body. Leylin's cells were like humans
that had almost died of thirst in a desert, rapaciously sucking up this warmth.

[The agent's cells have absorbed an unknown strength, and are currently in recovery! Current damage:
9.6%]

The damage reported by the A.I Chip was decreasing, and eventually stopped at around 2%.

Minor damage to the body was the most cumbersome to heal. Even with the best medication, Leylin
could only heal himself down to 2% damage, after which it wasn't easy anymore. After breaking
through, Vapour Phase Warlocks would have to treat the damage over a long period by using the
radiation they emitted during constant practice.

Of course, that was a minor price to pay for the breakthrough.

......

The Onyx Castle was holding a banquet to celebrate Leylin's breakthrough.

It was, of course, a gathering of Warlocks. The only ones invited had been Robin, a few other seniors,
and other members of the Ouroboros Clan that Leylin had connections with.

This was another tradition of the central continent. Leylin originally should have held the banquet upon
the completion of Onyx Castle, but he had decided to delay until the Magus Tower had been built
completely.
Now, however, Leylin's breakthrough called for a celebration, so he decided that he might as well hold a
banquet to take care of both obligations.

In the wide hall, large chandeliers hung up high from the ceiling, radiating a bright glow that was a
mixture of spells and man-made flames.

The numerous Warlocks were all gathered in a hall. Since Leylin's status was not too low, there were
many Warlocks who attended the event.

Furthermore, because of the added value of their bloodline, all the Warlocks had were good looking,
and even the old men looked handsome.

Many female Warlocks wore gowns with plunging necklines, revealing their snow-white back and
cleavage, whereas the male Warlocks wore black swallow-tailed coats. From time to time, they would
talk over a drink or invite the females for a dance.

At the corner of the large hall, a band was performing with all their energy, and next in line were poets
and dancers.

"Haha... Leylin, I knew you would succeed! Even though advancing to Vapour Phase is an obstacle for
ordinary rank 3 Magi, Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks like us will never face such a problem!" Robin
laughed dramatically.

Given how high this junior's innate talent was, he was becoming increasingly important to the short
Warlock.

Even at the banquet, the differences in ranks between the various Warlocks was very obvious. The few
rank 3 Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock Marquises, including Leylin, had gathered in a circle and none of
the other Warlocks would dare to interrupt them. A few rank 1 or rank 2 Warlocks with pure bloodlines
had the fortune to listen at the side, but even they had no right to speak.
With regards to the other circles, Leylin needed only to make a toast and say a few words, but the
guests in this circle required his personal accompaniment.

Not only were there seniors like Robin, Lucian and Kesha around, there were a few merchants whom
they had good ties with along with their children. They were essentially his Mentor, Duke Gilbert's,
influence, and hence good connections would have to be made.

Speaking of which, Leylin was more familiar with them, and had held a few transactions with them, and
even coordinated on some experiments.

"This is the younger generation of my family. Come and see Uncle Leylin!" Kesha called forth two of her
nephews and nieces. Those two youths though looked a bit reserved and flushed, but still respectfully
bowed and said, "Uncle Leylin!"

"Mmm! Hello, you two!" Leylin said, his face stiff. He was not even a hundred years old. These two
Warlocks with pure bloodlines, who were their family's hopes, were probably older than him!

"Senior Kesha's 2 nephews and nieces have a very rich bloodline within them, looks like they have a
bright future ahead of them!" Leylin complimented, which had caused Kesha to beam with delight.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 412 - Lamia Hair

Much to his chagrin, Leylin had discovered that even though the Ouroboros Clan had a long heritage and
was a large, powerful organisation, there were many traditions and complex regulations that were very
tedious.

Especially in terms of hierarchy; nobody knew whether it was inherited from the Giant Kemoyin
Serpents, but their hierarchy was very rigid.

Previously, even if they were all Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, Kesha who had reached the Vapour
Phase would pay no attention to someone like Leylin. Yet, the moment he made the breakthrough
himself, here she was, her attitude having flipped completely. This had dumbfounded Leylin.

Lucian was the same. He who was at the Crystal Phase was the strongest here, and sat quietly in a
corner, drinking smugly. Unfortunately, everyone had already accepted such behaviour as a norm.

Even if he rolled his eyes internally, Leylin understood that he could only do things according to the
rules.

"Senior Lucian has always been like this. He has suffered a lot previously, and just can't bring himself out
of it!" Robin transmitted after noticing Leylin's gaze.

"Actually, he's extremely delighted at your breakthrough. Normally, he wouldn't even deign to take a
glance at a banquet invitation!"

Perhaps because he was Gilbert's butler, Robin's communication and observation skills were
outstanding. Just a glimpse at Leylin in his peripheral vision and he'd realised things, explaining Lucian's
attitude.

"Don't worry, I understand!" Leylin smiled wryly. Even if Lucian decided not to show him respect, he
could do nothing about it.

Even with all his trump cards, Leylin could at most deal with a Hydro Phase rank 3 Magus. With that kind
of difference in strength, it was useless to talk about it. Had Lucian not considered his Mentor Gilbert
and the fact that it was Leylin's first invitation, he might not even have come.

"Oh, right! Let me introduce you to my apprentice, Snoopy!" A reserved youth walked up at Leylin's
introduction, a dimpled smile on his pockmarked face.

"He... Hello distinguished masters!" Snoopy greeted all the Magi, stumbling on his words.

A few rank 3 Warlocks merely nodded aloofly and did not pay much attention, and even Kesha's 2
younger generations looked down on him.

They could see Snoopy's Black Horrall Snake bloodline at one glance. Even though a rank 3 Warlock
bloodline was considered a big deal even in the central continent, those with higher bloodlines thought
nothing of it.

Immediately, they linked this sight to Leylin's top subordinate, Parker and guessed the motives behind
Leylin's acceptance of this apprentice. They would naturally not pay any more attention, but on account
of Leylin, they had nodded their heads in recognition.

Fortunately, Leylin had only brought Snoopy out for exposure, and quickly dismissed him after he had
bowed to everyone.

Snoopy's response was quick, and his withdrawal was even faster. With a tinge of embarrassment on his
face, it appeared to Leylin as if he was fleeing.

"This is the hierarchy of Warlocks!"

Leylin sighed internally. In comparison, though Kesha's 2 younger generations were slightly lower in
strength, because their bloodline was distinguished and there was the possibility of making a
breakthrough to rank 4, they would immediately receive more attention. Even the rank 3 Elders would
consider this normal.

For Warlocks, even though bloodline could not determine your lowest achievements, it could dictate
your greatest.
Take for example the two Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks Kesha had brought along. They needed only
to put a bit more effort and spend more time, and it would be child's play to reach the Vapour and even
Hydro Phase. However, the advancement to the Crystal Phase depended on one's innate talent. As for
the breakthrough to the Morning Star realm, innate talent alone was not enough. There was a huge
amount of luck to be factored into it!

After all, they were not first generation Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. Their bloodline was not as
pure, and could not allow for the adults to easily advance to rank 4.

In actual fact, in the entire Ouroboros Clan, there were already no more absolutely pureblood Giant
Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. Their bloodlines had faded with the passage of time. For the three elders to
break through to the Morning Star realm required not only a large amount of resources and effort, but
also a stroke of luck.

Leylin did not know how pure his bloodline was, but the A.I Chip and the recognition by the few seniors
and Mentors seemed to suggest that it was not too bad.

In fact, he had immense confidence in the bloodline purification skills of the A.I Chip.

During the period of time he was in the Ouroboros Clan, he had discovered that even in the central
continent, there were no microscopes here that could form images at the genetic and atomic levels.

Their research at most halted at the cells. Their best microscopes could at most see the structure of a
cell.

Previously, the A.I Chip had directly extracted the part of the genes that belonged to the Giant Kemoyin
Serpent from the bloodline essence of the Black Horrall Snake, and reconstructed them.

Leylin even suspected that the bloodline within his body could compare to that of a first generation
Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock!
Mind you, that was a bloodline that allowed a Warlock to progress to the Morning Star realm
automatically as he aged.

Leylin's own improvement had been too rapid. He was only a hundred years old, an infant among Giant
Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. Thus, he did not have a deep enough understanding of the frightening
potential of his bloodline.

Still, it took way too long for Giant Kemoyin Serpents to mature. If he was to advance at the same rate
as his bloodline would let him, he would only be a rank 1 Warlock as of now. With the passing of time,
he would feel his spiritual force growing slightly even if he did nothing but sleep all day. After finishing
semi-conversion and complete conversion, his strength would soar. At about 500 years of age, he would
become a rank 3 Warlock. As for a Morning Star Warlock? That would take him until he was 900 if he
only depended on his bloodline.

In other words, Leylin's current improvement was rapid to the point that his bloodline could not keep up
with him.

'Even if I have almost 900 years of life according to the A.I. Chip, the risks with waiting that long are way
too high!' he thought as he stroked his chin. On top of that, Leylin can't be sure that the purity of his
bloodline was enough for a breakthrough to the Morning Star stage by the time he reaches 900.

As such, he would continue to work hard!

At the very least, his bloodline shackle would not retard his progress before he hit rank 4, and he would
be able to advance to that realm without any obstacles.

"Penny for your thoughts?" His introspection had obviously drawn Robin's attention.

"Oh... It's..." Leylin summarised his ruminations on his bloodline growth, obviously concealing his
conjecture on its purity and instead diverting the conversation to how he could develop his bloodline.
"...So, you wish to find out whether there are any medicines or materials the Ouroboros Clan uses to
speed up bloodline growth?" Robin looked at Leylin, and did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Many Warlocks depend on the strength of their bloodlines when using their meditation techniques to
slowly improve in ranks. A case like yours, where the host's strength surpasses that of the bloodline's
growth is extremely unlikely..."

"Unlikely, but not impossible!" Leylin was determined. The central continent had many groundbreaking
talents, and the Ouroboros Clan was where Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks congregated. There must
be a way!

Still, any solutions that existed were sure to be extremely precious and hidden. Leylin had never seen
such a thing in the trading hall.

"Indeed. Like you, Leylin, our organisation has had a few Warlocks in the past whose strengths far
surpassed their age!"

Kesha interrupted, "And they used a top-notch precious material to increase the growth of their
bloodline to remarkable results!"

"What material?" Leylin's eyes glowed.

"Lamia Hair!" Kesha did not intend to leave Leylin in suspense, and gave him a specific term.

"A.I Chip!" Leylin recited internally: "Query the database for Lamia Hair!"

Collecting data and books was habitual for him. Naturally, he hadn't slacked off on it in his time in the
Ouroboros Clan.
The Ouroboros Clan was a major power of the central continent. Its library had a rich collection of data,
and since Leylin was a Marquis, he had little restriction on what he could read, and had thus expanded
his database significantly. What was remaining was naturally not too big a problem.

Although he could not claim that he knew everything about the central continent, the knowledge he had
accumulated in this period would not lose out to that of a scholar who was a few hundred years old.

[Lamia Hair: It is an ancient precious material. Legend has it that a strand of hair from the ancient Lamia
has a extremely horrifying ability. Rank: 3, Rarity: 4, Description: The Lamia was an extremely tyrannical
being in ancient times. Other than strange spells, they were experts at controlling lower serpents to
attack, and normally lorded over snakes! Legend has it that they were direct descendants of the Snake
Dowager, and were comparable to Radiant Moon Magi in adulthood!]

Leylin saw the description given by the A.I Chip and could not help but smile wryly.

A description in terms of rank and rarity was standard on the central continent. Rank 3 indicated that
the material was only effective for rank 3 Magi, while the rank 4 rarity meant only Morning Star Magi
could get their hands on one.

Needless to say, the assessment on how it could compare to a Radiant Moon Magus in adulthood
shocked Leylin completely.

A Radiant Moon Magus was at rank 5! They exceeded Morning Star Magi by one full rank, and there
were few Magi on the central continent who possessed such strength.

How would Leylin, who could not afford to offend even a single Morning Star Magus, dare to think of a
plan involving Radiant Moon Magi?

Of course, the strength of the beings themselves was one matter, the resources were yet another.
"For senior Kesha to mention it, could it be that Mentor has strands of Lamia Hair?" Leylin's eyes lit up.
The ancient Lamia had been extinct for a long period of time. But some remains could have been
discovered by Magi, and it would be extremely normal to obtain these resources as a result.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 413 - The Forgotten Land

"It looks like you're extremely familiar with this material, Leylin. At the very least, you should've read up
on something similar before!"

Kesha first nodded her head, before smiling wryly, "Lamia Hair can nourish the Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline within our bodies. I won't go into detail, but it's useful enough to have others fight you for it.
Nobody who has some will want to sell it! Moreover, it will be used up the moment someone discovers
it. The reason I know of it is that Mentor Gilbert had obtained such a material when he was younger..."

This was an eye-opener for Leylin. Given how much the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline had
deteriorated by now, the current generation's bloodline could not be considered extremely pure. At the
bottleneck before the Morning Star realm, the current bloodline in the Ouroboros Clan could only
provide a tiny bit of help.

On the other hand, once nourished, this bloodline would have been strengthened greatly. Not only
could it allow weaker Warlocks to advance rapidly in rank, it would lay a solid foundation for their future
breakthroughs.

Perhaps this was the primary reason for Duke Gilbert's successful advancement to the Morning Star
realm.

Leylin could only sigh, helpless. This type of top-notch material was not easy to acquire, and one
required both sufficient strength and fortune to get their hands on it.
At that very instant, Leylin noticed that Robin's expression had warped. Leylin put it into memory before
beaming and changing the topic.

Leylin's study in Onyx Castle.

The banquet had already ended, and an attendant had currently led Robin here, opened the door and
entered before retreating with a bow.

Leylin was sitting on a couch, the glass in his hands filled with dark red wine that was rippling under the
light.

"The wine produced in this year is actually my personal collection! Does Senior Robin want a glass too?"
Leylin swirled the wine in the glass.

"Of course!" Robin sat down on another couch and picked one up for himself.

After pouring a small amount, he swirled the wine as well, his face expressing his enjoyment. "Grape
wine brewed during the harvest year! It's a rare sight these days!"

"Parker and the rest sent it over to me. Apparently, it was a tribute from some royals in the vicinity!"
Leylin laughed. He was not interested in anything that was purely for enjoyment, and moved on to the
main topic after some pleasantries.

"When the matter of the Lamia Hair came up today, Senior, you seemed to have some thoughts about
it?"

"Mmm!" Robin squinted his eyes and deeply inhaled in the fragrance of the red wine.
"Since senior was willing to come over, the information must be something that can be shared. Please
state your conditions!"

"Good, that's the Leylin I know!" Robin praised before taking a sip. He continued, " There is no price or
the like, but I need you to keep what you hear today a secret. This information cannot be leaked!"

"No problem, I swear upon the honor of my royal bloodline!" Leylin's face was solemn as he made an
oath.

When two parties were at a certain level of strength, even casual agreements would be binding, let
alone an oath like this. It made Robin smile.

"I do have some clues about the Lamia Hair!" Before Leylin could inquire further, he continued, "I
received information that in the Eastern region of the Forgotten Land, a pocket dimension was found!"

"The Forgotten Land!" Leylin stroked his chin. The A.I Chip swiftly scoured the database for information
related to the Forgotten Land.

The damage output of a Morning Star Magus was immense. Their final techniques held power akin to
nuclear bombs, and had the ability to wipe out countries. Thus, the central continent had signed a peace
agreement that forbid the wanton usage of final techniques, restricting Morning Star Magi from using
their full strength.

Still, even with such a contract, some disputes escalated to the point that battle was inevitable. Clashes
between Morning Star Magi still occurred, and devastated the land every single time.

In Twilight Zone, two Morning Star Magi had inadvertently destroyed the passages linking it to the rest
of the Magus world, isolating the place for thousands of years.

Even in the much vaster central continent, with Morning Star, Radiant Moon and even Breaking Dawn
Magi watching over, such battles would still cause a large amount of damage to the area.

Moreover, some regions would be damaged to the extent that there was no return. All sentient species
would go extinct, and elemental particles would start leaking whenever someone visited the area,
causing the strength of a visiting Magus to drop greatly.

Gradually, some of the affected areas became lands of death. Only strange species and convicts who
could not mix with the rest would bear the hardships of the environment and settle down there.

The Forgotten Land was one such place.

Legend has it that in such vile conditions all the beings would strive to promote their strength, and
evolve in a horrifying direction. Over time, they would form an extremely strange race, and the place
would be fraught with dangers.

"What pocket dimension?" Leylin asked, getting a bad premonition.

Pocket dimensions were naturally not rare in the central continent, and the Ouroboros Clan itself had
the powers to construct one themselves. Although the major powers of the central continent were
focused on interdimensional travel, rank 2 and 3 Magi still built pocket dimensions.

But the resources in the Forgotten Land were extremely poor normally. That a pocket dimension, a type
of region known for being rich in resources, had appeared there would lead to a lot of competition and
bloodshed.

"The pocket dimension must have been damaged during the clash between Morning Star Magi. Due to
its regenerative abilities, a small portion of it was preserved and was unearthed recently!"

Robin placed the wineglass down, his face solemn yet tinged with greed.
"Even though the subordinate who had discovered the mysterious region was under a very powerful
curse, and died painfully immediately after handing me the intelligence, at least I obtained some
information! If you would look at this!"

Robin took out a black leaf. Once it appeared, Leylin felt the bloodline within his body throbbing. He
suppressed the peculiar reactions of his body and took it.

Even though it was an ordinary leaf with green veins, there was an aura lingering on its surface that
caused his pupils to dilate.

Even though the aura was very feeble, it could not in the very least conceal the strong essence behind it,
and even caused Leylin to be fearful.

"The aura of the Lamia! Legend has it that the Lamia could control giant serpents through spells, no
wonder I feel uneasy!" Leylin sighed a long breath of relief: "Did this leaf come from the pocket
dimension?"

The ancient Lamia was a terrifying being at the Radiant Moon realm. Even though there were half-
human half-snake species in the Magus world now, the ancient Lamia was an entirely different species!

And only the threatening aura of the Lamia could make Leylin feel terrified.

"Yes!" Robin nodded.

"According to my intelligence, there is a huge pocket dimension there filled with resources. It belonged
to a Warlock organisation of ancient times. As you know, as long as it's a Warlock organisation, due to
the bloodline limitations of Warlocks, they are the most passionate about collecting bloodlines to mix
and modulate in their experiments. As a result, you will be able to find many materials Warlocks
urgently need!"
"I get it now. You wish to explore, but you don't have sufficient manpower?" Leylin had understood
Robin's plans.

Even though there was a certain level of danger, he was still prepared to journey there. The temptation
of the hair of the Lamia, alongside many other bloodline resources, was sufficient to have him brave the
danger.

"Yes! Apart from you, I have also invited Kesha along!" Robin nodded his head.

Even though they were all rank 3 Warlocks, the Kemoyin bloodline and the Black Horrall Snake bloodline
had a very big difference.

Under him, there was a younger generation of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline who had just
advanced to rank 3, and the rest of his subordinates could at most act as assistants, and were not very
useful.

"Looks like there are more risks!" Leylin leaned back.

As to why Robin did not invite Lucian who was at the Crystal Phase, or even directly reported it to
Gilbert, Leylin did not need to think much to understand the reasons why.

Robin himself was at the Hydro Phase, and with Kesha and Leylin at the Vapour Phase he could suppress
them easily. If they were to call Lucian, how would they distribute the potential yield?

And if he were to inform their Mentor, there might not be many resources left for him.

Of course, Robin had made the decision after examining their strength. He had felt that if the three of
them were to join forces, they would be able to obtain the resources in the mysterious region. Even if
they were to meet obstacles they could not overcome or were not able to succeed eventually, there was
still time to invite Lucian or Gilbert then.

"I have no questions! When do we set off?" Leylin asked.

"There's no rush. I have to make preparations on my end as well. I need about 2 more months. After 3
months, let us gather at the headquarters and set off together!"

Robin said the specific timing, and at the same time placed a document on the table. "This is the
intelligence regarding the Forgotten Land and the pocket dimension. You should have a look at it, and
prepare yourself accordingly!"

"Got it! See you 3 months later at the headquarters!" Leylin nodded, and got up to send Robin out of the
study room. After which, he sat down and did not utter a word.

The A.I Chip was swiftly scanning the documents Robin had left behind, and was carrying out
comparisons and making deductions.

"There are no problems with the data, looks like Robin is sincere!"

Leylin stroked his chin.The data related to the Forbidden Land which Robin had provided was generally
similar in content to the data the A.I Chip had collected, and was even more comprehensive and
detailed.

"Quicksand! What a weird name for an organisation. Is that a Warlock organisation?"

Quicksand was the organisation that created the pocket dimension. Legend had is that it was a Warlock-
based organisation, but it was unlike that of the Ouroboros Clan which only accepted Warlocks of the
same bloodline. Instead, it was heterogeneous, and would accept Warlocks of any bloodline. As a result,
the condition of the members was extremely complicated, and there were even some members with
bloodlines that were only heard of in folklore!

And this pocket dimension seemed to have been constructed by the Quicksand Organisation, as a place
meant for experimentation on the modulation and combination of bloodlines.

Of course, no matter how formidable Quicksand once was, it had disappeared in the ancient final war,
and was now an abandoned mysterious region.

But Leylin delved deeper into his thoughts.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 414 - Noah

"Perhaps the Lamia Hair within the pocket dimension was not obtained by capturing an ancient Lamia.
There might have been someone who advanced their own Lamia bloodline to the extreme and has even
gone through atavism, thus leaving this item behind."

When a Warlock's bloodline was concentrated to its limit, it would transform into its original form. Once
this process was over, a Warlock would discard their original appearance as a human, and completely
turn into a creature alike to his bloodline origin.

By that time, the Warlock would no longer be human. Even those with the same bloodlines would not
be able to tell that it was a Warlock who had gone through such a process.

In other words, if Leylin did so, he would truly turn into a Giant Kemoyin Serpent.

"Hm... Forget it."

Leylin imagined himself as a giant serpent, only able to swallow raw food everyday and looking for
female serpents whenever he had to sate his desires, and it made his whole body shiver.

'The Morning Star morphing technique is enough. I have no desire to really become a giant serpent,' he
decided.

He pursued strength and dominance, as well as his own freedom. If the option was that he obtained
unequalled strength and yet suffered for eternity, it was fine if he was not unrivalled.

In addition, the closer he was to the source of his bloodline, the greater the suppression of his mind by
higher members of his race.

In the ancient war of the Icy World, the Snake Dowager was the only thought in mind. Many Giant
Kemoyin Serpents who risked their lives and battled with beings from other worlds were more than
aware of this. Leylin did not want to be controlled by someone after all his efforts and become cannon
fodder.

Of course, all this was far into the future. Right now, all he was focused on was using the Lamia Hair to
nourish his bloodline, allowing it to mature faster and bring him to the Morning Star realm.

In the central continent, rank 3 Warlocks were respected, but only Morning Star Magi held any actual
clout.

Only after reaching the Morning Star realm could he perform experiments on astral gates alone,
attempting to travelling between various places and worlds. This was the only method for Leylin to solve
the issue of his bloodline and could not be substituted.

After thinking about it for a while, a silver light flashed in his hands, and a dull gold coin appeared.
'If I go to the pocket dimension, will I be able to get all that I want and leave safe and sound?' With this
thought in mind, Leylin tossed the Coin of Destiny in his hand.

*Pak!*

The coin landed steadily on the back of his hand, revealing the image of a luckbird. At the same time,
slight cracks appeared on it.

Noticing this situation, Leylin kept the coin away, and a flash of excitement could be seen on his face
before he turned serious.

'It'll work out, but the power of a Morning Star will hinder me?' The Coin of Destiny was a unique magic
item that Leylin had sacrificed blood and tears to make. It had the terrifying ability to predict the future,
but could not be used when powers at the Morning Star realm and above.

Every time a prediction involved a being with Morning Star strength, the coin would crack further and
further until it would eventually be destroyed.

Leylin had a feeling that after losing this Coin of Destiny, he would not be able to create another for a
long time.

'What does this prophecy mean? Is there a Morning Star creature slumbering in the pocket dimension,
or will there be Morning Star Magus outside who'll interfere' Leylin rubbed his eyebrows, the many
possibilities flying through his mind and giving him a headache.

The Coin of Destiny was a non-living thing and its prophecies were vague enough to baffle him on
occasion.

In addition, destiny could not be grasped so easily. Even the coin could make some wrong predictions,
especially in a place like the central continent where almost every area was overseen by Morning Star
Magi. They would affect destiny even more.

Morning Star strength was already able to slightly affect the force of the river of destiny.

The strong grasped their destiny. This was an eternal truth.

Hence, the prediction of this coin could only act as a reference and might not be accurate. Blue light
flashed in Leylin's eyes, and all sorts of possibilities streaked through his mind...

About two months had passed in the blink of an eye.

Leylin was now in front of the black Magus Tower, with various runes and strange metal plates on the
ground.

"Enchant!" Foggy spiritual force congealed to form a solid rune pen that carved out refined, complicated
patterns on the metal plates. All the patterns combined to form a dazzling spell rune and imprint.

After the last stroke was completed, the many metal plates were shrouded with dim light.

"Your enchantment techniques have probably reached the level of a master and are not far from those
of a grandmaster, my Lord. My respects towards you!" Parker glanced at the enchanted metal plates, of
which almost all had been done successfully, his expression revealing his admiration.

The young man in front of him had reached the Vapour Phase before he turned a hundred, leaving him
biting the dust. His knowledge in potioneering had even reached the level of a grandmaster. It seemed
like his enchantment knowledge was also not to be underestimated, at the level of a master!

'Looks like my master's future will be hard to predict!' Parker suddenly had this thought. 'This is good
too. I've made the right choice!'
Leylin cared little for Parker's thoughts. He glanced at the enchanted metal plates that he had worked
on, looking satisfied.

In actuality, with the support from the A.I. Chip, what he was least afraid of was complicated things like
this. His skills in enchantment and alchemy had long since reached the level of a grandmaster.

He had even intentionally failed a few so that he would not be seen as terrifying.

He would be considered a genius if he could be one or two steps ahead of everyone. However, being ten
or more steps ahead would cause panic, and he would be seen as a freak. Leylin obviously did not want
that to happen.

"Parker, spread these isolation plates within the positive and negative energy elemental pools based on
the blueprint from before. Is that understood?"

Leylin took a white towel from a deferential Snoopy and wiped his hands as he spoke to Parker.

The Magus Tower was now completed with the efforts of the Stone Tribe men. The next order of
business was to carve defensive runes and activate spell formations.

The Warlocks that sided with Leylin were like him, spending all their time adding these runes on all sorts
of materials. After inspection, they were stored until the building's construction was completed.

"Understood, master." Parker respectfully bowed 90 degrees, leaving Leylin flabbergasted. This new
vassal of his seemed to be even more respectful than before.

However, this was to be expected. The might of a leader was built from strength and obedience.

"Also, I'm planning to leave. When I'm not around, you're in charge of everything regarding the
construction of the Magus Tower. A few supportive facilities have been built. However, the activation of
the spell formations will wait until I'm back, I'll do that myself," Leylin commanded.

These miscellaneous matters could be passed on. As long as he was the one checking everything and
activating the spell formations, there was no problem.

The last step, which was to give life to the structure, was enough for Leylin to make the whole Magus
Tower perfect and even have a spirit of its own. If there were any issues, all would be known to him.

"Understood. Master, are you going on a long journey?"

The Magus Tower was only half-done, and it was the lifeblood of a Magus. Usually, nothing could move
them from the tower, which was why Leylin's actions were very strange.

"Yes! I'm going to the headquarters, but it is not certain how long it will take." Leylin glanced up the sky,
into the distance.

He had a reason why he had to go there. The temptation of the Lamia Hair was too much for him. In
addition, besides the last few steps, the construction of the Magus Tower now was all about the details.
There was no need to stay here and supervise.

......

A few days later, outside Phosphorescence Swamp.

"Haha, Leylin, you're finally here. We've been waiting for you!" Upon seeing Leylin's figure, Robin
immediately moved over and gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"My apologies. I had some work to do so I'm a little late." Leylin had an apologetic look on his face as he
greeted Kesha.

Besides Robin and Kesha, there were nine other Warlocks whose auras made it evident that they had
reached rank 3. Leylin couldn't help but sigh in admiration at these Warlock families who had
accumulated their bloodline and strength for a long time. Just a casual request would call forth many
powerful Warlocks.

"This is Noah. You've seen him at the banquet before." Robin laughed as he pulled Leylin aside.

"Uncle Leylin!" This young man named Noah had wine-red eyes that were very memorable.

This young man was Robin's nephew, and he had a very concentrated bloodline. He had already reached
rank 3 and Robin thought highly of him. Leylin had also seen him once before at the banquet.

As for the rest of the rank 3 Warlocks, Robin merely skimmed over them.

Headed by Leylin and the other three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, the eight other Black Horrall
Snake Warlocks were also at rank 3 but had a lower status.

Out of these eight rank 3 Warlocks, Robin had brought over five, and with his nephew added in he held
the most authority in this small group. Kesha had brought three Black Horrall Snake Warlocks from her
own family over. Those rank 1 descendants from before had not appeared at all, and it was probably
because she knew this expedition would be dangerous, and it was pointless to bring them along.

Leylin was alone and looked quite pitiful.

Out of all his subordinates, only Parker was somewhat acceptable. However, he was useless in this
expedition, and might even have hindered them. Leylin though it'd be better if he just stayed and looked
after domestic affairs.
"Alright. Since everyone is here, let's go! The Forgotten Zine is very far from here, and it will take a
month by airship." Robin waved his arm in high spirits.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 415 - The Descendants' Issue

Leylin and company's departure did not rouse much commotion in the Ouroboros Clan.

Warlocks did not spend all their time on research. Adventuring and the exploration of pocket
dimensions were also deemed normal for them. Due to their longevity, even were they to disappear for
a few years, their absence would be inconspicuous.

The twelve rank 3 Warlocks moderated the horrifying radiation and energy undulations on their bodies
and went under the guise of a regular troop of adventurers from the central continent. Discreetly, they
all boarded an airship at a city not far from Phosphorescence Swamp.

Standing on board the deck, Leylin fell silent as he looked at the illustrious symbol of the Fallor Family
splashed across the body of the airship,

"They are indeed the rulers of the skies. They single-handedly dominate and monopolize the entirety of
aerial transport in the central continent!" From the bottom of his heart, Leylin sighed without any
inhibitions.

"What are you looking at?"

A whiff of perfume and seconds later, Kesha walked over, half leaning on the railings and revealing her
sensual beautiful body.
Due to the enhanced bloodline of Warlocks, her skin was more delicate and exquisite. Coupled with her
slim, shaped eyes and slightly curled cherry lips, she eluded a kind of demonic charm that caused some
travellers to have rumblings in their throat and flames burning in their stomach.

Leylin's eyes naturally swept across Kesha's body unrestrainedly, paying particular attention to the vital
parts.

"Hehe!" Kesha laughed tenderly and without a qualm arched her back and pushed her bosom forward,
"The journey is getting rather boring, would you like to go back to my room for some fun?"

Leylin rolled his eyes, lust and illicit sexual relations among the nobles were common. It was even more
normal for those who grasped great power and possessed a long life.

Of course, there were some exceptions among the Warlocks. To attain an even more outstanding and
pure bloodline, female Warlocks would go all out and embrace craziness. In fact, they had the advantage
for seduction.

Leylin smiled and replied, "Pardon me! Not today, you will be the be first to know when I decide to sell
my seed, though!"

"Alright then! Such a pity!" Kesha licked a finger, revealing no hint of her humiliation.

"But still! I really do like you, junior!" She placed her finger on Leylin's chest and with a smile, twirled it
in circles.

However, that was the furthest Kesha went and she attempted nothing else. In the end, she
appropriately settled for casual conversation with Leylin.
"Do you know Freya and Miranda? Kesha asked out of the blue.

"We have met a few times!" Leylin replied with some uneasiness as he drew out the air from his breath.
As far as those two nutjobs were concerned, especially the more powerful one out of the two, he really
had a hard time dealing with them.

"Then are you aware?" Kesha smiled mysteriously, with an added crafty look of a little girl.

"They have been spreading the word that you belong to them and you are their prey. Any other female
Warlocks who have any intentions of looking your way, will have to go up against them!"

"I..." Leylin rolled his eyes in anger, almost cursing in his rage.

"These two maniacs!" he finally exclaimed with extreme resentment.

"Actually, Why don't you seriously consider it? Miranda has to-die-for skills and holds the title of the
Succubus, as for Freya...."

Kesha moved forward, almost leaning on Leylin and whispered into his ears : "Freya has never been with
a man, so she might be a virgin after all!"

The scent from her hair was pleasantly sweet as it permeated the air. Coupled with Kesha's words, Leylin
was left with a dry mouth.

"Why?" A victorious smile surfaced on Kesha's face, "What about now? Do you want me to cease your
desire? My skills might be better than Miranda's!" As she spoke, she stuck out her pink tongue and
gently licked on Leylin's earlobes.

Suddenly, Kesha felt Leylin's body turned cold, just like a block of ice. "So I see, you knew the both of
them?"

She lifted her head in astonishment and saw an emotionless Leylin standing there, both his eyes
sparkling and clear, without a trace of sentiment.

"Yes! I know them, and I am just relaying somewhat of a message for Freya, that's all!" Seeing Leylin's
reaction, Kesha knowingly stepped back, not daring to tease him further.

"Please tell them I will consider it carefully!" Leylin replied nonchalantly.

"Got it! " Kesha looked intently at Leylin: "Your current state! It's as if you're not influenced by the
emotional and passionate moods that arise from your bloodline! I finally understand why Freya could
not get her mind off you! Such an outstanding bloodline. It is what we Kemoyin Warlocks need...."

Watching Kesha's back as she was walking away, Leylin stroked his chin and a bitter smile curled the
edges of his lips.

Even for Kemoyin Warlocks, deterioration of one's bloodline cannot be avoided. Looking at the three
Black Horrall Snake Warlocks from Kesha's Clan, it was obvious their bloodline could not avoid the
inevitable degeneration either.

Thinking back on her recent temptation, at least half of it were real. If Leylin had agreed to Kesha's
seduction and had multiple sexual escapades with her, she might have even helped herself to obtain his
bloodline

Even if it weren't for the bloodline, according to the emotional state of minds of female Warlocks, as
long as the mood and feel were right, they will go ahead and copulate with other Magi.

In the Magus world, other than female Warlocks, the same applied to the female Magi. Those girls who
were pure were a rare species.
But Leylin really had no interest at all. He was in the middle of a risky journey and had no mood for it.
Even if he needed the company of a lady, his choice would not be Kesha, Freya or Miranda.

These ambitious female Warlocks would do anything for the continuation of their bloodlines. As female
Warlocks, they must have done their research on the nourishing of the bloodline with some specializing
in techniques and spells to do it. They were well aware of the ways to attain the seed of a male,
something which did not surprise Leylin at all.

He was not completely confident in the A.I. Chip's ability to calm him down, as well as his control over
his own body against the methods they deployed to acquire his bloodline.

If anything unthinkable were to happen, resulting in a pile of descendants that were raised and taught
by other clans, it would be mind-boggling and Leylin dreaded the idea.

Besides, there was another hesitation in his heart

His bloodline was purified by means of the A.I.Chip and the purity level was exceptionally high, almost
equalling the original bloodline. With his own ability and with the help of the A.I. Chip, he was able to
conceal his true strength and capabilities from others, but a newborn baby could not.

If his peculiar bloodline were to be discovered, given the greed of those Morning Star Magi, he might
have been captured to become a reproductive machine for the next generation.

God knows, they might even be able to extract and strip him of his bloodline!

Therefore, until he was absolutely sure that it was safe, he would not allow the outflow of his bloodline,
not to mention having descendants.
"But, nevertheless, if I am promoted to the rank of a Morning Star Magus and I want to start a clan of
my own in the central continent, I am afraid those female Warlocks are my only choice!" Leylin stroked
his chin.

Being a pure Kemoyin bloodline Warlock, in order to have strong and powerful descendants in the
future, it was naturally more suitable if he chose a female Kemoyin Warlock.

As for female commoners and ordinary Warlocks, children he had with them would have their bloodline
diluted to half of his, something which was unacceptable.

The quality of a Warlock's bloodline was known to be the best in the first generation. The more
concentrated it was, the better they would be.

These minute details flashed across his mind once before he tossed them aside.

"This is not the right time for me to think about such matters!"

Leylin squinted his eyes, enjoying the natural and pure sunlight from the deck. A look of satisfaction
gleamed in his eyes and his thoughts wandered to a faraway place.

......

As far as Warlocks were concerned, long and slow journeys were not torturous. At worst, they might
have to stay in their room every day and meditate to pass time. And since the Fallor Family had provided
such excellent services in the first class cabin, Leylin was satisfied, especially with the meals provided.

Given how poor Twilight Zone's environment was, the food and drink of the central continent were
worlds apart.
And no matter how long a journey was, it had to come to an end.

The huge airship started descending, casting a huge circular shadow on the ground. The shadow kept
spreading until at last, a loud thump was heard.

"This is Sin City station. All passengers who are alighting, please maintain order!"

After the airship had stabilized, a group of workers and slaves opened the warehouse latch and started
unloading the goods. A few flights of stairs were unfolded and secured to the ground. The passengers
who were going to alight got ready and started forming a queue.

"We are finally here, the border of the Forgotten Land, Sin City! Even the name is unpretentious with no
need to cover up!"

After multiple flights on airships and a month of travel, Leylin had finally reached his destination as he
mingled among the other tourists.

He fixated his eyes on the orange sun in the distance, and the dilapidated grey and brown walls under it,
as he sighed.

The A.I. Chip issued a warning.

[Beep! The energy particle concentration here is about 10-20% lower than the outside world. Please
take note!]

The spells of Warlocks and Magi were cast through their own energy which galvanised the surrounding
energy particles. Low concentrations of the energy particles would cause a weakening of their power,
leading to greater consumption of their spiritual and magical energies. If they were to face such a
situation all of a sudden, many Magi would probably be thrown into a flurry.
"The elemental leakage had affected even the Forgotten Land!" Leylin sighed, "The power of Morning
Star Magi is too devastating!"

Although the energy particles concentration level was lower than that in the outside world by 20%, it
posed no problem to Leylin.

The concentration level of energy particles of his homeland, the south coast, and the Twilight Zone,
were less than half of the central continent. Spellcasting with such low available energy was natural for
him.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 416 - Nefas

Leylin remembered the relevant information.

Immediately, he looked at his surroundings. Sure enough, the tourists who had departed the car had
solemn expressions, an aura on their bodies that clearly indicated that they were not to be messed with.
Some of them had even covered up their faces.

Those were the slaves and coolies who had been transporting objects underground. They would size up
the batch of tourists from time to time, and their docile gazes concealed a malicious bloodthirst. It was
as if they were waiting for the tourists to reveal a slight opening, for them to rip them apart and devour
them like wolves.

'A chaotic region where strength rules all! A place that reeks of sin! Nefas is the city of sins indeed.'
Leylin thought of the information mentioned by his A.I Chip previously, and along with Robin and the
rest, subtly mixed in with the crowd.
Nefas City had no city guard to speak of, and there was obviously no entrance fee. As a result, there was
a lot of human traffic, but none of it was particularly good. Of course, anyone who was forced to come
here did not exactly have a stellar character.

"Rascal, what are you looking at?" An extremely muscular man who was close to two metres tall gazed
at a youngster with an unfriendly expression.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" The youngster had eyes that were triangular in shape. His mouth opened and he
started to smile apologetically, at the same time nodding his head and bowing.

Just as he had bowed down in his apology, a cold glint emerged in the youngster's eyes. He violently
whipped out a black dagger and stabbed the strong man in the stomach.

"You!" The strong man's face registered rage as he was caught off-guard. Still, a thin layer of defense
formed on his body.

That strong man was actually a Grand Knight that could incite life force! A defence made of life force
was very useful at mitigating the damage from clubs and the like. Even for sharp blows, it greatly
reduced the strength.

*Whoosh!* The strong man's eyes shone ominously as he decided on how to torture the youngster to
death. But instantly, the ominous glint in his eyes, disappeared, replaced instead by terror.

The defense he was so proud of, a Grand Knight's defense, was cut apart like paper by the black dagger.

The black dagger repeatedly, as if following a trajectory, stabbed the strong man's stomach before
violently pushing it in.

"You..." The strong man's foamed at his mouth and he collapsed. He struggled in pain on the ground,
and one could faintly see the ruptured organs and intestines through the wound.
With that type of injury, unless a Magus were to help, the man would completely not have a chance of
survival.

The youngster kept his dagger, and swiftly squeezed out of the crowd before disappearing around a
corner.

"What a pity. The strong man was at the very least a knight! If they were to fight properly, even 10
dwarves would not have been able to win against him!"

"What pity? That dwarf's weapon was something that, at the very least, was leaked out of the Magus
world. With something like that against him, even a Grand Knight would suffer if he was not careful!"

The pedestrians on both sides did not panic at all, and were instead rejoicing at the misfortune of the
strong man who had collapsed in the middle. There were even a few people who exchanged glances
before moving toward the direction in which the dwarf had escaped.

After a long time, a batch of patrolling soldiers arrived, serving well their roles as cleaners and corpse-
collectors.

'The object the dwarf was holding on to was a dagger with a weak spell attached to it. Even though it
had not reached the rank of a low-ranked magic equipment, that alone is not too bad...' Leylin saw the
scene unfolding before him and shook his head internally.

He had seen such a situation occur about four to five times ever since he entered Nefas City. There was
simply nobody watching over this place.

The pathways of the city were paved with knife shavings and hammer splints. There were even
bloodstains that could not be washed off, having long since turned a brownish-black.
In general, this was an extremely chaotic criminal town. Robbery, murder, rape and lewd behavior could
be seen everywhere. Shady businesses were being conducted in the corners, and there was a faint aura
being emitted that caused even Leylin to be uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Leylin and the rest were under disguise as mercenaries, and had a strong aura. They were
also equipped with weapons, and looked like they were not to be trifled with, which had removed many
inconveniences.

However, even so, there were still a few people who did not know better and lusted after the beauty of
Kesha and a few other female Warlocks. They would often unscrupulously block the path ahead, and
make certain requests of Leylin and the rest.

Of course, they had all become corpses, carrying their regrets to their deathbeds.

"Robin, the aura from the shadows is making me extremely uncomfortable." Leylin leaned in to say as he
sped up.

"Very keen perception!" Robin wore a black cloak that only revealed his eyes. "That's right, these
depraved fellows are performing summoning rituals and offering sacrifices!"

"Huh?" Leylin's pupils enlarged; he would not think of that answer in a million years.

Similar to their interdimensional exploration through the astral gate, powerful individuals would
occasionally unload some of their keepsakes or spiritual force particles in the Nefas City through other
planes from time to time. They would even tempt intellectual beings in order to obtain higher strength!

In summary, it was a constant cycle of travelling through respective passageways of designated places
and the Nefas City while collecting depraved souls and stuff like that.

The most famous were the plane that held demons. Legend has it that there were many such locations,
both on the south coast and in the central continent.

Robin smiled and began to explain, "You know, the more degenerate and sinful places are, the more
attractive they are to demons. The sacrifice of spirit and flesh in these environments brings them, even
more, delight, leading to their duplicates, or even original bodies, descending.

"Nefas City's Governor is the mighty demon hunter. Lord Kenyon, the Morning Star Magus!" Whenever
a demon's duplicate descends, he immediately captures it, and either conducts his own research on it or
sells it. Apparently, they sell like hotcakes!"

Leylin was somewhat speechless after hearing all of that.

Lord Kenyon acted like the biggest bait of the entirety of Nefas City, and attracted many different
demons to take the hook.

Whenever these demons were offered tributes, and sent duplicates or even descended themselves,
Kenyon would immediately seize them. To think about it, these demons must have a lot of grievances.

"Well... Is this mighty hunter not afraid of the descent of demons of a higher power?" Leylin voiced out
his worries.

A city like that with demon worshippers in every corner was literally an active volcano! Was that
Morning Star Magus not afraid that by using himself as a bait he would attract troubles?

"Don't worry. This hunter has a very thorough knowledge of demons, and many formidable demons are
not his adversaries! Moreover..."

Robin shot a glance at a corner not far away, "The plane of the demons is nothing! Plenty of Magi have
been eyeing it. If not for the crafty behaviours of the demons, in that they would rather abandon their
duplicates than to leave any tracks, we would have chased after them long ago, and completely taken
over their plane!"

"Furthermore, they are struggling whilst at death's door. According to our predictions, that hunter is the
Magus closest to finding the plane of those demons! He might even have already found it!"

This rendered Leylin speechless. Robin demonstrated to him the confidence every Magus of the central
continent had. That ambition and aspiration were cultivated after having overcome countless planes.

Such a state could only be seen in the ancient times, but the Big War had ended the golden period of
ancient Magi. Now, with interdimensional travel being resumed, the central continent had recovered
part of the glory of the ancients!

'Perhaps, only this mental state that's full of ambition and enterprise can push the Magus world to
greater heights!' Leylin sighed internally, and his spirit grew even more indomitable.

This was the best period! All the resources, knowledge, and meditation techniques were available to
him, and there were numerous planes and strange realms outside that were waiting to be explored and
conquered!

'I need to advance to the Morning Star realm quickly!' In Leylin's heart, the thirst was becoming
stronger. He hoped to be able to leave a legacy, or even take the lead in the rejuvenation of the Magus
world!

Even though he had done similar work in Twilight Zone, that was at a small scale. Where was the broad
stage for the work to be done?

"The Forgotten Land is just after Nefas City! The elemental leakage effect is very intense there, and I'm
afraid there's only less than 1 percent of the elemental concentration of the central continent
remaining. We can only depend on potions and the essence of magic crystals to replenish our spiritual
force and power. Everyone, please take note. If you need to, please swiftly refill your spiritual force
here..." Robin pointed out softly.
"Also, don't go too far in Nefas City, and don't deliberately cause trouble! After all, there's still a
Morning Star Magus here. This particular demon hunter is famous even amongst Morning Star Magi..."

Leylin, along with the other Warlocks, nodded in agreement.

The Ouroboros Clan was considered a large-scale force in the central continent, but did not dominate
the entire continent. They did not rank all that highly, either.

Before they had set off, Robin had explained some taboos to Leylin.

First, the few rank 6 Emperors were a force not to be reckoned with, and for those at the Radiant Moon
realm, they had to avoid getting into trouble with them as much as possible.

The remaining forces fundamentally were of the same rank as the Ouroboros Clan, and hence there was
nothing to be afraid of. As long as their reasons were justified, they could take actions if they wished to!
Warlocks surpassed Magi of the same rank.

Even though all the Warlocks had declared that their spiritual forces were plentiful and their magical
powers were full, Robin still decided to reside in Nefas City for a night before entering the actual
Forgotten Land.

As a result, Leylin and the rest found a clean hotel to reside in after which the Warlocks either
meditated, shopped or bought some necessities.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 417 - Potion Combination

A boundless barren wasteland.

Gales howled, sending the dust hurtling through the air to cover the sky, forming a thick haze.

In this land, twelve Warlocks were hurrying along on a special giant lizard.

"This is the Forgotten Land after all. Look at how sparse the elemental particles are here!" Leylin glanced
at the statistics that the A.I. Chip gave him and shook his head. Even compared to the south coast and
Twilight Zone this place was too poor. Not only was the land barren, even the elemental particles were
scarce. It was no wonder that Magi and other races only chose to live here if they'd run out of options.

Leylin believed that were it not for his ancestral map, even Kubler would have been forced to hang
around this place.

"Regular fugitives can just flee to the Nefas, it is the city of sins after all. From the perspectives of other
Magi in the central continent, going to Nefas City is akin to banishment. Only those that are truly evil
who could no longer stay in their own cities and are being hunted down would choose to come here. We
need to be careful." This was not the first time Robin had warned them about this. It was evident how
great the danger here was in his mind.

*Swish!* Two dense corrosive balls that were yellow in colour flew out and burst midair causing
countless droplets to fall.

The moment these droplets made contact with the similarly yellow sand, they began to emit smoke,
forming a pit whose descent could be seen with the naked eye.

*Chi chi!* A few black figures in the sand shrieked, fleeing far away.
Leylin saw that although these creatures had a head and humanoid limbs, they were only as large as a
seven or eight-year-old child. In addition, their heads were shaped like those of mice, with two giant
white teeth jutting out that looked sharp. Their bodies were covered with fur, and they all had thin black
tails behind them.

'Mouse People! They're a type of lycanthrope, the product of experiments left behind by ancient Magi!'
Leylin quickly recalled information about these Mouse People.

The ancient era was the most glorious period for the Magus World. Not only did the ancient Magi take
over many different worlds and places, they even took away creatures from different worlds to be their
slaves and even guinea pigs. This was why there were so many races in the Magus World.

"Noah, what are you doing?" Robin suddenly shouted at his nephew who had launched the attack.

"Uncle, I merely..." Noah lowered his head, ashamed.

"You can't just attack anything as you please! You're too weak, and you're giving the opponents a
chance to get you! The Mouse People are a very united race, and the blood from their injuries will
attract even more of them. We need to leave this place as soon as possible!" Robin was infuriated, but
after remembering that Noah had only just come out for some experience, he could not help but soften
his words.

"I'm sorry!" Noah found it hard to speak. Though he was no longer young and had long since obtained
the strength of a rank 3, he might not even be as experienced as rank 2 Magi when it came to
confronting enemies.

Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were precious resources in the Ouroboros Clan. They were sheltered,
which was why Noah had no real life experience even if he had theoretical knowledge.

Under Robin's command, the lizard under them increased its speed.
However, it was too late. The situation proved that Robin was not wrong in his lecturing. In less than a
day, they were surrounded by a large group of Mouse People.

"Damn it, why are there so many?" Noah's face flushed as he glanced at the Mouse People who
amounted to more than two thousand. They formed a huge wave and surrounded them, the stink so
bad that he was on the verge of vomiting.

"Mouse People reproduce like rabbits, and they require very little in order to survive. Other races may
find it difficult to survive in the Forgotten Land, but this is not an issue for them. They make use of the
rotten plants and maggots underground to live, and if they are truly desperate, they can even gnaw at
sand and rocks!" Leylin explained to Noah.

"Damn these inferior beings. If we were outside-!" Noah clenched his teeth. Though they had spiritual
force potions for replenishment, they still needed to be frugal.

"It can't be helped. Regular Mouse People are very resistant to radiation and can be compared to rank 3
acolytes. Elite adult Mouse People even have the strength of official Magi. The leader of this group here
is very sly, and I suspect it isn't even here!"

Robin closed his eyes, a white eyeball appearing on his forehead. It was evident he was using detection
magic to search for the tracks of the leader of the Mouse People.

In this situation, in order to keep depletion at the lowest, the best idea was to kill the other party's
leader. However, the Mouse People seemed to be aware of this as well.

"Darl, you guys, prepare to attack!"

Robin opened his eyes and exclaimed to a few of the Warlocks behind him. The five Black Horrall Snake
Warlocks went forward, a great energy wave flickering from their bodies, causing an uproar amongst the
group of mice people.

Robin and the others were the main force and could not afford to waste energy here. They could only
have their followers take care of it.

"Prepare to provide assistance!" Kesha instructed the three Warlocks from her family behind her.

Leylin took around. He was alone and did not have any servants. "Never mind. Their spiritual force and
magic power are also precious and can't be wasted here. Let me do it."

"Leylin, you-? ... Alright. Only you are the most suitable in this situation." Realising Leylin's identity as a
Potion Master, Robin nodded.

"Get away, or you'll pay the price!"

Riding the lizard, Leylin went up front, the terrifying undulations of a Vapour Phase rank 3 Magus
emanating from him.

The disturbance amongst the mice became even louder, but nobody left.

Leylin couldn't help but admire them. The use of his aura to suppress them might be easy for creatures
with lower intelligence, but the moment it was used on creatures with an intelligence similar to humans,
it was useless. This was especially so, if they had a leader commanding them.

Of course, if Leylin used his rank 3 innate talent, Intimidating Gaze, there was no problem. After all, that
was not just using his aura to suppress others, but a suppression that was similar to that of a domain.

However, Leylin thought it would be too extravagant to use a rank 3 innate spell against this group at
the boundaries of the Forgotten Land.

As he watched the Mouse People pouncing at him, a silver light flashed in his hand as a few test tubes
glimmering in multiple colours appeared.
"Defiant Ring of Fire!" A fiery-red test tube was tossed out with a swish and exploded in the air to form a
giant ring of fire encircling Leylin and the others.

"Wind Blast!" Immediately after, another two light green test tubes flew out, and great gales broke out,
blowing the flames in all directions.

"And lastly, oil roasting potion!" With another toss, a purplish-black potion exploded in the air, and
something like crude oil in gaseous form was dispersed.

*Rumble!* The fire from before made contact with this oil and grew even more powerful, tongues of
flame sweeping in all directions.

"Rank 3 Potion-combination Spell—Divine Prairie Flames!"

Great flames rushed along the ground, and as if pushed by a powerful invisible force, began to surround
the Mouse People.

Many fire serpents engulfed the area and swallowed many of the Mouse People, the cracking sounds of
meat being roasted filled the air.

*Chi chi!* *Chi chi!* They were burnt to ashes, and this horrifying scene motivated the Mouse People at
the sides to flee. However, this was merely a small number.

At the end, many Mouse People were charred and became conjoined to the ground forming a single
entity. A disgusting stink that was ten times worse than before was produced.

"He actually used a few rank 1 and 2 potions and simulated the effects of a rank 3 spell! He really is a
Potions Grandmaster!"
Robin praised from the bottom of his heart, "Also, this battle style does not consume spiritual force nor
magic power. It is the most appropriate to use in the Forgotten Land!"

"It's only the results of an ordinary experiment." Leylin smiled very modestly.

In actuality, those were his true thoughts. The amplification of effect from such a combination only
reached around 70%, and was far from what could be produced from the Morning Star final technique
that used a few spells and produced an effect that had a huge change in quality.

However, Leylin had gained a very large interest in this method of combination and had been doing
research on it. This Potion combination technique was a result of one of his successful experiments.

"Everything is great, but this is a little too disgusting!"

Kesha used a gold-laced handkerchief and covered her nose, her expression revealing a look of
revulsion.

The other rank 3 Warlocks were not in good shape either, especially Noah, who was deathly pale and
seemed unable to hold back his urge to vomit.

After surveying this region, they realised that besides the earth under their feet, everything else had
become charred. That unique stink of the Mouse People had become even denser after the burning.

"Alright. Get used to this kind of thing, because you're going to be experiencing more of it in the future!"
Robin patted Noah's shoulders, gaze unable to conceal his admiration towards Leylin.

Over here, only he and Leylin could chat without a change of expression.

To take care of everyone, Robin quickly led and continued the journey.
With the previous experience, everyone was even more cautious this time. Even Noah exercised
restraint and followed along at the back of the group, gathering experience.

After that, Leylin found that this Forgotten Land truly was a large dump. They met all sorts of strange
creatures that were all the products of failed experiments who had escaped. Some of these species were
very rare in the central continent.

No matter what they were, they all had a common point—they were either plagued with flaws, were
corrosive, or had powerful poisons.

There was one way to sum this up. They were hard to make use of and were of no value to Magi!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 418 - The Kobolds

Maybe that was why the Forgotten Land was not overtaken by the Magi. Otherwise, the barriers
between dimensions would not deter against the greed of Magi!

There were, of course, a handful of rare species who voluntarily entered the Forgotten Land to escape
the grip of the Magi, however rare the cases might be.

The Magi here were so few in number that Leylin only caught a glimpse of one in all this time. And it
wasn't without the aid of his A.I. Chip that he could make out some of his features.

The said Magus was a mature male with peculiar scales embedded in his face — probably the result of a
mutation.
With the unexpected negligence of Robin, however, he fled at the speed of light upon noticing Leylin's
group.

The concentration of energy particles continued to drop drastically as time passed and the group
headed further into the Forgotten Land. Often, there was no soul in sight.

Those they did come across were mostly some rare species or exiled Magi who couldn't survive in the
central continent.

More often than not, these meetings ended up in a battle.

While they showed mercy to many creatures, keeping in mind to conserve their energy, some of these
creatures actually initiated the attacks.

The most threatening one was a profuse chase by a rank 3 Cthulhu beast which bore the physique of a
hill.

It took Kesha, Robin, Leylin, and the surrounding Warlocks before the Cthulhu was wholly taken down,
and the death of it actually garnered them a heap of rare materials. But unfortunately, a Black Horrall
Snake Warlock was sacrificed in this face-off, removing a member from Leylin's group.

*Flap flap!* Kesha's pet, a pristine white bird, flew to a stop on her shoulder. Leylin often wondered why
Kesha chose to keep a creature that only possessed an investigative nature instead of fighting abilities as
her contracted partner.

"Guys, a tribe of Kobolds lies ahead of us. It is a sizeable one with a manpower of more than a thousand,
I'm afraid we'll have to make a detour!" Kesha announced as she opened her eyes.
"Kobold?" Upon hearing that, Leylin did a thorough research on this species through the A.I. Chip.

[Kobold: Ovipara, said to be a subspecies of giant dragons. They will reach a height of 3 feet (around 1
metre) upon maturity and their outer appearance is characterised by a scaly skin which can range from a
dark reddish-brown to a faded black. There are two taupe horns on the crowns of their heads and their
fiery red eyes possess infrared vision. Furthermore, they can obtain spells through their bloodline and
become an expert—similar to that of a Bloodline Warlock!]

"Giant dragons?!" The frightful creature that was mentioned in his high-grade meditation technique—
Dragon King's Mystic Might came to his mind in that instance. The image of the Kobold on his A.I. Chip
was, however, not close to his imagination of the creature.

Nonetheless, the giant dragons of the ancient era were famous because of the majority Ehya subspecies
which was said to be able to mate with any species. Thus, these Kobolds were only to be expected.

But the thing that caught Leylin's attention was actually their bloodline!

Rank 3 creatures still existed in small numbers on the central continent despite their rarity. Moreover,
Leylin had already reached the status of a rank 3 Warlock, it was about time he explored things in that
field.

Unlike Leylin, other Warlocks did not own an A.I. Chip, nor could they extract ancient bloodlines from
the blood of rank 3 creatures. As long as there was an adequate source, Leylin could extract as much of
the ancient bloodlines as he wished.

"The bloodline of ancient giant dragons?" Leylin touched his chin, uncertain. "We can't be sure if there
are any rank 3 Kobold Warlocks... but it's definitely possible in a large tribe with a population of over a
thousand.

Kesha spoke after that, "I've found several rank 2 Kobold Warlocks within them and there are no signs of
division in the tribe as of now. They are definitely under the control of a stronger Warlock, there must
be a rank 3 in there......"
"A rank 3 Kobold Warlock backed up by numerous Kobold warriors and low-grade bloodlines. That is
enough of a threat to us, we have to take a detour!" Robin did not hesitate in his decision. It was an
aftereffect of the death of his subordinate, the Black Horrall Snake Warlock, earlier. Afterall, he had
spent a painstaking amount of time and effort in nurturing him.

Leylin was about to make a comment but said nothing upon seeing everyone's approval towards Robin's
decision.

It was clearly impractical for Robin to go against a huge Kobold tribe. Besides, the Kobolds were known
for having diluted bloodlines and were already very distantly related to giant dragons. So it was almost
impossible to extract giant dragons' bloodlines from them, even for Morning Star Magi. Wouldn't Leylin
be digging his own grave if he persisted in moving ahead?

To put things into perspective, Robin and the rest were all Bloodline Warlocks. They could start
suspecting Leylin's intentions in collecting bloodlines.

'Well, I guess we can only make a mark and return in the future!' And Leylin stealthily marked out the
place on the map of his A.I. Chip.

......

Leylin and his group made it to their destination in spite of the many mishaps on the way.

A saffron bonfire danced from below as an alluring aroma of roasted meat filled the air. The meat was
dripping golden and glistening grease every now and then.

A small stretch of white tents encircled the bonfire.

"How are things going? Are the sentry and camouflaging spells up?" Kesha walked out of her tent, a
cloud of steam still surrounded visibly. She had only clothed herself in a loose bathrobe and was still
drying her hair.

She had obviously just come out of the bath. Nobody knew where she got the water for it, but it was a
simple thing for a high-ranking Warlock like her, even if a waste of resources.

"It's all done, we're undetectable." Robin furrowed his brows and replied, "And I remember reminding
you not to use any spells here!"

"Don't worry! The water was from my spatial item!" Kesha was noticeably annoyed and even threw a
coquettish glance at Noah who turned beet red.

Robin pulled a long face at that, saying, "Kesha, you're old enough to be Noah's granny! On top of that,
our families have numerous blood relations, he might as well call you Aunt!"

"Rest assured, I have no interest in kids! On the contrary, I actually prefer mature and charming male
Warlocks. Am I right, Leylin?" She shot Leylin a look.

"I'm gonna go double-check!" Leylin quickly excused himself from the circle to check on the spell
formations before he got involved in the irrelevant argument.

From his vantage point, he was able to see the white haze that engulfed the whole campsite, making the
bonfire and tents only faintly discernible.

Leylin was aware that it would be beyond unlikely to notice any anomalies in the campsite if viewed
from outside. The campsite would look like nothing more than barren land.

The whole camouflage was seamless under the setup of Robin's and Kesha's men, it would be
challenging even for the A.I. Chip to locate areas that could be improved on.
Leylin strolled around aimlessly and shook his head at the indistinct quarrels.

Many families of Kemoyin Warlocks intermarried to preserve the purity of their lineage and for other
benefits. Strictly speaking, every family in the Ouroboros Clan was related to every other, and they all
could even be traced down to the same ancestors. Hence, it'd be a rotten mess if one were to try and
piece the puzzle together.

Leylin was sick of hearing about the indecent acts of the aristocrats, and of the fact that they would
always be superior regardless.

He figured that he might as well use this extra time to study the spell models and relevant information in
his A.I. Chip.

Leylin's eyes lost focus as he devoted the entirety of his attention to the A.I. Chip...

Robin and Kesha had made up by the time Leylin returned to the bonfire in the evening. They, too, knew
it wasn't a time to discuss such things.

Robin gathered all the warlocks next to the bonfire and spoke of the final safety precautions.

"This pocket dimension was discovered by a Barbarian Bear tribe from the Forgotten Land and the
information was proliferated in the Forgotten Land instead of being kept secret. Following that, 2
factions, that were led by human magician fugitives and the local barbarians respectively, also marked
out this sacred place, opposing the Barbarian Bears.

"They are the three main factions that we'll be facing this time. Aside from a trickle of other intellectual
species, we can overlook the rest..." He explained in detail.
"The entrance to the pocket dimension is at the mid-section of an underground river, guarded by these
forces! We must break in swiftly, then fight our way through using either a boundary-breaking spell or
by force..."

A solemn look was painted across the faces of Leylin and the rest.

Given the pitiful concentration of energy particles in the Forgotten Land, it would be hard to find useful
resources.

Thus, this secret place was of utmost importance to the Forgotten Land and its livelihood, especially
towards those factions! These factions would not sit back if Leylin and the rest were to take advantage
of this land!

Though the group was practically undeterred as they were backed by the Ouroboros Clan, it must also
be understood that the Clan would not launch an attack just for them. It just wasn't worth it!

To add on, there was no end to the amount of evil and wicked Magi and dangerous creatures in the
Forgotten Land that couldn't care less about it.

Leylin and the rest had to defend themselves throughout the duration of their escape from the
Forgotten Land, or else it'd be a truly undignified sacrifice if they were to lose their lives.

The boundary-breaking spell was a type of escaping spell that was fast and convenient, customised for
entering and exiting pocket dimensions. Though the result varied for different types of lands, and might
have no effect on occasion, it was still a useful spell.

Though, if one was superior in ability he'd able to travel through the pocket dimension with ease.
Obviously, this did not work with Leylin and company. Why else would they painstakingly plot all this?

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 419 - An Unexpected Situation

"What happens after we enter the pocket dimension? Are we going to be working together or alone?"
Leylin asked unhurriedly from the side, taking a bite of the roast meat.

Kesha was gazing at Robin attentively. The reason she was here was due to the temptation of the
precious materials in the pocket dimension. It was natural not to choose to work together.

"You can do as you wish!" Robin answered without hesitation.

"I have a general topographic map here, but it lacks a lot of information. Take a look!" Robin had
evidently made preparations earlier and produced two maps, giving one each to Kesha and Leylin.

"Of course, after we get everything, I hope we can discuss or perhaps exchange a few things. If anyone
here plans to sell their precious materials, the other two shall have the preemptive right to purchase
them!" Robin was very thoughtful, and since Kesha and Leylin had no issues with that, they both
nodded.

......

A snaking river flowed out from underground, the sound of surging water echoing throughout the cavity
in this underground world, making it feel even more oppressive.

In another area, not only were there powerful defensive spell formation set-ups and runes that
glimmered, there were even Magi and beings of other races patrolling the area.

Though these people looked pitiful wearing clothes filled with creases and patches, their auras were
very powerful and wild.
Leylin and his group all entered Shadow Stealth state and snuck in.

Not far away from them, black bear humanoids—upright creatures with animal skins around their waists
as well as other accessories—were standing guard.

"Barbarian Bears!" This was the first time Leylin had seen such a creature.

Unlike the half-beastmen who had escaped from the laboratories, Barbarian Bears were truly from
another world. They were extremely intelligent, and their bodies were very resilient.

An adult Barbarian Bears was comparable to a rank 1 Branded Swordsman or Bio Booster, as well as
other sub-branches of ancient Magi. After awakening, the power of their totems, elder Barbarian Bears,
and Barbarian Bear Shamans could gain the ability to obtain magic with offerings, and turn into
frightening magicians.

Just this tribe alone could take on the role as the kings in the Forgotten Land.

In front of Leylin, there were no less than a hundred elite Barbarian Bear warriors, as well as numerous
elders and Barbarian Bear Shamans.

And their opponents were not limited to Barbarian Bears.

A few short green creatures strolled past the Barbarian Bears patrol group, holding multi-colour staffs
with different ores and gems embedded into them. These staffs emitted detection magic, which caused
Leylin to back up.

These green creatures were very similar to gnomes, though their larger heads were like watermelons,
large and round. Their skin was a wretched green.
These were the Green-skinned barbarian Magi. Favouring the ability to cast spells, they had abandoned
the advantage of strength. Their spiritual force and magic power were terrifying. Every single one of
them was akin to a human rank 2 Magus, and some even emanated the strength of rank 3.

"What do we do?" Kesha's voice travelled into Leylin's ear.

"Don't act recklessly. Look!" Leylin pointed in another direction.

At the side of the river, brown vines crawled all over a brown rock. It looked very normal, but this
immediately attracted Robin and Kesha's attention.

"It's an alarm spell pattern that targets hidden fluctuations in the air. It's concealed very well. If not for
Leylin's warning, we'd all have been deceived!"

Robin gritted his teeth, "Let's withdraw first."

They exchanged glances and left the underground, while the other Black Horrall Warlocks followed
closely behind.

*Boom!* Once they got to another safe area, Robin's expression darkened, and cracks appeared under
his feet from his stomps.

"Those wretched traitors to humanity! They must have set up those alarm spell patterns. If not, it'd be
impossible for the Barbarian Bears and Green-skinned Barbarians to come up with this technique even if
they had ten thousand more years to do so!"

Robin walked in circles, evidently very annoyed. Within the Forgotten Land, besides the Barbarian Bears
and Green-skinned Barbarians, there were organisations formed entirely out of fugitive human Magi.
There had always been three main forces here.

In order to protect this common asset of theirs that was the pocket dimension, they had obviously
teamed up.

"Didn't we discuss this matter some time ago? Though this is the worst situation, we have made the
required preparations. Relax, your emotional state does not seem too good."

Kesha watched Robin, whose eyes were turning red, and quickly warned, "Damn it. Leylin, Robin's
probably going to have another episode!"

"Hm?" Upon hearing this, Leylin was stunned and turned to look at Robin's bewitching handsome face.
It was now distorted, and bloodlust was beginning to converge.

This was obviously an effect of the emotional instability caused by his bloodline, resulting in Robin losing
his senses.

"Wake up! Robin, you might need it!" A high-grade potion of tranquility appeared in Leylin's hands as he
stared at Robin.

Besides Noah and Kesha, the few other Black Horrall Snake Warlocks had retreated a distance.

It was not out of fear of being hurt by accident, but because of the bloodline, Robin's outburst might
even affect their own bloodline and cause them to descend into a state of confusion.

"No, I've had enough of that potion!" Robin's eyes were gradually turning red, dense spiritual particles
almost solidifying in front of him.

"Has your uncle been having these episodes lately?" Leylin asked Noah while watching Robin.
"No! It hasn't been that long since the last episode. With the potion and suppression from the spell
formations, it shouldn't be happening again so soon..." Noah looked helpless.

"What should we do? If he really goes crazy, he'll definitely kill us!" Kesha stood beside Leylin, now
evidently on the same side.

"What else can be done? Hold him down and force him to calm down!"

Leylin's eyes turned amber, and a pair of vertical pupils produced a terrifying chill.

After a few advancements, Leylin's bloodline was even more concentrated, and the aura of the Giant
Kemoyin Serpent had also risen.

This feeling was most evident to Robin. He took several steps back, his expression alternating between
mania and rationality.

"Robin, we're helping you!" At this moment, Kesha went forward, a powerful aura emanating from her
body.

The two of them worked together and evidently gave Robin a terrifying amount of pressure.

At this moment, while he was breathing heavily, the rational expression stayed on his face longer.

"You're right." Robin's voice became coarse and thick, completely different from the gentility it held
before.

He produced a high-grade potion of tranquility from his spatial equipment and gulped it down.
A bracelet formed using white crystals was glimmering with tiny white rays, producing a chill that spread
in all directions.

"Hah..." Robin let out a long breath, his expression becoming gentle.

He took a look around, eyes clear and wise, "Many thanks, everyone. I'm better now!"

"That's great!" Noah cheered, while Kesha and Leylin looked like a weight had been lifted off their
shoulders.

If Robin really were to act up now, they would have to give up on the plan despite their unwillingness
not to.

"Robin, what's going on? Why did it suddenly happen?" Kesha expressed her disapproval towards Robin.

"My apologies! The outburst of emotion was to sudden, and I could not control it at all..." Robin laughed
wryly.

The defect of emotional instability caused by the bloodline had always been an issue for Warlocks. Even
with all types of suppression potions and spell formations, they could only ease the issue, not cure it.

This was why Leylin's potions of tranquility were in such high demand.

'With Robin's strength and thoughts, he shouldn't be stirred up so easily and invoke the emotions from
his bloodline. Looks like there's something he must have from the pocket dimension, which caused him
to be so irritated and be made susceptible to those emotions...' Leylin rationalized.
Compared to other high-ranked Warlocks, he had used the breath of the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor to
treat his bloodline in Twilight Zone. That was why he had experienced no episodes till now.

Based on the A.I. Chip's simulations and Leylin's own calculations, he did not have to worry about this
until he reached the Morning Star realm. Other Warlocks would not be so fortunate.

Even a rank 3 Hydro Phase Warlock like Robin would often be affected by these emotions.

As for Kesha? Leylin's eyes swept past her, and he found at least three types of spell patterns that acted
as alarms and bloodline-suppressors.

"Alright, now we think about what happens at the end of the plan," Leylin spoke, gathering Robin and
Kesha's attention.

"Though we are now a distance away from the pocket dimension and have also especially set up a
concealing spell formation, an outburst of aura like what just happened could be sensed by our
opponents.

"We need to decide on what to do as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Robin looked sorry and embarrassed. This whole situation was caused by him.

Rank 3 Warlocks, merely by using their auras, could generate giant energy undulations, and it was
unknown whether their setup was enough to conceal that.

"It can't be helped. We should enter stealthily, and if it doesn't work, we barge in!" Robin gritted his
head and made his choice.

"Now that they might have discovered the undulations and are coming here, we should just head
straight to the entrance of the pocket dimension. As I am the reason for the delay, I will place myself at
the back of the group and enter after all of you have done so."

Robin bowed slightly.

At the rear, he would require much strength to face the crazed counter-attacks from other powers. Even
Robin would find this difficult to bear, which made his sincerity clear.

Hence, Leylin and Kesha immediately agreed to Robin's suggestion.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 420 - Being Discovered

Leylin and Kesha were both unemotional, knowing that it was not the time for any disputes. Their
opportunity was fleeting, and could not be wasted.

Approximately ten seconds later, everyone entered Shadow Stealth and left.

A huge formidable energy undulation suddenly broke through the spell and created a violent explosion,
just like a prominent bonfire in the darkness of the night.

Of course, this was intentionally set up by Leylin and company.

And with the continuous transmission of the energy undulations, some brilliant rays shone in their
direction...
"We're here! This is the furthest we can go, any further and we might alert the alarms that were set up,
even in Shadow Stealth. The spell has too many defects that can be probed.

Robin led everyone into a hiding spot and then stopped his steps.

Leylin looked over and from where he stood, he was able to see to the bottom of the flowing river, In
the middle of which was a huge whirlpool. The continuously whirling water sparkled on occasion, and
some green Barbarian Bears and human Magi started to emerge from it.

"The entrance to this pocket dimension is unexpectedly just a whirlpool...." Leylin nodded his head. The
undulations that were being emitted by the whirlpool did not seem to be fake.

He was deciding on a path of approach.

Leylin took a closer look at the surroundings of the whirlpool. The A.I. Chip was working at full power,
forming a 3D map of the area in his mind. The enemy's defense was naturally strong, with some large
structures and a sentry system in place for defense. There were even some rank 3 Magi standing guard.

Leylin shifted his line of sight to the center and shot a glance at a Barbarian Bear. It had a thick neck with
a weird looking flag on its back. There was another big headed, very old looking Green-skinned
Barbarian. Lastly, there was an unassuming human Mage robed in grey.

"These three..." Leylin's pupils dilated, "They're at least at Hydro Phase. As for the Barbarian Bear, it
might already be at the Crystal Phase!"

Leylin and company were nearly equal in power to these Magi, and only held a slight edge in power.
Once the patrols were counted in, numbering ten times their own, it would be very difficult to defeat
them.

"I will make use of the secret gem to cover up our tracks. Wait for my signal and move together. My
men and I will take care of the back!" Robin took out a black ring and spoke in a heavy tone.

Leylin and Kesha both nodded their heads, and walked in a straight line towards the whirlpool in the
dark river.

There were some scattered buildings around where they were that looked brand new. It also had a
rugged feel to it, most likely made by the Barbarian Bears. Leylin and company were amongst the
shadowy construction area and moved progressively towards the centre with the help of the shadows of
some patrolmen.

"If they come ten metres closer to us, we will attack!" Robin's voice sounded out, the tone oppressive.

Rank 3 Magi were very sharp and alert. As soon as they came close, the party would certainly be
discovered.

In the midst of the crack in the shadows, the outside world seemed like it was covered with a layer of
fog, almost like a starch paste. It was very vague and fuzzy.

However, Leylin could clearly sense them advancing.

One metre... two metres... three metres...

Another seven meters to go and Leylin and the rest of the Warlocks would have the confidence to
breach their defence and wipe them out completely before heading for the pocket dimension.

*Woo woo...* At this very moment, something unexpected suddenly happened. The decorative flag on
the back of the Barbarian Bear started to flap and shudder.

A strange skull symbol on the scarlet red patch of the flag started to open its mouth, revealing a
mouthful of sharp teeth as it wailed loudly.

"Intruder!" The Barbarian Bear stood up and hissed. The sound engulfing the entire area.

"Damn, we've been exposed! Charge!" A singular ray of brilliance shone through the hollowness and
Robin appeared to take the lead.

"Innate poison!" Immediately, he opened up his poison domain.

In a split second, an invisible and terrifying ripple originated from Robin and started to spread. The
surrounding patrolmen immediately started to collapse one after the other, with some dying on the spot
and their bodies decomposing thereafter.

"Toxic Bile! You are a Warlock from the Ouroboros Clan!" The average-looking Magus wearing the grey
robe clenched his teeth, as if he had some deep-seated hatred with the Ouroboros Clan.

"Activate the rank 5 poison defense spell formation!" He ferociously raised his hands and clapped.

A burst of intense brilliance erupted and a huge spell was cast, rays of green falling on every Magus
present.

Like a protective armor, the spread of the green rays enveloped the Magi. Although the armor was
trembling continuously, it resisted the attack of the Toxic Bile. As for the rest of the Magi around Robin,
they were completely doomed for, even with the assistance of the spell formation.

"All of these sinners deserve death! Do not show mercy!" Kesha and Leylin entered the scene with her
yell as she launched her own attack of poison. The rest of the Magi soon followed suit.

In the blink of an eye, the Kemoyin Serpent poison built up, repeatedly overlapping and growing. The
formidable power increased to such an extent that even Leylin raised his eyebrows in awe.

*Zi Zi!* The green rays of brilliance were corroding the armor. The other Magi and tribes who were
standing behind could not hide their stunned faces.

"Kill!" The huge Barbarian Bear said coldly after a loud roar. The muscles on its body bulged, and the
velvet fur stood on end as its physique immediately widened.

As for the big-headed Green-skinned Barbarian, it quickly took out multiple bottles of different sizes, as
if ready to cast spells.

"Leave him to me. You deal with the rest!" Robin looked over at the grey-robed Magus with fervour.

"I remember now, he is a Magus from Lone Zither, the sole survivor of the massacre."

At the mention of this name, the grey robed Magus' face turned blood red, "Today, I shall avenge the
death of my teachers and classmates!"

*Vroom!* A ball of black flame ignited from his body just like a human shaped column and dashed
towards Robin.

"Seeing how things have developed till now, I can only go all out!"

Without any other choices, Leylin shrugged his shoulders and, with lightning speed, tossed out multiple
test tubes and bottles containing potions.

"Potion combination spell—Divine Prairie Flame! "

A large number of fire snakes swirled and engulfed everyone who was desperately trying to defend
against the Kemoyin Poison. Huge billows of smoke rose in the air along with their pitiful cries as a
violent and deafening explosion erupted from the blaze.

'It costs ten times as much to cast a spell here as it does outside. We need to preserve some strength to
defend ourselves in case enemy troops catch up with us, so...' Leylin drew out the black Meteor Sword
from his waist.

The grooves on its blade buzzed continuously, as if thirsting for blood.

"Cross Slash!" Leylin grasped his fallen sword and delivered a single forward hack!

A black cross-shaped ray from the edge of the blade streaked across and dismembered a majority of the
Magi into pieces. The Kemoyin poison from the blade immediately caused their flesh to decompose.

"We are not here to kill people. We only have to get into the pocket dimension!"

Leylin looked at the surroundings and saw the human grey robed Magus blocked by Robin, while Kesha
had picked to go up against the huge Barbarian Bear. He found it puzzling as to why she liked such big
challenges.

Noah, on the other hand, led the Black Horrall Snake Magi and continued with the attack.

The entire field was a sea of confusion and chaos. An urgent bugle horn sounded and Leylin could feel
the rays of light that chased them making their way back rapidly.

"Foreign human, do you also long for the Forgotten Land's pocket dimension?"

With a brain that was twice the size of a regular human and a body covered with endless wrinkles, the
Green-skinned Barbarian was done with it's poison concoction and positioned itself in front of Leylin,
revealing it's few teeth that were stained yellow.

"I didn't expect you to be a Potions Master as well!" Leylin looked intently at the grey coloured alms
bowl the Green-skinned Barbarian was holding. In it was a bubbling dense green liquid.

"Get out of my way!" The fallen sword in Leylin's hand created endless blade rays.

A huge ray of brilliance swiped across the ground and left a long deep gush.

"You shall make a fine addition to my, Modris', collection!"

The Green-skinned Barbarian laughed. With it's exceptionally nimble hands and the constant
undulations on its body increasing steadily, it seemed as if it was more powerful than Leylin!

*Swish! Swish!* The clever Green-skinned Barbarian split his body into three parts, and in turn each part
grew as a whole. It headed straight for Leylin at full speed.

"Just this?" Leylin smiled callously as swiped his sword repeatedly and pierced through two of the
phantom images.

The Green-skinned Barbarian's smile showed a confidence in victory as it swiftly started chanting.

Beside one of the phantom images, the greenish liquid in the grey alms bowl exploded and manifested
itself into a gooey monstrous hand.

The innumerable suction pads on the hand started trembling, seeming like it was attached to a
tremendously huge body that was attempting to break free from the alms bowl.
Green billows of fog filled the air as if a cage and attempted to trap Leylin within.

But suddenly, the Green-skinned Barbarian's eyes shot open.

Leylin showed no signs of panic or fear amidst the fog, and on the contrary, took out a potion of his own
from his belt. A layer of pink smoke slowly dispersed, enveloping the alms bowl.

The pink smoke neuralized the green gas in moments, and soon droplets of liquid started to form that
sprinkled onto the ground.

"How... How can it be..." The Green-skinned Barbarian's jaw fell wide open.

"Are you surprised your summon mixture has zero effect? Do you think I can't recognise it?" Leylin
looked at the Green-skinned Barbarian, his smile showing his satisfaction.

"With just a potion of clean-jem neutralizing potion, the problem can be solved. You should be
embarrassed to use such mediocre potions against me!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 421 - Sudden Entry

Battles between Potions Masters depended most on their accumulated knowledge and recipes.

For instance, had Leylin not recognised the type of potion that the Green-skinned Barbarian was using, it
might have been a hindrance to him.
The winner was determined by who managed to see through the other party's setup.

When it came to all this information, how could the Green-skinned Barbarian match up to Leylin, who
possessed the A.I. Chip?

"You-" The opposite Green-skinned Barbarian's fingers began to shake, evidently in fear.

"What? Are you planning to use the Star-traced amulet and activate the Icy Frost Potion above your
waist, or are you going to use the Corrosive Poison Arrow Potion at your back?"

Leylin measured up this Green-skinned Barbarian, obviously ridiculing it.

"Oh! No, I think you're doing this as a cover for you to activate your Wind Spirit's Fury under your feet!"

All sorts of expressions crossed the opposite Green-skinned Barbarian's face, and it was truly difficult for
it to have so many expressions and movements on his creased face. At the end, all this turned into
terror.

"Ah! You're the devil! The devil!"

The Green-skinned Potion Master yelled, and actually abandoned his race and companions, fleeing from
the battle area first.

It evidently had a very high status here. After seeing it flee, the other Green-skinned Barbarians were
startled, and with some of them shouting at the top of their voices, they rapidly left the area.

"Good job!" Robin, who was not far away, revealed a smile. He was the strongest of the three of them,
and the opposite grey-robed Magus could only fend for himself.

Kesha, who was on the other side, was not so lucky.

When she had chosen her opponent, she had had no A.I. Chip and depended on her judgment. She had
actually chosen the Barbarian Bear Shaman, which was likely at the Crystal Phase.

This Barbarian Bear Shaman not only had unimaginable strength but also a tough body. Even Kesha's Eye
of Petrification could only hold it for a second and had no other effect.

Rank 1 or two spells that struck it would char the fur, but there would be no substantial harm. As for
rank 3 spells? Not only were such models difficult to get a hold of, to use them in the Forgotten Land
required that one pay a huge price.

Not everyone was a Potions Grandmaster like Leylin, who could use potions to simulate the effects of a
rank 3 spell.

*Wooh wooh!* At this moment, the skeleton flag on Barbarian Bear Shaman's back suddenly exploded,
sounding like a bugle horn.

"Awoo awoo!" The surrounding Barbarian Bears who heard these sounds immediately roared frantically,
eyes turning blood-red and their offensive abilities increasing by a large amount. Noah and the other
Warlocks were immediately at a disadvantage.

"They're entering a frenzied state! Even regular Barbarian Bears are affected! How about that one?"

Leylin immediately shifted his attention to the Barbarian Bear Shaman.

Along with the sounds of the horn, the Barbarian Bear abruptly roared towards the skies, slapping its
chest.

Thick veins that were like old tree roots occupied its hands, chest, and back.

*Ka-cha!* The skull of this Barbarian Bear cracked open, revealing a muscle similar to a brain that was
beginning to glow with warmth.

"Awoo!" Under its crazed roar, this Barbarian Bear Shaman's body began to expand. Its body that was
about two floors high became taller, turning into a gigantic humanoid bear-shaped monster.

Energy undulations typically produced by Crystal Phase Magi burst out from the body of this giant
Barbarian Bear.

"Crystal—Crystal Phase!" Kesha looked pained.

The Barbarian Bear monster obviously did not care about that. With its paw that could cover the
heavens, it swiped at her!

Under this terrifying might, the air seemed to solidify and began to attack Kesha.

With a boom, Kesha's figure was sent flying, slamming into numerous buildings.

"Explosive Fireball!"

Countless giant fireballs exploded on the Barbarian Bear's head, but the groove with what seemed to be
a brain was not the least bit damaged. All these attacks successfully incited the fury of the Barbarian
Bear monster, and attracted its attention elsewhere.
"Kesha, how is it? Are you dead yet?"

"Who asks questions like that?" Bricks exploded, and Kesha's figure appeared.

However, she was not in a very good condition. Her clothes were tattered beyond repair, revealing
dense snake scales. Kesha was now in her snake form, and not only did her Kemoyin's Scales cover her
entire body, even her pupils had elongated and turned vertical.

Even with the most powerful defensive form of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, there was a huge
wound on her arm and it was slightly twisted. Even her bones had issues.

"I used a diversion technique and shifted most of the attack to my left hand." Kesha revealed her
mangled left arm and smiled wryly as she explained, "I didn't expect that Barbarian Bear to be so fierce!
It's very dangerous today!"

To be defeated by a creature that used brute force and its physique, it was a huge blow to her.

Leylin smiled wryly and quickly pulled Kesha aside, dodging a large black foot.

*Boom!* The building from before was smashed, leaving behind a gigantic footprint.

"What we need to consider right now is how to get away from them. Besides, the support troops and
Magi who we attracted before are coming this way. The traps we set up can't hold them for too long, so
we need a plan!"

Leylin quickly told Kesha, his words reaching Robin who was a distance away.

"Awoo!"
At this moment, the giant Barbarian Bear monster was already destroying everything, whether it was its
ally, the Green-skinned Barbarian, fallen Magi, Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan or even Barbarian Bear
warriors, all were attacked without distinction.

"Ah!"

A Black Horrall Snake Warlock was grasped in the palm of the gigantic Barbarian Bear monster, and
produced miserable shrieks of fear.

"You monster. Die!" His facial muscles twisted as he yelled, terrifying rays converging in his hands and
turned into a large axe, striking down at it.

*Ka-cha!*

The axe, which had the terrifying might of a rank 3 spell made contact with the monster's chest, and
actually produced sparks.

*Boom! Boom!* The Barbarian Bear monster took two steps back, shook its head, and continued
roaring.

With a swing of its arm, it threw the rank 3 Black Horrall Snake Warlock into its mouth and began to
chew.

*Gachi! Gachi!*

Flesh, blood, organs and bones slid out from its mouth.
The might of those jaws, as well as its physique and sharp teeth turned the Barbarian Bear monster's
mouth into a grinder, turning the Warlock into minced meat.

"Oh no! Alfredo!"

Noah screamed. It looked like yet another Warlock from his family had died, while Robin's expression
turned as gloomy as dark waters. When he saw a few rays about to catch up to them, his eyes revealed a
steely determination.

"Quick, get into the pocket dimension. I'll bring up the rear," he opened up his hand, "Illusory Terror!"

Formless thin lines like a large web trapped all the human grey-robed Magi within. There were even all
sorts of strange laughter being produced in the air.

After that, he stood in front of the giant Barbarian Bear monster and helped Noah and the others stall
for time.

"The seal spell formation is completed." At this moment, a Warlock who had been by the dark river
called out.

A scarlet rune launched from his finger and entered the whirlpool of the underground dark river.

*Pila!* A giant blue web immediately appeared on the surface of the river.

"Open!" Leylin's eyes flickered with blue rays, his Meteor Sword streaking across with a strange arc and
slashing at the web!

Black light flashed, and the blue web immediately broke apart, revealing the black entrance to the
pocket dimension in the whirlpool behind it.
"Quick, quick, quick! Hurry up!" Many Warlocks immediately jumped into the whirlpool, and
immediately disappeared with silver spatial rays.

"Senior Robin, let's go!"

Leylin slashed at the area with the Meteor Sword and terrifying Kemoyin toxins appeared once more,
before he unhesitatingly jumped into the whirlpool.

"Awoo!" The giant Barbarian Bear monster's eyes glinted with intelligence, and it charged towards Robin
in a frenzy.

"What a pity! This is something I only just got my hands on!"

Robin took a look at the monster and tossed a black ball at it.

*Pak!*

Countless vines appeared in mid-air, with green shoots and leaves that formed a large green web that
trapped it within.

"Ball of Binding! This is a one-time use magic object passed down from ancient times. Even Crystal Phase
Magi will be held back for at least a minute!" Robin sighed, and then jumped into the whirlpool.

Silver-white rays flashed, and he disappeared.

At this moment, a few splendid rays charged to the camp and the lights vanished, revealing the forms of
a few people who looked terrible.
"Douglas, stop, you idiot!" A Barbarian Bear with golden fur immediately went forward and roared using
a unique method.

This roaring was at a specific frequency that prevented the monster from moving.

"Looks like someone broke into the pocket dimension! I smell the disgusting scent of Warlock blood..."

The Green-skinned Barbarian leader's nose twitched and he concluded confidently.

"The Ouroboros Clan? Even they have to abide by our rules in the Forgotten Land!" Together with these
two Magi was a human Magus with a strange brand on his face that seemed like some kind of symbol.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 422 - The Sun's Child

"So what now? Do we continue our chase?"

Upon hearing the howl of the Barbarian Bear, the huge monster had already returned to its original
state and was currently lying on the floor, depressed.

"Or we could simply destroy this entrance!" the golden-furred Barbarian Bear proposed.

"Are you mad? It would be a waste to destroy such a good pocket dimension. Nobody will agree to it!"
The Green-skinned Barbarian shook his head and continued: "Besides, those Magi can completely
escape from other small cracks. This is such a silly plan!"
The Barbarian Bear groaned coldly, revealing a big flag on his back.

"Alright! Alright, currently we are allies and we need to discuss as to how we will handle our enemies!"
said the human Magus as he was stuck in between the Green-skinned Barbarian and the Barbarian Bear.

"What else can we do? If we have no intentions of letting our enemies mindlessly plunder from our
pocket dimension, then we must send people in! But you've seen their strength, we'd be sending them
to their deaths!" The Green-skinned Barbarian's eyes flashed with a tinge of helplessness.

"Then we'll have to deploy Hydro and Crystal Phase Magi! In the worst case scenario, we just abandon
our bases. First, we must gather our men here!" the human chief replied.

"Since you said so..." The Green-skinned Barbarian and Barbarian Bear chiefs looked at each other.
"Then it's settled! We will immediately send out the signal!"

......

"Is this the pocket dimension that was established by Quicksand in ancient times?" Leylin said whilst
standing on a huge plain that, every now and then, emitted wisps of fog.

Leylin looked at the statistics gathered by the A.I Chip and nodded his head. "From this mapping of
energy particles, the concentration here is almost the same as that of the outside world. There isn't any
impact to spells anymore!"

During the battle at the underground river, Leylin and the other Magi could not use their entire strength
because of the lack of energy particles. But it was different here.

Of course, there were always two sides to a coin. With this concentration, even the Crystal Phase Magi
of the other side would have their strengths restored as well, and become free of restraints.

Robin's silhouette slowly emerged as silver rays of light flashed. He looked at his surroundings and his
expression lit up, "Wonderful! These are the Purple Plains, which are not very far from the Magi
buildings in the center!"

"Where do you intend to go? If we have different targets to plunder, we need to separate here!" He
asked Leylin and Kesha for their opinions.

"Of course! I want to go to the core of the Magi buildings!" Leylin said with a know-it-all look on his face.
The Lamia Hair was likely to be kept in the core of the pocket dimension, why would he go to other
places?

"Me too!" Kesha followed. Each pocket dimension had its own set of rules, and the resources were most
plentiful at its core. Furthermore, the ruins of Magi are there, so there definitely would be storerooms
and laboratories inside, making it the most sought after place.

"That's good then! We shall go to the ruins of the central continent together, then split and start our
mission when we arrive!" Robin nodded his head: "In any case, the ruins there are expansive and we
can't say for sure we won't run into..."

There could still be remaining Magi and other creatures from the previous three forces that dwelled in
the pocket dimension, and not to mention the possibility of armies chasing after them. They ought to
move as a group to achieve better security to prevent any mishaps.

To make full use of time, Robin immediately announced the start of the mission.

Although they had lost two men in their lineup, the remaining ten shot out blazing rays of light from
their pupils, which transformed into ten black streaks that pierced through the horizon.
*Bang!* A Green-skinned Barbarian Magus was thrown to the ground with no light in his eyes. His
forehead had a massive and terrifying hole in it, and one could faintly see a portion of his brain. But it
was already thoroughly destroyed and looked like a lump of starch paste.

This Green-skinned Barbarian Magus originally had rank 2 Strength. But because his brain was damaged
and he did not deploy a clone seed beforehand, he was actually doomed to die.

As his body twitched, the flames of his life were slowly extinguished.

Kesha, who was beside him, took out a gold-trimmed handkerchief and cleaned her hands of the brain
remnants.

"I've already extracted fragments of his memory. He is a sage of the Green-skinned Barbarians. This
time, he came to gather potion materials and resources. According to his memory, we did not deviate
far from our original path and we are almost at the core of the pocket dimension—the Quicksand ruins!"
she told a bunch of Magi near her.

Their faces flashed with delight upon those words.

They had taken about two days to get to their current location. All this time, they had not only
encountered scattered members of the three forces, there were also Hydro Phase Magi on their tails
with orders to kill.

That troop, under the lead of a Crystal Phase Magus, had unhesitantly chased after their group.

Luckily, being Warlocks whose strength exceeded their levels, Leylin's group had been able to fight them
and flee whenever they met, but this had still caused a deviation from their original plans.

"Go there as quickly as possible, find what we need and immediately get out! Our traps will not be able
to hold them off for long!"
Robin's expression sank. The small squads at the back could only grit their teeth and carry on with the
mission with no time to rest, not to mention any time to find resources.

Even if a trap was put in place again, with the add-on of Leylin's spectacular skills, and the difficulty in
successfully confining multiple Rank 3 Magi, the effects would not last very long.

Even their whereabouts would be known to their enemies.

After entering the pocket dimension, their ultimate goal was to reach the Quicksand ruins in the central
continent. Leylin and company had never tried to conceal this fact — or rather, they couldn't.

The fiery, blazing sun shone in the sky scorching everything.

Although this was merely a projection of the sun of another realm, the terrible heatwaves were still
rising constantly, clambering up the surrounding temperature.

Leylin had draped himself with a white cloak and was standing in a large desert. There was only yellow
sand as far as the eye could see. Not even a cactus could be seen, not to mention other plants and
animals. It was a scene of death.

"Although this is a desert, the atmosphere and environment here are out of the norm!"

Leylin grabbed a handful of sand and its boiling heat spread to the center of his palm, "This kind of
temperature is easily beyond a 100 degrees. Leave alone animals or plants, even a group of acolytes or
rank 1 Magi cannot stand this terrible place for too long..."

He opened his palm, letting the boiling sand slip through his fingers. "Furthermore, this terrain is giving
off a peculiar vibe. It seems to be from an ancient life form!"
"Did you notice it too?" Robin walked up to Leylin as he asked.

"Mm! Apparently, there are traces of some kind of ancient life form that lived here once, and they have
a characteristic of blazing heat." He said with a firm nod of his head.

Large-scale environmental changes like these, made subconsciously by the ancient life forms, were
scaringly similar to those by Breaking Dawn Magi.

"I've heard a rumor. Among the ancient Quicksand Organization, there was once the son of a famous
Bloodline Warlock who safely returned to his ancestors and really became the ancient Sun's Child.

Robin looked at the vast desert and could not bear to sigh with sorrow: "We can't say for sure but if that
Sun's Child was here before and cast his power..."

"The Ancient Sun's Child!" Leylin's faced changed slightly as he scanned through the database of the A.I
Chip.

This was not just a simple bloodline creature. Its flames could burn in a vacuum, twisting the concepts of
time. Even in some small worlds, the sun seen is not the actual fixed burning star, but in fact a grown
Sun's Child!

In the event of a Sun Child leaving the small world, it would bring great disaster to that place.

"Relax, even if the Sun's Child surpassed Breaking Dawn Magi and entered the unpredictable rank 7, he
would have probably died long ago during the ancient war."

Robin seemed to have confidence and Leylin nodded his head in agreement.
Although ancient Magi were incomparably strong, their enemies, too, knew the rules of survival. And
could even wipe out certain Magi via these rules.

Once somebody falls during the war, there was no possibility for them to survive. Even if they cloned
their bodies as a backup, it was no use because it would decay the second the main body dies.

Even if the Sun's Child surpassed the strength of the Morning Star Magus, it would be dreadful if he was
made to enlist and die during battle.

'Everything takes its own course. Even one as strong as the sun cannot escape the fate of death!' Leylin
sighed.

'So it is uncertain if rank 9 Magi will be able to reach immortality?' This was his highest pursuit and his
greatest ambition, a path to eternal life!

Even if he attained the position of a rank 9 Magus in the highest realm, if he realized that he was unable
to be immortal, he would still carry on with his journey, without the slightest hesitation, looking for all
hope and opportunities!

Leylin's pupils burned with desire, but he quickly concealed it.

"We've arrived!" Shouted Robin who was at the front.

"Hm? Let's take a look!" Robin and Leylin looked at each other and walked to the front.

After kicking a small sand dune over, they spotted a huge, black, ancient castle, peacefully standing on
its own amidst the yellow desert. The rising heat waves caused the castle to look like an oasis, a scene
from a dream. But they could only see a small portion of it, and were able to roughly gauge the size of
the ancient castle.
"We're here! There are traces of Magi here—Quicksand Castle!" Robin laughed out loud.

And surrounding the ancient castle, there were a few people working on temporary construction; a few
Barbarian Bears, Green-skinned Barbarians and human Magi forming a harmonious group. At certain
times, there were Magi setting off alone, changing into flowy rays of light and entering the ancient
castle.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 423 - Defeat

A small white bird landed, and Kesha opened her shut eyes. "From the energy fluctuations at that end,
they have, at most, a Hydro Phase Magus overseeing them. What do we do?"

"Even though they have received some information related to us, it isn't too risky to just barge in. We
still have to obtain some sort of guide or map of the area to explore it, though......"

Robin let out a deep sigh, "My subordinates only acquired a part of the information about the
outermost region. They have no clue as to the internal structure of Quicksand Castle..."

"Even if it's a trap, the opponent's teams have been trapped in the sculptured spell formation. Even if
there was a trap set up, they would not have much manpower!" Leylin stoked his chin as he stated this
assumption.

"In that case, we have nothing to be afraid of!" Robin's laughed sardonically.

Having been chased after by their opponents for such a long time, almost to the extent of being chased
out of the pocket dimension, he held a lot of pent up anger, a sentiment more or less shared by every
other Warlock present.

*Pu!*

A scaly hand suddenly extended outwards from emptiness and grabbed the chest of a Barbarian Bear
Warrior, gouging out a still-throbbing bright-red heart.

Drops of fresh blood that had yet to lose their warmth dripped down unceasingly, causing the
surrounding Magi to be scared stiff.

"Ah! A beautiful, short, death!" A Black Horrall Snake Warlock robed in black squeezed out of a crack in
the shadows, his face revealing a mesmerised expression.

Magi could, more or less, be considered mentally ill, and Warlocks were no exception.

Previously, they had been restricted from acting by the royal bloodlines, but now there was no such
thing. Once the orders for an attack were given, the alliance went into complete chaos as six Black
Horrall Snake Warlocks, together with Noah, massacred every Magus in sight, regardless of rank. Even
acolytes were not spared.

That tragedy had caused some Magi to flee.

*Boom!* The central building exploded. Three magi with gloomy expressions floated in mid-air, their
bodies emanating the terrifying energy of Hydro Phase Magi.

"Launch the spells!" the one at the center shouted. A ring of fluorescent light flickered and large runes
formed a steel cage, firmly securing the entire campsite within.

"I knew you had some tricks up your sleeves. But where are your Hydro Phase and Crystal Phase Magi?
Have they all died?"

Just when the three Hydro Phase Magi were about to go forth to stop them, a spark exploded out of the
darkness. Robin, along with Leylin and Kesha, stepped out to block them with a sneer.

There were no Morning Star Magi in the Forgotten Land. Even the major powers of the region like the
Barbarian Bears had few Crystal Phase Magi.

To deploy a small team to hunt after Leylin's team was the most they could do without their tribe
leaders. Even for that, they had to give up on many strategic locations.

Were this team to be trapped, this alliance in the pocket dimension would have their overall strength
greatly reduced.

After all, this group of Magi was only exploring the place. Nobody had expected them to invade.

"A mere one at the Hydro Phase and two at the Vapour Phase. I, Dominic, will ensure that none of you
leave this place today!" The human Magus, who wore black robes with a cross-shaped floral pattern on
his face, charged forward as Hydro Phase spiritual force surged forth like a tsunami.

"Oh really? But in the eyes of us royal Warlocks, you are like a lamb to be slaughtered!" Robin's eyes
showed a tinge of arrogance and a horrifyingly intimidating strength erupted fiercely from his body.

The same happened with Leylin and Kesha.

"Rank 3 innate spell—Intimidating Gaze!"

This was the formidable spell that high-level rank 3 Warlocks could master. Moreover, even the strength
of this spell in the hands of rank 3 Black Horrall Snake Warlocks could not compare to when Leylin and
party used it, even if they had trained in the same spell.

This deterrence strength was entirely attributed to the bloodline. The more concentrated the bloodline,
the stronger its ancient roots, the more powerful the effect of intimidation would be.

"Rank 3 spell formation! The Domain of Unity!

The bodies of the three began to glow, the light merging to form a strange triangular diagram.

Under the effects of the spell, the dreadful force fields the three of them emitted actually started to
indistinctly complement each other and increase in intensity, forming a force similar to that of the
domain of a true Morning Star Magus!

Waves of hissing howls arose, those of ancient predatory Giant Kemoyin Serpents. Space vibrated
endlessly and a more than thousand metre tall phantom of a giant serpent appeared. The serpent
opened its amber eyes and stared straight at the 3 Magi ahead of it, making them break out in cold
sweat.

'A real domain should possess three basic attributes: weaken the enemy, strengthen the self, and bend
fundamental laws!' Leylin had a deep understanding regarding his own domain, all thanks to the large
amounts of information hidden in the library of the Ouroboros Clan.

'The terror of an individual Giant Kemoyin Serpent can at most weaken its enemies. When we
cooperate, the terrifying force fields we generate complement and amplify each other!"'

In an instant, he saw the actions of the opposing Magi slow down. The acolytes fainted while rank 1
Magi could barely move. Rank 2 and 3 Magi could move and even cast spells, but their strength had
been greatly reduced.

On the contrary, the Black Horrall Snake Warlocks had an abrupt increase in their aura, to the extent
that they could compare to the Vapour Phase now. Under Noah's lead, the low-ranked Magi
unscrupulously massacred the camp.

'After combination, our powers now both weaken the enemy and strengthen our allies. What a pity that
we cannot bend laws, else it would have been a terrifying true domain!' Leylin could feel the terrifying
force field adding to his powers.

An indescribable aura entered his body, exciting his bloodline to a boil and pushing his power to that of
the Hydro Phase.

Kesha's situation was similar to his, but what shocked everyone the most was Robin's transformation. As
the core of this combination, he had received the greatest amplification of power. His aura increased
nonstop and began to terrify even Leylin. Only Lucian had managed to inspire such emotion in him
previously.

Supplemented by the innate gift of three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, Robin had already neared
the threshold of the Crystal Phase. With the addition of his bloodline's strength, he had completely
stepped into the Crystal Phase in power!

"This terrifying force field! You are all Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks!" The human Magus, Dominic,
squinted his eyes, his body trembling.

The reports had only mentioned that a group of rank 3 Warlocks had invaded the pocket dimension.
Because Leylin and the other three had only used their innate poison spells when they entered and not
this terrifying force field, the Magi had underestimated them.

Even if they were rank 3 Warlocks, the Black Horrall Snake bloodline and the Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline were in completely different leagues. Their strengths were poles apart.

Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were very rare, and typically never strayed out of the Ouroboros Clan
headquarters where they were well-protected. The human Magus had not expected the presence of so
many Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in this infiltrating party.

He could feel a portion of the spiritual force in his sea of consciousness being locked. His inability to use
it caused his expression to change to one of bitterness.

A little over ten minutes later, the massacre on the ground had come to an end. Limbs and flesh were
strewn about everywhere. Noah and the nine remaining Black Horrall Snake Warlocks had not suffered
any injuries, but their clothes had been dyed dark red.

The battle in the sky, too, had reached its climax.

"Ophidian Gnaw!"

Robin had grown even more terrifying, having activated his Kemoyin scales defence. The intricate black
scales that covered him were smooth yet elegant, and there were even faint patterns on the surface,
forming a complete rune the colour of blood.

He howled, and numerous streams of black air congealed into a large black phantom snake that
swallowed a huge Barbarian Bear.

A cringeworthy sound of gnawing was emitted. Several seconds later, there was no longer a hint there
of the existence of a Barbarian Bear Shaman.

"Shadow cage!" Leylin, Meteor Sword in hand, combed the area. From time to time, he would cast a few
spells which caused the Green-skinned Barbarian Magus opposite him to retreat slowly.

*Boom!* At that time, a hidden trap burst out from behind the Green-skinned Barbarian Magus,
morphing into a cage of shadows that trapped the Barbarian within.
"Die!" Leylin rushed forward, his quick steps containing the elegance of a dancer. His sword slashed
across the neck of the Green-skinned Barbarian. Green blood spurted out as a head flew across the sky.

"AAAAH!" The human Magus let out a startling cry and distanced himself from Kesha, morphing into a
ray of light that streaked into the distance.

The cage from before had immediately made an opening for him as he neared.

"You need my permission to leave!" Just as the Magus was going to rush out of the cage, a black palm
blocked his path. Robin made his way there with a smile.

Leylin and Kesha tailed behind him and blocked his retreat. Upon seeing that scenario, the Magus smiled
wryly and put up both his hands in an act of surrender.

"What now?" The surrendered Magus immediately fell to the ground and fainted. Robin looked
anxiously at Kesha.

"Even though the opponent was very cooperative, but it is extremely troublesome to scour through a
rank 3 Magus' memories!" Kesha opened both her eyes, her face revealing an exhausted expression.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 424 - Quicksand Castle

"I have already check the maps and the symbols thoroughly. The copies he gave were real. It is exactly
the same as in his memory...."

"That's good!" Leylin glanced at Dominic who was lying dead on the ground whose sea of consciousness
was still sealed.

"What do we do with him?"

"Throw the body out. He only co-operated because of the promise to spare his life." Robin spoke
indifferently, as if talking about garbage.

Every word and action of a rank 3 Magus carried with it a terrifying energy. Hence, the pacts they made,
even if mere verbal agreements, would be like binding.

Of course, to Robin and Leylin, Dominic was no threat, therefore whether he was killed or spared made
little difference to the bigger picture.

"Alright then!" Kesha summoned a yellow sand puppet which lifted Dominic from the ground and ran off
to a distance.

"Hmm! Now, let's take a look at the arrangements in the Quicksand Castle!"

After occupying the original camp, Leylin and company chose one of the rooms and assembled together.
They spread out a map on a big round table.

This was what the coward Dominic had handed over. It had been retrieved from memory and tested for
authenticity, so it was credible.

The structure of the huge castle was laid bare on this yellow parchment, surrounded by plain white
barring a few outer areas that were marked with clearer symbols.

Amongst those were many areas marked as rank 3 danger zones.

This clearly showed that only rank 3 Magi with their capabilities could explore this place. Average rank 1
or rank 2 Magi would only be courting their own deaths if they attempted to advance there.

Leylin and the other Magi looked on with intense attention, memorising the map completely.

"Based on the accumulated information from ancient times, not only are there plenty of illusions and
traps here, the routes and defenses constantly change with the passage of time, rendering any work of
mapping the traps useless. Currently, there are three routes that are safe for travel!"

Robin pointed on the map and explained, "They are the main door, the first window sill, and the rooftop
which contained the flaw of the defensive spell formation, which one will you choose?"

After reaching this point, the team was basically going to split.

Leylin, just like the rest of them, had his own agenda in mind and hoped not to travel with the rest. This
way, he would be able to protect his secrets.

"I intend to start from the rooftop which had the weakest entry point!" Kesha took the lead and
decided,"The three Warlocks from my clan shall follow me!"

"I will take the main door then! Although the rooftop might contained good natural resources, the main
door is much safer!" Robin chuckled.

Noah and the rest of the three Warlocks said nothing. It seemed like they followed Robin willingly.

"So I'll..." Leylin parted his lips and was about to reply.
"Leylin, why don't you join me?" Kesha invited, "I know you are looking for Lamia Hair. If we find it, you'll
get priority!"

Lamia Hair was very precious, so for Kesha to make such a comment showed the great extent of her
goodwill for him.

"Join you?" Leylin lowered his head in thoughts. Of course there were benefits, especially in the face of
enemy troops and when facing multiple traps. In turn, though, it would create many troubles for him.

He still had some strategies up his sleeves that he had not divulged as yet because the time was not
right.

"Sorry," He smiled apologetically

"It's nothing," Kesha smiled, as if she didn't care too.

"Alright! Let's move out after we have decided on our routes. I do not wish to be chased out again!"
Robin exclaimed and immediately left the room with Noah and the other three.

In this excursion, both Leylin and Kesha had not suffered much loss. However, Robin had lost two of his
rank 3 subordinates, something which left him in regret. He felt a sense of urgency to search for more
resources to make up for his losses.

Kesha and Leylin nodded their heads in agreement and quickly left the place.

The entire camp was left in a deathly silence. Remaining behind was the blood that had seeped into the
ground and the wreckage, remnants of the violence that had taken place.

*Shoo!*
A few hours after Leylin and company had entered the depths of the ancient castle, a few rays of
dazzling brilliance shone over from the horizon.

They faded out to reveal the figures of the Magi of the various tribes. In the arms of one of the women
was the unconscious Dominic.

"This whole camp is completely abandoned, Coulomb and Akamu are most likely dead..." Seeing the
ruins on the camp, many of the high ranking Magi had to constrain their rage.

"Coulomb is fine, he prepared a clone seed long ago. The regeneration itself will take place in our clan!"
An old Green-skinned Barbarian announced, "If not for the fact that this cloning process causes huge
exhaustion of his spiritual force, it would have been difficult to defeat him!"

"Not true!" Another Barbarian Bear Shaman who had a dull expression remarked.

Within this camp, out of the three Hydro Phase Magi, one was in a coma and the other still had a clone
seed. Only the Hydro Phase Barbarian Bear Shaman was truly dead.

The Barbarian Bear clan specialised in physical strength. As for the spells and such, they drew support
and strength from the totem, so naturally they did not have many methods of keeping their lives safe.
They were also rather rigid in thoughts, unwilling to bend over and surrender like the humans.

"I can feel the power of the Crystal Phase. Based on Akamu's ability, only with such strength could they
have wiped them out in such short order!" The Barbarian Bear Shaman roared loudly.

"What do we do now?" The female Magus' eyes met the Green-skinned Barbarian.

"Give chase! I can smell them, they have intentionally split up!" The Barbarian Bear Shaman's eyes grew
bloodshot, looking horrifying. "Those who dare to murder those of my clan will pay dearly! I will act
personally, and place their heads at our altar to suffer eternal damnation!"

It looked exceptionally furious indeed.

The female Magus shuddered in cold sweat. She had heard about such curses. It was said that the
enemy's head would be chopped off and placed on the altar and the power of the totem would inflict
eternal torture.

Some rumours stated that the soul of the Magus would also be imprisoned inside the skull to suffer the
eternal cruelty!

This was the Barbarian Bears' most wicked punishment, and it looked like this time it was going to be
put to use.

'For these different tribes to survive in this Forgotten Land, they have to stay united, hence their troop
cohesiveness is very high!' The female Magus sighed. Comparatively, for the human alliance, which was
made up mainly by the disloyal and traitorous, their alliance was very strong and solid but sadly there
was no unity. Thus, their combined strength was less than those of the Barbarian Bears and Green-
skinned Barbarians.

"Let's split up three ways and move forward!" The Green-skinned Barbarian nodded his head in
agreement.

These three powerful individuals had met and formed an alliance for the pocket dimension. Although
there was some semblance of unity amongst them, the bond was rather weak. Not too long ago, even
they had been at loggerheads for sole ownership of the plane.

Thus, to act independently was a wise choice.

"The Magus whose is pestered by the spirit of Akamu chose the main door. I can feel it! I'm going after
him." The Barbarian Bear Shaman hastened his steps and immediately moved forward.

"I will choose the rooftop!" The old Green-skinned Barbarian added. With a hunched back that looked
like it might break anytime, he held out crutches made of solid gold and precious gems and flew
upwards.

"You..."

The female Magus shook her head. She stomped her feet and headed towards the windowsill.

At this moment, Leylin was unaware that the enemy troops had caught up with them and were just
outside the vicinity. He was looking around the room curiously.

It looked like a bedroom. The floor area was very small with only a bed, a table, a chair and a bookshelf,
with nothing else present. The wooden planks inside the house had turned a brownish yellow. Cobwebs
and piles of dust covered the corners.

On the whole, it seemed like a regular abandoned bedroom.

Leylin walked to the bookshelf and started reading the titles on the spines of the books.《57 Ways To
Brew Apple Wine》, 《Ways To Capture Molten Bugs》,《The World – A General Discussion》...

There were many odd genres of books stacked neatly together, something that amazed Leylin. He held
himself back and refused to touch any of them.

Such ancient Magus castles had already absorbed unquantifiable radiation from the previous residents
over the years. There might have been a terrifyingly powerful Magus as well, or the Sun's Child. The
castle had probably undergone terrifying changes.
Leave alone the structure and essence, at this point it might even have manifested some bizarre
phenomena. Some of those phenomena could not be explained even by the original owner, hence they
could prove to be even more deadly.

Ancient Magi had been known to make good use of these as defense networks and build a large
numbers of traps. Exploring Magi had previously had touched these items in the house and were drawn
into a deep mysterious space, completely lost to the world.

Even well known Magi who had great status, too, met the same fate of death.

Many Magi were fearful of the terrifying outcome, therefore they would not act blindly without
thinking.

"According to Dominic's report, I have to wait for another three minutes before the door can be
opened!"

Leylin stood outside the bedroom door. His eyes stared coldly at the brass handle and his expressionless
face looked serious.

On the wall, a clock was slowing ticking away.

*Tick..Tock...Tick...Tock!* The needles were moving very slowly. It seemed like the world had moved for
five seconds and the clock only one.

With so many odd and unexplainable environmental influences, many Magi made the mistake of telling
the wrong time. If it weren't for Leylin's A.I. Chip, he might have fallen into the same trap.

"It is time!"
Leylin watched attentively at the A.I. Chip's stopwatch. The moment the needle reached zero, he
grabbed the handle immediately and opened the door.

*Boom!*

Distant echoes could be heard in the corridor. Leylin looked to the ground and saw that the bright red
carpet lined on the floor was spotless without traces of dust. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the
ceiling, emitting a yellow radiance.

Leylin turned his head around, the original room was nowhere to be seen, not even a single trace of it
remaining. What was left was just a blank empty wall.

"This must be the illusionary corridor, and this also means that I have entered into the second level of
the castle!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 425 - Ecological Garden

Leylin looked into the information the A.I. Chip had previously recorded.

The three powers had been hanging around for a long time, and they had definitely obtained a few
useful items.

Based on Dominic's information, Quicksand Castle was far larger than it looked on the outside. It was
practically a gigantic maze.
The numerous rooms outside were the first layer of defense.

If they did not leave on time, they would travel through countless rooms and later be trapped inside till
their death.

The mark of the second layer would first be this illusory corridor.

With the dim yellow lighting, Leylin looked through the decorations in the corridor.

The two walls were mostly white, with some strange patterns of flowers and plants, but there were no
portraits of humans. The red carpet on the ground extended until the end of the corridor, with not a
speck of dust in sight.

"This drawing technique?" Leylin touched his chin. "It has the style of the ancient era. Looks like it is one
of Quicksand's experimentation areas."

The strength of the current Magi could not compare to that of ancient times. Leylin even suspected that
Magi at the Morning Star Realm or higher had even participated in the construction of this place.

As a mere rank 3 Warlock, , a slight misstep could take away his life!

Leylin glanced at the oil paintings in the corridor vigilantly, he started advancing in a strange pace.

The flower patterns on the two sides began to move in tune to his step. They began to grow, germinate,
blossom and then wilt, creating a cycle.

"Rumours have it that the illusory corridor can only be entered with a unique walking frequency. It
possesses a strange force that can send a person to any place he would like to go to."
Leylin remembered this passage, as well as the account at the end, "If there are errors in one's
footwork, the illusory corridor will turn into a life-threatening trap, trapping both their body and soul."

This specific footstep was discovered through the huge sacrifice from the Magi on the outside, which
now made things convenient for Leylin's group.

"What exactly do I want?"

Leylin strolled along the corridor and constantly asked himself. A unique feature of the corridor was that
if one did not have a clear desire, there would be no end.

After a specific period of time, the same mechanism would activate.

"Immortality, strength and all that would be too vague and exceed the abilities of the illusory corridor. I
can only mention a place it can communicate with."

Leylin muttered to himself, "It's not safe to directly say the location of the Lamia Hair. If such a material
doesn't exist, the illusory corridor will instantly regard me as an intruder!"

This was a test for all who entered. The true owner definitely knew what was at the end of the corridor.

The teleportation of the corridor would only work within the castle. The moment Leylin mentioned an
area that did not match what was inside, not only would there be no teleportation, but defensive spell
formations would be activated instead.

However, he was unwilling to give up on the Lamia Hair.

'I would like... to go to a place that will help my bloodline mature!' A moment later, Leylin made up his
mind and constantly repeated this line in his thoughts.

In that instant, the corridor seemed to shrink and the flowery patterns on the walls sped up. In a few
seconds, they completed a cycle of growth. A bit of light appeared at the end of the corridor, constantly
expanding.

"Let's go!" Leylin gritted his teeth and calmly headed ahead.

*Swoosh!* The feeling of weightlessness during the teleportation left him feeling dizzy.

Shaking his head vigorously, he took stock of his surroundings.

"Where is this...?"

He was in a large laboratory. He could see plants outside through the glass, as well as many glass vessels
and experimental apparatus that were all neatly arranged inside.

"A lab, huh. My luck is pretty good. There's definitely going to be something here to help mature my
bloodline faster!"

Leylin let out a long breath, and immediately recalled the rumours regarding Quicksand. Given that their
ranks consisted of Warlocks of various bloodlines, they had a vested interest in the field. It would not be
difficult to find something that could help his bloodline mature.

Leylin arrived at a metal counter, and pulled out the first drawer. It was messy, mostly made of thick
parchments recording data from experiments. It was all in the Byron language.

Leylin opened the other drawers, and the contents were about the same. There was mostly data from
experiments, the counter practically filled by these documents.

"There is so much data, but it's a pity there's no information on the receptors and core data. There's no
way to tell the procedure of the experiment at all..."

Leylin found this regretful but quickly saved all the information to the database.

Even if it was mostly unrelated data, it was still very valuable. Who knows, some of these parchments
could even hold the data essential to repeating the experiment!

In addition, with all its recent advances and improvement in its abilities, it took little time to record
everything.

Everything was organized neatly. It seemed like the Warlocks then had left in an orderly fashion, not
leaving much behind.

After recording the information, Leylin turned his attention to the ecological garden outside the giant
glass wall.

Large leaves that were like palm-leaf fans covered the sky. Barely any sunlight shone down on the thick
roots of the plants.

It looked like a primordial forest.

However, Leylin who had experience from Twilight Zone immediately realised the difference in this
sunlight. This was not sunlight from the natural world, but an artificial recreation of heat and light.
Though there was a similar effect, it lacked the harmony of nature.

"This place has probably been abandoned for thousands of years. To be able to let this ecological garden
achieve a balance like this, it truly is a perfect system achieved with astonishing skill," Leylin sighed and
touched the glass.

[Custom-made reinforced glass. Degree of hardness: 3!] The A.I. Chip concluded.

A level 3 hardness meant that regular rank 3 Warlocks would be unable to break this glass. Leylin's eyes
brightened at this information.

"Looks like this place was used to hold many powerful creatures." A giant fireball appeared in Leylin's
hands, the terrifying heat burning even the air around it into nothingness and searing through the void.

"Explosive Fireball!"

Enormous flames smashed against the glass wall, the dazzle of the heat and light incomparably piercing.
Even Leylin himself had to close his eyes temporarily.

When he opened his eyes again, there was an indent in a part of the glass, but not much more. It still
stood strong.

'As expected of a material with a hardness of level 3!' Leylin sighed, as he could immediately tell how
much power this reinforced glass could withstand.

Based on the power of his attack, it needed to be used at least ten times before he could completely
shatter this glass wall.

'What for?' he thought as he stroked his chin. While gathering information, he had also discovered an
activating spell which should have been the key to entering the garden. The attack from before was
purely to test how strong this laboratory was.

'Looks like there were at most rank 3 creatures here, so it's not too dangerous!' Leylin was now assured.
If not, the defence would not be so uncomplicated. Even if there were still spell formations that had yet
to be activated, the creatures would still be around rank 3.

He quickly arrived at an instrument that was like a disk. After checking it briefly, he found a groove and
placed crystallised magic crystals inside, replacing the previous powder.

After that, Leylin placed both hands atop the disk, rays travelling from his palms and connecting with the
disk. "Activate!"

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The entire glass wall began to shake, great amounts of dust and silt sliding off.

*Rumble!* As it had not been activated for a long time, the mechanism seemed to be aged and
produced a loud sound as a glass door opened.

A crack appeared within the glass, expanding in two directions, bringing with it an unusually refreshing
breeze.

In that instant, Leylin felt every cell in his body dancing in joy, and his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline
beginning to stir.

"I didn't notice this before, but it seems like every plant in this ecological garden is an ancient species.
Also, they're quite a few times larger than the species we have now, containing traits of the ancient
era..."

Leylin walked out of the laboratory and looked backwards. The laboratory from before was like a giant
white egg, set atop a thick stone base. Everything around it looked like a primordial forest.

'With such obvious traits of the ancient era, and given how lively my bloodline has become, this place is
a perfect copy of that period,' he determined.
Though such an environment may have been the norm at the time. This is very valuable information...'
Leylin revealed an expression of excitement, and immediately commanded, 'A.I. Chip, record the
parameters of the environment!'

[Mission established, beginning scanning. Recording parameters of the atmosphere...]

The A.I. Chip loyally intoned, following through on Leylin's command meticulously.

After giving the order, Leylin walked along a giant plant root, Meteor Sword in hand.

At the end of the root was a berry vine, and atop a leaf the size of a millstone, he found bite marks.

'An animal eating,' Leylin looked at the mark on the leaf, 'It should be omnivorous, these marks are of
teeth used to tear flesh!' The plan was repairing itself rapidly, erasing all traces of the bites.

'They grow so quickly, which explains how this cycle was constructed here...' Leylin touched his chin and
came to the ground. At the root of the plant was a stinking thick, green goop.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 426 - Blood Vulture

Leylin guessed that this animal was the bottom of the ecosystem's food chain. That was the only way for
this cycle to have been sustained through the ages.

After all, this was just an ecological garden, not a pocket dimension full of resources. As big as it was, it
could not support the entire ecosystem on its own. The organisms here had apparently established their
own ecosystem in the absence of the researchers.
*Groan!* A deep howl sounded out and Leylin instantly hid himself, watching the new creature draw
near.

This creature looked somewhat similar to the Snake-Necked Dragons, but what gave him the chills was
its enormous black shell, barbed with spikes. It made the thing look indestructible.

Its head stood out in a stark contrast; as opposed to its humongous body, it was tiny with two small
bumps at the back of it. It also had a long nose which produce the howling previously.

Booms rang out with every step, creating a weak resonant vibration with the ground. This massive
creature had to weigh more than three tonnes.

It came to a stop in front of Leylin's hiding spot, threatening yet tiny eyes scanning around as it
stretched its neck every now and then to nibble on the leaves of the giant plant.

Its bite marks were the same as on the leaves Leylin had seen previously.

'A.I. Chip! Search the database for the image of this creature!' Leylin ordered stealthily.

[Beep! Mission received, starting to scan image, checking database...]

Leylin's order was carried out faithfully by the A.I. Chip and the answer seemed closer than ever.

[No matches found in database, starting search for similar creatures...] [After comparison to similar
creatures in the database, this creature is suspected to be a Snake-Necked Turtle. The two are 87.9%
similar!]

A detailed information on Snake-Necked Turtles was then provided by the A.I. Chip as a follow-up.

[Snake-Necked Turtle: Creature of the ancient era. Extinct as of the present. Omnivorous and even-
tempered, its shell possesses an astonishing defensive ability making it the core ingredient of many
defensive weapons. Can reach a strength similar to that of a rank 2 Magus upon maturation.]

Leylin studied the image—an illustration in an antique book the A.I. Chip once recorded—of the Snake-
Necked Turtle in concentration

"Right! The only differences between them are the colour of their shells, the number of spikes on the
shell, and their heads. It must be a mutation of some sort..."

Leylin couldn't say he was surprised. An environment like this would be hard for ancient era creatures to
survive in if they didn't actively evolve. A little mutation was nothing. This may even have been
instigated by members of Quicksand.

Either way, it'd be truly abnormal if these creatures were to retain all of their ancient characteristics.

"If that's the case, Snake-Necked Turtle you shall be!" Leylin decided. It wasn't like normal Snake-Necked
Turtles were alive anymore to contest it.

Leylin still stayed, undetected by the Snake-Necked Turtle as it finished its meal and announced its
departure with lengthy howls.

Failing to resist the temptation, Leylin tailed the Snake-Necked Turtle.

"Shadow Stealth!" Leylin's manipulation rendered this spell, which was supposed to be rank 1, stronger
than many rank 2 spells. This was especially true when used with Vapour Phase spiritual force.

Leylin climbed onto the back of the Snake-Necked Turtle as he fell into the shadows.

The solid shell gave Leylin a sense of stability and security, and he observed his surroundings. The area
was covered in a thick canopy and massive trees with hanging vines resembling the Chinese Fringetree.
Droplets of water exuded an enchanting radiance as they rolled over the leaves and down the vines.

The atmosphere was further amplified by the blooming of bright-coloured flowers, larger than humans,
and the fragrance they gave off. They were truly roses with thorns.

Leylin sniffed, "Hallucinogenic pollen, paired with this neuro-inducting energy. A level 3 acolyte, or even
an official Magus would be tricked..."

To Leylin, this place felt like a virgin tropical rainforest from his previous life where different species
prospered. It painted an ambience of primitivity.

Instead of spotting Leylin, the Snake-Necked Turtle became his form of transportation, advancing
continuously.

Its steady steps caused no discomfort to Leylin as he rested on its back. Approximately half an hour
later, the Snake-Necked Turtle brought Leylin to a lake.

Beside the lake was a piece of vacant land. The water came from a river, white as jade, that filled the
lake with fresh water bit by bit.

*Moou!* A crowd of Snake-Necked Turtles started gathering around. Many of them swam around
without care in the lake, diving in every now and then before raising their heads above the water
suddenly, resulting in huge splashes everywhere. Some also shot columns of water from their nostrils
that resembled fountains.

The Snake-Necked Turtle that Leylin rode was similarly excited and went straight for the lake.

'There should be about 75 of them here!' Leylin's eyes lit up.

Snake-Necked Turtles weren't well-known after the ancient era; not only were they lacking in strength,
their bloodlines were weak too. They were of no use to Leylin.

However, there was something that stood out about them: they bred like rabbits!

The breeding period of a regular Snake-Necked Turtle was very long. They laid almost a hundred eggs
every other month, and the survival rate of their clutches were high as well. Barring predators, at least
half the eggs would hatch successfully. As long as there was sufficient food, they would mature in the
next few years and continue the cycle.

'This is how nature balances itself. The strong cannot multiply as fast, and even when they do it's hard to
provide for them. On the other hand, the weak have an insane rate of reproduction and activity...' Leylin
remembered the mice of his previous life. There was only one word to describe their adaptability and
rate of reproduction: perverse. They had a very high possibility of surviving even nuclear winter.

'As for the mutated Snake-Necked Turtles here, their inner bodies seem to work even faster. It probably
takes them under a year to mature from the ovum.' Leylin touched his chin in thought. Evidently, the
reproductive capabilities of these mutated Snake-Necked Turtles were intensified to prevent the
extinction of their species. Of course, it came as an acquired evolution.

It can be seen, then, from these selective evolutions that the Snake-Necked Turtles definitely did not
possess any form of superiority and were actually at the bottom of the food chain, waiting to be preyed
on.

*Hoot!* Just as Leylin was preparing to bring back samples of Snake-Necked Turtle blood for further
study, he heard a high-spirited, piercing screech.

It caused an uproar in the community of Snake-Necked Turtles and all of them starting speeding towards
the lake. Those that were already in the lake dived deep in and never surfaced.

The screech got increasingly louder and Leylin could see a streak of crimson on the horizon due to the
several-fold increased senses of his body.

The creature was a type of giant hawk-like being. Glossed with the colour of blood, its feathers were
smooth yet solid, its head accessorised by stalks of golden feathers giving the illusion of a crown.

[Blood Vulture detected! Creature of the ancient era. They attack with sound waves and can manipulate
the blood of their target. They possess a strong interest in bloodline-related treasures and are
communal creatures. Evaluation: Extremely dangerous!]

The A.I. Chip pushed into his sight.

"Blood Vulture!?" Leylin's expression quickly grew from shock to joy.

'They have extraordinary sensory ability towards idiosyncratic bloodlines on top of their superb vision. A
strand of hair on the ground could be detected easily even from an altitude of 10,000 feet. Mostly kept
as pets by ancient warlocks to seek bloodline treasures!'

'But...' Leylin hesitated as he read the danger evaluation of it.

Just the strength of this particular Blood Vulture was enough to caution Leylin. It could equate to a
human rank 3.

Moreover, the A.I. Chip stated that they were communal creatures, there were definitely more rank 3
members back in its nest or even a King Blood Vulture! The king would, no doubt, be a rank 3 Crystal
Phase being, and may even have reached the Morning Star realm!

*Hoot!* The Blood Vulture sounded out occasionally as it sailed in the air causing fear within the
community of Snake-Necked Turtles, something which seemed to encourage the vulture even more.

*Bang!* A single Snake-Necked Turtle, with a wounded leg, stood out as it trailed behind the mass of
them, and fell to the ground under the stampede.

Deciding that it was time to stop the fun, the Blood Vulture flapped its wings and plunged straight to the
ground.

The strong winds that followed its action already had Leylin stunned. The remarkable size of the vulture,
much bigger than the Snake-Necked Turtle, slowly came into view as it drew closer to the ground.

The contrast between their forms was not obvious when the Blood Vulture flew in the sky, but
compared when closer by, the huge Snake-Necked Turtles were like mice to the Blood Vulture.

*Hoot!* The Blood Vulture stretched its huge claw and punched a hole in the head of the Snake-Necked
Turtle. The thing fell, blood splattering everywhere...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 427 - Entering the Nest

*Shriek!*

Upon seeing the blood fluids, the Blood Vulture's eyes shot our rays of excitement as it started to shriek
hysterically. A blood-coloured glow shone from his body.

Concurrently, large amounts of fresh blood spewed out of the Snake-Necked Turtle's neck like water
from a fountain. It coagulated in mid-air and eventually formed lumps of blood clot which were
swallowed by the Blood Vulture.

*Rip!*
Soon after, the Blood Vulture stretched out its long sharp black claws, and easily lifted the shell of the
Snake-Necked Turtle. Using its claws, it separated the fresh flesh into segments of meat and started
devouring the meat. His motions were smooth, as he nonchalantly ate a Snake-Necked Turtle in front of
its counterparts.

The majestic beast presented a perfect combination of grace and bloodshed.

"Moooooo..." As they watched their companion being brutally murdered, the rest of the Snake-Necked
Turtles mourned but did not dare to take a step outside the lake.

Leylin quietly watched this scene and maintained a neutral expression.

That was but a common occurrence in the natural world. Before the advancement to a stage where one
could survive purely based on the injection of energy, such predatory acts were not considered to be
good or bad. The survival instincts were merely the rules of life, meant to be followed and respected.

"Its ability to control bloodline!" On the contrary, Leylin was actually very interested in this specific
ability of the Blood Vultures.

Furthermore, differing from the Snake-Necked Turtle, a mature Blood Vulture was at least at the
standard of a Rank 3, the minimum criteria to achieve the Pure Ancient Blood! Leylin was extremely
interested in the origins of these bloodline creatures.

'It's just... Should I go?' Leylin stroked his chin.

The King Blood Vulture could be of Morning Star rank, and under its detection, Leylin's stealth spell
would not be of any effect. However, should the King Blood Vulture still be of rank 3 status, even if it
was at the apex of the Crystal Phase, Leylin would still be confident in his ability to conceal himself.
'The number of choices we humans have is very troublesome!' Leylin thought. He sighed feeling like he
was at a crossroads in life, with a dense fog shrouding his destiny.

In fact, this was a choice people would have come across many times in life in which their final choices
can result in different outcomes, both good and bad.

'Do I go, or not?' Leylin debated with himself.

*Trrring!* Leylin tossed a dull golden coin and it landed on the back of his hand with the Luckbird staring
back at him.

Even after a long while, the coin was not badly damaged, causing Leylin to heave a sigh of relief.

"Since the Coin of Destiny did not crack, this means that the Blood Vultures don't have a rank 4 in their
midst. I can take my chances!" Leylin's eyes burned with passion.

The Coin of Destiny was Leylin's biggest accomplishment in Twilight Zone. It would, however, bring
about huge misfortunes if it were to be utilised to predict the abilities of Morning Star Magi. But despite
this flaw, it still benefitted Leylin without a doubt.

Since not a single crack appeared on the coin when he made the prediction, this suggested that there
were no Morning Star beings blocking his path. That was good enough for him. Even if he used
everything he had, he could not bridge the gap between himself and a Morning Star power.

As long as the opponent was not at the Morning Star realm, Leylin was willing to take the risk.

*Choo!* At this point in time, the Blood Vulture on the ground had already finished its meal. Leylin was
stunned, as he looked at the Blood Vulture fly into the sky with the remains of the Snake-Necked Turtle
in its mouth as if it wanted to bring the remains back into its nest.
"This is my chance!" Leylin's eyes flashed brightly, as he initiated his Shadow Stealth. He concealed his
figure in the crevices and stealthily entered the carcass of the Snake-Necked Turtle.

The wind howled unceasingly. The Blood Vulture took off at a high velocity, the friction created by the
turbulence had caused sparks to be created with the corpse of the Snake-Necked Turtle.

Fortunately, the collision of airflow ceased after it reached a certain height.

The Blood Vulture travelled at a high velocity, causing Leylin's view of the landscape below to be that of
a blur. About 10 minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

Leylin could barely hide the shocked expression on his face as he saw the huge shadows not far from
him.

Ahead of him was a huge mountain, solitary and upright. There was not a hint of vegetation, instead, it
gave off a dark glow that made it seem as if it was some kind of metal structure.

Scattered all around were huge caves, of which Blood Vultures could be seen squawking in.

They were synchronized in their cacophony. Not only were their penetrating screeches ten times as
strong as those of the individuals, they caused Leylin's Kemoyin bloodline to have a weird reaction, as if
it was about to leave his body. Fortunately, this was just a momentary hallucination. Under the
suppression of his Vapour Phase spiritual force, it disappeared without a trace.

"The Blood Vulture's ability to control bloodlines is truly terrifying!" Leylin muttered.

"Furthermore, this Ecological Garden is far too vast and wide!" Leylin developed doubts towards his
previous judgment. "Don't tell me that this place is not simply an Ecological Garden or a Magus' garden,
but a pocket dimension... A pocket dimension within another!"

Rumour had it that, among the various pocket dimensions that the ancient Magi left behind as a legacy,
some even contained additional pockets of their own.

This sort of layering was extremely difficult, as it was impossible to shift a dimension into another. Even
though Leylin possessed quite a few spatial items, he was unable to place his storage ring into his
storage pouch.

But it was very obvious that the ancient Magi had methods to successfully break through this restriction,
thus building this pocket dimension within a pocket dimension!

This kind of pocket dimensions were known as cores. It required the huge affluence and power of the
ancient Magi to be able to build such a core. And in this core were stored all kinds of resources, many of
which would make Morning Star Magi turn green with envy.

"Since the Sun's Child was within the Quicksand Organisation, then their powers would be considered
top-notch even in the ancient times. Such organisations would hence possess the ability to construct
these!"

Leylin guessed as such as he looked up at the entirety of Quicksand Castle, which was, in fact, an
extraordinary pocket dimension!

*Choo!* At this moment, the Blood Vulture with Leylin let out a harmonious hoot and descended into
one of the huge caves.

*Bam!* The carcass of the Snake-Necked Turtle was thrown to the ground, following which, the Blood
Vulture started squawking. A few small pink Blood Vultures ran out from the cave, gnawing at the flesh.

It was obvious these small Blood Vultures were only children. Not only were their bodies shades of pink,
they were completely bald, having yet to grow feathers. They were similar in strength to level 3 acolytes.

"After these Blood Vultures grow into adulthood, they are able to reach the level of a rank 3 Magus.
Furthermore, they are able to control bloodlines. Since they were capable of flight too, their eggs, if
sold, would definitely be able to obtain a high price!

Leylin looked at the baby Blood Vultures, which were as small as chicks, and thought that it was a pity.

Since they were born, these Blood Vultures would only succumb to the first creature they saw after they
exited their shells, and could never be tamed by anyone else.

Taking advantage of the Blood Vultures eating the carcass, Leylin secretly exited the carcass of the
Snake-Necked Turtle, and went to a corner of the cave.

"Shadow Technique!" Leylin used a complicated magic rune on himself. The darkness immediately
shrouded him and Leylin vanished into the shadows.

The Blood Vultures were driving Leylin up the wall and at the same time, Leylin felt a terrifying life force
fluctuating from the centremost cave.

That was definitely the King Blood Vulture, a peak rank 3 Crystal Phase creature!

Under the detection of so many high-ranked creatures, his Shadow Stealth could not hold out for long,
hence Leylin had used yet added another spell.

The Shadow Technique was not exactly a spell but a special technique. When Leylin was in Twilight
Zone, he had collected many rank 3 spell models. Even though the majority of them were flawed, there
were still a few which were in good condition.
So with these models as a starting point, he developed his own special technique that was compatible
with Shadow Stealth! Amongst everything, many of the ancient records of the Dark Elves gave him a lot
of insights in his development of the special technique.

[Shadow Technique: Can be used on its own to hide the user's physical body, or can be used in
combination with the rank 1 spell Shadow Stealth, increasing its strength, in which case the final
strength will be similar to that of a rank 3 spell!]

It was very difficult to develop a rank 3 spell independently, but Leylin found Shadow Stealth an easy
spell to cast. It was rare to come by such a combination of compatibility with both bloodline and
aptitude. Hence, Leylin customized this Shadow Technique to amplify Shadow Stealth's ability, elevating
it to rank 3 status.

The combination of the Shadow Stealth and Shadow Technique immediately produced a frightening
end-result.

Leylin could clearly feel his own shadow being engulfed by a layer of dense darkness. He had been kept
on edge before as he felt that he would be discovered anytime, but now, those feelings of trepidation
had completely disappeared.

"So... Blood Vultures do like metallic surroundings. This is something the books never mentioned!"

Leylin ignored the exchange of the family of Blood Vultures, and without consent, looked around the
nest of the Blood Vulture.

The cave was huge and gloomy, dimly lit, and had the foul smell of a certain creature. Of course, this
didn't matter much to Leylin.

Following the path to the bottom of the cave, Leylin saw a huge bird's nest made with chunks of gold.
Beside it were multiple smaller nests weaved with other unknown golden stalks and roots, radiating a
faint light.
"This is...." Leylin walked closer and immediately widened his eyes as he was attracted to the objects
inside the golden nest.

"Bloodline Crystals, Dragonroot fruits, and dried up bones of bloodline creatures!"

He was immediately able to recognize a few items.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 428 - The Last Supper

Leylin recognised a few items in the golden nest.

First was a crimson gemstone. This was a bloodline crystal, a very precious material for Warlocks. It
could even slightly increase the purity of a bloodline.

Though this was practically useless for Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks like Leylin, whose bloodline had
been purified to the limit, it was definitely something that could cause most other Warlocks to go all
out. As long as news about bloodline crystals was spread, the two female Warlocks, Freya and Miranda,
would definitely pounce over like lunatics, willing to pay any price in order to obtain it!

The Dragon Root Fruit was also a very special plant, with a very durable outer layer that even surpassed
the strength of Magus alloys. It could be preserved for over a hundred years, and Magi that ate it could
increase the durability of their bodies. Rumours had it that there was a chance of inheriting a trace of a
bloodline from within the fruit.

This would mean the beginning of a Warlock family!

Of course, for Leylin and all the others who already had a bloodline, they could no longer change it.
However, if traded outside, it would go for a sky-high price. Such a resource could not be measured by
price, and could be exchanged between Morning Star Magi.

The other few things included some skeletons that were each the size of a human femur, and the
remains of a powerful creature above rank 3. Even after so many years, there was no erosion, and he
could still sense some remaining suppression from a bloodline.

These remains were actually what were most useful to Leylin. The blood of most bloodline creatures
came from the bones, and these specific remains came from powerful rank 3 creatures. With them on
hand, he could refine an ancient bloodline out of it.

Besides these few items, there were also other bloodline items within the little golden Blood Vulture
nests. Even Leylin, who was very learned and had gathered a terrifying amount of knowledge, could not
identify everything.

There was no question that these were all bloodline items, and every single one was enough to make
any Warlock go crazy!

"I see..." Leylin glanced at the pile of bloodline items, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.

It was obvious that the growth of a Blood Vulture was inseparable from these items. Though they could
be used directly, long-term contact with them increased its rate of maturation. It could also increase its
strength and awaken its mysterious bloodline ability!

This was also why the Blood Vulture was so enthusiastic about gathering bloodline items.

Glancing at all these, Leylin had to expend a lot of effort to suppress the desire within his body.

"Though these are good, they aren't as important as the Lamia Hair. Also..."
Leylin glanced towards the Blood Vulture outside the cave.

He was currently in stealth, and with the added bonus from darkness techniques, he had not been
discovered by the bird.

Though Shadow Stealth was great, there was one flaw. If Leylin wanted to take these items away, he
would need to dispel his Shadow Stealth.

In that case, he would definitely be discovered the Blood Vulture, and the whole group might be
attracted here. On top of that, with a terrifying King Blood Vulture, Leylin would need more than nine
lives to survive!

This would definitely raise the guard of many other Blood Vultures, which would not be beneficial to
Leylin's future plans.

'A regular Blood Vulture nest has so many great items inside. Within the King Blood Vulture's nest, there
should be even better things!' A fire began to blaze in Leylin's eyes.

'The place with the highest probability of having the Lamia Hair should be the King Blood Vulture's nest!'
Leylin immediately recalled the giant cave he had merely shot a glance at earlier, with very profound,
horrifying energy waves hidden within.

'Looks like I'll be stuck here for a period of time. I'll have to find out the behavioural patterns of the
Blood Vultures...'

......

"Uncle, are you sure this is the place?" Noah glanced at Robin who was beside him. They were now in
front of a large door, intricate and complicated patterns on the frame.

The three remaining Black Horrall Snake Warlocks were like little followers as they gathered closely
behind them.

"If we activate anything wrongly, we'll lose our way even more thoroughly and be stuck here till we die!"

"Don't worry. Based on the information I received, it can't be wrong. Besides, that item is too important
to us!" Robin looked grim, yet there was a fiery look in his eyes.

"I need some time to confirm this. Have all the issues at the back been taken care of?" Robin did not
even turn back as he asked.

"I've already set up five spells of abduction, as well as created a body substitute!" A sinister expression
appeared on Noah's face.

"The moment they catch up to us, they will definitely be teleported to various areas within the maze
and then be trapped in the Boundless Room till death. Barbarian Bears are such stupid creatures." He
spoke confidently.

*Boom!* At this moment, a giant howl travelled from a short distance away, accompanied with the
breaking of a spell formation and a roar, "Little worms, I've found you!"

*Ka-cha!* A pink crystal necklace was split open while Noah looked on in disbelief.

"Never underestimate your opponents!" Robin's eyes were still fixed on the giant door, but his voice was
transmitted over, "They've only broken through our first defensive spell formation. We still have some
time."
"Take care of the spell formations and try your best to buy me more time!" Robin commanded, and the
other three Black Horrall Snake Warlocks bowed, before leaving immediately.

Rumbling sounds were heard constantly, and a large bear monster could vaguely be seen roaring in the
spell formation, causing beads of cold sweat to roll down Noah's face.

*Ka-cha!* *Ka-cha!* Crystals shattered one after another, every time being followed by the voices of
the subordinates.

"Second defensive spell formation destroyed!"

"The main body of the defensive formation is damaged. We can hold for less than a minute—AAHHH"
The short conversation ended, followed by the abrupt blood-curdling shrieks, signifying the end of these
Warlocks.

Noah clenched his fists. All of them were from his family, but they had all fallen in this exploration.

Now, only he and his uncle were left.

"I'll go and stall for more time." Noah exclaimed.

"No need for that." Robin interrupted his words and, raising his finger, tapped on the door a few times.
Using some strange rule, he drew a circle.

A hum rang out as, in an instant, multiple water ripples appeared on the surface of the giant door. The
tide surged, and then rushed into a brass keyhole.

Like a castle of blocks collapsing, the door rapidly broke apart into countless fragments, the two sides
springing open and revealing a mystical luster within.
"Wretched maggots, I'll tear you apart!"

*Boom!* With a loud sound, the last spell formation hindering the Barbarian Bear Shaman shattered,
revealing a giant Barbarian Bear with firm muscles all over. After seeing Robin, its eyes immediately
turned red.

"Don't mind it. Let's enter." Robin pulled Noah through the door.

"If you want revenge, then come in!" The sound of Robin's taunts travelled over.

"Ahhh!"

Its eyes completely red, the Barbarian Bear Shaman chased them in.

Magnificent rays flashed, and the scene suddenly changed.

By the time Noah came back to his senses, he was already sitting at a dining table. On the large white
tablecloth was not even a speck of dust, while the silver lampstand had candles burning above it.

"Hm?" After which, Noah found that he was unable to get up. Even the spiritual force and magic power
that he had been so proud of as a rank 3 Magus could not be used at all.

He looked towards his uncle, fear and terror apparent in his expression.

At the other end of the table, the Barbarian Bear Magus was sitting in a daze. Though the muscles that
were bulging displayed the fury of its owner, it could not move an inch.
"This is 'The Last Supper, which is the most impartial and bloody duel. Between us, only one side can
live, while the loser shall lose everything and turn into the meal of the victor. In addition, the victor will
even be awarded with the judge's horn."

Robin said matter-of-factly, seemingly very familiar with all that was happening.

The moment his words sounded, black figures suddenly appeared in seats that had initially been empty.
There were no energy undulations from their bodies, their eyes completely red.

For some reason, the moment he saw them, Noah felt cold sweat running down his back.

He counted carefully. There were thirteen seats at this long table, but there was one empty.

"Now, for the first dish. The Bloody Mary Desert..."

An indescribable voice resounded in Noah's mind, sending a shiver down his spine.

......

"What the hell is this!"

At another area in Quicksand Castle, Kesha was quickly fleeing along a corridor, a Green-skinned
Barbarian with a strange appearance escaping shoulder to shoulder with her.

These two were originally hunter and the hunted, but for some reason, they had formed an alliance, and
were both looking pale in panic.
"All offensive spells of the four great elements are useless against it. Try special attacks! I'll cover you!"
The Green-skinned Barbarian looked to be in pain as he flung a gemstone necklace behind him.

*Bang!* Terrifyingly chilly air exploded, covering the ground with a layer of frost as numerous runic
chains appeared.

*Crack! Crack!!* What followed was the sound of ice shattering, and footsteps drawing closer.

A black figure materialised from the icy mist. It was a monster that looked like a middle-aged man
wearing a trenchcoat. He donned a hood, and it was hard to tell what he looked like. The fingers on his
two palms had disappeared, and in place of them were many scissors that were glinting with light.

The numerous runic chains did not stand a chance against the man's scissors, and were easily snipped at
and broken.

"Eye of Petrification!" Many crimson runes appeared on Kesha's body as she bit her finger and drew a
strange rune on her forehead.

Following that, her eyes turned into a pair of amber vertical pupils.

With the amplification from the blood rune, her innate spell had reached a frightful degree of power. A
circle of petrification began to spread with Kesha at its center.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 429 - Spirit Body

In the face of the Eye of Petrification, the man in the trenchcoat suddenly froze and an ash grey coat of
stone formed across the surface of his body.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* His entire being turned into a giant statue and particles of dust fell endlessly from
him.

"Icy Blades!" Under the manipulation of the Green-skinned Barbarian, numerous blades formed a
tornado, enclosing the statue within as eerie noises rang constantly.

Moments later, the blades dispersed and the statue that once stood there had vanished, leaving behind
a bed of fragmented rocks.

"It's finally over..." The Green-skinned Barbarian heaved a sigh of relief.

"No, not yet!" Kesha laughed bitterly instead.

Soon after, to his terror, the Green-skinned Barbarian saw the fragmented rocks explode, exposing
pieces of flesh within.

Many of them grew tentacles and started amalgamating to reform the man in the black trenchcoat from
before. Even a single tear could not be seen on his clothes.

"Goddammit!" The Green-skinned Barbarian cursed, "Where in the world did you infuriate this darned
thing? Not only is it immune to spells, even physical attacks are useless!"

"I have no idea!" Kesha's face spelled despair.

After entering Quicksand Castle, she had only charged through a few levels before the man in the black
trenchcoat set his sights on her. With her subordinates being lost one by one, the current situation
seemed to bode ill.

Under the immense threat of death, the last Green-skinned Barbarian in pursuit was compelled to join
forces with Kesha to defeat this creature together. But by the looks of it, they were at their wits' end.

......

*Chirp chirp!* A piercing sound sliced through the air. Violent whirls of wind were brought about as the
earth was engulfed in darkness and shadows.

With a wing-spread wide enough to envelop the land in darkness, a Blood Vulture descended in the
heart of an enormous mountain range that bore the appearance of a honeycomb, landing in the highest
and largest cave.

Somewhere in the mountains, Leylin's eyes sparkled with a blue glint.

"Left at 4.47pm, and returned again after an interval of 23 minutes and 45 seconds!"

He was currently recording the King Blood Vulture's travel statistics with great detail. Over the past few
days of observation, he had managed to reap some returns.

This King Blood Vulture had at least the strength of the Crystal Phase. The bulky physique of the creature
and the terrifying spiritual force on it was sufficient to completely destroy Leylin's plans of seizing
anything.

Besides, the King Blood Vulture had no need to leave its nest to hunt. It received sacrifices from the
entire pack of Blood Vultures. Every day, numerous Blood Vultures would return with food and deliver
them into the cave.
Hence, it rarely left the cave throughout the day, unlike the average Blood Vulture Leylin had seen
earlier, which usually spent half its day flying around outside.

However, every afternoon, at this particular time of the day, the King Blood Vulture would leave the
cave for a period of time, likely to patrol its territory.

This was the very chance that Leylin had been waiting for.

"The Blood Vulture is indeed a creature from the ancient era gifted with the bizarre ability to sense any
bloodline treasures...." Leylin exclaimed.

Apart from the King Blood Vulture's cave which he had not dared to pry into, he had explored the lairs of
the other average Blood Vultures and discovered many bloodline treasures which would be useful to
Warlocks.

The accumulated value of these items were enough to make even Duke Gilbert lose his mind.

"Everything will hinge on tomorrow!"

Leylin watched the cave at the highest point with caution, and slipped into the darkness.

......

The next day, in the afternoon.

Following a cry, the gigantic King Blood Vulture stepped out of its cave once again, casting a shadow
upon the earth. Terrifying vibrations swept the area, intimidating the other formidable creatures that
watched over the region.
"The time is now!" Leylin's glance froze.

"Shadow Stealth!" "Darkness technique!" In a split second, his physical being vanished and was
concealed within the shadows, surrounded by thick fog.

With the help of the concealing effects of the spell, Leylin fumbled his way to the cave right into the
central cave.

'The King Blood Vulture's lair is guarded by two Blood Vultures that are already at the Hydro Phase!
Whenever the King Blood Vulture is out on patrol, they are responsible for guarding his lair'

Leylin crawled onto the protruding top of a black rock and watched the two huge blood-red silhouettes
in the cave closely. He furrowed his brows.

"According to my current abilities, I might barely be able to handle a single Blood Vulture at the Hydro
Phase, but it would definitely cause a ruckus! There's a high possibility that the entire pack might
surround and annihilate me, or that the King Blood Vulture might even return unexpectedly!"

Leylin took a glance at the silhouettes of the two guards, gritted his teeth, and passed through to the
other side while hidden.

Two Blood Vultures at the Hydro Phase would be too much for him to handle with his current abilities,
but the detection abilities of the powerful creatures might not be as acute as that of a human Magus.
This was his chance.

Having already wasted too much time here, Leylin did not dare to continue waiting.

Even if it was risky, he wanted to give it a try!

In the shadows, everything outside was overcast. It was as if the world had been soaked in thick glue
and every step he took, Leylin had to expend a great amount of energy and magic power, while at the
same time taking note of how the two Blood Vulture guards reacted, making it a terribly tiring job for
him.

Just when Leylin carefully arrived at the entrance, and was about to walk past one of the Blood Vulture
guards...

"Chirp chirp!" The guard seemed to have discovered something and became alert, glancing around its
surroundings with vigilance.

'Even for a powerful creature, once it has passed rank 3, no matter how dumb it was originally, it would
evolve to have the intelligence of a human!' Leylin exclaimed.

He immediately commanded in his head: "A.I. chip! Begin the plan B!"

[Beep! Command received. Starting plan B.] The chip responded faithfully.

At the halfway mark of the mountain, a miniature model of a spell formation suddenly exploded,
revealing a shadow servant within.

The shadow servant zoomed into a cave that was guarded by an adolescent Blood Vulture and grabbed
a few pieces of bloodline crystals before escaping swiftly.

"Chirp chirp!!!" The Blood Vultures were left enraged, and numerous blood red figures flew out too,
circling in the sky.

Before the shadow servant could run out of the perimeter of the huge mountain, it was torn to pieces
by the explosive might of the Blood Vultures.
Although the two Blood Vulture guards did not take action, their attention was obviously taken away by
the scene there. Seizing the chance, Leylin immediately took out a black crown.

This crown was very small and exquisite, and the design was not too flamboyant, as though it was
specially made for females.

"Dark Elven Crown!"

This was Leylin's war trophy. After completely defeating the dark elves, they who submitted to him
offered the crown along with their powerful meditation techniques.

This crown was also the first magic equipment that Leylin had obtained, and was at a higher rank than
his Meteor Sword.

The Dark Elven Crown was a sacred legendary weapon, which possessed the strong ability to mask
auras. The then-queen of the Dark Elves, Anya, used it to enter the core of central Twilight Zone in a
single motion. If not for Leylin's secret interference, she might have emerged victorious over the
humans and unified the entirety of Twilight Zone.

As a piece of magic equipment, the Dark Elven Crown had no doubt a hidden function, but as it had
been used once recently, it took decades for it to be available for use again.

After getting hold of this magic equipm, Leylin had been constantly analyzing it using the A.I. chip, and
had learnt many useful techniques and spells.

What made him especially interested was that the A.I. chip could forcefully stimulate a portion of the
functions of the Dark Elven Crown when charged with a certain amount of magic crystals!
Although it only possessed a portion of its full powers, the Dark Elven Crown was still a piece of magic
equipment! Its effect was limited only to Leylin himself. The scary thing was that it could even escape
the perception of a Morning Star Magus.

This went without saying for the two Blood Vulture guards.

With the shadow servant outside holding their attention, along with the protection of the Crown of the
Dark Elves, Leylin successfully infiltrated the lair of the King Blood Vulture.

Although the lighting in the cave was poor, it did not pose a problem to Leylin.

The floor was covered in dark red blood stains and the remains of other creatures which had varying
degrees of decomposition; likely the food that the King Blood Vulture had consumed recently.

The entire cave felt eerie to Leylin, as though he was being watched closely by something.

Leylin reached out his hand and felt the wall which was black and studded with metal grains.

When his hand came into contact with the black wall, countless tentacles extended from above, but
were quickly burnt his black flames.

"By the looks of it, this pack of Blood Vultures has been living here for a long time; even the mountains
have been affected by the radiation and have come to life!" Leylin exclaimed.

Such materials that had been given life were very precious. Not only could they be added to self-defense
spells, they could also confer the ability to heal oneself. Architecture that was built mainly with these
materials usually could last for more than a thousand years without collapsing.

If such materials could be added to Leylin's Magus tower, its degree of stability would definitely go up a
notch.

"What a pity that plans to exploit this area would certainly be too unrealistic!"

Leylin continued walking, deeper and deeper, until he reached the end of the cave, where laid a gigantic
Blood Vulture nest.

Gold animal fur and the metal itself were laid out to form a sturdy mat, upon which there was a
depression from years of use. Yet, there wasn't a single thing on the mat.

"Hmm?" Leylin was shocked, but followed with a bitter laugh.

"The bloodline items are only effective for the young of the Blood Vultures. It looks like the King Blood
Vulture hasn't laid any eggs, so naturally there would be no need to collect these items..."

'I have to evacuate as soon as possible, and ransack all the other Blood Vulture lairs before that!' Leylin
was determined.

He made a prompt decision on the spot; if there weren't any new discoveries, he would choose to leave
immediately, and hardly did a sloppy job.

"Who would have thought that I would meet a comrade here!"

An exclamation sounded from a distance, causing Leylin to freeze in his steps.

He turned and firmly stared at a corner.

There, an illusory figure slowly came into view.

"A soul?! No! An even more powerful being!"

Leylin watched the figure that had suddenly appeared, as though he was about to face an enemy.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 430 - Activation

The illusion that surfaced was that of an astonishingly beautiful young woman. Her hair was like a sea of
emerald green with light curls, flying in the wind like it had a life of its own.

She possessed a pair of mesmerising eyes, coupled with a delicate yet puzzling charm to her face. To
Leylin's surprise, she gave him a baffling sense of familiarity.

Especially after the complete materialisation of the illusion, Leylin's blood vessels generated a sense of
fear, as if he had met a natural enemy. Yet, he felt an amiability within her that tempted him to throw
himself into the arms of the woman regardless of everything.

"Lamia?" There were agony and bitterness in Leylin's tone. From how called out to him just now, he
managed to guess some things.

The similarity in temperament and looks between her and the Snake Dowager was especially striking.

The Lamia shared the same bloodline as the Snake Dowager. In fact, it had an even more direct line of
descent compared to the Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Thus, on the whole, they could be considered siblings
with blood relations.
"My brother! Tell me, why are you here, what are you looking for?" The green haired Lamia asked, her
voice strangely charming, compelling him to answer.

[Warning! Warning! Instability detected in host bloodline, possibility of an emotional outburst!] The A.I.
Chip sounded the reminder, snapping Leylin out from the confusion he was in.

This made him unwilling to look at the opposity party, particularly at the Lamia's eyes.

"Rumor has it that the ancient Lamia has the ability to manipulate any kind of snakes she desires. It
seems like this is true indeed..."

It was merely a remnant soul, yet it almost got to Leylin. If the Lamia were to be at the Morning Star
Realm, Leylin was afraid he might have to bow down to her.

"Your bloodline, it seems to be extremely pure, and you have a special power enveloping your whole
body...." The virtual image of the Lamia bit her finger.

"Who are you, really?" Leylin spoke in a deep tone.

"I was a human once, I had a few names, but I have forgotten them all....." The virtual image smiled, as if
she was narrating a story unrelated to her.

"Are you the soul of the ancient Lamia Warlock?" Leylin made a guess.

According to his intelligence, the ancient Quicksand Organisation once had a Lamia Warlock. And
apparently, after her atavism, she became a true Lamia possessing terrifying power that even average
Radiant Moon Magi could not match.

"No! She had perished completely. I am just a phantom image formed by the scattered fragments of
memories that have evolved together after a very long period of time..." A sense of loneliness could be
felt from the green haired woman's face.

"Even so, for your soul to take such shape, I am sure there is a source of radiation nearby!" Leylin's eyes
lit up and he reached out and grabbed at the fur cushion.

Huge black claws appeared, splitting the fur and metal within and revealing what was underneath the
surface.

It was a layer of white fur. Brush that aside and immediately a rich and heavy scent of undulating
bloodline spreaded out.

"You can even resist the radiation undulation and the aura of the bloodline!" Leylin kept the white
feathers in a flash and thereafter eyed the hollow area intensely.

It was the broken section of a bone, it must have been a part of some bloodline creature.

Although it might have been a long time ago, the horrifying threat and undulations emitting from the
bone made Leylin have an impulse to kneel down.

"You are truly the adult form of a rank 5 bloodline creature; even though it is a broken section of a bone,
it could still radiate even after your death. Moreover you can induce such a thing!" Leylin looked at the
green haired Lamia in amazement.

For Blood Vultures, the remains of a rank 5 bloodline creature was a precious item to that was dearly
cherished. No wonder the Blood Vulture had safeguarded it under so many layers, even going so far as
to mask its energy with the feather.

"What do you intend to do here, my brother?" she asked again.

Leylin muttered under his breath and finally replied, "I want to acquire something that will speed up the
maturation of my bloodline, for instance Lamia Hair or some such thing."

"Compared to Lamia Hair, this can help you more!" The Snake Woman smiled and the broken bone was
flung out and landed on Leylin's hand.

"You.... Why are you helping me?"

Feeling the ecstatic joy boiling in his bloodline, Leylin knew the broken Lamia bone in his hands were the
real deal. He could already feel the transcendence.

However he did not immediately accept it and instead asked some questions.

"I have been in existence for far too long.... It might be a few hundred years or even thousands. I can
never leave the designated finger bone's radiation area......"

The Lamia shot a glance at Leylin, "Do you know how it feels?"

Leylin fell silent. Such pain, it did indeed have the ability to drive a Magus crazy to the verge of seeking
death.

"If you take the finger bone, there will be a shortage of such a radiation environment and I will gradually
fade away....." The young woman's silhouette became more and more illusionary with a smile of relief
on her face.

"Wait. How can I resolve the shackles on the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock bloodline?
Watching the young woman's illusionary image gradually fading out until the wall behind her could be
seen, Leylin quickly blurted out the question.

"This problem, can only be solved by the Grand Matriarch....."

Accompanying the fading image, the Snake Woman's grew softer and softer until she dissipated into
thin air.

"Grand Matriarch? Snake Dowager?" Leylin stroked the finger bone he was holding in his hands, his face
a sea of infinite obscurity.

"Regardless of that, I better make a move fast!"

With lightning speed, Leylin kept the finger bone well, swept his eyes over the surroundings and
launched the Dark Elven Crown.

Thick, black darkness enveloped Leylin completely, and coupled with his magic power he was able to
pass through the gate which was guarded by the two Blood Vultures unharmed.

After he reached the foot of the mountain, Leylin looked back at the huge black form of the mountain
and its innumerable caves. He looked hesitant.

This was practically a Warlock's treasure trove, but without a strength at the Morning Star realm, there
was no way the entirety of the Blood Vulture could be subdued.

"I have, at most, five more minutes before the King Blood Vulture is back from his patrol. When he
realises that the finger bone is gone, I am sure he will definitely launch an investigation into the
matter..."
Leylin stroked his chin. He had been hiding up here for so long, the backup plans had to be more than
these. But now, the biggest harvest was already in his hand. Whether to continue or not, he had not yet
made up his mind.

Since ancient times, it was a common occurrence for an individual to place himself in danger for
personal benefits. Leylin did not want to become one of them.

"Forget it! Let's go!"

With some regret, Leylin turned his head and left the place.

......

"Huh?! You are finally out."

Not too far away, a temporary underground cave opened up. A female Magus in pursuit ran in with a
crystal ball in her hand. On the surface of the crystal ball, a blood-red layer appeared, getting brighter
and brighter.

"If you had kept hiding in the nest of the Blood Vultures, I might not have been able to find you. But
what about now?"

The female Magus flashed a smile.

She was in pursuit of Leylin all the way and had even used a spell to use a trace of Leylin's energy to
build a tracking item. But after reaching this place, she realised Leylin had hidden in the nest of the
Blood Vultures!

The King Blood Vulture there was at the peak of the Crystal Phase! Other than that, there was a big
group of rank 3 followers. If she chased in after Leylin and a commotion was created, it would definitely
alert the many Blood Vultures to join in for the kill.

Therefore, this female Magus chose to hibernate and wait. To her, Leylin would come for collection of
resources, it was just a matter of time. As long as she waited with patience, regardless of success or
failure, he would leave and an opportunity would present itself.

"All thanks to you, I was able to discover this treasure place. In return, I shall grant you a quick death..."
The female Magus shook her robes and immediately disappeared underground.

[Beep! Warning! Warning! High energy force field undulations detected. Distance 15 kilometers away.
Approaching quickly!]

The A.I. Chip gave out this sudden warning, shocking Leylin.

This was the advantage of having the A.I. Chip. Not only did Leylin possess the Magus' special abilities of
consciousness scanning, he also had the A.I. Chip for exploration, probing and throwing necessary
warnings.

Moreover, the range of probing by the A.I. Chip was much wider compared to Leylin's own ability.

"Begin imaging!" Leylin gave the order immediately. Soon after, a red-hued motion picture was sent in
front of him.

It was an image of a living creature. There were only heat and radiation readings, without any signs of
the gender, however the bright colours were a giveaway. It was a rank 3 Magus, one that had attained
the Crystal Phase.

"Ah, the pursuers are finally here!" Leylin had expected this would happen.
*Hoot!* At this moment, from a distance, a high-pitched sound pierced forth, turning Leylin's face pale
white.

"The King Blood Vulture is back! If I turn back now, all that awaits me is death!" As it is, at this point in
time, Leylin curled his lips into a smile and commanded his A.I. Chip, "A.I. Chip! Prepare to activate all
programs!"

[Command received! Activated!] The A.I. Chip alerted without any emotion.

*Hoot!* Immediately after the King Blood Vulture had entered its cave in the mountain, a violent cry
rang out.

Two Hydro Phase Blood Vultures were pinned to the ground by its claw. Feathers and blood were
smeared all over the ground. The King Blood Vulture snarled, creating a whole world of uproar in the
Blood Vultures' mountain.

But that was not all.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Following Leylin's order, in a secret corner of the Blood Vultures' mountain, hidden
spells were activated in series.

One after another, shadow servants manifested themselves at lightning speed, so much so that they
appeared right next to the Blood Vultures' nests. They grasped at many of the bloodline treasures, with
some even clasping onto huge Blood Vulture eggs, fleeing the grounds.

Basically, except for the area around the King Blood Vulture's cave, the rest of the mountain in its
entirety was under attack. There were at least fifty such spells placed!

Corresponding with the loud snarl of the King Blood Vulture, multiple shadows of darkness bore through
to the center of it all and immediately the whole of the Blood Vultures' mountain became a huge field of
upheaval.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 431 - The Hunt

*Chu!* The King Blood Vulture used its wings and fanned the two Blood Condors in its path away, flying
into the sky.

A crimson beam of light struck down, and a shadow servant who could not dodge in time was shattered,
scattering multiple bloodline treasures everywhere.

With the commanding high-pitched squawk, the flock of Blood Vultures now had a leader and their
formation immediately changed. Many of them flew high into the sky and, like a web, began to circle the
shadow servants, occasionally dropping down in attack.

Though this method was effective at killing many shadow servants, the remaining servants' movements
in looting them were much too quick. After paying the price of a large number of casualties, a portion of
them still broke out.

*Chu!* The King Blood Vulture roared, bringing with it multiple Blood Vultures as it gave chase.

"Found you!" Leylin met with the person who were chasing after him.

It was a ginger female Magus. Her body was curvy, a golden headband rested on her forehead, and her
pair of long and narrow eyes were fixed on Leylin.

"My name is Leylin. May I know yours?" In the face of her gaze that was ready to shoot flames, Leylin
smiled slightly and performed a noble's bow, his movements so precise there was nothing to criticise.
"Tanasha!" This female Magus had not expected Leylin to feel so relaxed. Though her chest was
bouncing in her anger, she still had a lot of self-restraint as she announced her name.

"Are you prepared to admit to your sins?" Tanasha glanced at the handsome young man in front of her.
Captives could be ransomed in the central continent. In addition, he had not caused too many casualties
to her organisation, and was also a human backed by the Ouroboros Clan. Hence, it was not too
surprising that he was still calm in this situation.

"Oh, no, you've misunderstood," Leylin's smile was dazzling, "I just want to ask you this. Do you... like
Blood Vultures?"

"What do you mean?" Tanasha's mind could not process this fast enough. But looking at the numerous
crimson figures appearing on the horizon, she suddenly had a bad premonition.

Leylin acted before she could do anything, "Eye of Petrification!"

His eyes turned amber and the pupils became vertical slits, shooting out mysterious, unmeasurable rays
of petrification.

Though it was only a rank 1 innate spell, with the addition of his Vapour Phase spiritual force and the
strength of his bloodline, its power could not be underestimated.

At the same time, Leylin quickly chanted some incantations, and numerous shadows emerged from all
directions, forming a giant cage that trapped her inside temporarily.

Tanasha's reaction was extremely quick. "Storm!" Almost at the same instant the rays of petrification
appeared, her eyes turned silver-white, releasing dazzling light that blocked them.
Meanwhile, a giant storm appeared from behind her, forming a tremendous tornado that stirred up and
created chaos in the interior of the cage.

However, Leylin's sudden attack made her falter. "Lance of Corrosion!"

A dark green lance, tip white, appeared in Leylin's hand. It shot towards Tanasha, accompanied by a
burst of air.

"How confident are you that a mere Vapour Phase Magus dares provoke a Crystal Phase Magus?"
Tanasha was expressionless, but her fury was evident.

*Snap!* Tanasha extended her delicate, pale arms and a translucent layer appeared on top of her
smooth skin.

Leylin had used all his might when he shot this Lance of Corrosion forth, and yet, she'd caught it just like
that.

*Boom!* She viciously crushed the Lance into powder, while Leylin paled as he took several steps back.

However, his smile now was as if he had gotten away with something.

"Hm?" Tanasha's brows furrowed. Only then did she notice that after the Lance of Corrosion had been
destroyed, a white feather had appeared.

*Pu!* The white feather had exploded into powder and lightly stuck to Tanasha's body.

"This aura? And with a powerful lock-on spell formation..." Tanasha's brows furrowed and she
immediately sneered, "I just need two minutes to-"
However, her expression completely changed.

Leylin, who was opposite her, waved his arms towards her and activated the Dark Elven Crown, and
immediately turned invisible.

*Sou! Sou! Sou!*

Numerous black figures appeared. The shadow servants from before quickly pounced towards her, only
to be killed by her while heading in her direction.

However, with this opportunity, they threw some bloodline crystals, bones and the like at her legs.
There was an especially large egg that had been knocked so hard that it broke, revealing the egg yolk
and whites within.

*Chu chu!* Numerous Blood Condors hurried over under the lead of the king, and upon seeing Tanasha,
their eyes instantly turned red.

This was especially so for the the King Blood Vulture. It smelt its feather on Tanasha's body. It was a
feather used specifically to protect the Lamia fingerbone and was extremely precious. The smell was
extremely unique, and there was no way it could recognise it wrongly!

It now looked like the person who had infiltrated its mountain and looted the area as they wished, was
also the thief who had stolen its treasure!

The King Blood Vulture was furious, crimson lightning materialising around it.

"I- I- I!" Tanasha was momentarily stunned. No matter how stupid she might be, she knew what Leylin
had planned.
"Wait, O King!" Tanasha was now sending spiritual force waves to the mind of the King Blood Vulture,
her final attempt at saving herself.

However, would the enraged King Blood Vulture listen to her explanations? Though it had the
intelligence of an adult, it was now in an angered state. Usually, in its territory, it would have what it
wanted. Why would it listen to the explanations of a human?

Numerous bolts of crimson lightning struck down, drowning her...

Meanwhile, Leylin had made use of the Dark Elven Crown, and was sneakingly heading back.

*Boom!* Soil upended at an area, revealing numerous bloodline items within. Red gems and white
bones were scattered, giving off a dazzling luster.

"There's even a Blood Vulture egg here! It looks like a pretty good harvest."

Holding a giant egg in his hands, Leylin looked elated. This was a few times larger than an ostrich egg,
and it even had blood-red patterns on the surface, powerful life energy radiating from within. Leylin
could even feel a throbbing from the shell.

Blood Vulture chicks could not be tamed, but one still in its egg could.

Not only did it have the ability to find bloodline treasures, it was also very popular for its ability to reach
rank 3 after it had matured.

Of course, Leylin had no plans of selling it off. Rather, he wanted to subdue it.
The central continent was vast and boundless. There were many places that even Magi were yet to
explore, and the Blood Vulture's ability to fly was very useful in this area. In the future, he could gain a
steady flow of bloodline treasures, which was the best advantage!

"The harvest is quite good!" Leylin quickly kept everything properly.

He had long since ordered the shadow servants to place whatever they had stolen on the road here.
Whatever had been flung at Tanasha's feet was just a small portion. The real treasures had long since
been moved away and were all with Leylin.

After checking all his gains, Leylin looked back towards the Blood Vultures' mountain, sinking into deep
thought.

'The King Blood Vulture has brought all its main forces to annihilate Tanasha. She is a Crystal Phase
Magus after all, and it is possible for her to hold them off for some time. Should I go back and rummage
through the Blood Vultures' nests?'

Leylin immediately shook his head, throwing these enticing thoughts out of his mind.

"Forget it. What I now have is more than enough. I shouldn't take such a risk at the end like this."

"Besides, my real target is that rank 3 Crystal Phase Magus, not the rest of those bloodline treasures."

Leylin's eyes flashed ruthlessly...

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I want to slaughter that wretched Magus and turn his flesh and blood into
powder and feed it to a Carnivorous Flower!"

Tanasha was in a tropical rain forest, sprinting hard.

However, she was evidently not in a very good condition. Not only were her clothes in tatters making
her seem like a beggar, her entire right arm had disappeared. Her face was pale, with green veins visible
on top.

This flock of Blood Vultures was truly relentless. In order to break away from them, Tanasha had to
employ a few secret methods that would stimulate the potential in her body in succession. She had even
discarded a clone that she had nurtured for a long period of time before she could successfully draw the
King Blood Vulture away.

Tanasha was definitely fuming at the mouth, wishing she could eat Leylin alive.

"Tsk tsk, Ms Tanasha, you don't seem to be in good health. Do you need treatment?" In the quiet
rainforest, a voice suddenly sounded, causing Tanasha's body to stiffen.

She then looked at the young man she would never be able to forget, blocking her path.

"How- how did you get here? I already destroyed all auras and smells that would identify me!" Tanasha
gaped, disbelieving.

"You don't need to know. Right now, you can only answer a question of mine."

Leylin produced an ink-black cross blade and pointed it at her. "Submit to me, or die."

He had naturally used the A.I. Chip to scan the surroundings and hunt her down. Though Tanasha had
concealed her aura very well, and destroyed all the localizing marks that Leylin had shot out, nothing
could be hidden in the face of the A.I. Chip.

Not considering anything else, just the signs of a human passing through on the road would not be able
to escape the A.I. Chip's nanoscopic scanning, no matter how hard Tanasha tried to cover her tracks.

It was only after Leylin confirmed that she was heavily injured that he chased up to her.

Tanasha was at the Crystal Phase, and was multiple levels higher than Leylin. In the past, it would have
been a joke if a Vapour Phase Magus had announced his wish to kill a Crystal Phase Magus.

However, a hint of fear had already appeared on Tanasha's pale face. She had no choice but to admit
that Leylin had the strength and ability to kill the current her.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 432 - Subjugation

Rank 3 Magi were categorised into several stages. Leylin, at the Vapour Phase, could compress his
spiritual force into a physical, observable fog.

On the other hand, Magi at the Crystal Phase could solidify their spiritual force, even preserving it to sell.

Spiritual force at the Crystal Phase had an unimaginable advantage against Vapour Phase spiritual force.

In other words, even if Leylin, Robin and Kesha had teamed up against Lucian, they wouldn't be his
match.

However, Tanasha's spiritual force was exhausted long ago, including her Crystal Phase spiritual force
crystals.
He wouldn't be Leylin if he let such a good chance slip out of his hand.

Not only were Crystal Phase Magi powerful, they were considered nobles in the central continent due to
their status as the reserve forces of Morning Star Magi.

Under usual circumstances, it was out of the question for Leylin to defeat Magi of this rank. Perhaps
only Duke Gilbert, his mentor, would be able to.

But with Tanasha as she was, it would be easy.

"You..." Tanasha's pale complexion flushed in anger, her fingers trembling, "How dare a lowly Vapour
Phase Magus talk to me like that?"

"Looks like I'll have to help you snap back to reality!" Leylin sighed in disappointment upon seeing her
demeanour. His figure transformed into a ray of light and flashed in front of her.

*Thump!* He planted a fist on Tanasha's cheek.

*Buzz!* A barrier of light was created around Tanasha as a brilliant ruby ring shone. It was, however, too
feeble to deter Leylin as he easily broke through.

In the blink of an eye, Tanasha was sent flying, a large red patch on her cheek.

The Meteor Sword has already reached her neck before she could react.

"Now choose... Surrender, or die!" There was a change in Leylin's tone. Now he demanded with utter
disdain, every word pricking with a bone-chilling vibe. He had decided to kill were she to choose it.
He certainly did not wish to leave behind a Crystal Phase opponent.

Tanasha wisely chose to be silent in front of the cold-hearted Leylin.

This feeling of impending death was familiar to her. She felt as if she had returned to times of frailty and
weakness, as old memories surfaced and she momentarily became distraught.

"What is with this woman's mental state?!" Leylin shook his head, Tanasha's reaction was nothing out of
the ordinary since he was aware of the common psychological instability of Magi. There was also her
injuries to consider. Moreover, all who entered the Forgotten Land would certainly have a dark past of
own.

"I'm only giving you three minutes! Be quick!" Leylin tightened his grip on the sword and brought it
closer to Tanasha's neck.

Other Crystal Phase Magi would probably have a sense of dignity and pride, but things were different in
the Forgotten Land. Those human Magi who entered here were mostly those who had reached an
impasse, willing to forgo everything for a means of sustenance. It was easy for the mto capitulate.

Leylin's cold voice caught Tanasha's attention. The angry flush on her face had already dissipated by
then, leaving behind a canvas of ivory.

"I... surrender!" She replied so softly Leylin could barely hear a thing.

As if on cue, Tanasha fell limp to the ground, her backbone losing support the moment she agreed. Her
tears were uncontrollable.

The Meteor Sword remained on her neck in spite of everything.

"Make an oath! Also, relinquish your spirit source!" His voice was cold as ice.

"I... Tanasha..." Hesitance crossed Tanasha's eyes as she fought an internal battle. However, she ended
up choosing to surrender.

A sparkling strand of spirit source was released from her forehead and landed on Leylin's palm.

That was a Magus' lifeline. Were it not voluntary, it would be completely impossible to offer it to
another person. Rules were even stricter in the central continent, to prevent the dominance of one over
another. Of course, this didn't stop people with influence and power from committing it but similarly, it
had to be done in secret or they would be boycotted by all Magi.

This was no issue at all for Leylin since he didn't plan for Tanasha to be seen by others.

"Master..." Tanasha called out in a deep voice and got up to her feet. She resembled a broken puppet,
someone that had lost her soul.

"Being forced into the Forgotten Land, you must have your own dark past. But rest assured, I am not
going to compel you to do things that are disgraceful to Magi. Instead, I can give you hope. A hope for
revenge."

There was a bewitching tone to Leylin's offer and Tanasha's eyes lit up a little as the word 'revenge' rang
in her ears and a hint of anger rushed through her.

"That's right! Revenge!" Leylin made eye contact with Tanasha and lowered his voice. "I promise, when
I'm strong enough to take revenge for you and not worry about the possible repercussions and
retaliation, I will aid you in accomplishing your dream. That is, if you work for me wholeheartedly till
then.

"I'm not trying to patronise you. You see, I've reached the Vapour Phase at less than a hundred years of
age. Moreover, there will be no problems with advancing to the Morning Star realm because of my
Kemoyin bloodline!"

Deep down, Leylin was aware that with his method, Tanasha would only be willing to become a puppet
to him. To milk her for everything she was worth, Leylin needed to ignite her battle spirit by fuelling her
with hope.

And instead of empty promises, he promoted his skills to Tanasha, proving his capability to help her in
her revenge.

"One hundred years old! Vapour Phase!" Tanasha gazed at Leylin with a heightened intensity.

A hundred years of age was definitely old for humans. But for Magi, especially those who were at rank 3
and above, it wouldn't even be considered as puberty.

For Leylin who have both the talent and bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, his status in the
Ouroboros Clan could not be overlooked. All this pointed to one thing: There was a substantial chance
for him to become a Morning Star Magus.

Even someone with the capability to escape a rank 3 Crystal Phase Magus would crumble like paper in
the face of a rank 4 Morning Star Magus.

"I am at your beck and call, Master! I, Tanasha, will be your most loyal servant as long as my revenge is
assured!" Tanasha knelt on a knee and gritted her teeth, a little more willing this time.

Although it was a mere promise without a covenant, what more could a captive like her bargain for?

"Haha..." Leylin cackled.

The addition of Tanasha was definitely a reinforcement to Leylin, given her strength which was more
than his.

Plus, she would be hidden from the public since this assistance would be carried out in secret.

That was Leylin's plan all along, to gather as much of an underground force as he could in case anything
unexpected occurred.

"Take these potions quickly and recover!" Leylin showed generosity to the newly-recruited Tanasha and
presented her with three tubes of differing colours.

"High-grade healing potion! High-grade spiritual force recovery potion! Sacred regeneration potion!"
Tanasha's face was painted with surprise as she recognised these three potions. Apart from their
heavenly price, these potions were heavily utilised by large-scale organisations as their war reserves and
could not even be bought with money.

This was especially true for the sacred regeneration potion which could stimulate the regrowth of limbs
that were as good as the original with absolutely no side-effects. It was unfamiliar, even to a rank 3
Magus like Tanasha.

"Thank you, Master!" Tanasha bowed and sighed in relief,

"Don't mention it, it's just something I made!" Leylin added to his credibility.

Sure enough, Tanasha's eyes widened at his sentence. She was beyond impressed, advancing to Vapour
Phase before the age of a hundred was amazing enough, she did not at all expect that Leylin would be a
Potions Grandmaster as well. This was genius at its best and would be considered rare even in the
central continent. As long as there were no mishaps along the way, success was pretty much
guaranteed.
Hints of hope filled Tanasha's eyes as she watched Leylin...

Simultaneously, in a clandestine area, Noah was staring at his dish, face drained of colour.

There was an indistinct bloody liver-like substance lying on the white china, emitting a chalky fog.

"Eugh..." Noah slapped a palm over his mouth, resisting the urge to gag.

In his vision, the Barbarian Bear Shaman's stomach was cut open, and a large amount of yellow grease
flowed out from it. There were also visible traces of the skeleton inside.

"Uncle, I can't do this any longer!" Noah cried through the spaces of his fingers.

Robin didn't look good either, his body was missing huge chunks of flesh and he was covered in
terrifying wounds.

"It was rumoured that this place is dominated by the sin of gluttony, we will be attacked if we stop
partaking! We have to keep going, success will be ours if they fail first."

Robin persisted to his best abilities whereas Noah's hand trembled as he picked his cutlery. Ultimately,
he put them down again. All the food here was created from the sin of gluttony and due to it, all spells
would be rendered useless; only their own tenacity could help them withstand the 'feast'. *Ring ring
ring!* The melodious bell rang from afar, but to the trio it seemed like it came from the depths of hell...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 433 - Rescue

Noah made several attempts to reach for the knife and fork but he gave up halfway, letting out an
expression of intense suffering.

He collapsed on the dining table with a bang, his teeth clenched tightly.

Similarly, Robin had a pained look on his face as he endured the nausea and swallowed a bloody piece of
meat.

Within 30 seconds, the ringing of the bells came to an end, lasting only for a short duration.

*Ka-cha!* Out of nowhere, it seemed as if a huge invisible mouth took a bite. At this moment, Noah let
out a deep cry.

A large portion of his flesh was missing on the right side of his head, his ear having completely
disappeared. From the side, his ghastly white teeth could be seen. It was a horrifying sight.

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed across. A bloodied ear, still twitching unconsciously, appeared before
a dark figure.

"Ew......."

After a few rounds, Robin and Noah had paled, now resembling corpses. However, the Barbarian Bear
Shaman on the other end had finally reached its limit and collapsed onto the table.

*Buzz!* As if a signal was given, the Barbarian Bear Shaman was immediately moved to the 13th chair,
which was unoccupied. When this was done, numerous dark figures pounced on it.
"Ah......" The Barbarian Bear Shaman shrieked continuously. Soon after, fur and skin started
disappearing piece by piece, followed by flesh, veins and even bones.

*Hoo...* The Crystal Phase Barbarian Bear Shaman no longer had any power to fight back and vanished
within the dark figures.

Even up till the very last moment of its life, the Barbarian Bear Shaman was still very much conscious, as
could be seen from the expression in its eyes.

After they engulfed the Barbarian Bear Shaman, the many dark figures dispersed and vanished into thin
air one after another. At the same time, Noah could feel the strong imprisonment fading..

"It's finally over..." he sighed, plopping to the ground shortly after. He began to vomit, almost to the
point of spewing out bile.

"I swear. I won't be able to eat anything for at least three months..." Despite his bitter expression,
Noah's bodily wounds were in fact healing quickly.

However, Robin's fervent eyes were fixed on a particular part of the void. From Noah's perspective, a
presence had already arrived somewhere.

"What reward do you wish for?" An inexplicable voice rang within the hearts of the two men.

"I want..." Robin answered. His voice was deep, but even more so, it carried his unrestrainable
excitement.......

At this point in time, Leylin walked out of the ecological garden with Tanasha and they returned to the
illusory corridor.
"Master... According to our research, we will be able to get out after passing 3 more spatial points."
Tanasha's condition seemed to have improved greatly, and even her missing arm was able to grow out
again with the help of the potions.

"Yes," Leylin nodded.

"After we get out, stay in the Forgotten Land for the time being. Wait for an opportunity to sneak out
and join me! Do you have any restrictions in your organisation?"

"No! I am one of the leaders in the Alliance of the Exiled, I didn't agree to any sort of soul-binding
contract!" Tanasha responded quickly. It wasn't surprising given her Crystal Phase strength.

"That's good..." Leylin nodded. He was about to say something else but all of a sudden, his expression
changed and he gave Tanasha a look.

Tanasha acknowledged with a nod before disappearing into a wave of water.

Based on the readings on the A.I. Chip, Magus energy waves were detected ahead. Since Tanasha was a
backup plan arranged by Leylin, she could not show herself easily in front of outsiders.

Leylin smiled at Tanasha, who was now concealed behind the water, and walked past a corner.

Then, he saw a warlock dressed in a black robe, slumped on the ground. A puddle of black blood was
growing beside him. Leylin knew this warlock well – he was one of Kesha's men, named Arcus.

"Wake up, Arcus!" Leylin flipped Arcus over and immediately noticed the criss-crossed wounds on his
chest as dark blood gushed out continuously.

"Curse power!" Leylin's expression hardened as he felt an enormous power from the long, narrow cuts.
As a Magus, Leylin was knowledgeable in curses, especially those in the Book of Giant Serpent, left
behind by Great Magus Serholm. They inspired him greatly and even led him to develop many new ones
of his own. This knowledge helped him to a great extent when he was at the south coast.

However, the deeper his knowledge, the more he understood about the strangeness and difficulty in
coping with such power.

In particular, the curses from ancient times were those that Leylin was unwilling to make contact with
even now.

It seemed like Quicksand Castle also contained a terrifying curse power, and this power had already
found its way to Kesha and her group.

To the unconscious Arcus, whose face was faintly branded with a spell made of dark fumes, Leylin
looked at him and said, "Today is your lucky day!" He then smiled and pulled out a tube filled with a
green solution from his leather pouch.

Leylin applied the thick, green fluid onto Arcus' wounds drop by drop.

*Sizzle!* The green fluid immediately went through a strange transformation as it condensed into many
tiny green worms, which remained on Arcus' skin. It was a rather disgusting sight.

After that, the numerous green worms aimed at the dark fumes and pounced on them. They engulfed
the dark curse power as if they were having a meal.

As time went by, the dark fumes on Arcus' face slowly faded away and he opened his eyes.

"M...Master Leylin! Thank you for saving me!" Arcus had realised the situation he was in. He struggled to
bow but was stopped by Leylin.

"Did something happen to sister Kesha and the others?" Leylin's voice was calm and full of wisdom.

"Yes, yes! After we entered Quicksand Castle, we were attacked!" Arcus answered with his pale, dry lips,
sounding a little frightened.

"It's a terrifying monster in human form! Not only are spells and physical attacks ineffective, the wounds
inflicted by its scissors cannot heal! It also possesses a frightening ability to enter the void and heal
itself!"

"Sir! Please save my master!" Arcus pleaded sincerely.

"Don't worry! We are an organisation of bloodline brothers and Kesha is also my sister. I will not leave
her in the lurch!"

"Rather than that, you......"

"I'm fine! I can leave by myself!" Arcus knew for sure that his presence was a burden thus he made a
sensible decision.

"Alright! We are already near the exit, all you have to do is avoid the Magi outside, then leave this
pocket dimension!"

Leylin nodded and watched Arcus as he limped out of the place.

"Master, are you going to save them?" A wave swept past the empty space and Tanasha, who had been
concealed all these time, appeared again.
"Yes!" Leylin nodded.

Kesha had been good to him and they were relatively close. He had to save her.

Of course, more importantly, through his analysis of Arcus, Leylin had already prepared himself for said
curse . At the very least, he could ensure his own safety.

If it was like that, there was no reason to refuse to rescue them while he was here.

"You don't have to involve yourself with this matter anymore, you may leave first!" Leylin ordered
Tanasha.

After that, he immediately handed a large black box to her.

"You have to guard the contents of this box carefully. Do not open it, return it to me when we meet
again later!"

"Yes, Master!" Tanasha bowed. After receiving the box from Leylin, a bright light flashed and the item
disappeared.

Although rare, spatial artifacts could be found even on the south coast and Twilight Zone, leave alone
the central continent.

Tanasha had long since entered the Crystal Phase. A storage artifact was no big deal.

As he watched Tanasha's silhouette moving away, Leylin turned in the opposite direction and
disappeared into the corridor.
......

"Huff......"

Kesha hid behind a large shelf, and her tall chest moved up and down unsteadily as she breathed.

"How is it? Has the trap succeeded?"

She asked a Green-skinned Barbarian beside her. Both Kesha and the Green-skinned Barbarian had long,
narrow wounds on their bodies. A pool of dark gas circled above those wounds.

These two Magi were almost entirely drained of their energies and they were at their worst condition.

"The Fogbound Labyrinth can only trap it for 3 minutes!" The Green-skinned Barbarian said bitterly.

"Damn it! That amount of time isn't even enough for us to recover, not to mention getting past the
illusory corridor!" Kesha looked despair.

Being pursued by the man in black, especially after sustaining such injuries, the illusory corridor had
refused to transport a cursed person like her several times. They were practically trapped in there while
still alive.

By now, both Magi were already at the their limits. They had no more strength to fight back.

"I'd never expected that I would die here, and with a green-skinned dwarf beside me!" Kesha let out a
faint sigh.
"What did you say, woman?" Angered after being called a dwarf, the Green-skinned Barbarian jumped
up and pointed his staff at Kesha's nose. "If you guys hadn't intruded and killed many of our clan
members, we wouldn't have chased after you and we wouldn't have run into that thing!"

"You..." Kesha wanted to refute further but her expression suddenly changed. She and the Green-
skinned Barbarian dodged in opposite directions.

Ka-cha! A brilliant, silver-white light streaked across and the large shelf was split into two. It exposed the
silhouette of a man in a black trenchcoat who held a pair of scissors emitting a sharp radiance.

"Oh no! It broke through earlier than expected!" The Green-skinned Barbarian turned pale, looking even
greener than usual, and it began to shiver.

"Fuck! I knew it, you green-skinned dwarves can't be trusted!" Out of her despair, Kesha burst out
swearing.

The man in black made an ambiguous howl. The sounds of the scissors echoed as his footsteps slowly
drew near.

With her sea of consciousness now dried up, a bitter smile emerged on Kesha's face. However, the man
in black was evidently not one to show mercy even towards a female as he raised his hand and pierced
at Kesha's eyes with the scissors.

"Explosive Fireball!" A massive explosion sounded.

Numerous dark figures gathered to form a cage and bound the man in black.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 434 - Escape

Kesha felt giddy, her head was spinning, but she soon fell into a strong embrace.

"Ley...Leylin!" She was taken aback and called out his name.

"Sister, it looks like you're in a difficult situation!" Leylin rubbed his nose and gently laid Kesha down. He
then tossed a potion at her.

"This is a purifying potion, it can eliminate the curse energy from your body! Use it as soon as possible!"

"Thank you!" Kesha's face glowed with a lovely smile. Having just escaped from death, she was
especially touched.

"Wait up! That... Can you also give me one...?" The huge Green-skinned Barbarian Magus rolled over like
a ball, and he was eager to please.

"Huh?" Leylin looked at Kesha.

"Give it to him! After all, we fought alongside each other!" Kesha nodded her head.

At this moment, countless black shadows exploded forth with a bang. Trenchcoat stood in the center,
completely unharmed. He made eye contact with Leylin and started roaring.

"This kind of feeling, it isn't a common hybrid curse. It's a gene curse!" Leylin's face grew absolutely
serious.
The so-called gene curse was a high-grade curse. It had the ability to materialise itself which was
extremely difficult to cure.

Leylin himself had mastered a few curses. However, even he was not too sure about these gene curses.

"I'll take care of him. You two, use the potions and leave as quickly as possible!" he said in a deep voice.

As with any curse, there were limitations on the scope of the effect. As for Trenchcoat's gene curse, it
most likely prevented him from leaving the confines of Quicksand Castle. In fact, he might not even
make it through the illusory corridor in the outer layer.

Kesha and the Green-skinned Barbarian nodded their heads in agreement and opened the test tubes.

"Right, for such a high-grade curse to make an appearance is fortunate. I have long wanted to study
them!" Leylin's eyes lit up like a spark of fire. He threw out a large number of potions.

*Boom* A flash of jade-green flames ignited and blazed fiercely.

"dkjsklgmnsklm......"

Trenchcoat seemed to have some apprehensions with regards to these flames and muttered some
senseless words.

"A.I. Chip! "Leylin ordered, "Compare with every language in the database!" However, the A.I.Chip had
not recorded Trenchcoat's words and so was unable to find an answer.

"Let's go!" Kesha and the Green-skinned Barbarian yelled. Both had the black cursed energies from their
body expelled successfully by the purifying potions.
As he watched Leylin and his two companions leaving, Trenchcoat standing opposite bellowed loudly
and charged at them.

*Crackle!* A copious amount of jade green flames were blazing on his body ferociously. Big patches of
black clothing were flaking off onto the ground, revealing the badly scarred skin beneath.

A long hideous wound extended all the way down from his right shoulder blade. It looked like a huge
black centipede, a sinister and horrifying sight.

What made Leylin frown was the fact that the profound and brutal power of the curse seemed more
pronounced and vigorous on Trenchcoat's body.

"Run, now!" Leylin waved the Meteor Sword in his hand, bringing forth horrifying poisons and the sharp
radiant sword shadows, causing the surrounding structures to collapse one by one.

"Use this!" The Green-skinned Barbarian held out a glittering crystal ball that was radiating beautiful,
brilliant rays.

"This is an escape crystal ball. It consists of at least 5 escape charms, enough to get us out of here!" The
Green-skinned Barbarian Magus met Leylin's eyes and explained it to him, seemingly trying to win his
favour.

"Good job!" The blue light in his eyes sparkled and the A.I. Chip affirmed the authenticity of the crystal
ball and its favourable functions.

He immediately stimulated the crystal ball and the three of them vanished in a blinding flash.

A black shadow whizzed past and Trenchcoat's pair of scissors slashed across empty space as it
produced senseless, incoherent roars.

Inside the illusory corridor, the surrounding walls were filled with images of many plants and flowers.
Many of the plants were in a continuous loop of life — from germination, to growth, then blossoming
and finally withering.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Loud thuds of heavy objects falling were heard. Leylin and the rest were in the
middle of the corridor.

"Alright! I can no longer feel the power of the curse at this location. You are all safe!" He shut his eyes
and exclaimed.

Hearing his words, Kesha and the Green-skinned Barbarian broke into smiles of relief and joy.

"So, it is now time to discuss how we should 'handle' this!" Leylin pointed his finger at the Green-
skinned Barbarian, revealing a sinister and calculative grin.

"Oh! No! You can't do this to me. I saved your companion's life! And we even fought alongside in
battle!" The Green-skinned Barbarian raised both his arms, pleading innocently.

It didn't adopt any form of resistance as its spiritual force had been drained a few days ago when it was
in pursuit. It even needed Leylin to stimulate the escape crystal ball as it wasn't able to do it on its own.

"But the fact is, you came here to capture us, no?" Leylin saw through his clumsy trickery. Thus, he held
up the cross blade and aimed for the Green-skinned Barbarian's brains.

"Seeing how things have turned out, you have paid the price accordingly. I will spare your life this time!"
At that moment, Leylin revealed his true intentions.
Having heard what he said, Kesha, who was initially displeased, suddenly snapped out of her emotional
state.

"But.... I do not possess any other good stuff!" The Green-skinned Barbarian Magus pleaded pitifully, but
secretly slipped an odd bracelet out of his right hand.

Leylin refused to believe that. Being a Crystal Phase Magus, how could it not have a few aces up its
sleeve?

Looking at the current situation, although both parties were seriously injured, they could have mustered
up their remaining strength for another fight. Yet, Leylin only wanted compensation and did not want to
test the opposite party's threshold which would have inevitably caused them both to suffer.

"Hand over the compensation! Or do you want to start a fight here?" Leylin's tone was harsh and
intense.

"Sister Kesha! When the compensation is presented, I'll share 50 percent with you!" Once these words
were spoken, Kesha immediately inched closer to Leylin's side, showing her support.

For this exploration, Kesha had ended up losing her life savings and there was no way she could ever
step foot into Quicksand Castle again. She had also lost three capable assistants, who were all feared
dead, so now she thirsted for compensation for her losses.

Seeing how Kesha reacted, the Green-skinned Barbarian let out a bitter smile, "All of you human Magi
are shrewd and greedy, worse than the devil!"

It resigned itself to its fate, crouched down, and handed a black pouch to Leylin.

"Go ahead and take a look! My treasures are all in there!"

Leylin reached out to received the pouch that seemed to be made from animal fur. Upon further
probing, many useful items of brilliant lights and vibrant colours could be seen.

Crystal Phase Magi in the Forgotten Land were not as wealthy as Crystal Phase Magi elsewhere, but it
was enough to please the two Vapour Phase Magi.

There were so many precious materials inside that Kesha was dazzled by its extraordinary splendor as
she let out a thrilling cry.

Leylin chose some of the most precious ones, including a few copies of notes and thereafter handed the
pouch to Kesha.

Kesha showered her delicate charm on Leylin in appreciation, then started choosing gems from the
pouch without restraint. When she finally passed the pouch to the Green-skinned Barbarian, it was
obvious the pouch was shrivelled and light, with lots of missing items. The Green-skinned Barbarian was
heartbroken.

"Alright! Since the ransom has been paid, we shall take our leave!"

Leylin bowed slightly, his lips curled in a slight smile as he walked quickly along the corridor with Kesha.
They disappeared at the end, leaving the Green-skinned Barbarian speechless and bitter.

A few days later, at the desert surrounding the Quicksand Castle, in a dim and gloomy underground
area.

A wave of bright red brilliant rays flashed past, and the silhouettes of the uncle-nephew pair — Robin
and Noah — appeared out of thin air.
"You are both finally here, Leylin and I have been waiting for a long time!"

Kesha stood up, a tone of dissatisfaction in her voice. Soon after, she gazed attentively at Robin:
"You...... what happened?"

Using her aura detection abilities, it seemed that Robin had changed greatly, yet she couldn't tell exactly
what changed.

"Huh?" Leylin scrutinized Robin's face intently.

There was no change in his outer appearance, with an unusually bewitching handsome outlook, but in
the space between his eyebrows, there was an additional black symbol imprinted. Multiple blood vessel
lookalikes covered his entire forehead.

What amazed Leylin more was that the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline on Robin's body seemed to be
strengthening continuously, with the tendency to purify gradually.

If it weren't for the extremely pure and concise bloodline in Leylin's own body, together with the
probing of the A.I. Chip, he wouldn't have noticed such changes.

"It's nothing. On the contrary, I have never felt better!" Robin chuckled, rational as ever as he whipped
out a huge foreleg and started gnawing on it.

There were scales covering the whole animal foreleg and purple-black blood was still dripping from the
severed site. It was clearly a high-energy creature from the vicinity.

Robin wolfed down his food with gusto and finished it up with just a few mouthfuls, meat and bones.

He felt like he could be wrong, but after eating the meat, Robin's bloodline seemed to have
strengthened slightly again.

"Eww..." Noah's face turned ash-white after witnessing Robin feasting on his food. He turned away, not
daring to take another look.

"And what happened to you?" Leylin had a premonition. He was sure Robin had acquired some rare
resources from Quicksand Castle.

Of course, he had his own fortuitous encounter and the benefits were not small. Luck wouldn't shine on
only one person, and Leylin understood this theory.

"No...Nothing, it was just a traumatic experience. I might fast for a period, I do not even want to see
anybody eating anything...."

Noah waved his hand weakly. The horrible memories from the previous dinner left a deep horrifying
impression on him.

"Noah has experienced too little, let him be! We need to leave the Quicksand pocket dimension
immediately! Any objections?"

()

Robin was evidently clear-headed and wise, not mentioning anything about his experiences in the castle.
Leylin and Kesha, as well, were too tactful to ask.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 435 - Demon Hunter

"No matter the profits or losses, it is time to leave."

Leylin nodded, approving of Robin's suggestion.

He had gained quite a lot this time, and had long since had the inclination to leave. More importantly,
his pursuer, Tanasha, had surrendered into his service. The Green-skinned Barbarian Magus was also
heavily injured, and only after being extorted precious materials from was he released. As for the road
that Robin had taken, it was evident that it had been disastrous.

These were Crystal Phase Magi! The three powers outside would probably be stamping their feet in
anxiety.

By the time they reacted to the situation, Leylin and the others would probably be met with the joint
attack from the three powers.

On Leylin's end, the Black Horrall Snake Warlocks that Robin and Roya had brought were all dead, and
those following Kesha were probably in a similar situation. Arcus, who Leylin had rescued, had not met
with them here. This would only have happened if he had other plans, or he had met with some
unexpected situation, causing his strength to be greatly diminished.

If they did not choose to escape now, were they going to wait to be killed?

"Alright, I agree as well." Kesha sounded helpless. Out of everyone here, she had gained the least, and it
was not even enough to make up for the loss of the three Warlocks from her family. When she returned,
this would be a huge blow to them.

Anxiety was apparent in Kesha's eyes.

"As for the way out, it's definitely impossible to go through the entrance of the pocket dimension. We
should use our original plan and look for the weaker areas of the pocket dimension, and use escape
runes to tear through the space and exit!" Robin exclaimed.
The entrance of the secret realm had probably been placed under heavy military guard long ago by the
three organisations. Leylin and Kesha would not suggest leaving that way, and they all nodded in
agreement.

......

Under the scorching rays of the sun, the moisture in the ground evaporated, cracks appearing within.

Somewhere, many cracks converged and caused a terrifying explosion. A hole opened up in the void,
and a few pitiful figures dashed out of a tunnel.

"Based on these energy particles, it looks like we've successfully escaped and reached the Forgotten
Land!" Leylin commented after sensing the energy particles that were so sparse that they could be
overlooked around him as well as the desolate surroundings.

"That's right! This must be the Tuck Barren Lands close to the Forgotten Land, which is very close to the
city of sins, Nefas!"

Robin checked the surroundings, and he looked elated, "Leylin, I didn't expect your abilities at
calculating the areas where space is weak to be so impressive!"

"Yes! Not only did you use the shortest time possible and find the place where space was weak, you also
evaded space storms and chose a place that is closest to Nefas City!"

It was no simple task to find the weakest spatial node in a pocket dimension. For Magi, this would
require a very precise and meticulous probing ability, and the requirements when it came to calculation
were even more terrifying.
"Hehe... What are you saying, that's only a coincidence!" Leylin rubbed his nose.

All these may seem difficult to a regular Magus, but for the A.I. Chip, it was just a walk in the park. He
had even especially chosen a spatial node closest to Nefas City, all so he could leave that place as soon
as possible.

He had reaped marvelous gains this time, and he had a bad feeling about this. It was this feeling that
prompted him to leave without hesitation, even so going so far as to expose some of his abilities.

"It's best that we leave as soon as possible. Something feels off." Leylin furrowed his brows. The
resources in the Quicksand pocket dimension were far too plentiful, and just the highly valued pocket
dimension, Quicksand Castle, was enough to arouse the interest and greed of Morning Star Magi. A
Morning Star Magus was not something any of them could handle.

"I have a bad feeling about this too." Robin looked grim as he agreed as well.

Hearing this, Noah and Kesha could feel the seriousness of the situation. The premonitions or feelings
that Magi had, especially that of high-ranked Magi like Leylin and Robin, were usually accurate. It did
nothing to reassure them, causing them to tremble in fear.

"Have the organisations in the Forgotten Land contacted the external world? Or is there any supporter
of theirs?" Leylin asked Robin as the group of Magi hurried along lightning-quick.

"Contact? They're a bunch of vicious criminals, or those who can no longer stay in the central continent.
How could there be any communication between them?" Robin scoffed at the idea.

"They can't even leave the Forgotten Land, and can at most conceal their identities in Nefas City."

At this point, his expression changed and he immediately halted his footsteps. "You mean..."
Leylin's expression was grim as he nodded.

"What's going on?" Noah was baffled, while Kesha seemed to have some thoughts on this, "The
organisations within the Forgotten Land and Nefas City have contact with each other? Or..."

She did not dare speak further, but the heavy atmosphere lingered in their hearts.

"But what can we do if we don't go to Nefas City? The airship station there is the most convenient way
to communicate with the external world." Kesha bit her lips.

"Let's take the long route." Leylin let out a long breath.

"This will take more effort. I've seen the map, and we'll pass through a few dangerous areas with rank 3
Magi. However, as long as we're careful, there's a large possibility of us passing through, though it might
take a bit more time..."

Robin nodded, agreeing with Leylin. Though it was very troublesome to divert their route all based on a
conjecture, Kesha and Noah exchanged a few glances and did not object.

The Magus World was filled with danger, and any carelessness could lead to the misfortune of death.

Those who could become high-ranked Magi were very confident in their premonitions, and would prefer
to avoid any trouble even if it would cause them to expend more effort.

The moment this group was about to turn around, there was an unexpected situation.

*Ka-cha!* A huge hole opened up in the sky, and countless black streaks of lightning appeared with a
thunderous sound..

An incredibly mighty pressure suddenly descended, causing Leylin and the others to stand in a daze.

Suddenly, Leylin felt this whole region being isolated from the surroundings, and the air suddenly
becoming heavier, to the point that he could not even move a finger.

"This is... the domain of a Morning Star Magus! I've felt it before at my mentor's. I can't be wrong!"

Robin turned back, face so pale it was like a corpse's.

"Found you!" A hoarse voice was transmitted from the black hole in the sky, cold, unfeeling and
condescending. It was as if Leylin and his group were a bunch of insignificant little ants.

Numerous black streaks of lightning twined around each other to form a black, giant palm, grabbing at
Leylin and the rest.

"Ah-!" Leylin wanted to retaliate, only to find that not only was it difficult to use the spiritual force in his
body, even the sparse elemental particles in the external world had disappeared, as if they had become
insulators of elemental particles.

[Host body affected by unknown force field. Spiritual force suppressed by 80%. Stats in all areas
decreasing.]

The A.I. Chip's voice sounded, being distorted as if it was being interfered with.

In terms of Leylin's own stats, there was a large decrease in all of his abilities, and he had been
suppressed to about as strong as a rank 1 Magus.
"The suppression from a Morning Star domain, and its influence, has turned us into elemental
insulators!"

A wry smile appeared at the corner of Leylin's lips, "The terror of Morning Star Magi is something I can
only hope to achieve!"

Honestly speaking, he was still in a good condition. Kesha and Noah had already collapsed, leaving Robin
and him somewhat able to stay standing. However, in front of the giant black-lightning palm, they were
helpless.

"Hmph! Cyril, it's not up to you to give my students a lesson!" Just as even Leylin gave up all hope, a
voice suddenly rang from beside him, a familiar sound immediately perking him up.

"Mentor Gilbert!" Robin and Kesha exclaimed, delighted.

Following that, Gilbert appeared by Robin in loose white robes, his two eyes turning into dangerous
vertical pupils.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Ash gray stone skin extended on the black lightning hand, and it eventually collapsed
in mid-air, turning into a pile of powder as it sprayed downwards.

*Po!* Like a soap bubble that had been pierced through, Leylin felt his body become lighter, the region
he was in returning to the world. That feeling of being shrouded in a tight membrane disappeared.

The numbers on the A.I. Chip were returning to normal, as was his contact with the elemental particles.

[Beep! Detected reactions from two unknown force fields, resulting in a neutralizing effect.]

The A.I. Chip prompted, and a look of comprehension flashed in Leylin's eyes. 'This is mentor's Morning
Star domain, cancelling out the other party's force field!'
He had also gained a deeper understanding of how formidable Morning Star Magi were.

Without reaching the Morning Star realm, just a Morning Star domain was a torture to many low-ranked
Magi. In the face of Morning Star Magi, the concept of strength in numbers was just a joke.

"Giant Serpent Duke Gilbert!" A figure appeared in the sky suddenly, and though he was just standing
there, Leylin felt that he was like a high mountain.

"Demon Hunter Cyril!"

Leylin lowered his head, taking a few secret peeks at the sky.

Cyril's face was gaunt, and his lips were very thin. He had a pair of silver eyes that could inspire fear and
the Magus robes he wore, with black threads that formed demonic images and the many chains, axes
and torture instruments along with, made him look frightening.

"Wait here. I'll go have a good talk with him." Gilbert placed his arms at his back. Wrapped in dense
crimson rays, he floated above and, with Cyril, transformed into two shooting stars that disappeared
into the horizon.

"Hah..." Robin let out a long breath and dropped to the ground. He no longer cared about his image.

The situation just now could be said to be extremely dangerous. If Gilbert had not reached in time, they
would probably be in a terrible state.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 436 - Private Airship

"What exactly is going on?" Noah shook his head, still feeling slightly giddy.

"Demon Hunter Cyril tried to hinder us, but Mentor showed up in time to save us, as simple as that!"
Kesha laughed bitterly.

The great name of Demon Hunter Cyril struck his ears like a peal of thunder. Rumour had it that this
infamous, ferocious being would make even the most cunning devil burst out in tears, regretting that
they were ever born into this world.

Simply thinking about falling into the hands of such a person had her breaking out in cold sweat.

"I should've thought of it earlier. Nefas, the city of sins, and the Forgotten Land are in close proximity
and there are frequent interactions between their people. It is impossible that the forces in the
Forgotten Land are not in contact with the Demon Hunter." Robin's face was full of remorse.

In actual fact, what he meant was that those forces were the other party's lackeys. When they saw that
they could not handle their group, they immediately informed their master.

However, there was no conclusive evidence. In addition to that, the Demon Hunter was also a Morning
Star Magus, which was why Robin spoke obscurely.

"If Mentor Gilbert hadn't arrived in time, we would've been in grave danger. Oh yes, why did Mentor
come here?" Robin asked with a doubtful expression.

"It was me!" Leylin stood out and gave a bitter laugh.
"Before I left, I'd already had a bad premonition. Thus, I gave Parker a letter. If I failed to return within
the time limit, he would hand it over to Lucian immediately, who would then pass it on to Mentor...
Thank goodness! Brother Lucian is indeed trustworthy. Mentor also didn't get caught up in a high-level
experiment......"

His words were only partly true. As a matter of fact, it was the Coin of Destiny which allowed Leylin to
predict the interference of a force at the Morning Star realm. However, he could not bear to give up on
the Lamia Hair, hence he adopted such a compromising measure.

From the looks of it, it wasn't a bad result.

"Sorry! I acted on my own!" Leylin admitted and apologised immediately.

"No! It's nothing! We still have to thank you for your vigilance!" Robin waved.

"That's right! Who would've known that the Demon Hunter was actually so treacherous? He even tried
to snatch away small fries like us!" Kesha spoke with a face full of indignation.

"Silence!" Leylin and Robin shouted simultaneously to stop her.

"Towards Morning Star Magi, even if we are enemies, respect must be given no matter what! This is to
respect the truth!" Kesha flushed red from embarrassment and lowered her head.

*Rumble!* At this time, a large wave was transmitted from afar. Leylin looked towards that direction in
concern.

"No need to worry! The Demon Hunter may be famed for his strength, but you have to believe in our
Mentor. He is also very powerful!" Robin noticed the worries on Leylin's mind and gave him a
comforting smile.
"Let's hope things will be as such!" Leylin replied a little forcefully.

Getting Duke Gilbert out was already his last resort. Apart from this mentor, he could no longer think of
any other ways to make the Demon Hunter give up.

Should their mentor be defeated, the students themselves would not have a good ending as well.

"Strength! It still comes down to strength!" Leylin could not help but clench his fists together as his
yearning for the Morning Star realm grew.

*Whoosh!* A scarlet ray of light streaked across the horizon and Gilbert's silhouette emerged before
Leylin and the others.

"Mentor!" Robin and Leylin rushed to bow.

"You rascals, look what trouble you've gotten yourselves into, you even provoked Cyril!" Gilbert swept
his eyes over before a smile surfaced on his bald, bare face. It seems, that in the battle between him and
the Demon Hunter, he was not on the losing end.

After realising that, Leylin heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. At least the worst case scenario no longer
had a chance of occurring.

"Alright! You must be exhausted after the expedition, just take a trip back on my airship!"

Smiling, Gilbert waved his hand and a small airship appeared on the spot.

Although it was smaller in size than the public airships, it was evidently more luxurious and ornate. The
spell formations drafted on it were also more intricate and powerful.

"This is..." Leylin's mouth opened wide.

Despite its small size, it was still a proper airship! With enough space to fit an airship of this size, surely
Duke Gilbert's space artifacts must have been at the level of magic equipment at least!

But Robin thought Leylin had lost his senses because of the airship. "This is the 'Black Scale,' Mentor's
ship. When he advanced to become a Morning Star Magus, the Fayle clan sent it as a gift. It can use any
network of channels and will be treated as an honoured guest at maintenance and rest stops!" he
explained with a smile.

"What a lavish clan!" Leylin gasped. The family which had control over the central continent's airship
channels, had a lot of inside information as expected.

"Will they send a gift for every Morning Star Magus after they are promoted?" Leylin suddenly
remembered and asked.

"That's right! Basically, after a Magus is promoted, the Fayle clan will definitely send a private airship as
a gift!" Robin nodded.

"What a great scale of spending!" Of course, Leylin knew very well that it was probably not the intention
of the Fayles. Instead, the Monarch of the Skies was using the chance to get on the good sides of the
Morning Star Magi.

The Black Scale's interior was very luxurious. Comprising a master room, guest room, kitchen,
meditation room and a customized living room, the airship was big enough to accommodate dozens of
people without seeming crowded. For a private airship, this was enough.

Gilbert sat on a sofa in the middle of the living room while Leylin and the other 3 stood respectfully at
one side. A few clear-winged elves carried the teapot and cups and swiftly poured a cup of red tea for
everyone.

"Sit!" Gilbert chuckled. "I am also rather interested in your experiences this time round!"

Leylin's heart stirred. He knew that whatever was to come could not be avoided, but he showed no
dissatisfaction about it.

By the sole fact that Gilbert saved him, it was only right to share a large portion of the reward.

"Tiny energy waves are detected! Identified as Bloodline artifacts' detection technology! Space artifacts
are unable to cut them off!"

By this time, the prompting sounds of the A.I. chip had reached Leylin's mind. In his vision, he distinctly
saw a scanning wave sweep past the 4 of them, not even sparing Noah.

The wave was so obscure that even Robin could not feel it scanning his body, it even went on to scan
Leylin's spatial pouch and ring. Despite that, Leylin's face remained unchanged.

The few people remained silent for a while before Robin took the lead and spoke up, "Mentor, It's like
this..."

"......." After listening to his narration, Gilbert looked at the imprint of the spell on Robin's forehead and
took a deep sigh, "I didn't expect that you would ultimately choose this path!"

"This is my choice!" Robin bowed and replied, "If not for this, I'm afraid I wouldn't even get the chance
to look at the realm of the Morning Star!" He spoke resolutely.

"As your mentor, I can only guide and advise you in your pursuit of the truth and the power of the
bloodline. As for your final choice, I will not interfere any further."

Gilbert shook his head and said, "Since you are insistent on doing this, then so be it!"

"Mentor......" On the other side, Kesha was acting like a little girl, on the verge of crying. She spoke
about her encounter extremely miserably.

"Arcus and the other two are all dead...... That's half the strength of my clan...... Mentor......."

Towards the end, Kesha's eyes flushed red and she started crying. Tears flowed out like a waterfall. She
spoke nothing about her earnings from the extortion of the Green-skinned Barbarian, which was done in
collaboration with Leylin.

"Alright! Alright!" Gilbert said helplessly. "After this, I will give orders for your clan to be taken care of!"

"Thank you Mentor!" Kesha's face brightened up instantaneously, with such speed that it created a pang
of admiration in Leylin.

"Leylin, how about you?" Gilbert finally directed his attention to Leylin, with a slight smile of interest in
his eyes.

'What the hell. Amongst you, one is his former student, while the other is a woman. I, the newcomer,
am at the greatest disadvantage!' In his mind, Leylin rolled his eyes but he kept a calm expression on his
face. He patted the space pouch respectfully and a few items appeared on the desk.

"A bloodline crystal!" Kesha covered her mouth and let out a gasp as she saw the blood-red stone.

However, Robin's focus was on the long-root fruit and a few pieces of large, milky white bones.
As for Gilbert, he looked engrossingly at a large egg which sat in the middle of the desk. As he looked at
the blood-red runes on it, he appeared to be deep in thought.

"Leylin, you've struck it big this time in the pocket dimensions!" Kesha leaned forward, almost squeezing
her whole body into Leylin's embrace. "This sister's clan is already so pitiful, shouldn't you help me out?"

"Haha..." Gilbert, however, made a carefree laugh.

"This is the egg of a Blood Vulture! Blood Vultures in the ancient times were originally well-known for
searching for bloodline artifacts. Leylin, I suppose you got lucky and found a nest of Blood Vultures?"

"Yes!" Leylin scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "After I found the nest, I hid there for a
few days before I finally seized the chance and snuck these things out......"

Upon hearing that, a hint of jealousy appeared on everyone's face, even Robin's. Why didn't such good
luck descend on him?

"These items, I'm willing to offer them all to Mentor!" What Leylin said thereafter turned Robin and
Kesha's minds blank.

"It's not even possible not to offer..." Leylin gave a sincere look, but he was utterly bitter inside.

After discovering that Leylin possessed these items and did not hand them over, Gilbert would not feel
good about it. If that was the case, Leylin's future life in the Ouroboros Clan would be difficult.

"Haha... Good!"
Gilbert laughed out loud...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 437 - Completing The Project

Upon hearing Leylin's words, Gilbert stared blankly at him for a while, and then started laughing heartily.
"I will accept your gift then!"

"Thank you, mentor!" Gratitude was apparent on Leylin's face as he bowed.

"Sure! Of course, I wouldn't simply just want to have your things for no reason; after all, Blood Vulture
eggs from the ancient times are still very precious!" Gilbert lowered his head in thought.

"How about this? Aren't you currently accumulating contribution points to buy the scroll that can inject
life into constructs? I'll make an exchange with you directly then; a sealed fourth-grade magic scroll
would be sufficient to make up for these items!"

Gilbert swept his hand across the table top. The numerous bloodline treasures vanished, and a grey
scroll covered in simple floral designs appeared.

"Thank you, Mentor!" Leylin received the scroll and expressed his thanks again, this time with more
sincerity.

"Besides..." Gilbert glanced at Leylin's ring and smiled.

Leylin scratched his head and displayed his embarrassment, knowing that Gilbert had discovered the
items he had hidden in his spatial ring.
......

After nightfall, Leylin lay on his bed and examined the scroll in his hands, satisfaction written on his face.
"Exchanging those items for a fourth-grade scroll is indeed a fair trade, I didn't suffer!"

He then looked at the ring on his hand and collapsed onto the bed, looking as though he would fall into
deep sleep soon enough.

Bu in actual fact, he was sneering secretly. What Gilbert had discovered was actually what Leylin
purposely wanted him to.

Inside the ring, there was only a single Bloodline crystal and a few remains from ancient times. Gilbert
did not value them exactly because there were only a few items, thus he silently agreed to Leylin's
secret stash.

In actual fact, what Leylin had handed over today was not even ten percent of his real loot, much less
the fingerbone left behind by the fifth-grade Lamia from ancient times.

The temptation of such an item was too huge, and even Leylin was not willing to take it out. If not, it
would be hard to pass Gilbert's checkpoint.

No matter what happened then, it would not be a situation that he would want to see. After all, Gilbert
was rather nice to him, and he didn't want to fall out with his mentor and the Ouroboros Clan.

Benefits are the greatest reason why people are divided, and Leylin did not want to use the fingerbone
to put the bond between master and disciple to the test. Might as well avoid it for the better good.

Yes, the real loot, including the Lamia's fingerbone, were not on Leylin himself! Therefore, no matter
how strict Gilbert was with his inspection, there was no use at all!

"However, although this journey was dangerous, I finally attained the items I wanted, and the other loot
is not bad..." Leylin thought as he lay in bed, quickly falling into deep sleep for real.

The Black Scale travelled at high speeds. Initially, Leylin and company took more than a month to travel
from the Ouroboros Clan to Nefas City, but the return journey only required about ten days or so.

After returning to headquarters, Leylin, his mentor and a few seniors gathered together and returned to
Onyx Castle to check on the Magus Tower in his territory.

"Welcome, Lord Leylin!" Parker stood in front of the black Magus Tower and saluted respectfully to
Leylin. His voice still sounded old as usual, and was strangely mismatched with his youthful face.

"How is the construction of my Magus Tower going?" Leylin stepped forth and gently caressed the black
tower, admiring the exquisite runes on it and the faint but powerful energy waves it emitted. A smile
spread across his face.

"The entire structure of the Magus Tower has been completed, we're just left with a few cores and most
importantly, the activation of the spirit of the Tower! These are awaiting your completion, Master!"

Parker's response made Leylin satisfactory. He was serious when working too; the previous task that
Leylin had given him was performed well. He had successfully delivered a letter to Duke Gilbert and
helped Leylin avert his misfortune.

"Excellent! Leylin nodded, "Bring Snoopy to my lab someday. I haven't taught him anything new in a
long while too!"

He, of course, knew that age was catching up to Parker and he had no ambition, so he placed all his
hopes on his grandson Snoopy, whose importance surpassed any reward.
Of course, after hearing what Leylin said, Parker was slightly excited and his bow almost reached a right
angle, "Thank you on his behalf, Master!"

"On my way back from this trip, I obtained the Scroll of Life. Under my orders, prepare to begin work. I
would like my Magus Tower to be completed immediately!" Leylin gave his orders indifferently.

"Your wish will be executed!" Parker replied. All the preparations for construction were already
complete, and the other core materials had already been prepared too. All was left was to wait for
Leylin to return and take the lead.

Wandering in his own Magus Tower, Leylin examined every corner carefully.

The interior of the Magus Tower was very spacious. Leylin created all of it according to the highest
standards, with a complete set of facilities that looked refined and luxurious.

Leylin looked at level after level, especially the positive and negative energy reactive pools, along with
other places such as the laboratory, the binding room, and the ecological garden.

"A.I. Chip! What are the results of the scan?" While looking around his tower, Leylin did not forget to let
the A.I. Chip fully scan and record the decorations and spell formations that he saw before conducting
an inspection.

1 The A.I. Chip sent feedback faithfully.

As the blueprint of the structure was originally done by Leylin himself, using the A.I. Chip's perfect
deductions, the decorations of the entire Magus Tower were perfect, almost to the point that no fault
could be found.
The remaining areas that could be further optimized were only small problems that resulted from
improper construction and other reasons. No matter how perfect his plan was, as long as it was
executed by humans, accidents were bound to happen. Leylin had long prepared for this.

'The rest is alright, but the previous ecological garden can be altered a little by adding in the data I
collected about the environment in the ancient times while at Quicksand Castle!' Leylin stroked his chin.

Since the Magus Tower was yet to be completed, he could still take the chance to amend it now. If he
waited until the defensive spell formations were activated, especially after the tower genie had been
awakened, then he wouldn't be able to amend anything even if he wanted to.

"A.I. Chip! Design an improved version of the blueprint according to what I said earlier!"

Leylin had always liked to put the A.I. Chip in charge of the nitty-gritty things, while he himself was
responsible for directing the big picture.

[Task established, adjusting original blueprint! Adding in simulated environment parameters from
ancient times, beginning formation of the blueprint...]

The A.I. Chip operated swiftly and projected a new blueprint in front of Leylin within a few minutes.

Leylin scanned the blueprint many times, satisfied with the blueprint made by the A.I. Chip. "Yes! To
maximize the use of the original resources and set-up, I just have to add a few items and spell
formations! This will do!"

He now had numerous subordinates and a huge number of Stone tribe slaves. Once he handed down
the task of amending the place, it would only take a small number of people working in shifts day and
night for ten days to complete it.

Leylin stood at the side of the negative energy reactive pool on the lowest level, and examined the
complicated spell designs. At the radiance of the pure gold, silver and other precious materials, his face
showed no signs of sadness or joy, maintaining tranquility.
[Simulation of the spell formations of the entire Magus Tower complete, 341 dummy runs, number of
malfunctions: 0!]

The blue glow of the A.I. Chip flashed in the depths of Leylin's eyes.

"Begin!" Leylin exhaled gently, and placed a piece of compressed energy crystal that was emitting
immense light rays and heat, much like a miniature sun, into a groove at the heart of the spell
formation.

*Brr!* The entire spell formation started to shake, and ring after ring of runes appeared out of thin air.
Traces of light circulated on the spell formation.

"Start!" Leylin's spiritual force extended and connected with the spell formation.

In the instant when the spiritual force came into contact with the spell formation, Leylin felt as though
he had opened a valve, causing a multitude of energy particles to be frantically absorbed by the spell
formation, before passing through a complex conversion channel and flowing into the negative energy
reactive pool.

Meanwhile, outside the Magus Tower, Parker, Kubler, Snoopy and Leylin's other subordinates had all
gathered to watch this scene, their eyes all brightly lit.

A huge elemental wave seemed to form a vortex that was absorbed by the black Magus Tower.

One by one, the magical runes on the body of the Tower lit up, bringing about frightening and yet stable
waves, firmly connecting to one another.

Only Leylin was in the Magus Tower at that moment. He ran to the top of the Magus Tower at the speed
of lightning and saw that the external appearance was almost the same, but the spell formation and
storage pool gave off an entirely different vibe.
"Next, the positive energy reactive pool!" Leylin pushed the same high energy crystal into the groove,
and the same activation spell appeared from Leylin's hands, merging into the four walls.

*Boom!* At the top of the Magus Tower, a huge elemental wave practically condensed into a physical
substance, energy particles of various colours emitting brilliant lights and vibrant colours.They quickly
subsided into two rainbows, one bright and one dark.

Soon after, the bright rainbow was absorbed by the peak of the Tower, while the rainbow with a hint of
gold submerged into the ground.

The positive energy reactive pool buzzed continuously, the elemental liquids within accumulating
further and further until it finally reached the middle mark.

Two spheres of light that resembled stars emitted from the peak and underground of the Tower,
spreading continually across the structure. Numerous runes lit up one by one, and finally converged at
its centre.

[Magus Tower spell formation fully activated! Currently operating well!] the A.I. Chip pointed out.

At that point, Leylin was standing on the point of intersection of the positive and negative energy
reactive pools. An unadorned scroll covered in bizarre floral designs appeared in his hands.

"Fourth-grade magic— the Scroll of Life!"

"A.I. Chip, prepare to inject knowledge into the being!"

Leylin ripped open the grey scroll, and rays of light burst out. Suddenly, a terrifying attractive force was
transmitted from the scroll. The Vapour Phase spiritual force of his consciousness was consumed in huge
quantities, and the process only came to a gradual stop when it was close to being exhausted.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

1. 8% of the main structure of the Magus Tower has been scanned. Defence spell formation operation
intact, areas that can still be further optimized: 2!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 438 - Tower Genie #1

Of course, with how much of his wealth Leylin had expended on this, the power of the activation spell
was not to be belittled.

A circle of sparkling starlight shrouded the tower. Numerous runes flickered in sync and breathed at the
same rate, as if having lives of their own.

A faint blue figure began to form in front of Leylin. "Master, this tower genie is here to serve you!"

This tower genie had been branded by Leylin's spiritual force upon its birth.

In addition, it was one with the Magus Tower, and could help Leylin take care of any minute details that
might be difficult to find.

"Alright. Here's my first mission. Accept this and fuse with it!" A blue seed shot out from between
Leylin's eyebrows and quickly entered the blue tower genie's figure.

A multitude of data flowed across the tower genie's eyes, and a tremendous amount of complicated
information even caused the newly-formed tower genie's figure to flicker, as it eventually turned into a
ball of light.

By the time everything had stabilised, the A.I. Chip's robotic voice was produced from within the blue
ball of light, [Digitization complete. The A.I. Chip system is now serving you. Please choose the exterior
appearance.]

"A tree elf!" Leylin had never had anything against humanoid managers.

The blue ball of light shook, and eventually formed a blue elf the size of a human head, with a pair of
wings formed of starlight.

"I'll call you Number 1 in the future." Leylin nodded, very satisfied with this intellectual body's external
appearance.

"Understood. Number 1 greets Master!" The blue elf bowed, though its facial expression looked
mechanical.

[Beginning networking.] Such an expression actually pleased Leylin more. What he needed was an
absolutely rational manager, and from the very beginning, he had not built in any emotional functions.

With this command, a data interface connected Leylin's A.I. Chip with the elf using a stream of spiritual
force.

[Beginning synchronizing of data. In the midst of tidying up] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

[Discovery of inharmonious spiritual force waves at three areas. Beginning elimination.] [Fusion with
tower genie completed. Activation of anti-probing spell formation at full force.]

One after another, these prompts popped up, and the smile at the corner of Leylin's mouth grew wider.
Regular tower genies definitely lacked the terrifying calculation abilities of the A.I. Chip. The area that it
could manage would only include the interior of the Magus Tower.

However, with what he was doing, not only could he control the interior of the Magus Tower from a
distance away, he could even completely eliminate any damages that would otherwise have been
hidden.

After fusing with the program that the A.I. Chip had duplicated, the tower genie had now become more
intelligent, able to autonomously search for holes and repair them, and even take care of a few flaws or
defects that had originally been there.

It could be said that even if Grand Duke Gilbert had done anything to the rank 4 scroll, it would have
been pointless.

This was because Leylin had already modified the tower genie's structure with things of his own.

"Hah..." Leylin took in a long breath.

The construction of the Magus Tower, particularly the completion of the positive and negative energy
reactive pools, now allowed the interior of the Magus Tower to have ten times the elemental particle
concentration as outside.

The concentrated energy particles could even be seen with the naked eye, and for Magus eyes this was
even more apparent. Leylin felt like he was surrounded by an elemental ocean.

The particle concentration in the central continent had already been very high, and that of this Magus
Tower far surpassed that..

It could be said that in this environment, Leylin's progress in his meditation technique would not be too
slow even if he did not use any potions. What was more frightening was that even trashy acolytes with a
level 1 or 2 aptitude could break through their own limits and become official Magi if they studied and
meditated here!

After recognising this, Leylin immediately made a choice. Unless there was anything terribly important,
he would stay and settle down in the Magus Tower.

Outside the tower.

Parker and the others could not feel all this as keenly as Leylin, but after there was a rumble from the
entire Magus Tower and it started emanating faint light, everyone still began to cheer. Even Kubler had
shining tears at the corner of his eye.

A Magus Tower was a representation of strength in the central continent.

With a Magus Tower, and a Magus like Leylin who was viewed highly, regular Magi with Crystal phase
spiritual force would not dare trespass in this area. In addition, with the large-scaled monitoring abilities
of the Magus Tower, the rate of crime would definitely be lowered.

This signified that Leylin's power was secured, whether among mortals or Magi.

As a result, all the vassals who depended on Leylin were extremely moved.

*Boom!* At this moment, with the sound from a power switch, the entrance to the Magus Tower
opened up, revealing Leylin's figure.

"It's finally done. Come in and take a look!"

"Many thanks, Master!" A few Warlocks immediately bowed. They had contributed to the construction
of the Magus Tower, and naturally wished to take a look at it.
"Ah! The concentration of the particles!" Upon entering through the entrance, they were immediately
shocked by the terrifying concentration of particles in the Magus Tower.

"As expected of the Magus Tower that my lord personally constructed. If I had studied in this place from
my youth, I might have been able to break through to the Hydro Phase spiritual force stage by this
time..." Parker carressed the cold and rigid walls, almost feeling like sobbing.

"Based on your contributions, I will give you different amounts of authority within the Magus Tower, as
well as assign you your own bedrooms, laboratory and the like." Seeing all his subordinates, Leylin
immediately made a promise to reward them.

"Many thanks, Master!" Numerous Warlocks were immediately touched. They had never even dreamed
of having a place in such a high-grade Magus Tower.

This was especially so for Parker. Though he had little hope of advancing, all he wanted was to pave the
way for Snoopy. He had never expected this treatment at any point in his life, and was immensely
grateful.

Leylin thought nothing of it. These Warlocks were all his subordinates, and ought to be given rewards.
With the tower genie supervising, they wouldn't be able to do anything anyway.

He would only open up the guestrooms, living areas and a few laboratories to them. The core areas, the
positive and negative energy reactive pool as well as control room were safely in his control.

As it was very likely that they would live and perform research here, Kubler and the others had a
different reaction and emotion to this.

Leylin brought them to look at the few levels in the middle, passing by the living room, bedrooms,
library, and all the way to the Magus Garden.
Leylin had set up this Magus Garden like those of ancient times. Though he had yet to transplant any
plants here, some vegetation and precious plants were already growing lushly.

A green light shone down. All this was the accumulated life energy that had come from activating the
Magus Tower, giving the vegetation a huge boost in nutrition and vitality.

"With the positive energy pool, the entire Magus Tower's water circulation uses the purest water
elemental particles and turns them into water that is purified to the highest degree. The yield from this
Magus Garden would be enough to provide for thousands of people if the incoming energy stays at its
peak," Leylin introduced, sounding a little proud.

With the bonus from the Magus Tower, he could obtain a strength comparable to a Magus with Crystal
Phase spiritual force, and even provide for over five thousand people in the tower!

With this ability and self-sufficiency, it would be considered an extremely frightful large fort in times of
war.

The Magus Tower was a terrifying war machine, and its amazing strength was enough to obstruct any
attempts at spying on them.

"This is my future base!" Leylin sighed in his heart, but a smile then appeared on his face. "To celebrate
the completion of the Magus Tower, I will hold a feast in Onyx Castle tonight. Let us all revel!"

An intoxicating clamour spread throughout the room.

......

Night fell and Onyx Castle was filled with scenes of jubilation, with many female singers, dancers and
entertainers presenting their art with all the energy they could muster. Waves of delicacies and fine
liquor were constantly sent to the feast like running water.

As this was in the form of a family banquet, the rules were lax, and even regular nobles were invited.

Though the Warlocks had formed a circle of their own, they were not repelled by the clamour outside.
All faces were brimming with smiles, full of hope for the future of their territory.

With Leylin's status, nobody dared disturb him. He drank a few glasses and encouraged his subordinates
with a few words, and then secretly left the castle.

The moon hung high in the sky, silver moonlight spilling down. The night air held a chill to it and was just
right for those who had consumed alcohol.

Of course, with Leylin's body, there were few wines that could get him drunk.

He came to the side of the Magus Tower. Here, due the superb detection abilities of the tower genie,
the original guards had all been transferred out.

A ring-shaped rune suddenly brightened on Leylin's hand. "I'm here. Come over!" Leylin said, his tone
holding within a command that was difficult to ignore.

A black figure appeared from the air, and came to stand silently beside Leylin. "Come with me."

The entrance to the Magus Tower opened up with a rumble, welcoming its master.

They went all the way to the reception room, and only then did Leylin's facial muscles relax as he took a
seat on the sofa.
"Sit! You don't need to conceal yourself anymore here. My Magus Tower has powerful detection spell
formations. Even the spying of Morning Star Magi can be recognised!"

The person in black robes hesitated, and then threw back her hood, revealing a pretty female face with
a golden headband on her forehead.

"Master!" She exclaimed in a low voice. This female Magus was the fugitive Magus leader that Leylin
had subdued, Tanasha!

Watching Tanasha taking a seat, Leylin asked slowly, "I hope there weren't any troubles on the way
here."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 439 - Deceit Seen Through

The Forgotten Land was very infertile and could be said to be a desert of the Magus world. Magi who
travelled there were all fugitives who had been driven to desperation in the central continent.

Of course, Tanasha was no different. If her identity was exposed, it was not just her, but also Leylin who
would be in deep trouble.

"No, I have been very careful so far. I didn't leave behind any information about my appearance or
scent, and I did not use an airship!" she stated.

"Very well!" Leylin nodded. "Where are my things?"

"Right here!" A large black box appeared on the table with a swish of her hand.

Seeing the seal still perfectly untouched, Leylin gave a look of satisfaction. He opened the box, in which
was a thick layer of soft white fur.

This was the King Blood Vulture's feathers. It contained the miraculous ability to conceal a bloodline's
aura, and it had even fooled Leylin previously.

After brushing these white feathers aside, the energy waves of many bloodline treasures radiated out,
surprising Tanasha.

A mountain of bloodline crystals and many strange bones, as well as fruits, rhizomes and such
containing the power of bloodlines, were piled up messily, as if they were not of any monetary worth.

However, deep inside, Tanasha knew that once these items were revealed, it would greatly impact the
Ouroboros Clan. Every single item in there could make a high-ranked Warlock go crazy!

Although she brought them over as per Leylin's orders, it was also by his order that she did not open the
box. It was only then that she became aware of the contents of the box.

This was obviously Leylin's plan. When he acquired the loot in the pocket dimensions, he had already
considered ways to get them past Gilbert.

After all, as the person who had sent out the information, he had already known long ago about
Gilbert's arrival. How could he not have prepared for it?

Morning Star Warlocks' ability in detecting bloodline treasures was far exceeded Leylin's expectations.
He had no confidence in hiding them at all. Hence, Leylin chose not to bring them with him.
Even if Gilbert monitored Leylin's spatial pouch and ring, he could only find some of the things that
Leylin left behind intentionally. The real loot was all moved away by Tanasha.

With regards to this set up, it certainly was a decision that Leylin had made with determination.

Firstly, Tanasha had not only sworn her loyalty to him, but also allowed a part of her spirit source to be
held by Leylin.

For a Magus, this kind of restriction was practically fatal. If Leylin destroyed that part of her spirit source,
Tanasha would lose her mind even if she did not lose her life! On top of that, he deliberately won her
over previously and agreed to take revenge for her. The assigned mission was just to transport an item.
Leylin had some confidence in her.

For safety's sake, not only did he cast a sealing spell on the black box, but he also used the King Blood
Vulture's feathers as a cover in order to conceal the bloodline energy waves of the treasures.

It seemed like the plan had succeeded.

Leylin looked at the pile of bloodline treasures, nearly laughing. Among the many bloodline energy
waves, a fingerbone lay there quietly, yet majestically like a king. It made the other treasures seem less
appealing.

Tanasha stared at the fingerbone as if she had seen her enemy, "What is this thing?"

Evidently, the aura of the fingerbone made her uncomfortable. This was unfathomable for a Crystal
Phase Magus.

Even though it was just the remains of a creature, it had the power to make her so uncomfortable. How
powerful could the living creature have been?
Tanasha fixed her eyes on Leylin. Now, she began to find this young Magus increasingly unpredictable.

"The Lamia fingerbone!" Surprisingly, Leylin answered the question directly.

"Tower genie, keep these items safely!" Leylin picked up the fingerbone and ordered the small blue elf
beside him.

"Yes, my master!" The small elf held its chest and bowed. After that, a mechanical puppet walked over
and took the black box to be stored in the treasury.

"Tanasha, come with me. I might need you later on!" Leylin called out to Tanasha with a downcast face.

Subsequently, he brought Tanasha all the way down to the room binding room before he came to a
stop.

Powerful binding runes, energy-isolating runes, the power of corrosion, the weeping of vengeful spirits,
gravity runes...

Tanasha looked at the runes on the walls as her expression darkened. With so many binding spells, even
Tanasha, a Crystal Phase Magus, would have difficulties struggling her way out.

This led to an even deeper understanding of Leylin's financial capabilities.

"You set up such strict bindings. Do you intend to summon the great devil?" Tanasha asked, with a
slightly provocative tone.

"No! This is only set up in case of an emergency. You know it— the astral plane is filled with all kinds of
strange creatures. A little more preparation never hurts!"

Leylin's face carried an odd smile, "But never did I expect that the first subject that it would be used on,
would actually be this!"

As a light shone from his right hand, the Lamia fingerbone in Leylin's hand immediately appeared at the
center of the bindings. A strong sluice gate made of reinforced glass dropped and the many runes began
to flicker.

The Lamia fingerbone lay there silently like a dead creature.

Tanasha held her breath. She knew that Leylin was probably going to show her something unusual.

"Tower genie, begin first-level operations of the bindings!"

Following Leylin's orders, the circle of lights in the binding room lit up all at once. An invisible power
lifted the Lamia fingerbone.

"Start purification!" As per the tower genie's emotionless command, two small lightning clouds grew
above the bone, streaks of lightning crackling as they burst towards it.

"I know you're still there. There's no need for the pretense! Come out!" Under the lightning, the white
fingerbone appeared to be unaffected. However, Leylin had a straight face, with an expression as cold as
ice.

After a few minutes, there was still no sign of any anomaly, causing Leylin to sigh deeply.

"Begin the next level of purification!"

"Authorisation verified! Inputting energy!" Upon hearing the tower genie's voice, the original two clouds
began to transform immediately.

Dark, black clouds suddenly soared above the area, and the lightning acquired a subtle red hue. Thick
bolts swept across the bone mercilessly, causing narrow cracks to surface on it.

"If you continue doing that, you'll destroy the fingerbone!" Tanasha looked at Leylin, but his expression
did not stop, indicating he had no intentions of stopping.

Under the lightning that had been strengthened tens of times, the bone began to vibrate, as if it was
going to explode into dust anytime.

*Ring!* Just when Tanasha thought the fingerbone was about to explode, a strange scene suddenly
appeared. A ring of green light burst out violently, with such a strong power radiating that it split the
dark clouds apart in a second.

*Hiss!* A touch of green light emerged. It then transformed into a phantom of a young, green-haired
woman, now lunging towards Leylin.

Compared to what Leylin had seen previously, the image of the young woman was not only more
illusory, but her face had also become a lot more complex, with rhomboidal scales. Her eyes were a sea
of green and her pupils had become vertical slits.

As the Lamia's phantom swept her glance across with her pupils, Leylin's entire body became a little
sluggish.

"Begin binding!" This time, the tower genie responded swiftly and gave an order.
*Bang!* A loud sound echoed as the young woman's phantom crashed into the clear reinforced glass,
causing the runes to flash.

Soon after, an enormous gravitational strength emerged and pinned the woman to the ground.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* A chain of runes appeared one after another, binding the green-haired Lamia's
phantom.

After coming back to his senses, Leylin, who had broken out in cold sweat, could not help but draw a
deep breath. "That was really close!"

Although he tried his best to overestimate the opponent, the terrifying feeling of having his mind being
snatched had given him a fright all of a sudden.

This was the definite control that a high-ranked bloodline had over a low-ranked one. In face of the
great gap between the ranks, all efforts were to no avail.

"You dare oppose me? The Grand Matriarch will not let you off, bloodline traitor!" The green tongue of
the Lamia's phantom forked as she spoke.

"Sorry! I don't have the habit of obeying orders that'll cause me to lose my life!" Though Leylin
apologised, he showed no sign of remorse on his face.

"The Giant Kemoyin Serpent is a rank 4 creature. It needs to obey the Lamia's bloodline, which is of a
higher rank. This is branded deep into the inheritance of the bloodline and is not able to be changed!"
The Lamia's phantom glared at Leylin and asked, "How did you escape?"

"How would I know?" Leylin swished his hands.

In actual fact, he had guessed that it might have a connection with his bloodline. Not only was the Giant
Kemoyin Serpent's bloodline in him extremely pure, there was a great possibility that through the A.I.
chip's purification, his bloodline differed from the original.

"What is this?" Tanasha stared at the Lamia with a look of curiosity surfaced on her face.

"The owner of the fingerbone. Just a projection of a destroyed, shattered and unwanted memory
fragment!" Leylin spoke with disdain.

"When did you find out?" After seeing Leylin like that, the Lamia calmed down.

"I knew from the beginning!" Leylin said calmly.

"I am not someone who would sit and wait for rewards. I only believe in achieving things through my
own efforts. Seeing how you took the initiative to come to me, there's no way I could let my guard
down!"

Frankly speaking, Leylin basically believed the part about the other party being tired of staying in the
King Blood Vulture's nest, but he could not believe that it would be so boring and despair-inducing that
one would seek death.

Ancient Magi had strong mental endurance, and on top of that, she was an extremely powerful Warlock.
How could she possibly be cowed by a long period of solitude?

Perhaps her true intention was to get out, or to seize a corporeal body with the help of Leylin!

A Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock which is suppressed by the ancient Lamia, was definitely a first-rate
target to seize control of!
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 440 - Destroy

The moment Leylin used the Lamia fingerbone and fused with it, her remaining memory fragments
would also fuse into his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline, secretly lurking within.

When the time was right, the Lamia's sea of consciousness would burst forth. How could Leylin be a
match for her?

It was not just the large gap between them in terms of their knowledge and experience. The inborn
control in terms of his bloodline, as well as issues of how she would try to gain dominance over him
would definitely put Leylin at death's door.

Having thought this through, Leylin's murderous intent towards the Lamia was at its boiling point.

However, he had not flared up but instead, pretended that he knew nothing. He waited till the Magus
Tower was built, and once his most capable subordinate, Tanasha was at his side and increased his
power to the maximum, he then lashed out on his home ground.

It looked like it had been a good idea to be so meticulous. If not, his opponent could have easily taken
care of him.

"Shall we make a trade?" The scales on the Lamia phantom's face faded, returning her face to that of a
young girl. Her delicate and pretty face even enchanted Tanasha, who was also female.

"What trade?" Leylin's voice was low.

"Help me find a flesh body. Anything is fine as long as they have the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline,
and it's best if it's a female Warlock. In return, I can give you all my knowledge. Though you'll only obtain
a portion of the knowledge that my main body possesses, she is a rank 5 pure-blooded Warlock. Just a
small bit of her memories is enough to make you strike gold..."

Calm words rang from the mouth of the phantom Lamia, causing Tanasha's breath to become rough.

Inheritance from an ancient rank 5 Warlock? Perhaps even Morning Star Magi would go crazy in want
over this.

The price he had to pay was a mere female Warlock, and with just a bit of effort, he could find them
easily in the Ouroboros Clan.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!!*Leylin applauded, a slight smile on his face. "Good suggestion! What a great
suggestion! Even I am tempted."

"Good! You can first—" The Lamia phantom's words stopped halfway, and a look of fury suddenly
appeared on her face. "You!"

Countless chains tightened, binding her to the spot.

"Tower genie, use all stored energy and prioritise the bindings. The aim is to exterminate this person!"

"Tanasha, help me!" Leylin's face suddenly changed, and he made to deal the fatal blow.

Great amounts of thunder clouds were produced, lightning washing over the phantom time after time,
causing her figure to become even more illusory.

Tanasha obeyed Leylin's order subconsciously, and her Crystal Phase spiritual force emanated,
reinforcing the runes of binding.

"Traitor! The Grand Matriarch will not let you off! Hiss..." The phantom image eventually turned into a
half-human, half-snake and hissed, her expression incomparably fierce.

"Let's talk about it when she finds me." Leylin's expression was resolute, constantly urging on the runes
and spell formation of binding.

The inheritance from an ancient rank 5 Warlock was indeed very tempting, but Leylin had his own
considerations.

The other party was merely a remnant spirit, and might even be the combination of a few memory
fragments. How much could she remember?

And just for this, he would bring her around and let her scheme against him?

Though he was somewhat confident in his scheming abilities, Leylin was not certain that he could win
over this ancient freak, especially when she could suppress his bloodline and was so enticing.

The ancient Lamia had started out enticing various giant serpent species, and Leylin did not want to
unknowingly let her suggestions affect his mind.

For him, it was most practical to be able to take in harmless things. Everything else was an illusion!

"If you don't die, I can never be at peace." Leylin stared at the Lamia phantom behind the glass, a
determined look in his eyes. "Maximise power!"

[Runes of binding operating at excess of 120% capacity. This is the most powerful attack.]
Along with the tower genie's voice, a streak of thick red lightning struck the phantom.

*Rumble!* The Magus Tower began to tremble, and fine cracks began to appear in the binding area.

The phantom image of the Lamia seemed to have given up all hope as she dissipated to nothingness
under the red lightning.

*Pak!* A fingerbone with cracks all over its surface fell to the ground.

"It's over." Tanasha heaved a sigh of relief and glanced at Leylin as if she was looking at a freak, "That's
inheritance from an ancient rank 5 Warlock! You actually..."

"I was, of course, tempted!" Leylin shook his head, "But it wasn't to the point that I would become
muddle-headed in the face of it. Ancient Magi have too many methods. I wouldn't dare bring a disaster
waiting to happen along with me at all times."

As he spoke, the tower genie constantly scanned the fingerbone in the binding room, streams of electric
light moving across its surface.

[Level 1 scanning complete. No remnant spiritual force found.] [Level 2 scanning complete. No abnormal
reactions found.] [Level 3 scanning complete. Confirmed total extermination of remnant spirit of Lamia.]

Red, green and blue rays shot out and scanned the fingerbone to and fro, not missing any spots.

A streak of blue flashed in Leylin's eyes, and he waited till the A.I. Chip gave the final confirmation
before he issued the command, "Open up the protective layer!"

*Shoo!* The tempered glass split apart. Bathed in milky-white light, the slightly cracked fingerbone
floated to Leylin's hand.
Though it looked like a mere fragmented bone, the rejoicing of his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline told
Leylin that the moment he digested this bone, his bloodline would become so pure it would be
unimaginable, and might even be able to help him advance!

'If Mentor Gilbert were to know about this, he would immediately fall out with me in order to obtain it.
What ties we have as part of the same clan, our mentor-student relationship or ethics would mean
nothing at all.' Leylin sighed inside. If not for the isolation by his Magus Tower, he would not dare take it
out now.

'Though it's best if I use it right now, it has too much research value! Besides...' Leylin glanced at the
data recorded by the A.I. Chip.

[Activity of Host Body's bloodline increasing. Maturation period of bloodline estimated to be in 124
years, 4 months.]

Though it was just some physical contact with his skin and the waves and energy radiation from the
fingerbone, it had the legendary effect of Lamia Hair, allowing Leylin's bloodline to mature by a large
amount.

"Based on the situation, I don't even need to absorb the bone. I can make use of the radiation to
increase the rate of my bloodline's maturation by nearly tenfold!'

"Looks like I'll need to stay in the Magus Tower as much as possible from now on...' Leylin touched his
chin and ordered the tower genie, "Keep the Lamia fingerbone well. Store it based on all procedures for
special grade 1 materials."

[Understood, master.]

The little elf quickly took the Lamia fingerbone and vanished.

There was no other way around it. Bloodline Warlocks were extremely sensitive to this type of item. If
Leylin brought it with him, not counting Lucian and the others, Gilbert would definitely sense it.
The only way was to make use of the powerful energy isolation abilities of the Magus Tower and conceal
the undulations from its aura.

After taking care of all these matters, Leylin looked back and revealed a kind smile to Tanasha, "Alright.
Tanasha, welcome!"

After going through such a secret matter together, he evidently had a better relationship with Tanasha.

Making use of this opportunity, Leylin invited Tanasha to have a look around his Magus Tower. Glancing
at Tanasha, who was immersed while glancing at the Magus Tower constructed with top-grade
materials, the corner of Leylin's lips quirked up in a smile.

"Can I know more about your past?"

Leylin asked after the tour of the living room, where the tower genie had a few puppets deliver hot
cocoa and desserts to them.

"Since I am now with Master, I have nothing to hide..." Tanasha held her mug with both hands and
looked pained, as if immersed in some memory.

"I am of the Madie Lands, in the Dark Lunar Forest at the western region of the central continent."

Leylin listened closely. It was just another story about profits, women and other things that gave rise to
blood and hatred, which he was familiar with. He learned the name of Tanasha's enemy.

"Some large family in the Crescent Moon Zither Alliance?"

"Yes! If Master could take revenge on my behalf and extinguish the Swaine family, my body, spirit and
everything will belong to Master!" Tanasha promised, looking determined as she delivered her oath.
After hearing Tanasha's story, Leylin did not agree immediately, but sank into deep thought.

Crescent Moon Zither Alliance was a small organisation in the central continent, but since he had heard
of it before, there was definitely a Morning Star Magus in charge. However, that Magus was not of the
Swaine family, so there was a way to interfere in this.

"I can agree to this, but it might be a long time till then. You need to be prepared." Leylin watched
Tanasha's eyes attentively and spoke slowly.

Tanasha ran her fingers through her hair behind her ear, a wry smile about her lips, "I understand! I am
already very happy that Master agreed."

Leylin was surprised. It looked like this was her only wish.

"Alright! As for your identity, I have no way to solve that issue yet. I'm afraid you'll need to stay out of
sight or return to the Forgotten Land. Do you have any plans?" he asked.

She lowered her head and pondered over it, "I still have a few things to take care of in the Forgotten
Land."

"Alright." Leylin nodded.

"One more thing. In the Forgotten Land, there is a Kobold tribe. I'll need the blood essence from the
stronger ones, meaning rank 3 or above!" The Kobolds were rumoured to have the great giant dragon
bloodline, and Leylin was very interested in this.

"That's not a problem. There are many powers with conflicts amongst each other within the Forgotten
Land. Battles are common!" Tanasha nodded and agreed.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 441 - Guest

Leylin holed himself inside the Magus Tower after its completion.

This was because the elemental particle concentration here far surpassed that of the outside, allowing
his spiritual force to grow much. Furthermore, there were many high-level experiments that could only
be done in the Magus Tower. Many of his previous theories could finally be put to the test.

More importantly, the Magus Tower could block out the probing of high-ranked Magi, turning into an
elusive location which could hide Leylin's many secrets.

With those factors coming into play, it was natural that Leylin almost never left the tower, and had
neglected both sleep and food to focus on his meditation practice and research.

Many top-notch results had been actualised with the A.I Chip's assistance, which had increased Leylin's
own knowledge reserves.

In the gigantic library, Snoopy was trying his best to chain up a hysterical, screaming copper-coloured
book that had pages filled with fangs, and properly settled it on a bookshelf made of black pinewood.

The library of a Magus was naturally extremely enriching, and represented the accumulation of its
owner's knowledge.

Even though Leylin had the A.I Chip, he had previously collected many books from the south coast and
Twilight Zone; the books were so plentiful that all the space was practically filled up. Now, they would
have to tidy the books up and sort them out according to their different genres.
Other than that, the central continent was vast as well. Its accumulated knowledge was even more
shocking. Leylin had always been actively purchasing books related to magic and a steady flow of such
books were sent to the Magus Tower, which further enriched his collection.

His apprentice Snoopy was sent here to sort out and manage the conservation of the books.

Even if it was tough, he cherished this opportunity. Not to mention the stiflingly high concentration of
energy particles in the tower, the chance to read so many books freely made him so happy that he could
die.

Even if he had his head buried in books day in and day out, he would only have covered an insignificant
portion of Leylin's collection.

Only now did he realise the depth of his Mentor's knowledge. Just the terrifying accumulation of
information was enough for him to look up to Leylin.

At this time, in a room within the library, Leylin was sitting before a giant study desk, quill in hand, as he
wrote with lightning speed.

Every second, tens of characters were jotted down, one after the other.

His astonishing speed as well as the coordination of spells allowed Leylin to perform a miracle
unthinkable in his previous life.

A blue light glowed in his eyes as rows of words appeared unceasingly. He was actually trying to
replicate all the information the A.I. Chip had recorded.

"All done!" Leylin looked at the messy yet seemingly organised documents on his desk, and his face
revealed a satisfied expression.

"The entirety of the ecological garden's experimental data has been replicated. As for these..." Within
the Quicksand Castle, Leylin's biggest gains were what he'd appropriated from the Blood Vultures.
However, he had also found large amounts of miscellaneous data in the laboratory.

Due to the lack of the core information and the receptor model, the data could not be replicated at all.

But the other gains thereafter had allowed Leylin to see a glimmer of hope. In the spatial pouch of the
Green-skinned Barbarian Magus whom Leylin had saved from a curse, Leylin had found some flawed
research data and notes. From the looks of it, the forces in the outer circle had also obtained some data
from their explorations.

Even though the other party had not managed to analyse any information, Leylin's deductive ability was
very strong with the support of the A.I. Chip. He had instantly realised the connections between the data
and the experimental information he had collected.

If he was not wrong, the torn and tattered journal he obtained from the Green-skinned Barbarian Magus
was the core data that was missing in the laboratory!

Even though the Green-skinned Barbarian's collections were not complete, as long as Leylin had some
form of data, albeit flawed, he would be able to derive the other information through deductions and
simulations. It was only a matter of time.

After interactions with Tanasha, he had further improved the core data.

With his research, he gradually deciphered the experiments that were conducted in the gigantic
laboratory.

"Studies on transferring and combining bloodlines?" Leylin held out a part of the deciphered content
and muttered to himself.

Quicksand was undoubtedly an alliance of various Warlock organisations, and their research on
bloodlines had never ceased.

Their experimental data was actually more in-depth and concrete than the research of the Ouroboros
Clan, which had allowed Leylin to reach a whole new level.

'I have a premonition that if I finish analysing the experimental results and add them into my own A.I
Chip's system, my research in bloodlines would advance to an unimaginable stage, even to the extent
that I can directly extract genes from rank 1 and 2 bloodline creatures and assemble them into an
ancient bloodline!' Excitement flashed across Leylin's eyes.

Bloodline shackles were the greatest pains to a Warlock. Those that had advanced to the peak of what
their bloodlines would allow and reached a dead-end would normally choose to turn their attention to
research on bloodline modulation and combination.

That was also the main direction of the research of the Ouroboros Clan.

While the three elders were looking for the Purgatory World, they were also trying to manufacture an
even stronger bloodline by building upon the foundations of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's bloodline, and
from there onwards, break their own bloodline shackles.

Of course, until now, the experiments had made no progress to speak of, not to mention any hopes for
success.

"From the looks of it, in this area, the ancient Warlocks have greatly surpassed us..." Leyin sighed as he
held the data tighter in his hands.

If he did not experience a breakthrough after being promoted to a Morning Star Magus, or if his search
for the Purgatory World were to fail, this would perhaps be his last hope.

"Tower genie! Store the bloodline research data well, at level 1 confidentiality!" Leylin issued the
command.

Nowadays, he felt that it had been extremely worth it to construct the Magus Tower. If he didn't have
one, let alone experimentation and information storage, how would he hide such a valuable object?

Just after Leylin had consumed some food and was about to start research, the tower genie suddenly
appeared before him.

"Master! A strong radiation has been sensed south-east of the Magus Tower, about 200 kilometres
away. Estimated to be a Magus of rank 3 or above!"

In terms of range of detection, the Magus Tower far surpassed the A.I. Chip. That was also one of the
reasons why many Magi liked to construct a Magus Tower in their territory. The feeling one got when in
complete control of their territory and that nothing could escape their eyes was extremely desirable.
More importantly, they were able to protect their own interests.

Of course, in terms of accuracy, the Magus Tower could not measure up to the A.I. Chip. Currently, it
could only scan for energy spikes, and could not concretely tell him how many people there were or
even their genders.

Leylin was not too worried about that. Even when compared to all other Morning Star Magi, his Magus
Tower was one of the best in the entire central continent.

As the enemies inched closer, the accuracy of the Magus Tower's scans would increase until it could
project a proper image.

"It's them! I'm afraid I'll have to go out for a while." Leylin looked at the two silhouettes in the image
and stood up, feeling a headache coming on.

At the same time, Kesha had arrived at Onyx Castle with another female Warlock.

Kubler, who was in a butler uniform, lowered his head, "Distinguished Marquis Kesha, my Master is
currently conducting experiments in the Magus Tower. If you could rest here for a while, I'll inform him
immediately!"

As a Mankestre Bloodline Warlock, his position in the Ouroboros Clan was very low, and he could only
admire the highly-ranked Magi like Kesha. If he wasn't Leylin's vassal, he would not even have a chance
to speak to her.

"There's no need for that. He's already here!" Kesha waved her hands, and a shadow from afar waved
back.

"Hehe... How did Senior find the time to visit me here?" Leylin landed on the floor, his robes flowing in
the wind. He nodded to Kesha as a form of respect, and looked at the other female Warlock.

The Warlock had jet-black hair that gushed like a waterfall until her waist. This was an effect of the
darkness elemental energy particles in the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline, but it matched Leylin's
standard of beauty very well.

Her fair skin, gentle facial features and voluptuous body were what made many men find her
unforgettable, but what left a deep impression on Leylin was her wild and reckless personality.

"Welcome to my castle as well, Marquis Freya!" Leylin's smile was a bit forced. Kesha, however,
disregarded all societal expectations and came forward, giving Leylin a passionate hug.

"Leylin, I haven't thanked you for saving my life the other time! Originally, I had wanted to subsidise the
construction of your Magus Tower, but from the looks of it now, you are so much richer than I am..." she
remotely sighed, and appeared to be jealous as she stared at the splendor of the Magus Tower not far
away.

"Keke... That's only some savings from a lifetime of risks!" Leylin touched his nose and said unabashedly.

"Alright. Freya and I came here today specifically to see you. Aren't you going to show us around?"
Kesha curled her mouth. In front of close friends, she behaved in a feminine manner, and was
sometimes even childish.

"Of course, of course, it'll be my pleasure. Please!" Leylin wryly stretched out his hands and locked arms
with Kesha.

Inviting close Magi to take a look at one's Magus Tower, or even to reside and perform research there,
was something many Magi used to strengthen their bonds with them. Leylin, of course, was not an
exception.

Thanks to the manipulation abilities of his tower genie, things that he did not want found would be hard
to discover while inside the tower, even for Morning Star Magi. Hence, there was no need to fear his
secrets being exposed.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 442 - The Trade

Leylin led Kesha and Freya around his Magus Tower.

Kesha oohed and aahed at everything, while Freya was much quieter, as though there was something on
her mind.
"Whew... Junior Leylin, I take back what I said earlier. You're not only much richer than me, you're a lot
richer than even Senior Lucian!" Kesha said, pleased. She was half-lying on the sofa in the living room
without the slightest care about her wardrobe malfunction.

"In my opinion, even Lucian's Magus Tower might not be as luxurious as yours, Leylin! I'm afraid that
only a handful in the entire central continent would be as fancy!"

"Senior! Don't say such things!" Leylin laughed wryly as he raised his arms in defeat, "Why are you here
today?"

Seeing his mentor conversing with guests, Snoopy served refreshments and quickly retreated, behaving
like a waiter that had been groomed with utmost care.

"We are here to thank you, junior, for your care in the pocket dimension. We'd initially planned to
compensate you with resources, but by the looks of it, you aren't short on them, so we'll have to make it
up to you through other means..." Kesha licked her lips, "How about letting me keep you company for
few nights? Any position works..."

"Hmm! Let's talk about this another time..." Leylin laughed and changed the topic.

"Hmph! You're still as boring as ever!" Kesha shook her head regretfully, "On Freya's end, she's here to
ask a favour of you, hoping to make a trade with you!"

"A trade?" Leylin had his doubts, and instantly recalled the previous incident at the trading hall.

"Not that kind of trade! Of course, if Lord Leylin is willing to sell his seed, I will offer a high price!" Freya
giggled with her hand over her mouth.

"I don't have any plans in this area just yet!" Leylin said with a straight face, realising that speaking to
these women was indeed very tiring.
As though afraid to anger Leylin and cause the trade to fall through later, Freya was very obedient and
didn't dare tease him.

"Actually, I'm offering a high price for a certain material that you possess."

"Which material?" Leylin put his guard up in a split second.

"Bloodline crystals!" Freya took a deep breath and looked at Leylin expectantly.

"Oh, that!" A look of understanding flashed in Leylin's eyes. Bloodline crystals had the potential to
strengthen bloodlines, and even had the powerful effect of purifying them. Although they did not have
much effect on Leylin, a Warlock whose bloodline was already purified to its limit, it was a priceless
treasure to Freya whose family's bloodline was showing signs of degradation.

"But... how did you know about them?" Although the question was posed to Freya, Leylin's eyes were
fixated on Kesha.

Under Leylin's gaze, Kesha couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, before sitting up and saying arrogantly,
"That's right! I told her. You still have leftover bloodline crystals from the time when you performed the
exchange with Mentor, right? You don't have any family, so you don't need them urgently. On the other
hand, Freya is a good friend of mine, and the price she's willing to pay will definitely satisfy you!"

Leylin stroked his chin. What he handed out on the Black Scale previously was only a portion of his
possessions. He still had a secret stash of a few pieces in his spatial ring.

Of course, this was done on purpose for Gilbert to see. Otherwise, even a regular human would be
suspicious of such a generous student.
There was no way sly old Duke Gilbert would believe him to be without a trace of selfishness, especially
as a Magus.

Thankfully, everything went as Leylin had expected. Although Gilbert knew that Leylin had a stash in his
spatial ring, he didn't pursue the matter, and instead was more assured.

Leylin's secret stash was not tempting enough for Gilbert.

From the looks of it, Gilbert didn't care about it, but that didn't mean that other high-rank Warlocks
didn't. He must have been spreading the news, or else Kesha would not have known either.

"Bloodline crystals... I still have one remaining piece, but you should be very clear of its value. How much
can you pay for it?" Leylin muttered, tapping his finger on the table rhythmically, as though struggling
with the thought.

In actual fact, he had already decided to sell off all the materials he had shown, or else many people
would have their eye on these items.

This time, it was Kesha and Freya, who were close to him. In the future, however, if crazier people like
Miranda or Senior Lucian came over, what should he do?

Freya and Kesha exchanged looks of joy.

As long as they were willing to offer a price, everything would be settled. Their families had profound
backgrounds and possessed much that was enticing to Leylin. Since Freya had made special preparations
before coming, the items must be even more tempting.

"A set of the Hydro and Crystal Phase spell formations that have been passed down the generations in
our family. They can increase the success rate when compressing your spiritual force by 10%!" Freya's
first sentence made Leylin's eyes light up.
The compression spell formations inherited by such high-ranked Warlocks could not be compared to the
normal goods exchanged in the Trading Hall of the Ouroboros Clan.

Furthermore, the other party was also a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, so the spell formations
developed would be even more appropriate for bloodline Warlocks.

"That's not enough!" Leylin kept a straight face.

"And this!" Freya pushed a red box before Leylin.

The box was small and had a grainy wooden texture, likely made from some bark. A loop of fiery red
energy particles surfaced on the box, forming multiple seal patterns.

"What?!" Leylin furrowed his brows and blew lightly on the box.

*Whoosh!* Powerful yet fine black darkness elemental energy particles whizzed by, and the seal on the
box started to disintegrate, tearing apart inch by inch.

"As strong as a Crystal Phase Magus!" Kesha gasped in awe, "The amplification from your Magus Tower
is really terrifying!"

Freya was also shocked. She had purposely left the seal on the box as it was, with the intention of
testing the waters, but it looked like Leylin's abilities in his Magus Tower were far beyond her
expectations.

As a matter of fact, within the amplification boundaries of the Magus Tower, Leylin could not only
display strength comparable to a Crystal Phase Magus, but could even manipulate the energy particles
in the positive and negative energy reactive pools to replenish what had been depleted. His magic
power was endless.

If any average Crystal Phase Magus were to enter, they would waste all their spiritual force against him.

It could be said that within the range of his own Magus Tower, the only ones that struck fear in Leylin
were Morning Star Magi.

In response to the exclamations made by the two women, Leylin's expression did not change, as he
opened the box.

At the bottom of the box was a thick layer of soft, pure white velvet.

And right in the centre of the velvet cloth was a red octagonal gemstone. A few intricate gold runes
were swirling around in the jewel, much like tadpoles.

[Hall's Jewel. Rarity: One of the three ancient wondrous items. Has the ability to greatly boost the
compression of a bloodline Warlock's spiritual force, and can increase the success rate of advancement
to the Hydro Phase by 50%.]

The A.I. Chip swiftly transmitted the corresponding information to Leylin's brain.

'It's actually Hall's Jewel!' Leylin was unable to mask his excitement. 'Haven't these materials been lost
since ancient times?'

With this gemstone, coupled with the Hydro Phase spell formation, his spiritual force would naturally
enter the Hydro Phase without a bottleneck once he had sufficient spiritual force.

It was obvious how important this object would be to him.

Leylin took a glance at his condition that was presented in his consciousness.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock (Vapour Phase). Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 23.6, Agility:
20.1, Vitality: 39.1, Spiritual force, 251.7; Magic power: 251(Magic Power synchronized with spiritual
force)]

'The minimum spiritual force required to enter the Hydro Phase is estimated to be around 300!' Leylin
recalled the statistics he had obtained from many simulated experiments through the A.I. Chip.

'And with the Lamia fingerbone, if I artificially strengthen my bloodline, the rate of increase of my
spiritual force wouldn't be too slow either, and I may attain it in a few decades!'

The two obstacles in a Magus' progress would be accumulating spiritual force and breaking through the
bottleneck.

Now that the problem of a bottleneck had already been solved by Freya, what's left was to slowly
accumulate spiritual force. How could this not be a cause for joy?

Although Leylin tried to keep a straight face, Freya managed to catch a glimpse of happiness flicker
across his face.

"It seems that Sir Leylin has taken a great liking to this item!" she smiled sweetly.

"Yes, the Hall's Jewel is enough to make any Vapour Phase Magus go crazy!" Leylin nodded.

"If it's appropriate to ask, may I know where you found it? The Hall's Jewel should have been wiped out
with the extinction of the Sea of Gemstones!" Leylin stated his doubts.

"The Sea of Gemstones did vanish a long time ago, but it still existed in ancient times!" Freya smiled in
response, "As long as you find more ruins from ancient times, it is still possible to find these gemstones."
'So this was the aim of their previous expedition...' Thinking about how they returned full of severe
injuries previously, and how even the Second Elder was forced to take action, Leylin felt his scalp go
numb, and the gemstone even heated up.

"I initially wanted to give it to you without any conditions, but..." Freya expressed her regret, but Leylin
was secretly afraid.

Thankfully, he owned something that she wanted, or else he would have a hard time deciding if he
should accept the Hall's Jewel should she have really sent it over as a present.

Once he took the bait, the other party would tempt him with more benefits in the future, landing him in
a trap until he willingly married into her family.

Sadly, in the history of Magi, many with shockingly excellent inherent skills but yet without a
background or much status were enticed into marrying into other families in this manner.

Although both parties would be satisfied in the end, Leylin was different from them.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 443 - Living in Seclusion

Compared to those warlocks who were talented but had no background, Leylin was much more
extravagant.

With the A.I. Chip in his hands, his learning and operating abilities were far better than other common
Magi.
These in turn resulted in increased productivity, allowing him to earn sufficient resources for his practice
and research.

Hence, he did not need to look for support from a large clan like other Magi did in order to obtain the
required supplies, academic knowledge and so on. However, due to the many secrets he had, he had no
choice but to stay alone as much as possible and conceal his secrets in the darkness.

As such, until now, he had never once thought of finding a partner. Those times when he slept with
women were only to have fun, or to satiate his needs. If Freya used the Hall's jewel to seduce him, that
would be a headache for him.

Luckily, he now had in his hands something that she needed urgently, and things would not get so
complicated.

Moreover, although the bloodline crystal could not eradicate the issue of the other clan's bloodline
weakening, there was still hope to delay it for a period of time. This would give Leylin some time.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with the exchange?" Kesha curled her lips out of what seemed to be
injustice and said, "If this is still not enough, then count the two of us in. In order to obtain the bloodline
crystal, Freya is ready to put everything at stake anyway......."

"That's enough!" Leylin nodded, pretending that he had not heard the other part of Kesha's words.

"The two of you, please wait a moment!" He rose and turned into another corridor.

After Leylin left, the two female Magi relaxed at once. They knew that the entire Magus Tower and
especially the interior, was all under Leylin's control. However, it felt different when he wasn't around.
The two women even seemed to have a faint hope that their words would reach Leylin through the
tower genie.

"How is it? Are you reassured now?" Kesha fell lazily onto the soft couch, the slit in the lower part of her
gown vaguely exposing her snow-white thighs.

"Yes!" Freya heaved a sigh of relief, but it seemed as if she was disappointed.

"Actually, the bloodline crystal can only relieve the deterioration of the bloodline for at most a century.
When the time comes, what is to happen is inevitable. Moreover, using the bloodline crystal repeatedly
will cause its effects to weaken sharply, ultimately making it completely ineffective!"

It seemed as if Kesha was bewitching Freya, "Hence, the safest method is still to absorb fresh blood!
With the degree of pureness of Leylin's bloodline, your clan will not have to worry about this for the
next few centuries!"

"Then why aren't you doing that?" Freya blushed slightly as she threw a question back at Kesha without
backing down.

"Of course I want to, but it's not like you haven't seen it. This method doesn't work on him. What else
can I do?" Kesha sighed, took a few steps forward and raised Freya's chin with her finger, "Such a
beautiful and pure female Magus, and that guy isn't even tempted. Is he really made of stone?"

"Sister Kesha isn't lacking either......" An indistinct smile flashed across Freya's eyes as she clasped both
hands around Kesha's waist.

"It seems that I've got to teach you a lesson this time......" Kesha grinned and gave Freya a kiss on the
lips.

"......"
Leylin, who saw the scene through the tower genie, could not help but be a little dumbstruck. These
women were indeed wild and playful, and were even completely unscrupulous in trying to tempt him.

Unfortunately, Leylin could see but could not touch them. He had to control his bloodline, which made
him feel slightly depressed.

"However......" Leylin smirked slyly.

Previously, he did not dare to sleep with women because he was afraid that they would use techniques
and spells to steal his bloodline. However, ever since he'd obtained the research data regarding the
composition of bloodlines from Quicksand Castle, his knowledge of bloodlines had deepened.

If he was given a little more time, he could definitely develop a technique that would not leak out his
seed and keep the source of his bloodline. If it were to be combined with the A.I. Chip, even if those
women coveted his bloodline, they would not have a chance of getting anything out of him.

When that time came, the expressions of those women who had suffered a loss in order to obtain the
bloodline, would surely be very interesting.

As for now?

Watching the sexy scene on the screen made a faint anger rise in Leylin. It seemed that he would have
to order Kubler to buy some beautiful female slaves to extinguish the fire within him.

Leylin was always unwilling to make things unfair for himself. Everything he had must be the best,
regardless of the aspect.

After all, what's the point in having eternal life if he could not enjoy the pleasures of the world?
Although he wanted to join in, Leylin still waited in a gentlemanly manner for more than ten minutes
before entering the living room.

The living room had already been tidied and cleaned, and the clothes on the two women were
extremely neat without a speck of dust. Their expressions were very calm, as if they had done nothing
but wait for him during this entire time.

Leylin smiled as his nose twitched slightly. He noticed a very special scent in the air, which carried a
slight aroma and an even more unique flavour he was familiar with.

While watching his movements, Kesha and Freya could not help but blush.

It was only when Leylin saw Kesha almost jumping in anger that he laughed, putting an end to his silent
provocation. He then placed a silver tray on the round table.

"This bloodline crystal is the last in my inventory. If I had a family, I would never have brought it out to
exchange..."

As he spoke, the two women's gazes were attracted to the rich, scarlet radiance that was emitted from
the bloodline crystal.

"We are very grateful for your generosity! Hopefully, our friendship will be able to continue on forever!"
When it came to business, Freya's face no longer had the shyness from before. What replaced it was an
extremely solemn expression.

"Yes, yes!" Kesha nodded in agreement beside her, along with a hopeful gaze towards Leylin, "I heard
from Mentor Gilbert that you were very dishonest that time and even hid some of the precious remains
of ancient creatures. Come on, share them with us too..."
As Leylin watched this senior of his whose eyes were almost sparkling with radiance, he could not help
but shake his head and laugh wryly.

......

"Leylin, Mentor told me to inform you to be more cautious these days. If there's nothing going on, do
not exit the Ouroboros Clan's boundaries." At the time of parting, Kesha whispered into Leylin's ear.

"What?!" Leylin was startled, but he swiftly gathered his thoughts and asked, "Is it because of Demon
Hunter Cyril?"

"That's right. He's a Morning Star Magus after all, and just by revealing his intentions of attacking, many
Magi wanting to get into his good books would do all the work on his behalf without him even lifting a
finger. This is especially so for Magi of Nefas. They are rather insane..."

A wry smile emerged on the corner of Kesha's lips, "It's not just you. Robin and I were also given the
same order by Mentor!"

After a long silence, Leylin nodded with a smile. "I understand. It just so happens that I've been wanting
to take a break for a while now. The Magus Tower has also just been built, and I have yet to begin any
experiments as of yet... For the next few decades, I can't leave this place!"

"That's good then!" What Kesha was most afraid of was that this junior of hers, with his youthful vigour,
would get himself in trouble outside. However, it seemed like Leylin was acting very rationally. She could
not help but feel gratified.

She hugged Leylin before leaving with Freya.

As he watched the silhouette of the two women disappear before his eyes, Leylin's smile slowly faded
into a dark, gloomy expression.
"Morning Star Magus, Cyril......" He was already an adult before he crossed over to his world, and his
experiences were far richer than any other Magus. Naturally, he would not venture out and land himself
in danger due to momentary rage. That was something only a fool would do.

When it was time to withdraw, Leylin did not mind hiding in a tortoise shell.

As for his reputation, honour and such? With his life in jeopardy, none of those mattered.

However, Leylin was still unhappy about the Morning Star Magus' pettiness and grudge-holding attitude,
especially when he recalled the time when the other party attacked without considering his reputation.
If he had not prepared in advance and gotten Mentor Gilbert's reinforcements, Leylin would have died
there.

"The Great Morning Star Magus is just like a star in the sky, bright and radiant, as if everlasting..." Leylin
glance in the direction of Nefas as a sneer emerged on his face.

"However, even if it is a star, it's bound to be extinguished one day, what more Demon Hunter Cyril. I
look forward to the moment you fall from the sky..." In his heart, Leylin had already decided that when
his skills surpassed the other party, he would definitely fulfil Cyril's destiny of death.

......

Of course, on the surface, Leylin had not exposed his intentions at all. After Kesha's warning, Leylin had
been keeping a low-profile and hid in his Magus Tower. He even avoided going to the headquarters as
much as possible.

On one hand, there were a lot of experiments and tasks to work on. But a larger reason was that he
actually had problems with the materials.
The Magi who coveted what he had numbered far more than just Freya.

Fortunately, he was now a Vapour Phase Magus and was considered a high-level Magus in the
organisation. Furthermore, after building the Magus Tower, he was comparable to a Crystal Phase
Magus in his territory and could not be trifled with.

In addition, many Magi would reconsider and wonder if it was worth it to offend a promising young man
like him just for material items of lesser significance than Leylin's potential.

As such, his days went by relatively peacefully.

Of course, this was all possible since the fact that he had secretly ordered Tanasha to carry the
resources had not been divulged. If not, there was no need to think about the effects this would have on
the Magi's relationship would Leylin. Even Morning Star Magi would get involved!

He obviously hoped to sell those items as soon as possible to avoid others having their eye on them.
After all, this bit of his harvest was only a drop in the ocean for him. However, if he sold them too easily,
it would very likely attract suspicion. This was why the whole process had been delayed.

After a year of waiting, Leylin finally had the opportunity to sell off the rest of the remains of high-
energy creatures in his possession at a high price, by commissioning the Ouroboros Clan to auction it.
These items were ultimately bought by Lucian.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 444 - Century

After settling the troublesome matters, Leylin's life sank into complete serenity.
Everyday, other than meditating at fixed times and using the Lamia fingerbone's radiation to mature his
own bloodline, he was cooped up in the laboratory. He had already completely recovered the
information on bloodline combinations. Besides that, he would patrol his territory and mentor Snoopy
on occasion.

Such peaceful days were hard to come by. With the passage of time, his strength was slowly increasing,
and was something worthy of rejoicing over.

Before anyone knew it, Leylin's authority had been firmly set in place in his territory. The gigantic Onyx
Castle towered on this piece of land, becoming the nucleus of power in this world. With the years rolling
by, it left its mark on history.

Apart from being indestructible, the castle now had some history to it, which was something only the
castles of true nobility could accumulate.

The only constant was the huge Magus Tower nearby, its everlasting glow seemingly eternal.

Inside the tower, Leylin lay on a huge experimental desk half-naked, his firm muscles visible. A few
robotic arms were holding a translucent crystal ball above him, releasing blood-red rays that swept
across his body. His eyes were closed, as if trying to sense something.

If one looked through the surface of the crystal ball, they could faintly see a milky-white fingerbone
suspended at the center of the crystal ball, emanating a mysterious light.

The entire process lasted for a total of two hours before the robotic arms retreated back into their
valves. Leylin then opened his eyes.

However, his pupils had now turned amber, still containing an ominous glint.

The moment he opened his eyes, the tools in front of him all became ash-grey, turning into stone. The
alarms from various apparatus began to ring unceasingly.

Leylin lowered his head, deep in thought, 'The bloodline is too rich... that can be a problem as well.'

When he raised his head once more, the amber in his eyes had faded, instead replaced by a pair of
bottomless black pupils.Yellow skin rustled as he tore a layer of his body and threw it aside.

The skin still had fluids and traces left behind by the scales.

Leylin continued to tear off his dead skin, as though he was a molting like a snake.

"This is already the third time I'm undergoing molting!" Leylin looked at the molted skin as helplessness
flashed across his face.

Warlocks' advancement was done through meditation and transforming the body, progressing towards
becoming ancient creatures.

It could be said that the higher-ranked the Warlock was, the less human they would be. The same held
true for Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan.

Since Leylin's bloodline was that of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent, he naturally would undergo molting
periods in his growth. However, under the radiation of the Lamia fingerbone, the molting process had
been greatly expedited.

"Tower genie, prepare warm water for my bath." The tower genie acted quickly under Leylin's order.
Before he'd even reached the designated bathroom, steaming hot water had been prepared.

Water elemental particles had been condensed into a pure liquid, and had been made extremely
suitable for the bodies and skin of Warlocks through specialised proportions.
Leylin lay contentedly in the bathing pool made of black marble. As he looked at his fair and smooth
skin, his eyes faintly phased out.

Every single time he molted, his strength would see a rapid increase. The rate of his advancements
recently had been truly terrifying.

Leylin looked at his palm. Who would have thought that these ordinary slender hands could hide such
extraordinary power?

'How time flies. This leisurely life of mine has gone on for a century now?' Leylin sank into deep thought.

Indeed, nearly a hundred years had passed since his foray into the Forgotten Land.

Such a long period of time was enough for commoner families to have passed between four to five
generations, yet all this did for Leylin was make him look more mature. Given his life expectancy as a
high-ranked Warlock, he could be said to still be in his teens.

In this last century, Leylin had maintained a low-profile lifestyle, immersing himself in research and
drawing links between his own knowledge base and that of the central continent. He had even reached
the boundary in multiple areas.

The A.I. Chip's data had also been updated several times.

[Leylin Farlier: Rank 3 (Hydro Phase) Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent; Strength: 30, Agility:
30, Vitality: 45.5, Spiritual force: 315.6, Magic Power: 315 (Magic power in synchronization with spiritual
force)]

Through the Lamia fingerbone's maturation of his bloodline, even without the consumption of spiritual
force potions, Leylin's spiritual force increased day by day, up to the point where he fulfilled the
requirements to advance to the Hydro Phase.
20 years ago, Leylin had used the Hall's Jewel and Hydro Phase spell formation to finally condense his
spiritual force, breaking out of Hydro Phase.

There were, even more, merits to the maturation of his bloodline. His strength and agility, which had
stagnated for a long time, experienced an exponential growth, while his vitality steadily increased as
well.

Once both strength and agility reached 30, Leylin knew that even the Kemoyin Giant Serpent bloodline
could not lead to an indefinite increase in these areas. This was probably his current limit.

Similarly, the increase in vitality from every consecutive molting was diminishing. It seemed like it, too,
would slow to a crawl.

Leylin clenched his fists, feeling the surge of strength within. 'Just the radiation from the Lamia
fingerbone could bring about so many benefits,' he muttered to himself as he felt the increase in power
from the molting, his blood bursting with vitality.

Outside the bathroom, two pleasant voices similar to that of an oriole sounded, "Master, it's time for
lunch!"

Leylin smiled and exited the bathroom.

Two teenage girls in maid costumes were kneeling on the two sides of the bathroom. They showed not a
tinge of bashfulness when he walked out stark naked, using a large white towel to dry him and dressing
him in a loose robe.

It was clear that these two emitted energy waves unique to rank 1 Magi, and they possessed a special
charm.
They were actually Warlocks! Even though they were only rank 1 and did not have a pure bloodline, they
were still hard to come by.

They were Warlocks under Leylin's guidance. The two were actually sisters who came from the same
family tribe of Giant Mankestre Snake Warlocks. Due to the restrictions of their bloodlines, their position
in the Ouroboros Clan was very low. Once Leylin had released news that he was hiring, the family had
immediately sent these two sisters to serve him in his tower.

The Magus Tower was extremely dangerous. Even its living quarters had large amounts of radiation, and
commoners would not be able to live on the premises. Only Magi were suited to stay within.

Leylin's Magus Tower was naturally only open to a few of his acolytes and subordinates. Even though
they were only given access to the living areas and a few laboratories, it was more than enough for them
to be moved to tears.

"Mentor!"

In the dining hall, Leylin saw Snoopy. That kid had already advanced to become a rank 2 Warlock. For his
Black Horrall Snake bloodline and meager natural aptitude, it was considered a great feat.

"Mmm!" Leylin nodded his head lightly and sat at the head of the table. The two twin sisters
immediately served delicious food.

"How's the cleanup of the library going?" Leylin asked Snoopy while eating.

During the organisation and influx of books into the library, Leylin had noticed Snoopy's passion for
them and decided to just hand the entire place over for him to manage.

"It's going well! Only area B-3 has experienced some mild oxidation, but I've already asked the tower
genie to isolate the region and deal with it." he humbly answered.
"Also, the captives locked up in the experimental areas have become more irritable, and the rate of
energy consumption of the binding rooms has risen by 1.9%..." This next bit caught Leylin's attention.

After lunch, he went to the basement of the Magus Tower.

*Boom! Pow!* The intermittent noises he heard after entering the area caused him to frown.

He came to the area outside the binding room. Through the reinforced glass, he could see a large red-
eyed Kobold. Large amounts of drool were dripping from his mouth as he rammed his head into the
walls repeatedly.

Every time he did that, a thick blue electric current would shoot at the Kobold's body, burning its
reddish-beige scaly exterior to a charred black.

Leylin frowned and ordered, "Retrieve its information!"

The tower genie projected a screen in front of Leylin's eyes. The densely-packed words and figures of
the surgical journal and surveillance footage were laid out in front of him.

'After the initial bloodline strengthening experiment, symptoms of hysteria appeared on the eighth
day?' Leylin stroked his chin.

"This Kobold has no more observational value. Get rid of it and send its carcass to the dissection room!"

"Authority verified! Getting rid of the Kobold!" The tower genie answered without emotion. After all, it
had been programmed to put Leylin's orders as the first priority.
*Swish!* A black light streaked across the sky, and the hysterical Kobold that was confined immediately
fell to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, this terrifying Kobold, who had been so close to reaching rank 3, completely
perished, without being able to put up a fight at all.

The prison gates then opened, and a few adamantine puppets carried the lifeless Kobold carcass out on
a stretcher.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 445 - Precipitation And Strength

After seeing what happened, the Kobolds bound in the center huddled up together, fearful of the
demonic Leylin.

Looking at the fear in their eyes, Leylin nodded his head, "The rest of the experiments look alright!"

The fear represented sanity, which meant they were still worth keeping alive. These Kobolds being here
was naturally Tanasha's handiwork.

After receiving Leylin's order, not only had she collected a large amount of high-grade Kobold blood, she
had even captured a group of captives and sent them to Leylin.

In the midst of working on Quicksand's bloodline experiments, Leylin gladly accepted these gifts with
pleasure and used them in his research.

Right now, the results were rather positive.

Leylin looked at the rest who were bound in the center. Their general was well-built at over two metres
of solid muscle covered with a dense layer of scales. The horn on his head was also thick and bulky.

"I did not expect the rumors about the Kobolds possessing the giant dragon bloodline to be true after
all..." Leylin took out a tube of golden blood from his pouch.

The tube of blood carried a powerful aura. Even the cowering Kobolds who were covering their heads in
the corner raised their head unanimously and looked at the tube in his hands, their eyes filled with
desire.

"The quintessential bloodline of the Ancient Red Dragon!" Leylin gasped. As long as he was willing to
give up this ancient bloodline, with the high-grade meditation technique of Dragon King's Mystic Might
that he'd obtained in the subterranean world, he could have turned any of the Kobolds into a terrifying
first generation Dragon bloodline Warlock in a flash.

But before he'd conducted more research on methods of restriction, such a thing would be equivalent to
Leylin creating unnecessary trouble for himself, which he didn't want.

Even though his bloodline was already finalized, the experiments of the ancient Quicksand Organisation
did inspire him tremendously.

For instance, one of the fields he was interested in was the ignition of another bloodline to strengthen
himself. He had constantly paid attention to that area of research.

Upon confirming that all the hubbub was raised by that one crazed Kobold, Leylin soon left the place
and reached the experimental area for spells.

After molting, he urgently needed to train his control of his powers.

The Magus Tower's spell experimental area was built with the strongest alloy, and had specialized
registers and targets for testing. The strength and durability was high enough to withstand any spell at
rank 3 or below.

"Beginning with rank 1 innate spell, Kemoyin's Scales..." Leylin's entire body was soon covered with
exquisite black scales, this time slightly differing from before. Multiple decorative designs extended
across them to form a symbol. The outer layer had another bright membrane on top, forming a second
layer of defense.

This was the advantage of an innate spell. When a Magus attained enough power, their innate spell
would improve with them and become stronger, displaying the power and effects of higher-grade spells.

The same went for the bloodline inherited spells of Warlocks. The stronger the bloodline, the greater
the amplification of the innate spell's power.

"Initiation of test!" The tower genie hovered next to Leylin

Ever since he had the tower genie, Leylin had allocated most of the A.I Chip's tasks to the tower genie
instead. The freed-up processing power of the A.I Chip were then accumulated and used by Leylin to be
spent on deducing more important tasks.

The elemental rays dazzled. Numerous elemental particles appeared and coagulated, ready for attack.

It started with the commonly seen earth, fire, and water elemental attacks. After which, there were
attacks by special light and darkness elemental particles, followed by various fused spells.

Lightning, hail, blades of wind, and balls of fire all burst onto Leylin's body, their power unceasingly
rising.

*Buzz buzz!* A black radiance emitted from the Kemoyin scales and formed a layer of defence around
Leylin's body, which had repelled those frightening attacks.

The violent energy particles had a sustained attack of ten minutes or so. After which, the tower genie's
voice intonated once again, "Spell resistance test completed. Physical defense test initiated."

The moment the words were spoken, the attacking spells vanished and the ground crackled as it split
apart to reveal an entry valve. Adamantine puppets appeared from within, wielding huge steel swords,
hatchets, heavy hammers, and other large weapons. They started attacking Leylin.

For the next half hour, an unceasing rumbling could be heard.

The tower genie flapped its invisible wings as it flew towards Leylin and reported, "Kemoyin's Scales
defense test completed!"

A numerical report was then clearly projected forth.

[Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock rank 1 innate spell — Kemoyin's Scales (Augmented: Rank 3) Spell
Resistance: 160 degrees. Physical Resistance: 175 degrees.]

"With this sort of resistance, I'm basically immune to the common rank 2 spells," Leylin nodded with
extreme pleasure.

Next was the testing for the Eye of Petrification and Toxic Bile. After comparison, the degree of power of
the Eye of Petrification had reached the apex of rank 2, although there wasn't any other strengthening
of the foundation.

On the other hand, Toxic Bile's terrifying poison attack had quietly crept passed its boundary and
reached the rank 3 realm.

"This bloodline strengthening has benefitted me so much!" Witnessing his own innate spells getting
more powerful, Leylin couldn't help but sigh in pleasure.

For an average Warlock, they depended on their own bloodline to spur on their advancements to the
next level, whereas for him, he had advanced too soon in the past and his Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline couldn't keep pace with his strength. This had resulted in a lack of advancements in his rank 1
and 2 spells.

And now? He had finally caught up with the other Warlocks who had progressed over many years,
enabling his innate spells to match, if not exceed, theirs!

After testing several of his own innate spells, Leylin asked in silence, "A.I. Chip, how did the simulation
go?"

[Rank 3 spell derivation progress currently at 98.9%!]

The A.I. Chip's response was swift and got Leylin smiling, "It's almost done! At the current rate of
progress, it'll only take a short while to completely derive the spell!"

Although rank 3 spell models were very valuable, Leylin had gotten his hands on quite a few. As he
recalled his previous battles, he realised the same problem recurring.

Although he had many tricks up his sleeve, the majority of his battles had him dependent on a
combination of potions, spells and the Meteor Sword to successfully defeat his opponent.

It may have seemed straightforward, but in reality, if the other party had surpassed him in any one of
those factors, he would've found it difficult to succeed.

To put it simply, he lacked a sure-fire killing move.

Such a strategy could arise from a huge demonic weapon, an earth-shatteringly powerful spell or a
deadly potion. However, Leylin realised, he had no such thing on hand.

Manufacturing a huge demonic weapon would be way too troublesome. The same went for a deadly
potion. There were material costs and they had limitations to them. As such, after much deliberation, he
decided to bring forward the A.I. Chip's derivation of a powerful spell, which was tailored for him.

In order to see this matter to completion, Leylin gave his full attention and had stopped himself from
many other missions. He even had the tower genie share the burden of the A.I. Chip. He wanted to
maximize the use of the the A.I. Chip's processing power.

As such, everything had progressed smoothly.

"According to the latest estimates, this new spell will have at least 300 degrees of power. Common
Crystal Phase Magi will not dare underestimate me, and it'll be useful enough below the Morning Star
realm..." At this juncture, the light faded from Leylin's eyes and was replaced by a hint of gloom.

In his previous expedition to the Forgotten Land, they had offended the Morning Star Magus, Demon
Hunter Cyril. Although Cyril didn't declare any intentions to seek revenge, there were many rank 3 Magi
who wanted to get in his good books, and quite a few of them were at the Hydro and even Crystal
Phases.

Therefore, under such tremendous pressure, Leylin had withdrawn and holed himself in his territory for
a long time, coming out only when necessary.

Every once in while, there would be a few ignorant trespassers who would gallantly cross the border.
They were almost always discovered immediately and brought to Leylin. Under the amplification of his
strength by the Magi Tower, Leylin had powers parallel to that of rank 3 Magi. As a result, he managed
to defeat the few trespassing Magi easily, the deaths of those Magi affording him some bit of
reputation.

Over time, fewer and fewer Magi tried to trespass.

Additionally, with the ability to deduce spells, Leylin's confidence soared. Relying on those trump cards,
he could fight on par with Crystal Phase Magi without relying on the tower. He felt that the time was
right.

Truth be told, it was frustrating for Leylin to be cooped up for close to a hundred years in a single
territory.

'Before this, I'm afraid I would still have to make a trip to the Ouroboros Clan to see if there's anything
profitable for me. Phew, astral stone...' Leylin plotted in his mind, and could not help but sigh again.

Normally, once one had their own Magus Tower and had been promoted to Hydro phase, they would
have the ability to conduct early-stage experiments on the astral gates independently. Unfortunately,
Leylin had not taken any actions for a long time to come. The only reason behind that was because he
lacked the key ingredient, the astral stone.

It was the base material for the construction of an astral gate, and at the same time a core battling
resource held by Morning Star Magi. They were rarely circulated in public, and required a trade with
other rare or valuable items.

At the moment, Leylin did not have the connections to carry out such exchanges. In fact, Leylin could not
even make up his mind even for the trading of mundane objects.

It was not due to the fact that he did not have enough enticing treasures to put forth, but that many of
the objects he possessed were better off not being exposed to others. For instance, the essence of the
ancient red dragon bloodline and the yield from the Blood Vulture's Nest.

He could have easily exchanged any of these objects for astral stones. However, he could also have
attracted unnecessary attention from other Morning Star Magi. Leylin had enough trouble from
provoking the Demon Hunter, he certainly did not want any more eyes on him.
On the other hand, Kesha had secretly been in touch with Leylin and had informed him on an
arrangement for astral stones. He looked forward to it eagerly.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 446 - Azure Mountain Auction

"Sister Kesha, you've grown prettier again!"

Within Phosphorescence Swamp, the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan was bustling as usual, with
many bloodline Warlocks shuttling to and fro.

Below the Giant Kemoyin Snake statue, Leylin had recognised Kesha instantly.

He walked up to her with a big smile and hugged her tightly as both his hands groped Kesha's body
impolitely.

"Alright! Alright! We're still on the way, let's talk when we get back!" Kesha's breathing became heavy
but she had a depressed look on her face.

"You got me there!"

"Haha......" Seeing the sister who made him concede defeat repeatedly become like that, Leylin could
not help but laugh out loud. His face carried an unconcealable smugness.

After going through the restoration of Quicksand's bloodline experiment, Leylin's knowledge in this area
had advanced greatly, reaching the peak of the central continent.
Under his control and with the help of the A.I. Chip, the spell to protect his own bloodline had already
been developed a long time ago.

After numerous "real-life combat tests" with Kesha, this female Magus had no choice but to admit that
even if the female Warlocks from the Ouroboros Clan were to come forth all at once, exposing all of
their secret techniques, they would not obtain Leylin's seed.

Leylin, who had now let go of this matter, enjoyed himself without any apprehension. However, Kesha
and the others were growing a little intolerant of him.

......

The pink cotton quilt was covered in traces of their lovemaking, as a strong fragrance wrapped the
entire room.

Leylin flexed his upper body, exposing his firm but sleek muscles. He was half reclined on the couch,
listening attentively to Kesha's accounts.

Kesha looked more miserable, with her body full of scars from the havoc, but she had a look of
satisfaction. The cotton clothes could not conceal her delicate body at all, it even exposed more than
what others could bargain for.

Despite her miserable look, this was actually nothing but child's play for female Magi. It could only be
considered as a more intense game as they would be able to recover within minutes.

For instance, the current Kesha's breathing did not have the slightest heaviness from before; it even
seemed calm.

"Leylin, the speed at which you're improving, you're one of the best talents in the Ouroboros Clan. Only
Robin can surpass you!"
With serious matters being brought up, Leylin no longer had the cavalier attitude from before and was
now listening optimistically.

"Brother Robin's success is due to him being well prepared, how can I compare to him?" Opposed to
Kesha's flattery, Leylin shook his head with a faint smile instead.

He had advanced to the Hydro Phase very quickly, and it was supposed to create a big fuss in the
Ouroboros Clan. After all, only an extreme talent could perform so well.

But Robin had stolen his thunder. Just around when Leylin had advanced to the Hydro Phase, news had
spread that Robin had actually become a Crystal Phase Magus.

Hydro Phase Magi were not very rare in the central continent, but it was a different scenario with
Crystal Phase Magi. Be it their individual strengths or the difficulty of the breakthrough, the two levels
were not on the same platform.

Naturally, Leylin's limelight was stolen by Robin.

Deep in his heart, Leylin was a little glad that Robin attracted a lot of attention to himself. He had always
enjoyed reaping his rewards in the dark and did not want to show off like that.

At the same time, he remembered the trace of the black mark on Robin's forehead.

It seems that the other party's breakthrough was deeply connected to his encounter in the Quicksand
pocket dimension.

Duke Gilbert seemed to know some of this information but of course, he would not tell Leylin about it.
Leylin could only guess.
"Both of you are perverts!" Kesha's expression was a little gloomy and she seemed to be full of
indignance. Leylin and Robin had obviously benefitted a lot from the previous expedition, and only she
ended up empty-handed. She even lost many of the powerful members of her clan.

What was worse was that when they were hunted down as fugitives, the responsibility was on all three
of them.

Chivalrously, Leylin wrapped his arm around Kesha's slim waist and began to comfort her in a soft voice,
"Alright alright! It's already been over a hundred years, those people must have already lost their
patience..."

After a while of tenderness, Leylin finally asked the question regarding his main purpose of this journey.
"By the way, you'd mentioned an astral stone previously. What's that about?"

He had always drawn a clear line between work and pleasure.

Of course, Kesha knew that her relationship with this talented brother was just an insignificant link, and
only the entanglement of benefits would allow her to bind him into her clan's war chariot, making him
at least a part of their camp. Hence she quickly gave an account of the whole story.

"Auction?" Leylin's eyebrows knitted when he heard the news.

"Yes!" Kesha did not brush away Leylin's unconsciously playful hands, she only glared. "An auction
hosted by a Morning Star Magus in Azure Mountain City!" As if she knew that Leylin had not understood
her, Kesha began explaining to Leylin again in detail.

It turned out that after Magi entered the Morning Star realm, ordinary materials and resources were
already far from sufficient to satisfy them. What Morning Star Magi needed had always been items that
were highly cherished in ancient times, and even those that had long since been lost. These treasures
were evidently not purchasable by magic crystals. Thus, organising some exchanges in private and barter
trade became mainstream.

The founder of Azure Mountain City, the Azure Mountain King, was a neutral Morning Star Magus. His
clan controlled of almost half of the auctions that took place in the region.

Every ten or so years, a grand auction would be held in the headquarters of Azure Mountain City. When
that time came, many rare treasures would appear, attracting numerous Magi who intended to pursue
them.

And behind the auction, the distinguished Azure Mountain King would also organise a small-scaled
private exchange meeting.

This secret meeting had a very high bar for attendance. Ordinary rank 3 Magi could not enter, and even
Morning Star Magi of all sides snuck in to see if they could get things they needed.

"The next Azure Mountain auction is commencing soon, I have received information that there is
someone there who wishes to sell an astral stone the size of a fist..." Kesha explained the matter
thoroughly.

"Also, Leylin, even if you come back from the auction empty-handed, you can still try your luck at the
exchange meeting later on. With so many highly ranked Magi there, surely there will be those who have
astral stones on hand. Of course, the prerequisite will be for you to have an item that is attractive
enough for the other party......"

"What time does the exchange meeting start? How do I obtain the authority to enter? What restrictions
are there?" Evidently, Leylin's interest in the exchange meeting was piqued.

And he had indeed accumulated a large quantity of items, which he had intended to sell in exchange for
magic crystals or other raw materials.
"The exchange meeting will commence after the auction ends. As long as you are located within the
borders of Azure Mountain City, highly ranked Magi who have fulfilled the requirements will be invited.
Besides, rest assured that the entire exchange meeting will be conducted in anonymity. The
distinguished Azure Mountain King is willing to vouch that there will be no trouble in the future!"

A neutral Morning Star Magus' word had a definite reputation in the entire central continent, putting
Leylin at ease.

It seemed that the issue of materials that was perplexing him had a very high chance of being resolved
in Azure Mountain City.

Moreover, after being low-profile and living in seclusion for such a long time, it was about time he went
out to roam around.

Leylin, who was in high spirits, pulled Kesha into a new round of war once again.

"Marquis Leylin..."

"Good afternoon, Marquis Leylin!"

On the way to the headquarters, a smile hung on the corner of Leylin's lips as he greeted the
surrounding royal warlocks who passed by from time to time. Occasionally, he nodded in response,
which got the low-ranked warlocks overwhelmed.

As of now, he was considered slightly famous in the Ouroboros Clan. On the contrary, being Gilbert's
disciple and having the talent to break through to becoming a Hydro Phase Magus was secondary. The
primary reason he became famous was still the technique of protecting his seed.

Ever since the test with Kesha and warlock Miranda, the crazy women in the Ouroboros Clan rarely
bothered Leylin anymore.
If they solely wanted pleasure, there were many boy-toys in their clans. There were all sorts of males—
rough ones, weak ones, and also uniquely delicate boys. They did not have to bother Leylin.

Furthermore, there were also many male warlocks who came to Leylin with attractive conditions, in
hope of acquiring the results of his research.

Undoubtedly, these were all rejected by Leylin.

The mere consequence of offending the warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan made Leylin somewhat eager to
avoid it, not to mention the possibility of his bloodline research results being spied on through those
techniques.

He could use it for himself but once he spread it, he would be provoking all the women in the Ouroboros
Clan. Leylin was not such a fool.

From afar, Leylin spotted someone familiar and he immediately went up to greet her, "Good day, Miss
Miranda!"

"It's Sir Leylin! Haha... Today's weather is great... Oh! I just remembered that I still have an experiment
to conduct, please excuse me!"

Miranda laughed casually and left quickly with an excuse.

Watching her enticing back, Leylin rubbed his fingers as if he remembered the alluring scent she had
while in bed. He could not help but let out a smirk.

Previously, he had left her in an extremely miserable state. Now, it seems, Miranda had developed a
slight fear of him.
Leylin came before Gilbert's villa along his stroll.

He was about to knock when the door suddenly swung opened and a figure walked out of the villa,
almost bumping into Leylin.

"Brother Robin!"

Leylin scrutinized the current Robin carefully. The Crystal Phase energy waves on his body were very
obvious. It seemed that he had completely stabilised at that level. In addition, the veins on Robin's
forehead seemed thicker and more distinct, and the black mark flashed with a strange luster.

"Leylin!" Robin smiled. His facial muscles seemed rather stiff, as if he had not smiled for a long time.

"I still have some matters, I'll be leaving first! Mentor is inside!"

Robin exchanged a few words with Leylin and left in a hurry.

As he watched Robin leave, Leylin's entered a moment of deep thought.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 447 - Arm of Vengeance

In the past Robin, being one of Gilbert's students, was very popular. He was very patient, meticulous and
was capable of making people feel comfortable with his presence alone. Hence, he was able to hold a
high position, somewhat alike to a supervisor, in the clan.
He had changed ever since he entered the Crystal Phase, though. His temper went foul and he lost his
position and did nothing but idle all day long. Upon recalling this matter, Leylin couldn't help but feel
saddened at the thought.

Leylin entered the villa, and met Duke Gilbert in the study.

Gilbert's face did not change at all, not a strange of facial hair nor visible pores which made him look as
smart as ever. With all these combined with his shiny and smooth head, he did look a little sly and
terrifying.

Yet to Leylin, Gilbert was a good mentor who strived his hardest to teach him. Hence, he bowed to the
man respectfully and told him the reason for his arrival.

"It'll be nice to take a trip outside!" Gilbert leaned against the couch, beverage in hand. Leylin could
occasionally spot little mermaid-like creatures appearing in the drink.

"With the passing of a century, I'm sure Cyril has forgotten all about you. Even those fugitives aren't that
patient. You really ought to travel outside."

"But..." Gilbert paused for a while.

"If mentor needs anything, feel free to ask!" Leylin felt excited as he knew that Gilbert might have some
tasks for him to carry out.

"Since you're leaving, why not just take up this task!" Gilbert flung out a scroll, "The Warlocks of the
Ouroboros Clan have to periodically finish tasks for the organisation as a form of contribution. Even
though you are my disciple, you can't keep idling around. While you're traveling, you should just finish
this task."
"Yes, Mentor!" Leylin bowed as he obediently agreed and left.

He unfurled the scroll in his hand after he walked out of the villa.

[Spiritual force data interface detected, accept?] A prompt immediately popped up from the A.I. Chip.

"Yes!" Following Leylin's order, a string of messages immediately entered his brain, and were imprinted
directly into his memory so that he wouldn't forget them easily.

"This is actually an extermination task?" Phosphorescent green flames lit up in Leylin's hand, burning the
scroll to ashes. Yet, he was expressionless.

The task was actually very simple. He had to go and exterminate a base of people rebelling against the
Ouroboros Clan.

Even though they reigned supreme in this area, they had eliminated many influential clans and even
commoners when they first set foot here.

The surviving members of those clans held the desire to conquer. Additionally, as with all regimes, there
were also clashes with the interests of the indigenous population, creating friction. All these led to the
rise of opposition parties.

Even though such organisations were weak, having not a single Morning Star Magus, they often
concealed themselves well and it was difficult to identify their locations.

Yet, once they were found, they couldn't escape their destiny of extermination.

Gilbert's task for Leylin was simply to eliminate the most recently found base.
'This is basically a dirt job!' Leylin sighed but he knew that this was inevitable. Having joined the
Ouroboros Clan, he knew that it was necessary for him to do some of the things he did in order for him
to gain trust from the organisation. Furthermore, through applying such pressure, they would be able to
keep the new Warlocks involved in the war.

In reality, one of the advantages of being Gilbert's student was that he was given such a simple task.
Leylin was considered to have been given preferential treatment to have been assigned tasks of just
moderate difficulty level.

'The location of the mission is Doroy Forest, en route to Azure Mountain City. Just as well. I'll take care
of them en route, then head to the auction!' Leylin decided.

......

There limestone pavement was dotted with litter, creating a messy and chaotic environment. From time
to time, one would be able to see, on the streets, traces of the domesticated livestock such as cows and
horses that had been moving about on the pavement.

A strong odour emanated from the overflowing groundwater which had formed water puddles on the
roads.

This was a quite normal scene in a city of commoners.

The advancements of the Magus world did not spill over into the world of mortals. The only
improvements on that front were that one could now earn enough food to feed their whole family.

Leylin was strolling along. As soon as he'd accepted the task, he left the general headquarters without
hesitation and headed to his current location.

If the directions weren't wrong, this was where the Ouroboros Clan had set up a secret division, and also
where their agent had found the rebels.
After using a Transfiguration Spell, Leylin's aura was equivalent to that of a rank 1 or 2 Magus.

Despite Gilbert mentioning that Cyril would not care about him, Leylin still wanted to be as cautious as
he could.

After all, Cyril's subordinates were Crystal Phase Magi who may be keeping an eye on them. Leylin had
to make some preparations to butter him up.

According to the house number, Leylin came to a house that looked like a normal bar and knocked on
the door.

*Knock! Knock!*

After ten minutes or so, an impatient voice called out.

"Who is it? We don't open in the day!"

"I'm looking for Tamansi." Leylin's voice was deep and low.

"You're looking for our boss? What's the matter?" A golden-haired brawny man opened the door as he
stared at Leylin with caution.

Yet, Leylin could only feel a weak wave of energy going through the man, marking him an acolyte.

"Look at this!" Leylin let out a small smile as he took out a badge.

The ancient symbol of a black serpent eating its own tail contrasted greatly with the golden background.
To others, this symbol made of runes, might appear to form a mere odd circle at the base of the badge.

However, since this man was an acolyte of theirs, he would definitely recognise the symbol of the
Ouroboros Clan.

As expected, the man's eyes widened. He relaxed, lowering his precaution towards Leylin.

"I'll go and ask..." This time, the man's reaction became quicker and within a minute he brought out a
light brown-haired man of a smaller build.

It was obvious to Leylin that this man was a mere Rank 2 Magus.

These were the lowest level of Warlocks found in the Ouroboros Clan. Due to the fact that their skills
were low and their families were in decline, they could only do miscellaneous jobs and silently
accumulate credit, hoping that one day a bloodline genius would be born into their family or even a
chance for them return to the general headquarters.

"My Lord!" With just one look, Tamansi recognised Leylin. As far as Warlocks were concerned, the aura
of bloodlines that couldn't be faked. The intimate and dreadful feeling it exuded was etched deeply in
Tamansi's memory.

'This concentration of the bloodline seems to be that of a particular bloodline regal...' The dwarf thought
as he respectfully bowed. "My name is Tamansi, my Lord."

"I see," Leylin nodded as he made his way into the bar.

As he walked past the counter, he came to a room located underground that was even more concealed
and complex.
"Tell me everything that you have found out, and don't withhold any information from me..." Leylin took
off his cloak, inadvertently emitting an imposing aura in his every move, which had caused Tamansi to
regard him with more revere.

Upon seeing the documents that Leylin produced, Tamansi did not dare to hide the truth, and
immediately reported to Leylin, "That was three days ago. At that time, I was here..."

Numerous days later in the gloomy dark forest.

The chirps of the cicada drowned out the hushed conversation between the two Magi.

That was Doroy Forest, a large prehistoric forest where Tamansi had found the enemy base.

"Are you sure it's here?" Leylin wore a black Magus cloak with golden rims. Ironically, his appropriate
dressing, together with his slender build, as well as his pure bloodline temperament, made it seem like
he wasn't here to kill but instead to travel.

"Yes, my Lord!" At this point, Tamansi felt nothing but respect for Leylin.

As a royal Warlock of the organisation, Leylin held a high position and was in control of the life and
death of the expatriates.

"After a few months of investigation, we finally found out that the Arm of Vengeance has been hiding
here!"

"According to the traces nearby, there are indeed hidden spell formations set up around here as well as
trails of Warlocks in this area." Leylin nodded his head.

"These rascals sure can hide! Rest assured My Lord, my subordinates have already rounded them up.
Once My Lord gives his command, we will definitely be able to break through their spells, along with the
men you brought along." The dwarfish Magus slapped his chest and guaranteed.

To Tamansi, it seemed that Leylin, who was dispatched by headquarters, only had the weak aura of a
rank 1 or 2 Magus, and seemed especially amicable. Thus, he probably wasn't particularly powerful.
However, since he was already out on a mission, there would definitely be numerous people to make up
for his evident weakness.

For such royal bloodlines, wouldn't his family have dispatched a huge number of people to protect him
whenever he was out?

"Whoever said that I brought manpower?" Leylin turned back to look at Tamansi.

"No... No one?" Tamansi wanted to laugh, but he couldn't, "My Lord, please don't make such a joke.
Inside this camp is Toram from the Arm of Vengeance. Apart from their leader, she is the strongest in
their organisation, having reached the Hydro Phase two centuries ago..."

"Oh! So Toram is the most capable member here? That's a rather good chance!" Leylin clapped his
hands as he looked through the prompts given by the A.I. Chip.

[Rank 3 spell complete. Number of simulation runs: 42912. Number of errors: 0]

"Looks like I can test this spell on site," Leylin muttered to himself.

One of Leylin's plan to create commonly used formidable rank 3 spells had came from heavy utilisation
of the A.I. Chip's operational capabilities. It had customised a rank 3 spell for Leylin, and had just finished
its simulation.

Moreover, this new enemy was perfect for Leylin to test his new spell.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 448 - Toram

"Master! You may have overestimated my ability. Even with all of my men added up, we wouldn't be a
match for Toram..." Tamansi forced a smile.

He believed it necessary to clear things up with Leylin. Even if he was a royal and a special agent from
the clan, he couldn't just sacrifice himself for him.

"Your men?" Leylin was rendered speechless. With such weak Magi and acolytes, they wouldn't even be
able to break through the spell formation.

It was of no consequence, though. Tamansi was in charge of intelligence, he did not have high hopes
regarding their fighting strength.

"Just look after your men, I'll take care of the rest!" he replied coldly before floating up.

Suddenly, a powerful and chilling surge of mountainous energy filled the entire place.

"Th- Th- This!" Tamansi stared hard at Leylin, eyes bulging. The energy he'd felt from Leylin before was
similar to his own, but he had suddenly burst forth like a ferocious creature.

The terrifying undulations of Leylin's energy rose endlessly. In the blink of an eye, it broke through rank
3 and skyrocketed to an unpredictable level.

"My Lord, it seems like you're not one of those royals who only fool around, but instead a person with
influence." Tamansi's eyes lit up. If he were to be affiliated to Leylin, he'd have an unimaginable future
and could even fulfil his dream of revitalizing his family.

"Marquis! My Lord, you must be a Marquis that holds authority in the clan!" Tamansi balled up his fists,
his face flushed.

The moment Leylin stopped repressing his aura, he'd actually felt a desire to kneel.

Tamansi had never felt such a sense of majesty from other Marquis similar to Leylin.

Leylin, on the other hand, did not care about how others felt about him.

Because he had given up suppressing his aura, he had been discovered by Tamansi. Presently, he was
suddenly engulfed by a sudden fog that had appeared in the forest which evidently, was the work of
Tamansi.

"Which Magus is out there? We are a secret guild that rejects all visitors and transactions!" A large
quantity of light was emitted, forming a giant defence shield covered in flickering runes. By the looks of
it, the Magus isn't someone to be trifled with. Additionally, with the decisive tone of the Magus, most
people would have backed off if they had stumbled upon this Magus by accident.

Still, Leylin was not like most people. Besides, his mission here was to exterminate them.

"Is it the Arm of Vengeance?" Leylin towered over the spell formation, his voice piercing through. He
had wanted to make a final confirmation in order to prevent any unwanted mishaps.

"A Warlock from the Ouroboros Clan?!" A probing light shone down, and the tone turned menacing. The
pure hatred dripping in that voice had even Leylin shuddering.

Nevertheless, it gave Leylin the confirmation he needed. Things would now be a lot easier.
Leylin's pupils reflected his indifference. To him, the war for resources and benefits was never a
question of right or wrong. It was the mere determination of a winner and a loser.

Meanwhile, at the top of a group of buildings inside the spell formation.

The face of the female Magus who had spoken earlier was distorted as she stared at a crimson crystal in
her hand.

A female Magus who looked to be in her teens, cheeks still chubby, arrived at the side of her Mentor
and asked, "Mentor, what's wrong?"

"It's the Ouroboros Clan. Those damned Warlocks have managed to track us here!" The woman
appeared to be in her thirties, with a voluptuous body. She would be a stunning beauty were it not for
the huge cross-shaped scar across her face.

"Ouroboros Clan?" The youth inhaled sharply. That name brought about images of demons, of a
monster dens and other terrifying creatures. To her, Warlocks from the Ouroboros Clan were menacing
demons that could swallow someone whole in a matter of seconds.

"I'm afraid the situation is borderline threatening now that they've managed to track this place down.
When the inevitable arrives, you have to run off while I try my best to delay their path," the scar-faced
Magus turned and ordered with a wistful expression.

"You want me to run? What about Hulk and Fanny, what about the rest?" The teen Magus was startled
upon hearing those words from her mentor.

"This is a life or death situation, we can't afford to care about them!" The scar-faced Magus smiled
bitterly as she watched the chaotic situation of the crowd below.
"I can't believe they're here!" A white-headed elder male Magus exclaimed as he floated up along with a
few other Magi.

"We'll go all out then! There's nothing to be afraid of!" a muscular middle aged Magus said. He had an
eye missing and his head was adorned with a tiger skull.

*Boom!* The spell formation trembled and the defensive shield started vibrated vigorously.

It was a sight akin to that of the heaven and earth cracking apart. It swept across the small encampment
almost immediately, causing the faces of many Magi to darken.

......

Outside the shield, Leylin was looking at the powerful defensive spell formation from a vantage point.
'The spiritual force of a Magus could also represent the limitations of their abilities...'

With a spell formation like this, given his previous level of strength, he would've taken some time to
completely demolish it.

'If it's less than 20 degrees it would be at an acolyte's level. Rank 1 Magi if it's between 20 to 80 degrees,
rank 2 if it's between 80 to 200 degrees and rank 3 if it's more than 200...'

'But once the spell surpasses 300 degrees, even Crystal Phase Magi will have to be careful.'

Leylin mumbled to himself and played around with the complicated spell model that was sent to his sea
of consciousness by the A.I. Chip.

The many individual runes came together perfectly in this model and gave off an exquisite feel.
Leylin had practised the manipulation of this spell very well through his A.I. Chip previously. The way he
was using it now was as if he's tried it umpteen times, and it was beyond just proficient.

*Boom!* Numerous elemental tides were formed, and due to the impressive strength of this spell, the
darkness and fire elemental particles of this region were instantaneously sucked away, as if
encountering an elemental black hole.

The energy exhaustion of a rank 3 spell was, of course, not something rank 1 or rank 2 spells could
compared to. But the current situation was one that even Leylin felt uncomfortable in.

The terrifying energy did not in the least dissipate but instead agglomerated in Leylin's palm, forming
black rays.

The space caved in and was seemingly absorbed by the black rays.

"Fatality's Tip!" Leylin flicked his finger, and a black ray met the defensive spell formation with a loud
bang.

[Fatality's Tip: Rank 3 Spell. Elements: Darkness and Fire. Concentrates all energy into one piercing point.
Side effects: Corrosion and Burns. Power: 330 – 360 degrees!]

Leylin had named this spell himself. By giving up on area of effect and condensing all of his power into
one finger, it could grant death to any creature below the Morning Star realm, hence the name.

Of course, there was a tinge of self-mockery at the fragility of his previous life.

*Pop!* Just like a soap bubble that was pricked, the powerful defence shield fell short in the face of the
deadly attack, and lost all of its strength before instantly shattering apart.
The fog faded, revealing the buildings behind and the Magi whose faces were drained of colour.

"Toram?!" Leylin's looked at his target. The scar on her face left an exceptional impression.

Her scar was left behind during the massacre, and as a woman she could obviously remove the scar for
vanity's sake. But for the memory of her hatred, she had kept it on her face as a reminder.

More often than not, people like these were extremely heartless and were people whom Leylin had to
pay more attention to.

"Only one? A rank 3 Hydro Phase Kemoyin Warlock? " Seeing Leylin coming to them alone, Toram's
expression differed from those of her happy peers. She turned even more gloomy, and gave off a sense
of hopelessness.

In the Magus world, someone who dared to move alone was a lot stronger than a collective.

And if Leylin dared to arrive singlehandedly, he must have had the utmost confidence in killing them all
right here

"This is life or death, we don't have to hold back any longer. Ensuring the escape of our seeds is the
highest priority!" Toram commanded.

"Of course, I've been wanting to take the lives of Kemoyin Warlocks since long ago. I'll skin him alive and
use him as a carpet!" The tiger-skull Magus remarked with hate, shooting a dirty glance at Leylin.

'Other than Toram who is a Hydro Phase, there are still two other rank 3 Magi?' Leylin's eyes glistened
as the A.I. Chip began collecting the data on his enemies and predicting the possible outcomes.

As for those acolytes? They were like specks of dust to him.

"Since you're a Kemoyin Warlock, if you lose your life here, I'm sure those higher-ups would mourn this
loss!" Toram's eyes turned bloodshot, and she covered herself in a liquid-like armour.

"Similarly, after all of you perish, the Arm of Vengeance won't be any trouble for a period of time!"
Leylin retorted.

"But before I finish you, I should do some clean-up!"

"Clean-up? Oh no! He is planning to—" Toram's expression fell instantly but it was too late.

A horrifying projection of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent emerged behind Leylin, "Toxic Bile!"

With the maturation of his bloodline, this innate spell of his had also grown exponentially, and it had
even exceeded 200 degrees of power, reaching the strength of a rank 3 spell. Even with preventive
measures, it would be difficult for the rank 1 and rank 2 Magi to survive it.

On top of that, the effect of the spell would be even more amplified now that the defensive shield was
down

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 449 - A Test

An incorporeal 'death-god' had solemnly descended on the rebel camp.

On the ground, innumerable rank 1 and 2 Magi started collapsing with their acolytes in tow, dying
despite multiple layers of protection, potions, magic artifacts and other defenses.

Even the surrounding buildings were not spared. They creaked and swayed as they crumbled down like
sand faced with water.

Formless toxic ripples took aim at the three rank 3 Magi in the air and started attacking them, leaving
them helpless as they watched their apprentices and the other members of their organisations fall.

With a single attack, except for a handful of Magi who managed to escape using their secret treasures,
the rest had been turned into corpses that decayed rapidly.

"YOU!" Toram roared as she rushed ahead.

The terrifying power of a Kemoyin Warlock's toxic attacks was common knowledge. However, Leylin's
ability had reached a level that allowed him to exterminate nearly everything on the ground, which was
abnormal.

This attack of his was sudden and unexpected, which resulted in huge losses. Witnessing the deaths of
their own apprentices, friends, and even families at Leylin's hands, the two other rank 3 Magi hardened
their gazes and dashed forward with tearful eyes.

"Phantom Hologram!" Multiple phantoms of gigantic creatures started appearing from behind an old
rank 3 Magus. They surrounded Leylin and opened their huge, ferocious, and menacing mouths to trap
him in their midst.

"Crimson Throne!" An illusory image of a bloody red throne appeared behind Toram, emanating a strong
stench of blood.

The throne was simple and unadorned dull gold with marks on it from various swords and hatchets. It
seemed as if it had gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, giving it an almost lifelike appearance of
cruelty.

Under the illusory throne, the three of them donned a red armour, their auras having been raised to a
level.

"Hmm! Aura amplification and removal of suppression... so such spell models exist!" Leylin's blue eyes
sparkled with excitement. He diligently recorded the opposite party's domain into the A.I. Chip,
intending to research it further.

This was the characteristic of the incomplete domain of a rank 3 Magus. Once Toram completely
comprehended the strength of this domain, she would step into the Morning Star realm.

Of course, the current Crimson Throne only provided a limited amplification to Toram and the rest. It
could not compare to Leylin's own Intimidating Gaze.

However, under the brilliant glow of the throne, the eyes of the huge phantoms became bloodshot, and
they dashed towards Leylin with full force, not an ounce of hesitation in them.

"Such a weak retaliation! Toram, I'll be utterly disappointed if this is all you have..." Leylin sighed. The
terrifying energy undulations from his body overflowed as the terrifying innate spell of a rank 3 Kemoyin
Warlock, Intimidating Gaze, enveloped the region.

*Hiss Hiss!* It seemed as though an ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent had been reborn in all its savagery.
A tyrannical surge of dark energy descended on the ground, bringing with it a rather unusual and wild
aura.

The force field immediately took over the territory previously under the Crimson Throne, almost
instantly countering its effects.

Even though Leylin had suppressed the energy on his body, his abilities had been exposed to the huge
phantoms and they went absolutely crazy, as if they had seen something horrifyingly bizarre. They
roared in confusion, brutally attacking one another and even sprinting towards their original owner.

"Oh! A nice chance to witness the effects of the confusion!" Watching the opposing Magi fumbling
about, Leylin smiled indifferently.

His innate domain had been steadily strengthened by the Lamia fingerbone, something that extended to
the regions of energy amplification and suppression. If not for the fact that he'd experienced the
bending of rules by a true Morning Star Magus' domain, he would've thought that his had already been
formed.

Still, even if it was a mere force field, its effects were already unimaginable.

The phantom image of the Crimson Throne started to retreat in defeat, as if stripped of its previous
glory. And before the two other rank 3 Magi could retaliate, their force fields had been suppressed and
defeated.

Toram was the only one who qualified to match Leylin in a collision of force fields.

As for those lower-level force fields used by the others, they could certainly not match those of these
Hydro Phase Magi.

Due to the differing depth of understanding of a domain at different levels, there was a vast difference
in their strengths. Thus, the force fields of Magi below the Hydro Phase were considered effectively
useless.

The Magus with the tiger skull wore a look of defeat. He understood and admitted the huge disparity
between Leylin and himself.

Yet, he roared ferociously, the muscles in his body tensing and swelling up as his gorgeous fur shone
with a colourful radiance.

The joints on his bones popped loudly and soon his body swelled and expanded from a normal figure to
a hulking three meters.

"You punk! I'm going to kill you! I will break your bones one by one, inch by inch without mercy!" He
roared thunderously and delivered a high intensity punch, as strong gusts of wind hit him right in his
face. The surrounding air seemed to have been so compressed by this punch that it became a
substantial crystal body which surged towards Leylin like a projectile.

"A human Magus with a reinforced body, what a rare sight!"

Leylin became serious, growing cautious of the man. Magi with reinforced bodies were known to belong
to the barbarian beast clan. As for other types of Magi, they would generally be glad to use spells for the
destructions of enemies.

As such, seeing how the tiger skull Magus transformed himself into such a powerful creature, he was
sure there were some in the central continent that could do it, although it would be rare.

Generally speaking, Magi did not place much emphasis on strength and agility. Instead valuing the
quality of the physical form more, as the corporeal body was the part that bore the foundations of any
magic power.

Also, different Warlocks inherited different abilities from their elders, hence it highly depended on
which area each ancestor placed their emphasis on. Leylin understood this and strived to polish all
factors of strength and agility in himself to the maximum.

"Heh!" In a rush of excitement, Leylin drew his Meteor Sword and skillfully exhibited his cross blade
techniques.
"Cross-blade Slash!" A big black cross shone and sliced through the sky, carrying with it terrifying
Kemoyin toxins. The projectile shattered to tiny bits in the air, even as the aftermath traveled towards
the enraged tiger skull Magus.

"Awooooo!" The tiger skull Magus covered his head with both hands and dashed forward.

*Crackle !* The sound of breaking glass could be heard as the gorgeous colourful shine from the tiger
skull Magus burst forth in a flash and collided head on with the black cruciform, smashing it into a
million pieces.

*Zzzz!* A slight tear appeared on his arm, and from it one could hear faint sounds of something
decaying as white smoke arose.

Without hesitation, the tiger skull Magus dashed towards Leylin in a moment.

"Very high vitality indeed!" To be able to withstand the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's poison, other than
possessing excellent spell resistance, one's vitality needed to be at least a hundred points and above.

In addition, the opposite side's strength and agility had exceeded his own value of 30 by leaps and
bounds. Seeing how he was able to use simple techniques to deal deadly blows, Leylin's eyes
brightened.

"Die now!" The right arm of the tiger skull Magus had morphed into a huge tiger claw, striking down on
Leylin.

The huge tiger claw looked like a small millstone. The shiny sharp claw was glossy and menacing, with
spell runes visible in the brilliant light it emitted.

*Bang!* The tiger claw was stopped abruptly mid-air by a palm.

Although Leylin's build was tall and lanky, when compared to the tiger-headed creature, he was rather
petite and his palm was equivalent to that of a baby.

Yet, it was this insignificant palm which had managed to tame the sharp tiger claw, disabling his ability
to advance forward.

"How can that be?" The old man yelped in surprise. He had just defeated his phantoms a distance away.

He was absolutely certain of his friend's strength.

The tiger skull Magus had mercilessly killed a rank 3 creature in this beastly state.

Even when he recalled it now, it had been shocking. Yet, a full attack from his friend had been blocked
by a single palm, something that made no sense. What's more, looking at the opposite party, it seemed
to be effortless.

"Even for a Warlock, it is not possible to possess such terrifying power, unless you are a also a Magus
who practices body reinforcement techniques?" The old man scrutinized Leylin, trying to analyze but
unable to read him.

"How... How is that possible ?" Other than the shocked old man, the tiger skull Magus was speechless
himself.

He had been extremely confident in his ability. Even in the face of several magic alloys put up by other
Magi, he only needed to use his claw and they would have cracked and crumbled like soft sand. But
now...

"There is nothing that is not possible!" Leylin tightened his grip, and cracking sounds rang out as the
tiger skull Magus' arm twisted abruptly into an odd, distorted curve.

"The difference between humans and animals lies in the usage of your strengths, be it for exploitation or
as a tool. If you do not even know this, regardless of how strong you are, you are just a fool!" Leylin
looked at the whimpering tiger skull Magus and he felt a tinge of pity.

Behind him, the black shadows of two arms appeared, attaching to his right hand and injecting a steady
flow of energy into it.

Although Leylin's strength was only thirty degrees of power, he could use his spells to break through
that limit and massively increase his strength for a short period of time.

After all, his innate character was that of a Magus, not a competitive knight.

"Those who cannot keep up with the times, you will be abandoned like trash!" Leylin heaved a sigh,
grabbed the tiger skull Magus' arms, and raised him up.

"This is bad! We have to save Borgin!" The clash had happened too quickly. After all, both Leylin and the
tiger skull Magus were agile, with at least 30 degrees of ability in that respect. From the initial assault, to
Leylin drawing his sword, to the retaliation and counter-attack, everything had happened in a matter of
seconds.

Even Toram did not have the chance to react, nor would she have expected Leylin to so easily defeat a
rank 3 Magus.

"Shadowflame Plague!" Leylin was not going to show any mercy. He was completely ready to take
everyone out.

A scarlet-black wall of fire appeared and, in a flash, the two rank 3 Magi that had charged forward were
drowned in its blaze.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 450 - Seal of the Dark Corrosion

The corrosive black flames were like a chasm which separated Toram from the rest.

As for the other rank 3 Magus? The flames had inflicted him with heavy injuries, and he had escaped to
the side while letting out blood-curdling screams.

"What... What are you trying to do?" At that moment, the tiger skull Magus was truly terrified. He felt
the increasingly horrifying strength emitting from both of Leylin's hands, and the savage spiritual force
which had sealed his sea of consciousness. For the first time, he felt terror from the bottom of his heart.

He began to regret not escaping immediately upon Leylin's arrival. Because of that, he had landed
himself in his current circumstances.

"What I'm trying to do?" Leylin's lips curled up. Shadow arms emerged from his back in rapid succession.
Enormous muscles emerged indistinctively, and fused onto both of Leylin's hands.

*Creak! Creak!* First, the skin ruptured, then the muscles, then the bones.

The tiger skull Magus had a twisted expression, and was in so much pain that he could not even make a
sound. His entire being seemed to have been stretched apart by Leylin.

"Let him go! Wait! NOOOOO...." Amidst Toram's blood-curdling screams, the tiger skull Magus was
ripped into two. Large amounts of bloodshed could be seen everywhere.
"Don't you think it's too late to say these things only now?" Leylin expertly avoided the blood, a skill he'd
acquired from experience. His body had not even been tainted by a smidgen of it.

As if tossing out the garbage, he threw away the two segments of the corpse before turning towards
Toram, his face emotionless. "You should have come to your senses before you decided to rebel against
the Ouroboros Clan!"

"You'll perish here today! This is my promise to Borgin!" Toram's face instantly calmed down. Still, Leylin
could very distinctively see the desire for vengeance in her eyes.

This was not a hot-blooded vengeance that arose merely from this one incident. It was rather a
collective response to the extended period during which they were hunted down like prey. Many of
Toram's friends and family presumably died amidst the massacres conducted by the Ouroboros Clan,
and Leylin's actions earlier had fully evoked her wrath.

"Even now, you refuse to learn!" Leylin shook his head.

"Currently, you don't seem to be fit to be my opponent. Let me give you a hand!" Just as he finished
these words, a Magus dressed in a black robe, who looked identical to Leylin, suddenly emerged before
the rank 3 Magus who had been seriously injured by the Arm of Vengeance.

A few multi-coloured potions were thrown out by "Leylin", as he kept a straight face. They collided in
mid-air and emitted terrifying energy ripples.

"Rank 3 potion combination spell— Divine Prairie Flames!"

The endless flames instantly swallowed the rank 3 Magus, even spreading so far as to include the
"Leylin" in the area of effect.

"Leylin" who was surrounded by the many flames suddenly laughed hysterically, and morphed into
many shadow chains that confined the rank 3 Magus in the flames.

"Master Toram! Save me!" The rank 3 Magus' face was full of dejection. He did all he could to seek help,
and him looking to Toram for help was his last hope.

But Leylin had blocked Toram's path, and mercilessly dashed that last hope.

"You must be the only high-ranked Magus left in the stronghold now?" Leylin looked to Toram after the
rank 3 Magus' life aura had completely dissipated in the sea of fire.

"If you don't use your remaining time to make me happy during our battle, I'm afraid I'll continue to
hunt down and kill all the other Magi below!"

"That female Magus must be your apprentice? The two of you might even be related by blood. Don't
even think about lying to me. Both the bloodline ripples on your bodies and the spiritual force frequency
have revealed your relationship..." Leylin shot a glance at one of the corpses lying around, and what he
said caused Toram's facial expression to change.

Just when Leylin's gaze shot across the area, the female Magus with a childlike face who had been lying
behind the remains felt as if she was stared at by a fierce ancient creature. Her limbs began to shake
uncontrollably.

"It's... It's too terrifying!" Upon realising that she had been discovered, the female Magus tried to
escape.

A light green wind dissipated from her body and carried her to the depths of Doray Forest.

"Other than Nina, even Master Borgin has...." As she started to sprint, tears streamed down her face.
At the instant when Leylin had released his deadly attack, the low-ranked Magi were all exterminated.
Other than the three rank 3 Magi, almost everyone else had instantly perished.

No antidotes or defensive runes had any effect on the attack. Before the terrifying toxins of the Giant
Kemoyin Serpent, everyone else was feeble and weak.

Toram's innate defensive spells had not in the least bit affected Leylin's attack. If not for the protective
charm she'd obtained from her mentor, she would have perished as well.

The female Magus that was lucky enough to survive had hidden herself behind a wall, witnessing Leylin's
cruelty and terror. The two powerful rank 3 Magi had perished at his hands one by one, and from the
looks of it, Leylin had not even unleashed his full power. Now, he was even using her life to threaten her
mentor!

After hearing her mentor's hurried whisper, the female Magus could not take it anymore, and started
sobbing out loud.

Even so, the energy particles below her feet had not once stopped shining, as if escaping from that area
was instinctive.

In the depths of her subconscious, she did not want to return to face the horrifying monster anymore.

"That's not too bad of a suggestion! Looks like you care for her a lot!" Leylin watched as the rank 1
Magus escaped, with no intentions of giving chase.

On the contrary, he turned to Toram who was ahead of him, and a taunting expression flashed across his
face. "However, I'm afraid you'll have to try to buy time. If not, she won't be able to make much
headway..."

"Lunatic! Monster!" Toram cursed. A majority of Warlocks had anger management issues, something
that was only exacerbated by battle.

Compared to Magi, Warlocks prefered to ruin their opponents or even vent their desires upon them.

Toram had previously witnessed similar scenarios. It was painful to see dead Magi, and many female
Magi subjected to horrible violations.

And now, she thought of Leylin in the same light as those crazy Warlocks.

"Even if I have to put everything on the line, I will stop you at all costs!" Toram announced as she ripped
the silver necklace off her neck with eyes full of determination.

"Haha! Excellent! That's the mindset!" At that instant, Leylin felt like the big villain from the movies of
his previous life.

"Seal of Dark Corrosion! Release!" Toram performed some gestures and, in that instant, the silver
necklace exploded.

In a flash, the energy waves on her body strengthened significantly. Drops of blood even started seeping
out of her pores.

The detailed black runes instantly crawled all over her body. Coupled with the scar on her face, she
looked even more terrifying.

Leylin could sense that she'd already reached the peak of the Hydro Phase. In fact, some of her spiritual
force had already formed traces of crystals from repeated attempts at compression.

Once completely solidified, Toram would reach the Crystal Phase.

Of course, her rash actions put her in grave danger. However, right before her body completely fell
apart, she'd stepped one foot into the Crystal Phase realm!

This was definitely her trump card, some sort of mysterious spell that would put everything at stake.

Strangely, Leylin did not try to stop Toram's actions, instead allowing the aura on her body to rise slowly
as he let out a hearty laugh, "Haha... Good! Indeed, with this sort of mysterious spell, you won't
disappoint me!"

From the very beginning, the entire reason why Leylin had adopted such abusive methods was to force
Toram to use a spell that would exhaust her vitality and allow her to temporarily increase her strength.

Although he'd accepted it as a task from the organisation, he also intended to experiment with his newly
developed rank 3 spell— Fatality's Tip.

Even though its ability to break through the defensive spell formation spoke volumes of its formidability,
he ultimately lacked the physical data to affirm its full capability. Especially with regards to its ability to
clash with Crystal Phase Magi, something that engendered his resentment.

He had discovered that with his strength, he was the best of the best among Hydro Phase Magi, and
even a peak Hydro Phase Magus like Toram could do nothing to him. Only a Crystal Phase opponent
would cause him trouble.

And the A.I. Chip lacked data specifically regarding Crystal Phase Magi. Given the fact that Leylin would
have to deal with Magi of that rank, he desperately needed a standard to measure his own capabilities.

And now, Toram had become such a standard.

When he'd probed her during the previous battle, the A.I. Chip had detected that not only had her
strength become feeble, she had even seemed to be injured, something that resulted in her not
performing to her fullest potential.

And so Leylin took such drastic measures to compel his opponent, to incite her her will to live on so as to
battle him.

And from the looks of it, he'd achieved his goal.

Originally a peak Hydro Phase Magus, Toram indeed possessed the formidable ability to partially
crystallise her spiritual force using this mysterious spell, even if she'd pay for it with her life.

It was rare to experience a fight against a Crystal Phase Magus. After all, the Crystal Phase Magi he'd
previously come across were mostly his seniors, and he could not fight them.

Magi like Toram, who had a probability of losing control when they forcefully entered the Crystal Phase,
were even more scarce.

Leylin immediately ordered: "A.I Chip, record this battle in detail!"

[Orders received! Scan scheduled!] The A.I Chip intoned.

A pale blue screen was projected ahead of Leylin's eyes, and Toram who was in the screen was engulfed
by strong radiation.

The mysteries of Crystal Phase spiritual force were also slowly being uncovered by the A.I. Chip and
presented to Leylin.

"The madmen of the Ouroboros Clan should not even exist in this world!" Having advanced to the
Crystal Phase, Toram's strength now was a far cry from what it was before.
Just the suppression of the aura in the atmosphere caused Leylin to feel discomfort.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 451 - Fatality's Tip

'Rumour has it that after a rank 3 Magus enters the Crystal Phase, they undergo a phenomenal change
and experience an exponential increase in strength. From the looks of it, that might just be true!' Leylin
stared at the Crimson Throne behind Toram, a solemn expression on his face.

Originally, his own force field had enveloped hers and suppressed it to the point of near destruction.
Now, though, it had expanded greatly, especially the huge crimson throne. It seemed almost corporeal,
and the power it was emitting had somewhat exceeded that of his terrifying force field.

"Haha, this is great. Just the kind of opponent I wanted!" This was the first time Leylin had felt pressure
on the battlefield yet he was smiling, evidently pleased.

The opponent he'd wanted to go up against was precisely Toram, who'd experienced a huge increase in
her spiritual force and had broken through to the Crystal Phase.

"Alright! Let's see the real strength of a Magus in the Crystal Phase!" Leylin felt feverish as a layer of fine
black scales formed on his body. Multiple runes appeared on the surface that formed a black
membrane, an additional layer of defense.

In the face of a Crystal Phase Magus, he did not dare hold back any longer.

"If that's what you wish!" Toram said. Two streaks of red liquid flowed down from the corners of her
eyes, like tears of blood. It gave her a sinister aura.
*Swish!* The two human silhouettes morphed into black shadows that collided with each other. A loud
ear-piercing boom was heard and a frightfully huge amount of energy rippled out in all directions.

"Lord... Lord Leylin is actually this strong?" Tamansi saw the entire horrifying scenario play out from
outside the camp and his jaw dropped.

Toram was indeed the second strongest in the Arm of Vengeance, a rumoured peak Hydro Phase
Magus!

Not only had she been a strong opponent for years, there had even been rumours that this person who
was wanted by the Ouroboros Clan had advanced to the Crystal Phase.

What's more surprising was that Leylin actually had the upper hand in this fight, and could fight her to a
standstill! What kind of strength was that?

Only one thought was left in Tamansi's mind. He would grasp at Leylin's coattails without hesitation.

[Crystal Phase force field record completed! Beginning analysing opponent's perimeter of attack!]

At this juncture, Leylin who had been battling with Toram did not look like he had it easy.

Although she'd used a secret technique to enter the Crystal Phase, Toram's strength far surpassed
Leylin's expectations.

Not only had she formed an armour of spiritual force, that had fully advanced to the Crystal Phase, on
her body, the rest of her spells had been greatly amplified as well. From the looks of it, the rumours
regarding the massive transformations after advancing the Crystal Phase were true.

Besides, Toram had steeled her will and was fighting like a madman to end up in mutual destruction
with Leylin. She cared not one whit about herself, which gave him a lot of trouble.

Whatever the case may be, there were still limits imposed on someone who entered the Crystal Phase
using a secret technique.

The blood dripping from Toram's body dyed the ground a bright crimson. Nearly half the blood present
in the human body had already flowed out, and a normal person would have already died from such a
serious injury. Even if she were a Magus, she was not in a good state either.

How could there be no price to pay when one forcibly compressed their spiritual force to enter the
Crystal Phase, akin to cheating?

Leylin would not be surprised even if she suddenly burst into pieces.

"Shadowflame Plague!" Dark red flames blazed and Leylin used the opportunity to get a headstart from
her opponent

Leylin smiled as he scrutinized the data recorded by the A.I. Chip. He turned to look at Toram, whilst still
dripping blood. His face pale, he muttered "You were a worthy opponent. It's a pity..."

Feeling Toram's life force ebbing away and that she was about to drop down from the Crystal Phase,
Leylin did not continue to hold back.

"Initiate the experiment and gather the data!" the A.I chip strictly carried out Leylin's command.

The horrifying spell that had breached the defensive spell formation, that the Arm of Vengeance had
been unable to react to in time, had once again begun forming at Leylin's hand.

Horrifying amounts of energy particles condensed and formed a black spot that rested on Leylin's
fingertip.

Leylin sighed gently, and pointed at Toram. "Rank 3 spell— Fatality's Tip!"

"Secret technique— Crystal Shield!" Even though Toram knew of Leylin's plans, her survival instincts and
hatred towards the Ouroboros Clan urged her to accept the battle.

Many sparkling spiritual force shields appeared before her, glowing with runes.

*Bang!* The black ray of death arrived before Toram in a near instant, and collided with the first Crystal
Phase spiritual force shield.

*Crack!* A hole about the size of a finger immediately formed on the shield. Many cracks extended from
the hole like a spider web.

The shields rippled as they were torn apart by the ray of death, as if they were sheets of paper, on its
way to Toram.

"Is this the taste of death?" A momentary distraction emerged in Toram's eyes, but it was replaced
almost instantly by the ever more terrifying flames of hatred.

"Even if I die, I will not die in such a humiliating way without even causing damage to my opponent!"
She roared as blood-red flames started burning her body.

"Soul sacrifice! The flames of hatred have indeed clouded her judgement!" Leylin's face sank. Magi knew
that death was not an end. The souls of many departed high-ranking Magi would return to the astral
plane, awaiting reincarnation.

A soul sacrifice was a secret technique that traded away their soul. To obtain temporary strength, the
very soul was burnt away! What a great idea!

She had basically destroyed her last hope. From the looks of it, the Magus who was called Toram had an
immense hatred towards the Ouroboros Clan.

A strange aura spread across the whole venue in the amount of time it took for the blood-red flames to
combust.

A crimson gem appeared on Toram's forehead and exploded, bringing with it a shower of blood. It was
at this moment that Fatality's Tip appeared in front of her.

The two collided.

Space suddenly shook, after which it seemed like nothing had happened.

Leylin was startled for a while before his face changed. He realised that things were not right and swiftly
escaped.

Like the sound of glass being smashed, in the area where the blood-red gem and Fatality's Tip came into
contact, a black hole had seemingly appeared, which had sucked in all of the objects in the area.

In an instant, even the air looked distorted. After a sudden contraction, a terrifying eruption occurred!

*Boom!* A large mushroom cloud rose to the sky with the point of impact as the core. Large waves
swept across the floor and swept away everything.

Tamansi who was watching outside was engulfed by the giant waves before he even had time to scream.
After the explosion, the sky itself started to crack apart. Anything that came into contact with these rifts
suddenly disappeared from its original position.

At that moment, the sky was roaring, the ground trembling. It was only after 10 minutes or so that the
remaining radiation from the explosion dissipated.

*Boom!* A light shone in the void as Leylin appeared again

Currently, Leylin did not look too good. Even he was affected by the aftermath of that terrifying collision,
and the injuries he'd suffered were not mild.

As for his opponent Toram? Being in the middle of the eruption, she had been torn to pieces.

Let alone the soul sacrifice, just because of the secret technique Toram had used to step into the Crystal
Phase, combined with the damage at the end, even if she hadn't used a soul sacrifice she would not
have much longer to live.

"What a pity..." Leylin sighed, but yet his face did not register depression. To him, he had already
accomplished his objectives this time round. Even though the ending was a bit abrupt, everything was
still within his control.

He landed on the ground, his feet stepping on a rock that had been burnt black. "Tamansi, come out!"

"Master, do you have any commands?" The soil became looser and Tamansi crawled out from
underground.

During the explosion, coupled with luck and his abilities as a Magus, he had managed to keep his life.
However, he had still suffered severe injuries.
From Leylin's point of view, Tamansi looked terrifying, with his clothes tattered and his skin scorched.

"For what happened this time round, write a report to be sent in! I still have other matters to attend to,
so I won't be returning to the headquarters for now," he ordered.

Since they had accomplished the task, they would need another set of people to validate it.

"As you wish, Master!" Those were originally matters Tamansi had to do as an intelligence officer, and
he swiftly replied.

"Also, for that female Magus, how should we handle her?"

"That small fry? Send out a warrant for her!" Leylin thought of Toram's apprentice, and yet did not pay
too much attention to it.

It would take 500 years for a mere low-ranked Magus like that to cause a threat to the current him!
Needless to say, after that amount of time, Leylin would have advanced to a more powerful state. It
would be hard to say whether the other party would even survive to that period.

"Alright then..."

Even though Tamansi wanted to seek refuge from Leylin, he actually started trembling when he came
face to face with Leylin, and was unable to speak his mind.

Currently, Leylin's aura was immensely strong after killing Toram, and even an ordinary rank 3 Magus
would feel uncomfortable in his presence.

Moreover, even though his injuries weren't serious, they were still a hassle, and had to be resolved as
soon as possible.
"I'll leave it to you to tie up the loose ends!"

Leylin faintly thought about it, before he disappeared into thin air, only leaving behind Tamansi who
looked glum and regretful...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 452 - Azure Mountain and the Couple

Azure Mountain City, situated beside the Andius mountains, was the ancestral territory of the Oakheart
Clan.

The Andius mountains were rich in natural minerals, something that made the alloy produced by Azure
Mountain City, with its superior quality, one of the most desirable in the entire continent.

In fact, Leylin had even visited this place himself once to source the materials for his own Magus Tower.

With excellent smelting techniques coupled with rich and plentiful natural resources, the Oakheart Clan
had superior control over auctions, accumulating an outrageous amount of wealth.

The original name of the progenitor of the Oakheart Clan had long fallen out of the public mind, but his
title still remained to this date. He was the powerful and brilliant Azure Mountain King!

Indeed, the progenitor of the Oakheart Clan was the well-known Azure Mountain King, the famed and
almighty Morning Star Magus.
The intimidating nature of this Morning Star Magus served as a warning to other vicious and hateful
Magi not to have any designs on the Oakheart Clan. Otherwise, it would have long been overtaken and
ruled by those fugitive human magicians.

And now, the time had come for the decennial large-scale auction..

As the event venue of the auction was in Azure Mountain City, the entire place was filled to the brim
with people. The prices of the airship tickets heading there had also risen sharply due to this event.

However it was not a deterrent, as Magi from everywhere continued to flow into the city.

Some among them were powerful and well known. Others had masked themselves, cherishing
anonymity.

Regardless of their varying powers, all the Magi present would generally be disciplined enough to
control and maintain themselves. After all, they would lose as well if the auction were to not proceed
smoothly.

In fact, they would risk losing much needed materials to an arch-enemy, as well as materials that were
hard to obtain through normal means.

With the auction event approaching, the crime rates in the neighbouring areas also increased
substantially!

Many fugitive Magi on the wanted list came forth to the event sneakily and had daringly looted many
people. But as long as they weren't caught red-handed, the Oakheart Clan, the main organiser, would
not excessively pursue the matter.

The otherwise orderly Azure Mountain City had suddenly turned chaotic. A small group of Magi were
pushing forward with their own secretive agendas behind the scenes.
As such, even under the watchful eyes of the Morning Star Magus, the Clan had to face a mounting
number of incidents hindering their move forward. They were kept busy and anxious.

"Such a bustling scene!" Leylin was at a local inn along a stretch of shops, viewing the hurried crowd
through a transparent glass flooring.

In front of him were served colourful glasses of juices, along with some freshly baked cookies and
snacks.

He had been in Azure Mountain City for 3 days. The wounds from the clash with Toram had already
mostly healed with his liberal use of potions.

As he had arrived early, Leylin was able to find lodging at an inn in the city, unlike the situation now
where many Magi were struggling to find a room and had to search throughout the city and risk getting
into conflicts with one another.

Leylin stroked his chin, looking at the busy street that was bustling with activity.

Many of the commoners wore grey, black and white apparel. Among the crowd, there were many Magi
and some other races discreetly mingling about.

In the central continent, humans were not the only race. Many different species of humans had mingled
together producing offspring of mixed bloodlines.

Leylin had personally met some of them on the streets and had witnessed their odd characteristics.

Walking among the pedestrians were patrol Knights from the host's city. Many of these knights wore
barbed armor. Under the guidance of senior Knights and acolytes, they regularly combed through every
corner of the city.

Although their abilities were insignificant to Magi, the fact that their uniforms bore the emblem of the
Oakheart Clan was enough to deter any impetuous Magi.

"It's him!" At this moment, cries from a skylark sounded near Leylin. It perched itself outside the inn.

He found the tone of the cries familiar, and smiled and walked towards the entrance of the inn.

At this moment, a young couple stepped foot into the inn. The lady took one look at Leylin and was
shocked.

"Oh! It's been a long time, Nolan, Jessia." Leylin noticed that Jessia wore the look of a young woman
instead of a young girl and exclaimed, "Also, a blissful marriage to you!"

This couple from the Rolithe Family had left a deep impression on Leylin, especially the defiant young
girl.

"Ley... Sir Leylin!" Nolan whined bitterly in his heart. He had heard about the delicious treats being
served here and hence brought his wife along. Little did he expect he would bump into Leylin.

Nolan's knees grew weak thinking about how he was chided and taught a lesson mercilessly by this rank
3 Magus in the past.

As for Jessia, she looked as if she relied heavily on Nolan and had her arms around him. Leylin couldn't
help but sense the hatred and detestation deep in her eyes. It made him speechless.

'Just because I had the ability to, but did not save you, you hate me so much?' Leylin stroked his chin.
Coincidences happened all the time in this world. Maybe a word, an action, or even an exchange of
glances, it might all result in an inexplicable hatred against someone else. It was something
unfathomable.

He had not expected such matters to happen to him.

"Both of you look happily married now, although it does gives me a troubled heart!" Leylin was rather
amused and called out to them to take a seat,"Shall we sit together? The food here is decent, I found
this place after a long search!"

"Oh! No need! We do not want to impose on you, Sir!" Nolan gave a bitter smile and bowed politely. He
grabbed Jessia's hand and left the place hastily.

Dining with Leylin? Nolan could feel immense pressure. In fact, the aura he felt this time was much more
powerful than during their previous meeting. He certainly do not want to cross paths with Leylin again.

"What are you doing?" Jessia blurted out in anger after crossing a few streets with Nolan pulling her
along.

"He is just a rank 3 Magus, what is the big deal? Your grandfather is also a famed Hydro Phase Magus...
Furthermore, as long as we can gather sufficient materials this time, he can also attempt to enter the
Crystal Phase!" Jessia pouted her lips with displeasure, profound resentment in her eyes.

After the wedding, Nolan had been good to Jessia, and she too, had gradually accepted her fate.
However, her hatred towards Leylin from their initial meeting had not ceased one bit.

She hated how Leylin had disrupted her plans and how he had treated her, even till the end. There was
no hint of nobility and no demeanor of a gentleman at all!

"That was after all a rank 3 Lord. Even if he hasn't reached the Vapour Phase, we cannot afford to offend
him... Moreover, he had the support of the Ouroboros Clan..." Nolan smiled bitterly. Sadly, he was not
up to date with the latest information. He was unaware of Leylin's true position and abilities in the
Ouroboros Clan.

Plus, Leylin himself had been low-key all this while.

"I do not care, you have to take revenge on my behalf..." Jessia tugged at Nolan's arm with a look of
dissatisfaction.

"Alright alright alright!" Nolan tamed her with verbal promises. However, from the bottom of his heart,
he had zero intentions of doing so.

Of course, he couldn't speak his mind freely. Otherwise, knowing Jessia, she wouldn't let him have her
when the night fell, and he would certainly dread it.

"Hmph! Leylin, since you are here, you will definitely not miss the auction. We'll see!" Her scheming
plans were reflected in her eyes as they shined brightly.

Inside the inn, watching Nolan and Jessia leave, Leylin was deep in thought.

The hatred in the past was apparent and obvious to him. And up till now, she certainly had not given it
up. The only difference was her attempt to conceal her feelings.

Leylin could have crushed such insignificant characters easily in the past. But he did not do so then.
Other than his fear of offending someone who had a strong family as support, there was another
reason.

After the couple left the inn, Leylin went back to his seat and sat down. In his palm, a dull gold coin
appeared and he toyed with it.
"I can feel it, looks like they can present something valuable to me this time!" Leylin grinned as he slid
the Coin of Destiny back into his pocket, his eyes twinkling a deep black.

The river of destiny could not be fathomed. It would constantly drift about without a permanent resting
place. However, at some specific times and places, minute details of it would intersect, something that a
few Magi could sense.

It had happened to Leylin previously. He had, with the help of the Coin of Destiny, felt that there were
some unresolved matters.

In the near future, he knew he would cross paths with the couple again. And that time, they would
voluntarily present him with an item of importance.

This current location seemed to be the confluence point where their destinies met.

"Boss, bill please!" Leylin smiled and stood up. The owner sprang up from behind the counter and
stepped forward...

The Azure Mountain auction company was situated at the center of Azure Mountain City. Its land was
extensive, surrounded by an encampment of the Oakheart Clan. Standing there, a simple and
unadorned majestic Magus Tower could be seen radiating horrifying levels of energy. It seemed to have
an unknown connection with the skies and the entire region.

This Magus Tower built by a Morning Star Magus was Leylin's current destination, as well as something
he looked up to.

It was the symbol of the Oakheart Clan's power, and a guarantee.

Once he stepped foot into the auction hall, a female servant in uniforms stepped up swiftly and greeted
him warmly, clearly well trained. "Welcome, how can I be of service to you?"
"I would like to sell some things in this auction!" The present Leylin was unrecognisable. He had altered
his facial features and worn a hood over his head. He'd also added another outer layer of cotton shawl
that draped down from the top, covering his face.

Fortunately, at this point of time, there were countless Magi in Azure Mountain City dressed exactly like
Leylin, hence the servant was not baffled at all.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 453 - The Auction House and Serene

"As long as it is verified by our appraiser, any items estimated to be worth over a hundred thousand
magic crystals can be sold in the auction! May I ask if you need appraisal services?" The servant blurted
out, almost as if by reflex. It was obvious that she'd said this multiple times before. It seemed like he
was not the first person coming up to host something for auction.

"Bring me there!" Leylin answered concisely. Soon after, he followed the servant and came before a few
customized cubicles.

As he was passing through, he even sensed the spell formation that was buried under the ground as well
as the concealed runes on the wall. The security in here was much tighter than the outside, with even a
rank 3 Magus keeping watch.

They came up to a room that was a reception area, and the servant respectfully invited Leylin to take a
seat. "Customer, please wait a moment, I will get the appraiser here immediately to serve you!"

"Alright!" Leylin nodded, his eyes following the young woman as she exited.
After a short period of time, the door opened and an elderly man with a headful of silver hair and a face
that had seen the vicissitudes of life entered.

"Honourable guest, I am a rank 2 appraiser, Norta!" the old man bowed.

"Hello!" Leylin smiled faintly in response. He pointed to the seat in front of him and invited the appraiser
to sit.

In the central continent, appraisers also had ranks. This rank 2 appraiser was already a rank 2 Magus as
well, and still maintained such respectful conduct. This was considered rare.

Furthermore, his hands were covered with all sorts of scars, making him seem extremely experienced.

After Norta sat down, he looked at Leylin with a hint of amazement.

Now that Azure Mountain City's auction was about to begin, it was not odd that various kinds of
customers had shown up. However, just by the smell and appearance, he was able to judge that the
Magus before him was very young. Yet, his body carried a dense fog that even he could not see through,
which seldom occurred.

It was hard to say, maybe this customer had in his possession unique treasures that were hard to come
by.

The appraiser stroked a ring on his hand as he was unable to repress the slight anticipation that flashed
in his heart.

"I am a Potions Master. I'm thinking of selling some potions here!" Leylin spoke straightforwardly.

Of course, he had with him many more items that were more valuable than potions, but those were to
be saved as exchange items for the barter later on. Only these potions that were made during his free
time happened to be available to be offered for sale.

With his Potioneering talents, in the a span of 100 years—which was about half of Leylin's age—Leylin
had amassed a large number of completed potions as a Potions Grandmaster.

"How unexpected, for you to be a Potions Master as well!" Norta's eyes sparkled. No matter where,
proficient Potions Masters and alchemists always enjoyed preferential treatment.

After some thought, Norta still informed him beforehand about the matters that needed to be taken
note of. "However, I would like to explain the rules of the auction to you first. In our auction, only high-
grade potions and above are sold, if it is a middle-grade potion that is not very valuable, it will have to
meet a certain quantity..."

"Don't worry, I know that!" Leylin smiled, reaching his hand out and sweeping it across the table.

A silver radiance shone. After spatial energy waves passed, the red table was filled with test tubes of all
kinds of colour.

"So...... So many!"

Norta's eyes widened instantly in surprise. He then lost that last bit of calmness in his expression of his
after he recognised a few of the potions. "And they are all high-grade potions!"

"Hoho......" As he watched the old man lose his composure, Leylin smiled kindly. In fact, these were only
a small portion of his achievements over the last few centuries, but it was enough to scare the other
party.

"This is already all my gains over hundreds of years..." On the surface, Leylin laughed proudly but he still
sighed.
"Sir you are actually a Potions Grandmaster!" This time, Norta's voice contained a slight tremor.

Potions Grandmasters were always given special treatment even among strong organisations. The
scarcity of such masters in the central continent was actually very scary. This was clearly evident from
the sole fact that even in the Ouroboros Clan, which had 3 Morning Star Magi and was regarded as one
of the top forces of the central continent, there were not more than five.

"This...These..." Drops of cold sweat slid down the appraiser's forehead and even more so, he had an
embarrassed look on his face.

"My apologies, honourable guest! This deal is beyond my abilities, please wait a moment......" Even if he
was at the Azure Mountain auction house. An ordinary appraiser like him did not stand a chance to
serve such a Potions Grandmaster.

"Then I hope you can hurry!" Leylin spoke indifferently with a straight face, concealing his
discontentment.

"Yes sir!" Towards a Potions Grandmaster of unknown origins, this appraiser dared not be tardy and he
immediately withdrew.

'It seems that the identity of a Potions Grandmaster is pretty useful in the central continent!' Leylin
smiled while stroking his chin.

This time, the other party did not make him wait for long. Almost within a minute after the old man left,
a polite knock sounded again, "Honourable guest, may I enter?"

"Please do!" Leylin smiled, and shortly after he saw the previous appraiser pulling open the door
respectfully, inviting a middle-aged western lady in.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Serene, Serene Oakheart! The administrative matters of the Azure
Mountain auction house, as well as Mister's business, will be fully handled by me!"

This beautiful lady named Serene was like a ripe peach, there was not a part of her body that did not
emit an alluring scent. Furthermore, her surname made Leylin raise his eyebrow.

Not only that, although she had used some sort of technique to cover up her aura, the A.I. Chip was still
able to detect that she was actually a strong Magus who had attained rank 3 as well!

*Ka-cha!* Norta made a bow and exited the room respectfully. Before he left, he even shut the door, as
if he was only a doorman.

"Sir, how may I address you?" Serene looked at Leylin whose face was covered, especially curious at the
deeply concealed aura of the other party.

"Just 'Blood Rogue' will do!" Leylin immodestly used one of his old names.

"Hoho... Lord Blood Rogue, how are you planning to sell these potions!" Serene swayed her slender
waist, waving her sleeves as she sat down in front of Leylin languidly. Every single movement of hers
seemed to be of the highest quality, with a polite scent that yet stirred up men's burning desires even
more.

'This woman is a temptress, comparable to Celine from Twilight Zone!' Leylin sighed in his heart but he
spoke without a tremor, "Tell me about your plans!"

Serene''s eyebrows furrowed, but they relaxed shortly after. "Since sir is interested, Serene will first
explain the rules of our auction. For ordinary customers, we have two methods of auctioning!"

"Firstly," Serene stretched out a spotless jade-white finger, "These potions, can all be auctioned here.
No matter what price they are dealt for, our Azure Mountain auction house will have to take out a part
of it as a commission fee! Of course, if the auction fails, you will have to pay us a guarantee fee as well!"

"Secondly, our auction house can purchase these potions from you directly. Price wise, it will be
calculated according to the market price! What we do with them afterwards will not be of your concern
anymore. If you need magic crystals urgently, you may opt for this method!"

Leylin nodded, this second method was evidently prepared for those Magi who were planning to
accumulate large funds to bid for certain items during the auction.

The only thing was that the auction house would definitely buy items priced lower than market price.
Unfortunately, the other party was willing to purchase at market prices, not only because these potions
were rare, but even more so because of their interest in a Potions Grandmaster's identity.

"I certainly hope that I can get my hands off these items as soon as possible, so that I can obtain enough
magic crystals to use during the auction! Since you are so sincere, of course I'll go with the second
method!" Leylin said. Although he might be able gain more by auctioning them, it was definite that he
could only receive the payment after the auction. He did not want that.

"That's great! Purchasing so many high-grade potions is also very helpful for my sales record, Thank you,
Sir." Serene chuckled, as if she could not see the many precious potions piled up in front of her.

"I estimate the total price of the potions to be around 98 million magic crystals! Sir, do you have any
objections?" The words that Serene said after that slightly shocked Leylin.

However, his shock immediately relieved. He was in the other party's territory and the potions had
already been piled up on the table for a long time. Estimating their worth based on detecting techniques
was not something hard.

No wonder she did not look much at the table after entering. This was why.
"A very reasonable price!" Leylin nodded. Of course, he already had an estimate of the value of his
items. This price was obviously based on the current market rate, and might even have a little bit higher.

"Ordinary customers automatically become VIPs once their transactions involve a total of over 50 million
magic crystals in our Azure Mountain auction house, making things much more convenient for them...
But for someone to enter the VIP rank in the first transaction like you, Sir, is very rare!"

Serene smiled, her blue eyes gleamed with a charming radiance. It was as if she wanted to see through
the veil and take a look at Leylin's real face.

She clapped, and the door opened for a moment before a servant walked in, holding a tray.

On the red tray lay a purple-gold card as well as a black pouch.

"This is the payment and the VIP certificate! Please verify and accept this, customer!" When it came
down to business, Serene regained her serious expression.

Without any trace of politeness, Leylin walked up to check on the items, especially the magic crystals.
Using the A.I. Chip, he scanned continuously to check for their purity and quantity, before giving a nod
upon confirming that nothing was overlooked.

When the transaction ended, Leylin did not leave immediately. Serene also accompanied him, beaming
with a smile without a trace of annoyance.

The two beat about the bush for a long time before Leylin spoke up. "Actually, I still have two more
matters to ask for your help!"

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 454 - The Commencement of the Auction

"What does Sir need?" Serene beamed while asking.

A Potions Grandmaster was hard to come by, and even the Azure Mountain auction house would spare
no effort to entice him.

If the other party had any requests, that would be easy to handle! In the central continent, there were
few things a Morning Star Magus could not do.

"The reason why I came to the Azure Mountain auction this time round was because I want to acquire a
precious resource. My sources tell me that said resource is going to be sold here..." Leylin said without a
hurry.

"Is Sir trying to ask about the details of the seller before completing the transactions?" Serene's face
revealed her dilemma, "What is it? If it's about the few rare items, we, the Azure Mountain auction
committee is unable to make any decisions!"

Leylin laughed and whispered a few words into Serene's ears.

"You actually want... " Serene's pupils widened, before she instantly smiled wryly.

"Those things are too hard to come by. Even my grandfather would not sell it. I'll not keep it from you.
Previously, a few batches of people have came to me wanting to obtain some information, but we have
not revealed any of the information because the high-ranked Masters have already noticed the auction
pieces..."

"Ah, I see..." Leylin seemed slightly disappointed. From the looks of it, the astral stone was indeed very
precious. Just its appearance here had already aroused attention.
For Serene to call them Masters, they had to be Morning Star Magi; there was no other possibility.

At the same time, Serene also looked at Leylin with astonishment.

Astral gate research and experiments could only be conducted and hosted by Morning Star Magi. Even
preliminary research had a high requirement, needing one to be a Hydro Phase Magus with a high-
ranked Magus Tower.

This customer's strengths seemed to be very robust.

"Let's put this matter aside and talk about another matter, the private gathering after the auction. What
are the prerequisites to entering the venue?" Leylin asked casually after quickly collecting his feelings
when he was not able to obtain a reply from Serene.

'This question!' Serene lightly let out a sigh of relief.

This was within her purview. If it hadn't been, she would have failed at satisfying either of her guest's
questions, which was equivalent to stepping on his feet.

"The private gathering will be held within 3 days of the closure of the auction. We will announce the
actual venue later. With regards to entrance requirements, sir is already a VIP of the Azure Mountain
auction, and hence you fully qualify for the private gathering. I'll send someone to inform you closer to
the event date..."

"Excellent!" Despite a few flirtatious invites from Serene urging him to stay, Leylin left behind a few
methods of contact and got up to leave for the auction.

Even though she was rejected, Serene did not feel an ounce of anger. She smiled until Leylin had left
before returning to the auction.

"How was it? Did you verify his identity?" In her office quarters, a golden-haired middle-aged man with a
walking stick asked casually, and seemed to be very aware of Leylin's actions.

"Nope. He was very cautious!" Serene smiled wryly.

"I looked through the details of all the Potions Grandmasters in the vicinity, and none of them match his
personality. Is he from a different region?"

Even though the Azure Mountain's auction had a great reputation, but they only attracted Magi below
the Morning Star realm. Moreover, the list only contained Magi residing in this region.

"Perhaps he's someone with a lot of experience, someone worth recruiting. After all, we can involve him
in the matter that we are currently plotting, which would fit Grandfather's requests..."

The middle-aged man's tone was very neutral, but having heard his words, Serene's eyes lit up, "Do you
mean..."

......

With growing anticipation and the many conspiracies in the shadows, time ticked by, until it was finally
the first day of the auction.

This was a festival for Azure Mountain City. Not only did the residents carry lit lanterns and played with
fireworks, but the streets were also bustling with activities.

It wasn't uncommon for Magi to make underground exchanges and interactions.

And the Oakheart Clan, as the regional power, had sent out many elite units to suppress the situation
and maintain order.

'Speaking of which, this is a festive event for many of us magi who are below the Morning Star rank!'
Leylin snuck into the crowd and walked along, occasionally glancing from side to side.

The A.I. Chip gave out warning after warning.

The crowd that Leylin was in mainly consisted of Magi. Ranks 1 and 2 were common, and even rank 3
Magi were not rare, with some who were on par with Leylin himself.

Those Magi were all like Leylin. They were in disguise, and had concealed themselves further with thick
cloaks or veils, appearing to be very cautious.

'Whether major powers or fugitives, no vengeance can be had here. This rule has been carried down
from previous auctions, eh.' Leylin smiled and pressed his cap down further, as his continued to
inconspicuously scan through the dangerous people identified by the A.I Chip.

At that moment, the Azure Mountain auction's gates were opened at the city center. Numerous hosts
and Magi came forth, welcoming the incoming Magi in the most glamourous gowns.

The normal entrance had already been filled to the brim with Magi, and the rest had no choice but to
line up behind them.

Why were they so obedient? The welcoming committee was the greatest deterrent.

They were elite Magi of the Oakheart Clan. Not only did many of them possess powerful spells, they
even had some methods of combined attacks. Even Crystal Phase Magi would be hard-pressed to even
flee were they to attack in large numbers.

The VIP entrance, on the other hand, was vastly different. Magi entered from time to time, and they
would immediately be given looks of respect.

VIP membership in the Azure Mountain auction represented not only identity, but also status. To take
out 50 million magic crystals for a business deal was not just a matter of being wealthy. This was the
Magus world; were they to not have enough power to keep their wealth, all the riches in the world
would not prevent their being robbed.

As a result, the status of a VIP represented a certain amount of power.

Of course, Leylin would not choose to queue with those low-ranked Magi for a seat, and so he took a
turn and walked towards the VIP entrance.

After Leylin left the crowd, he realised that a huge bunch of people had the same intentions as him, and
he even knew them.

"I'm sorry, but according to our regulations, a VIP card can only allow for the entrance of two more
Magi!" Serene bowed in apology, but the young married woman in front of her still refused to budge.

"Who do you think you are? We are the Rolithe Family..." Jessia became red in the face, but Nolan
pulled her to the side, face plastered with a bitter smile.

The two bodyguards at the side had a solemn look on their faces, and did not seem to be intimidated by
the reputation of the Rolithe Family.

The other party was a small clan without even a Morning Star Magus. If they were to give in to them, the
Oakheart Clan would be treated as a joke!
Nolan obviously knew this point, and he muttered a few words to Jessia.

Beside them were two Magi, both at rank 3. One caught his eye—"That old man?"

Leylin looked at the Magus standing at the front. His face was sunken and he wore on his ear a red ruby
pendant that seemed to have some symbolic meaning.

"He must be the clan leader of the Rolithe family, the one who is rumoured to have reached the peak of
the Hydro Phase!" Leylin calmly walked over. He had managed to subdue Toram who used a secret
technique to break through to the Crystal Phase. He naturally didn't consider the old man a threat.

"Jessia, I thought you didn't want to take part in auctions like these?" Nolan helplessly persuaded. This
wife of his had originally said that she wanted to come here just for fun and would not partake in the
auction. However, something had come over her today and she had insisted on coming.

However, their family still had an elder at rank 3 who'd come along this time as well, and hence the
quota had already been filled.

With their feeble strength as a small family clan, the Oakheart Clan would not make a special exception
for them and allow them to exceed the quota for the VIP entrance.

Leylin could not help but notice that after marriage, Nolan had indeed matured a lot.

"I just want to go in to have a look. Grandpa Vance, can't you just let me in?" Jessia tugged at the old
Magus' arms, and started to act coquettishly.

Vance, who was bothered to no end by her could only smile wryly as he glanced at Serene, "Look..."
"I'm extremely sorry, Mister Vance! Even though I'm an old friend of yours, rules are rules. If this lady
would really like to enter, she can only enter through the normal passageway!" Serene had a
professional smile on her face. Even though her tone sounded sincere, it seemed to have a tinge of
hypocrisy within.

It's only a small family clan and she need not put in so much effort.

"No! I refuse to walk through that passageway!" This turn of events had attracted the attention of many
Magi. Jessia's refusal to agree had caused them much embarrassment.

"Excuse me, please make way! There are other VIPs on the way!"

At that time, Serene's eyes lit up as she quickly walked to welcome the incoming VIP, "Lord Blood Rogue,
it's been a long time since we met!" As compared to the response before, Serene seemed much more
enthusiastic.

Having seen such an attitude, Jessia and even Nolan looked dispirited.

"What's the matter?" Leylin asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Oh, there's nothing much! The guest quota of this customer is already full, but this lady insists on
entering!" Serene summarised the event.

"Put it on my quota, then! I'm not bringing anyone anyway!" Leylin shook his head.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 455 - The Watcher and The Ladybird

"Since that is what Sir Blood Rogue wants, of course it's possible!" This was a small matter, and the rules
were flexible enough to accommodate it. Furthermore, Serene wanted to attempt roping in Leylin, so
naturally she would give him due respect.

In actual fact, even if Leylin's quota was full but he still wanted to bring more people, Serene would
agree to it.

After all, in her eyes, a Potions Grandmaster was of a much higher status than the Rolithe Family, which
only had a single Hydro Phase Magus.

"Really? Thank you so much, Sir!" Nolan immediately expressed his delight. He, of course, did not
recognise Leylin who had changed his disguise, and bowed with Jessia.

"Many thanks..." Jessia was slightly reluctant, but she bowed anyway, still feeling wronged.

"Alright!" Leylin nodded in a reserved manner, and was about to enter the auction venue.

"Hold on! Dear friend, my name is Vance Rolithe! Thank you so much for this!" The old man by the name
of Vance had been standing by the side, waiting for Leylin to start walking so that he could enter the
auction venue with him side by side. The wine red carpet extended continuously under their feet.

"Nothing much, just a bit of help while I'm here!" Leylin replied, but god knew what expression he had
under his hood.

He reached out and stroked the round coin on his chest.

'The reaction is getting stronger! Perhaps what I need is with the other party, hehe... Jessia, you've given
me a large present!'
Leylin shot a glance at Jessia, who was walking with her head held low. This woman still seemed rather
fiery.

The scene outside the auction venue had completely stripped her of her vanity, making her aware of
how inferior and helpless she really was.

She did not show the slightest amount of gratitude to Leylin who had given her a hand earlier.

Of course, she didn't recognise Leylin as well, and was instead cursing and grumbling inside, "Wretched
Leylin! If not for you, I wouldn't be here and suffer such humiliation... You'll see. Don't let me bump into
you tonight, or else..."

A sinister look flashed across Jessia's eyes, but was quickly masked. As her head was partially lowered,
her expression was not discovered by anyone.

That's right. The main reason for her being here was Leylin. Ever since she saw Leylin at Azure Mountain
City, revenge was all that was on her mind.

Plus, according to the elder that had seen Leylin with them, he was only in the initial phase of a rank 3
back then and hadn't even entered the Vapour Phase.

As long as they could find him, Grandfather—whose strength had already reached the peak of the Hydro
Phase—would definitely be able to help them seek revenge!

But what disappointed Jessia was that no matter how hard she searched Azure Mountain City, even
going so far as to stand guard at the pastry shop they had met in, he was nowhere to be found.

Leylin had long since changed his identity to Blood Rogue, and even if they were to meet face to face on
the streets, Jessia would definitely be unable to recognise him.

After countless futile attempts, Jessia could only grudgingly give up further plans to continue the search.
Instead, she turned to other ideas.

She would strike at the auction!

She was extremely certain that Leylin would appear here, attracted by the auction. Therefore, even if
she hadn't found him for the time being, she would find him at the venue!

As such, her trip here was to relieve her of her troubles. It was why Jessia, who didn't have even the
slightest bit of interest in the auction, had pestered Nolan to bring her here.

However, she seemed to have forgotten something. Not only would there be a huge number of Magi
attending the auction, making it impossible to comb through everyone, there was also another problem
that would be highly difficult to solve: as long as he was an official Magus, he would definitely have the
ability to change his appearance! Once Leylin was in disguise, even if she wandered around the entire
venue, it would be impossible to find him.

Jessia might have thought about this were she not filled with rage and fuelled by hatred, making her lose
her ability to think rationally.

At this moment, Leylin and Vance had reached a crossroad.

"Haha, it has been a pleasant conversation with you, Blood Rogue. I shall head to my room. Maybe we
can each leave our secret imprints behind, and meet again to chat another time..." Vance was
deliberately trying to get close to Leylin; after all, he evidently was holding a high position at the Azure
Mountain auction.

The more people of high-standing that they knew, the more benefits their family stood to gain.
"Sure!" From under the hood came a laugh that been altered by the A.I. Chip. At the same time, a secret
imprint emerged.

After saying their goodbyes, Leylin followed the maid to his room. The room was decorated very
luxuriously, but it was rather small, and could only accommodate a maximum of three chairs placed side
by side without squeezing them close to each other.

'No wonder they only allowed two other people to enter, I'm afraid that Jessia will have to stand at the
side—oh, no, maybe Nolan will stand at the side, while Jessia takes his seat...' Leylin let his thoughts run
wild.

At the same time, he was sizing up the whole cubicle. The most captivating part of the entire room was
the huge screen in the centre, where numerous auction items would appear.

Leylin fiddled with the bidding machine and communication equipment for a while and quickly got the
hang of it.

The quality of the sound-proofing between cubicles was excellent, and the entire booth immediately
went quiet when the maid left.

"Something doesn't feel right! A.I. Chip, scan!"

Leylin leaned against the top of the chair and stroked his chin, seemingly meditating out of boredom or
deep in thought, but yet a faint blue glow flashed across under his eyes.

[Starting scan, no abnormalities!] A few moments later, the A.I. Chip's conclusion alarmed Leylin.

"What?! That can't be true, as an owner of the auction, how is it possible that a basic intelligence-
gathering spell formation has not even been set up? Scan again, activate combined tri-unit operation,
mobilize atomic microscope!" Leylin immediately realized the root of the problem.
How could such Magi be at ease at an auction? Even though on the surface they said it was for
protection, the necessary surveillance was still required.

Perhaps some Morning Star Magi could avoid such treatment, but Leylin clearly did not qualify.

[Beep! Orders received! Mobilizing atomic microscope, starting in-depth scan!] The A.I. Chip
immediately began operating again.

This time, a discovery was made within 3 seconds.

[Beep! Discovered traces of microscopic beings, no similar image found in database!]

The A.I. Chip sent the report loyally, and projected an image into Leylin's brain.

The image was clearly a magnified version of the image from the atomic microscope. In an environment
made up of numerous cell-like objects, living creatures similar to ladybirds that were the size of fine
particles were patrolling around the cracks. Together, they even formed a spell rune.

"This is..." Leylin's pupils contracted, "Manlar's Eavesdropping Rune! And what is this creature? It is
actually so tiny that an atomic microscope is needed to examine it..."

A chill ran down his spine as he ordered the A.I. Chip to scan his self. After confirming that these
ladybirds only stayed on the floor of the room and that there were none in contact with his body, he
heaved a sigh of relief.

'Although I don't know what other purpose this creature serves, its mere ability to spy by forming runes
is extremely hard to deal with and dreadful...' Leylin's heart was heavy, but he maintained a drowsy
appearance, so no one thought that something was wrong.

'Looks like the entire auction venue has been covered with these tiny bugs. Also, someone is using their
characteristics to build a spell formation... Such a thing can only be done by the Azure Mountain King!'

Leylin was very certain. Although he was well-equipped with knowledge and experience, he had never
heard about such a ladybird before, so it was likely to be a creature from a different world that had been
captured and made use of by the Azure Mountain King to form a strange spell formation.

A spell formation deployed with utmost care by a Morning Star Magus would not be discovered even by
a rank 3 Crystal Phase Magus.

Leylin even suspected that even other rank 4 Magi would not find out easily.

This would also explain why this secret had never been revealed, and why the Azure Mountain auction
had been having such good business void of any nasty incidents.

Under the watch of the ladybirds, no matter what plans one had, they would be hard to implement.

'He is indeed worthy of being a Morning Star Magus!' Leylin gasped without saying anything else, acting
as though he hadn't discovered anything.

However, this also explained why VIPs were given such tiny rooms. Judging by the strength of the
Oakheart Clan, even if they built a spacious and luxurious cubicle for every single VIP, they wouldn't face
any financial pressure. The only possibility why they didn't was because of such a spell formation.

A surveillance spell formation that was able to cover the entire auction venue was incredibly expensive.

After all, the entire venue accommodated a huge number of Magi! The current surface area that it
occupied was the maximum, and could not be expanded further.

As the boundaries of the spell formation ended there, if the compound was further expanded, there
would be blind spots in the surveillance, which would obviously not be permitted by the Azure Mountain
King.

At this moment, a voice sounded, as though it came from right in front of Leylin. "Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to Azure Mountain City. We thank you for being here at this distinguished event. I am
honoured to be your humble host, Leo Oakheart..."

Soon after, many images appeared on three of the walls, revealing a humongous platform on which a
gold-haired middle-aged nobleman wearing a swallow-tailed coat was making a speech.

'A 3D hologram technique?!' Leylin almost yelled, but immediately came to his senses; it was only an
effect achieved by spells.

It seemed as though Leylin was sitting in the best spot, directly facing the host of the auction. Certainly,
the Magi in the other cubicles felt the same.

A row of words appeared on the screen in the centre of the room. "The first auction item will now be
presented, a Fiery Gemstone..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 456 - Wing of the Sun

Behind the introductions were several other rows, each describing the items following the first.

"...... Now, please allow me to present the first item of this year's auction: a treasure produced from the
Fiery World, the Fiery Gemstone!" The host announced loudly, lifting the gauze from the tray behind
him at the same time.
*Boom!* In a flash, 3 pieces of translucent crystal emerged before Leylin's eyes. An unceasing flame
seemed to be burning in the cores of the crystals.

"Treasures from another plane!"

Numerous Magi gasped. In order to start off the auction successfully, the Azure Mountain auction house
had indeed put in much effort. Evidently, the first auction item was unexpected for many of them.

"The Fiery Gemstone is rumoured to be a treasure of the central Blazing World. Containing heavily
compressed fire elemental particles, it can help break through and upgrade a fire-attributed Magus'
spiritual endowments, and is even an essential item the advancements of many high-grade fire
elemental meditation techniques..." the host continued.

However, very few spared the attention to listen to him anymore. They had all averted their rapacious
gazes to the Fiery Gemstone on stage.

Even Leylin was slightly tempted by this item, leave alone the other Magi.

Resources from other planes, could only be obtained by Morning Star Magi due to the requirement for
an astral gate. For rank 2 and rank 3 Magi like them, they were an inaccessible existence.

It's small-degree spiritual endowment enhancing effects especially drove many of them crazy.

"Alright. Now we will begin the auction for the compressed blazing gemstones, with the starting bid at 5
million magic crystals!" The host reported a figure, which was soon drowned amongst a cacophony of
bids.

Huge figures appeared on the screen, which was refreshed again and again with the highest quoted
price.
Leylin speechlessly watched the numbers spike on the corner of the screen, exceeding ten million in a
flash and going all the way up to around 50 million before slowing down. He could not help but smile
bitterly.

"I originally thought that the more than 90 million magic crystals from the Azure Mountain auction
house was already a large fund. Now it seems it will be really difficult to win the bid for the astral
stone..."

Leylin extinguished all thoughts of pressing the bid button. Although he had many items that he could
use as payment and winning the bid for the compressed blazing gemstone was not hard, it was too
ostentatious. Furthermore, his funds were limited, they had to be saved for later and were not to be
wasted on this.

Because he had already decided to give up, Leylin was able to relax and engrossedly watch the group of
high-ranked Magi fight furiously over these treasures.

The value of otherworldly treasures still exceeded Leylin's expectations. Not only were the VIPs in the
VIP lounge going all out, even Magi seated at the regular auditorium began quoting prices to fight for
the items as well.

"Possessing the financial ability to compete for the Fiery Gemstone yet withdrawn within the regular
auditorium crammed with all those low-ranked Magi, he is also a rascal pretending to be weak!" Leylin
looked at a red-haired youth and assessed monotonously.

"Bidding closed, the three people who quoted the highest price will obtain the rights of attribution to
the Fiery Gemstone!" The host, who stood on the central elevated platform with a slightly flushed face,
spoke with an obvious excitement.

Now, on the screen, the large figures stopped in a moment. The highest bid had reached a shocking 85
million magic crystals! The second and third highest bid merely differed from the first by not more than
1 million magic crystals.
"This is crazy!" Leylin shook his head.

Clearly, the quoted price this time had been overshot by a lot, even exceeding the original expectations
of the auction house. The host calmed down and began introducing the next auction item, "Magic
equipment – Aphopis' Scepter! Starting bid: 38 million magic crystals or resources of equivalent
worth..."

An entirely golden, magnificently crafted scepter instantly appeared within Leylin's sight. At the head of
the scepter, many gold tassels and decorations formed the shape of a sun's corona, emitting light and
heat continuously.

"40 million magic crystals!"

"50 million magic crystals, and 3 moonstones on top of that!"

Evidently, this piece of magic equipment was already renowned among this group of Magi. Even before
the host finished speaking, the Magi below had already begun quoting prices.

Leylin rested his chin on his hands and as he watched, he suddenly felt that he was actually considered
poor.

Compared to these central continent Magi who took possession of rich resources and had long-spanning
inheritances, even if he plundered the entire Twilight Zone, he would still only be considered slightly
rich.

If not for those few incidents of huge profit, and if he was not a Potions Grandmaster, he definitely
would not have dared to participate in the auction for the astral stone.
Shortly after, the piece of magic equipment, Aphopis' scepter, was bought by a Magus in the VIP lounge
at a high price of 90 million magic crystals. Many Magi could not help but take note of the VIP lounge
number.

The Azure Mountain auction was no doubt the top power in this area. What followed next was a large
quantity of rare Magus treasures, information on high-grade meditation techniques, and also a great
amount of valuable resources appearing on the stage one after another, something which many Magi
pursued.

The high-grade potions that Leylin initially sold were in there too. Although there were only a part of it,
they were still sold at sky-high prices. The desires of Magi for high-grade potions could never be
satisfied.

This made Leylin rather happy but at the same time, he secretly rolled his eyes.

He originally thought that the Azure Mountain auction house undertook a definite loss when they
purchased his potions, but now it seems this transaction greatly profited the other party instead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's auction is approaching an end, our Azure Mountain auction house has
specially decided that the biggest treasures of this time's auction will be up for auction at the last
moment!" The host's words piqued Leylin's interest uncontrollably as he fixed his gleaming eyes on the
stage.

"This time's auction will continue on for 3 days, which means to say, there are 3 extremely valuable
items to auction! There are few opportunities!" The host's voice carried a hint of temptation.

"Next, please allow me to grandly introduce the first treasure: the ancient advanced meditation
technique—Wing of the Sun!"

Following his words, the curtains on both ends of the stage were drawn, exposing the precious object
behind it. It looked no different from the common large swords. Its model was full of antiquity and the
middle section of its blade had obvious cracks on it, with the tip of the sword missing.

Even more so, what caused Leylin to slightly lose his spirit was the drop of golden blood on the blade of
the broken sword, which looked as if it contained a life of its own. It took the form of a spiral and shone
with radiance continuously.

"As you all know, once a Magus surpasses the Morning Star realm, reaching an even scarier and more
unpredictable state, their lives will begin to sublime. Even the smallest cell of their blood will contain a
deep secret about themselves, so much so that they may achieve blood reincarnation..."

The host's voice carried a slight excitement, "And this broken sword, had once been in contact with a
little bit of the blood of the ancient Sun's child! Through our appraiser's verification, although the blood
on the broken sword has completely lost its life energy, this sole drop of blood holds the information
about the meditation technique of the Sun's child from that time!"

"Sun's child!!!"

As soon as the host spoke, Leylin somewhat lost his cool.

It wasn't rare for the relic of such a powerful person from ancient times to contain some fragments of
information. Even the Lamia fingerbone could forcibly catalyse the formation of a soul by the means of
its own radiation. But to contain the complete information about the meditation technique was
extremely rare.

Based on Leylin's conjecture, the Sun's child must have had a premonition about his death when he was
facing his enemy and thus deliberately left a legacy behind.

Only, what amazed Leylin was that he had never expected to see a relic of that Sun's child, who was
amongst the ranks of Quicksand, in this place.
Somewhere, he had a feeling that maybe, his fate with the ancient bloodline Warlocks—the Quicksand
Organisation, was not so short-lived.

"We can guarantee that the meditation technique—Wing of the Sun—is absolutely complete! The
ancient top meditation technique is still a great reference for us even if we are unable to practise it!
Moreover, although the bloodline of the Sun's child on the sword has completely lost its life energy, you
never know, there may still be certain spells that can restore its vitality. If it's like that, I'm afraid the
Warlock structure of the entire central continent will be revised......"

The host was trying his best to delude them, "For this auction item, the starting bid—200 million magic
crystals, or other equivalent resources!"

After the host finished his sentence, the scene became calm and actually fell into a short, temporary
awkward silence.

The numerous Magi, all stared at the broken sword and its golden spiral which was on the elevated
platform, with unknown thoughts.

"Huff..." Leylin gave a long sigh, "If Mentor Gilbert was here, he'd buy this at all costs..."

Of course, Leylin was sure of one thing—the auction would be conducted for three days and a valuable
item would be revealed every day at the last moment; this advanced meditation technique was only the
cheapest among the three precious treasures.

The advanced meditation technique, Wing of the Sun, was similar to Kemoyin's pupil—a technique
specially customised for individual Warlocks. The criteria to practise it was to possess the bloodline of
the ancient Sun's child. According to Leylin's intelligence and knowledge, ever since the ancient Sun's
child of Quicksand died, there had not been any news of the birth of similar bloodlines in the entire
central continent.

Hence, the Wing of the Sun meditation technique was at most useful for Magi as a reference, causing its
worth to plummet.

Also, the blood on the sword had lost its life energy and could not be used as a bloodline to be
introduced into Magus bodies and passed down. Even though it looked very precious, its real worth was
in fact not much.

Of course, the relatively low worth of this item was only when compared to the other two treasures. To
Leylin, the price of this treasure was still too high to afford.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 457 - Despicable

"What a pity..." Leylin sighed. If he was willing to use up all of his magic crystals, and sell a few more
precious materials on top of that, he would stand a chance in bidding for the Wing of the Sun. Even
though that was good, it did not quite fit his requirements as his main intentions were still to obtain the
astral stone.

However, if Duke Gilbert was here, he would be willing to offer a sky-high price for the Wing of the Sun,
even if was only going to be useful for research!

A higher-ranked bloodline as well as a top-notch meditation technique! These were temptations that a
Warlock would easily succumb to.

Upon getting hold of this precious object, they must have exhausted all possible methods until it was no
longer possible to exploit the bloodline of the Sun's Child, before reluctantly putting it up for auction. If
not, they would never have minded transforming into a Warlock family.

As far as Leylin was aware, there wasn't a single Warlock Family on the central continent that could
reach rank 6. In other words, if one was really able to combine the blood of the Sun's Child together
with the meditation technique, a Breaking Dawn bloodline Warlock would be able to gradually rise to
power in the central continent!

"A loss in such a bloodline is totally impossible to recreate in the present central continent!" Leylin
remembered that he had received data on fusion and modification of bloodlines from Quicksand Castle.

"If I were to make use of the modification technique, together with the genetic reformation function of
my A.I. Chip, there might just be a possibility of success...." However, even if it succeeded, this would
only produce yet another ancient bloodline treasure for Leylin.

He already had a pure ancient red dragon bloodline on hand. However, it was a pity that after a long
period of research, he had realised that he was still unable to transform his own bloodline. All the
research on synthesising and modifying bloodlines had gone down the drain.

A Warlock's bloodline did not only exist within his body, it was also merged with his spirit. Even Leylin
was at a loss for how to deal with this.

Ultimately, it is only when one has advanced to the Morning Star realm, and when their spiritual force
has undergone continuous advancements, then can they come into contact with the spirit itself.

As a result, even if Leylin was able to restore the bloodline of the Sun's Child, he would not have the
desire to bid for this treasure.

As a matter of fact, his interest in Wing of the Sun far exceeded his interest in the Sun's Child bloodline.

"It's an advanced ancient meditation technique!" It was indeed a higher level bloodline meditation
technique as compared to Kemoyin's Pupil. Even though they were both bloodline meditation
techniques, the Wing of the Sun was evidently at a much higher level.
Kemoyin's Pupil only had a total of four levels due to the origin of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Bloodline.
The Giant Kemoyin Serpent was originally a rank 4 creature, limiting the progress of a Warlock who
would partake in this technique. Since no Kemoyin Warlock could cross rank 4, there was no method to
attain a higher-ranked meditation technique.

On the other hand, the Sun's Child was different. It was originally a Rank 6 creature, hence allowing a
Warlock of its bloodline to reach rank 6 as well, thus engendering the highest level of meditation
techniques.

Customarily, in the central continent, a meditation technique with four levels that could let its
practitioner attain the Morning Star realm, to be called a high-grade meditation technique.

Furthermore, an advanced meditation technique of at least level 6 was needed for a Magus to peek at
the path to the Breaking Dawn realm.

Naturally, Leylin would not be contented with just a mere rank 4 Kemoyin's Pupil. His ultimate goal was
to reach Breaking Dawn and higher levels to reach immortality! Hence, the Wing of the Sun was
attractive. At least it could serve as a model upon which the Kemoyin's Pupil could be improved on.

Yet... Would it really be worth it to pay such a high price for a meditation technique that would merely
work as a reference?

Leylin shook his head, attempting to erase the thought from his mind.

'Meditation techniques are not tangible, but only information made up of words and pictures. Since the
Azure Mountain clan is certain that the meditation technique is complete, they're bound to have a copy
of the information as well as the bloodline of the Sun's Child. Perhaps I can start working from that
area...'

Leylin placed his hand on his chin as his thoughts wandered away.
After moments of silence, the Magi below finally responded.

"Two hundred and ten million magic crystals!" An aged voice called out from the VIP lounge.

As if it was a signal, the crowd immediately quoted their prices, practically flooding the screen.

This was after all an advanced meditation technique coupled with an ancient bloodline, thus it was
priceless. Even though there was not much use for it, the value of this precious object for collection
purposes had way exceeded its base price.

In addition, the vastness and mystery of spells were not something that current Magi could explore
completely.

Perhaps, in one of the hidden corners of the central continent, there lay a powerful technique that was
capable of activating the Sun's Child bloodline. If that was the case, by buying this precious object at a
low price today, one could earn a fortune in the future!

This was clearly what the majority of the Magi here thought.

This definitely included those Morning Star Magi who were rich and imposing, willing to buy this just for
their own research.

Even though the Azure Mountain auction house was unlikely to attract Magi of such levels, there were
bound to be some exceptions.

One such exception was within a VIP lounge that was distinctly larger than the room that Leylin was in.
The Magus inside had an emaciated face and silver eyes. He was wearing the Devil's Cry robe and
smiled, "I didn't expect to come across such a precious object!"
He didn't use the device to quote his price and instead said softly, "One billion magic stones!"

Strangely, even though his voice was soft, his comment was heard by the Magi in the entire auction
venue, leading to a halt in the quoting of prices.

Alas, one that could quote such a high price was obviously a Morning Star Magus. Who else would dare
to compete with him?

On the other hand, when Leylin heard this voice, his entire body suddenly stiffened.

'Demon Hunter Cyril!' Even though the tone of the voice was different, Cyril had left a deep impression
in Leylin's mind. His voice was recorded in his A.I. Chip and hence he recognised the other party
immediately.

'I can't believe that even he is here.' After calming himself, Leylin placed his hand on his chin and smiled
bitterly, 'In order to get such cheap auction prices, you can even scare the Magi in this venue. Demon
Hunter Cyril, you are still as braven as before.'

Even so, he did not intend to stand out to make a complaint.

Leylin understood that he should keep a low profile when he was at a disadvantage.

A Morning Star Magi was indeed a great deterrent. Once Cyril quoted his price, the entire auction house
became silent.

".... Okay! Since no one is increasing the price, I'll announce that this top-notch meditation technique
will belong to the Lord in the first VIP lounge!" The host laughed dryly, as he started to mediate the
scene.
In reality, his heart ached. According to him, this precious object should not only be worth one billion
magic crystals but instead, it should at least worth more than two billion magic crystals. It was definitely
possible to sell it at such a high price judging from the attendance of high level Magi in this venue.

Now? Even the Oakheart Clan was willing to offer more than one billion magic crystals for this
meditation technique. This was definitely a loss.

"My dear lord, your loot is here, please follow me to make the transaction. Also, the guardian of our clan
would like to see you."

At this moment, in the first lounge, Serene bowed respectfully and even her voice became a little shaky.

"Okay, I will go." Cyril waved his hand.

Even a Morning Star Magi was required to follow the rules. His rash behaviour would only lead to the
Morning Star Magi of the Oakheart Clan warning him.

In actual fact, he only had this one chance to do such a thing. If he dared to do it again, the Azure
Mountain King would definitely become hostile.

But it was clear that deep in his heart he did not feel remorseful at all.

What was reputation worth to him? Tangible benefits were the most important. Once he complied and
guaranteed that he would not do such a thing again, he could easily obtain such top-notch meditation
technique. So why not do it?

Demon Hunter Cyril was originally more crafty and despicable than demons. This was also the exact
reason why other Magi feared him.
As a result of Cyril's actions, the day's auction ended on a bad note.

Adding on that the attendance of Demon Hunter Cyril spread like wildfire, if the Azure Mountain auction
house did not guarantee that such a thing would not happen again, they would even incur more losses.

After all, who dared to compete with a Morning Star Magus? If such a thing happened in each auction
then the Azure Mountain auction house should just sell the items off to them instead.

As a result of the guarantee of the Azure Mountain Clan, the second day of auction went on as usual.

Leylin, too, came to the venue and watched emotionlessly as each precious object was bought by
others.

The day before, Serene had hinted at the appearance of the astral stone.

This was the exact reason why Leylin merely watched in silence throughout the entire auction.

Towards the end of the auction, the host then announced, "This is today's most precious item: astral
stone!"

Finally, Leylin was able to see his ultimate goal at this auction on stage—the astral stone.

The existence of the astral stone was widely known in the Magus World, but not many had laid eyes on
it.

A shiny black stone that resembled any other was brought on stage. Upon close inspection, the surface
of the stone reflected soft rays of blue light, as if it was starlight.
"The astral stone is a necessity for interplanar experiments! This stone weighs 1582 grams and its
density is very high. This is known to be the highest quality stone within this century. It has an
abundance of energy and is definitely the best choice for astral gate experiments!" The host rambled on
about the astral stone non-stop.

While the astral stone was indeed worth less than the top-notch meditation technique from the day
before, the application of this stone was widely known, hence the popular demand.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 458 - Blood Duchess

"This is an astral stone, the base price is set at 200 million magic crystals, and every increment set at a
minimum of 1 million. You may use resources of equal value to make up any difference! Let the auction
begin"

The presenter waved his hand and the huge screen in front of Leylin lit up immediately in bright colors.

Watching the numbers on the screen clambering up bit by bit, Leylin's mouth curved into a bitter smile.

His guess had come true, this astral stone was one of the three most valuable items up for auction. The
price had soared to an outrageous amount.

It looked like he did not have enough magic crystals at the moment and would need to sell some of his
resources.

Leylin was glad that he had no lack of good materials on him. Were he to sell them all, he would still
qualify to join the bid.
"One billion magic crystals!" Leylin immediately yelled his bid with an announcement device in the
hopes of scaring off the rest.

"Eleven billion magic crystals!" Another bid was heard immediately. It came from VIP lounge 1. Although
no other announcements were made after the first, who didn't know that the occupant of the VIP
lounge was the Morning Star Magus Demon Hunter Cyril?

Leylin stroked his chin and his eyes gleamed with traces of caution.

"Ha ha! Cyril, aren't you embarrassed to bid so low?"

Another voice was heard from VIP lounge 2. Soon after, the screen refreshed to reflect a new price,
"Twenty billion magic crystals!"

"Huh? This conduct, another Morning Star Magus?"

Leylin's mouth twitched in a bitter smile, "Trouble is brewing....."

Even though he was confident in his wealth, he was not egotistical enough to compare himself to
someone at the Morning Star realm.

Moreover, with these two Morning Star Magi nipping at each other, wouldn't he be courting death if he
were to get involved any further?

Yes, the astral stone was truly valuable and losing the opportunity of acquiring it was extremely
unfortunate, but compared to his own mortal life, Leylin knew exactly which was more important. He
sensibly gave up on contending for it.

On the other hand, Leylin did not lose all hope. There was still the anonymous barter that he was
looking forward to after the auction was completed.

In VIP lounge 1, Cyril's face hardened the moment he head the voice of the other party. "This voice... It
must be Emma, that bitch!"

He may have been swearing at her, but his face was actually filled with endless fear.

Blood Duchess Emma, was well-known for her crazy and savage ways. The other party was too a
Morning Star Magus, how could she not show him respect?

"Thirty billion magic crystals!" The astral stone was an important element in the current stage of his
astral gate experiments. In the near future, there was a possibility that he could uncover the coordinates
of the devils, hence his dire need for it. He knew he had to bid successfully for it, even if it meant paying
a sky-high price.

As such, Cyril yelled his bid reluctantly, as if his heart was bleeding.

"Haha... Cyril, your pocket is as poor as your city of sins, I bid forty billion!" Emma, who was seated at
the opposite side, had clearly received some unknown information, hence she was determined to not
give in.

The price for this astral stone clearly surpassed its actual value, which made him reluctant to bid. Yet, he
was evidently embarrassed by Emma's mockery a moment ago.

"Forty five billion magic crystals!" Cyril immediately shouted out. Deep in his heart, he made up his mind
that if the opposite party dared to bid further, he would give up. He would let her pay the unnecessary
magic crystals for it.

"Haha... Cyril, do you think I am going to bid further? Wrong, this astral stone is not such a special item
after all. It is no big deal if I were to let go and let you have it."
Unexpectedly, Emma withdrew and stopped bidding, causing him to feel a rush of anger.

"Honestly, to spend forty five billion magic crystals on an astral stone... Cyril, where has your astuteness
gone to?" she ridiculed sarcastically, adding salt into his wound.

"This bitch! One day... ONE day..." Cyril clenched his teeth in rage, wisps of blood clouding his silver
pupils.

The horrifying ripples had caused the other guests in other VIP lounges to feel uneasy.

"Emma, just you wait and see..." after tossing these last words at her, Cyril stood up and left in a hurry,
not wanting to linger for another second.

Leylin, on the other hand, upon hearing the name, was slightly taken aback. 'Blood Duchess? Isn't that
Freya's mentor?'

Blood Duchess Emma was a Morning Star Warlock, the second elder of the Ouroboros Clan.

'If it's her, it's no wonder she couldn't see eye to eye with Cyril...'

Leylin drew a deep breath. 'I didn't expect someone of such status to be present here. I am sure she has
just arrived, otherwise, the Sun's child bloodline would not have been acquired by him...'

After the favourable harvest from the Quicksand pocket dimension some time back, Leylin and company
had immediately relayed all specific details to Duke Gilbert.

Especially Leylin. With the presence of Cyril, they were sure they would never have the chance to step
foot in the Forgotten Land again. Therefore, he laid out the route map clearly and specifically, paying
special attention to the possibility that Quicksand Castle was the core of the pocket dimension.

His scheme was for the Ouroboros Clan to hanker after the Quicksand pocket dimension. In fact, if they
were to successfully seize it from the hands of Cyril, Leylin would then have the opportunity to conduct
deeper exploration.

One single pocket dimension would fail to stir the greed of the Ouroboros Clan. However, what if the
location in question was an ancient pocket dimension with another pocket dimension in within?

Especially since this pocket dimension was built by Ancient Warlocks at a time where rare natural
resources were scarce.

Other than the useful information, Leylin's bloodline crystals and Blood Vulture egg, as well as Robin's
own harvest, had left Duke Gilbert delighted.

As such, upon his return, Gilbert immediately invited the other two elders in the hope of joining
together to go up against Cyril.

According to rumors, after the showing of Ouroboros Clan's power, not only had they shamed Cyril
thoroughly, they also managed to be allocated a share of the pocket dimension, as well as priority
purchasing power, amongst other benefits.

Hence, from here on, the relationship between Cyril and the three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks
would naturally deteriorate.

In the past, when the 3 allied against Cyril, they almost defeated him.

Due to this same reason, Cyril had never forgotten about Leylin or the other two Warlocks. In fact, he
had even covertly issued warrants for their arrest.
This was one reason why Leylin had holed up in his territory bitterly for almost a century.

Learning of the positive outcome of the situation at the higher level, Leylin was truly relieved that he
could attend the auction held the next day, plus the anonymous barter thereafter.

Otherwise, he would have given up on the idea of attending the exchange.

The frightening probing abilities of a Morning Star Magus could not be underestimated. If Cyril had been
present throughout, there was no way Leylin could stay anonymous for long.

And once he was discovered by Cyril, he knew his life would be as insignificant as an ant, being crushed
by with just a single finger.

Now, armed with the knowledge that Emma was here, Leylin did not have the slightest amount of
intentions of acknowledging her.

If it were Duke Gilbert, he would have stepped up with warm greetings, in the hopes that he might, in a
way or two, help Leylin to acquire some astral stones or such, but Emma? Forget it.

She might have been an elder of the Ouroboros Clan, but they were from different factions, which might
make the meeting awkward.

His thoughts of Emma naturally led to those of Freya.

This female Warlock was indeed lucky. After the positive transaction of bloodline crystals with Leylin,
she had successfully managed to save her family. And thereafter, there were rumors of her research in
seclusion. It was as if she was attempting to break through the bottleneck to advance.
It was known that, once a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock was promoted to the rank of the Morning
Star realm, their bloodlines would be purified. This method was naturally preferred compared to that of
obtaining it through the easier method of having a pure-blooded Warlock join the family.

What was worth mentioning was the fact that, among the female Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan, Freya
was considered to be one with discipline and self-respect. The only negative characteristic was her
eagerness to be first.

Leylin stroked his jaw and pondered over the rumors about her decision enter seclusion. It was as if she
was trying to stimulate and break through the Hydro Phase.

Due to this reason, Leylin was even more adamant about not revealing himself to Emma. He dreaded
thinking about the possibilities of her forcing him to become a part of the family for the purpose of her
advancement. How awful would that be?

On the other hand, if he had been discovered by Cyril first, by hook or by crook, he would definitely seek
Emma out and ask for help. Any terms and conditions then would have been agreed upon, as it was all
worth keeping his life.

You could only have one life. Once that was lost, nothing else mattered. In such cases, Leylin's integrity
was relegated to the back seat.

With such misgivings, Leylin went low-profile once again. He made sure his spiritual force compression
technique and transfiguration spells were in full operation, and made sure his energies were not
discovered by the other two Magi.

Luckily, that fateful night, Leylin felt enormous energy undulations transmitted from far beyond Azure
Mountain City. It was not only him, many Magi were distracted by it.

Although they were very far away, the energy undulations were frightening and caused Leylin to feel
somewhat suffocated.
The lower ranked Magi felt nothing. Only those who were close to the Morning Star realm could notice
and be mindful of that terror.

Soon after, Leylin received news of Demon Hunter Cyril and Blood Duchess Emma's departure from
Azure Mountain City. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

With such volatile elements, the fewer there were in his life, the better.

This was probably the similar mindset of the other Magi. Under such circumstances, in the presence of
multiple Morning Star Magi, there was no way they could have acquired their desired treasures with
their limited magic crystals.

What were they to do if one of the two-eyed what they wanted?

A stifled atmosphere had hung over the auction these past two days. The most dissatisfied of them all
was the Oakheart Clan. With the intrusion of the law-breaking Cyril, their revenue had suffered a steep
decline.

The third day, the auction erupted in full force, as if finally free of suppression and mounting pressures.
The degree of liveliness far exceeded Leylin's expectations.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 459 - Peeping

The third day of the auction commenced with much flair. The lower ranked Magi had been suppressing
their enthusiasm and saving their magic crystals to the best extent of their abilities, hence once the
pressure was diffused they had exploded into action.
Every item was sold for a high price, so much so that Leylin was quite surprised by the number of
wealthy Magi that had emerged. Some were in the VIP lounges, but there were others amongst the
crowd. It seemed like although he was very rich, he did not belong to the group of the most wealthy.

Leylin witnessed one of the Magi in the crowd buy a treasure for more than 100 million magic crystals
nonchalantly. And the cause for this transaction was the ever-so-common jealousy of a love rival!

And when he began socialising with others, Leylin learnt that this young kid was the direct descendant
of a Morning Star Magus who possessed a lot of resources and influence. It was naturally for there to be
a lot of magic crystals at his disposal.

However, he hadn't dared to be arrogant in the face of the two Morning Star Magi present, and had
hence only revealed himself now.

Leylin also saw Vance, the patriarch of the Rolithe Family, successfully buy a spell formation that was
optimized to increase the chance of advancing to the Crystal Phase by 20%. At the same time, he'd also
bought a lot of other supplementary materials for the process. It seemed like he'd reached the
bottleneck and was ready to advance.

Leylin stole a glance at their party. According to the Coin of Destiny's guidance, the item he needed to
acquire now was probably in the possession of their possession.

The last great treasure up for auction was top-grade magic equipment— the Tri-Python Ring!

It was rumoured that the bodies and souls of three ancient cold pythons were extracted to cast this
piece of magic equipment. Not only was its spatial storage boundless, it could even withstand three full
attacks of a Morning Star Magus!

A full-power attack from an ancient Morning Star Maguse was known to be able to kill anything under
that level. Such spells had the ability to blot out all light; they could crush mountains and destroy rivers!
To possess the ability to withstand up to three such attacks, this Tri-Python Ring was undoubtedly the
most precious treasure up for auction this time.

Even Morning Star Magi would be envious of its ability. This piece of top-grade magic equipment would
be a great advantage in a battle between Magi of the same rank. It could flip the heavens and the earth
for its user's sake.

Its value climbed up steadily upto the last bid of 860 million by a Magus from a VIP lounge.

According to Leylin's estimates, that party could be a Morning Star Magus, in fact, it could even turn out
to be the Azure Mountain King.

In spite of the hiccups along the way, this Azure Mountain auction had concluded successfully. The
emergence of the Tri-Python Ring had created strong waves that continuously spread, even to the
surrounding areas.

Some lower ranked Magi began to leave the city, heading back home to continue with their own
research or embarking on another journey. With the decreasing number of Magi, the city seemed to
have regained some order. The original chaos had considerably eased up, and the situation became
peaceful.

Leylin and some other high ranked Magi, on the other hand, were waiting in silence.

To them, this auction was similar to an appetizer. The actual main course was yet to be presented.

On the surface, it looked like the Oakheart Clan had recalled their elite patrol. However, the actual fact
was that the level of caution had increased threefold. It was only that the security concerns were now
internal.
Everything was set up for the anonymous barter. The anonymity of the event meant that many Magi
were now disposing of stolen goods. Hence, there were going to be many precious high-quality
treasures offered for an attractively low price.

The Oakheart Clan would guarantee safety and confidentiality of both parties. On the other hand, they
would not be held responsible for the consequences and disputes that would arise after a successful
transaction.

In a room in a small hotel, Leylin who was in the midst of meditation opened his eyes. A flower-shaped
secret imprint emerged from his contact book, bringing with it the voice of Serene. "Sir Blood Rogue!
The anonymous barter will take place tonight. As for the venue..."

This woman had been attempting to rope Leylin into the Oakheart Clan, and had kept a close tab on his
whereabouts. Still, Leylin would not let her have her way. Not only had his past been hidden flawlessly,
his attitude towards her left him neither close nor distant, causing her great distress.

Finally, he had even changed his accommodations. The only way to contact him now was via secret
imprint, which left her helpless.

When night fell, Leylin changed his outward appearance once again. Following the directions he was
given, he arrived at a spot outside Azure Mountain City.

Unexpected incidences were not rare at such private events. Even under the watchful eyes of the Azure
Mountain King, the Oakheart Clan did not dare to hold the event within the city, choosing an outside
venue instead.

As such, even if anything were to happen, the damages would be reduced to a minimum.

'Huh? There are other Magi too?' After his descent, Leylin noticed another Magus who had also just
arrived a step ahead of him, walking towards an unremarkable cave.
"Welcome!" Two old men wearing the Oakheart Clan uniform emerged. Without any questions, they
handed over a black mask.

The Magus nodded his head without replying, accepted the mask, and headed in.

Without the need for a number, command, or even an invitation card, as long as any Magus knew of this
entrance, they would be granted access. In addition, they would be given items to help conceal their
identities. It was this persistent and tight secrecy that allowed the anonymous barter to be successful for
so long.

According to Serene, the entire location had been masked by a cover-up spell formation. With these
matching face masks and their own identity concealment, even their genders were difficult to make out.
Even Morning Star Magi could not see through these disguises.

Leylin's mouth curved into a bitter smile.

"In reality..." He stopped mid-sentence, and stepped over to take the mask from the old man before
proceeding to head inside.

Both these old men were at the Crystal Phase, and yet were stationed to guard the entrance. The
Oakheart Clan indeed had invested heavily into this event.

'A.I. Chip! Mobilize the atomic microscope and begin scanning!' Leylin commanded in silence.

[Beginning Scanning! Microscope engaged... *Beep!* Abnormality detected!]

The reply from the A.I. Chip was swift. Leylin noticed within his line of sight that on the black mask were
innumerable ladybugs flooding the surface. These were the same creatures that he'd seen at the
auction.
In fact, their numbers far exceeded what he had seen previously. They were even cautiously entering
Leylin's body.

'Hehe... This is the true Oakheart Clan!' Leylin shook his head.

The spell formation enveloping the entire barter was genuine. The concealment runes on the mask were
also genuine. Otherwise, it wouldn't have by-passed the inspection of the many Magi. However, the
Oakheart Clan had secretly planted these ladybugs all over the event area, including on all the masks.

They hadn't dared to tamper with the spell formation for fear of being discovered by Morning Star Magi.
However, with these ladybug spies, which were ten thousand times smaller than a speck of dust,
everything that every Magus did, and all other matters regardless of import would ultimately be known
by them.

'I'm afraid even Morning Star Magi won't be able to detect these... ' Leylin sighed, and a layer of fine
black powder appeared on his hand.

As if drawn by some unknown attractive force, the ladybugs advanced in the direction of the powder,
and soon lumped together into a ball.

'A.I. Chip! Begin imitation of the organism's energy signature, issuing misleading information!'

The A.I. Chip's feedback was immediate.

[Mission received. Beginning...]

Leylin had been low-key for these past three days, and hadn't bought anything at the auction. He had
held back due to fear of the espionage of these bugs.

However, he hadn't been idle at all. He'd made use of the A.I. Chip's abilities to continuously scan and
collate data about these bugs, learning all there was to know.

Knowing the tendencies of large organisations, if they'd rigged the auction to their advantage, there was
no chance they wouldn't do the same with the anonymous barter. In fact, the surveillance would even
be much stricter. Therefore, Leylin had prepared well with his own customized potion on top of his
disguise.

After the powder took effect, Leylin could see through the microscopes that the ladybugs had slowed to
a languid crawl. Soon, they all moved back to the mask.

Leylin was pleased and smiled. Walking in, he slid the mask on. At the same time, a mysterious current
and fine undulations emitted from his body.

At the huge barter event, in the centre of a hidden area.

"Reporting to Grandfather! According to feedback from the stardust bugs, everything is working
normally!" The present chief of Oakheart reported respectfully to a middle-aged Magus with blue hair.

"Hmm! There are rumors about some convicts from the north heading towards us here. They had stolen
some local treasure with intentions to trade and dispose of their stash. Be alert and pay special
attention!" The blue haired Magus spoke indifferently, without the slightest degree of power and
influence, yet it made the chief of Oakheart nod his head ceremoniously.

"Do not worry, under the strict surveillance of the stardust bugs, nothing can stay hidden, regardless of
the methods they use!" There was a reason for the chief's confidence.

This species of stardust bug was a unique find from another plane. The Azure Mountain King had
stumbled upon it during one of his interplanar experiments.

Thereafter, through intensive research, not only had he successfully tamed this organism, he had also
given it the ability to work as a probe, becoming the secret trump card of the Oakheart Clan. In the
entire clan, only the Azure Mountain King and the current elders knew of this.

Given their minuscule size, their energy undulations could not be detected without a special instrument.
Thus, even Morning Star Magi couldn't find out about them as they were spread everywhere
undetected.

The knowledge that these presumptuous Morning Star Magi had the impression that their concealment
skill was flawless, not knowing that everything was being exposed, made the chief smile heartily.

Of course, armed with such stardust bugs, he had even used them for his own benefits, to peek into the
naked body of female Magi and even kept the images. However, he was careful not to reveal such
details for risk of angering the other Morning Star Magi, and having them turn on the Oakheart Clan and
razing the entire clan to the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 460 - Assassin

"You're in charge of this. The opponent is merely a Magus at the Crystal Phase; with your secret guards,
you must take him down," the Azure Mountain King spoke nonchalantly.

"Understood, Grandfather!" The chieftain nodded before bowing and leaving.

After acquiring all the information, he would first let these fugitives dispose of their goods before he
went forth to hunt them down and receive the bounty. This method of taking advantage of both parties
was not a foreign concept to him.

If wealth was being accumulated quickly, it would usually involve bloodshed. Even if the Azure Mountain
King was a Morning Star Magus, the Oakheart Clan would not have been able to develop so quickly
without these methods.

The Oakheart chieftain's heart was aflame as he impatiently arrived at a control room, rubbing his
fingers. "How many Morning Star Magi will come to the anonymous barter this time? I"m looking
forward to it..."

"This is the central control room. Commanding all daughter elements to transmit gathered images," he
pressed a crystal and ordered.

Quickly enough, numerous fragmented projections formed a screen with many little squares on it. On
the surface were the outer appearances of the Magi participating in the barter, as well as their true
appearances.

Beside the images of some of the exceptionally beautiful female Magi were even full-body images. Of
course, they were without clothing. The chieftain's eyes widened, and he looked excited.

What he did not notice was that in one of the parts in the corner, Leylin's character had a completely
foreign face.

The barter was held in a large karst cave underground. The ground was filled with powerful runes and
brands, emanating formidable energy waves.

The mask Leylin had on gave off a black layer of light that resonated with the spell formation on the
ground, hiding his body in darkness.

From the outside, all the Magi who entered were black blobs of light, and it was difficult to even
distinguish their sexes.

In addition, the strength of the spell formation was something Leylin had never seen before. He could
not help but order the A.I. Chip to record the pattern down.

It was evident that this was a spell formation that only Morning Star Magi were able to set up. It was
even able to ward off the probing of other similarly-ranked Magi.

This had been verified by the many Magi who had participated in such events in the past.

It was a pity, though. Even if the Oakheart Clan hadn't tampered with the spell formation, they had
surreptitiously placed a deadly spy on all their bodies.

Bugs that were ten thousand times smaller than specks of dust would not be discovered even if on
someone's body. On top of that, these stardust bugs had the innate skill of concealing themselves.

With the Oakheart clan's nurture and specialised training, these stardust bugs had already turned into
dreadful spies that could tell the identities of every single Magus in the trading event.

"So sad..." Leylin strolled along with the numerous black blobs of light, feeling regretful.

He had yet to do much research on this type of bug. He could only achieve the effect of hiding himself,
but it would require a lot of time to trace the origin and even steal the others" footage from the central
control room. Perhaps, he might need to even develop his own stardust bugs and sneak them in to
achieve that goal.

All this required time! However, he only had three days at the auction. It was already amazing to be able
to accomplish what he had done. Wasn"t that obvious from how the many Morning Star Magi here had
yet to realise the secret of the stardust bugs and how their identities were completely exposed?

When the black blobs of light in the cave increased in number, a crisp bell sounded, attracting the
attention of multiple Magi to a circular stage at the centre.
Light began to flicker there, revealing a blond middle-aged Magus.

"The many of you may or may not know me. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Leo Oakheart,
the host of the Azure Mountain auction. I shall also be the host of this anonymous barter..." Leo's
expression was brimming with a warm smile.

"I"ll cut to the chase. As the anonymous barter only takes place for one night, I shall not waste any more
of your precious time. There are two parts to this event. First, the Magi who need to trade items can
come onto the stage in order to show the item you wish to sell, and declare what you hope to obtain in
exchange. Each person is limited to three items! When the time for the public exhibition is over, next
will be the trade. Everyone may communicate privately, but this place does not permit any fights, and
once you are out of range of this cave our Oakheart clan will not be held responsible for any of the items
you have traded!"

Nearing the end, Leo's voice became stern. As if to complement his words, a large pressure emanated
from within the spell formation on the ground like a huge mountain.

"Please do not worry. All of us are aware of the Oakheart clan's rules," a low voice sounded from within
the surrounding Magi. It was evident that some of these Magi had been here a few times.

"Good!" Leo nodded, and yielded his position on the platform.

*Swish!* The moment he left the stage, three streaks of black darted forth.

It was obvious that these Magi were all experienced. They knew that it was most advantageous to go up
first, since what they needed might very well be in the hands of the next Magus. The sooner they went
up, the easier it would be to obtain the items, and their own items would not be traded off so quickly as
well.

"Hehe... my apologies..." The black streak in the middle was lightning-quick, and reached the platform a
moment before the other two. A robotic voice sounded from the black streak, and it was difficult to
identify the gender of this person.

Upon seeing this, the other two streaks of black light hesitated and could only retreat. They knew the
rules of the Oakheart clan, and that if they did not obey they would be in trouble. Hence, they did not
have any plans of doing things by force or arguing.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, what I have brought to exchange here is an ornament, the "Forbidden Ancient
Clock". In exchange, I require..." The moment he spoke, the audience was in an uproar.

"The forbidden clock? Isn't that the inheritance of the Lucca clan in the north? Why is it here?"

"Rumours have been circulating recently that a few fearless Magi snuck into the clan and stole it, and
then scattered till they were near the Azure Mountain. He can't be one of them, can he?"

Leo, who was watching on, was also slightly surprised. He had not expected the other party to make
their move so quickly.

With a thought, countless stardust bugs crawled all over the Magus" body in secret. With them on his
body, that Magus would definitely be unable to escape from the Oakheart clan.

"The Forbidden Ancient Clock? A.I. Chip!" Leylin, who was under the stage, was similarly startled and
quietly issued a command.

[The Forbidden Ancient Clock. One of the mysteries inherited from ancient times. Said to hold the power
of time, and is the treasure of the northern Lucca clan.]

The A.I. Chip quickly came up with a paragraph and a picture. It was a vivid image from a piece of
parchment paper, within which was a giant black wall clock. The clock hand was twisted, and gave a
strange sense of confusion.
"The power of time?!" Leylin's eyes widened. "This is an extremely advanced power. How can low-
ranked Magi control it..."

There were many who knew about the rumours surrounding the Forbidden Ancient Clock. Many Magi
stared at the black blob of light onstage with fiery gazes.

Or to be precise, they were staring at the item the Magus was displaying.

It was a round ornament. It looked exactly the same as the picture of the ancient clock that the A.I. Chip
had shown. The surface was the colour of dark copper and did not seem the least bit special.

"A.I. Chip, scan!" Knowing something was off, Leylin commanded the A.I. Chip to perform a scan.

[Mission established. Beginning scanning. Beep! Interrupted by an unknown force field. Scanning unable
to proceed.]

On the interface of the A.I. Chip, Leylin saw a strange blank region at the sides of the black item,
preventing the A.I. Chip from scanning.

After advancing to become a rank 3 Warlock, the A.I. Chip had also been upgraded. Issues like this,
where there was interference from a force field that prevented it from scanning, hardly happened
anymore.

The only possibility was that this Forbidden Ancient Clock was the real deal. The A.I. Chip was still unable
to draw data on the power of time.

"However, what the A.I. Chip might be unable to probe might not be the clock, but some other
mysterious item that causes a similar reaction..." Leylin touched his chin and continued watching the
platform.
As expected, that Magus continued to demonstrate a few tricks, proving the authenticity of what he
held.

A unique treasure, especially one that was related to the domain of time, was more than enough to be
highly sought-after by Magi, even if it was merely a small component.

On top of that, this Magus had not quoted a very high price. Not only could it be exchanged with some
precious materials, he even accepted magic crystals. This immediately caused the eyes of all the Magi
present to go red in desire.

This was an anonymous barter event. Even if they obtained the item, the Lucca clan might not be able to
find them. The number of Magi who had this thought in mind was definitely not small.

At the end, another Magus shrouded in black light used an astronomical price of 15 billion magic crystals
as well as numerous precious materials and put pressure on the other competitors, finally obtaining this
item.

After obtaining this item, the Magus knew that he could not stay for much longer and quickly left in a
hurry. The Magus on stage did the same.

In order to protect customers, the Oakheart clan had even set up a random teleportation formation.
Customers leaving would be transported to any area near the Azure Mountain, which even the Oakheart
clan would not know. Hence, there was no need to worry about being followed.

However, these things were all just to prevent any attention. Leo had long since planted stardust bugs
on their bodies. Not just the seller; even the Magus who had obtained the item was now under his eye.

This feeling of being in control of another's fate was truly intoxicating.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 461 - Trade

Leylin noticed that after those two Magi left, a few others in the cave had secretly followed along. Under
the enormous temptation, it was evident that Magi did not mind being robbers every once in awhile.

'It's a pity that compared to the Oakheart clan, your methods are too cheap...' Leylin sighed and glanced
up at the stage once more.

When the Magus left the stage, another black ball of light streaked over to the position. A friendly male
voice sounded, "Ladies and gentlemen, what I shall now display is..."

Leylin watched on detachedly. The items on display were on a whole other level compared to the
auction, and there were many precious items, some of which could even be said to have already been
lost to time.

The prices of these medicines were lower. Most Magi demanded that their items be exchanged for
other items, and they were even willing to trade for lower-levelled materials.

There were few Magi who were like the one before, agreeing to trade for any item, and even agreeing
to take magic crystals. Most clearly indicated what resources they required. If nobody had the item, they
would not make the trade no matter how many magic crystals were offered up, and might leave
regretfully.

In general, though the items here were top-grade, so the chances of success were not very high.

Halfway through the event, it was finally Leylin's turn. He muttered to himself as he headed onto the
stage, already sure of which items he was going to exhibit.
An ancient black female crown, as well as a few multi-coloured potions, floated above his hands.

"A piece of magic equipment, the Dark Elven Crown. Extremely effective in concealing large groups.
There's also a blood-igniting potion, divine potions and other top-grade potions!" With a push, these
items all began to float, undulating with tempting lustre.

"I wish to obtain an astral stone in exchange for all these, or a means to obtain astral stones..." He had
produced these items after careful deliberation. The Blood-igniting potion and the many others were
top-grade potions, and with his knowledge as a Potions Grandmaster, it was not difficult to brew them
again as long as he had all the ingredients.

The Dark Elven Crown was not of much use to him, and it did not quite match his own strength. It
belonged to Twilight Zone, and Magi of the central continent would definitely be unable to tell its
origins, which made it perfect for sale.

Bloodline treasures or refined bloodlines held very obvious markings that could very well expose him.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Leylin had no wish to sell them.

It had to be said that the items Leylin had displayed were all very practical. The Dark Elven Crown was a
piece magic equipment after all, and was definitely valuable.

However, with all of the items together, he would probably only be able to obtain an astral stone the
size of a little finger. If he obtained information on how to acquire them, that would be quite generous.

Leylin watched the Magi downstairs expectantly. To construct an astral gate, it might not even be
enough to sell himself away to gather enough astral stones. He had no high hopes, however, as
constructing astral gates was something only Morning Star Magi were capable of.

All he wished now was to obtain resources to proceed with the preliminary research. For this reason, he
merely needed a few of astral stones.
However, the rarity of astral stones exceeded Leylin's expectations. Though the items he was exhibiting
caused a commotion amongst the Magi, nobody was willing to make this trade.

If they planned to use information, they lacked real news. One could not underestimate Magi; they were
extremely sensitive to the authenticity of this sort of information. The Magi below were also unable to
bring any news that would be able to cheat Leylin.

Leylin sighed inside.

All of a sudden, he saw one of the black blobs of light flickering at the corner of his eye.

Elated, he immediately commanded the A.I. Chip to use its scanning abilities at full power, even
emanating tempting ripples that lured the stardust bugs on the other party's body to cooperate.

In the A.I. Chip's field of vision, the figure of an old man vaguely appeared. The image from the stardust
bugs that Leylin had coerced might have been blurry, but it was enough for Leylin to recognise who he
was. This man was someone he had seen before!

'It's Vance, the head of the Rolithe family?' Leylin immediately let go of his hesitation and turned to
leave the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what I wish to trade is..." The moment he left, another Magus came up in a
hurry, producing materials gained from high-energy creatures. He went on and on, introducing the
item...

When everyone Magus had gone up once, Leo immediately announced that the event would now
continue to the free exchange segment.

This free exchange meant that all the Magi present would have a place to display the items they wished
to sell. It was just like a street stall.
This was also the last chance for Magi who had not profited at all from before.

Even if they could not obtain resources they were in urgent need of, they could also sell things here and
exchange for more regular items, such as magic crystals.

However, there were Magi who were already content or had no interest in magic crystals who left the
anonymous barter after the first segment by the teleportation spell formation.

Leylin unhurriedly came before an area and displayed the Dark Elven Crown and top-grade potions he
had exhibited previously. He mentioned that he would only accept astral stones, and had no intentions
of obtaining magic crystals.

He caught a glimpse of Vance, who was hesitating not far away, and grinned.

He was now 'fishing'. The other party had not come forward for some unknown reason, but he definitely
had an astral stone or might have some information about it. All this meant hope to Leylin.

"Sire, may I see what you have?" Unexpectedly enough, before Vance came over, another person had
been attracted to his stall.

This person had blond hair and a very amiable smile. In the entire floor, the only person not using magic
to conceal himself would be Leo.

"So it's Lord Leo. Of course, but I will only accept astral stones!" Leylin waved his arms, his voice already
changed using the A.I. Chip. He was thus not recognised.

"Tsk tsk... This magic equipment's design is very ancient, and even holds the style of the ancient Gloomy
Forest region..." Leo evidently had no eyes for the top-grade potions at Leylin's stall, but was evidently
unwilling to part with this dark elven magic equipment.

"My apologies!" After staring at it for a long while, Leo finally put down the crown regretfully.

"I have a female cousin who really likes things of this style. On top of that, this is even magic equipment!
I hope to buy it, so just tell me a price in terms of magic crystals..."

Leo's expression showed his sincerity. With his status, it was very rare that he would speak so amicably.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not lacking in magic crystals. I only want astral stones, no matter how small!" Leylin
politely rejected him, "I'm sorry, but you're in the way."

There were a few Magi waiting to watch a good show here with Leo around, but the blob of light that
signified Vance seemed to be shrinking back.

"Hehe... Sire, if you are willing to sell it, you shall gain a good relationship with our Oakheart clan!" Leo
focused on the black bundle of light in front of him, eyes seeming to look past the concealing formation
at Leylin's face.

"What? Is the Oakheart clan threatening me?" Leylin's voice went higher, attracting the attention of
many Magi.

"Of course not, you're misunderstanding! I was just impatient. My apologies!" This had not gone the
way Leo had expected. It was the first time a Magus had not taken his clan into account.

The prestige of his clan was the foundation of this very auction. He bowed in apology, but a sinister
trace glinted in his eyes.

'You... you dare treat me this way?' He silently sent down a command, and Leylin quickly found that the
stardust bugs that he had hypnotised into submission had received a command. They would reveal
information about his looks and ranking, as well as crawl over his body so that he could be tracked.

'If this were a regular Magus, they would be in trouble, but to deal with me...' Leylin sneered inside, 'A.I.
Chip, send fake fluctuations!'

[Mission established, beginning task...] Soon enough, false information was transmitted to Leo through
formless undulations, and successfully sent information on his location.

"Hehe... Sire, here is a portion of an astral stone as compensation!" Already thinking of Leylin as a dead
man, Leo magnanimously produced a purple embroidered case and placed it before Leylin.

'Oh? I'm unexpectedly profiting?' Leylin was delighted and opened the case, finding an astral stone the
size of a quail egg.

"I only wanted to try purchasing with magic crystals. Since you are unwilling to accept it, I can only
resign myself and part with this treasure." Leo's words were elegant, and he had even given up this
astral stone that was even more valuable than anything Leylin had on display. He successfully reversed
the image of his clan.

"Oh! I was much too hurried just now. My apologies." Leylin knew when to stop and placed the cosmic
stone back properly, "All these items are now yours!" he pointed at the potions and crown at his stall.

With what he had, he could at most only obtain an astral stone the size of a pinky, but Leo had given him
one the size of a quail egg. This meant Leylin had obviously gotten the better end of the deal.

Leo kept everything from the stall properly while observing Leylin. He was especially careful with the
Dark Elven Crown, though he was snickering inside.

'You must be proud, huh? Excited? It's a pity, but you'll only be taking care of that astral stone for a
short period of time before you'll have to spit it out obediently, and even give me your life while you're
at it!'
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 462 - Rob and Kill

Leylin had long guessed what Leo was thinking.

Since they had already dispatched stardust bugs to find out the background of all the guests, the
Oakheart Family had probably done their fair share of killing and seizing treasure. They hadn't been
discovered only because they had concealed it well, and the targets they chose were mostly those
without power and support.

What interested him more was the other party's obvious desire for the Dark Elven Crown.

'The concealing effect of this magical device has a large range. Although it is sufficiently extensive, for a
Magus, a range that is too large might become a burden to them, making the concealing function less
favourable.' Leylin stroked his chin and squinted.

'The only reason why this could attract Leo would be its use in war...' Only a sneak attack in such a wide
area would be the place for this piece of magic equipment to be put to use.

Therefore, whatever purpose the other party had purchased this magic equipment for would be
revealed soon. Leylin absolutely did not believe what he said about giving it to his cousin or any rubbish
of the sort anyway.

'However, having gained something here, Vance...' Leylin looked over at his empty stall, and glanced
outside at the corner of his eye.

Indeed, the sphere of light that represented Vance had left together with the Magi who were crowding
around to watch the scene earlier on.

Although Leylin still did have items of a higher value, it would evidently be inappropriate to put them up.

However, merely letting him go was clearly not Leylin's style of doing things. He had now completely
understood the rarity and scarcity of astral stones. If he had the chance to obtain one more, he
definitely wouldn't mind.

As time passed, the anonymous barter had come to an end.

Groups of Magi left on the teleportation spell formation one after another, rays of light flashing
repeatedly. The entire cave quickly became quiet.

At this moment, Leo appeared, along with 7 or 8 Magi behind him. There seemed to be both old and
young Magi, but what remained the same across all of them were their frightful energy waves and
astonishing murderous aura.

"I will personally handle the Magus that sold the Forbidden Ancient Clock. Number 6 and 7 will be in
charge of the buyer! The other party is only a small fry with little power. As long as we kill him and
destroy the evidence, there wouldn't be any consequences..." Leo swiftly delegated missions,
occasionally throwing out a locating crystal.

"As for Number 5, you'll go after the fellow that took the astral stone and kill him. That is his actual
appearance, don't worry! He only has the strength of an initial Hydro Phase Magus!" They were the
secret elite force of the Oakheart Clan, and every Magus was in the Crystal Phase. To Leo, dispatching
even one of them to deal with Leylin was already thinking too highly of him.

Number 5 was a bulky middle-aged Caucasian. Upon receiving an image, he discovered that Leylin was a
young man with brown curly hair and nodded.
"Also, if possible, try to catch him alive. Our clan's underwater prison has been short of prisoners of a
sufficiently high rank..." Leo laughed coldly, sending shivers down the spines of the other Magi.

The Oakheart Clan's underwater prison naturally would not be any average place. Even rank 3 Magi in
the Crystal Phase that entered would surely face death, and would even be sentenced to the cruelest
penalty before dying; even their corpses would be an unbearable sight to behold.

'Looks like this youngster has greatly offended Sire!' number 5 secretly thought. He slapped his chest
and guaranteed, "Rest assured, Chief! I will definitely arrest him for you to punish!"

"Alright! Excellent!" Leo nodded.

"Is everyone clear about the rules of our Clan? If something goes wrong, immediately destroy all
evidence. I'd rather you commit suicide than divulge any information about the clan, or else..." He
watched the Magi indifferently. The icy-cold look in his eyes made them sweat profusely.

Although they had already risen to Crystal Phase, as long as they were human, there was bound to be
something or someone that they cared about or was their weakness. And all of this was secretly
controlled by Leo and the clan.

While every single one of them was strong rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi, they did not dare to disobey Leo's
orders because they were deterred by the Morning Star Magus.

"Great! Let's set off!" With a wave of his hand, the numerous Magi instantly transformed into rays of
light, launching in all directions.

......

At this moment, Leylin was following closely behind Vance.

He had already set his eyes on the other party at the auction venue. There would only be one outcome
when a scheming Leylin and a clueless Vance come together: an easy target. With the aid of the A.I.
Chip, he immediately marked Vance.

He wasn't far from where Vance's transmitted location was and had promptly followed him.

"Hmm?" Leylin then discovered that the stardust bugs on him had sent him information.

"Someone is chasing after me, and he's just a mere Crystal Phase Magus? What a pity Leo didn't come
himself, or else I might be able to take the Dark Elven Crown back..." After the experience with Toram,
Leylin now had confidence in his combat capabilities.

If an average rank 3 Magus in the Crystal Phase tried all the tactics possible, there still might be a
possibility of defeating the enemy.

However, if the other party had more than 3 people, then his only option would be to ditch the plan and
run.

If Leo alone came for him, he thought of making him stay here forever, but since it was just a Magus in
the Crystal Phase...

"Since I can't kill you, I'll annoy you. A rank 3 Magus in the Crystal Phase probably wasn't easy to
nurture..." Leylin stroked his chin, and an evil look flashed in his eyes.

'However, I will first have to settle with Vance, or it will be an unexpected factor that could easily result
in consequences I can't have thought of.' After much thought, Leylin used the Transfiguration spell to
transform into the image of Blood Rogue that he had used in the auction venue, and stopped Vance in
his tracks.
"Who is it? Oh? Mr Blood Rogue?" Vance examined the Magus in his way, stunned. Even after
recognizing that he was Blood Rogue, he did not seem relaxed, but instead became more alert.

"I wonder why Sire is blocking my way?" Vance stared at Blood Rogue in fear.

His ability to randomly transmit spell formations and find out his whereabouts was definitely something
worth being cautious about. Vance's heart beat rapidly, and he had a premonition that something bad
was about to happen.

"I am the Magus that was selling the Crown of the Dark Elves previously. It seems that you, Sir, seem to
have information about astral stones, so I followed you with hopes of obtaining it..." Leylin spoke
politely.

"Oh! It's you!" Having made a great realization, Vance patted his head, but his expression suddenly
changed, "But, how did you recognize me?"

At that time, he had been using the concealment spell formation, and had even put on a few layers of
disguise!

"About this, of course..." Leylin smiled, keeping an enigmatic expression. But before he could complete
his sentence, he turned behind and his face changed.

There, Number 5 had hidden his face and was swiftly coming after him. using up to them.

"Such waves? It's a Magus in Crystal Phase. You went so far as to provoke someone of this level?" The
old man's eyes widened, and deployed a few layers of defense in succession.

"He came too quickly, what a waste! With a bit more time, I could lower Vance's defense levels and
attack in one go!"
Leylin glanced at Vance, "I'll have to get this done and over with!"

*Whoosh!* Both of his hands abruptly turned blood red, and huge claws grabbed at Vance, making loud
sounds.

"I knew you were up to no good!" Vance hollered, as layers of soil made their way onto his body,
forming a humongous clay giant that was more than ten metres tall.

"Kill!" Leylin's face was expressionless, his eyes filled with a piercing look that was sharp enough to kill.
His spiritual force, which was already in Hydro Phase, flowed into the Claws of Blood without end.

The massive clay giant roared, raising his fist to greet the strange bloody claws flying towards him.

*Bam!* The blood red claws were sharp beyond comparison, and instantly scratched the other party's
fist, even leaving a deep groove in his chest.

"Hmph!" Vance's stifled snort came from within the clay giant, his voice filled with dismay, "Such
strength? Aren't you a Magus in Hydro Phase?"

*Boom!* With that, the clay giant immediately turned and hurriedly escaped.

But why would Leylin let him run off? Numerous potions flew in mid-air, and terrifying elemental
particles converged, taking the shape of a jet black sickle.

"Rank 3 potion combination spell—Death's Blade!" Gigantic black sickles slashed through the giant
silently, without a single wave.
The clay giant's entire body trembled and he suddenly came to a standstill. Soon after, along with the
loud rumble, the clay giant disintegrated in all directions, revealing Vance within.

It was just that Vance now had a more pitiful appearance. Both legs were broken at the knees and blood
was gushing profusely, but no matter what spells or healing potions he used, it was still useless.

"No! Don't come over! I can give you anything you want, I... I still have some clues about astral stones...
You'll definitely need it..." Seeing Leylin inch closer step by step, Vance started to panic, promising a
whole heap of things.

He didn't wish to die. He treasured his life, even more now that he had already collected sufficient
materials and was about to advance to the Crystal Phase.

"Blame Jessia if you wish!" Leylin was apathetic. He had never believed in intelligence that was revealed
in the face of death, and the Crystal Phase waves that were getting closer also meant that he was
running out of time.

"I have enough astral stones, the intelligence means nothing to me. If you don't have any on you, at
most I'll think of it as doing all of this for nothing!" Leylin had thought this through clearly. He had gone
on the trip with the intention of giving it a try.

He didn't need the intelligence, because with a piece of astral stone with him, there wasn't a need to
risk his life for another imaginary desire.

Therefore, Vance's fate had actually been set from then.

"Jessia?" Vance paused, recalling his grandson's cheeky wife.

"What has anything got to do with her?"

But he didn't have to think any further, as a blood-red ray of light threw him into darkness...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 463 - The Hocada Beast

Leylin searched the other party's body at the speed of light. His eyes lit up as he tugged the red
gemstone off the other party's ear.

Using his spiritual force to swiftly explore the inside of the pendant, an astral stone the size of a
fingernail immediately came into view.

"Brilliant!" As expected, Vance had indeed lied about the intelligence that he had gathered before he
died. He had always been carrying the astral stone around.

Not only that, there were certain materials that were kept inside the earrings that surprised Leylin.

"The Diamond Jellyfish..." Leylin couldn't help but smile as he glanced upon something that seemed like
a crystal figure.

"This is indeed a genuine first-rate material that is capable of increasing the chances of breaking through
to the Crystal Phase by 35%. No wonder the other party was so confident in advancing." He couldn't
help but take a look at his own condition.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock (Hydro Phase). Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Strength: 30, Agility:
30, Vitality: 45.5, Spiritual Force: 315.6, Magic Power: 315 (Magic power in synchronisation with spiritual
force)]
It had been a while since Leylin had advanced to the Hydro Phase. In recent times, he had always used
the power of his bloodline to increase his spiritual force, instead of using spiritual force potions.

After a century of disuse, his body's resistance to potions had almost completely worn out.

As long as he used this potion once more, he should be able to fulfill the requirements of Crystal Phase.

"Vance has indeed given me many good things!" Not only that, most of the things that Vance had
painstakingly prepared to break through to the Crystal Phase were also useful for Leylin. This had indeed
saved Leylin a lot of trouble to search for them.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The Coin of Destiny had indeed guided him well. Vance was practically his lucky star, although the man
himself would not think that way.

"Found you!" Number 5 descended in front of Leylin, emitting terrifying Crystal Phase energy waves.

"Leo didn't follow you? This is indeed disappointing!" Leylin looked at Number 5 and shook his head as
his face showed regret.

"How dare you? Even though you've just killed a Hydro Phase Magus, you can't belittle the dignity of a
Crystal Phase Magus!"

Number 5's face hardened as he gathered and concentrated the spiritual force all over his body.

"I should inform you that I didn't just kill a Rank 3 Hydro Phase Magus, I also killed a Magus that just
broke through to the Crystal Phase not long ago.
"Just in time, the specimen that I had gained previously seemed a little weak, maybe I should gather
another one..." Upon hearing Leylin's words, Number 5's expression darkened.

Number 5 looked at Leylin who laughed indifferently, and suddenly felt like what he'd done was
ridiculously dumb.

Yet, it was too late as there was a black ray of light concentrating on Leylin's finger....

......

"I'll remember this, Oakheart Clan!" On the other hand, a hawk-nosed Magus, with terrible wounds and
even scars that were created from spell formations, was currently fleeing in disarray.

Even though he has already reached a high level of the Crystal Phase, and his spiritual force is only a few
steps away from peaking the Crystal Phase, he was still unable to defend himself from the combined
attacks of three Crystal Phase Magi. He lost tragically and even suffered serious injuries.

In particular, the leader Leo could be said to be this Magus' nightmare. He brought along a high-energy
creature which was the main cause of his injuries.

What made him even angrier was that he was unable to escape Leo's clutches even when he changed
his aura. This meant that the other party had left a mark on him.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to find out what exactly the other party had
done. The fact that even his communications equipment was restricted made him realize the disparity
between the two parties, driving him insane.

"Oakheart Clan, I will definitely expose your dirty tricks to the entire world!" the hawk-nosed Magus
howled in desperation as he soon found himself cornered by the three.
"You'll never get the chance!" Leo showed a ruthless expression as he concentrated a terrifying amount
of energy fluctuations on his body.

In that instant, the shadow of a beast that appeared behind him gradually took form as it stood in front
of the hawk-nosed Magus.

That creature howled, making an unpleasant sound.

This creature seemed to be a combination of a wolf and a squid. It has the head and the body of a wolf
and yet its lower body was equipped with white tentacles, complete with suction pads, that sent shivers
down one's spine.

The creature, which had eyes that looked like green lightbulbs, stared intensely at the Magus. At the
same time, there were traces of dark green gases being emitted from the suction pads.

The gas then concentrated on the hawk-nosed Magus' body, forming a thick layer of adhesive that
caused him to slow down.

*Roar!* The tentacles, located at the lower body of the creature, bloomed like a flower as they headed
towards the hawk-nosed Magus.

Leo watched in pleasure as the creature swallowed the hopeless fellow into its stomach. The creature's
stomach didn't stop squirming as if it was digesting the entire body.

It was always the same cycle. Those he pursued would first curse him, then fear him and his creature,
and ultimately they wouldn't be able to escape their fate of death. Witnessing these Magi eventually die
was always a heartfelt pleasure for him.
Even though this current target was not a beautiful and skilled female Magus, the fact that he was from
an affluent family was enough to make up for his loss.

"This Hocada Beast..." Suddenly, the creature wrapped itself with its uncountable hands, forming a
humongous meat lump and even breathing like a human being.

"It's almost reached the stage of evolution. Once it evolves, I'm afraid..." Leo's expression darkened.

This unique Hocada Beast originally belonged to his Morning Star Magus grandfather who found it
among the debris of another plane.

The creature was now merely in its infancy, and could still swallow terrifying Crystal Phase magi. Once it
was fully grown and its ability increased, only his Master Grandfather would be capable of subduing it.

*Snap!* A sharp and clear sound could be heard from Leo's chest as he stared blankly.

He couldn't believe it as he took out a rhombus-shaped crystal from his embrace and saw the surface
being filled with cracks and at the same time, it wasn't shining.

Number 1 and Number 2 couldn't help but narrowed their eyes.

"This is... the crystal that seals the spirit source. Which comrade perished?"

"Number 5. But how is that possible? The other party is only a Hydro Phase..."

Leo hated this feeling as it meant that things went beyond his control. "Exactly what happened? Which
Magus concealed his capability? Or was it merely sheer luck that a high-ranked Magus helped him? Drat,
there are so many possibilities...."
Leo's expression turned ferocious: "Number 1, Number 2... I want you..."

"Buzz!" Just at this time, a subtle energy wave was transmitted from Leo's ring in the form of a blue ray
of light as an image was projected in the sky.

In this image was a blue-haired Magus with eyes, more brilliant than the stars.

"Master Grandfather!" Leo bowed respectfully while Number 1 and Number 2 knelt on the ground as
they shivered. The dignity of a Morning Star Magus could not be violated even if you were at the Crystal
Phase.

The expression of the Magus in the image was awful: "I felt a portion of the dispatched stardust bugs
being destroyed."

Leo narrowed his eyes. The fact that the Oakheart Clan made use of stardust bugs to spy on each and
every move of the Magi was a top secret and the consequences would be dire if this secret was to be
exposed.

Even the Azure Mountain King, who was also a Morning Star Magus, would not be able to appease the
anger of the numerous Magi.

Adding on, once the female Morning Star Magi found out that their conduct and deeds were.... Leo
didn't dare to even think about it anymore.

"No matter what, this has to be resolved immediately. Luckily, the last information that was sent
through the stardust bugs is that the other party is not of a high rank, not even to the extent of nearing
the Morning Star realm. Go to the location with these coordinates first, I'll arrive soon!"
The Azure Mountain King's tone was pressing and commanding. He'd emphasized on the matter at hand
when he hung up.

"These coordinates?" Leo looked at the information that the Azure Mountain King had sent him as his
eyes narrowed into a line.

He remembered very clearly that these coordinates located the direction that the Magus who had killed
Number 5 fled to.

The scene of his confrontation with the other party flashed in his head.

He remembered the other party's calm voice and realised how foolish he was back then. Maybe back
then, the other party had already seen through his tricks and found a way to free himself as he awaited
Leo's arrival.

Once he thought about it, he'd truly been inane! Leo's expression dropped instantly, now as gloomy as
rain.

"Follow me!" Leo's voice was very dry, as if he was dying of thirst in the desert. Number 1 and Number 2
looked at each other and helplessly forced a smile.

Based on the conversation just now, they had already guessed that something serious had happened
and they were aware of the consequences of knowing too much.

This was the sad part of being controlled by someone else. Even if they knew they were at a
disadvantage, they would not dare to rebel.

"Humph!" Leo turned his head away coldly as Number 1 and Number 2 followed closely behind him.
The stardust bugs were top secret. In past history, only the leader of the Oakheart Clan and the Azure
Mountain King knew of them. Since these two heard the name, they were already destined for death.

Maybe the Azure Mountain King had already thought of this. He was only delaying their deaths because
he had a use for them.

It was important to clean all evidence once the deed was done. After all, no one could know of the clan's
biggest secret...

*Thump!* Number 5's body fell on the floor with a small black hole in his forehead.

"Not bad!" Leylin's breathing was unstable. After all, it was not an easy task to deal with a rank 3 Crystal
Phase Magus. Yet, as he looked at Number 5's ring, his expression brightened.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 464 - Counting Spoils

Only after finishing with the plunder of Number 5's body did Leylin turn his gaze upon the black mask,
his expression grave.

"The coercion of the A.I. Chip cannot last a long time. Once it fades, the controller of these bugs will get
the news right away..."

The powder he'd used on these stardust bugs would only work once; moreover, once the effect was
gone, he was afraid that these bugs would still leak out all the information to the central control room.

Leylin could not allow this. Once he thought of the Morning Star Magus behind the scenes, he felt a chill.
Fortunately, the other side still did not know his identity, so as long as the proof could be wiped out
clearly, chances were that he could escape notice.

Once he thought of that, a green flame fell on the mask, growing larger.

Explosions could be heard from the mask, so soft that one couldn't hear them without the help of the
A.I. Chip.

After confirming that the stardust bugs had all perished, Leylin burned the entire area to ashes, laughing
grimly before leaving.

......

With his timely retreat, Leylin did not get to see Leo's crazed look as he arrived.

Leylin had been very careful to avoid places that could be monitored by Magi, even choosing to forgo
travel by airship in favour of making his way on land. He hadn't even hesitated to pass through some
dangerous zones.

By the time he'd arrived at a safe zone outside the region of influence of Azure Mountain City, he'd even
gotten news about the great changes there.

Watching the news that Azure Mountain City had imposed a curfew and sealed off the airship network,
even starting to hunt for him without restraint, Leylin could not help but feel glad at his early departure.

He did not care about how crazy the Oakheart Family was, and didn't even plan on spreading the news.
Although announcing the secret of the stardust bug would hurt the Oakheart Clan badly, there were few
benefits for himself. On the other hand, this secret would make for a good bargaining chip in the future.

Leylin looked forward to the day he advanced to become a Morning Star Magus and the hush money the
Azure Mountain King would provide.

Of course, having such dreams before advancing to the Morning Star realm would be nothing but
courting death!

Since he didn't choose to use an airship, Leylin's return trip seemed to take a long time.

For the sake of caution, he'd even taken a big detour and only then snuck back into his own territory.

Only after entering his Magus Tower and being greeted by the mechanical voice of the tower genie did
he relax completely.

A cup of hot coffee was placed on top of the table, emanating a rich and sweet aroma. Yet, Leylin only
sat there without any facial expression, rapping his fingers on the table.

Leylin reflected on his actions after returning to his safe haven and listed out his weakness and gains in
detail. He has always been doing that and it is because of this that he could survive without much
mishaps in this sinister Magus world.

He had gained a lot on this trip, enough to shock any Crystal Phase Magus. But, at the same time, he'd
provoked a power that was very troublesome. Just a little bit of thoughtlessness could've ended up with
him dead.

The rage of a Morning Star Magus was awful. Once he was discovered, forget Leylin himself, not even
his family and friends would meet a good end.
"I've cut off all the clues. To the auction house I was just 'Blood Rogue,' and at the anonymous barter, I'd
disguised myself as well. I even destroyed the evidence afterwards. To think to look for me from all this
is nearly impossible!"

Leylin was very confident in his own methods and the A.I. Chip's coverup.

"As for prophetic spells, they're very inaccurate on their own, and they work much worse against high
ranked Magi. Adding on the cover from my Magus Tower..." This aspect was what worried Leylin the
most.

There may be no normal clues, but if any mysterious spells were added into the mix... the thought
scared him.

Especially prophetic spells. Those were extremely troublesome. Unless you were much higher in rank
than the other party, as long as they paid a certain price, they could find out everything about you!

"Fortunately, there are very few prophetic Magi on the continent, and to correctly trace it back to me
with my strength being at the Hydro Phase and the cover of my Magus Tower, it'll be impossible for
those normal ones. And to employ a Morning Star Magus that specialized in prophecy for the task would
entail a huge price."

With the database of the A.I. Chip and his personal experience with the Coin of Destiny, Leylin
understood the workings of prophecy Magic much better than any ordinary Magus at his level.

"And the Azure Mountain King is not a prophetic Magus, and to pay the huge price of a Morning Star
realm prophet is impossible within a short period of time... I must take advantage of this opportunity
and immediately advance to the Crystal Phase. If things drag out until then, it'll be much better..."

It took much more to predict the location of a Crystal Phase Magus to one at the Hydro Phase. What
Leylin needed to do the most now was to improve his own strength so predictions would fail.
Strong radiation would be enough to interfere with such things!

Once Leylin advanced to the Morning Star realm, all this would count as a minor matter. Nobody would
offend one Morning Star Magus for the sake of another.

Once Leylin advanced to the Morning Star realm, he could use this matter of the stardust bugs to extort
the other party. At that time, the Azure Mountain King would only be able to swallow that bitter pill
obediently.

'And there's no need to worry much about Vance and the Rolithe Family!' Leylin remembered the
patriarch of the Rolithe Family that died at his hands. Because of Jessia's entanglement and having been
detected by Leylin's Coin of Destiny, he will always be at the losing end, how miserable is that.

He didn't even know who killed him. As for the Rolithe Family, for them to find out would be even
harder.

"Diamond Jellyfish, astral stone!" Leylin touches his chin, muttering, "For such precious treasures to
appear in such a small family at the same time is abnormal. Perhaps I should have Parker go watch
them..." For the current Leylin, a family with only a Hydro Phase Magus was no matter.

Even were Vance not dead, with all the subordinates Leylin had amassed in over a century, he didn't
even need to move himself to crush them.

However, for the patriarch of a small family to suddenly advance by leaps and bounds, and at the same
time to possess such precious treasures, made Leylin unable to help but suspect that he had found some
great treasure or inheritance.

In the central continent, there were plenty of Magi. As a result, there was an abundance of inheritance
and historical remains. Almost every day in the Magi World, there would be lucky Magi who would ride
on the coattails of their ancestors, and have high possibilities of promotion.
'No, the Rolithe Family does not know right now that I'm the murderer. It would be too obvious to let
Parker go.' Leylin was not afraid of their vengeance, but he was worried that the Oakheart Family would
also associate him with the killer, which would be terrible!

Leylin thought for a bit, and opened up a secret imprint, "Tanasha! Go to the Black River Domain, and
secretly watch the Rolithe Family. Report to me their every move!"

"Understood, Master!" came her respectful voice in return.

After slowly separating from the inner circle of the Forgotten Land, this lady had wholeheartedly joined
Leylin and become his most powerful subordinate.

For a Crystal Phase Magus, even eliminating the entire Rolithe Family would be no problem, leave alone
simply monitoring them.

"Now that the annoyances are out of the way, let's take a look at the spoils!" After closing the secret
imprint, Leylin spat out a breath and waved his hand, causing a few objects to appear on the table.

Inside a purple box were two black stones, one big and one small, each flickering in a weak blue light.

These were Leylin's main purpose in making the trip—astral stones!

The big one was from Leo and was the size of a quail egg, and the small one was what he'd plundered
from Vance. It was only the size of a fingernail.

In fact, the one he'd gotten from Vance was enough to conduct preliminary research on astral gates, but
to Leylin there would never be enough. He wasn't losing money anyway, and one could never have too
much of these high-class resources.
Especially after he reached the Morning Star realm. At that point, the number of astral stones he'd need
to build an astral gate already made Leylin worry, so even though he had enough for now, the more the
better.

"With all these things, this trip was worth it!" Leylin touched his chin, looking at the other things on the
table.

The most eye-catching of them all was a crystal statue, bright and pink, that seemed indestructible as if
made of diamond.

This was a Diamond Jellyfish, a valuable natural resource that had been lost to time. It could greatly
increase the probability of a Hydro Phase Magus advancing to the Crystal Phase.

Although the rest couldn't compare to the Diamond Jellyfish, they were still very precious treasures,
altogether useful enough to increase the probability of a breakthrough further by one or two levels.

Adding the optimised spell formation, it seemed like Vance's chances of promotion this time were quite
big.

Unfortunately, all of this had now become Leylin's fortune. The goods from Vance and Number 5 had
swelled Leylin's pockets once more.

"No wonder the atmosphere felt strange lately, I better just stay within my tower and breakthrough the
Crystal Phase bottleneck..." Thinking of what he'd heard and seen on the trip, Leylin's face became
gloomy.

Whether it was the Ouroboros Clan, or Azure Mountain City, everyone seemed tense and depressed, as
if war was on the horizon.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 465 - Preparation

Sly old Leylin was definitely able to recognise the stifling feeling when a huge war was approaching.

It was not just the mood. The bustling activity in the trading hall, the bloody missions, what had
happened when Leylin had last been dispatched, as well as the appearance of the Ancient Forbidden
Clock at the Azure Mountain Auction event all alluded to Leylin's premonitions being correct.

The military strength of the central continent far exceeded Leylin's experience in the south coast and
Twilight Zone. The moment Morning Star Magi began using their final techniques, the damages were
devastating.

With such terrifying attacks, it was no longer just about harming innocent commoners. Even lower
ranked Magi were nothing but cannon fodder!

As such, Leylin could no longer distance himself from the whirlpool of events.

The volcano that was connected to the Twilight Zone was currently filled with lava, and he was unwilling
to abandon the Ouroboros Clan now. After all, he was happier with the lifestyle here.

"For a Morning Star to rise, many choose to pave their way with bloody murder. What I lack now is
precisely that, a tempering in fire and blood." Leylin's pupils blazed with ambition.

'In the Magus world, the central continent is the highest layer, the place where all the high-ranking Magi
reside. If there is disorder here, it's likely to spill over into the other regions as well. I cannot have too
many considerations that will distract me. The most crucial issue right now is to strengthen myself as
soon as possible...'
With that thought, Leylin immediately sent out an order: "Tower genie, close off my bedroom and the
main laboratory. Announce that I'm going to be conducting a very important experiment and do not
wish to be interrupted in any way. Move all the items from Warehouse 1 to my lab."

"As you wish, master!" The tiny green genie flapped her wings and bowed midair, disappearing in a
flash...

About three months later.

In a quiet room in his Magus Tower, Leylin was seated with a head of messy hair and wrinkled clothes
that had picked up dirt. In contrast to his ragged clothing, his eyes were bright, their blackness glorious
and intimidating as they sparkled. Beside him were innumerable test tubes piled up, making the whole
room look like a messy dump.

"A.I. Chip, investigate my current status." he ordered, and it faithfully reported back:

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock (Hydro Phase). Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Strength: 30, Agility:
30, Physique: 45.5, Spiritual Force: 349.9, Magic Power: 349 (magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force)]

This tremendous increase in spiritual force was the harvest Leylin had been looking forward to for the
past few months. It was mainly due to the consumption of extremely powerful potions.

These potions, if offered to the Ouroboros Clan, would be enough to last their Warlocks an entire year!
Such was the frightening results of piling up his resources.

For the past century while he lived in seclusion, Leylin had resisted the constant temptation of using
spiritual force potions. He'd even concocted many himself, saving and sealing them up. Relying only on
his bloodline to advance, he had slowly eliminated his body's resistance to them.
The continuous use of potions would've been harmful to his personal growth. Now, however, with his
foundations solid, raising his strength to the peak of the Hydro Phase would be as smooth as liquid
flowing, with no obstructions whatsoever.

"Three phases to the third rank," Leylin muttered under his breath, "the Vapour, Hydro and Crystal
Phases. Spiritual force needs to reach 250 for the first, 300 for the second, and a whopping 350 for the
third. Well, now I've achieved it. I can attempt to break the bottleneck to the Crystal Phase!"

The data computation of the spiritual force in the third rank was split into three sub-ranks and and their
corresponding abilities had significant disparities.

After all, 100 kilograms of cotton and 100 kilograms of steel might weigh the same, yet their density and
durability were completely different.

The spiritual force statistic varied widely between the different phases of the third rank. Between the
Vapor Phase and Hydro Phase, a huge difference existed, and with the Crystal Phase, the disparity was
even more terrifying.

Magi with such abilities could already be considered as reserve duty for Morning Star Magi. Spiritual
force in Crystal Phase was the exact base material for the construction of 'point mass'!

Once one advanced to the Crystal Phase, they would experience a revolutionary change in their body.
Leylin had vague experiences of this change through Toram and number 5. The A.I. Chip too, had been in
the midst of diligently exploring such changes.

"Warlocks are different from regular Magi after all. We even need to meet bloodline requirements." He
beamed. Prior to this, his personal progress had far exceeded that of his bloodline. When he was
promoted to a rank 3 Warlock, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in him had still been stuck in its
infancy. Were it not for the purity of his bloodline, every breakthrough would've had him requiring a ton
of help.
And now, with constant exposure to the Lamia fingerbone, his bloodline had matured, finally catching
up to and synchronizing with the progress of his body.

The bottlenecks that had been holding him back vanished without a trace.

With the addition of Vance's gift of the precious Diamond Jellyfish, Leylin was exceptionally confident in
his breaking through to the Crystal Phase.

[Probability of host breaking through to the Crystal Phase: 89.6%] The A.I. Chip, too, agreed with his
expectations.

Leylin nodded, evidently pleased. He took out his book of secret imprints and flipped to a particular
page.

"Tanasha! Any recent news about the Rolithe Family?" He noticed Tanasha had tried several times to
contact him, but he had missed it in the midst of his personal advancement.

"It's extremely strange. This family was already in chaos from before, and it's said that the reason was
that their chief had left without any reason. Three days ago, the whole family disappeared without a
trace after a huge commotion... " Although her voice was steady, Leylin could tell Tanasha's suppressed
fear.

"Who's the person responsible?" He asked in a low voice.

"I do not know! I cannot find any traces of a high level Magus onsite..." Tanasha smiled bitterly.

No Crystal Phase Magus would be able to hide all traces from another at the same rank. The attacker
must've been higher-ranked than Tanasha!

Leylin furrowed his brows and fell silent. After some thought, he remarked, "You are no longer needed
there. Make your way back, paying attention to hide yourself well!"

He closed the book. The blood had drained from his face and he'd turned solemn.

The entire Rolithe Family had disappeared overnight. This was much more alarming than if they'd all just
been massacred.

He could sense an ever-growing spiral enveloping the whole continent.

The Ouroboros Clan, Lucian, Freya, Robin, Kesha, and everyone else he knew— none would be able to
escape. In fact, even he might not be able to escape the same fate as them. At least that was what he'd
found out from the Coin of Destiny.

Each time Leylin tried to see further into the future, the coin automatically alerted him that it was
exceeding its capabilities. It was obvious that it couldn't see past that boundary.

"If it is so, I will go ahead and break through now. The more dangerous the situation, the more power is
required!" Leylin's steely gaze burned with determination.

For Magi at his level, refraining from food and water for months would still cause no harm. In fact, there
were even some more ambitious Magi who, in a bid to devote themselves further to research, chose to
conduct necrosis on themselves to separate themselves from common needs. It was a bitter price to
pay; Leylin had no desire to do such a thing.

If he couldn't find joy in the search for truth, whatever he obtained, be it absolute knowledge or control
of the entire world, would not be worth it.

However, although he couldn't be compared to those necromancers and spirit body types, he relied on
his vitality potions and showed no signs of exhaustion himself.
On the contrary, his spiritual force had advanced to a state of perfection. Leylin had a hunch that, were
he not to be successful this time, the next attempt was going to be an uphill task. Leylin had always been
one to put a lot of faith into his own premonitions.

With a wave of his hand, the test tubes lying on the ground disappeared. What replaced them was a
mysterious spell formation.

[Crystal Phase spell formation (improved version): an essential spiritual force item for all Hydro Phase
Magi to advance. Capable of enhancing the crystallisation of the spiritual force and eliminating spiritual
force impurities.]

On the surface of the spell formation was a blood red rune that resembled a spiralling snake.

The Crystal Phase spell formations used by Warlocks were not the same as those used by regular Magi.
Leylin was not impressed by the kind Vance had bought at the auction, and hence decided to use the
one Freya had given him.

Some time ago, Freya had used an enormous amount of precious materials, as well as a set of Hydro
Phase and Crystal Phase spell formations to exchange for a single item from Leylin— a bloodline crystal.
To her family's relief, it had assuaged their bloodline deterioration.

And by using the resources he had acquired, he had been able to advance quickly. Now, the time had
come for this Crystal Phase spell formation to work its magic.

The A.I. Chip had used the original formation from Freya's family, but had made some improvements.

The effect of purifying of the spiritual force, though, was something Leylin had prepared himself.
Spiritual force that had been amassed using potions meant that it needed to be purified and altered.

Leylin had always placed a load of importance on his personal foundation.

"Begin!" Leylin made up his mind. He pulled out the Diamond Jellyfish from his cosmos pouch and bit
down on it.

The transparent crystal cracked as it was crushed under his teeth. He ruthlessly bit into the thing.

This was a Diamond Jellyfish, an ancient precious material. It had the ability to enhance the spiritual
force and advancements of Magi. He had no idea how Vance had gotten his hands on such a treasure.

The Diamond Jellyfish melted in Leylin mouth, becoming a rush of warmth that flowed throughout his
body. It made him extremely comfortable, and he finished it up in a few mouthfuls.

After the last of it was swallowed down, Leylin felt a terrifying heat emerging from his abdomen. Slowly,
he began to feel like he was burning up.

[Consumption of essence by host, concluded as Diamond Jellyfish. Spiritual force increasing!] The A.I.
Chip responded.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 466 - Astral Experiment

Numerous heatwaves congregated within his sea of consciousness.

Leylin saw the silvery stream of Hydro Phase spiritual force circulate wildly. Even the core nucleus body
glowed with strange crimson runes. It had only lacked just that little bit in the centre that would render
it complete!

"Activate Crystal Phase spell formation!" The Crystal Phase spell formation set up at the center of the
room immediately rumbled, the crimson runes on it lighting up one after the other.

Leylin began to shiver uncontrollably. Compared to the previous few spell formations, the feeling that
came from this Crystal Phase spell formation included a terrifying compressive force, as well as a chill
that dug deep into his bones.

Streams of icy air flowed into Leylin's sea of consciousness, combining with the boiling spiritual force.

On one end, there were waves of heat, but on the other end, streams of cold. Leylin felt like his brain
had expanded and seemed on the verge of exploding.

With the alternating cold and heat, a huge transformation happened in his sea of consciousness, the
boundaries constantly stretching outwards.

Much of the liquid spiritual force shrunk under the immense compressive force, and was refined further
by the constant waves of heat and cold, glimmering with sparkles. This led to the formation of crystals,
marking a shift from the Hydro Phase to the Crystal Phase.

Crystal Phase spiritual force was unique to each Magus, and Leylin paid attention to his own. It was
made of dark, nearly black crystals, that held a hint of the crimson of fire inside them, denoting his
affinity with these elements.

The liquid spiritual force turned to crystals, and decreased in size by several folds. The warm rush of the
Diamond Jellyfish stimulated the generation of even more spiritual force, filling up the gaps.

[Beep! Host body breaking through current gene limitations. Stats in all areas increasing.] The A.I. Chip's
voice rang. It had been monitoring him as per usual.

After entering the Crystal Phase, the entire body would experience a complete transformation as a
foundation for advancing to the Morning Star realm, and this was only one of the changes.
"As expected, it's an advancement that affects even the genes," Leylin's expression revealed his elation.
Amongst lower-ranked Magi, there were few opportunities to break through the limits of one's genes,
and it was thus very precious.

[Beep! Host body's spiritual force has exceeded threshold, advancing to Crystal Phase Magus.
Recalculating stats!]

The A.I. Chip's prompts came one after the other, and by this point, the waves of heat and cold had
calmed and gradually disappeared. Within Leylin's sea of consciousness, a black crystallised spiritual
force covered the area, seemingly indestructible.

His stats had been refreshed once more.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock (Crystal Phase). Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 35, Agility:
35, Vitality: 50, Spiritual force: 351.7, Magic power: 351.7 (Magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force).]

Leylin observed the newly refreshed stats that the A.I. Chip had come up with, and nodded in
satisfaction.

"Strength and agility have both increased by five points in one go, which is already pretty good. As for
my vitality, if not for finding precious materials such as the blood dragon fruit, I wouldn't be able to
achieve these numbers..."

His spiritual force had completely broken through the threshold of 350, allowing him to enter the Crystal
Phase.

Leylin raised his arms. He could sense the modifications Crystal Phase spiritual force would grant his
body. This was just the beginning, and though the effects had slowed and were not as obvious as when
he had broken through, these imperceptible changes would result in a terrifying accumulation of
strength over time!

'Senior Lucian advanced to the Crystal Phase when he was five hundred, and that speed is already
considered rather quick in the Ouroboros Clan. Senior Robin is now only three hundred, and his
advancement had shocked the clan, earning him a reputation as the most powerful bloodline talent in
the last three hundred years!' Leylin tidied up the room while forcing a smile.

'I'm only two hundred and am much too young. If my speed of advancement is let out, it will definitely
cause another huge ruckus!'

A Magus who had advanced to the Crystal Phase a hundred years before Robin did, without the help of
external influences, would definitely shock even Gilbert. But what Leylin urgently needed now was
strength, and he had no choice but to break through.

'I need to wait for a while longer. When the war begins, everyone will be focused on the battles. Though
my speed will still cause a commotion, it will definitely be smaller than if news were to leak now.' With
his mind made up, Leylin decided on not leaving for a while, holing himself up in his tower.

With the concealing spell formation he had set up, as well as the amplification from his Magus Tower,
nobody would know that he had secretly advanced to the crystal phase unless Gilbert himself came and
checked.

This hidden strength would definitely cause enemies who had misjudged his abilities to be in for a huge
shock!

At this thought, a smirk rose about Leylin's lips, "I really am quite curious as to who will be the first to
barge in..."

......

The underground of the Magus Tower was separated into many little rooms, forming many laboratories.
The facilities were first-rate even in the central continent, and Leylin had only been able to achieve this
by spending many magic crystals and resources. He even owed quite a few favours.
In the past, a few less important laboratories were open to a few high-ranked Warlocks that were under
Leylin.

Now, however, this layer was empty. The Magi who usually remained in the Magus Tower had followed
Leylin's command and left for a while. Even his disciple, Snoopy, had been chased out.

In the innermost, largest and most advanced laboratory, Leylin stood silently, drawing a rune on the
floor.

Though he had simulated this activity a great many times with the A.I. Chip, he was still extremely
focused while he drew, concentrating on the rune and lines on the ground.

Compared to the other spell runes used in the central continent, what he was now carving evidently
held the style of another dimension. Some parts were even a mess of disorganised figures and lines, but
closer inspection revealed that they were strangely three-dimensional.

Only when the last stroke was done did Leylin sigh slightly, looking at the spell formation that had no
mistakes. "It's finally done!"

The long time he'd spent on carving had resulted in a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. With his
current vitality, this should have been almost impossible.

[Scanning completed, confirmation that there are no errors.] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded at this
moment.

'Then, the preparations for interplanar experiments are complete,' Leylin thought as he stroked his chin.

He had gone out and went through the trouble of finding an astral stone. Was it all not for the purpose
of preliminary astral experiments? Hence, after he advanced to the Crystal Phase, he had been
impatient to begin his research.
All experiments related to the astral plane were dangerous, and this held true even for preliminary ones.
Hence, Leylin had no choice but to disperse all the Magi in the tower. This was to eliminate all external
influences so that he could concentrate on the experiments here.

Interplanar experiments were a high-level research that only Morning Star Magi could conduct. They
were connected to the glory of the ancient era, and Leylin ambitiously hoped to make use of this
research.

Hence, this preparatory research work was vital.

Even this research had very stringent requirements. A high-grade Magus Tower, Hydro Phase strength
and astral stones were the most basic requirements..

Though the requirement for the Magus was merely to have reached the Hydro Phase, Leylin wanted to
be on the safe side. He waited till he had advanced to the Crystal Phase before he began the research.

The more powerful he was, the safer he would be. This was indisputable.

The information for the preparatory work regarding the astral gate obviously came from Duke Gilbert.
By aiding him in many experiments, Leylin had gained valuable experience.

At the heart of this giant interplanar spell formation was the smaller astral stone that he had gained
from Vance. The blue lustre on its surface seemed more powerful.

Leylin took in a deep breath and checked everything once more. Only after ensuring was fine did he
issue the command. "Tower genie, begin charging!"

[Confirming authority. Magus Tower preserving 10% of energy as base reserve. Remaining energy will be
used on the spell formation.] The tower genie rapidly reported.
The Magi outside watched this marvellous scene. The runes on the giant black Magus Tower dimmed
one after the other. Besides a very dim glow, it had basically stopped operating.

After its construction over a hundred years ago, this was the first time that this had happened. It
immediately gave rise to the panic of residents who knew nothing. This Magus Tower was a safeguard to
them, and was the thing that could preserve their lives and safety.

Kubler, who had stayed behind in Onyx Castle, had no choice but to dispatch patrolling officers to put
down these worries.

"Grandfather, will Mentor's experiments be successful?" Snoopy seemed to know more and asked
Parker.

"How can the mysteries of the astral plane be something we can pry into? As long as we successfully
activate the spell formation, the lord's experiment can be counted as a success!"

Parker forced a smile, "The energy required to probe into the astral plane is much too terrifying. Regular
Magus Towers cannot withstand it, but don't worry about that. The lord's Magus Tower uses a top-
grade set up of positive and negative energy pools, and there shouldn't be much of a problem in terms
of resources."

*Buzz!*The giant Magus Tower trembled, and terrifying elemental tides formed two large rainbows, one
dark and one light. One disappeared into the crest, the other into the base.

"Tower beginning charging, and positive and negative energy pools are revolving!" The genie reported.

Snoopy was no stranger to this scene, but now he could only silently pray, hoping that his mentor's
experiment would be a success.

He felt a hint of pride at this.

Out of the entire continent, there were few Magi who could do even some of the preparatory
experiments into probing through the astral plane alone as a rank 3 Magus. His mentor was one of
them!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 467 - Power of Destiny

Within the Magus Tower.

Leylin gazed steadily at the giant interplanar spell formation. With the positive and negative energy
pools working at full strength, the runes atop the spell formation lit up one after the other, causing
terrifying waves of spatial undulations to converge on the spot.

[Spell formation working as per normal. 67% activated. Gaia cuvatures stabilised.] The A.I. Chip
constantly monitored the spell formation, reporting to Leylin occasionally.

With the spell formation slowly activating, the blue rays from the astral stone right in the middle
condensed, giving off a resplendent light.

The spatial undulations that had been on the verge of going berserk fused with the blue light and quickly
stabilised, surging in a single direction.

At the same time, Leylin sensed that a frightening energy was surging out of the astral stone, supporting
the operation of the entire spell formation.

[Spell formation activation increasing in speed. Progress at 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 100%!] The A.I. Chip
rapidly intoned.

When all the runes within the spell formation lit up, the spatial energy followed a channel and
converged before Leylin, forming a silver mirror the size of a fist. At the heart of the mirror was a small
vortex, its destination unknown.

Leylin had seen this situation multiple times at Gilbert's. This meant that he had now made contact with
the astral plane!

However, this spiritual force channel of his was much smaller than Gilbert's. Furthermore, he could not
open a few simultaneously, and could only allow the entry of spiritual force seeds to find coordinates.
Physical beings could not pass through.

It was naturally impossible for there to be a similar situation as the first time at Gilbert's, where a
creature of the astral plane had passed through the mirror and attacked them.

Though he had lost the chance to fish for benefits, it was good that his safety was not compromised. In a
way, the gains balanced the losses.

Leylin carefully appreciated this feeling. There was large difference between helping with someone
else's experiments and performing one alone.

For instance, Leylin now sensed that with the assistance from the spell formation, especially with the
energy from the astral stone in the middle, his own spiritual force seemed to be able to peep at the
edges of a frightening dimension.

This was a confluence of time and space, the peak of the universe. A higher dimension which had an
unexplainable existence!

Even just the aura that was given off was dazzling and glorious, going on for eternity and stimulating his
desires to explore.

"Just becoming aware of all this is enough payoff from this experiment..." Leylin sighed.
The opportunity to see the astral plane was a very rare opportunity for Magi. They might not even need
other advantages; just observing the astral plane every day would bring about indescribable benefits.

Of course, this was impossible. Experiments on the astral plane everyday? Even Morning Star Magi
would go bankrupt!

[Beginning projection of spiritual force onto the astral plane. Recording data.]

The A.I. Chip instantly intoned under Leylin's guidance.

A thread of Crystal Phase spiritual force, with the gleam of actual crystals, appeared from Leylin's
forehead and formed a spiritual force seed before quickly disappearing into the silver mirror, and into
the vortex.

"Begin localisation support, activate navigation mode!" Leylin commanded.

Immediately after, his spiritual force seed seemed to find its way in the chaotic space, and went head on
dauntlessly, even going against the current.

The A.I. Chip quickly began to calculate, and numbers began flashing before Leylin's eyes..

[Spatial turbulence estimated to happen in 0.34s. Suggested directional change is 34 degrees to the left.]

This spiritual communication happened in an instant, and Leylin's spiritual force seed immediately
moved in a different direction, accurately avoiding the spatial turbulence. It even joined an undercurrent
that headed east, floating further away.

Compared to Gilbert's experiments where he depended on luck, Leylin's method was evidently more
effective, and he would find it easier to obtain results.
It was a pity that Leylin was the only one with support from the A.I. Chip, and it was not as if he could
expose his secret.

Hence, while he was at Gilbert's, Leylin tried to familiarise himself with the A.I. Chip's functions, but did
not dare use it at will. He could only go through with his plans when he was conducting his own
experiments.

"As expected, with help from the A.I. Chip, chances of my spiritual force seed being destroyed are much
lesser than average!" A hint of excitement appeared on Leylin's face.

[Warning! Warning! Spatial storm generated ahead. Time to impact is 0.0000001s. Retreat is suggested!]
The A.I. Chip's voice sounded once more.

However, it was much too late. Though Leylin's spiritual force seed tried its best to retreat, its struggle
was like that of an ant's against the flow of time. Besides, time was scarce, and the horrifying spatial
storm was generated instantly in front, whirling the seed within.

Leylin fell two steps back, feeling dizzy, but he quickly recovered.

He was no longer a newly-advanced rank 3 Magus, and was now at the Crystal Phase, preparing to enter
the Morning Star realm. Injuries that could harm his spiritual force then were now nothing to him. Even
condensing ten or so spiritual force seeds at one go was not a problem.

"The support system of the A.I. Chip also has its limits. At most, it will allow me to go further than other
Magi can." A wry smile appeared about Leylin's lips.

The dangerous spatial turbulences were extremely terrifying and unpredictable. Even with the
frightening calculation abilities of the A.I. Chip, it was difficult to completely establish a pattern and
understand them.

In addition, even when knowing there was danger ahead, once held by the spatial turbulence, Leylin's
spiritual force might not be able to escape.
However, even so, Leylin was already content. 'The A.I. Chip can increase my chances of success from
one in a million to one in ten thousand,' he thought.

One in ten thousand! As long as he persevered and continued trying, he would definitely gain benefits.
In actuality, these odds were enough for Morning Star Magi to go green in envy, not considering the
other methods Leylin had as well.

"In matters like these that depend on probability, the Coin of Destiny might be useful!" Leylin flipped
over his palm, and a dim golden coin appeared in the middle of it. As this was his own experiment and
nobody was around, he could use all of his methods.

A spiritual force seed was formed once again. Leylin rubbed the coin on the seed, and a layer of dim
golden luster appeared on its surface.

*Ka-cha!* Meanwhile, a huge crack appeared on the surface of the Coin of Destiny once more, almost
breaking it in half.

Seeing the Coin of Destiny on the brink of complete destruction, Leylin felt piteous before he stored it
carefully.

The Coin of Destiny was able to predict anything as long as it did not deal with the Morning Star Realm.
However, the moment it did, there would be frightful repercussions.

As for the turbulence in the astral plane? This was even more dangerous than Morning Star Magi.

Based on the situation, the Coin of Destiny would probably be completely destroyed after being used
like this a few more times.
For the period of time that Leylin had been in the central continent, he had not seen any children of
destiny such as Baelin and Longbottom. His instincts also told him that it would be a long time till he
could make another Coin of Destiny.

What happened the last time was merely a coincidence. If he wanted to do it again, things would not be
so simple.

"I hope the power of destiny will be able to help me proceed forward..." Leylin sighed and sent the dark
golden spiritual force seed in.

[Monitoring. Vortex estimated to appear on left, recommendation to move far away.]

Leylin's eyes were now emanating blue light. The A.I. Chip's abilities were being utilised to the fullest as
large amounts of data appeared before him.

He was like a helmsman who had gone through gales and waves. Amidst the storms, he continued to
guide the seed forward, dodging in impossible ways and avoiding spatial turbulences.

Within the gigantic spatial crack, the golden ray was like a little boat passing through gaps in the
turbulence, its movements unbelievably agile and smooth.

*Awooo...* At this moment, a giant black figure suddenly appeared in the air, pouncing towards the
golden spiritual force seed.

"A creature of the void. I didn't notice it!" Leylin was extremely annoyed. Creatures that lived in these
spatial cracks usually had terrifying spatial abilities, and the A.I. Chip was much too far away to scan and
notice it.

"Dodge it immediately!" The dim golden spiritual force seed quickly evaded, but the black figure roared,
refusing to let up. A sharp, giant mouth formed on its stomach, hot on the seed's heels.

[*Beep!* Warning! Warning! Spatial turbulence estimated to happen in: 0.00023s!] The A.I. Chip's
prompt sounded again.

"Shit!" Leylin's eyes were now slightly bloodshot, and he was doing all he could to avoid that region.

*Rumble!* Berserk spatial undulations swept through, and Leylin's spiritual force seed was caught
within.

*Awooo...* That creature noticed that its delicacy had been swept into the spatial turbulence, and could
only roar at the boundaries before disappearing into the darkness.

"Is it going to die out again?" Leylin was full of agony.

At this moment, the golden rays on the seed flickered.

*Rumble!* An even more powerful spatial turbulence formed at the side. The two spatial storms
collided, wreaking havoc on space itself.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Countless bolts of silver lightning crashed into each other, tearing open numerous
spatial cracks.

Leylin's spiritual force seed actually followed along a crack and, despite the alarm it had caused, fell in
without harm.

"The power of destiny!" Leylin, who had seen this scene, suddenly sighed, holding more reverence for
the mysterious, unmeasurable power of destiny.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 468 - Blackrain World

In a wasteland where little red grass with serrated edges filled the seams of rocks, which were
decorated with strange images of humanoid faces, droplets of black rainwater generated within the
cracks in the ground, quickly rose, and rained into the horizon.

　　

The rain here was actually black, and moved in the opposite direction.

　　

A dim golden spiritual force seed lay atop a blade of red sawtooth grass, giving off spiritual force
undulations and scanning the surroundings. Leylin admired the sight.

"In that case, I'll name this place the "Blackrain World". I never thought I'd be so lucky and find a plane
without a protector, and I wasn't even discovered...

　　

"If Duke Gilbert found this place, he'd definitely go crazy in elation, right? However, it's much too
extravagant for me!"

　　

A complete different plane represented boundless top-grade resources, as well as much information
regarding different dimensions. It was more than sufficient to make a Morning Star Magus go insane in
envy.

　　

When it came to places like this which held traces of life and were possible to reside in, Leylin believed
that Duke Gilbert would immediately hold no qualms and open the astral gate to arrive here, no matter
the cost.

However, all this was much too early to Leylin. What he had opened up was merely a spiritual force
channel that could not transport physical objects, much less his own body. That was a function of an
astral gate, and still in the remote future for him.

　
"If not for this seed being formed from Crystal Phase spiritual force, it might long since have dissipated.
However, at this rate, this merely slows down the process..."

　　

The rays from the golden spiritual force seed were very weak. In this environment, it seemed on the
verge of being extinguished.

　　

"I can only transmit information here, so what's most valuable to me here would be the coordinates of
this world, high-grade meditation techniques or information regarding the path to power and the like..."
Leylin now urgently wished for a high-energy energy creature to take him away.

This was merely a spiritual force seed, and if it dissipated, then so be it. However, if he could make a
trade with another party, that would be a frightful profit.　　

Even if it was just the simple exchange of information, that would be the most beneficial for him.

　　

Ancient Magi had walked the path of glory through studying and imitating the paths of other worlds. If
Leylin wished to restore the glory of the ancient era, he would definitely need to go along this road.

[Unable to determine world's location.] Leylin frowned. With the connection to his spell formation, he
could feel that his spiritual force seed had reached a very remote area, and this connection was only
faintly discernable, and seemed to be on the verge of breaking down.　　

　　

"One way of sending out the coordinates is to project a localising mark there. As long as it isn't
destroyed, it can send out waves of information infinitely, and then allow me to infer the coordinates.
However, that's impossible for now." Leylin furrowed his brows.

　　

How many benefits could be obtained from a new world? It was enough to cause Morning Star Magi to
go crazy. Even Breaking Dawn Magi would go green in envy and work to obtain it! Before all that, what
was needed were the coordinates.　　

This method of calculating the coordinates was very complicated. It could not be obtained so easily just
by sending a spiritual force seed over. A series of meticulous, complicated calculations had to take place,
as well as coordinating with the seed in that world.　

However, the seed was now unable to hold on for long.

Being able to reach the Blackrain World was completely coincidental, and a repeat was impossible.

　　

"There's another method. I can bewitch the intelligent inhabitants here and get them to set up some
sort of altar, which in actuality would be a coordinate projecting device. I'll then determine..." As long as
the coordinates were confirmed, the Blackrain World would not be able to escape his grasp.

　　

Leylin had never heard of the terrifying ability to teleport himself into different worlds, even in legends.　　

　　

In addition, without a protector, Leylin's spiritual force seed was not destroyed at the outer layer of the
world. This meant that the Blackrain World lacked Magi who were at or above the Radiant Moon realm.
At most, their highest battle might would be at the Morning Star realm, and therefore they lacked any
defence!　　

"What I lack now is time..." Leylin gave a wry smile. His spiritual force seed could not be replenished in
the Blackrain World, and was on the verge of dissipating.　　

　　

The moment it dissipated, it would be a complete loss. How could he take it lying down?　　

　　

A one in a ten thousand chance of finding a world was not so easily found. The Coin of Destiny had
already been damaged to this point, and could no longer be used unless it was crucial.

　　

At this moment, Leylin's brows twitched, "There's something there!"

......　　
　　

Meanwhile, in the Blackrain World, Leylin's spiritual force seed lay in the plains, while two dark green
humanoid beings approached.

　　

These two creatures could somehow be said to look human. They had human torsos and two legs, but
their bodies were filled with scales, and their eyes held blood-red pupils.　　

The arms were rather terrifying. On one side they had four, and on the other, three. There was even a
horn sticking out from their heads.　　

　　

"Since they have so many arms, let's call them the "Multi-Armed Race!" Leylin did not hesitate as he
named this race, looking as if he was the conqueror of the place.

"..."　　

　　

The two members of the Multi-Armed race gathered a type of green fruit while they conversed in a
language that Leylin could not understand. Their language was not sounded with their throats, but
information was relayed through something like electrical currents projected from their horns.

　　

Even if he identified that information, Leylin still did not understand.　　

　　

[Discovery of information regarding language of a different plane. Recording!] The A.I. Chip loyally
intoned.　　

　　

All methods of communication were definitely practical and universal. With enough samples, simulating
them would merely be a question of time.　　

　　

At this moment, Leylin noticed how frightful their physical strength was. It even exceeded that of a few
rank 1 high-energy creatures.　　
　　

"If this isn't the usual standard in this world, then their strength must be exceptionally high..." Leylin
sighed, ordering the spiritual force seed to make a move.　　

　　

"Hello!" Information in the ancient Byron language through spiritual force was transmitted into the
minds of these two Multi-armed beings.　

"p"　　

　　

These two were obviously scared by the sound and immediately retreated, on their guard.　　

　　

"The ancient Byron language is a languages governed by rules, and also one that is common to many
worlds. I didn't expect it not to work here!" Leylin sighed. Though Magi of the ancient era seemed to
have taken over many dimensions, and forcefully implemented their language and words, the number of
different worlds out there were like the countless stars in the sky. It was very possible for some to have
been overlooked.　　

"It's going to dissipate anyway. Any changes in the situation are better than none at all!"

*Buzz!* With Leylin's control, the dark golden spiritual force seed began to vibrate, giving off a dim
radiance.　　

　　

This strange situation immediately attracted the attention of two other Multi-Armed beings. They
gathered in front of the seed and began to gesticulate at it. When they realised the dark golden seed
posed no threat, they began to argue.　　

　　

At the end, one of them seemed to have persuaded their comrade, and used a white animal skin to
carefully pick up the spiritual force seed that was already looking weak, and darting in a direction.

　　
The wind whooshed on both sides, the scenery blurring, and Leylin had to recalculate the strength of
this race.

　　

Tens of minutes later, these two Multi-Armed beings brought Leylin to a large tribe.

　　

In terms of its appearance, it looked very primal. There were few houses, all built of bulky rocks that had
been piled up, seeming very boorish.

　　

Many beings of the Multi-Armed race moved around the tribe every once in a while, even greeting these
two after seeing them.

　　

Leylin obviously did not let this chance slip by and carefully observed everything in the tribe. He
immediately made a discovery.

"Not considering the elderly and children, there seems to be only two types of looks for the Multi-
Armed race."

　　

The Multi-Armed beings had two types of looks. One was three arms on the right, and four on the left,
while the other was the exact opposite, with four on the right and three on the left. The latter was
usually larger, and their scales were more firm.　　

　　

Leylin inferred that this could be a difference that indicated their genders.　　

　　

The two Multi-Armed beings did not seem to have a low status in the tribe. They proceeded forth with
Leylin and came before a giant cave.

　　

"Hm? This place?" Leylin was immediately wary.　　

　　

From within the cave, he could feel energy particles converging. This meant there was an existence that
dealt with magic, and there were even undulations similar to those of spell formations. However,
compared to the Magus World, it had a different style.　　

　　

Outside the cave were hung all sorts of materials. Some were from animals and plants, such as the roots
and fruits.

　　

"Looks like I've been brought to the a place where offerings are made, or where the tribe leader resides.
That's good too, since these people are usually more open..."

The two Multi-Armed beings firrst kowtowed outside the cave devoutly, and then yelled.　　

　　

"Sknglk..." An answer resounded from within the cave.　　

　　

The two Multi-Armed beings immediately placed the hide that carried Leylin within on the ground.
Respectfully bowing, they then left.　　

The moment a sound entered Leylin's ears, he was instantly shocked. "Morning Star!!! There's actually a
Morning Star-ranked being here!"　　

　　

*Tok! Tok! Tok!*　　

　　

Giant footsteps were heard, and immediately after, a being that was two times larger than others of its
race appeared before Leylin.

　　

It stared at Leylin's seed, giant blood-red eyes shining as it immediately grabbed it before its figure
disappeared into the cave.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 469 - Multi-Armed Race

This was the result of the natural radiation of a creature which had achieved the Morning Star realm.

The space in the hillside was even larger, and many creatures' remains were casually abandoned at one
side. The remaining energy waves on them made Leylin feel suffocated.

In the middle the platform, the livers of all kinds of animals were casually laid out at one side. An
entirely black boiler foamed with white bubbles, making Leylin feel as if he was seeing a shaman of his
old world.

Be it the insignia on one side or the totem, they were all decorated with bloody brown symbols.

This was Leylin's evaluation: the entire hillside seemed just like an unsophisticated laboratory, but it
already possessed a certain ability for research.

In a flash, the large Multi-Armed Race being threw Leylin's seed onto an altar in the middle as the
surrounding blood-red emblems immediately emitted a faint radiance.

Leylin suddenly felt as if he was isolated from his surroundings, and even if he wanted to explode, he
could do nothing at all.

"Spell formation of a different tribe? Pretty interesting!" With the seed in their hands, the worst thing
that could happen was just to lose it, hence Leylin was not especially afraid.

"The other... world's... spiritual force seed?" At this time, the Multilimb Clan member spoke. Using the
ancient Byron language, he stuttered slightly, but Leylin managed to understand his words.
"Yes, honourable sir! I am a space traveller, and I accidentally ended up here!"

Leylin's heart soared. Being able to communicate meant that there was hope for a transaction. "Do you
know the ancient Byron language?"

"Yes! Although we of the Quark tribe have already experienced 3 extinctions, our civilisation's legacy has
never been gone!" The large Multi-Armed Race being seemed very proud.

Leylin nodded. In such a brutal tribe, the clan leader, witch doctors and leaders always had deep
knowledge. This was a rule that held true in almost every world.

"As you have seen, I am currently only a spiritual force seed, which has nearly dissipated and poses no
threat. May I know if it is possible to make a deal with you?" Leylin told him his requirements.

The spiritual force seed needed the person's own spiritual force to work, and now, it could be said that
time was counting down to its annihilation. Even if the other party had a way, they could only delay it at
most, without being able to solve the root of the problem.

Moreover, the journey to the Blackrain World this time was entirely accidental. It was impossible to
create a space passageway even if he wanted to. Thus, he needed to obtain some valuable items
immediately.

From Leylin's point of view, the Multi-Armed Race member who had already achieved the strength of
the Morning Star realm largely fulfilled the requirements.

"Are you really doing this just for a deal?" The Multi-Armed Race member's eyes were full of distrust,
and even more of cautiousness. The blood-red runes on the insignia twinkled, and it actually emitted
energy waves similar to that of a lie detector.
"Of course!" Leylin answered without hesitation, almost believing his own lie.

"You are only left with a little bit of spiritual force, I'm afraid we have not much to discuss. Moreover,
the previous disasters were all brought about by you all..."

The large Multi-armed Race member evidently showed distrust towards Leylin. The entire altar began to
rotate, almost wanting to destroy Leylin's spiritual force seed completely.

'Bitch. Which bastard came first? They're making things hard for those of us who came later...' Leylin
scolded in his heart. Still, he immediately shouted, "Wait, you don't need my things, but I'm sure your
clan members do. I have a lot of remarkable information from different planes, including lots on
organisational systems, planting, smelting, alloy-making, even potion-making and alchemy. I believe
they will definitely be helpful to you and your clan..."

"I can obtain these items directly from you..." The large Multi-Armed Race member laughed coldly.
Streaks of blood-red lines emerged on the altar, even scheming to penetrate the spiritual force seed.

"So it's this kind of soul-searching method!" Leylin's spiritual force seed suddenly shook, emitting a great
dark gold radiance.

The streaks of blood-red spiritual force were drowned in the bronze radiance in a flash. Right after that,
Leylin's spiritual force seed seemed to be more illusory, as if it would be forcibly destroyed in the next
moment.

"As you have seen, this method is ineffective on me. Even more forced methods will not benefit us both
in the end..."

Leylin was secretly relieved. This Multi-Armed Morning Star being only broke through to the Morning
Star Realm based on his body strength. Similar to that male scorpion in the Icy World, it was a
representation of power. Hence, its experience with regards to the spiritual world was still very feeble.
Such a creature could use its strong strength to beat up Leylin, but its power was inadequate to carry
out a complicated job like soul-searching.

Should Leylin's spiritual force seed end up in the hands of a similar Morning Star Magus who
concentrated on spiritual force, he would only be left with the road to annihilation, even having many of
his memories opened up for the other to see.

But with Leylin being at the Crystal Phase, it was still possible to somewhat confront a barbarian with
Morning Star strength. In the worst case, he could order the spiritual force seed to self-destruct, leaving
the other party with nothing to gain.

"What exactly do you want?" The Multi-Armed Race member's expression turned sour.

"Simple. An equal exchange—both parties will provide valuable information, and as the outsider, I am
willing to offer a portion first!"

Leylin's spiritual force seed vibrated, and sent a few books of information written in the ancient Byron
language over shortly after.

In those were some primitive introductions of systems, and simple agriculture and alchemy techniques.
Although it was not of much help to a matured Multi-Armed Race member who was at least rank 1, it
was still enough to use as reference.

Furthermore, at the end of the information, Leylin specially attached some information on methods of
setting up spell formations to refine their physical bodies, as well as knight-training manuals that were
commonly seen in the central continent. Although it was just a starter, it was still valuable.

The Multi-Armed Race, a bunch which concentrated on physical strength, would definitely be more
interested in items in this aspect.
Indeed, towards the agricultural techniques and other information that Leylin sent earlier, the large
Multi-Armed Race member did not show any interest. Instead, he appeared very intrigued by the
proposed killing techniques.

" An interesting item!" the large Multi-Armed Race member nodded, "The body refinement spell
formations in here is enough to strengthen our children slightly. As for the last part about the killing
techniques, although the structure is different, it can still provide some insights. I need the last part!"

"Then may I ask what you have in exchange?" Leylin was no longer anxious now that he had proven his
worth. All that was left was for the other party to make his offer.

"You..." The large Multi-Armed Race member growled, but Leylin was not the least bit bothered.

If he were in his original body, he would naturally be very polite to the other party to protect his life.
However, the worst case scenario was only losing a spiritual force seed. It was not a big deal, and hence,
he was not anxious.

"What do you want?" Evidently, this Multi-Armed Race member also knew that now, Leylin was not
afraid of him at all, and would not succumb to threats. If he still wanted that information, he could only
give in.

"I am very interested in your training methods. Maybe..." Leylin tried asking. He was there to search for
a way to increase his strength. Anything in that regard would definitely be very valuable.

A person such as this Multi-Armed Race member seemed to show hope for his own body to break
through.

"We Quark tribe people are born warriors. Our strength is not trained, Instead, we are born with it!" The
large Multi-Armed Race member proclaimed proudly.
Leylin rolled his eyes, "Then why is there still a great difference between you and your clan members?"

Creatures that had achieved Morning Star level in their adulthood, were all abnormally terrifying
species. This Multi-Armed Race was not worthy to claim itself as the Quark tribe.

At the very most, they were only capable creatures with hopes of breakthrough to the Morning Star
level. This piqued Leylin's interest, and he wanted to conduct research on it.

In fact, the Multi-Armed Race were also bloodline creatures. However, they were able to advance
continuously, to a point that such monsters with Morning Star strength existed. This lifted Leylin's
spirits.

If he studied their ways of obtaining strength, would he be able to find a method to break through the
bloodline shackles?

"That is a top secret of our Quark tribe. How can we reveal that?" The large Multi-Armed Race member
rejected straight away without hesitation.

"I don't need it to be in-depth. Just the simplest and most basic explanations will be enough. What do
you think of that? As long as you give me this information, I can give you all of the missing parts about
the spell formation, as well as the next chapter of the killing techniques from before!" Leylin tempted
enthusiastically.

To the A.I. Chip, these most basic things were the most important, because they represented the
foundation of the system! As long as the foundation was complete, based on the deductive ability of the
A.I. Chip, there would be a day when this Multi-Armed Race's hidden secrets would be laid bare before
Leylin.

"You give it to me first!" The large Multi-Armed Race member said.

Leylin pondered for a while before giving a proposition. "From the current situation, none of us will trust
the other side. How about each of us hand over the information to the other party at the same time?"

"Alright!" The large Multi-Armed Race member agreed helplessly.

A huge wave of energy was emitted from its horns and entered Leylin's spiritual force seed.

[Detected influx of spiritual force, accept?]

"Accept!" Following Leylin's order, the curtains to the path for evolution was slowly unveiled.

Leylin did not go against his words as well. While receiving the information, he transmitted a large
amount of information simultaneously.

When the transaction was over, both parties were relatively satisfied with their gains.

"Very well, visitor from the other world. You didn't deceive me!" The large Multi-Armed Race member
was evidently delighted.

"Of course. This transaction marks the beginning of our trust, and hopefully in the future, we will
still...Oh damn!" Leylin spoke halfway and his tone suddenly became exasperated.

The spiritual force seed that represented his existence suddenly became illusory, exploding into a ball of
light shortly after and vanishing without any trace...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 470 - Danger

When spiritual force coagulated, it formed a spiritual force seed. However, when this seed entered
another world, it would be unable to supplement itself.

Regardless of whether it was the previous experiment or the method of transmitting and receiving
messages, they required a huge amount of spiritual force. Naturally, once this spiritual force was
drained completely, it signalled the end of the seed.

In the Magus World, the huge interior of the Magus Tower.

The terrifying interplanar spell formation shook as the rays of light gradually darkened.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Just when I managed to build a connection..." Leylin's eyes were bloodshot as he
went berserk.

"That's a world! An entire independent world! Exactly how many times will I have to experiment before I
can find another world that is not controlled by any outsider..." He stroked his forehead as he groaned.

[Interplanar spell formation shut down. Spell formation damage 0.19%, Astral stone energy depletion
37.98%!] At the same time, the A.I Chip transmitted the information to Leylin.

"Astral stone!" Leylin waved his hand and immediately, the astral stone that was in the center of the
Interplanar spell formation returned to his hand.

However, the astral stone had already shrunk a little; its radiance had dimmed as well.

Originally, one such astral stone was able to support the interplanar spell formation for a long time.
However, Leylin realised that in order to merely connect both sides' spiritual force, the formation had
drained a huge amount of energy from it.
"What a pity..." Leylin remained emotionless for a good while before he recovered as his eyes
brightened.

"It was indeed a coincidence to discover the Blackrain World without a space route or coordinates!"

"Luckily, I managed to acquire at least some information before our link got cut off..." Leylin's expression
then darkened.

[Multi-Armed Race techniques have been collated,] the A.I. Chip reported in the meanwhile.

Even though that race with the Morning Star being called itself the Quark Tribe, Leylin was persistent in
calling it the Multi-Armed Race. Naturally, the A.I. Chip followed his own scheme.

The foundational skills of the Multi-Armed Race were vary fragmented, and most of it was vague. While
it was just the basic foundation of their skills, it was obvious that the clan head had done some
modifications to conceal some parts of their skills.

However, it was definitely an easy task for the A.I. Chip to collate the different bits of data sent over and
derive further information from that.

"From the looks of it, it seems similar to the way Branded Swordsmen and Steel Knights are nurtured..."
Leylin had much experience, which made it easy for him to spot this fact.

In the Magus World, most of the ancient branches followed closely the path to strength of the other
worlds, hence it was absolutely normal for things to be similar.

"A.I Chip, collate these three datas together and research on them," Leylin ordered.

[Task established. Proceeding with data enumeration.] The A.I. Chip immediately sent back.

Leylin definitely had little interest in the data on how to nurture Branded Swordsmen, since the data in
his possession was incomplete. With this incomplete data, the most he could nurture was a rank 1
Magus, which was definitely of no use to him.

Needless to say, even a veritable flood of rank 1 Magi would be no match for someone at the Morning
Star realm.

However, it was definitely useful to have many subordinates. If he could nurture rank 2 or even rank 3
Branded Swordsmen, then Leylin would have the upper hand in many engagements.

For Leylin who was the lord of a territory, such a plan would always be worthwhile and profitable.

Moreover, the training method of the Multi-Armed Race, together with their special methods of
breaking through, seemed to be valuable for his research into removing his bloodline shackles.

Even though he wasn't yet at the bottleneck to the Morning Star realm, the fact that Kemoyin Warlocks
could never advance to rank 5 and beyond had been weighing heavily on his heart.

......

The isolation of the Magus Tower extended to a period of a few months.

Those who were waiting outside, such as Parker, witnessed the tower absorbing huge amounts of
elemental particles, a phenomenon caused by the spell formation operating the positive and negative
energy pools to supply the interplanar experiment.

Apart from shock, all they felt was admiration for Leylin's wealth.

It was definitely a rare sight in the central continent for a rank 3 Magus to conduct such research for
extended periods of time. The weight of astral stones he had in reserve alone would cause any other to
go bankrupt.

"Marquis Leylin... This is seriously..."

If even the subordinates of Leylin were amazed, outsiders would definitely be surprised. Take, for
example, the Warlock currently standing in front.

This Warlock had a fine appearance, which was common for Warlocks. This made him seem to be as
ordinary as any other Magi out there, but the fact that this Warlock had a pure Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline within his veins created a sense of inferiority within Parker and the rest, which also
heightened their alertness as they did not dare to take this Warlock lightly.

"Just the amount of astral stones used must be enough to drive a rank 3 Magus to desperation, right?"

The subordinates stared at the huge Magus Tower as they couldn't help but express their shock when
they saw this man.

"Count Timmy," Parker respectfully stood aside.

Even though Timmy was a mere rank 2 Warlock and a Count, his regal bloodline made it easy for him to
advance to rank 3 or even become a Morning Star Magus. Timmy definitely surpassed Parker, who was
older than him and also a rank 3 Black Horrall Snake Warlock, in potential.

Besides, Timmy was originally from the Ouroboros Clan, and his network within the clan ensured that he
was an individual that one could not take lightly.

"I came here to hand him this invitation. However, it seems like I came at the wrong time..." Timmy
couldn't help but express his helplessness.
"Please do not worry. The lord still returns once every month. It has almost been that amount of time
since he last came out, so I presume the Count will only have to wait patiently for a short period of
time," Parker answered.

Timmy nodded his head. He himself was aware that, without prior notice, these high-ranking Magi
would definitely not tolerate any interruptions when they were going through very important research.
He wasn't willing to risk it as even a slight disturbance from the outside world could've resulted in the
murderous intent of the Warlock being aimed at him.

"I would like to explore the prosperous Onyx Castle that I heard Marquis Leylin used less than ten years
to build."

"That would be our honour," Parker nodded his head as he called another Warlock who was dressed like
a butler. "This is Kubler, the butler of the castle. He'll bring you around afterwards."

Governing their territories was just a small matter to a Warlock. Yet, due to Timmy's age, he would
definitely hold some interest in exploring such territories. Another reason was for him to pass the time
while waiting.

"Count Timmy, this is Kubler at your service!" Kubler let out his most sincere smiling expression as he
bowed respectfully.

......

The Warlocks who were outside joking and talking heartily were definitely ignorant towards the
situation of Leylin who was inside the Magus Tower, perspiring madly.

At this point in time, in front of him stood a creature which had a sheep's head but the body of a
crocodile. This creature appeared to be wise, questioning him on various topics.
"Do you know how the cape jasmine blooms?"

"What is one plus one?"

"How many tails does the Infinite Loop of Snakes have?"

The creature wore a black windbreaker and was talking in a foreign language, yet surprisingly, Leylin was
able to understand him.

Leylin's forehead was still perspiring madly and he couldn't help but mentally let out a bellow of rage.
'This is impossible! In this frail mirror of dimension, how is it possible for a creature to cross over?'

As a high ranking Warlock, and a long-time assistant of Duke Gilbert, Leylin naturally understood that
such interplanar experiments were very dangerous.

Many Morning Star Magi had led themselves to death as a result of coming in contact with too many
strange and powerful existences, or even just by listening to the sounds of these existences. This curse
could even extend to one's descendants.

Yet, what he'd been doing today was not nearly as reckless.

The minute his spiritual force seed entered the astral plane, this creature had found him and even
immediately appeared directly within the interplanar spell formation.

[Abnormal energy source found! Engaging countermeasures!] The A.I Chip sounded.

During the construction of this interplanar spell formation, he had naturally considered the problem of
other creatures, especially with the deaths of many Morning Star Magi serving as a warning.
Following the A.I Chip's statement, the symbols on the ground lit up to form a cage of crimson lightning
that bound the creature firmly.

The lightning, as red as blood, crashed down onto the creature with the formidable strength of Leylin's
Magus Tower.

*Crack!* Blood-red electricity arced along the creature's body as its clothing turned to ash. It developed
sarcomas that leaked yellow pus as they exploded one by one.

The pus and lightning clashed with each other, resulting in an ear-piercing noise.

"How many times does the Frank's Chime strike in a century?"

The rotting flesh on the creature kept sliding off, yet it seemed not to notice as it continued to question
him.

"Attack at full power!" Leylin ordered.

With a boom, numerous bolts of the blood-red lightning converged to form a huge sphere that struck
down at the creature.

"Do you know..." The edge of the lightning sphere dug into the creature as its body disappeared slowly.
The sheep head fell to the floor, still persistent in its questions. The two eyes were already overflowing
with blood.

Boom! The lightning struck again, and it seemed as if time and space froze at that moment, only to
resume flowing shortly after.

"What?" Leylin looked at the silver mirror in front of him The lab seemed to be perfectly fine, and even
the interplanar spell formation was working alright.

There was not a trace tof the creature in the place it had occupied just before...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 471 - Neutralization

"Was that an illusion?" Leylin muttered under his breath and turned his attention to the A.I. Chip's
records.

[Unknown forcefield interference detected! Host has entered a state of confusion.] [Interplanar spell
formation engaging countermeasures, charging!!"] [Magus Tower prepared to eradicate interference,
beginning.] [Host has successfully been restored to normalcy. Alert ended.] The red records made Leylin
feel gloomy.

In the middle of all this, the spiritual force seed that he had sent into the astral plane had vanished
without a trace into a spatial rift.

"Tower genie!" Leylin called out.

"My Lord!" The green genie immediately flew towards Leylin.

"How much of our energy reserves are left?"

"Energy currently at 1.9% of maximum. Energy boost has been initiated," it replied instantly.

"What led to such a huge consumption?"

"Records are in chaos!" the tower genie expressed a rare puzzlement.

"Indeed! What happened a moment ago was real. It wasn't an illusion!" Leylin drew a deep breath.

He'd always known interplanar research was risky. Still, what he'd experienced just now was possibly his
greatest research crisis to date.

'Fortunately, the three astral laws are unbreakable. Hence, the other creature was unable to pass
through and could only create an illusory projection!'

Leylin stroked his chin, pondering about the events that had happened one more time, 'It was merely an
illusory projection and yet it was that menacing. Had I opened an astral gate and allowed the other party
to enter, perhaps my entire territory would have been destroyed...'

With such thoughts, he felt his lingering fear wash over him.

"Fortunately, it lacked the power to do anything. The situation was resolved by the countermeasure of
the dimension spell formation!"

He exhaled a deep breath and turned his head around.

"Do you know—" A huge decapitated goat head with yellow liquid flowing out of it, appeared behind
him.

Two huge lifeless pupils locked onto Leylin's.

"......."
In a split second, a layer of black scales surfaced on Leylin's body and both his eyes turned amber.

"Petrifying Gaze!" Rays of mysterious light hit the opposing wall, and a layer of whitish-gray stone
covered it.

The goat head disappeared into thin air.

"This matter is not finished!" Leylin's face turned gloomy, "A.I. Chip, start scanning!"

[Beep! Mission established! Beginning scan!] It took but a few seconds for it to respond with its findings.

[Remnants of an unknown force field have been detected. Confirmed to be interplanar contamination.]

*Buzz!* He stopped the whole interplanar spell formation with a wave of his hand. And then, with a
blast at the center, the astral stone turned into smithereens.

The energy from this astral stone that he'd acquired from Vance of the Rolithe Family had been
exhausted completely.

Seeing the course of events, Leylin took a deep breath before stepping up to the middle of the room.

In the library, multiple sprinklers that were fixed to the ceiling and connected to an enormous pool in
the center started spraying a fragrant whitish-green liquid.

"Rank 5 purification pool! I hope it's of help!" Interplanar defense was a compulsory course for anyone
performing research in the area. Leylin had gotten Gilbert's own purification system a while ago and
built an enhanced version for himself.
Green liquid dripped from the nozzles, its antiseptic scent strong and sharp. Soon, Leylin was completely
drenched.

As the green liquid washed over him, green fur started to appear on the surface of his clothing before
being washed off by the same liquid again.

"This is so troublesome!" Leylin assessed his situation and furrowed his brows. He stripped himself
naked and jumped into the pool in the center.

*Zi Zi!* An enormous whirlpool formed of pearl-white liquid started bubbling lightly.

Traces of black liquid oozed out of Leylin's pores, visible to the naked eye.

After several rinses, Leylin stepped into another purification room. Inside, many human-sized flowers
and plants were blooming. They opened up their petals and revealed their scarlet red tongues with
suction pads...

After multiple purifications, Leylin wore a brand new loose-fitting robe and relaxed on a recliner.

'I've sent many seeds into the astral plane in the past three months, but unfortunately I didn't have help
from the Coin of Destiny. There's no way to find the Blackrain World again. Not only did I suffer an
irrecoverable loss, I have even provoked such a heinous creature...' Leylin weighed his gains and losses.

He had run many experiments on the astral plane, and had gotten some substantial gains. Yet,
compared to his engagement with the Multi-Armed Race, it was all worth nothing.

With the A.I. Chip's help, he had figured out the secret spell, and named it Multilimb Strength.

The A.I. Chip's simulations had proven that such a secret spell had the ability to break apart one's
genetic limitations. So much so, that it could enhance Leylin's current vitality by five to ten points.

To Leylin, such temptations were irresistible.

The more powerful one's vitality, the harder it was to advance further. When his vitality was at ten to
twenty points, he hadn't bothered much about raising it. But now, to advance further from his base was
an uphill task.

If word leaked of his Multilimb Strength, it would drive body-refining Magi crazy and cause them to act.

Even this one gain was enough to offset all his losses in the past three months!

This was the main attraction of the astral plane. There were both sides to a coin, no profit without loss.
After becoming unable to use the Coin of Destiny, Leylin's experiments had been at a bottleneck, with
multiple attempts to proceed resulting in failure.

Especially today. He'd unexpectedly drawn towards himself a completely unknown living creature. It
was, in fact, not an organism. Just a formless being with consciousness.

When it flared up, it was potentially more horrifying than an ancient curse.

"My luck had been average, I think it's time to stop!" Leylin had a bad premonition about the dangers he
had been facing.

"......."

He shut his eyes lightly, and when he opened them, the same decapitated goat head appeared in front
of him again. Its eyes were filled with death and traces of ridicule.
Leylin sighed. Facing the goat head eye to eye, his face was expressionless.

Ten seconds later, the goat head once again disappeared without a trace, as if what had just happened
was another illusion.

"So troublesome!" Leylin was evidently annoyed, "How dare it!"

He got up in a flash, grabbed his clothes, and went to the center of a restricted room.

Grasping the knob of the door, another illusion appeared as the yellowish-bronze knob morphed into a
familiar goat head, glaring at Leylin, and giving him a sinister smile.

Such circumstances would drive any Magus crazy, and cause many other repercussions as well.

Upon opening the door, a cold mechanical voice was transmitted, "This is the core room! Only host
Leylin Farlier is permitted entry. All trespassers will be executed." Soon after, horrifying spell energy
locked onto Leylin's body.

Rays of red, green, and blue scanned his body. "Scanning has begun. Authority verified. Alarm lifted."
With the last sound, his body felt a rush of relief.

This was a small core room. There was only an experimental table with a crystal ball, and on top of it
were intermittent images of a white bone.

Leylin laid down on the experimental table. Soon, he could hear noises from all around. First were some
animalistic growls, and then there were the pitiful cries of someone in the throes of death.
Leylin was unmoved and nonchalantly gave the order, "Begin radiation!"

"Beginning radiation!" A mysterious energy appeared from the Lamia fingerbone, streaking across
Leylin's body. Slowly, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body was roused to a gentle boil.

Given any other time, he would have enjoyed this process immensely. However, this time he felt
different. Streaks of ash-grey fog appeared all over his body, enveloping him like a huge callous. It made
him feel like he was struggling on his deathbed.

[Remnants of an unknown force field have been detected in the host. Confirmed to be interplanar
contamination.] The A.I. Chip repeated, and then added something else. [It is advised to stop the Lamia
radiation.]

"No! Increase the radioactive level. Raise it by 10 times!" an ambitious glare burned in Leylin's eyes.

The A.I. Chip only had the rights to suggest, not to execute anything. Acting on his will, rays of blue
currents radiated from the Lamia bone, causing huge energy undulations. It broke through the grey fog
and shone onto his body.

Leylin groaned as he clenched his teeth, both hands holding tightly to the experimental table, using so
much strength that he left imprints on it.

Purplish-black patches started to appear on his body, looking similar to sunburns.

[Epidermal cells are now 39.78% damaged! Host is suggested to abort the radiation!] The A.I. Chip
sounded once again.

"It seems to be insufficient! Increase intensity, adjust to 50 times!" Leylin locked his jaw tightly and
hissed.

*Zi Zi!* The enormous radiation tangled with the ash-grey fog, turning it into a liquid that dripped down.
The noises surrounding Leylin began to intensify in both volume and chaos.

The white goat head once again appeared in front of Leylin. This time, the fur on it started to be shed
one by one and the two horns started to shrink back into its skull, resulting in a huge change in its
appearance.

After numerous alterations and transformation, the original goat head had morphed into a female
human head. Her eyes were all-white, and were streaming blood.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 472 - Ancient Blood Serpent Castle

[The force fields have been neutralised. Host body's contamination is being dissipated.]

With the mist surrounding Leylin's body becoming weaker, the female head in front of him became less
distinct and finally disappeared into the air.

When the last bit of mist was gone, Leylin immediately ordered for the radiation to be stopped.

Following that, he saw his skin looking as if it had been severely burnt and smiled wryly.

These injuries would definitely have killed any normal person. However, for Magi, as long as the astral
pollution could be gotten rid of, everything else was not an issue.

Leylin wriggled his body, and the wounds on his body began to crack. Skin began to crease in a process
similar to that of snakes moulting. Then, as if taking off his clothes, he shed off the dead skin and
revealed fair, unblemished skin once more.

In just a few minutes, Leylin, who had seemed like a malicious spirit, had regained his normal
appearance.

After changing his clothes, Leylin huffed a long sigh. "It really was quite dangerous this time. That
creature with consciousness is still something I am unable to comprehend."

Just some spiritual force contamination was too much for him to handle himself. This was an existence
whose strength definitely surpassed the Morning Star realm, maybe even at the strength of a Radiant
Moon Magus!

If not for his Lamia fingerbone allowing him to treat this through the neutralisation of force fields, he
would be plagued with troubles for a long time.

Now, though, even if the contamination through radiation was very powerful, the Lamia was an ancient
rank 5 existence. When the radiation from two highly-ranked existences collided, the only result would
be mutual destruction.

Leylin had taken a risk with this, but the effects seemed pretty good.

"What happened this time is a warning. It looks like I should pause my experiments for now..."

Leylin walked out of the core room, ordering the tower genie to send him some desserts and drinks,
before he asked, "How has the situation outside been in the time that I've been experimenting?"

While experimenting, Magi usually disconnected themselves from all communication to prevent any
disturbances.
The tower genie now had the role of something like a housekeeper. Not only did it have to intercept
messages from the outside, it also needed to filter out the most important information for Leylin to
peruse.

"Someone from Freya's family came here? There's even an invitation card?"

Leylin touched his chin, "Could it be that she's already broken through to the Crystal Phase?"

His relationship with Freya was not half bad, especially after selling the bloodline gemstones to her.
Though Freya had then secluded herself and not contacted him, they were part of the same clan. He had
to give her some face.

Leylin thought for a moment and sent down an order, "Inform Parker that I'll meet that Timmy
tomorrow!"

Besides this, there were a few other miscellaneous matters that Leylin had to take care of as the one
with the highest authority. Without his approval, many things could not be implemented on this piece of
land.

These were all necessary. Even if they might be complicated and result in lowered efficiency, they could
not be avoided...

The next day, Timmy, who had been waiting for a long time, finally saw the well-known Leylin in the
Magus Tower.

An adamantine puppet sent in some desserts and drinks before withdrawing.

Leylin watched the reserved young man. He was obviously very young, but the purity of his bloodline far
exceeded that of Noah from Robin's family. This descendant of Freya's family was probably someone
that they favoured. Sending him here was a show of how highly they valued Leylin.

"Lord Marquis Leylin's Magus Tower is truly wondrous!" Timmy praised from the bottom of his heart.
Leylin's top-grade Magus Tower had a reputation of its own within the Ouroboros Clan. There were
always guests coming over and gasping in awe over it.

However, when these words were produced from Timmy's lips, there was something very sincere about
it that gave Leylin a favourable impression.

After chatting for a while, Leylin asked, "Timmy, what are your intentions in coming here?"

At the mention of his business, Timmy turned solemn, "I was asked by the head of the family to pass this
invitation to my lord!" As he said this, he respectfully passed an invitation card to Leylin.

Usually, if it was something common, communication via secret imprints was enough. Getting someone
to specifically send an invitation was only something that large noble families would do. Even then, it
was only done when there was some celebration or important festival.

There was a sweet scent from the surface of the paper. After skimming through the content, Leylin
nodded. "Freya has already advanced to the Crystal Phase! As expected, it's a joyous matter. I'll
personally congratulate her!"

For high-ranked Magi, advancement was always very difficult. Each success definitely called for a
celebration. When Leylin had achieved the Hydro Phase, he had invited his seniors over. Compared to
the Hydro Phase, the Crystal Phase was multiple levels higher and more difficult.

"Many thanks, my lord!" Timmy bowed respectfully.

Though Freya had only just advanced and could not be considered any genius as compared to Robin, she
was still quite decent.

In addition, their family still had plans of having a good relationship with Leylin. After all, Leylin was so
young and already a Hydro Phase Magus. His future was boundless.

This was without them even knowing of Leylin's advancement to the Crystal Phase. If they did, they
would definitely value him even more highly.

"I definitely need to go this time!" An invitation from nobility was extremely important. The other party
had even especially sent someone over, and if Leylin did not attend, even Freya would feel very
uncomfortable.

After sending Timmy away, Leylin lightly sighed. With his current strength, the rank 2 Timmy naturally
would not be able to sense his real aura if he wanted to conceal it.

"Crystal Phase at two hundred years of age? That would be too high profile!" Leylin shook his head, "I
need to keep a low profile and hide my strength before going there."

Leylin had gotten used to being a wolf in sheep's clothing. Right from his days as an acolyte, he'd
developed a technique to conceal his aura and spiritual force waves. On top of that, he had obtained
that spiritual force compression technique, making things much easier for him,

After reaching rank 3, the effects of these spells became weaker. Leylin improved on them again with
the spell models he had obtained as well as those from the Ouroboros Clan. He had even especially
created a few secret supporting techniques.

Leylin was very confident in his concealing skills.

If he went all out, even peak rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi might not be able to see through him. Unless it
was a Morning Star Magus in front of him, there was nobody to fear.
'Freya is the beloved disciple of the Blood Duchess, Emma. She would normally attend!' Leylin touched
his chin, pondering deeply.

"Recently, Kesha mentioned that the mentors seem to have found a world that could very well be
Purgatory. The three elders have all been deep in experiments on the astral plane, and it's not quite
likely that they'll emerge."

The desire Kemoyin Warlocks had towards Purgatory was something outsiders were unable to
comprehend.

Mere traces of the Snake Dowager was enough for all the Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan to go crazy.
After all, the restraints of their bloodlines could only be resolved with her.

In addition, the Purgatory World itself was a giant world. It held boundless riches and, compared to the
surrounding worlds, it could be said to be a large-scaled world. If not, the Snake Dowager would not
have chosen to move her community here. This resulted in many Magi going forth and exploring.

"The Snake Dowager is probably an existence at or above rank 7. Even if they found her, what could the
mentors offer her?"

Leylin shook his head, not very supportive of Gilbert's actions this time. However, there was little that
could be done. Since the three elders were now consumed in their research on the astral plane, this
gave him the chance to take advantage of the situation.

The other high-ranked Warlocks could not see through his pretence, and hence, concealing his spiritual
force undulations and going forth to congratulate them was very possible.

......
Fresh flowers filled the ground. This was Freya's family's territory.

As it was a noble family that had been passed down through generations, the range of their territory far
exceeded that of his own.

The wealth of the residents was something that Leylin, who had only managed things for a hundred
years, could not compare to.

Freya's castle was situated beside a snaking river, with a sea of flowers around it.

Diverse, splendid flower petals spilled all over the ground, Leylin even smelt a fishy smell amidst the
fragrance in the air.

He extended an arm and immediately caught a five-coloured spotted snake under a plant.

The scales of this snake were giving off a magnificent luster. Complementing the flower petals all over
the ground. It was basically impossible to distinguish them with the naked eye.

As if feeling the bloodline in Leylin, the flower snake did not dare resist. Instead, it tried to curl itself up
as much as possible, looking rather pitiful.

"Looks like another result of crossbreeding!"

Leylin was speechless and released this flower snake which had toxins potent enough to break through
an ordinary Magus' innate defensive spell back into the sea of flowers, shaking his head.

As bloodline nobility, it would be unusual not to concentrate on techniques on modifying bloodlines.

However, for Leylin, who had gathered precious experimental data from the Quicksand Organisation,
these experiments were rather unsophisticated.

All the creatures which had been created were the type that he couldn't even bother catching another
glimpse of.

In comparison, the castle at the heart of the sea of flowers was what interested Leylin the most.

The Ancient Blood Serpent Castle that Freya's family had inherited was not a mere place for commoners
like Leylin's Onyx Castle. This was a true ancient Magus castle.

After the great effort of bloodline Warlocks across countless generations, every inch of the land of the
Ancient Blood Serpent Castle was completely soaked in the power of magic.

This created a very formidable defence that could defend against even Morning Star Magi for a period of
time.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 473 - Banquet and Invitation

In the Ancient blood Serpent Castle were many phenomena that even their current leader, Freya, could
not explain clearly.

As a result, when he first saw the crimson structure, Leylin quickly grew fond of the place.

'This sort of ancient castle is what is truly fit to be the residence of a Magus. My Onyx Castle lacks these
details,' he thought as he sighed.
Freya's family was rumoured to even have seen Morning Star Magi amongst their ranks in history, and it
was naturally something that Leylin could not compare to.

Yet, Leylin was confident in himself. As long as he advanced to the Morning Star realm, he would not
need a long time before the Onyx Castle would be comparable to this Ancient Blood Serpent Castle and
be a true ancient Magus castle.

A large number of carriages were parked at the plaza of the castle, and in the area were many magical
creatures.

A large number of guests entered from the main gate, and the entire area seemed very lively. Greetings
were thrown around audibly on occasion.

For someone to come here alone was very rare, and Leylin immediately attracted attention for it.

Thankfully, he was famous to begin with, and many members of the organisation had seen him before.
Even for those who hadn't, there were definitely images and information regarding him. Naturally, he
would not be mocked.

"Leylin, there you are!" After some disturbance at the gates, Freya who was dressed in glamorous attire,
came forward to welcome Leylin.

Even though they had not met for a very long time, her face still looked childlike, and even though she
had the might of a Crystal Phase Magus, she looked just like a little girl, a huge contrast to her mature
and enticing figure.

'Calling me directly by my name? Am I that close to you?' Leylin rolled his eyes internally, but still
allowed Freya to affectionately hold his arms as they walked into the castle.
This was obviously a signal with an obvious implication.

Leylin knew very well that, in Freya's heart, she probably did not have any intentions of giving up on him
completely. She had always liked to show how close she was to him at public occasions like these.

However, he was just as happy about the situation. This way, there would be fewer female Warlocks
coming to cause him trouble.

Only Miranda would have the guts to fight with Freya over a man. However, after being subdued by
Leylin, Miranda had became a lot more down-to-earth.

"I'm very happy that you're here today. I hope to be able to meet you privately after the banquet, and
discuss some matters regarding our mentor!" She lightly whispered into Leylin's ears, and tenderly
hugged him before going to entertain other guests.

She was the main lead of the event today, and there were many distinguished high-ranked Warlocks
who had made their way here. Naturally, she could not only accompany Leylin.

"Mentor?" Leylin stroked his chin.

From the looks of it, Freya had gained an interest in the rumours regarding the discovery of traces of
Purgatory World. However, she seemed concerned as well, and this foresight set her apart from other
Warlocks.

Leylin shrugged his shoulders, looked for a corner, and started to quietly enjoy the delicacies and wine.

As fitting of nobles with thousands of years of heritage, the banquet had very sumptuous food, which
surpassed Leylin's expectations.
"Haha! Leylin, do you like being here alone? Aren't you going to dance?" After sitting for a while on the
sofa, Leylin saw a familiar face.

The aura of Robin's body was gloomy, and the black marking on his forehead had occupied almost his
entire face. It made Leylin rather uncomfortable.

He was now smiling at Leylin, holding a crystal glass filled with grape wine. On the other end, many
female Warlocks wearing revealing clothes shot coquettish glances over.

"Senior Robin!" Leylin smiled and nodded, "I have no interest in these things..."

"That's not what you said when you were dealing with Miranda previously..." Robin smiled and shook his
head, and sat beside Leylin.

Evidently, he had just used the female Warlocks as a conversation starter.

"The aura on your body... has reached a stage where even I can't seem to see through..." Robin sized up
Leylin and said with a laugh, a glint in his eyes.

After being watched this way, Leylin felt chills down his spine. The greediness Robin was concealing well
was causing him to feel apprehensive.

"Senior Robin, stop joking around. I've merely mastered a few powerful spells recently..." Leylin smiled
and declined. His skills at altering his aura typically could not be seen through by an ordinary Crystal
Phase Magus, but Robin had managed to do so, which put him on his guard.

"Why haven't I seen Noah around?" Leylin immediately diverted the conversation.

"He..." Robin's eyes registered fondness, "Noah has already reached the important milestone in his
spiritual force's advancement to the Vapour Phase. He has been staying back in the family..."

"I would have to congratulate senior in advance then..." Leylin smiled, but yet felt like things were not as
simple as how Robin made it out to be.

Robin became silent, before issuing an invitation, "All of us have benefitted greatly from the previous
expedition. I've recently obtained some new intelligence. What do you think? Are you keen on another
one? I am willing to give you 40% of the benefits this time round!"

"Expedition? Where to?" Leylin seemed interested, as he tilted his body forward slightly.

"An ancient pocket dimension. I can confidently say it holds an ancient Morning Star Magus' writings,
and might even be related to the ruins of the Quicksand Organisation!" Robin slightly organised his
words.

"Quicksand Organisation?" Leylin's eyes lit up, but the alarm bells ringing in his heart had grown
extremely loud.

After deliberating for a long time, he finally gave a reply, "I'm sorry, Senior! I've been conducting an
extremely important experiment recently, and I'm afraid I will not be able to head out for long periods
of time."

The instant after he said this, he felt chills, as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast.

"Oh! What a pity..." Robin sighed, then got up and left.

However, Leylin could evidently feel the fury Robin was trying to keep in, and many things that were
hidden in the dark.
'What a terrifying man!' Leylin heaved a deep sigh of relief after seeing Robin's back.

'From the looks of it, the trip to the Quicksand Castle has caused a huge change in him...' Leylin had a
feeling that this Robin was an entirely different person from that passionate and positive man he'd
known.

However, even if it were the old Robin who had came forth with the invitation, Leylin would probably
decline it as well. Currently, he was not short of anything. Since it was very chaotic outside, going out
and exploring now would obviously just be a death wish.

On top of that, Leylin did not feel at ease with the current Robin.

Banquets like those between the elites were relatively boring, at least in Leylin's eyes. Many bloodline
elites liked to flatter each other and flaunt their wealth, and eventually get themselves drunk.

Many good looking males and females would even cuddle on the stage, and then leave the banquet
together and enter designated cubicles. According to rumours, the cubicles had relatively good
soundproofing functions and even if the world were to crumble, the voices within would not be
transmitted to the areas outside. The people in the cubicle were therefore free to do whatever they
wanted without any worries.

The strength Leylin was displaying was that of a Hydro Phase Magus, As a Marquis of the Ouroboros
Clan, many high-ranked Warlocks would naturally come forth to flirt with him. Even when he tried to
hide in a corner, it was hard to get a break with all the coquettish invitations he was getting.

Normally, Leylin did not mind playing this game, but after the banquet, he had Freya's private invitation
to attend to. Robin's appearance had also caused him to feel uneasy, and that had naturally been a
killjoy.

It was not until Leylin felt like his facial muscles were cramping from him smiling that the majestic
banquet was announced to have ended.
This was a celebration meant for just the high-ranked nobility. For the low-ranked Warlocks or peasants,
they would get to rest for a weekend. Freya's clan would even provide white bread and rum free of
charge.

From the looks of it, such an auspicious occasion had not occurred in her family for a very long time,
hence the need for a large celebration.

Leylin did not bother with all of that. After the banquet had ended, under a maid's guidance, he entered
the depths of the Ancient Blood Serpent Castle.

The materials that made up the castle had since experienced many changes due to it receiving the
radiation from the many Magi that had lived there.

The walls were coloured a crimson that resembled that of human muscle, and even possessed the same
elasticity.

The floor was covered with a red carpet, and large mouths emerged from time to time, swallowing the
trash in one gulp before licking their lips, as if after a tasty treat.

There was not a single ordinary human in the castle. With the exception of the low-ranked Warlock
maids who were leading Leylin, the majority were slaves of other races.

"Hovlin?" Leylin looked at the team of dwarf-like beings bowing to him in shock. Those dwarves were
scrawny, but had very sharp ears.

"Yes, master! The Hovlin not only have long lives; they are also outstanding gardeners and chefs,
qualified to perform jobs of varying degrees of intensity, and as a bonus, they have a high degree of
resistance to radiation!"
The maid introduced the Hovlin to Leylin.

"I've naturally heard of the slaves used by noble families!" Leylin nodded his head.

In actual fact, during the construction of Onyx Castle, he had thought of purchasing slaves, but high-
quality slaves like these were pretty rare. Only amongst bloodline nobility like Freya's Family would one
find this many Hovlin.

"Master has been waiting in the study room for you!" The maid respectfully opened a walnut wood door
and stood by the side. Leylin adjusted his collar before walking in.

"Welcome! You haven't seen my study room before, have you?" Freya had changed into a long loose
robe, and had casually used a piece of fabric to tighten her robe. Her face was as youthful as ever.

"Yes. Your huge collection of books is shocking!" Leylin nodded his head, and pretended not to see
Freya's attempts at seduction.

He knew very well what he could afford to play around with. For girls like Miranda, it was okay to have
sex with them. However, it was different for girls like Freya.

Leylin was sure that if he was not prepared to take responsibility after his actions, he would definitely be
chased down by the Blood Duchess until he perished!

Freya's eyes registered a ray of disappointment, yet she still made a promise. "If you want to, you can
flip through any of the books here!"

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 474 - Obstruction and Ambush

"Thank you very much!" Leylin smiled widely as he expressed his gratitude.

Freya pulled on Leylin's arm as they moved to sit on a long sofa. Leylin's eyebrows furrowed, but not
taking such intimate actions to heart.

"What exactly did you ask me to come here for?" Leylin thought Freya was not one to look for him
because of a small matter— Miranda would be more likely to do that.

Once a serious topic was mentioned, all other expressions left Freya's face as she turned solemn,"Do
you know about the events related to the Purgatory World?"

"As far as I know, the elders seem to have acquired some clues, and now they should be searching for
the specific coordinates!" Leylin said with an equally strict expression.

"Actually, the search has almost been completed. According to my master's plan, I'm afraid we'll all have
to go to the headquarters to participate in the experiments!" Freya added, smiling bitterly.

"This is a responsibility we cannot shirk!" Leylin seemed solemn.

"It's just that... I have a really bad feeling about this..." worry surfaced on Freya's face, "Even in the
ancient era, the Purgatory World was a tremendously powerful world, so how is it possible that it would
be so easily found? Even if it is found, how would anyone then go past the protectors to enter?"

"I'm sure the mentors have already considered these questions..." Leylin considered his own words as
he spoke.
"Well, I sure hope so!" Freya breathed a long sigh, then suddenly remembered something else, "These
days, the outside world does not seem to be at peace; you must be careful. These are for you..."

Freya pushed a box over to Leylin. Leylin opened it to find numerous glittering and translucent crystals
neatly placed inside.

"Spiritual force crystals? Those that have had their markings completely removed?"

Leylin was taken by surprise. A Crystal Phase Magus could naturally store and preserve his own
crystallised spiritual force, and leave these crystals for future use.

But for such a pure colour to appear meant that Freya not only washed away all the spiritual force inside
her crystals, but she also eliminated all her spiritual imprints.

To a Crystal Phase Magus, this was no different from reducing their own spiritual force. Although it
wasn't impossible to replenish them, it was still extremely troublesome.

Such crystals with their marks removed could be given to other Crystal Phase Magi to use, and could
quickly replenish spiritual force. They were rare treasures, and had always been a top-class resource
that was only circulated among Crystal Phase Magi.

For Freya, someone who had just advanced to the Crystal Phase, this gift was extremely precious to give.

Freya stopped Leylin before he could say anything. "Don't decline it, this is what you deserve. I have yet
to thank you for the bloodline crystals from last time..."

Leylin remained silent for a while, but eventually, managed to speak to express his gratitude,
"Thank...thank you..."
......

A black horse-carriage slowly exited from the Ancient Blood Serpent Castle's main gate..

Inside the magnificent carriage sat Leylin. He was looking at the box in his hand, a bitter smile on his
face.

"She's very considerate..." He sighed lightly. During this period of an unknown crisis, Freya was still able
to remember him. This thought inevitably led Leylin's heart to flutter.

"In the future, if I have the means, I will definitely help you!" Leylin firmly decided in his mind.

"Are you certain the target is inside?"

Not far away, there were tremors felt on the ground surface. Two shadows dressed in yellow appeared.
"It is confirmed, inside that carriage is the Ouroboros Clan's Marquis, Leylin!"

The other figure had a scratchy voice.

"Hehe...this is the Magus who the Demon Hunter put a high price on... And he has Hydro Phase
strength!" The person who spoke first immediately laughed coldly.

"Everything is already prepared. Once our target enters the ambush, we spring into action at once!"
There was a hint of bloodthirst in that scratchy voice.

"Hmm?!" Leylin, who was just resting on the carriage, abruptly opened his eyes, revealing a cheeky
smile.
"Someone wants to attack me?" Although he had not heard the conversation between the two
shadows, the A.I Chip's detection clearly showed that, in the forest not far away, there was a trap.

Even if the other party had already carefully set up three layers of aura-concealing spell formations,
from Leylin's point of view these spell formations were like sieves that were filled with holes.

Especially the radiation from the Magi hidden within— that was as obvious as a burning torch in the
night.

"Julian!" He called in a low voice.

"What's the matter, Lord Marquis?" the coachman from outside replied immediately.

"Maintain the speed, there's a group of friends ahead of us waiting for a greeting!" Leylin spoke in a low
voice, and he was certain the Magus had already understood what he meant..

"Yes, my lord!" Upon hearing this piece of news, Julian's voice was still ever so steady, like he was not in
the least bit worried.

The grand horse-carriage proceeded at a constant speed, moving along on the road by the forest as if
unaware.

A yellow fireball boomed as it crashed down on them, ruining the walls of the carriage and causing it to
break apart. The giant rut and the wheels of the carriage flew out.

A waft of smoke rose just outside the area, isolating this piece of land from the rest of the world.

A few men dressed in black immediately pounced towards the carriage. One of them held a huge
hammer up high, and smashed down on the carriage directly.
The land rumbled as the huge hammer mercilessly crushed the remains of the carriage and created a
gigantic pit, as if by an earthquake that sent out strange ripples.

"Eh? There's no one?" The person who spoke was someone with the voice of a child, and the body of a
seven- or eight-year-old. Yet, he was holding a hammer that was bigger than his own body, making him
look a little ridiculous.

"Blacksmith Mia? I don't recall there being any grudges between us." Several black tendrils covered the
whole area, and Leylin carried the trembling coachman as they walked out of the shadows.

"Hehe! Do I need a reason to kill you?" Mia lifted her hood, revealing a face befitting the body. A face
that should have been filled with the joy of a child was instead warped with bloodlust.

Blacksmith Mia was the central continent's most infamous bandit, a peak Crystal Phase Magus with
countless crimes to her name. Under the guise of a little girl hid a vicious, scary monster. She'd once
used a metal hammer to kill an entire family of Magi. Male, female, old, young; no matter who it was,
they were simply added to the mountain of flesh.

"And I reckon these people are courting death too?" Leylin looked around at the other few black
shadows. Numerous elemental particles transformed into shields and appeared before him.

"Assassin Hill! Brutal Bear Fein!"...

A few of the Magi reported their names successively. They were all characters whose names were
known far and wide for their notoriety.And they all emitted waves of Crystal Phase energy.

"You sure do think highly of me..." Leylin said, smiling while shaking his head. Without warning, he
sprung forth violently.
"Go to hell!" He whirled the coachman who was in his arms upwards, smashing him towards Mia as if he
were a sandbag. The numerous potion bottles on him scattered outwards.

"Rank 3 potion combination spell, Divine Prairie Flames!" Burning flames immediately formed a wall of
fire in front of him, isolating Hill and Fein to one side.

On the other end, the coachman who was thrown by Leylin changed in a bizarre manner. Mia, who was
standing in front of him, whirled the heavy hammer without regard for anything, trying to smash the
coachman into pulp.

He pulled out a golden dagger in mid-air, and his whole temperament instantly changed. The originally
timid man turned sinister and crazy, as if a cowardly rabbit transforming into a tiger.

"Blacksmith Mia?" He laughed coldly. His whole body seemed to have become as flexible as a snake's,
and he moved his body in a way no ordinary person would ever be able to as he avoided the huge
hammer. In the same instant, he stabbed the dagger right into Mia's chest.

*Weng!* An aura of gold was emitted from Mia's body, but even that was shockingly dimmed as it was
stabbed firmly by the dagger.

Mia's body went stiff for a split second before her innate defensive spell shattered into pieces under the
dagger's attack.

Swiftly after, the sharp dagger mercilessly slashed at Mia's skin and its sharp blade entered right through
her chest, ripping through flesh and entering her internals.

Seeing the fresh red blood spurting out, the coachman's face instantly revealed joy. And yet, the
moment he saw a crazed expression on Mia's face, his heart froze.

"Die!" Mia let go of the hammer. Holding on to a dagger, she crashed forward.
The sound of bones breaking came from the coachman's body. His face revealed his astonishment as
blood flew from his mouth onto the street.

"Boneless Snake Julian?" Mia's body constantly wiggled, covering and repairing her internal organs and
wounds immediately. She looked at Julian with eyes filled with hatred.

"As expected of the legendary Magus with body refinement, who soaked in the Corrosion Swamp! To
think my strength and magic equipment isn't enough to kill you in one shot!"

Having been revealed, there were slight alterations to the coachman's face, and Hydro Phase waves
were emitted from his body. He was a Magus as well!

Or rather, an advanced Magus who had already reached Hydro Phase.

The Boneless Snake, Julian, was one of Freya's family's most powerful warriors. He was notorious for
assassination ability, causing enemies to be terror-stricken at the thought of his existence.

"Damn it, I knew those bastards' plan was not reliable!" Mia's face changed. "Retreat immediately!"

Hill and Fein glanced at each other, doubt surfacing on their faces.

Even if Julian and Leylin stood shoulder to shoulder, they were merely two Hydro Phase Magi. On the
other hand, their group had a bunch of Crystal Phase Magi who had been famous for a long time, how
could they run away from them with their tails tucked between their legs?

But subsequently, their facial expressions drastically changed.

"Pssssst!"

A menacing Blood Serpent's shadow abruptly bombarded the surrounding haze. The whole spell
formation was immediately breached.

Warriors wearing dark red Magus robes with Giant Kemoyin Serpent tattoos surrounded the area, and
covered Leylin who had just been promoted to the Crystal Phase.

"Ouroboros Clan Warlocks?"

Hill cried out beneath his breath, knowing that today's business would be hard to handle...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 475 - Explosion and Encirclement

"You lot knew our plans from the very beginning?" As Mia looked at how they were heavily surrounded,
her face turned grim.

The fighting strength of high-ranked Warlocks, especially that of Warlocks like Leylin and Julian, could
without a doubt compare to ordinary Magi in the Crystal Phase.

The Blood Serpent Warlock Organisation was the elite force of Freya's family, not something to be trifled
with. They were actually dispatched all at once, and were even led by Freya herself, a Crystal Phase
Warlock!

Due to the additional power from their bloodlines, Warlocks were usually stronger than ordinary Magi.
Once they advanced to the Crystal Phase, they would immediately be able to compare to peak Crystal
Phase Magi.

Given all this, it was no wonder that Mia's face looked glum.

"All of you have been wreaking havoc near the territory of the Ouroboros Clan! How can we let all of
you go so easily?" Freya wore a tight-fitting hunting suit, and looked extremely heroic. Of course, that
was only if one ignored the childish face.

"River Agu's warehouse robbery, the extermination of the Rolithe Family, and Count Oakta's
disappearance. Who exactly is the mastermind behind all these?"

Freya stared at the three Magi, and an extreme feeling of danger overwhelmed her.

To subdue and order three vicious Magi in the Crystal Phase was not something that could be done by
any ordinary power. With the addition of the chain of events that had occurred recently, Freya had a
bad premonition.

"Just the Ouroboros Clan?" Mia's group of three Magi all registered smiles of disdain.

"Watch out! Lest they..." After seeing that smile, Leylin's pupils shrank, and he quickly gave a reminder.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Three other rays of black clashed with the Blood Serpent Organisation like
lightning, overcoming the strong obstructions before arriving next to Mia's group.

"Three... Crystal Phase!" Freya grit her teeth, and she sounded bitter.

Little did she expect that the opponents had reinforcements, which obviously meant that they had made
preparations with regards to the plan of hers.
She was already at the limit of her current strength in subduing three Crystal Phase Magi. But now that
there were three more? Freya felt her heart sink.

"What now? If you don't wish for the elites in your family to perish here, then release us now!" Mia's
voice had a tinge of complacency.

"That's not enough! He needs to stay!" The three Crystal phase Magi who'd appeared afterwards
pointed at Leylin.

"What? Why?" Leylin touched his nose.

"The damage you've done to us is not light, and only the Demon Hunter's rewards can make up for it!"
Hill shot Leylin a look before glancing at Freya.

"He is not a Warlock from your family. Miss Freya, I presume you wouldn't want to simply treat us as
your enemies just for a member of your organisation?"

Leylin rolled his eyes internally. It would be impossible for discord to be sowed with such simple tactics.
However, due to the fact that personal interests were involved, this could bring about more trouble.

Thankfully, Leylin had not planned to put his own safety in the hands of others, and had backup plans
already.

"The Demon Hunter?" Freya muttered to herself. She had heard of how Leylin and a few others had
offended that particular Morning Star Magus. If those Crystal phase fugitives were under the Demon
Hunter's wings, it would be understandable.

Many of the Warlocks thought of that point, and after hearing Hill's words they looked at Leylin in a
different light.

Even though they belonged to the same organisation, and they'd had some friendly interactions before,
Leylin was simply not important enough for them to offend a Morning Star Magus without hesitation.

Morning Star Magi in the central continent had power and status, and their dignity could not be
infringed upon lightly.

Even though the two organisations were hostile, they hadn't yet completely fallen out with each other.
As a result, many of the Warlocks thought that it was worth it to give up Leylin to get on Cyril's good
side.

A few Warlocks immediately distanced themselves from Leylin. This included the very Julian who had
been fighting at his side all this while.

Freya's face immediately registered a change. She grit her teeth as she looked at the numerous
Warlocks from her family.

"Leylin is a Marquis of our clan, we will never hand him over!"

"Master!"

A clamour was started amongst the Warlocks. From their point of view, their family did not have to do
so much for an outsider.

"My decision is firm! All of you, quickly get out of my territory, or else you'll come to regret it!" Freya
said firmly.

"The one who'll come to regret it will be you!" Mia said furiously, and together with the five figures
behind her, turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Just when the Blood Serpent Organisation had made a path, an ill-timed voice sounded
that caused both parties to look around.

"Leylin, don't do anything rash!" Freya's voice betrayed her anxiety.

Even though they were related by bloodline, the Ouroboros Clan was divided into many factions that
competed with each other. This was the most she could do for Leylin. Were he to go and provoke them
without discrimination, Freya would not risk the danger of her family's elimination to accompany him.

She looked at Leylin's back, and bit her lips.

"What? Youngster, you're lucky today to be able to hide under the skirt of a woman. Next time, you
won't be so lucky!" Mia raised her giant hammer and threatened him.

"Three Crystal Phase Magi for the ambush, and another three as backup... this should be the limits of
your strength!" A blue light shone in Leylin's eyes as he sighed, "Don't use the Hunter as a facade, he's
not fit for that!"

"Hmmm? What did you just say?" Fury appeared on the faces of some of the Crystal Phase Magi.

"What I'm saying is that you have to stay here today. There's no escaping from that, even if you're using
the name of a Morning Star Magus!" Leylin's tone was light, but seemed to emphasise his words. At the
same time, a mountainous might instantly erupted from his body.

"Crystal... Crystal Phase! How long have you been..." Freya covered her mouth in extreme shock.

Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks would typically depend on the accumulation of time to make a
breakthrough via their bloodlines. Freya's own breakthrough to the Crystal Phase at her age had
deemed her a genius.

But Leylin? He was only 200 years old, and yet had already broken through the bottleneck to the Crystal
Phase!

Freya immediately thought of the changed situation on the battlefield after Leylin revealed his strength.

The other party had a total of six Crystal Phase Magi, and Freya's side had two with the addition of Leylin
Julian and the other members of her organisation could at most resist the attacks of three Crystal Phase
Magi. Overall their strength was still lower than that of their opponents.

Of course, in that case, for the other party to want to cause great damage to Freya's team, their chances
at succeeding would be greatly minimised.

With the small disparity in strength and the apprehensions about damages on both sides, ordinary
threats would have no effects.

"I'll deal with these three Crystal Phase Magi! You can settle the remaining ones right?" Leylin had
undone the pretense of the transfiguration spell, and had released his entire strength without any
qualms as he pointed to Mia's initial group of three.

"No problem!" With Freya's Crystal Phase strength and the addition of Julian and the Blood Serpent
Warlock Organisation's support, to annihilate the three Magi would not be a problem. It would only be a
matter of time.

"But, are you sure you're up to it?" Freya glanced at Leylin, and in her eyes was worry that she could not
conceal. After all, the enemies were Crystal phase Magi as well.

"Haha... Don't worry..." Leylin laughed, and numerous black flames shot out like arrows as they trapped
Mia, Hill, and Fein within.

He actually wanted to, in one move, deal with three Magi that were similar in strength to him together.

"I'll grant your death wish! Just nice, my Bloodthirsty Hammer lacks the spiritual wailing of a Crystal
Phase Magus!" Mia smiled coldly as she rushed forward with the metal hammer.

*Bam!* The heavy hammer rippled with terrifying amounts of energy, creating a huge crater on the
ground.

"A lass who only uses brute force! I happen to detest beings like these lately!" Leylin's silhouette grew
translucent, giving off a glow which swiftly appeared before Mia.

"I cannot stand you, but it's a piece of cake to subdue you!" Leylin's eyes registered coldlness, a black
ray slowly appeared from his hands.

"Fatality's Tip!" The black ray of death tunneled through the hammer and the innate defensive spells,
shooting at Mia's forehead like black lightning. When it exited, it brought with it a large amount of blood
as well as brain matter.

*Bang!* It was not until Mia's corpse fell to the ground that Hill and Fein reacted to it.

What had they seen? The famed Mia who was known for her hammer, someone at the peak of the
Crystal Phase, died at the hands of her opponent. The two had not even dueled for a few seconds.

'Could it be that he has already advanced to the Morning Star realm?'

All of a sudden, an idea that shocked the two appeared within their thoughts, which instantly caused
their limbs to become colder.
Leylin himself had not expected the effects of the sudden attack to be so successful as well.

He had originally already reached the state of a rank 3 Hydro Phase Magus, and with his bloodline
strength matured to an extent, he had managed to prematurely reach his limits now together with the
help of the Lamia fingerbone.

Currently, he not only had a terrifying spiritual force, his other credentials had far surpassed that of
ordinary Crystal Phase Magi by a huge margin.

This terrifying strength had the support of the powerful spell tailored for him by the A.I Chip— Fatality's
Tip!

All the factors had come together, and perhaps with the help of Mia's complacency, he had managed to
achieve such success. Even Leylin himself was grateful for this stroke of luck that arrived just in time.

"It seems that in my current state, few can match up to me unless they're at or above the Morning Star
realm!"

Leylin looked at the venue which had instantly quieted down, and let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you looking at?"

Freya was distracted for only a short while before she instantly ordered the gathering of the Blood
Serpent Warlocks. Leylin's terrifying outburst had allowed her to see hope for subduing and annihilating
the opponents here!

The thought of her earlier humiliation seemed to have triggered the adventurer in her.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 476 - Invincible

"Surround them! Formation number 2!" Under Freya's command, the Blood Serpent Organisation firmly
trapped the three other Crystal Phase Magi in a formation.

With their own strength and the assistance of Julian's expertise in sneak attacks, the three Crystal Phase
Magi in the formation were immediately surrounded by danger.

"It's your turn now!" Seeing that the three Magi had no hope of escaping, Leylin turned towards Hill and
Fein on the opposite end, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

To the two Magi on the other end, though, this smile was more frightening than that of a demon's.

Upon seeing Leylin's grin, they knew that he definitely would not let them off, and immediately rushed
to take action first.

The moment Hill had that thought, numerous black thorns instantly appeared, bursting forth in the blink
of an eye.

"Umbra Sting!" The many sharp thorns screeched across the sky and scattered down like a torrential
rain of spikes.

"Useless!" A layer of dense scales emerged on Leylin's body. All that the thorns could do on collision
with these scales was make a loud noise before snapping apart, merely causing white specks to appear
on the black scales.
Leylin's physique had always been extremely shocking, and the current him could practically fight
against any rank 1 or rank 2 Magus with his body alone. With the addition of the Kemoyin scales that
strengthened his defense, even if he went up against a rank 3 Magus in the Crystal Phase, any spells
used against him would have nearly no effect unless they were prepared over a long time.

In the middle of the black rain, Leylin seemed to have transformed into a giant savage beast, advancing
while sheltered from the numerous sparks.

This ferocious posture instantly scared the wits out of the two Magi.

"What we do now? Quick, think of something!" Hill shouted at Fein next to him, cold sweat dripping
down his forehead.

He was very clear on how terrifying the effects of his spell were, but the other party had unexpectedly
resisted it with a mere layer of scales. How strong was his body?

Perhaps only the legendary Morning Star Magi, whose bodies had been transformed by soul force, could
compare to him.

"Gaia's Cage!" Fein did not waste any time either. A multitude of yellow crystals appeared around him as
he muttered a long unintelligible chant without pause.

When he was done chanting, the earth shook, causing the soil to disintegrate and reveal a sparkling jade
structure within.

A cage brimming with the resplendent radiance of a gem suddenly fell down on Leylin, covering him and
trapping him inside.

"Earth Elves! Listen to my instructions, bury him completely in the abyss..."

A cheery look briefly appeared on Fein's face before he hurriedly started casting more spells as
numerous rays of dull yellow light flashed. Large amounts of soil coagulated to form an even bigger rock
that buried him inside. The earth even started to crack apart, as though wanting to swallow up the cage
deep into itself.

"Well done, Fein!" Hill, who was on the other side, immediately yelled excitedly, but then saw his
comrade's forced smile.

"Be careful! He's struggling inside, I can't control it any longer!" Following loud thumps that made one's
heart palpitate, the numerous rocks swelled and broke apart to form huge cracks.

The many cracks then connected to each other and broken rocks suddenly fell everywhere, as though
there was a dreadful creature locked up inside that was struggling so hard with mere brute force that
the entire cage seemed to have gotten misshaped.

With every thump, Fein's expression grew a little paler, as though he was getting punched hard. By the
end of his chant, he spat out large mouthfuls of fresh blood, and almost looked like he was dead.

"The... The seal!" Fein tried his best to say as blood gushed out in large amounts from the corner of his
mouth.

*Boom!* The very mountains shook, and the huge cage of rock was sent into the cracks just before
everything completely fell apart. The earth slowly closed up.

"Great!" Hill cheered, finally managing to let his guard down.

*Thump!* At this moment, he saw his comrade Fein faint, as though he had already used up all of his
energy.
"Don't worry, buddy! I'll take you away now!"

Hill's eyes flickered in multiple colours. Peering over at the few black silhouettes belonging to the Blood
Serpent Warlock Organisation who were not far away, he gritted his teeth and left quickly.

"Master?" Julian looked over at the location where Leylin had been buried, "Aren't we going to help?"

"Don't worry. That fellow has never been blocked by an obstacle, he definitely still has something up his
sleeve!" Freya rolled her eyes, "Why are you speaking up for him all of a sudden? You clearly approved
of the ceasefire previously!"

'That was when I didn't know that the other party was so perverse!' Julian secretly criticised, but did not
dare to express it in words.

"Lord Leylin actually revealed his true ability and will likely be the biggest hope in our clan. It will
definitely grant him a status much higher than before..."

The highest authority in the Ouroboros Clan belonged to the three Morning Star Warlock elders,
followed by a whole bunch of bloodline Marquises among whom the ownership was split.

But Julian knew that above these ordinary bloodline Marquises were actually a special group of people!

They were young Warlocks— children who had already achieved the Crystal Phase and had hopes of
advancing to the Morning Star realm! Such people were few and far between in the entire Ouroboros
Clan. Their status was only lower than that of the few rank 4 Warlocks, and they were provided with the
best resources, aiming for nothing less than advancing to Morning Star.

Although Robin was Gilbert's main steward, his actual position was previously lower than these seeds by
a notch.
Of course, after getting some unknown profits, his strength had improved tremendously, and upon
entering the Crystal Phase, Robin was on par with the others.

Now that Leylin had shown that his potential was not inferior to Robin's, exceeding it in fact, he would
definitely receive more attention from Duke Gilbert!

"Now it seems that when Master met him for the first time, you had already discovered that he wasn't
ordinary. Your foresight indeed exceeds that of an average person!" Julian expressed his respect
sincerely, making Freya blush.

"You want to leave? Have you even asked me?"

*Boom!* The rock exploded, exposing a deep gaping hole in the ground.

A black figure forced his way out recklessly, causing rocks to fly everywhere.

"Ley... Leylin!" Hill gazed at Fein who had already fainted on the ground, but couldn't even bring himself
to cry.

At the bottom of his heart, he had already cursed at the people in charge who initially made this plan.
How stupid were they to have put their sights on Leylin, such a ferocious person?

But he didn't have much chance to think about it. Leylin, who was exuding a brazen aura, had already
appeared in front of him.

"My Lord! Spare us..." Hill's voice distorted, and various accessories on his person exploded, forming
many layers of radiant armor that floated around his body.
"When you dared to ambush me back then, you should have expected to be killed!" Leylin's was callous.
In a situation where Morning Star Magi would not appear, there were few things that could constrain
him.

After all, since he was unable to continue hiding his strength, he had to ruthlessly display it and
intimidate the rest who wanted to go against him.

*Thump!* A black fist attacked the outermost barrier of light, smashing it into pieces. The other layers
of defence immediately started tottering, on the verge of collapse.

"My Lord! I am willing to reveal the mastermind behind all this!" Hill gritted his teeth and finally pulled
out his trump card.

"Not interested!" Leylin really was not interested in probing behind the scenes. War was almost upon
them, and it would be easiest to build an atmosphere full of panic by assassinations and by getting rid of
the other party's weaker troops.

He didn't want to be implicated and end up provoking a Morning Star Magus.

Right now, as long as he firmly broke the claws that the other party was reaching out with, it would be
enough!

After sorting out his thoughts, Leylin appeared even more apathetic, and was indifferent to the other
party's pleas for forgiveness. He eventually ripped apart Hill's innate defence under his despairing gaze.

A sinister-looking head fell onto the ground with a thump even as the body it was previously attached to
let loose a shower of blood. It looked like a red fountain had erupted.

'As for this... I'll leave it to her.' Leylin instantly thought of Freya. Fein, who was still unconscious and
lying on the ground, would still take some effort to deal with.
Upon inspection, he discovered that Fein's spiritual force had been exhausted, and swiftly removed all of
his spatial objects before forcing his consciousness shut.

With his magic equipment and potions all taken away, and his spiritual force sealed, even if Fein was a
Magus in the Crystal Phase, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

*Hiss...* On the other end of the battlefield, in the spell formation formed by the Blood Serpent
Organisation, the battle was at its most heated moment.

Although the Blood Serpent Organisation was comprised of the elites of Freya's family, who were also
proficient in many types of formations, Freya had discovered to her surprise that the three Crystal Phase
Magi were also experts in all kinds of terrifying secret techniques. Through combining their strength,
those Magi had managed to survive the assault of her troops until now, even if they were trapped in a
formation.

The three Crystal Phase Magi in front of Freya had now morphed into a monster.

This monster was thrice the size of a normal human, had three heads and six arms, and its body was
covered with moving black runes. It looked as though it was a fusion of the three Magi.

The head of an elderly man placed right in the centre opened its eyes and issued its last warning to
Freya. "Let us go! You don't want to pay the price for detaining us!"

"Don't trust him!" A corner of the spell formation split apart, allowing a ray of light to enter. Leylin stood
beside Freya.

"Hill and company have already been completely destroyed, and you still wish to leave? Dream on!"
Leylin naturally reprimanded his enemies without restraint.
Seeing that the fused Magi appeared to have made suspicious movements, Leylin immediately turned to
Freya.

"You're in charge of controlling the spell formation, I'll take care of the front!" he said and then dashed
away.

The spell formation of the Warlock organisation was not bad, but Leylin was clear that what it lacked
was a pivot who would dare to fight against the other party head on.

His rays of death had been prepared long ago, flickering with a dreadful lustre...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 477 - Enforcer

Due to the sudden incident, Leylin's return was delayed and he returned to the Ancient Blood Serpent
Castle to rest.

"Thank you so much for what you did this time!" Freya sat beside Leylin and personally poured tea for
him, her face full of gratitude.

It was evident that the opponents had come for the Ancient Blood Serpent Castle, and attacking Leylin
was only an afterthought. If not for Leylin's help, the six Crystal Phase Magi would have attacked
together. The castle might not have been able to defend against such an abrupt attack, and there might
have been colossal damages.

"That's nothing much. Friends should help each other!" Leylin smiled.
"Just friends?" A gleam of disappointment shone across Freya's face.

The sudden turn of the situation made Leylin feel somewhat awkward, and he tried to divert the
conversation elsewhere, "Were any of the other guests present, they wouldn't have stood the savage
behaviour of those fugitives either!"

During the battle the previous day, other than Fein who had been taken captive by Leylin, all the five
Crystal Phase Magi had perished. The announcement of those horrifying battle results had rendered
many people speechless, and had caused a lot of commotion in the Ouroboros Clan headquarters.

The only captive, Fein, was naturally sent back to the headquarters. In the meanwhile, Leylin would have
the lion's share of the spoils of war.

Compared to Freya who had to look after her family clan, Leylin had much less pressing on his mind.
Whatever he had acquired belonged to him alone, and he had indeed managed to get a huge sum. And
there were even more surprises in store for him!

The only thing Leylin could not understand was why Freya did not invite the other guests to assist in
subduing the opponents.

If only she had invited more high ranking Warlocks, Leylin would not have to be forced to reveal his true
powers.

"Them..." Freya smiled wryly, and actually looked pitiful. Upon seeing her expression, Leylin immediately
went silent, guessing what had happened.

Freya had definitely discarded quite a few people in the past, offending them while under the wings of a
strong, protective mentor. At this point in time, those people most likely hoped for her to mess up.

Furthermore, there were many factions in Ouroboros Clan, and recently there had been immense
tension between them. The environment had given rise to an unstable situation.

Power conflicts tended to be more horrifying than battles. Freya could not find even a single person she
was confident would aid her.

"Is the situation already that bad?" Leylin stroked his chin.

"Yes. You're the only one I trust now!" Freya's eyes became red as she leant her head on Leylin's
shoulders.

"Wait a moment!" Leylin smiled wryly as he shook his head, "I can understand your need to rant. But
what's the point of placing mistletoe powder in the candle?"

The mistletoe was a cherished plant in the Magus world. Seen as a symbol of making love and giving
birth, its powder was commonly used to make enticing medicine.

For Magi, it even had the mystical power of increasing impregnation rates, and hence was in excessive
demand.

Freya held her breath as she sat in a corner. Her face did not reveal any sense of embarrassment, but
was only tinged with anger.

Since she knew that Leylin was a Potions Grandmaster, and had techniques that could protect his seeds
of life that even Miranda was unable to do anything about, she would naturally not make a forceful
move, and instead leave obvious hints.

And yet Leylin acted like a fool. It infuriated her so much that she didn't want to be near him.

"Master, news has arrived from headquarters!" At that moment, the gates opened and Julian walked in,
something that resolved the awkward situation.

"No one here is an outsider. Go ahead!" Freya nodded. In front of others, she had reinstated her
prestige.

Julian shot Leylin a glance. A sudden realisation flashed across his eyes, but his face remained solemn.

"According to the orders of the headquarters, Sir Leylin is to become an enforcer of the Ouroboros Clan,
and will be in charge of patrolling all the regions under our control! He has the powers to attack any
royals under the rank of Marquis. Even if it's a Marquis, he has the rights to imprison them!"

"That..." Freya could not believe it, "They just want to put you in a spot!" She could see through the
intentions of such an arrangement by the high ranking officials.

"But I have no other choice, do I?" Leylin shrugged his shoulders.

"According to the orders from the headquarters, Marquis, you have to accept the appointment as soon
as possible!"

Julian bowed slightly. The powers of an enforcer of the Ouroboros Clan would naturally be great, but if
he was not mindful he could potentially offend many people. This did not bode well for Leylin's future
prospects

But since it was an order, it indicated that the internal affairs of the Ouroboros Clan were not too good,
to the extent that they had to rely on Leylin to clean up the system.

'From the looks of it, I'll have to leave!'

Leylin got up and gave Freya a hug, "I'm going!"

"Mmm! I'll be heading over to the headquarters to find Mentor some time soon as well. Please be
careful!" Freya's eyes actually did turn red this time round.

"Don't worry! There are few people who can scheme against me now!" Leylin laughed with confidence.

......

Phosphorescence Swamp, within the Ouroboros Clan headquarters.

Gilbert's living quarters were small and narrow like before. The walls on two sides even had some green
mould growing on them.

If he had not been to the basement, even Leylin would not have believed that this was the residence of
a Morning Star Magus.

Leylin saw Duke Gilbert in the study room, not a single strand of hair on his face or head.

"Mentor!" he respectfully bowed.

"Mmmm! You've actually advanced to the Crystal Phase! Not bad, not bad!" Gilbert nodded his head, his
gaze scanning across Leylin's body like a ray of lightning.

"I was just lucky!" Leylin obviously would not agree, and he pushed all the credit on to so-called luck.

Thankfully, Gilbert did not continue questioning him either. He held a goose hair pen and started writing
on a piece of parchment paper, eventually leaving a marking on the paper using his own secret imprint.
"This is for you! From today, you are the enforcer of the Ouroboros Clan!"

Gilbert passed Leylin the freshly written appointment letter, and his face broke into a sarcastic laugh,
"Our organisation has had some matters popping up internally lately. They require your attention!"

"Understood, Mentor!" Leylin let out a long deep sigh inside.

If this was in the past, Gilbert would obviously get to the bottom of things. Even though Leylin had
prepared a corresponding response, he had not expected Gilbert to let things off so lightly.

looking at how Gilbert hadn't even taken his armour off completely, Leylin's heart throbbed. He asked,
"About the Purgatory World..."

"Mmm! We have already discovered its direction, and we need only spend a bit more time to get its
coordinates!" Gilbert's eyes lit up, showing his celebratory mood.

"The thousand year search by the Ouroboros Clan will finally see an end! We only need to enter the
Purgatory World before we Kemoyin Warlocks won't have to worry about the problem of our bloodlines
declining. There's even the potential to break through the bloodline shackles and advance to a higher
rank!"

Leylin remained silent and looked at his mentor who was beaming with joy, unable to bring himself to
say a word.

He had the A.I Chip as his trump card, and the hopes of the Twilight Zone's Icy World. He naturally
wasn't like the Ouroboros Clan Warlocks, who had a deeper understanding of the pains brought forth by
the bloodline shackles.
From the looks of it, a thousand years of hope had caused Gilbert to finally drown himself in jubilation.

For the three Elders, all the battles were simply nonsensical. Even if the Ouroboros Clan was to perish, in
front of the Purgatory World, it seemed to have no weight. 　

As a result, Gilbert had allowed him to pass the ordeal so easily.

"Alright, get down to doing it soon. You can seek help from Lucian and Robin if need be! I still have
experiments to work on..."

Gilbert's experiment was obviously very pressing. Even during his short conversation with Leylin, the
secret imprint on his hands had lit up quite a few times. He eventually chased Leylin out, certainly on his
way back to the laboratory.

God knows why, but upon seeing Gilbert like that, Leylin felt a sense of pressure.

Greed drove one to madness before it drove them to death. This was a maxim from his previous life, but
one that was still applicable in the situation now.

Since war was about to break out, the few Morning Star Warlocks had actually couped themselves up at
home, which resulted in their opponents brazenly taking up the offense.

Leylin smiled wryly internally, and yet had no solution to offer.

Since the Morning Star forces had chosen not to show their faces, it was hard for the subordinates to do
anything, and now that Gilbert had actually passed on a portion of the authority to him, it was obviously
a difficult task.

"Parker! Bring along my capable subordinates and rush to the headquarters quickly!"
Gilbert had only given him a position, but had not allocated any subordinates to him, which had
rendered Leylin speechless.

Fortunately, within his own territory, he had nurtured a few talents, and now was the time he could put
them to good use.

Kemoyin Warlock Marquises were like feudal lords in the Ouroboros Clan, and had many Warlocks
seeking refuge from them. Should there be more time, Leylin could even build an elite Warlock team
himself, which he believed would not be inferior to the Blood Serpent Organisation.

"As you wish, Master!" Parker's voice from the secret technique imprint was firm and determined. He
had obviously received some news already.

"Very good. I'll be waiting for you in the manor!" After a few words, Leylin ended the call.

As a Marquis, he had a huge manor in the Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Even though the facilities could
not measure up to that of the Magus Tower and Onyx Palace, it was sufficient for an ordinary high-
ranking Warlock to use.

What's more important was that the facilities were all complimentary, and Leylin did not have to pay a
single penny!

As a result, Leylin had kept the manor and treated it as his residence in the headquarters.

After sending away the two Warlocks who were looking after things, he went into his bedroom and
entered deep thought.

A while later, he waved his arms and numerous objects appeared. Many of them had terrifying magic
powers. In an instant, the entire room started to glow.

Those were all his spoils of war. The opponents this time round were a bunch of Crystal Phase Magi who
were relatively affluent. It had given Leylin a pleasant surprise.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 478 - Annihilator

Glancing through the many pieces of magic equipment and precious materials, Leylin set his gaze on a
pile of crystals.

These were all pure spiritual force crystals. On their surfaces, he could faintly feel the energy of
elemental particles.

Crystal Phase Magi had the tendency to stockpile their crystallised spiritual force. In times of need, they
would use them to replenish their own spiritual force, or trade them for something else due to their
value.

Leylin's move had been quick and violent, leaving no opportunity for the opposite side to use such
tactics.

Compared to the spiritual force crystals gifted by Freya, these crystals were obviously unclean, and had
to be processed before use. "Crystal Phase spiritual force crystals..."

Leylin stroked his chin, and a tube of golden blood appeared in his hand.

"It's unexpected that I managed to gather these two items so quickly. I guess I'll just go ahead and carry
out Quicksand's experiment!" Leylin sighed, and his eyes flashed with a dark solemnness.

His harvest from Quicksand Castle had been much greater than just the Lamia fingerbone.

After he finished deciphering the experimental procedures, the great amount of data became useful for
his own bloodline research. Over the past century, he'd digested it all, and even improved on some of it.
The technique of preserving his genes was just a marginal result of the experiment.

In fact, Leylin felt that his research into bloodlines was amongst the best in the entire Ouroboros Clan,
just below that of the elders.

And one of his experiments involved a method of igniting a Warlock's bloodline to strengthen them.

Leylin had kept this experiment top secret, unwilling to perform it even after he advanced to the Crystal
Phase. The effect of the first ignition would be the best, and subsequent ones would progressively
decrease in value. Hence, Leylin planned to use his first ignition to break through the bottleneck to the
Morning Star realm.

Of course, one measly experiment would not be able to propel him to rank 4. Moreover, he was only at
the beginning of the Crystal Phase, so he hadn't even reached the threshold for advancement.

There was an enormous gap between rank 3 Magi and those at the Morning Star realm. There was an
abundance of Magi in the central continent, yet Morning Stars remained few and far between, their
positions envied by all.

Igniting one's bloodline had the potential to boost one's strength greatly, and even that had slim
chances of facilitating a breakthrough.

Still, this bloodline experiment wasn't the only trick Leylin had up his sleeve.
"My cumulations to advance to rank 3 have been progressing well! I have to start considering the next
stage—Morning Star..." Leylin stroked his chin, evidently pleased.

The central continent was currently in a dire state, especially the Ouroboros Clan. Not only were there
disturbances on the borders, many families had perished and core members had gone missing. These
disastrous events were a bad omen for the future.

Amidst such chaos, the best defence one could rely on was their own ability!

"I'm sure Mentor Gilbert and the other two have already been alerted about the circumstances. Why
are they yet to make a move?" Leylin muttered under his breath. Suddenly, he thought about his own
appointment as an enforcer. "Perhaps they were aware of it and had secret plans of their own that I
might have missed noticing it..."

Time crawled on as he waited in silence.

Later, Leylin welcomed the presence of his own bodyguards. Boosting his own confidence was the
presence of Lucian.

"Do you really wish to do that?" Lucian stood in front of Leylin, unable to mask his astonishment.

After finding out that the current Leylin had advanced, and was on par with him at the Crystal Phase, he
sighed in his heart.

This junior only needed a hundred years to catch up to his level. His talent exceeded any member the
organisation had ever seen even in Morning Star seeds. And yet, compared to the temperamental Robin,
Leylin whose potential was much higher remained humble and earnest. Lucian found this extremely
admirable.
"If we investigate further, the number of people implicated in this will increase... Although Mentor
ordered me to assist you..." Lucian, after seeing the current Leylin, felt that this junior ought to have
wholeheartedly entered seclusion, waiting for an opportunity to break through the Morning Star
bottleneck instead of focusing on such small matters. He wondered what his mentor was thinking.

Thoughts about Gilbert made Lucian heave a big sigh.

To these high-ranking Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, the allure of the Purgatory World was much too
huge, and they couldn't help but be engrossed in their search.

Thinking about the recent situations and Leylin's terrifying military power, Lucian heaved another big
sigh.

"I'm in charge of information in the clan. I can give you anything you need. My only wish is for you to not
get yourself involved!" Lucian smiled bitterly, took out a translucent crystal ball, and handed over to
Leylin.

"As an enforcer, it is imperative that I locate the rebels and all the disruptive elements hidden in the
Ouroboros Clan and get rid of them!" Leylin smiled faintly, as if he was not affected by Lucian's words.
But once his spiritual force entered the crystal ball, his face changed.

"The situation has deteriorated to such an extent?" He looked up in disbelief and glared at Lucian.

"Yes..." he answered after a heartbeat, "The chaotic power struggles are not confined to the border
regions. Even internally, some ambiguous problems have cropped up. Some of the clans and families
especially, their betrayal is pretty much confirmed..."

This top secret information was only available to Leylin because he currently held the position of an
enforcement officer. If it were in the past when he only held the position of a Marquis, he wouldn't have
access to such things.
'What exactly is Mentor doing?' The thought left a bitter taste in Leylin's mouth.

"There's no need for excessive worry. As long as we don't lose our main base at Phosphorescence
Swamp, given the presence of the three elders, we of the Ouroboros Clan will never be vulnerable and
weak."

Leylin let loose a long sigh before he stood up.

"I want the list of confirmed traitors!"

"Alright, I'll ready them immediately," Lucian promised, "What do you plan to do?"

"No matter what, since they have the audacity to betray the Organization, they will have to pay the
price!" Leylin spoke with a steely voice. With his men behind him, he headed out.

.......

"The Stuart Family at the Stuart mountain range!"

Black fires were blazing furiously. A large number of high-ranking Warlocks were surrounding a huge
mountainous brutal bear.

Behind the bear was a fort that was half-built into the cliffside.

"Enforcer Leylin, I demand an explanation for this!" In the middle of the castle, the silhouette of an old
Magus appeared. It entered the sky, becoming a huge projection.
"Even though you are an enforcer, you do not have the authority to besiege the castle of a Marquis!"
The illusory image of the old man roared in his hoarse voice.

"Authority? Only the weak will abide by such rules and regulations while wishing that their predators
would abide by them in this way too. By placing your hopes on such enforcements is truly foolish!"

Leylin sneered. Still, on the account of the other men that went on this mission with him, he decided to
explain further, "If I have to give you an explanation, it would be your betrayal of the Organization. That
is why all these Warlocks are out to kill you, and that is why you cannot escape your fate!"

"Rubbish..." Having his biggest secret exposed, the Magus acted like he knew nothing and was hearing it
for the first time. Veins popped out of his flushed neck and he fumed with anger.

"True or false, we'll know after you surrender." Leylin's face was emotionless. A brilliant ray of black
ripped through the vast sky and streaked across the brutal bear's head mercilessly.

*Bang!* The huge mountainous brutal bear's head was cracked open like a watermelon.

"So long as they are from the Stuart Family, we have orders to kill them without exception. Property and
assets will also be confiscated. We'll be given bonuses of equivalent value!" Parker ordered clearly.
Those Warlocks thirsty for achievements, and those who longed for the huge payout from the mission,
howled and dashed forward.

Seeing Snoopy taking the lead and defeating one Magus after the other, some even dying on the spot,
Leylin couldn't help but nod his head.

The reason he'd taken on the job of enforcer, other than to acquire the huge wealth of the rebels, was
for him to bring his men together for a round of actual field training.

The bloody battle of magic and death carried on for a short while. Ten or so minutes later, Parker
grabbed the Magus that had been speaking from the fort, and pulled him out. With the matter settled,
he stood in front of Leylin and reported like a loyal long-time butler.

"Except for this old man, all surviving members of the Stuart Family had been wiped out!"

"Well done!" Leylin looked at the high-ranking Warlock on the ground. The opposite party evidently had
the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in him too, yet when he saw Leylin, he began to shiver.

"Do you feel resentment? Desperation?" Leylin stepped up, provoking the old Magus.

"Hopefully, the next time, before your soul is destroyed, you should use some brains!"

*Thud!* After Leylin was done speaking the chief's head fell to the ground, staining it red.

"A total of three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Families have been wiped out, along with their supplementary
small-scale families and other influences. I think we'll have some peace for a while now..."

Standing at the edge of the overhanging cliff, Leylin glanced at the result of the destruction caused by
many Magi, involuntarily heaving a sigh of relief.

"Only a while?" Standing by the side, Parker smiled bitterly.

After numerous episodes, Leylin's reputation had spread everywhere. With his formidable strength that
could even slay Crystal Phase chiefs, he'd immediately established his status.

Soon after, through the ruthless means of wiping out entire families and clans, Leylin's fame as an
enforcer became even more widespread. Thus, he was labelled 'Annihilator'.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 479 - 3 Helpers

No matter what, with Leylin happily going on a killing spree, the internal affairs of the Ouroboros Clan
stabilised despite the general unrest.

Leylin guessed that this had more to do with how the opposing Morning Star powers had yet to make
their move.

Without these insider spies, it would take more effort to create chaos within the inner circles of the
Ouroboros Clan which was currently already on the alert.

With these achievements, his reputation soared not only within the Ouroboros Clan, but even in the
nearby regions.

'After the Stuart family is destroyed, we can take a small break!'

Leylin sighed and asked Parker, "How is it going at Senior Robin's side?"

After taking on his role as an enforcer, Leylin was stunned at the realisation that this senior of his had
accepted the responsibility from Gilbert before him, and was leading his family and pushing down all
rebellions.

In addition, there were rumours that Leylin's senior had a large change of personality. Not only did he
like to torture his enemies, he even enjoyed eating human flesh.

Upon hearing this, Leylin's heart sank.

Though it was terrifying when bloodline issues acted up in high-ranked Warlocks, Robin's behaviour had
surpassed the pattern of any problems arising from bloodline.

'Mentor might have wanted to capitalise on his insanity, which is why he arranged for him to purge the
inner regions.'

Leylin took in a deep breath.

Compared to him, Robin was going too far. Leylin had merely destroyed families where there was
conclusive evidence against them, but Robin went even further. If he had the slightest suspicion at all,
the entire family would be purged by him mercilessly.

Even a few bloodline noble families who had a deep connection with Robin's own thus lost their
inheritance.

Through the list of families Robin had destroyed, Leylin made a discovery. Robin seemed to only to have
an interest in pure-blooded families, and the higher the purity, the more pitiful their deaths were. Even
their corpses were not complete.

Knowing all this, Leylin felt a chill as he put two and two together.

Though he knew he wasn't the best person in the world, he was still better than Robin. He wouldn't do
anything so disgusting.

"Complaints against Robin are becoming more widespread. Who knows, we might need to stop him
next!" Leylin smiled wryly at Parker.

"Robin is master's senior. I believe Duke Gilbert wouldn't do this," Parker consoled him.
"I hope so!" Leylin sighed. A distance away, many white dandelions fell down like snowflakes, flying
freely atop the ancient castle that had already been ruined.

Night fell, and outside what had been the castle, Leylin's vassals set up simple tents. Iron pots bubbled
with meat soup and large amounts of mushrooms, giving off a tempting aroma.

A merry atmosphere permeated the camp; the plan had gone quite well, Though Leylin planned to train
his vassals this way, he still made his move when the casualties were about to be too high.

Hence, they had not suffered much, and instead reaped massive gains. For this reason, they were
motivated to continue striving on.

Even the most ferocious Warlock was full of admiration when gazing at Leylin's tent at the heart of the
camp.

They had been with Leylin for the longest period of time, and could be said to be the people who knew
Leylin the best out of everyone in the Ouroboros Clan.

It was because they knew the terrifying strength of their master that they held reverence for him.

Of course, he did not put too much thought into this. As long as he maintained his crushing strength,
these vassals would follow him for their entire life.

Within the tent, Leylin was half-lying on the ground, dressed in tight black clothing. His hands were held
behind his back in a strange position.

There were a few strange runes written on his body with blood.
Buzzing sounds were produced from Leylin's lips from time to time, his entire body slightly moving along
to a rhythm.

During this process, threads of mysterious energy seemed to be pulled from the air, disappearing into
Leylin's limbs.

This process continued for almost an hour. Only then did Leylin stand up, taking a look at his hands.

A prompt popped up at this moment.

[Host body completed a cycle of Multilimb Strength. Vitality increased by 0.5, no changes to strength.
Estimated that in 20 days and 13 hours, host body's vitality will increase by 6.7, and strength by 2.1...]

"This progress is not bad!" Watching his stats that were refreshed again, Leylin couldn't help but nod.

Multilimb Strength was a cultivation technique he had gathered from the race in the Blackrain World.
Though the Morning Star realm chief had purposely left out a lot of things, the complete version of this
path to strength was completely deduced, with the A.I. Chip organising the data and making inferences.

Toughening his body with this method, Leylin found that his body, which had already developed to the
maximum, now held the possibility of advancing even further.

Though this increase was small, it was enough for him to be happy.

Furthermore, with Multilimb Strength, the toughness and coordination of his body had increased by a
whole level. He could even launch a physical attack similar to that of an ancient giant beast.

This coordination, when paired with the Knight techniques Leylin had previously learned, turned his
body into a frightful killing machine.
Still, these were all just serendipitous. What Leylin focused on was the increase Multilimb Strength gave
to his vitality.

The corporeal body sustained the spirit. If spiritual force was said to be water, then a Magus' body
would be the cup. The larger and sturdier the cup, the more liquid it could contain.

Leylin was still unable to peep at the Morning Star realm, but after reaching the Crystal Phase, what he
needed to do was continuously increase his vitality and accumulate spiritual force. Once enough had
been gathered, his crystallised spiritual force would eventually condense to form point mass.

The point mass represented everything to a Magus. It represented their journey, bloodline, strength,
and even soul!

Hence, this process was irreversible. The moment the ascension to the Morning Star realm failed, and
the point mass grew unstable, a terrifying explosion might occur.

If a Magus encountered such a situation, they would be left without a corpse.

Historically, the Magi who failed to ascend to the Morning Star realm and fell far outnumbered those
that had succeeded.

Wondering about his future path, Leylin's expression changed as he asked the A.I. Chip a question, "How
is the simulation of information regarding the Morning Star realm going?"

[Simulation is 13.5% complete. Unable to process deeper calculations without concrete data] The A.I.
Chip robotically answered.

If he could gain an understanding of the Morning Star realm now, it would be incomparably useful to
Leylin's advancement.
However, it was difficult to meet with Morning Star Magi, and even more impossible to perform
research on them.

It wasn't as if Leylin could look for Gilbert and tell him that he wanted to do an experiment, and ask him
to be a specimen.

It would be a wonder if Gilbert did not destroy Leylin in that instant!

"Perhaps the corpse of the Scorpion Man in Twilight Zone will be useful to me!" Leylin touched his chin.
The Scorpion Man was truly a Morning Star creature, and his corpse would definitely be useful as a
reference for the A.I. Chip's simulations.

Immediately after, Leylin overruled his own thoughts. "There's not enough time. It isn't the volcano's
dormant period. Furthermore, based on the predictions of the Coin of Destiny, rank 3 Magi will meet
with dangers that cannot be predicted in the Icy Cave. Only those with Morning Star strength can be
safe..."

Leylin steeled his expression and let the A.I. Chip continue research.

Leylin was counting on the Lamia fingerbone and the bloodline ignition experiment as well as the A.I.
Chip's analysis of the Morning Star realm to advance.

As long as he did persevered in that regard, he would definitely be able to reach the threshold of
Morning Star.

If he was a regular Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, just obtaining one of those would be difficult.
However, Leylin had everything, and even without assistance all these would increase his chances of
reaching Morning Star by a lot when compared to other Morning Star seedlings.

Leylin had no doubt about this.

......

*Sha sha!* The pendant at Leylin's waist suddenly emitted bright light.

Leylin's brows furrowed, and he tapped on a secret imprint.

"Is this Marquis Leylin, Sir Enforcer?" A low, hoarse voice was produced from the secret imprint.

This was the communications officer that the Ouroboros Clan had specifically allocated to him. He was
in charge of contacting Leylin alone, and just by hearing his voice, Leylin could guess that something
terrible had happened.

"I am Leylin. Is there anything wrong?" His voice was calm and steady, even causing the voice from the
other side to become gentler.

"Headquarters has received a denouncement. Marquis Miranda is accusing Marquis Robin of attempting
to kill her. There is also a large amount of evidence! Based on the information, something has also
seemingly happened within Robin's family."

"Get to the point." Leylin raised his eyebrows.

The voice on the other end hesitated, but still presented the news. "According to the order of the Elder
Committee, Marquis Leylin is to head to Robin's family immediately, and send Marquis Robin back to
headquarters."

"They want me to capture Robin? Do you know that he's Mentor Gilbert's student and my senior?"
Leylin's expression became serious.
"I know. This is Duke Gilbert's order!" The voice was silent for a while, and then transmitted a black
runic imprint.

This was similar to a person's signature and could not be forged. This black rune was Gilbert's own
symbol, and Leylin definitely would not misidentify it.

"I understand."

Feeling jittery, Leylin ended communications and fell into silence.

"Mentor, what are you thinking?" A long while later, a low voice was sounded in the tent.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 480 - Tease

Leylin didn't feel good the entire night due to the orders to capture Robin. Regardless of how things
would unfold, it would still be disadvantageous to the Ouroboros Clan.

The disciple of a Morning Star Magus had shown signs of betrayal, which would be a fatal blow to the
emotions of the Warlocks that had just settled down. But since it was Gilbert's wish, Leylin could only
carry it out.

However, he somehow felt that things weren't so simple.　　

......　
"Leylin! Welcome!" Robin hugged Leylin and laughed heartily. He was full of smiles, and looked as
though he wasn't affected by the news.

Robin still had the appearance of a very young male, if one ignored the numerous runes imprinted on his
face.　

Compared to the last time they met, the imprints on Robin's forehead were even more terrifying, and
practically occupied more than half of his face. It made Robin's original facial features seem immensely
sinister and horrifying.

"Senior Robin!" Leylin put on a stiff smile.

After making brief bodily contact with him earlier on, a quiver had run through his entire being and he'd
felt every pore on his body contract.

Such a feeling was an indication of what a ferocious beast Robin had become, automatically putting
Leylin on guard.

Leylin peered past Robin, and he scanned the members of his family behind him.

The family that Robin belonged to was known as the Parble Family. In the entire Ouroboros Clan, their
bloodline lineage was one of the purest, and they were a long-standing noble family that possessed
great influence.

On previous adventures, Robin could have dispatched fifty rank 3 Warlocks as he wished, and he even
brought along a pure-blooded nephew, which went to show how much of a standing their family had.

But now, the teenagers that followed behind Robin had gloomy expressions... Or more accurately, they
had an air of death around them.
What made Leylin even more shocked was that behind Robin, there wasn't a single family elder to be
seen, and there weren't many Warlocks who were at rank 3 and above. Even Noah was nowhere to be
found.

"Such a situation must definitely mean that something huge has happened!"

Leylin's hunch was getting clearer, but his facial expression only became more sincere, and he said
slightly apologetically, "I'm sorry, senior, according to Mentor's orders..."

"Oh! Rest assured, it's a total misunderstanding! I'll go to headquarters with you tomorrow to explain!"
Robin seemed honest.

He then enthusiastically invited Leylin, "You haven't been to my castle and laboratory before, right? Stay
here for the night. Your vassals are also my guests. I have prepared a sumptuous banquet for them, and
I believe you'll like it here..."

What else could Leylin say when Robin was being so cordial? He could only check into the vacant room
that Robin had specially left for him, just as his vassals that had rushed here with him did into theirs.

The oaken floor had an oily layer of gloss on it. The smell of incense filled the room, and the four walls
were filled with portraits, armour and swords.

Although Parker had never specifically learned about assessments in this aspect, he also knew that this
was surely one of the best rooms in the castle.

"It's just that... My Lord, you..." Parker didn't have the slightest interest in examining the helmet that
was said to have been adorned with the feathers of multicoloured birds, but instead stood in front of
Leylin with a worried look on his face.
"I know. You mean to say that I had received orders to apprehend Robin, but yet I'm now associating
with him, and this will inevitably make people suspicious and cause them to attack..." Leylin lay on an
armchair embedded with huge rubies, and interrupted Parker with a wave of his hand, brushing him off.

"But what else can we do? Robin is my senior after all, and before this matter has been fully
investigated, we cannot make any rash conclusions!"

"Anyway, he has already agreed to return with us tomorrow, so we don't have to demand anything
else..."

Even upon hearing Leylin's words, Parker's smile remained bitter. This was, of course, the most normal
scenario, but from his point of view, Robin seemed to be showing symptoms of insanity., and it was
impossible to deduce his next course of action using logic.

Furthermore, it was hard to guarantee that he didn't have plans to first numb them and then get rid of
all his problems at once.

Among all the bloodline nobility of the land, they were undoubtedly the best, and even orders from the
headquarters would sometimes be boycotted by them, openly or secretly.

*Knock! Knock! Knock!* Just as Parker was about to say something, a steady and rhythmic knocking
sound came from the door.

A tender voice sounded from behind the door, "Respected Marquis! The banquet has begun!"

"You may enter!" Leylin nodded.

The door was promptly opened, and a girl dressed as a servant, whose face still had baby fat, appeared
in front of Leylin and Parker.
The female servant's face flushed with nervousness as though it was her first time seeing such high-
ranking guests.

"How great it must be to be young..." Leylin pinched her cheeks, hardly standing on courtesy. This made
her blush all the way to her neck.

He felt the aura of a pure Kemoyin bloodline from the girl. It seemed that she shared blood with Robin,
and they were probably weren't far removed.

From the bloodline, it seemed that this girl had a bright future, and might even be in the direct line of
descent in Robin's family. But in order to greet Leylin, she naturally had to change into the clothes of a
servant.

"What's your name?" Leylin asked, smiling. Parker stood aside, expressionless, as though he hadn't seen
Leylin's gesture.

As a high-ranking Warlock, who also once had authority over a Warlock clan, he had become completely
immune to such matters.

Even if Leylin did anything in front of him, he would still be able to stand as straight as a pine tree.

"Ed... Edda, Sir! The female servant's voice held a hint of a repressed sob, as though she was about to
cry any moment.

At her age, she obviously knew a lot. If this high-ranking bloodline nobleman wanted her, there wouldn't
be any objections from anyone, regardless of if it was an elder or her parents. They might even send her
over with great joy.
Hence, although she was on the verge of tears, Edda held them back, trying to stay strong.　

Luckily for her, Leylin stopped teasing her. He gently asked Edda, whose face was turning fully red, "I
also have another close friend in the Parble Family by the name of Noah, do you know him?"

"Uncle Noah?!" the little girl cried out, yet shortly after she seemed to have remembered something,
and raised her guard against Leylin.

It was alright, though. From her behaviour earlier on, Leylin became aware of many things.

"No need to be afraid! He and I are good friends, if anything has happened to him, I will definitely help!"
Leylin acutely discovered Edda's hidden hostility, and plastered his kindest smile on his face.

"Uncle Noah... He has been locked up!" The little girl finally mumbled after a seemingly long struggle
with herself, and her voice was practically so low that it couldn't be heard.

"Got it, I will try rescuing him!" Leylin caressed her head and guaranteed.

"What do you think is the possibility of her telling the truth?" Leylin asked indifferently after sending the
servant away.

"The possibility isn't high; after all, she was sent by them!" Parker shook his head.

"I think so too, but it's also possible that it's information brought to us by the other powers in the Parble
Family..." Leylin stroke his chin.

He had a premonition that this trip to the Parble Family Parble Family was perhaps not as simple, and it
was possible that more unexpected things were slated to happen.
The atmosphere in the drawing room was tense, but a few seconds later, Leylin's light laugh broke the
silence. "Let's not think too much about this right now, and just enjoy the banquet!"

"Yes, sir!" Parker nodded and followed behind Leylin. He was decked in a black tailcoat, and wore a
beautiful tie around his collar, appearing as if he had made preparations long ago.　

While Leylin and company were enjoying the wine and delicacies made by the Parble Family, and even
the female Warlocks that were brimming with enthusiasm, somewhere in the depths of the ancient
castle an invisible darkness spread endlessly.

"Divulging the information to him on purpose? Your plan is really badly done..." In a dim and narrow
room, a blue secret imprint hovered in midair, and the voice of a middle-aged man faintly sounded.

"Rest assured! I know him very well, once he knows about this, he definitely will give chase!" A
silhouette shrouded in black gas was conversing with the secret imprint. Numerous squirming veins
emerged from the black gas from time to time, and were densely packed, making one's scalp go numb.

"I don't care about your plan, but Leylin has to be handed over to me!" The blue secret imprint spoke
with gritted teeth, apparently harbouring an unforgettable hatred towards Leylin.

"We have been making deals and collaborating on many occasions, you don't have to worry!"

The figure shrouded in the black gas was silent for a while, then continued asking, "Actually, these are all
small matters. What I really wish to know is: when are you planning to take action?"

"Very soon... The elders in the Ouroboros Clan will soon become a thing of the past. Then, our plan can
truly be launched. After all, the counterattack of three Morning Star Warlocks would be hard to bear
even for a Radiant Moon Magus..."
The glow of the blue imprint completely dimmed down with the last words of the middle-aged Magus.

"Very soon..." The figure in the black gas muttered, and suddenly chanted a certain syllable. The gas
dispersed, revealing a face all so familiar to Leylin.

Leylin, who was still at the banquet, naturally knew nothing about all of this. Now, he was like a huge
butterfly, dancing gracefully among a cluster of flowers.

The enthusiasm of the female Warlocks of the Parble Family practically melted the many Warlocks, and
those that Leylin had brought over were also immersed in delight.

"Feels like things won't be that simple..."

Parker leaned against a pillar with a glass of wine in his hand, watching Leylin's performance, yet a
puzzled look flashed in his eyes.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 481 - Bloodline Detector

The excitement dissipated with distance from the banquet hall, and the sounds were inaudible from the
castle's dungeons.

Dim light shone against the murky walls and reflected numerous shadows that looked like talons. The
place reeked.

"We're getting there!" Leylin knitted his brows and sized up the rooms and walls of the castle.
The dungeons of Magus castles were, more often than not, laboratories or storage rooms. He had yet to
discover anything of value.

Most of the preventive and detective spell formations were unable to discover Leylin, allowing him to
strut through the castle without being realised.

And the Leylin that everyone perceived in the banquet hall was obviously just a clone. Anyway, nobody
would want to provoke him, and with a clone and the abilities of the A.I. Chip, a double was no problem.

On top of everything, Leylin could move freely without obstruction in the castle due to his Crystal Phase
abilities. He could weaken the effects of many detective spell formations, stopping them from locating
him.

'Robin's sudden emotional outburst wasn't all that it seemed to be...' Leylin rubbed his chin in deep
thought. 'Moreover, if the situation outside and this were linked, it would spell even more trouble...'

Robin, despite everything, was still his senior and cared a lot for Leylin when they first met. So it'd be
unwise of Leylin to make a move before finding concrete evidence.

And Robin's attitude was upright. If Leylin continued to be so unwilling to spare him, his reputation
would likely go down the drain. 'Biting the hand that feeds him' would probably top the list of
derogatory comments that would be made against him.

'A.I. Chip! How's the progress of the scan going Leylin's figure was engulfed by the pitch black as he
looked at the walls and questioned in his heart.

[Blueprint of the castle established, spell array formation analysed: 58%, simulation in progress...] The
A.I. Chip intoned.

A three-dimensional image was projected in front of Leylin, showcasing the structures of many castles.
The castle of Robin's family was comparable to Freya's impressive Ancient Blood Serpent Castle and
there were countless spell formations and bizarre phenomena caused by radiation.

Robin himself might not even know all the secrets within the castle.

The scanning of the A.I. Chip undoubtedly took a while but if Leylin stepped in to explore himself, he
would be pretty much familiar with the whole internal layout after walking around so many times.

As for those sections which were yet to be analysed, it was unfortunate that the current capability of the
A.I Chip was unable to compute them.

But all this was enough for him.

Under the gigantic projection, Leylin saw another empty construction buried deep underground. And its
outer layer was the most Leylin's A.I. Chip could reach.

The blank spaces were marked out by crimson symbols that prevented any forms of peeping, which
surprised Leylin.

The core secret of the ancient castle must have been located there. Leylin followed the directions of the
map and came face to face with a huge mural.

The mural depicted a grand historical scene—a horned demon skull was guillotined by armoured cavalry
and robed Magi, bloodstains and burn marks painted all over their bodies as evidence of war.

It was realism at its best with a distinct sense of style. The 18 eyes of the demon were wide open and
glaring at him, as if it was still alive.
'The existence of this cellar is barely brushing the surface of Robin's family's secret. The true secret is
hidden behind this mural...' Leylin's eyes lit up as he stroked the mural.

He felt like he could smell the stench of blood and fire as he moved close to the painting. It was as if he
was facing the remains of an actual war, where the blood had yet to dry.

[Beep! Ahead is a rank 1 bloodline detector. After thorough scanning, it has been identified to be one
that requires a specific incantation and bloodline to pass through.]

The database of the A.I. Chip as of now was as vast as the ocean, just a mere scan could send detailed
information to Leylin's memory.

'Bloodline detector?' Leylin touched his chin in deep thought. Since they'd chosen such a defensive
measure, it definitely required the bloodline of Robin's family, or even Robin himself, in order to get
past it.

But, of course, Leylin was ahead of Robin in terms of his knowledge on bloodlines for he had dedicated
more than one century towards the study of the bloodline experiments of Quicksand. His current
situation might have been an unsolvable problem for other Magi, but it was a piece of cake for him.

[Beep! Data is being collected, probing for removal measures]

The A.I. Chip operated at Leylin's command, and numerous blue symbols floated before him, forming
countless dots before entering the mural.

The whole mural began to quiver and buzz as layers of dust collapsed, distinguishing the characters and
making them appear more realistic than ever.

Especially the skull of the demon; an eerie green light seemed to be projecting from its eyes.

"Under the ultraviolet rays, the approaching descendant bloodline will come together and return to its
origins..."
Leylin chanted a medieval incantation and a strand of black hair flew from his hand.

It was something that Leylin had stolen from the maid, Edda, when they fooled around, and was
specially saved for situations like these.

Warlocks possess the most in-depth knowledge with regards to the power of bloodlines and were thus
the most confident as well. So, when they set up traps or other preventive measures, all this would be
taken into consideration.

Leylin had thus collected a strand of hair from a direct line of Robin's family for his use.

*Hiss!* A ball of scarlet light wrapped the strand within itself under Leylin's incantation.

The hair disappeared as the light dispersed, leaving behind a droplet of purplish-red blood that
possessed a savage aura unique to Giant Kemoyin Serpents.

"That's not enough!" Leylin shook his head vigorously and threw out a handful of crimson rocks. These
rocks turned into a fine powder in midair and congregated with the droplet.

The powder transformed into a bright silver liquid upon contact with the droplet, helping it expand even
as it diluted the colour of the blood to a washed-out red.

Leylin's eyes glistened all the more as he watched this.

The incantation sounded more mournful with time and the faded red had agglutinated to a dark red
blood clot, emitting a dangerously powerful aura.
If the previous bloodline was only Edda's—a low-ranked Magus—then the current ball of blood had
already reached the level of a Crystal Phase, and its aura was highly similar to Robin's.

If Robin had installed this bloodline detector, then the key to it wouldn't be as simple as the bloodline of
a Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Otherwise, it'd be easy as pie for any Magus to uncover the secret here.

Surely, Robin would only use his own DNA as the key.

Therefore, Leylin was trying to generate a bloodline aura similar to that of Robin's through that of his
relative.

Though the DNA couldn't be imitated, Leylin believed that it would be almost undetectable by the spells
here given the supreme abilities of the A.I. Chip.

[Beep! Deduction completed for the removal of the spell!] The A.I. Chip alerted and Leylin's face lit up as
he sang the incantation.

[Beep! Wrong aura, starting automated matching!] The deep red ball of blood underwent some changes
before changing into the aura of another Warlock.

"This is.." Leylin was confused for a moment. He quickly shook his head and sent the blood ball straight
into the mural causing the two to fuse.

A layer of red started rippling on the surface of the mural and it was frightening. The characters in the
mural, especially, took an eerie turn and started changing under the crimson light.

Thin scales and cysts started getting embedded their bodies and some of the cavalry even had horns
growing on their heads and enormous wings on their backs. The mural had transformed into one of
monsters.
The demon head, however, still had a sinister smile painted across his face that made Leylin's hairs
stand.

"There must be more to this mural, this seems foreboding..." Leyin muttered to himself and looked at
the demon head again.

"A.I Chip, scan the mural! Find a similar specimen in the database!" Leylin ordered.

[Beep! Mission received, starting scan! Matching similar specimens in database...] The A.I. Chip replied
almost immediately while scanning through the database furiously.

[Beep! Similar image found!] The A.I. Chip projected an oil painting in front of Leylin.

Within the painting was the huge image of a demon, its horns and eyes shockingly similar to the one in
the mural.

"What is this?" Leylin looked into the information of that particular section almost immediately.

[The year 2315 of the Holy Calendar, a night where crows wept, the clone of Beelzebub arrived in
Verdant City and cause a holocaust before being eliminated by an unknown Breaking Dawn Magus...]

The information presented by the A.I. Chip was very simplified. It was a mere few sentences and the
image had a few missing portions on the edge.

These were the defects on the ancient book scanned earlier.

"Beelzebub, who represents gluttony?"

Leylin covered his mouth in shock, "Even if it's just a clone, the only people who could eliminate it were
Breaking Dawn Magi!"
Though details weren't mentioned in the ancient book, the marked calendar system belonged to the
ancient era where Morning Star Magi reigned, and there were definitely some in the Verdant City too.

"Amongst those who were injured, exactly how many were at Morning Star or even Breaking Dawn..."
Leylin sighed.

And right at this moment, both the incantation and bloodline were stimulated and a crack split the
mural from the centre, revealing a passageway that led underground.

The bloodline detector was broken by an outsider in a situation that did not alarm the owner.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 482 - Prison Cell

Cries and howls sounded.

Indescribable noises echoed past Leylin's ears as he stepped foot into the passageway. The secret that
Robin had kept so tightly was about to be revealed to him.

'There must've been something more to that expedition we did.' Leylin thought about other matters as
he took note of his surroundings.

'Robin was evidently impatient when we last explored the Quicksand pocket dimension. And the
information he held about the dimension was definitely not possible for someone who only worked
internally. He'd probably known all the secrets within Quicksand Castle long ago, and went there
specifically for it...'
Leylin's guess was confirmed by the mural.

'Robin's family clearly inherited something important, and it might even be linked to the Quicksand
Organisation.'

As his journey in the long passageway came to an end, he found himself between two rows of small
prison-like cells.

The walls in these cells were covered in complex runes—many of which were familiar to Leylin—that
were identical to the bindings of his own Magus Tower.

"The number of cells is crazy," Leylin sized up the rows of cells that seemed to have no end to them, and
caught glimpses of shadows within.

'Exactly how many people is he planning to imprison?' he thought as he came in front of a cell.

"Outsider detected, warning dispatched! Destroy!"

A deep voice masculine voice sounded as Leylin entered Shadow Stealth mode, the man was a
formation genie in charge of this area, holding a position similar to that of his own tower genie.

"A.I. Chip," Leylin lightly called out.

[Spiritual force interface discovered, forcefully manipulating data!] The A.I. Chip replied mechanically,
without an ounce of emotion.

The voice started to change in an instant, becoming hoarse.

"Invasion by outsider's spiritual force! Activating first layer of defences!"

"Defence broken, activating level 2 firewall and alarms! Beginning self-destruction!"

"Invasion of outsider's spiritual force into centre formation genie. Warning! Warning!"

"Destruction imminent in T minus 3, 2... Warning dispersed! Operation normal! Outsider's spiritual force
intercepted. No information has been leaked."

Its voice that was initially submersed in fright and hoarseness became choppy. Light shone everywhere,
illuminating the surroundings distinctly as it turned into a unique robotic one, that of the A.I. Chip.

An intelligence of this standard was nothing in front of Leylin's A.I. Chip, it was only a matter of time
before it was breached.

The administrator of this region had already changed from the formation genie to Leylin's A.I. Chip.

After he successfully took it over, the place had become Leylin's backyard. Even Robin would fail to
detect him.

Of course, he had to thank his luck that he took care of the formation genie in a short time. Most
formation genies would have self-destructed in time, and alerted their owners, landing Leylin in a heap
of trouble.

Thankfully, Robin's formation genie was of a lower rank. If it were a core formation genie set up by a
Morning Star Magus, the A.I. Chip would have faced a lot of difficulties.

Now, Leylin was in control.

"Activate the observation window of cell 0023!" Following Leylin's command, a white ray of light shone
in the cell, ridding it of the darkness, the prisoner appearing in front of Leylin.

And the prisoner appeared in front of Leylin.

"Huh?! This is..." Leylin's pupils dilated. "I've seen him somewhere..."

It was a Warlock; more accurately, a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock.

This sense of familiarity between bloodlines was always accurate. The Warlock in front of him looked
plaintive; not only was he almost naked—only clothed in pathetic rags—his whole body was riddled with
large wounds.

Some granulation tissue could be seen squirming on the wounds, they were repairing themselves. It
looked revolting.

"Don't... Don't come any nearer. You monster!" A low voice rumbled from the Warlock's mouth.

"I'm not Robin!" Leylin cleared his throat and said.

"..." The Warlock raised his head and Leylin could see his goblin-like face. As if on cue, hope filled his
eyes, replacing the dread and despair that existed before he saw Leylin.

"Sa- Save me! Please save me, Lord Leylin!"

He was like a drowning man that was grasping at the last straw as he crawled to the middle of the cell,
It was then that Leylin realised that both the legs of the Warlock were missing. He was completely
disabled.

Though it could be healed using limb regeneration spells or other high-grade potions, Robin wouldn't
have been so nice.

"Tell me, what happened? Why are you here?" Leylin looked dreadfully displeased, and his voice was
low as ever.

"It's Robin! He captured me, my wife and my children and caged us here right after he attacked my
family! He- He's a demon!"

He seemed to have undergone an overly traumatic experience that caused him to stumble over his
words.

"Master! Master! Take me away please, I'm begging you!" He shouted himself hoarse as his eyes
watered.

Leylin could only shake his head at this scene. Though the advancements of Warlock were largely a
result of their bloodlines, making moving up the ranks easier, to see such low willpower from a Warlock
was still very rare.

High-ranking Magi usually had tenacious spirits, and could compose themselves quickly even in huge
events.

"Tell me, what exactly did he do?" Two rays of lights shot from Leylin's eyes, and made the Warlock
speechless.
"He- He-" The Warlock sobbed and hugged his knees close, coiling into himself as he trembled endlessly.

"He- How dare he eat my Gwen! Oh Lord, she was only 7..."

"And Hugo, and Ron..." He could not stop listing name after name and looked absent-minded. He ended
up wrapping his arms around his head, refusing to think anymore.

"A drastic change in temperament, imprisoning people, rumours of cannibalism, a mural to Beelzebub,
the prince of gluttony!" Leylin let out a long sigh. The pieces came together to form a complete picture
in his head.

"Wow, this is..." He did not know what to say. Robin's desire for power had already reached such sick
levels.

Though Leylin didn't label himself a good guy, he would never go as far as Robin had.

Just then, the A.I. Chip relayed a piece of information to Leylin.

[Beep! Scan of underground laboratory completed! 341 prisoners: 34 Giant Kemoyin Warlocks, 22 Rank
3 Warlocks...]

"Other matters aside, things will be over for Robin the moment he gets exposed..." As Leylin went
further, he saw that the cells on both sides were full of all kinds of Warlocks. Most of them had portions
of their bodies missing, and he even saw a few elders from Robin's own family.

It seemed like the elders who disappeared were all captured by Robin and locked up here.

Upon seeing Leylin, all the Warlocks went mad; some were wailing, some were bellowing in fury
demanding that Leylin punish Robin for his sins. Even the eyes of the elders from Robin's own family
were filled with hatred and rage; they had evidently given up on Robin long ago.
"These Warlocks, most of them should be from the families that Robin eliminated..." Leylin sighed. Who
would know that Robin would have the guts to seize his enemies and lock them up in a secret cellar like
this?

And judging from their faces, Leylin bet they would rather have died on the battlefield.

Though Leylin pitied them, he didn't order the A.I. Chip to deactivate the defence in the cells and allow
them out.

After all, there were still many prisoners here that could cause chaos if let out.

Furthermore, Leylin still had more tasks to be performed that needed to be hidden from Robin.

"The core cell! Who is the one imprisoned there?" At the end of the passageway was a large cell. A few
sparks could be seen jumping along the blood red electrified cage every now and then, firmly caging a
Magus inside.

[No information found within the formation genie's data, this place is marked top secret!] The A.I. Chip
sent back.

"Who are you?"

Standing beside the cage, Leylin was curious about the shadow inside. As the criminal who was under
the tightest form of imprisonment in the entire cellar, this person could not be simple.

The prisoner raised his head after hearing Leylin's voice, and Leylin's pupils constricted in an instant
before he broke out in cold sweat.

"Ro– Senior Robin?"

The person in the cage possessed a face that was bewitching, but malnourished beyond recognition. It
was as though all flesh and blood had been drained from him. Robin could only force a smile before
calling out for Leylin.

"Leylin, you're here?"

"What is going on? Who is that 'Robin' out there?" Leylin's expression was dark.

He felt an unusually familiar aura from this Robin who was in front of him, his smile unforgettable.

When he'd first entered Phosphorescence Swamp, Robin wore this exact same smile when welcoming
Leylin as he stood by the entrance to the Ouroboros Clan headquarters.

"You should be able to guess by now," Robin was very weak and had to pause after every other word.

All muscles seemed to have disappeared, leaving Robin a sack of bones.

If not for his features, Leylin would have thought the person in front of him was a skeleton.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 483 - Rescue

"How is he outside?" Robin lifted his head and asked Leylin, hope in his eyes.
Leylin was silent for a moment but still ended up speaking, "He has advanced to the peak of the Crystal
Phase, and the curse marks have taken up over 60% of his face. He doesn't seem to be in a good state of
mind."

"The initial phase has ended. He is now undergoing 'Flesh Immolation', but is still quite a distance from
the final 'Gluttony's Monarch'."

Robin sighed, "Can you let me out or bring me before him? There are some things that I want to tell
him."

"I'm sorry, but the situation is very dangerous..." Leylin's expression was grim, "Shouldn't you give me an
answer now?"

"What answer? Haven't you guessed everything already?"

"Just a part of it. Why are you here?" Leylin asked.

Robin glanced at Leylin and began to speak unhurriedly. "Hehe... our ancestors once obtained some
information regarding the 'gluttony imprint' and knew that it was within the ancient Quicksand Castle in
the Forgotten Land. That was why we were so eager in inviting you all there..."

The gluttony imprint was a fragment of the consciousness of the sin of gluttony, Beelzebub that
remained in Verdant City. It was said that Magi who obtained the gluttony imprint would awaken with a
terrifying appetite, but at the same time gain several unique abilities.

This gluttony imprint had once brought great suffering upon the regions surrounding Verdant City. There
had even been a situation where a whole city had been devoured.

Only with the work of numerous Magi was this chaos suppressed. Countless imprints were destroyed,
leaving behind a few to be used as samples in research.
"My ancestor was one of the lower class members of Quicksand, and there are records in his notes. The
gluttony imprint was once collected by Quicksand and improved using large amounts of devouring-type
bloodlines, achieving the effect of improving and purifying one's own bloodline."

The history of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks was of course long, and extended to the ancient era.
However, the Ouroboros Clan had yet to be established then, which was why entering a Warlock
organisation like Quicksand was very common.

Only after the end of the ancient era did the remaining Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks set up the
Ouroboros Clan, which had then lasted up to date.

"So you set your sights on that gluttony imprint?" Leylin's voice was cold.

"Yes. As long as I have it, I'm confident that I can purify our bloodline till it is comparable to the ancient
Giant Kemoyin Serpent, and even reach the Morning Star realm!" Robin's eyes blazed for a moment
before turning dulled once more.

"Looks like the one who initially obtained the gluttony imprint was indeed you, and the one who went
up on the airship with us was you. If not, Mentor would definitely have noticed. The sudden change
must have happened after our return..." Leylin continued on from Robin's words.

"Yes. The spiritual contamination from the gluttony imprint is much too terrifying. In just a few short
months, I could no longer control myself. I lost control of my emotions quite a few times..." Robin smiled
wryly.

"So you decided to strip it off and look for a guinea pig to reduce this property, And you picked Noah."

"No, Noah requested that I do that!" Robin roared, and collapsed spinelessly.
"He was such a good child! I still remember his gaze when we spoke, full of hope and resolution... At
that moment, I'd thought that only Warlocks like him would be able to subdue the gluttony imprint...

"I now know the consequences."

Leylin nodded. Whether it was the large change in personality after receiving the imprint or some hatred
originally inside Noah, Leylin had no wish to pursue this further. The situation was clear.

Noah imprisoned his own uncle and many elders, holding his family in his grasp. He had even arrested
high-grade pure-blood Warlocks and, by devouring their bloodline, purified his own.

Recently, he had even set his sights on Miranda, and was met with a fierce counterattack from her.

"The remains of high-energy beings like that all cause a lot of trouble!" Leylin knew this well. Whether it
was the original spirit of the Lamia bone or the spiritual force contamination from his interplanar
experiments, this was always the case.

Thankfully, Leylin's will was strong and decisive, and he could thus eliminate these dangers. If not, he'd
be no better off than Noah.

"Using the sin of gluttony to improve his own bloodline?" Leylin touched his chin. This was a rather
interesting topic, and the fact that the Noah outside had, from a newly-advanced rank 3 Warlock,
broken through both the Vapour Phase and the Hydro Phase to arrive at the Crystal Phase in one go, it
was obvious that this had a high possibility of working. All he needed to do was settle the issue of the
spiritual force contamination.

"The situation now is very complicated. I can only save you first and see what headquarters says..." Even
Leylin found this difficult to handle. Only the three Morning Star elders had the qualifications to make
the final decision.
"A.I. Chip, open the core restriction room." Leylin ordered.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The blood-red electricity of the cage died out, and the binding runes in the room
dimmed.

The A.I. Chip suddenly sent a warning. [Beep! Discovered foreign spiritual force, determined to be the
remains of a spirit genie.]

"He actually set up a second spirit genie to mobilise only if the core restriction room is closed?" Leylin
was shocked. Evidently, Noah had not completely lost his mind and was meticulous.

[Beginning eradication of spirit genie. Another party is forcefully interfering with transmission of data
and sending out cries for help. Beginning interception.]

The A.I. Chip worked quickly, but with the preparations the opponent had made, it could not intercept
the data successfully.

[Interception failed. Data has been transmitted.] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded.

"Shit!" Leylin cursed, and quickly left with Robin.

Meanwhile, the face of 'Robin' in the reception hall of the castle warped.

"What's going on?" Leylin, who was holding his wine cup, smiled gently.

"Die!" Noah, who had received the information, could obviously tell that Leylin in front of him was just a
puppet, and that he had been duped.

He instantly reddened in fury. Gauntlets of black crystal appeared on his hands as they were struck into
the smiling Leylin's chest.
*Clatter!* The glass cup fell to the ground, creating a clear sound. Scarlet wine flew everywhere.

The hall immediately turned quiet. The guests all looked in this direction, full of disbelief. Lord Robin had
dared attack the enforcer at a banquet? Was this a rebellion?

"Ah!" An urgent, panicky female shriek sounded, and the time which seemed to have stopped in the hall
moved once more.

The Magi present immediately moved. The Warlocks of Robin's family gathered, while Parker protected
Snoopy as he transferred his men over.

Two waves of Warlocks gathered amidst the stream of people like two giant reefs, unmoving in the
confusion.

Contrary to their behaviour, the musicians, waiters, dancers, clowns, and others were startled. They fled
in their alarm, occasionally letting out piercing screams.

Based on this situation, it was obvious the Warlocks on both ends had not let down their guard and
were prepared to become hostile.

*Tss tss!* Noah expressionlessly watched the Leylin in his hands. Now, this Leylin who was in front of
him, had completely turned black. Droplets of black liquid flowed from the wound and onto the ground,
producing white gas.

"I'm going out for a while. Kill all of Leylin's subordinates!" Noah carelessly dumped the shadow puppet
in his hands and turned into a black phantom that disappeared.

By the time Noah had left, the Warlocks confronting each other in the hall first quietened down, and
then great amounts of spell rays lit up.

The flood of chaotic elemental particles drowned the hall...

"I wouldn't be so stupid as to fight with an opponent in their nest, which they've operated in for
thousands of years!" With one hand on Robin, Leylin crushed a few armoured knights blocking his path
into bits.

Under the silver knight armours was only air. These armours, that were meant to just be ornamental,
seemed to have received some order and suddenly began attacking Leylin.

Adding to his troubles, many long ash-black tongues filled the passageway behind him, sweeping
forwards.

"These knights are 'Silent Guards.' Without attacking the core, it's impossible to destroy them." Robin,
who was pressed against Leylin's side, served well as a guide yet did nothing else.

Not only was he gravely injured, his spiritual force was in ruins. A large amount seemed to have been
devoured, and his strength had fallen to that of a rank 1 Warlock. If not, Leylin wouldn't be so at ease in
bringing him along.

"Rather than the silent guards, you need to be careful of the tongues behind you!" Seeing the forces
behind them, Robin's expression changed. "This is a passageway our family found by accident. It seems
to have mutated and made a connection with a majestic existence above. The ash-black tongues are
parts of that existence.

"Even a Crystal Phase rank 3 Warlock would find it troublesome if caught, and might even be devoured.
A few seniors in the family have died from it."

Due to the terrifying radiation, a few ancient Magus castles would mutate, giving rise to situations that
even Magi couldn't make head or tails of.

These strange phenomena were taken advantage of by their descendants, who used them as defences.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 484 - Cage of Gluttony

"Can you control them?" With regards to unforeseeable situations, Leylin was always more cautious.

He looked at Robin. After all, Robin was the clan leader and should have had some tricks up his sleeve.

"I'm afraid not! Noah's taken away my authority. Moreover, once the Devouring Corridor is engaged,
even the clan leader himself can't control it..."

"Then what was the point of me saving you?" Leylin rolled his eyes and pulled Robin along, sprinting at a
much higher speed.

Soon Robin proved that, as a clan leader, he was still very familiar with his castle. Under his guidance,
after rushing through three rooms, Leylin managed to jump down from a window pane.

The moment before he left the window ledge, numerous tongues swiftly climbed forward and filled the
entire room, but had not followed through their attack to the exterior of the castle. It was as if there
was a chasm at the fringes of the castle that was difficult to pass through, or even barriers outside.

Only at that point in time did Leylin have the leisure to look at his secret imprint.
"Master... they've gone on the offensive! The situation here is extremely chaotic!" an impatient Parker
transmitted even as the rumble of explosions from spells could be heard in the background.

"Today's banquet is extremely lively!" Leylin looked at the ancient black castle. Through one of the
windows in the living room, he could see explosions and flames being set off in the room.

"Put your own safety as the priority, and escape as soon as you can!" Leylin did not have the plans to
return once more. After all, those still inside the castle were his subordinates. Subordinates fought to
the death for their masters, not the other way around.

"Your nephew seems to be coming over!"

After they escaped, Robin's head had been hanging low, his thoughts a mystery. Leylin indifferently set
him down under an oak tree.

After hearing his tone, Robin raised his head and saw a black figure rushing down from the ancient
castle, with a terrifying aura on his body.

That was the terrifying power of a Crystal Phase Magus. Coupled with the fact that he also possessed
the ancient Gluttonous Desire, these had caused even Leylin to furrow his brows.

*Boom!* A figure landed in front of Leylin, and revealed a face that was mostly covered with runes.

"Noah!" Leylin let out a long sigh. Relatives Noah and Robin had very similar face shapes and auras. But
with the influence of the gluttony imprint concealing and obscuring things, even Morning Star Magi
might not have been able to realise the difference. However, there was no way Leylin would not be able
to recognise him.

"Uncle..." Noah's voice was low as he gazed at Robin who was seated on the ground. Complex emotions
whirled across his face.
Shortly after, the black runes on his face started to move about, causing changes to its shape.His nose
became sharper and eyes wider.

It took only a few tweaks for Noah to look drastically different, as he regained his original appearance.

"You've changed a lot..." Robin said after a moment of silence.

"I have not changed! Was this not always your wish anyway?" A vicious look flashed across Noah's face.
He bowed to Robin, his etiquette perfect to the point that nobody could nitpick about it. He was the
perfect example of royalty.

"Very soon, the aspirations of our clan will be realised. I can feel it. Under the radiation of the sin of
gluttony, my Kemoyin bloodline has been purified. I'm only one step away from becoming a pureblood
Kemoyin Warlock!"

Mysterious rays shot out of Noah's eyes as he bit his own finger to show Robin and Leylin the pure
purplish-red blood.

Immediately, he greedily sucked the same finger which he'd previously bit, even as his face was
immersed in pleasure.

"Crazy! You've completely gone insane!" Robin grabbed his head in pain and regret, "I should not have
allowed you to inherit the imprint to begin with... No, I shouldn't even have gone to Quicksand to
uncover it!"

On the other side, Leylin looked at Noah proudly showing the purity of his bloodline, and was rendered
speechless.
From what he saw, even though the Kemoyin bloodline of the other party was extremely pure, but
compared to the first time Leylin had purified his Kemoyin bloodline, there was still an obvious
difference.

Just based on the luster, if Leylin's bloodline was initially a diamond, Noah's bloodline was at most coal,
or even worse than that.

And after having absorbed large amounts of radiation from the Lamia bone, his bloodline had been
purified to an unprecedented level, and might even have surpassed the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent!

"I'm not crazy! For those trash to be the foundations to allow for our clan to flourish is definitely an
honour for them!"

Noah lifted his hands in despair, his eyes bloodshot, "I have a feeling that if only I were to eat him, my
bloodline would advance to an unprecedented level, and I could even advance to the Morning Star
realm!"

Noah pointed at Leylin and his eyes widened, as if he was a plate of some delicacy.

That gaze made Leylin uncomfortable, especially when the other party started to contemplate on where
he should start devouring him.

Leylin kept the Memory Crystal Ball that would be the evidence for later before he swiftly asked Robin,
"Since he has already confessed, there shouldn't be a problem if I start killing here in my name as an
enforcer, right?"

"...." Robin's face looked pale, and he did not utter a single word, only waving his hand.

After getting Robin's approval, Leylin had no more misgivings.

In actual fact, just based on what Noah had done previously, Leylin would not hesitate to kill him. Still, it
would be better with Robin's understanding.

After all, the other party was his senior, and he would have to take note of the potential aftereffects.

"Tsk tsk! He actually dared to utter such words to me!" Noah licked his lips, and the imprint on his face
went into action. "It's decided! I'll make sure you don't get to leave this place, and I'll slowly devour your
meat, a kilogram a day!"

There were many ways for Magi to regenerate their muscles, a natural product of their high vitality.

As a result, even though the flesh might have been cut off, it would grow back in a designated amount of
time. That was a characteristic that Noah had made use of when he imprisoned many Magi and left
them in circumstances where they were better off dead than alive.

"Devour you! I'll devour you!" Noah's face warped as he went berserk, and he rushed towards Leylin like
a beast. Black blood vessels rose from his body, and like tentacles, covered Leylin's face.

At the tips of the blood vessels, needle-like structures appeared. Should it penetrate one's sick, the bone
marrow could even be sucked away in an instant.

"Gross!" Leylin shook his head, and a black ray erupted from his waist. The Meteor Sword brought with
it the terrifying Kemoyin venom, and formed a black wall in front of Leylin.

Numerous blood vessels were immediately chopped off by the sharp edges of the Meteor Sword. The
horrifying venom even started to corrode them, causing them to rot and fall loudly to the ground.

"Grrrr..." Noah opened his mouth, and large amounts of saliva dropped to the ground.
The current him was already under the absolute control of the sin of gluttony, and he had become a
beast that moved around merely based on instinct.

Robin had turned his head, and dare not look at the miserable scene.

*Buzz!* During the attack, Noah's body had been shrouded by a layer of black light. After the light
dissipated, numerous pieces of black armour could be seen on his body.

No matter what, Noah was still a Crystal Phase Magus, and Leylin would not dare to belittle his abilities.

"Shadowflame Plague!" He swiftly chanted, and black flames shot forth from his robes like an aura,
aiming for Noah who was rushing over.The black flames burned the crystal defence, heating up the
surroundings so much that the air distorted.

Noah yelled and, like a beast, rushed out of the sea of fire and appeared before Leylin. The movement
was almost instantaneous.

"What a shocking physicality!!" Leylin squinted his eyes as he saw the other party's injuries almost
instantly recovering on their own. As he saw the skin patching up, he couldn't help but feel a little
fearful.

After which, without any hesitation, he held his Cross Blade and hacked down from Noah's head.

Sharp sword rays were created with the action as the terrifying venom was dissipated carelessly.

Leylin's Toxic Bile had far surpassed other rank 2 innate spells, achieving a horrifying power. It was an
effect entirely brought about by the maturation of his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline under the
effects of the Lamia fingerbone.
"Crossblade slash!" Black light in the form of a crucifix slashed down upon Noah's body, causing a large
vertical wound.

"AHHH!" Noah's face flushed with blood, but he actually grabbed the blade of the sword.

Large amounts of white mist were emitted as his hands started to rot under the horrifying venom. The
scene made Robin feel uneasy.

But Noah instantly revealed a smile that suggested that he had gotten away with something, and his
eyes were no longer bloodshot.

"You actually were sane all this while!" Leylin cried out. That astonished him more than Noah inheriting
the gluttony imprint and replacing Robin.

"It's too late now to realise it!" The injuries on his abdomen and chest were all covered by a layer of
black blood vessels, and his aura increased exponentially to a peak.

"Arcane Art, Cage of Gluttony!"

A black fog engulfed Leylin and Noah, and Robin's face changed as he heard the gnawing sounds from
within.

"The Cage of Gluttony?" On the other hand, Leylin who was shrouded in darkness casually waved both
his hands forth in a bid to size up the strength of the formation.

"This isn't the energy system of our world. It must be a formation from the path of another realm, a
result of the inheritance of Beelzebub's clone!"
Even as Leylin spoke, numerous mouths with ivory teeth surrounded him.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 485 - Unexpected Developments

Leylin's indifferent tone instantly infuriated Noah who was hiding in the dark, and a sinister voice
sounded, "I hope you'll still feel that way when you are under the attack of the Gluttony's Kiss!"

This voice seemed to come from all directions, making one unable to grasp his location.

"The weakness of such barriers lies in the one who casts them. Once he's attacked, they will
immediately collapse!" Leylin continued speaking in a superior tone, as though he was commenting on
Noah's spell.

"So what if you know its weakness? After undergoing refinement, my Cage of Gluttony now possesses a
portion of the power of a Morning Star domain. A mere Crystal Phase Magus like you will definitely
never see through it!" Noah's voice sounded again, but this time, he seemed flustered and exasperated.

Anyone who saw their own enemy being unconcerned when caught in their trap, when by all rights they
should've been struggling in their death throes, would feel enraged.

With a command, numerous dreadful mouths with sharp tongues started to attack Leylin by gnawing at
him.

"Scale Shield!" A multitude of black crystals appeared with a snap of Leylin's fingers, forming a shield
covered in a layer of scales on one side. When the white teeth bit the shield, they produced jarring
noises and a great amount of sparks.
Under the attack of the numerous teeth, the defence of the Scale Shield was in imminent danger, and it
seemed like it would be smashed to smithereens within minutes.

"Haha... Haha..." Seeing this, Noah let out a carefree laugh.

"Even if you saw through it, what can you do? Won't you still be ground into mincemeat under the
attack of my Cage of Gluttony? I have decided—I'll preserve your tongue well, and savour it slowly..."

Even though he was clear-headed, he still showed the symptoms of insanity under the influence of the
gluttony imprint.

As he listened to Noah's declaration of victory, and as the Scale Shield around him shattered, Leylin
shook his head.

"If it was just this barrier, it would practically be unbreakable by rank 3 Magi, and even I would have to
spend a great amount of spiritual force to forcefully break out of it, but what a pity..." Leylin sighed, as
though he was genuinely feeling sorry for Noah's misfortune.

"You shouldn't have collaborated with the Oakheart Clan!"

"How did you—" Before Noah could complete his sentence, a terrifying ray of death had already pierced
through the numerous barriers and hit Noah who was hidden in the cracks of darkness precisely.

Fatality's Tip! This formidable spell that the A.I. Chip had specially designed for Leylin had the terrifying
effect of delivering a fatal blow to a rank 3 Magus.

*Pew! Pew! Pew!* Under Fatality's Tip, Noah's defence was torn apart like paper, and even his innate
spells were easily smashed apart by the ray of death, as if eggshells meeting a hammer.
"Gluttony! Gluttony! The almighty Beelzebub! You are the sovereignty of Gluttony, controller of
Gluttony!" A voice resonated in Noah's surroundings, as if chanting yet also praying.

Amidst the prayers, the black runes on Noah's face flashed, and actually broke away from his face,
taking the shape of a black seed that obstructed Fatality's Tip.

"Power from conviction? Or bestowed from a God?" Leylin was always apprehensive about the
legendary world of the gods. Some of his knowledge attained in his previous world regarding deities and
gods added on to his understanding of such higher powers.

Therefore, upon witnessing this form, Leylin immediately made an association.

But shortly after, he sneered, "If Beelzebub's original body— or even his clone— was here, he would be
able to crush me with just a finger! But now, a useless seed without the support of the spiritual force of
the original body wants to kill me?"

Having conducted interplanar experiments before, Leylin naturally understood the weakness of such
spiritual force seeds that descended from other worlds, especially those that had their connections to
both sides cut off

It could be said that even if the other party's original body was beyond rank 7 and they had already
reached a terrifying realm, they would still be unable to provide any assistance to the spiritual force
seed here.

In fact, this black seed was not even a spiritual force seed, only a product of the annihilated clone's
spiritual contamination, tainted with fragments of its memory.

The rays of death struck the black seed relentlessly, humming coldly.
*Pew!* After the black rays of light flashed, the spiritual force seed fell to the ground with a hole on its
surface. As it slowly petrified, it took the shape of a stony rune.

Fatality's Tip penetrated Noah, who appeared to have given up all hope. If not for Leylin who slanted his
finger at the final juncture, Noah's entire brain might have been fried completely.

But now, Noah lay on the ground like a dead dog, a gaping hole in his chest. He murmured in disbelief,
"How... How did this happen?"

Leylin walked up and destroyed his consciousness ruthlessly, his voice cold as ice. "Speak! When did you
start ganging up with the Oakheart Clan?"

"70 years ago. I once went to Azure Mountain City in search of a way to fix the Cage of Gluttony, and at
that time the Oakheart Clan helped me find what was lacking..."

After losing the gluttony imprint, Noah seemed like a lost soul. He had regressed to a state where he
was even worse off than an average human after his consciousness was ruined, allowing Leylin to get
answers out of him by using an illusory spell.

"You actually dared to collude with that clan! You're really tired of living, aren't you!" Having interacted
with them before, Leylin understood the Oakheart Clan. They were a bunch of people without morals. It
was a tragedy that Noah had looked them up.

It was also the Oakheart Clan that had aided Leylin in breaking the Cage of Gluttony in one stroke.

Although the Cage of Gluttony indeed isolated itself from all sorts of detection, such that he wasn't
confident even in the A.I. Chip's scans, Leylin still discovered minute traces of stardust bug activity on
Noah.

There were only a few such bugs, and they probably had concealment spells on them, which was why
Leylin hadn't sensed anything initially.

When Noah had completely burst and dragged Leylin into the Cage of Gluttony, Leylin immediately
activated the atomic scanning function of the A.I. Chip.

He initially wanted to find a flaw in the Cage of Gluttony, but who would have thought that he would
accidentally find traces of stardust bugs!

Leylin had roughly learnt how to deal with these bugs while at the auction. The fact that Noah actually
had parasitic stardust bugs on him was as good as adorning himself with huge light bulbs, revealing his
location to Leylin.

There was no doubt as to what would happen next. Leylin aimed his Fatality's Tip and solved all his
problems.

"The Oakheart Clan?" Robin's expression changed. They were a powerful family with a Morning Star
Magus as their backing. His nephew's dealings with them were completely against his own interest.

"It seems that the recent changes in the Ouroboros Clan have involved the interference of the powers of
Azure Mountain City!" Leylin stroked his chin, and decided to evacuate immediately.

He was now even more afraid of bumping into this clan. If the issue from before was revealed, the other
party would definitely come chasing after him to the ends of the earth, even if he had the support of his
Morning Star Mentor.

"Senior Robin! How about we put a stop to the commotion in the castle, then take Noah to
headquarters to plead guilty?" Leylin looked at Robin, who was standing at the side, and asked
respectfully.

"Of course we should!" Robin smiled bitterly. Did he even still have room to reject?
"Great, let's..." Leylin was about to say something, but his expression suddenly changed, "Who's there?"

Numerous potions immediately emerged from the pouch at his waist, combining to form a terrifying
rank 3 spell in the air, 'Death's Blade'.

A glowing black arc cut across, instantly shaving out a huge plain. Everything in the way — stones, large
trees, and even small hills— were halved by a thin layer of light, revealing flawlessly smooth gaps.

A few figures were forced out by Death's Blade and projected in front of Leylin.

"Leylin Farlier! I finally found you!" The Magi present were all in the Crystal Phase, and their chief was a
Magus whose terrifying strength was at the peak of the Crystal Phase. The person who spoke was a
middle-aged man, with his gold hair up like flames. The hatred in his voice made Leylin's hair stand on
end.

"Leo!" Leylin bellowed his name. This robed leader was actually the chief of the Oakheart Clan. From his
expression, it was clear that he knew about Leylin's disguise previously.

"A prophecy?" Leylin thought that he had wiped out his tracks cleanly, but the other party had actually
discovered his identity nonetheless. He must have prophesied his identity.

While the Azure Mountain King himself wasn't a Prophet, as long as one was willing to pay a large sum it
was still possible to enlist the services of other Magi.

It was just that the speed of the other party's reaction, as well as their viciousness, far exceeded Leylin's
expectations.

It was likely that, to predict Leylin's location, the entire Oakheart Clan had paid in blood.
But if one thought about the consequences that the Oakheart Clan would suffer once Leylin exposed
their stardust bugs, it somehow seemed understandable.

"Kill!" Indeed, Leo cut to the chase, as though afraid that Leylin would expose him. He immediately got
to work once they met, and didn't give Leylin any chance to speak.

*Boom! Boom!* Terrifying waves erupted from the Crystal Phase Magi next to him, and numerous black
chains appeared around Leylin, wrapping him up.

A powerful binding force was exerted on him.

Leo unrolled a simple and unadorned scroll, and the energy waves that burst forth from it made Leylin
feel suffocated.

"A rank 4 spell scroll? You really do think quite highly of me!"

Leylin's pupils contracted, and he immediately whispered to Leo, "If I die here, I swear the issue with the
stardust bugs will instantly be revealed and spread throughout the entire central continent!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 486 - Discovered

The threatening words only caused Leo's hands to tremble a little, and the scroll remained tightly in his
grip.
Relationships were based on strength, and this was something even more pronounced in the world of
Magi.

Why would anyone be threatened by an ant? These could affect Leylin even up to the Morning Star
realm, and at this point?

Leo sneered, his spiritual force continuously seeping into the scroll. At worst, he could just kill the
opposite party and invite his Master to take part as they slew the rest of the Magi who could possibly
know the secret.

The only powers that could restrain the Oakheart Clan were those at the Morning Star realm and above.
The current Leylin didn't even qualify to bargain.

Leylin understood this principle. What he sought was not a withdrawal, he just needed that moment of
pause.

The moment Leo froze when Leylin's voice was transmitted, he sprung into action.

"Kemoyin's Scales!" "Toxic Bile!" "Intimidating Gaze!" Acting on the chant, all 3 innate spells
immediately took effect.　　

Compared to the other methods of using spells or potions, a Magus' innate spell would take effect in the
blink of an eye. Thus, in times of danger, every Magus would first choose to use their innate spells, and
Leylin was no exception.

A layer of shiny black scales immediately enveloped his entire body. The two domains of poison and
Intimidating Gaze was launched in his attack without any reservations. At this critical moment, Leylin
had burst forth with all his power.

Without any apprehensions, the Toxic Bile poisoned Noah who was standing by his side. Thereafter, the
ripples struck the surrounding Crystal Phase Magi, creating countless waves.

After absorbing the Lamia bone's radiation, the power of Leylin's Intimidating Gaze had swelled by a few
folds. The pressure was immense even for similarly-ranked Crystal Phase Magi.

"Such strength of the domains? Even average Crystal Phase Kemoyin Warlocks are not this strong!" The
enormous amounts of life force caused the iron chains to start trembling.

The surrounding Magi, numbers 1 and 2, immediately cried out in alarm.

"Fatality's Tip!" At such a juncture, Leylin did not show the slightest reservations. The black rays of
death, aimed at the weakest link, number 3. It was like a vicious viper baring its ferocious teeth at its
prey.

"Number 2, number 4, support!" Number 1 yelled immediately. As the leader of the team, he needed to
help stall for time as Leo launched his rank 4 spell.

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!* Multiple chains appeared like a wall, blocking Leylin's advance.

"Cross Blade Slash!" Leylin held onto the Meteor Sword, its black blade dazzling. The iron chains started
to break apart into pieces, dropping to the ground one after the other.

The remaining unbroken ones started to erode away, revealing multiple tiny holes. 　

　　

*Pak!* The iron chain was split apart. The rays of death appeared before number 3. 　

"You want my life?" Number 3 looked like a kindly old man, and had extremely thin and long lips. At that
moment, he lost all self-control and started howling as his face warped.
"Thunderstorm Shield!" Sparks of blue electricity danced around, forming a massive blue shield in front
of him. On top of the shield were flickering multiple streams of current.

*Rumble!* The death rays clashed with the blue shield. Two different streaks of brilliance collided in
midair.

Although the shield was showing signs of being unable to endure for long, it bought him enough time for
backup to arrive. Seeing the support, number 3 broke out into a smile.　　

But the next moment, his face froze. With a flash of his body, another identical Leylin appeared in front
of number 3 and dashed forward.　

"Lightning Spear!" Number 3 waved his hand and two shafts appeared in his hands that were bathed in
arcs of blue electricity. Following his command, the two long spears darted towards the two 'Leylin's.

*Crackle!* One 'Leylin" was pierced by the long spear, and the slight explosion caused darkness to fill
the whole sky. The same happened to the other Leylin. 　　

"No!" Panic washed over number 3 and he turned around.

Yet, it was too late. Leylin emerged from a crack in the darkness and dashed directly towards him.

"Multilimb Strength!" A strange, unusual image manifested behind Leylin. It was a huge, tall humanoid
covered in green scales. It had three thick and bulky arms on the left, and four on the right. It gave off a
thunderous roar.　

Leylin's muscles swelled instantly, bringing a kind of shiny luster to his muscular curves. Rays of green
and black combined, forming a terrifying energy.
"Innate defense spell!" Number 3 revealed his last trump card. Numerous currents covered his whole
body, forming an armour made wholly out of blue lightning.

"Break!" Bolts of lightning were flung at Leylin's body. However, they were absorbed by the Kemoyin
Scales. Leylin's hands violently moved forward and grabbed the opposite party's lightning armour,
tearing it in half!

*Zip!* With his terrifying prime body quality and under the enhancement of Multilimb Strength, the
lightning armour was torn apart like paper.

The wild electric current destroyed Leylin's defences, and branded his skin and muscles in a horrifying
black. Yet, Leylin did not even bat an eyelid. 　　

Although he had other ways of breaking through the other side's blockade, he was in a race against time
to succeed. Thus, he believed the best course of action would be this that was simulated multiple times
by the A.I. Chip.

His innate defences screeched as they were ripped apart, and number 3 turned pale, trying to flee. But
how could Leylin let him do so?

With a huge earth shattering punch, number 3's head was cracked apart, sending splashes of red and
white liquid all around.　　

"Number 3!" Number 1 and number 2 helplessly watched this execution. Now, with one member
absent, their formation wasn't whole.

Numerous iron chains grouped up into a cage, but Leylin broke through easily with its instability.
The moment he escaped, horrifying white rays of light grazed through the entire region. A large amount
of soil, rocks and even corpses were vaporised, forming a long, deep, ravine.

A rank 4 spell wasn't comparable to a Morning Star Magus' Arcane Art, but a Crystal Phase Magus would
not be able to withstand it. If Leylin hadn't escaped in time, he would have perished under the horrifying
white light.

"Garbage! You're all a bunch of garbage!" Seeing Leylin's silhouette disappearing in the horizon, Leo
immediately chided number 1 and 2. They hung their heads low, with pain and sorrow in their eyes. 　　

Leo was breathing heavily. It took a lot for a rank 3 Magus to use a rank 4 spell.

If it had been put to used by a rank 4 Morning Star Magus, things wouldn't have been so slow, and Leylin
wouldn't have escaped.　　

　　

"Get him!" Leo vented his anger. He brought along the remaining Magi and gave chase.　　

　　

"Do not let him get away!" Wild whistles and screams sounded from both sides. Leo's eyes burned with
an unmasked hatred.　　

This was the same Leylin that made him suffer a huge loss with that astral stone!

If it was just that one single incident, all that would happen would be a scolding from his grandfather
and it wouldn't be a big deal. What infuriated him was the fact that Leylin had discovered the secret of
the stardust bugs!

My goodness! If his private collections were discovered, he would be brutally torn to pieces by the
enraged female Morning Star Magi! 　　
The methods Morning Star Magi used in tormenting others were unbearably cruel, and feared by even
the most savage of devils. Naturally, Leo felt the same way.

Unfortunately, the opposite party had managed to destroy all traces, and Leo had been left with no
leads to follow.

As such, his grandfather, the King of Azure Mountain, personally made a trip to locate a Morning Star
realm Prophet. After paying an enormous price, they obtained Leylin's definite identity.　

As for the enormous price, his grandfather was still working on paying off the debt.

The prophecy showed that Leylin was just a newly advanced Crystal Phase Magus. Hence, the job of
hunting him and silencing him fell on Leo.

In order to succeed, he'd brought along a large number of men. He even called upon his spy in the
Ouroboros Clan, Noah. 　　

Coincidently, while he was in the Ouroboros Clan's territory in the midst of discussions with Noah, Leylin
showed up and bumped into them.

If the location had been Leylin's Onyx Castle, with the presence of the Magus Tower, Leo and his men
would not have been able to hide. Furthermore, without any insider help in the Ouroboros Clan's core
territory, Leylin was sure Leo wouldn't have dared make any opposing moves. But now? They would
never give up this golden opportunity!

Leo's eyes reddened with anger. At that moment, he noticed Leylin stopping. Watching Leylin
descending on a bare rock on top of the hill, he and a few of his men immediately followed up and
surrounded him.

"Why? With nowhere to hide, are you now seeking death?" Having surrounded Leylin, Leo raised his
brows and jeered at him.

Leylin shook his head. He'd been secretly conversing with his A.I. Chip.

[Beep! Scan completed! Articles detected on the opposite side do not exceed the Morning Star realm.
No other Morning Star realm undulations detected in the surroundings!]

Leylin was pleased with the conclusion and he secretly sighed a breath of relief, "No. You flies are
disgusting, it's about time I cleaned up."

Previously, when he'd fled in disarray, what caused him more worry than the rank 4 spell scroll in the
opposite party's hands was the possible presence of the Azure Mountain King.

However, thankfully, he hadn't appeared, only sending forth some Crystal Phase Magi instead.

With Leo leading a team of elite Magi and the use of the rank 4 scroll, it would've been no problem to
deal with an average Crystal Phase Magus, even one from the Ouroboros Clan. However, Leylin wasn't
your average Magus. Even Morning Star seedlings would be tossed around by him!

"Flies?" Leo's face swelled as he flushed red, "Wait till I catch you. I'll use a magic scroll and turn you into
a red-eyed fly!"　　

'A.I. Chip! Probe the surrounding space and establish a model. Begin charting the best path for a
massacre!' Leylin's eyes glinted with a dangerous light.

Since the opposite party had discovered his identity, there was nothing to hold him back anymore. This
matter had to come to an end.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 487 - The Pursuit and The Appearance

Leylin was extremely offended by the attempt on his life.

Furthermore, Leo was the chief of the Oakheart Clan. If he was killed here, it would be a huge blow to
the Azure Mountain King.

The chase with Leo previously had not been merely for his entertainment. It was for the A.I. Chip to
gather vital data and create a plan.

Right now, with the data compiled, the A.I. Chip had come up with a large number of plans. It filtered
through them continuously, leaving only the most feasible ones.

[Model establishment completed, simulated combat victory rate: 67.9%!] it reported.

"Enter supplementary mode!" Leylin's voice was laced with a lethal aura.　　

[Target number 1 is condensing energy particles. Determined to be the rank 3 spell Aurora Beam! Dodge
to the right by 3.7m immediately!] the A.I. Chip warned.

As per the simulation and the A.I. Chip's deductions, target 1, Leo, activated a necklace of colourful gems
in his hands. A powerful aurora burst forth, immediately attempting to swallow the entire area up along
with Leylin.

Leylin dodged to the side in a flash at the same moment the enemy made his move.　

"Aurora Beam!" Leo triggered the high-grade magic artifact in his hand. Immediately, a powerful
multicoloured torrent drowned out the stone that Leylin was standing on, causing the terrain to cave.

[Target defined as Number 3 is undergoing transformation. Estimated to be a descendant of the Banu

Tribe. Bloodline activated, morphing into a Barbarian Bear!]
"Aaaooo..." The moment the A.I. Chip ended the report, one of the men standing by Leo's side let out a
thunderous roar and started ripping his clothes apart. He morphed into a brutal bear with stiff white fur. 　

Countless shards of sparkling ice circled around its body, emitting a freezing chill that formed billows of
white fog around it.

"Kill!" Leylin's eyes gleamed blue. He danced gracefully, and lightheartedly managed to dodge from
under the huge bear's palm, sliding up in front of it instead. The Meteor Sword traced a beautiful arc as
it flitted across the bear's body.

The white fur was slashed apart, revealing bright red flesh and an outline of the internal organs. Blood
splattered all around.　　

Unable to believe its defeat, the enormous creature howled loudly at first, but soon its voice tapered
away until it fell silent.

The earth rumbled as the carcass of the white bear resembling a large mountain collapsed onto the
ground, causing large amounts of dust to fly. The fur of the bear started to shrink back into its pores,
and soon returned to its original form of a Magus.

"Number 4!" Number 1 and number 2 cried out in alarm, their eyes fixed on their dead comrade.

They clearly knew the abilities of number 4, and the fact that after his transformation, he would be able
to resist a rank 3 spell easily. And yet, he'd died this quickly!

Number 1's eyes darted towards the Meteor Sword in Leylin's hand. His eyes narrowed and his pupils
dilated, "Be wary of his sword! There's something strange about it!"
The Meteor Sword was originally a high-grade magic artifact, but through multiple improvements and
optimisations, its quality had improved to that of a piece of magic equipment. Additionally, with the
supplementary power of Toxic Bile, the current Meteor Sword could be considered a big threat to any
Crystal Phase Magus! 　

Leylin enjoyed handling foes like the bear, all brawn and no brain.

"Hocada Beast!" On the other side, witnessing Leylin's explosive retaliation, Leo's face hardened and he
yelled for his trump card.

Howls rang out as a creature manifested out of thin air that had the upper body of a wolf and the lower
half of an octopus. It landed right in front of Leylin. The countless suction pads on its arms looked like
magnificent blooming flowers. 　　

"It's no use!" Leylin muttered in a low voice, his silhouette dodging in a flash, avoiding the multiple arms'
attack. He stopped in front of the Hocada Beast.

"Multilimb Strength!" The silhouette of a Multi-Armed Race member appeared behind Leylin,
formidable power seeping into his body.

[Ding! Multilimb Strength in operation. Host's power is increasing!] The A.I. Chip reported.

Leylin grasped his sword firmly, and hacked at the creature's brain. The beast started cracking apart as
fissures arose on its body as if it was breaking glass. They spread all over its body, before pieces of flesh
began to simply fall apart.

By the end, the creature's body had been sliced into ruin, eventually crumbling apart like dirt.

"Damn, ho... how are you so strong?" After executing the Hocada Beast, Leylin turned to look at Leo, the
killing intent in his eyes causing the Oakheart Clan chief to feel a chill down his spine.
"You're next!" Leo could faintly make out what Leylin mouthed, and could see the mockery in the eyes
that were staring into his.　

Having never experienced these circumstances before, it was a huge blow to his self-esteem.

"Number 1, number 2, follow me!" Leo roared ferociously.　　

"Stormwall!" A pale green whirlwind emerged from the short black staff in his hand. The huge whirlwind
then formed a terrifying barricade that seemed to be made of sharp blades as it rushed towards Leylin.

Number 1 and 2 nodded their heads, and simultaneously cast their own spells.

"Water Elemental Rite!" A huge blue ball of water appeared on the ground under number one's chant.

"Arctic Draft!" Number 2 summoned a huge bout of chilly air and had it adhere to the ball of water.

The icy wind sucked away the heat from the ball of water, causing a huge reaction as a frightening ball of
ice was formed.　

"Combination spell—Iceberg Torrent!"

The huge ball of ice was like a meteorite as it darted towards Leylin, smashing onto the ground.

"Impressive!" The blue light in Leylin's eyes dimmed. His body was covered in frost, and yet the Meteor
Sword did not deviate even slightly from its trajectory, forging ahead and crashing into it to open up a
pathway.
The cold could freeze the average rank 3 Magus to death. To Leylin, though, all it could do was slow him
down.

"Shadowflame Plague!" A huge amount of dense black flames clashed with the whirlwind that had now
developed into a hurricane. The two clashed, each trying to destroy the other.

"Compared to combination spells, it's wiser to rely on magic equipment. That way there won't be
anything to worry about!"

Leylin tore through the hurricane and stepped in front of Leo, his eyes glistened with a piercing chill that
gave the other man goosebumps.

"Fatality's Tip!" Black rays of death streaked across the vast sky, reaching Leo in a flash. Just as they
were about to strike, a black wooden cross on his neck immediately flashed and formed a rune that
represented new life and regeneration.　

The barrier shattered as the rays of death dissipated. A majority of the attack had been blocked by the
defensive runes, but even then it had only diverted the attack as a thumb-sized hole appeared on Leo's
body, bleeding profusely.

"How.... How can this be?" Leo glared at Leylin, the fear in his eyes palpable.

He let out an odd cry, turned his head and fled. Number 1 and number 2 fulfilled their duties as
bodyguards faithfully, blocking Leylin from giving chase.

"Giving up after encountering such trivial problems, you certainly deserve to be called a descendant of a
big family!" Leylin shook his head and laughed as his gaze on Leo was filled with mockery.

Seeing the blood-covered Leylin, number 1 and 2 both felt a chill down their spines. In their time
accompanying Leo, they had seen their fair share of slaughter. Yet, this was the first time they'd met
someone as valiant and ferocious as Leylin.

Both of them had cursed Leo umpteen times for provoking Leylin, but Leylin had what they needed, so
they had no choice but to take action.

"Get out of the way, or else you will die!" Leylin drew his sword and pointed at them. Number 1 and
number 2 exchanged glances. Determination in their eyes, they both shook their heads.

"Pity!" Leylin had no sympathy for the suicide fighters of large families. Moreover, these two from the
Oakheart Clan had no means of defence remaining. Armed with the determination to die in battle, they
stood in front of Leylin and blocked his path.

......

"Damn it! Why? WHY?" Leo was fleeing madly, his heart in absolute turmoil.

Not only had he brought along a rank 4 spell scroll for this, he'd even brought with him a large number
of potions and magic equipment. He'd even had four Crystal Phase Magi accompanying him!　　

With such power, to deal with a newly promoted Crystal Phase Magus ought to have been a simple
matter. And yet, the opponent was unfathomably terrifying, practically wiping out his entire team

*Krrich!* Suddenly, the sound of two crystals cracking was emitted from his chest.

After hearing the sound, the blood drained from his face and he panicked. He sped up as he dashed
along. "Number 1 and Number 2 are also dead? Useless indeed!"

Soon after, he ground his teeth and retrieved a communication device. He punched some secret code on
it and the message was sent from his hand. 　　
　　

"I still have a chance! I am the chief of the Oakheart Clan, so long as I make it back, grandfather will
absolutely not turn a blind eye to..." Leo cut a sorry figure as he fled in disarray, speaking words of
encouragement to himself.　　

"Got you!" a voice was suddenly transmitted from behind him. He turned his head, only to see Leylin
rushing towards him at the speed of lightning, a brilliant black streak. At this rate, he would catch up in
about a mere ten seconds.

The new blood on Leylin's body was obviously from number 1 and 2.

"No! You cannot kill me! I am the chief of the Oakheart Clan! If you let me go, I can give you whatever
you want....." Leo ran madly, his voice turning hoarse as he yelled out terms of surrender.

"I only want your life!" Leylin knew promises made under such circumstances were not reliable. Hence,
without emotion, his killing intent increased. He speed increased threefold, and he was but an arm's
length from Leo and his petrified face.

"Die!" Leylin drew his black Meteor Sword.

"Stop!" An extremely imposing voice spoke directly into Leylin's mind.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 488 - Confrontation with Morning Star

'This voice... a Morning Star Magus?' Leylin's pupils narrowed. If someone were to be named as the
Crystal Phase Magus with the greatest knowledge of the Morning Star realm in the central continent, it
would be himself. Through the A.I. Chip's simulations and deductions, as well as previously collected
information, he already had a deep understanding of the Morning Star realm.

The owner of this voice could not be disguised, the words emanated power and a slight aura of rules...
This was not imitable by Magi below the Morning Star rank.

"Grandfather! Save me!" Leo suddenly smiled, and slowed down ahead of Leylin.

In the presence of a Morning Star Magus, Leylin absolutely could not harm him. He completely trusted
his grandfather, as well as the strength of the Morning Star realm.

"Hmm?!" However, Leylin noticed something different. 'Although the nature of the aura has not
changed, its power is only at the Crystal Phase at its peak... Could it be a puppet... or some sort of
clone?'

This was, after all, within the boundaries of the Ouroboros Clan. If Morning Star Magi from other clans
stepped in, it would be seen as a provocation, leading to war.

But the restrictions on this kind of clone seemed unclear.

After all, it was very difficult for Morning Star Magi to create a clone of equal strength. Very few
succeeded because most of them were limited to the strength of rank 3 Morning Star..

With Leylin's sharp eyesight, he could already see a streak of blue rushing there from afar.

"Haha... You're done for!" Leo laughed carefreely. But shortly after, his smile faded as his surroundings
swiftly shrunk and grew again. A scene swept across like a parabolic curve and he ended up looking at a
patch of yellow ground.

"My head, my head was chopped off..." he said with the last of his consciousness.
Leo then fell into eternal darkness.

Space shook as a blue shadow suddenly emerged before Leylin's eyes, looking at Leo's headless corpse
with an angered expression.

"I told you to stop just now!" His voice was deep. It seemed to carry an irresistible compulsion to obey
every word of his.

This majestic aura could only be developed after obtaining absolute power and being in a high position
for a long period of time.

Leylin was also analysing this Morning Star Magus. Although he had not seen the Azure Mountain King
before, he had read up on him. The other party looked exactly as in the portraits— a head of blue hair
with eyes that twinkled like stars.

Yet, those eyes were now blazing in anger. This was the rage of a Morning Star Magus! It was enough to
burn Leylin to ashes.

Yet, Leylin simply shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry! I killed him!"

If this was his main body, Leylin would have no chance to flee. However, it was only a clone, and there
was still hope for escape.

"Do you know who he is?" The Azure Mountain King's eyelids drooped. Someone familiar with him
would know that this was a sign of irrepressible rage.

"The chief of the Oakheart Clan..." Leylin shook his head and stared at the Azure Mountain King, "I don't
care who he is. Someone who has bad intentions towards me can only repent with death!"
"Then let me tell you something too. The last Magus who dared to offend the Oakheart Clan still has his
ashes buried below the steps of Azure Mountain City!" The sparkle in the Azure Mountain King's eyes
had reached a limit.

A circular mirror appeared in front of him, reflecting Leylin's figure.

"Strip!" The Azure Mountain King gently pointed to the Leylin in the mirror.

A hum sounded and, as if he had been rejected by the world itself, Leylin immediately felt the elemental
particles that were in complete harmony with him previously leave him one after another, as if stripping
him down to an ordinary person.

The domain of a Morning Star Magus displayed its terrifying power once again!

"That's not it!" Leylin was a Magus who had previously experienced a true Morning Star domain when
he'd been caught by Demon hunter Cyril. He naturally noticed the difference between this domain and
that of a Morning Star Magus.

The situation this time was much better. His connection with the elemental particles was still barely
holding on. As long as he used more spiritual force than usual, he would still be able to communicate
with them and invoke his spells.

This was just equivalent to his spiritual force being suppressed to a fifth of its normal amount.

A bitter smirk appeared at the corner of Leylin's lips. Even if the other party was only a clone whose total
amount of spiritual force and magic power was around the same as his own, he was no match for him in
the understanding of spells and laws. Even this simple suppression had immediately put him in a
dilemma.
With over half his body's strength being suppressed, how was he to fight a peak rank 3 Magus? Leylin
shook his head, feeling that he had been too optimistic previously.

'However, this is also an opportunity! An opportunity to confront a Morning Star Magus head on, and to
gather data!' Leylin's eyes sparkled. If he wanted to advance to the Morning Star realm, he could not be
lacking in knowledge of it. Although the A.I. Chip had previously used the data he had to simulate some
experiments, the lack of samples meant that its progress was still less than 20%.

And now, a Morning Star Magus' clone had appeared in front of him! He had no need to defeat it; he
needed only to stall for time as the A.I. Chip gathered data that would be greatly beneficial to him.

'The A.I. Chip should be able to collect enough data from this fight.' Leylin's eyes blazed brighter. He
pulled out the Meteor Sword, a metallic hiss ringing from the blade.

At the same time, a layer of dark Kemoyin Scales covered Leylin's body. The phantom of a huge Multi-
Armed Race member appeared behind him as well.

'Since my elemental particle connection has been suppressed, I can only rely on my physical strength!'
With Multilimb Strength in full effect, Leylin's entire body enlarged and numerous muscles swelled up as
a dark green membrane emerged on the surface of his body.

Following a deep shout, Leylin's Meteor Sword emitted numerous rays of light that shot towards the
Azure Mountain King like a rain of arrows.

"You actually dare to resist?" The Azure Mountain King frowned.

How many years had it been since such a low-ranked Magus provoked him? 200 years, 300? He had
never encountered this situation since he'd advanced.

After a momentary daze, the Azure Mountain King was overcome by boundless anger. The sound of
metal striking metal rang out as a translucent spherical film appeared around his body. Despite seeming
like a mere bubbly layer, it actually blocked all of the black rays.

"Die!" Leylin's figure emerged just as the rays disappeared. He suddenly jumped up, and the Meteor
Sword slashed across the void, bringing with it a ferocious wind that was aimed at the Azure Mountain
King.

Black gases shot out of both sides of the blade, so corrosive that it seemed like even the surrounding
void would melt. The ground was continuously eroded.

*Bang!* The blade, which contained a terrifying poison, was blocked by an aged palm. Although this
palm seemed extremely old, with green veins popping out of the skin, it was unmoving like a hill. Even
the skin hadn't been pierced through.

The Azure Mountain King raised his right hand with a mocking smile, watching Leylin's expression
change.

"Abandoning elemental spells and switching to physical strength, this method is not bad when under
elemental suppression. Unfortunately, your tricks are too low-levelled..."

"Impossible, your body can't be this strong!" Leylin blurted out.

The Azure Mountain King chuckled, "Do you know what point mass is? And the meaning of the Morning
Star realm? The power of the point mass, soul force, is the only power a Morning Star Magus has!
However, it greatly surpasses spiritual force and physical strength, having achieved a terrifying
qualitative change!"

A layer of crystal-clear light emerged above the Azure Mountain King's palm. With his right hand
grabbing the Meteor Sword, he mercilessly punched the blade with his left.
The Meteor Sword howled out a sad cry as the blade cracked. The mere physical attack of a Morning
Star Magus could actually damage the Meteor Sword, which was comparable to magic equipment!

"Although I don't specialise in physical attacks, as long as I have the amplification of soul force, my
vitality will be able to break through the boundaries and ultimately allow me to attain the perfect body
of Morning Star!

"This strength of yours, and your spiritual force, will only collapse in front of soul force!"

As if confirming the Azure Mountain King's words, a large number of crystal-clear light blades appeared
before Leylin, drowning him within.

The power of the point mass, also known as soul force, was the next evolution of spiritual force. Only
Morning Star Magi could possess such a thing, and it was the first time it had shown its terror in front of
Leylin.

As he watch Leylin being drowned by the light blades, the Azure Mountain King smiled.

The light blades, which were composed of soul force, were not only powerful in physical attacks. They
could even attack the spiritual sea within a Magus' sea of consciousness!

Magi who were below the Morning Star realm, without a soul force defence of equivalent power, did
not have the slightest chance of resisting these blades.

This was the reason Morning Star Magi had almost no enemies at rank 3. Soul force was just too
terrifying!

Yet, the smile on the Azure Mountain King's face only lasted a moment, and his expression immediately
hardened.
With his soul force, he sensed that Leylin might have sustained injuries all over his body, but he had
survived the slashes from the soul light blades.

Soon after, the Azure Mountain King felt the weight on his hand fade as the Meteor Sword landed in
them.

*Bang!* A dark green shadow rushed out of the sea of blades, its scaly body covered by a raging dark
green film.

"Multilimb Smash!" Leylin had thrown away the Meteor Sword, and as the physical strength of his hands
surged, he threw his fist at the Azure Mountain King's defence. The mere power of this punch could
shake space itself.

The soul force of a Morning Star Magus surpassed spiritual force in terms of quality. Due to this
enormous disparity in strength, most of the methods of Magi were rendered ineffective.

But Leylin was not limited to the methods of Magi. He possessed a secret technique from another
world— Multilimb Strength!

A large phantom of a Multi-Armed Race member appeared behind Leylin's body, growling into the sky.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 489 - Breaking Through The Defense

Spiritual force was fundamental to a Magus.

In the beginning, as acolytes, all Magi would start with meditation. They would begin to meditate in a
willpower rune of their own, and construct a core spirit body, together with a sea of consciousness.

After advancing to the realm of official Magi, they would have a conversion of elemental essence
amounting to 80% or more, in order to advance into rank 2.

After materialising spiritual force in rank 2, and then passing through the three stages of Vapour, Hydro,
and Crystal in rank 3, the point mass would finally be formed.

The point mass was fundamental to Morning Star Magi. It was the path for everyone, even spirits! Once
they broke past this bottleneck, the spiritual force in a Magus' sea of consciousness would sublimate to
form soul force.

This was a threshold in ancient times, used to mark the difference in strengths between Magi. Only
those who were capable of using soul force would be considered to have stepped foot into the world of
ancient Magi!

As soul force had a horrifying suppressive power, low ranking Magi would lose their ability to
communicate with the elements, and would end up disconnected from the elemental particles. Those
who were suppressed would be unable to resist or escape. Many Morning Star Magi liked using this trick
in their domains. Hence, over time, they successfully enhanced the prestige of a Morning Star Magus.

Since his normal powers had been suppressed, Leylin had no choice but to use another system of power
instead. Luckily, he indeed had such a thing on hand, a terrifying secret from another world— Multilimb
Strength!

Leylin had relied on the dark green membrane to avoid injury and death when drowned in the sea of
light blades.

A booming sound rang out, as if a tall mountain had collapsed to crashing waves. The phantom stood
behind Leylin, performing the same moves as him.
Formless streams of air started developing a pressure as even the ground behind the Azure Mountain
King started caving in. The wind continuously rolled in, coagulating to form a substance that was
stronger than granite. 　　

*Po!* The defensive layer on the Azure Mountain King deformed completely as a look of disbelief took
over his face.

"Even for a Morning Star, you're merely just that!" the blood-soaked Leylin burst our laughing. He then
threw his fist forward, aiming for the Azure Mountain King's face.

*Boom!* The Azure Mountain King slid across the floor like a train hurtling through, leaving long tracks
on the ground.　　

"The skin of a Morning Star is thick indeed!" Leylin flung his clenched fist without any traces of
excitement on his face.

He'd definitely felt it when his punch landed, A barrier with a starry radiance appeared on the Azure
Mountain King's face, blocking his attack. Hence, he was only shaken up slightly by the attack and did
not sustain any major injuries.

"Soul force defence?" Leylin scrutinised the dull-faced Azure Mountain King as he stood up, secretly
conversing with his A.I. Chip, 'How much data has been collected on the target?'

[Data collection at 12.1%. Further interaction with target needed, it is suggested to break through the
soul force defences!] the A.I. Chip responded.　　

'You still want me to try breaking through soul force?' Leylin smiled bitterly and shook his head. If it
weren't for the purpose of gathering intelligence, he would not be so silly as to clash with a Morning
Star Magus in the first place, 'Begin simulations, calculate a path of retreat!'
Seeing how things had turned out to his disadvantage, he immediately made plans to retreat. But at the
current moment, it was no longer up to him to decide if he could leave. Leylin saw that the Azure
Mountain King wasn't seriously injured. A huge amount of the blaze continued to surround him,
burning wildly.

Traces of black smoke streamed from his nostrils, eyes and ears. He was really fuming mad. Morning
Star Magi had always been placed on top of a pedestal, much like kings. At the current moment, he felt
like a king who'd been bitten by an ant as he was walking down the street.

In the Azure Mountain King's eyes, as long as one had not reached the rank of Morning Star, their
existence was similar to that of an ant. To be bitten by an ant, and even be humiliated by it, how could
anyone bear it?

"You... How. Dare. You. Insult. Me..." The Azure Mountain King's face scrunched up, his rage-filled
words staggered apart.

"Such plaintive whines of defeat, I've heard them too often..." Leylin did not give the opposite party a
chance to rebuke him, dashing forward.

Even in a simple match of speed, Leylin would be lacking compared to the opponent. Therefore, the only
way for him to escape successfully would be to slow him down by inflicting some degree of injury.

"I want to incinerate your soul for a hundred centuries!" The Azure Mountain King bellowed loudly, the
imposing aura emanating from his body. Even the sky started to darken, revealing the sparkling of stars.

Only a Morning Star Magus could thoroughly grasp the power of a domain. In any case, the current
Leylin had reached his rank 3 limits, infinitely nearing to a rank 4. Hence, he was able to portray a
portion of the power of his domain.
Being enveloped in the Morning Star domain, Leylin felt like he had fallen into a swamp. Every single
move was tedious.

"Soul Armour!" A layer of translucent, full-bodied armour appeared on the Azure Mountain King.
Judging from his attitude, it looked like he was ready to take on Leylin with pure strength to erase the
humiliation.

[Multilimb Strength operating, estimated remaining time: 3 minutes 57 seconds!] Noting the hint of the
A.I. Chip, an unrestrained Leylin amplified his power to the maximum. He struck the Azure Mountain
King head on. 　　

The earth shook as a silhouette of dark green and another of translucent blue collided with each other
continuously. Their every punch and kick seemed to rip the sky apart, creating countless tremors on the
ground.　　

Sharp, ear-piercing explosions boomed continuously from where they struck. Once the dust was
dispelled, an entire huge region would've been knocked off the map.

*Bang!* A translucent fist from the armoured body smashed Leylin's chest viciously. Multiple scales
cracked and flew with explosive lights of dark green radiances.

Leylin's face turned red, and some black rays of light appeared on his hand, "Fatality's Tip!"　　

As if the reaper himself had descended to the earth, a terrifying explosive light sprang forth. With how
close they were, even the Azure Mountain King did not even have the chance to dodge.

Although the other party had suppressed his elemental connections, he was merely a clone after all, and
his main body was not on site. Thus, Leylin could still break through the opponent's soul force,
forcefully converging elemental essence. All it required was a huge spiritual force consumption.
Leylin had held back on his trump card until now. Firstly, there had been no real opportunity to use it,
and secondly, he was biding his time, waiting for the Azure Mountain King to take the bait.

As for the data on his opponent, he'd constantly kept that in mind.

"You did not abide by the rules!" The expression on the Azure Mountain King's face said it all. Leylin
clearly understood what he meant, yet he didn't care. There hadn't been any agreements on the usage
of spells in battle. Furthermore, the opponent was a Morning Star Magus who had made the first move.
In a matter of life and death, who would abide by rules?

Leylin's pretence of having supreme bodily strength had successfully tricked the Azure Mountain King.

The most terrifying thing about a Morning Star Magus, and also the fundamental of their power, was
soul force spells!

Watching the flustered and exasperated Azure Mountain King getting ready to retaliate, Leylin almost
couldn't hold back his laughter. 　　

　　

The rays of death reached the Azure Mountain King in a flash, clashing with the translucent armour.　　

"AAAHH....." The Azure Mountain King yelled, the void and stars behind him shook as a huge amount
of blue light converged on his armour.

Explosions sounded as the A.I. Chip reported to him, [Multilimb Strength at full power!]

How could Leylin miss this golden opportunity? He immediately yelled, releasing all the power
remaining in him. Feeling the steady flow of energy seeping into his body, Leylin charged wildly towards
the defence of the Azure Mountain King.
An enormous iron fist landed on the armour mercilessly, and the translucent layer shook.

The Azure Mountain King couldn't believe his eyes as his armour cracked, blasting apart in a loud
explosion. The black rays of death arrived at his chest, and pierced through him like arrows.

[Target's soul force defence breached, data being collected!] The A.I. Chip took the opportunity to
collect massive amounts of data while it was available. Leylin too, had unknowingly absorbed some
residual form of data from the Azure Mountain King.

"Shadow Prison! Dense Fog Frontier!" Watching the Azure Mountain King cut a sorry figure while
retreating, Leylin continued to launch his spells.

A menacing black fog spread continuously, swallowing the Azure Mountain King up. The ground split
apart as countless yellow bars extended upwards, forming a gigantic dungeon that sealed the fog inside.

"The doubled spell of dense fog formations with the addition of a secret composition makeup should be
enough to delay the opposite party by at least three minutes!" Not in the least bit zealous to continue
with the fight, Leylin turned around to leave. 　

Fatality's Tip did not cause any major injuries to the Azure Mountain King. Adding the fact that he was a
Morning Star Magus, he definitely had some trump cards hidden away. After multiple provocations, he
could become hysterical, and if that happened Leylin didn't want to face him head-on.

As such, his silhouette immediately morphed into a black shadow, and faded out rapidly in the midst of
battle.

*Rumble!* About two minutes later, a huge blue sword streaked across the width of the dungeon, and it
collapsed like a mountain that had its summit shaved off.　　

Dust flew and rocks flew everywhere. When the dust cloud dispersed, two bloodshot eyes appeared out
of the darkness.
"Leylin! Leylin! LEYLIN! I'm going to KILL YOU!" he yelled at the top of his voice. When he couldn't
locate signs of Leylin, he started to roar furiously.

Following his hiss, massive blue energy waves swept forth, wreaking havoc on the region. Soil rumbled
and stones rolled as the very earth split apart. It looked like armageddon had arrived.

Everything that had happened had nothing to do with Leylin anymore. After escaping to a safe distance,
he'd immediately changed course, ordering the A.I. Chip to clean all traces and marks on his body.

After multiple rounds of purification, Leylin came upon a newly established cave.

"My Lord!" A ray of light shone in the middle of the cave. A beautiful woman with a slender,
proportionate body curtsied, behind her standing Parker and the other men.　　

"Hmm! Looks like you have successfully saved them all. Well done!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 490 - Large Crisis

Naturally, this female Magus was Tanasha. As a Crystal Phase Magus from the Forgotten Land, she had a
sensitive identity and served as Leylin's hidden force.

Tanasha also participated secretly in several battles. As soon as he'd noticed the sudden change in the
Parble family, Leylin had sent her to rescue his Magi in the castle.
"Parker, how are the casualties?" Even so, injuries and deaths couldn't be prevented, although it was
still better than being wiped out.

"Master, we lost two rank 3 Magi this time, one of them at the Vapour Phase..." Parker didn't look well,
and the big loss this time could be seen on his face.

After listening carefully, Leylin sighed.

The Magus world was full of danger. Death was common in fights between Magi, so those who fought in
battles seldom cared about it.

But as an enforcer, he couldn't say this out loud.

Leylin pointed three fingers to the sky. "I swear on the name of Leylin Farlier, every Magus who fights to
the death for me will be adequately compensated."

His vassals followed him for different reasons. Some of them wanted to further improve themselves, but
many worked for their families like Parker. Thus Leylin's oath successfully relaxed them.

"What happened in the Parble Family was very complicated. Prepare a room for me, I need to contact
the headquarters." Knowing there were great dangers, it would be foolish to make further movements.

Leylin had his own forces to back him, and it was time he put them to good use. This clone was only rank
3, and this was his only chance to kill it.

He was very confident in the strength of his forces.

"Your room has been prepared, please follow me!" Tanasha led Leylin deep into the cave.
Although this secret base was temporary, it wasn't a big problem to construct several rooms using
spells.

Parker looked at Tanasha whose face was covered by a black cloth, moving his mouth but finally said
nothing.

Only now did he learn that another Crystal Magus served his master! Rich in experience, he felt an aura
of danger from the cold-blooded aura of that Magus.

How many hidden powers did master have?

Although he was used to his master performing miracles, Parker felt like he was shrouded with another
mysterious veil.

Of course, this was just his imagination, he would rather die than inquire about his master's secrets or
even the woman's identity. This was how a subordinate should behave.

Not only him, the other Magi accepted the existence of Tanasha immediately as well, as if she had been
with them all this time.

And with the help of Tanasha, their base was quickly tidied up.

When facing great danger, great power could give people confidence. This wasn't limited to ordinary
people; even Magi felt the same way.

In a cave dug with earth elemental spells, Leylin found the secret imprint of his communications officer.
He pressed his hand on the imprint, and soon the device was covered in black light.
After several minutes, Leylin's face turned dark, "It can't get through!"

He pressed down on the imprint once more, "Headquarters! Is anyone there?"

After several attempts, he couldn't help but admit that the liaison assigned specifically to him, who was
expected to be ready for his message any second, had deserted his post.

Knowing this, Leylin frowned. He had no other backing in the central continent except the Ouroboros
Clan, and he would be in danger if something happened in headquarters. The pressure from Azure
Mountain City alone would force him to hide in the underground of society, with the dregs of the Magus
world.

"What the hell happened?" Leylin searched the other pages. There was no feedback from Kesha. Lucian
was there but he didn't say much, just that some accident had occurred and all outer-ring movements
were cancelled.

"Cancelled? Now?" Leylin smiled coldly, directly ending contact with Lucian. Judging from his tone,
something must have happened in the headquarters that caused them to lose their ability to react.

And from his secretive manner, he still didn't take him to be a core member, and was suspicious at this
key moment.

It was too dangerous without accurate information. Leylin considered calmly for a moment, and flipped
to another scale-shaped red imprint.

After a short while connecting, a response finally came in, "Is this Leylin?"

"It is!" Leylin spoke in a low voice, "Freya, are you in the headquarters now?"
"Yeah, I'm here. Leylin, it's now an emergency! You better come back immediately and not go out!"

Leylin was surprised about her panicked voice. She hadn't acted like this even when the bloodline of her
own family was deteriorating.

"I have trouble here too. The Parble Family colluded with Azure Mountain City, and even the clone of
the Azure Mountain King is here!" Leylin related the information he hadn't told Lucian just now.

"The Parble Family, a clone of the Azure Mountain King?" she cried out in surprise. Anyone would be
nervous if a Morning Star Magus, even if just a clone, appeared in their hinterland.

"I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Leylin asked.

Freya seemed to notice her slip of tongue, and after a while she spoke in a low voice, "Are you in a safe
place?"

"Absolutely safe!" Leylin moved his fingers, and black light covered the whole room.

"Wait a minute, I need to change into an encrypted channel!" As Freya's voice arrived, the light on that
brand first vanished and then returned, now brighter.

"Things don't seem good..." Leylin listened carefully, he knew that what Freya was going to say definitely
affected his life.

"We can't make contact with Mentor or the other two elders..." Freya's nervous voice came from the
brand.
"Can't make contact? What does that mean?" Leylin was confused.

"My teacher said they were about to find the coordinates of the Purgatory World, and they needed to
conduct detailed experiments and couldn't be disturbed! Thus, they cut off all connection with the
outside. Yesterday, I found that the spiritual flame my teacher gave me was about to die out, so I broke
into my teacher's lab...and..."

"What did you find?" Leylin's voice also became nervous.

"Nobody was in that lab, even the astral gate had stopped working!" Intermittent sobs laced Freya's
words.

"The same thing happened in the labs of the other two elders!"

"I...I...I..." Leylin was about to curse, so he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Experiments on the astral gate were very dangerous, and if you didn't return before the astral stones
ran out of power, the Magi who passed through would be trapped in another world.

As Freya said, the astral stones had run out, and even the spiritual flame was extremely weak; they were
trapped in another world!

The three Morning Star Magi were the backbone of the Ouroboros Clan. Once they lost them, it
wouldn't be long before the whole clan was destroyed. No wonder the headquarters was in a mess, and
even Lucian was thrown into disarray.

"Are you sure?" Leylin felt his throat tighten, but he still held on to hope.
"We have tried everything to contact them, even projecting the spiritual flame. Nothing worked... My
Mentor... I'm afraid they're lost in another world..."

On the other side of the brand, Freya couldn't restrain her choking sobs.

When someone was lost in another world, it wasn't as simple as not being able to come back. Big worlds
always hated outsiders, and once you were unable to return in time, the Magi stuck there would have
no good end.

Nibble away from the safety of the astral gate, and finally reverse the attitude of the world, that was the
best way to seize another world.

Now, the three Morning Star elders were like ordinary people lost in the boundless ocean, surrounded
by bloody sharks.

Nothing could be worse than this.

After she wept for a while, Freya's voice finally grew firm, "Do you know why the Azure Mountain King is
here?"

"I have no idea, I thought it was for the Parble Family or me, but now I'm not sure..." Leylin smiled
bitterly.

If it was just an experimental accident, there was still hope. But what if the whole thing was set up by
their enemies?

Thinking about the omens of war recently, and the abnormal behaviour of the Azure Mountain King,
Leylin thought this was very possible.
After thousands of years, why did they find the Purgatory World at this exact time? It made sense if this
was their enemies' plot.

"Good job! Good job! One astral coordinate trapped three Morning Star Magi..." Leylin took a deep
breath, if he was right, after the Morning Star Magi of the Ouroboros Clan disappeared, they would be
dealt with as fast as lightning.

If they couldn't settle this matter, from now on, whether the Ouroboros Clan would continue to exist in
the central continent was a question.

Cutting off the connection, Leylin fell into deep thought.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 491 - Obliterating Hurricane

What happened this time round was evidently a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy against the Ouroboros
Clan!

First, it was the revealing of the world coordinates so as to attract three Morning Star Magi, which
caused them to fall into enemy hands.

After which, the military controlled the borders heavily. First, they created trouble to sound out the
situation. Upon confirmation that the three Morning Star Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were all not
around, they would proceed to exterminate entire family clans!

During that unstable period, Leylin, who was a rank 3 Magus in the Crystal phase, was considered a
small and insignificant figure, and could potentially be exterminated at any time!
"I have to be a more prominent figure if I do not wish to be attacked. More so if I wish to even go
against the tide!" After some contemplation, Leylin's expressions revealed more determination.

"Those who are below the rank of Morning Star are considered insignificant figures, what about those
who advance past the Morning Star realm?"

Leylin's eyes shone, "Only upon advancement to a rank above Morning Star can I decide my own fate.
Then, I will not be abandoned or destroyed at the wishes of others!"

"A.I. Chip, what's the progress on the collection of data with regards to the Morning Star realm?" Leylin
immediately asked.

[Beep! The Morning Star realm deductions are currently 34.5% completed!] The A.I Chip intoned.

Leylin had always been fixated on data in this area, but due to the lack of actual specimens, the progress
was barely halfway through. The recent progress was all thanks to the Azure Mountain King's clone,
which had allowed for the progress to increase by quite a bit.

Leylin recalled what he had used when advancing to Morning Star, "The Lamia fingerbone has already
been prepared. The bloodline combustion experiment has also been tested multiple times, and there
wouldn't be any errors. The only thing left now is the A.I Chip's deductions on the Morning Star realm!"

Those three factors were the key to Leylin's confidence in advancing to the Morning Star realm.

On the other hand, the A.I Chip which had to deduce the nature of the Morning Star realm was also a
pivotal factor, "The current progress is insufficient. We need a progress of at least 50% and above to be
able to avoid mistakes during the formation of the point mass!"

"A sample of the clone of a Morning Star Magus would be sufficient!"

A ray of determination shone across Leylin's eyes. He turned his palms upwards, where stony rune filled
with holes appeared.

"If this still doesn't work, then we'll add this in..."

A Magi who had just attained Crystal phase and want to construct a point mass in order to be promoted
to Morning Star rank would at the very least, take a couple hundred of years of accumulation and hard
work. Leylin naturally knew that, but time was not on his side. Furthermore, he had many hidden trump
cards, and had a deep enough understanding, which could surpass that of many Crystal phase Magi who
had hundreds of years of accumulated knowledge!

......

At the fringes of Parble Family's territory stood a starry-eyed Magus with long blue hair, his face red
with fury.

The numerous high-ranked Warlocks and even larger numbers of common soldiers before him were too
numerous to count.

Not far away, the outline of a giant city could be seen. Above it there were flames that had started to
consume the city. The cries and sobs of the residents seemingly passed through the raging flames and
arrived before the Magus.

The resentment, together with the extreme agony accumulated could cause a catalyst for a terrifying
existence to be borne.

As compared to Leylin's previous life, in this world where the power of energy was more reactive,
anything was possible!
But the Azure Mountain King had not once furrowed his brows. It was as if exterminating the tens of
thousands of people was like swatting a fly, which had not stirred up any of his emotions.

"Seven cities have already been destroyed, and there're more than five million casualties. More than ten
high-rank Warlocks have perished..."

The Azure Mountain King gave a cold smile: "To think that the Ouroboros Clan is still burrowing its head
into the sand like an Ostrich. Looks like Gilbert and the rest have already fallen into the other realms..."

His visit this time round was obviously not just for Leylin, but more so to sound out the reactions of the
Morning Star Magi.

If the other party was around, how would it be possible that they'd watch on as he wreaked havoc?
Warlocks typically had very fiery tempers, and they might even have directly attacked Azure Mountain
City. But now?

The other party's high-ranked military prowess was evidently held up, and even the reinforcements
from the high-ranked Warlocks seemed chaotic. This was why they were so easily massacred.

"I had originally decided to just let my clone perish here. But from the looks of it now, I think I can get
far more benefits..."

The Azure Mountain King's eyes shone with greed that could not be concealed. But he swiftly caressed
his face and his expressions slowly became gloomy.

"Leylin Farlier!" He deeply called out the name of the man who had caused him to suffer losses to the
extent that he had disgraced the name of his clan.

"I hope you'll continue living long enough to see the day that I attack the Ouroboros Clan..." The Azure
Mountain King laughed coldly.
In an instant, his brows furrowed, and his eyes widened. "This aura? He has the guts to appear here?"

Part of the Azure Mountain King's facial muscles cramped up, "Since you have a death wish, I'm more
than willing to help you with that!"

*Boom!* The entire body of the Azure Mountain King transformed into a blue ray, and in an instant he
streaked across the sky and disappeared. It was not until half an hour later that a few cowering low-
ranked Warlocks emerged from the sea of corpses. Their faces registered horror, and they did not dare
to shoot a single glance at the direction the Azure Mountain King before they swiftly escaped from the
area. What had happened today would forever be a nightmare in their lives.

West Sea Canyon.

This was a rank 3 danger zone in the Parble Family's territory. From the depths of the crevices, a
hurricane that could obliterate anything in its path would appear. Any being below rank 4 would not
have a chance at surviving the hurricane.

Currently, Leylin was standing at the edge of the cliff. The strong winds caused his robes to flap in the
wind.

*Jiu!* An ear-piercing explosive sound could be heard from a distance.

Pure energy waves led to a chain reaction. Large amounts of air were displaced, instantly forming a
vacuum.

*Thump!*The Azure Mountain King's body landed on the floor steadily. His brows were furrowed as he
levelled a deadly stare at Leylin. It seemed as if he was afraid that the minute he was distracted the sly
Magus would escape like he did the previous time.
"To think that you still dare to appear before me. Am I supposed to clap for you at your bravery?" After
the scanning with soul force, and upon confirmation that there were no Morning Star Magi lying in
ambush, the Azure Mountain King caressed his own face. Even though the part of his face where Leylin
had attacked previously did not have a mark, the humiliation still lingered on.

The humiliation could only be wiped away with Leylin's fresh blood!

"Why would I not have the guys to come?" Leylin laughed lightly, "You are but a clone who can't make a
breakthrough to the Morning Star realm... Furthermore, I'm the enforcer of this region. The crimes
you've committed must be tried by me!"

Obviously, Leylin could not divulge the news that all of the three chief Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan
had gone missing. As a result, he skillfully used his status as a smokescreen.

As he was the enforcer of the region, after he had confirmed that he could not complete the task
himself, the reinforcements from the headquarters took over.

The Azure Mountain King was not a fool, and there was no guarantee of deceiving him. However, as long
as he could arouse the Azure Mountain King's suspicions, it would be considered a success.

If there was a possibility that there were still Morning Star Magi present in the Ouroboros Clan, the
enemies would not dare to be too unruly.

The destructiveness of the killing tactics of a Morning Star Magus would definitely do both parties no
good. Once a Morning Star Magus was pressured, he would disregard the peace treaties and begin to
unbridledly utilise Morning Star Arcane Arts. The destruction that they could cause would be so
immense that even Radiant Moon Magi would not be able to account for it.

In other words, even if they were to successfully attack the Ouroboros Clan, the benefits they got might
not even make up for the losses that they would suffer from the Morning Star Arcane Art.
Magi were not fools, and if the battle would not bring about benefits, and even potentially cause them
to suffer losses, they would not be willing to engage in it.

It was under such threats that those with the powers of a Morning Star Magus could peacefully co-exist
in the central continent, which was also why there were rarely any large conflicts.

From Leylin's understanding, a Morning Star Magus was equivalent to a nuclear weapon from his
previous life. Countries with nuclear weapons could choose mutual destruction. As a result, they would
tolerate each other, which was why the peaceful outlook could be sustained.

But now? If outsiders got wind about how all of the nuclear weapons in the Ouroboros Clan were
missing, then a calamity would be imminent.

As a result, in front of the Azure Mountain King, Leylin presented himself as a high-ranking official who
was very concerned about his honour.

Before he was certain that the problem could not be handled, he had not requested for reinforcements
from the headquarters. That would explain, though barely, why there was no response from the
Morning Star Magi.

He had done all that he could, and could not be bothered about how the Azure Mountain King would
react to it.

Sure enough, the Azure Mountain King was only thrown off for a while, before a mocking smile
appeared on his face.

"Do you think I would believe your nonsense?"

"It's up to you to believe it or not!" Leylin shrugged his shoulders, "But you will have to perish here
today!"
*Rumble!* In an instant, as if to prove what he had said, the calm waves of the West Seas Canyon
started to crash against the cliff.

As a royal of the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin naturally had access to a lot of reading materials. Since the
geological conditions of the West Seas Canyon were not a secret, that piece of information would have
naturally have been recorded in the database of the A.I Chip.

And Leylin who wanted to keep the Azure Mountain King's clone had immediately thought of the West
Seas Canyon's unique environment and the obliterating hurricane.

His abilities were not on par with that of the opponent, and hence he needed external aid!

After serious inspections of the area, and upon using the A.I Chip to stimulate the eruption process of
the West Seas Canyon, deducing the concrete timing was merely a matter of time.

After which it was the selection of a suitable timing to attract the Azure Mountain King

Leylin believed that due to the hatred the Azure Mountain King had towards him, once he discovered
Leylin's aura, he would definitely come forth.

Sure enough, everything had worked out as he had expected.

*Howl!*

The raging hurricane whistled like a giant black dragon, and it suddenly rushed towards the sky, spewing
out its rage.
Leylin, who was standing in front of the raging flames, was like an ancient heroic knight riding upon a
giant mystical creature.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 492 - Killing the Clone

"So you're relying on this?" the Azure Mountain King laughed coldly, "Do you think you can control this
hurricane? It may be possible if I came with my main body..."

Nonetheless, his face was full of fear, and he unconsciously took a few steps back.

"If you don't try, how would you know?" Leylin chuckled, and suddenly rubbed the ring on his hand. A
strange energy wave seemed to pass by at the speed of light.

Miles away, Parker looked at the communicator in his hands with a stern expression. He then ordered,
"Activate!"

"Beginning operation! Preparing number 1 energy reactor!" Snoopy shouted immediately.

"The elemental particle gathering device is complete, beginning ground vibration!"

Many Warlocks, as hardworking as ants, began to get busy, and one by one, strange symbols were lit up
on the surface of the huge pyramidal reactor.

*Rumble!* At this moment, the surface of the ground seemed to come alive as a large amount of energy
was bound and transmitted towards Leylin's direction.
This violent earthquake did not cause much trouble for the warlocks, as expected. Snoopy wiped away
the cold sweat on his forehead and went to his grandfather's side with an evident look of worry on his
face, "Grandfather, will Mentor be able to succeed? I've never heard of this idea before... No! I wouldn't
be able to think of this even in my dreams! Once any node goes wrong, I'm afraid what awaits Mentor
will be..."

Before he could finish speaking, a thick, muscular palm pressed down on his shoulders, "Snoopy! You
have to believe in your mentor!"

Parker's eyes did not mask his respect for Leylin, "He is the most profound scholar and the strictest
Magus amongst everyone I've met! Once the lord makes a decision, it will definitely be correct, we only
need to follow and execute according to the plan devised by the lord!"

After interacting with them for more than a century, be it in force or knowledge, Leylin had long ago
subdued these men of his.

"Yes!" Snoopy nodded repeatedly, and his previous worries disappeared immediately.

At another place, Tanasha was also doing the same thing.

A perfectly straight lightning rod, almost piercing through the horizon, stood firmly on a pile of black
rocks.

Thunder roared and lightning flashed. Many blue electric waves growled and rushed towards the black
needle, before diverging in all directions through the path that was laid out.

"Sir! I Hope you will succeed!" Tanasha grew a little excited in her heart, praying silently.
......

"Preparations for node 1 completed, review of node 2 completed, preparing to charge node 3..."

Data kept pouring out from the A.I. Chip continuously and many fluorescent-blue information windows
flashed past Leylin's eyes.

*Rumble!* The howling hurricane that was brewing in the sky seemed to be controlled by someone, and
it slowly began to transform and pack together, converging behind Leylin.

The windstorm roared, dissipating the dark gas and silently turning the rocks and plants on the roadside
to dust. It then wrapped the Azure Mountain King within.

"How... How is this possible? Why can you......" The Azure Mountain King's eyes almost popped out.

How could a mere rank 3 Crystal Phase Magus possess such enormous power?

After he came here, he had definitely tested with his soul force that there were no other Magi lying in
ambush. There were also no signs of any spell formation!

"I am unable to hide anything from soul force scans, hence I did not plan anything here..." Leylin stood
above the hurricane, as if he was a deity from another world.

"Thus, the closest spell formation that I've set up is 45 kilometers away. The underground hurricane is
being manipulated through redistribution points and could be temporarily kept under control! I call this
spell formation—farcast support spell formation!"

Using the superimposition of small influences from other areas, he ultimately gained control over the
hurricane!
It was easier said than done. To do it, the calculations needed were terrifyingly complex, fit to be
described as perverse.

Even if there was a slight error the data, there was a possibility that the hurricane would ultimately lose
all control. As the one to bear the brunt of the damage, Leylin would be the first to die without any
remains.

Such horrifying calculations, even the Azure Mountain King felt giddy from just simulating them in his
head.

Leylin had done something even Morning Star Magi could not thanks to his A.I. Chip, a scientific chip
from his previous world which possessed incredible abilities after numerous extreme transformation
and advancements!

"The hurricane can destroy anything under rank 4, you are destined to die today!" Leylin's expression
was calm, his face showing no signs of sadness or happiness.

But the hurricane, which was under his control, suddenly screeched. A large gust of strong black wind
surrounded the Azure Mountain King and began to spin around him, as if it wanted to drag him into the
eye of the hurricane.

"No! I have not fallen yet!" The Azure Mountain King's eyes flushed red, and his facial muscles twitched
as he suddenly growled.

Explosions rang out as the crystal clear soul force transformed into a defensive film on his body.
Terrifying accessories, which had reached the level of magic artifacts, began to explode one by one.

The massive explosion caused a horrifying driving force, and even the hurricane was momentarily
blocked out.
Using this hard-earned chance, the Azure Mountain King immediately dashed out to break through the
barrier.

"You can't escape!" The large Multi-Armed Race phantom thrashed and growled behind Leylin. The
hurricane gathered in Leylin's hands as he stood before the Azure Mountain King and threw out a
sudden punch.

*Boom!* Like the roar of an ancient giant snake, along with the accompanying howls of the many
hurricanes, a terrifying energy instantly extinguished the explosion from before, breaking through the
Azure Mountain King's body.

Even if it was soul power, under the the besiegement of the hurricane, it was exhausted too quickly. The
protective film immediately crackled and broke.

Cracks began appearing one after another, and due to Leylin's attack, the Azure Mountain King was once
again pushed back into the eye of the hurricane.

While watching Leylin, who stood outside like a war god, a hint of despair surfaced on the Azure
Mountain King's face...

*Rumble!* It was as if the world exploded, reaching its end.

Among the many dark storms, a touch of blue light suddenly exploded. It immediately intensified,
offsetting the dark storms persistently.

The terrifying energy waves dissipated as streaks of silver cracks in the space emerged endlessly.

The dark storms howled, but it also seemed to weaken under the blue radiance as time passed. At the
same time, the blue radiance slowly began to dim.

The earth rumbled, and after what seemed like a sky-shaking and violent magnitude 9 earthquake,
everything finally calmed down. Only, the surroundings had already been destroyed beyond recognition.

Even a part of the West Sea Canyon was totally wiped out, becoming a large, ruinous rocky plain.

"Master!"

This was the scene that Tanasha and Parker, who had rushed over, saw. Their faces seemed to search
for answers anxiously, until they saw Leylin who was standing on a large rock proudly. Their faces were
immediately overcome with delight.

"Yes!" Leylin nodded.

Currently, he was in a very bad condition. Not only were there blue wounds all over his body that were
bubbling and corroding it, there was also an obvious dent on his chest.

In his hands, there was an already prepared crystalised test tube, in which laid a piece of burnt flesh.
Surrounding it were some squirming tentacles.

"I'm fine!" Leylin waved, stopping Tanasha and Parker's greetings.

"I give you all an hour's time, search this area immediately and look for bloody pieces of flesh like this!
No matter what the outcome is an hour later, we will leave immediately!"

"Yes, Sir!"
Watching his men busy themselves, a bitter smile emerged on Leylin's face.

The Azure Mountain King was indeed a Morning Star Magus, with an extremely determined mind. After
he realised that there was no hope of escaping, he immediately cast some sort of secret spell,
detonating his clone.

The self-destruction of a rank 3 Magus' clone would cause major damage.

Not only was Leylin's spell formation utterly defeated, he himself had sustained serious injuries. This
could be said to be a loss for both parties.

'But as long as these things can be obtained, it'll be worth it,' Leylin put away the pieces of flesh safely,
before his heart lightened.

Although the Azure Mountain King had self-destructed, losing him the opportunity to collect his
complete body, the tissue structures of these bloody pieces of flesh and such were enough for the A.I.
Chip to study for a long time.

And after obtaining these, the A.I. Chip's deductions on the Morning Star Realm would be able to
advance to at least 50% and above!

"If it's like that, the conditions are more or less all set! We only need to prepare for the Azure Mountain
King's counterattack!" Leylin stroked his chin.

Originally, he and the Oakheart Clan were prepared to give their lives to achieve their goals. Now, the
other party's Morning Star Magus had lost his clone at his hands. Surely the Azure Mountain King would
be going crazy.

'We cannot stay in this territory anymore, we must hurry back to the organisation and evacuate as soon
as possible...' Leylin was stuck in thought.
Although it still seemed peaceful at his Onyx Castle in the core of the Ouroboros Clan, with Robin's
Parble Family reduced to their sorry state, was it really?

Perhaps, as of now, only the area at the headquarters of the Phosphorescence Swamp could forcibly
maintain stability.

Although they lacked Morning Star battle power, under circumstances where outsiders were still
unsure, keeping it a secret for a period of time was no problem at all.

Furthermore, based on the Ouroboros Clan's arduous accumulation as well as the spell formations,
defence installations and such by the Morning Star Warlocks ancestors, hindering a certain Morning Star
Magus for a duration was still not an issue.

What Leylin needed most right now, was time!

This was because the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan was definitely a point of attack for many
enemies in the future. Once it was confirmed that the battle powers of the Morning Star were gone,
there was a high chance that they might face a siege from numerous Morning Star Magi.

By that time, the headquarters would be a deathtrap!

If they lost the other territories, without advancing to the Morning Star level before the
Phosphorescence Swamp was attacked, all of the Warlocks at the headquarters could only accept death!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 493 - Distractions

"All in all, Phosphorescence Swamp is going to be the safest right now, but the most dangerous place in
the end......"

Leylin smiled reluctantly, "It's just that... do I have any other choices?"

At this time, he was sure the Azure Mountain King was hot on his heels. Once he left the Ouroboros
Clan, he feared he would not get to live another day.

Unlike his rank 3 clone, the Azure Mountain King was a famed Morning Star Magus! The disparity in
power was too large for any strategies to be of use.

Thus, he was left with no choice but to take a gamble. Fortunately, he had already exterminated the
opposite party's clone, earning him and the Ouroboros Clan some extra time!

Otherwise, if they allowed the Azure Mountain King to continue to stir up trouble, word may leak out to
other power-thirsty parties, that the Ouroboros Clan no longer had Morning Star Magi defending it! He
could imagine them swimming forward like sharks towards their prey.

For now, since the Azure Mountain King's matter had been settled by Leylin, he'd presumed Leylin's
strength was why Gilbert and the others chose to lay low.

This was what Leylin was striving for, a little of their apprehension!

"Morning Star realm! I must advance to the Morning Star realm!" Leylin clenched his teeth.

At this moment, Tanasha brought forward a transparent box, "My Lord, this is our harvest."
Inside the box were some scraps of flesh and hair, and even some blood-stained clothes and other
fabrics and such.

"Well done! For your contributions, I shall reward you in the form of contribution points later on. Right
now, let's go home....." In front of his subordinates, Leylin resumed the attitude of a master.

......

"My Lord!" Back at his own Magus Tower, upon hearing the green tower genie's greetings, Leylin felt as
if he had been away for a lifetime.

His departure had started with a banquet, celebrating Freya advancing to the Crystal Phase.

Who would've thought that, within such a short time, so many drastic changes would take place. Even
the entire Ouroboros Clan was in a crisis, and was almost destroyed.

The failed mission of Gilbert and the other two was something Leylin could never have
predicted.Morning Star Magi's failed mission on a whole, was something Leylin could have never
predicted.

After losing the deterrence of Morning Star Magi, the Ouroboros Clan immediately showed signs of
instability.

"Tower genie, backup the entire experimental data to the A.I. Chip. Destroy all original experiments,
starting from the natural resources. Prepare to transfer!" Leylin drew a deep breath, and requested.

"Authorization confirmed. Spiritual force connected, data transmission in progress!" Compared to a

human Magus, the tower genie's level of compliance is as good as first class. Immediately, a link was
formed between it and the A.I. Chip.
Leylin had always held the habit of backing up his important experimental data to the A.I. Chip. The
amount the genie had was only a small part of the whole, and he took the time to patch up the holes in
his database.

The most important step was to destroy the experiments themselves. For the past century, Leylin had
secretly carried out many bloodline experiments. He had been fortunate to not leave any clues behind,
otherwise he would have gotten into deep water.

Following the command of the formation genie, many secret paths and doors started opening up,
revealing the concealed spaces and storage facilities.

Inside, bountiful magic crystals and precious objects glowed in brilliant lights and vibrant colours. It was
a feast for one's eyes. Leylin heaved a sigh and picked out many of the stored magic crystals.

He was sure he had provoked the Azure Mountain King to the maximum this time, thus he didn't have
high hopes of being able to preserve the Magus Tower.

Compared with the main headquarters at the Phosphorescence Swamp, his Magus Tower would be the
first to be ravaged. Since he had decided to seek refuge at the main headquarters, he didn't want to be
taken advantage of and lose his magic crystals.

With these thoughts in mind, he turned to the experimental room where he absorbed Lamia radiation.

After complicated and meticulous verification, Leylin saw the brilliant milky-white bone in the center of
the crystal ball.

"A.I. Chip!" Leylin's face contorted as he yelped.

"Begin compatibility scan, unscrambling data in progress..." A huge amount of data flowed in the form of
blue streaks of light from Leylin's eyes, and seeped into the crystal ball held by a machine.

After two minutes of data transmission, a clear, distinct sound echoed, as a tiny pin-sized hole appeared
on the surface of the crystal ball, slowly enlarging.

"This is what my advancement to Morning Star will depend most upon!" Leylin exclaimed and sighed. He
drew out a box made of crystal and carefully kept the Lamia bone.

Prior to this, he didn't want the Lamia bone to be kept on him for fear of Gilbert finding out. But right
now, there wasn't even a single Morning Star Warlock in the headquarters, so Leylin naturally had
nothing to be afraid of.

"Mentor, are we really leaving now?" Before they set off, Snoopy looked at the black tower and Onyx
Castle in the distance, his eyes filled with a look of unwillingness to let go.

Having stayed here for more than a thousand years, he had already developed feelings for it, hence his
hesitance to leave.

Similarly, Kubler, Parker and the others who were behind Leylin felt the exact same hesitance and
unwillingness, even though they had obeyed Leylin's orders and packed all their belongings.

"We must leave!" Leylin's reply was resolute and decisive. "You should know the situation and how
things are right now. Except for the main headquarters, everywhere else is dangerous...."

Parker and the rest solemnly nodded their heads. They had not found out about the three missing
Morning Star Magi yet. However, the chaos that had happened was enough to keep them on the edge
for a long time.

Magi who were able to live past three, four or five hundred years were all intelligent, and the recent
spate of events had made them realise that something unusual was going on. Hence, their support for
Leylin's decision was unanimous.

Glancing at his rather muddle-headed apprentice, Leylin shook his head and patted his shoulders:"We
will be back! I promise!"

"Mmm. I believe you, Mentor!" Snoopy nodded his head passionately. Parker, on the other hand, forced
a smile.

.......

Inside Phosphorescence Swamp.

Numerous sulphur-filled bubbles rose from the sludge, becoming green balls of flame as they escaped.

Erected in the center of the swamp, the Warlock City was as busy as always. In fact, the population
seemed to have increased.

It wasn't just one or two families that could feel the oddity in the air. In the early days, when there were
instabilities at the border, many Marquises and Counts had reallocated their families and servants over
here, blowing up population and city.

As for the issues of their territories and such, they had no worry about that.

To the Warlocks at the top of society, commoners were like wild grass. After trimming them, come
spring time and they would tenaciously grow again. So if the taxes were reduced for the people, in less
than 10 years, the population would boom again.

Regardless of whether it was the invading troop or the defence troop , they did not need these
commoners as resources, thus the commoners were able to lead a rather good life before and after the
war with no major changes.

Compared to these commoners, the Warlocks' regrets would be losing their castles, Magus Towers and
such.

Just like Leylin, who had built his Magus Tower in his own territory. He supposed that after the war was
over, his tower would be gone too. And it did not matter who the enemy was, they would be ruthless
and would helped themselves to the structures. Also, once a tower genie discerned a master, she would
never change. Thus, total destruction was the only way.

"Hehe... Leylin, it looks like the bad blood between you and the Oakheart Clan is serious. Looking at this
latest intelligence report, your territory had been occupied by him and your Magus Tower has been
demolished..." Freya smiled as she handed the intelligence report to Leylin.

"It is serious!" Leylin stroked his nose, "Even their chief died in my hands!"

In his heart, he silently added 'and a Morning Star's clone' next to it. Under such circumstances, if the
opposite party were to be polite to him, it would truly be odd.

After moving to the Ouroboros Clan headquarters, over ten days had passed and within this time, many
things had happened.

Every territory had its fair share of unceasing riots, and there were multiple forces would invade these
areas. Naturally, Leylin's territory was not spared .

Freya, too, had lost her territory. Hence, she teased Leylin with a bit of schadenfreude.

However, Leylin could sense the fear and restlessness beneath Freya's smile. This time, the power of the
enemy had surpassed the expectations of many. The Azure Mountain Clan was but one part only, there
were other more powerful ones yet to show themselves.

The Ouroboros Clan was strong in appearance but weak in reality, and everyone could see it. Hence the
minor skirmishes at the borders had escalated to entire territories being taken over.

Even the outer regions of Phosphorescence Swamp were not spared. From time to time, scouts sent by
many different powerful families were discovered. Warlocks from the Ouroboros Clan could only rely on
the headquarters' defensive spells as a core, building an extremely narrow defensive perimeter and
guarding it resolutely.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that if the Morning Star military strength did not make an
appearance soon in the Ouroboros Clan, the entire clan could face imminent destruction.

"Over at the astral gate, how is the progress?" Seeing Freya's strong and obstinate persona, Leylin
couldn't console her directly, as otherwise, he would have hurt her pride. Instead, he changed the
subject and asked her a question.

The truth of the matter was, the root of all the problems were the three elders. If they could appear
immediately, even if just one of them could show their face in public, not only would the Warlocks of
the entire Ouroboros Clan gain confidence from their pillar of strength, the number of enemy scouts
would reduce drastically too.

"Some of the Marquises from the technology department have been working for days in there..." Freya
smiled wryly.

"But in the end.... Only someone of at least a Morning Star Magus status, can open an astral gate.
Otherwise, no one can support the crossover of the body. Forget rescuing them, we can't even find
someone here qualified to open the astral gate..."

Seeing Freya, Leylin knew deep in her heart that she had some disagreements with the Blood Duchess
Emma and the other two Morning Star Warlocks. But since she was a student of theirs, she couldn't say
anything.

"You can't blame our Mentors, the allure of the Purgatory World is simply too huge..." Leylin sighed.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 494 - As The Dark Clouds Draw Closer

There was another concern bugging Leylin.

As compared to the factions that had shown themselves in Azure Mountain City, what worried him the
most was still the Magus that had set the trap.

To be able to give up a world coordinate and also successfully entrap three Morning Star Warlocks, he
was definitely not a simple person.

Furthermore, if Leylin's mentor, Gilbert, joined forces with the other two Morning Star Warlocks, they
would have a terrifying strength on par with that of a Radiant Moon Magus!

Since the mastermind could successfully scheme against them regardless of that, it was only a matter of
time before his actual strength would be revealed.

If the other party came at them openly, the current Ouroboros Clan would not have any strength to
resist.

Fortunately, for reasons unknown, he had not taken any other action apart from setting the trap. No
one knew what qualms he had, or whether there was something holding him back.
Leylin secretly guessed that perhaps the other party had suffered a violent counterattack when he'd
plotted against his Mentor, and thus suffered a hidden loss. He was likely still in the midst of recovery,
or else he definitely wouldn't have let this chance slip through his fingers.

Even so, the pressure the Ouroboros Clan faced was crushing. The tiniest bit more and they would
collapse completely.

After parting with Leylin, Freya took a short walk and arrived at a small garden full of white roses.

A distorted human shadow appeared next to the garden. When the figure came into view, a Warlock
dressed in a crimson Magus robe bowed to Freya.

"Greetings, chief!"

"Mm!" Freya nodded, "The crisis that the Ouroboros Clan has met with will require the combined effort
of many marquises, but Leylin's team of vassals is really too weak, and they also suffered heavy losses in
the previous suppression. I plan to let the Blood Serpent Warlock organisation take over some of their
missions!"

After a long silence, Julian then spoke with a hoarse voice, "This... is not in accordance with the rules!
Furthermore, the elders..."

"This is an order!" Freya's voice turned cold, and an aura that was unique to Crystal Phase Warlocks
surfaced on her body.

"Yes! Yes!" Julian quickly agreed, but let out a silent sigh.

Even he could see that his chief had feelings for Leylin, but the other party still showed clear signs of
rejection.

It would be understandable if Freya had only lent a helping hand once or twice, but she had already
done so many times. This problem had left many elders with authority dissatisfied. It was in stark
contrast to how Miranda simply gave up on her pursuit.

In ancient Warlock families like Freya's, even the chief could not go against the opinion of the majority,
and had to take the entire family's opinion into consideration.

Freya's actions had already aroused a certain degree of discontent in the family, but was suppressed by
her promotion to the Crystal Phase.

However, Julian had a feeling that if Freya continued, the accumulating dissent would one day burst
forth.

Judging by her attitude, though, would it be possible to change her ways?

Julian shook his head and forced a smile, then bowed to Freya and vanished into the sea of flowers.

......

In the depths of a white canyon, a team of Warlocks were hurrying through the steep mountains.

These Warlocks were all clothed in crimson Magus robes, with the Giant Kemoyin Serpent motif on their
collars. A platinum-haired high-ranking Warlock led the way.

*Shoom!* At that very instant, a crooked shadow shot out from the side of the cliff like an arrow, right
into this Warlock's hands.
"Be alert!" Kemoyin's Scales appeared on the bodies of the numerous Warlocks as a mode of defence.
Assuming their various positions, they emitted an aura that was full of solemn determination; evidently,
they were elites with rich experience who have been fighting for a long time.

"It's a shadow snake messenger from our family, cancel the alarm!" The platinum-haired high-ranking
Warlock furrowed his brows and quickly shouted to the rest. The entire troop was tranquil again, and
they slowly started to continue walking.

"They actually want us to offer support to Enforcer Leylin's vassals?" Upon recalling the content of the
message, the leader of the Warlock team seemed gloomy. He was, of course, unhappy about his chief's
actions.

But looking at the authoritative imprint on the back that reflected the family chief's position, the leader
gritted his teeth and yelled out, "Turn around, we're going to the Teal Tusk Highlands, and fast!" He was
still dreadful of the consequences of disobeying orders and betraying his family

Although they questioned why their leader suddenly gave such an order, their pleasantly compliant
nature allowed this small team to make a full turnaround within a few minutes, and they continued to
rush off in another direction.

"Hehe, found the Blood Serpent Warlock organisation!" At this moment, the immature voice of a young
boy sounded out, causing the team leader's expression to change drastically.

"Who's there?"

The Magi under him immediately broke into formation, with many of them already holding on to
multiple magical items for attacking purposes.

*Bang!* The rock wall at the side blasted open, and a gigantic flowering plant emerged from within.
This flower was about 5 or 6 meters tall, its sepals full of sharp buckteeth. It suddenly spread open its
petals, and with its huge mouth similar to that of a beast from the ancient times, it swallowed a Warlock
who couldn't dodge in time.

"AHHH..." He let out a distorted, muffled shriek. The innate defence of the snake scales seemed to have
no effect on the corrosive juices in the stamen. Through the translucent petals, the Warlocks could see
their comrade's scales corrode, then quickly soften and reveal his skin and muscle tissue...

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Before they could rescue their comrade, more carnivorous flowers suddenly
emerged from the rock walls, and started attacking them.

"A military troop of carnivorous plants, it's..." The expression on the platinum-haired team leader's face
changed drastically. Before he could even exclaim, a carnivorous flower that was more than 10 meters
tall bore out of the ground and appeared in front of him in a flash.

On the stolon of this carnivorous flower was the face of a little boy, and it seemed that the voice from
earlier was his.

"Innate spell— Toxic Bile!" The team leader gritted his teeth, and venomous gas immediately diffused
out into the air.

"It's useless! We have already made special improvements through several mutations targeted at
awakening the ability of self-control, just to counter your poison and scales!" A grin spread across the
boy's face. The humongous carnivorous flower ferociously opened up and countless minute pollen
grains scattered onto the ground.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock's expression changed rapidly. He could clearly sense that the
venom in the air had been neutralised by the pollen from the carnivorous flower.

Not only that, once a single pollen grain landed on him, his scales instantly started to soften.
"Haha... Kill! Go on, kill! After today, the Ouroboros Clan and the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks will
become a thing of the past!" The boy cheered, while more and more carnivorous flowers started to
emerge from the soil and the walls, drowning out the members of the snake bloodline Warlock
organisation.

The colourful lights of spells exploded, and finally, all was silent again...

......

On the other end, in a small and prosperous town.

The shadows of many densely-packed sails appeared all of a sudden in the sky.

Numerous huge ships soared through the air like dark clouds, blocking out all the sunlight and casting
large shadows on the earth, as darkness enveloped the entire town.

"What's going on?" The Kemoyin Warlock in charge of guarding the place walked out and his jaw
instantly dropped.

*Boom!* The gigantic cannon stowed at the front of the fleet started to rumble, and terrifying energy
waves immediately wreaked havoc throughout the town.

In that instant, the entire city was filled with terrorised cries as blood and fire flooded the land.

The ever-plentiful city that had always been under the protection of the Ouroboros Clan was suddenly
drowning in calamity. Those who could not escape in time turned into ashes under gunfire, average
humans and low-ranking Warlocks alike.
After a round of bombardment, numerous silhouettes appeared beside the fleet, and descended to
clear out the remaining few high-ranking Warlocks.

"No Warlock that belongs to the Ouroboros Clan will be spared!" A crippled male Magus who was
propping himself up with a wooden leg gave an order, his eyes boiling with hatred that he did not even
bother to mask. His face was filled with numerous scars and was badly disfigured.

"Those damn bloodline bastards don't even deserve to be alive..."

Following his command, the resistance in the battlefield intensified, but all that anyone could do was to
struggle in the face of death.

After purging the resistance, it was time for a feast, one of plundering and venting their anger.

But even in a situation like this, the commander's face remained cold and indifferent, as though he
never saw it at all.

......

Such scenarios continued to play out in the Ouroboros Clan's territory, and even started to inch closer to
Phosphorescence Swamp.

The atmosphere at headquarters was gloomy due to the huge war.

In one of the rooms in the headquarters of Warlock City, a faint warm glow flickered. A group of Magi
gathered around a circular black medieval table.

They were all Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, and the aura exuded by every single one of them was
highly terrifying, even exceeding the threshold of the Crystal Phase.
Leylin was among them, scanning through his companions— there were more than ten of them.

These people made up the entirety of the Ouroboros Clan's upper echelons, and they were of the
highest ranks apart from the three Morning Star Warlocks. Their decisions would represent the entire
Ouroboros Clan!

Lucian and Freya were also among them. Upon seeing Leylin, they nodded in acknowledgement, but
anxiety was written across their faces.

A red-headed Warlock stood up, propping himself with his hands on the table, and roared loudly, "Only
yesterday! In a mere 13 hours, the attacks we have suffered have surpassed the sum of all the damage
we have ever sustained! The Blood Serpent Warlock organisation, the Black Iron Warlock organisation
and the castigators have all been razed to the ground! Even Greenflame City that guards our
Phosphorescence Swamp has fallen to the hands of our enemy!"

He slammed the table, causing the tabletop to shake vigorously. Leylin could feel his wrath through the
vibrations.

"It won't take long until we'll be able to see them within the vicinity of the city! Even small fry like the
Arm of Vengeance will start hunting us down. Damn it! These were people I could have wiped out single-
handedly in the past!"

With that, opinions started to fire across the table, rage filling the air.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 495 - Opening

Leylin watched the performance of these Warlocks, indifferent to it all.

In fact, it was very clear to them that small organisations like the Arm of Vengeance were being used as
scapegoats by the hidden forces.

Were Gilbert and the rest to appear, they would just throw out these scapegoats to suffer their wrath,
without caring for their life or death.

And even if these small organisations were to find success, they wouldn't end up with much resources.
They could only give the majority of the resources to their backers. Thus, these forces could reap the
benefits without getting their own hands dirty. It was a great deal indeed.

Although these Warlocks were completely aware of this, they only dared curse these small organisations
that had gone insane in their desire for revenge, but did not dare touch the existence in the background.
In the back of their minds, even though they lacked Morning Star forces on their side, they definitely did
not have the guts to provoke those acting behind the scenes. To them, on their side, they would not
have the guts to challenge the masterminds.

"Never mind that. This place is soon going to become a battlefield, so every one of us must take up our
responsibilities. Do you all agree?"

"Agreed!" "Agreed!" "Agreed!" Numerous high ranked Warlocks nodded one after another.

"That's great, we still have the two Kemoyin Gargoyles and the spell formation left by the elders. We can
still handle a Morning Star Magus if we activate everything... We just need to persist for a period of
time, then the three mentors will be able to return from the astral plane!"

The red-haired Warlock was still trying his best to boost the morale, and hence he maintained the
delusion.
After he spoke up to that, everyone's sight immediately shot to an old Warlock who was wiping his
spectacles with a white handkerchief.

This old Crystal Phase Warlock was the head of their technical department, Schadt.

Schadt put on his spectacles with a bitter laugh, "Our tests have confirmed that the elders really did
open the astral gates and entered another world. However, we couldn't confirm that it's the Purgatory
World. However, we're trying really hard to calculate the coordinates. I just need ten days... No! Five!
We'll have it in five!"

The expressions of the numerous Warlocks dulled when the reply they got wasn't the one they wanted.

The red-haired Warlock forced a smile, and immediately began to assign missions as a leader, "Marquis
Schadt, continue to study the astral gate. Headquarters will allocate resources to you as you wish. You
have to rescue our three Mentors!"

"I will!" Schadt nodded. There was a great scholarly temperament to him as he still seemed like nothing
had happened even in this kind of critical moment .

"Next, Marquis Lucian..." There was pride in the tone of the red-haired Warlock when he heard the
other party agreeing to his orders.

Although he was the first disciple of the Grand Elder, his authority was not much greater than that of the
remaining Marquises present here. But now, when the circumstances required the presence of a
powerful leader due to both internal and external pressures, it seemed like he could try to take control!

"Very well! Next..." The Warlock started to assign missions to everyone. Finally, it was Leylin's turn.
"Marquis Leylin, it's no problem if I leave you in charge of the defense of the West Zone of the city,
right?"
"Sorry, I do!" Leylin raised his hand up. He'd heard from Lucian about this Warlock before, although he
hadn't met him in person many times. He was Faisal, and he had held power for a long time in the
Ouroboros Clan. Right now, it seemed that even in all this confusion, his first thought was of grasping
power.

Leylin was immediately fed up by this sort of thing. With their current situation, perhaps the entire
headquarters would be breached tomorrow, and everyone would be finished. He still wanted to
scramble for power and profits?

"What?" Faisal wrinkled his brows. He'd met a challenger moments after he set up his authority. This
triggered his immense dissatisfaction, so he decided to suppress the challenger ruthlessly.

"I have an extremely important experiment..."

"Experiment? Just for the purpose of an experiment?" Leylin was interrupted by Faisal before he could
complete his words. "Did I mishear? You want to abandon your responsibility in this kind of critical
moment just for an experiment?"

Numerous high-ranked Warlocks around the round table also started whispering to each other after
they heard Faisal words.

"Let me finish!" Leylin pressed his hands down.

"The experiment I'm working on is an interplanar experiment. I'm confident in being able to find the
coordinates of the Mentors in three days. Marquis Schadt can testify to this."

Schadt, who'd been still as a statue from the beginning, also nodded, "Indeed. Marquis Leylin's
fundamental knowledge about astral experiments far surpasses mine. Especially in accurately searching
for coordinates, he leaves me ashamed of my meagre ability."
"Even so," Faisal ground his teeth, "The defence of the West Zone..."

"I'll take care of that as well," Freya interrupted.

"You?" Faisal was a little astonished.

"Yes. Anyway, my own defence zone is not far from Leylin's. It's alright for me to take care of both,
right?" Freya looked at Faisal challengingly. The other Warlocks had a knowing smile on their faces when
they recalled the rumours about Freya and Leylin.

"You can if you say so, but what if your area has problems first..." Faisal dragged out his speech, looking
at Freya who had an unyielding expression. He thought Leylin was getting more and more out of hand.

Freya ground her teeth and stated stubbornly, "It'll be my responsibility!"

"Fine, I hope you remember what you said today!" Faisal nodded and sat back down.

The person involved, Leylin, sat foolishly at a distance from the beginning. Only after it ended did he
respond and look at Freya. This woman had helped him over and over again, even at the expense of her
own family's interests, and was already facing criticism from her elders.

He hadn't expected that she would be willing to help him to this extent.

Actually, this so-called important experiment was just to pull the wool over Faisal's eyes. With his
knowledge, it was easy for him to convince Schadt by exposing a bit of his abilities.

If Faisal hadn't agreed even after that, he would've looked for an opportunity to shirk his responsibility.
However, Freya unexpectedly took it on for him. Leylin suddenly felt a bit of a headache as he looked at
her.

"You don't need to do this, you know..." Leylin walked to Freya's side and said softly after the meeting
dispersed,.

"It's my choice." Freya gathered her black long hair together and left quickly. She seemed stubborn and
firm.

Leylin shook his head, then communicated with the A.I. Chip and took a look at the latest data.

[Progress on deduction of information about the Morning Star realm: 52.7%]

After more than ten days, the A.I. Chip had finally finished analysing the flesh of the Azure Mountain
King's clone. His information about the Morning Star realm had crossed 50%!

With this, the final requirement for his advancement to the Morning Star realm had been fulfilled.

"The future seems exciting. I will look forward to it...." A smile hung on the corner of Leylin's mouth. He
then took a glance at the meeting place and at last moved his legs, leaving with incomparably firm
footsteps.

......

In an unknown place, several mysterious conscients¹ were communicating with each other.

"The attacks of the plant legion have had pretty good results! The progress this time is pretty smooth.
The air force has also taken down Greenflame City. It seems like the Morning Star Warlocks are already
lost in the astral plane."
"Not necessarily. Gilbert and the rest are very cunning. It's possible that they're feigning weakness in
order to bait us into exposing ourselves," another voice immediately retorted, "The lifespan of a
Morning Star Warlock is nigh endless. Even temporary gains and losses of territory are nothing to them.
They can always expand their influence again in the future..."

"What you said also makes sense. We must consider this, and continue to test them. Try to attack their
headquarters in Phosphorescence Swamp!" the previous voice said. A powerful stream of thought swept
out, "Where's that old Azure Mountain guy?"

"Hehe... he lost a clone to the Ouroboros Clan. With his main body settling a debt with Felix, I'm afraid
he won't be available for a period of time..." a woman jokingly said.

"His clone fell? It must have been at rank 3. Even then, who interfered?" The voice who spoke previously
seemed sluggish.

"No one! Azure Mountain's clone unexpectedly fell at the hand of a member of the younger generation
without the interference of any Morning Star powers. It's even someone who had just advanced to the
Crystal Phase. I'm afraid he'll feel too embarrassed to meet people before he thoroughly washes himself
of his shame..." The female voice answered

"To have his clone killed by a member of the younger generation. It's simply a humiliation to all Morning
Star Magi!"

"That's right!" The numerous thoughts descended into chaos.

"Silence!" the first voice said with immense dignity behind its tone. It immediately suppressed the
disturbance.

"Let Azure Mountain's matter go for now. The area he's responsible for isn't that important anyway. The
next test will be crucial in determining the existence of those three. This matter also concerns how we'll
be treating the Ouroboros Clan in the future, so we should be serious about it!"
The powerful conscient¹ stated, its imposing aura full of dignity.

"We got it!" Numerous thought backed up a step as if expressing surrender.

"Great! The plant legion still needs to advance and push the battlefront forward. As for the air force,
remain on the defensive for now. The defence abilities of the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan are
still decent..."

The most powerful thought immediately started to distribute tasks. Soon after, the thoughts in the
secret space left one after the other, and the region quieted down immediately.

A deadly stillness permeated the surroundings.

After this meeting, the attacks that were originally planned against the Ouroboros Clan grew in intensity.

Among these, parties such as Azure Mountain City and Nefas broke apart all pretense and flagrantly
dispatched their elite groups into the territory of the Ouroboros Clan. This resulted in a great slaughter.

The frontline also approached the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan in Phosphorescence Swamp
continuously. In moments, it was like a storm was raging in the region, which practically affected the
weather of the entire central continent.

Numerous Morning Star Magi, Radiant Moon Magi, and even Breaking Dawn Magi all diverted their
attentions to the sky above Phosphorescence Swamp.

For the central continent which is in dire straits, any minute changes would be able to cause a huge
variation.
¹ New term: conscients. A conscient is a high-level projection of one's perception across the land. The
person themself is not present, physically nor spiritually, only observing casually from a distance.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 496 - Preparation for Battle

The chaos in the Ouroboros Clan was like a stone thrown into the peaceful lake that was the central
continent, setting off ripples everywhere.

Due to the mutual deterrence of Morning Star Magi, such a large-scale war was rare.

The information about the current state of the Ouroboros Clan spread throughout the entire central
continent like wildfire. Many spies, investigators, and idle Magi rushed towards Phosphorescence
Swamp.

They had a pressing need to know how it all began, and what the final outcome would be. They would
use this information for their own reference, and in the future would hand it over to the next
generation.

"Storm clouds are brewing!"

Phosphorescence Swamp, Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Dressed in skintight leather, Freya stood on a
high balcony and observed the huge Warlock City below.

"Even a peaceful, prosperous city like this will have to bear the brunt of battle?" Looking at the gloomy
horizon in the distance, dismay clouded Freya's features. 　　
Seeing Julian and a few other elders heading towards her, her already cheerless self became even more
depressed.

　　

Disregarding the few elders, Freya asked Julian directly, "How is the deployment of manpower coming
along?"

"They have been assigned accordingly, but..." Julian showed signs of hesitation.

　　

"Let me explain. A while ago, due to your haphazard assignment of the snake bloodline Warlocks, our
family suffered huge losses. And now we have to bear an even greater burden because of your decision
to take over Leylin's responsibility of the defences in the West Zone!" An elderly man with a pair of red
eyebrows uttered with an icy tone, his face clearly showing his displeasure. The others were the same,
dissatisfaction written all over their faces.

"You must understand, our family barely has the ability to defend ourselves, yet you pile up more
responsibility on us. We're going to be short-handed, and when problems arise, our family might even
be exterminated!" Another elderly woman exclaimed.　　

　　

"Aunt... I know that, but..." These elderly men and women were all Freya's seniors in the family.
Many of them had known her since her youth. Even though her status as a Crystal Phase Magus was
higher than theirs, there were still many matters that were not easy to bring up for discussions in the
course of the conversation.

　　

"I know. You have developed feelings for that fellow, right?" Another elderly man with a cyst on his face
asked sarcastically.

　　

"Uncle Ivanov! So what if I have?" Freya's steely glare was levelled on Ivanov as she drew a deep
breath, the tension in the air reaching the choking point.

　　

The cyst on his face trembled and he backed up a few steps, his lips quivering and he remarked, "This is
how you want to treat him? That playboy who not only had a fling with his own female senior, but even
that slut Miran..."

　　

"Enough!" Freya suddenly yelled, her face turning crimson. The other few elders raised their brows in
shock.　　

　　

Controversial relationships were common among Warlocks, especially when they were young. Leylin's
licentious lifestyle wasn't that big a deal. But for Ivanov to bring up the subject, it was unsettling.　　

　　

However, in hindsight, what Ivanov said made sense. If Leylin was really interested in Freya, they would
have gotten together long ago. Right now, it seemed like a one-sided affair for their chief.

　　

Freya's worried aunt asked hesitantly, "Little Freya, you....."

　　

At this moment, another voice echoed, "Marquis Lucian is here!"

　　

Everyone exchanged glances and immediately quieted down. Family scandals like this were best kept
amongst themselves.

　　

"We will take our leave now, will you reconsider..." the female elder shot a loving look at Freya before
leaving with the rest.

　　

With their departure, Freya sighed a breath of relief and stepped out to welcome Lucian.

　　

"Hehe... Dreadful, right?" Lucian asked with a smile, two other Magi behind him.

"Just some minor inconveniences!" Freya fluffed her hair. Glancing over Lucian's shoulders, she
recognised one of the Magi as Leylin's subordinate, Parker. As for the other female Magus who was
wearing a veil, Freya couldn't recognise her. However, the horrifying Crystal Phase energy waves
radiating from her body were unmistakably strong. 　　

　　

Such power normally would not be kept under wraps. Even within the Ouroboros Clan, Crystal Phase
Magi were few and far between. They could easily form an organisation with the highest authority and
take control over everything. 　　

　　

"Allow me to introduce you to Parker, I am sure you already knew him!" Lucian chuckled, allowing
Parker to make his salutations. He then turned to point at the other female Magus.　　

"This is 'Shadow', a Crystal Phase Magus Leylin subdued previously. Having a sensitive identity, she
cannot reveal her true name. As for their intentions of being here, Parker!" 　

　　

"Honourable Marquis Freya!" Parker bowed respectfully, "My Lord knows you have insufficient
manpower, so he instructed Shadow and I together with our men to come forth and heed your orders!"

　　

"That's wonderful!" Freya beamed and her eyes lit up. She secretly heaved a sigh of relief.　　

In the beginning, when she agreed to take over the defence of the West Zone, she was indeed rendered
short-handed. But now with the addition of Parker and his men, a big portion of her concern was put to
rest.　

　　

Especially... Freya shifted her line of sight towards Tanasha's black veil. She tried to look through the
veil, attempting to figure out her appearance.

　　

Leylin had been keeping such a trump card hidden by his side all along? 　　

　　

A rank 3 Crystal Phase Magus was not easy to subdue. If Freya hadn't agreed to defend the West Zone,
with the abilities of that female Magus and Leylin's men, they would have no problem defending it
themselves. 　　

　　

Perhaps what Freya did was unnecessary... But, since the opposite party sent over their assistants,
evidently...　　

　　

Freya's mouth curved into a smile which persisted for a short while before she shook her head and
abandoned that train of thought.

　　

The current situation had deteriorated so much that no one knew if the Ouroboros Clan would survive
to the next year. She could not let her thoughts shift to such superfluous issues.

After watching Parker and Tanasha leave, Freya turned around, "Marquis Lucian, the intentions of your
visit this time was not just to send them to me, right?"　　

　　

"Yes! There are other matters!" Lucian nodded his head.

"I knew there were more!" Freya rolled her eyes, "Spill!"　　

　　

"According to Faisal's suggestion, I am here to ask you to hand over the authority of the tower genie
that your family left at the headquarters!" Lucian muttered in a low voice.　　

　　

"I think it is time to do that too!" Freya nodded in agreement and extracted a gold ring tossing it to her.
"Take it, I hope their defence measures alongside the Magus Tower can impress me!"

"You will not be disappointed!" With the smooth completion of his mission, Lucian also heaved a sigh of
relief. 　　

　　

"What else can I do except comply? Freya forced a smile.　

　　

The number of Magus Towers in the Ouroboros Clan headquarters was not small. From her vantage
point, the whole area seemed to be packed with them.

These Magus Towers were built by high ranking Warlocks, and many of the towers were heavily
subsidised by the main headquarters.

　　

Of course, the main headquarters had their own agenda. In the core of every tower were inscribed
defensive runes that were built to be combined with the rest. During a crisis, they would be able to
activate all the Magus Towers to unite their defences.

　　

Lucian's so-called taking over of the authority was just a formality to save Freya's reputation. Once
Faisal shed all pretence of cordiality, he could immediately bypass all the locks on the Magus Tower and
forcefully activate the Tower's energy to bolster the defence.　　

　　

Leylin knew about this, hence his unwillingness to build his Magus Tower at the main headquarters.

　　

Freya was part of an extensive family and they owned massive businesses. Not only did they possessed
Magus Towers in their own territory, they even had some high-grade ones in the main headquarters
that were used as experimental laboratories. What Lucian wanted was the authority to those.

　　

"I am glad you understand!" Lucian nodded his head and his expression dulled. "Even at such times,
there are some people who are unwilling to hand over control, not contributing to our Ouroboros Clan.
They deserve to be damned!"

"Luckily, that is just a small minority!" Freya nodded in agreement, knowing those Warlocks absolutely
did not deserve to die. After all, they were already dead.

　　

After chatting for a while longer, Lucian took his leave. Given his hasty departure, Freya assumed there
were some important matters for him to attend to.
　　

With the impending great war, all the Warlocks were on their toes without rest. It was even more
prominent for the core leaders, those at the Crystal Phase.

　　

Snapping out of her thoughts, Freya looked to another direction, "Even with our forthcoming demise,
you are really at ease! If you cannot give me a satisfactory explanation, you will be in trouble..."　　

.......　　

　　

Unknown to Freya, after elder Ivanov left, he locked himself in the room and threw a big tantrum.

　　

"That crazy woman! She is completely sick! How could she be so adamant in betraying our family for an
outsider's benefit!" Ivanov roared in rage, his voice blocked and absorbed by the sound-proofing on the
walls that kept the outside world from knowing what was going on inside.

　　

"And Amasha is such an old muddlehead! How could she treat Freya like a child and give her more
time... Damn it! Soon, our family will face imminent destruction!" Ivanov's face flushed red with
anger and his cyst bulged.

　　

Hands on his back, he started pacing in circles.

　　

"No way! I refuse to witness the destruction of our family's ancestral legacy at her hands!" After a few
rounds, he clenched his teeth and tore the sleeves off his shirt.　

　　

Branded on his arm was an impressive yet odd-looking plant imprint. With the injection of spiritual
force, it immediately started glowing.

"*Sha sha......*" After a wave of noise passed, a low, husky male voice emerged from the opposite
end, "You have finally contacted us!"
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 497 - Elite Group of Magi

"Yes! I've considered it thoroughly, I cannot sit back and watch my clan die in war!" Ivanov insisted, with
an unexpectedly sanctified look on his face.

"Very well! Our targeted enemies are only those evil bloodline warlocks. You guys, who have awakened
in time, are still a part of us Magi!" A voice echoed from the imprint.

"There's no doubt about that! I'm honoured!" Ivanov said excitedly.

Immediately, he asked again with worry, "Is this communication channel safe? The headquarters of the
Ouroboros Clan has very strict isolation and tapping capabilities!"

"Haha... Rest assured! This has already been encrypted personally! Our conversation will definitely not
be leaked out!"

"Alright then, what do you need me to do?" Since he had already decided to betray, Ivanov was pretty
much nonchalant.

"Very simple, you only need to..." The voice softened over time, while Ivanov nodded repeatedly.

The dim light slowly extinguished as darkness engulfed the entire place.

.....
It was only a matter of time before the attacks began.

By the time the Warlocks, who had gotten used to the martial law, discovered that the entire city had
been surrounded by a patch of carnivorous plants, many of them felt a sort of relief.

Contrary to the previous uneasiness and tension, these visible enemies made them feel more secure.
What followed next would be a great war— the winner would survive, and the loser would be doomed
for all eternity. It was as simple as that.

Compared to open war, the oppressed feeling of the wait from before was what caused mental
breakdowns.

But many Warlocks only felt relieved for a moment. By the time they saw the legion of airships all over
the sky pressing in like dark clouds, even Faisal had a slight feeling that it was as if his previous efforts to
fight for power had become a joke!

"Alert!" He shouted at the top of his voice, a slight tremble to his tone.

"Magus Tower authorisation complete! Constructing core defence system!" Contrary to him, those
Warlocks with specific orders could still carry out their tasks orderly.

*Buzz!* A Magus Tower began to shake, and many runes emerged from the surface of the tower as they
shot up into the sky.

All the towers in the city were in the same situation. The many runes, constructed of strings of light,
converged at the heart of the city, taking the form of a bright sun.

A water screen surrounding the sun cascaded from all directions with a crystal clear glow on its surface,
engulfing the entire city.

"Such a terrifying spell formation, it should be employing at least 50 to 60 elemental reactors and
pools!"

In the centre of the enemy camp, a green-haired Magus sneered, "Pity, the other party was too
impatient. We were only scaring him, yet he exposed his trump card!"

"Yes!" Another female Magus dressed in red covered her lips and smiled charmingly, "If the Ouroboros
Clan's warlocks are all of such quality, victory will definitely be ours!"

"In fact, as long as the other party's three elders do not rush back, there will be no change to this war's
result. At most, it will be a matter of time!" the green-haired Magus corrected. As a high-ranking leader
of the legion, the intelligence he possessed was far greater than that of ordinary Magi. He even knew
about the disappearance of Gilbert and the others.

"Hence, what we need to do now is to try attacking..." The female Magus bit her lips, seeming rather
playful.

In front of her, the male Magus appeared very confident, and he announced a little proudly, "There's
not even a need to test it. We can have the other organisations to help us with everything!"

"You mean the Arm of Vengeance?" The female Magus nodded, giggling immediately and stretching her
body in a relaxed manner, "Since we already have them helping us, should we take this opportunity to
do other things..."

Her voice was sweeter than the sweetest honey. The male Magus could not help but be intoxicated by
it.

Faintly, two other soft voices echoed over, "Those Magi, are they reliable?"
"Just mere sacrifices. Anyway, when the time comes, they'll be given up. What's there to worry?"

"I'm still a little worried......"

"At worst, I'll hand over command to you. You just have to keep an eye on them for me..." In here, all
sorts of conspiracies were gradually staged, yet they were completely hidden due to the many green
plant legions.

The things that happened here did not attract any attention from the outside world.

Following the encirclement of the plants and airship armies, dark clouds of war immediately filled the
region surrounding the Ouroboros Clan. The approaching storm made many of the Kemoyin Warlocks
clasp their hands tightly. Just then, the candidate who was to serve as the main offensive walked down
from the airship.

The Magus had a pockmarked face and a prosthetic wooden leg. He walked with a limp, and his face
burned with the desire for vengeance. He stared at the city of Warlocks, and if looks could kill his gaze
alone would've burnt it down.

"Ouroboros Clan! Kemoyin Warlocks! To think you'd face such a day too!" An ice-cold voice seemed to
be forced out from the crevice between his teeth.

"Sir Lober! According to the orders of the alliance, you will command the first wave of attacks!" said a
masked figure from beside him as he slightly bowed down. Even with his expression hidden behind the
mask, his tone was oozing with contempt.

Robert clenched and relaxed his fists repeatedly several times, but still gritted his teeth and spoke, "I
understand! Please inform the sirs that Robert will fulfil his mission!"
"Very good!" The masked man made a swift bow before his body vanished into thin air.

"Mentor! We've finally reached this point!" Another old man, his head full of grey hair, walked down
from the airship as well. When he saw the already-surrounded city of warlocks, he could not control
himself as tears streamed down his face.

The Magi who descended from the airship were mostly those who had a deep-seated hatred for the
Ouroboros Clan.

Due to their vengeful desires, as well as the possible benefits, they did not hesitate to take up the role of
the coalition's vanguard. They even embarked on the bloody path of revenge in their own territories,
cleaning it up in revenge for all the humiliation and hardships that their ancestors had been through.

And Robert, the chief of the Arm of Vengeance, was the leader elected by the many small groups.

On the other side, many Warlocks were observing the enemy from on top of a great tower. The only
difference was, while the other side was quite free and leisurely, even able to pursue the pleasures of
life, their situation was much more difficult.

Their expressions, Faisal's included, were dark and filled with fear.

"Azure Mountain City's Azure Rain Knights! And the Demon Magus Army from the Nefas!" Freya's hands
gripped the railing as she watched the other two armies who had distinct insignias. Her eyes were full of
disbelief.

In the direction she was looking, a formation of knights that were armoured in blue with a bunch of
giant feathers on their heads were standing quietly. So were a strange-looking group of Magi who
possessed scaly bodies as well as claws and horns.

The mere energy waves unconsciously emitted from their bodies was enough to suffocate a rank 1
Magus. Even the allied army did not dare to stay too close, and kept their distance.

"The Demon Hunter and the Azure Mountain King have shed all pretence of cordiality; they actually sent
their elite subordinates out to attack..." Compared to the other forces who were secretive, the Azure
Mountain City's and Nefas' forces evidently did not have as many considerations.

This explained the other party's vengeance and hate towards the Ouroboros Clan. It was to the extent
that they were already confident that the three elders would not return, so they would give no quarter.

"The Azure Rain Knights are still alright, they are only counterfeits of the ancient Steel Knights, but these
demon Magi..."

On the other side, Lucian also frowned, "They are all Magi who have communicated with the demon
plane. Their bodies have been altered by demonic power, allowing them to possess a very special
power. They even resorted to signing contracts with the demons to awaken all kinds of strange abilities!
And only the Demon Hunter can completely subdue them and keep them for his own use. Often, their
appearance represents destruction and death..."

"This was all caused by your Mentor," Faisal sneered. "Moreover, even at this point in time, your
brother Leylin still hasn't appeared!"

Because Gilbert had forcibly snatched away many portions of the Forgotten Land's resources from Cyril,
the relationship between the two was never good. Faisal did not agree with the way Gilbert did things,
hence he naturally had to use that as a pretext to make a fuss.

In fact, if he knew that the Azure Mountain King's exasperation was caused by Leylin, he would probably
go even crazier.

"What we decided originally, is the Elder Association's decision. Furthermore, the three elders did this
together, don't say that you didn't use those bloodline treasures at all!" Freya immediately rebutted.
Seeing her speak up for him, Lucian could not help but direct a kind smile to Freya.

"Ahem..." Upon noticing that the situation was descending into a cold war, another old man whose face
had mottled snake scales immediately came over to mediate the dispute.

"Leylin and Schadt both have to deduce Mentor and the others' coordinates. Now is the most crucial
moment; it's normal that they're not here. We need to work together to overcome our difficulties right
now"

Not only did this aged warlock possess Crystal Phase strength, he was also of a relatively high rank. Even
Faisal could only display anger on his face, shutting his mouth after.

By this time, they had also noticed the other party's movements.

Many small Magus organisations swaggered to the city's borders under another Magus' lead. They then
began to set up a spell formation.

"Robert?! This bastard! He actually dared to come out!" A feminine Warlock licked the blade of the knife
in his hand and said, "I should've given him a few more slashes that time!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 498 - Confrontation

The Crystal Phase Magi who were on site held their breaths for a moment.

In the past, small organisations like the Arm of Vengeance could only be low-profile, as they would be
attacked on site. When did they get the guts to begin a fight?
A well-built Warlock suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "I want to go out and kill them all!"

"Don't be rash!" Faisal responded while holding the person back, "With the combined defensive spell
formation already activated, attacking them now will only ruin our only chances to turn the odds
around! Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement!"

Faisal truly was quite capable. At the very least, he was not a fool and could see through ordinary
schemes.

But then again, looking at how the enemy was valiantly showing off in front of him, Faisal must have
been filled with anger as well; he was only forcing himself to hold back and not act rashly.

"Once this ordeal is over, I will lead my team out again and have all these rats killed!"

"Guys, look at this!" Freya exclaimed, pouting out the window towards the troops.

"Eh?!"

At this point in time, most of the Warlocks had not realised that the massive spell formation that Robert
had cast earlier was gradually activating.

*Rumble!* The earth shook repeatedly, giving rise to landslides that covered up the wetlands with all
their sludge and sewage. The phosphorescence in the air rapidly dissipated.

After the phosphorescence disappeared, the large amount of steam that evaporated from the wetlands
turned it into a field of mud and soil. The soil became more compact, and eventually gained a rock-like
texture.
These tumultuous changes occurred all along the spell formation.

"How dare they touch our base!" many enraged Warlocks started to cry out.

The Ouroboros Clan back then had decided to chose this area precisely due to the unique
phosphorescent wetlands. The abundant amount of darkness elemental energy particles and fire
elemental particles that were present there matched perfectly with the bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin
Serpent.

Not only was the growth of the Warlocks boosted in this place, but it even enhanced the power of their
spells.

However, the destruction of large swathes of wetlands meant that the darkness elemental particles and
fire elemental particles were gradually diminished, to be replaced by earth elemental particles.

Even though the area affected was only this city, the impact it had on the high-level Warlocks was not
small.

"Haha... Robert who was outside laughed out loud unexpectedly.

"Did you think we hadn't planned out our revenge? What a big mistake! Even though we were chased all
over the central continent, we never once stopped plotting our vengeance. This time round, we'll uproot
the entire Ouroboros Clan!"

"There is no other way!" Looking at how the city gradually turned into a wasteland, and how the
concentration of earth elemental particles slowly outweighed the now-meagre amount of darkness and
fire elemental particles, Faisal's face turned pale.

"Alchemised puppets, attack! Work with the combined spell formation!" After he gave the orders, his
face displayed a moment of shame. He had a sudden realisation that he himself actually initiated the
entire defence spell formation, and all of this seemed too rushed.

Especially after giving his last orders, it seemed as though he was slapping himself across the face.

Upon seeing his actions, Freya and the other Warlocks could only sigh under their breaths. Faisal was
relieved that they did not condemn him upfront.

"At least there are still some smart people around!" Lucian surreptitiously nodded his head. Knowing
that they had reached a point of life and death, it was not the time for resentments and conspiracies.

From their common bloodline, it was already predetermined that these Warlocks would not obtain the
mercy of the rest.

*Crack!* The translucent spell formation that once enveloped the city had split open to form a large
opening that had a current of steel streaming out from it.

*Clank! Clank!* What appeared in front of Robert's eyes was a giant troop of steel puppets.

All these alchemised puppets were at least three metres tall, with intricate runes covering the bodies.
The barb wires and hooks that hung on their bodies stood out reflected chilling lights.

Furthermore, the massive barrels that hung on both sides of the puppets sent chills down Robert's
spine.

"Portable spell-casting barrels! The Ouroboros Clan is not only gifted in bloodlines!" A masked boy, who
was in the corner observing the whole scene, started to record everything down immediately.

Simultaneously, he asked another observer behind him, "Have you recorded every movement that
occurred since the activation of the spell formation?"
The young girl, who only seemed to be seven-or-eight years old and was wearing oversized spectacles
and a massive red ribbon, replied formally, "Yes Sir! Everything has been recorded clearly and the
energy nodes have all been marked! In the process of calculating the geographical locations of the
pressure points and the core!"

"Very good! Continue recording it down! Such micronised cannon spells are still very useful. Remember
to inform the rest of our people and I propose that we get this technology in our hands during the
distribution of the spoils."

The masked man waved, clearly in high spirits. To him, breaking through the headquarters was only a
matter of time.

"Target locked on! Beginning fire!" The steel puppets that walked out from the city had lasers for eyes
that marked a luminous red cursor on their targets. Robert and most of the Magi were locked on to. Just
then, sounds of machinery could be heard within their bodies.

"Not good! Hurry up and hide—" Robert couldn't finish his sentence before he was disrupted by the
glow of a white laser.

*Pew!* The white laser beam swept through the area horizontally, disintegrating anything that stood in
its path. Even the ground caved in where it passed.

"No!" "Sir!" urgent and sharp cries were heard.

A number of Magi did not even have a chance to speak before the laser burned them to ashes.

Even a rank 3 Magus like Robert was put in a difficult situation because of the lasers. His clothes had
been destroyed, and his wooden leg had vanished into thin air.
"Initiate destruction!" a cold voice rang out once again, and the steel puppets reacted, firing towards the
remains.

It took but a moment for chaos to ensue. Light flashed everywhere, and many of the Magi were severely
injured.

The massive spell formation that had been operating till now was destroyed immediately, and the earth
started to stabilise.

"Tsk! How dare such a small organisation provoke the prestigious Ouroboros clan!" Faisal laughed out.

"The real enemy hasn't even begun attacking, and yet you're satisfied beating these mere distractions,"
Freya said coldly while rolling her eyes.

It was indeed true that destroying the Arm of Vengeance was a piece of cake for the Ouroboros Clan. A
simple slightly-powerful formation would be enough to send them packing, and even the heavens above
would not be able to save them.

However, what worried the Magi the most was how these hostile forces could cold-bloodedly watch the
members of the Arm of Vengeance die so easily. They did not seem to even consider the possibility of
helping the battered and exhausted Robert out, which was why they stopped considering the option of
initiating the spell formation.

"Sir! Why did..." Robert, who was seriously injured, shouted with a sore voice when he was finally saved.
However, the rest of the members of the Arm of Vengeance were not as lucky as him; most of them fell
at the hands of the steel puppets.

"Don't worry. Your sacrifice will not be in vain! Now it's time for us to avenge you," A green-haired
magus said coldly, sounding insincere. He had an air of steeliness about him.
Yet, he was sneering secretly, 'It's only a given that we'll reduce your strength and manpower after
we're done using it. Did you really expect us to leave you with so many benefits after the war? Dream
on!'

Not giving Robert, whose fists were clenched, a chance to say anything else, the green-haired Magus
waved his hand, "Plant legion, attack!"

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!* Many of the vines started moving and, within a moment's time, a gigantic
Man-eating Flower emerged from the mud and started moving towards the steel puppets.

"Targets locked! Beginning the second wave of attack!" In front of the steel puppets stood a gigantic
black steel robot which was more than five metres tall. After its laser eyes marked its target, the gun
barrels that were hung on either side of its shoulders begin to roar.

*Pew!* When the white lasers swept past the Man-eating Flowers, many of them fell and thick sludge
started to permeate from their wounds.

"Even the Azure Rain Knights would find these kinds of lasers hard to endure. Fortunately for my plant
legion..." Looking at this scene, the green-haired Magus displayed a teasing smile.

A large amount of spores started to shoot out from one of the Man-eating Flowers. Before these spores
even reached the ground, they began to swell up into a giant ball, and within seconds another one
emerged from the earth. The two intertwined, forming a gigantic one, at least ten metres tall, that
swallowed the huge puppet from earlier.

The earth rumbled as a war of green and black, nature and machine played out. These two incredible
forces were fighting head on against each other. The whole surroundings were filled with white rays and
green sludge.

Looking at the scene outside, Lucian sighed.

"I'm afraid that they've already found out about our last defence system from their earlier experiments,
even keeping their battlefront exactly one kilometer away which exactly reaches our boundary of
attack."

Faisal's face turned black. Even though none of them said it out loud, everyone knew that this was his
fault for initiating the combined spell formation too hastily.

At this moment, another Crystal Phase Warlock screamed, "Look at this!"

*Gush!* All the Crystal Phase Magi looked up. The sky was enveloped by the giant shadow of a sail that
enveloped the place in complete darkness.

"Initiate warzone number 2's all-over attack!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Like shooting stars falling from the skies, bombs were thrown down from the giant
ships above, wiping away the mess created by the Man-eating Flowers and puppets.

Under these terrible attacks, the original giant puppets became a pile of scrap iron.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 499 - Traitor

With explosions ringing continuously, the Warlocks fell silent as they fixed their gazes on the battlefield,
watching the debris from the occasional fights between broken metallic limbs and vines of flowers.

"Their plant legion can obviously regenerate very fast. On the other hand, our steel puppets have
complicated structures and use too much of the energy stored in our Magus Towers. This exchange is a
huge loss for us..." Lucian smiled bitterly, his voice sounding raucous.

Outside the city, a sea of flowers lay above the ruins, numerous shoots struggling their way out of the
earth. The army of carnivorous plants had reformed in a few minutes.

Not only that, the other military forces were closing in along with the Azure Rain Knights and the Demon
Magus Army.

"Let's focus on our own areas of defence! Although we have the protection of the Magus Towers, it will
still be best if our Crystal Phase Warlocks attend to them." Faisal smiled.

The images disappeared with a few snaps, leaving Faisal and a few others remaining.

Most of the people here were just projections of the other Crystal Phase Magi using the network of the
Magus Towers. Due to their advanced technology, the projections were almost the same as themselves.

Faisal's face turned dark, his thoughts indiscernible.

In the meantime, a wisp of dark smoke sprouted from the corner, forming a dark shadow, "My lord! Will
you consider what I said before?"

Faisal frowned at his appearance, but he then calmed down. The people here were all his men, and he
wasn't afraid that they'd leak his secrets.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hehe! The Ouroboros Clan is about to vanish! There might be traitors among the people you met just
now, my lord. Think about your future, and the future of your family!"
The shadow said slowly and with a confidence derived from the chasm between their absolute
strengths.

Faisal's men grew angry, and even his own face showed some hesitation before he waved his hands.

"I... I need to reconsider this!"

"I hope you reply soon. Our offer only exists up to the city's fall!" The envoy said patiently, then
disappeared like a ghost.

"Ah..." Faisal sighed after he was gone. Something crossed his mind, and his eyes glowed with a strange
light.

......

West Zone. Freya smiled bitterly while looking at the approaching enemies, "Such bad luck. I have to
meet these Demon Magi..."

The opponents in her area were the elites of Nefas— the Demon Magus Army!

All members of the Demon Magus Army were at least rank 2 Magi. And since they'd made deals with
unknown demons, most of them had mysterious abilities or powerful skills.

What's more, the Magi from Nefas were wanted men with bad reputations. They were tough and
bloody, even more crazed than the uber-emotional Warlocks!

No wonder Freya was unhappy.

"Hehe! I didn't expect such a beautiful woman to be my opponent!"

Below the wall, the head of the Demon Magus Army touched his chin with his left hand. A pair of horns
were on his head, and his right hand was tied up in iron chains.

The Demon Magi around him maintained a distance out of fear and admiration. Many glanced at his
right hand, their eyes full of dread. It was as if some horrible demons existed under the cover of those
iron chains.

This leader paid no attention to the fear of his men, and instead waved his hands, "Attack!"

Many Magi roared at the sound of the command and their bodies began to undergo massive
transformations. Some even grew blacks wings as they charged towards the city walls.

"Get ready!" Freya ordered with an emotionless expression. Many of the Warlocks couldn't help but get
wound up.

The next moment, the attacks from those Demon Magi reached the defensive light membrane.

"The energy of the defensive matrix can't be consumed like this. We must attack!" Freya grit her teeth.
A layer of black scales covered her body, and her pupils turned amber.

*Swish!* Her body disappeared from on the wall, and when she appeared again she'd already grabbed a
Demon Magus and torn him apart. Blood rained down, interspersed with flesh, organs, and bones.

"Petrifying Gaze!" Every Magus below rank 3 she stared at turned into a stone statue. Even Magi at rank
3 would lose their minds for a moment, during which they couldn't fight back.
"Kill them!" Seeing their chief fighting outside, the snake bloodline Warlocks rushed out with red eyes,
fighting the Demon Magi.

Relying on the defensive matrix of their spell formation, they didn't have to care too much about their
own safety. Thus, they acquired many victories, and a lot of Demon Magi fell.

"I'm your opponent!"

Freya's attack crashed into a giant hand bound by iron chains as the chief of the Demon Magus Army
appeared in front of her.

"Warlocks with the dirty bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent have no right to live in this world!" he
said with an indifferent face as a weird energy sprouted out of his right hand.

"Dirty worms that make deals with demons! You have no right to say anything!" Freya frowned. Her
opponent's aura made her feel discomfort, even fear. But since he was an enemy, there was no need for
her to hold back.

"Throughout history, branches like the Branded Swordsmen, Elemental Bards, and Steel Knights have
continually disappeared. You bloodline Warlocks are meant to join them!" The head of the Demon Magi
roared, turning into a streak of black as he crashed into Freya.

Scenes like this occurred all over the defensive perimeter of the Ouroboros Clan.

Magic shone in all sorts of colours, flooding the whole city.

However, under the joint defence of the Magus Towers, these attacks just left small marks on the
translucent membrane which soon disappeared.
"It seems like the Magus Towers in the Ouroboros Clan's headquarters have stored plentiful amounts of
energy!" Seeing this, the green-haired Magus frowned.

"So what? Inform your guys, they can start their plans now!" A female Magus with red hair sashayed in,
rolling her eyes at him.

"Okay!" The Magus nodded, "And that thing, let it out now!"

"You want to use 'that' now?" The female Magus with red hair covered her mouth in shock.

"We have to. I promised those lords that we could deal with the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan
within 3 days!" The Magus with green hair smiled, saying something to his envoy.

Something sinister flashed across her eyes as she watched the movements of the Male magus, and she
followed him...

.......

"My lord!" Even though there was fighting outside, some important places were still under heavy guard.

And currently, two elites of the Blood Serpent Family were saluting to Ivanov.

"Good!" Ivanov nodded. But suddenly, his eyes suddenly started glittering.

*Schlick! Schlick!* Two black daggers shot out of his sleeves like lightning, disappearing into the guards'
chests.
Their Kemoyin Scales were pierced through by the daggers in an instant, as if they were nothing more
than a sheet of paper. The light in their eyes dimmed, before they crumbled to the ground.

"Hmph! You idiots. Even if they're innate defensive spells, there are methods to pierce through them.
How can you two defend against an elite of the family like me?" Ivanov sneered, and pushed open the
wooden door they were guarding.

Behind the wooden door was a small sealed room, magic tools and spell formations lying everywhere. It
was enriched with energy, and obviously working at full capacity.

"This seems to be one of the key points. As long as I ruined this, the defence of the city should be
weakened by at least 20%!" Ivanov smiled proudly, and gave the formation genie an order, "Deactivate
both the defence and alert mode!"

"Please input the code!" A robotic voice sounded from it.

"Long live the bloodline!" Since he was one of the elders in the family, he naturally knew the code. At
this moment, he thought about Freya.

"Fools like you can die, because as long as I'm alive, our bloodline will be preserved..."

However, Ivanov's expression changed at the next words of the formation genie.

"Wrong code! Intruder alert! Beginning annihilation!"

"What? What?" Ivanov murmured. At this moment, the image of a well-behaved and sometimes
rebellious girl popped into his mind.

"You're saying she was acting all along?"

But there was no time left for him to think. Blood-red lightning in the form of snakes appeared out of
thin air, drowning him within.

Blood red light flashed, and Ivanov was slowly melted within.

After the lightning faded, the space in the room distorted to reveal a red figure.

"Traitor verified. Blood Serpent Family, Ivanov!" The voice sounded cold and chilling.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 500 - Duo Serpent Annihilator

"Have you decided, my Lord?" The black shadow couldn't help but feel delighted in front of Faisal.

The satisfaction in being able to threaten the leader of the Ouroboros Clan, one of the largest clans on
the continent, was something that could not be described with mere words. It was only furthered by the
conflicted expression on the other party.

The rewards if he succeeded at this were so great he wouldn't even dare to think of them before.

"Reporting in, my Lord!"

At this timing, a high-ranking Magus pushed opened the door. Ignoring the shadow's existence, he
began his report, "The operation was a success! We've captured seven traitors and killed twelve. The
energy of the combined spell formation has been conserved, and we've only lost a mere 2.75%..."
"What is this supposed to mean?" the envoy questioned, his voice growing deeper and gloomier.

"What is this supposed to mean? It's exactly what you think it is!" Faisal suddenly gave an empty smile
as his body instantly appeared before the shadow, grabbing his neck and lifting him up.

"If you do this, the Lords outside will definitely not let you off!" Surprisingly, even at this moment, the
shadow was calm.

"I'll be waiting," Faisal nodded his head as he said seriously, "If you think that I'm unable to deal with
you just because you're a spirit projection, you're wrong. You're very, very wrong."

The moment he finished speaking, there was a visible change in the expression on the blurred face of
the black shadow and he couldn't help but give a cold smile, "It's a pity, but it's too late!"

*Boom!* Huge amounts of blue electricity rushed towards the shadow, blowing him to pieces.

Faisal sighed. "With such a huge stream of disordered data rushing in, even the main body would have
its sea of consciousness suffer irreversible damage!" he said in an unhurried manner.

"My Lord, this is brilliant!" The Magus that had just entered immediately bowed.

"This is nothing, it's just a little scheme, and it definitely won't affect the general situation," Faisal said.
He then exclaimed, "The Ouroboros Clan is my family and the pillar of support for all Warlocks of our
Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline. I want to be in control of it, not let it be destroyed..."

......
*Thump!*

The green-haired Magus who was standing outside the city fumed upon listening to the grievous news
as he witnessed the death of one of his envoys.

"Release the Kyasha Beast immediately!"

"But, my Lord..." Just as he was about to continue, the attendant at the green-haired Magus' side was
interrupted, "I know I have limited authority. I'll explain things to the other Lords later, but for now, I
want those ignorant Warlocks to pay with their deaths!"

"Coo coo..." After the order of the release of the warbeast, the brave and blood-soaked Magi standing
on the frontline heard a bizarre roar.

The roar resembled the beating of a broken drum, and carried a heavy pant with it. It created a sense of
oppression that made one feel like they were suffocating the moment it fell on their ears.

*Thump!*

*Thump!*

The ground started to shake. How scary was it for only one creature to cause the entire city to shake
with its mere footsteps?

Faisal couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in that moment, as he quickly ascended to the highest
vantage point.

From there, he saw an incomparably large creature, a four-legged beast with a horn on its head. The
creature was so huge and tall that in order to avoid it, the enormous airships in the sky could only wave
their flags and ascend further into the sky, opening a pathway for it to walk through.

The earth rumbled under this creature's arrival, its enormous aura even causing Faisal's breathing to
stop momentarily.

When it finally stopped right outside the Ouroboros Clan headquarters, Faisal thought he was seeing a
mountain range instead.

The Kyasha Beasts roared in anger. A terrifying and violent wave of energy swept across the battlefield,
causing everyone to lose their balance.

"Morning Star! It is a Morning Star realm creature!" Faisal's expression blanked out as he clenched his
fists tightly. "I'm afraid the cleansing operation this time provoked the enemy so badly that he's using
the deadly weapons that were used in the last big war. ."

On the other hand, the enemy who'd lifted the restriction on the warbeast didn't feel too good about it
either.

"My Lord, is it okay to lift the restrictions now? After all, we haven't performed final adjustments on it...
Besides, a lot of our soldiers will be injured by it as collateral damage..." One of the Magi smiled bitterly
as he looked at the giant Kyasha Beast with a heavy heart.

This giant beast was absolutely not a natural creature. It was a precious experiment created by a
Morning Star Magus.

When the creature was not in use, it would be sealed in ice. The Morning Star Magus that created it
even warned that if they didn't provide enough food for the beast to eat, even a large troop of Magi
would be eaten alive by it.

Naturally, despite such shortcomings, a Morning Star realm creature had its own worth. This was a beast
that had a physique at the Morning Star realm. Together with its enormous body and terrifying defence
system which included the ability to heal itself, the idea of battling such a creature was a joke.

Moreover, because its intelligence was sealed, even a rank 3 Magus could, albeit barely, control it. This
resulted in a great increase in its worth.

After feeling embarrassed and insulted by the other party, the green-haired Magus immediately lifted
the restriction on the warbeast.

The green-haired Magus, their leader, clapped his hands. "Don't worry! The other Lords have given me
the authority to lift the restrictions whenever I want to."

"After all, this is the last experiment. The warbeast summoned by the other party has to be at a Morning
Star level to be able to defeat this creature. Since we've already made the first move, it's up to the
Ouroboros Clan to retaliate with their last resort."

The warbeast's roars shook the earth as it moved closer to the defensive membrane on its long legs. A
large number of Warlocks were eagerly showering it with any spells that they could throw.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Blizzards, lightning, flames, and acids were all aimed at the Kyasha Beast. Yet, they were unable to so
much as slow the rate of its advance.

While a rank 3 spell occasionally broke through its defences, it was not enough to cause any significant
damage in comparison to its enormous body. This left the Warlocks disappointed.

By the time it reached the defensive barrier, the wounds on its body had been healing so quickly that it
appeared to never have been wounded at all.
The thought that this creature was invincible caused dismay among the Magi. Adding to the fact that it
seemed impossible to wound the creature and they could only wait for their deaths, the Warlocks were
extremely discouraged as they felt like the world was coming to an end.

The enemy's passion for battle increased greatly with the boost in morale brought by the warbeast. This
further decreased the chance of the Ouroboros Clan winning the battle. The enemies depended on the
strength and ability of the warbeast, it was able to kill all Warlocks standing in its way.

"This won't do. If this continues we might not even win against the enemy even if we use up all the
energy within the Magus Towers..."

Faisal's expression became gloomier as he snarled into his own secret imprint, "Activating Kemoyin
Gargoyles, I need all of you to authorise me to activate it!"

"Agreed!" "Agreed!" "Agreed!" Immediately, Lucian and the rest could be heard as they brought out the
runes specially designed for them.

"Two-thirds of the council has agreed, Kemoyin Gargoyles activated," a robotic voice announced.

Following that, a large and powerful energy wave swept across the battlefield.

The numerous Magi and Warlocks were stunned. The large Kemoyin Gargoyles that were always
standing in front of headquarters as if mere decorations opened their eyes, a ferocious glint revealing
the huge amber gemstones within. Beams of light were emitted from those eyes, heating up everything
in their line of sight.

The stone 'skin' on their bodies snapped off as if a huge jacket was being taken off. The statues grew
rapidly, and within the blink of an eye had reached half the size of the warbeast.
"Hiss...." The Giant Kemoyin Serpents hissed as energy waves at the peak of rank 3 erupted from them.

"These two gargoyles that are peak rank 3 together have power equivalent to that of a Morning Star.
Yet, this is not enough," Faisal fumed, "Combine!"

*Buzz!* On top of the headquarters, the main defensive spell formation shook as it released a wave of
energy, drowning the two heads of the giant snakes.

The two giant snakes hissed as they tangled with each other. A large layer of black light wrapped around
their bodies, and when the creatures rose up as one, the body had reached the same standard as the
warbeast.

*Rumble!* The Kyasha Beast was no longer relaxed, and its eyes showed caution as it stared at the
enemy that was just as strong as it.

The huge two-headed snake in front hissed, and both heads spit out their scarlet tongues even as their
amber eyes emitted rays of light.

"It's just like the rumours say. The "Duo Serpent Annihilator" is a capable puppet that has the power of a
Morning Star. Indeed, this is the last resort of the Ouroboros Clan." Freya looked at the double-headed
black snake from afar as she showed a complex expression.

This ultimate move was actually used on the first day of the battle. Did this mean that the reign of the
Ouroboros Clan would end? Just like this?

Freya and the other high ranking Warlocks suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Despite facing an enemy that was far larger than itself, the Duo Serpent Annihilator took the initiative as
it whipped its large tail at the Kyasha Beast.
*Thud!* The large warbeast that looked like a mountain range was actually swept off the ground by the
snake's tail.

*Rumble!* It was almost as if meteors were falling from the sky. The moment the huge body of the
beast came into contact with the ground, it formed a depression and created a magnitude 8.0
earthquake.

The allied armies that were unable to run fast enough were eventually squashed under the huge body of
the Kyasha Beast, resulting in chaos.

*Rumble* The warbeast that was stuck inside the hole roared, and a large amount of glittering light
gathered on its horn.

*Hiss!* The Duo Serpent Annihilator fearlessly fought the warbeast as it wrapped its long body all over
it, layer after layer.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 501 - Timely Appearance

A wild blaze surged up as corrosive artillery shells created a blanket of lightning across the sky.

　　

The glows of numerous attacking spells revolved around the Ouroboros Clan headquarters, unfolding in
layers continuously at the Phosphorescence Swamp.　

　　

In order to protect their organization and their homeland, the formidable Warlocks went all out against
their equally-powerful opponents. The earth was stained with blood and bones.
　　

Outside headquarters, two behemoths roared ferociously in their entanglement. Every strike sent
tremors through the land, as if forming an unending earthquake. This sort of remarkable battle was
uncommon even in the central continent, and deserved to be recorded as a legendary one.

The intense confrontation had lasted a full day, yet not the creatures, nor the Magi nor the Warlocks
showed traces of backing down. The Magi could bear the intensity of the battle, and the two giant
creatures could do it even more easily.

　　

On the other hand, Faisal wore a displeased look from within the command room.

"The East Zone is 37% damaged, the city walls 55%. The energy consumed by the Duo Serpent
Annihilator is too large, 67% of our combined storage is already depleted. We can't keep going much
longer..."

　　

How could there not be a price be paid for them to maintain a Morning Star realm combat strength?

　　

The Kyasha Beast depended on a frightening amount of food as sustenance. On the other hand, the
Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan could only use the stored energy from the multiple Magus Towers to
power the Duo Serpent Annihilator.

　　

Faisal understood that a puppet would always remain a puppet. Once the energy supply was
terminated, the Duo Serpent Annihilator would revert back to its original form.　　

　　

The remaining energy was insufficient for them to continue holding the fort.

　　

If this went on, with the exhaustion of their trump card, the Ouroboros Clan looked to be set for
extermination... 　　

　　
"Mentor! Please come back as soon as you can!" It didn't matter what Faisal thought previously. His
pleas now were extremely sincere.

"For the Family! For the bloodline! For the glory of our Warlocks!"

　　

At the battlefield at the West Zone, Freya was covered in blood from head to toe, multiple cuts all across
her body. Yet, she fought on through sheer force of will and obstinance, directly blocking the Demon
Magus ahead of her.

"Admit your defeat! You no longer have the protection of your Morning Star Magi, you are destined to
fall..."

The Demon Magus chief' was out of breath, as he spoke sentimentally, "There are few Magi who can
sustain battle with me for over 30 hours..."　　

　　

"..." Looking around at the messy battlefield filled with corpses of bloodline Warlocks, Freya shut her
eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they glowed with ferocity.

　　

"I vow not to yield! The glory of the bloodline Warlocks cannot perish in my hands!" 　　

　　

"What a foolish decision!" the chief chided, "If it is so, I will not show any mercy!"　　

　　

As if a seal had been unlocked, the iron chain on his right hand cracked apart, snapping off and dropping
down in segments. Dark black flames rose continuously from the arm, and Freya's previous sense of
danger had increased tenfold.

　　

"This Demon's Arm is a precious treasure that I acquired after braving countless dangers..."

　　
A terrifying arm, completely coated with scales and tipped with sharp claws, was revealed as the chain
broke. Compared to the transformation of the other members of the Demon Magus Army, the horror
that this arm exuded was far more terrifying. This could be considered a true Demon's Arm!

　　

"The Crystal Phase Magi that have fallen to this arm number seven. Today, you shall be the eighth!" The
chief roared, swinging his arm towards the front. A frightening black blaze erupted, barricading the
whole area like a cage.

　　

With the allied army winning, a loud humph sounded, audible to the entire region. A Magus appeared in
the middle of the battlefield.

　　

With eyes of silver and brows as sharp as swords and a Magus robe, decorated with the images of
tortured demons, draped over his body.

　　

Although he just stood silently in empty space, his presence generated a strong domain that had the
whole Ouroboros Clan headquarters engulfed.

In but a moment, the chaos of the battlefield had died down, giving birth to a deathly silence.

Even the Kyasha Beast and Duo Serpent Annihilator had stopped in the middle of their intense battle.
They felt a huge, imminent threat from this tiny human body.

　　

"It's Demon Hunter Cyril! Why did he show himself in advance?" the red-haired female Magus asked in
disbelief.

　　

"Cyril, it's said that you're a person who doesn't bother with reputation!" the green haired Magus
looked unimpressed, "Seeing the positive circumstances on our side, you must have rushed here to
forcibly take credit for it!"　　

　　

"He's an exalted Morning Star Magus, why would he snatch anything from you?" The female Magus
covered her mouth and sniggered.　　

　　

"Hehe... Cyril's reputation amongst Morning Star Magi... You will find out soon enough..." the
male Magus smiled bitterly. In the world of Morning Star Magi, everyone knew that Demon Hunter Cyril
lacked all form of chivalry. He was overbearing and shameless, seizing the resources and treasures of
lower-ranked Magi.

　　

"Are you not going to act anymore?"

　　

"Me? How can I interfere?" The male Magus spread out his hand and gestured, "Everyone clearly has
made some deals with the Demon Hunter. In front of a Morning Star Magus, I am but a slightly bigger
ant, no more than that..." 　　

　　

Thereafter, he laughed at himself and continued, "No matter what, with the addition of the Demon
Hunter, this battle will end soon."

......

　　

On the battlefield, the Warlocks who had yet to reach the Hydro Phase were confined by the enormous
pressure, and even moving seemed to be difficult.

　　

Even rank 3 Crystal Phase nobles were helpless as they realised that their ability to gather elemental
particles had been halved. Even activating their spiritual force proved to be extremely difficult.

Under the effect of the domain of a Morning Star Magus, all lower-ranked Magi were like ants.

"It's over! It's all over!" Faisal slid to the ground, witnessing the ruthless massacre of the Warlocks. His
expression turned deathly pale as he felt the life draining out from him.　　

　
With the support of the domain of the Demon Hunter, the allied military immediately stomped out
many regions of defence, even as the last bit of the defensive barrier was destroyed.

　　

At the centre of it all, Cyril sneered in mid-air. A projection of huge sharp claws appeared and it reached
out and attacked the source of energy at the city center. 　　

　　

*Po!* A colourful barrier appeared, blocking the sharp claws. Then, both the barrier and the claw in an
instant before turning into ashes, disappearing into the emptiness.

　　

"A rather good item! Pity that it could only block one attack at the Morning Star realm!" Cyril laughed
heartily, his body's radiance growing brighter. Horrifying amounts of elemental particles coagulated
once again, as if a tsunami had crashed into the bright barrier.

　　

The membrane cracked, and the energy source was extinguished!　　

　　

The huge defensive spell formation supporting the whole city had been under the attack of the army for
an entire day. The combined Magus Towers, as well as the various spell formations, collapsed loudly.

　　

Like a screen of water being dispersed, the membrane disappeared, and the entirety of the Ouroboros
Clan headquarters grew visible to the enemy.

　　

"No!" Two rolls of tears streaked down Lucian's face as he cried out. An enormous carnivorous flower
that was almost ten meters high devoured him completely.

　　

Even though he'd suppressed the other party with all his might, after being weakened by the Morning
Star domain he could only await his death.

　　

"Is this it?" Freya's jaws were clenched hard. She knew she wasn't a match for her opponent. Under
the attacks of the Demon's Arm, she now cut an extremely sorry figure, collapsing on the ground after
sustaining heavy injuries from the domain.
　　

Seeing the sharp claw advancing towards her and the cold, ruthless eyes of the Demon Magus who
owned it, Freya was dazzled.

In the blink of an eye, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Her life flashed in front of her eyes as if she was
reading a picture book, flipping page to page.

　　

In the end, her thoughts drifted to a young, black-robed Warlock. He smiled warmly at her, the passion
in his eyes enough to sent the hearts of all female Warlocks fluttering. They would be attracted to him
like a moth to the flame... Regardless of the danger of the blaze... Regardless, that attraction would
end up fatal...

"Goodbye... Leylin..." A single sparkling tear slipped out of the corner of her eyes.

　　 .......

　　

The sharp, scaly claw with its dark flames and terrifying energy brought with an intensely violent wind as
it aimed at her body.

The Demon Magus across her was very confident in his abilities. He could handle a Crystal Phase Magus
that was armed to the teeth easily, forget a Warlock who was seriously injured and suppressed.

　　

He was even imagining the death of this female Warlock in front of him, the blood and internal organs
spilling everywhere.

However, nothing was set in stone.

　　

Suddenly, The chief felt like his hand had been trapped in an iron hoop, rendering him unable to take
another step forward.　　
　

He looked up and was stunned. A Warlock wearing a black Magus robe stood in front of him. He had
long black hair, an extremely handsome face and had traces of a demonic charm on him that could
attract the attentions of all female Warlocks　　

　　

He seemed to have appeared in a flash. His right hand gripped the Demon's Arm, and the other
radiated a black serpent-shaped airflow which held Freya in place.

　　

Freya's shut eyes popped open, and she saw Leylin. Unable to contain herself, she blurted out, "Ley...
Sir Leylin! Am I dreaming?"

　　

"No. You're not dreaming. You've exhausted yourself. Take a rest while I handle everything else!"
Leylin's bright smile was soothing and it put Freya's heart to rest. Drowsy, she fell asleep.

"Who are you?" The chief was shocked beyond words. For someone to be able to remain calm under
the Morning Star domain and even cause the chief himself to be helpless, this person must not be easy
to deal with.　　

Besides, he couldn't even see through the opposing party's energy. The feeling was as if...　

　　

The Demon Magus shook his head, forcing his mind to abandon such thoughts as he didn't want to
frighten himself. He was afraid he might lose all confidence, kneeling and asking for mercy if his train of
thoughts was to develop further.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 502 - Bloodline Ignition

*Boom!* Dark black flames exploded forth from the Demon's Arm along with sharp knife-like blades. It
was obvious that the Demon Magus chief had definitely used everything he had up his sleeves for this
attack.

Unfortunately, be it the flames or the blades, they couldn't even leave a scratch on Leylin's pure white
palms. The flame was even extinguished moments after it burst forth.

"Morning... Morning..." This chief's teeth began chattering. He had a feeling that things were
progressing in a bad way. Who knew, the entire alliance army's plan could have been hindered.

"Master! Save me!" At the edge of life and death, he immediately cried for his master's help.

"Looking for him? Too late!" Leylin shook his head, and a black blade of light swept across him.

This frightening magus, who was in the Crystal Phase and had an unfathomable strength with the
addition of his Demon's Arm, was sliced into two just like that.

Be it innate defence or magic equipment, they were all like air in front of the black light blade, posing no
resistance at all.

Even at the moment of death, the other party's face showed bafflement.

"Um?" Seeing his best subordinate killed, Cyril naturally had a reaction. By the time he understood the
situation, an even more horrified expression emerged on his face. "Leylin!"

"It's me!" Leylin handed Freya over to his subordinates' care, and floated up to mid-air. His gaze fixed
onto Cyril, showing not a trace of weakness.

*Boom!* As if an ancient beast had awakened, a mysterious yet powerful force field began to emanate
from Leylin, rapidly offsetting Cyril's Morning Star domain.

To their relief, all the Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan felt like a load was being lifted off their backs,
immediately restoring their previously sluggish spiritual force to full capacity.

"You have already advanced to the Morning Star realm!" Cyril managed to squeeze out from the
crevices between his clenched teeth.

"Of course!" Leylin laughed brilliantly.

With just those two words of his, everyone on scene was amazed.

......

A while ago.

"I've left Parker and Tanasha at Freya's side. There's no need for me to worry!" Leylin, wearing a loose
black robe, activated the last spell formation. A mechanical door dropped down, along with the
activation of multiple layers of seals.

Vibrant runes wandered close to one another across the surface of the iron door. Leylin had used every
bit of knowledge he had about defensive spell formations in this, and together with the A.I. Chip's
deductive capabilities, even a Morning Star Magus would take a while to force his way in.

The walls of the secret chamber were littered with aura isolation runes. This room could be said to be
one of the best-hidden places on the continent right now.

There was no choice about it. This matter concerned his advancement to the Morning Star realm, and
Leylin wouldn't dare to be sloppy.
This was not his manor at the headquarters, but a cellar where he kept his secret purchases. The entire
process was controlled by him alone, and to an observer, it would seem completely unrelated to Leylin.

In his own manor, he had set up the same defensive spell formation, displaying the facade that he was
still there.

At such a critical junctures, Leylin was extremely vigilant. He even found it hard to trust some of his
subordinates.

"As long as we make it through this, everything will be fine and all the future holds for us is boundless
open vistas..." Leylin sighed softly. As if he released all of his emotions, his eyes became clear and he
calmed down.

He sat on the ground, and some items emerged in his hands.

A milky-white fingerbone with a few narrow cracks on it, a tube of golden blood emitting terrifying
energy waves, as well as a messy pile of spiritual force crystals. These crystals were mostly from his
spoils, while a portion of it came from Freya's gifts and his own collection.

"The road to the Morning Star is vast and long. Many Crystal Phase Magi do not even have the chance to
come into contact with this bottleneck..." Leylin held a solemn expression.

He had only advanced to the Crystal Phase not long ago, and he was already thinking of breaking
through to Morning Star. If it was an ordinary Magus, it would be nothing but a dream!

But he was different. He had a lot of cards in his hand and abundant knowledge, so much so that even
some Morning Star Magi could only wish for it.
Even with just the Lamia fingerbone, Warlocks who had been stuck for years would gain the possibility
of breaking through.

"A.I. Chip, report my current condition!"

[Leylin Farlier, rank 3 Warlock (Crystal Phase) Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent Strength: 40 Agility: 35
Vitality: 55, Spiritual Force: 356.5, Magic Power: 356 (magic power in synchronisation with spiritual
force)]

The A.I. Chip replied loyally.

After advancing to the Crystal Phase, his own spiritual force had increased only slightly. It was instead
his strength and vitality that had gotten a growth spurt under the effect of the techniques of the Multi-
Armed Race.

"Rank 3 spiritual force varies from 200 to 400. The first threshold for advancing to the Morning Star
realm is for it to reach a critical value, filling up your entire sea of consciousness..."

Because the A.I. Chip had already deduced more than half the information about the Morning Star
realm, Leylin currently had no doubts as to his path.

In fact, this was why he had to wait for the A.I. Chip's deduction progress to reach such a point before he
could advance. Many times, the crucial reason for failure in advancing was exactly a lack of knowledge
about the path to Morning Star, as well as the handling of the many real-life problems during the
promotion.

The A.I. Chip's deductions on the Morning Star realm happened to make up for this, clearing any
remaining confusions that Leylin had. To a certain extent, he also needed to thank the Azure Mountain
King for this. If he had not anxiously sent a clone, the A.I. Chip probably would not have been able to
progress in the Morning Star deduction to over 50%.

"My spiritual force now can only be said to have just reached the Crystal Phase. It's still far from the
critical value. I'll need the help of bloodline ignition." Leylin picked up the test tube which was filled with
golden blood.

This was the bloodline of the ancient red dragon, obtained from the Kobold Warlocks of the Forgotten
Land. Although it was extremely pure, because Leylin's own bloodline had long before been fixed, there
was no chance to use it. That opportunity would only arise after he completely analysed the ancient
Quicksand Organisation's bloodline experiment results.

The bloodline ignition experiment, as its name implies, was conducted by burning various kinds of
bloodlines to strengthen one's own power.

Its requirements towards the bloodline was very strict. One had to be a Warlock in order to conduct it,
and the grade of the bloodline that was to be burnt could not be too low. If not, the entire experiment
would not succeed and could even backfire. The bloodline of the ancient red dragon fulfilled this
requirement perfectly.

As for the supplementary resource for the experiment, it was a Crystal Phase Magus' spiritual force
crystals! Only the spiritual force fire produced by such crystals could completely burn the ancient
bloodline, and convert it into energy that would serve as the driving force for the Warlock's
advancement.

A complicated, detailed spell formation was already drawn on the surface of the ground. Leylin inlaid
the many spiritual force crystals one by one in an orderly manner, filling up the spell formation quickly.

The spiritual force crystal of a Crystal Phase Magus was a top-grade resource in many social circles. It
could even be used as a currency on its own and was of high worth.

But now, a large amount of spiritual force crystals were laid on the ground as if they were worthless,
radiating a pure, sparkling light.

The marks of the original owners of these crystals had naturally been erased by Leylin.
"The ancient red dragon bloodline is preceded only by that of the Sun's child. It's an extremely powerful
bloodline that can at least reach rank 5! Frankly speaking, if not for the fact that my bloodline cannot be
changed once absorbed, I'm afraid I too would not be able to resist the temptation, and would convert
into a dragon bloodline Warlock......"

Leylin sighed, taking off his Magus robe. He then smeared the golden blood all over his body, without
missing a spot.

The golden blood felt viscous to the touch, and smelt like orchids. It was cool to the touch at first, but
soon became boiling hot.

At the same time, a translucent flame rose from the spell formation below Leylin's body.

Streaks of crystal-clear light were pulled out of the many spiritual force crystals like threads. They then
converged at a point, forming a translucent flame comprised of spiritual force!

Although this flame was not really hot, once it came in contact with the essence of the ancient red
dragon's golden bloodline, it sparked a violent reaction.

"Ow!" Leylin groaned. His body grew rigid in a moment, and under the burning of the spiritual force
flame, he could feel the strange transformation in the ancient red dragon bloodline. It even turned into
a blood-red energy, passing through his pores and making it all the way into his bone marrow.

For an ordinary person, such pain was almost unbearable, but Leylin was just more focused on the A.I.
Chip's monitored information:

[Beep! Large amounts of bloodline essence has been absorbed by host body! Identified as the ancient
red dragon's blood, beginning bloodline ignition experiment!] [The curve of the spiritual force's fire is
stabilised, converting the ancient red dragon bloodline into energy...] [Beep! Bloodline energy absorbed
by host body, spiritual force increasing!] The repeated prompts caused an expression of delight to
surface on Leylin's face suddenly.
He noticed the initial value of 356 for his spiritual force spiking suddenly, and at the same time, a large
amount of blood-red energy was injected into his sea of consciousness, expanding its boundaries
continuously. Black spiritual force crystals, faintly hued red, condensed in large quantities.

Even if his spiritual force was spiking suddenly, with the amplification of Multilimb Strength, Leylin
managed to hang on without losing his consciousness. This gave him an opportunity to deepen his
understanding of his own body.

His spiritual force rocketed up continuously, exceeding 370, then 380. It reached 385 before it began to
slow down.

Shortly after, the value shot past 390, making its sprint towards 400, the limit of the Crystal Phase.

395, 396, 397!

At this value, it began to slow, with the swift change relegated to decimal places.

*Pop!* At this moment, all of the numerous spiritual force crystals were sucked dry, and the spiritual
force flame swelled! With the support of this power, Leylin's spiritual force began to rise again, all the
way to 399 before it came to a stop!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 503 - Morning Star! Morning Star!

[Beep! Injected spiritual force reaching critical levels!]

With his sea of consciousness swelling up, and the reminder from the A.I Chip, Leylin realised that not
only had his spiritual force reached the value of 399, even his sea of consciousness were filled with
black—with a tinge of red in the centre—spiritual force crystals.

Inside his sea of consciousness, the three layers of the spiritual force core nucleus started to emit
dazzling lights.

'The results of the first time the bloodline ignition experiment is performed is the best, and they
decrease over multiple uses.' As he could still feel the strong surge of bloodline energy, Leylin ordered,
"A.I. Chip, initiate the promotion to Morning Star!"

[Assignment received! Vital signs under observation, initiating Morning Star deduction, starting from the
prototype of the point mass...]

Numerous amounts of data, both numeric and otherwise, relating to the construction of the point mass
began streaming in front of Leylin's eyes. If not for the Azure Mountain King's clone, Leylin could never
have gotten a hold of all this secret information about the Morning Star realm as easily.

"Lamia fingerbone!" Looking at the other bloodline treasure, he realised that it was actually his biggest
gain from Quicksand Castle. If he were to use it then, he could have advanced immediately to the peak
of Rank 3, skipping the Hydro and Crystal Phases.

Yet, Leylin was one who did not give in easily to temptations, forcing himself to control his impulses and
merely using the radiation emitted by the fingerbone to slowly nurture his bloodline.

Even though the Lamia fingerbone could help him advance tremendously, but under comparison with
the advancement to the Morning Star realm, he knew which one was more important. So what's there
left to think about?

*Peng!* The milky white fingerbone disintegrated into ashes, and one of the rays of lights that appeared
during the explosion pointed directly towards Leylin's forehead.
*Hong!* The Lamia fingerbone was absorbed into his body.

A terrifying change started to occur immediately. In Leylin's sea of consciousness, under an enormous
compressive power, numerous amounts of spiritual force crystals moved towards the centre.

His face paled under the enormous pressure exerted at the heart of his spiritual force. It was so bad that
his whole body started twitching.

The sea of consciousness was essentially the home of the soul. The moment that it experienced any
damage, the Magus would be in deep trouble.

Under the immense pressure that the spiritual force was experiencing, sounds could be heard coming
from the centre of Leylin's sea of consciousness. It wasn't a good sign.

"Construct the fourth innate spell!" Leylin commanded with red eyes.

[Beginning assignment. Supplementary work initiated, transferring atomic microscope!] the A.I Chip
replied loyally.

Leylin's see of consciousness consisted of three layers presently. The outer layer held runes for two
innate spells— one for Kemoyin's Scales and the other for the Eye of Petrification. On the layer beneath
was the rune for rank 2— Toxic Bile. The innermost layer held rank 3 spiritual force crystals, consisting of
his rank 3 innate spell— Intimidating Gaze.

Under a sudden flash of red light, the three layers of runes perfectly combined, forming the exquisite
image of a Warlock's rune. Yet, it was missing one final thing.!

At this very moment, a fourth layer of crystals started to appear in the centre of the third layer.

As the centre of the core nucleus had a unique structure, the crystals became smaller as one went closer
to the centre, but at the same time, the details on each rune became more intricate and they grew
much more specialised.

At the centre of the fourth layer, even though it was a quarter the size of the first layer, it was still
important that there be no errors when one was carving the rank 4 rune. That was an out-of-the-world
request of a Magus' spritiual force manipulation abilities.

"It's no wonder that most Magi fail at advancing to rank 4. Even with the assistance provided by the A.I,
Chip, this task seems to be too difficult ..."

With the help provided by the A.I. Chip, Leylin who had already initiated the atomic microscope had
started to carve down the Kemoyin's Pupil innate spell on the fourth layer with the innate runes he'd
recorded.

This was something every Warlock must choose and only in high-grade meditation techniques do innate
spell models like these exist.

The attention to detail required to carve a rune in the sea of consciousness was much greater than
carving a statue, and the act was much more difficult. Once Leylin completed the final stroke of the
rune, his body almost collapsed due to exhaustion.

Under the immense pressure, it seemed like completing the fourth level rune properly was a big
challenge. It took a while for Leylin's consciousness to stabilize.

Once the innate spell had been completed, his entire sea of consciousness started to tremble.

Boundless rays of lights started to radiate from the centre of his sea of consciousness. The four layers of
intricate runes started to bind together in a picturesque order, much like a piece of artwork.

Once the centremost part was filled up, the entire crystal started to shake violently, strengthening
tremendously within seconds and the immense pressure that was present previously had disappeared.

"This rune?" Leylin observed the rune that was a combination of all his innate runes. It represented all of
his achievements so far, and hence he commanded the A.I. Chip to record it down.

Perfection! The first impression this rune would leave on a person was that of perfection!

A gigantic rune was created by the combination of these small runes, which cirulated continuously and
looked pretty much 3D. Regardless of how one looked at it, it was flawless.

"Is this... the path of my bloodline?" Leylin mumbled. At this very moment, he was almost moved to
tears.

*Rustle!* Once the four layers perfectly crystallized, they started to crumble inwards, shrinking to a
point that rapidly started revolving. Much like a black hole, it started to suck in everything in its
surroundings.

The spiritual force crystals inside his sea of consciousness started to shrink as they got sucked into the
black hole.

[Initiating the construction of point mass. Guidelines activated.] the A.I. Chip reported.

Leylin, too, started to construct his personal point mass according to his understanding and the
information from his A.I. Chip.

*Boom!* An immense suction force could be felt coming from the mass point of the spiritual force. Not
only were the spiritual force crystals sucked in, even the sea of consciousness was broken through and
more energy, flesh and soul aura were pulled in.

*Slap!* Leylin's consciousness suddenly blurred. Time seemed to pass extremely slowly, and at times it
felt like eternity was squeezed into an instant.

It took the sounds of glass shattering for Leylin to wake up again.

This time, his sea of consciousness felt empty. There was a dim light shining at the centre of the core,
the result of shrinking the spiritual force a million times over such that the nucelus core's density and
purity had reached an remarkable level. This was the point mass of a Morning Star Magus!

The source of the light shook, and the purified energy of the Morning Star realm, the energy of the point
mass that was also known as soul force, started to leak out into the entirety of Leylin's body.

At that point, he had entered the Morning Star realm!

[Beep! Host's Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique has advanced to the fourth level. Host has advanced
to rank 4!]

The A.I. Chip sounded out.

[Host's spiritual force has undergone a qualitative change. Data is inaccurate, recalculating...]

It was a long time for the new data to go up.

[Leylin Farlier, rank 4 Warlock Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form) Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force: 503.7, Magic Power: 503 (magic power in synchronisation with spiritual
force) Soul Force: ???] [Due to a lack of information about soul force, it is currently not possible to
calculate stats.]

Looking at the A.I. Chip's report, Leylin touched his chin and went into deep thought.

After advancing to the Morning Star realm, the original spiritual force would undergo purification and
turn into soul force. This energy was on a whole new level compared to spiritual force! Yet, as the
information and data that the A.I. Chip had on soul force was limited, there was too little knowledge in
the database to display a value. It could only display numbers in terms of spiritual force.

He had to wait until the A.I Chip had collected sufficient data to thoroughly calculate his soul force
statistics.

"The boundary of the Morning Star realm is 500?" Leylin felt the terror of having such strong energy and
sighed, "This is nearly a hundred higher than a rank 3's spiritual force value. It is no wonder rank 3 and
rank 4 are worlds apart.

"Soul force!" Something came into Leylin mind and a gloomy light appeared above his palm. This was
the mutated spiritual force from the point mass, it is also an energy of a greater level.

All Magi at the Morning Star realm and above used soul force. It was only when one reached this stage
that they could find their own path in life.

"This is why in ancient times, Magi below rank 4 weren't even deemed to have entered the world of
Magi yet."

There was a huge difference between rank 3 and rank 4, and the same was true between ranks 6 and 7.
Leylin had no idea about what happened one reached rank 7, but after advancing he now clearly knew
the differences between ranks 3 and 4.

"Magi at rank 3 and below mainly use spiritual force. However, once that is crossed, the Morning Star,
Radiant Moon and Breaking Dawn Magi will have to come in contact with the soul force and pay extra
attention to explore the potential in their soul"

Leylin couldn't help but look at his own point mass. In the heart of his sea of consciousness, that small
glow of light continued to spin around, forming a nebular spiral that pulled many of the energy particles
around within, only to regurgitate them upon purification.
From this point forth, his spirit had been concentrated into the point mass, creating a truesoul. At the
same time, due to the protection from the point mass, his resistance toward the previous spiritual force
and soul attacks were largely maximised.

The point mass, with its extreme density, was the last defence of Leylin's truesoul.

"My truesoul..." Leylin subconsciously remembered the last moment before he advanced.

In that instant, it seemed as though he saw the life and death of the universe, and also the rise and fall
of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent clan. It was also at that very moment that his soul truly bonded with his
bloodline to form one body, making him a true Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 504 - Edges Of The World

A Warlock's path was one of a bloodline.

However, before a Warlock reached rank 3, the influence of the bloodline extended only to his
body, and was not sufficient to affect his soul. Even if the two were linked, they were
completely different.

But after advancing to the Morning Star realm, a Warlock's true spirit would have harmonised
with the power of his bloodline, the two no longer separate.

'The reason this promotion went so smoothly... Is it that, besides my sufficient preparations,
there was a great deal of help from the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline?' Leylin contemplated
while touching his chin.
'The Giant Kemoyin Serpent of ancient times was originally a creature that could reach rank 4 at
adulthood. My bloodline is incomparably pure as well. After the complete fusion with the spirit
and its maturation under the radiation of the Lamia fingerbone, my body can totally be viewed
as a pureblood Giant Kemoyin Serpent. All these factors were key in my promotion to the
Morning Star realm.'

Now, Leylin could obviously feel that his spirit body possessed a desolate and distant ancient
aura. It even glowed a blood-red on the outside.

"The emotional instability of the Warlock bloodline can no longer pose a problem to me now
that I've promoted to the Morning Star realm. It has integrated into me as my personal state of
mind and emotions, instead of being under the influence of my bloodline."

Leylin forced a smile, handing over the bits and pieces of the memories he received about
Purgatory World and Shadow World to the A.I. Chip for storage. Although these fragments of
memories could be incomparably useful, they were likely to tempt the brutality in his heart.

However, as compared to the common bloodline flaw of a Warlock, this innate emotion was
even harder to control.

Because of how pure his bloodline was, Leylin learned a lot of things from his bloodline
inheritance when he advanced to rank 4.

"My path as a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, has already come to an end?" Leylin stood up,
feeling the strong power surging in his body. He couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

He had already advanced to the peak of all Giant Kemoyin Warlocks. Those like Gilbert who
were older than him had just accumulated more time at the rank. Essentially, there was no
difference between the two.

Due to the limitation of their bloodline, rank 4 was the highest rank a Giant Kemoyin Serpent
Warlock could reach. This was the shackle of the bloodline, and was a curse no Giant Kemoyin
Serpent Warlock could escape from.

Now that his future was bleak, Leylin felt lost.

No matter his bloodline or the A.I chip, they clearly told him that in his current state, the
Morning Star realm was the limit! And this misery killed him.

This was the most difficult thing for Leylin to tolerate. He was determined to reach the peak of
the Magus world.

"The stars are boundless, the numerous worlds were even more in number than stars in the
universe. Some other world definitely has the solution to this. If not, I can always find the
coordinates of the Snake Dowager through the Icy World of the Twilight Zone..."

Leylin comforted himself. His scope was a lot wider now compared to before, and he even had
the ability to adventure through astral gates independently.

A Magus who advanced to the Morning Star realm could cross over to other worlds on his own.
The knowledge and resources they could gain through this were incomparable to the rewards
from using a spirit seed.

"Alright let's do it this way. I'll first lay low for a period of time, stabilising my Morning Star
realm or even trying to reach the peak. Once that's done, I'll immediately adventure through
the different planes..."
Leylin decided.

At this moment, an explosion sounded as what seemed to be the tremors of an earthquake

made it through the multiple layers of defence, being transmitted to the room.

"This kind of effect even after being damped by my defences?" Leylin's face grew heavy, "The
situation outside has probably escalated to the extreme. The enemy might even have entered
the city!"

"It's time to go!" He waved his hand, and a luxurious black gown was automatically draped over
his body. He then disappeared from the secret room as if a shadow.

If he'd failed to advance to the Morning Star realm this time, Leylin could only wait for the
opportunity to escape when the city was destroyed by the enemy. Even that was not likely,
because he was still being hunted by the Azure Mountain King.

But since he'd already been promoted to one of the most powerful existences in the central
continent, he had the confidence to try and rescue the Ouroboros Clan!

.......

Looking at the genuine Morning Star domain being issued forth from leylin, even offsetting his
own, Cyril's expression turned extremely ugly, as if he was a dead person.

Morning Star! This was one of the highest-ranking powers in the entire central continent! It
took the protection of a Morning Star Magus for an organisation to be called large-scaled, and
such organisations could last for millennia.
And this time, only after seeing the three Morning Star Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan
disappear did the allied armies set out to attack them. Their own side wasn't irresistible. Once a
Morning Star from the other side attacked, more than half their legion would definitely be dead
or injured. This was why they were very cautious to the point of being timid.

Now that there is a fresh appearance of the Morning Star in the Ouroboros Clan, undoubtedly it
will strengthen this operation!

"He... What did he say? Morning Star? He is a Morning Star ?"

On the battlefield, Julian's face grew dull looking at Leylin's back view and was flabbergasted.
He would never have guessed that the Marquis Leylin who had only recently advanced to the
Crystal Phase would break through to the Morning Star realm at such a critical juncture!

"It's mentor! Mentor has advanced to Rank 4!" On the other side, a blood-covered Snoopy grew
so excited he hugged Parker in revelry. Tanasha smiled while watching from the side. She had
always been optimistic about Leylin's future, but she'd never have thought that this day would
come so quickly.

Compared to them, the expression of another person was very complicated.

"Leylin Farlier? Wasn't he searching for the astral coordinates? So it was actually a pretence for
his secret breakthrough to the Morning Star realm..." Inside the main control room, Faisal felt
the two large force fields counteract each other and stood up from the ground, his mood very
complicated.

With Leylin's protection, it was possible for them to survive this crisis.
And what made him feel complicated was that, be it his own painstaking effort or his
persistence, it was still a joke in front of the sheer power of the other party. He was just like a
soap bubble that could be burst by a mere finger.

"Duke Gilbert! Your student is excellent..." After a long time, Faisal sighed, covering up all his
disappointment and loss. Shouting himself hoarse through the communications, "Ouroboros
Clan! Strike back!"

*Boom!* Like a signal light, his command brought about an immediate change.

On the battlefield, the numerous Warlocks that had recovered suddenly burst forth and struck
down the enemies that had come to invade until they drew back, shifting the battlefront to its
initial location in no time.

Faisal surveyed the battlefield comprehensively without any cheer. He knew well that the key
to their victory was not here, but instead, the confrontation with Demon Hunter Cyril.

'Leylin is just a newly promoted Morning Star Warlock. Can he obstruct the other party?' With a
worried heart, Faisal moved his gaze up above, and saw an imposing figure blocking Cyril.

"How about just giving up this time?" Leylin started the conversation. Demon Hunter Cyril was
an impressive existence among Morning Star Magi, not to mention the allies waiting for him.

Leylin felt the attention of several conscients watching him the moment he appeared. And one
of them even had a scent of deep hatred and shock.

'Not only Cyril, there are at least three or four Morning Star Magi observing from the outside.
The Azure Mountain King is among them!' He understood the situation after a sweep of his soul
force.
"With just you?" Cyril jeered. It was not because he looked down on Leylin. But Leylin was
obviously a newly promoted Morning Star Warlock while he himself was an existence who was
well known for a long time in the Morning Star circles.It was impossible that he would be
frightened by the words of the opponent. If he was, how could he mix in with the others
afterwards?

Besides, he still had some impression on this young Warlock. They were the ones who caused
him to fall at the last hurdle and lose a huge share of loots from the Forgotten Land the last
time.

The new and old hate compounded, and there was no way he would cower! Besides, even if he
himself agreed, the others behind him wouldn't. This was a war that they had prepared for over
a long time, and the hate had already been planted. How could they back down at his words
alone?

"In that case..." Leylin shook his head and seemed very sorry, "I can only request that you die
first!"

*Crash!* Leylin tried to attack first, striking like lightning. Powerful energy waves ripped apart
the space and formed a huge rift. A silver spatial wave rippled, swallowing both him and Cyril.

"They went to the edge of the world to battle! Let's follow them!"

"This type of battle between those at this rank is very rare. If we record it, we can definitely sell
it for a sky-high price."

Several Morning Star conscients communicated, but another voice chimed in, "Although
Morning Star Warlocks have the additional power from their bloodline, I still look down on that
fellow. Although Cyril has a bad personality, his nickname of Demon Hunter was rightfully
earned!"

"I also agree. I bet that Warlock will be defeated in ten rounds! What do you think, Azure
Mountain?"

"I..." the Azure Mountain KIng touched his chin and recalled the loss previously. Although he
wished that Leylin could just be defeated and even killed, he still didn't speak out. "You guys
need to be careful, that kid is unfathomable."

"Hehe! I remember now. Wasn't Azure Mountain's clone killed by a Crystal Phase Warlock? Was
it him?" Another voice sounded, making the Azure Mountain King's face turn dark.

"Enough!" The largest conscients spoke, and the place suddenly became quiet.

"Watch their battle carefully. The result of this battle will be the basis of our next actions!"

A battle between Morning Stars usually lasted a long time and it was difficult to kill the
opponent completely. Thus, Leylin's strength would be the key to the upcoming battle!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 505 - Great War of the Morning Stars

'Although the data paints a similar picture, the magnificent beauty of the edge of the world
can't ever be fully described by mere words and pictures...'
Leylin sighed faintly. Currently, he was in a mysterious space surrounded by darkness. Multiple
silver rays of lights streaked across among the stars, and it was like the universe in his previous
life, boundless and magnificent.

Cyril sat opposite him with gloom clouding his face. Subtle chaotic flows of turbulence struck
him, but were rebounded by the layer of soul force on his body, unable to cause even the
slightest of injuries.

All Morning Star Magi possessed the ability to survive in the crevices of space. They relied on it
to pass through the different worlds.

Of course, it also depended on the grade of the crevices.

The one that Leylin chose was situated at the edge of the world. The space there was
comparatively stable, and the slight spatial turbulence could easily be held off by one's soul
force.

If, by any chance, the space encountered violent turbulence similar to that caused by ancient
battles, or due to the wild and violent storms occurring within the crevices of two worlds, leave
alone Morning Star Magi, even Radiant Moon Magi were likely to succumb to the force, leaving
just ashes. The Scorpion Man from the Icy World had met his death in that exact same manner.

Clashes between Morning Star Magi caused extensive damage. A battle between two could
destroy the entire continent. As such, if any Morning Star Magi desired to take revenge, they
would choose to settle scores inside these spatial crevices instead.

No matter how extensive the damage was, it would not affect the stability of the world.
The venue of the big battle this time was the Ouroboros Clan headquarters at Phosphorescence
Swamp. If their clash had occurred there, regardless of the outcome Freya, Parker, and the rest
would certainly meet death. In fact, the entire Ouroboros Swamp could cease to exist.

Leylin definitely would not want that to happen. Hence, he voluntarily dragged the opposite
party here.

"You're good!" Cyril raised his eyebrows in rage, traces of blue current circulating between
them.

He felt insulted at being outschemed by a junior. Even though he didn't want to be criticised by
the other Morning Star Magi for starting a battle in the main world, he felt he was entitled to
choose another location as the battleground instead of being forced here by the opposite party.

"Cyril! This and he matter at the Forgotten Land, let's settle everything today!" Leylin's voice
was soft yet strangely firm. He had not let go of his grudge from when he'd almost been killed
in a single blow and was forced to take refuge in the main headquarters for over a century.

He'd shelved the idea of revenge then due to lacking power, but now the time had come.

"How dare you bring up the past?!" Cyril fumed as he recounted the interference of these
fellows who took away a portion of the gains. If not for them, the natural resources at the
Forgotten Land and the Quicksand Organization would have all been his.

He had also been suppressed by the three Morning Star Warlocks and been left with no
possible means of escape.

"You have to account for your teacher's sins too!" Cyril's silver pupils shone with a sharp icy
chill. A long black pike appeared in his hand.
Faint, yet audible demonic cries were sounding out from its tip, chilling to the bone.

"You're a brat who just advanced to rank 4, just how much do you understand about the
abilities of the Morning Star realm? Prepare to accept your fate of failure!"

Cyril's growl was steely, "Rank 4 spell— Demon's Wail!"

He tossed out the pike from his hand. *Boom!* The horrific scene was like history repeating
itself, when the legendary giant Argyle threw the ahlspiess that destroyed the sun and killed the
Sun's child!

Violent waves of torrential power descended, and the black pike transformed itself into a ray of
black lightning, streaking through the turbulent space before arriving at Leylin.

Powered by a Morning Star Magus' soul force, the results of the spell were earth-shattering!

"Demon Hunter Cyril, you are indeed worthy of your name!" Leylin gasped in admiration,
"Unfortunately, I too am not as weak as you think!"

He had prepared to advance to rank 4 for a long time. During this period, he had managed to
acquire some badly damaged rank 4 spell models. With the A.I. Chip's simulations, he had
managed to repair the content, and skillfully grasp them.

Besides, the numerous memories he'd inherited from his bloodline also net him a battle
experience that was even marginally better than Cyril's!
The phantom of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent, with large amber eyes, smooth scales, and ferocious
razor-sharp teeth hissed from behind Leylin.

"Complying with the ancient contract, I call upon the power of the bloodline, serve me now and
transform into a resolute shield..." Leylin spoke with a delicate yet intense tone, similar to the
hissing of a giant snake, as he chanted awkward-sounding ancient incantations.

With every syllable distinct and audible, Leylin chanted the incantations before the pike arrived,
completing the spell's preparations and causing everyone an eerie sensation of time disorder.

"Bloodline Shield!"

As if an existence from ancient times, a black-scaled shield that had ferocious Giant Kemoyin
Serpent images portrayed on it appeared out of empty space. Crimson lightning still bounced
across its surface.

*Bang!*

Like a clash between the sun and the moon, or the impact of a star hitting the earth, the long
devilish spike that had transformed into black lightning suddenly bombarded the shield. Blood
red and coal black tangled, and the explosive aftermath was horrifying.

A huge spatial turbulence resembling the gushing of a tsunami struck from both sides. If it were
the main world, one single wave could have left the entire Ouroboros Clan completely
destroyed.

"No– No way!" Cyril yelled hoarsely from afar. From the connection with his soul force, he
clearly witnessed the crimson point on his pike fade to its original dull colour. The Giant
Kemoyin Serpent on the shield seemed to have come to life as it opened its mouth and
ruthlessly chomped the tip off the pike!

The black pike cracked, and violently blew up.

Space itself rumbled as the turbulence started wreaking havoc. It created enormous sharp rifts
that even Leylin and Cyril had to avoid temporarily.

"Shield Strike!" The huge shield collapsed like a mountain, taking aim at Cyril. With Leylin
following closely behind, the attack was incomparably fierce.

"No way! No way! No way!" Cutting a sorry figure, a defensive Cyril yelled despondently,
"You're a newly promoted Warlock. Why..."

He was clearly agonising over his situation. Leylin was not like a newly promoted Morning Star
at all, being extremely familiar with battling in spatial rifts. His ability to handle difficulties even
exceeded that of Gilbert and the rest!

'It looks like my inherited bloodline is indeed rare!' Assessing his expression, Leylin understood
his display of abilities had been too outstanding, even exceeding that of the three dukes.

"The exceptional purity of my own bloodline must have meant that the bloodline inheritance I
received is more complete. As for Mentor Gilbert and the rest, what they'd received was much
weaker..."

The inherited memories of a creature were always stored in its bloodline. Thus, if the
descendant's blood was pure, the arousal of the inherited memories would be greater, and the
inheritance itself would be richer, resulting in more benefits.
With the A.I. Chip having purified his bloodline and the Lamia fingerbone's supplementation,
Leylin could potentially be the best of the Kemoyin Warlocks!

Suddenly, Leylin was clear about his fate and he had no intentions to be lax about it.

*Crackle!* Multiple black scales appeared on his right hand, morphing into a sharp blade.

The runes of the rank 4 Kemoyin Scales were even more simplistic and reflected only a minimal
amount of light but still carried a uniquely daunting aura.

*Swoosh!* A layer of menacing black light surfaced on the blade, and Leylin mercilessly cut
across Cyril's chest.

The soul force from both sides came into contact. With Leylin's formidable strength and the
razor-sharp blade, he successfully broke through Cyril's innate defence. The knife-like blade left
a huge wound across his chest, and blood splashed everywhere. It left a hole so large even the
organs could be seen within.

"How... how can it be?" Cyril attempted to cover his chest while stumbling backwards, disbelief
in his eyes.

"How can I lose? And to a newly promoted junior?" Cyril yelled fiercely, his face distorting with
anger. The poise he previously possessed evaporated, and the fury tinged his silver eyes blood
red.

"No! I have not lost! I have my last trump card!" Cyril suddenly looked up, his body filled with
an extremely dangerous aura. "Leylin Farlier! Today I will show you what it means to be a true
rank 4 Morning Star Magus!"
The halo of an innate spell appeared from his body before brightening.

"Rank 1 innate spell— Anarchic Forcefield!"

This was followed by the halo of his rank 2 spell...

By the end, Cyril's aura had risen to the maximum, and four unstable rings revolved around his
body.

This was the Morning Star Arcane Art! Forced to the edge by Leylin, Cyril he'd ended up
brazenly using his final trump card!

"The Morning Star's final technique..." The corner of Leylin's mouth curved up in a smile. His old
memories of witnessing one being performed had been refreshed, and it came to life.

"I have one too!" Restraining his smile, the brilliant red glow on Leylin's body started twinkling.

"First, the rank 1 innate spells— Kemoyin's Scales! Petrifying Gaze!" A fine layer of black scales
covered Leylin's body entirely, and his pupils glowed amber.

"Next up, the rank 2 innate spell— Toxic Bile!" A poison from the ancient times surfaced, swiftly
surrounding him.

"Then the rank 3 spell— Intimidating Gaze!" After his promotion to rank 4, the dignified aura
exuded by Leylin's body had grown even more terrifying. His body had rightfully regained the
power and influence of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent itself. He now radiated the aura of an
ancient first-rate predator.

"Finally, the rank 4 innate spell— Bloodline Metamorphosis! Combining to form the ancient
Morning Star Arcane Art— Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!"

The point mass in Leylin's sea of consciousness started rotating violently, with his and his soul
force spurred him on. The four innate spells synchronised with each other, with an
amplification that caused a horrifying change.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 506 - Fall of the Morning Star

*Hiss!*

In the void that seemed to resemble the universe, a gigantic black serpent emerged. With a
body more than ten thousand meters long, it looked like it could swat an entire star out of the
way with a sweep of its tail.

It was a predator at the top of the food chain which only existed during the ancient times, and
was only heard of in rumors and myths. The Giant Kemoyin Serpent had actually descended!

The huge black serpent occupying the void had large amber pupils that resembled stars, and
the fine black scales on its body twinkled, reflecting its glossy texture.

This wasn't a phantom that was combined with his bloodline aura using spells; this was an
actual living being, made of flesh and blood!
The Morning Star Arcane Art of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks was indeed this Kemoyin
Serpent Transformation! It allowed the Warlock himself to temporarily revert to his ancestral
form, and turn into a terrifying ancient creature!

The ancient Morning Star realm creature was still completely under the Warlock's control, and
he even retained his original spell-casting abilities.

With the terrifying strength of the corporeal body and great magical prowess, Kemoyin
Warlocks at the Morning Star realm were definitely a nightmare for many Morning Star Magi!

Cyril broke out in a cold sweat when he realised that the large pupils were staring right at him,
and the fear hidden in his deepest corners of his psyche suddenly burst out.

"No! NO! I still have a Morning Star Arcane Art! I'll give it my all!" At this moment, Cyril had also
completed his own Morning Star Arcane Art. Splendid rays of light exploded forth from his
body.

"Rank 1 innate spell— Chaos Forcefield!"

"Rank 2 innate spell— Meteor Force!"

"Rank 3 innate spell— Celestial Explosion!"

"Rank 4 innate spell— Rites of Turbulence!"

"Combining to form the Morning Star Arcane Art— Aerial Meteor!

*Bang!* The void exploded, and an enormous meteorite that seemed like a star emerged,
transforming into a streak that charged towards Leylin and fire flickered continuously in the
space the meteorite travelled through.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent hissed, greeting the huge meteor in a great clash, just like in the
legends.

......

Above Phosphorescence Swamp in the Magus World, numerous Morning Star conscients were
at a loss for words.

"How... How could it be... Why is that youngster's Kemoyin Serpent Transformation so strong?"

After a long silence, the strongest central thought spoke up, "The strength of a Warlock's innate
spell is not only decided based on their rank, but also on the bloodline. The purer the bloodline,
the more powerful the Warlock!"

"What you're saying is that the purity of that fellow's bloodline is even higher than that of
Gilbert and the other two?"

"Yes, it's such a regret that we didn't discover him earlier and kill him... Now that we have
allowed him to grow..." The central conscient sighed, feeling that it was a great pity.

"Seems like Cyril is bound to lose..." Soon after, the numerous voices started making gurgling
sounds like strangled ducks. Even the Morning Star Magi watching the battle were alarmed.
"You must be joking!" "How is this possible?"

They seemed to have seen something unfathomable happening before their eyes, and sank into
collective despair.

*Buzz!* Above the battlefield, the void contorted. Leylin changed into his black Magus robe and
proudly straightened himself.

Upon seeing him, the numerous Bloodline Warlocks below finally heaved a sigh of relief, yelling
forth, "Leylin! Leylin!"

However, the shouting from the crowd suddenly stopped.

This was because Leylin had lifted up a head, one that didn't even have the chance to die a
peaceful death with its eyes closed. It had thin lips and silver eyes— just that they had lost their
luster. This was the head of the Demon Hunter, Cyril!

"Demon Hunter Cyril has already fallen in battle. Which one of you would like to be next?"
Leylin stood proudly on the battlefield with Cyril's head held high, and looked around.

This rank 4 Magus had always been held in high regard for a long time, and was even seen as a
Morning Star Magus. But now, he had actually fallen right in front of their eyes?

It wasn't just the Magi in the allied armies, but even the Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan who
pinched themselves, unable to believe their eyes, and thinking that they were dreaming.
The battlefield fell into a deathly stillness for a moment. When the Warlocks regained their
senses, they all started screaming wildly.

All this while, the burden they had been carrying in their hearts was too heavy. Now that they
had the chance, they naturally unloaded everything off their chests, and they even seemed to
have gone a little insane.

At the same time, Leylin was also communicating with other Morning Star Magi.

"You shouldn't have killed him!" A large conscient sounded.

"This is a war, an endless fight to the death!" Leylin refused to concede.

"Does this mean that you will fight us to death as well?" The other party was naturally not
startled by Leylin's threat.

"Of course... Not! If you still decide to continue to battle, I will abandon the Ouroboros Clan
headquarters and flee, then attack your territory!" Leylin answered without a single bit of
shame, and instead caused the other party to be caught in a dilemma.

The battles between Morning Star Magi usually lasted for long periods of time. If one could not
subdue the other and let him escape, no organisation would be able to withstand the
consequences if he came back for revenge.

Leylin had already proven with his military accomplishments that he wasn't your average
newly-advanced Morning Star Warlock. He had great capabilities, even among those at the
Morning Star realm.
His enemies, who were Morning Star Magi, would be able to defeat him if they joined forces,
but they would have to pay a tremendous price. It would also pose a problem if he ran away
after they suffered serious injuries!

The risk was not nearly worth the reward. And with the possibility of a hidden danger being
present even Morning Star Magi would not attack head-on.

The many conscients immediately started quarrelling.

"Are we going to let him go just like that? He killed Cyril!"

"Doesn't Cyril still have a doppelganger?"

"It is only at rank 3, what use does it have? Furthermore, Cyril has bad blood with many other
Morning Star Magi, and they won't let this chance slip by. He's as good as dead!"

"No! We cannot let him go!" The Azure Mountain King bore the most hatred towards Leylin.

"Really?" Leylin's voice was transmitted to his mind directly.

"Dear Azure Mountain King, if the allied armies still decide to start a war in the end, I can
guarantee that the stardust bugs will immediately be made known across the whole of the
central continent!"

The Azure Mountain King's was startled. He glanced around his surroundings. Seeing that none
of the Magi discovered that he was communicating with Leylin, he spoke with less restraint.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Yes I am!" Leylin answered without a tinge of modesty. "Now that I am already a Morning Star
Magus, you can't erase all traces of me. In comparison to you, how many people will choose to
believe me?"

He even added another sentence at the end, which ruthlessly pierced through the Azure
Mountain King's heart like a dagger, "Also, I seem to have found some possibly disastrous items
among your grandson's belongings! So many interesting sketches... If they are leaked, I'm
afraid..."

"Enough!" The Azure Mountain King's tone went an octave higher, and he had no choice but to
accept a compromise, "I promise you!"

Even as he said this, his heart was bleeding. He understood that with such an agreement, not
only would he be unable to seek revenge in the future, he would also be subjected to Leylin's
threats.

However, he had no other way out. After all, his strength was not even as great as Cyril's. If
Leylin could kill even Cyril, using military force against him would just be a joke.

......

"Damn it! How could such a thing happen?"

On the ground, in the command centre of the allied troops, the Bloodline Warlocks on the
entire frontline were counter-attacking. This made the green-haired commander hysterical,
especially with Leylin having just attacked and killed a Morning Star Magus.
"What do we do? What do we do?" Hesitation flashed across his face, and the green-haired
Magus tightly clenched his teeth. "Order the Kyasha Beast to attack with full force, and self-
destruct at the end. Even if we cannot reap the fruits of the battle, we have to make sure the
other party suffers great losses! We have to at least get rid of that Giant Serpent puppet!"

The Kyasha Beast and the Duo Serpent Annihilator of the Ouroboros Clan were both puppets;
artificially manufactured products at the Morning Star level. Although they had partial Morning
Star strength, they were unable to fully put it to use. They were not very intelligent either, and
were rather rigid.

But even so, the terrifying damage one could cause upon self-destruction could not be looked
down upon. If Leylin didn't pay attention, forget the Duo Serpent Annihilator, even the entire
town of Warlocks would be reduced to ruin.

Just like how other Morning Star Magi were apprehensive towards Leylin, but did not take
action. It would not be wise for Leylin to harm the green-haired Magus just because of the
damage he caused. Because threats would always be always mutual.

The green-haired Magus then made a decision. He fished out a necklace from his waist pouch,
adorned with emerald. He was about to issue an order.

At this moment, he was greeted with a fragrant smell. A figure that he was familiar with
appeared behind him, and the smell of perfume lingered around the tip of his nose.

"Quit playing around, I'm doing something serious!" The green-haired Magus furrowed his
brows, but didn't push the other party away. He knew this person all too well, thus he took no
precaution at all.

All of a sudden, his face turned blank. He lowered his head, seemingly in excruciating pain, and
saw the tip of a blade sticking out of his chest. Fresh, scarlet blood stained the knife, dripping
down.

A gentle voice explained next to his ear, "The minister of the Dark Serpent department, Trelisse,
sends her regards!"

"You... You..." Blood foamed at his mouth continuously. He had not been wary of that female
Magus at all, and his innate defence was as weak as paper when faced with that dagger.

"This mission was completed successfully all thanks to you! Also, don't even think about using
the life entrustment spell to reincarnate; I already learnt of the location a long time ago... One
last thing, your choice was a grave mistake. You really shouldn't have turned against us..."

The lady's voice seemed like the sweetest venom, entering the male Magus' body along with
the dagger. His vitality trickled away unceasingly, and even his vision was starting to blur.

Soon after, a black ray of light flashed and the ring finger on his left hand was burnt to ashes.

As a high-ranking Magus, and also the commander of the allied armies, he had methods that he
could use as a last resort to ensure his survival, the most important one being the life
entrustment spell. This would allow him to transfer his soul to any part of his body; as long as
that part still existed, he would be able to reincarnate.

But what a pity it was that the other party had already seen through it all.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 507 - Post-War

*Boom!* Upon pulling out the dagger, a beautiful red-haired female Magus grabbed the
emerald necklace from the male Magus expressionlessly.

"Command: gklm..." After a series of spells, the aura of the gemstone necklace burst forth, as if
a miniature war giant had emerged from its core.

"Get as far from here as possible, beginning self-destruct procedure!" After she coldly issued
the command, the necklace in the female Magus' hands immediately turned to ashes. Shortly
after, her entire body was engulfed in a dark green flame, disappearing into thin air...

The headquarters' allied army had been thrown into confusion. It instantly became a mess, and
some of the soldiers had already chosen to retreat.

"Very good! Very good! The 'Shadow Snake Department' of your Ouroboros Clan has even
infiltrated our main command post!"

The conscient in the middle gritted his teeth.

"How would I know?" In his heart, Leylin rolled his eyes. Previously, his position in the
Ouroboros Clan was not one where he would be exposed to such things, but it did not stop him
from improvising.

"War is always unscrupulous. Now, it's your choice. With the current state of the allied army,
I'm afraid that even without us attacking, it will immediately descend into chaos..." Leylin spoke
very confidently, as if he was the one who had sent out the female spy.

The Kyasha Beast growled, abandoning the fight with the Duo Serpent Annihilator as it made a
run for the outer regions, causing the ground to shake vigorously. The allied army soldiers in its
surroundings became minced meat one after the other.

Big chunks of flesh fell off its body even as it ran. This was the activation of the previous self-
destruct command.

Watching this, many of the conscients fell into a silence, then began to talk to one another soon
after.

Leylin smiled confidently instead.

Now, they were evidently carrying out an arduous but unrewarding job, and were in the midst
of hesitation. And just now, the most stubborn Azure Mountain King had been changed from
opposing him to being a supporter. With these changes, the strong force that had at least two
votes had become the one to decide between the two previously evenly-matched choices.

Indeed, after a short moment, the large conscient emitted huge soul force waves,
communicating with the many soldiers of the allied army.

After receiving orders, the Azure Rain knights, as well as the other numerous allied Magi, began
to retreat gradually.

Only the Demon Magus Army, and a few other small organisations like the Arm of Vengeance,
held their positions with a look of helplessness on their faces.

"You have won this time!" The large conscient spoke from opposite him.
"Thank you all! I only need to preserve the core territory, which is Phosphorescence Swamp. As
for this war, pin the blame on the City of Sins, Nefas, and that Arm of Vengeance..." Leylin quit
while he was ahead, speaking with a slight bow.

What he meant, was to maintain the current situation, make the opponent hand over all the
territories they were occupying, and not to look into the responsibilities of other forces.

Leylin had considered things thoroughly. Because of the support of the 3 dukes, the Ouroboros
Clan could originally hold such a large territory. Now, with him alone, the results of this war
were considered a success.

Furthermore, with his current frail strength, forming rivalries with so many Morning Star forces
was unrealistic. He could only assign a few scapegoats to settle the problem.

The Arm of Vengeance was originally a predetermined choice. With the addition of Nefas,
which had already lost its Morning Star protection, it was enough.

"Very well! You have made the right choice!" A hint of rare gentleness floated in the conscient's
voice.

"I believe in the future, we will become good friends..."

The interactions between those at the Morning Star realm was this simple. Once they realised
they could not completely annihilate the other party, it was very normal to humble themselves
to form good relationships.

Two great forces in heated conflict could sometimes bury the hatchet the next day. All of this
was definitely not unlinked to the Morning Star Magi backing them.
If not for Leylin coming out of the blue this time, how would these starving wolves have been so
easy to convince? Perhaps the entire Ouroboros Clan would have been swallowed up without
any remains.

*Swoosh!* Many conscients disappeared, and only at this time did Leylin slowly heave a sigh of
relief.

He knew that, at least for now, the Ouroboros Clan had crossed its predicament.

"Sir Leylin!" "Sir Leylin!" "Sir Leylin!"

On the ground, many of the bloodline Warlocks had injuries on their bodies. As they watched
the allied army retreat, they could not help but rejoice. Especially upon seeing Leylin's gaze, it
was as if they had seen a deity.

Faisal, who saw the scene, could only smile bitterly to himself.

He knew that from then on, the entire Ouroboros Clan would probably fall into the hands of the
Morning Star Warlock floating above.

......

"Ugh... I... Where is this?"

Freya groaned. After waking up, she looked at the familiar ceiling with a little disorientation in
her eyes.
Suddenly, the devastating great war, the blood and flesh flying all over, the appearance of a
Morning Star Magus emerged one by one in her mind. At the end, was that pair of gentle eyes.

"The chief has awakened!" The two pretty maids at the side noticed Freya coming to and they
immediately rejoiced, scurrying out.

After a moment, Freya who had regained her usual astuteness and capabilities, tidied up her
clothing and sat by the bed. Listening to the many elders who had rushed here, as well as
Julian's narration, her tiny lips slowly spread apart.

"That means... Leylin! Oh no! Sir Leylin has already advanced to rank 4, to the Morning Star
Realm?" Freya muttered, unsure of the feeling in her heart. Previously, it was because she had
been driven by Leylin that she went into seclusion in order to cultivate and advance into the
Crystal Phase.

She had originally thought that she had shaken him off, but little did she know that Leylin would
display such great strength at the Crystal Phase after that, even advancing before her.

Now, he had even broken through the Morning Star bottleneck directly, achieving the dream of
many of the central continent's Magi—rank 4.

Furthermore, he had even killed Demon Hunter Cyril in one blow, and with a determined stance
remedied the Ouroboros Clan's perilous situation.

"So, without me even realising it, the gap between us has already grown so large?" Freya's eyes
grew hot, almost tearing up. However, after having trained for such a long time, she was able to
hold it in by force of will, not exhibiting the slightest bit of emotion on her face.

"Yes! According to Sir Leylin's previous diagnosis, your spiritual force is exhausted. You require
more rest..." Julian looked at Freya carefully, making eye contact with most of the clan elders.

Deep in their hearts, they were extremely impressed by Freya's previous support for Leylin.
Now that he had been promoted to the Morning Star realm, even obtaining the great power of
making changes the Ouroboros Clan, he would definitely favour their clan in the future.

Even... some elders stole glances at Freya.

Because she was seriously injured, Freya's face was slightly pale yet it did not cover up her
touching expression. It was a pitiful look.

If this clan leader could mesmerise Sir Leylin, wouldn't the clan be able to introduce a Kemoyin
bloodline of the Morning Star rank?

Just the mere thought of it made these elders flush red, and their bodies trembled
uncontrollably.

"No need, I'd like to see him!" Freya took the thick fur jacket, draped it over her shoulders, and
walked out.

The physique of a Crystal Phase Warlock was beyond one's imagination. With only a short rest,
Freya's body was more or less recovered, posing no problem for her to move around on her
own.

Julian wanted to follow her initially, but was stopped by an elder with a strange smiling face...

The heart of the Ouroboros Clan's regime was originally a senate formed by the 3 Morning Star
Warlocks. However, with Leylin as the only one left, he could naturally decide everything as he
wished.

He no longer worked in his own manor, but in the most luxurious hall in the headquarters.
Many high-ranked Warlocks bowed humbly, awaiting orders from the young Magus on the
throne.

"Dark Serpent Section, the military, the technical department... 57 Marquises, as well as many
Earls and Viscounts have announced their loyalty to your highness. They are all willing to follow
your highness, and revere your highness as the highest veteran of the Ouroboros Clan!"

A smile of flattery hung on Faisal's face. Like the most loyal dog, his back was hunched almost
90 degrees as he reported to Leylin.

"Very good!" Leylin was now wearing a platinum robe embroidered with a fierce black serpent.
In the vibrant lights and colours, even the totem of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent was on the robe.
At the sides of the robe, many runes were sewed on with thin golden thread.

The robe itself was a low-grade magic artifact! And Leylin, who wore it, seemed much more
majestic for it. Being on the throne was like being the central power of the universe, and it had
him brimming with dignity.

As he watched Faisal and the other Warlocks giving him an abnormal amount of respect, a
playful smirk curled up at the corner of Leylin's lips.

Ever since the war ended, these Warlocks immediately crowned him lord, showing the utmost
respect for him.

The strong rule, this had always been a fundamental truth!

Furthermore, with Leylin's current strength and the reputation of saving the clan from its
perilous situation, even if they disagreed he could force a massacre upon his subordinates. By
that time, things would no longer be as simple as handing over power. Hence these Warlocks
were very obedient, fearful of Leylin finding their weaknesses.

*Thump!* After Freya stepped into the hall, two rows of Warlocks immediately stared at her,
giving forth a pressure that even she could not endure.

"Blood serpent Marquis Freya greets Sir Leylin!" Freya was also unsure of the feelings in her
heart, and she just bowed respectfully.

"Everyone except Freya, leave!" Leylin nodded. The two rows of Warlocks immediately exited in
an orderly manner, shutting the door silently to make space for Leylin and Freya.

"What's wrong?" Leylin stepped down, watching the slightly strong-headed yet confused and
fearful Freya, accurately capturing the trace of fear deep in her eyes.

"You... really are different now!" Freya muttered softly as she watched the heroic young
warlock before her.

From his aura that was as calm as the ocean that had an extraordinariness to it, one could tell
that he had really advanced to that far-fetched Morning Star Realm, and was probably even
stronger than her Mentor.

It was just that, such a powerful Leylin gave Freya an urge to cry instead.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 508 - Taking Action

With a sweep of his soul force, everything regarding Freya was revealed in front of Leylin.　　

"Your injuries are pretty much healed up, though your sea of consciousness still needs
nourishment. I recommend the Giant Serpent's Spirit Potion! There are already very few Crystal
Phase Warlocks like you in the Ouroboros Clan..." Leylin sighed.　　

After the great battle, the ten or so Crystal Phase Warlocks had dwindled in number to a pitiful
seven or eight. Even Leylin's senior, Lucian, had been unlucky enough to lose his life at the
hands of the plant legion.

　　

In a situation like this where there were few trump cards remaining, Leylin knew that even
though he was in charge every single Crystal Phase Magus was a precious resource.

　　

"Many thanks, my Lord!" Freya bowed, seemingly very solemn.

　　

"Oh, right. One more thing. I hope the Blood Serpent Family can help me arrange for my
Morning Star Ceremony." Morning Star Magi had very high statuses in the central continent,
especially since it was so difficult to advance. Every instance of it was a joyous matter worthy of
celebration with a huge circle of friends, and was even a grand ceremony for the entire
continent.

　　

Based on conventional practices, each appearance of a Morning Star Magus meant that there
had to be something like a ceremony. This was an announcement of power, which was even
more important for the Ouroboros Clan, given its current state.

　　
The bloodline Warlocks, who were in a state of chaos, were in desperate need of a burst of
motivation.

"It shall be my family's honour to do so!" Leaving it to her family meant valuing her. Whatever it
was, this was beneficial to the Blood Serpent Family. As the leader, Freya could not reject them,
nor did she have any reason to do so.

　　

"I am also planning to release another piece of news during the ceremony." Watching Freya,
who was biting her lips with an odd look on her face below him, Leylin smirked.　

　　

"What is it?"　　

　　

"After the ceremony, I shall organise a huge wedding and marry you into my family!" The words
that left Leylin's mouth were earth-shattering, leaving Freya completely stunned.　　

　　

"Marry into your family?" Freya repeated it like a mantra, her child-like features perplexed.
Leylin was a Warlock who had recently joined and basically had no support from any bloodline
families.　　

　　

"Yes, the Farlier family. Although there's only me on the central continent for now, I believe
we'll become the first family of the Ouroboros Clan. We'll even become the best of all bloodline
families!" Leylin touched his nose.　　

　　

Though he was the only Warlock in his family and it seemed pitiful, Leylin didn't care.

　　

After all, how could a family with a Morning Star Magus be common? With his pure bloodline,
the chances of his descendants advancing were much higher than for other Warlocks. In no
time, it would be capable of becoming the greatest family in the Ouroboros Clan!　　
　　

The central continent was much too large. Though Leylin now held control over the Ouroboros
Clan, he needed to develop an organisation that was uniquely his. How could there be anything
that could beat a family he created himself? Others would have another layer of bloodline
restrictions, and this would count as insurance for himself.

　　

In addition, he who had already reached the Morning Star realm no longer had to worry about
the leakage of information regarding the purity of his bloodline. He now held enough strength
to protect himself.

　　

Since he needed a female Warlock to spread his bloodline, Leylin naturally chose Freya. First of
all, she was clean and honest, and treated him well. She looked pretty as well. What else was
there to hesitate over?　　

　　

"What if I... reject you?" Freya bit her lips, slightly unwilling. Though she liked Leylin, she didn't
want things to go this way.

　　

"You can't reject anyway. I rule the Ouroboros Clan!" Leylin's tone could not be questioned. The
rims of Freya's eyes reddened, and she lightly grasped Leylin's hands.　　

"I know you're unwilling to do this because you're hoping I'll marry into your family instead of
the other way around. Is that right?" Leylin completely saw through Freya.

Deep inside, Freya still hoped to bring Leylin into the Blood Serpent family, but this was
obviously not possible.

　　

The Leylin right now would definitely not agree to this at all. Even before he advanced, he
would only get others to do as he wished, and there were never instances of others getting him
to do something.　　
One had to acknowledge that Leylin was a male chauvinist. He would marry Freya of his own
accord, and not because he was thankful towards her. And he would definitely not marry into
her family.　　

　　

"You know all this, but why..." Freya raised her head, face glimmering with tears as she
protested.

　　

Seeing her reacting this way, Leylin knew that she had pretty much made up her mind, and
couldn't help but chuckle, "Because I am stronger than you! This is what you're destined to do!"

　　

Strength ruled the Magus World. This was an undisputable truth.

　　

Since Freya had completely given in, Leylin softened his tone and began to console her, "Don't
worry. I will naturally take care of your family. When we have many children, I can even send a
son over to the Blood Serpent family..."　　

　　

This was an attempt at pacifying her. Since Freya had done so much for Leylin, he had to pay
her back. However, Leylin's nature was such that he had to take the initiative, instead of being
begged to act.

Upon hearing this guarantee, Freya nodded, finally at ease.　　

　　

Leylin could tell that Freya had nodded slightly and agreed, and laughed heartily at that.　　

......　　

　　
The battle that happened at Phosphorescence Swamp swept through the central continent like
a whirlwind.　　

　　

In particular, Leylin's exceptional and powerful appearance, from how he had killed the Demon
Hunter Cyril and caused his fall, increased the enthusiasm towards the situation till the
extreme.

　　

Demon Hunter Cyril was not a nobody, even amongst the Morning Star circles. Rather, his
strength had been proven to surpass the masses, and as a newly-advanced Morning Star
Warlock, Leylin had been able to cause his downfall. Such strength immediately led to the
dread of other Morning Star Magi.　

　　

From the outside, it seemed like not only had the allied armies that had attacked the Ouroboros
Clan completely withdrawn from key regions such as Phosphorescence Swamp, they had even
drawn a certain line of isolation, seemingly wanting to avoid conflict.

　　

After the fall of the main body of Morning Star Magus Cyril, Nefas, the city of sin, fell into a
state of confusion. The Magi there weren't good people from the start, and mostly comprised
of vicious bandits and those with death warrants for them. Without Cyril's suppression, the
place grew rife with violence.

　　

The areas surrounding Nefas gradually descended further into chaos as news about the death
of Cyril's clone came in, confirming his fall.

　　

In that period, spells flew everywhere in the city, and the architecture was engulfed in a sea of
flames.

　　

As many Demon Magi gleefully broke into Cyril's Magus Tower and were prepared to loot the
place as they wished, a large number of elite Magus armies suddenly descended upon them.
　　

Under the suppression of the Magus army, as well as with a Morning Star Magus' help, the
chaos in Nefas died down.　　

　　

After losing the deterring power of Cyril, the defenceless Nefas had basically turned into a giant
gold mine, attracting the interests of many Morning Star Magi.

　　

This was especially true for those few Morning Star Magi in the original allied army. In the name
of their comrades, they dispatched forces and took over the city, making up for all their
previous losses.　　

By the time the matter with Nefas had died down, an even more startling piece of news spread
throughout the central continent.

　　

The one who had caused Cyril's fall based on his own strength, and thus protected the
Ouroboros Clan, the Morning Star Magus Leylin Farlier, had invited many friendly organisations
to his Morning Star ceremony.　　

　　

In response to this invitation, many large-scaled organisations who had intentionally kept a
distance due to their disdain towards the Ouroboros Clan saw a chance to repair this
relationship and sent people to attend.　　

　　

Other organisations also saw the ceremony as a great chance to figure out the situation within
the Ouroboros Clan, and to better understand Leylin's strength. They, too, sent out spies or
envoys.

During that time, numerous Magi hurried towards Phosphorescence Swamp, causing the
swamp to be bustling with life, a huge contrast from the normal deathly silence.
......　　

Within the city headquarters, Leylin reclined on the couch comfortably, listening to the female
Magus reporting from beside him.

　　

"The messengers we sent out have mostly returned with positive replies. Most of the
emissaries of those organisations have already set out. Recently, Phosphorescence Swamp has
not been very orderly. Though preparations for the ceremony are completed, I think it's
necessary to prepare a few emergency contingencies..."

　　

Freya leant against the couch while holding countless files and wearing a pair of frameless
glasses, seemingly very busy.

　　

"Let's do as you say!"

　　

"Also, the bloodline Warlocks from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair are about to reach
headquarters. You need to take some time out to meet them..." After finishing her report,
Freya laughed delicately and moved away from the couch, leaving quickly.　　

　　

After she left, Leylin's expression turned serious. He put on white gloves and produced a broken
sword. This sword had the style of casting in ancient times. It was cold and sharp, and even
time could do nothing to weaken its firmness. There were even traces of golden-coloured blood
on the blade.　　

　　

"I never expected for the bloodline of the Sun's child and the Wing of the Sun to reach my
hands..." Sensing the powerful bloodline strength on the sword's hilt, a hint of a smile revealed
about Leylin's lips.

　　

This broken sword was one of the treasures from the Azure Mountain auction. Cyril had
shamelessly used his status and pressurised others so he could purchase it.　　

　　

Leylin had really wanted to get his hands on it, but for one he did not have enough magic
crystals. On top of that, he did not dare go head to head with Cyril. However, this was no longer
an issue.

　　

Even Cyril's main body had fallen at Leylin's hands. The items he had hoarded and brought
along on his body had naturally been kindly accepted by Leylin. Besides many precious
materials and countless magic crystals, what he'd really desired was this item.

　　

[Beep! Top-grade meditation technique, Wing of the Sun recorded!] The A.I. Chip transmitted.

　　

"Hopefully it's useful for Kemoyin's Pupil." Leylin sighed, keeping the giant sword well.

　　

Kemoyin's Pupil was merely a high-grade meditation technique with the fourth level as the
limit. It was impossible to progress further. For Leylin, this was absolutely unacceptable.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 509 - Celebration

Based on the traditions of the central continent, high-grade meditation techniques had a
minimum of four levels, allowing Magi to enter the Morning Star realm. Top-grade meditation
techniques needed to have six or more levels, allowing Magi to understand the path to the
Breaking Dawn.

Kemoyin's Pupil had merely four levels and was considered the bottom of the pack among high-
grade meditation techniques. Leylin naturally hoped the A.I. Chip could simulate the rest of the
levels.

Leylin had been trying to solve the issue of the bloodline shackles since advancing to the
Morning Star realm.

The simulation of meditation techniques was very important. The Wing of the Sun was also a
meditation technique for bloodline Warlocks, and there were six complete levels. It would
surely be extremely helpful in completing Kemoyin's Pupil.

Since he had the bloodline of the Sun's child as well, he could attempt to purify it. Though the
Oakheart Clan had already confirmed that the bloodline had lost all vitality, Leylin still had some
confidence that he could restore it.

The ancient Sun's child was a being that could reach rank 6 when it matured. It was even a fixed
sun for multiple small worlds, and was, therefore, the best bloodline Leylin had gotten to date.

"With this, I can begin the bloodline experiments..." After advancing to the Morning Star realm,
many ancient bloodline experiments, and things like the interplanar experiments, could be
undertaken independently. Leylin was extremely eager to spend all his time on this.

However, he still took some time to meet the emissaries from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair
the next day.

It wasn't only the Ouroboros Clan that held bloodline Warlocks in the central continent. There
were other organisations and families that had inherited ancient bloodlines, forming a giant
alliance.

However, the three Morning Star Magi of the Ouroboros Clan had disappeared all of a sudden,
resulting in a drop in their value. Hence, no aid had been given.

Leylin understood this very well, since even when saving allies, one had to see if they were
powerful enough. Otherwise, they would only be bringing trouble upon themselves.

Besides, the various Warlock organisations weren't exactly tight-knit. There were conflicts, and
a loose alliance was basically as good as a nonexistent one.

Of course, things were different with Leylin's ascension. It was especially so after he displayed
his strength. All these former allies rushed forth to mend their relationship.

Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair were the two largest bloodline Warlock organisations that the
Ouroboros Clan was close to.

"Hehe... Sire Leylin is so young. This was entirely out of my expectations!" The moment they
met, the two Warlocks were blown away by the plentiful life force brimming in Leylin.

Magi obviously did not rely on appearances to determine age. They usually had their own
unique methods to determine it.

However, no matter which angle they looked at him from, Leylin was extremely young. He was
not like those Magi who were approaching their end and looked young from the outside, yet
held a rotting scent.

"Hehe... The two of you, please!"

Leylin was now dressed in a platinum robe that was a piece of magic equipment, giving him a
more elegant aura. With his experience in controlling places like the Twilight Zone, he had
already developed a distinct aura of a ruler in how he treated others, which made him all the
more convincing.

Meanwhile, while the two emissaries were stunned at Leylin's age, Leylin himself was also
shocked.

He could feel the energy of the point mass on these two emissaries. In other words, they were
actually Morning Star Warlocks as well!

"Looks like these two organisations are taking this very seriously!"

The smile on Leylin's face became even more welcoming as he invited the two Warlocks to the
couch in his room. Freya brought three cups of coffee over, bowing to the three of them
unreservedly as she quickly left.

"By the way, I've yet to ask you for your names!" Leylin smiled as he spoke.

"Oh, look at me! I was so surprised when I came that I didn't introduce myself. How impolite of
me!" A Magus with countless tentacles on his face that looked like a giant octopus head palmed
his forehead with a tentacle and answered, "I'm Paul, from Spirit Circle!"

"Sir Paul!" Leylin nodded in recognition, seeming serious.

The bloodline Spirit Circle had inherited came from a strange creature— the Spirit-sucking
Oddity! It was said that this being not only had a unique spirit body, it even enjoyed sucking the
brain juices of intelligent beings, and had the strange ability of peeking at someone's spirit.
What caused countless bloodline Warlocks to rip their hair out in frustration was that this
Spirit-sucking Oddity was no bloodline creature! However, the original Spirit-sucking Oddity
Warlock had fused the ability of this creature into his own bloodline and passed it down,
resulting in this strange branch of bloodline Warlocks.

This branch was named the 'Spirit Warlock' and had a very special strength. They were more
partial towards attacks on the mind, and it was difficult to resist them.

At this point, Leylin couldn't help but look into his eyes.

On the giant octopus head were a pair of dark eyeballs with no pupils, looking like a dead fish's
eyes.

However, the moment their gazes met, Leylin felt as if his heart was being stripped and laid
bare before him.

*Weng!* The point mass in his body rumbled, and soul force swept through. The discomfort
instantly vanished, and Leylin immediately put on his guard even though he smiled at the other
party.

"I am Philip of the Wind Wolf Lair. Greetings, Sir!" The other was a middle-aged, burly white
man. His face and body were filled with hair, and his sideburns were very straight.

Compared to spirit Warlocks, Wind Wolf Lair was an orthodox bloodline Warlock organisation
that had inherited the bloodline of the ancient Wind Wolves. They were exceptionally sensitive
towards wind elemental particles.

On top of that, Wind Wolf Lair was a very well-known bloodline Warlock organisation in the
central continent that maintained good relations with other Warlocks. They had very deep
roots.

"Sir Philip, and Sir Paul!" Leylin nodded, "It is my honour for the two of you to attend my
ceremony..."

Whether it was Leylin or the other two Warlocks, all of them were very satisfied. Though there
weren't any deep discussions, this was a good beginning.

After that, however, Leylin could not bring himself to feel happy, as the two Warlocks brought
him shocking news.

"Jupiter's Lightning?"

After unexpectedly finding out who was responsible for attacking the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin's
expression turned grim.

Even if he hadn't been privy to the knowledge among the Morning Star circle before his own
advancement, even he had heard of this organisation's fame in the central continent.

Compared to organisations such as Nefas and Azure Mountain City, Jupiter's Lightning was even
more tremendous, and perhaps even surpassed the Ouroboros Clan.

It was a shadow that loomed over the continent, and was perhaps more similar to a bandit
guild. It regularly took on assassinations, bounties, and the like, preferring to stir up chaos and
exploiting it.

The reason why they were so fearless was due to the manipulator behind them. It was a
Radiant Moon Magus!

A Radiant Moon Magus was also a great rank 5 Magus, and they were even rarer than Morning
Star Magi, as well as much more formidable. In the entire central continent, there were
probably less than twenty of them. It could be said that besides the few Breaking Dawn Magi
there were, the rest of them split the central continent amongst themselves.

Hearing that Ouroboros Clan was being targeted by such a person, even Leylin couldn't help but
break out in cold sweat.

Paul and Philip exchanged a glance and, noticing Leylin's peaceful expression, nodded.

"Don't worry. As allies, we will provide a certain amount of assistance, such that at least the
Radiant Moon Magus will likely not deal with you personally..."

'Do you mean that if the other Morning Star Magi of Jupiter's Lightning attack, I have to take
them all on myself?'

Leylin rolled his eyes inside, but his expression was that of gratitude, "Thank you so much."

In reality, he had serious suspicions that these two organisations wanted them to fight. Perhaps
they had been the ones to provoke Jupiter's Lightning, and yet were now pretending to take the
brunt of the damage for the Ouroboros Clan, and were insincere about sending aid.

Of course, he was no child and would not believe everything these Morning Star Magi told him.
He would only trust them after performing his own checks.
This was a very simple matter. Though he was unfamiliar with the Morning Star's conscient, he
had already recorded the aura fluctuations. With more Morning Star samples, he would be able
to make comparisons.

He even had a spy like the Azure Mountain King, so information was not an issue.

At the thought of the Azure Mountain King, Leylin's gloomy mood was lifted, and he began to
anticipate ascension ceremony.

......

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Countless giant fireworks exploded in mid-air. The headquarters of Ouroboros Clan had been
painted over, and now no longer had any traces from the battle. There were even fresh flowers
and streamers along all the pathways.

The guests from the other organisations in the central continent all had sincere grins on their
faces. Under the guidance of the Warlocks of Ouroboros Clan, they headed towards the heart
of the city.

This was a palace that had been constructed in a hurry for Leylin, the location of the ceremony.

In order to curry favour with the only Morning Star Warlock in the organisation, as well as the
husband of their family's leader, the Blood Serpent Family Warlocks had done all they could and
arranged everything tidily. They had even gone out of their way and brought out lavish liquor
and delicacies, many of which were unique resources in the Magus World that could increase
spiritual force and the effects of meditation. There were so many that they seemed dirt cheap,
and it resulted in looks of admiration and surprise.
Many guests were gathered in a hall, though they were separated clearly into tens of little
circles.

Bloodline Warlocks and Magi had two large circles, and within those, another ten or so were
formed based on various factors like power, ranking, level of intimacy and so on.

The Warlocks and Magi were like the ladies and gentlemen of high society, conversing
courteously and occasionally toasting each other. The atmosphere was harmonious, and it was
unthinkable that some of the people here had been eager for the death of the other party just a
few days ago.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 510 - Assuming the Post

"It's time to start the ceremony!" Parker's tone conveyed his high spirits and excitement. He
was wearing the suit of a compere, and his hair was sleekly styled.

His previous investment at this time had gained him the most returns. Leylin was advancing at
the speed of light, far beyond his own predictions. It made him feel like he was in a dream.

With unanimous joyous cheers, Leylin stepped on the flower petals laid out on his path as he
entered the hall, wearing a magical robe with a gold crown on his head.

At the same moment, an overbearing and horrifying force similar to that of an ancient beast
was slowly released from his body. From his eyes, one could faintly see the image of an
enormous black serpent which was several tens of thousands of metres long.
Morning Star! The formidability of a true Morning Star made many Magi and Warlocks bow
their heads respectfully to welcome him. Some of the sullen emissaries were also so
overwhelmed by his aura that they too bowed, albeit rather unwillingly.

"In accordance with the rules, Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan who are promoted to the
Morning Star realm will fundamentally acquire the noble title of a Duke! Congratulations to
you, Duke Farlier!"

Faisal stepped up and ceremoniously handed a snake-shaped scepter embedded with jet black
crystals to Leylin, who accepted it effortlessly and raised it up.

Numerous bloodline Warlocks stood up and bowed in salutation, " Greetings, Duke Leylin!"

This was a tradition of the Ouroboros Clan, something shared by many other Magus
organisations. Yet, for Faisal himself to do it meant that Leylin had already succeeded in
suppressing internal strife. Seeing this unfold, many influential emissaries were left in deep
thought.

"The ceremony shall begin!" Parker yelled after Leylin was seated.

"The emissary from the Rustic Woodlands— Louis greets Duke Leylin!" An old fellow dressed in
a red suit took the lead and saluted Leylin.

"The Lord's promotion to the Morning Star is a grand occasion for all of us in the central
continent. This is a gift from our Master!"

The entourage standing behind him lifted the cloth off a tray to reveal a rock shimmering with
brilliance.

"An astral stone!" "Such a huge astral stone is rare indeed!" "The Rustic Woodlands is so
magnanimous!"

The comments from the surrounding visitors were incessant.

Leylin nodded his head and smiled, evidently very pleased. Such opportunities to receive free
gifts without obligations were always welcomed.

"I have just been promoted to the Morning Star, and my need for astral stones is undeniable.
Thank your Master on my behalf!" Leylin expressed his contentment, and the emissary was
delighted. He bowed again and retreated.

"Duke Leylin! I am the emissary from the Fallor Family, and I present to you a personalized
private ride— the Colossal Serpent!"

Another emissary stepped forward and presented a core controller. In the middle of it, an
image of a private airship could be seen. The detailing and ornamentation of the warship
structure were vivid and thorough.

"That is very considerate of you!" Leylin nodded his head.

The Fallor Family controlled the entire airship network. They also had the support of the
Monarch of the Skies, and gifting every newly promoted Morning Star their very own airship
was their tradition. As such, Leylin voiced, "I thank the kindness of chief Fallor and the Monarch
of the Skies..."
Perceiving Leylin to have understood their intentions, the emissary respectfully bowed and
retreated. Almost immediately, yet another emissary stepped forward....

The etiquette for this ceremony was complicated, but Leylin still had to receive them one by
one and express his own goodwill. It would be extremely important and beneficial for the
Ouroboros Clan.

Leylin was brimming with enthusiasm and was all smiles. He conversed casually with many of
the emissaries with ease, showing no impatience.

At this time, a Magus with a head of brown hair who was wearing a silver robe stepped
forward. Impressive undulations emitted from his body without restraint. He clearly lacked
manners, and was disrespectful in front of Leylin.

"You've come with ill intentions!" Leylin's eyes narrowed and he glared at the Magus.

"Greetings, my Lord, from Collins of Jupiter's Lightning!" Collins straightened his back and
looked straight into Leylin's eyes without a hint of fear.

"Collins is one of the more able ones in Jupiter's Lightning. He clearly wants to test Leylin's
strength as a baseline comparison..." Paul remarked from the side, smiling at Philip with a
wineglass in hand.

"Collin's abilities are not comparable to Cyril's. Shall we give him a helping hand?" Philip rubbed
his fist, his eyes glistening with ambition.

"There's no need! Duke Leylin is very powerful, do not ever underestimate him!" Paul's dead-
fish eyes glimmered with a smile.
The atmosphere inside the hall didn't seem right. All the emissaries' eyes were locked on the
confrontation between the two Morning Stars.

Since it was a celebration, Leylin and Collins did not go overboard. On the surface, it looked like
they were just staring at each other in the face. However, a ruthless cross-sword fight between
the spiritual domains had already unfolded unknowingly.

A few minutes later, the colour started to drain from Collins' confident face, and beads of sweat
appeared on it.

Witnessing the scene, the other Magi thought they had seen a ghost. Paul and Philip exchanged
glances, and both broke out in smiles.

"Oh!" A moment later, Collins scathingly stumbled a few steps back. Although there were no
differences in his expression, the imposing aura on his body had disappeared.

Leylin, on the other hand, continued to sit upright. No one could tell what he had in mind.

"This is a present from our chief!" Collins no longer dared to look Leylin in the eye as he
presented the gift. Soon after, he left in haste.

All the Magi who witnessed this silent confrontation grew more fervent about Leylin.

The revelry lasted until midnight. After receiving bountiful gifts, Leylin began conversing about
his experience during his advancement.
It was, in a way, his means of imparting knowledge. Many of those present were rank 3 Magi
after all.

Leylin was forthcoming, pointing out mistakes made during the construction of the point mass,
as well as other general tips. Many rank 3 Magi were intoxicated by this essential information,
and even some Morning Stars fell into deep thought. When it was time to disperse, many felt
reluctant to leave.

......

After the banquet was over, Leylin chose not to rest, and instead, headed out to meet another
guest in a private room.

"Distinguished Azure Mountain King, we meet again!" Leylin smiled calmly and sat opposite the
Magus.

The person here was certainly the Azure Mountain King. He possessed the same appearance as
his clone, with blue hair and a pair of starry eyes.

He had not come to this ceremony representing Azure Mountain City, and instead snuck in on
the pretence of a diplomatic mission. He'd felt threatened by Leylin.

"You can call me Zack!" The Azure Mountain King spoke in a deep tone, without any further
intentions of undermining Leylin.

"Alright, distinguished Zack, let's talk about the compensation that you have to make with
regards to my territory!"
Leylin leant back on the sofa, intertwined his hands. He was unusually relaxed. Opportunities
for such extortion, where one took advantage of another's weakness, were very rare.

"Sure! Your people, your land, and any other losses, I'll pay you for it all. I'll even pay double, as
long as you promise not to leak the matter of the stardust bugs!" Zack said frankly.

He only yielded to Leylin as Leylin knew his biggest secret. If this information was leaked out,
the entire Oakheart Clan would be faced with imminent disaster. Even his own life would be in
danger.

Leylin was well aware of this. But he also knew that the destruction of the Oakheart Clan, and
the fall of the Azure Mountain King, would not net him any benefits. On the other hand, such
extortion had the potential for a lot of profits.

As such he didn't mind letting Zack leave... as long as he paid his due, of course.

"Let's not talk about the territory for the time being, you destroyed my Magus Tower. Shouldn't
you compensate me with another?" Leylin laughed with a hint of profoundness.

"Consider it done! I will build you one that is exactly the same!" the Azure Mountain King
replied with a rich and overbearing tone.

"Oh! No, no, no! I think you misunderstood something..." Leylin swayed his finger, " What I
need, is a Magus Tower that corresponds to my current status. Do you understand?"

"What..." Zack took a cold breath, and immediately blurted out, "Impossible! This is extortion!"
Although Leylin's previous Magus Tower was of considerably high quality, it was only fitting for
a rank 3 Magus. In the central continent, anything that catered to the Morning Star rank would
cost more, especially so for the Morning Star Magus Tower!

The construction cost of a Morning Star rated Magus Tower would be at least ten times more
than that of Leylin's previous Magus Tower. Even if he were to sell his territory, it could not
even cover the cost of building one level of it. Leylin's request was like a lion biting a huge
chunk of meat off the Oakheart Clan's body.

Based on Zack's proposed bill of compensation, the Oakheart Clan wouldn't suffer a huge loss.
But to build a Morning Star rated Magus Tower? Even if Leylin were to decline all the other
compensations, this request alone would still be outrageous.

"Indeed, I am extorting you. Didn't you know?" Leylin mockingly laughed.

"Compared to the matter about the stardust bugs and the whole Oakheart Clan being erased
from this world, I think it's a good deal... With the accumulated wealth of Azure Mountain City,
there should be no difficulty in constructing one such Magus Tower, right?"

Being reprimanded by Leylin, Zack's face hardened as he gritted his teeth in anger, "... Fine!"

"That's the way!" Leylin smirked, obviously pleased. His expression immediately turned from
one of hostility to that of friendliness, and this made Zack perplexed.

"Other that the Magus Tower, I have no other requests, so long as you assist me in building an
astral gate..."

Having sensed the limits of Zack's tolerance, Leylin naturally and pursued further benefits
without scruples. After all, Zack wouldn't suddenly appreciate him if he lowered his requests, so
he could just as well get a hold of as many benefits as possible.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 511 - Attitude

After some haggling, Leylin and Zack finally reached an agreement.

　　

The Oakheart Clan would bear the burden of building a Morning Star level Magus Tower, as
well as provide him with all the resources for an astral gate. In return, Leylin guaranteed that he
would never divulge information regarding the stardust bugs in any shape or form.

The two of them had even made an oath under the Trial's Eye, which was at the request of the
Azure Mountain King. However, he did not notice the look of mockery in Leylin's eyes.　　

　　

After that, Leylin got Zack to narrate the details of the allied army's attack on the Ouroboros
Clan from start to end.

　　

After receiving this information, his eyebrows furrowed.　　

　　

"Jupiter's Lightning..." After sending Zack away, Leylin half laid down on the couch, massaging
his forehead and sinking into deep thought.　　

　　

"I never expected it to be them. Why would a haughty Radiant Moon Magus have any interest
in the Ouroboros Clan?"

　
Before Gilbert and the others reappeared, nobody would be able to give him an answer. Leylin
himself could only make wild guesses.　　

......　　

Most emissaries had yet to leave after the end of the ceremony, when another monumental
event occurred.

　　

The Morning Star Warlock, Duke Leylin, had announced his engagement with the leader of the
Blood Serpent Family, Freya!　　

　　

Bloodline Warlocks were generally very picky when it came to picking partners. This would
affect the passing on of bloodlines, and determined the rise or fall of a family.　　

　　

The engagement of a Morning Star Warlock implied that new Kemoyin blood would spread,
forming another formidable family!　　

　　

Though there were only two people in the family, Leylin and his fiancee, nobody could deny the
strength of a family with a Morning Star Warlock within.　　

　　

Based on some faint rumours, Duke Leylin's bloodline was unbelievably pure, and perhaps even
surpassed that of the other three Morning Star Warlocks! His fiancee was also of a prestigious
Kemoyin Family, and her bloodline was pure.　　

　　

The emissaries and Warlocks could envision an exceptionally powerful Kemoyin family rising to
power in the Ouroboros Clan.

　　
Though they were cursing within, these emissaries all looked elated at Leylin's engagement,
and gave their 'sincere' blessings to them.　　

　　

Only after the engagement ceremony was over did the emissaries of the multiple organisations
leave Phosphorescence Swamp. They had seen far too much at this celebration and ceremony,
and needed to report back to their masters.

Leylin could finally relax, handling some miscellaneous work.　　

　　

"Your Grace!" On the way, many Warlocks stepped aside when they saw him from afar, bowing
to him from the sides of the road.　　

　　

Leylin's expression remained solemn. At most, he sent a nod of recognition in the direction of
high-ranked Warlocks, his movements revealing boundless dignity.

　　

His status in the Ouroboros Clan made it such that he could move without obstructions. He
headed for a building that seemed like a beehive, formed of countless giant laboratories.　　

　　

This was the headquarters of the technical department. Upon noticing Leylin's arrival, there
was a flurry of activity at the entrance. Schadt, who was wearing glasses, was escorted by
Warlocks donning large white gowns as he welcomed Leylin. It made him feel as if he had
returned to the research centres in his previous world.

"Your Grace!" Schadt bowed respectfully. He was extremely grateful towards Leylin. If not for
his advancement, the Ouroboros Clan would probably have been done for.　　

　　

"Mm! Bring me to the astral gate!" Leylin said indifferently after a nod. He then followed Schadt
as they went in deeper.　　
　

After passing through the layers of isolation and detection spell formations, Schadt brought
Leylin before a gate formed entirely of astral stones.　　

The entire gate emanated a starry radiance. The innermost layer actually possessed a stony
surface and there were multiple bright runes, floating above the surface of the stone gate.　　

　　

"This is Lord Emma's astral gate. We've moved it here..." Schadt sighed as he took off his
glasses.

"We've determined through multiple experiments that there is no problem with the gate itself.
However, there was an unknown interference that stopped us from locating the coordinates,
making the second attempt at finding the coordinates even more difficult!

　　

"What level of power do you think is needed for this to happen?" Leylin's eyes shone as he
asked.

　　

"I'm afraid..." Schadt's temperament suited research perfectly. He explained things as they
were and did not beat around the bush, "Only interference from a Radiant Moon realm Magus
can cause the three elders to make an error in judgment!"

　　

Radiant Moon realm! A great rank 5 Magus! The moment the words exited Schadt's mouth, the
rest of the researchers all trembled, evidently feeling weak.　　

　　

Just a Morning Star Magus was enough for the Ouroboros Clan to be on the verge of being
destroyed by the allied forces. What if a Radiant Moon Magus were to do the job himself?　　

　　

The bleak future immediately caused these high-ranked Warlocks to tremble in fear.　　
　　

"Don't be so negative!" Leylin patted Schadt on the shoulder, "Just focus on saving Mentor and
the others. You must work hard on this..."　　

　　

"Understood, Your Grace!" A hint of shame appeared on Schadt's expression as he lowered his
head deferentially.　　

　　

Initially, he had boldly bragged that he could find the coordinates within five days. However,
multiples of that time period had passed, and he had yet to determine which world Gilbert and
the others were trapped in.　

Every time he was about to find the coordinates, he would be obstructed by berserk spatial
turbulence, barring him from finding the real location.

　　

If there was the slightest discrepancy in the coordinates, the two areas could be millions of
kilometres away from each other, being two separate worlds!

　　

With trouble both internally and externally, the Warlocks would definitely not dare have Leylin
take the risk.　　

　　

On top of that, they had no clue if Leylin would listen to them.　　

　　

In actuality, even if they had determined which world Gilbert and the rest were lost in, Leylin
might not aid them.

　　

Since they had already determined the other world was a trap set up by a Radiant Moon
Magus, how could he go in like a lamb to the slaughter?
　　

Leylin was not so selfless as to take this risk.　　

"I should find a chance and take care of those Warlocks." Leylin touched his chin, eyes
glimmering with a dangerous light.　　

　　

Those who had been urging him from the shadows to save the elders were not anyone else, but
the many descendants and students of the three Morning Star Warlocks. Of course, they did
not dare request anything of Leylin in the open, but as long as they was no evidence, they were
bold in their discussions.

　　

In Gilbert's case, Leylin was one of them and they thus had the least complaints. With Emma,
Freya was a mediator and they were less impatient. Only the students and family of the other
Morning Star Warlock pressed him on, and Leylin was preparing to make use of them.　　

　　

He was no saint, and would not save others and then give up his power to be shared. And yet,
Gilbert was his Mentor and had taught him much. Thus he would save him, but now was not
the time!

　　

Leylin was confident that with a bit more time, he could set up his own authority and spread his
influence. By the time the three Morning Stars were back, they would not be able to affect his
status!

　　

Hence, he had to make use of this time. Though he could use his strength and force everything,
Leylin did not want to end up with an Ouroboros Clan that was divided.

　　

Schadt's report was exactly to his liking. This way, it was not because he was not trying hard
enough, but that he was lacking information and had no way to do this.　　

　　
Leylin had long since secretly determined their coordinates. But for his own purposes, he had
kept mum until now.

After consoling Schadt and the other members of the technical department, Leylin returned to
his castle. There, two precious guests needed to be attended to.　　

　　

"Lord Paul, Lord Philip, sorry for the long wait!"　　

　　

Leylin apologised to the two Morning Star Warlocks. After the other organisations had left,
these two emissaries had stayed behind for some unknown reason. As they were Morning
Stars, this was also good for Ouroboros Clan, which was why Leylin had no complaints and was
so welcoming towards them.

　　

"We only just arrived as well. Duke Leylin must have investigated thoroughly, right?" Paul
grinned, the beady eyes on the octopus head seemingly able to see into the Leylin's soul.　　

"Yes, Jupiter's Lightning! They went too far!" Leylin clenched his fists, face flushing red and
showing his anger.

　　

Through the investigation of the Shadow Snake department as well as the Azure Mountain
King's story, he had confirmed that Jupiter's Lightning was behind this.　　

　　

In this case, he would not reject the good intentions of these two Morning Star Warlocks.

　　

"I'm going to be frank with you. That Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning has been
finding us bloodline Warlocks an eyesore and caused conflicts with the union. Even the
organisations backing us are in a cold war with them..." Philip said. The burly werewolf smiled
wryly.　　
　　

Leylin vaguely understood their meaning. The intentions of these Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf
Lair Warlocks was to seek external aid.

　　

However, he would definitely not reject them. Radiant Moon Magi were not existences he
could deal with as of yet. If he could pull someone else over to contend against them, the
pressure on him would be slightly lesser.

　　

For this reason, Leylin did not seem to even hesitate as he exclaimed, "If there's anything you
need me for, just say the word!"

　　

While that was what he had said, Leylin would not be so stupid as to rush to the frontlines
without any benefits.　　

　　

Paul and Philip exchanged a glance and saw the elation in each other's eyes. No matter what it
was, Leylin's attitude meant that this trip had not been made in vain.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 512 - Revitalisation of Bloodline

"Of course, we hope you can form an alliance with us. We wish to take on Jupiter's Lightning
together..."

Philip interrupted, "With your current status as Duke, you can definitely represent the
Ouroboros Clan!"
"This... I need to think it over... After all, there are many seniors who I need to pacify..." When it
came to proper business, Leylin seemed to draw back.

Paul silently cursed at Philip for being too hasty, and also Leylin, for not being willing to be
more open until he saw benefits. He merely continued smiling, which was difficult enough with
his octopus face.

"Duke Leylin, you don't know this yet, do you? We Morning Star Warlocks organise a gathering
every once in a while, where everyone will exchange information. Sometimes, we even have
trade meetings..."

"This gathering is only for bloodline Warlocks, who must be at least at the Morning Star level.
Someone even needs to vouch for them. A few elders from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair will
attend as well. How about we continue the discussion there?"

"Gathering?!" A gathering amongst Morning Star Warlocks was still very attractive to Leylin.

Furthermore, he was not worried that their leaving the Ouroboros Clan would bring any harm
to them.

To be frank, the Ouroboros Clan's safety all depended on him. As long as he was fine, it would
be well fortified even if there was nobody here guarding them. If anything happened to him,
the allied armies would immediately level the place.

In fact, if he managed to slip out of headquarters without being seen, it would put his foes
under a lot of pressure instead.

With this in mind, Leylin answered, "Sure. When the time comes, please notify me!"
Seeing Leylin agree, Paul heaved a long sigh of relief before he laughed in answer, "I'm sure that
our other comrades are eager to see an up-and-coming youngster like you!"

It looked like this gathering was a small circle where bloodline Warlocks interacted.

Watching his expression, Leylin nodded inside and began to anticipate the gathering more
fervently.

Since everything was settled, Paul and Philip had no reason to stay longer. They chose to leave.

With how hurried they seemed, Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had probably fallen on hard
times. As important deterrents, they would not have been able to squeeze out the time to
attend if not for Leylin's ceremony.

"We're rich, my Lord!" Within the hall, Parker's eyes glinted as he gazed at the account book in
his hands, "Just the gifts from the other organisations is equivalent to dozens of fiefs..."

"But of course. You only ascend to the Morning Star realm once. And it's a good time for other
organisations to form good relationships with them..."

Though Leylin seemed as calm as an ancient, unused well, he was actually very happy; he just
kept it in. At the same time, he had gained a better understanding of the great status Morning
Star Magi held in the central continent.

The destructive power of a Morning Star Arcane Art was far too high. If a Morning Star Magus
were to let go of all qualms and act as they wished, the geography of the entire central
continent would be destroyed. Radiant Moon, and even Breaking Dawn Magi would regret the
damage caused.

As a result, every time a Morning Star arose, everyone would express their goodwill, and intent
to be on good terms with each other. These were actions that large organisations were used to.

"The moment I stepped into this realm, everything changed..."

Leylin sighed to himself, the look in his eyes even more intense. "What would be the scenery be
like after the ranks of Radiant Moon or the Breaking Dawn throne?"

In his eyes, rank 4 was far from the limit. His goals were on higher peaks, and he did not pay
attention to even the shackles to his bloodline that had troubled bloodline Warlocks for many
years.

Of course, he could overlook his opinions while strategizing, but tactics needed to be done
properly. Hence, he sent Parker away and ordered for all his gifts to be stored. After handing
over the important items, Leylin returned to his laboratory.

He was now the highest power in the Ouroboros Clan, and could mobilise all resources. The
laboratory he used was the best they had, which was usually reserved for Gilbert and the other
two. This was just another one of the many advantages.

That was not all. The treasury of the Ouroboros Clan was completely open to him, and the
treasures accumulated over thousands of years by a large-scaled organisation such at this had
Leylin's eyes going green in envy.

The first thing he did was to take a pile of astral stones and keep them in his spatial pouch.
Though the Oakheart Clan had agreed to build him an astral gate, it was better to have more
astral stones in reserve. After all, passing through planes required the usage of astral stones,
which was why they were so highly valued. They had always been a strategic-class resource.

"Beep! Ascertaining identity! Welcome, Duke Leylin Farlier!"

After passing through the stringent aura detection system and numerous disinfecting
procedures, Leylin finally stood in a room seemingly cast entirely in crystal.

The translucent crystals emitted beautiful light, and the area was spotless and unbelievably
glossy.

Seeing the data the A.I. Chip provided, Leylin, couldn't help but sigh. "Though the strength
setup is different, in terms of disinfecting and dust, it can achieve the same effect!"

Such an environment was extremely similar to the sterile laboratories in his previous world.
Ancient Magi were no fools, so how would they not have noticed the effects germs and the like
could have on research? Even without scientific methods, they could use magic to achieve the
same effect.

Within a giant glass container at the heart of the laboratory, a broken sword was soaking in a
translucent green liquid. This was the same blade that held the bloodline of the Sun's child and
the Wing of the Sun meditation technique. Numerous transparent air bubbles could be seen
arising from the hole-filled dull blade, and only the area with the blood was glowing brightly.

He'd already recorded all the information about the Wing of the sun through his A.I. Chip. The
only thing left of value was the blood, which he had yet to extract.

The golden blood was like warm light as it slowly grew on the sword, somehow moving
automatically as if breathing.

"As expected of the blood left behind by a rank 6 creature. Even if all its vitality has been lost, a
slight simulation from the external world allowed it to regain its instinct..."

Leylin was full of praise. The ancient Sun's child was at the peak of Breaking Dawn, and was an
existence he could only look up to. Just a single drop of blood could multiply, enough to form
life.

If it placed its spirit branding inside, an almighty ancient being could definitely revive itself from
just a droplet of blood. The bloodline of the Sun's child was that terrifying!

Of course, confirmed by the appraisal of top-notch masters, the bloodline of the Sun's child on
the blade had long since lost its vitality and was impossible to stimulate. This breathing
movement was only an instinctual reaction and not a display of full revival.

If the bloodline of the Sun's child could be made use of, the broken sword would not have been
sold off at such a low price. Even if the Azure Mountain King, Zack, had to fall out with Cyril over
it, he would definitely use force to keep the bloodline.

However, for Leylin who was an expert in ancient bloodline experiments and had the support of
the A.I. Chip, it wasn't an impossible task to stimulate the revival of the bloodline.

He was now gazing at the broken sword in the glass container, a look of satisfaction appearing
on his face. "The restoration is coming along quite well! I can begin the second phase..."

He, who had acquired the research data of the Quicksand organisation, had grasped the finest
technology of the ancient era. This naturally included many methods to restore bloodlines.
At that point in time, due to his lack of strength, he could not display all his skills. Many of the
methods required the coordination of soul force, and Leylin who had only been rank 3 at the
time would only be working in vain. Now, however, this was no longer an issue.

"Soul Web!" Threads of black soul force brought with them a simple radiance as they shot out
from between Leylin's brows, forming a web-like structure that disappeared into the green
solution. Large amounts of fine runes with unknown functions emerged from the thin web.

The soul web seemed to have no effects on the broken sword and went straight through the
blade. However, the golden blood seemed to be attracted, gathering onto it.

Minutes later, all the blood on the broken sword had been shifted to the soul web, causing it to
turn golden.

*Gulu! Gulu!* As the last thread of golden luster left the blade, the metal immediately corroded
into nothingness in the green solution, leaving no residue behind.

"It was only made of the plainest materials. Only because of the will of the Sun's child had it
been preserved for over ten thousand years. The moment the blood is removed, it instantly
reverts to its original form!"

Leylin's eyes shone, no longer focused on the sword. All his attention was focused on the soul
web, as he manipulated the golden web to float over to another large breeding pool.

Countless loach-like long fish poked their heads out of the dim yellow pool, translucent bubbles
being spat out from their lips.
These were blood-sucking loaches, and were rarely-seen bloodline creatures. All the reserves of
the Ouroboros Clan were stored here.

"Go!" Leylin controlled the soul web until it was atop the pool. Drop by drop, the golden liquid
fell, being devoured by countless blood-sucking loaches that were trying to outdo each other.

Water splashed everywhere in the cultivation pool, and Leylin watched the changes in the
loaches without blinking.

Golden threads appeared from the stomachs of these blood-sucking loaches. Then, their eyes
rolled back and they began floating in the pool.

"The bloodline of a rank 6 creature is too powerful for these loaches..." Leylin shook his head,
but did not stop the experiment.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 513 - Morning Star Magus Tower

Threads of golden radiance emanated from the carcases of the blood-sucking loaches and were
then swallowed by other loaches which had not managed to get the blood the first time. This
process was repeated as the loaches died.

Leylin watched on expressionlessly. After three rounds, where the blood-sucking loaches could
hold on for longer and not die immediately, the golden bloodline seemed to have become more
reserved and guileless.
"Looks like I can continue..." A look of excitement appeared on his face.

As long as this was successful, there was hope to stimulate the revival of the Sun's child's
bloodline.

"Maintain this process and ensure there are no less than twenty blood-sucking loaches in the
cultivation pool," Leylin ordered the spirit genie.

Leylin knew this would take a long time. After observing for a while longer, he left the
laboratory for his castle.

He now had many tasks to direct, and while troublesome it was the best way to exert his
authority.

Though the students and families under the Morning Star Warlocks' care all hoped Leylin would
act as soon as possible and rescue their mentors and family leaders, they did not dare exhibit
their wishes openly.

They were also extremely afraid of contradicting Leylin, all doing as asked to the best of their
abilities. Even when Leylin took all the astral stones in storage, they did not say a word.

It had to be said that these Warlocks knew their place.

Even so, Leylin could not be bothered to bicker with them over trivial matters. Besides, with his
current strength still inadequate to deal with Jupiter's Lightning and Radiant Moon Magi, he
needed to save the Dukes first to increase the strength they had on their side.
The issue of when this would happen would depend on him.

This was not just about gaining power in the Ouroboros Clan, but also to avoid the trap set up
for them! If three Morning Star Warlocks could disappear, Leylin would not be an issue at all.

Leylin was well aware of this fact, which was why he did not dare make a move until he made
sense of the situation.

"Your Grace, there's a female Magus claiming to be from Azure Mountain City here. Also..."

Faisal bowed, with none of his high spirits from before. Humility had taken that place. Ever
since Leylin had exited his secluded cultivation, he had been maintaining this attitude. He'd
even been the first to side with Leylin, and Leylin relied on him heavily.

"Also what?" Leylin found the puzzlement on his face laughable.

"She also said... she's here to help my Lord construct a Magus Tower..." Azure Mountain City
used to be the Ouroboros Clan's enemy. However, they were now coming over trying to get
into Leylin's good books. Faisal had lived for over six hundred years, but even he seldom met
with such a situation, which led to his confusion.

"In that case, I don't need to see her. Help me choose a good location in the headquarters. My
Magus Tower shall be erected there!"

This had previously been decided upon with the Azure Mountain King, and he was merely going
through with the agreement. Leylin did not pay much heed to these matters and waved his
arms, sending Faisal away.
The reason he had not built the Magus Tower at headquarters originally was because he was
afraid of being made use of. However, things were different now. He was the one ordering
others to work, and nobody would come and bother him. Leylin naturally wanted the Magus
Tower to be located in headquarters now.

"What's wrong?" Leylin asked Faisal who stood in the same spot, eyes full of mixed emotions.

Though these were just a few simple words, Faisal felt cold sweat running down his spine.
Leylin was now no longer a Marquis he had jurisdiction over, but a great elder! He was the
highest authority, the commander of the entire Ouroboros Clan, a Morning Star Warlock!

Every one of his titles was like a huge mountain weighing down on Faisal's heart. When all
these identities gathered on a person, this person was someone he definitely needed to look up
to.

"It's like this. Your Grace. My family, the Dose and Olka families, and the others are all willing to
contribute to my Lord's Magus Tower..." Faisal gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

From his perspective, it seemed that Leylin had accepted offerings from outsiders, which was a
very dangerous sign. It signified that he had lost all trust in all these traditional, well-known
bloodline nobles, which was absolutely unacceptable.

At this thought, he could not help but begin to reproach his own allies. Though saving the
elders was extremely important, they could not be so hasty. As expected, it resulted in this
terrible result.

Faisal could not help but begin to envy the Blood Serpent Family. As long as Freya was still
around, Leylin's relationship with them was secure. There were even rumours that Leylin would
have one child inherit the Blood Serpent's Marquis position, which immediately resulted in the
envy of multiple bloodline families.
The bloodline of a Morning Star Warlock, and especially that of Leylin, who was unbelievably
talented! His bloodline was said to be extremely pure and something many bloodline families
did not dare hope to have. However, the Blood Serpent Family had gotten this so easily.

It seemed that in the next few hundred years, the Blood Serpent Family would definitely rise
sharply. Of course, it would be under the lead of the Farlier Family.

Thinking this, Faisal could not help but sigh inside while simultaneously beginning to wonder if
there were female Warlocks like Freya in his own family.

"Good! Go and discuss with Azure Mountain City!"

Since there were people in a hurry to send him money, Leylin obviously accepted it. With the
cooperation of so many families, his Magus Tower would be built more quickly, and its quality
could even be raised. Why would he have anything against this?

Watching Faisal fall back so fearfully, Leylin couldn't help but laugh.

"Only trying to mend relationships now?" How could sly old Leylin not know what he was
thinking? He never had plans of having anything to do with those families, and this was the
situation.

This peaceful life continued for a few months.

In these few months, the Ouroboros Clan's surroundings were calm. He had the few key regions
in the Phosphorescence Swamp in his palm, while the allied forces seemed to have some
worries. With both sides showing restraint, the region completely regained its peace, and and
the fires of war seemed to have been put out.

However, only Magi who saw things long-term could see the undercurrents under this calm
surface.

In the headquarters of Ouroboros Clan— Warlock City, a giant and awe-inspiring Magus Tower
was slowly constructed, full of dignity.

Many high-ranked Warlocks and Magi were all crowded around the tower whose structure had
just been completed, and began work on the details.

Every lower-ranked Warlock would bow slightly as they passed by, eyes full of reverence as
they glanced at the Magus Tower.

This was the Morning Star Magus Tower, where their pride lies, of the Morning Star Warlock,
Leylin Farlier!

"Your Grace! The main body of the Magus Tower has been completed, and it has also been
connected with the cores of all the other Magus Tower in the headquarters. It has the highest
authority!"

Faisal tried to curry favour as he spoke, while Leylin had his hands behind his back, watching his
own Magus Tower with interest.

Compared to the Magus Tower he had constructed himself, the resource consumption of this
Morning Star grade one was terrifying. It could be said that the price could not be measured in
magic crystals. If not for taking advantage of the huge reserves of the Azure Mountain King, as
well as the generous offerings from the old bloodline families, this would not be so successful.
"How much more time will we need?"

Leylin watched the Magi that looked like ants floating at the sides of the Magus Tower,
numerous runes flashing in their hands and entering the Magus Tower. He could not help but
frown.

There was someone he knew among the ones working on the tower. It was the host who he
had seen at Azure Mountain's auction. However, Leylin had no intentions of going forward to
meet the said one.

He now had a different status, and it wasn't as if there was anything to say even if he went
there.

Faisal produced a white handkerchief and wiped his cold sweat before he spoke.

"The main body of the Magus Tower is the easiest part to construct. As long as there are
enough materials, work will be completed quickly. However, the embedding of the spell
formations, and especially the construction of the energy pools as well as the design of the
tower genie needs to be done by you personally. Just the preparation for that will take ten
years, and that's the fastest..."

"As I expected!" The blue rays vanished, and Leylin's eyes returned to black, seeming warm.

"I will be out for a period of time. Handle the matters at headquarters with Freya and Parker. If
there are major issues, the majority decides!"

Though secret imprints could be used for communication, they did not extend to a wide area
and could easily be intercepted and listened in on, or even used to determine locations. Hence,
Leylin typically did not like using them.

"My Lord, you're leaving?" Faizal's eyes widened, and he even forgot to wipe off his sweat.

"Yes. There is a bloodline organisation gathering for the upper class. Lord Paul from before
invited me!"

There was nothing to hide, and Leylin admitted this easily. He also had thoughts of exploring
the central continent. In the past, he had had too little strength, but after attaining Morning
Star power, he could go to many places in the central continent.

"It's very important to be on good relations with other bloodline Warlocks!" Faisal expressed
his approval of this and spoke with some regret, "It's a pity that we can't be involved in
interactions between Morning Stars, and can't provide you with any useful information!"

Faisal was merely a student, and him knowing which organisations Ouroboros Clan was on good
terms with was already a lot. As for which high-ranked organisations the Morning Star Warlocks
of the Ouroboros Clan were close to, or who their foes were, and who was only friendly on the
surface— all that was a shot in the dark. At this crucial moment, he did not dare give
suggestions, and Leylin could only make his own judgments. If not, if anything were to happen,
he would not be able to take on the repercussions.

"Don't worry, I will judge for myself." Leylin nodded.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 514 - Phenomenon in a Small Town

The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, the sky a brilliant blend of red and orange. With
twilight looming, the town looked shabby and dilapidated.

At the only inn in the heart of the small town, a boiling cauldron of voices could be heard. The
aromas of different wines and barbequed meat mixed with the musky smells of sweat and body
odour as it permeated the air.

As the night was chilly, the hotel had long shut its windows and doors. Even the cracks were
closed up, thickening the smell inside further.

But the drunk patrons with their flushed puffy faces and the exhausted travellers didn't mind it
at all. In such weather, so long as there was a place to keep them warm, allowing them to enjoy
some strong wine along with some barbequed meat, they would feel like they were in heaven.

"Master, your meal!" A heavyset kitchen lady efficiently brought forth a few dishes and served
a customer. There was only one young man at the table and the kitchen lady only stepped away
after stealing a glance at him, blushing with satisfaction.

"A Breaking Dawn Lord! Such a handsome man, he must be a noble lord!"

Leylin couldn't be bothered by the kitchen lady's thoughts. His eyes were fixated on the
sumptuous meal set in front of him, yet his mind was wandering elsewhere.

After he'd given the orders, and made the necessary arrangements for the entire Ouroboros
Clan, he had begun his own journey.

As he wasn't pressed for time and hadn't had the opportunity to venture far previously, he
planned to take his time to explore the vast central continent, which was filled with a
fascinating mix of various odd ethnicities and mixed bloodlines who coexisted with other
humans. The geographical landscape was also much more confusing. Coupled with the
pollution of the radiation of some high-ranking Magi, it was no wonder that almost every
location seemed bizarre and puzzling.

Abandoning the convenience of travelling by his airship, Leylin had to admit that with his
current walking pace, to cover the entire central continent, he would have to use at least a
century as his unit of measurement!

There were many bizarre scenes along the way. However, as Leylin had already been promoted
to the Morning Star realm, his scope of vision was extraordinary. Thus, under the probing of his
soul force, the number of scenes that he could not understand were greatly reduced.

His current urge to venture to this small town was to seek out a rumoured marvel.

Leylin's supposed leisurely ventures were not for recreation. He wanted to research these odd
phenomena to strengthen his A.I. Chip's analysing capabilities by accumulating more
information in its database.

Leylin pondered about his current situation:

[Leylin Farlier, rank 4 Warlock Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form), Strength: 50,
Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force: 503.7, Magic Power: 503 (magic power in
synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul Force: ???]

After advancing to Morning Star, limitations of calculating soul force relatively based on
spiritual force data started to surface. As the A.I. Chip lacked the necessary data on soul force, it
could not successfully compute the soul force statistics, which somewhat frustrated Leylin.
"Before a Magus reaches rank 4, they depend on their of meditation technique to accumulate
spiritual force. However, after rank 4, other aspects of the soul get involved. My Kemoyin's
Pupil can't be regarded as an advantage anymore..."

Leylin sighed. His meditation technique was way too low-level, and the information that he had
gathered was actually from the Wing of the Sun.

As compared to spiritual force, the training of one's soul force was complicated and profound.
Even the Wing of the Sun was not able to completely elaborate on the details, let alone allow
the A.I. Chip to reinforced to the highest standards.

As such, Leylin thought of his previous research into spiritual bodies. Through that, he could
accumulate statistics and information on the power of souls in an attempt to complete his own
database.

After some thought, Leylin couldn't help but scrutinise the two columns at the sides: [Kemoyin's
Pupil meditation technique level 5 derivation progress: 6.92%. Soul Force database completion:
26.8%!]

"Ugh... Such a heavy burden with a long way to go..." Leylin smiled wryly to himself.

Aside from the derivation of the meditation technique, the Kemoyin's Pupil had only four levels
to begin with. This was the boundary that many Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks failed to
break through. Based only on the A.I. Chip's simulations, Leylin ambitiously wanted to challenge
the uphill task of compiling his own fifth level with zero resources.

And the collection of the database on souls was even more difficult.

Once the point mass was condensed, one could purify and advance spiritual force into soul
force. Looking back, Leylin's past research as an acolyte and a rank 1 Magus was such a joke.

The scientific law of life and death of one's soul was not easily identified. At many times, there
would be a theory that ruled the system on one day, yet on the next day, it would become
obsolete and be overthrown.

"The rules and regulations of developing one's soul are really deceptive!" Leylin was evidently
upset. In fact, the souls that he met were not exactly souls, just some remnants and unwilling
fragments of memories that were the result of energy transformation.

Hence, even if that information proved to be of some use, it could only be a reference.

Only after the promotion to Morning Star and acquiring soul force would he be better equipped
to start a further exploration of the soul. And that was what Leylin was striving extremely hard
and advancing for.

All in all, the physiques of the humans in the central continent were much stronger than the
ones in the south coast and Twilight Zone. Also, with the abundance of energy particles, the
probability of dead spirits transforming into souls was greater. Coupled with the mix of
radiations of many high-ranked Magi everywhere, this place gave off the feel of a very primitive
and complicated place for spirits.

Whenever such an environment surfaced, Leylin would hit the town to collect data.

That was the reason for Leylin's presence here as well. "Every year during hazy winter nights, a
'Spirit Wave' phenomenon occurs at midnight..." he mumbled to himself.

At the same time, he acutely felt many pairs of eyes peeking at him, making him laugh to
himself.
Seated alone with a huge spread of delicacies and yet eating none of it, he was attracting the
wrong kind of attention.

After some thought, Leylin picked up his cutlery.

The central continent's standard of living had always been higher than that of the other regions.
Even a hotel in a small town served food that was considerably more delicious.

Not only did they serve a glass of honeyed wine, they also served white bread and steak. The
steak was tenderised with baking soda and a mallet, making it extra tender. Coupled with some
honeyed wine, it tasted rich and mellow.

Observing that Leylin had begun to eat his food, the drunk patrons either shot him a glance or
cursed him under their breath and thereafter turned their attention away from him.

A faint light glowed from the depths of his pupils.

Even at this small hotel, there were some Magi present! It seemed like they had been attracted
by the same Spirit Wave phenomenon.

With a sweep of his soul force, he was able to immediately identify a few black shadows in the
corner. A pair of grandfather and grandson seated next to the counter also caught his attention.

"Hmm! A few rank 2 Magi, and another rank 3 Vapour Phase, not bad!"

As a Morning Star Magus, Leylin was now qualified to scan these Magi. And because he was
able to restrain the energy undulations on his body to its point mass, Leylin was regarded by
those present at the hotel as an ordinary Knight in training that had happened to set foot in this
town. No other oddities were detected.

The pair of grandfather and grandson caught Leylin's attention the most. After all, for a rank 3
Vapour Phase Magus to bring along his grandson for such an outing, there must be something
important.

And if it was indeed related to the Spirit Wave, Leylin was even more interested in finding out
about it.

The grandson tagging along with the elderly Magus looked to be about thirteen or fourteen
years old. With a pair of wine-red eyes and golden blonde hair, he was very adorable. Judging
by the freckles on his face and energy in his darting eyes, it was clear he seldom ventured
outdoors.

'All these Magi can't be here just to view the phenomenon right?' Leylin stroked his chin.
Although the Spirit Wave was a magnificent sight, he was sure there were no other benefits.
With the exception of idle individuals like Leylin, who came specially to collect data and check
the Spirit Wave out, the number of Magi who came forth had greatly reduced in recent times,
and highly-ranked ones like this old man were a rare sight.

"Hehe.... Spirit Wave is about to begin, I am going to strike it rich this time!"

"Mmm! That's right, I have been waiting for this!"

Wearing shabby clothing, the drunk patrons were yelling at the top of their voices. Some of
them were adventurers, some were mercenaries. Others were gold panners and such. They had
all gathered to try their luck.
Although the Spirit Wave had no huge instrumental use for the Magi, it was still considered a
gold mine for the commoners.

And along with the huge amount of rubbish and remnants left after every Spirit Wave, there
was bound to be some good stuff. If one could find it, they might very well have a windfall.

This was one of the reasons why the small town was still in existence.

Otherwise, although the Spirit Wave posed no threat, the commoners would have found it
difficult to be neighbours with a mass of spirits. Other than Magi, no other would have such
courage.

The oppressive, loud chiming of a copper clock rang. Many of the tourists were jolted awake.
Even those blurry-eyed drunkards were nudged awake by their companions.

"The midnight bell has tolled!" "The midnight bell has tolled!"

Many adventurers called out in excitement as they started to wipe and polish their weapons.

These weapons had no effect on the spirits and were also not meant for dealing with them. In
the face of such enormous treasure, the ones they had to be wary of would be one another
instead!

"Let's go!" The old Magus picked up a napkin to wipe his hand. His movements were elegant
and relaxed, evidently having undergone training. On the other hand, the young grandson was
still rather stiff.
Leylin followed the crowd and stepped foot outside the hotel.

At this moment, a full moon hung in the middle of the sky. A thin layer of fog surrounded it and
blurred the moonlight, forming a silvery-white halo.

The chilly wind whistled. The northern air in the night was known to be bone-chilling. Gushes of
white vapour could be seen emerging from the adventurers' noses and mouths as they
breathed.

Many doors in the small town suddenly slammed open and a crowd started pouring in.

A majority of the crowd were well-built men. Some of them looked ferocious while others were
old with multiple scars on them. They were carrying baskets or knapsacks, weapons in hand. In
short, they were all well-equipped, one way or another.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 515 - The Tomb

The residents of the small town were evidently prepared to join the army of scrap collectors.
This might also have been the reason why they decided to live here, or their aim in being here.

At the same time, they were very unfriendly towards the foreigners who stayed in the inn,
casting grave and stern looks at them from time to time, clearly treating them as prey.
As compared to the residents, who were great in number, the adventurers and mercenaries
were outnumbered and divided. They gathered together, and couldn't help but grip tightly onto
the cleavers and swords they held.

Although they knew that the others did not harbour good intentions, these people who they
could consider 'one of their own' made them feel more at ease in comparison to the sea of
residents outside.

It was fortunate that although the two groups of people both shot glares at one another, they
didn't land themselves in a more heated conflict before the Spirit Wave could begin.

At this moment, a bizarre energy wave spread across the town, sending chills down everyone's
spine.

As for Leylin and the other Magi, the feeling was more distinct.

"It's beginning..." Leylin gazed at the haloed moon in the sky.

According to the A.I. Chip's readings, the intensity of a type of dark and cold energy waves was
rapidly rising. So much that the region around the small town seemed to be enveloped in what
seemed like a domain barrier.

'The Morning Star realm? No! Its intrinsic qualities slightly fall short, it can only be a force field
belonging to rank 3 Magi at most!' The appearance of such a barrier made Leylin's pupils
contract, but he relaxed soon after.

"It's... It's appearing..." At this moment, a voice sounded, trembling either due to dread or
excitement.
Leylin followed the crowd. Numerous rays of light that resembled shooting stars converged into
a long, glittering river, flowing slowly from the perimeter of the small town.

Brilliant rays with resplendent streaks splashed across the horizon. Leylin's eyesight allowed
him to see the items in the rays of light clearly.

A single yellow leather shoe flew past, with tiny white wings on each side. The shoelaces were
left on the side in a mess, yet the tip of the shoe was polished and shiny.

Behind the leather shoe was a black walking stick, likely processed directly from some sort of
vine. Similarly, it was flying with the wings below its handle.

"What... Is this thing..." Leylin's looked baffled.

Soon after, he also saw a rag doll, a shabby table and chair, and other items fly past, such as the
kind of flower vases that were usually placed on counters.

"Is this a gathering of dilapidated commodities?" He was speechless, but still commanded the
A.I. Chip to record this scene and monitor the energy waves.

After the junk flowed away along the river, Leylin could no longer bring himself to laugh.

Right behind the flow of light, a faintly discernible white line gradually drew nearer.

When it came closer, he could see numerous unfeeling faces. They had long, jet black hair, and
were clothed entirely in white, slowly walking over along the ray of light... Perhaps walking
would be an inaccurate description, because a cloud of mist hung under their feet. Their entire
beings seemed to drift forward continuously while suspended in mid-air.

Although the adventurers and mercenaries next to Leylin had long heard about such a
phenomenon, their legs still trembled with fear. They couldn't even keep their jaws shut, and
the sounds of teeth chattering could be heard as they shuddered.

In comparison to those people, the residents of this town ought to have gone through this
before, and had experience. Although their faces were also deathly pale, they could still
compose themselves, and were not humiliated.

The densely-packed silhouettes converged to form an enormous tide, which surged up violently
next to the small town.

Leylin stood at the side, solemn, as his A.I. Chip frantically recorded the data. "There are so
many spirits. Perhaps something major once happened in the vicinity, and it might be related to
high energy radiation..."

In actual fact, many of the strange sightings observed across the entire central continent were
caused by battles between high-ranking Magi or contamination by radiation. Such phenomena
usually did not die out even after thousands upon thousands of years, and instead expanded
outward unceasingly, vying over territory with the humans who lived there.

Hence, the prevention and cure of such contamination was a hot research topic for many of the
large forces.

Numerous white phantoms squirmed towards a particular direction unhurriedly. Among them
were males and females, children and the elderly, yet they were all expressionless. Their hair
was let down, and covered their pupils.
Such an odd phenomenon made even Leylin's scalp tingle.

Souls have always been seen as something highly bizarre and idealistic. In his quest for more
knowledge, he had no choice but to carry on.

"Huh?" At this moment, the grandfather and grandson he had been observing with his soul
force suddenly made a move.

Upon seeing the wave of numerous spirits, the elderly Magus seemed excited, and fished out a
yellowing notebook. He appeared to be making comparisons, and even left the town secretly.

On the other hand, the other rank 2 Magi exchanged looks, then went to their separate corners
and took out various materials from their robes to display on themselves.

"They are likely trying to use the power of the Spirit Wave to alchemize the magic items that
are coming through!"

Leylin's alchemic skills were high enough for him to be a grandmaster. With merely a slight
glance, he immediately found a clue. Feeling that it was beneath him, he snorted coldly and
didn't bother about it.

He thought of leaving a phantom at where he was, while he himself would slip into the cracks
of darkness so that he could follow the grandfather and grandson out.

In the notebook that the grandfather had taken out earlier, Leylin had seen something
incredible.
"If that's really the case, it will be interesting!" A brilliant light flashed in Leylin's eyes.

"Grandfather... Are we... Really going to be around these spirits?" The grandson was only a
cowardly acolyte. Seeing the translucent spirits, he tugged the elderly Magus' sleeve in fear, his
face pale.

"These spirits are of the lowest level, and aren't likely to attack, what's there to be afraid of?"
The old Magus reproached, seemingly feeling a little helpless.

Although his grandson had pretty decent innate skills, he didn't have much courage to speak of.

"But... We're about to integrate into the sea of spirits directly! Once they discover that
something's not right, they'll definitely rip us into pieces!" The old man's reassurance did not
calm the young boy down, but instead made him more fearful.

"If we don't integrate into the spirit channel, how will we get to the tomb and obtain 'that'?" An
unyielding look was written across the old man's face. He grabbed his grandson's arm, then
took out a few scrolls and ripped them apart.

*Buzz!* Upon ripping open the black scrolls, the pair was enveloped in a dull white glow.

After the radiance dispersed, both of their figures started to become ghost-like, and they even
emitted energy waves similar to those of spirits.

The hostile glares that the spirits had been shooting at the pair also vanished immediately.
"Done!" The elderly Magus, who was becoming translucent, patted his chest. "This is a spell
that has been passed down our family for generations, which can make these spirits
temporarily view us as their kind..."

Seeing this, the boy was finally at ease, and squeezed into the stream of spirits together with
the old man.

"What an intriguing spell!" A ray of light flashed in the air, and Leylin's silhouette appeared, "It's
unlike the traditional spells from the central continent, and instead has a style reminiscent of
the astral plane!"

Although the spirits were rich in number, most of them were of very low rank. They were
absolutely incapable of detecting any flaw if a Morning Star Magus chose to conceal himself
deliberately.

It was only until Leylin integrated into the Spirit Wave that he finally felt different.

"Space! It's the power of space! No wonder that guy called this place a spiritual channel!" Leylin
muttered under his breath. And he realised the path that the spirits were taking was oddly
isolated from the rest of the central continent, forming a special channel.

Here, even if something was visible to the naked eye, it might actually be as far as hundreds of
thousands of kilometers away.

If one could grasp the rules of this channel, they would be able to use it to do things that many
Magi would think unimaginable.

The old man ahead seemed very familiar with this place, and dragged the young boy along,
advancing quickly. A blue light twinkled in Leylin's eyes as he followed them closely.
"He's using the spirit channel to hide something! I'm sure he must have been a Morning Star
before his death!"

The further they went down the path, the more serious Leylin became. There were many
dangers here that even he would be unable to ignore. If not for the fact that there was
someone leading the way in front, he could not be sure if he would make his way through
successfully.

There were fewer spirits lingering around at the back of the wave. A silver ray of light had
appeared on the ground, and the old man was walking on it together with his grandson.

The minutes ticked by, and when they finally arrived at a particular site, ecstasy spread across
the old man's face. "Found it!"

Leylin's footsteps came to a halt. The elderly Magus in front of him was standing under a huge
butternut tree. The enormous forks in the branches formed an eerie symbol with three heads.

Upon seeing this tree, which seemed like some sort of landmark, the old man choked up in
agitation, even shedding a few tears, "We've finally found it! The ancestral tomb!"

"Right here?" The young boy looked at the forked and ostensibly demonic branches, as the
silver moon shone with an oddly nefarious glow, making him shrivel in cowardice.

"Yes, right here!" The old man was so excited that he nearly broke into a dance. "Our family's
cemetery is almost always hidden in the spatial rifts. Only when the Spirit Wave hits once every
hundred years can we pass through the spirit channel to get here..."
A blazing radiance lit up in his eyes. "In the tomb lies the meditation techniques and magical
equipment belonging to our ancestor. Just these items are sufficient to revive our family..."

"If that's the case... Why didn't our ancestors just leave this behind?" The young boy asked
doubtfully.

"I'm not too sure myself. Anyway, this tomb is our family treasure, that's for sure!" The old man
seemed a little baffled himself, but it would soon be replaced by an even greater madness.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 516 - Gargoyle

"All my efforts in coming here are for your sake." The old man watched his grandson lovingly.

"You have the best talent in our family. As long as you have a high-grade meditation technique
and magic artifact, advancing to rank 2 and rank 3 will definitely not be an issue. You even have
hope of reaching Morning Star!"

The old man was so emotional that he trembled, on the verge of spitting froth.

This immediately caused Leylin, who was hidden, to roll his eyes. He was the most qualified to
talk about the difficulty of reaching Morning Star, and this old man was just spouting nonsense.

If one could reach Morning Star with just better talent and a high-grade meditation technique,
the continent would not have so many Crystal Phase Magi who had lived out their lives without
being able to advance.
However, Leylin did not think them completely wrong. The many planes were so vast, and if
their ancestor really had some method of reaching the Morning Star realm unimpeded, it could
very well be possible.

"But..." The young grandson seemed to hesitate, seemingly not believing in this judgement. If
not for the tomb of his ancestor, and his blood-related grandfather bringing him here, he might
even have had plans of leaving.

"Awakening the ancestor's spirit and honour with my blood and heading towards the door of
success, with hell as the final destination..."

The old man took a silver-white dagger and sliced his wrist, dripping the blood on the roots. He
continuously chanted something, as if conducting a solemn ceremony.

With the blood spreading everywhere, coupled with the eerie surroundings, the young boy
shrunk back.

"Grandpa, look!" All of a sudden, his pupils shrunk and he tugged at the old man's sleeves while
beginning to yell.

Following his gaze, the blood on the tree roots had been absorbed by the soil and roots quickly.
It was as if water had been sprinkled on a sponge.

"This is a defensive mechanism that our family set up. Only the blood of the descendants,
coupled with the correct chants, can open it..."

The old man spoke slowly. However, Leylin's eyes lit up with suspicion, "A bloodline lock. A
bloodline lock again! Could they be a Warlock family? They don't have any Warlock undulations
on them though..."

*Huala!* After absorbing the old man's blood, the giant walnut tree's messy arrangement of
branches began to tremble, and the trunk turned a bloody red.

*Ka-cha!* All of a sudden, the middle of the trunk cracked apart to form a hole, and a
passageway that led downwards could be seen.

"Follow me!" The old man walked ahead, and the young grandson followed closely behind,
hands tugging tightly on the old man's sleeves. He appeared terrified.

Leylin bowed his head in thought for a moment, but eventually followed behind them.

The passage was short, and in no time they reached a tomb.

The old man lit an oil lamp in the middle, and under the dim light the tomb presented itself to
Leylin.

This underground room was very small. There were two gargoyles at two ends, seemingly
standing guard over the place.

Between the two gargoyle guards, a stone coffin appeared before them, with sealing runes on
the surface.

The young man's teeth began to chatter as he pulled at his grandpa's sleeves tightly, "This-
There's nothing here at all. Let's leave as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about this..."
"What are you afraid of?" The old man flung his sleeve in annoyance, and a stream of air began
to flow. The light breeze blew over the lights and darkened the tomb.

"Look closely!" The old man's voice was hoarse and full of emotion that he could not conceal, "I
lit the lamp just so you could see this..."

The young man could not help but widen his eyes, his pupils enlarging as well. Through the dark
yellow flames, he could see a great number of coloured murals on the walls of the tomb.
Through the murals, he could see the process of a Magus acolyte struggling ahead, from rank 1
to rank 3.

After that, there was a legendary battle. The Magus in the mural, who was also the owner of
the tomb, seemed to have obtained something in the battle and reached Morning Star.

The young man's eyes widened. However, other than a scaly monster with multiple eyes and
arms battling his ancestor, he recognised nothing else.

"This is the most brilliant piece of our ancestor's history. It only appears when this oil lamp is
lit..."

The old man's voice showed his pride, "If it's an outsider who doesn't know this mechanism,
they will be attacked!"

Leylin had hidden in a crevice in the shadows. He was surprised by the mural on the wall. The
monster that had eventually been killed was one he had seen before, on another mural. "We
meet again, Beelzebub. Or should I say the Sovereign King of Gluttony?"
Leylin's voice was light but resolute.

In ancient times, a clone of the Sovereign King of Gluttony descended upon the Magus world,
causing large numbers of casualties. It was eventually killed, body split into countless pieces.

One of the pieces fell into the hands of the Quicksand organisation, becoming the cause of the
Parble Family's tragedy after Robin obtained it.

It seemed like the owner of the tomb had once been a participant in that great war, and had
been extremely fortunate to obtain a gluttony imprint.

'Then it's obvious how this fellow advanced to Morning Star after victory,' Leylin touched his
chin, "With the power of gluttony, spurring on one's spiritual force to break through and reach
the Morning Star realm is quite possible!"

He already had an imprint like this in his hands, and had even been prepared to use it to
advance to the Morning Star realm. However, he had already made ample preparations and
ended up not needing external support. Leylin had no wish to be connected to Beelzebub
anyway.

This was someone who was probably at or above rank 7! Just a finger would be enough to crush
the current Leylin. It was obvious why he would not want to have any connection with him.
Even if something related to Beelzebub fell at his feet, Leylin would want nothing to do with it.

"Based on the records of the ancestor, his meditation technique, as well as the treasure that
can help one break through, are all within the coffin, accompanying his long sleep..."

The elderly Magus' eyes shot out a piercing glare as he ambled forward slowly, arriving in front
of the coffin.
A mechanism was activated, creaking sounds coming out as a red light shot out of the two
gargoyle's eyes. They shrugged off their stone skin and pounced towards the old Magus.

*Weng!* A golden membrane suddenly rose on the Magus' body, separating the sharp claws of
the gargoyles from his person.

A look of disbelief appeared on the old Magus' face, "I am his descendant and came with
directions. Why am I being attacked?"

*Creak!* The gargoyles would not answer him. The two immediately let out piercing sound
waves, and as the berserk waves swept through the acolyte immediately fainted.

"Blu!" The old man's eyes turned red, hands morphing into beast talons.

*Ka-cha!* He grabbed hold of one gargoyle and viciously ripped it into two. Great amounts of
soil and rocks flew everywhere, and the other stood very still, the light on its body reserved. It
began to emanate a violent energy.

"Want to self-destruct?" Light burst out of the old Magus' eyes as he charged to the front. A
thick layer of light, alike to the kind emitted by a Spear Spell, covered his sharp claws.

*Pu!* A single claw swept forward, and went through the gargoyle's body like a knife through
hot butter. With a twist of his hand, a giant mechanical heart was gouged out.

After losing its power core, the aura on the gargoyle crackled and disappeared, leaving it dead.
"Blu, Blu! Wake up!" The old man undid the transformation of his hands, and a green radiance
that was full of vitality wrapped around the young boy.

Minutes later, the young boy came to, looking dazed.

"This is probably not the ancestor's tomb, but a place sealing some terrifying thing. If not, why
would this sort of guard be around?" The first thing the young man did after waking up was
warn his grandfather.

"I'm not willing to leave just like this!" The old Magus' eyes turned red, and he looked stubborn,
"Perhaps, those two protectors were a test by the ancestor, or a joke on the younger
generation..."

Even so, even he himself could not believe his words.

However, his perseverance and the cry in his heart were urging him to open the coffin and
obtain the things within.

"I'll take just one look, I promise! Then we'll seal this place and leave immediately!" The old
man's eyes were distant as he approached and pushed the cover of the stone coffin away,
revealing the items within.

"Hm?!" Leylin, who had been watching at the side, suddenly had a change of expression.

What was inside the giant coffin was indeed the remains of a Magus. His body was rather thin,
but his hair and eyebrows were still present. He looked lifelike, and the imposing aura of a
Morning Star emanated from his body.
Though his eyes were tightly closed, his features were extremely sharp, with a steadfast
resolution and strength. His hands were folded before his chest as if holding something.

With Leylin's eyes, he was able to see a stone rune without any trouble. Though it was different
from what he had, this was definitely a true gluttony imprint!

"I told you there's a treasure!" The old Magus was in a bad situation. He looked dazed, as if he
was being controlled by something. He went forward, hands reaching for the rune.

"Grandpa!" Just as his fingers were about to touch the rune, the young boy's cries pulled him
back.

"What's going on? Why am I here?" The old man was bewildered, but immediately after, a
stranger situation occurred.

With wailing that sounded like hell reappearing, multiple black shadow fingers appeared within
the tomb, threads of black gas being dispelled from the old man's bosom.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 517 - Killing The Clone's Projection

"Why is the temperature rising at this rate?" The old man swiftly took out the black notebook
from his chest. Not only was the notebook heating up, traces of black currents swirled around
it.

*Buzz!* With a sudden spike in the book's temperature, the old man scrunched his face up in
pain as he subconsciously tossed it from his hand.

A big patch of the old man's hand was scalded from the momentary contact. White blisters
started forming on its surface.

Even with a Magus' physique and the protection of his innate spell, he was still injured this way!

*Woo woo...*

"The almighty Beelzebub, you are the king of hell, the darling of the original sins, with the
control over gluttony. The desires for all cuisine lies in your hand...."

The phantom became more intense as the chants and songs of praises filled the entire tomb
area.

Leylin had seen such situations in the past, hence he immediately became vigilant. As for the
old man and his grandson, they huddled together in a corner with looks of regret on their faces.

A black ray of light swept out from the notebook, and like a remnant of an illusion seeped into
the stone rune on the coffin.

After the flow of light had dissipated, as if it had completed its mission, the notebook burned to
ashes in front of their eyes.

Colourful light flowed out of the stone rune, and traces of this light started connecting with the
Morning Star corpse.
Like lightning, the ray scanned through the tomb as the Morning Star corpse opened his eyes
and once again descended upon this world!

"I... I... Am I Ezekiel? Or Gordius?"

"No! I am Beelzebub! Sovereign King of gluttony, Beelzebub!"

The Magus' eyes looked lost in the beginning, but they soon glowed brightly. His Morning Star
domain had apparently descended, and both grandfather and grandson fell to the ground.

"Morning Star! It's our Morning Star ancestor!" By now, the corpse was sitting partially upright.
The old man was ecstatic and was about to speak when a flash of ruthless light sparked from
the corpse's face.

A ray of crimson red flashed across the old Magus and he disappeared immediately without a
trace.

"Mmm! A pretty good supplement! And it appears to be a direct descendant of the corpse
too!" The red glow in the Morning Star Magus' eyes intensified. He stroked his belly and darted
his eyes towards the young teenager.

"Ah..." The scene a moment ago left the young teen on the verge of collapsing. He opened his
mouth and attempted to speak, but could only murmur some incoherent words as his body
froze up and stiffened.

The gaze from the Morning Star Magus did not linger for long on the young teen, as it swept its
line of sight behind him instead.
"Eh...." Following an indistinct sigh, Leylin's silhouette emerged from the crevice.

"Morning Star Magus?! You're the kid from before!" The words spoken by the corpse in the
coffin were filled with much astonishment, and a lot of deep seated hatred.

"Indeed, projected clone of Beelzebub. It is I." Leylin admitted his identity magnanimously.

With the opposite party's gluttony imprint on him, Leylin couldn't deny the facts. And by now,
he should have been able to discern all that had happened anyway.

During ancient times, Beelzebub's clone died and the remains had transformed itself to become
a huge rune of gluttony, and thereafter he attempted to invade the different coordinates of the
world of Magi.

Magi who attained the gluttony rune would have been tainted by the sin of gluttony, and hence
have their appetites awakened. They would also get the ability to advance beyond their realms,
and additionally with the power of gluttony in their body, they became potential host bodies
for Beelzebub himself!

The Magus buried here was lucky to have obtained a remnant. And after his own Morning Star
breakthrough, he seemed to have noticed something amiss and hence sealed himself in and
isolated himself from the probe of Beelzebub.

Unfortunately, the notebook that he regularly carried around had been tainted over a long
period of time, and it was even entrusted with by of spirit fragments.

After a very long time, his grandchild, bewitched by the notebook, had come forth to open the
coffin and release the clone.
"Unexpectedly, you have advanced to Morning Star!"

The Magus possessed by Beelzebub looked extremely imposing. Every single move was filled
with an imposing aura, and behind him the image of a huge demon appeared that vaguely
resembled the king of hell.

"How do you intend to compensate for my previous losses?" It was odd that this clone did not
pursue the matter further, and instead hinted at settling it.

Leylin looked even more baffled as he stepped up to the clone. He looked it right in the eye,
"Do you take me for a fool?"

Once the words were spoken, the clone immediately changed colour. Leylin continued, "As you
are now, you aren't even a clone, but just a fragment of a spirit with some power of projection!
Besides, this Morning Star Magus corpse's point mass has followed its spirit and returned to the
astral plane. While this high-quality body has been contaminated by the power of gluttony,
with your current reliance on this Morning Star body, how much strength can you exhibit?"

*Buzz!* As the darkness loomed in, the earth looked like it had been isolated them from the
outside world. Silver radiance filled the whole sky, and the stars scattered all around.

A real Morning Star domain had descended! Once the clone's domain came into contact with
Leylin's it immediately shattered.

Witnessing the outcome, the expression on the clone was hideous while Leylin heaved a sigh of
relief.
His previous prediction had been accurate indeed.

Of course, he could have stopped the old man, but he wouldn't have been able to deal with the
Magus inside. Allowing both dangers to happen simultaneously and dealing with both issues at
once was Leylin's preferred style.

After all, he did incur some hatred from the Sovereign King some time ago, and he naturally
couldn't let the matter rest and allow the opposite party to develop their plans.

Even though this was just a projection of a clone, it wasn't wise to ignore him. He could have
gone out to replenish himself well, and someday might even become an uncontrollable threat!

Leylin definitely wouldn't want that to happen, yet letting it go was also not an option. The best
course of action then would be to destroy him completely when he was at his weakest.

"You....." Beelzebub's clone was a mess, with strands of hair standing on end, exhibiting his
extreme anger.

"Goodbye!" Disregarding his opponent's rage, Leylin waved his hand. Terrifying energy
condensed into his palm, forming a red flame that then morphed into a huge blazing serpent
that coiled around him.

Under the terrifyingly high temperature, the original stone coffin immediately turned to ashes.
Leylin eyed the blaze indifferently.

A black radiance appeared, gradually glowing as it sucked in all the fiery blaze. After the fire
died out, Beelzebub could be seen opening his mouth wide and swallowing the flames.
What was even more bizarre was that after swallowing them, his aura seemed to have grown
stronger.

"Devouring capability! Your understanding of the power of gluttony has reached the level of
laws!" Leylin clapped without flinching. Based on the power of the opposite party's body,
attaining this level was no big deal.

"It's a pity, though. Your foundation is too weak. How much more energy can you absorb?"
Leylin's words angered Beelzebub so much that his face contorted in rage.

Any absorption of power would have a limit to it. And since the opposite party had no mass
point belonging to the Morning Star, there was an obvious upper bound to it. Leylin focused on
this point and attacked him mercilessly.

It was advantageous that the opposite party was currently weak. It wasn't likely that Leylin
would have such opportunities in the future.

*Boom!* A torrential blaze, like a huge wave, swallowed Beelzebub. He became unsure, not
daring to swallow any more. Uncountable black tentacles appeared on his body, wrapping him
up.

Upon contact with the scarlet red flame, the black tentacles immediately started dissolving.
Counteracting each other, the attacks from both sides gradually weakened.

"Ivory Devourer!"

Ferocious black teeth, that seemed to have melted in the void, surrounded Leylin. Yet, it was
blocked by a red shield that had Giant Kemoyin Serpents carved on it.
"Indeed, how many more attacks can you sustain?"

The huge black teeth grazed across the surface of the shield, leaving deep grooves and creating
big sparks. At this moment, Leylin's looked like he had a plan in mind.

"You..." Bundled within the black tentacles, Beelzebub could only blurt out a single word and
was soon enveloped by the fiery red blaze.....

"This..... What is happening?"

The teen lying on the ground looked up and saw what looked like the aftermath of a big battle.
At long last, the Magus with a head of black hair appeared and stood among the stars in the
sky. He looked like a God descending onto the earth, moving the fiery red blaze to swallow up
the strange creature in the coffin.

A long time later, the shimmering stars started to dim, and the black hair Magus came before
the teen. His face looked tired but was filled with delight.

"Your name is Blu?" Securing the other gluttony imprint well, Leylin smiled.

Leylin obviously would not want to keep the consciousness of the opposite party. To deal with a
rank 7 and above, one could be drowned in their layers of crafty schemes. Unwittingly, the
radiation contamination would have become a handful, similar to the example of the old Magus
and his ancestor.

However, these gluttony imprints were very much worth researching. And the laws themselves
were of much importance!
The power of laws! It was like a door separating rank 6 and rank 7. Only after attaining the
necessary power of laws could one be promoted to the Breaking Dawn realm and above. As
such, Leylin showed no traces of politeness and kept the gluttony imprint to study thoroughly
later.

Although at the present moment, his rank was considerably low, he would definitely come into
contact with it in the near future.

"Yes, Master. I am Blu!"

The young Blu bowed respectfully to the Morning Star Magus. It was the kind of respect that
the whole central continent would give to one!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 518 - Creevey City

Violent winds howled as a huge airship broke through the airflow and cruised through at
supersonic speed.

In a comfortable cabin, Leylin gazed at the copious amounts of books that he had, satisfied.

On this trip to the town, not only had he managed to record the Spirit Wave data, he had also
ended Beelzebub's conspiracy, and got rid of that hazard. He even got hold of a gluttony
imprint! It could be said that he had reaped huge rewards.
He even obtained the research notes and experimental data from the acolyte, Blu. Those used
to belong to Blu's Morning Star ancestor.

In return, a few spiritual force potions were sufficient to make the other party shed tears of
gratitude.

The research and insights of that Morning Star Magus inspired Leylin greatly.　

As he hurried off, Leylin did not forget to command the A.I. Chip to record all of this
information and enrich his database.

After settling the matters regarding the Spirit Wave and Beelzebub, Leylin boarded the private
airship gifted by the Fallor Family— the Colossal Serpent. It was about time for the
appointment he had arranged previously, thus he decided to abandon his more leisurely mode
of transport.

As it was an airship custom-made for a Morning Star Magus, the Colossal Serpent had a
comprehensive list of functions. The slightest tremor would not be felt even if it were to be
caught in a thunderstorm. At the same time, all the flight paths and supply points across the
central continent were open to the Colossal Serpent, and provided free maintenance services.
This caused Leylin to be more impressed by the Fallor Family.

Of course, this might also have been the actual intention of the Fallor Family and the Monarch
of the Skies.

Even though it was an industry under the control of a Breaking Dawn Magus, it still dominated
the air freight business across the entirety of the central continent, and had to spend their
money somewhere else.
As compared to trading in various aspects, this amount spent on currying favour with a Morning
Star Magus was nothing.

The Colossal Serpent travelled at high speeds. At full speed, it only took Leylin less than half a
month to arrive at his destination— Creevey Highlands!

This area was jointly protected by numerous Bloodline organisations, and was equivalent to a
meeting point that was specially open to all Warlocks. It housed many hybrid races, Warlocks
and those whose bloodlines had been contaminated.

Rumour had it that as long as one had the bloodline of a Warlock, or had any associations with
bloodlines, they would be taken good care of here.

Thus, in the central continent where the Magi oppressed numerous races and the humans
thrived, Creevey Highlands was like a paradise for those of the other races and mixed bloods
who were cast out by both sides.

A private exchange would be held between Morning Star Warlocks in Creevey City, the biggest
city in the heart of Creevey Highlands.

Paul and Philip had also tried their best to invite Leylin here to interact more with the other
high-ranking Warlocks. This, of course, was naturally what he wanted, and he'd immediately
agreed.

As he didn't want to attract too much attention, Leylin did not head towards the airship berth
next to Creevey City, and instead, landed in the countryside. He put the Colossal Serpent aside
and proceeded to Creevey City by foot.

The road was bustling with activity—carriages, gold-smelted vehicles, enchanted flying carpets
and other means of transport. Numerous Magi from all walks of life formed a vast stream of
people who came and left through the main gate.

There was a characteristic that most of these Magi shared, and that was the immense
saturation of their bloodline aura. Regardless of whether they were Warlocks or people from
other races, or even those whose bloodlines were contaminated, none of them were
discriminated against like they would have been in the outside world.

Upon passing through the city gates, Leylin intentionally scanned the guard at the side.

He was of a humanoid race, and stood at two metres tall. He had a long dog-like nose and ears,
but otherwise, the rest of his body apart from his head was similar to a normal human being's,
just with more fur.

'A Canine Militant?!' Leylin immediately thought of the Kobold's close relative. While the
Kobold was rumoured to share the same lineage as the ancient giant dragon, the Canine
Militant was certainly a species of bestial humans. However, the people of the central continent
widely classified them as close relatives, or even considered them as belonging to the same
race as Kobolds.

Having purified the bloodline of the ancient red dragon before, Leylin understood clearly that
the Kobold really did share the same lineage as the dragon race! Yet he didn't feel any dragon
bloodline aura exuding from these Canine Militants at all, not even the slightest bit.

'If I write a paper with this as the thesis, perhaps my name will be made known across the
entire continent, although it won't bring me any benefits...'

Leylin's mind wandered off, but he immediately trashed this idea that would only bring him
endless trouble.
"However, the average strength of these Canine Militants is actually similar to that of the
Kobolds. On top of that, they share similar appearances, no wonder the people of the central
continent confuse the two!"

Sensing that these Canine Militants had the average strength of a rank 1 Magus, Leylin couldn't
help but regard highly the strength of the Warlocks in control of this city.

Individually, they had outstanding levels of strength, and furthermore, they possessed
remarkable tracking and scouting abilities. Just these Canine Militant guards alone were enough
to intimidate unlawful people who were waiting for a chance to cause chaos.

"Welcome to Creevey City! This is a Warlock city, please abide by the bloodline rules and
respect the other races. Please choose the district you wish to proceed towards from the
following: Lava Terrains, Great Woods, Heart of the Ocean, Tomb of Darkness, Central Core..."

Upon entering the city, a prompt sounded in Leylin's ear. Five huge teleportation formations
surfaced in front of him, taking in large amounts of people as rays of light flashed periodically.

The entirety of Creevey City had been divided into five major districts, according to the four
creational elements: earth, fire, wind and water. They were split according to the concentration
of the elemental particles.

Among them, the Lava Terrains was a blazing district made up of a large amount of magma and
soil. The concentration of its earth and fire elemental particles was almost at its maximum.

The Great Woods was actually a humongous ancient tree. All sorts of Magus buildings were
constructed on its leaves, where many Magi lived. The wind and plant elemental particles were
the highest here.
The Heart of the Ocean was a gigantic building complex that floated on water, surrounded by
vast seas and sandy beaches, exuding strong tropical vibes.

As for the Tomb of Darkness, it was where the darkness elemental particles were present in the
highest concentration, and was also the place where one's aura was the most suppressed. As
there were many Warlocks who chose darkness, this location still occupied a firm spot in the
city.

If one looked from a bird's eye view, he would be able to see that the entire city had a golden
central district at its core, the rest of the town being equally divided into four parts.

The azure blue sea, the fiery red magma, the lush green of the giant tree, and the darkness with
all things wilting; these four districts each presented rich colours, yet were distinctly separate.
Dazzling and uniformly distributed, none of the colours bled into the other.

The central district at the heart of it all was naturally the place where the interaction between
these four districts took place, and also where the public facilities were located.

Here, the enormous yet complicated geographical landscapes were forcibly mashed together by
the power of the Magi, forming a marvel that was a rare sight in nature.

'In order to balance such a huge wave of elemental particles, and maintain the stability of the
environment...' A blue glow flickered continuously in Leylin's eyes.

'At the very least, it requires setting up a gigantic spell formation under the entire city. The
sheer number of magic crystals spent on just operating and maintaining it alone would amount
to an astronomical figure...'
Leylin gained a deeper understanding of the strength of these high-ranking Warlocks.

Glancing at the people around him choosing which district to be teleported to, Leylin tilted his
head in thought. He decided not to head towards the central core and the Tomb of Darkness,
but instead walked into a turquoise teleportation spell formation, being transported to the
Great Woods along with other Magi.

Rays of light flashed, indicative of the teleportation process. Leylin no longer felt uncomfortable
when experiencing spatial changes during such a short journey. After all, his current body was
now able to withstand teleportation across different planes through the Astral Gate; this was
like peanuts to him.

While the other Magi were still feeling giddy from the residual effects of teleportation, Leylin
had already walked out with both hands behind his back, and started sizing up the Great
Woods.

The place they had been transported to was evidently a crossroad. When Leylin arrived outside
the teleportation spell formation, the first sights he saw were the humongous leaves and
numerous Magi structures.

He walked to the edge of the path before realising that the wide road he was walking on was
actually just a twig of the giant tree. Sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves,
casting mottled shadows on the earth.

As the crown of the tree was too large, the rays of light were very dim. One could see the glow
of numerous Eternal Light spells and eternal flames in front of the Magus structures.

"Whew..." The Great Woods could just be the highest place in the whole of Creevey City.
Perched on the giant tree, one had a panoramic view of the other districts. Leylin took in the
sights of the fiery magma, the sky blue seawater, and even the huge gloomy tomb.
It was only the central core district that was shrouded in a layer of haze, and it couldn't be seen
clearly.

'Indeed, that area is an important strategical location, controls must be put in place!' Leylin
thought as he wandered along a branch.

Most of the Magus structures in the Great Woods were built on tree leaves, and were evenly
distributed all the way to the top. If any Magus wanted to cover the entire district completely,
he would have to scale the tree endlessly.

On the way, a few yellow and green and birds flew past Leylin from time to time, occasionally
resting on high twigs and tweeting, which was pleasant to the ears.

Under the effect of the gigantic purification towers, even normal creatures could withstand the
radiation contamination unintentionally emitted by Magi, as long as it was not too much.

Hence, average humans and other animals were able to exist in many Magus cities across the
central continent.

"Such an environment seems to be what the Elves would like best!" Leylin couldn't help but
check out the passers-by on both sides.

In Creevey City, most of the population was made of Warlocks and other races. However, in the
Great Woods district, the most commonly seen race was the Elves, who had pointy ears and tall
and slender figures.

One had to admit that the appearance of the Elves possessed many special characteristics
unique to Warlocks. If not for the difference in their aura, and the ears which gave them away,
many Magi would likely mistake Elves for Warlocks.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 519 - Picking up Scraps

"Lily's Cosy Cottage?" Leylin looked at a shop's signboard made of oak leaves and written in
both the continent's characters and elven language.

Compared to all the other shops, this shop was evidently more attentive to details. Even the
corners had greenery with plants and flowers sprouting, emitting pleasant flora scents.

"Welcome!'

As he stepped foot into the shop, a boyish-looking elf greeted Leylin genuinely with respect and
a smile, "Respectful customer, how can I be of service to you today?"

"Oh, I am just looking through, I see you sell many miscellaneous things here?"

Leylin's eye swept over to the sales counter. There was a huge clutter of spell materials like ore,
furs from living creatures, scrolls and other handcrafted articles. There was great variety, but
almost all of them were without tags and placed haphazardly. And despite that, it looked like an
organised mess.

"Yes, from the islands of the south coast to Sky City, everything in existence can be found
here!" The elven shop owner beamed and replied proudly.
"Really?" Leylin plastered a smile on his face. These days, the number of objects that could
garner his attention had been dwindling. However, from his observations a moment ago, he did
notice some valuable materials on display. For a tiny shop like this, it was rather rare.

"Eh?!"

Leylin was about to exit the shop when an item in a corner caught his attention.

"Is this item for sale too?" Leylin casually picked up a spell scroll.

It was a very old scroll covered with dust and marks of damage. Wrapped up between both the
horizontal axles was not common spell paper but some kind of beasty skin, with a hint of
glossiness in the texture.

Leylin unfurled the scroll and saw the records of a rank 2 spell model. It looked like it was well
used as the content had become very faint.

Magi could use their spiritual force to break and extract the knowledge and spell models within
scrolls, and many methods of learning included the use of them. When a scroll was repeatedly
used for study, it would eventually deteriorate to this state.

Magi required the spell model's structure to be stable, and would thus demand extreme
precision and quality. Hence, a scroll in such a condition would have totally lost its value.

Afterall, an unstable spell model could prove to be fatal!

As such, this old scroll had just been left there, unsold for a long time. Thus, seeing Leylin pick
this up, a light of puzzlement flashed in the elven store owner's eyes.

"This is the spell model of a rank 2 spell— Hand of Illumination. The original price was five
thousand magic crystals, but since it is your first visit here, my offer is three thousand magic
crystals! Just three thousand magic crystals and it will be yours!"

"Is that so?" Leylin gave a smile that was not a smile and looked at the elf till he felt somewhat
ashamed and hung his head down.

The price quoted had exceeded way past the original value of the scroll, causing the usually
noble and elegant elf a little embarrassment. However for the sake of his livelihood, he had to
do it.

"You are a wind elf, right?"

Leylin could feel the wind elemental particles hovering around the opposite party. It was
unusually light and graceful, so Leylin couldn't help but ask.

"Yes! Yes, my Lord!" The middle-aged store owner lifted his head. There were many Magi who
could recognise him as an elf, but not many were able to specifically identify him as a wind elf.

"The wind elven tribe is rumoured to be close to going extinct in the continent. I didn't expect
to meet one here!!"

Leylin smiled and rolled up the scroll. He picked up a black ore from the sales counter,
"Including this item, a total of three thousand magic crystals!"
The elven store owner scrutinised closely and upon confirmation that it was just an ordinary
ore that wasn't particularly valuable, he nodded his head in agreement.

Noticing the shame in the elf's eyes, Leylin did not criticise further. After settling the
transaction, he left the shop.

"Sigh... even a graceful and elegant elf cannot escape from nature's laws..." Leylin turned
around to take another look at the exquisite door of the shop.

According to ancient legends, the elves had migrated here from the other world and had many
different branches elsewhere.

Among the elves, the moon elves, gold elves and wind elves possessed the highest grade of
bloodline, similar to the nobles of the human race, possessing high prestige and good
reputation. They were also regularly depicted as protagonists in the works of many poets.

As for the dark elves and such, they were regarded as the odd-one-outs among the race, hence
not comparable to the rest.

And so, for a noble and elegant wind elf to fall to this stage, Leylin couldn't help but sigh under
his breath.

"But, since you are the one who started this, you can't blame me....."

Leylin laughed as his palm stroked the cover of the scroll. The strange texture of it made him
gleam with joy as his eyes lit up.

[Beep! After the database comparison, item confirmed as the epidermis of an ancient
creature— Horned Rhinoceros!] the A.I. Chip reported and Leylin's mood lightened.
Although the spell template on the surface of the scroll was not very useful, the material used
was remarkable. An ancient living creature, the Horned Rhinoceros was similar to the Giant
Kemoyin Serpent. Both of them could reach Morning Star in their adulthood. The epidermis
contained a high level of spell resistance and was a necessary material for many Morning Star
Magi equipment.

For Leylin, being able to obtain this for a mere three thousand magic crystal was indeed a
fabulous deal.

Not only that, but the ore he'd picked out was also made of a high-grade material— secret
silver! Although it was embedded under layers of ore, Leylin's A.I. Chip was still able to detect it.

'This small shop made a huge loss from our transaction, their two most valuable items had been
bought by me...' Leylin sniggered silently.

After his promotion to Morning Star, and after attaining the supplementary assistance of soul
force, his A.I. Chip's probing capabilities had increased by leaps and bounds, and could be
considered unprecedented in history.

Very few items could hide their true form from its scans at this juncture.

As such, his current advantage was too huge. Even if he did nothing substantial every day and
just browsed the multiple shops casually, he might be able to pick up items that were needed
for his Morning Star research and breakthroughs.

'It's just...' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Doing so would be too pompous and would attract the
wrong kind of attention. If the secret of the A.I. Chip is leaked, there might be more trouble...'
"Besides....." Leylin's pupils sparkled.

He helplessly shook his head and arrived in front of a teleporting spell formation at a crossing,
where two Magi were waiting.

These two Magi had obvious characteristics of a different race. One had a head that resembled
that of an octopus while the other's body was covered with wolf fur.

Leylin walked up and gracefully made his salutations. "Lord Paul, Lord Phillip! It's been a long
time..."

"We hope we are not imposing on you, Lord Leylin!" Paul laughed and pointed at the ore Leylin
held in his hand, both exhibiting a tacit mutual understanding.

"Morning Star Magi are indeed not easy to deceive, your soul force's probing ability is
commendable, detecting the secret in this ore so quickly! "

Leylin rolled his eyes silently but did not mind it much.

After all, the probes by his own A.I. Chip were usually done covertly and until now had not been
discovered. Other Magi would have thought that he had depended on his acute soul force to
uncover the treasures, and so it wasn't considered a big deal.

"Yes, we apologise for interrupting your leisure. Our social gathering is about to begin, come..."
Philip courteously replied.

Leylin didn't reject him, "Sure, please show the way!"

He was absolutely sure that the entirety of Creevey City had a specialised spell that was used
for detecting Morning Stars. However, he did not use any spell to alter his own appearance and
energy waves, as he was confident in his abilities and was certain he would not be easily
discovered.

After some careful consideration, he concluded that it was understandable.

Creevey City was the main headquarters of the entire Warlock Union, it held a lot of symbolic
importance. They'd provoked their fair share of Morning Star Magi already. If they didn't have
an increased alertness and powerful warning system, the prosperity of the city was going to
short-lived.

Leylin unenthusiastically thought about this as he followed Paul and Philip to the front of the
teleporting spell formation.

These two made no attempt to conceal the energy waves on their bodies, and caught many
looks of reverence. The Warlocks voluntarily stepped aside and left a wide berth for the huge
teleporting spell formation, so much so that only the three of them were left using it at that
moment.

No matter where they were, Morning Stars carried a terrifying amount of prestige.

Rays of silver light flashed, and when the scenery was visible again Leylin found himself at an
unfamiliar place.

Every building was short, and the concrete slabs on the road had many depressions on them,
appearing very shabby. Even the density of energy particles in the air appeared to be very
weak, similar to the rest of the central continent.
"Surprised? For the core area of the Creevey City with its four elements to be so simple and
crude is unexpected?" Paul remarked as he led Leylin onto another path.

*Ka-cha!* When Leylin stepped foot on one of the slabs, it seemed to come alive, floating up
and carrying Leylin forward at the speed of lightning.

"A little, yes!" Leylin nodded his head in agreement.

"To the core of the castle!" Paul spoke to the concrete slabs and all three accelerated.

Once that was done, he looked back at Leylin, smiling as he explained, "Due to the limitations of
our bloodline, we Warlocks in the central continent have experienced a long period of darkness.
As such, many of the Masters suggested during the construction of the city that the core
shouldn't be too extravagant, and needs to be equipped with a good sentry system."

"I see!" Leylin nodded.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 520 - Warlock Gathering

Bloodline Warlocks could make use of their bloodlines to advance rapidly, experiencing no real
bottleneck at ranks 1,2, or even rank 3. All they had to do was wait for their bloodline to
mature. They left regular Magi far in the dust, their rate of advancement extremely terrifying.
However, there was an obvious disadvantage.
Bloodline shackles! This curse hounded bloodline Warlocks eternally, causing them to be
forever unable to surpass the power of the source of their bloodline!

It was impossible to notice this disparity at the lower ranks, and wasn't especially obvious even
at the Morning Star realm. However, once one entered the circles of the Radiant Moon realm,
there were few Warlocks who had the bloodline to advance that far. Hence, Magi were superior
to them at that point.

Once the terrifying Breaking Dawn Magi came into the picture, the gap between the two was
made even more apparent.

Due to the emotional instability from their bloodlines, they were rash and quick-tempered,
often offending many Magi. On top of that, many of their bloodline experiments were
considered taboo, which resulted in the discontent of many.

As a result, when the Warlocks fell, the Magi joined forces and held them down.

Under these conditions, the original Warlocks in the south coast and Twilight Zone died out.

The situation was slightly better in the central continent. Just as the Warlocks were pressured
to the point that they were practically at death's door, the reopening of the astral gates helped
the Warlocks bring in new blood.

In the ancient era, the splendour of Warlocks had come from the support of bloodlines from
other planes.

Though they had not completely regained the glory from the past, there were a few Warlocks
who had successfully reached rank 5 and therefore preserved the inheritance of Warlocks.
Creevey City had been built under those circumstances.

Even the core region was made of buildings passed on from ancient times, and had not been
altered. It held traces of the progress in its history.

"The glorious efforts of every bloodline ancestor should be studied and revered..." Leylin
couldn't help but praise from the bottom of his heart.

If not for the perseverance of the high-ranked Warlocks in the past, all of these traditions would
have been destroyed. His environment would be millions of times more difficult to endure than
it was now. Hence, Leylin was full of sincere gratitude towards them.

*Click!* While they were in the middle of their conversation, the three concrete slabs landed in
a depression within the square of a simple castle, setting themselves inside steadily. They
seemed to fit perfectly, with no gaps at all.

"This is the core of power in Creevey City— The Blood Stronghold!" Paul presented to Leylin.
The three Morning Star Magi left the square, approaching the gate to the castle.

Leylin naturally began to size up this ancient castle. Its black walls were mottled, bringing about
with it the aura of ancient times. Though it looked shabby and was not even comparable to his
previous Onyx Castle, the powerful energy undulations and the ancient aura was something
that his castle lacked.

"Haha... welcome, welcome! Lord Leylin, we've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Outside the gate to the castle, a middle-aged Caucasian man with silver hair had been waiting
for a long while. After seeing Leylin, his eyes gleamed as he immediately went forward to shake
both of Leylin's hands.

His palm was extremely thick and warm, full of power. It was akin to the stream of water under
a layer of ice, the strength buried within the depths by the layer of ice.

His starry eyes seemed as clear as spring water, and there seemed to be a sense of affinity
between them that affected even Leylin.

'Is he really taking me in sincerely? Especially since we're meeting for the first time?' Leylin
revealed a smile, looking extremely touched, while he was astonished. Though he was also a
Morning Star Warlock, the other party was probably overdoing it by being so enthusiastic.

At this thought, he silently commanded the A.I. Chip, 'Scan!'

With the bonus from his attaining soul force, the A.I. Chip's capabilities at energy scanning had
become even more outstanding. It could even catch hold of some information from Morning
Star-ranked Warlocks.

Under the scanning of the A.I. Chip, the human form before him turned into a 3D image and
was projected in front. Data constantly updated itself at the side.

As expected, even if the other party was a Morning Star Warlock, they were still unable to
discover the undulations from the A.I. Chip. Leylin, who saw this, could now completely relax.

[Target is a Morning Star Warlock! Determined affinity to be with illusory elements.]

The A.I. Chip's first conclusion allowed Leylin to make some guesses.
[Beep! Energy undulations have been discovered, determined to be passive illusions. Target can
automatically form an illusory force field around his body, causing all beings in the vicinity to
develop favourable opinions of him.]

'As expected. An illusory ability due to his bloodline? It's even able to affect Morning Star Magi.
how terrifying...' Leylin silently put up his guard even as he put on the sunniest smile he could.
He acted as if he now had an even better impression of the burly man.

Upon seeing this, Paul and Philip exchanged a glance, laughing as if they had reached a tacit
mutual understanding.

This burly man had inherited the bloodline of the ancient Illusory Crystal Scorpion, a creature
whose formidable illusory abilities entered the realm of the terrifying. Even Radiant Moon Magi
had previously been affected by his illusions.

Besides, he hadn't even unleashed all his abilities, merely his automatic force field. Even if
Leylin did discover this, he still had an excuse.

It was impossible to use just these illusions to manipulate a Morning Star Magus, but if he could
influence someone secretly and give hints to the other's mind once in a while, the other party
would unknowingly work in his favour. That was very much possible.

At this thought, the grins that Paul and Philip had on their faces became even brighter.

For young Warlocks, this was a test to enter the core area. At the same time, it was a test of
loyalty. It couldn't be helped, since after the attack by the Magi, these Warlocks were now
paranoid.

"I'm Leylin. Leylin Farlier. It's an honour to be able to meet you!"

Leylin snickered in his heart, though his expression looked strangely sincere as he bowed with a
noble's etiquette.

"Haha, we're all bloodline brothers. Just call me Jalon."

Jalon and Leylin began to discuss things affectionately, and he secretly sent Paul a gaze that
told him he could relax. After the assurance, Paul and Philip could put their hearts at rest.

"You were the only ones left for the gathering. Come in!" Jalon stood by the gate and invited
them. The three immediately entered.

*Po!* As if having passed through a formless layer of water, Leylin immediately felt the
excitement boil in his blood once he entered the ancient castle. It was as if he had reached a
very comfortable area, his body unconsciously relaxing.

"This..." He revealed a look of astonishment. This was practically a heaven for bloodline
Warlocks!

"You must be surprised," Jalon said with pride. "The bloodlines of all Warlocks will resonate
with the Blood Castle, to the point that their bloodline will even mature faster when here!"

There was no need for any more words. Leylin immediately understood how important this
place was for lower-ranked Warlocks. It was a godly place that could halve the time one needed
to advance!

The Blood Castle was huge, but there was no such thing as a servant here. It seemed rather
empty, with at most a few puppets and shadow servants. The barrenness surprised Leylin.
Jalon brought Leylin and the other two deep inside the castle and opened a giant golden door.
He then loudly informed the many Warlocks inside, "Come! Let us welcome our newest
comrade— Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan!"

"Welcome! Welcome!"

"Come on. Cheers!"

Behind the giant golden door was a large ballroom. There were giant crystal chandeliers all
along the ceiling, gemstones glittering with kaleidoscopic light.

The many Warlocks in the ballroom were separated into their own little cliques as they spoke in
low voices. Occasionally, one of them would go and lead a few dances.

A few musicians that had been summoned as slaves through necromancy were seated in a
corner, performing elegant and graceful music.

When Jalon interrupted them, the ballroom first lapsed into silence. It was short-lived,
however. The Warlocks' gazes flitted over to him, and they began to cheer for the entrance of
another comrade.

Leylin immediately felt a twinge of fear, but ultimately relaxed. 'The number of Morning Stars
here nearly exceeds the total number I've ever met before. Looks like this is a circle that one
can only enter once they have a certain amount of power...'

Leylin returned greetings every once in a while, and he couldn't help but sigh ruefully when
looking at the number of Morning Star Warlocks here.
Warlocks who could advance to the Morning Star realm clearly had bloodlines that surpassed
the bloodlines of ancient creatures of the Morning Star realm. This fact was pretty obvious.

Leylin carefully distinguished between the mess of tyrannical auras in the hall.

'The Savage Rhinoceros, Water Monkey, Ancient Velociraptor... There are too many. There are
still many completely foreign bloodlines as well! These must be bloodlines of Morning Star
creatures from other planes.' Leylin looked around politely, but he was completely startled
inside.

Like every other Warlock, most of those present here looked incredibly stunning. Even the
unique characteristics of their Morning Star bloodlines had no effects on their external
appearances, and instead added a feeling of natural strength.

"Come, Leylin, let's go sit! We need to discuss Jupiter's Lightning." Paul brought Leylin along to
greet each circle individually, and then pulled him into a corner.

Jalon had long since taken his leave. Here, multiple long sofas had been shifted to form a circle.
The Morning Star Warlocks seated her had frightening energy waves coming off their bodies.

These Warlocks had very distinct features.

Among them, some had octopus heads, clearly Warlocks of the Spirit Circle. Besides them were
a thin old man and young girl, who had the traits of ancient Wind Wolves.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 521 - Transaction Plane

It was obvious that all the Morning Star Warlocks in this group were from Spirit Circle and Wind
Wolf Lair.

If this was in the past, Gilbert and the other two were likely to be part of this company.
However, currently, Leylin was walking up there alone.

"Lord Leylin, let me introduce you!" Paul and Philip pulled Leylin down to sit, before Paul
started the conversation.

"These are the two eldest Warlocks in Spirit Circle, Lords Blair and Brunn!"

"It is my pleasure to meet you two!" Leylin said while bowing respectfully. The appearances of
spirit Warlocks were so eccentric that even Leylin could not figure out whether those two were
brothers. Their octopus heads made it much harder to differentiate between the two.

Philip also introduced a few others to Leylin. "This is the eldest Warlock of our Wind Wolf Lair,
Lord Cybel. Beside him is his granddaughter, Palesa!"

"Greetings, Your Graces!" It was obvious to Leylin that the conversation here would mostly
centre around Cybel. After all, even his granddaughter was of Morning Star status, showing that
he was not a simple fellow. The aura of his bloodline was so concentrated that it caused even
Leylin to feel fear.

Only such a bloodline could produce offspring who were also Morning Stars.
"You're Leylin? Gilbert's student?" Cybel slowly opened his eyes, seemingly from a long period
of rest. This contrasted with Palesa who was looking at him from the side, her gaze full of
curiosity.

Leylin seemed to be too young even for a bloodline Warlock.

"Yes!" Leylin admitted.

With a Morning Star mentor as their leader, there was no doubt that Leylin would benefit
greatly from joining their team.

"Since you are Gilbert's disciple, you're no stranger to us," Cybel nodded his head, "Philip, pass
him the astral coordinates!"

"Yes, Sir!" Philip solemnly passed Leylin a ball of light that resembled a star.

"What is this?" Leylin exclaimed. His pupils shrunk, and the A.I. Chip immediately started
analysing it.

[Beep! Discovered astral coordinates. Recording information in astral experiments database.]

The A.I. Chip responded immediately.

"This is an astral coordinate, one that is attached to a miniature plane. Do you know what a
plane is?" Cybel's explained slowly.

Leylin recalled a description in an ancient book he'd read as he replied, "It is a place that is not
high enough in rank to be called a world. It is a tiny space where the rules are fragmented and
incomplete, but the worth of any plane greatly exceeds that of a pocket dimension."

The difference between a plane and a pocket dimension that could only be located within a
world was that a plane could directly take root in a turbulent dimension, and also had the
potential to grow into a world, just that it was extremely rare.

Some planes had absolutely no signs of any living soul, but some others nurtured the existence
of many powerful beings, and were not much different from worlds, just like the plane the
devils resided in.

"That's right! This is one such plane. It's the plane where transactions take place between
Morning Star Warlocks!" Cybel exclaimed.

"A transaction plane?" Leylin's pupils shrunk.

"Yes. Don't you find it extremely troublesome that every time we gather, we have to travel such
long distances, especially when a specific material is required for the transaction? A few
Radiant Moon Magi thus gathered to create a miniature plane right next to the Magus World,
as the headquarters and base of transactions for Morning Star Warlocks."

Cybel slowly revealed what was going on behind the scenes. Were it not for his being a Morning
Star, and also a bloodline Warlock, Leylin would never have the opportunity to obtain this
information.

"However... even if it is convenient to have a transaction using an astral gate, the energy it uses
up..."

Astral gates opened up passages to a different plane. The energy they consumed to make this
possible was extremely overwhelming, especially if an object or even a living organism had to
pass through. The amount of energy required might even exceed the value of the object itself,
which was shocking enough to make any Magus puke blood.

"Hehe... that's only when we connect to distant planes..." Cybel shook his head, "The amount of
energy required to connect to a plane naturally increases with distance. Forget transactions of
goods, even the cost of exchanging spiritual force messages will not be worth it. However, a
transaction plane is a different deal. It's located right at the edge of our world, so the energy
required to open a gate to the place is so little it's practically negligible. Were it not so, we
wouldn't have used such a thing either...

This explanation was very logical, and Leylin nodded his head in agreement. But on the inside,
he was shocked by the Warlocks' magnanimous gesture.

To forcefully seize a plane and hook it up at the edge of the Magus World as the core of
transactions impressed Leylin quite a bit. The strength and spirit of these Radiant Moon
Warlocks was amazing.

"Once you set up your very own astral gate, you can use these coordinates after branding them
on. What you'll find inside will definitely be a good surprise..." Cybel was speaking extremely
slowly, as if he'd fall asleep at any moment. Yet, Leylin nodded seriously, "Thank you, Your
Grace!"

Judging from how one needed to be at the Morning Star realm to even participate, the things
he could find there would definitely not disappoint him. Furthermore, it would definitely suit
bloodline Warlocks especially. On top of that, the mode of transaction was very convenient,
and one could even complete the transaction from within their own Magus Tower, which would
be incomparably swift.

Were Gilbert still here, Leylin would have acquired these coordinates the moment he advanced.
But he wasn't. Cybel granting him these coordinates was no small matter, and hence Leylin
sincerely expressed his thanks.
Cybel closed his eyes with a grunt of affirmation before moving on, "Paul, it's time to talk about
Jupiter's Lightning."

Just the mere mention of the name turned all the Warlocks present pale. The deterring power
of a Radiant Moon Magus was truly terrifying.

"I do not understand, what is it exactly that Jupiter's Lightning has against my Ouroboros Clan? I
apologise for my lack of knowledge, I spent all my time before this focusing on my promotion,
and rarely participated in such affairs..." Leylin's question revealed his own shortcomings.

"We understand. Breaking through to the Morning Star realm does take up all of one's time and
energy. It is fully understandable that you didn't take notice of anything else. Let me explain the
situation." Leylin's specious response and overly young age immediately made Paul think that
he had gotten an answer out of Leylin. He told the story from the very beginning.

"You can see for yourself that this so called union is only a very loose alliance. There's actually a
lot of smaller circles within it." Paul took a sip of the green beverage on the table and pursed his
lips.

"Yet the three of us—Spirit Circle, Wind Wolf Lair and your Ouroboros Clan—have always been
collaborating with each other. Exactly three years ago, we took control of a region that we had
been coveting for, banishing the small Magus organisation already present there!"

"We originally only thought that they were a small organisation, and we didn't expect that they
actually had the backing of Jupiter's Lightning. This was how we invoked their wrath..."

Even though Paul's explanation seemed simple and direct, Leylin felt there was more to it.
There was likely to be something in that region that neither side would want to give up on,
perhaps some top secret or some other substantial benefit.

Magi were shrewd people. If not for such a thing, they would have solved any dispute long ago.
It was impossible for something so minor to become such a big deal.

"After that, we surrounded that region and began our attack on Jupiter's Lightning. However,
they, too, struck back, ambushing the three elders of your clan..." Paul's expression was
gloomy. One could easily tell that their clan hadn't had an easy time either during the series of
attacks.

"Jupiter's Lightning has a Radiant Moon Magus. How exactly did we manage to endure their
attacks?" Leylin finally asked the question that had been stewing in his mind for ages.

"We'd managed it due to the alliance between the three Kemoyin Dukes and Lord Cybel. The
three Kemoyin Dukes were already accomplished enough to match up to a Radiant Moon
Magus. With the addition of Lord Cybel, we even held the advantage..."

Paul sighed before he continued, "However, now..."

Leylin's expression sank. He realised that with the loss of three Morning Star Warlocks, they
were currently in a precarious situation.

"What would you want me to do about the impending war then, my Lords?" Leylin was
cautious, already prepared to immediately reject them if they asked him to do anything
dangerous.

The moment Cybel, who was sitting in the centre, opened his eyes, it was as though a ray of
lightning had streaked through the place. The glow was so bright it hurt Leylin's eyes. "Even
though Jupiter's Lightning has harmed three of our comrades, we will never admit defeat! We
won't let them off!"

"I've already sacrificed quite a bit to invite a Radiant Moon Warlock to help us suppress the
Radiant Moon Magus on their end!" He exclaimed, giving them some extremely important
information.

"A Radiant Moon Warlock?!" Leylin cried out involuntarily.

A Rank 5 bloodline Warlock was one of the highest ranking Warlocks in the entire continent.
And a rank 5 Warlock could even defeat Breaking Dawn Magi! That sort of person was
extremely rare, and none of them had even shown up for the gathering. For Cybel to be able to
acquire one's assistance caused Leylin boundless surprise.

Due to the reinforcement by the Warlock's bloodline, he would definitely far exceed a Magus of
the same rank. Jupiter's Lightning's Radiant Moon Magus would be no match.

With the amplification by the bloodline, the best Radiant Moon Warlock would make even a
Breaking Moon Magus wary of them. This ensured that the heritage and status of Warlocks was
passed down in the central continent.

Such characters were the foundation of every Warlock organisation's strength. It was not easy
to ask one for their assistance. And yet, Cybel had managed to do exactly that. This made Leylin
wonder what sort of conditions he'd offered to make that deal.

Leylin rubbed his chin as he looked at his surroundings. Even though this was not the first time
they'd heard this news, all the Morning Star Warlocks had excitement written on their faces.

Cybel turned fierce. "Our mission is to join forces and eradicate all the remaining Morning Star
Magi in Jupiter's Lightning at once, and then seize Crystal Mountain completely!"
"Agreed!" "Agreed!" "I have no objections!" The Warlocks present at the scene all nodded
simultaneously in agreement. Afterwards, all the attention was placed on Leylin. It was time to
hear his stand on the matter.

"If it isn't too dangerous, I'll agree. However, first, I'd like to take a look at the memorandum
and crystal records!" Leylin's face was filled with gloom, but he still eventually agreed to it.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 522 - Changes in Contract

After the banquet ended, Leylin decided to stay at the Blood Castle for a while. During this
period, he constantly received intelligence about the situation at Crystal Mountain.

The Crystal Mountains was the main area where the conflict with Jupiter's Lightning happened,
a mountain range that was located near the aisle of Arcelor. The Crystal Mountains were
named so because of its production of a type of high energy crystal ore.

This ore could, to an extent, replace magic crystals as a power source for puppets, or to build
formations and artifacts. This led to a decent demand for the ore, which kept the prices high.

It could be found everywhere on Crystal Mountain, even on the surface. This made extracting
the ore easy, causing the place to be regarded as a natural source of wealth.

Of course, even so, it could only entice weaker Magi. It wasn't nearly enough to draw the eyes
of Morning Stars.
Ore mines of such quality were already present in Jupiter's Lightning, Spirit Circle, and even
within the Ouroboros Clan. It wasn't worth a fight between Morning Stars.

The real worth arose from a rumour about the place. Legends recounted that this was originally
the headquarters of an ancient large-scaled Magus organisation— Scarlet Crescent. During the
war, the ancient Magi had peered into the future and decided to conceal the entire region with
spell formations. They left their heritage there, and it would only appear when it was time.

Many Magi had brushed this off in the beginning in mockery, calling it nonsense. But on-site
inspections by Cybel and the others revealed that those remains indeed existed, and even hid
enormous wealth!

Jupiter's Lightning had learned of this information at the same time. As such, there was a
disagreement about the ownership of Crystal Mountain. Battle soon ensued.

Both sides had shown restraint in the beginning. The battle was restricted to a small spatial rift,
and only involved those at or above the Morning Star rank.

But when the Radiant Moon Magus found himself at a disadvantage against the combined
forces of the three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks and Cybel, he felt extremely embarrassed.
Thus, this matter abruptly intensified.

What followed was the three Dukes being lost in the astral plane, and the allied armies
besieging the Ouroboros Clan in the midst of trickery.

Were it not for the unexpected factor called Leylin, the Ouroboros Clan could possibly have
been annihilated in this tempest, ending the legacy of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in
the continent.
'You merely had a small disadvantage, and your revenge was already so vicious..." Leylin had
already formed an image of the Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning. He was a cruel,
petty man. Normally, such characters were not to be feared, but once one fellow possessed
such enormous abilities, Leylin would dread meeting him.

"According to rumours and the data collected by mentor and his team, the surfacing time of the
remains of the Scarlet Crescent would be when the sun, stars and moon converge and when
the arc of Oake appears..."　

Leylin put down the 'top secret' documents, and the A.I. Chip began calculations.

[Time format identified to be from the ancient era. Converting into the calendar used by the
central continent, date is approaching soon...]

Leylin stroked his chin, "No wonder the struggle got so violent that they even wanted to get me
involved..."

As for the intentions of Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair, he was very clear on what they wanted.
They might have made some pact with the three Morning Star Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan
previously, setting regulations about the distribution of the spoils.

The other party in the pact had disappeared, but the contract still stood. And yet, they were
unwilling to just transfer these benefits to him.

As such, getting him involved and having him represent the Ouroboros Clan, they wanted to
rework the pact imminently. If they didn't they'd have to share all the benefits they painfully
acquired with Leylin, and it was not a welcome thought.

However, even Leylin agreed with this matter. Simply put, the benefits were meant to be for
the three Morning Star Warlocks. And now, although the benefits had been reduced by a little,
they were meant solely for him.　　

He was, after all, the sole representative of the Ouroboros Clan, possessing the right to
negotiate on their behalf. Thus, it was understandable that they'd give up a few things to garner
his support.

In this scenario, the gains of the Ouroboros Clan, on the whole, would reduce, but he would
have good profits himself. With that being the case, why wouldn't he agree?

"Lord Leylin, are you there?" Paul's voice suddenly sounded from outside.

"I'm here!" Leylin replied as he opened the door.

"If you have made your decision, we can proceed with the contract alteration ceremony!" Paul
smiled as he conveyed the message.

"Certainly!" Leylin nodded his head and followed Paul to the hall.　

Those present numbered five. Along with two spirit Warlocks were Cybel, Palesa, and Philip. In
the centre of the tiny hall was a long table dressed with a red tablecloth. On it was the contract,
along with a goose-feather pen and ink.

Leylin trembled the moment he stepped foot into the hall. He felt as if he'd entered a
boundless domain, one filled with an air of righteousness.

"This is the domain of righteousness! This place was the witness when we signed the contract
with the three duke the last time too...." Cybel explained.　

Contracts made among Morning Star Magi could not be broken. With the included
effectiveness of this binding, the pact was absolute. No wonder Cybel, that old monster, still
had no choice but to follow the rules and make allowances for Leylin, getting him to alter the
contract.

Leylin walked towards the table, scrutinising the slight differences between the old contract
and the new.

The new one halved the Ouroboros Clan's benefits, causing Leylin to knit his brow. But under
the column that noted the beneficiary, the name had been changed. The names of the three
Dukes had been replaced with Leylin Farlier.

The three Dukes had placed the condition upon Cybel that, were they to die, the benefits would
be transferred to the Ouroboros Clan. Now, it was all being handed over to Leylin.

"How is it? If there is any problem, feel free to tell us. We will address it and make the changes
right away!"

The urgency in Cybel's tone was evident; the time for the revelation of the remains was drawing
near, after all. If they hadn't even solved internal issues, how were they to vie over other
things?

Leylin closed his eyes for a second as he pondered before asking, "The contract states that
additional spoils will be distributed on the basis of military strength and contribution. Exactly
what are the criteria?"

"Of course, it will be based on the achievements of the Morning Stars!" Cybel answered
without hesitation. In his opinion, the troops below the Morning Star realm weren't even worth
consideration.

"Very well. I wish to add another clause, regarding emergency evacuations. In the event that
one encounters an irresistible strength, namely an opponent at the Radiant Moon realm, we
are permitted to use any methods we wish to exit the battlefield. This will not change the
distribution of the spoils. Any objections?"

Leylin presented himself like one who specialised in law and litigation. Cybel and the others
were stunned and they exchanged glances with one another. 　　

　　

"If that is what you wish, sure!" Cybel nodded his head, and Philip immediately stepped
forward, making the alterations with the goose feather pen.　

　　

"I have no other issues!"　

　　

After ironing out some disputes, Leylin finally nodded his head in agreement. He took out a seal
from his chest and stamped on the contract. 　　

　　

*Weng!* After the seal was stamped, an image appeared on the light yellow paper. It was that
of a black snake biting its own tail swivelling around unceasingly. 　　

　　

This was the official seal of the Ouroboros Clan. It was originally held and controlled by the
previous three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, and now it was in Leylin's hand. 　

Fortunately, due to some unknown reasons, the three dukes had signed the contract under the
Ouroboros Clan's name, otherwise, Leylin would not have been able to make the amendments.
After the last seal had been stamped solemnly by the last Morning Star Warlock on the
contract, the power of righteousness in the hall rose to the limit.　　

　　

The new contract gradually floated into the air, glowing a beautiful golden yellow as the old
contract silently turned into a pile of ash.　　

　　

"Alright, let us discuss the next arrangements..." 　　

With the contract successfully altered, Cybel and the other Morning Star Warlocks seemed to
have been refreshed with confidence and started to develop positive feelings for Leylin. Cybel
impatiently urged everyone to begin planning battle strategy; he clearly couldn't wait.

Leylin plastered a smile on his face, but deep inside he rolled his eyes.

'How could I not alter it? I'm alone, unlike the three mentors. If I'd persisted, I would end up
with nothing in the end, even attracting the malice of your two organisations...'

Weighing his options, Leylin had ultimately chosen to alter the contract. It was the best option
under his current circumstances.

He believed that even if the three Dukes were to return from 'Purgatory' they would not be
displeased by his decision.

"Within Jupiter's Lightning, other than the Radiant Moon Magus, there are over ten Morning
Stars..." In the middle of a room that resembled a command center, Cybel slowly explained the
details of Jupiter's Lightning, and Leylin was finally exposed to their strength.
"The other party's leader will be pinned down by the Radiant Moon Warlock on our side, don't
worry. We just need to take care of the remaining ten plus Morning Star Magi.

"Many of Jupiter's Lightning's important territories and missions required Morning Star Magi to
oversee them. As such, I suppose not more than nine Morning Star Magi will be at Crystal
Mountain!"　　

Cybel seemed to be very familiar with information about Jupiter's Lightning. He either had a
specialised channel of information, or managed to ambush a spy.

"Spirit Circle can take care of three!" Paul remarked with surety.　　

　　

"Very well, Palesa and Philip will hold up two of them. That means we are down to four
Morning Stars!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 523 - Plan and Operation

Cybel glanced at Leylin.

"I can take on three. It won't be a problem to take care of the remaining one, right? After all,
you managed to kill Demon Hunter Cyril. I look forward to witnessing you opening the battle
with your great skills, hopefully ending quickly and assisting others!"

"No problem!" Leylin stroked his nose.

Cybel seemed to be at the peak of the Morning Star realm and could even take on three
Morning Star Magi at the same time. No wonder the other Warlocks respected him so.

After the deployment had been settled, Cybel heaved a heavy sigh, his tone tinged with regret.

"Actually, Leylin, if your mentors were present, we would be at a great advantage. Pity... But it's
all too late now! Besides, you and you alone can take care of this matter, we can only furnish
you with logistical assistance!"

"It would be good enough to have all of this!" Leylin quickly declared.

It was fundamentally impossible for one organisation to interfere and provide military support
to another. It was an extremely easy way to seize power.

In the event that Cybel had deliberately tricked Gilbert and the rest, causing them to perish in
their search for 'Purgatory', it would be too late for the Ouroboros Clan to even shed tears.

Although the possibility of this happening was slim, prevention was better than a cure.

As such, Cybel and the rest had to remain low-key to avoid attracting suspicion.

"Alright! We'll set off immediately, and head towards the Crystal Mountains. This time, we
need to get our hands on the historical remains of Scarlet Crescent!" Cybel waved his hand in
the air, emanating a heroic spirit.

The other Morning Stars' eyes gleamed with a thirst for success.
......

At a Magus military base.

The entire place was covered with detection towers and barriers, sinister-looking steel puppets
and bio-beasts alongside fangs and cannons.

From time to time, spiritual force undulations of Crystal Phase Magi could be felt as they swept
through the area on patrol. In fact, there was even the terrifying aura of an occasional Morning
Star Magus, causing the most ferocious of mutated beasts to be petrified and whimper in fear.

"We do not know the concrete location of the historical remains, though we do know that there
are a total of thirteen likely sites. Five of them are in our hands and the rest are with the
opposite side. This place is one of their military bases. The ones keeping watch here are the
hunter Borick and the Marine Giant Siebel..."

The silhouettes of Leylin and Philip appeared at the heavily guarded military base.

"The convergence of the sun, stars and moon and the appearance of the Oake's arc is very
soon!"

Leylin's eyes sparkled. With the help of the A.I. Chip, his calculations of the star's trajectory was
much more advanced and accurate than the many astrologers on the continent.

The lower right corner of the A.I. Chip's interface stated the time clearly: 1 hour 24 minutes!
Ridiculously, Cybel and the others believed that the historical remains would appear in these
two days and they were seizing the military bases everywhere.

It requires a huge amount of calculating and researching to determine where the remains
would appear. Even Jupiter's Lightning along with Cybel and his men could only conclude that
these thirteen locations were likely.

As for Leylin, he was certain that this base was more than 80% likely to be the location!

This was due to the amazing processing power of the A.I. Chip. With him joining the union,
Cybel had revealed all information associated with the place. Thus, unknown to him, Leylin was
able to determine both a time and a place for the reappearance.

Leylin guarded the secret of the A.I. Chip fiercely and would obviously not reveal anything. He
only fought for the opportunity to be bestowed this mission and then watched Cybel assign the
subsequent missions.

"It's almost time to start!" Philip looked at the pocketwatch in his hand.

Leylin turned to look at the Wind Wolf Warlock. According to his calculations, this location
looked to be the entrance to the historical remains, and Philip along with himself would,
unfortunately, be the first Magi to enter and explore.

'With him here, Cybel and the others will be attracted to come over. I will have no need to
worry about being a lone soldier...'

Leylin was very generous. Besides the point that it was mentioned in the contract that one
should not attack their own ally, he would not be able to pocket such huge portion of historical
remains alone.
The starting time Philip spoke about was the time they'd agreed on to launch their combined
offensive. Before the Radiant Moon Magus from the Jupiter's Lightning was pinned down, no
one was willing to make the first move.

At this moment, a wave of frenzied energy passed through the area. It was close enough to
hear the rumbles from where it passed.

Leylin could faintly see the image of a three-headed golden-yellow lion appearing, dragging a
Magus whose body was covered in lightning images into a struggle.

"This is the power of the Radiant Moon?" Leylin looked at the golden lion and his face revealed
a faint sense of loss.

This was a rank 5 Warlock, someone who walked the path of the bloodline as well! The
guidance he could get from this was incomparable to anything else.

"This is the clone of Lord Wayde, the 'Golden Lion'!" Philip's tone was filled with respect, and
Leylin's eyes opened wide in amazement.

"What?" He pointed at the lion's golden heads in disbelief; they were spouting fire, ice, and
lightning at the same time. "This is just a clone? How formidable is his true form?"

"We Warlocks are rightfully much stronger than the Magi!" Philip proudly declared, "Lord
Wayde is one of the main pillars of support of the Warlock Union. His true form is feared even
by Breaking Dawn Magi. One clone is enough to deal with a mere Radiant moon Magus."

During their conversation, Leylin saw that the aura that emitted from the phantom of the three
headed lion formed a lightning cage that dragged the Radiant Moon Magus into a spatial rift.

"Damn! Be careful, I'm sure they have more cards up their sleeves!" The moment the rift began
to close, an unwilling violent yell was transmitted that echoed throughout Crystal Mountain.

The men at the base Leylin was at had been initially woken by the strong energy undulations.
Now the uproar was even more direct, and two streaks of strong Morning Star undulations
appeared.

"To draw away the enemy, we will have to expose ourselves, this is an inevitable price to pay!"

Philip heaved a deep sigh, "It's our move now!"

"Indeed!" Leylin nodded his head in agreement. Soon after, he saw the image of an ancient
Wind Wolf the size of a mountain manifesting behind the other Warlock.

This enormous green wolf's body was covered with a layer of spike-like fur, all standing on end
with a steely lustre. Its eyes were glowing with a bloodthirsty aura, and a huge storm covered it,
forming a bizarre form of armour.

"Rank 4 spell— Storm Annihilation!"

Philip's voice was deep and gloomy. He did not have the courage to use the Morning Star
Arcane Art in the central continent, however regular rank 4 spells were not off the table.

The phantom wolf howled in sync with Philip.

The distant and gloomy howl was extremely piercing and travelled far. Huge wind elemental
particles violently came together forming a strong convection current and finally creating a
strong violent storm.

Storm Annihilation! This was exactly what Leylin had employed at the West Seas Canyon to
destroy the Azure Mountain King's clone. It had appeared here once more, this time at a much
larger scale.

"Stop it!" A flustered and exasperated voice emerged and two streaks of light shot over.

"Haha... It's too late..." Philip laughed heartily, hastening the effect of the Storm Annihilation to
mercilessly crush the military base.

The violent winds whistled. In the face of a storm that had the ability to destroy anyone below
the Morning Star realm, the heavy guard of the military base was a joke.

Countless puppets and the mutated beasts turned to dust, followed by a huge number of Magi
and buildings runes etched into them.

"Stop them, don't let them rescue the others!"

Philip and Leylin firmly obstructed the way of the two Morning Star Magi, stopping them from
helping the others.

Soon after, the black storm was over, the original military base razed to the ground. The ground
itself had sunk down a few layers.
In front of a Morning Star, everyone else and any spells cast were as good as nothing!

"You... " Two silhouettes emerged, glaring at Leylin and Philip.

One of them was a dwarf with a huge wooden bow on his back, the other a blue-skinned brute
who was over three meters tall.

An enormous amount of pressure was released from both their bodies.

"Hunter Bolix and Marine Giant Siebel!" Philip gave a wide smile, revealing the sharp teeth in
his mouth, "I want the Hunter, you can have the Marine Giant!"

The dwarf with the wooden bow smiled sarcastically as dark green whirlwind sprang forth from
his body. He was a Wind Element Morning Star Magus and had been dissatisfied with Philip for
a long time.

"No problem!" Leylin moved a few steps to the side and obstructed the way of the blue giant.

"Let's change the battlefield, shall we?" Philip eyed the opposing dwarf with provocation in his
eyes. The huge phantom wolf exposed its sharp teeth.

"Humph!" The dwarf opposite him snorted coldly, grabbing the huge wooden bow from his
back.

Space cracked apart in the between them, forming a huge rift. The spatial ripples were as if a
curtain that was being drawn, and Philip and Bolix were gone in the next moment.
"We do not need to change location, let's settle it here!" Leylin locked eyes with the giant in
front of him and smirked.

As the damage from clashes between Morning Star Magi was great and extensive, they usually
made their moves in spatial rifts to prevent harming the Magus world.

With Leylin's words, Marine Giant Siebel's face hardened.

For a Morning Star Magus to dare to fight in the open, they were either crazy or absolutely
confident in their power control. Evidently, this Warlock was of the latter category.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 524 - Marine Tribe's Original Form

Leylin chose to battle here right away. He was confident in his energy control, and on top of
that, he didn't want to move too far away. It would be too tragic if he failed to be the first one
to detect the reappearance of the remains.

He was also prepared to try out an interesting idea.

For Marine Giant Siebel, Leylin's attitude was nothing but a provocation. He shot Leylin a
piercing gaze, and soon released the massive power of his domain.

The power of one's domain would only be perfected at the Morning Star realm. The effects of
amplification and suppression would intensify, and the range of effect would also be extended.
Morning Star domains were a far cry from rank 3 forcefields.
Turbulent, vast and immeasurable!

White ocean waves and the crystal clear sea surface formed a horrifying scene.

The depths of the ocean were darkened by the frantic waves, giving one an ominous
premonition.

The enormous tides engulfed Siebel, completely hiding his body. Yet, his voice was transmitted
clearly, "This is my domain— Ocean!"

In a split second, the ocean engulfed the entire area, burying the alpines and the wreckage left
by Philip's spells.

The boundless blue ocean roared at Leylin in rage.

'A real Morning Star domain, and the rules he controls are those of the water element...' A
glimmer of blue light flickered across Leylin's eyes as the A.I. Chip recorded all data about the
fluctuations and the power of the domain.

Siebel's aura rose quickly in this ocean, causing Leylin to be thrilled.

"So you're of the marine tribe. No wonder your domain is such, changing the battlefield to be
underwater." Leylin's voice trembled a little. It managed to traverse the depths of the ocean,
but there was no reply.

The marine tribe was a non-human species. However, they cohabited the Magus world with
humans. They occupied the ocean while the humans occupied the land. It wasn't like there
weren't any wars, but most of the time it was peaceful.

There were legends and records about a Great Magus Serholm who led all human magicians
and fought off the enemies from the ocean.

There were also Magi amongst the marine tribe, but they were extremely rare, as their chance
of advancement was even lower than humans.

To be able to meet with a Morning Star Magus of the marine tribe thrilled Leylin. He was
puzzled as to why Siebel was a part of Jupiter's Lightning, but soon came to a realisation.

Despite the fact that Jupiter's Lightning had the help of a Radiant Moon Magus who was one of
the top forces of the central continent, it was difficult for even them to nurture a Morning Star
Magus.

Other than resources and experience, luck was an important factor in becoming a Morning Star
Magus.

Given their high status in the central continent, it was extremely hard for any faction to have
ten or more Morning Stars like Jupiter's Lightning did. It was impossible to rely on training their
own, so they would recruit foreign Magi as well.

The auras of the previous bowman and Marine Giant were pretty much impure. Leylin was
rather puzzled back then, but now it looks like they could be from a different tribe or are hybrid
Magi!

The enormous waves surged into the sky, forming two dark blue crystal-like hands that gushed
down towards Leylin.
The sharp increase in the air pressure formed unstable currents and caused the space in the
region to be unstable.

[Beep! Data about the Ocean domain has been fully recorded!] Leylin smiled upon hearing the
mechanical voice of the A.I. Chip.

"Corrosion!" Gently, an ancient Byron runic chant slipped out of his lips.

*Hiss! Hiss!* A large amount of uneven black pores appeared on the dark blue hand, corroding
almost the entire arm within a second as if turning it into a beehive.

*Crack! Crack!* The gigantic arm lost its support and fell apart in the air, soon turning into a
huge stream of water that merged back into the sea.

"In the name of the Warlock! My power of bloodline!" Leylin chanted out loud as a crimson
barrier appeared on his body.

"Absorption of bloodline!" Blood red lightning flashed across his eyes, piercing through the
pitch dark ocean as it revealed everything. Meanwhile, aiming at a specific spot, Leylin
stretched out his right hand and made a grasping motion with great force.

An invisible air current appeared, causing a massive whirlpool in the middle of the ocean.

"AAAH!" a voice bellowed in agony from the whirlpool.

"All bloodline creatures will be under my bloodline's control, show up now!" said Leylin, and
the blood red glow on his hand converged in his hand as he lifted his right hand into the air.
Water gushed up into the sky and rained down like a huge fountain as a gigantic blue figure
slowly appeared from the middle of the whirlpool.

Numerous veins protruded from the blue skin, as if about to burst out at any moment. The
wriggling veins looked like earthworms, sending shivers down one's spine.

The giant groaned in agony, forced out of the sea while being battered by crimson lightning.

"Multilimb Strength!" Leylin's eyes glittered, and the humongous phantom of a Multi-Armed
Race member appeared behind him. This phantom was much clearer than the previous ones,
every single scale and pore on his body distinguishable.

Even after reaching the Morning Star realm, this foreign Arcane Art could be of great use.

Leylin even felt that combining the nourishment of his spirit with the body refinement of
Multilimb Strength, he would be able to reach the peak of the Morning Star realm at a much
quicker pace, and would end up far more powerful than the rest.

The phantom punched out in tandem with Leylin.

Even a single arm of the humongous phantom was as large as Siebel. It felt like seven huge
mountains appeared out of thin air and came crashing down at the same time when all seven
arms smashed towards him.

Siebel placed both arms in front of his chest, forming a dense shield of water that was to reduce
the shockwaves from the attack. However, it was all in vain. The water shield was destroyed
under the force of the phantom's arms.
*Bang!* Siebel was shot backwards by the explosive force of the collision.

At the same time, threads of luminous blue liquid shot out from his pores and gathered to form
a thumb-sized ball that landed on Leylin's palm.

"The bloodline of a Marine Giant at the Morning Star realm!"

Leylin nodded with satisfaction and kept the bloodline in a test tube. This was a rare material
for bloodline experiments, and could earn him a good sum even for his current realm.

"You are not an ordinary Morning Star Warlock. Who are you?"

As Siebel regained consciousness, he stared at Leylin cautiously. With the amazing defensive
and recuperative abilities of a Morning Star Magus, this sort of injury was nothing to him. Yet,
Leylin was completely relaxed as before, clearly indicating that this wasn't his full strength.

Siebel gazed at the black haired Morning Star Warlock in front of him, running through all the
top ranked Morning Stars in his mind, but did not manage to match the face to anyone. That is,
until he recalled some more recent information, something that detailed Leylin's background.

"You are Leylin Farlier! The Morning Star Kemoyin Warlock of the Ouroboros Clan! The one who
killed Demon Hunter Cyril!" Siebel was in shock. Demon Hunter Cyril was considered a
powerhouse among Morning Star Magi, but he'd been easily slain by Leylin.

This accomplishment was much more challenging than a win-lose in an ordinary face-off and
Siebel was well aware of that.
'For now, the best case scenario is that I keep up my defence and sustain myself. I might even
have to request reinforcements!' He smiled bitterly at his own thought. Just then, a ring of
pearls glowed around his waist, and he heard urgent voices shouting around, "It's the Third East
Region, we need immediate reinforcements! We're under attack by Spirit Circle! "

"West Region calling for reinforcements, three layers of defence have been destroyed! Damn it,
the Warlocks seem to be fully concentrated in this region! "

"No, you bloody liars! Cybel is in our North Region, we should be the ones getting
reinforcements! Ahhhh..."

The transmitted voices had a lot of interference, and there were also loud sounds of explosions
in the background that added a violent shudder.g.

Siebel's heart hit rock bottom. Knowing that Cybel was here as well, he felt hopeless.

"So this is your plan?" Siebel looked fixedly at Leylin, but could not get any details off that
expressionless face.

"Even if it is so, I signed an agreement with Jupiter's Lightning. Don't think you can get rid of me
so easily!" Siebel thought in his heart and roared out a jumbled chant of sacrificial phrases.

The serenity of the ocean was broken again by the violent movement of water as large amounts
of it gathered around Siebel. When the rumbling ended, a monstrous creature that was a
thousand metres tall appeared in front of Leylin.

The monster had the head of a cow, the body of a human and tentacles for feet. It growled like
a raging bull.

"This is your original form?" Leylin fended off the water bullets, looking at the humongous form
of the magician and chuckled.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 525 - Scarlet Ruins

The marine tribe were not humans. Born of the ocean as they were, their bodies were like a
manifestation of the laws of nature.

Those of the marine tribe seen on the continent were similar to humans, and had at most a few
scales on their bodies. However, that was only the form they used specifically to communicate
with humans. This monster that had appeared in front of Leylin was over a thousand meters
tall, and it was the true form of the marine tribe.

After he revealed his true form, the undulations from Siebel's body surged wildly, inspiring
much greater terror than before.

Leylin, however, revealed a grin of excitement. 'A.I. Chip, begin calculating the trajectory of the
homing light rays!'

Endless blue light glowed in Leylin's eyes, and most of the A.I. Chip's power was allocated to
this task.

[Setting up model of opponent. Calculating trajectory.]

Siebel in his true form growled wildly, and soul force at the Morning Star realm mixed with
enormous amounts of seawater, compressing it into just a centimetre wide ball. Flickering with
a blue light that transcended any normal brightness, it reached Leylin in the blink of an eye.

"Good timing!" Leylin burst out in laughter. Bloodline power and soul force converged in his
palm, the formidable energy undulations finally colliding with the blue ball with a rumble.

The air buzzed and trembled, but there were no intense explosions or spatial cracks that
appeared, causing the marine tribe Magus to be confused and his movements to slow.

*Shua!* At this moment, the blue ball of energy was enshrouded by crimson light as it streaked
through the horizon like a meteor.

The light arched in the direction it headed, similar to a rainbow that suddenly filled the
heavens.

"Oa-Oaker Arc!" A shout of disbelief was let loose from the marine tribe Magus' lips.

He raised his head and saw a bizarre scene. A giant sun suddenly emerged despite the fact that
it was night, fusing with the moon and the brightest star, Venus.

The dazzling yet harmless light formed a thin line that descended to the earth.

*Rumble!* The air was unstable, and it seemed as if another large space was 'squeezed' into
the place, causing the two spatial forcefields to overlap.

"It's a success!" Leylin rejoiced covertly.

Using the A.I. Chip's terrifying calculation abilities, he had mixed the opponent's strength with
his own, causing the time of opening of Scarlet Crescent to be brought forward.

This had not been his original intention, but he had suddenly been inspired after seeing the
other party's Morning Star Magus. It ended up being an advantage for him.

The early arrival of the ruins would likely cause the specific plans of the the person behind all
this to be affected.

The more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it was to Leylin.

"This– this– this is... the ruins of Scarlet Crescent!" The Marine Giant's eyes grew wide as he
mumbled in disbelief.

Though he knew it was possible that the ruins could appear at any of the 13 strongholds, it was
too much of a coincidence that it had appeared where he was.

Seeing the image gradually becoming more distinct and forming a spatial passage glimmering
with dark silver light, Siebel hesitated. However, he still choose to contact the other Magi and
even their leader, the Radiant Moon Magus.

However, when his soul force touched the communicative device, Siebel was suddenly startled.

Their leader, the Radiant Moon Magus, was still in a spatial rift! Messages would definitely not
be able to pass into the place. Even his other comrades were busy with the Morning Star
Warlocks from the other side. The situation wasn't going well, but where could he go to find
reinforcements?
Seeing the look of hesitation on his opponent's face, Leylin chuckled and had no intentions of
continuing.

Though he was certain he could kill his opponent, he would need to use his Morning Star
Arcane Art, and it would consume too much time. This was not the time and place.

Thus, like pulling open a curtain, Leylin's hands pushed at the spatial crack and he walked in
without the slightest hesitation.

After Leylin completely vanished into the spatial crack, Siebel gritted his teeth and spoke a few
sentences to the communication imprint. He then followed and allowed the spatial waves to
swallow him.

The bodies of Morning Star Magi were able to go through even spatial turbulence. Spatial
passageways like these that were similar to teleporting to pocket dimensions generally had no
specific teleportation spell formation, and could only be entered through force.

"What? The ruins have already appeared? So quickly?"

The Magi of both sides who were battling at the other strongholds seemed to receive the
information at the same time. They, who were stunned by this sudden news, stood opposite
each other for a moment without acting, then immediately rushed in the same direction.

At this moment, in the outer regions of the rift in the world.

Boundless stars and vortices were part of the background, filling it with a sense of vastness and
might.
Here, it was as if a great war on the same level as that of ancient times was being replayed. A
majestic lion that had a body of golden fur and three heads that kept spouting flames, ice and
lightning suddenly stopped, seeming to be deep in thought.

In front of it was a Magus with a luxurious pitch-black magic robe, a strange moon-shaped rune
on his forehead.

"Hehe... Wayde, you made an error in your calculations. Though you might be able to stall me,
someone else is benefitting!"

This Magus was obviously the great rank 5 Magus of Jupiter's Lightning. Now, however, his
expression held a rare expression of exasperation.

This strange creature was not Wayde's main body, but one of his most powerful clones. It had
inherited the innate skills of the ancient clans, and its strength almost reached rank 5. Even he
would find it difficult to take this being down, and might even be suppressed here.

"It's a mistake on the astrologer's part! It has nothing to do with the original plan!" A middle-
aged man's icy words sounded from the middle head of the three.

"Furthermore, I'm different from you. I'm just a clone..." The three-headed lion raised its claws,
looking pleased.

"Could it be that you..." The Radiant Moon Magus' expression suddenly changed as he tried to
break through the seal and return.

"Trying to leave? How could it be that easy? Stay!" The three-headed golden lion roared, its
three gigantic mouths opening.

A terrifying suction force similar to that of a black hole shot towards the Radiant Moon Magus.
Even the rays of light in his surroundings were not spared as they were all sucked in. Howls and
cries of indignance sounded every once in a while.

In the main world, a golden meteor streaked through the horizon.

Within the golden rays was a male Magus with long flaming hair that looked like a golden
sunshine. His body and face seemed to be formed entirely of gold, and was full of dignity.

Meanwhile, however, he seemed to be deep in thought.

Outside, in the direction of the ruins of Scarlet Crescent, two groups of Morning Star Magi, and
even Philip as well as Hunter Bolix, returned to their factions. After persisting with the
confrontation for a while longer, they still charged into the spatial passageway at the same
time.

The air suddenly became tranquil, and only the deep depressions in the ground and large
puddles of water proved that there had been a battle of Morning Stars here.

Due to the extremely intense spell radiation, the region would be barren and void of life for a
long period of time. There could even be formed a range of phenomena that would attract
creatures of different planes, becoming another fearful area that would become famous in the
central continent.

*Whoosh...* The air rippled as a breeze blew past, revealing the sudden appearance of another
human figure.
"What's going on? I calculated the timing based on the records of the ancestors. How could it
have been brought forward?" A simple-clothed old man with a full head of white hair muttered,
eyes without focus.

"The opening of the Scarlet Crescent ruins was initially an opportunity for our organisation to
rise, but unexpectedly such complex issues are involved in there..."

The old man began to mutter to himself, "First was the discovery of our secret, causing several
Warlock organisations and Jupiter's Lightning to covet it. It even resulted in a war, and the diary
that stated the time of appearance of the ruins was wrong. What exactly is going on?"

Because of Leylin, this old man whose origins were unknown was beginning to have doubts in
his outlook of the world.

However, his education from a young age and the philosophy he had developed over the years
allowed the old man to quickly regain his calm.

"No matter what it is, my ancestor was a member of Scarlet Crescent. My organisation is also
one of the branches that has inherited part of the teachings of the ancient Scarlet Crescent
organisation. This ruin should be ours!"

The old man's expression instantly turned vicious, and a halo of resplendent starlight burst
forth.

The spatial passageway opposite began to tremble as if it had sensed something. It, too, shot
out a large amount of light, fusing with the splendour on the old man's body and absorbing the
whole bundle of starlight, leaving nothing behind.
......

"What a strange setup!" Leylin currently had his hands behind his back as he strolled along a
spatial corridor filled with starlight, his own body shrouded in crimson.

There were multiple spatial rifts that caused turbulence within, but they could not cause even a
ripple on his body.

"To completely isolate this region, I can only wait until a specific time. Only then can I enter the
passageway through the spatial flow..." Leylin's eyes were full of praise. "Such an intricate set-
up, as well as space-division spells. This is truly frightening."

The Morning Star realm that he had reached was only the bare minimum of ancient times.
There was still a long way ahead, and he would naturally not feel conceited or complacent.

On the contrary, the more he knew, the more Leylin felt that the information he had acquired
was much too little. He became increasingly humble.

The power who had set up such a spatial spell formation was an existence he needed to look up
to and learn from...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 526 - Radiation

"Now, the ruins seem to be nearby, but in fact..." Seeing the indistinct space in front of him,
Leylin shook his head. He'd just found the entrance. It wouldn't be easy for him to achieve his
goals and enter the place without using the right way.

The others that had come afterwards were in the same situation.

After all, it wasn't likely that they'd find the successors of Scarlet Crescent, so Leylin and the
other Magi didn't bother to deduce the proper way to go in.

With them being Morning Stars, as long as they found the entrance it would only be a matter of
time before they broke in.

However, the rules of space were powerful and mysterious. Leylin could only manage to survive
in here for now, and he needed to deduce a plan to break through this spatial defence. The
other Morning Stars who came after him were also stuck in the same dilemma.

Thus, time was one of Leylin's advantages against the rest of the Magi.

This was why he'd used Siebel and made the ruins appear in advance. Although they had an
agreement about the distribution of the spoils, that was only on the whole. As for who got
what, it was largely dependant on who found it first.

Wandering in the spatial passage was like taking a walk in outer space, nebulae of different
shapes everywhere. There was even a silver spatial storm every now and then and spatial
turbulence whizzed by on occasion.

Threads of a dubious black material were even coagulating around the passage, forming
mysterious black buds and gave off a dangerous vibe.
After walking for who knows how long, Leylin suddenly missed his footing and felt like he was
falling down from up high. Even more strangely, he felt like he was rising up afterwards.

After the strong sense of weightlessness passed, Leylin found himself standing in a little garden.
The black buds he saw before covered the flowerbed, some even making it onto the hedges. A
wooden board covered in tentacles was posted in a corner, the words on it faded.

"Flowers full of malice and danger..." Leylin muttered to himself. The A.I Chip searched the
database but found no such ancient plant.

Suddenly, the black flower buds trembled and bloomed, showing a crimson pistil.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!* Like a chain reaction, masses of black buds bloomed, and the
garden was instantly full of black petals flying in the air, red pistils emanating a threat like the
tongues of snakes.

The faint sense of an ancient curse made Leylin frown.

"This! Is it a final defence against intruders? Or... is it a warning?" Leylin smiled, and his pupils
turned into vertical slits that glowed red.

The next moment, a strong and violent radiation was emitted from his body!

This was the radiation of a Morning Star Warlock's body, containing the power of the bloodline
of the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Leylin kept it repressed in his everyday life, but now he
let it all out, and it caused a horrible change.
A layer of rainbow-like five-coloured light shone with green and orange fluorescence, filling the
whole garden.

The air turned hazy, and the scene distorted. After the radiation passed through, the entire
space seemed to become still, and the faint smell of rust permeated the air.

The original colours of the garden were also diminished with the radiation, leaving only black
and white. It started to look like an old photograph.

A cracking sound rang out as a slight fracture appeared in a corner. It spread across the whole
grayscale garden, leaving spatial cracks everywhere.

And then, like the falling of a glass bottle, a low and jarring sound rang out as the whole garden
was shattered apart, exposing the dark void filled with spatial storms.

The storms roared, devouring all those fractures.

The silver storms continued to mince the garden for a few minutes before the ruins were visible
once again.

The black buds in the middle had disappeared, leaving a few broken petals on the ground. It
gave the environment a sense of gloom.

Leylin's pupils returned to their original colour with a flash of strange light.

This burst of strength had taken a toll on him, but he had no choice but to employ it to maintain
his time advantage.
The full strength of a Morning Star Magus was enough to affect the normal functioning of many
formations! On top of that, Leylin was not any Magus, but a Warlock with the bloodline of an
ancient organism! Combining his own power with that of his Kemoyin bloodline, the power of
his radiation was much greater, to the extent of even attracting extradimensional creatures.

Leylin stared at a point in the void, silent. Over there, a conscient, or rather, a group of
conscients, was coming through slowly! Although it was invisible, Leylin could sense the being
through his soul force.

"Creatures from a higher dimension? Or a plot of Scarlet Crescent?" Leylin's eyes showed
surprise.

"Outsider! What have you come here for?" A conscient entered Leylin's mind through the
connection of soul force. The voice was that of an old woman, but it was interspersed with
much more, the roars of multiple other creatures.

"To find the truth!" Leylin said with a low voice, providing an ambiguous answer.

"The truth? Even those of Scarlet Crescent were still pursuing it. You've come to the wrong
place..." The voice sighed.

"I didn't come to the wrong place. The ways of the ancient Warlocks will be a valuable
reference and their experiences will save me time..." Leylin's soul force countered the unknown
creature sharply.

He could sense that this creature did not have a normal body. It was just a ball of light emitting
a strange power, perhaps a creature hiding its true body in a higher plane.
Even so, after confronting Leylin's soul force for a while, the will seemed to yield, "Follow the
Path of Quandary, it will lead you to your answer..."

As the voice faded, the sound of movements could be heard as a brand new aisle appeared in a
corner of the garden. The floor was made of grey stone, and black specks spread out along the
floor like numerous insects. They had the figures of twisting faces.

Scanning with his soul force, the outline of the Path of Quandary appeared in Leylin's mind.
After ensuring that there was no danger, Leylin bowed to the void and stepped directly onto
the path.

The sound of footsteps could be heard as the black garden disappeared from sight the moment
his feet hit the stone floor. All that remained was a long sigh.

......

"Soul Whip!!!"

Massive invisible waves of energy swept through the air as dozens of giant swamp monsters
trembled. It was as if they were tortured by some invisible whips, and they hit the floor after a
while, their unconscious eyes filled with fear.

"My lord! This seems to be the Maze Lock, we are in a defensive trap of Scarlet Crescent!" Paul
reported to Cybel. Although both of them were Morning Star Magi, their powers were far apart,
and thus they had widely varying statuses.

"This is the Naraku Type 2 maze, a kind of maze liked by those ancient Warlocks. There should
be nine levels, each level having its own keys and riddles. We must break through them one by
one, or we'll never get to the end..."
Cybel nodded. He'd obviously studied up on these things. Beside him, other than Paul, the
Warlocks from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had all disappeared. And a few unfamiliar
Morning Star Magi were just watching everything detachedly.

"Well, it's our turn this time. According to our agreement, you are up next time!" Cybel took
several green gems from the swamp monster as he spoke to those Morning Stars.

"Of course!" their leader replied, his eyes cold. This Magus with a golden headband had no
sense of fear even when confronting Cybel.

Seeing this, Paul smiled bitterly in his mind.

The sudden appearance of the ruins of Scarlet Crescent rendered most of their plans useless.
The entrance of the ruins contained some mysterious spells cast by ancient Warlocks, and those
who entered through abnormal ways would encounter barriers. The dispersion made Paul feel
depressed. Were it not for Cybel, he would have been killed here.

After all, they were mortal enemies before, and that was still true.

Paul sighed, even the tentacles on his head seemed dispirited.

He would be safe following Cybel, but there wouldn't be any gains. Leave alone those Morning
Star Magi, even Cybel would leave him with nothing.

Compared to his resignation, the Magi on the other side were hysterical.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 527 - Path Of Quandary

"How could it be? Someone has already entered the Path of Quandary. That's extremely close
to the core!" The old Magus wearing simple attire observed the light yellow notebook in his
hands, letting out a low growl. His expression was that of anxiety.

On one of the pages of the light yellow notebook, a general map had been drawn out with
weak black lines. There was a little black dot moving slowly in one of the central passageways
that was labeled the Path of Quandary.

There were also other dots on this map, but they were all situated at the exterior regions.

The old man himself was marked with a white dot. Though he was much faster than the
Morning Stars outside who were being hindered by the labyrinth, he was still at the middle
section and a distance away from the core.

In contrast, Leylin's black dot was only a few steps away from the core which was marked in
red!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why is there a Magus that's so fast..." the old man cursed, his
expression full of impatience and indignance, "It's a pity that I only have the correct method to
enter the ruins. I can't control all the secret mechanisms, or else..."

Though the old Magus' ancestor had been a member of Scarlet Crescent, he was merely an
ordinary member. While he had participated in the construction of the ruins, he had not been
able to make contact with the core areas. Hence, obtaining this map, the password to enter, as
well as some information, was the limits of what could be done.

Leylin had also unexpectedly brought forward the timing of the opening of the ruins, causing
things to become disadvantageous for the old man. Even if he was hurrying along, careful not
to fall into any traps, he was still behind Leylin.

"I don't care anymore! As long as I can get to the core area, I still have a chance of turning the
tables!"

The old man angrily used his fingers and traced the map, finding another route. However, just
when he was about to move, his pupils suddenly shrank.

A black dot entered the edges of a map. It was several times larger than the rest, and was
ringed in red.

The few traps and patterns at the exterior were completely destroyed in the face of the large
dot, and even their names disappeared from the map. The man wailed in anguish, "A rank 5
Magus rushed here so quickly. Are you even giving me any chance at all..."

While he kept lamenting, the old man's footsteps did not lose speed. Instead, he began to move
more quickly.

If he was slightly slow and allowed the rank 5 Magus to take over this place, this area would no
longer be of any concern to him. Besides, there was a certain item at the core region that he
needed to obtain, which was his main goal.

"Just wait! Just wait till I get control of the core!"

The old man stared at the little black dot in the Path of Quandary, his expression revealing his
frustration.

......

Leylin, of course, did not know that someone had him in their thoughts. He was now walking on
a little pathway of ash-gray stone.

The path was surrounded by white fog on both sides, and it became increasingly dense as it
concealed the scenery.

On the still, empty road, only his footsteps sounded unceasingly. The scenery that was exactly
the same on both ends made it easy for one to forget time, giving rise to a strong sense of fear.

Combined with the unique power in the fog, even a Magus' tenacious willpower might not hold
out.

If it were other lower-ranked Magi, they might long since have broken down, crying and yelling
that they wanted to return, begging for release.

However, resolution showed on Leylin's face, as if this was negligible. In the face of his mindset
that was ten thousand times more stronger than steel, things that ancient Magi had specifically
set up to test one's will were trivial.

As Leylin went deeper in, the surrounding fog became more dense, and even his feet became
unclear. Every step seemed like he was walking on clouds.
Leylin took a step, and the scenery suddenly changed.

Now, the room had dark yellow planks and a mouldy ceiling. The squeaks of mice could be
heard from the corner.

It was the most common image seen by commoners in the continent. There was not one piece
of furniture in this little wooden cabin. Strangely, all that existed was a golden parrot cage at
the center, a toad with a pipe in its mouth on top.

"Hey, brother! Are you here to give me a love letter on Miko's behalf? Please tell her that I'm
busy and can't make it to the date tomorrow evening!"

The toad was dressed in a black top hat, looking relaxed. It puffed out one white smoke ring
after another from the pipe.

"..." Leylin was dumbstruck as he watched the toad, unsure of what was going on.

"Are you not Miko's messenger? Oh! Then it must be Elizabeth. She's the most beautiful girl I've
ever seen. That skin, full of folds and spores, as well as those protruding eyes... Oh! She's my
angel..."

The toad jabbered on and on, but what it said only baffled Leylin. At one point, he could no
longer take it and asked, "Where is this?"

"Quark's cabin, Number 232 at the edge of the world. Is there a problem?" The toad put its pipe
down, its large eyes that were like light bulbs shooting Leylin a glance.
Could it be that the Path of Quandary is similar to an astral gate? Has Scarlet Crescent's
defensive formation sent me to another plane?' This sudden thought left Leylin unable to
decide whether he should laugh or cry.

Many ancient defence systems had a last resort when they encountered an enemy that was
much too powerful for the spell formations to be of use— banishment to an alternate world!

This was akin to an astral gate, teleporting Magi out of the Magus world.

As this was a one-time thing with no definite coordinates, unlucky Magi would usually be sent
into spatial turbulences far, far away; or even into a giant storm. It would be extremely lucky to
find another plane with life on it. However, returning to the Magus world? There was no need
to even think about it.

The current situation caused Leylin to have doubts.

At this moment, the floor suddenly began to tremble, seismic waves passing through every few
moments.

"What's going on?" Leylin tried scanning with his soul force, but found that his soul force had
been repressed to the limit. It could not even see past the cabin.

"It's nothing. I have a new neighbour preparing to move in..."

The toad jumped off the parrot cage nonchalantly, bouncing as it headed out. Leylin turned his
head and thought about it for a moment, eventually following behind it.
After opening the door of the wooden cabin, his body suddenly went stiff, eyes flashing with
disbelief.

In front of him was a large sandy wasteland. There were black holes and distorted nebulae in
the sky, and a large green shadow that seemed to have taken root in the cosmos was shifting its
body.

It was a giant ancient tree, its green leaves spilling with a jade-like lustre. Leylin had seen many
ancient trees before, and there were enormous trees in Creevey City where houses could be
built on their leaves. However, the entirety of Creevey CIty was like a tiny thing in comparison
with this gigantic tree, not comparable to even a leaf.

"Hello, new friend! Do you need any help?" After seeing this tree, the toad happily went
forward to welcome it, jumping onto a root as thick as a mountain.

Compared to the tree, the toad was like a speck of dust. No! It was ten thousand times smaller
than a speck of dust!

Leylin was speechless. Soon after, he realised that he had indeed walked out of a wooden
cabin, but the surroundings were a depthless black starry cosmos, and the cabin had been
floating in the sky. There was even a shaky scrawl on the bronze door plate, reading 'Number
232, Edge of the World! This house belongs to Toad Quark.'

On that gigantic root the toad had jumped onto was another little cabin, this one constructed
askew. There was a number there as well, 233. The name had changed to Wisdom Tree. Leylin
had no idea how the big the other party was or how they entered the cabin. Watching the cabin
on the tree root, as well as the toad, he could not come up with anything to say.

Shortly after, however, his expression changed. 'The ancient Wisdom Tree? The intellectual
being of the Magus World that once enlightened multiple great ancient Magi? The culmination
of all wisdom?'

*Rumble!* A few large cracks opened up on the tree that extended to the cosmos, sucking in
the violent spatial storms and producing soundless whimpers.

Two enormous, yellowish eyes opened, followed by lips full of wooden lines.

"It's... been... a... long.... time... my... old... friend..." The tree's words were extremely loud. Just
the sound waves were enough to blow everything over. Toad Quark had no choice but to hug
the root tightly in order not to be blown away by the violent hurricane.

The Wisdom Tree's speech was very slow, taking a minute between syllables. It seemed that
each thought required a great amount of time.

"And... also... a ... new... friend..." *Bang!* The ground exploded, and a root that was like a
mountain flew over, raising Leylin till he was before the ancient Wisdom Tree, meeting its
starry gaze.

"I smell myself on you..." The Wisdom Tree's words were hard to decipher, but Leylin
immediately understood what it meant.

"Is it the essence of the ancient Wisdom Tree? And this!" Leylin produced a wooden cup,
though it was now empty.

It had once contained the essence of the Wisdom Tree, and had been vital in supporting Leylin's
advancement to rank 3. This wooden cup had been said to be made out of the bark of the
Wisdom Tree.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 528 - Breaking through the Fog

"You're a Warlock... Ah, I remember this feeling. You must be from the Magus World, right?"
The ancient Wisdom Tree spoke slowly, each syllable taking a significantly long time. It was
enough for any quick-tempered Magus to get annoyed.

However, there were no traces of impatience on Leylin's face. On the contrary, he was full of
respect towards the ancient Wisdom Tree, especially since his advancement to rank 3 was all
thanks to it. Hence, he bowed deferentially.

"Yes! I am Leylin Farlier, a rank 4 Warlock of the Magus World. Greetings, mighty Enlightener!"

The Enlightener was a title given to the ancient Wisdom Tree by the combined decision of all
the Magi in the Magus World.

It was rumoured that the ancient Wisdom Tree was the culmination of all wisdom. It was even
knowledgeable in all the mysteries of the cosmos and the universe. There were countless high-
ranked Magi who had gained enlightenment with its help, and even the glamour of the ancient
era was, in part, possible thanks to its guidance.

However, the mighty ancient tree which had granted enlightenment and solved riddles had
disappeared from the Magus World all of a sudden. No matter how hard the ancient Magi tried
to find it, no traces were left behind.

In the following generations, many Magus historians had attributed the fall of the ancient era to
the lack of guidance from the Wisdom Tree, leading to many ancient Magi walking a path
ridden with errors.

Though Leylin did not really agree with this standpoint, it was true that it was very
knowledgeable regarding Magi.

"The Magus World!" The ancient Wisdom Tree's large eyes flashed with nostalgia, "I still
remember... 20 or 25 dark ages ago, the Magi were all adorable little children. Oh! There was
one called Aten, and he was pretty good at barbeques..."

The mighty ancient Wisdom Tree was like an old man trying to chase after the past, jabbering
on and on.

Leylin waited silently at the side, while Toad Quark was beginning to get annoyed, "Old friend,
are you moving again? You've only lived here for 87,000 years... I've only taken a nap, and
you're already moving again?"

'An 87,000 year... nap?' Leylin was speechless.

"Yes, my friend! I feel the descent of terror. Even the end of the world can't hinder the spying of
such power. The aftermath of the ancient era will continue to cause ripples, involving other
worlds..."

The ancient Wisdom Tree said something that sounded like a prophecy, causing Leylin to be
surprised. However, no matter how he inquired, it would not make a sound.

'It doesn't finish its words, ugh...' Leylin rolled its eyes inside, but then heard the sounds of the
Wisdom Tree after speaking to the toad. "And there's you, you adorable thing. I can answer one
question of yours as a present. Of course, it cannot touch upon the topic from before..."
"Many thanks, mighty Enlightener!" Leylin was elated. An opportunity to have the Wisdom Tree
solve a riddle was not something any Magus could have even in ancient times. Even a Breaking
Dawn Magus would smash their own head in for such a chance.

However, after the moment of ecstasy, he grew perplexed.

'What should I ask? How to attain immortality? That's too vague!' Leylin opened his lips, but
eventually did not ask the question.

After an intense struggle, Leylin's pupils flashed with soberness. 'Even if it's truly the ancient
Wisdom Tree, it's only one of the ancient legends. It's probably at rank 8 or 9 as a Magus, and
even such a being needs to defend itself. Asking about is pointless. I need to think of something
more suitable for myself...'

Having thought it through, the fog in Leylin's mind finally completely dissipated.

Leylin took in a deep breath, clenched his fists, and asked the ancient Wisdom Tree this
question, "I would like to know how to break through the bloodline shackles of Warlocks!"

For now, there was nothing more important to him than solving this issue.

"This..." The ancient Wisdom Tree raised a root and propped it against its lips, looking
extremely similar to a human in thought. "You can..."

......
The fog disappeared, and Leylin was started awake.

He rubbed his forehead that was slightly aching and glanced at the grey slabs on the ground.
The fog was dissipating from the surroundings, and buildings were gradually revealing
themselves. The lost look in his eyes disappeared and was replaced with confusion.

"Was that scene real, or an illusion?"

Leylin glanced at his hands, 'I'm already at Morning Star. Under the scan of my soul force, any
illusory spells should have been seen through. Furthermore...'

Leylin felt his heart beat. 'The answer from the Wisdom Tree is still deep in my heart. It's very
feasible.'

Such a situation left Leylin bewildered.

"Perhaps the Path of Quandary was a superior illusion, allowing intruders to find answers
amidst their perplexment about where they were. This answer might already be deep in the
intruder's heart, and only made known at this point. Of course, if it can't be found, they would
remain lost there..."

Combined with his former knowledge and experience, Leylin came to a specious conclusion.
Inside, however, he felt as if what had just happened was real.

With the strength of ancient Magi, it was not impossible to create a scene like that. Another
plausible reason would be that through endless flowing from the river of time, many scenarios
had converged at this point.
In other words, Leylin's mind had passed through the isolation of time and space, reaching one
of the spatial fragments in the ancient era, and met the true ancient Wisdom Tree.

'Hah! I don't care anymore! There are only benefits for me here anyway! If it doesn't make
sense, then so be it. When I get enough strength, I might even understand all of this naturally...'
Leylin thought optimistically.

There were no cons whatsoever in coming to the Path of Quandary. He had even obtained a
method to solve the issue of his bloodline shackles. While this was merely a tentative plan, it
was still very precious. It might not even compare to all the benefits from Scarlet Crescent!

"However, since I've gone through the Path of Quandary, I should be getting some rewards."
Leylin touched his chin, watching the large Magus building that had completely revealed itself,
as a smile appeared on his face.

What had appeared in front of Leylin was a little western-styled building that was two storeys
high. The window at the balcony was still open, as if the owner had only been gone a short
period of time.

The brass door handle had a simple yet splendid lustre, and seemed to have been used
regularly.

Leylin knew, though, that this building had been abandoned for at least over ten thousand
years. It was naturally magic that resulted in this effect.

*Ka-cha!* After gripping the handle and putting some strength into it, the door was easily
pushed open, revealing a hall with a giant fireplace. The firewood in there was still crackling and
burning, a wave of heat gathering indoors.
"Besides what's on their bodies, Magi keep their most precious objects only in the bedroom,
study room and laboratory..."

Leylin scanned the area quickly and immediately gave up on the living room, going up to the
second level of the building.

He first found the study room. There seemed to have been some spatial spells used here, and
upon opening it, what was presented in front of Leylin was an enormous space comparable to a
football field. There were large bookshelves that towered at ten or so metres tall, but
everything there was empty, leaving behind only a pile of ash in the compartments.

Leylin rummaged through the area quite a few times and had the A.I. Chip check the area
repeatedly without giving up, but he eventually resigned himself to the situation and left the
study room.

"I never expected that all the books and research materials would have been taken away...
What would else would be left?"

Leylin was slightly dejected, but still searched through room after room. He then found the
original owner's bedroom.

Unexpectedly, he was easily rewarded with something on the makeup table.

A blood-red earring in the shape of a crescent moon lay quietly in an opened jewellery box.
After Leylin confirmed it was not a trap, he took it in his hand, and a stream of information was
immediately transmitted over.

"Scarlet Earring! High-grade magic equipment. Work of Mefylk! ... Ah! This is presented to my
goddess, Jonase, my true love..."
From the opened jewellery box, it seemed that the owner had been preparing to wear the
earring, but everything had suddenly come to an abrupt stop.

Leylin was confused as he looked through the bedroom, but still did not find anything that
looked suspicious.

"A strange set-up!" Leylin mumbled to himself, keeping the Scarlet Earring and adding many
seals outside.

Even if it it was a trap, a piece of high-grade magic equipment was worth the risk. Besides,
Leylin was very confident in his judgment and the A.I. Chip's scans.

While leaving, he consciously took a look at the mirror frame at the makeup table.

There was a large oval silver mirror inside, reflecting Leylin's image. Strangely enough, the
Leylin inside had a secretive laugh, causing him to be startled.

By the time he came back to himself, everything in the mirror seemed to have returned to
normal, as if all that had just happened had merely been an illusion.

But would Morning Star Magi hallucinate? That was impossible!

Leylin's expression became gloomy as he gritted his teeth, quickly keeping the mirror and
running out of the bedroom and out of the villa.

The moment he left the villa, it completely vanished, leaving behind a large depression that
looked to have been gnawed at by beasts.

*Bang!*

A fist smashed onto a table, causing dust to fly, "Despicable! Damn it! He's actually taken it
away! That was the magic equipment that was the easiest to obtain, and it was even of a high-
grade at that!"

In an unadorned crystal private room, an old Magus looked annoyed, unwilling to accept this.

"It's not just that. He even took 'that' away!"

The old man's expression changed a few times before he made his mind.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 529 - Obstruction And A Grin

"No! No matter what, I have to get it back!" The old man took out his light yellow notebook. A
map with many black dots appeared on it immediately.

"Find him! Rip him apart! And bring everything back!" Following the old man's growl, streaks of
crystal-clear light flashed in the secret chamber and a few translucent puppets suddenly
widened their bloodshot eyes.

As if they understood the old man's words, they rapidly shuttled through the void, gradually
vanishing.

......

"This feeling, something bad's about to happen"

Leylin's eyebrows furrowed. He'd actually been feeling a sense of discomfort ever since he
exited the Path of Quandary. It was as if someone was secretly spying on him. However, the
scanning of the A.I. Chip and his own soul force could not discover anything.

And now, this feeling of discomfort suddenly intensified, even to the point of turning to anxiety!

"The malice that's pervaded the atmosphere..." Leylin shut his eyes and quickly opened them
again. At this moment, his pupils had already turned into a pair of amber slits. A thin, blood-red
line flashed across them.

Suddenly, rumbling sounds rang out as a large amount of spell runes flickered. A colourful
radiance shot into the sky and formed a gigantic ice cage, trapping Leylin within.

"What? I definitely didn't trigger any traps... Unless..." Leylin squinted his eyes slightly. This
situation caused him to become clear-headed.

"Haha... I, who have gained control over the entire core secret chamber, am an invincible
existence in Scarlet Crescent!" In the core control room, the old Magus' face shone brightly, his
hands still grasping a piece of ruby with its tips connected to numerous crystal threads.

Strings of complicated commands were continually transmitted through the ruby in his hands.
Numerous crystal-clear hexagonal snowflakes suddenly condensed within the trap, forming a
large quantity of icy blades, shields, axes and such. They all smashed loudly towards Leylin's
head.

Leylin thought of an idea. "Kemoyin's Scales!" "Blood Flame!" His body was immediately
wrapped in a layer of dense, black snake scales as a blood-red flame raged above him,
subliming the large quantity of ice.

As if it was provoked, the ice condensed once more with a sizzle. Its blue core became even
more crystal-clear, emanating a piercing chill.

The ice, which was covered by the blue radiance, stood firmly while it was being roasted by the
flames. A large quantity of cold air was emitted, even breaking through the Blood Flame's seal.
It shot in front of Leylin, who smashed it apart with a frown.

Sharp icy blades slashed his body, only enough to create thin, long sparks. They couldn't even
break through the outermost energy defence.

"Absolute Zero Kelvin!" Leylin's pupils narrowed and his face no longer had the previous relaxed
look.

"This was undoubtedly set up by ancient Magi. Such a formation that unifies all the runes in the
area is definitely difficult for ordinary Morning Stars to withstand... However, It doesn't seem to
be working at full force... That means..."

Leylin seemed to be in a deadlock with the huge icy spell formation on the surface. However, he
was actually calculating something in his mind.
*Whoosh!* Suddenly, space twisted and a few rays of white light seemed to have broken
through the boundary as they appeared right before Leylin.

The handle, which bore the sharp broken sword, had already pierced the edge of Leylin's chest.

"So fast!" It was difficult for Leylin to react in time. The only thing he managed to do was
strengthen the Kemoyin Scales' defence to the maximum.

Compared to other spells, the innate spells of Magi were activated purely by thought. With
such incomparable speeds, they were the common last-ditch resorts when their lives were in
danger.

*Schlick!* A broken sword, seemingly forged out of pure crystal, pierced through the energy
defence as well as the runes outside the black scales with much difficulty, coming into contact
with the scales themselves.

*Pop!* Leylin frowned, as if at something bursting. Behind him, a large Multi-Armed Race
phantom came into existence and channeled a dark green energy to cover his body.

"My goodness!" The muscles on his right hand flexed, hammering a punch at the opponent.
This made the translucent figure retreat.

After waiting for the opponent to put a certain amount of distance between them, Leylin
looked at his chest with a gloomy face.

A bright white line in the shape of a crescent had been carved on the Kemoyin Scales. The
sword had left behind a deep pit, taking a few smaller scales with it.
"Puppet?!" When Leylin got a clear view of the figures making a sneak attack, he shouted in
surprise.

In front of him were a few translucent figures in pure white, body-fitting Magus robes. In their
hands were a large quantity of physical weapons, including the broken crystal sword from
before.

"A puppet that is able to break through my Kemoyin's Scales defence, such a rank... I'm afraid
can only be created by an ancient Magus..."

Leylin looked at the bloodshot eyes of the puppet before him, confirming his conjecture,
'Someone's behind all this.'

"So this is the power of a Morning Star? Even the Void Assassin could not take down the
opponent!" In the core, the old man's dignified face warped as he clenched his teeth.

"It doesn't matter. I have the spell formations to control the core and the puppets on hand.
Even if it takes up a little more energy, I have to take down the enemy!"

With his orders, the arms of the Void Assassins surrounding Leylin warped, revealing daggers,
knives, and even weapons that looked like power saws. They were all translucent except for the
golden runes twinkling on them, seemingly made from crystal.

Space twisted once more as these Void Assassins vanished into thin air again. It was as if they
were vipers hiding in the dark, preparing to deal a fatal blow at any time!

With these enemies around eyeing covetously at their prey, in addition to the pressure of the
icy cage above their head, any ordinary Morning Star would definitely have sustained serious
injuries.
"It's a pity that you met me!" A sneer emerged at the corner of Leylin's lips. Wasn't the shadow-
attribute Giant Kemoyin Serpent even better at concealing itself in the void? He'd previously
used spells such as Shadow Stealth to lay in ambush, and he naturally knew about the
weaknesses and disadvantages of such spells like the back of his hand.

Although the ancient spell formation was a little more troublesome, the enemy evidently did
not have complete control over it. This gave him an opportunity.

"Only..." Leylin laughed coldly as a radiance sparkled in his eyes.

A translucent figure shot out from the void with a whoosh, the dagger in its hands aimed
ferociously at Leylin's eyes.

Leylin's face remained unchanged and he suddenly stretched out his wrist. When it came to a
stop once more, he was holding one of the puppet's arms in his hands.

A gigantic blue iceberg, with a great blazing flame at its bottom, started to exert pressure on
everything below as it rumbled. At the same instant, a sharp aura suddenly shot out in the
other three directions.

"Good! Very soon, that thing will belong to me..." In the control room, the old man watched a
pale Leylin. Looking at his wounded body, he could not help but let out a carefree smile.

"Haha... So what if you're a Morning Star? I'm the king here!" The old man spread out his arms
and cheered, but his voice was instantly silenced with a grunt, as if he had been strangled at the
neck.
When it came back, it returned as a frustrated curse, "How did he escape?"

In the projection he'd been looking at from the control room, Leylin's condition had already hit
rock bottom. His entire body was soaked in blood, and he seemed ready to die at any moment.
However, every opportunity to kill him was thwarted by small problems in the coordination of
the Void Assassins, letting him evade it by luck. At least, that's what he'd seen it as.

And right when he was in the most desperate straits, that lucky Magus had actually discovered
a flaw in the spell formation, directly breaking through space and escaping.

The old man roared in anger, smashing his fist violently on the platform of the control room
with a bang.

"If I had known all the control spells, and obtained the highest authority, even a Radiant Moon
Magus wouldn't be able to escape this place, let alone this Morning Star!" What followed the
bout of rage was a sense of helplessness.

Indeed, he'd used his map and reached the control room, obtaining partial authority by
following his ancestor's notes. In fact, he didn't encounter much danger at all. However, his
ancestor did not have a high position in Scarlet Crescent. This naturally meant he had no way to
gain complete control of the place.

That previous spell formation was actually the limits of what he could accomplish with his
current authority. As for those Void Assassins, he had to thank the fact that their creator was
none other than his ancestor. That was why he had a backdoor method to take control of them.

"Damn! Damn! DAMN!" The old man's face was full of indignance, "Just these Void Assassins
have already made this trip worthwhile, but the most important item is still not in my hands.
Not to mention, this place will definitely be monopolised by great forces in the future. I'll no
longer have a place here..."
He subconsciously shot a glance at the other black dots. They were already very close to the
core area, especially the one that represented the Radiant Moon. It seemed to have an
unstoppable force, barging its way through and already sweeping past several small-scaled
resource points, making the Magus secretly hurt.

Such desire and the strong indignance led this Magus to a decision, "Try again, no matter the
result, you have to leave!"

He looked at another screen, pressing the jewel down without hesitation. A huge flame
exploded forth, forming an enormous blazing giant that blocked Leylin's path.

"So it's fire after ice? But it's still of the same degree of power as the previous one..." Leylin
shook his head, becoming more confident in his judgment.

"Catch him! Catch him!" The old Magus grabbed the jewel with both hands, his eyes full of
excitement and desire.

And at this time, Leylin, who was in the screen, suddenly lifted his head and laughed at him. The
old man's hair stood on end...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 530 - Sweeping of Obstacles

"Found you, you little rat!" The Magus was able to make out Leylin's words from his mouth's
movements, immediately causing his eyes to turn red.
"Void Assassins, don't hold back. Kill him!" As if having lost his self-control, the Magus held onto
the command stick and roared.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* At least eight Void Assassins appeared instantly, charging
straight for Leylin. In front of him, the large flame giant was also snarling as it brandished a
large flaming metal whip.

The sealing formation, the flames, and the surprise attacks from multiple Void Assassins would
be extremely troublesome for normal Morning Stars to deal with.

Even Demon Hunter Cyril would probably be seriously injured under such an attack!

[Beep! Found spiritual force link. Eliminating three areas with fake signals, determining
coordinates!]

The A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded by Leylin's ears, causing a smile to rise up on his face. Ever
since he realised that there was probably someone behind the scene, Leylin had commanded
the A.I. Chip try and identify the location of the core control room.

The slip ups and injuries sustained from before were all intentionally done to get his opponent
to take the bait.

A spell formation was not able to supply adequate data and information, but the other party
had obviously not been satisfied. He had dispatched someone to attack, allowing the A.I. Chip
to discover his traces immediately!

'From my guesses and the A.I. Chip's simulation, the other party probably isn't that strong, and
may not even have access to the core control room of the ruins. Otherwise, it wouldn't be an
attack just of this level!'
Leylin watched the sharp blade and flames coming towards him, a strange smile appearing on
his face.

A splendid layer of crimson-red rays suddenly emerged from his body, turning into four rings
that floated up and down.

"Rank 1 innate spells: Kemoyin's Scales, Eyes of Petrification!"

"Rank 2 innate spell: Toxic Bile!"

"Rank 3 innate spell: Intimidating Gaze!"

"Rank 4 innate spell: Bloodline Metamorphosis! Combining to form the Morning Star Arcane
Art: Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!"

*Rumble!* A humongous serpent that measured tens of thousands of metres long suddenly
descended on the region.

Spell formations fell apart, the earth cracked, and multiple buildings turned to dust. Even the
air was beginning to shake.

*Po!* The flame giant from before, as well as the many bindings and fire elemental spell
formations, were swept away by the large snake's body. All the runes were destroyed, and even
the the spell formations at the base of the buildings flickered out.

In front of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, the Void Assassins that were the size of a regular human
were like ants. Their sharp swords could not even pierce through the scales, and instead, were
sent crashing to a random area with a swing of its tail.

The Arcane Art of the ancient Morning Star Warlocks— Kemoyin Serpent Transformation. This
trump card that would allow Warlocks to transform into a terrifying ancient beast appeared
once more!

The giant black snake hissed as it aimed its head in a specific direction, its starry amber eyes the
very personification of ridicule. Its body was like a black storm as it crushed the area.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!* On the way, various little flickers of brilliance could be seen on the
giant serpent's body, which then dimmed.

"Wha- What's going on? Is this a Morning Star Arcane Art? He- he dared-"

Having been locked onto by the aura of an ancient, giant beast, the Magus in the core control
room went limp and fell to the ground. As he made contact with the other party's eyes, the fear
hidden deep in his genes exploded forth as his body went stiff, unable to move even a finger.

The direction in which the giant serpent had looked in was evidently the location of the core
control room. Seeing how the other party was crushing everything in its way, it would probably
take seconds to reach him.

This old man shuddered, now regretting provoking this fiendish person.

*Boom!* Like in a magnitude 9 earthquake, all the items in the core control room jumped up
and fell loudly onto the ground.
Hearing the accompanying hisses, the old man shuddered even more in fright. He knew that the
terrifying ancient, vicious beast had now reached the outside of the core control room.

"I have the defensive spell formation of the core control room. It... It'll be fine!"

The attack from before had been obstructed, giving the old man some confidence. However,
before he could struggle to get up, an even more powerful tremor could be felt.

*Rumble!* Bricks fell everywhere and the roof was torn open. Two eyes that were like stars
shot out terrifying rays of light.

"Ah!" The old man went limp, a fishy smell even travelling from the crotch of his pants.

"Little worm, do you think you can hide?" The gigantic serpent suddenly turned small, regaining
the size of a regular human. Large amounts of black gas turned into armour that merged onto
his perfect body.

Leylin charged into the control room and held the old man by the throat, eyes flashing with a
dangerous glint, "A mere Crystal Phase Magus dares attack a Morning Star on the sly?"

His own aura had weakened slightly, the consumption from before had not been small.

Due to the limitations of the peace agreement, Morning Star Magi were not allowed to use
Arcane Arts that would affect large areas in the central continent. However, this was the Scarlet
Crescent ruins, and technically speaking was not on the central continent. Naturally, that
agreement did not extend to this place.
But why did the other Morning Star not use it?

It was because there were usually extremely powerful spell formations in the ruins. If the range
of the Arcane Arts were too large, there would definitely be a chain reaction that would not be
beneficial to the Morning Star Magi.

The second was because Magi had entered in order to plunder resources. How could they use
such a powerful technique and destroy everything? Did they not want the loot?

Only people like Leylin, who thought nothing was taboo and had the A.I. Chip to find the
specific location of his opponent, dared to bulldoze through after determining there were no
traps or counteracting spell formations.

This also had to do with the old man having yet to gain complete control. If not, with the
activation of any of the true ancient spell formations, Leylin would definitely be unable to break
through and might even be trapped to his death by the spell formation.

"But since I started it, the situation will immediately change..."

Leylin laughed wryly inside. This was the consequence, but thankfully, he'd already prepared
himself mentally. Even if he did not gain much here, it was all worth it.

......

"Hm? These undulations? Morning Star Arcane Art?!"

Vicious energy undulations immediately passed through the range of the ruins. Almost all
Morning Star understood in that instant.

"Since someone has already made the first move, we need to hurry up!"

Cybel glanced at the wall made of large amounts of vines, and immediately looked annoyed,
"Get out of the way!"

"Of course, my lord!" Paul, who knew what Cybel was planning on doing, immediately retreated
far into the distance in case he got injured.

Afterwards, frightening energy undulations gathered at Cybel's body, and a giant, all-
annihilating storm even more terrifying than Philip's swept through the place...

"A bunch of youngsters who don't know how to follow rules!"

At the other end, a middle-aged man, golden all over like a god, shook his head helplessly. He
put down a document in his hands.

"Anyway, someone has already taken control of a portion of the detection spell formation in
the ruins. There's also that feeling of being spied on..."

The middle-aged man's brows furrowed, "I'm afraid that this truly must be the headquarters of
the ancient Scarlet Crescent, and must have a high value. If news of how I had come here with a
group of Morning Stars and yet was one-upped by someone else spreads, it'll definitely be a
huge joke..."

"In that case!" The phantom of a giant gold lion appeared behind the middle-aged Magus.
*Boom!* Just the pressure from the aura was enough for the entire building to collapse, the air
shattering like iron chains.

"This feeling... These undulations... It's a great Radiant Moon Magus!"

Collins, as well as the other Morning Star Magi, began to look grim at the other end.

The phantom image of a golden lion in the horizon gave them a very bad feeling.

It was not just the Morning Stars of Jupiter's Lightning. Even the Warlocks of Spirit Circle and
Wind Wolf Lair immediately sped up their movements, berserk energy waves emanating from
them.

When they no longer had reservations, the terrifying destructive ability of Morning Star Magi
were showcased completely.

"As expected, after I made the first move, it caused a chain reaction among the other Morning
Stars. None of them are holding back anymore and charging in this direction..."

Leylin looked at the notebook that lay wide open. Many buildings had already been broken
through by a few black dots, and there were warning sirens everywhere.

*Gurgle... Gurgle...*

The old man was almost unconscious.

Never did he expect that, in just a short instant, these Morning Stars would suddenly turn into
ancient oppressive beasts, the defensive spell formations like a mere joke in front of them.

At the thought that he had even thought of relying on the spell formations here to deal with
them, cold sweat unceasingly dripped from the old man's forehead.

Leylin had yet to come up with a way to deal with the descendant of Scarlet Crescent. He had a
very soft personality, and just by being threatened, he had immediately handed everything
over, which included even the jurisdiction to control the Void Assassins. This saved Leylin some
time, and also allowed the old man to escape the gruesome fate of having his soul searched.

It was not just this. On the other party's body, Leylin found the inheritance from his ancestor,
which was quite a large harvest.

From his eyes, Leylin could tell that the old man still seemed to be hiding something. Time was
scarce, however, and Leylin could not waste more time to settle it.

"What are you afraid of? The setup of an ancient Magus won't be that simple..."

Leylin shot the man a glance and spoke disdainfully. Though his earlier actions might have
seemed reckless, the route had already gone through the A.I. Chip's meticulous probing and
calculations, and he had not triggered any fundamental, large formations.

After all, for ancient Magi, Morning Star was the bare minimum level. How could there not be
specific countering spell formations? Those Magi would probably soon be in trouble.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 531 - Carelessness

"Ancient Morning Star Arcane Art — Ocean Crash!"

With a body thousands of metres tall, a monster with the head of a cow, body of a human and
tentacles for feet emanated powerful energy undulations.

Behind it, four giant rings of light constantly flickered and fused, and the power of its point
mass strengthened immensely from before, forming an alarming spell.

Like an ocean god had been enraged, great amounts of ocean water formed horses, goblins,
dragons, and various other ancient beasts, drowning the large spell formation opposite it.

In front of the Morning Star Arcane Art, the large spell formation had broken out a powerful
defensive force, but it was still smashed to smithereens, the vast ocean water bringing a great
amount of pressure and washing through.

"This seems to be a cultivation base!"

Siebel's aura suddenly grew unstable before he returned to his human form that would
consume less energy. He charged into the spell formation and began to rummage through as he
wished.

The Arcane Art left the base in a mess, looking like ruins after the end of the world. Yet, there
were still some intact objects lying in the dust and emanating light that attracted hi's attention.
"This is a Thousand-Eyed Worm Egg. It's so big, and can practically be exchanged for an astral
stone of a similar quality..."

"And very concentrated refined gold. There's so much..." Siebel's eyes lit up, cheeks turning a
rosy red.

Various famous and also unknown precious materials were lying on the ground like trash.
Though many had been destroyed, they were still of high value.

Such enormous wealth was placed before him to be chosen from. Even in his life, this
experience was very rare.

"Haha... If I'd known, I would have done this long ago. Though it might affect some treasures, I
can save time and attack a few other areas..."

Siebel's eyes turned slightly red, as he scanned the ground and kept anything of value. He then
left, reaching another area.

The surroundings of the large laboratory were flickering with crystal luster, obstructing Siebel
like a city wall. At the door, there was a wooden sign that was a warning.

"Grandmaster Nuuk's Alchemy Laboratory! Do not disturb if you are not supposed to be here!
You will bear the consequences!"

"He's already been dead for over tens of thousands of years. Who are you kidding?" Siebel had
originally been surprised by the crimson words on the sign, feeling a chill down his spine, but
the harvests he had reaped caused him to get greedy.
"Once I attack this place, I can move on to the core area. The treasures there must be even
more amazing..."

Siebel's expression changed several times, but he gradually made his decision. Rays from innate
spells of various ranks lit up from his body.

Of course, he had also set up several layers of defence, with magic equipment that looked like
shells covering his body.

"Be ruined! Morning Star Arcane Art— Ocean Crash!"

The azure ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see, as well as the vicious ocean animals,
immediately submerged the laboratory in front of him. All sorts of lights exploded, before dying
down.

By the time Siebel was done, the laboratory had turned into a large ruins. All the spell runes
had either been destroyed, smashed, or had disappeared.

"Haha... As expected! My guess was right!"

The counterattack he had expected did not arrive, and Siebel's face showed his elation. He first
sent a few puppets forth cautiously, and after determining there was no danger ahead,
pounced towards the ruins hastily and began to look through it.

Even Morning Star Magi did not get such chances often.

Meanwhile, spilledvarious violent and dangerous reactions were rapidly happening out of sight.
"Determined to be point mass reaction! Judged Morning Star-ranked enemy at area DK-34,
activating counterattack spell formation."

Up in the air in the secret space, large amounts of vacant spaces fused together and formed the
strange shape of a crystal ball. At the heart of it was an unusual human in black robes, eyes
giving off crimson rays.

Traces of a mysterious aura were emitted along with the control room's command. In the area
above what had been the laboratory, a concealed spell formation began to operate.

"Extrapolating force of point mass. Attribute determined to be: Water. Activating counterattack
spell formation. Begin!"

"Hm? What's going on?" Siebel raised his head, and in that moment, his intuition as a Magus
made him feel immensely threatened, some existence was giving him the chills.

"Not good! I need to leave immediately!" He turned into a blue silhouette as he darted out.

However, it was too late. With a terrifying, high-pitched sound, a large, crimson spell formation
appeared in the air. Large numbers of runic chains formed a cage, trapping him inside.

"Target confirmed. Beginning annihilation." The icy, robotic voice immediately gave Siebel the
feeling that he was in immense danger. However, as a Morning Star Magus, he would naturally
not sit and wait to be killed.

"Ah! You want to kill me, just with this spell formation?" Siebel snarled, body exploding and
revealing his true marine form.
At the same time, the enormous undulations from the Morning Star final technique appeared
once more.

"Morning Star Arcane Art— Ocean Crash!"

A tremendous ocean descended, and many ancient creatures thundered as they charged
straight for the runic chains.

*Weng!* The attacks fell on the thin runic chains, but were not able to cause any damage at all.
Large amounts of blue light were absorbed by the chains, causing Siebel's face to immediately
turn pale.

"Ho-How?" Seeing a spell formation like this that could absorb a whole Morning Star Arcane
Art, Siebel seemed to have been dealt a massive blow. Were Morning Star not able to do as
they wished in the continent? Their Arcane Arts were even more horrifying, so how could this
have happened?

Only now did he understand how terrifying ancient Magi were, but it was far too late.

*Xiu!* A giant blue bow appeared, still having some of the power Siebel's own point mass as it
shot out blue flames.

At the heart of the blue flames, there was a unique long arrow, the arrowhead having alarming
black threads that distorted time and space.

*Pu!* Like paper being ripped through, his defensive layers were pierced through by the blue
arrow, and even the Morning Star Magus' famed soul force was rendered useless under the
black threads.

The giant blue arrow pierced through Siebel's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"I... will actually here... in the hands of a trap..." Siebel's expression cycled, and he was unsure if
he should laugh or cry.

Though these injuries would cause regular people or even Magi to die straightaway, Morning
Star Magi had a vigorous life force and powerful vitality that still allowed them to struggle for
their lives for a period of time.

"I never thought I'd die here. Thankfully, I still have the marine tribe's deity egg and can be
reborn."

Siebel had a wry smile on his face, unwilling to part with the precious items and magic
equipment he had found. However, there was no way around it.

The marine tribe's deity egg was a secret method of the marine tribe Magi to save one's life, for
Morning Stars and above. It was able to separate one's blood, flesh and soul in the form of a
marine egg, and after the fall of the main body, they would then be reborn in the egg.

As it was part of the Magus, after a period of training, it was possible to even return to the
Morning Star realm!

Since it was so valuable, it was obviously extensively sought out. However, due to the
limitations of the race, only the marine tribe were able to use it, causing many human Morning
Stars to wring their hands in defeat.
Though there were some Magi who had one or even a few clones, if the main body fell, it was
extremely difficult for the clone to reach Morning Star and was even considered impossible.

"Collection of soul aura complete. Beginning obliteration of soul brand."

At this moment, the icy robotic voice sounded once more, giving Siebel the impression that he
was really in trouble.

Immediately after, he felt a strange force being transmitted to his body through the bow and
arrow, and with the sensing abilities of his soul aura, felt it trace the source and reach a part of
the past.

A scene suddenly appeared in his mind. It was that of when he had carefully placed the deity
egg in his Magus Tower.

At that moment, multiple black threads were sent out, puncturing the deity egg.

"Oh! Noooo..." Siebel yelled while struggling. He could tell that with the changes in the scene,
his original connection with the deity egg had been completely broken, and he would no longer
have any chances at rebirth. In that case, if he were to die, it would truly be the end...

"How– How did it become like this?" Large amounts of blood spilt from the corner of Siebel's
mouth, which then turned into blue bubbles that exploded. His eyes closed for eternity.

In ancient times, there were many Magi with clones or those who entrusted their lives
elsewhere. The methods were strange and hard to be determined, but many Magi who had
participated in the great ancient Magus war had still fallen.
Once the original was completely wiped out, even a Morning Star would be helpless.

*Poof!* A spot of light that was like a morning star emerged from his body and, with the
guidance of a stream of astral light, broke through the space and left.

This was a Morning Star Magus' point mass, holding his soul within.

Based on legends of the ancient Byron Empire, when Morning Star Magi completely died, their
soul would return to the astral plane for eternity, floating in the deepest part of the astral plane
and waiting for their next chance at reincarnation.

"Point mass discovered! Beginning seizure!"

A few large hands full of black runes emerged from the air and grabbed at the point mass. The
formless force immediately spread throughout the area, causing the starlight to turn unsteady.

*Sou!* Taking this opportunity, the large black hands grabbed hold of the point mass,
disappearing into the darkness.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 532 - Setup

Previously, hidden in the control room, the scenes of Siebel's death were displayed on the
crystal screen for a pair of crimson eyes.
When the point mass was caught by the person behind this whole situation, the power bar
increased by one unit on the side of the screen.

"..." The crimson light in that pair of eyes flickered intensely, but it soon subsided.

The chamber turned deathly silent again. A dark figure stayed at its spot, unmoving,
unbreathing.

Meanwhile, news of Siebel's death swept through the entire ruins like a hurricane.

"What's this feeling?" Leylin's face changed the moment the astral plane opened automatically
upon Siebel's death. He felt the fluctuation in the atmosphere of the astral plane and the point
mass.

It was the same feeling he'd gotten when he'd killed Cyril, something he'd never forget.

"The death of a Morning Star Magus? The point mass returning to the astral plane?" Leylin
mumbled in disbelief.

He took a long breath afterwards, "Sure enough, ancient ruins aren't this simple. Even this core
control room could be a mere disguise, with another true one hidden somewhere else!"

Leylin had gotten this suspicion a little earlier. Even if the old man didn't have full authorisation,
the defence of this place was far too weak. Now, it seemed it was only to be expected if this
place was just a ruse that could only control the simplest spell formations.

Those powerful spell formations that had the power to suppress Morning Star Magi, and were
even strong enough to kill them, were all hidden somewhere in the dark.

Leylin looked at the old man who was lying on the ground with sympathy when he thought of
this.

It was obvious that his ancestor was of little importance in Scarlet Crescent, he had not even
gotten a single bit of information about such matters.

"Anyway, all these things is none of my business. I've gotten what's important, and therefore,
it's time to leave..." Leylin smiled, then flipped open the pale yellow notebook.

Even if the old man's ancestor did not have much status, they had been very careful and had
even noted down a secret passageway for the sake of their descendants. It allowed Leylin to
leave Scarlet Crescent directly without returning through the original route, which greatly
reduced the level of danger.

"If this works out, the mission this time will truly have gone perfectly!"

Leylin rubbed his chin, "The others only know that I have entered the ruin, but they don't know
what I have gained, there's still room for manipulation."

At the bottom of his heart was an idea about how to break apart the bloodline shackles, a gift
from the ancient Wisdom Tree. This was priceless information for bloodline Warlocks.

Because of this, Leylin had to safeguard the secret, or else he could be rejected and even
persecuted by the bloodline Warlocks.
"The timing's just right. I know Siebel's dead, but the rest of the Morning Star Magi aren't aware
of this, which means he can be my scapegoat!"

Leylin could not help but sneer as he thought of what he saw in the core control room earlier
on.

The other Morning Star Magi did not have the spell formation of this control room to monitor
the entire ruin. At most, they only knew that one Morning Star Magus had perished, but they
would not know which one it was.

In this case, it was possible for him to disguise himself as Siebel, it wasn't like the dead could
talk.

"Transfiguration! Projection Technique!" With a thought, Leylin's aura changed, becoming

similar to Siebel's.

But this was far from enough. His cover would be blown the moment a Morning Star Magus
scanned him with soul force.

"I planned to use this for research or just to sell it off. Who knew I'd be using it now..." Leylin
flipped his palm, revealing a translucent test tube. There was a tinge of blue blood in it,
emanating light.

This was the blood Leylin had extracted from Siebel during their fight.

"Conceal the bloodline! This is going to remove all light and resist detection..." Leylin spoke in a
half-singing and half-chanting voice.
These were Arcane Arts that the A.I. Chip had deduced from the inherited memories of the
bloodline.

It enabled one to use the bloodline of the target, covering up their own aura and imitate the
energy fluctuations on the target. Soul force would be unable to detect it.

Moreover, this was a long-lost arcane art of bloodlines. Leylin had witnessed it when he'd
awakened his own Kemoyin bloodline. Other Morning Star Magi would definitely not have
thought of it.

The spells sounded out as the test tube opened up in tandem with Leylin's incantation. The blue
blood drifted into the air, turning into a hazy shadow that enveloped Leylin.

In the blink of an eye, Leylin looked as if he changed into another person. Not only did he have
the same look as Siebel, even his aura mimicked those of the marine tribe.

It was so much so that the energy fluctuations of a Magus were emitted from him, as opposed
to those of the vastly different Warlocks.

Even the Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning would find it hard to recognise him under
such circumstances.

"Ma– Master?"

The old man who sat on the ground saw Leylin changing completely into someone else, and he
could not help but stutter.
Leylin soon turned and looked at him, a trace of hostility flashing in his eyes.

......

Tremendous golden flames crackled and melted the void within seconds, clearing out a path of
lava.

A blonde-haired middle-aged Warlock walked out with both hands behind him, followed by the
phantom of a humongous golden lion.

"Right here! This is the first location where the energy fluctuations of a Morning Star Magus
appeared. The core control room must be nearby!"

His brows furrowed while he glanced through the scenery on both sides. Looking at the huge
depression and the remaining seawater, he frowned.

"Was I too late?"

*Bang!* Just then, the core control room nearby exploded, and a ferocious blaze engulfed
everything.

The Warlock snorted with disdain, and a huge amount of fire was absorbed by the phantom at
his back in an instant. His powerful soul force scanned around and discovered a blue figure
immediately.

"Are you still trying to leave?" He smiled sarcastically, while a ray of golden lightning shot out
immediately from the phantom behind him, quickly arriving at the blue figure.
"Arcane Art— Myriad Waves!"

An illusory domain in the form of a blue ocean was emanated from the blue figure, and a large
surge of waves rushed ahead to form a huge wall that shielded him.

*Ka-cha!* Golden lightning split the waves apart, revealing the original form of the trembling
fellow.

This was a giant who was a few meters tall, covered in blue skin. The inhuman aura was
obvious.

"Marine Giant Siebel? Indeed, he was the fellow guarding this region, and one of the first to
enter the ruins..." The middle-aged Warlock nodded, then he saw Siebel's figure flicker before
he fled quickly.

"You can't escape!" Wayde, the Radiant Moon Warlock followed after him right away. As the
blue giant was the first to reach the core control room, he must have gotten lots of treasure.
Just the structural plans of the ruins would have him green with envy.

"Hand me everything you've obtained, and I will allow your truesoul back into the astral plane!"
Wayde looked indifferent, but the phantom lion behind him started to fidget.

'Only a fool will stay still...' Half of Leylin's body was severely burnt, but his figure moved swiftly
in the ruins to escape. Even though the situation was bad, he had managed to escape from
Wayde for the moment with the guidance of the map he had acquired.

Leylin put in huge effort to disguise himself as Siebel in this time period. Not only had he
changed his aura completely using the Arcane Art, he had also used the data recorded by the
A.I. Chip to imitate his domain, perfecting the facade.

With the aura, domain, and even the face matching, even if Leylin told him the truth now,
Wayde wouldn't believe him.

Not to mention that he'd spent a lot of effort to conceal his powerful spells. With the rush he
was in, his opponent would not have a single clue about his identity.

As for the old man and the core control room, Leylin had destroyed them both; he would never
let someone who knew his secrets to live. After all, once the old man fell into another's hands,
his disguise would be rendered useless.

'I didn't expect him to be this fast... Moreover, he's a rank 5 Magus who excels at lightning-
based attacks!' Leylin smiled wryly. He had disguised himself as Siebel, and even had to mimic
his spells. Despite the fact that Leylin knew water could not outpower lightning, he continued
to use water spells to fight against Wayde as he could not risk exposing himself.

What was worse was that the opponent was way too fast. He had been caught unprepared.

However, it was all worth it.

A trace of a smile showed up on Leylin's face, and blue light flickered in his eyes as he tested
Wayde's patience with the help of the numerous spell formations in the ruins.

At last, Wayde fumed with rage at the slippery moves of the Morning Star Magus before him,
and did not want to probe Siebel any longer.
"Void Devourer!" His hand reached out ferociously, and the phantom opened its monstrous
mouth in an attempt to swallow him.

*Buzz!* As if a massive black hole had appeared in the void, everything distorted and
disappeared into the lion's monstrous mouth.

'This was what I was waiting for!' Leylin's eyes glinted, and he hid behind another huge bell
tower.

*Crack!* The bell tower was broken, and even the foundation was uprooted by the suction
force.

*Buzz!* A strong wave of energy appeared, unveiling a complex spell formation hidden
underground.

"Hmmm, what's this? Power from the core?" Wayde's brows furrowed. Soon, he was buried in
crimson spell formations that came out of the blue.

"Intruder spotted, Radiant Moon Warlock!" A cold mechanic voice sounded.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 533 - The Continuation

"Success!" Not far away, the golden lion phantom was trapped in a crimson spell formation.
Seeing it growl continuously, Leylin clenched his fist resolutely.
Since he had the guts to take Siebel's place, he naturally also had a way out.

Many important locations were marked out on the notebook he had seized. The energy hub
was one of the most important places. Leylin was confident that once this area was attacked,
the hidden defense program would immediately be activated.

After all, he had intentionally avoided many spell formations along the way, and used Morning
Star Arcane Arts with restraint. Thus, he appeared relatively harmless. Needless to say, the
program would deal with the more terrifying rank 5 Warlock first.

A Radiant Moon Warlock was not to be trifled with. Even in the ancient times, such a Warlock
was a strong contender that conquered.

The collisions between these two would instantly devastate their surroundings, causing an
already chaotic region to become even more disordered.

Even if there were any problems or clues left behind, they would have been quickly wiped out
in the destruction.

As the golden lion phantom continued growling, Leylin smiled coldly, his body completely
fading into the void.

The ruins no longer held any attraction for Leylin. The dangers would increase exponentially,
and forcing himself to stay wouldn't bring him any benefits as well. Leylin thus decided to
evacuate.

......
Half a month later, Phosphorescence Swamp, Ouroboros Clan headquarters, inside of Leylin's
huge castle.

"How were the ruins of Scarlet Crescent?" Leylin was now wearing a loose robe and conversing
leisurely with someone else through the screen in front of him.

Paul's figure surfaced on the screen, just that he seemed a little gloomy. Even his tentacles
were drooping listlessly. Evidently, he didn't receive any good news.

"It has been confirmed that the ruins of Scarlet Crescent have been completely closed. The
coordinates have all become invalid, and I reckon that it has undertaken a spatial jump!" Paul
didn't look too well.

Previously, with the directions from the notebook, Leylin had managed to escape unharmed
through a spatial path that had opened up. Hence, he also missed the drastic changes that had
taken place afterwards in the ruins. Of course, this was how he avoided danger.

It was only after Paul and company emerged in a fluster that Leylin found out about what had
happened in the ruins.

It turned out that the ancient Magi from the Scarlet Crescent had left behind an Adamantine
Golem in the ruins, which acted as the control centre.

This Adamantine Golem had an intelligence on par with humans, and could think like a normal
human being, except that it was equipped with a program to comply with orders.

What was even more special was that not only had this Adamantine Golem mastered all the
ancient spell formations in the ruins, it could also recharge itself by devouring Morning Star
Magus point masses!

During the previous fight, upon discovering that it couldn't defeat the rank 5 Warlock, Wayde,
the Adamantine Golem immediately started attacking the other Morning Star Magi in the ruins.

Numerous ancient spell formations had surfaced, costing Paul and company dearly.

In front of spell formations specially deployed by the ancient Magi, even Morning Stars were
destined to fall. Blair and another Morning Star had fallen straight away from Spirit Circle. On
Wind Wolf Lair's end, Philip was seriously injured while Palesa fell directly. Even Cybel, the
strongest of them all, was severely wounded, and was rumored to have almost fallen from his
Morning Star position.

On the other hand, Jupiter's Lightning was no better. At least half of their men suffered grave
injuries, while the remaining few had superficial wounds.

After recharging through absorbing numerous point masses, the Adamantine Golem started to
show its prowess. With the assistance of the many ancient spell formations, even Wayde was
wounded and eventually chased out.

The other Morning Stars had to get themselves out of danger one by one. Paul was lucky; he
had managed to jostle his way into a spatial crack, and was teleported to the border of the
Magus world, which saved his life.

From then onwards, the Scarlet Crescent ruins vanished from Crystal Mountain. Other Magi
came forth afterwards, but no matter how hard they tried to scout it out, not even a trace of
the place could be found.
According to the judgment of a few specialists, the Adamantine Golem must have activated a
spatial jump right after attaining sufficient energy, teleporting the ruins away.

Under such a situation, these Magi were so stunned that they could only drop the idea of going
in for another round of looting.

As for Leylin? He fabricated a lie about how he hadn't gained a lot after entering the pocket
dimension, and had immediately backed out after the rank 5 battle started.

This, of course, raised doubts from Cybel and the others, but those were only suspicions.
Furthermore, as they had just lost a great deal of strength, they were in no position to question
Leylin.

Additionally, someone else had taken the limelight away from Leylin.

"Oh right, has Sebel been found?" Leylin asked seriously, trying to contain his laughter.

Due to Wayde's allegations and other evidence, many Morning Stars unanimously agreed that
the Marine Giant Siebel of Jupiter's Lightning had gained the most fortune from the ruins, and
had even intruded into the core control room.

Jupiter's Lightning reacted relatively strangely. They declared that Siebel had already fallen and
perished. Even the deity egg in the Magus Tower was damaged. This did raise some suspicions.

However, the Warlocks led by Wayde were enemies with them, and thus did not receive any
response. They could only try to probe for information on the sly.
"He hasn't! As you know, prophesying about a Morning Star Magus is really troublesome,
especially with the presence of the Morning Star domain. Coupled with the radiation from the
Magus himself, even a Radiant Moon Magus specializing in prophecy spells cannot solve such
problems. We need someone that is at least a Breaking Dawn, and he has to be an expert in
prophesies..."

Paul gave a forced laugh. A Breaking Dawn throne specializing in prophesies? Leylin smirked.
Such a person has never been seen before in the central continent.

"We suffered many losses this time round, and returned with only injuries. Only you managed
to reap some decent gains!" Paul seemed sour, which was rare. He stared at Leylin's right ear.

Leylin gave a light laugh and touched his earlobe. A crescent accessory covered his ear, casting
a crescent shadow.

This was a high-grade magic equipment: the Scarlet Earring! After confirming that it didn't pose
any danger, Leylin immediately put it on.

A high-grade magic equipment! Even Morning Star Magi would be envious. After all, even the
raw materials of such an item have disappeared from the face of the central continent for a
long time, thus it would be impossible to produce it again.

Perhaps only the Breaking Dawn noble powers who have explored other worlds and obtained
loads of resources might own a few of these items.

Most of the magic equipment that Leylin had seen before were low-grade items, and even
middle-grade items were rare. It wouldn't be hard to guess the value of this high-grade piece
magic equipment.
Not only did Leylin escape unscathed, he even reaped relatively huge gains. It was no wonder
that Paul was envious of him.

It was only after much deliberation did Leylin that decide to display this magic equipment. His
previous actions may have appeared suspicious; if the first batch of Magi who entered left
without a single piece of loot, it would attract unwanted attention.

Now, the appearance of the Scarlet Earring would serve as a reasonable explanation for all that
happened.

Paul thought to himself, 'If it was me, perhaps I would have been satisfied with the discovery of
the Scarlet Earring as well. It would have been enough for me to stop there and find my way
out instead.'

What was more miraculous was how the complete disappearance of the Scarlet Crescent ruins
had made most of the contract that Leylin signed with them obsolete. He didn't even have to
redistribute what he'd obtained.

Initially, when they decided upon the allocation, they had included the entire ruins as one of
the most important lands. Now that they had suffered a dead loss, the agreement would
naturally lose its validity as well.

This was definitely beneficial for Leylin.

He was prepared to keep the secret of the ancient Wisdom Tree until his death. It was only an
intelligence report anyway, and didn't occupy much of his share. Withholding this piece of
information and then distributing his profits fairly would deceive everyone.

Now that he was the sole owner of all the shares, it was even better.
As the previous agreement was made obsolete, anything obtained from the ruins would be
belong to the person who found it. No matter how jealous Paul was, he couldn't do anything
about it.

With such a high-grade magic equipment, it was needless to say that Leylin's strength would
increase exponentially. Now that Cybel was suffering from heavy losses, they couldn't make
things ugly even if they wanted to, as their strength could not be compared to Leylin's.

Not only that,Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had suffered great losses in terms of strength. The
successive fall of their Morning Stars caused problems to surface in their rule. Enemies from
before also started getting themselves ready for action.

In such uncertain times, they would be more than willing to receive external assistance from
Leylin, who had good connections. This would be more favourable than allowing him to side
with their enemies.

That was how this matter passed.

'If it were not for the two Radiant Moons!' Leylin secretly added on.

Although Leylin had tried his best to cover his tracks through questioning himself, it was hard to
guarantee that he didn't leave any traces behind at all. If the Scarlet Crescent ruins were found,
or even broken into, it would be possible to find gaps through on-site tests.

There were many tricks up the sleeves of those Radiant Moon Magi, many of which he would
not have even thought of. Thus, there was still a hidden danger.
But what was a little risk compared to these returns?

Furthermore, the Radiant Moon Warlock on Leylin's end, Wayde, was very certain that the
Marine Giant Siebel was the main culprit. This imperceptibly lifted immense pressure off Leylin.
Since he had long offended that Radiant Moon Magus from Jupiter's Lightning, a little more
enmity wouldn't make much difference.

"Oh right, Sir Leylin, you seemed to have gained a lot from this trip to the Scarlet Crescent
ruins. I have a few items here as well, how about a mutual exchange?" Paul finally revealed his
true intention of making the call.

Although both he and Leylin had obtained a few items in the ruins, they might not be fit for use,
thus it was vital to exchange items of equivalent value.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 534 - Morning Star Area

"Alright, we can make the trade in the Morning Star trading area!" Leylin said after a moment
and nodded. He then ended the call.

The point of the transaction was a small plane that was accessed and linked through the astral
gate. It was the channel to which Cybel gave Leylin access for trading amongst Morning Star
Warlocks.

That was a large camp and trading area built together by a few Radiant Moon Warlocks, and
Leylin was delighted.
Though his Magus Tower and astral gate were still under construction, he could still travel
through another astral gate.

While pondering over this, Leylin entered a large honeycomb-like structure in the technological
section.

Here was an astral gate that could be used.

"Your Grace!" Schadt brought a group of Warlocks in white coats that looked very much like
researchers from his previous world, and bowed to Leylin.

"En! I want to use the astral gate here. The rest of you can leave first." Leylin waved his arms,
sending Schadt and the rest away.

With his current status, Schadt did not dare say more. He immediately brought his subordinates
away, giving up the spacious laboratory to Leylin.

"Astral Gate!" Leylin saw a giant stone gate in the spell formation at the centre.

Around the stone gate were blue flames that formed a giant bundle of light and covered
everything. If Leylin wasn't at the Morning Star realm, he might not even see the true body
constructed of astral stones.

The stone gate was simple yet dignified, spatial runes roving around and revolving every once in
a while as they emanated a unique luster.

"Astral plane! What a vast, wide place. I wonder if I'll be able to explore it to its depths in my
lifetime..." Leylin sighed. He had a premonition. Perhaps... When he completely understood the
secrets of the astral plane, he would achieve his goal of immortality!

[Beep! Astral gate opened. Please determine coordinates!] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice
sounded.

The giant stone gate emitting blue astral light began to rumble, a large black whirlpool
appearing in the middle. Boundless silver spatial rays shot out from within, as well as a vast,
mysterious astral aura.

"Go!" With a wave of his hand, a point of light that was like a star landed on the astral gate.

These were the coordinates to the Morning Star trading area that Paul had given him. After the
A.I. Chip had recorded it down, he could use soul force and turn the location into a point of
light.

The coordinates of different worlds and plans were very different from the 2D plane
coordinates in Leylin's previous life. It was definitely not 3D either, but something that
constantly warped and jumped in curves. At the same time, they seemed to have some point of
reference in the astral plane and formed a specific frequency.

Even with the powerful calculative abilities of the A.I. Chip, it was still unable to simulate the
entire process. Only through continuous use could it be completely understood.

When the point of light that was like a star landed on the surface of the stone gate, a startling
change happened.

*Bzzzz!* The astral gate trembled, the countless wandering runes emitting an alarming luster.
The two sides of the gate opened with a rumble, revealing a spatial passageway that was like a
galaxy.
"As expected, the consumption is very little. Just the reserves of astral stones that I borrowed
can be used for three days or more!"

Leylin was in no hurry to enter, only watching the A.I. Chip as it recorded data, and couldn't
help but nod.

The operating rules of the astral gate still had to abide by the most fundamental physical laws.
The further the teleportation, the greater the consumption. The Morning Star trading region
was at the edges of the Magus World, and the consumption was obviously low, to the point
that it was negligible. It was very convenient in moving manpower or cargo.

"Hm? That's not right! This Morning Star area is obviously a strategic location for large bases
and war movements of high-ranked Warlocks!" Leylin was startled, but immediately
understood.

With a point of communication in the Morning Star area, as long as organisations had Morning
Star Warlocks and astral gates, they could be sent aid from the Morning Star area through
astral gates, and could even have Warlocks from the union lend their support!

It could be said that the Morning Star area, along with the astral gates, was a huge
teleportation network that linked all bloodline Warlock organisations

"What an amazing plan! Such a convenient method of receiving aid, and very flexible as well.
It's no wonder that bloodline Warlock organisations are spread throughout the central
continent, and are still so close. There doesn't seem to be any issues that might divide them..."

The more Leylin thought about it, the more clear it was. He couldn't help but begin to admire
those Radiant Moon Warlocks for their thoughts and decision.
Of course, the requirements to enter the teleportation formation was very high. There needed
to be at least one Morning Star Warlock or above, as well as an astral gate.

Any one of the Dukes of the Ouroboros Clan could have sent for help from the Morning Star
region through the astral gate. The invaders would immediately be destroyed, and Leylin would
not have had to risk his life alone.

At this thought, Leylin had little to say.

If he had obtained the coordinates to the Morning Star region earlier, things would not have
been so difficult for him, to the point that he needed to gamble on some things.

However, it wasn't too late. The connection between the Ouroboros Clan and the Morning Star
area was established once again, and he could obtain reinforcements any time. He would not
have to be as cautious as before.

Leylin laughed, a trace of dark soul force emitting from the area between his brows and into the
passageway.

Since it was the first time he was making contact with the Morning Star area, he would not put
himself in danger. On top of that, the consumption of having his body going through as
compared to just his soul force was much higher. Using his soul force would save a lot of
energy.

It had to be said that sometimes, Leylin was a very miserly Magus.

The spatial travel was very quick this time, and the repercussions were mild. Leylin focused his
mind on the soul force, and immediately felt it going through the astral gate and linking with
another small-scaled plane.

"Foreigner, this is the gathering area of bloodline Warlocks. State your name and status!"

Just as the soul force reached the outer regions of the plane, Leylin felt a powerful undulation
being transmitted to him. That was the bloodline aura unique to Radiant Moon Warlocks,
ruthlessly scanning Leylin's soul force.

'A Radiant Moon Warlock, and their real body at that! This must be the protector in charge of
the Morning Star area,' Leylin wondered inside, his soul force emitting a stream of information.

"I am Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan." At the same time, the dark soul force instantly sent
out a layer of crimson brilliance, with the aura of the Kemoyin bloodline.

The unique power of a Warlock's bloodline, as well as the aura of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent,
symbolised his status. It was a mark that was difficult for others to imitate.

"En! Cybel's brought you up before, and the bloodline power is correct. Welcome home, little
guy!" The conscient immediately turned friendly, sending Leylin some words of encouragement
and retreating into the other plane.

Leylin's soul force did not hesitate and followed him in.

"Is this the Morning Star area?" A streak of dark light formed a black human figure. Leylin
couldn't help but look around, fascinated.
He was now in a large square. Raising his head, he could see a shattered sky, with nebulae and
giant protective stars and the like in the spatial cracks.

Above some of the protective stars, there was a huge ring of light that was even larger than the
sun, looking as if it was about to fall.

High-ranked Warlocks could be seen walking around the square on occasion. Compared to the
small-scaled gathering before, Leylin now saw even more Morning Star Warlocks, and with
some, he could not even sense the source of their bloodline.

This was the point where high-ranked bloodline Warlocks in the central continent gathered,
and naturally could not be compared to the last time.

Leylin began to observe carefully. The Warlocks here were naturally at the Morning Star realm
and above, their bodies all having unique auras. Some looked completely different from regular
humans just from their outer appearance.

It was evident that this was not their first time here. They were not surprised by Leylin's
presence in the square, going about their own matters.

Some of them had descended with their real bodies, while there were others like Leylin with
just a thread of their soul force changed into flames, bundles of light, or other shapes.

"Paul, I'm here!" Leylin's soul force turned into a rune and sent out a message to the imprint.

Almost instantly, he received a reply, "Welcome, welcome! Are you at the square? Wait, I'll
come get you!"
Minutes later, a large steel puppet reached the square, its sapphire eyes shooting out light and
immediately finding Leylin's location.

Identifying people by their soul force was the main method Morning Star Warlocks used to
distinguish people. They were rarely wrong.

Seeing Leylin staring at his puppet, Paul couldn't help but chuckle, "Haha... my friend! It's your
first time here. I'll gift you a steel puppet soon, since it's slightly inconvenient without a body!"

Morning Star Warlocks used astral stones very sparingly, and if it was not necessary, they would
not try to pass through with their real bodies. Instead, through their soul force, they would
prepare a clone or puppet, and things would be fine.

The black figure formed from the thread of Leylin's soul force laughed and spoke, "This isn't bad
either. Aren't you going to bring me around?"

"Of course!" The large steel puppet immediately led the way, every step causing an earthquake,
attracting the attention of many Warlocks.

"This is the Morning Star area, the holy land of bloodline Warlocks. It's also where all our
strength and hope lies!" Paul explained.

"You should understand how trading and everything works, right?"

"Of course. A network of teleportation spell formations spanning across the central continent!
As expected, it's a huge project!" Leylin sucked in a deep breath.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 535 - Protected Star Trading

"Yes. Through the Morning Star Area, any Morning Star Warlock can get support at anytime.
Even if our brothers are spread throughout the central continent, this place can still keep us
closely linked."

Paul's words held a tone of awe, and the respect he held towards the Warlocks who had
thought up this plan was obvious.

"Yes. If I had had the coordinates to the Morning Star Area the last time, things wouldn't have
been so difficult..." Leylin sounded helpless as he sighed.

"Haha... but it's not too late to know now!" The hand of the steel puppet seemed to pat Leylin's
shoulder, but went through the black figure.

As if trying to hide his embarrassment, Paul immediately laughed as he spoke. "Oh! By the way,
all of our bloodline Warlock organisations provide each other with long-distance delivery
services. Of course, they take a fee, and need to be on good terms with the other party!"

"Bloodline Warlocks are very united..." Leylin's eyes shone, immediately knowing the function
of this service.

Even if it was the airship network of the Monarch of the skies, it would take years to travel from
one end of the central continent to the other. In the process, they had to move across countless
dangerous regions, and even Morning Stars would find this troublesome.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, other Magi would stay in their own territories, and seldom
conducted super long-distance travels.

With the teleportation through the Morning Star Area, travelling to any region in the central
continent could happen in an instant as long as there was a Morning Star Warlock organisation
there.

Of course, as the teleportation was through the astral gate, the arrival would be at the other
party's headquarters or even Magus Tower.

This served as a threat to the Warlocks who teleported over. The Warlocks that received them
would not easily reveal secrets of their nest to another Warlock.

This required a certain amount of trust from both sides, as well as unity.

However, Leylin believed that with the huge pressure from the external world, and the
coordination of the few Radiant Moon Warlocks in the inner circles, this was not yet a problem.

"The space here is large, and there are many uninhabited areas. As long as you take control of
it, it's yours and you're free to do as you like, as long as you don't encroach on public territory!"

Paul continued on, "I have a castle outside, but you need to be careful. In these uninhabited
regions, there are vengeful spirits and the like. Things will get very complicated if you get hurt,
since it's malice that has been amassed in a location."

Leylin looked grim as he nodded, tactfully not asking what had happened to the people who
had fallen to this state.
"By the way... Where is the trading hall?"

Leylin took a quick look. After walking out of the square from before, there were only a few
shops here and there, with some puppets or clones inside selling personal items. Some of the
shops had even closed their doors, only accepting members.

However, just the light from the front desk had Leylin in a daze. The astral stones that he had
found so difficult to acquire when he was rank 3 seemed to be of less value, with each shop
having a couple pieces.

There were obviously many treasures here. Leylin even saw quite a few medium-grade magic
equipment.

However, what confused Leylin was that the trading hall that he was looking for could not be
found. Even after he walked a whole round through the trading area, he could not find anything
that resembled a building.

"Uh... Lord Leylin, my castle isn't too far away. How about we go there andrest, sampling
rainbow juice and jewelled meat from the Gourmet World? How about it?" Paul awkwardly
laughed.

Leylin's expression turned cold with dissatisfaction. Paul was obviously afraid that after seeing
the trading hall, he would be able to accurately gauge the real value of his items, thus disabling
his ability to take advantage of him.

"Hehe... Big octopus, are you swindling newbies again?" Before Leylin had even flared up, a
large flower that looked like a rose giggled from the side.

The rose looked about the size of a regular human, its roots twisting around each other and
forming something similar to a human's two feet. A little girl's face appeared at the stamen.

"Hey, newbie! The public area for trading is above you. Just look up and you'll know. No need to
thank me..."

The giant human-shaped flower hummed while skipping off, while Paul's face turned red.
Thankfully, he was now controlling a puppet, and it was not evident.

"Above me?!"

Leylin raised his head in amazement, staring at the large, starry skies that were like the
universe, particularly at the giant star that looked ready to fall. Numerous rings of light formed
a pattern around her, bright and beautiful.

"Could it be?!"

Leylin was shocked, soul force immediately extending to the protective star.

*Rumble!* Like a universe exploding, information streamed into Leylin's brain. If he had not
already reached Morning Star realm and had some experience in the past, he might explode
from this onslaught of data.

"Selling 5632 g astral stone! Accepting exchange with item of equal value!"

"High grade meditation technique— Void Phantom, total of five levels. Complete.
Requesting..."
"Purchasing bloodlines, remains or even goods from ancient creatures at a high price. Price will
be favorable. Add me immediately!" At the side was a secret imprint symbol.

"Medium-grade magic equipment trade. I need a defensive magic equipment. Any difference in
price can be compensated with another hundred star gems!"

"Selling living beings— Desolate Bone Wolf tribe, as well as a wolf king with a limit of rank 3!"

"Selling spatial Arcane Art, as well as an incomplete spatial coordinate. If interested, please
hurry..."

Leylin's eyes flashed with blue, the A.I. Chip quickly turning and gathering all this information,
forming a large price list and a curved line of the selling price.

Leylin chuckled, clearly understanding the preciousness and general prices of certain items.

"Haha... The weather's quite good!" Paul laughed. "Lord Leylin, there's too much chaotic
information here. I just wanted you to get some rest..."

Paul said something even he wouldn't fall for. Would soul force need rest?

Unexpectedly, Leylin immediately agreed. "Lord Paul, please lead the way!"

"Wha- What? You still want to go to the castle? Oh, no, no! I mean... are you not going to take a
look at the market?" Paul was slightly confused and even bewildered, to the point that he
forgot his words.
"Haha! Spirit Circle is my Ouroboros Clan's ally, so I obviously believe you! Besides, I'm rather
curious about the rainbow juice and jeweled meat!" Leylin lifted his head and chuckled, looking
as if he did not mind. Paul was immediately touched.

What he did not realise was in the moment Leylin laughed, there was a cold glint in his eyes.

After walking out of the public area, everything instantly seemed desolate. The Morning Star
Area was a plane after all, and no matter how many of their few Radiant Moon Warlocks had
dealt with it, they could not attend to every single area.

Even public places were frequented only by Morning Star Warlocks, and thus appeared like a
ghost town.The area was large but there were few people, and the frequency of an individual
occupying a lot of land was extremely high.

The situation was even worse outside. Besides a few castles and buildings like that near the
public region, the other areas were basically a wasteland.

The vengeful spirits formed of malicious thoughts and ill intent were very stubborn and difficult
to deal with.

Before a complete 'purification', even Radiant Moon Warlocks had few methods to deal with it.
They could only allow them to lie around idly, not even able to make use of them.

They headed all the way to Paul's castle.

While it was called a castle, Warlocks' aesthetics were rather different from those ordinary
people. The castle in front of Leylin was a few large spheroids floating in the air, with a column
connecting the bottom to the ground.
"Look! This is the castle I designed myself. What beautiful arches! And that feeling of complete
perfection! Oh! It makes me want to recite a poem..." Paul was obviously in a good mood, but
Leylin politely declined.

On the ground, there was an installation similar to an elevator. The smart butler immediately
recognised Paul's aura, sending him and Leylin into the castle.

"Haha... This area is rather crude with only a few refined-gold servants. Don't take offence..."
Paul brought Leylin to a strangely-shaped hall to sit, and an intellectual servant immediately
brought a round plate over.

Inside was juice that was spilling over with an aroma, as well as roasted meat.

The juice was poured in a transparent glass cup, but revealed a seven-coloured luster, similar to
a rainbow. The meat, too, had a tint on the surface similar to jewels.

These two were food from another world. Even Morning Star Magi would have difficulty
obtaining this. The taste was amazing, and though Paul usually could not bring himself to enjoy
it, he had taken it out and shown off his treasure for Leylin's sake.

"It's alright!" Leylin laughed as he shook his head. While he knew that in theory, they could
move migrants here to work, the purification was not thorough enough. Besides Morning Stars,
even other low-ranked Warlocks might not be able to handle the contamination, much less
regular people.

Perhaps... The union head had already attempted at experiments in this area, only to be met
with failure.
Leylin did not think into this, picking up his cutlery in a practised manner and elegantly cutting
himself a piece of jeweled meat.

"Oh!" The moment the piece of meat on the fork entered his mouth, the delicious juice from
the meat combined with a unique aroma and began to attack Leylin's taste buds, causing every
cell in his body to rejoice.

"That is delicious! I'm not going to hold back then!"

Mind ready to take some revenge, he began to enjoy the food without restraint, feeling a thrill
go through him as he watched Paul's heartache.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 536 - Soul Issue

The Gourmet World was another world in the astral plane.

Rumours from ancient times had it that even a brook or a rock would taste supremely delicious
there.

This was the pinnacle of enjoyable food, and many Magi could not resist the temptation.

Based on Leylin's knowledge, the Warlock Union had yet to have any records of a successful
attack on another world, which made these all the more precious.
Seeing the delicacies in front of Leylin constantly being consumed, Paul's robotic face seemed
to be in anguish, especially the soul force that unwittingly showed his emotions. Leylin was
even more cheerful as he ate quicker.

Though his main body wasn't here, the pleasures felt by soul force could be connected to the
main body.

When Paul could no longer endure this, Leylin raised his head properly, "Lord Paul! Seems like
we can now discuss the issues about trading the spoils..."

The look of grievance Paul had on his face had Leylin laughing inside, but his expression was
even more serious. Paul wanted to vomit blood.

......

After coming out from Paul's place, Leylin's expression still held a smile.

Though he had taken a hasty look, the A.I. Chip had already remembered the prices of
everything in the trading market, giving Leylin a price list of objects used by Morning Stars and
above.

With this list, Paul's thoughts of taking advantage of Leylin's unfamiliarity with market price was
thoroughly fruitless, and he had even suffered a loss of great amounts of treasures from the
Gourmet World.

Recalling his expression of wanting to vomit blood, Leylin felt the urge to laugh.
Of course, Spirit Circle was still Ouroboros Clan's ally, and Leylin had not gone too far. At least,
when he had been eating the meat, he'd thrown a few bones to Paul.

When he sold off some of the treasures from Scarlet Crescent at a slightly discounted price,
Paul's dead expression eased slightly. That said, the other party would definitely not dare
deceive him anymore.

*Boom!* Yellow earth exploded, and a giant black figure strode forward, each step causing the
surroundings to tremble.

"As expected, a puppet is easier to use than soul force!" Leylin controlled the giant black steel
puppet, extremely satisfied.

The soul force from before had only been a virtual body, and he could not do many things. On
top of that, the energy consumption was high. Now that he had the puppet, it was like giving
his soul force a layer of clothing. Not only could he do things that needed a corporeal body,
even the energy consumption had lessened.

This puppet was obviously not Paul's. Leylin had teleported one over himself.

After negotiating the trade, the two of them had immediately used the astral gate and sent
over the items, finishing the trade in an instant. The teleportation fees were meagre, but Paul
took responsibility for that. Leylin had taken the opportunity and sent over a puppet for
himself, causing Paul to roll his eyes.

"Something I made myself is easier to use. Besides, I don't dare touch any of that octopus'
things. Who knows what soul scrying techniques or traps are inside..."

Leylin was still quite fearful towards the most mysterious branch of bloodline Warlocks, the
spirit Warlocks.

"Hm?!" Leylin's eyes flashed, having discovered something. His body turned into a black figure,
colliding into a little hill like a savage beast.

*Boom!* The hill exploded, sending rocks flying everywhere. While dust flew everywhere, a
human figure flew out.

The human figure looked thin and small, and its body was translucent. One was somewhat able
to see the scenery behind it.

"A vengeful spirit that possesses worldly malice?" Leylin burst out in laughter, soul force
forming a large hand and grabbing it.

By the time his opponent came before him, Leylin realised that the vengeful spirit looked to be
only 13 or 14 years old. It looked like a delicate boy, eyes still holding fear.

"The environment isn't bad here, and the vengeful spirit created here is considered top-rate
even in the central continent. Should I take over a place and build a spirit experimentation area
or something..."

Leylin watched the boy's faint figure in the large hand, stroking his chin.

This vengeful spirit was completely intimidated by Leylin's terrifying pressure, and could only
tremble.

"Hm? Is this power the malice of the world?" While grabbing the boy, Leylin felt a strange force
emitting from the body, and even trying to invade his soul force.

This was a force similar to the force of destiny, yet at the same time also similar to Gaia's
extensive will. If not for Leylin having researched deeply into these two areas, he might not
even have noticed it.

"If it was a complete and powerful world, even Morning Stars would be unable to handle its
malice. It's a pity..."

Leylin sighed. This was merely a plane, and it was broken. Even Gaia's will had been defeated at
the hands of Radiant Moon Warlocks till it was in tatters. If not, it would not have only this
amount of strength.

Gaia's will was, in actuality, the culmination of common trains of thought amongst living bodies,
and even non-living bodies such as the earth and ocean.

Now, however, all intellectual beings of this plane had been exterminated, leaving behind
vengeful spirits, and allowing Warlocks to take over more of it.

Perhaps... Tens of thousands of years later, humans would thrive. Gaia's will, which would be
protective of the new humans and Warlocks' benefits, would completely replace the original
will here, and beat these down.

"This sort of malicious intent depends on the entire plane. If a new Gaia is not created, or the
area is completely destroyed, this situation will not completely die away. It will be very
troublesome..."

Leylin's brows furrowed. Soul force began to quiver with a specific undulation, immediately
shaking out this malicious intent.
*Bang!* The faint figure of the boy in his hands immediately looked sinister and quickly
exploded, turning into streams of black air and dissipating.

"How long will it be until all the mysteries of the soul are laid bare before me?"

Leylin observed the desolate area, sighing ruefully as he commanded, "A.I. Chip! Show me the
progress on the simulation of the fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil!"

[Beep! Progress of 5th level of meditation technique, Kemoyin's Pupil: 30%!] The A.I. Chip
loyally intoned. This number had been stuck here for a long while, and if he did not make any
breakthrough, he would probably not be able to make any progress.

Looking at this number, Leylin sighed silently.

In terms of a Magus' progress, progress from ranks 1 to 3 relied on spiritual force. From 4 to 6,
it would touch on the soul. The even more mysterious rank 7 required the grasping of some
power of the world, or in other words— laws!

Leylin was now stuck in the training of the soul.

Kemoyin's Pupil only had four levels, and there was no elaboration on the later realms. Leylin
could only grope around blindly.

However, soul force was hard to understand. Even the A.I. Chip now could not completely come
up with the date of others. How could he conduct simulations and the like?

'Perhaps even rank 5 or 6 Magi or Warlocks might not be able to fully understand the working
of souls. In addition, while strengthening soul force, one can only rely on meditation techniques
and long periods of time...'

Leylin couldn't help but recall the Wing of the Sun. Even this top-grade meditation technique's
explanation about souls was not clear. The author had often marked speculation and guesses.
That meant that even a terrifying rank 6 being like the Sun's Child did not have enough
understanding of the soul, and only depended on the characteristics of its race to gain power.

'Compared to Magi, Warlocks use the power of their bloodlines to strengthen the soul. Most of
the time, nobody understands how it works. Meditation techniques mostly teach how to
activate the power of the bloodline, which is why their knowledge on souls is even lesser than
that of Magi! Maybe that's one of the reasons why, amongst bloodline Warlocks, there haven't
been the appearance of any rank 6 thrones...'

Leylin touched his chin, beginning to make conjectures.

"First thing's first, I have to completely revitalise the bloodline of the Sun's Child. With the Wing
of the Sun, I might be able to gain something. Next, I have to purchase large quantities of
renowned works on souls by Magi and Warlocks, and I must obtain level 5 or 6 high-grade
meditation techniques..."

"These two methods are the most practical. For the latter, I can solve it right here!" At the
thought of the information at the trading market, Leylin's eyes brightened.

*Rumble!* Though it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, he was still awed by the large amounts
of soul force and conscients mixed together. The scene of uncountable amounts of data
streaking through still left Leylin with his mind blown.

On the giant planet of the Morning Star area, basically all Morning Star Warlocks left a trace of
their soul force or will here to conduct trades.
Some wills stayed here, relying on selling information and earning large amounts of top-grade
resources.

Leylin noticed keenly that the use of magic crystals had been lowered to the utmost, and they
were almost completely unseen.

This was very normal. Among Morning Star Warlocks, who did not have a few or even tens of
large-scaled magic crystal mines? This could not be used as something of much value.

The currency here was something else that Leylin was very familiar with— astral stones!

Astral stones had become the norm, and were the currency being used. If Morning Star
Warlocks had something they needed, they would usually sell off what they had on hand and,
after accumulating enough astral stones, buy it.

For Morning Star Warlocks, astral stones were an eternal, hard currency. They would not
depreciate in value.

The information in the market changed completely every few moments, making Leylin think
back to the stocks, securities, and futures markets of his previous world. It caused him to feel
dazzled.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 537 - Blood-sucking Loach

'A.I. Chip, begin scan! Keywords: Soul force, high-grade meditation technique.'

Thankfully, Leylin had the A.I. Chip which was fused with his soul. It responded instantly to his
thoughts, [Beep! Mission established, starting scan!]

Soon enough, a blue display was projected in front of his eyes, showing a very long list. Leylin
gathered himself and started looking through the information carefully.

"High-grade meditation technique—Void Phantom: Five layers in total and complete. As long
as..."

"Ancient soul force Arcane Art— Multi-luster Sacrificial Rite: Able to strengthen soul force and
improve the power of spells that are rank 4 and above by 50%, all in exchange for the egg of a
Nefarious Filthbird!"

"Crystallised soul force: 500g of the crystallised soul force of a Morning Star in exchange for
astral stones of the same quality!"

"Ancient Bloodline— Offspring of the White-scaled Illusory Tiger: Not only can it keenly sense
soul force, a contract with it has the extraordinary effect of strengthening the soul. Prices to be
negotiated face to face!"

The large amounts of data dazzled Leylin, every item on the screen nearly causing him to
salivate. He realised then that he was poor. He was way too poor!

Whether they were from his plunder of Twilight Zone or his other sources of wealth, his
resources that could originally be sold off at astronomical prices were dispensable to Morning
Stars.
Other things, such as his bloodline refinement method and the data on Quicksand's
experiments could not see the light of day.

Leylin suddenly found that the only things he could take out to sell were the astral stones he'd
appropriated from the clan treasury.

"This won't do! I need to find a source of revenue as soon as possible!" Leylin watched the
items on the screen, eyes turning slightly red.

These Morning Star Warlocks had gathered too many amazing items. As long as he obtained a
portion of any of them and hand it over to the A.I. Chip to experiment with, the progress on the
analysis of soul force would definitely increase rapidly. This was very important to him.

"But... a source that suits a Morning Star, and it needs to be regular as well..."

He found himself in a bind. Other Warlocks would surely have taken such sources over already,
how would he get a chance? His only option was to think up a brand new source of income.

Leylin flipped through the pages absent-mindedly, and finally found some things he was
interested in.

"Teleportation required: I need to reach Sunset Mountains within three days. If any friends
have teleportation points, please contact me. Prices are negotiable!"

"Requesting help: Rebellion by Marine Dragon Whales at the East Region. Need at least three
Morning Stars to suppress them. Each will be guaranteed a minimum of 1000g of astral stones,
and additional rewards will be given to those who capture their enemies..."
"Assistance required in attacking the Mage Basin. Once conquered, offering 5% of their yearly
profit!"

......

All sorts of conscients gathered at the other end of the trade area, communicating rapidly. The
deals were near-instant.

"If there isn't anything else, I'm afraid I'll have to take on some missions here, becoming a
mercenary of sorts..."

Face grim, Leylin followed a thread of information to a dark conscient, "May I know if Sire here
is selling high-grade meditation techniques?"

Floating in front of Leylin was a bundle of black light. An extreme darkness full of terrifying
energy converged on it. Though it was merely a conscient, it was still enough to cause Leylin to
feel fear.

"En!" The other party answered unwillingly, as if not really interested in this deal. Unlike other
items, this sort of knowledge and special techniques could be sold off multiple times and not
even at a very high price, which was Leylin's first target.

After all, he had already gained a top-grade meditation technique, Wing of the Sun. With this
one, as well as the other accumulations from before, the A.I. Chip's research would reach a
whole new level and he could obtain more information.

"May I know the price?" Leylin calmed down, readying himself to negotiate with the other
party. He did not have a lot of astral stones, and there were a lot of good resources here. He
needed to be frugal.

Besides, the requirements listed by the other conscients were just unbelievable. Even Leylin
could not take it, especially the one asking for the egg of the Nefarious Filthbird. He'd
blacklisted that choice right away.

The Nefarious Filthbird and Trial's Eye were at the same level and had the ability to traverse
worlds. How could it be of equal value to an ancient Arcane Art?

Just thinking of this, Leylin felt that they were crazy. As for the soul force crystals, he could just
produce himself. They weren't all that useful anyway.

In general, since there was news of people hoping for an exchange, they obviously wanted to
sell items off at a higher price. Hence, very few deals were made in this trading area. Most of
the idle soul forces and conscients lazed around here, and once they saw a cheaply-priced
trade, immediately pounced forth like a bunch of sharks that smelt blood.

Morning Star Warlocks were erudite, and also had the detective ability that soul force offered
them. Each and every one of them was old and sly, and while it was not impossible to get pick
up cheap gains, the effort and time one needed to put into it was too much.

This was the conclusion Leylin came up with after surveying the scene multiple times. Hence, he
gave up on the thought of picking up cheap deals and began to trade honestly.

"My Void Phantom not only has five complete levels, but also includes an affinity to the
element of illusion. It's at an unconditional price of 5000g of astral stones!" The dark conscient
didn't seem to care if Leylin actually wanted to purchase it.
"Mm! However, its requirements for the users is too high. Besides, we're all Warlocks. The high-
grade meditation techniques of Magi are only for reference, which makes your price too..."
Leylin frowned. With his knowledge of high-grade meditation techniques, just a few casually-
thrown-out sentences caused the conscient to begin hesitating.

"Furthermore, haven't you sold this meditation techniques many times already? How can it
have the same price as before?" Realising he had a chance, Leylin immediately attacked.

......

After a complicated negotiation similar to the business deals in his previous world, Leylin finally
bought the high-grade meditation technique, Void Phantom, at a low price just like he wanted
to. However, the astral stones he had gotten from the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan had
been practically halved in that instant.

He calculated it all carefully. The real wealth was definitely on the three dukes, and all that was
left in the headquarters were merely scraps.

Leylin had too few astral stones left on him after buying the meditation technique. He took a
look around, and upon finding nothing special quickly found a little corner, his soul force
withdrawing from the Morning Star area.

"Hah..." In the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan, at the core laboratory in the technological
department, Leylin gave a long huff and observed the black crystal in his hands.

[Beep! High-grade meditation technique Void Phantom has been recorded. Saved into database
under high-grade meditation techniques] The A.I. Chip's emotionless voice sounded.

"Very good!" Seeing the progress bar that was now progressing again, Leylin's heart that had
been aching was finally consoled.
He left the technical department and came before the bloodline laboratory from before.

This was the core laboratory of the Ouroboros Clan, and only the three Morning Stars were
allowed access to it. Of course, after Leylin took over, he had used this as his own laboratory.
The experiment on the revitalisation of the Sun's Child bloodline had been performed here.

"Tower genie, how's the situation with the specimens?" Leylin asked.

"The specimens are currently doing well. The number of surviving blood-sucking loaches is
being kept at 20 and above, and they have consumed 32.7 tons of culture fluid."

The tower genie projected a series of data in front of Leylin, to which he nodded his head. At
the beginning, the blood-sucking loaches' numbers had rapidly dwindled, but after the other
specimens had gotten used to the bloodline of the Sun's Child, they could finally survive for a
longer time. At this point, a decent number of them could remain alive at a time.

Leylin came to the cultivation pool from before.

The liquid in the pool had already turned a dark green, with occasional streaks of gold flashing
underwater. It had also expanded tenfold from before.

Water splashed everywhere, and a golden monster jumped out to bite at Leylin, its mouth full
of sharp teeth. It was even spitting out flames!

*Tsss!* Before the flames could reach him, they were blocked by a layer of white light. Black
lightning grouped together to form a large hand, slapping it back into the water.
"Mm! It's very lively!" Leylin chuckled, judging this mutated blood-sucking loach.

Perhaps, calling them blood-sucking loaches was no longer suitable, since what was in front of
Leylin was a whole new species that had gone through the stimulation from the bloodline of
the Sun's Child.

It had expanded in size by ten times and was full of golden scales. There was even a strange
horn-like thing on the head, and it had scarlet eyes and sharp teeth below. It growled, on the
offensive.

As if the attack had given rise to some chain reaction, multiple golden streaks jumped out from
under the water with a splash, beginning to attack each other and roaring. Some of these
loaches had grown a pair of sharp claws at the stomach area and were unusually ferocious as
they launched attacks at their own kin.

"The offensive abilities of the blood-sucking loaches has increased by a large amount. Every
time there's a bloody battle like this, the surviving blood-sucking loaches will gain even more
strength. The most powerful blood-sucking loach is estimated to survive for 45 days and 21
hours. Its bloodline was from a blood-sucking loach king..." The tower genie introduced by
Leylin's ear.

"Is it this one?" Leylin had noticed the golden blood-sucking loach right at the centre. It had
already bore no semblance to its previous form, and had grown to become a more powerful
being. Flowing scales covered its entire body like a layer of smooth liquid. The bloodied look in
its eyes had not ebbed, but it now seemed to have some intelligence.

After observing for a while longer, Leylin ordered, "That's enough. Prepare the next phase!"
*Rumble!* The ceiling above the cultivation pool suddenly opened, and some mysterious fluids
were poured in from a translucent crystal container.

As if it had been exposed to a stimulant, even the largest blood-sucking loach immediately
immersed itself in this 'civil war.'

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 538 - Bloodline of the Sun's Child

"I'm afraid the conditions here are still inadequate for the last bloodline purification and
activation process!" Leylin scrutinised the entire laboratory, the crystal-like ground as well as
the unique radiance emitted by the walls.

Such an environment was a good location for experiments even for a Morning Star Magus.

Even so, some of the steps required to activate an ancient bloodline were very troublesome,
and even posed a certain amount of danger. It was still best that these sorts of experiments
were conducted in one's Magus Tower.

But there was still a period of time before Leylin's Magus Tower could be completed, hence it
was still necessary to remodel and reinforce the place as appropriate.

As he looked at the muddled breeding pool, he was no longer bothered by the yells and
struggles inside it. Instead, he gave a few orders to the formation genie before leaving the place
directly.
"Morning Star Magus Tower!" Although Leylin had only been gone a short period of time, the
headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan had undergone many changes.

The number of Warlocks in the place had increased. With the war having calmed down, many
refugees from other territories had fled here. On top of that, there was now a tall tower built in
an eye-catching position.

This Magus Tower was not only a few times larger than his old one, it was also filled with a
sense of terrifying grandeur, its peak appearing to pierce through space itself.

This was the Morning Star Magus Tower than the Oakheart Clan and the other bloodline
Warlock families of the Ouroboros Clan had cooperated to build for Leylin.

Although the construction of the tower could not be completed this soon, the rough framework
had already been set up.

A large number of high-ranked Warlocks, as well as Magus craftsmen and formation Magi from
other regions surrounded the Magus Tower, working tirelessly.

"Your Grace!" Faisal and Parker immediately came to greet him at Freya's side.

"You guys have done well during this period of time!" Leylin smiled at Freya before speaking to
Faisal and the others.

"It's because we adopted Your Grace's blueprints and followed your advice. We're confident
that we'll be able to complete the construction more quickly than normal." Faisal reported
respectfully.
There was still a slight shock in his heart. In his view, with Leylin being able to promote to the
Morning Star realm at the mere age of 200 or so, his talent as a Warlock was incomparable to
begin with. What he did not expect was that Leylin could actually focus on both the
construction and formation spells whilst undergoing Magus practice. It made Leylin seem
monstrous.

Of course, those thoughts were hidden within his heart. He definitely couldn't show them on
the surface.

"Good! Pass down my command: the work is to be halted every night. I want to handle it
personally, in a more in-depth manner," Leylin said plainly.

"Could it be that you want to..." Faisal's eyes sparkled, and he left shortly after.

"Now, who can overthrow you?" Leylin looked at his own Morning Star Magus Tower, a
confident look emerging on his face.

His previous Magus Tower had been destroyed by the Oakheart Clan, but now they'd had to
pay with a Morning Star Magus Tower instead.

Furthermore, Leylin was now confident in his own strength. Even in the entire central
continent, there were not many who could destroy his Magus Tower again. He also would not
allow himself to fall into such a low.

Leylin looked at the huge landmark-like Magus Tower and a slight joking expression flashed in
his eyes. "Perhaps, after millions of years, this Magus Tower will come to symbolise me. Let it
stand here forever!"

......
Deep in the night. There was not a single Magus around the Morning Star Magus Tower
anymore, even Faisal and the others had left the place long ago.

They understood that the Magus Tower was the core of a Magus' power. Surely Leylin had
some secrets that he would set up, and the fewer that knew the better.

Moreover, the intense radiation of a Morning Star Warlock would exert great pressure on
them. It would be safer to avoid it.

Leylin walked alone inside the empty Magus Tower.

Most of the runes and spell formations hadn't been set up yet, and many of the basic amenities
were also unused. The Tower right now was just an empty shell without a defence.

"A.I. Chip! Begin scanning the entire Magus Tower, slowly adjust the radiation power!" Leylin
commanded.

[Mission acquired, beginning synchronisation! Adjusting...] The A.I. Chip immediately

responded.

Accompanying the A.I. Chip's sound, a 3D structure appeared before Leylin. A brilliant radiance
was also emitted from his body that began to merge with the entire structure.

Compared to the previous time where his radiation spread out without discrimination in Scarlet
Crescent, destroying everything, Leylin was currently extremely careful in controlling it. This
process allowed the Magus Tower to slowly accept it and adapt.
High ranked Magi could revitalise ancient materials through their radiation, and even produce
many anomalies. This was common knowledge in the central continent. Although Leylin's
Magus Tower made use of high-quality materials, he still needed to use his radiation to unify
the materials in order to let it reach its peak condition.

Many rumours held that there were often ghosts, vengeful spirits, and other such things where
Magi lived, a byproduct of the changes a Magus' radiation caused in the surrounding territory.

Leylin was currently strengthening his Magus Tower, and at the same time leaving his own mark
on it.

Even if it was deliberately held back, the radiation of a Morning Star Magus was a disaster for
weaker Magi. This was why Faisal had immediately transferred those Magi away as night
arrived.

As for other times? Based on Leylin's control, as well as the compressive abilities of the point
mass, he had long since become able to securely lock up the radiation in his own body. Since he
didn't leak the slightest bit, there would be no problem.

If someone looked from outside, they would see a beautiful view. Standing out from the
surrounding darkness, a Morning Star Magus Tower seemed to be wrapped up in a colourful
radiance. Even the dark sky was dyed with its colours.

If they got closer, they would hear an increasingly clear hiss of a giant serpent, causing one's
hair to stand.

What accompanied the hissing of the giant serpent was another sound which seemed like a
singing curse yet at the same time like a worshipping voice. It surrounded the entire Magus
Tower, making it seem mysterious.
Because Leylin had joined in himself, the construction of the Magus Tower had been sped up.
The building seemed to be morphing day to day.

......

"It has finally reached this point!" Leylin's pupils gleamed with excitement as he watched the
gold creature in the large confinement room.

Now, the blood-sucking loach had completely lost its previous image. Instead, it had
transformed into a terrifying creature that was similar to the golden dragons from legend.

Golden scales covered its entire body, their glimmer making it seem as if it was a god from the
ancient times. On its forehead was a rune in the shape of a sun, emitting a blazing light.

Leylin had a premonition– if it was not for him suppressing this beast all this time, the first thing
the creature would do was probably to transform into a gigantic fireball, rising from the ashes
and advancing to the Morning Star realm.

In other words, this was a Morning Star creature!

Now, creatures of this level were already very rare. If it were placed among the circles of
Morning Star Magi, it would probably cause a huge sensation, even more so encouraging the
emergence of another bloodline Warlock clan.

Upon seeing Leylin, the golden dragon howled and a blood-red light flashed in its pupils. It
immediately turned towards him, emitting an aura unique to the dragon race.
The layer of glass in front was instantly drowned in a brilliant golden flame.

The tempered glass warped under the extreme heat, cracks beginning to form on its surface.

"Oh! You deliberately kept your firepower a secret, huh. This level of intelligence already
surpasses that of a wild beast!" Leylin laughed without much ado. As he watched the golden
dragon displaying its invincible might, he could not help but think of the ancient Sun's Child,
wondering what rank of power and influence it possessed!

"What a pity! I created you, and I can also destroy you at any time!" A chill suddenly appeared
in Leylin's pupils, making the golden dragon retract its neck.

"Blood seal!" A crimson radiance flashed in Leylin's eyes as his right hand reached out to grab
the golden dragon.

*Bang!* Immediately, a large amount of blood began to flow out from beneath the golden
dragon's scales, turning it red in a moment. Its original dignified roar had been replaced by a
pitiful cry.

"Even locked to 35% of its bloodline, it's still so terrifying?" A hint of worry flashed across
Leylin's face as he watched the shrieking creature.

The experiment that he had performed on the golden dragon previously out of convenience
had immediately allowed him to understand the stubborn nature passed down through its
bloodline.

'However, this sort of attitude verifies the Wisdom Tree's hypothesis. Now all I need is
extended research, clinical trials, and then...' Leylin stroked his chin and made up his mind.

'But the good thing is that the bloodline of the Sun's Child has been completely activated. It's
the bloodline of an ancient rank 6 creature after all, and even a drop is enough to create
another Morning Star creature!' The corner of his lips curled up in a slight smile.

"Now, onto the final phase..."

......

*Boom!*

A ball of golden blood which was the size of a fist floated in the air like a fireball. It released a
terrifying amount of light and heat, slowly raising the temperature of the room.

The temperature was so high, in fact, that space itself distorted, rifts appearing near the blood.
This was the unstable phenomenon resulted from the burning of the sun's flame.

"Activate!" Leylin said emotionlessly as he watched the scene.

A great amount of light emerged with a whoosh, strengthening the surrounding walls. Many
runes shot out one one after the other, locking the blood down. At this point, it looked like a
miniature sun.

Leylin had specially reinforced this secret chamber, with the express intent of locking the
bloodline of the Sun's Child. From how it looked, the effect wasn't rather bad.
He nodded secretly before looking at the A.I. Chip's status screen.

[Beep! Completing the genetic makeup of the Sun's Child, beginning imitation, deducing
according to the meditation technique, Wing of the Sun...] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 539 - Recuperation

The Wing of the Sun was a top-grade meditation technique that was meant to complement the
bloodline of the Sun's Child, and was abstruse and unfathomable. Even the A.I. Chip had not
been able to analyse it.

Now, however, the combination of the real bloodline of the Sun's Child and its DNA sequence
worked together to solve the many difficulties that had been confounding him.

With the Dragon King's Mystic Might he had obtained in the past, he now also had the Void
Phantom, which came to two complete meditation techniques. This meant he had a decent,
accurate database to draw upon.

The simulation of the fifth level of Kemoyin's pupil saw some progress once more.

Seeing that his main objective was satisfied, Leylin couldn't help but sigh with relief. "Rank 6,
top-grade creature— Sun's Child!"

Leylin observed the blood that was like a little sun, and began to furrow his eyebrows. With this
and the Wing of the Sun, he could instantly create a powerful Warlock family.
Warlocks with a bloodline stemming from a rank 6 creature hadn't yet appeared in the central
continent.

"If another Warlock or Magus were to find out, things would get complicated for me..." A wry
smile appeared about Leylin's lips.

How could it be only 'complicated'? The moment this news leaked, even if malicious Warlocks
weren't an issue, it was highly likely that the Breaking Dawn Monarchs would be alerted.

After all, they would not want to see the rise of another Breaking Dawn bloodline Warlock,
which would affect the current equilibrium of power.

"It's a pity... If not for my bloodline being permanent, I would long since have used the Sun's
Child's bloodline..." Leylin heaved a long sigh.

But his eyes immediately cleared up, "Classify this area as a forbidden region of the highest
grade, confidentiality rank X. Anyone who comes in here besides me is to be killed. No
exceptions!"

His voice was cold, as if every word of his carried with it chilly air that contained millions of ice
shards.

"Understood!" The spirit genie's similarly unfeeling voice sounded. Perhaps only beings that
lacked human intelligence would not understand the terror that was Leylin.

"On top of that," Leylin looked at his empty surroundings, gently stroking a crystal ring on his
finger. *Whoosh!* Five translucent phantoms appeared around him like a breeze, as if
voluntarily squeezing out from the void. There were no energy waves, just five pairs of
bloodshot eyes staring at him as their owners half-kneeled on the floor.
"Protect this place well. Any who dare intrude are to be eliminated immediately," Leylin said as
he sent out a spiritual command through the ring on his finger.

The five phantoms nodded speechlessly, and immediately disappeared into the air. With them
concealed, even the A.I. Chip could barely discern their auras.

"These Void Assassins are pretty useful. It's a pity that there are only eight left..." Leylin was full
of admiration as he watched the assassins disappear, touching his chin.

These eight Void Assassins were naturally his gains from Scarlet Crescent.

He had carefully checked before. Every one of these Void Assassins had the strength surpassing
a Crystal Phase Magus. Their method of travelling through the void was stealthy and hard to
defend against. Even a Morning Star Magus would be in danger if five of them acted in tandem,
ambushing him.

With these defences, he could somewhat relax.

'I can't keep it here, and I need to use it as soon as possible. Alternatively, I can wait till the
Magus Tower is completed and deposit it there!' Leylin pondered.

Using the bloodline of the Sun's Child to perform experiments on bloodline ignition was too
much of a pity. Leylin still had other uses for this blood. The bloodline of an ancient rank 6
creature was an invaluable treasure.

"Next is to amass more strength and push for the advancement of my soul force. The best
would be for the A.I. Chip to represent soul force numerically, which will make everything much
simpler..."

Leylin subconsciously looked at his status.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 50, Agility: 45,
Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force:506.9, Magic Power: 506 (Magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force). Soul Force: ???]

After entering Morning Star, the aim was to make progress in regards to the soul. His spiritual
force and other stats would no longer undergo major changes.

At this thought, Leylin looked into the progress of the A.I. Chip's simulation of soul force and
found it to be stuck. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"The analysis of soul force cannot be done in a day or two..." A thread of understanding rose in
Leylin's mind.

......

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. The original Ouroboros Clan had now completely
stabilised.

Though the other allied forces still occupied a part of the territory that had belonged to them, a
larger war had not occurred. From how a few organisations were silently withdrawing their
forces, the general situation was progressing positively.

Those Warlocks seemed to have forgotten their hatred from the past and the situation at
Phosphorescence Swamp stabilised as they continued with their lives and research.
And yet, the subconscious bloody glint that remained in the depths of their eyes proved that
the traces of the war were still present.

Or rather, the seeds of revenge were buried deep in their hearts. They were lying quietly in wait
for these seeds to grow, until the day they began to thrive and became strong and healthy!

Leylin couldn't wait to see it happen, and even added fuel to the flame.

From his perspective, the bloodline Warlocks before led far too comfortable lives, particularly
the Kemoyin nobility. They spent their days in their territories intoxicated, not spending any
time on their Warlock training.

Thankfully, after this war, most of these vermin had disappeared, leaving behind many capable
and hardworking descendants, each of them outstanding. These talents were the strengths and
assets that he regarded as important.

As long as he could lead these Warlocks and complete their revenge, he might instantly gain
their undying loyalty. That would allow him to completely control the Ouroboros Clan, and even
the return of the three Dukes would not change anything.

Through these five years, Leylin had extended his authority to all aspects in Ouroboros Clan. He
had even secretly influenced many Warlocks of the new generation, and they completely
accepted his rule, thinking it was normal for things to continue like this forever.

Faisal and those few bloodline families had become smarter after the attack, and Leylin could
find no opportunity to deal with them. That was rather regretful.
However, no matter how long he tried to delay matters, there were things that needed to be
done...

"Blood Extraction!"

Above a geographical basin holding an ethnic group, Leylin wore a luxurious platinum Magus
robe that was actually a piece of magic equipment.

His expression was stern as he reached out his hand, and a formless giant vortex appeared in
the air with a grab.

Large amounts of blood beaded down, turning into a stream as it gathered in his hands. It
formed a highly concentrated crystal that looked similar to a ruby.

Below him, a giant tribe of a different race had suffered heavy casualties. Besides a few high-
ranked Magi, almost nobody had survived. All of them had their blood drawn and turned into
dried-out corpses.

"This bloodline drawing method is truly tyrannical!" Leylin nodded.

The Arcane Art he was using to extract blood came from his own bloodline inheritance. In
ancient times, it had only been a convenient spell to draw blood on a large-scale. However,
with his modifications, as well as the power from the soul force of a Morning Star, the effect
was truly terrifying. Its strength was enough to destroy a country.

That was not all. The bloodline gems gathered from the bloodline extraction were also a very
important resource for Warlocks.
Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes as he tucked away these concentrated crystals that
sparkled like blood diamonds.

"You of a different race! You dare—" A roar full of denial and pain sounded out, bringing with it
energy waves at the Morning Star realm.

"My job is done. The rest is your business." Leylin bowed with a smile, and retreated to the
back.

"Leylin, you really know how to goof off!" In front of him were a few Morning Star Warlocks.
The burly man who was the head teased Leylin, but still went forward.

"Who exactly are you? Why did you come here?" The rays of light dimmed, revealing the
Morning Star that had hastened over. It was a giant formed of flames, eyes full of fury.

"There's no reason. If you want to blame something, blame yourselves for occupying this area!"

The burly man sneered, the phantom of a large black goat that was thousands of metres tall
emerging from his back. This goat not only had the horns of a demon, but also a torso that was
similar to a human. However, it was full of black fleece, looking to be like the demonic satyrs of
the underworld.

"Morning Star Warlock?" The giant fire elemental elder couldn't help but blurt out.

Following that, others in black clothing stood up before him. The Morning Star auras they
similarly emitted caused the fire elemental elder's pupils to shrink.
*Rumble!* The few Morning Star Warlocks surrounded him, in an enormous formation. The
energy undulations extended to the horizons, and even dispersed a few large dark clouds.

......

Once everything was over, the burly man from before approached Leylin, "Lord Leylin's blood
extraction truly is worthy of its reputation. Here is your reward!"

The burly man tossed a little pouch full of astral stones to Leylin, "The total comes to 13423
grams of astral stones. Check the amount!"

"Many thanks!" Leylin sighed heavily. This time-consuming and very lengthy mission was finally
over.

Besides concentrating on his own research, he would take on a few missions from time to time
from the Morning Star region, earning astral stones to purchase other items to nourish the soul.

The task this time was a mission to help the burly man suppress the fire elemental elder.

"Hmph! These tribes actually worship an elemental being from another world! Even death
cannot wipe out their sins!" The burly man scolded, still angry.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 540 - Sudden Change

Listening to the mission leader's complaints, Leylin remained silent.

The large-scaled tribe that he had massacred was not a fire elemental tribe. However, they had
obviously been influenced by the fire elemental Morning Star to the extent that they formed a
faith that worshipped fire.

It might have to do with them being of a different race, but Warlocks obviously did not give
them preferential treatment, nor were they tolerant towards them. Though the Warlock Union
claimed to take in those with all bloodlines, that was merely talk. It sounded nice to listen to,
but those who believed that were fools.

Leylin knew how things worked in the union. If they were a race protected by a Morning Star,
they might have some status in the Warlock Union, and could help their own people.

However, if they were a race without the protection of a Morning Star, then they would
probably have to struggle pitifully, enduring exploitation and oppression.

After all, the leader of the Warlock Union was a mighty bloodline Warlock!

They did not think themselves human, but nor did they think themselves to be of another race.
Hence, their attitudes towards completely different races seemed rather hypocritical. Especially
for beings like these who hadn't even joined the union and sided with the enemy; there was no
consideration for them.

Of course, Leylin did not bother with these trivial matters. He had taken on and successfully
completed the mission, and had thus gotten the rewards. It was that simple.

The time spent on investigation and combat was already annoying him. In addition, with his
experience from his previous world, he was beginning to feel concerned.
Why would a Morning Star-ranked fire elemental elder appear here? He had even bewitched
many tribes to be on his side. If not for them finding out and eliminating him in time, this entire
region was likely to have fallen into chaos soon.

And yet that wasn't what worried him the most. The other party had already begun spreading a
religion, and that put him on his guard.

Recruiting believers and propagating religious beliefs was a very dangerous signal. Leylin, who
had experience from his previous life, understood the gods that the westerners worshipped
purely based on some misinformation, legends, or even utter nonsense.

This act of preaching was evidently different from that of high-ranked Magi, and it wasn't the
sort of primitive worship of uncivilised communities. Real gods, and not only one at that, were
spreading their own religions!

It was not just the worship of fire. A plot was also afoot to revive Beelzebub, the Sovereign King
of Gluttonous Desires. It all gave Leylin a very bad premonition.

Even though Leylin rarely bothered with religion in his previous world, he wouldn't get this
wrong. Of course, this was just a conjecture, he had no idea what the real World of Gods was
like after all. Most documentation from the ancient era did not touch on this.

The appearance of the World of Gods was the beginning of the ancient Magus World's decline.
Hence, the amount of books that had survived that era were the fewest. This was why Leylin
had yet to gather much data on it despite his status.

This could, therefore, be a misunderstanding on his part, but Leylin did not want to continue
down that line of thought.
No matter how superficial his thinking might be, he knew that the real gods in the World of
Gods were, at the very least, at rank 6 and above. They were existences who had grasped a
certain power or law, and such great strength was what Leylin needed to look up to. The
moment he were to be caught up in giant complications like this, only death awaited him. With
his current strength, at least, he would amount to nothing.

Leylin had always stood by the motto that one could only accept responsibility equivalent to
their strength. That was how he had been able to live till now. He knew himself well; the games
and contests between the gods and Magus world? Let the higher ranks take care of it. In any
case, there were still many Breaking Dawn Monarchs in the central continent!

Rejecting the burly man's sincere attempts at urging him to stay, Leylin travelled through the
astral plane, instantly arriving back at Phosphorescence Swamp.

Blue light flashed, and Leylin's figured broke through the enormous astral gate.

"The feeling of long-distance teleportation is really..." Leylin shook his head and laughed. The
spatial pressure that had almost killed him while he was at rank 2 was like a cool breeze to him
right now, not affecting him much.

"Welcome home, master!" A green elf similar to the tower genie from before flapped its wings
and flew above Leylin.

"En!" Leylin nodded. The A.I. Chip linked with it, and he then knew all the recent events in the
Magus Tower like the back of his hand.

The large astral gate behind him stopped humming, and the light from the blue flames above it
began to fade.
After the light completely dissipated, the astral gate returned to its state of an unadorned stone
gate. The teleportation from the Morning Star area required the astral gates of both sides to be
linked simultaneously. Leylin had obviously entrusted this task to his loyal tower genie.

"You did well!" Leylin nodded in praise.

"It's my honour to serve master!" The tower genie had inherited the A.I. Chip's partial
intelligence, and had an icy expression. There were no fluctuations in its voice.

Leylin had long since gotten used to this. After all, one could not have very high expectations of
a program. He was pragmatic; it would never betray him due to the A.I. Chip's commands, and
that was what was important!

Outside the astral gate were many laboratories and binding rooms. A few terrifying adamantine
and mithril puppets, even Void Assassins on occasion, would appear in the corner every once in
a while.

Streams of black air seemed to constantly flow down the walls on both sides, bringing with
them a mysterious lustre and colour, causing the decorative oil paintings to change slightly.

This was the inner section of Leylin's Magus Tower. With his own participation, as well as the
'selfless' financial aid from the Oakheart Clan, the construction was already completed.

On top of that, the other party had supplied a large amount of astral stones and helped Leylin
build an astral gate of his own, the one he had just exited.

Based on the intelligence he had, the Oakheart Clan had practically exhausted their reserves
and even sold off many properties to build the tower and gate. It was a huge setback for them.

Leylin obviously cared little about this. Instead, he was very satisfied with this Morning Star
Magus Tower.

Furthermore, with the influence from his radiation, the entire Magus Tower had somewhat
gained a life of its own. The tower body was now very harmonious, and automatically
generated a few shadow servants, dark serpent tentacles and the like, perfecting the defensive
abilities of the building.

Suddenly recalling something, Leylin told the tower genie, "Tell your mistress that I'm back, and
that I plan to have dinner with her tonight!"

"Your will shall be carried out!" The tower genie bowed, and quickly retreated.

Evening, in the hall of the Magus Tower. There were brilliant lights and vibrant colours
everywhere. A few high-ranked Warlock maids who were lucky enough to be selected to enter
the Magus Tower were tense as they worked busily, laying the long dining table with intricate
gold and silver cutlery, candles, and the like.

While everything was completed with nervousness, Leylin held Freya's hand and walked in
slowly.

"Your Grace! My Lady!" A few maids immediately bowed to Leylin and the woman at his side.

Beside him was obviously Freya of the Blood Serpent Family. She had married Leylin years ago,
and now dressed like a noble. She looked very poised, and had an inborn noble temperament,
though there was a trace of gloom between her eyebrows.
"I know what you're worrying about..." Leylin couldn't help but console her in a tender manner
after noticing it, "But I think there might be a chance for my bloodline to become even more
perfect, or perhaps advance to an even more powerful realm. Hence, my bloodline still isn't
mature, and the children borne of this will become a regret. None of us want to see this, do
we?"

After listening to Leylin's explanation, Freya seemed to feel better, revealing a smile that even
enchanted the maids.

Leylin chuckled. His previous words were half-truths.

However, through the Scarlet Crescent ruins as well as the conversation with the Wisdom Tree,
he now had an idea as to how he could solve the issue of his bloodline shackles. Hence, he was
in no hurry to leave behind children.

If not, he would be harming his own blood.

When he advanced to a higher level, the descendants he had would definitely have a higher
starting point and potential. This would be beneficial to both of them, and even if Freya were
puzzled by this, Leylin would still persist.

"I'll listen to you!" Freya pursed her lips and laughed, and then got Leylin to sit.

Within the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin was an existence that could hide anything from the masses.
His will was the will of all the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan. Freya
naturally did not say more.
Furthermore, in the deepest part of her heart, she was very trusting of Leylin; this would affect
the Farlier Family, after all.

"By the way, how are Parker and Faisal? And Snoopy too; was his trip to the Demon Garden
successful?"

Leylin spoke to Freya while eating the delicacies that the chefs had thoughtfully prepared. Most
of the time, he was the one asking the questions, while Freya answered.

When the heartwarming dinner was over, and while Leylin was enjoying his black tea, Freya
finally asked, "Leylin... How long are you going to stay here this time?"

A trace of anticipation flashed in her pupils.

"Probably longer. The missions from before are finished, and there are still a few experiments
that have to be done in the Magus Tower..."

Leylin began to speak endlessly while beating around the bush. Freya's palms were under her
chin and her eyes were full of worship, almost emitting stars as she smiled gently and listened.

*Ka-cha!* This comforting moment did not continue for long before it was interrupted. When
the sound of glass breaking was heard from Freya's body, her expression changed drastically.

"This is the necklace Mentor, Duke Emma left for me. Inside is a thread of her soul flame!"

Freya yanked out a platinum necklace that had a large blue gem at the center. The blood-red
flames leapt out, but at this moment seemed to have withered.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 541 - Determination and Action

The spiritual flame of a Morning Star Magus had an intricate relationship with their body. Its
strength also reflected the time the Magus had remaining.

That Freya's necklace had encountered such a situation meant the original body of Blood
Duchess Emma had likely been dealt severe damage in the foreign world.

Trauma would weaken a Magus' vitality, which in turn caused such a change in the spiritual
flame they left behind.

"Mentor... Mentor!" Freya's eyes turned red as she covered her mouth, but Leylin's secret
imprint twinkled before he could try to console her.

"Yes, Faisal?" Leylin frowned as he tapped the secret imprint open.

"Your Grace, my Mentor... the spiritual flame of the First Elder was extinguished a minute
ago..." Faisal's voice was husky. It was as if his heart had sunk, and he was feeling hopeless.

"Extinguished?" Leylin touched his chin. If the spiritual flame had been extinguished, the
Morning Star Warlock's originally body must have perished.

The only thing that supported the First Elder's group was that he was still alive. There was still
hope for them to return from the foreign world.

And now, that final hope had been shattered. Faisal's change was understandable.

"But what happened? Wasn't it all good until now?" Leylin felt puzzled, it seemed like a
conspiracy was afoot.

Another connection request came up before Leylin could end Faisal's secret imprint call, and
Kesha's panicked voice sounded out.

"Leylin! Leylin!" She called his name directly, forgetting about his current status. It showed how
desperate she was.

"What happened?" The ominous feeling in Leylin's heart grew stronger.

"... Forgive me, Your Grace!" Kesha paused to correct her misbehaviour before continuing, "It's
Mentor. The spiritual flame Duke Gilbert left behind has grown extremely unstable, and is
flickering strongly. I... I'm very worried..."

"I got it!" Leylin nodded, and his voice turned serious and solemn, "Pass down my orders, all
Crystal Phase Warlocks are to report to the meeting room. We might be in trouble..."

The Warlock elites were now congregated here instead of residing in their own territories. Since
they were all in Phosphorescence Swamp, they could gather immediately after Leylin's orders
were passed.

Leylin reckoned that these people would not have come so fast if it was not related to their
teachers.

"Duke Farlier!" The panic-stricken Warlocks calmed a little upon seeing Leylin dressed in his
huge robe.

"Please, sit down and be at ease!" Leylin sat at the head chair. With his battle experience, he
had long since acquired a dignified aura that turned the meeting room solemn.

"Thank you, Your Grace!" A number of Crystal Phase Magi bowed and settled down in order.

By virtue of being his wife, Freya occupied the seat next to Leylin, a fact that left some of the
rest in envy.

Leylin sighed while looking at the handful of Crystal Phase Warlocks in an upright position. The
last war had caused tremendous loss to the Ouroboros Clan, and the loss of their elite forces
was especially tough to recover from.

It would take at least a few hundred years for them to recover to peak condition.

"Schadt, report!" Leylin said after glancing across everyone and called for Schadt only when
everyone settled down.

"Master!" Schadt wiped off the fog that was on his thick spectacles, bowing to Leylin
immediately after he stood up. He spoke in a dignified manner, "The spiritual flames of the
elders that we'd kept in our technical department started fluctuating vigorously 24 minutes
ago, and the First Elder's has completely died out. I'm afraid that..."
Leylin too felt somewhat frustrated and aggrieved. After all, this was the fall of another
Morning Star Warlock.

Even though Schadt did not continue his words, Faisal and one of the Crystal Phase Warlocks
had lowered their heads. Losing the First Elder was definitely a huge blow to their morale.

"I've asked the other two Morning Star seeds as well. It's not just a single spiritual flame that
flickered, it's all of them. The other two elders must be in the same plight as the First Elder in
the foreign world..."

There was not much to say for now. After Schadt sat down, the rest of the Warlocks placed
their focus on Leylin.

Upon seeing their reaction, Leylin cleared his throat, "Schadt, have the coordinates of the
foreign world been confirmed?"

"My apologies! The technical department and I have been working on this problem endlessly.
There are two possible coordinates on our list, I will send them to you after this!"

A tinge of shame surfaced on Schadt's face. This incident was a humiliation to the entire
technical department. They had been overconfident and bragged that they were going to solve
the problem in a few days' time, but took them nearly five years. It was such a dereliction of
their duty.

The Crystal Phase Warlock who had tears in the eyes just like Faisal slammed the table and
shouted, "Schadt, you old fogey! Are you pulling strings and intentionally not revealing the
coordinates of the foreign world?"

The moment he heard these words, Schadt fumed with rage. "Nonsense! I vow in the name of
everyone in the technical department, never have I orchestrated something like that!"

Before, he'd suffered in silence because it had been difficult for him to locate the coordinates.
Afterwards, there seemed to be another strange interference that added to the complexity,
leaving him grasping at his hair.

'Could it be the interference of another organisation that is not eager to see our Dukes being
saved?' A thought surfaced in Schadt's mind, but was quickly suppressed as it was too sinister a
plot.

However, Faisal remained silent. Hid reaction affirmed the Warlock's suspicion, but before he
could snarl at him, Faisal dragged his arm with force.

"What the hell are you doing, Faisal!" The Crystal Phase Warlock growled.

"Watch your manners, Marquis Ordofol!" Faisal's voice was equally low, but it carried within an
undeniable order.

"I'm sorry, I acted out of line! Please forgive me, Marquis Schadt!" The Warlock's face blushed,
but he stilled apologised to Schadt and bowed to Leylin who was in the head seat, "Please
forgive me, Your Grace!"

"Never mind!" Leylin waved and stared at Faisal with intrigue until sweat glided down his
cheeks.

Leylin took a last look at the Warlocks before he spoke in a low voice, "I have come to a
decision, I will set off tomorrow to rescue the Elders!"
There was a minute of pause, which then quickly recovered as excitement and joy could be
seen in everyone's eyes.

Still, they did not dare to show their emotions. They kept reminding Leylin not to fall for tricks.

"My dear..." After all the Crystal Phase Warlocks had been dismissed, only Freya was left
behind, her eyes filled with worry.

Emma was her Mentor, but Leylin was her dearest husband. This situation was complicated, like
a spider web that pulled her heart apart.

At last, she asked, "This time round... is it going to be dangerous?"

"Yes, there will be danger, but it's a chance too! Trust me, I'll bring your mentor back!" Leylin
gave Freya a reassuring, heart-warming smile.

Seeing Leylin with such confidence, Freya felt more at ease. However, she had missed the trace
of complication in Leylin's eyes.

After returning to the Magus Tower, Leylin went straight to the astral gate and fell into deep
thought.

"This time... I'm afraid that I really have to make the trip!" Leylin was very clear on the fact that
there were voices asking for his help being circulated in the Ouroboros Clan, and they had
grown stronger now.

He had suppressed these messages as long as he could. He had to do something now, otherwise
the entire Ouroboros Clan might fall apart.

Luckily, he had already gotten what he wanted during this period of time. Even if the other two
Morning Star Warlocks returned, his power in the clan was unshakeable.

Also, Leylin was not too worried about the trip as he had already formed a more complete
strategy after getting to know the existence of the puppetmaster behind the scene.

......

Almost at the same time, high up on a throne that was made from eternal darkness and
rumbling thunder.

The rank 5 Magus that had a moon rune on his forehead was exchanging thoughts with
someone through telepathy.

"How are things going with the Ouroboros Clan?"

"Everything has been prepared and we are ready to take action! As long the opponent enters
the foreign world, we can block him completely from this world and wipe out the entire
Ouroboros Clan!"

"You disappointed me the last time. I do not wish to see it again!" The Radiant Moon Magus
warned with great dignity.

"There is no need to worry, Master!" The Morning Star conscient dispersed on its own, and the
Radiant Moon Magus sat still in the throne, pondering.
"Was it really that kiddo in the ruins of Scarlet Crescent? What an interesting pup!" A
mysterious voice sounded in the air, but the Radiant Moon Magus did not seem surprised at all.

"I wasn't quite confident, but Siebel's already dead; he's the most suspicious!" Radiant Moon
Magus spoke in a cold tone, "I have to get him!"

"He's just a Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, even if he had any trump cards, the bloodline shackles
will be his Achilles heel!" the mysterious voice sounded in disdain.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 542 - Setting Off

"Mmm!"

The Radiant Moon Magus nodded his head, and he suddenly felt a lot less uncertain. "That's
right! Even though the rascal has immense, inexplicable strength, the bloodline shackles will be
enough to stunt his growth. Kemoyin Warlocks can reach the peak of rank 4 at best, after which
he won't have any room to grow..."

"Keke... you're right. Who would still care about a rascal that's confined to the Morning Star
rank?"

The mysterious voice suddenly changed to that of a lady, gentle and soft. "Your real enemy is..."
"Shut up!" The Radiant Moon Magus who had originally been sitting down stood up abruptly,
looking sinister, "Shut your mouth this instant! Don't you know that as long as you mention his
name, even if it is unintentional, he will be able to detect it? The power of a King isn't
something a person of your lowly status can belittle."

"Fine... but isn't it just a Breaking Dawn Magus?" The female voice replied indignantly, and she
felt rather uneasy. It was as if everything that she had said carelessly today was inappropriate.
This mysterious intuition had been left behind by the host of the body before her.

"I don't care about who you were before. Now you're but a damaged soul... " The Radiant
Moon Magus' voice was cold and assertive.

"But don't we have the same interests currently? I can help you, and in return you can offer
me..." The female's voice trailed off...

Leylin did not know explicitly that Jupiter's Lightning's Radiant Moon Magus had already made
special arrangements to deal with him, but anyone with a brain would be able to infer it. As a
result, he had to make preparations for his imminent trip.

An enormous satellite hung in the sky, looking about to fall at any moment. It was surrounded
by a nebula in the vast universe.

"Please take a look at this contract. You can sign here if there are no problems."

Leylin rarely used his real identity, but now he was doing so. He was having a conversation with
three other Morning Star Warlocks, with an already drafted contract on the table.

Leylin picked up a cup of coffee and talked to the Warlocks opposite, "During the period of time
when I'm away, I would appreciate your help in guarding the Ouroboros Clan in my place. Also, I
would like you to prioritise helping my wife Freya and the tower genie should they require any
help. Any questions?"

In front of him were Paul, Philip, and another stranger.

Since he was looking for protectors, it was naturally better to rely on allies. There was no need
to ponder much about Philip. He had the bloodline of the ancient Wind Wolf, and was hot-
blooded. And with respect to Paul, after being taken advantage of by Leylin the previous time
he now admired him even more. Based on hi's words, his people respected highly intelligent
beings. Leylin immediately thought of the rumours of them being fond of sucking up souls and
drinking brain juices, and could not help but shudder. However, since they had already signed
the contract, there wouldn't be any issue.

The last Morning Star Warlock was a good friend Leylin had made recently— Mars. With these
three in control, the might of the contract as well as the supervision and urging of the Morning
Star area, Leylin was rather assured of the safety of the Ouroboros Clan after he left.

Everyone was familiar with each other, and the conditions that Leylin had offered were very
generous. Though the terms of the contract were harsh, the three Morning Star Warlocks
signed the contract without hesitation.

"Good luck!" Philip patted Leylin's shoulders. Out of the three of them, he was probably the
one who hoped the most for Leylin's success.

"Many thanks!" Leylin was comforted as he punched Philip in a friendly manner. Ever since the
happenings at Scarlet Crescent, the Wind Wolf Lair had not only lost a Morning Star Warlock,
Palesa, their most important fighter Cybel had been beaten down to become a regular Morning
Star, and had to withdraw and conceal himself.

A lot of pressure weighed on Philip's shoulders, and Leylin had lent him a hand. This had gained
him Philip's gratitude, and the Wind Wolf Warlock now treated Leylin like kin.

These were Philip's words, of course. However, Leylin obviously did not believe that and rolled
his eyes in secret.

Of course, the relationship on both ends had gotten increasingly better, and had even
surpassed that of Leylin with the Wind Wolf Lair and Spirit Circle. That was the uncontestable
truth.

......

Phosphorescence Swamp, within the Morning Star Magus Tower.

After sending everyone away, Leylin came before the astral gate alone.

"Tower genie! Once I leave, seal the Magus Tower immediately. Do not let anyone enter, and
await further instructions!" hr instructed. He had prepared a lot of things for this expedition.

This was different from the previous experiments where he just projected spiritual seeds. He
was on a rescue mission, and needed to move with his real body. This was extremely
dangerous, and he could be completely lost in another world. Hence, the astral gate had to be
kept completely safe!

Nobody would trust someone else with a job like this. He could only leave this to the tower
genie which had no human emotions.

In actuality, Leylin had prepared another safeguard. Even if this tower genie were rendered
ineffective, he wouldn't end up stuck in another world. However, this was one of his deepest
secrets, something only he could know.

*Rumble!* With Leylin's order, the Magus Tower shut down, runic chains and defensive layers
sealing off each and every pathway. Large numbers of puppets and void assassins with red light
in their eyes began to patrol the area rigorously.

"Leylin, you must succeed and come back safely!" Outside the Magus Tower, Freya's hands
clutched tightly at her white dress as she prayed in her heart.

Beside her stood Parker, Snoopy and a few other high-ranked Warlocks, all watching the Magus
Tower that was being completely shut down. Their expressions were complex.

Leylin obviously did not bother with this. His focus was entirely on the astral gate in front of
him.

Leylin had already calculated the coordinates of the world that Gilbert and the other Dukes
were lost in long ago. However, this was only for his own consideration, thus he had not
announced it and even interfered with Schadt's work in secret. This went on for five years.

Now, it was necessary that he rescue the two Dukes right away.

Apart from Emma, Gilbert was his mentor and had taught him a great many things. The feelings
and relationship between them was enough for Leylin to take this risk.

Besides, that was another world!

"Even if it's a trap, they handed over the coordinates of another world!" Leylin was emotional.
Even the lowest-grade world was definitely more powerful than a plane! The resources there
were plentiful, enough to make Morning Stars and even Radiant Moons go green in envy.

"You didn't mind revealing the coordinates of a world just to trap Mentor and the rest. I
wonder what your expression will be like if I completely take control of that world?" A slight
smile appeared across Leylin's lips. It was as if he could already see the flustered, exasperated
look of the Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning.

A ball of light that looked like a star floated out from Leylin's hands and disappeared into the
astral gate.

*Rumble!* Through the connection of the astral gate, Leylin's soul force seemed to come into
contact with an extremely complicated and tremendous world.

The aura of sulphur and flames could be seen spilling over in copious amounts at the edges of
the world.

The astral stone reserves that acted as the energy core rapidly decreased, almost falling to a
level that would issue a warning.

Through some sensing, Leylin could confirm that this world was very far from the Magus World.
Just the consumption from opening the astral gate once would leave one tongue-tied and wide-
eyed.

"An aura full of flames and sulphur?" Leylin was startled at first, but immediately eased up. "It's
no wonder that Mentor and the others mistook this place for Purgatory World. If not for the
memories from ancient times, I'd be misled too..."
"Tower genie, maintain the energy reserves required for the astral gate. Be prepared to retrieve
us immediately!" Leylin's voice was low.

"Understood!" The tower genie that was like a green elf immediately nodded.

"Prepare for the crossing of the main body," Leylin took in a deep breath. Though he had
experienced teleportation to the Morning Star area, the idea of travelling such a long distance
still had him slightly worried.

[Beep! Beginning collection of data. Establishing folder in database.] The A.I. Chip immediately
intoned. This was very rare, but expected. Even if it was an A.I. Chip, it lacked first-hand
research materials, and they could be supplemented at this moment.

"However, using myself as a guinea pig is really rather..." Leylin rolled his eyes. The lights on the
astral gate got increasingly brighter until he was eventually swallowed into it.

*Rumble!* The bright tail of a blue beam appeared from the spire of the Magus Tower like an
aurora, streaking through the dark skies like a magnificent meteor.

"It's beginning!" Freya's felt her heartstrings tighten.

"It's beginning! Activate interference procedures. Things must be the same as before. Break off
all of his communications and make him lose his way as well!"

In a jet black world crack, Collins, who Leylin had seen several times before, was talking to a
group of technical staff who were fiddling with some instruments. There was a large amount of
data showing up on the screen.

"Energy interference mode activated!"

"Warping forcefield structure completed. Interference can be engaged at any time."

"Energy particles taking form. Beginning tracking of trajectory and intercepting opponent..."
Multiple high-ranked Magi acted like the most cautious scientists as they quickly operated the
instruments in their hands, reporting various data.

"Good. Begin immediately!" Collins swept his hand down viciously. It was as if he could already
imagine Leylin's features contorted by terror, and the pleasure of vengeance immediately
flooded his heart. He could not help but burst into laughter.

"We're here!" Even though he was still in the midst of teleportation via the astral gate, Leylin
was still clear-headed. The A.I. Chip was now sending him warnings.

[Detected unknown forcefield reaction. Determined to be interference particle ripples!]

"I've been waiting for you!" An intelligent glint flashed in Leylin's eyes.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 543 - Lava World

Knowing that it was a trap, those who still jumped straight in were idiots!

Leylin was obviously not an idiot. Since the other party had revealed that they had the ability to
interfere with astral gates, Leylin obviously would not ignore them.
In fact, in these five years, he had been silently surveying the other world. He had even
attempted projecting spiritual seeds, all in order to thoroughly understand the other party's
ability to interfere.

Through the five years of probing that seemed to only last a day, he had long since understood
the methods they could use like the back of his hand. He'd even prepared a contingency plan.

"It's offensive pattern number 3. Activate corresponding countermeasures!" Leylin's eyes

glinted with intelligence.

[Task initiated. Spatial anchor being projected. Tracing target's coordinates...] The A.I. Chip
began to operate methodically.

A layer of mysterious spatial undulations was emanated from Leylin's body.

[Target coordinates have been determined. Proceed with attack?] The A.I. Chip asked with a
robotic voice.

"Yes!" A smile appeared about Leylin's lips.

*Bang!* *Boom!* A glass meter exploded, and many pieces of apparatus burst into flames.
Collins, who was watching on, was about to go berserk.

"What's going on? Who can tell me what's going on?" Collins roared, his eyes red.

Even Breaking Dawn Magi would find it difficult to obtain this high-grade spatial interference
apparatus. This time, so many pieces had readings that went off the charts, and his master
would probably murder him.
"The other party seems to have grasped some sort of spatial technique and is counter-
attacking!" An old man pushed at the lens in his glasses and concluded.

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how valuable research on spatial techniques is? How did he
get it?" Collins' first reaction was that of disbelief.

"But that's the only explanation! If the other party's spatial knowledge reserves are vaster than
ours, we'll probably have to be on our guard against the following spatial attacks!" The old man
spoke rapidly.

"Spatial attacks?" Collins was stunned, and immediately after, saw the earth-shattering spatial
turbulence that submerged the area...

"The effects aren't half bad!" Listening to the prompt from the A.I. Chip, Leylin's mood
immediately improved.

Arcane Arts and knowledge regarding spatial coordinates were obviously insanely expensive.
They were rarely seen, even in the Morning Star area.

However, he had the A.I. Chip and did not need very complete information. Hence, he had
purchased just a few incomplete ones.

Though he could not be considered a great master in this area, attacking a few guys who were
similarly newbies wouldn't be a problem.

"You dare—" An enraged voice sounded. Another Magus with a black moon rune on his
forehead suddenly appeared at the boundary of the world, trying to intercept Leylin.
"I am your opponent!" Along with the sounds of a lion growling, another Warlock with hair that
seemed to be cast out of gold appeared in front of that Magus.

"Wayde..." The Radiant Moon Magus called out in a low tone, his expression revealing his fear.

"The other plan has been launched! Is that the Radiant Moon Magus from Jupiter's Lightning?"
Leylin turned and took a glimpse, storing the other party's appearance in his memory.

*Whoosh!* As he was breaking through the protective sphere of a world, enormous astral
forces had been activated and Leylin felt himself go dizzy. His body seemed to turn into a streak
of light and then completely disappeared.

Compared to a prepared teleportation formation, the strength one required to move freely
about the astral plane was much higher.

The huge pressure was as if a slab of steel was pressing down on Leylin's body.

Cold, stifling, frenzied! Leylin immediately felt his bones creaking, and the defensive aurora on
his body began to shatter bit by bit.

'Perhaps even the pressure tens of thousands of meters under the sea can't compare to this...'
This was the last conscious thought Leylin had. Before he completely fainted, the only thing he
could do was to use Multilimb Strength and cover his body with dark green energy.

......

In a world of lava, large crevices could be seen in the earth, magma surging inside like a
network of red rivers.

Space distorted on the surface of a large black rock, forming a translucent gate of light. It
incessantly generated lightning in the surroundings.

The lightning crashed down more and more frequently as the entire area was filled with a
dazzling white light.

*Boom!* The white light exploded, forming an eye-piercing radiance. When all the light
vanished, the original gate of light and the lightning had all disappeared, leaving behind only
charred traces that recounted the strange events that had just occurred.

"Hah... I've finally entered!" Leylin furrowed his brows, sensing the large amount of fire
elemental particles surrounding him. "This concentration... Magi would believe it if someone
said this was the fire elemental world!"

Intense pain could be felt from various parts of his body, causing him to groan and bend his
back.

"A.I. Chip!" Leylin immediately ordered, "Check my current condition!"

[Beep! Host body's soft tissue damage is at 30.87%. Fractures found at 7 areas, and signs of
bruising observed on internal organs. Immediate treatment is recommended!] The A.I. Chip
loyally intoned, transmitting a 3D human figure to him. The blue image held many signs of
wounds.

Even with Leylin's current vitality, he was still injured to this degree. Other regular Magi would
probably have completely disappeared without a trace.
His astonishing vitality and Warlock bloodline were slowly mending the injuries in his body,
allowing his tightly furrowed eyebrows to relax.

"That was really dangerous. I almost died outside the protective sphere..." While recalling what
had just happened, Leylin couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.

The protective sphere! This was the edge of a world, and even included part of the void. It
could be said to be a large world's strongest defence!

In general, every world had this protective sphere, though its strength varied. The most famous
protective sphere was probably the World of Gods' crystal wall.

Its powerful isolation ability was enough for even Magi at ranks 7 and above to be forced to
return in defeat. It included a large world and various planes, forming the World of Gods'
unique culture of strength. It even cut off attempts at peeping from other worlds, save for that
one time when the ancient Magi had invaded them.

Before reaching the Lava World, Leylin was able to regain consciousness with the protection of
Multilimb Strength, preventing him from being in a bad situation.

If one wanted to use a metaphor, a large world's protective sphere was like customs upon entry
to a country. If Leylin had not woken, he would need to force his way in, and would definitely
be met with attacks, especially from the malicious intent of the World Will.

The method Leylin had employed this time was akin to slipping through a barrier. He had not
been discovered by the World Will, and the focus on him was evidently minimal, which would
aid in his later movements.

"And this!" Leylin pulled a silver necklace full of astral light from his neck. After sensing that the
connection was undamaged, he could completely relax.

This necklace represented his connection with the astral gate in the Magus world. As long as
the connection there was not broken, he could teleport back at any time through the gate.

Right when Leylin had left the Magus world, Collins' attack had been in order to completely cut
off this connection, leaving Leylin stranded in another world and unable to find his way home
for eternity.

Gilbert and the other two had been defeated using this method.

Of course, Collins had been made a fool of by Leylin, and would probably not be able to emerge
for a long time. The largest danger had been obstructed by Wayde, and Leylin finally had some
time to do what he wanted.

Saving the two dukes also fit with Leylin's plans for benefits.

After all, he was not strong enough to go head to head against Jupiter's Lightning. He needed a
few other people to relieve the pressure, and Gilbert and Emma were very good candidates for
this.

Furthermore, Gilbert was Leylin's mentor, not someone he could abandon so easily.

After considering for some time and finding the best way out for himself, Leylin still chose to
come forward and save them.

"But... This world is so huge. Where am I to find them?" Leylin watched the lava lake that
stretched as far as he could see, as well as the burning clouds in the sky, and couldn't help but
laugh bitterly.

[Beep! Testing surroundings...] At this moment, the A.I. Chip immediately projected the analysis
of the surroundings before Leylin.

"This..."

Leylin's soul force was sent out to explore, and he immediately sensed the difference from
what he was used to. In the Lava World, his spiritual force seemed sluggish, a result of the laws
of this world not being harmonious with his own.

"As expected, with a switch in worlds, the dimensions, energy levels and even the the
interactions between particles are starkly different. The changes in laws are definitely a huge
obstruction to Magi who travel between worlds."

A thread of understanding flashed in Leylin's eyes. This was the precious experience that many
ancient Magi had gathered through their blood and sweat.

"Thankfully, I've already condensed my point mass. Soul force is still useful in most worlds, and
only needs some slight alterations. If it was still spiritual force, I'm afraid..." Relief rose in
Leylin's heart.

Soul force was a high-grade power, and could be used in many worlds. Its practicality trumped
that of spiritual force.

Leylin estimated that if he still used spiritual force here, he would probably have to deal with
the awkwardness of not fitting in. He might even need to cultivate it from the beginning and
turn his spiritual force into the spiritual strength unique to this world. Though there would be
no bottleneck, it would definitely require a lot of effort.
Now, with the use of soul force, this issue was mostly solved.

"It's no wonder that ancient Magi placed Morning Star as the minimum rank to attack other
worlds. So there's this factor!" Leylin touched his chin.

[Beep! Data on surroundings completely gathered. Generating elemental map. Analysing

world's laws. Beginning fine-tuning of host body's soul undulations...]

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 544 - Assistance

Over five years of progress and the addition of a large amount of information on the soul from
Leylin's end that he'd acquired through trade and missions, the A.I. Chip's analysis on the soul
had reached a whole new level.

Though it still could not completely enumerate soul force, it was not far from this goal, and
could perform many unbelievable deductions and integrations.

Things like altering the soul undulations being emitted by him were only one part of it.

'Mm! The concentration of fire elemental particles is the highest here. If I modify the spell
models of the Magus World, I might achieve an even more astounding bonus to my power!'
Leylin touched his chin and watched the elemental map, his eyes glowing.

Meanwhile, his aura had already begun to change. A dim layer of light flickered into existence
and quickly covered his body. The entire space seemed to distort for a while, but at the same
time, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

Leylin suddenly sighed deeply, and his body seemed to incorporate itself seamlessly into the
surroundings.

"I've finally rid myself of that feeling of being spied on! World Will..." he sighed, tone showing
his relief. "Luckily, the protector of this world is similar to the consciousness of Gaia, and not
some living being. If not, I wouldn't have been able to dupe them so easily..."

After travelling to another world, there was an issue of how to deal with the ill intent from the
world.

The undulations of Morning Star Magi were as obvious as a lit torch in the darkness. It would
definitely attract the attention of the world, and things would be even more troublesome in a
world that was not their own.

If he completely infuriated the World Will, it was like inviting a god of death to his side. It would
bring about unceasing bad luck.

Even Morning Star Magi would be played to death, forget anyone else.

Leylin's aura changed, and he was now just like the occupants of this world, not standing out in
the least.

"This way, I have completely descended into this world. I wonder where Mentor Gilbert and the
others are..." Leylin furrowed his eyebrows, and a tremendous and terrifying soul force was
sent out to scan the surrounding areas.
Though soul force had no form and was intangible, the instant a Morning Star power exploded,
the entire space would seem to halt, and even the lava would stop roaring.

The world was a fiery red! With the spread of his soul force, he could see much more of the lava
river network. This place seemed like it was near a crater, with practically no signs of life.

The reason why he said there was practically none, was because Leylin had found a plant.

This was a plant similar to a Black Metal tree. The roots were fixed firmly in the ground, almost
entering the lava, and the whole trunk had a black luster. Even the high temperature of the lava
did not cause this tree to wither at all.

"At least there's some signs of life, or else I'd have assumed only elemental beings could survive
in this world..." Leylin nodded, but his expression suddenly changed as he glanced in a
direction.

There, he had keenly felt the undulations of some being, and it was a large one at that!

"The aboriginals?" Leylin chuckled. His body merged into the air, and began to move in the
direction that the energy had come from.

Not long after, he reached his destination and watched a large battle.

At one side of the battlefield was a group of beings, each two to three metres tall and looking
similar to humans. Even when boiling hot lava made contact with their glistening black skin, it
did not result in a large reaction, which meant their resistance to heat was very high. They also
had a single little horn on their heads.
There were about ten or so one-horned beings, holding black lances and other weapons as they
surrounded and attacked a giant monster.

This monster was completely red. There was a thick layer of rocks on its body that looked like a
shell, lines of lava flowing down like little streams.

It was ten or so metres tall, looking like a large worm with its lower body submerged in lava. It
seemed to be a being that lived only within the lava.

*Pak!* With a ferocious sweep, several of the one-horned beings were flung away, and the
creature spat out a golden liquid from its mouth. The liquid was of an unbelievably high
temperature, and the moment the liquid landed on the ground, it began to burn fiercely. Even
the one-horned beings were in trouble, and those that had the golden liquid splashed on them
immediately showed signs of burns appearing on their bodies.

"Kkngsg_fkamg-..." The few leaders of the one-horned race immediately began to yell using a
very strange method. They did not seem to employ vocal chords, instead making sounds
directly from the lower abdomen. It was similar to the ventriloquists from his previous world.

"As expected, I can't understand it at all..." Leylin was speechless, but luckily, issues like this
were not a huge problem. Secretly following them for a period of time and having the A.I. Chip
analyse their language would work, but Leylin had an even better method.

*Whoosh!* A thread of dim soul force quickly disappeared into the head of a one-horned being
who was heavily injured.

"Ugh..." That one-horned being began to struggle vigorously, and yet could only whimper
uselessly. His fellow clansmen thought he was crying out in pain, and hence this did not arouse
their interest.
Meanwhile, images flashed in front of Leylin's eyes like in a movie.

Soon enough, this being's entire life was presented before Leylin, from his birth, including his
growth, to his death. Everything was clearly recorded by the A.I. Chip.

[Beep! Identified unnamed language. Saving in database!] [Beep! Generated map of vicinity, as
well as basic information on Lava World and the races...]

From the great amount of memories, the A.I. Chip had found much useful information and
began to organise them systematically, sorting them into the corresponding fields of
knowledge.

"Good! Set the name of this unnamed language as 'Lava Language' and transmit it to my
memories!" Leylin immediately used this function.

In less than a second, Leylin had learnt the language of this world. Though they had different
bodies, that was a problem easily solved by magic and some illusions.

Only at this point did the meaning of the yells of those one-horned beings emerge in Leylin's
mind accurately.

"Wook'ma, leave!" A being with a body larger than the rest of the one-horned clansman stood
in front of the lava worm, pushing a one-horned being with a smaller stature away.

*Chik chik...* The giant lava worm roared, opening its mouth and swallowing this one-horned
being.
The one-horned being called Wook'ma was stunned as she sat on the ground, eyes losing their
focus.

"Damn it, Wook'la's finished. The ceremony is a failure. How were we so unlucky as to
encounter a lava worm?"

The other one-horned beings' faces were filled with remorse, and one of them began to curse,
"It must have something to do with Klin clan. When the time comes, I'll definitely kill them..."

Hearing this, bitter laughs sounded from the other one-horned beings. In this situation, being
able to survive was already a luxury. What was the point of saying things like that?

The terrifying spit of the lava worm had already reached Wook'ma, and it was much too late for
rescue attempts. A few of these clansmen closed their eyes, unable to watch.

Wook'ma had only just grown to adulthood, and was usually a passionate, bright child. To think
she would die here... A few other young clansmen were already roaring while they pounced
forward.

*Roar!* The expected pain did not come, and Wook'ma opened her eyes curiously, finding a
strange being in front of her.

This being looked very strange. He had no horns, no black skin, and physically looked small. He
looked about the size of a three or four year old in the clan.

However, it was this small figure that had easily blocked the attack of the lava worm, and from
the opponent's howls, there was a trace of... fear?
Yes, Wook'ma was sure of it. The powerful lava worm was actually afraid of this little thing.

"Are you alright?" The weird being in front of her spoke, using the language of her tribe.
Wook'ma naturally understood.

"I- I'm fine! Are you of the ant tribe? Though you don't have their feelers, your skin colour and
physique match!" Wook'ma seemed to have forgotten the danger in front of her and began to
strike up a conversation with Leylin.

Leylin was speechless at the actions of this tribe, and instead exerted strength in his arms.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* A giant red hand that was ten or so metres long fished the lava worm up
easily. Its five fingers exerted a force one by one, causing the lava worm to roar in pain.

Layer after layer of rock fragments peeled off and fell from its body, and by the time the
magma armour had disappeared, its physique had obviously become much smaller. Even its
aura had strangely weakened.

"Hm? Interesting." Leylin watched the magma shell dropping off. The golden liquid from before
was transported through a series of complicated pathways through which its effects were
amplified, turning from ordinary lava to the powerful golden lava.

"An amplification spell formation? But I don't see any resemblance to one..." Leylin's eyes
shone with interest, the large hand exerting more force. More layers fell from the lava worm's
body.

Yet another layer of magma fell, and the lava worm was now only two or three metres long. Its
aura suddenly weakened till it could not match up to the most ordinary one-horned clansmen.
'A.I. Chip, remember these patterns!' Leylin secretly commanded. There were many paths and
research methods in these other worlds, and also ample experimental materials. All of these
were things that Magi would go berserk over, and also one of the main reasons they were
willing to risk death to explore other worlds.

*Boom!* The last of the magma slid off, and the lava worm that had seemed enormous had
turned into a fat, meaty worm that was just over a metre long.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 545 - Unihorn Race

"Thank you for saving Wook'ma, revered Powerful One!"

Rather than the young female, two other one-horned beings came forward with their right arm
on their chest, doing a strange action.

"May I know the Powerful One's name?"

Leylin noticed an investigative glint that had been concealed well in their eyes. There were even
traces of suspicion, but he had already come up with a plan.

"I am Ley, of the winged people! I am currently travelling to learn more about different
cultures, so there is no need to thank me. The great will of lava was the one who orchestrated
all this..."
With the memories of that one-horned tribal, Leylin's speech was just like that of the Lava
World's aboriginals, and his disguise was seamless.

The so-called winged people were a shield Leylin had found for himself.

Through the other party's memories, he had found that all the different races of Lava World
looked totally different from regular Wooks, and only the winged people tribe were somewhat
similar. As for the wings? With his skills in magic as a Morning Star, creating two wings was too
simple.

"So you are a friend of the winged tribe! Welcome to the Blazing Thorn Land!"

The winged people were a peace-loving minority in the Lava World. They were usually scattered
throughout the land, and did not cause any trouble with any large organisations. Hence, these
two one-horned beings, even if they didn't let their guards down completely, lost a lot of their
suspicion. They invited Leylin enthusiastically to a city nearby to rest.

Leylin, who had other intentions, naturally rejected them for a while, before going with the
situation and agreeing.

Overjoyed, the two clansmen immediately used whatever they had at hand and conducted a
banquet in Leylin's honour.

What surprised Leylin the most was that their meal today was the lava worm. It had to be said
that when one repressed the disgust at placing the lava worm's meat in their mouth, the
expected terrible taste did not appear. The meat was actually similar to chicken, and also had a
fragrant and sweet juice; it was a rare delicacy.

This was especially true in the Lava World. Food that had high water content was actually one
of the rarest ingredients!

"Lord Ley, thank you so much! Also..." Wook'ma thanked Leylin with a tone full of admiration,
passing over a large portion of the meat of the worm.

"What is it?" Leylin answered, finding the situation funny.

"May... May I see your... wings? I've heard that the wings of the winged people are the most
beautiful things in the world!" Wook'ma's eyes were full of admiration, but that only had Leylin
feeling like laughing and crying at the same time.

"The most beautiful? I'm afraid us winged people can't take that title, but I can fulfill your
request." Leylin nodded, not caring if this was just the pure fantasies of a little girl, or if
someone was trying to sound him out.

After he stood up, the clothes on his back tore open, revealing a pair of large, snow-white
wings. When spread out, they were a good four or five metres long, and the wings that looked
like that of an angel wrapped Leylin within. At the edges of these fine, pure white feathers,
there were traces of a golden luster.

'With this appearance, I could even pretend to be an angel in my previous world...' Leylin
thought with a laugh. At the same time, he saw that behind Wook'ma, who looked full of
admiration, the other two one-horned clansmen were surprised.

Based on their previous conversation, Leylin knew that one was called Wook'e, and the other
was Wook'bor. They were part of the largest one-horned clan nearby, the Wook Clan.

In the Lava World, matured one-horned clansmen had to hunt for food by themselves, a rite of
passage.
However they had been unlucky, or rather been plotted against. That was why they had
encountered a lava worm, and an enraged one at that. If not for Leylin acting, these people
might all have died here.

"Mister Ley, I heard that you're a traveller. Can you tell me stories about other places?"
Wook'ma's hands were under her chin as she laid on her stomach in front of Leylin like a
curious baby.

Combined with her almost three-metre-tall stature and horn, she gave off an appearance that
would scare any regular child into crying in his previous world. The contrast was stark.

"This... Please wait for a while. I still want to discuss something with your uncles!" Leylin smiled.
All the information he had obtained had come from the unlucky guy who had died. If he was
asked about some other matters, that might expose his identity, and he had hence quickly
changed the subject.

"Alright! Wook'ma, go to bed. We still have things to discuss with Mister Ley!"

Wook'e stood up. He sent the pouting Wook'ma away and chuckled, finding this embarrassing,
"My apologies, Mister Ley, she's only a child!"

"Indeed, I don't blame her," Leylin shook his head. The glint from his eyes made the two
clansmen afraid to look him in the eye. "But... Why did you try to probe me?"

"Nothing gets past Mister!" Wook'e and Wook'bor exchanged a glance and began laughing
wryly.
The blazing bonfire gradually died out, and only the red lava river in the distance slowly emitted
dark red rays. The flickering flames covered the faces of these beings, giving a feeling of light
and darkness being unable to be determined.

Leylin, who was listening to these two speak, also had a grim expression as he nodded or shook
his head from time to time, looking to be deep in thought.

......

The next day, Wook'e and Wook'bor announced that Leylin would temporarily join and return
with them. This immediately resulted in many cheers, with Wook'ma's the loudest.

Seeing Wook'e and Wook'bor's confident expressions, Leylin had the urge to laugh.

Last night, they had told him about some conflict between organisations and some persecution
they were facing. Though Leylin had not understood much, nor could he be bothered to, his
expression looked like he understood completely. His outward hatred immediately netted a
favourable opinion from these two.

From the looks of it, they seemed to think of him as a reliable power. Or rather... as a saviour of
sorts?

Leylin found this hilarious, but had to endure it.

"Mister Ley, what are you thinking about..." Wook'ma immediately began to cling to him, and
Leylin pressed against his forehead with nothing to say.
Leylin could work independently and find where the large creatures gathered, searching the
strongest one's soul and therefore obtaining more information in a convenient manner.
However, this would cause a huge ruckus and arouse needless suspicion, as well as the
attention from the world's will. The cons outweighed the pros.

Even without attention from the world's will, the Lava World was a world and definitely had
someone with a battle might of at least the Morning Star realm. The moment he besieged and
enraged large powers, even Leylin could not be certain he would be able to escape safely.

His motive was to save the two Kemoyin Dukes, which was why he had to maintain a low profile
until he found them.

Though this method of blending in was slightly troublesome, the advantage was the safety, and
there weren't any loopholes.

What allowed Leylin to feel at ease was that time flowed different in other worlds and in the
Magus World. One year might have passed in the Magus World while only a month or even a
few days had passed here, which was why he still had plenty of time.

"Since Jupiter's Lightning set up a trap here, they must have found this world's coordinates long
ago and occupied an area here..."

Leylin's thoughts began to gain clarity.

"Perhaps even that Radiant Moon Magus has quite a few clones here in charge. They might
have set up some traps and are waiting for me to get caught, which is why I can't make
mistakes..."

After following the group for a few days, a silhouette of a black city could be seen in the
distance.

That was a giant city of rock. Whether it was the houses or city walls, they were all made of
giant black boulders. Though the city wall was low, the men of another race who were standing
tall above it were robust and valiant.

"We're home!" Many single-horned clansmen immediately cheered, but at the thought of their
siblings who had died, they could not help but begin to lower their heads and weep.

......

'This is a place where intelligent beings gather, but my soul force has yet to make any
discoveries of them...' His concealed soul force swept through the place, but Leylin's expression
did not change despite his sighing inside.

In a palace constructed of large black rocks, Leylin saw the leader of the one-horned race's
Wook Clan. These leaders were usually called the "Intellectual One."

"Revered Intellectual One, please accept the blessings of a guest from far away!" Following
custom, Leylin placed a few portions of lava worm meat in front of a wrinkled one-horned being
as a gift.

At this moment, only the two of them were in the large palace. Wook'e and the rest had long
since hurried back.

"Lava worm? These beings usually like to stay in lava and seldom come out. After being
aggravated, they will explode with terrifying lava attacks. It's all thanks to you that Wook'ma
and the rest could return safely!"
The elderly Intellectual One nodded, grabbing at the lava worm and beginning to eat without
reservations. Juice splashed everywhere and fell from the corner of its mouth, droplets landing
on the straw mat.

This was a tradition of the one-horned race. Enjoying the gift in front of the guest was a sign of
respect.

Leylin appeared to be sitting at a side respectfully, though in actuality, his soul force had
already covered the surroundings.

"This intellectual being has pretty good abilities, at the strength of a rank 1 or 2 Magus. It's a
pity that it's still too weak..."

The old one-horned clansman obviously did not notice Leylin's gaze that held pity, and when it
was done with the meal, it touched its lips. "Well then, is there anything I can help you with?
Just say the word!"

"Of course! I have a difficult problem that I need your help with..." Leylin smiled slowly while
softly stating his request.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 546 - Rank

It was the early morning and the air was refreshing, a situation that seldom occurred. Even the
lava rivers weren't boiling hot right now.
The large black city gates opened slowly, and a small caravan made its way through.

Within the caravan were many black one-horned clansmen. Their mode of transport was a giant
creature that looked like a snail. Their shells towered high, a few openings in them made
expressly for the easy retrieval of items.

There were no goods in the huge shell of the largest mount, and only a space that was specially
cleared for Leylin to sit in, with his legs crossed.

Though this snail's movements weren't especially quick, it was advantageous in that there were
practically no jolts from the travel. Even the temperature of this place was different from that
of the surroundings, and it left Leylin feeling very satisfied.

At the thought of the unwillingness to part on Uma's face, as well as Wook'e and Wook'bo's
stunned expressions, Leylin had the urge to laugh.

He had no plans on interfering with matters relating to other races. That 'Intellectual One' had
also known from the aura undulations that Leylin had intentionally emanated, that he was not
to be provoked, and did not want to keep a time bomb like Leylin around.

Hence, everything clicked together. The one-horned race immediately agreed to bring Leylin
along on their next travel. With the travelling merchants as the guide, they brought Leylin to a
bigger city.

In all honesty, compared to the city where many different races lived together in harmony, the
black city that the one-horned race had built was like a town in the countryside.
"Woking City! The largest city in the Blazing Thorn Land. I hope it won't let me down!" Leylin's
eyes flashed with a glint that nobody could see through, while his hands began to move quickly.

Large amounts of Magus materials were fished out of his spatial ring and arranged to form a
small-scale spell formation.

The whole process was covert, and not the slightest sound was made. It was not just the one-
horned beings outside. Even the snail that Leylin was sitting on did not feel it.

*Buzz...* An extremely slight undulation that only Morning Star ranked Kemoyin Warlocks could
detect was transmitted into the distance.

"Go!" Two dull spiritual flames appeared on Leylin's hands, quickly disappearing into the spell
formation.

Following that, Leylin closed his eyes, a thread of soul force linking with the spell formation. His
mind seemed to pass through the snail shell and arrive outside, spreading further.

A long while later, Leylin opened his eyes and shook his head.

'It still isn't working! This is the limit of what I can do. I'm afraid the two Dukes aren't in this
region...' Leylin sighed, his expression complicated.

A world was much too large. It could be said that the Lava World far surpassed the central
continent in terms of surface area. To find two people in such a large area, a needle in a
haystack couldn't even begin to describe it.
Though Gilbert and the rest were Morning Star Warlocks and would definitely make a name for
themselves wherever they were, one had to remember that Jupiter's Lightning definitely had an
organisation here. It was possible that before he could even find Gilbert, the Radiant Moon
Magi would be at his doorstep wanting his life.

'But... Morning Star strength is rare even in other worlds. If I was a Magus from Jupiter's
Lightning, I would probably scheme to seize control of large-scale organisations and find a way
to lure other members to come over as well...'

Leylin began to envisage the plans that Gilbert and the others would make after coming here
suddenly, and immediately had several trains of thought.

'I'm afraid I'll have to go to other large cities. Intelligence groups there must have the
information I want!' Leylin's eyes shone, and he pointed at the spell formation in mid-air.

A layer of crimson flames immediately started to rage, swallowing the spell formation and the
two soul fires within.

In the crimson flames, the spell formation that had originally been large and oversized shrunk
down into little droplets that rolled around and disappeared into a soul crystal.

When the crimson flames had died out, all that was left was a red crystal the size of a fist.

At the heart of the crystal were two fine silver-white flames that intertwined, forming the
strange shape of the Ouroboros.

'Alright! The sensing technique has been set. I won't need to go through the troublesome task
of setting up a spell formation every single time in the future.' Leylin looked relaxed as he kept
the crystal properly. Immediately after, he felt the whole group come to a halt.
"What's going on?" Furrowing his brows, Leylin opened the shell of the snail and went outside.

"Mister Ley, there's a battle going on outside. The undulations have already reached the Earth
grade, hence I've ordered the group to stop!" A giant one-horned clansman came before Leylin,
looking very respectful.

Initially, he had had qualms regarding Intellectual One's plans, but after Leylin had shown some
tricks, the other party was immediately taken in. His gaze towards Leylin was full of deference.

"Oh? I didn't notice that just now." Leylin nodded, spreading a pair of large white wings from
his back. A powerful strength flowed through them, allowing his body to fly into the air.

This expansive view immediately allowed him to view the scene far away.

Energy undulations were spread recklessly, and two figures moved to and fro in the lava, filling
the whole sky with magma droplets.

"Indeed, energy at the Earth grade," Leylin nodded.

This world naturally did not have the same classification system as the Magus World, but
several beings with extraordinary strength still existed here, though the differences in ranking
were not as distinct.

From what Leylin knew, individuals who had exemplary abilities only had a few divisions.
Exemplary, Earth, Sky, Star!
Based on Leylin's understanding, 'Exemplary' referred to knights and acolytes, and they were
beings which possessed the slightest bit of extraordinary strength. They were the lowest
stratum. Earth referred to the equivalents of official Magi, or perhaps those who could reach
rank 2. Similarly, Sky were the strong ones, as strong as rank 3! And those of Star rank were
beings who existed in legends and myths, and were on par with the Magus World's Morning
Star Magi.

The classification of 'Stars' allowed Leylin to guess that Lava World definitely had been
influenced by the Magus World. Or, at least, there had been a few Morning Star Magi that had
paid attention to this world.

If not, the classification of Stars would not be so similar.

As for strength, the one-horned race that Leylin had seen up to this point depended completely
on their body. Only the Intellectual One he saw that day seemed to have awakened some
magical ability, which was rather decent.

The two beings of another race that were fighting in front of Leylin paled in comparison to the
Intellectual One from before, whether in terms of the intensity of their energy or undulations.

However, after observing for a long while, Leylin made a discovery, "A summoning ability? And
it's the power of a totem?"

These two were obviously not of the one-horned race. One of them was extremely obese, to
the point that their waist couldn't even be seen. A long nose hung from its face, making it look
like an upright elephant, except that its skin was bright yellow.

The other was green, and from the big-headed race. It had an exceptionally small body and very
nimble arms, with many runes and spell patterns rolling from its fingertips and being carved
into the ground.
"Ignite!" With its voice, the image on the ground suddenly brightened, a layer of soil solidifying
to form a berserk bear-like creature.

A pentagonal spell formation appeared on the elephant clansman, and in the next moment, the
space seemed to shatter. A large double-headed cheetah descended from another space.

The two creatures looked each other face to face, and then began to tear at one another
viciously, powerful energy undulations sweeping through the region.

'There's a shadow of the Magus World here! It seems that the ancient Magus World once took
over many worlds and made use of the strengths of this place, giving rise to many strength-
based systems. Looks like the rumours were real!'

Leylin watched on with interest, occasionally finding traces of some systems similar to that in
the Magus World from their usage of energy.

However, his attitude of watching leisurely had clearly offended the two of them.

"You damned bird person. What are you looking at?" The elephant man roared, and it
summoned a large goshawk, its sharp feathers and claws like steel as they emanated glints that
inspired terror.

The goshawk cawed out and pounced towards Leylin, its large talons seemingly able to tear
through anything.

The other opponent seemed to have slowed his movements, standing aside and waiting to
watch a good show.
"Really..." Leylin couldn't help but shake his head, watching the goshawk that was throwing
itself at him speechlessly. Never did he expect that watching such a spectacle could cause
trouble.

'Summoning methods can technically be divided into elemental summoning, spatial

summoning, bloodline summoning, all the way to the greatest, which is world summoning! The
summoning methods here are probably those of the lowest level, spatial summoning. They can
only instantly summon contracted beings of this world before the summoner...'

Leylin touched his chin, watching the goshawk that was pouncing over, and suddenly laughed.

For some reason, after seeing that smile, the elephant man on the ground felt a chill, as if he
had done something very wrong.

Soul force invaded the insides of the goshawk's mind. Leylin immediately found a spell
formation that symbolised a contract. It was twinkling, and as if it had discovered the invasion
of another being, it began to retaliate.

However, soul force was far too powerful. With just a sweep, the elephant man's low-grade
spiritual force was utterly defeated, and the spiritual branding had also been erased. The large
goshawk felt giddy and suddenly found the white-winged person in front of it favourable,
circling around Leylin.

"Impossible!" The intense spiritual attack, as well as the erasing of his mark immediately caused
the elephant man to be seriously injured.

He involuntarily cried out and spat a mouthful of fresh blood, crumbling down on the spot.
The other opponent seemed to be scared out of its wits and stayed rooted to the spot.

How could this summoning partner of his be defeated in such a straightforward manner? The
green-skinned clansman felt like his thoughts came crashing down.

He was beginning to pity his opponent. Just a casual act had provoked such a terrifying
existence. They had to be at least of the Sky rank!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 547 - Woking City

"Mister Ley!" The rest of the Wooks celebrated upon Leylin's return, worship in their eyes.
There was a respect for power that was imprinted into their very bloodlines, and now it had
shown itself.

"It's all settled, let's continue!" Leylin returned to the seat in the giant snail shell, looking calm.

Indeed, the two rank 1 Magi did not warrant Leylin's attention. However, it had surprised Leylin
how much the A.I. Chip had advanced after deriving the energy transformation formulas of the
rank 1 Magi.

[Beep! Decoding of 15 rank 1 Fire element spells, 7 rank 2 spells and 3 rank 3 spells has been
completed.]

Leylin's face broke into a smile after hearing the notice from the A. I. Chip.
Due to the difference in the rules of the Lava World, spell models of the Magus world could not
directly be used in it, and had to be slightly altered.

For other Magi to do such a thing would require a lot of research; something that was
potentially troublesome. The spells had to each be studied and analysed individually.

However, Leylin had the ability to analyse the spells in batches and instantly managed to
understand many of the spells.

'In this case, I can recover most of my strength before we reach Woking...' A streak of light
flashed and he slowly closed his eyes.

The giant caravan started to move slowly after the short pause, the Wook clansmen at ease.

After all, with the almighty Mister Ley overseeing them, there was not much to worry about
during the journey, be it the bandits of the wilderness or disasters of nature and beasts.

As a matter of fact, with Leylin around, they were rarely affected by natural disaster, and even
avoided huge crises many times.

After some time, The one-horned race eventually worshipped Leylin like a god. They had never
been at such ease before, usually losing more than half their merchants and consuming large
amounts of supplies for every trip.

Their parting with Leylin was full of reluctance. The chief of the caravan tried his best to
persuade Leylin not to leave, even hinting that he could stay even if the Intellectual One
refused.
But how would Leylin agree? He left with a smile.

Woking City, the largest city in the Blazing Thorn Land.

The entire city was built in a huge barren desert, with raging winds roaring every once in a
while. The place appeared desolate.

But Leylin knew that such living conditions were considered exemplary in the Lava World. In the
Lava World, the intelligent creatures thrived best in the areas where there was no lava flow.
Other than the pure fire elemental creatures, few species would enjoy living near the edge of
the lava. In here, other than the shortcoming that the temperature was slightly higher, it wasn't
very much different from that of the deserts in the Magus World, and hence was considered
conditions that were good enough.

"Nevertheless, these non-human species are really..."

The dress code and appearances of the Magi in Woking City differed greatly from what he was
used to. Leylin was a little speechless at the unique structure of the buildings and the large
crowd of passersby, who were predominantly non-human.

To Leylin's surprise, the one-horned race whom he had encountered early were actually more
human than most, at least they looked similar to normal humans.

With non-humans who had numerous eyes and limbs were barely considered normal, Leylin
was completely shocked when he saw a humongous green caterpillar, with hat and stick, in a
store. It, ignorant of his gaze, was in a heated argument with the store's owner.

Despite his adventure experience in the Magus world, Leylin had mostly only been exposed to
humans. Although the central continent held many non-humans, humans were still the majority
while the rest eked out an existence in the shadows, even if they were mixed bloods who
looked human.

However, in this place, Leylin felt like he was the odd one out. This feeling of isolation was new
to him, and interesting.

"No wonder the antique books say that the process of conquering a foreign world is actually a
great challenge for Magi. It's extremely difficult to even think of such a thing now, especially the
act of going against the whole world by oneself. Truly, insane..."

Flames fumed in Leylin's eyes as he mumbled under his breath, his eyes flashing with
excitement. "I really wish to give it a try... The feeling of conquering a world..."

His exclamation was well and good, but time had arrived that he settle serious matters.

Leylin stopped a long-haired, two headed green being that was drooling out some unknown
liquid.

"I need to get some information, is there any place can fulfil my needs? If u can bring me there,
this will be yours!" Leylin took out a pinkish crystal and tossed it in front of the non-human,
making his eyes brighten up.

"I– I'll bring you there!" The sturdy man by the side of the two-headed being hemmed and
hawed, as if he had to invest a lot of energy in speaking each and every word.

"Great! After you!" Leylin's eyes flashed with a trace of a smile.

......

Clearly, the two headed being was pretty familiar with streets of Woking, every step of his long
legs taking him a few meters ahead. He was originally worried that Leylin could not keep up
with him, but after seeing Leylin at ease he sped up.

When they reached a remote alley, the two-headed fellow turned around and stammered,
"Right– right here!"

"Is it?" Leylin looked around. The huge shadow of the building covered the region, blotting out
the sun and leaving the entire place in darkness.

A tinge of a sombre mood was felt, and there was not a single person around.

"Hehehe, look, what Strap brought us!" A green, multi-limbed being who looked like a
grasshopper climbed along the side of the wall. The pair of crimson eyes on top of its triangular
head stared at Leylin with a malicious intent.

"Ant Tribe? Or Winged Tribe? Whatever, Old Hawk will surely pay a high price for his meat
anyway... "

In concert with his voice, many other non-humans climbed out of the corners, all looking
bloodthirsty and ferocious.

"I knew it... I just knew it would turn out this way..." Leylin sighed helplessly, "Why do you want
to force me to use violence when we can resolve this peacefully?"
Leylin's puzzled look made the nonhumans tremble, feeling as if they had done something
wrong.

"Just as well! In any case, I'm short on quite a few foreign specimens!"

Leylin played with the ring on his finger, gracefully taking out a silver surgical knife. He looked
focused and devoted.

......

"Oh no! Please let me go! I don't know anything, they forced me..."

Half an hour later, the alley was filled with the reek of blood. All the non-humans had
disappeared, leaving behind only the two headed being kneeling on the ground, begging for
mercy.

However, it was a high-pitched female voice this time, coming from the other head.

"Really?" Leylin wiped the silvery surgical knife, mirth in his eyes. It terrified the two-headed
being, whose hair stood on ends.

"I can help! I know the best information broker in the city, it's Old Jake. I'm telling the truth! He
even knows things about other worlds! I can bring you there right now!" The being revealed its
intelligence at the boundary between life and death, finally securing its life from the surgical
knife Leylin had placed in front of it.

"Good! Bring me to him now!" The surgical knife stopped right before the being's eyes, only a
millimetre away.

"Yes, Master! I will bring you there now..." The creature wept, even wanting to die. If not for
the fact that it was in its resting period and if it had let its younger brother go out instead, it
would never have come near a malefic like Leylin.

It was useless to say anything now, though. It knew very well that it would end up like the
scattered piles of flesh and bones if it did not bring Leylin to his destination and help him get
what he wanted.

It was no doubt that he was the local tyrant. In a short while, he had brought Leylin to an
extensive basement area.

Leylin got excited upon entering the place. This atmosphere of this place was pervaded with
feelings of passion, madness, and death, causing the darkness elemental particles to be very
concentrated here.

'It wouldn't take too long for this kind of place to give normal humans a mental disorder...'
Leylin stroked his chin, followed after the two-headed being.

"What brings you here Strap? Do you wanna play some games?" A creature with the head of an
ox patted the two headed creature's shoulder with great strength. His right leg was missing,
instead replaced with a giant metal limb.

Leylin smelled an odour similar to that of marijuana from the ox-head, coming from the crimson
drink in his hand. It seemed to be an alcoholic drink of this world.

"No, I'm here for Old Jake! You see..." The two headed being pointed at Leylin and started to
whisper to the ox-head with flattery.
"Off you go!" The Ox-head took another look at Leylin, perhaps it was the attractive thin figure
of Leylin that set him off guard.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 548 - Underground Wrestling Match

Passing through a rusty metal door, Leylin entered a large underground arena.

There were cheers, howls, even berserk roars sounding incessantly. At times one could hear the
sound of weapons clashing, at others the sound of a body being pierced.

The atmosphere was insane. The audience, who were composed of multiple races, waved
pieces of paper in their hands as they yelled towards the middle of the arena.

"This..." Leylin looked down towards the centre with interest, and immediately made a
discovery.

In a large cage made of steel was a were-lion with golden fur. It was matched against several
large monsters.

These monsters looked like eight-legged crocodiles with mouths full of sharp teeth.

Their mouths actually looked like saws with all the sharp teeth, boasting a viciousness and
frightening power that would cause weaker beings to faint.
Their opponent, the were-lion, was unarmed, and could only fight these monsters with its own
fists. Heaps of muscles bulged on its body, holding in store its formidable strength.

Just as Leylin glanced over, it mercilessly grabbed onto one of the crocodiles' tails and ruthlessly
flung it onto a metal bad. A large number of metallic thorns stabbed into the creature's body,
and blood gushed out. The injury looked fatal.

In exchange, the were-lion's back now had several bloody scratches that were dripping with
blood.

"A place for underground wrestling, with bets and alcohol?" Leylin nodded, beginning to have
some expectations towards Old Jake.

The heads of such underground organisations were usually the people who acquired intel the
most effectively. He would definitely have a huge network.

After all, selling information was very profitable, and he would definitely not let this
opportunity go.

"Come with me!" The ox-head limped as he led the way, guiding Leylin through several bar
counters where many were raising their wine cups and roaring madly. He then opened a small
wooden door.

This door truly was tiny. Leylin's physique would be considered slender among the races of this
world, and even he had to lower his head, half bowing before he could enter.

*Boom!* The sturdy wooden door closed, isolating the room from the clamour outside.
The moment before the door closed, Leylin vaguely saw the were-lion successfully taking care
of two other monster crocodiles. Though it had paid a large price, it had still managed to keep
its life.

Large numbers of bets failed, and those who had lost their money bellowed, the cacophony
almost overturning the entire arena.

And still, when the wooden door closed, it was as if everything outside had no relation to this
place.

"Serenity and insanity are only separated by a single door. Isn't that feeling amazing, Mister Ley
from the one-horned race's territory?"

A dwarf that was around a metre tall walked out. It had on a long silver robe, the bottom
dragging on the ground. It held the same wine cup as the rest, an excited blush on its face.

Its eyes, however, were cold. They were like a mass of ice, not a single ripple within them.

'A rational lunatic!' That was Leylin's first impression if this dwarf. For it to be able to take
control of such a large organisation, it was evidently not a simple character.

"You know me?" Leylin had arrived at the Lava World a few days ago, and he had only made
contact with the one-horned race. The knowledge that the other party had found information
on him so quickly caused him to be delighted. In this case, there was a higher chance of his
plans being realised.

"Of course! There are few who can defeat the summoner, Klito. A Sky ranked master is
definitely worthy of my respect!" The dwarf bowed slightly, and Leylin was moved.

It must have been a member of the ant race with its brown skin and two little antennae. For
some reason, it had broken away from its community and formed a large underground
organisation in Woking City.

"Was it the merchants of the one-horned city?" Leylin pondered over it for a moment and
immediately answered. Pretty much the only ones who knew him in the entirety of Woking City
was that lot.

"Indeed, it was them! Since they were escorted by Mister Ley, I've already sent down orders
that all their goods will be sold off at 10% higher than the market price!"

The dwarf of the ant race invited Leylin to take a seat, and personally poured a glass of
something similar to red wine for him slowly.

The slight smell of alcohol, mixed with all kinds of fermented items that had anaesthetic effects
immediately surrounded Leylin's nostrils.

"The alcohol of other races is really terrifying. They aren't even afraid of harming their
bodies..."

Leylin shook his head, a little speechless. Though he was not afraid of these with the quality of
his body, his tastes were well-developed. Such a crudely-made thing was not worthy of his
attention, even if this alcohol was the best out of this dwarf's collection.

"Alright, respected guest! May I know your purpose in seeking out pitiful old Jake?" Seeing
Leylin putting the wine cup down without taking a sip, Jake's expression did not change. He'd
taken the initiative to bring up the topic, his eyes smiling.
"Everything!" Leylin chuckled lightly.

"Everything?!" Jake cried out involuntarily. "What do you mean by everything?"

"All the intelligence you have. Everything you know. That includes this region, as well as other
areas. Whether it's a big or small issue, I want everything as long as it's valuable..." Leylin's
voice was low, and had a unique charm to it.

"Hehe... Mr Ley, do you know how much this information will cost?" Jake laughed, but his voice
turned cold.

"I know, but I can definitely afford it!" Leylin answered without hesitation.

"What are you going to use to pay for it?" Jake had already assumed he'd met a lunatic, or
someone with a screw loose.

"Your life. Is that enough?" Leylin spoke coldly.

"Crap!" Upon hearing Leylin's words, Jake immediately bowed and retreated, throwing himself
behind a study table with a jump. With a push of some mechanism, a defensive layer of energy
appeared instantly.

Its movements were fluid, as if it had trained for this countless of times.

Only after the layer rose did its expression become calm. A sneer raised on its lips, "Mr Ley,
don't you think you're going too far for a mere guest?"
"I've never felt that way towards the weak!" Leylin's voice was dull, and that caused Jake's face
to flush.

As if Leylin's words had touched on some nerve, Jake instantly grew furious.

"Get him!" It called out suddenly, and a pink mist filled the room. Two figures rushed out from
within, emanating powerful energy undulations.

"The two mice finally dare show themselves. You're only at the Sky rank, is that so amazing?"
Leylin laughed slightly, a dark green layer of energy appearing from his body as a large hand
grabbed forwards.

*Boom!* Space itself seemed to freeze in place, and the two fierce black figures halted
abruptly. Leylin held each of them by the neck.

What appeared in his hands were two other dwarves that looked very similar to Jake. Energy
undulations similar to that of a rank 3 Magus were continually emitted from them, but to Leylin
this was far too weak. They were like a candle in a hurricane, a random wisp of wind enough to
destroy them.

"Is this all you have to depend on? Any others?" Leylin opened his mouth, and a vortex
appeared in the air. The pink mist that had pervaded the air was sucked into Leylin's stomach.

One of those that Leylin was holding suddenly seemed to recall something, and even began to
stutter, "This powerful? You– You're a Star rank..."

He sent the two flying, and they fell with a thud, fainting from their injuries.
*Swish!* Seeing Leylin unravelling his trap and defeating two Sky ranks so easily, Jake, who was
within the defensive layer, could only grit his teeth and remove it, kneeling before him.

"Revered Master Ley, please forgive the petty me for offending you unknowingly. Jake is willing
to hand over all power and information to you..."

"You're smart and understand the situation. Good, I like people like you!" A smile appeared on
Leylin's face, but to Jake it looked like that of a devil.

"I don't want your organisation or anything like that. I just need some information from you.
Because you're tactful, I'll only purge a portion of your memories. Don't worry..."

Hearing Leylin's words, Jake immediately knelt in gratitude, while forcing a laugh inside.

Just a Star rank was enough to destroy Woking City, and he had no means of fighting back.

......

A few hours later, Leylin who had obtained what he wanted, left the Underground Wrestling
Arena, satisfied.

The atmosphere in the arena was still very heated. Now, however, there were great battles
between various races. Leylin even saw a few one-horned clansmen who were mere cannon
fodder.

The soundproofing effects of the wooden door were superb. There seemed to be some spell
formation, and even though Leylin had caused a mess inside, nobody outside found out.

Even that ox-headed person would not know that over the course of the past few hours, the
leader of their organisation had thoroughly bowed down at the hands of this young being of a
different race.

Of course, Leylin spurned the head of an underground organisation. After using methods of
psychological hints to confirm that it had handed over all the information, he had immediately
modified its memories and even created a fake experience. This completely concealed the
happenings of the day.

After leaving the arena, Leylin found a random inn and, after paying with precious gems,
received a large house.

Of course, this wealth had been obtained with the generous sponsorship of Old Jake.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 549 - Emberwing Race

The Lava World was vast, and a few hundred years would not be enough to traverse the entire
world.

Based on the information he obtained from Jake, this continent that Leylin was on was the
largest in the Lava World, called 'Blazing Crown'.

Around Blazing Crown, was an ocean formed of lava. Within this lava ocean were all kinds of
terrifying high-energy beings, and it was a much more dangerous place than the oceans in the
Magus World.

Hence, communication between Blazing Crown and the other continents was minimal. Even the
most powerful extraordinary ones rarely left the continent.

To Jake's knowledge, Blazing Crown was the heart of the Lava World. The other 'continents'
were merely slightly large islands.

'What an interesting world! An ocean formed of lava? If those fire-elemental Magi were to find
out about this place, they would be willing to migrate over even if it cost them a fortune.' Leylin
touched his chin, beginning to browse through the intelligence he had obtained from Jake.

Though the information was very complicated, the A.I. Chip had recorded everything and could
quickly filter out the wrong and useless information, leaving behind the great amounts of
valuable intel. It then combined a few pieces that seemed to be linked.

Soon, Leylin managed to form an image of the true Lava World.

This was a world of flames. Fire elemental beings and lava creatures occupied over 80% of the
area here. The one-horned race, as well as the ant race that Jake was a part of, could only
somewhat survive at the edges of the continent.

On the complete map of the continent, there were no signs of the single-horned city. Woking
City was merely a black dot at the edge, and was basically a remote and desolate place.

Three organisations stood at the apex of Blazing Crown.

There was the Divineflame Empire made entirely of fire elemental beings. The Atlan Union was
made up of the Emberwing race, a life form similar to humans, and then the Allied Kingdom
was made up of the rest. There weren't any others at the same level as them.

Of these three, the Divineflame Empire was the most powerful. The Atlan Union and Allied
Kingdom had to collaborate to stave off their invasions.

Wars were incessantly fought as they tried to seize good territory from the lava and fire
elemental beings. It was to the point that huge military campaigns were launched every few
years.

As for the divisions in their ranks, it was the same as what he'd already encountered. The
weakest was Exemplary, followed by Earth, Sky, and Star.

As for those above the Star rank, beings that possessed the strength of Radiant Moon Magi, he
hadn't come across any such thing. Although it could just be that Jake's organisation hadn't
acquired that level of information yet.

Even so, Leylin's current strength allowed him to do as he liked in the Lava World as long as the
other Star ranks or Jupiter's Lightning didn't set their sights on him.

"If I were Gilbert and the others, I would either find a place and hide myself completely, or build
an organisation in secret that would give off a distinct signal to the outside, letting any rescuers
know where I am...."

Leylin's eyes flashed, and the A.I. Chip immediately began to search through the data.

Soon enough, a distinct heading attracted Leylin's attention. "Riot at Eastern City of Atlan
Union. Rebel army 'Triserpent Sect' has taken responsibility for the event. There are conjectures
that this could be a retaliation in response to the large-scaled attack of the Union..."

"Triserpent Sect?" This phrase that was full of meaning immediately got him to make a mental
association.

"Isolate all information about the Triserpent Sect!" Leylin commanded. With the keyword
found, the A.I. Chip's search went more quickly. Almost instantly, information relating to the
Triserpent Sect was projected in front of him.

Through reading this information, Leylin gained a deeper understanding of this organisation.

The Triserpent Sect, which was also called the Triserpent Resistance Army, was an up-and-
coming organisation, and its development was rapid. With the goal of overthrowing the rule of
the Atlan Union, their operations were unpredictable and very much supported by the lower
class commoners.

It was said that there were three heads of the Triserpent Sect, and they were terribly powerful,
the Atlan Union's attempts at cornering and annihilating them were to no avail.

However, days ago, the Atlan Union had suddenly announced that they had achieved victory
while trying to eliminate the Triserpent Sect. Not only had they destroyed many of its branches,
they had even killed the head.

The news of rebellion that Leylin had seen was retaliation launched by the Triserpent Sect.

"Triserpent Sect? Interesting! Is it really the three dukes, or is this bait?" Leylin touched his chin,
but it was obvious that in the Atlan Union, there were clues of the location of the two Morning
Star dukes!
For this reason, Leylin had to go there no matter what.

'I keep having this feeling that the Atlan Union is very suspicious.' Leylin touched his chin and
sank deep into thought.

The three dukes had no grudge against the Atlan Union. Why would they suddenly attack
them? Unless... They had made some astounding discovery in the Atlan Union!

'Come to think of it, Jupiter's Lightning found this world first. It would be strange if they did not
painstakingly manage it. Hence, if the ones working behind the scenes in the Atlan Union were
Jupiter's Lightning, that would explain everything...'

Leylin wondered as explored different possible solutions.

Compared to the Divineflame Empire that was against all foreigners and full of fire elementals,
the Atlan Union formed of the Emberwing race similar to humans were easier to manipulate.

On top of that, their strength was only second to the Divineflame Empire in Blazing Crown, and
was more suited to the needs of the Morning Star Magi of Jupiter's Lightning.

However, while this made sense logically, Leylin believed things could not be so simple. The
same intuition that had helped him obtain astonishing harvests during dangerous moments was
blaring sirens at him.

'No matter what it is, I need to go the Atlan Union! As for the Triserpent Sect, we'll see...' Leylin
sighed.
......

Boiling lava and fiery red light formed the only luster of the Lava World. And yet, even under
this dazzling redness, life was growing stubbornly.

This was a grassland, and little steel trees similar to the one Leylin had seen before and filled
the area, along with vegetation whose leaves had jagged edges. A few slender channels of lava
could be seen every once in a while, flowing past like little streams in the grasslands. Yet, they
could not harm the area at all.

These plants that were like grass that had their roots firmly and deeply in the ground, even
boring into the lava and absorbing its energy for their growth.

The stubbornness for life had Leylin feeling surprised.

"Uncle Ley! Why do you like watching this iron-thread grass?" A very fair girl cloaked in red
darted over, the sparse red feathers covering her forehead bouncing up and down.

This girl was no different from an ordinary human child, if one disregarded the feathers on her
forehead and on the back of her hand.

This was the Emberwing race. In the Lava World, besides fire elemental life forms, they were
the largest racial group, and formed the largest group in the Atlan Union.

"I just like them for their resilience!" Leylin chuckled as he handed over a large piece of meat to
her. "Take this! I'm afraid we'll have to part here."
"Uncle Ley, are you leaving?" The little girl sucked on her finger, looking reluctant.

Though they had met on the road, the powerful aura of this clansman even had her father in
awe. Based on her father's guesses, this Mister Ley must be at least an Earth rank working hard
to temper oneself and fervently hoping to advance to a higher realm.

"Brother Ley, are you already leaving?" Not long after, another large man of the Emberwing
race rushed over. He had obviously just heard the news, and looked anxious.

Leylin now had a few fine red feathers on his forehead. This was the appearance of the
Emberwing race.

In the Atlan Union, it was much too eye-catching if he were to continue pretending to be of the
winged race.

"Yes! Working hard in this world can't stimulate my progress anymore. Hence, I've decided to
join the army! Perhaps competing against those evil fire elementals of the Divineflame Empire
will help me advance to a higher level!"

Leylin's expression was callous, "Besides, I've had a dream since I was young. I wanted to punish
those flame bastards with my iron fist... Just in time for me to steel my skills in the upcoming
battle at the Death Grand Canyon Battle!"

"D... Death Grand Canyon!" The large man's eyeballs protruded. That was the frontlines of the
battle between the Atlan Union and Divineflame Empire. That was also where the most
casualties were.
"You..." The large man only moved his lips, but seeing the resolute look on Leylin's face, he did
not say more.

"My good brother, help me kill a few more fire elementals!" The large man could only pat
Leylin's shoulders as if wishing him luck, and he watched Leylin's figure disappear into the
horizon...

"Hah... I've finally arrived..." Leylin saw the outline of the Emberwing race in the distance, and
let out a long breath.

The moment he had obtained intel on the Triserpent Sect, he had immediately set off and
hurried here in secret.

However, as the Lava World was much too big, and Woking City was located in a very remote
area, he had expended much time and effort to reach this place.

As for the large man and family of Emberwing race, they were only a few companions he had
joined out of loneliness on the way here.

"Compared to the Magus World, many Exemplary ranks join the army directly in the Lava World
and hold high rankings. If I want to obtain any information or intel, that would be the most
convenient place."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 550 - Testing and Passing

Compared to the Magi of the Magus World who liked to work behind the scenes, the strong in
the Lava World were more willing to take the stage and take control of the organisations.

The kingships of large-scaled kingdoms were taken up by Star ranks. In that case, it was
understandable for there to be a large number of Exemplaries in the higher ups of the Atlan
Union's army.

Furthermore, the army was the quickest place to advance in status, especially during wartime.
As long as one was capable, had outstanding results, and nobody obstructed them, people were
usually promoted rapidly. This was a method that was much better than others, and also the
way that Leylin liked the best.

"But... There's so much hardship in being a soldier. I don't want to be trampled on..." Leylin's
eyes swivelled around as he had an idea.

Days later, in a special building within the city.

"Are you here to apply for the Special Task Force? Come with me!" A female Emberwing race
member said. She was dressed in a military uniform and was expressionless, yet looked to be
formidable. She carried a stack of documents and forms and turned to leave, leaving Leylin and
the rest with a view of her elegant back.

"This doll is really..." A burly man beside Leylin began to complain.

"How callous. I like it..." Another pale young man's eyes glowed green, leaving Leylin
speechless.

Those with Leylin were all of the Emberwing race. However, what made them distinct from the
rest of their clansmen, was the obvious energy undulations from their bodies.
Since this world had Exemplaries, it was obvious that they had special treatment and missions.
Things like the Special Task Force were formed for this reason.

With enough strength, Emberwing clansmen were allowed to be selected into the Special Task
Force. Not only would their positions be high, they had the best treatment in the army.

Leylin wanted to sneak in, and he obviously formed a fake identity and signed up successfully.

What Leylin cared about was that the Special Task Force often needed to deal with riots that
had to do with Exemplaries. As long as he was there, he would definitely bump into the
Triserpent Sect.

For this reason, he was in no hurry at all. He would swing in and sneak into the Special Task
Force and hide away there while gathering more information.

After all, he was not quite sure about the background of the Triserpent Sect, and he needed to
remain cautious.

If this was a trap and he still charged right in, wouldn't he be seeking death?

Leylin and the young male Emberwing looked just as nervous and excited as the rest while they
followed the female soldier to a large square.

A middle-aged soldier in silver armour was already waiting there, his expression grim.

"We're beginning the test now! Who's first?" The middle-aged instructor's voice was so loud
that everyone's eardrums seemed to have gone numb.

"Me!" That pale young man seemed to be too anxious to show off and darted to the front.

"Fine. Use all your strength and attack the black obelisk ahead!" The military instructor stepped
aside and revealed a giant black crystal before everyone.

"Hah!" The young man took a deep breath, and a layer of fire-red light was emitted from his
body. Streams of air were dispelled as dust filled the air.

*Rumble!* He threw a punch, and it landed on the black crystal. While it did not budge the
slightest, a dim layer of red light appeared on the surface.

Red light filled the obelisk with some difficulty, and fine rings appeared on the surface.

A total of five red rings appeared, before completely disappearing. Upon seeing this, a look of
satisfaction flashed by the young man's expression.

"Mm! Fifth level of FIreplume Technique. Exemplary status. Pass!" The officer nodded, with no
surprise in his expression.

"Next!" His voice was icy-cold, causing the young man's original complacency to disappear.

"Me!" The one who went up was plump, and similarly used Fireplume Technique. However,
only three ringed runes appeared on the obelisk.
"Third level of Fireplume Technique. Fail!"

The officer's voice was callous, and two soldiers immediately went forward and dragged him
out.

"Ah... Wait! Give me another chance, I can definitely..." From a distance, the sounds of his wails
and pleas could be heard, causing great fear amongst the crowd in the square.

"Next!" The officer's expression remained cold as he continued.

One young man after another went up, and most passed the test, though there were a few who
failed. The officer was ruthless as he commanded the soldiers to chase them out.

Leylin watched this scene coolly from below.

Fireplume Technique! He had heard of it before, and knew that it was used by the Emberwing
race. It could be said to be found everywhere, and practically everyone knew it.

There was nothing special about levels one to three of Fireplume Technique, and was similar to
the breathing techniques of the Magus World. It could increase one's vitality and endurance
slightly, with some tolerance towards fire elements.

Once one got to the fourth level of Fireplume Technique, it would be similar to a meditation
technique and allow the Emberwing clansmen to have a rapid increase in strength.

The fourth and fifth level was the strength of an Exemplary rank, while six and seven meant
Earth rank. Eight and nine were considerably powerful existences and were comparable to the
Sky rank. Once one advanced to the tenth level, of which there had been no precedent in
history, that was the door to the Star realm!

Though the fundamental parts of Fireplume Technique could be found everywhere, the fourth
and fifth levels were kept somewhat secret, and were considered the essence of the race. As
for the next few levels, they were kept secure, and could only be passed on in a few places. The
reason why so many young people wanted to enter the Special Task Force was probably
because they wanted information on the later levels of the technique.

As for the tenth level, that was something only the family of the head of Atlan Union possessed.
Most had never even heard of it.

A grave, burly, middle-aged Emberwing clansman went forward. Extending a scarlet palm, six
fire rings immediately appeared on the obelisk, and even the officer couldn't help but give the
man a second look, "Sixth level of Fireplume Technique. Earth rank. Pass!"

"How amazing! It's someone at level 6, the Earth rank!"

"These sorts of people can survive anywhere. What is he doing here?"

"It must be for the information regarding the eighth and ninth level of the technique! It's only
passed on in the army..." The appearance of what was the best results till now immediately
gave rise to loud discussions in the queue.

The man from before stood expressionlessly aside in answer to the looks of curiosity or
reverence, and the officer couldn't help but have an expression of approval.

"Next!" The officer yelled again, eyes scanning through the crowd that was beginning to thin.
'I'm afraid that this burly man is the one with the best results in this batch. It's not a bad
harvest! At least one is passable!' The officer was stuck in this train of thought, but then he saw
another slender clansman stand up.

"Hm?" Though this above average looking man seemed frail, the officer's eyes brightened as he
lapsed into thought.

'This little guy doesn't seem to be simple!'

Leylin obviously cared little about what the officer thought. In actuality, he was now performing
research and gathering information on the path of Fireplume Technique.

'Interesting. Interesting! At the beginning, it's Knight training, and after that, there seems to be
content infused with some conscient runes...'

He was interested in such techniques.

"But I need to get through this!" Leylin shook his head at the ruckus in the crowd due to his
being in a daze for too long.

A Morning Star Magus' point mass was a minute dot that could contain the terrifying strength
of a Morning Star without leaking any energy. With the A.I. Chip's help, there was no issue with
simulating the energy belonging to Fireplume technique.

'It's a pity... The strongest person here is only the officer, who is at the Sky rank with the eighth
level of Fireplume Technique. The next few levels, as well as that of the Star rank, can't be
obtained as of yet!'
Leylin slowly extended his palm. Yet, it seemed like a layer of melting flame came to life,
spreading across its surface. This immediately silenced the crowd.

"Hah!" Leylin controlled his strength, looking as if he was attacking with all he had.

*Rumble!* The entire obelisk began to tremble as bright fiery runes appeared one after
another.

One, two, three... The light from bright flames were dazzling, and spread till there were seven
on the obelisk. There even seemed to be half a ring extra.

The officer's eyes shone and he immediately asked, "Seventh level of Fireplume Technique.
Peak Earth rank! Very good. What's your name?"

"My name is 'Ley', my lord!" Leylin performed a military salute, something the officer
immediately found pleasing.

At this moment, the silent crowd suddenly became boisterous, hearts filled with jealousy that
could not be suppressed while observing Leylin's handsome face.

As long as this young man did not die in battle, he would become the rising star of the Special
Task Force, or even the entire union!

"Hm?" At this moment, Leylin acutely felt a gaze land on his back.

"It's the large man from before at the sixth level. This feeling of jealousy and hostility? Though
it's normal, why is there killing intent?"

The corner of Leylin's lips rose in a cold smile. An enemy of this level was too boring.

When all those who had failed cleared out, the officer stood before Leylin and the rest, voice
booming.

"Welcome to the Special Task Force! I am your officer, Schiker. You'll soon find that the Special
Task Force is the best place to be. As long as you complete your missions, we can give you
techniques, money, status or land..."

It had to be said that the officer was silver-tongued. In a short amount of time, he had incited
the hot-bloodedness of the youths.

Leylin's expression was also one of excitement, though he found this all ridiculous on the inside.

"Now, follow me to participate in your first mission!"

Powerful undulations were emitted from Schiker's body. Only then did the members realise
that their officer was actually at the Sky rank!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 551 - Mobius

Different from ordinary troops, this elite group formed of Exemplaries needed to start on
missions right away.

The Atlan Union had spent much manpower and physical resources on supporting the Special
Task Force, and they were naturally not to be underestimated. However, this method of
mentoring through fighting had resulted in the dissatisfaction of some members.

Of course, with Sky rank Schiker around suppressing them, it was as if nothing had happened.

"Hi, Ley! I'm Mies. This is our first time on the battlefield, how are you feeling? Nervous?"

The pale young man who had been the first for the testing leaned towards him, looking to fawn
on him.

"Alright," Leylin answered indifferently, and then pointed towards the burly man who had
mastered the sixth level of Fireplume. "What's his name?"

"Him? He's Loke, and rumours have it that he was an expert at being a mercenary. Look at that
pretentious display, as if all eyes are on him..."

Mies played the role of a lackey very well as he immediately stood in line, his instinct now to
help his boss beat down the number two.

"Oh!" Leylin said lightly, and did not continue inquiring.

As fresh recruits, they had gotten a set of new clothes that were very pliable, and could even
protect against high temperatures and ordinary knife slashes. As far as this world's treasures
went, they were alright.
"Look at these clothes, how chic!" Mies looked at the completely black uniform, and could not
help but be infatuated with it as he arranged his collar.

Watching him act so foolishly, Leylin had little to say, "We're on a mission. Focus!"

Upon hearing this, Mies froze for a moment as he continued to move quickly. Immediately
afterwards, he looked in the direction of Schiker guiltily. Seeing that the officer hadn't been
focusing in their direction, he relaxed and heaved a sigh of relief.

After the excitement, Mies calmed down. He looked uneasy, his slight nervousness apparent as
he looked towards Leylin, "Ley, what kind of mission do you think we will be assigned to?"

In his eyes, this comrade was exceptionally mysterious, and had a calm that most lacked. Even
just staying by his side gave him a feeling of security.

"Whatever it is, it won't be easy," Leylin spoke dully.

In actuality, he was guessing that the mission was a test for the recruits. There was no better
proof than real battles. Through intense fights, the weak would fail and be eliminated, while the
strong would survive and gain even more resources. This was the ruthless order of nature.

Leylin guessed that this operation might be tailored just for them. Were it not so, the difficulty
would be too high. Most of the members, maybe even the entire squad, would be wiped out.

The Atlan had enough strength and backing. That was enough to attract numerous willing
participants, and there was no fear of the lack of manpower.
'But... Am I going to bump into the Triserpent Sect on the first mission?' A trace of doubt
streaked through Leylin's mind.

He had yet to gain enough information and knew little of how things stood with the Triserpent
Sect. It was not a good idea to make contact with them recklessly.

Thankfully, Schiker, who was standing in front, began to speak coldly, and dispelled Leylin's
doubts, "Our mission this time is to eliminate an extremely evil, bloody sect, a branch of the
Mobius Organisation. Kill all members!"

They were now far away from the barracks and city, and had come to an open, desolate area.
Large amounts of red lava reflected an orange splendour that even dyed the horizon crimson.

With the bonus from Fireplume, these Special Task Force members all maintained a vigorous
physical strength, and were still in good condition even after running across a long distance.

"Mobius Organisation?" Mies immediately cried out in surprise, "That disgusting sect that likes
blood sacrifices and dismemberment?"

"A disgusting sect that likes blood sacrifices and dismemberment?" Leylin's brows furrowed,
seeming having heard the large Emberwing man he had befriended previously speak.

The sect seemed to be very secretive, and the higher-ups held enormous strength. There were
rumours that it was being spread even in the Divineflame Empire, and could not be destroyed.

Of course, with their extreme methods, they weren't that welcome.

"That Mobius Organisation?" "Heavens! I hear that they're insane. To avenge one of their
bishops, they massacred a city..."

The members began to discuss this softly, the sounds of endless whispers mixing together.

Seeing this, red light emitted from Schiker's face. "Silence!" he shouted as tremendous sound
waves covered the region. If not for having sensed a sound-proofing barrier being set up just
prior, Leylin would have assumed that Schiker was a spy, intentionally notifying the Mobius
Organisation.

"We're soldiers. It is our duty to obey orders. Isn't it just a Mobius Organisation? What are you
afraid of? Don't forget, you're now Special Task Force members. The moment you disobey an
order, I'll immediately execute you. Even if you can escape, you'll have to deal with being the
target of a kill order from the union!"

Schiker's words were eerily cold, and with the powerful forcefield undulations of a Sky rank, the
original tendency towards disorder was wiped out.

"Do you want to betray the union?" Schiker's dark words immediately had the Special Task
Force members grow resolute as they answered in unison, "No, definitely not!"

"Good! These are the warriors our union needs!" Schiker seemed satisfied. "The organisation
has only a few Earth ranks in charge. What does that count for? After succeeding, just the
rewards alone are enough for you to spend for quite a few months! You might even accumulate
points towards becoming nobility... Now, we'll allocate tasks..."

"Hm?!" While Schiker was immersed in his unceasing narrations, he had failed to realise the
interesting change in Leylin's expression.
With a sweep of his soul force, the concealed undulations and even a full view of the structure
below was presented in front of Leylin, and he laughed.

'Looks like the union received relevant intelligence and know the military strength inside the
stronghold like the back of their hands. Based on Schiker's plans, our side should have had a
large chance of success, but it's a pity...'

With a scan of his soul force, Leylin found that there were quite a few Earth rank priests in the
Mobius Organisations. On top of that, there even a few bishops wearing red religious attire,
emitting the terrifying undulations of Sky ranks.

'This is obviously a trap, though I don't know if this is aimed specifically at Schiker. Whatever it
is, he's in trouble...'

Leylin's expression held traces of pity.

"Good. This is the overall plan. Move!" Schiker obviously knew nothing of Leylin's thoughts right
now. On the contrary, he wanted to watch how Leylin, Loke and the rest performed and grade
them.

*Rumble!* Along with a giant explosion, the barren land that was initially empty blew up,
revealing a large building with a number of floors.

What first appeared was a glorious distorted black sculpture. The lines were simple and crude,
and yet they gave Leylin a demonic impression.

Under the sculpture were many decorative designs that gave it a style similar of that of an altar.
There were limbs and livers from living beings on it, and the blood had not dried yet. The fresh
blood kept dripping and filling the spell formation.

The process of a sacrifice had obviously been interrupted, and a few low-ranked worshippers
let loose roars of ire.

"Leave none alive. Crush them!" Schiker howled.

He didn't actually need to yell. The Special Task Force members had long since seen red and
pounced forward, boiling hot rays flickering on their bodies. Fireplume activated, giving them
immense support.

*Pu!* A palm filled with flames extracted itself from the body of a worshipper, and the
accompanying flames burnt this vicious-looking worshipper to ashes. "You must all die!"

Loke's chilly voice swept through, voice spreading, and Schiker nodded unceasingly while
watching in secret.

Meanwhile, Mies might seem cowardly, yet seemed to have had his thirst for blood kindled,
especially after seeing his side winning all engagements. Many members were in high spirits as
they went deeper in.

"What is this Ley doing?"

Schiker nodded in satisfaction, but when his eyes were on Leylin, his face scrunched up in
dissatisfaction.
Leylin, who he'd thought should rush to the frontlines, was wandering around within the group.
Even when he did make a move, it looked like he was cowering and seemed listless, falling
behind Loke by a large margin in terms of his kill count.

"Hm? That's not right. His way of moving forward implies he's having reservations about
something. Has he discovered something?"

Schiker instantly became cool-headed, going through Leylin's actions and the information he
had gotten previously. As he saw his troops continuously heading in after their victories, his
pupils shrank as he realised that his members had lost their formation.

"Crap. Come back!"

Schiker shouted loudly, but it was much too late.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Large amounts of sparks exploded, forming a heat wave that wiped out
most of the Special Task Force members. Even with the protection of Fireplume, the high
temperature surpassed their limits caused them to turn into charred corpses.

"Keke, Schiker, we meet again!"

A few figures wrapped in light stood before Schiker, accompanied by warriors and worshippers,
donning garments of their sect.

"Sky rank! Two Sky ranks!" Mies, who was lucky to have survived, watched the two tall figures
in the air and cried out in pain and despair.
"It's you... So it was a trap." Schiker remained collected.

"Yes. This is a trap specifically to deal with you! What happened fifteen years ago can be settled
properly now!" The two bishops in red clothing held hatred in their eyes.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 552 - Hot-blooded Breakthrough

"All members, break free from the encirclement!"

　　

Schiker's shout after the momentary silence surprised the two bishops. Red flames surged from
his body, even forming a giant phantom of a flying beast behind him.

　　

This was a perfect creature like those in legends, bathed in fire like a god born of the flames!

　　

"The eighth level of the Fireplume! Schiker, you've gotten this old, yet you still haven't made
any progress!" The two bishops exchanged a glance and took a step forward together, a huge
pressure dispersing in all directions and suppressing the phantom of the fire phoenix ahead.

　　

As if night had fallen, great amounts of black mist bound Schiker to them. A great battle was
about to happen!

"Kill them!"　　

　　

Numerous members of Mobius Organisation yelled, and figures in dark robes with daggers or
the like in their hands darted out of the shadows.

　　

The sounds of shouts were unceasing. Most of the members of the Special Task Force were
new, and the surprise attack resulted in heavy casualties. Their morale immediately fell, and
there some members who were outside who roared as they escaped into the distance.

　　

*Thud!* Schiker was ruthlessly smashed to the ground by a fist, patterns that seemed to be
multiple curses creeping up his body. Even the horrifying flames of the eighth level of the
Fireplume was useless.

　　

The large quantity of flames was even contaminated by the curse runes, and gradually died
down.

Over time, even the fire phoenix behind Schiker's back was beginning to whine. Schiker was
pale, a few large wounds appeared on his body, countless black runes digging their ways in like
earthworms.　　

　　

"Haha... Schiker, you're going to die today!" One of the bishops in red smiled relaxedly, "Let
me..."　　

　　

"Let the instructor go!"　　

　　

The sudden yell interrupted the words of the bishop in red, and he furrowed his brows. What
saw were two Emberwing clansmen with flames around their bodies charging over as if they
had gone mad, looking frightened and worried.

　　

"Keke... What hot-blooded young things! Schiker, you're still as capable at brainwashing as
before!" The other bishop laughed coldly, "Let me slaughter them before I take care of you..."　　
The old man had a drunken look. Merely killing the other party was not enough to satisfy his
interest. The hatred that had lasted over a decade gave him the urge to torture him for over a
period of time and, just when Schiker had given up all hope, kill him. Such a method of revenge
was the sweetest!　　

　　

"You guys..." Schiker clutched his chest, twisting his head to watch the figures rushing over,
touched but also anxious. "Leave! You aren't a match for him! Try your best to break out!"　　

　　

"Keke... You can't escape!" The old man sneered, and got his partner to watch Schiker while he
blocked the path of those two young Emberwing clansman.　　

　　

"Instructor, hang on!" Leylin's face was flushed as he called out, the Fireplume exhibiting its full
strength at his hands. Terrifying flames burned, causing a few Earth rank worshippers to suffer.
Expressions of dread appeared on their faces as they kept a distance.

　　

'This display would probably be similar to a hot-blooded lead character in my previous world,
the kind who'll have a breakthrough at the most crucial moments...' Leylin made fun of himself
while putting on his best act. At the same time, he ran his gaze across the surroundings.

　　

Due to the ambush, the casualties the Special Task Force sustained were very serious and
practically all the members had died in battle. That kid Mies, however, had smeared blood on
his face and collapsed, using some secret technique to hide his aura. This had allowed him to
survive. He was much more fortunate than those who had escaped and been chased after and
killed. He hadn't sustained many injuries, and was on a whole other level.

　　

Noticing the look of gratitude on Schiker's face, Leylin grew speechless.　　

　　

"If you knew that the two who seemed to be risking their lives to save you actually had other
intentions, I wonder if you'll start vomiting blood..."　　
　　

Leylin's shot a glance to the side. The cool burly man at the sixth level of the Fireplume was
now fighting with all his might, looking enthusiastic and impulsive and seeming completely
loyal.　　

　　

In actuality, he was also someone harbouring malicious intentions. There was the obvious aura
of another race on his body, but that had been concealed very well. If not for Leylin having
probed him with his A.I. Chip and soul force, he might have been duped as well.　　

"Ley, I'll hold them down. You go and save the instructor!" Loke shouted after seeing Leylin
looking in his direction. Large amounts of flames shot out of his body and surrounded the few
Earth rank worshippers around him. The sounds of explosions could be heard unceasingly, and
the battle was obviously fierce.　　

"Damn it! You found a bunch of low-levelled cannon fodder to protect yourself and gave me
two Sky ranks!" Leylin rolled his eyes but still rushed forward with a roar, throwing a fist at the
bishop in red who was standing in the middle of the path.　　

　　

*Bang! Scree—* The ear-piercing sound of an explosion sounded, seeming to be an enthusiastic

call from a phoenix. A fire phoenix slightly smaller than that which had appeared behind Schiker
emerged on Leylin's back, the bright red flames so splendid that they were like sunlight, giving
Leylin a layer of golden armour.

　　

"Hm?! The peak of the seventh level of the Fireplume!" The bishop, who was blocking the way,
cried out in astonishment. Though the Fireplume was a compulsory technique for all
Emberwing clansmen, with practically every adult having reached between the first to the third
level, there were few who reached the fifth level or above that. The peak of the seventh level
meant he was just one step away from the Sky rank! With how young this Emberwing clansman
appeared to be, he was absolutely a rare talent.　　

　　
"Little guy, you've got pretty bad luck to have met me." The bishop in red snickered. Wiping
talents off the face of his world was his guilty pleasure.

　　

Even if these talents would have a boundless future, a dead talent was not even comparable to
a dog.　　

　　

*Snap!* Turbulent black streams of air surged through the air, forming a giant scorpion that
blocked Leylin's path.

　　

"Explode!" With a loud cry, the red force in Leylin's hands became even more vigorous and
seemed to turn into a bundle of flames, darting towards the scorpion.　　

　　

The flames initiated by the Fireplume crackled as they scorched the surface of the scorpion's
large black pincers. Parts of the black air dissipated.

　　

However, that was all the flames could do. *Pak!* The black gas scorpion waved its other pincer
around, and Leylin was sent flying, fresh blood spilling from the corner of his lips.

　　

"AH! Let the instructor go!" Leylin collapsed and appeared 'gravely injured', but He crawled
back up, charging forth again. The giant fire phoenix phantom was less imposing than before,
but still let loose a booming cry.

　　

*Crash! Crash! Crash!* Leylin was flung backwards time and time again, and it seemed the
bishop in red wanted to make Leylin waste all his energy. This would agitate Schiker even more,
which was why he had held back a little every time and allowed Leylin to struggle up again.　　

　　

"Ley..." Seeing Leylin tenaciously struggling on and not giving up, even if Schiker's heart was as
hard and cold as steel, he still felt a warmth boiling up from his chest. Hot air went up to his eye
sockets, leaving him on the verge of tears.
　　

"Give up, child. Leave!" Schiker yelled uselessly.　　

　　

"No, I won't ever give up!" Leylin yelled out words that made himself want to vomit while
waving his fists, the fire spilling everywhere burning the ground till it was scarlet.

　　

*Crash!* He was sent flying again, and the bishop in red took several steps forward, "I'm
already getting tired of this game. I'll take care of you the next time!"

　　

*Huala!* The large black scorpion dissipated, and the streams of air converged before the
bishop, terrifying energy undulations radiating.

　　

"That Ley... Is he really a fool?" Meanwhile, Loke had just 'happened to have' finished dealing
with a few of his opponents, and had crept closer.

　　

'Almost there. Once Ley dies, I can save Schiker with that and request a higher position...' A
determined look rose in Loke's eyes. His hand already extended into his clothes, touching a
round object.　　

　　

'Ley, you're a good person with astounding talent, but it's a pity. This is a dog eat dog world.
Your enthusiasm will not give you anything in return and will only leave you dead. Rest in
peace...' Loke spoke in his heart, like a leopard waiting before a hunt as he hid in wait.　　

　　

All of a sudden, his eyes widened, eyeballs protruding and almost popping out, mouth huge as
he bawled in disbelief, "I... Goddamn! Does that even happen?!"　　

　　

"For love and justice!" Leylin, who was bathed in flames, looked even more saintly. As he saw
the bishop closing in, he had a holy look on his face.　　
　　

Following that, with his yells, great golden flames surged out and healed all his wounds. Even
the terrifying phantom of a phoenix that seemed omnipresent formed at his back.　　

If the phantom that Leylin had summoned before was a mere illusion, each feather of the
phoenix floating behind him was undeniably real. It was as if a real ancient fire phoenix had
descended.

　　

The powerful undulations of Fireplume broke through the boundaries of the peak of the
seventh level, and entered a much more powerful level!　　

　　

'Shit, he actually broke through!' Loke cursed.

　　

The eighth level of the Fireplume signified the Sky rank. In other words, Ley was now on the
same level as the two bishops in red and Schiker! 　　

　　

"This... This actually happens?" Compared to Loke, the bishop who was the main lead felt as if
he had received a huge blow.　　

How could a hot-blooded idiot actually have a breakthrough right before death? And he had
even advanced and was on the same level as himself? This did not make sense!　　

Schiker, on the other side, was filled with elation.

　　

"Die!" Terrifying waves of heat of the eighth level of the Fireplume immediately shrouded
Leylin as he charged before the old bishop in red. Boiling hot waves swept through and even
broke through his opponent's defence, causing the old man's eyebrows and beard to start to
burn.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 553 - Taking Root

*Thud!* The iron fist wreathed in scarlet flames ruthlessly struck the old bishop clothed in red,
causing him to fall back while coughing blood. The large phantom phoenix at Leylin's back let
loose a frightening cry. Pressing forward, Leylin immediately charged to the other bishop in red.

"Even if you're also a Sky rank, you've only just advanced. You definitely know too little about
battles between Sky ranks. Kid, looks like I'll be the one to have to deal with you!" The bishop
who was on his guard against Schiker yelled. The reason for the defeat of his ally before
seemed to be an underestimation of his enemy, which was why Leylin's sneak attack had been
successful.

"Let instructor Schiker go, and I can pardon you!" With a ferocious roar, Leylin and this bishop
collided.

*Rumble!* A red blaze and a black storm intertwined as they engaged in battle. The soil was
devastated, opening up to reveal the bedrock.

"Things... should be fine, right? Even if Ley suddenly broke through, those are two Sky ranks!"
Loke touched the item in his hands, preparing to dash out.

He had come here with a mission. He was to gain Schiker's trust and successfully sneak into the
higher ranks of the Special Task Force. However, with Leylin suddenly interfering, he was
obviously annoyed.
*Pu!* A streak of fiery red rays broke through the storm and made a quick stop by the area
Schiker was located. The man disappeared.

*Whoosh!* In the next moment, Leylin brought Schiker and appeared before Loke and pushed
Schiker into Loke's arms, "Leave with the instructor!"

"..."

Though Leylin did not know what kind of expression Loke had on his face right now, he was sure
that he wanted to curse him and his family.

Due to his escape, the storm which had initially lost its target was madly rushing in his direction.
The bishop ahead who had been attacked by Leylin had already come rushing over to hunt him
down with a grim expression.

'Damn, damn, DAMN! Ley was at the peak of the seventh level, so it made sense that he
suddenly broke through, but I only showed power at the sixth level. It's no use breaking
through.' Loke watched the two Sky rank red-robed bishops who were dashing over, and began
to wail inside.

"I don't care anymore. I have to use this!" Loke gritted his teeth, and a black metal egg flew out.

*Swish!* Black light flashed, and a slender metal egg exploded in the air. Large amounts of
smoke flew out and a large construct appeared, blocking the area in front of the two red-robed
bishops.

"A binding construct!" The bishops' cries of surprise were transmitted into Leylin's ears, and he
grinned inside.
In front of Leylin, Loke's little schemes were like children's pranks that could be seen through by
any adult, even forcing him to showcase his talents to this extent.

"This is... a spider model construct! So you're..." Schiker looked weakly at the construct, eyes
glinting as they held more kindness towards Loke.

"The family treasure that I inherited can hold them for at least 5 minutes. Let's go!"

Loke displayed a smile that looked even more ugly than a crying face and carried Schiker on his
back, a defensive layer from Fireplume emitting from his body.

"Wait- wait for me!"

Hearing they wanted to break out of the encirclement, one of the corpses on the floor leapt up,
revealing Mies' bloody face. "Big brother Ley, bring me along!"

"So there's one more!" Loke rolled his eyes powerlessly, feeling that the number of unexpected
situations he had met in his life before this could not compare to this day.

"Good. Let's go!" Leylin chuckled, surging flames brimming on his body. He opened up a path of
flames through the encirclement by the Mobius cultists.

The two Sky ranks were temporarily out of the way. Leylin used his Fireplume at the eighth
level and swept through the area immediately. Whether they were ordinary worshippers or
crazed fanatics, none could withstand the attack of the crimson-golden flames. Most of the
ordinary followers would begin to burn if even the smallest spark touched them, turning into
giant human-shaped torches.
......

"Take a rest here. I need to go out and do something!"

After returning to the camp in the city, Schiker had pretty much recovered and could even
move around freely. On the surface, it was hard to tell that he was injured at all, besides his
slightly tattered clothing.

"Understood, instructor!" Leylin and the other two immediately puffed their chests out and
shouted.

"Mm!" Schiker's gaze now held gratitude towards Leylin and Loke. Before proceeding forward,
he patted Leylin and Loke's shoulders.

"Ley, you did well this time and even broke through to the Sky rank! I will recommend you for a
promotion. And Loke... I hope to be able to speak with you tonight!"

"That would be my honour!" Loke immediately shouted. From his expression, Leylin guessed
that it was anything but bad. It looked like the origins of that spider construct had attracted
Schiker's interest.

'The organisation backing Loke has truly put in a lot of effort for him to sneak in...' Leylin sighed
inside, but little did he know that Loke was green with envy. If looks could kill, Leylin would
probably long since have turned into a human torch.

"As for you..." Schiker's eyes turned to Mies, immediately causing the young man's face to turn
as white as snow.
"I'd initially wanted to penalise you for escaping right in the face of battle, but this happened
because of a lapse of judgement on my part. I'll let you off."

"Many thanks, instructor!" Mies answered loudly, his apprehension disappearing.

"But if there's another instance of this happening, I'll stuff your head up your arse. Do you hear
me?" Schiker shouted, and Mies little face crumpled.

"Alright, you're dismissed." Schiker left in a hurry, and Leylin was stuck deep in thought while
watching his back.

Just from the murderous aura he had that was unafraid and not planning on backing down,
Leylin knew that some people in this base were in trouble.

Schiker returned very quickly, and there were even some spots of blood on his collar and cuffs.

He swore constantly while throwing a gold badge and a set of new military uniforms in front of
Leylin. "You've been promoted to be a captain of the Special Task Force. You've also obtained a
second class medal of honour of the union, as well as points for a rank as nobility. You now
have enough to pay for the lowest authentication as a knight. Wear the uniform for now. The
real documents and procedures will come in a few days later."

"Loke, while you haven't been promoted, you've obtained a medal of honour from the union as
well..."

"It is my honour!" Loke's voice was full of spirit, to the point that there were faint tremors in his
voice.
Seeing the fake look of excitement on his face, Leylin immediately realised the value of this
medal of honour of the union thing.

However, this had little to do with him.

After this matter, Schiker would definitely place him in higher regard, and would allow him to
look at some confidential information. That would be helpful.

......

The average temperature of the Lava World was at least 50 degrees and above. Astounding
heat waves filled the air.

As a result, most of the outer walls of buildings were very thin and had the function of
absorbing heat.

The buildings of the Emberwing race were of a different style than in Woking City. They were
more similar to bamboo houses, and Leylin's residence used a rock that constantly emitted cold
air, keeping his room always cool and refreshing.

The benefits of being in the Special Task Force were generous. Even normal members had their
own residences and allowances of resources for their training. As the captain, Leylin had a villa
of his own. This chilly stone was a very precious resource, and those who did not have the
captain rank could not enjoy this.

Mies often found excuses to hang around at Leylin's, enjoying the cool air.
Leylin currently held something like a monitor in his hands, skimming over something. With his
authority, much of the information of the Special Task Force was open to him, and he had also
gathered much information on the Triserpent Sect.

The full view of this organisation appeared before Leylin's eyes.

"The Triserpent Sect! Looks like it really has a connection to the three dukes!" Leylin put down
the monitor and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, unconsciously tapping at the table.

"From the intelligence, the Triserpent Sect seems to be trying to overthrow the government of
the Atlan Union, allowing other races to have more space to survive. In actuality, they're a
bunch of terrorists. They intend to attack the city of every Emberwing clansman and loot them.
They don't have any special activity... Hm!"

Using the A.I. Chip, Leylin went through the cities that had been attacked. The data on the
losses was arranged in a unique database, and the relationship was quickly found.

"This resource seems to be the favourite of the Triserpent Sect!" Leylin's eyes brightened. He'd
found that the Triserpent bandits seemed to have a vested interest in a type of special ore.
Perhaps the attacks on other cities were all in order to obtain the ores, but this target had been
concealed well and not been discovered.

However, through the comparison of gargantuan amounts of information, the A.I. Chip had
managed to accurately pinpoint this common ground from all the data on the destruction
caused.

[Firasource Stone: A treasure said to be able to increase progress in Fireplume, and a top-grade
ingredient only possessed by the Atlan Union.]
Leylin touched his chin, observing the projected image given by the A.I. Chip as well as the
explanation next to it. He sunk into thought.

The reason why the people of the Triserpent Sect liked this firasource stone this much must be
because of something unusual.

Anything that would cause these Morning Star Magi to go so frantic had Leylin very interested
as well.

"I remember that with my merits and status, I'm able to apply to purchase limited-grade
resources. I can use this opportunity and get a sample for research..."

Leylin made his mind and commanded the A.I. Chip to scan and record the other books of the
Emberwing race.

It was the accumulation of a civilised society in another world, and definitely held much
research value for him.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 554 - Firasource Stone

"Time to go!" Leylin kicked Mies who had almost fallen asleep.

"Erm, where are we going?" Mies shrunk back a little, his vision blurred.
If there was a choice, he would still have preferred to sleep here as the weather outside was so
hot that it could make him pass out.

"Hurry up!" Leylin raised his brows, Mies stood up immediately, feeling speechless.

"Okay! We shall go to the logistics department and check out the mission of the month. It's
almost time..."

"Alright, alright. You're the boss." Mies shrugged his shoulders.

Ever since the last incident, Leylin had gotten promoted and became a captain of the Special
Task Force, while Mies was put in his unit, becoming one of his men.

As for Loke, he had his way around. Even though he was not promoted after the last mission, he
soon achieved lots of merit for the following events and got promoted to be a captain like
Leylin just a few days ago.

The logistics department of the Special Task Force was not far from his residence. Every staff
were as obese as pigs, they resembled nothing from the slender and good-looking traits of the
Emberwing race. This had Leylin and his men shunning them.

"Hand me all of my special offerings of the month, and an exchange list," Leylin spoke to a big
fat guy with oily hair who was sitting behind the counter with glass windows.

"At your service, Captain Leylin." The fat guy was full of smiles and had a gingerly look.

Leylin's fame had long ago become widespread in the Special Task Force. He had been able to
achieve level 8 in Fireplume at such a young age, becoming a Sky rank elite! His prospects were
definitely boundless.

Moreover, he had saved Schiker's life. This was someone who was known to have a powerful
background, tactical brilliance, and more importantly a person that favoured his own men.

Thus, Leylin was assured to have a bright future.

Some people speculated that becoming a captain was not the end of his road. He could possibly
become a Marshal of the union with one star.

This fatty wouldn't dare to neglect such people, and he handed Leylin his complete set of
supplies. These supplies were a benefit enjoyed by every member of the Special Task Force.

The Atlan Union depended largely on their supplies and nobility; they had attracted and
recruited numerous unbounded extraordinary ones.

Leylin threw the supplies to Mies, who followed Leylin like a valet. He then opened the
exchange list.

The contents of Fireplume were at the top of the list, the first eight levels being recorded. This
included some practical experiences as well as the special techniques of different individuals. It
was everything he needed, totally perfect. Except for one thing.

It had no record of techniques at the tenth level, the Morning Star realm. This caused him to
furrow his brows.
Having stayed here for quite a period of time, Leylin had discovered that their Special Task
Force actually had high clearance to access in the Atlan Union despite their infamous
reputation. Even a captain like him was equivalent to a major general in the union.

Leylin grew a little discouraged at not being able to learn the tenth level of Fireplume even with
his current status. He was keen to know the second half of this technique.

Currently, Fireplume was the only path to power Leylin knew that combined physique and the
soul perfectly. In his own world, these two paths were separated into Knights and Magi.

Nonetheless, even with the help of Schiker and the others as specimens, the information the
A.I. Chip could simulate only pulled Fireplume to the ninth level. A lot of time and power would
be required to deduce the tenth level, the Morning Star realm.

'Only when one reaches the Morning Star realm along a path will it become obvious. Levels 1 to
9 can be deemed creative, but I'm not sure what the real path to power is like...'

Rumour had it that the Emberwing race descended from the phoenix, but Leylin disagreed. He
had already tried it out, and had hadn't found any genetic segments related to the ancient
bloodline.

Still, when Fireplume reached a certain level, it was clearly linked to the phoenix. This was what
had Leylin confused.

"We can put aside doubts about Fireplume for now, let's look for the firasource stone!"

Leylin flipped down the page and an image of a fiery ore appeared, "Firasource stone: Increases
the rate of advancement, or even assists in breaking through to the next level of Fireplume.
Top-grade treasure, valued at 100 nobility points for a gram. Only available for ranks Captain
and above."

"A hundred nobility rank points for a single gram?" Miles shouted exaggeratedly from beside
Leylin before he could comment on anything.

"I don't think I could afford such an expensive item even if I sold myself!" he stuck his tongue
out.

Designation of nobles was very prestigious in the Atlan Union. Thus, audit was very strict. The
only way for one to achieve a noble rank other than through the Special Task Force was to head
to the Death Grand Canyon Battles.

Therefore, everyone in the force protected their nobility rank points like their own eyes. For
example, Mies felt repulsed just looking at the incredulous price of the stone.

"Hehe...but this is a firasource stone. It's exclusively supplied to top ranks like us in the union,
with just one gram being able to get you through six levels of Fireplume." The fatty laughed
from behind the window, mockery in his eyes.

"Six levels?!" Mies' eyes widened. It was very difficult to break through the latter stages of
Fireplume. He had currently been stuck in the fifth level for a long time. Once he reached the
sixth, he would become an Earth rank elite! The difference in position from now went without
mentioning.

And yet, Mies glanced at the price tag, somewhat unwilling to give up his points. After all, being
able to acquire nobility was a rare chance, and he could not bear to spend all the points he had
earned.

"Yep, I'm exchanging all my points." Leylin nodded. Immediately, Mies shouted without a
thought, "Captain! Have you gone mad?"

"Of course I haven't! I'm very calm and know what I'm doing." Leylin shook his head. After all,
this was a foreign world. Nobility here meant nothing to me, and it was something he would
have to think about even if offered for free. Thus, his points were better spent on resources.

"Ho– Hold on, Captain. Your transaction somewhat exceeds my authorisation limit." The fatty
behind the window found it hard to sit still, and beads of oily sweat trickled down his forehead.
They were cleaned off along with his white handkerchief.

He could only exchange one or two grams of firasource stones at best, that was the limit of his
authority. But this obviously did not satisfy Leylin's needs.

Soon, another fat guy had received the notice, and he came to Leylin.

He had strong energy fluctuations of the Sky rank, at the boundary of Morning Star.

"Chief!" Leylin and Mies bowed down slightly. The one who had just arrived was the chief of the
logistics department, and had a higher military rank as compared to Leylin.

"Hey, Ley, you have enough nobility rank points to earn you the title of a Baron. Are you really
going to trade them all away?" The fat chief looked at Leylin with pity, he'd thought highly of
this genius.

"Yes!" Leylin was firm, "As compared to nobility, I would liked to focus on my abilities first. As
long as I have what it takes, I'm going to get more valuables and higher positions!"
"Brilliant!" Someone at the side clapped loudly, Schiker had come beside Leylin without notice.

"Exchange for him!" Schiker nodded at the fatty, then exclaimed, "If I were to think like him
while I was young, I would have gotten more achievements than I have now."

"Alright then... as you wish..."

The fat chief wiped his sweats on his face using a gold handkerchief, "Follow me. The exchange
of nobility rank point isn't a simple affair, but it should be alright since Schiker is around..."

......

...

After settling on a series of authorisation documents, Leylin had finally gotten the firasource
stone. He thanked Schiker and the Chief once more before he returned to his place.

"Firasource stone!" Leylin opened his palm, revealing a fiery ruby. It seemed to contain a large
amount of liquefied ore.

The entire ore was only the size of Leylin's fingernail, this was all that Leylin's nobility rank
points could be exchanged for.

Despite its petite size, the chief of the logistics department spent much efforts to gather it,
even having to transfer some from other regions to barely make it enough for Leylin.

A phantom of a phoenix showed up behind Leylin, letting out whistles of excitement.

Leylin had the premonition that once he made use of the firasource stone, his level 8 Fireplume
would advance greatly, even to the extent of breaking through level 9.

But it was not the strange phenomenon of the firasource stone that caught Leylin's attention, it
was the notice from the A. I. Chip.

[Beep! Special object detected— Firasource stone! Gathering information.]

After a period of examination and simulation, the A.I. Chip sounded again.

[Special soul object— Firasource stone! Able to strengthen Magus point mass, increases soul
force to an unknown extent! ]

Looking at the A. I. Chip's notice, Leylin's eyes widened.

It could increase soul force! Who knew this firasource stone had such an effect?

The advancement of a Magus and the power of their spirit were inseparable. From ranks 1
through 3, one trained in spiritual force. Soul force came into the picture after one entered the
Morning Star realm.

Soul force was the most mysterious amongst all. Even though there were many great
meditation techniques, they could only result in a strengthening of the soul over a long period
of time. One could not be sure of the pattern.

Even those great meditation techniques required at least hundreds of years to improve one's
soul force, and it was even worse in Leylin's case.

Kemoyin's Pupil ended at rank 4, not giving him a single bit of information as to how to increase
his soul force. Thus, he could only continuously try his luck.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 555 - The Organisation's Leader

Now, a wide golden path had appeared in front of Leylin.

As long as he gathered enough firasource stones, his soul force would increase greatly. Even the
soul force of a Morning Star Magus who had thousands of years of experience using the top
meditation techniques might not be as strong.

"If the Morning Star Magi in the Magus World learn about this, I'm afraid they will go mad over
it!"

Leylin stroked his chin, finding it a little puzzling, "A precious source like this is a fatal attraction
to Morning Star Magi. If so, why would Jupiter's Lightning use this world to trap the Elders
despite risking the exposure of the coordinates? This doesn't make sense..."

At that moment, everything that had happened previously left Leylin confused.

"Maybe they had confidence in getting rid of the Elders, but did not expect that they could get
away, which had them caught unprepared. Or maybe they didn't even manage to find a source
like the firasource stone? After all if they don't have the help of the A. I. Chip, they will only
know the amazing function of the firasource stone if they conduct an on-site inspection..."

All he could do was to speculate.

"Anyway, the reason the Triserpent Sect is so eager to get the firasource stone could very well
be that their Morning Star Magus has already found out the function of it... Now I have to
gather as many firasource stones as possible."

The fourth level of Kemoyin's Pupil already had little effect on Leylin. It had helped his
advancement for quite a while already, but there was no change to his soul force at all.

In actual fact, many Morning Star Magi faced the same difficulty. It was very hard to improve
their soul force, even with top-grade meditation techniques.

"This trip to the Lava World was such a great decision!"

Leylin held his grid tightly, his eyes were filled with excitement.

......

In the capital of the Atlan Union, a huge and prosperous place.

A void was created deep underground, a massive flame ball staying in the middle of it like a sun,
showing the vague figure of a phoenix.

A continuous high-pitched whistling of the phoenix was transmitted through the flame ball, the
entire ball breathing in and out as if it was alive.

There was a huge pentagram-shaped spell formation there, in the middle of which rays of
crimson light were been drawn out and immersed into the flame ball.
The Phoenix inside was extremely excited, just like it had benefited greatly from the rays.

There were some remaining crimson light rays dropped down at the side of the spell formation,
they solidified over sometime and turned into Fire stones!

Moments later, the Phoenix in the flame ball stopped the flame. It transformed into a human
bathed in a stunning golden light.

This was a handsome male, he had scarlet hair and brows, his aura filled with surging waves of
power.

Even the void around him fluctuated, an aura of the peak power of a Radiant Moon Magus
surrounded him.

The scarlet-haired man had a regal crimson robe draping over his shoulders, fully dressed on
the inside. He went to the other basement which was empty save for a giant mirror, leaving
only large amounts of binding runes appearing regularly.

"...We meet again, my dear President of Atlan Union, Your Highness Durut!"

A hologram of someone in Radiant Moon Magus robe with a crescent mark on his forehead
appeared in the mirror. Weird dark power was released strangely, his aura somewhat able to
compare to Durut's.

The Magus who appeared in the mirror was the leader of Jupiter's Lightning, a rank 5 Magus!
"Hello, my guest from a foreign world!" Durut smiled, his crimson feathers radiating lust.

The Magus in the mirror turned silent for a while, as if he had sensed something. Moments
later, he opened his eyes and smiled, "It seemed like you have accepted my suggestion! How is
the effect?"

"It was great, my friend! Just some improvements to be made..." Durut nodded his head.

"This requires me to put in more time and effort. Most importantly, I was unable to get enough
on-site information. Unless you allow me to go over...." The Radiant Moon Magus in the mirror
shook his head.

"Of course not! My friend, we are both the elites above the Morning Star realm, and this world
needs protection!"

Durut rejected immediately. Welcoming a foreign world's elite was definitely a trouble for
himself. Durut had only thought of making use of the Magus with caution, never had he
thought of other possibilities.

"Alright! Then next let's talk about the deal." The leader of Jupiter's Lightning in the mirror said
helplessly.

A Morning Star Magus was like a little stone on a beach in the world, a little hard to recognise
without careful inspection. A Radiant Moon Magus like him, on the other hand, was more
obvious, an elephant in the room. The moment he tried to cross over, Durut would attack him
mercilessly.

On this matter, Durut was able to gain the support from the world's will, which made him way
more powerful than any ordinary rank 5 Magus.
Thus, despite being a similar rank 5, the man in the mirror had never thought of getting himself
into trouble. He could only send some of his man over to run errands for him in secret.

"That's right, my friend, as long you keep your promise, we of the Emberwing race will show
great hospitality!" Durut smiled.

The Magus opposite rolled his eyes, "Since you are very satisfied with the Energy Withdrawing
spell formation, I have quite a few others you can try it out... In return, I want 500 grams of
Morning Star Gold, arcane ore, paradian feathers and also firasource stones..."

He continued with the names of numerous resources, and Durut agreed without any hesitation,
"Sure. As long your spell formations work, I will transfer them right away..."

......

After Durut had left the chamber, he sneered, "You think I wouldn't know what you are really
up to just by hiding the firasource stone among the long list of sources? How naive!"

Upon reaching the study room had some documents viewed, he was outraged, " The Triserpent
Sect! And the Mobius Organisation! These foreign tribes are way too much! I have to warn
them and give them a lesson!"

Immediately he took a device from the table which looked like a telephone, strings of letters
appearing from his fingers and vanishing into the speaker.

"All Special Task Force units in action, destroy every base of the Triserpent Sect and the Mobius
Organisation in the Union's territories!"
Durut recalled something after he had put down the phone, and he passed down another
urgent order, "Schiker, take charge of the East region!"

"That little pup should be back now after the contribution!"

Durut's face finally showed rare tinge of gentleness.

......

"The increasing of soul force feels really amazing..." Leylin was far from the capital, therefore he
was not aware of the silent undercurrents that developed throughout the Atlan Union. He was
still indulged in the joy of the advancement of his soul force.

The feeling of using the firasource stone was utterly fantastic, making him feel giddy as if he
was drunk. Once the effect ended, his body was much more vigilant than before, and his soul
force much more active than usual.

Leylin took a look at his stats:

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock Bloodline: Kemoyin's Serpent(complete form) Strength: 50

Agility: 45 Vitality: 65 Spiritual Force: 539.7 Magic Power: 539(Magic power in synchronisation
with spiritual force) Soul force:???]

"Even though the soul force is not shown, the spiritual force had increased by 30 plus units, it's
probably a side effect of the increase in soul force!" Leylin was over the moon. This
advancement in soul force was comparable to the process of those Morning Star Magi having
had to practice top-grade meditation techniques at least 10 years.
With how things looked, as long as he had enough firasource stones, his soul force would
continue to increase at an incredible rate.

"How is this firasource stone related to Fireplume? How is this produced?"

Leylin's eyes brightened. He had even put behind the rescue mission, and finding and gathering
of enough firasource stone had become his top priority.

"Boss! Boss!" At the same time, Mies's call sounded from outside, making Leylin frown.

"What is it? Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?" Leylin pulled opened the door, displeased.

"Not me, it's Instructor Schiker. We've got a big mission now!" Mies's face reddened due to
agitation, and he was still panting.

"Big mission?" Leylin remained calm before Mies, "Look at how you're behaving! All those
trainings went down the drain..."

However, a weird premonition had taken shape in his heart.

"Is it related to the Triserpent Sect?"

He was not too confident in handling this organisation for now, despite there being a huge
possibility that it was established by the three Elders. Now that the firasource stone had
popped up, however, there were a lot of variables.
Because it was very likely that those Morning Star Magi under Jupiter's Lightning to found out
about the secret of the firasource stone. Thus, they were forming connections underground
and gathering them.

"Oh! And Instructor Schiker wants to see you now in his office!" Mies finally caught his breath
and finished the message.

"Got it. Wait for me here." Leylin closed the door and left Mies, dumbfounded, standing outside
the room.

He did not have to wait long. Minutes later, Leylin had changed into his military outfit and
shown up in Schiker's office.

"Ley! Here are your orders. Clear out these bases with your squad." Schiker signed some
documents before handing them over to Leylin.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 556 - Orders Given

　　

"What mission is it?" Leylin took the document that was labelled 'top secret' on the cover, and
unconsciously furrowed his brows.

　　

"The union has ordered that our Special Task Force is to attack the Triserpent Sect and Mobius
Organisation within the territory of the state. I am the person in charge of the eastern region!"

　　
Schiker's voice was that of a hardened war veteran.　　

　　

"Your squadron is in charge of a few strongholds of the Triserpent Sect that have been
discovered recently. I will personally take care of the Mobius Organisation's side!"

　　

It was obvious that their trap had thoroughly enraged Schiker. Now, he wanted to exact
revenge properly!　　

　　

"The Triserpent Sect?" A look of interest appeared on Leylin's face, though he was sighing
inside.

　　

His intention in coming to the Atlan Union was to obtain some information regarding the
Triserpent Sect, but so many things had happened, especially with the appearance of the
firasource stone. That one resource had dispelled all other thoughts.

　　

However, just when he was hoping to continue concealing himself, this matter had suddenly
cropped up, and it just so happened that he was involved. This left him not knowing whether to
laugh or cry.

　　

"The order this time was personally signed by the head of the state. The garrisons from all
regions will coordinate with our operation. In other words, once we succeed, we will appear in
front of the head immediately. Chances like these are hard to come by!"

Schiker seemed to be reminding him.　　

"Understood." Leylin saluted, his back ramrod straight, though he began making some guesses.
It seemed that Schiker had an unusual relationship with the union head, to the point that he
could obtain the position of the person in charge of such a vital operation. He must have a very
powerful backing, no wonder that Loke wanted to get close to him no matter what.　　
　　

"Good, you may leave. Get Loke to come in!" Schiker nodded in satisfaction.　　

　　

"Yes!" Leylin saluted and left. Every movement was like a textbook example and seasoned as a
soldier. Schiker nodded inside after seeing this.　　

"Captain Loke, the instructor is calling you!"　　

　　

After walking out, Leylin found that Loke was already waiting aside. Compared to before, there
was more calm and steadfastness on his expression, and he had 'unwittingly' broken through
the sixth level and reached the seventh level of Fireplume. He could now be considered an
Earth rank.　　

Of course, this was all a facade. Leylin believed he was at least at the Sky rank, but he had
somehow snuck in for some unknown reason and gained Schiker's trust.　　

　　

In the operation this time, Leylin was in charge of dealing with the Triserpent Sect, while Loke
was to follow Schiker and was in charge of the matters of the Mobius Organisation. Just this
point made it clear to Leylin that Schiker trusted Loke more.　　

In the Special Task Force, there had long since been rumours spreading that Ley and Loke were
Schiker's left and right-hand men, and Schiker himself did not deny this directly.　　

'It's a pity... When you find out the two subordinates you'd thought were your helpers were
actually enemies sneaking in as spies, I wonder what expression you'd have? Whatever it is, I'm
sure it'll be amusing!' Leylin touched his chin, a smile on his face as he ruminated.　　

"Leader Ley, is there anything else?" Loke observed Leylin who was acting in this manner. For
some reason, he felt a chill in his heart, and seemed to have a bad premonition.　　

"Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking about the scene from our previous mission. Quick, get
in!" Leylin patted Loke on the shoulder, and calmly sauntered away.

Loke kept drawing back and stared at Leylin's back. Though he seemed to be sending Leylin off
respectfully, there was a strange glint that flashed in his eyes.　　

"Soon... things will be different..."　

　　

A flicker of jealousy and hatred appeared in Loke's eyes. Though both Leylin and he were
captains, one was a Sky rank while the other was only at the Earth rank. That naturally gave rise
to criticism.

　　

Though Loke was considerably powerful and was on good terms with Schiker, he seemed to be
a level below Leylin in many aspects.

　　

He might not seem bothered on the surface, but that was because he was trying to be conceal
himself. He wasn't preparing for a life in the Union anyway, but he still somehow felt strange.　

　　

Of course, this was hidden well, and even the person closest to him had not realised it.

　　

"Loke, what are you waiting for?" Schiker's dissatisfied voice travelled from within the room.
Loke was startled and immediately returned his expression to the original honesty with a trace
of shrewdness and admiration, nodding and bowing as he entered the office. "Reporting in!"

......　　
　

Back in his residence, Leylin was carefully browsing over some information in the documents.
Only after some time did he put it down and sigh.　　

　　

The information within was so detailed that it was excessive. They even knew the strength of
the leaders there, and it seemed that the Atlan Union definitely had hidden some spies and the
like inside.

"The Triserpent Sect will probably suffer heavy losses this time..."　　

Leylin stroked his chin. He still could not confirm if the Triserpent Sect was an organisation
formed by the three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Dukes, and he was not prepared to make a move.

　　

They were a few branches and strongholds anyway. Nothing would be missed even if everyone
died, and with this, he could even gain a higher standing and more trust from the Union. That
would make it convenient to pry into the secrets of the firasource stone!

With this thought, the light in Leylin's eyes gradually dimmed, a bone-chilling iciness within. 　　

"B...Boss... Wha- What's going on..."　　

　　

Mies chose this moment to push the door open and met Leylin's gaze. Instantly, he collapsed,
cold sweat pouring, and was left stuttering.　　

　　

"It's nothing. Our official mission has been handed down. Take a look!"　　

Leylin chuckled, and it was as if all that ice had melted with the smile. Warm sunlight shone
down, and Mies was no longer limp on the ground, and could struggle to take a hold the
document.

However, while looking through it, his hands were still trembling slightly. Mies swore that he'd
never have imagined that when Boss Ley's expression was grim, it would be so frightening!　　

　　

That bone-piercing chilliness was something he had never experienced before. Swearing in the
name of the honour of the Emberwings, he never wanted to meet that sort of gaze ever again.
Heavens! He now felt that even the sweltering heat outside was more comfortable than staying
in this room.　　

　　

"How is it? Have you finished looking through it? Tell me your thoughts!" Seeing Mies in this
state, Leylin smiled gently and crossed his arms, body half leaning on the chair as he appeared
to be at ease.

"This... Since it's an order from the headquarters and the head of state, we can only obey.
However, the members of our squadron don't have enough strength, and I'm afraid we will
need to mobilise and coordinate with the garrison!"　

Mies was no fool to have been able to survive up to this point. With some slight reflection,
things immediately became clear to him, and he even had a contingency plan in mind already.

But... Mies stealthily peeked at Leylin, who was expressionless, and decided that before he
could understand the man's thoughts it was best not to speak his mind.

　　

That bit of bloodthirst earlier had frightened him.　　

"Mm, very good! I'll leave contacting the local garrison to you. Don't disappoint me!"　　
　　

Unexpectedly, Leylin did not ask about his plans and instead gave him a task.　　

　　

Though Leylin did not explicitly state the consequences of not completing the task, Mies could
somewhat guess that it was something he absolutely did not want to bear.

"Understood, Captain!" As a long-term habit, while Leylin was issuing the command, Mies
subconsciously stuck out his chest and saluted, expression full of respect.　　

　　

Ever since he had entered Leylin's unit, he was completely convinced by Leylin and understood
how he worked. It was consistently simple and crude, and he did not allow for retorts. Mies was
naturally tactful.

"Mm, send down the order that I want our unit to assemble!" Leylin waved his arms, and Mies
immediately escaped as if he was faced with a huge enemy.　　

　　

Though Leylin was usually very easy-going, to the point that Mies could get benefits like stealing
some cool air here, the Leylin in missions was very resolute about killing. He was not going to
make things bad for himself now.

After sending down the order, their unit assembled quickly.　　

On a field, Leylin wore military attire and walked past the orderly line, looking satisfied.　　

The Lava World was a world with Exemplaries. Their individual abilities far surpassed their
collective strength, which was why this group was very small, with only ten or so members.
However, every single one of them was at or above the fifth level of Fuming Wings, meaning
they were at the peak of the Exemplary rank. He had three Earth ranks, and all had been forced
to submission by him in missions. This was unthinkable in the eyes of many people.　
After all, Earth ranks were considered top-rated strengths even in the Atlan Union. They could
take on important roles in the corps, so how could they be the subordinates of a little captain?

However, Leylin had done it, and many were in awe.　　

In reality, Leylin's methods were simple. He had achieved victory with strength, and forcefully
suppressed them.

　　

Even so, he had not intentionally taken in these three. They were an unexpected harvest.　　

　　

For him, Earth Ranks were comparable to rank 1 or 2 Magi or Warlocks in the Magus World. He
could kill a large number of those who possessed this level of strength with just a breath, and
he did not even need to spend much energy on it.

Even Sky ranks, who were comparable to rank 3 Magi, were nothing much.　　

The ones able to affect Leylin were Star ranks, who were of a similar strength! The attention of
a Morning Star would forever be focused on enemies of the same level!　　

"Based on the intel, the commanders of the few Atlan military districts are all Star ranks!
Rumours have it that the head of the union far exceeds the Star rank, and could be at rank 5,
the Radiant Moon Realm..."

Learn touched his chin, a look of anticipation flashing in his eyes...

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 557 - Lava Base

"I really want to try my hand at fighting an enemy of this level of strength..." A fierce desire for
battle burned in Leylin's eyes, but was quickly withdrawn.

Though he was looking forward to the Radiant Moon Realm, he was no fool. Power at rank 5
was still far from him as he was now. Before he himself became a rank 5 Warlock, he was not
going to fight with any Radiant Moon Magus, no matter who they were.

Leylin currently had his arms behind his back and after inspecting these members, he shouted,
"Everyone, the head has issued our newest mission, which is an order for elimination! With us
the Special Task Force taking the lead, the garrison troops will coordinate with us to uproot the
Triserpent Sect strongholds that are throughout the Atlan Union!"

"Long live Atlan!" Many members yelled together, an agitated flush on their cheeks.

Compared to those troops formed with regular people, they were mostly people who were
enlisted in a hurry and had not experienced much hardships so it was expected if they had
unrealistic delusions. Furthermore, this time, it was clear that union was serious, and since the
head had issued the command himself, it meant multiple opportunities to perform meritorious
deeds.

And those meritorious deeds would net them higher level techniques, large amounts of
information, and even the status and glory of nobility quite easily. How would they not be riled
up?

"Good!" Leylin obviously knew what these people were thinking; On the contrary, he was no
saint. Hence, he did not destroy their hopes right now.
"There are a total of fifteen strongholds in the eastern region that belong to the Triserpent
Sect. I will now hand down the assignments..."

In actuality, Leylin had not even told them how to choose their targets. In his perspective, only
he and the three Earth ranks were mildly useful in his group.

The others would probably only be useful running errands outside, or providing moral support.

It didn't matter, since they were only destroying the branches of the Tri-serpent Sect, and the
most powerful people there would probably be only at the Sky rank.

......

Within a large desert, boiling-hot temperatures caused slight distortions in the sky. Heat waves
surged, causing the scenery in the distance to seem blurred.

"One of the branches of the Triserpent Sect is here! General Gilfah, your mission is to seal off
this region and not let any suspicious characters escape. Any questions?"

In a simply constructed tent, Leylin pointed at a large map on the table and spoke to a white-
haired Emberwing.

This Emberwing was obviously not young, and even his mottled red feathers were falling down.
However, the tenacity was as strong as ever. What had Leylin raising his eyebrows in surprise
was that this old man was a Sky rank.
"No problem!" Gilfah nodded matter-of-factly. "I will order the army to surround the area. Even
a bug will not be able to escape!"

This high-ranking officer by the name of Gilfah was in charge of this region. He had been
contacted by Mies.

While he had control over the troops by order of the head, Leylin had gotten this general's
support after displaying his strength.

"I hope you can destroy this nest in one go. A lot of disappearances in my jurisdiction are
related to it," The general brought up.

"I understand. Let's go!" Leylin nodded and left the camp, suddenly waving his arms.

*Rumble!* His body turning into a tornado, he charged into the depths of the desert with a few
similarly powerful pillars of light.

"This stronghold of the Triserpent Sect is really covert. If not for the vast network of spies
controlled by the union, it would have been unlikely that I'd find this place..." Light flickered in
Leylin's eyes.

The Atlan Union was much too vast. Even if he had his bloodline and soul fire crystal and
searched from city to city or even ran through the outskirts, it would still take several decades
to cover the country. Even then, he could end up not even finding a trace of the Triserpent Sect.

They had long since been chased by the union, and their actions had always been secretive.
Leylin had no confidence that he would coincidentally bump into them.
With the map, however, all the branches of the Triserpent Sect were bared before Leylin. There
was no difficulty in finding them now.

"But... Did the three dukes really create the Triserpent Sect?" A giant, fire-red lake had
appeared before Leylin's eyes. At the heart of it, flames were vaguely seen. Based on the intel,
the branch of the Triserpent Sect was under the lava lake.

Soul force surged through the lava and the desert to scan below, and it resulted in a marvellous
expression on Leylin's face.

"This..." With his soul force, Leylin could clearly see the many experiments in the laboratories of
the Triserpent Sect branch, as well as the modified Emberwings.

"Bloodline modification experiments?" As a Warlock himself, he was no stranger to this, and

could even be said to be a subject matter expert.

With just a look, he could find many traces of what the Magus World, even the Ouroboros Clan,
were used to operative procedures.

"Could it be... that the Triserpent Sect really is an organisation set up by the three dukes?"
Leylin's eyes flashed, a crimson crystal already appearing his hands, two threads of pale soul
flames twining around each other.

"No reaction... The two dukes aren't here." Leylin shook his head.

Though the range of bloodline and soul sensing was already quite vast, it was still too small in
comparison to the whole Atlan Union, let alone the entire Lava World.
"Attack!" Thoughts whirling in his mind, Leylin unhesitatingly gave the order. A gigantic
phantom phoenix made of fire appeared behind him. Bathed in pure golden flames, it was as if
the real ancient phoenix had been reborn!

This was the pinnacle of the eighth level of Fireplume. Seeing this display, nobody would
believe it even if Leylin himself admitted to not being an Emberwing.

The point mass of a Morning Star was incomparably tiny, and massive strength could be held
within this tiny point. It would not cause any clashes with other energies.

Leylin had the A.I. Chip to analyse and perform simulations for him. In reality, he had secretly
already practised up to the peak of the ninth level of Fireplume. In other words, the limit of
rank 3!

However, as he lacked the training technique for the tenth level, he had been unable to
progress further. Even if the A.I. Chip could simulate it, too much time would be spent on it and
Leylin had thus lost his patience.

Hence, he had focused on Schiker. He was sure that with Schiker's status, it was very possible
for him to have access to the tenth level of Fireplume!

To Leylin's knowledge, there were ten levels to Fireplume. The first three were for regular
people, but the fourth and fifth, it would begin to touch on exemplary strength. The sixth and
seventh were comparable to rank 1 and 2 Magi, while the eighth and ninth meant being able to
battle rank 3 Magi! As long as he entered the tenth level, he would be a Star rank, which was
comparable to a Morning Star Magus in the Magus World!

Leylin did not have much interest in the first nine levels of the technique, and was only invested
in the tenth level.
After advancing to Morning Star, it meant that he had already chosen a path for himself. While
Leylin had no plans of giving it up, other paths to power still had a lot of useful experience to
give him.

Fireplume was one of the most advanced techniques among those of foreign origin. It could
combine both physical and spiritual aspects, and this train of thought was a breath of fresh air
for him.

If he could obtain the tenth level of Fireplume and gain clarity on the Emberwings' path and
system, it would definitely be of much use to him.

"Come out!" Leylin shouted, and an ear-piercing explosion sounded behind him, like a high-
spirited phoenix cry filled with heat and excitement.

Amidst the cry, Leylin abruptly made his move. The flames that filled the sky were as splendid
as the wings of a phoenix as they swept through the ground and shaved a layer of soil off the
earth.

The ground kept trembling, and rocks and dirt were scattered everywhere. As if a geyser of
water, the lava from the lake shot upwards as its surface emptied out, revealing a giant secret
base underneath.

Many members of the Triserpent Sect raised their heads. Upon seeing the dazzling phantom
phoenix, they yelled in alarm, "It's Atlan's Special Task Force! Those black leather dogs have
caught up to us."

The members of the Special Task Force were usually ruthless in their methods, possessed
extraordinary power and dressed in black leather uniforms. That had netted them this title.
"Aren't you wearing black robes too? What about it?" Leylin, who was in mid-air, grew
speechless as he observed the followers who wore black, wide robes with an image of three
black snakes intertwining on the surface.

While he was quibbling, a few streaks of powerful undulations rose, and two black-clothed
people who were obviously the leaders blocked his way, dressed in luxurious robes. The sounds
of members of the Triserpent Sect howling could be heard from within the stronghold.

"Take care of that trash as soon as possible!" Leylin's brows furrowed. He could not sense any
special aura from these two black-clothed people.

If they were higher-ups within the Tri-serpent Sect and had made contact with Morning Star,
there should be some radiation residue or the like on their bodies, but there were no traces at
all on these two leaders. This led to Leylin's disappointment.

"Understood, leader!" A few streaks of red flames shot out, and Leylin's Earth ranks
immediately began their massacre, doing as they liked amongst the ordinary followers.

Crimson flames flashed, turning the region into a sea of fire.

Facing this attack that was at the Earth rank, these ordinary disciples were mowed down like
grass. Under the prowess of the Exemplaries that he led, no matter how much battle intent the
ordinary followers had, it all proved futile. That was the main reason why Leylin had brought a
small team of only ten or so people, and dared to forcefully attack the enemy's large-scaled
base!

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 558 - Developments

"You're Ley, the genius of the Special Task Force in the eastern region? One of the dogs that Schiker's
raising?" The black-clothed person opposite him spoke with a hint of scorn.

"You're looking for death!" Leylin's eyes opened suddenly, as if two balls of flames were being launched
from them.

*Shua!* His entire body seemed to transform into a thread of flames, boring through his opponent's
forehead and coming out through the back before turning back into a humanoid figure.

*Crackle!* The black-clothed person who had not been the least bit modest with his words had a dazed
look on his face. Seconds later, he turned into a torch of fire and began to incinerate fiercely.

"Whorf! Whorf!" The other person in black was clearly stunned, before beginning to shout. The voice
was lovely, and evidently belonged to a woman.

"You dare... You dare kill him..." The woman raised her head, eyes full of hatred as she glared at Leylin,
itching to hack him to pieces.

Leylin merely hummed coldly as if he did not care. If looks could kill, what was power for anyway?

These two heads were Sky ranks, but they had obviously used some secret potion or taboo techniques
to forcefully break through. Their auras were rather unstable, and were at most comparable to the peak
of the Earth rank. Perhaps any expert at the eighth level of Fireplume could dispose of them easily.

Of course, this was understandable. If the three dukes had created the Triserpent Sect, they could not
have gathered many techniques given the difference in the flow of time between Lava World and the
Magus World. Support for advancement and methods that would result in instant benefits were
necessary things.

The woman did not rush over to fight with all her might. Instead, she ordered something into her
communicative device in her hand, "Activate the Berserk Legion!"

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* A steel door in the base opened, and many Emberwings with dazed expressions
walked out.

Their crimson eyes radiated a feeling of indifference. Their bodies were filled with strange runes, and
parts of their bodies had obviously been strengthened and altered. Many of the Special Task Force
members had difficulty even telling that they were Emberwings.

After being let out, the lost look in their eyes was replaced by viciousness as they let loose howls that
were similar to those of beasts.

*Boom!* A researcher nearby was immediately beaten to the point that blood splattered everywhere.

A crimson rain fell on this berserk legion, causing them to appear even more malicious and terrifying.

The legion that had already gone insane began to destroy things without distinction. Whether it was the
Special Task Force members or their own people, all were attacked. Due to the differences in numbers,
the berserk legion landed the most critical attack on the followers of the Triserpent Sect. Leylin, who
saw this scene, could not help but shake his head. This woman was obviously treating these modified
people who were as of yet unable to control their bloodlines as her trump cards and weapon for
revenge.

"Ahaha... Whorf's dead. I want all of you to die with him." The woman shouted maniacally, her voice so
sharp that it could pierce through eardrums.

"This woman's gone crazy! Or she wasn't mentally sound in the first place... " Leylin shook his head.
Watching her with pity, Leylin did not hold back. An enormous fire phoenix soared across the sky, its
giant wings sweeping across the woman. It sent her retreating, coughing up blood.

"Boss, what do we do?" Watching the berserk legion, especially whose members consisted of
Emberwings, Mies was caught in a dilemma.

Not only were those of the berserk legion insane, their battle might was astounding. On top of that, they
were his fellow clansmen, so Mies found it difficult to attack.

"It doesn't matter, I'll take care of it. Their blood might be infectious, so be careful not to make contact
with them!"

Leylin's voice travelled over faintly, but Mies suddenly had a bad premonition. "Boss! You're not going
to..."

But it was too late. Mies raised his head and saw Leylin turning into a streak of golden light, as if fusing
with the phantom phoenix on his back.

The phoenix's cries were even louder than before, practically piercing through the clouds. Golden flames
were emitted from its body.

In that moment, the phantom image of the phoenix had turned into a giant, blazing bird!

"The apex of Fireplume— Undead Aves!" Mies' eyes grew wide as he muttered to himself.

He had only heard of this killing technique in legends. Based on the rumours, only those who had
trained in Fireplume up to the Sky rank and above, and only ones with incomparably pure bloodlines
could exhibit this ultimate technique, restricted to the Emberwing Royal Family!
'Could it be that Ley is a member of the esteemed Emberwing Royal Family?' Mies watched the Flaming
Undead Aves soaring in the skies, suddenly feeling as if his brain had short-circuited.

*Rumble!* With a shake of the flaming bird's feathers, large amounts of fiery-red light shone down on
the region. A spark fell onto the shoulder of one of the members of the berserk legion, and he
immediately began to burn up fiercely, turning into a torch.

With elated cries, the gigantic Undead Aves dived towards the ground!

"Crap, get away! Drop down!" The other Special Task Force members' voices, distorted due to their
nervousness, travelled into Mies' ears, but he could not manage to process it.

He wore a stupefied expression as he stared ahead.

The terrifying giant flaming bird was like a falling meteor descending upon the ground, bringing with it
horrifying tremendous waves of flames. All Mies could do was hug his head and crouch down.

In the face of this strength that was like a natural disaster, he felt as tiny as an ant.

The flaming bird descended into the heart of the berserk legion, and the flames swallowed them in an
instant.

Moments later, the flames gradually went out and revealed a tall figure.

"Boss... Is actually this strong?" Mies mumbled, hot blood rushing to his brain as he darted forward,
glancing through the remains on the ground, eyes filled with tears, "Captain! They... They were also..."
"There are only enemies on the battlefield!" Leylin's voice was icy cold, and the heat in Mies' body went
cold.

"I'm very disappointed in you!" Leylin had his arms behind his back as he left this hell slowly, leaving
Mies in a daze.

"He's right, child!" At some point, the general from before was at Mies' side.

"If we don't do this, if the legion or any of these contaminated bodies escape, there could be a terrifying
plague in the surrounding cities..."

"Furthermore, with Ley's efforts, we've successfully destroyed this stronghold. No fire-feathered
clansmen will have to be ruined by it anymore..."

The general patted Mies' shoulders, "Cheer up, little guy!"

......

"There seems to be some change in this little thing. I hope I haven't ruined his outlook on the world..."

Watching his bloodshot eyes as he darted to the frontlines, a smile of rumination shot up on his lips.

The desert branch of the Triserpent Sect had been destroyed, but there were still many other branches
and organisations remaining in the eastern region of the union.

They were now within a giant Emberwing city.

The members of the Triserpent Sect had actually set up a secret base within a city, something that only
managed to increase Leylin's respect for them.

To be able to come up and make use of this meant they were absolute geniuses. It was a pity that in a
time when physical strength was of utmost importance, intelligence automatically decreased in value to
the point that it was negligible.

The army surrounded the area, while the Special Task Force rushed in. Leylin had long since gotten used
to arranging things like these.

After that matter the other day, Mies had seemed depressed for a few days, but seemed to become
mature immediately after. In the next few battles, he was in an unusual state where he would charge to
the frontlines, and was ruthless in his attacks.

It was as if he believed that the more he killed, the lesser the number of his clansmen that would be
oppressed by the enemy, or something to that effect. It was a certain level of maturity, although still
naive.

"It's good to be young..." Leylin observed the hot-blooded Mies, and could not help but get emotional.

His real age had long since surpassed 200, and he was even older than his grandfather's grandfather in
his previous world. Watching Mies now was like looking at a child.

"Captain, the stronghold has been purged. No enemy was caught." Mies reported to Leylin with
indifference, blood on his body.

"Good! Go back and reorganise yourselves, the spoils of battle won't reduce!" Leylin's arms were tucked
together as he nodded.

At this moment, a female soldier rushed over in a hurry, holding a communicative device similar to a
handset, "Captain Ley, a call from Lord Schiker!"

"Instructor!" Taking the handset, he immediately heard the sounds within.

Though the principle of this thing's operation was different, it was still like the cellphones of his previous
world.

"I know everything you've done. Very good!" Schiker's voice sounded from within the handset, praise in
his tone. Evidently, he had heard of the results of Leylin's battles.

However, Leylin had astutely realised the trace of fury hidden in his voice. That was obviously not aimed
at him.

"Looks like Schiker met with some trouble during his operation at destroying the Mobius Organisation!"

Leylin thought. As expected, Schiker mentioned this right after, "Captain Ley, I now command you to
bring all your members and hurry to Wox City and meet me!"

"Understood!" Leylin answered loudly. After waiting for a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, "
Did anything happen there?"

"Yes. There's are some issues!" Schiker answered vaguely after a brief silence. It was obvious he did not
want to touch on it.

"Alright, I'll hurry there now!" Leylin obviously knew what to say in this situation.

After putting down the handset and sending away the female communications officer whose expression
was full of admiration, Leylin sank into deep thought, his hand finding his chin.
"Mobius Organisation... Is this organisation more difficult to deal with than the Triserpent Sect?"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 559 - Tingling Senses

There were many rebellious organisations in the Atlan Union, as well as various sects. However, the
union leader had only chosen to act against the Triserpent Sect and Mobius Organisations, which led
Leylin to make a mental association.

If the Triserpent Sect was targeted because of its three foreign Morning Star Warlocks, what about the
Mobius Organisation? What did they have?

A trace of a smile appeared about Leylin's lips. "Interesting! It's getting increasingly interesting!"

He abruptly turned back and shouted, "All members, assemble..."

As Leylin had very few subordinates, he could act swiftly and decisively, bringing his unit to the Wox City
Schiker had spoken of the very next afternoon.

After entering the city, Leylin sensed that the level of security was much higher than before. Even Leylin
and the others were checked over once before being allowed entry. Uneasiness seemed to permeate
the air.

'Could the Mobius Organisation have caused a huge ruckus? Curious!' Leylin touched his chin as he
arrived at the area Schiker had spoken of, which was also the current station of the Special Task Force.
"Ley!" Loke welcomed him, pleasantly surprised. "It's great that you could come so quickly!"

"What's going on?" Leylin's brows furrowed in feigned concern.

"We might have found the Mobius Organisation's headquarters. The attack that Instructor led was met
with a violent counterattack from the other side. It's best that you personally take a look..."

Loke smiled wryly as he got out of the way. There was a gloom between his brows that would not
disappear easily. It was so well-feigned that Leylin cheered for him on the inside. It was rare to find
actors of this calibre.

As he opened the door and found Schiker inside, Leylin displayed an expression of 'alarm'. "Instructor,
how did you..."

The Schiker in front of him now was in a pitiful state, wrapped up to the point that he seemed like a
mummy. His right arm was hung in front of his chest.

"Ley, you did well!" Seeing the worry on Leylin's face, Schiker looked gratified, "You only took a day to
get here..."

"It's my honour to serve my lord!" Leylin looked devoted. After all, the other party had connections in
the capital, and was his best route to getting firasource stones. He could not give him up so easily.

"What exactly happened?" Leylin clenched his fists, sparks emitting from his body.

"This level... It means your Fireplume is about to break through to the ninth level, entering the peak Sky
rank..." Schiker watched Leylin, eyes full of an unspeakable radiance. "In terms of training, you'll
probably surpass me soon enough..."
"Not at all! It's all thanks to Instructor's nurture!" Leylin bowed slightly to show his respect.

"Mm! We underestimated our opponent this time. I'd assumed it was an ordinary branch of the enemy,
but never could I have expected that we'd found their headquarters..."

Leylin listened closely. Schiker, with Loke and the rest as well as the support he garnered from the army,
should have been able to complete the operation of destroying the Mobius Organisation smoothly.
However, while wiping out one of the branches nearby, they'd found quite a few red-clothed bishops!

Schiker, who had realised he had found a big opportunity, was obviously excited as he gathered quite a
few Sky rank generals and prepared to eliminate these bishops at one go.

However, when the time came for the actual attack, Schiker found out he had completely wrong.

There had been a mistake in his calculations. This wasn't some branch of the Mobius Organisation, but
their headquarters!

They had astounding harvests under the joint effort of the Sky ranks at first, and had even seized much
of the resources the Mobius Organisation had stocked up on. Suddenly, Schiker was unwilling to say
more, a hint of fear appearing on his expression.

This expression immediately alarmed Leylin. For the fearless Schiker to become this way, the matter
could not be simple.

"I've gathered you only so that you can take over the next operations of the Special Task Force,
especially since I'm in this state!" Schiker raised his arm and laughed bitterly.

"As for the issues there, there will be people coming in from the capital to take care of it. Don't worry!"
Leylin came out, still baffled, and went to look for Loke. Under the questioning of this new 'superior',
Loke narrated all the parts Schiker had failed to explain clearly.

As it turned out, while transporting the resources back, Schiker and the rest had been met with an
ambush, resulting in total annihilation. Even the resources had been lost, and a few Sky rank generals
had perished on the spot. Only Schiker had somehow managed to survive.

"Oh? How many people were there?" Leylin had some conjectures, and asked curiously.

"Ju– Just one, but he was more terrifying than thousands of troops and horses, because... that was a
Star rank!"

Loke's voice was low, as if afraid to alarm anyone. There was an obvious hint of joy in the fact that he
was weak and useless in a battle between Sky ranks, and had thus not participated in that operation.
Otherwise, he'd be dead right now.

"A Star rank?!" Leylin seemed to breathe in sharply, although his mind was actually working quickly.

Star ranks were the most powerful members of the Lava World. They were on the same level as Morning
Star Magi of the Magus World, and were absolutely certain of their cultivation path. They were
existences who had already generated a core.

Every single one of these existences was celebrated. Their achievements would be written in history
books or even as legends, passed down for eternity.

Facing such an expert, Sky ranks would only be courting death unless there were other Star ranks
suppressing them.

If Schiker had met one, it meant he had incredibly bad luck.

'On top of that...' Leylin touched his chin, deep in thought, 'Schiker's backing must be quite firm for even
a Morning Star Magus to have qualms about killing him and leave him alive!'

Leylin, who was also a Morning Star, naturally knew the terror of rank 4s. For Morning Star Magi, Sky
ranks were just like slightly large ants.

The generals, who were also at the Sky rank, had all died, leaving only Schiker behind. Leylin did not
think that this Morning Star Magus had a good heart and let Schiker go. It was very likely that the real
reason was because he feared the person backing Schiker.

'Looks like Schiker's background is very mysterious! I'll need to pay more attention and take advantage
of that!' Leylin decided resolutely.

"That's the basic situation... With the motivation from this event, many branches of the Mobius
Organisation that had begun to disperse seem to be congregating again..."

Loke shrugged his shoulders, the wry smile not diminishing at all, "But we only need to push through
during this period of time. The Northern Duke will reach this place soon, and when that happens, we
can..."

'Just continue acting!' Leylin rolled his eyes inside, while he looked to be in favour of his words.

"The Northern Duke? That's a famous Star rank of the Union! With him around, the Mobius Organisation
won't be able to settle down and have a peaceful time!" he exclaimed in admiration.

At the same time, he now understood the reason for Schiker's listless look. Since someone with a higher
status was taking over, his own position was dispensable, and his achievements would be wrested away
from him.
Though the Northern Duke might not think much of these merits, Schiker would not want to accept
charity from others. Leylin knew very well what type of person he was, and he was not one to admit
defeat.

"In that case, I should return and quickly take over the defence of the Special Task Force, preparing for
the counterattack!"

Leylin and Loke hastily bid farewell.

Leylin did not like this idea. The Mobius Organisation had Star ranks, as well as many helpers and
followers. After noticing something, they would definitely retreat, and by the time that Northern Duke
reached, he would only see an empty nest.

However, all this was none of Leylin's business. What he focused on was the resources that had been
stolen by the mysterious Star rank.

"To be able to get a Star rank dispatched after them, these resources must be especially precious. There
might even be firasource stones inside..." Leylin's eyes flashed. He was in dire need of these stones, but
he did not have that many points to exchange them. Since the proper way wasn't working, he would
need to think of other methods.

Not long after Loke left, Leylin's expression changed.

He came to his room and took out the crimson gemstone from before.

Rays of brilliance were twinkling, the two threads of pale flames beginning to increase in intensity at the
middle.

Seeing this, a smile showed on Leylin's face, "They've come together..."

......

At the bottom of the lava not far from the city, in a secret space that had been opened. Two figures
were facing each other, sitting cross-legged.

All of a sudden, a bald male with no eyebrows or a beard opened his eyes, eyes full of doubt, "I felt a
trace of my soul flames! Which Warlock has arrived here?"

"I had the same feeling!" Opposite him was a young girl in blood-red robes. Her eyes were strange
vertical pupils that would make people shudder in fear.

"Is this a trap?" Gilbert muttered to himself and asked slowly.

"It doesn't seem like it, unless the Ouroboros Clan was completely breached and Freya and the rest have
all died." Blood Duchess Emma was very confident in the loyalty of her students.

"Then... Have the reinforcements from the Warlock Union arrived?" Excitement appeared in Gilbert's
tone.

"Hmph! If they were reliable, we wouldn't be in this situation!" In contrast, Emma's retort showed that
she did not have a good impression of the Warlock Union.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 560 - Meeting

"It's not for us to decide anyway, since they've already taken the initiative to come here!"

Crimson flames flashed on Emma's body as she appeared in mid-air, Gilbert right behind her. Eventually,
the two came to a stop, standing side by side.

"The soul flames are closing in very quickly, and the other party's aura is very powerful! It's a Morning
Star, but... This blood line undulation... How is it possible..." Gilbert turned to Emma in disbelief, only to
be met with Emma's eyes filled with similar astonishment and suspicion.

From the incoming person, they felt the purest Kemoyin bloodline aura. But how was that possible?

There had always only been three Morning Star Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan.

'Did the First Elder come back to life?' An idea rose in Gilbert's mind, but was quickly extinguished. He
had personally seen the death of the First Elder, and his point mass had even returned to the astral
plane.

From the thickness of the bloodline, the purity of the other party's Kemoyin bloodline was even above
that of themselves, even that of the First Elder!

"Who is it?" Gilbert and Emma watched the red rays that were shooting over from the distance, filled
with curiosity.

*Sou!* The light rays dissipated, revealing the appearance of a handsome young man.

A bright smile on his face, and he rushed to bow towards Gilbert. "Mentor... I've arrived!"

In the next moment, Gilbert and Emma's mouths were just as wide, their eyeballs almost popping out.
"Leylin? How's that possible?"
......

A good while later, while Gilbert and Emma seemed to have accepted Leylin's promotion to Morning
Star as reality, there was still a shock that could not be concealed in their eyes.

"... This is how it happened. I advanced to Morning Star just when Phosphorescence Swamp was about
to be breached, and then killed Demon Hunter Cyril. The allied forces withdrew, and both sides are
restraining themselves. The situation has now stabilised..."

Leylin gave a brief overview of what he had experienced in the Magus World. Of course, anything that
touched upon his secrets, such as the A.I. Chip, the Lamia fingerbone and all that, was obviously hidden
and not discussed. Gilbert and Emma had not asked either.

Of those who had reached the realm of Morning Star, who did not have their own secrets? Even the two
of them had many fortuitous meetings while at rank 3, and received inheritances from ruins and the like,
which had allowed them to thankfully advance to rank 4.

"In that case... That guy, Cyril, is really dead..." Emma's eyes were filled with astonishment as she sized
up Leylin. Compared to her own age, Leylin was much too young right now.

However, it was this adolescent Warlock who had caused Demon Hunter Cyril's fall?

Emma couldn't help but recall Cyril's terrifying demonic spells, as well as his power and abundant
experience. Her opinion of this young man raised immensely.

"Alright! Well then... Are the two of you willing to return to the Magus World now?" Leylin took off the
silver-white necklace on his neck that was emanating the rays of stars. Gilbert and Emma's breaths
immediately became heavier.
This was the projection of the coordinates of Leylin's astral gate. It could open the astral gate and allow
them to return to the Ouroboros Clan.

However, Gilbert and Emma exchanged a wry smile, and did not speak. Instead, the area turned
strangely silent.

"I understand. It seems like Your Graces still have very important things to do in the Lava World!" Leylin
laughed, not minding the least.

"Yes!" In the end, it was Emma who spoke up. "Leylin, you're a Morning Star just like us, so you don't
have to call us 'Your Grace'. Just call us by our names..."

"Alright, my Lords!" Leylin looked solemn as he began to make guesses. "Is it because of the firasource
stones?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Leylin noticed the change in Gilbert's expression, while Emma
cried out in alarm.

"You've actually found out!"

"Of course! It's a treasure that can strengthen the soul and even the point mass. Any Morning Star
would go crazy over it!" Leylin nodded as he admitted.

"Alright. In that case, we don't have to keep hiding it from you like before." Emma immediately threw
away all hesitation, "Although Jupiter's Lightning had duped us, we were much stronger than they had
anticipated. This was especially so in another world, where their Radiant Moon could not intrude. While
we did suffer a bit, we managed to break out, and while searching for the road back we found out about
the firasource stones."

Emma sounded emotional, "How can we let go of this treasure that can amplify soul force? We three
Morning Star Warlocks thus led the way and took in a few oppressed races within the Atlan Union,
creating the organisation, the Triserpent Sect. On the surface, we want to overthrow the government of
Atlan, but in reality, we prioritise gathering firasource stones!"

Leylin nodded. In this meeting, he had found that the two Dukes' soul undulations were obviously much
more powerful than in the Magus World. It seemed to be the effect from the firasource stones!

"Then... where's the First Elder?" Leylin asked, and the atmosphere immediately became gloomy. A long
while later, Gilbert spoke, his voice hoarse.

"There are many powerful beings in the Lava World. At the peak are a few who have a strength similar
to Radiant Moon Magi. At the beginning, with the three of us working together, everything went
smoothly, and we even seized quite a lot of firasource stones. However, the organisation Jupiter's
Lightning set up here was obviously much larger, and even had relations with the higher ups in Atlan.
The head of their union was one who had trained up to the thirteenth level of the Fireplume technique,
which was unheard of in history. He was a peak Radiant Moon Magus! Under his assault along with
many other Magi, the First Elder fell... while trying to protect us..."

Though Gilbert explained it in a simplified manner, Leylin could tell how desperate that battle had been.
He could keenly tell that Gilbert had concealed some things.

Whatever it was, he would never believe the First Elder was so selfless, but Gilbert and Emma had not
asked why Leylin had not come here right after the battle and instead done so only now. Leylin thus
would not make his opinion known.

"This means Mentor and Madam Emma are preparing to stay here for a period of time and conspire to
obtain more firasource stones? In that case, we can collaborate!" Leylin touched his chin. He held the
same thoughts as these two Morning Star Warlocks. With two Morning Star helpers, he had more
confidence.

"That's great. With you joining us, Leylin, our strength will increase by a large amount, and we will even
have a way to retreat!" Emma and Gilbert exchanged a glance, the elation obvious in their eyes.
It looked like they had been planning to cause a huge ruckus before leaving this world.

Leylin could not help but feel his scalp tingle. The unrestrained attacks of three Morning Star Warlocks
would definitely throw the entire Atlan Union into chaos.

However, this was none of his business. As long as he could obtain enough firasource stones, he didn't
mind pushing the union into the abyss, or breaking it into smithereens.

Leylin patted his head, suddenly remembering something as he spoke. "Right! I'm lying low in the
Special Task Force in Atlan for now. In order to obtain their trust, I destroyed a few of Triserpent Sect's
strongholds..."

"It doesn't matter. Those are just the surrounding organisations. We can just create a few more soon. To
really obtain their full trust, it doesn't matter even if we hand over the whole Triserpent Sect."

Gilbert waved his arms, not minding the least.

"In actuality, we've also been keeping a low profile in the Atlan Union and even obtained titles. Most of
the intel regarding the Triserpent Sect was intentionally divulged by us!" Emma laughed, a layer of
sparkling red feathers appearing on her body.

"The Emberwings and Fireplume," Leylin chuckled. Morning Star Warlocks were all grandmasters at
remodelling bloodlines. With Emma and Gilbert's experience, passing off an identity as an Emberwing
was way too easy.

On top of that, these two were ruthless and had even sold away their organisation just to obtain trust.
That was probably how they gained their titles, and why they did not mind Leylin's actions.
Leylin was rather speechless at that, feeling like he still needed to learn much more from his seniors in
these dark areas. If the followers of the Triserpent Sect found out they had been betrayed by their
leaders, they would probably just break down.

Leylin could not help but begin to pity them.

"Do you have any intel?" Leylin asked. These two Warlocks had been laying low here for longer than he
had, and definitely knew more secrets.

"Of course!" Gilbert laughed proudly.

"Based on our sources, there is only one place where the firasource stones are being generated, and
that's the capital of the Atlan Union— Tylasus! It only comes from the head himself, which means the
source is being controlled by him. There are very few reserves outside!"

"The head who is at the thirteenth level of Fireplume, the peak of Radiant Moon?" Leylin sighed lightly,
knowing things were going to get troublesome.

Three Morning Stars cooperating was still not enough to snatch something from this opponent.

That was not all. Fighting in another world, foreign beings like them obviously had a disadvantage
compared to the people of this land. The World's Will itself would also have a bias and help its own
people, and even if a peak Radiant Moon were to head over, they might not be able to deal with this
opponent.

"Gilbert and I have already set up a plan. We're planning to sneak into Tylasus two months later, on the
Holy Solar Day. You're just in time!" Emma exclaimed.

Leylin touched his chin. Holy Solar Day was a very important festival of the Emberwings. During that
time, the head would have to make a speech, participate in the feast and whatnot. There were more
than enough opportunities to sneak into his residence.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 561 - Setting A Plan

"Good! I'll be there then!" Leylin nodded.

"Of course you will, because you'll have the greatest chance!" Gilbert chuckled.

"Oh? Why's that?" Leylin's thoughts were lightning quick as he immediately came up with a reason.
"Could it be..."

"Hehe... that's right. Lord Schiker is the illegitimate child of the head of Atlan. With this connection, and
you yourself as part of the Special Task Force, you'll get the most opportunities to sneak into his
residence." Emma revealed.

"No wonder I've been thinking Schiker has a very solid backing and very powerful connections. So he's
the illegitimate child of the head of the union..." Leylin spoke in understanding.

"Hehe... This is called an opportune moment. We'd wanted to sneak into the Special Task Force too, but
the bloodline scanning there is very strict. We can only imitate up to the seventh level of Fireplume,
which is pretty much useless. Even if we got in, we'd only be at the bottommost level. You're different.
Not only is your Emberwing aura unbelievably pure, you've even improved in Fireplume up to the ninth
level. What a genius!"

Gilbert praised. He was now feeling he'd been blind not to have noticed a super talent like Leylin.
However, he had managed to take Leylin under his wing, which was a huge relief.
"Alright! I'll do my best and follow Schiker back to the capital!" Leylin nodded, watching these two
Kemoyin Dukes. Before heading to the Lava World, he'd been worried that they were injured or
something like that, but now, it looked like there was nothing to worry about.

What was difficult for Morning Stars to heal from were injuries to the soul, but as long as firasource
stones were in their possession, even the most troublesome soul injuries could be healed quickly.

In actuality, Leylin guessed that these two Kemoyin Dukes had used all their firasource stone reserves to
heal the injuries from breaking away from the attack. If not, they would not have had just this slight
improvement to their aura.

"By the way, there's someone called Loke under Schiker. Is he also someone you arranged for to be
there?" Leylin suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Loke?!" Suspicion flashed on Emma and Gilbert's expression as they exchanged a glance. Even Leylin,
who had been observing their facial expressions, could not tell if these expressions were genuine.

"No, I don't know him! He's not a spy we sent out. Is there something wrong?"

"A little. I suspect he's from another race who feigned an identity to enter the Special Task Force!" Leylin
casually brought this up.

"In that case..." Gilbert rubbed his shiny bald head, "You'll need to be more wary of him. He's most likely
someone from the Mobius Organisation!"

"Mobius Organisation? Do you know that organisation well?" Leylin's interest was piqued at this. Or
rather, at the large amount of resources and firasource stones that this organisation had stolen.
"Though this is just a guess, we are almost certain that it's Jupiter's Lightning's organisation here!"

Emma looked grim, "Due to the suppression from Atlan, Zegna of Jupiter's Lightning does not dare come
to this world. He's only dispatched a few Morning Star Magi here to secretly build up an organisation!"

"Zegna?" Leylin touched his chin. It was only now that he found out the name of this rank 5 Magus who
had been opposing him.

"In this case, Loke is probably a spy or something to that effect sent out by Zegna?" Leylin chuckled.

"Just a mere pawn. It doesn't matter even if that's true. As long as he's not a Morning Star, he won't be
that vital in this game here..."

Ruthlessness flashed in Gilbert's expression, "If you really think he's annoying, then dispose of him. If it's
not convenient for you, just tell us, and we'll handle it..."

Though Gilbert and Emma seemed to be nobles in the Atlan Union, they were actually one of the three
wicked leaders of the Triserpent Sect. It was obvious that they would seek trouble with the Special Task
Force, and Loke's death wouldn't be that significant anyway.

"Let's keep him around for now and not alarm the Mobius Organisation. By the way, is that Morning Star
who had caused major casualties and stole a lot of resources still around?"

"Why? You want to know where he is?" Emma and Gilbert both had on something that seemed like a
smile.

"Of course! I don't really care about other resources, but I must get those firasource stones!"

Leylin answered decisively, "Besides, I can gain more of Schiker's trust with his help. Think about it, if I
give Schiker news of the Morning Star who landed him in his current state, what would happen?"

"Actually, we've been trying to track him down and seem to have found some trails..."

Emma exclaimed, "Just as well! That is Collins of Jupiter's Lightning. Neither of us is certain we can kill
him, but with you around, we have enough strength. We shall divide the firasource stones equally
though!"

"That's fine!" Leylin immediately thought of Collins, who he'd disciplined at his ceremony, and the
corner of his lips quirked up in a smile.

......

*Rumble!*

The earth split open, the sky falling. Space was constantly being destroyed, causing turbulence. Silver
storms wreaked havoc and ravaged the region.

At the very centre, three phantoms in the form of indistinct giant black serpents streaked across the
horizon, surrounding a figure.

"Collins, hand over everything you have on you, and we can let you off!" Gilbert yelled loudly.

Trapped in the middle was Collins, who Leylin had seen once before. Now, bloody wounds were all over
his body, and it was obvious that his injuries were not mild.

His own strength lost to even Leylin. Under the joint attack of three Morning Star Warlocks, he was
actually pretty good to have survived so far.
"Lord Zegna won't let you off..." The energy undulations from Collin's body were all over the place. The
battle with Morning Star Arcane Arts had already landed him in a critical state.

"Zegna? Hmph! Even if he doesn't look for us, we'll look for him. We can't just forget about what
happened with the First Elder." Emma snorted coldly.

Collins could only whine about the situation inside his mind. Though his strength surpassed that of
Demon Hunter Cyril, he was still no match for three Morning Star Warlocks working together.

Unfortunately, Jupiter's Lightning was huge, and needed many Morning Stars taking charge in the Magus
World. There were few Morning Star Magi in the Lava World, and he was the strongest of all those sent
over, having committed a serious sin that he had to make up for.

But now? He first had to think about how to save himself!

"Alright! I can give you all the firasource stones, but you'll need to swear on the astral plane that you
won't harm or imprison me!"

Collins shouted. This was usually what happened in battles between Morning Star Magi. It might be easy
to define the winner, but killing the opponent was difficult and often not worth it. That was why after
being defeated, it was common to agree to an unfair contract and concede to a huge compensation.

"You don't have any leeway to bargain over this!" Leylin's tone was firm. With his opponent's life in the
palm of his hands and unable to escape, there was no space for negotiation.

"Alright. In that case..." Collins seemed to acknowledge his fate and placed his hands on his waist. All of
a sudden, his expression turned sinister.
Berserk black lightning closed in with him in the middle.

Above his right hand, a simple leather scroll was slowly opening, revealing the phantom image of a
Magus with a black moon rune on the forehead.

"It's a rank 5 magic scroll!" Emma's expression instantly changed, countless blood-red rays exploding
forth.

A giant black snake that spanned across the horizon appeared, charging in his direction.

"Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!" Gilbert and Leylin, who were trailing behind, immediately acted as
well. The power of a rank 5 spell was not to be underestimated, and they had to go all out.

On top of that, since this was another world, there was no danger even if they destroyed anything. Their
methods were frenzied and cruel, not considering the destruction of the environment.

"Hissss..." A giant black phantom snake collided with the lightning, and the energy undulations created
could be felt even hundreds of kilometers away.

*Boom!* A human figure was sent flying, Collins' figure. Black blood shot out of the corner of his mouth,
and there were traces of rot that continuously penetrated deeper within. Even his Morning Star body
was full of bloody holes.

While he flew backwards, he flung large amounts of fiery-red ores, and even some other precious
resources and treasures of his collection. They flew in all directions, emitting brilliant light.

"The firasource stones are all here, as well as my collection. Don't go too far!" he yelled, his figure
turning into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.
*Swish!* The fog dissipated, and three black figures floated down, gathering the many firasource stones.

"What do you think of this?" Leylin spoke first.

"Since we're acting, we need to seem genuine. I'm going to chase him for a while longer..." Gilbert
nodded, before dashing towards the black streak.

"Well then, Madam Emma, I'll head back now!" After keeping the portion of firasource stones that
belonged to him, Leylin was in an exceptionally good mood and bowed to Emma.

"Mm! Take care of yourself. I don't want Freya to become a widow at such a young age," Emma
hummed, though there were hints of concern in her tone.

"I understand!" Leylin was slightly touched, nodding as he turned back into Ley the Emberwing. He
returned to the Special Task Force encampment in Wox City.

"Boss, the energy undulations just now?" The moment he entered, Mies rushed over hurriedly, his
expression grim.

"It's probably a fight between Star ranks!" Leylin obviously knew the reason for the change in his
expression.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 562 - Leaking Intel

To Mies' knowledge, Star ranks were the most powerful existences in the Lava World.
He, who had not seen much in the world, was not aware there was an even more powerful realm after
the Star rank.

However, just one Star rank was enough to cause their leader, Schiker, to be heavily injured, and Sky
ranked experts to die in large numbers. If another one had appeared? Mies didn't even want to consider
that.

"Has his Grace, the Northern Duke, arrived?" he guessed.

Well aware of all that was going on and actually the main offender himself, Leylin had a serious
expression, "I'm afraid not! I'll need to see the instructor!"

On the way, Leylin met Loke again. However, the man seemed to have much on his shoulders, and he
could not tell if this was real or a pretence.

"Reporting in!" Leylin and Loke shouted outside the door.

"Come in!" Schiker's slightly weary voice sounded from within. After entering the room, Leylin's nose
twitched, the smell of disinfectant and ointment filling his nostrils.

Schiker was still looking like a mummy, but looked to be in a better mental state. He could now perform
simple actions.

"Did you feel those undulations too?" Schiker asked with his eyes unfocused, watching a gigantic white
tree whose light yellow flowers were blossoming.

The undulations from a Star rank battle were as dazzling and bright as a torch in the dark night. Most
likely, all the Earth ranks in a 500km radius around them had sensed it at as well. Leylin and Loke
nodded.

"Sigh... Looks like one more powerful person has appeared apart from the previous Morning Star... The
situation does not look good. Ley, send down the directive. Our Special Task Force is to wait for orders.
Do not act recklessly!"

"I know!" Leylin apprehensively did as he was asked, but seemed hesitant.

"What is it?" Schiker asked. Seeing Leylin this way, he found it funny.

"Actually, instructor, I actually went into the battlefield in secret..." Leylin mumbled.

"What..." Schiker's mouth went wide, as if he had just seen a rare beast.

Just a single stray wave from a Star rank battle could easily cause serious injuries or even death to Sky
ranks. And this fearless fool had actually rushed in?

It was not only Schiker. Loke who was at the side was also stunned, feeling like he had to refamiliarize
himself with this 'Ley'.

"Hehe..." Leylin touched his head, looking embarrassed.

"I heard about what happened to Instructor and went to take a look and search for trails of that Star
rank. It was in preparation for the arrival of His Grace, the Northern Duke..." With Leylin's hot-headed
displays in the past, this was a very plausible situation. Hence, Schiker merely nodded, not doubting
anything at all.

"You..." Schiker had no idea what to say. "He must have thought little of a Sky ranked kid like you. On
top of that, you must have had enough luck to come back safely. If not, we'd only be seeing your corpse
now. No, we wouldn't even have seen your corpse..."

"Your courage is really one of a kind..." Schiker nodded. "Well then, what did you see?"

"This is the report I prepared. Sir, take a look!"

Leylin immediately produced a sketch with two faces on it. The first sketch was someone Schiker did not
recognise, because it was a portrait Leylin had drawn of nobody in particular. The other image, however,
had Schiker's eyes turning red, his throat letting loose a roar, "It's him! He's the one who attacked me!"

"Quick! Tell me everything you saw!" Schiker's remaining arm held Leylin's tightly, eyes hopeful.

"Alright. I..."

Leylin narrated the story he had come up with previously. All of it was the truth, though he took himself
out of the equation.

"In that case, the Star rank who attacked me was defeated, and you remember which direction he fled
in? You did well!"

The ruthlessness was apparent in Schiker's eyes. He could sense that this could be his only chance at
taking revenge.

*Thud!* A stack of documents fell to the ground, and Loke who was at the side cried out in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Leylin watched Loke, who had panicked, and found the situation hilarious as he went
forward and asked in concern.
"N-Nothing. I was just shocked!" Concealing the panic and anxiety well, Loke regained his previous
demeanour.

"Oh, is that so." Leylin nodded. He could now confirm that Loke was most likely a spy sent in from the
Mobius Organisation, and his superior might very well be Collins.

He obviously knew where Collins was hiding, because he had done something to Collins' body. Only
Leylin, who had the A.I. Chip, was able to place an imprint that would determine Collins' location
without arousing suspicion.

Of course, he wouldn't be so stupid as to reveal he had placed some symbol on the other party's body.
He just needed to point in a direction, and with this important clue, finding Collins was a simple matter
with the entire Atlan Union working on it.

"Calm down, calm down!" Schiker stood and began to pace around the room. His face was flushed as he
cursed.

After standing straight for a long while, Schiker lay back down, disappointed.

"No! Even a heavily injured Star rank isn't someone we can just walk up to!" After calculating the power
he had at hand, Schiker announced that he was giving up. Only his tightly-clenched fists signified
unwillingness and desire for revenge.

"Sir, are we going to let him off like this?" Leylin seemed to be extremely impulsive as he yelled.

"Yes! Instructor, we can't just let them off like this!" Loke relaxed inside, but shouted along as well.

"I know, but..." Schiker smiled bitterly.

"There's no 'but's!" A resolute voice sounded from outside, and the door was pushed open. A tall, sturdy
Emberwing walk in, dressed in military uniform. "Schiker, I will help you take your revenge."

An intense aura took over the room, and the atmosphere grew as heavy as lead.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Martin!" Schiker's eyes turned, looking ready to cry. This was the first time
Leylin and Loke had seen such an expression on him, and their eyes grew wide as they watched on in
surprise. When would they see Schiker, who had gained repute for his tenacity, having such an
expression?

If not for pinching himself firmly, Loke would think he was dreaming.

Compared to Loke, Leylin was more focused on the energy undulations. "Fireplume, the tenth level of
Fireplume! He must be the special commissioner, the Star rank Northern Duke!"

This was the first time Leylin had seen an Emberwing at the Star realm. He did not dare let down his
guard and hid his point mass and soul energy completely and leaving only Fireplume operating outside.

"You must be Ley, right? Not bad! You're brave! If you ever go to the Thunderoll Legion, remember to
look for me!"

Martin extended a large hand that was like steel and patted Leylin's shoulders, eyes full of praise. "Now,
bring me to the place where they battled..."

A surging bloodlust was present in his eyes.

"Understood, sir!" Leylin sounded excited as he yelled, though he was actually giving a long sigh inside.
"Luckily, he didn't see through my pretence. Looks like a high-levelled Fireplume and the concealed
strength of my point mass is enough for me to get away with this situation even in front of a Star rank
Emberwing..."
Having ascertained this, Leylin now had more confidence in sneaking into the Atlan capital, Tylasus.

"Let's go!" Fiery-red flames lit up, and Martin and Leylin left before Loke could come back to himself.

"In-Instructor, he's..." Loke was tongue-tied.

"Haha, he's the Northern Duke. A Star rank who once killed 18 fire elemental commanders in the Death
Grand Canyon!"

A flush appeared on Schiker's face from his elation; he was extremely excited.

"I heard from Father that even among Star ranks, Uncle Martin is still the best. The other party is now
injured, and if Uncle Martin finds him, he definitely won't be able to escape!"

He ferociously punched forward, hope and carefreeness in his expression, "My revenge will be taken
quickly..."

Schiker went on and on excitedly, not noticing the hint of concern in Loke's eyes.

......

Days later, a piece of shocking news spread through the eastern region of the Atlan Union. There were
even indicators that this news would be spread to other countries. A patriarch of the Mobius
Organisation, who was a terrifying being at the Star rank, had been killed by the union's Northern Duke,
Martin!

In that instant, the Northern Duke Martin's reputation spread throughout the eastern region, causing
many rebelling organisations to be panic-stricken. However, few knew that Leylin and two others had
been adding fuel to the flames.

The fall of a Star rank was a huge blow to the Mobius Organisation. Ever since Collins' death, the
progress of the purging operation in the eastern region was lightning quick.

The squadron that Leylin led showed no mercy as they uprooted all organisations and strongholds that
had anything to do with the Mobius Organisation. Such a fierce method instantly netted a favourable
evaluation from Schiker, and with the intel from before, Leylin sensed that Schiker now treated him as a
trusted aide.

As for Loke? That kid had been restless nowadays, and was not as enthusiastic in his missions. This had
resulted in Schiker's dissatisfaction. Of course, Leylin knew the reason, but he would not make it known.

A month had passed by in a flash after the large-scaled purging missions were over. The most
magnificent and important festival of the Emberwings was now fast approaching — Holy Solar Festival!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 563 - Formal Visit

　　

A fleet of vehicles slowly drove out of Wox City. Leylin turned to look at the city, a ruminating smile
about his lips.

　　

The Atlan Union's operation had dealt a huge blow to both the Mobius Organisation and the Triserpent
Sect.

　　
As he had found the opponent's headquarters and killed a Star rank, the eastern line that Schiker was in
charge of was instantly rewarded by the leader. Now, they were heading back to the headquarters of
the Atlan Union to have their merits evaluated after giving their reports.　　

　　

Within another vehicle, Schiker's injuries had pretty much healed and he watched Martin, deep in
thought and sitting upright. He restrained himself for a while, before he could not help himself and
asked, "Uncle Martin, what are you thinking about?"　　

　　

"Oh, it's nothing." Martin seemed to recover from his daze and looked tired.　　

　　

"I'm letting my imagination run wild in my old age," he laughed, mocking himself. "The opponent this
time is from another world. I keep having a feeling that if not for his being injured, I might just have..."　　

　　

"Hss..." Schiker sucked in deeply, "Someone as powerful as Uncle Martin! How about the person who
injured him?"　　

　　

"Exactly! The mysterious person who exchanged blows with him is a giant threat, but no matter how
hard I tried to find them, I couldn't find any traces..." Martin rubbed his brows.　　

What worried him more was that with his intuition as a Star rank, he had a feeling that something big
was going to happen at the Holy Solar Festival. However, there seemed to be a veil that he could not see
through.

　　

"With the head around, who else could create trouble? I'm thinking too much into this..." Martin
chuckled, and closed his eyes to get more rest, not realising there was someone watching him from the
outside.

　　

"Tsk tsk... Tenth level of Fireplume! I really want to use him as a guinea pig and do some research..."
Leylin withdrew his gaze.　　

　　
Martin was obviously an existence that had broken through to the Star rank, and in Leylin's eyes, was
like a specimen with very high research value.　　

　　

If he were to make a move on the sly, he had a very good chance of taking him down and obtaining the
secret of the tenth level of Fireplume.

　　

However, for the greater benefits, Leylin restrained himself.　　

　　

Besides, even regular contact throughout the day was enough for the A.I. Chip to gather data on the
energy undulations and forcefield of the Emberwing, speeding up the simulation of the tenth level.

......　　

　　

The sacred land of the Emberwings that was also the capital of the Atlan Union— Tylasus City appeared
before Leylin.

　　

As the Holy Solar Festival was fast approaching, the whole city was in a state of merriment, with
multicoloured streamers everywhere.　　

　　

In Leylin's eyes, Tylasus City was not that vast, but since it was constructed on cliffs and precipices, it
gave one the feeling of it being a boundless city in the sky.　　

　　

Red floating feathery cotton-like items floated down into the city like snow.

　　

Schiker and Martin parted ways at the entrance to the city, and brought Leylin and Loke to another area.

　　

Passing through a large square and a commemoratory forest full of large stone sculptures, Schiker
arrived at a building as large and as majestic as a palace, the whole body made of some sort of white
jade.　　
　

"This is the leader's residence?" Loke's voice trembled, as if extremely emotional. Leylin, however, shot
him a discreet glance. This spy from the Mobius Organisation, which was also Jupiter's Lightning, was
probably targeting this place. That excitement was probably not feigned.

　　

Leylin, on the contrary, had a change in expression when looking over this residence, as a trace of
solemness appeared in his eyes.

In his line of sight, there were powerful energy lights all over the residence, as well as many probing
spells and the like. This was a normal sight.　　

　　

However, there seemed to be a terrifying feeling emanating from within the residence. This aura was
scalding hot and dense, where the radiation from powerful fire elemental particles was felt.

　　

A humming sound pervaded the area as the world seemed to come to a standstill in Leylin's eyes.
Everything was monochrome, and there were distortions in the lines of the building. Eye-piercing red
lights constantly leaked out to form an ancient fire phoenix that faced the sky and gave a long cry.　　

　　

*Chirp!* This fire phoenix was almost alive, eyes filled with wit as it glanced in Leylin's direction.

　　

Surprised, Leylin immediately curbed all the undulations from his body, where his soul force holed up
within his point mass.

A great heat wave swept past, and red rays of light flashed in Leylin's eyes, causing him to momentarily
be dazed.　　

　　

"What's wrong, Ley?" Schiker immediately noticed him acting oddly and turned around, looking
concerned.

　　
After all that had happened, he now treated Leylin as his trusted aide, and even depended on him more
than Loke. They had a very good relationship.　　

　　

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about how we're going to see the magnificent leader of the state, so
I was somehow lost in thought!" Leylin still looked slightly distracted but had obviously regained his
senses. It seemed that only Schiker had seen him in that state.　　

　　

"Haha!" Schiker patted Leylin in understanding, causing a trace of jealousy to arise in Loke's expression.　　

　　

"Lord Schiker!" The guards at both sides of the residence saluted with their bodies straight, not
hindering Leylin and his group. It was obvious that they had known of Schiker's identity beforehand.　　

　　

"Instructor, so you're the son of the leader! It's truly an honour to be able to serve you..." Loke entered
the resistance, so stirred up that he seemed about to spit foam.

In order to get these two talents to submit more wholeheartedly, Schiker had revealed his identity as
the leader's son on the way to Tylasus.　　

In actuality, while he'd assumed that his identity was kept secret, Loke and Leylin had long since found
out. However, they obviously appeared to be shocked, and were only one step short of grovelling at
Schiker's feet.　　

　　

"I'm going to bring you to see Father. Remember to be cautious with your words!"　　

　　

There was no excitement on Schiker's expression, and his expression instead turning darker. This
evidently had to do with his status as the illegitimate child, and Leylin and Loke naturally did not say
more.

There was a second wall after they entered the residence. Schiker did not enter directly, but instead
brought Leylin and Loke to another area similar to a duty room.　
　　

Leylin glanced at the inscriptions beside the room. There was a line of small wording written in black on
a red base: Military Office.

　　

'Could this be the Atlan Union leader's personal force?' Leylin could sense the Emberwing undulations
from outside the place.

　　

He found that the auras of all the soldiers inside the office were immensely powerful, and none were
below the eighth level of Fireplume. He could feel powerful crimson flames in a few other directions,
causing his Fireplume at the peak of the ninth level to turn somewhat sluggish.

　　

'Star ranks! Perhaps only the leader of the Atlan Union will be able to order Star ranks around. He's
probably a rank 5 Magus...' Leylin wondered.

"I am Schiker, bringing two of my subordinates to see the leader. I've made an appointment," Schiker
spoke to a staff member at the military office, passing an emblem-like item over.

The staff member had a stern expression. From the undulations from the ninth level of Fireplume, he
was also a peak Sky rank.

Taking Schiker's emblem, he placed it on a piece of apparatus and scanned it.

　　

*Beep!* The screen on the apparatus leapt up, and showed information on Schiker's appearance and
some other basic details.　　

He stood up, performing a military salute, "Officer Schiker, you can bring two subordinates inside."

　　

"Thanks" Ever since Schiker entered the residence, he had spoken sparingly, to the point that every
single word was as precious as gold. Leylin and Loke struggled to suppress the excitement in their hearts
and followed behind him as a military official led the way.

　　

'A.I. Chip! Record information on the structure, as well as powerful energy responses. Whether it's heat,
electrons, radiation or chemical reactions, record everything!' Leylin was inwardly communicating with
the A.I. Chip, making the most of his time and creating a topographic map of this residence.　　

　　

'The moment those two Kemoyin dukes found out about my status, they immediately threw this job at
me while they relaxed. Sigh...' Leylin rolled his eyes inside, but knew that they had already prepared this
operation for a long time. Coming in mid-way of their plans meant he had lucked out, so he did not take
this to heart.　　

　　

'Firasource stones... This soul treasure is only distributed from the residence of the leader. There's
definitely something wrong!' A glint flashed in Leylin's eyes and withdrew again as he lowered his head
and followed the official in front. They passed through several sentries and corners one after another.
These security measures were all shown on the surface, and there were probably many more in the
unknown.　　

In actuality, Leylin disapproved of these measures. For the leader, they were probably a burden, and at
crucial moments, only his rank 5 strength could suppress everything.

　　

However, this was the anguish of a person occupying the top seat. Even if it was impractical, it was
needed for a person befitting his status.　　

"His Highness, the leader, is inside. You have half an hour!" The official brought Leylin and the others
before a large red door and gave a deep bow before retreating.　　

　　

Schiker took in a deep breath and held the brass handle of the door, "Father!"

　　

"Come in!" The voice was gentle, yet held within an irrefutable intent. Even the air seemed to distort,
obstructing the usual operation of rules and physics.

　
'There's a rank 5 inside, but I have the A.I. Chip, as well as Fireplume at the peak of the ninth level as a
cover. That's enough to conceal my original strength!'

　　

Leylin, who had faith in his strength, followed him in.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 564 - Infiltration

Leylin was clear that this was a huge test for him.　　

　　

If his disguise did not get through the leader of the Emberwings, everything was over. He could forget
gaining his trust and the entire plan would have to be revised.　　

　　

Hence, he had to go through with this, but it wasn't as if he was entirely unprepared.　　

　　

At least, the two Giant Kemoyin Serpent Dukes had stealthily entered as well and were constantly on the
watch outside the residence. If the leader noticed anything, Leylin would immediately use his Kemoyin
Serpent Transformation and attack. With three Morning Star Warlocks together, it would probably be
enough to escape.　　

　　

After all, the three Kemoyin Elders from before had the record of fighting evenly with a rank 5 Radiant
Moon Magus. Though the most powerful First Elder had already fallen, Leylin believed he was no less
powerful than him.

　　

With three Giant Kemoyin Warlocks working together, it was enough for them to escape even if they
could not win. That was what the three of them had counted on before daring to draw up this plan.　　

　　
"A.I. Chip!" Leylin called out in a low voice.　　

[Beep! Beginning to conceal energy undulations.] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally, causing the aura on
Leylin's body to become more obvious as if he was a pure Emberwing.

　　

The hidden strength of the point mass of a Morning Star, the secret technique to hide bloodlines as well
as the support of the A.I. Chip gave Leylin the confidence that he could get away with all this under the
rank 5's nose!

Taking a deep breath, Leylin followed Schiker into the room, bowing to the figure at the middle.

　　

This was a large study room. Simple armour, oil paintings and the like filled it with a history that changed
the atmosphere. What surprised Leylin was the feeling that a domain had automatically been created in
the study room.　　

　　

This was not the domain of Morning Star, but a special space that had been formed due to the long
period of time it had existed.

"Schiker, you're here!" The head's voice was gentle as he watched Schiker and the rest enter.

　　

"Father!" Schiker called out after he went through a thousand different expressions.

"It's been hard on you, get up. Are these your two subordinates? Excellent!" When the sound fell, Leylin
felt his heart squeeze, and entire self get nervous. Immediately after, he felt something like a boiling hot
gaze sweep at his body, causing him to tremble.

When the gaze was on his body, his point mass shuddered, as it his soul force defences was being forced
to the surface, but Leylin firmly stopped it.　　

　
Meanwhile, his Fireplume, which had reached the peak of the ninth level, formed a giant energy tide
that kept the point mass within. Terrifying flame energy began to revolve spontaneously, resisting the
spying from outside.　　

"Hm?" The head made a light sound of surprise. "You must be Ley, right? Raise your head."

　　

Though the voice was gentle, it held the hint of an irrefutable command. Almost at the very moment the
voice was heard, Leylin raised his head like it was a conditioned reflex.　　

　　

Following that, he saw a handsome young man with red hair and eyebrows, looks slightly similar to that
of Schiker. He wore a loose white robe, and his eyes seemed to hold... praise, within them?

"Pretty good strength, and a pure flame energy." The red-haired young man nodded, and turned in the
other direction.

Loke's body shivered, but the head said nothing. It was no surprise either, though. Just a soldier at the
seventh level of the fire feathered technique was not enough to attract the leader's notice.　　

　　

"I've already looked through your achievements in detail. I hope you will continue to work hard in the
future and protect our Union..." The handsome head encouraged them and waved his arms.

　　

Leylin and Loke immediately retreated with expressions of reverence.　　

　　

*Thud!* The door to the room closed, leaving only Schiker and the head inside. The head's aura changed
once more, and his expression while watching Schiker turned emotional, "It's been hard on you these
past few years!"　　

"It's service for the union!" Schiker had a taut expression while speaking, but his clenched fists displayed
the dissatisfaction in his heart right now.　　
　

"Forget it. I know you care nothing for using my name and working, so I'll let things move according to
the usual procedure. Your contributions are enough for you to be promoted to be an admiral. Make
some preparations, you will work at the Tylasus garrison!"

The leader's voice was gentle.

　　

"Understood!" Schiker answered coldly. Seeing this expression, the leader's brows furrowed slightly.

　　

"One more thing. There's something off about your two subordinates, Ley and Loke."

"What's wrong? I don't need to say more about Ley's loyalty, and as for Loke, he's a descendant of the
Eiffel family..."

　　

The muscles on Schiker's face tensed. He cared quite a lot for these two subordinates.

　　

"There's not a large issue with Ley. He's long since broken through to the ninth level of the fire
feathered technique, but he's been concealing it and only revealing the strength of level eight. It's
probably on purpose," the red-haired head commented.

"He must have a pretty high potential to reach this level at such a young age, and you can definitely
consider roping him in. His intentions are too complex... Give him the tenth level of Fireplume later, I'm
sure he'll definitely be even more loyal to you after that..."

　　

"So he's already reached level nine?" Schiker ducked his head, slightly ashamed. From his point of view,
Leylin had probably hidden his strength because Schiker had yet to advance himself. He did not want to
pressure his superior.　　

　　

He raised his head to look at his father, the number one genius of the Emberwings, and could not help
but let his head hang down, defeated. He did not seem to have inherited even an ounce of talent from
his father, and no matter how hard he worked, he still could not measure up to those geniuses. This was
why he had been discouraged and left Tylasus City.

"I understand." Schiker huffed out a long breath and nodded.　　

　　

The head's next words caused Schiker's brows to raise. "Loke, however, is a very serious problem."

　　

"His appearance is a pretence. I'm afraid the real Loke has already died, and the one in front of you is of
another race!"

"Another race?" Schiker cried out in alarm.　　

　　

"Yes! I can't tell if he's from the Triserpent Sect or Mobius Organisation, but he probably has his eyes on
the Holy Solar Festival." A sneer appeared about the leader's lips.

"I'll seize him immediately!" Schiker got up, understanding the situation. His heart was filled with fury
from the betrayal.　　

　　

Never had he expected that Loke— the man who usually worked hard, was responsible, and very much
to his tastes— was a spy from the enemy. The shame from not realising this hovered in his mind.　

The leader stopped Schiker, "There's no hurry. They're just a few bugs, what do they matter? What you
need to do now is..."　　

......　　

　　
After leaving the residence, Leylin bade Loke farewell and found an inn to stay in.　　

　　

Though the Special Task Force members had a station in Tylasus City with many unoccupied rooms and
better facilities, Leylin was obviously not going to choose to stay there. He would perhaps go there later,
but for now, it was better to find a place that would not attract attention.　

　　

After sending the maid away, Leylin locked the door, and the light in the room dimmed.　　

　　

"How is it? Are things going well?" Two translucent figures emerged from the dark corners of the room.
They were Gilbert and Emma.　　

　　

"Is this place safe? Make sure it's secure!" Leylin's brows furrowed.

Emma replied, "Don't worry. We've long since set up a concealing spell formations and boundaries. Even
the staff and guests of the inn have been \hypnotised, and we've also used some spiritual force
pressure..."

　　

Leylin did not ask more and began to narrate the happenings of the day slowly, "Things are going well on
my end. I've obtained part of the map of the building, and even met the leader successfully..."

　　

"So he didn't suspect you? Tsk tsk! So that leader is a pretty boy!" Emma giggled.　　

"Probably not, but he did notice my faked Fireplume, something I intentional revealed," Leylin laughed.
He had long since gotten used to how these female Warlocks jumped from subject to subject so
suddenly.　　

　　

"How powerful is he?" Gilbert's focus on his power more than his appearance was only expected. They
had exchanged blows with the leader before, but wanted to know Leylin's opinion.　　

　　
"I can't tell..." Leylin looked absent-minded, as if he was recalling the scene from the meeting. "But I can
confirm that his soul strength is very powerful. It's probably the strongest out of all the Radiant Moons
I've seen!" 　　

　　

"He is the best of another world. He's trained up to the thirteenth level of Fireplume, so he's probably
not any weaker than Radiant Moon Magi with level 5 meditation techniques in the Magus World. Not to
mention he's been using firasource stones and supplementing his soul..."　　

Gilbert sighed, recalling the scene when he had fought with their opponent, and his body involuntarily
trembled.　　

　　

"In our operation this time, we'll try our best not to make contact with him, and all should be fine..."

　　

Leylin's heart sank but he continued and asked Emma, "How's your preparation going?"　　

　　

"It's smooth-sailing. Hehe... From now, you need to call us Viscount Flower and Earl Violet..." Emma
giggled. It looked like she was doing well.

　　

Leylin was rather speechless. The Atlan Union had actually let outsiders do so well that they became
earls. He had no idea how Emma had gotten through the nobility examination.　　

"Also, we've found traces of activity of several Jupiter's Lightning Morning Stars in Tylasus!"　　

　　

Gilbert's other piece of information immediately had Leylin's attention, "Are they here to take revenge
on us?" he asked as he touched his chin. After all, Collins was slain by them.

　　

Gilbert shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Their target should be the same as ours."

　　

"Is that so? Then the difficulty of our operation should increase by a large amount. Of course, things
might also become more convenient for us..." Leylin's eyes glinted profoundly.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 565 - Fire Phoenix

Leylin walked out of the inn, with the hypnotised boss and attendants left behind.

After he left, these people would forget his appearance and him having been there at all, and would not
even doubt their memories. This was a spiritual force intent planted deep in their minds.

He had learnt this technique from the Spirit Circle Warlock, Paul.

He returned to the station to find Schiker waiting for him, having come in secret. After a lengthy
conversation with him, Leylin was left wanting to both laugh and cry as he looked at the item on the
table.

This was a little book with a fiery-red cover. Within was the information on the tenth level of the fire
feathered technique!

Schiker had come over just to give him this. The tenth level of Fireplume that had been on Leylin's mind
had landed in his possession quite easily.

"I don't know how to react..." Leylin commanded the A.I. Chip to destroy the book after recording the
thing down. "But it looks like he has gotten rid of all suspicion towards me..."

On top of that, the item he had been desiring had landed in his palms. Leylin was in a pretty good mood.

[Beep! Recording of tenth level of Fireplume complete. Beginning analysis...] The A.I. Chip's voice
sounded, and Leylin carefully looked through the contents in his memory bank.
Compared to the ninth level, the tenth touched on the Morning Star Realm, and was a path that focused
on strength. Given that this had the unique characteristics of a foreign world, Leylin believed it would
have very high research value.

Many ancient Magi were all-embracing, incorporating these paths from other worlds into their own
systems to advance. By making use of others' strengths to make up for their own weak points, they had
been able to achieve the splendour of the ancient era. And Leylin, too, wanted to do the same!

"The tenth level of Fireplume!" Leylin's expression gradually became solemn.

The more he watched on, the more he felt that the person who had created this technique had a talent
that was off the charts. This was definitely a powerful technique that could contend against many other
top-grade meditation techniques!

As the A.I. Chip's analysis progressed, Leylin's aura gradually changed.

Within his body, the boiling hot energy from the ninth level of Fireplume gradually purified and turned
transparent, emanating a frightening might.

Large amounts of fire elemental crystals appeared, and even seemed to turn into a whirlpool.

*Skreee* A high-pitched phoenix cry sounded by Leylin's ear. It felt as if his spiritual and soul force had
made a connection with some unique existence!

At the bottom of an abyssal starry river, a giant, terrifying beast with a body that spanned several worlds
suddenly opened its eyes, gazing at Leylin coldly.

"Could this be the legendary ancient fire phoenix? With this aura, it's probably the king or even
primogenitor of fire phoenixes!"

Leylin knew very well that even if what he saw was merely a phantom, such an ancient existence was
mysterious and difficult to fathom. It could perhaps even use its phantom to display its strength.

The rage in the phoenix's eyes caused Leylin to feel a biting cold.

'Crap, it's realised that I've been wearing a disguise!' A thought flashed in Leylin's mind, and immediately
after he sensed a tremendous crimson current flooding towards him.

*Rumble!* The sound of shattering was heard in Leylin's lower abdomen, and he immediately turned
pale, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His expression, however, was that of rejoicement.

"Luckily, I've already condensed my point mass!" Leylin could still feel fear as he looked into his body.

His point mass, which had already turned silent, had suddenly appeared when Fireplume was writhing,
ready to break through to the tenth level. That had shaken the crimson energy essence that had
gathered and broken the process of the advancement to the tenth level of Fireplume, the Star rank. For
this reason, Leylin had been pulled out of that dream-like fantasy, or else the consequences would be
dire.

"That fire phoenix that was like a world itself... Could it be the ancient lord of phoenixes?"

Leylin recalled that terrifying giant fire phoenix. In his mind, it could only be compared with existences
such as the Snake Dowager, Trial's Eye, and a few others.

"It looks like Fireplume and the fire phoenix have a relationship, and the tenth level of Fireplume
requires connecting with the fire phoenix, and even withstanding the corruptive power radiating from it.
Of course, the Emberwings would call that power an additional boost"
The true body of the tremendous fire phoenix was obviously not here, but with sacrificial rites, or other
techniques absorbing some sort of energy, disseminating power was a method used by many existences
to traverse worlds.

If not for Leylin having already reached Morning Star and having his own path, forcefully interrupting the
advancement of Fireplume might have immediately caused his death at its hands!

'So Fireplume at the Morning Star rank is a path of sacrifice! By offering sacrifices up to the ancient fire
phoenix or even changing one's bloodline, one will ultimately become part of its family...' Leylin touched
his chin. These methods were similar to the belief in various gods, but was still different. Gods focused
on quantity, while the path of sacrifice was passed on on a large scale, but then focused only on the
elites. It was more like a chosen community of its own.

Leylin's expression grew grim, as he thought of something, 'These methods, this feeling of being
suppressed...it's very similar to the rule of the Snake Dowager...'

"A.I. Chip, begin modification of Fireplume. Moderate the force of point mass and simulate fusion of the
two, eliminating the possibility of being controlled via sacrifice..."

Since he would attract attention from the fire phoenix after reaching the higher levels of Fireplume,
Leylin obviously would not persist. However, he was rather interested in modifying the technique and
fusing it into the Magus World system.

In the ancient era, these thoughts had been proven countless times to be workable. On top of that, the
element he had the second most affinity with was the fire element, and in this area he had a natural
advantage.

This led to an even more insane thought.

'Since all this has to do with the bloodline, meditation techniques and controlling cultivation pathways, I
can probably make use of this Fireplume and find ways to deal with the Snake Dowager...'

Leylin's eyes turned darker. He was unwilling to serve beneath anyone, and while he had not gained the
attention of the Snake Dowager yet, he could not tolerate the idea of being manipulated. He was
already preparing for the day that will eventually come.

Whether it was attempting to break through bloodline shackles or abandoning the bloodline restraints
from meditation techniques, it was all for this cause.

'Where is the fun in having immortality at the peak yet being under the oppression of another?' A trace
of profound thought flashed in Leylin's eyes.

[Beep! Beginning fusion simulation, mobilising 80% of task resources. Tenth level of Fireplume,
meditation technique Kemoyin's Pupil... Estimated time: 16 days, 14 hours, 34 minutes and 56
seconds...]

The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

After Leylin had entered the Morning Star realm, its calculations and simulation techniques had been
reinforced, and the time limit set was now precise to the second. This was a rare occurrence while
simulating techniques in the past.

"16 days? It will be completed right before the Holy Solar Festival. That's not bad!" Leylin touched his
chin, rather satisfied with this outcome.

......

In the residence of the leader, at the deepest part underground.

Boiling heatwaves of hot lava expanded and withdrew, but were unable to advance due to an isolated
maroon spell formation.

Within the maroon spell formation, there were many crowded buildings that formed a large number of
private rooms.

In one of them, the leader, with his red brows and hair and young looks, was now meeting the gaze of
another black figure in a mirror on the ground.

The figure in the mirror donned loose, majestic Magus robes, with a moon rune on his forehead. Those
eyes were now filled with fury.

Zegna's voice was low. "Scarlet Eye! You obviously knew that the Mobius Organisation was mine, and
yet you still made a move? On top of that, there's the fall of Collins as well. You need to take
responsibility for it..."

The leader of the Atlan Union, Scarlet Eye, snorted. "When we last communicated, I reiterated many
times that the Atlan Union is my territory, and I won't let any outsiders spy on us, particularly Magi from
other worlds. You seem to have forgotten that, my friend."

Zegna, who was in the mirror, sighed lightly as if finding this a pity. He obviously knew what was taboo
to the other party, but how could he have a large world right there but not do anything about it?

"But a Morning Star from our end has fallen! Do you know how much resources we would need to
compensate that?" Zegna's voice became sharp.

"Based on the intel from my subordinates, he was already seriously injured and on the verge of
perishing when we found him. Those three enemies of yours had attacked him..." There was a hint of
schadenfreude in Scarlet Eye's voice.

Zegna's voice was stilted, and he was slightly regretful.

When he had used this world and set a trap, he had been absolutely confident in taking care of the three
dukes. That was why he had not minded the leaking of this world's coordinates. However, he had grossly
underestimated his opponents' abilities, and they had used quite a few bloodline treasures to break free
from their trap forcefully and descended down to this world. That had made things very troublesome for
him.

If he could turn back time, he would probably not do the same thing.

"Besides... you have not kept to your word. Trading between us needs to be halted for a period of
time..." Scarlet Eye tossed him a heavyweight bomb.

"No!" Zegna immediately cried out, and instantly saw the mocking smile on the other person.

He lowered his head unwillingly, but said little more. The other party did not mind losing the support of
his technology, but he could not let go of the firasource stones. That was his only hope at having a
glimpse into the Breaking Dawn throne!

Hence, he had no choice but to duck his head and gentle his tone. "Revered leader, I'm afraid we both
have to take some responsibility, but this shouldn't affect our friendship..."

"That's right, my friend! As a cost of you violating the promise between us first, you will need to halve
the price of the secondary element balancing spell formation you promised the last time!"

"Alright!" Zegna was practically gritting his teeth as he agreed.

When the communication was closed off, he stood up while roaring. The black throne under him
continuously creaked, terrifying air waves dissipating in all directions.
"I'll definitely kill that Scarlet Eye someday and roast his soul above my Magus Tower for ten thousand
years!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 566 - Shadowing

A Morning Star Magus would not dare face the wrath of a Radiant Moon.

Outside the elegant palace, a few Morning Star Magi looked at each other and kept their distance,
leaving the low-level servants hugging their heads and trembling at the side.

A reckless energy wave swept across the area near the throne, and soon there was not a single living
thing in the area.

"Rage is the natural enemy of all Magi! Don't tell me, you're a bloodline Warlock as well?" A soothing
gentle laugh sounded in the air like a clear spring, mocking at Zegna.

Shockingly, upon hearing the voice, Zegna calmed a little. Besides slightly heavy breathing, he showed
no significant difference from before the contact.

"You are right! But soon or later I'm going to wipe out the bloodline of those damn Kemoyin Warlocks!"

Zegna returned to his throne, and the moon on his forehead glowed with bright light, brightening up the
entire palace.

"In your current state, you might not be able to deal with Scarlet Eye even if you use a large amount of
firasource stones to increase your soul force. Unless you can lure him out of the Lava World, or find a
way to eliminate the resistance of the world's will..." The woman said in a cold voice.

"You're still pestering me to use that?" Zegna replied in the same tone.

"Yes! I am the most experienced in the tests of secondary clones. I can reduce the percentage of error
such that it's lower than one out of a million, and the best method for you to go to Lava World..."

The female voice seemed to analyse the situation in a very composed manner, sounding very charming.

"If you want to use rank 5 strength in the Lava World, this is the only way. Furthermore, you won't be
detected as an enemy by the foreign world through some cleansing of the mind of the clone."

Zegna fell into complete silence upon hearing the last sentence. A foreign world's will was the biggest
hindrance to any Magus, and once it worked to support that world's inhabitant, even a Radiant Moon
would not dare to defy its terrifying power.

Perhaps, only those who were at the peak of the Breaking Dawn Realm would have the power to
destroy the world's will.

Zegna's face turned solemn and gloomy all of a sudden. "Pass down my order. All Magi of Jupiter's
Thunder are to return and assist in the preparation of a pathway to the Lava World. All proposals and
backups are to be effective immediately. Let's give Scarlet Eye's Holy Solar Festival a big gift!"

Zegna's voice lowered gradually as his facial expression turned malevolent.

In the Lava World, Leylin had not noticed any of this. He had reached the head's place with Loke And
Schiker.

"You guys are really lucky. I was transferred to the central garrison. Since you lot were from the Special
Task Force, I recommended all of you to enter the Martial Officer Department of the head."

Schiker was wearing the uniform of an Emberwing general as he brought the rest to the Martial Officer
Department.

"I am truly honoured and thankful for your recommendation!" Both Leylin and Loke showed gratitude
towards Schiker.

With them being allocated here, they would hold high positions wherever they went in the future. It was
also obvious that they would have the benefit of getting closer to the head.

As for Leylin and Loke, they both had unspeakable secrets, so the main reason why they got close to
Schiker was to use him as a stepping stone towards the head. Since that dream of theirs had come true,
they were both thrilled.

"Good! So long as you know I mean well!" Schiker patted Leylin's shoulder. He did not wish to spare a
second glance at Loke, but he still gave Loke a smile as he recalled his father's words.

"It's different here, completely unlike being in the Special Task Force. You have to be extra careful. Once
you violate law and order, I won't be able to help you... "

While Schiker was giving them reminders, he walked them into a small office, "This is Bowens, and he'll
be in charge of you in the future."

A blond-haired middle-aged man in the office got off from his seat and came up to welcome them when
he saw Schiker. He seemed to be rather easy going, "Haha, Schiker! You haven't been here in quite some
time. So these are the ones? Don't worry, I'll take good care of them."

But Leylin and Loke dared not ignore him. Not only would Bowens be their superior in future, his aura
was somewhat similar to the Duke they had encountered previously.
This new superior of Leylin's was also an impressive elite, a Morning Star Magus that had already
reached level 10 of Fireplume.

'This familiar aura! He was one of the elite Morning Star Magi I sensed earlier!'

The red progress bar was currently already halfway full. The A.I. Chip had already begun to smoothly
merge the essence of the tenth level of Fireplume into his Morning Star point mass, which would greatly
increase his power.power.

'I'm not sure how the modified tenth level of Fireplume will be... How will it compare to these true
Emberwing elites? I can't wait to find out...' Leylin curled his lips in a subtle movement, showing great
interest.

Bowens was totally oblivious to the decision of his new subordinate, who was planning on getting rid of
him after completing the new Fireplume. He instead found this Ley quite genial and amiable, instantly
growing fond of him.

"There are specific duty rooms and bedrooms in the Martial Officer Department, you guys cannot stay in
the Special Task Force anymore, you have to move in from now on. You do have any missions yet, I want
you two to join the night patrol team and attend trainings during the daytime for now, any questions? "

After Schiker had left, Bowens turned and looked at them, his tone was less courteous, his aura full of
dignity.

"Yes, Sir!" Leylin and Loke bowed together.

Night arrived.
"Something is just not right..." Leylin straightened up his body, feeling good that everyone had their
individual bedrooms despite the limited area.

"Schiker has always treated us as his trusted aides... Now that he's going to the central garrison, why
didn't he bring us with him?"

Leylin rugged his chin, "Even though being in the Martial Officer Department means to have a very
promising future, it is also considered as being his father's bodyguards. It's unlikely that he put both of
us in here, unless... someone got exposed..."

Leylin had full confidence in himself, but Loke could not even fool him much less a rank 5 elite.

"Now it seems that they're not as cautious about me anymore, even sending me the tenth level of
Fireplume. However, I'm obviously here under observation. It seems like they don't trust me
unconditionally yet..."

"As for Loke, he's basically bait. They're ready to net the entire organisation behind him..."

Leylin grew more assured of his assumptions as he thought it through. Suddenly, a red light glowed from
the ring on his finger.

Leylin was shocked for a second, but then he lifted a map written on pale yellow parchment from the
top of the table.

A little black dot was moving slowly on the map.

"I knew you couldn't wait, but I never expected you to be this impatient." Leylin smiled and laid down.

A thin black string drifted swiftly out of his body and emerged from the darkness.
Hidden in the shadows, Leylin made use of his fine manipulation and the perception of the A.I. Chip,
carefully avoiding numerous sentry devices and traps in the leader's area as he followed the other party.

That person was holding onto a black pearl, which had helped him get through many detection
formations and the like. It seemed to be recording something.

'Collecting information, eh? It seems like Jupiter's Lightning wants to get rid of the leader of Atlan too...'

Leylin smiled, discovering the other figure who had also secretly followed after Loke. He shook his head
and hid himself further.

He was here in his real body, while inside the room was a mere shadow puppet. Still, with the A.I. Chip's
abilities, it was not a problem for the puppet to cover his absence for a short period of time.

'This fellow didn't even realise he was being followed. He only has himself to blame...'

Since Leylin already knew that this was a setup, he wanted to return to his bedroom, and hence he hid
in silence.

Just when he was about to leave, a horrifying ferocious energy wave fluctuation in the air caused his
body to come to a violent stop.

'What's this fluctuation?'

He raised his head, gazing at the sky nearby, 'Morning Star Arcane Art? No, not that! It's more like
another path to power. It seems like magic, but it's actually a combination of fire elemental spell
formations, not an Arcane Art.'
Together with strong fluctuations, a point of scarlet fire lit up the sky. The heavens rumbled as if they
contained muffled thunder.

A rain of lava dripped down, spreading over a vast range and almost covering up the entirety of the
head's residence.

'He dares to attack this place directly?' Leylin felt at a loss for words, unsure as to how he should praise
that person's bravery.

The ghastly lava rain had wrapped up the entire place, every single drop containing a power of over a
thousand degrees. If they were allowed to hit the ground, all the officers except the head and a few elite
Star ranks would die, and the whole place would be razed to the ground. The leader would turn into a
huge laughingstock.

"Stop!" "How dare you!!"

A few ferocious and reckless voices sounded around the whole place, and dazzling energy light pillars
shot up forming into a light shield that covered the whole place within.

"Kekeke! How many can you save?" A quirky voice sounded in the midst of sky, followed by a huge
amount of lava rain, it extended fiercely, covering the entire city of Tylasus.

A drop of the lava rain could kill all the normal citizens easily. Were this to happen before the Holy Solar
Festival, the head of the union would land in deep trouble.

Thus, Leylin judged that that person would surely take action.

"Screeee!"
Just then, a ferocious bird, huge scarlet body complemented with a stunning tail that was covered by
flames flew out of the residence, the high-pitched whistle of a phoenix sounding out...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 567 - Gaia's Disc

*Skree!* The gigantic bird of fire dashed out of the building. It opened up its wings in a flash of light, and
glorious flames shot out from its body as it enlarged in the blink of an eye. Its humongous wings closed,
wrapping up the entire city of Tylasus.

The drops of lava with over a thousand degrees of power fell onto its wings, being absorbed by the
flames.

When the lava storm passed, the city had emerged unscathed.

A bright light flashed across Leylin's eyes as he looked at the scene, 'Such a transformation is very similar
to that of an ancient Warlock. It looks like the body of this Emberwing Morning Star has the bloodline of
the fire phoenix.'

Warlocks were always fond of high-level bloodlines. As for the fire phoenix, Leylin had already seen its
incredible power when he'd been trapped in the illusion previously. It was likely at least as strong as the
Snake Dowager.

This bloodline posed an irresistible attraction to Warlocks even if it was diluted through sacrifices and
projections.

'Before we launch our plan, I should try to get some of the bloodline of a Morning Star Emberwing. It
would be even better if I manage to get it from their leader, Scarlet Eye.'
Just as Leylin's eyes brightened, the phoenix soared down from the clouds in the sky, revealing several
gigantic, hundred meter long silhouettes made of flames.

The fire elementals were the most powerful living beings in the Lava World, and the most populous.
They did not have blood or flesh, and instead had bodies covered in fuming flames and rocks. Their eyes
were like deathly white flames that arose from the very soul.

"Divineflame Empire! It seems like you lot didn't learn your lesson at Death Grand Canyon!" Scarlet Eye's
voice boomed across the sky, and the humongous wings wrapped up the giant fire elementals, flinging
them away.

Its body rumbled as explosions erupted all over it, but it did not seem bothered at all.

By the time the phoenix vanished, half the flames in the sky had subsided. Leylin widened his eyes.

'They even have such a method? Are there still people undercover in the leader's residence? And does
that mean this was a ploy to lure the tiger out of its den?'

Hidden in front of him was Loke. He sighed in relief and pulled out a circular disk as he saw the phoenix
leave.

On the surface of this disk were weird runes with countless interconnected crimson lines that formed a
vertical pupil.

'Haven't I seen something like this before?' Puzzlement crossed his eyes as he immediately checked with
the A.I. Chip's database. The answer showed up within a second. 'A copy of Gaia's Disc? Such a
technique actually exists...'
Loke stopped at an empty ground in the building. He placed the replica on the ground as he showed a
tinge of excitement.

*Ssshh!* The very moment the disc touched the ground, a large amount of sand split apart like it was a
stream, revealing a pitch dark tunnel that led underground.

"Here it is! Now I'm at the weakest part of the entire building. Together with the power of Gaia's Disc..."
Loke's eyes grew impassioned. He had endured a lot of humiliation during this mission, and now he
could finally succeed in his task!

'That was good cooperation, but I'm afraid it won't be of help.' Leylin saw the agitated Loke enter the
underground tunnel, soon to be followed by a gloomy Bowens. This was the superior they had just met
that day.

It seemed like Loke's luck was at an end.

However, Leylin had one more doubt, 'Since they wanted to coordinate between the inside and outside,
why don't they just send a Morning Star Magus in, isn't that much simpler? They already sent so many
just to attract attention, one more wouldn't be too hard...'

He did not think much of it since that was a question that wouldn't see an answer soon. Instead, he
followed the two and entered just as the tunnel closed up...

*Boom!* Schiker entered Leylin's room.

"Instructor!" 'Leylin' got up from the bed, bowing even with blurry sight.

Schiker first looked around with a cautious gaze, and he looked relieved that Leylin was still around.
Soon, he reprimanded the boy, "You're still asleep under such circumstances?"
"Master Bowens and so many of his colleagues are around right now. If they can't solve the problem,
what can I do? I might as well just continue sleeping..."

'Leylin' threw his hands up, seemingly helpless. With the support of the A.I. Chip, every action of this
puppet was a perfect copy of Leylin's behaviour, even its character was flawless. Forget Schiker, even
Gilbert was unlikely to be able to notice the difference.

"You..." Schiker was dumbfounded, but the waves in his heart secretly calmed down...

Inside the underground tunnel, Leylin followed closely after Bowens. He had weakened his breath to the
maximum, and not a single energy wave fluctuation broke out. Additionally, Bowens seemed to have put
his full focus on Loke, and he did not realise he was being shadowed.

"Gaia's Disc was used by the Hero Moncordol of the Emberwings' legend to lift open the stratum, it is
also the powerful weapon which slew the demon king Falsace; this can easily crack open a huge
underground tunnel even if it's just a replica."

Loke's voice trembled in agitation, "The organisation possessed such a precious weapon that let me
avoid triggering numerous traps. Truly, this is..."

As he reached the bottom, blood vessels popped out from under Loke's skin, his aura growing berserk.

"The final layer of defence!" Loke was frantic in excitement as he saw a crimson defensive membrane.

He suddenly attacked, and a huge amount of fire exploded forth from his hands, rushing into the spell
formation.

Crackling sounds rang out as the spell formation shook. A terrifying wave of energy was returned in
counter, and surged through Loke's body. His skin peeled off, revealing the flames burning within.

Loke's body had been completely shredded by the formation's counterattack, revealing a two-meter tall
fire elemental, composed of flames and rocks.

The flame surged in all directions, and Loke's aura rose to the pinnacle of the Sky rank, the equivalent of
a peak rank 3 in the Magus World.

'Hmmm? Loke is a fire elemental?'

Leylin was rather surprised. He had always thought that Loke was an undercover agent of the Mobius
Organisation, Jupiter's Lightning's operations here, but now it seemed like he did not know the length of
it. Jupiter's Lightning had also approached the Divineflame Empire, and had signed some terms of
agreement with each other.

After recovering his original appearance, Loke marched up to the scarlet spell formation.

A dot of a golden flame shot out of his body, burning a round opening in the spell formation's light
shield.

Loke turned into a ball of flames, entering from that tiny opening in the spell formation and soon
returning to his normal form.

"Hahahaha... All of Scarlet Eye's treasures and secrets are mine for the taking!" As Loke laughed, he
explored the chamber. His flaming legs left a black burn mark with every step he took.

He seemed rather familiar with this area, running straight towards the chamber in the centre.

The gigantic chamber was spacious, with nothing around except a large spell formation. Strings of runes
interlocked with the energy circuit. It was so refined that a Magus would go dizzy simply by staring at it
for a length of time.

In the middle of the formation was a weak red light, it's energy as it flickered causing Leylin's heart to
palpitate.

'This aura is so familiar... Yes, the firasource stones! Wait... it's a living creature?' The A.I. Chip had made
a judgement that threw Leylin into confusion.

"Found it!" Loke celebrated in his excitement. He took out a big black key, walking towards the spell
formation.

Just then, a membrane of light blocked his path of return, the surging wave of energy sweeping him
onto the ground in an instant.

The gigantic fire elemental fell flat to the ground with a thud, causing the chamber to shake a little.

"What happened? Doesn't this place just have a single defensive layer?" Loke touched his head, puzzled.

"Obviously it is used to guard against people like you." Bowens sneered, exiting stealth and walking out
from the dark.

"B–Master Bowens?" Loke was totally taken aback.

"Hmm! The leader knew long ago that there was something wrong with you. It seems you hid quite a lot
from us."

The fuming lava hand dropped onto the ground, and the black key was snatched from his hands.
"You are a very important captive. The leader and Schiker will take great interest in you." Bowens spoke
coldly as the flame on his hands turned into ropes which tied Loke up.

Loke could not fight back against the power of a Star rank. Rather, he was so flabbergasted that he did
not even struggle or otherwise resist.

While both of them were unaware of their surroundings, Leylin snuck close to the membrane of light.
The A.I. Chip scanned the formation, revealing the entry condition, [Aura of level 10 Fireplume required
for access.]

Watching Loke being taken away by Bowens, Leylin followed them out of the basement. He recalled the
shadow puppet after returning to his bedroom.

He had lots of questions, 'What was that red orb in the middle of the spell formation? Bowens settled
Loke so quickly, and obviously he wasn't used as bait. Was it merely for Gaia's Disc and that black bronze
key?'

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 568 - Holy Solar Day

"Gilbert, Emma; the tides have turned. The Mobius Organisation might be colluding with the
Divineflame Empire. Be very careful!"

Unable to come up with anything even after a long time, Leylin specially informed Gilbert and Emma
about the situation. He then returned immediately to the leader's residence. His actions were not in the
least bit unusual.
Yesterday, Scarlet Eye had returned to the mansion right after Leylin followed Bowens out, making
Leylin secretly heave a sigh of relief.

If he had chosen to take action then, it was likely that even after he tackled Bowens, he would have
bumped into Scarlet Eye who was rushing back. That would have spelt trouble.

Furthermore, he didn't want to make a move before understanding the situation.

"Officer Schiker! Where's Loke? Why haven't I seen him around recently?" Leylin questioned 'curiously'.
Upon the mention of this name, Schiker's facial muscles twitched, and he was silent for a long while
before he spoke. "He has been assigned to a top-secret mission, and will be away for some time!"

"I see!" Leylin seemed to have gained some understanding. He moved closer to Schiker and asked,
"Instructor, about that night... what happened in the end?"

"What else? The leader emerged victorious of course! He struck two of the masters from the other party
who were at the Star rank. He took one of them prisoner, and the foreign affairs department will
negotiate with the Divineflame Empire!" A look of admiration flashed across Schiker's eyes, but Leylin's
heart sank.

'They paid such a high price, yet ended up with nothing. Those people from the Divineflame Empire
definitely will not take things lying down. Furthermore, the trap they set previously that caused the loss
of the combat abilities of the Morning Stars was not very wise. What is the truth behind all of this?'

Combining that line of thought with the intelligence given by Emma and Gilbert in the past two days,
Leylin suddenly felt as though the future was shrouded in a dense fog.

'I'm afraid I'll have to modify my previous plan. This Holy Solar Day will not pass in peace. Divineflame
Empire, Jupiter's Thunder, and even the Ouroboros Clan will take action. When that time comes, this
place will be plunged into chaos...
'Well, at least there's this to look forward to!' Leylin saw that the progress bar on the A.I. Chip was
quickly filling up, and couldn't help but smile.

The tenth level of Fireplume was the gateway to the Star rank. Leylin's energy had already been
condensed to form a point mass, and if these two systems could be fused successfully the formidable
power produced would definitely not just be additive. There would be a horrifying qualitative change in
him, amplifying his powers to a great extent.

Additionally, Leylin had long since used up all the firasource stones he had earned from Collins,
something that caused his soul force to improve by leaps and bounds. His strength after all this would
surely give many enemies a surprise.

His eyes glowed crimson as the corners of his lips rose to form a wicked smile.

The bloodline of the apex predator, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, was pressing him to slaughter! He
wanted to destroy everything, to bring it all to flaming ruin!

The emotional instability that was common to bloodline Warlocks had begun to act up. After he
advanced to the Morning Star realm, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's soul had fused with Leylin's own,
causing him to inherit these violent moods. These were no longer an external thing, but instead part of
his own nature.

Once such an illness acted up, it would have a far-reaching effect on the Warlock's personality.

Previously, Leylin had always made a conscious effort to restrain himself, preventing his feelings from
eroding his character away. Now that war was upon them, he was facing unprecedented pressure, and
some strange emotions managed to worm their way out...

No matter what others thought, time was still ticking by. Finally, the day of the Emberwings' festival—
the Holy Solar Day— had arrived.
During his recent trips, Leylin saw the streets and markets starting to bustle with activity. Many teenage
Emberwings now went against the taboo, playing on the road. The atmosphere was filled with clamour.

The various district representatives from the Atlan Union and the other tourists who came on their own
accord arrived at Tylasus City one by one. The place was packed to the brim, even overcrowded,
resulting in multiple cases of breaches in public security. Even Leylin, a martial officer from the Military
Office, had to step in at times, something more than evident of how thin the security had been
stretched.

According to the information given by Gilbert and Emma in private, many of the elites from the Mobius
organisation and Triserpent Sect had also snuck into Tylasus City. They were the ones who stirred up
trouble here, making the place chaotic.

Additionally, the arch-enemy of the Atlan Union, the Divineflame Empire, had also sent a large team of
ambassadors, causing more trouble.

"It just seems like things will get relatively more troublesome!" Leylin lamented. He donned the dashing
uniform of a military official, and stood tall and straight. He and his colleagues lined along both sides,
while Scarlet Eye stood in front of a huge fitting room mirror, adjusting the butterfly-shaped necktie on
his collar.

"Your Highness! Your schedule for today is as follows: first up will be the parliament lecture, followed by
welcoming the envoy from the Divineflame Empire. The banquet in the afternoon..." Standing next to
Scarlet Eye were a few secretaries with pen and paper in hand, chattering away. There were also a few
maids who were tidying up the creases on the coattails of his dinner suit.

Schiker, Bowens and the others were also dressed neatly and stood at the side. Outside the window, lots
of fireworks and gun salutes could be seen. Colourful confetti filled the sky, and the place was filled with
a festive atmosphere.

"Alright! I have my own plans for today's matters!" Scarlet Eye furrowed his brows and waved his hand,
sending away the secretaries who were still chattering endlessly.
"Schiker, you shall accompany me today." These words seemed to move the leader's son to tears.

Seeing his odd mix of being both moved and apprehensive, Leylin felt at a loss for words.

'The private life of this state leader is quite confusing. His previous marriage did not produce a heir, and
now that he only has Schiker, his illegitimate child, does he hope for him to inherit his political legacy
and even become the next leader of the union?'

If the other officials knew that Leylin was silently cursing their almighty leader, they might have come
together to tear him apart, and the outcome wouldn't be pleasant.

"Let's go!" After quite some time, Scarlet Eye finished his preparations and took the lead as he mounted
a chariot that was drawn by numerous scarlet birds. Schiker followed closely behind.

Bowens walked behind everyone. He suddenly glanced at Leylin and commanded, "Ley, you come too!"

"But... The duty of a humble servant is to stay behind and guard the residence!" Leylin appeared to be
hesitating, but he was secretly cursing in his heart.

His duty for today was to stand guard at the residence. This was perfectly normal as he lacked the
proper qualifications, and thus could not show his face at the parliament. However, this was what he
wanted. After all, the places that Scarlet Eye would go to today would not be tranquil, and there would
not be any advantages from following him out. How would that be more enjoyable than being able to
hide in the residence and unearth treasures the minute he discovered that something was off?

What did he stand to gain from going out with Scarlet Eye anyway? That one casual sentence from
Bowens disrupted his plans for the day.
Leylin felt a little gloomy as he looked at Bowens. Maybe Bowens sensed that something was amiss, or
maybe he just found Leylin an eyesore, but he had been causing a lot of trouble for Leylin on the sly.

" .. Yes, Sir!" To the others, it seemed that Leylin only hesitated for a while before agreeing immediately
in a loud voice, ecstasy spreading across his face. This made many of the officials who were staying
behind envy him, yet they did not know that Leylin was secretly rolling his eyes.

Bowens was his superior after all, and Leylin could not do much even if he disagreed.

Leylin stood at the back of the fleet and reflected, 'Might as well! When the moment comes, I'll join
Gilbert and Emma directly. Once something is amiss, we will immediately activate the coordinates and
return. I don't believe that Scarlet Eye will give chase and follow us back to the Magus World.'

Gilbert and Emma had first found their way into the ranks of feudal nobility through a small noble family
by disguise and strength. They then wantonly betrayed the secrets of the Triserpent Sect against their
interests, and attained the positions of Earl and Viscount, allowing them to attend today's celebration.

If the three Giant Kemoyin Warlocks were together, even Scarlet Eye would find it hard to capture them
successfully, so there was at least some form of assurance in terms of safety.

'Bowens, however, has to be killed! He better not run into me today, or else...' Leylin lowered his head
slightly, hiding the brutal crimson radiance in his pupils.

Leylin kept Scarlet Eye company at the parliament while listening to an illogical and boring speech.
Afterwards, he tagged along with the leader of the state and the other major ministers as they
proceeded to the plaza where people pledged oaths and celebrated their victories. They were preparing
to welcome the emissary from the Divineflame Empire.

Positioned behind Scarlet Eye were the delegates from several major districts, as well as a large number
of high-ranking officials and influential ministers.
*Boom! Boom!*

it was as though there was an earthquake. Fire flashed in the distance, and Leylin noticed the arrival of
copious amounts of fire elementals.

These fire elementals existed in various sizes, and some were not even humanoid. There were quite a
number of beasts, bodies constituted of flames and lava, burning at temperatures that could scorch
anything.

Although they moved as a delegation, they left two long burn tracks on the ground. The temperature of
the entire plaza started to rise steadily.

It was fortunate that most of the Emberwings practised Fireplume. The high-ranking officials and nobility
present in the plaza had all mastered at least three levels of the technique, and thus didn't find it hard to
bear.

Creatures that were able to survive in the Lava World had a powerful resistance towards high
temperatures.

The officials who were specially put in charge of diplomacy appeared, and engaged in a series of
complicated rites and etiquette, something so boring that Leylin yawned multiple times in succession.

Regardless of as a scientist in his previous life or a Magus now, he did not have an ounce of interest in
such rituals.

In contrast, he was more willing to perform a few more experiments in his laboratory, or expound upon
a few hypotheses, or even meditate!

This was a common understanding between an overwhelming majority of Magi in the Magus World.
In the Lava World, the circumstances were evidently different. As compared to Magi who were much
like researchers, the Emberwings who studied Fireplume were more similar to knights. They had a great
thirst for the secular benefits of various territories.

The Magi of the Magus World often withdrew to the second line of duty, and manipulated the countries
from behind the scenes. Those who held authority in the Lava World, however, were different. They
liked to handle things personally, and preferred to take control of the entire system in the foreground.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 569 - The Opening

Leylin obviously did not think that everything done in the Magus World was right, but he did not
approve of the methods in Lava World because they were too time-consuming.

Of course, that might have to do with him being a Magus, since he consciously wanted to protect his
own interests.

"Greetings to the Atlan Union Leader. I am Saka, the envoy of the Divineflame Empire!"

Walking ahead of the diplomatic mission was a flaming giant who was over ten metres tall, looking like a
fire demon from myths. Him bowing down to a tiny Emberwing seemed rather laughable, but nobody
would actually dare to do so.

Scarlet Eye merely stood there like an eternal mountain, a sky which people could only look up to.

"Also... Our empire seriously condemns the leader, Scarlet Eye, for killing one of our personnel without
reason." Saka's next words caused the atmosphere to turn chilly.
"Condemn?" Scarlet Eye chuckled lightly. "Anything else?"

"The leader has to take responsibility for this matter, apologise and resign! If not, the Holy Solar Festival
that is a celebration for the Emberwings will mark the beginning of a war between us!"

"What?" There was a clamour amongst the audience, and even Leylin's pupils shrunk. Never had he
imagined that the Divineflame Empire's purpose in coming here was to declare war!

Scarlet Eye's personality was quite open. Was it possible to get him to apologise and resign?

When those words exited the envoy's mouth, Leylin felt a chill down his spine, as if a vicious ancient
beast was staring him down. This was the imposing aura that the strong unwittingly gave off, filled with
a sense of danger.

"Is that so?" Scarlet Eye narrowed his eyes, and the fire elemental giant opposite him took quite a few
steps back. The terrifying energy emitting from his body reached the Morning Star realm.

This member of the diplomatic mission was actually a Star rank, and that was not all. A few of the other
fire elementals behind him had an abrupt change in their physiques, their bodies emanating powerful
energy undulations.

"With just a few Star ranks? That's hardly enough!" Scarlet Eye's half-closed eyes opened slightly, as if he
was stating a fact.

However, all the Emberwings knew that their leader was already at the brink of fury.

"How could we inconvenience the leader to make a move against them? Uncle Bowens!" Schiker was so
frustrated that he had flushed red, suddenly standing up.
"The Military Office does not permit anyone humiliating our leader!" Bowens stood up, crimson energy
covering his entire body. With a wave of his hand, military officials charged out and surrounded the
diplomatic mission.

Seeing Bowens taking the initiative, Scarlet Eye's brows lifted. "Bowens, you should first..."

At this moment, he suddenly turned his gaze north-west. *Rumble!* An immense blast sounded from
that area.

The earth swished along like a metal plank that floated on water, drifting up and down. Giant waves
rippled, and a large number of cracks appeared, spewing crimson lava and scorching flames.

It was as if there was a large flame demon underground. The cracks that formed were like a spiderweb
that extended in the direction of Tylasus City.

The moment these cracks closed in, the tremendous mountain that the city stood on would completely
sink, and the city itself would not be spared.

"Haha... Scarlet Eye, do you feel touched that this emperor came to congratulate you personally?" The
earth split open, and a large arm that could cover the sky emerged from within, filled with flames and
red lava.

Scarlet Eye's expression was the most stern it had ever been. "Archibald..."

Accompanying the large hand was the frightening suppression of power at rank 5, causing the many
Emberwings to feel suffocated.

'A rank 5! Could this be the Divineflame Empire's emperor?'

Leylin took a few steps backwards, making use of the shadows from a few buildings to hide. Amidst the
terror caused by rank 5 might, his little actions remained undiscovered.

Scarlet Eye's expression was somewhat dark. He knew that if the other party's attack was successful, the
entirety of Tylasus City would suffer great losses, and many high-ranked officials and nobles would die.
Hence, he had no choice but to make a move!

A high-pitched cry appeared as a phoenix abruptly appeared in the sky, brilliant flames surrounding its
body as its scarlet wings collided with the arm.

*Boom!* The earth and sky seemed to disappear in that instant, and everyone fell into a daze. When
their eyes could finally see again, they saw the giant fire phoenix that Scarlet Eye had turned into circling
a flame giant that seemed able to support the skies. The two battled further into the distance, but the
residual energy undulations still inspired fear.

"Go!" Bowens' expression was grim as he cried out. Flames with energy at the Star rank blazed on his
body.

*Swish!* The military officials seemed to act on a conditioned reflex as they headed straight for the
diplomatic mission from the Divineflame Empire, with some soldiers and nobles following behind.

Among the Emberwings of the Atlan Union, true nobles trained up to at least the eighth level of
Fireplume, the Sky rank. None of them was weak. There were even a few Star rank experts keeping
watch, but not revealing their strength.

However, the diplomatic mission of the Divineflame Empire was not a pushover either. There were a
few fire elementals who had already broken through the Star rank, and in that instant the two sides had
reached a deadlock. Flames and lava flew everywhere, destroying the square where pledges of peace
and victory were to be made beyond recognition.
Leylin hid under a gigantic sculpture of the founder of the country. The people nearby had yet to realise
there was a military official breaking away from the formation and escaping.

At this moment, the sound of Gilbert's questioning voice sounded in his ear, "What should we do?"

Leylin transmitted back calmly, "Watch the changes in the situation, but don't make a move. Only the
fire elementals of the Divineflame Empire have appeared, but there isn't news of the Mobius
Organisation which Jupiter's Lightning controls."

He had a feeling that this situation probably had more to it than met the eye. Scarlet Eye was not
someone so shallow, and wouldn't have made no preparations. Hence, there could very well be a
dramatic change in this situation later on.

In this spectacle, three Morning Star Warlocks like them were not considered top strengths, and
definitely needed to conceal themselves and wait for a chance to go in for the kill.

'Besides...' Leylin looked at the screen that showed the A.I. Chip's status.

The bar that signified the progress of fusing Fireplume's concepts with his point mass had reached
99.9%. Only a tiny bit was left.

A large amount of energy from Fireplume condensed within his body, but this time it was being
contaminated by great amounts of darkness elemental energy particles. The energy turned darker than
its original scarlet red, now tending towards black.

His point mass, as well as the nebula surrounding it had appeared as well, beginning to take in large
amounts of the dark red energy from the modified Fireplume, constantly condensing and assimilating it.

With the point mass' purification, the energy of Emberwing had become richer. At the same time, its
colour grew increasingly darker, giving it a sinister feeling.
"Ley, what are you doing?" All of a sudden, a stern yell and a piercing gaze swept towards Leylin's
location.

Bowens' gaze now could practically kill Leylin, "What are you doing? Trying to desert the army?"

'Damn it, why did he set his sights on me?' Leylin walked out, speechless. Seeing the quick changes in
Schiker's eyes, he knew he could not explain this half-heartedly, or he would be attacked.

"Bowens is getting increasingly annoying!" Leylin took in a deep breath, Fireplume at the peak of the
ninth level exploding from his body, like a dazzling meteor streaking through the skies.

"Our people have already acted according to plan. All that's left depends on you!"

A distance away from the square, in a residential building. The original owner had long since
disappeared. The walls were filled with red runes, revealing a maroon luster. Some of the blood had yet
to dry, and droplets of it were still dripping down, causing long blood-red lines to form on them.

Within this building, a few people dressed in black robes were watching the scene in the square from
afar through the window.

The fire elemental delegation acted immediately and began to fight many military officials and nobles.
Such an act caused chaos among the spectating commoners.

The attacks from the fire elementals were ruthless. If lava brushed across a commoner's body, it would
reduce them to ashes in an instant. On top of that, the military officials and the nobles of the union
didn't really bother themselves with protecting them. As a result, a huge number of the people watching
died, resulting in great casualties. The mix of piercing screams and feeble cries for help were filled with
the taste of horror.
Many commoners of the union were wailing, pushing everyone else as they tried to leave the blazing
hell that was the square. This resulted in the chaos intensifying, leading to more innocent deaths.

"Hehe... Resent us! Cry out! These souls filled with hatred and fresh blood are the best nourishment for
our spell formation..." An aged voice sounded from within the mantle of a black robe.

"Don't worry, my friend. Us of the Mobius Organisation always trade fairly!" The old man's voice was as
piercing as an owl's screech, and would cause goosebumps on anyone who listened to him. Yet, the fire
elemental opposite him did not seem to mind.

"The chaos we're creating can only last for a while longer. You'll need to make a move quickly!"

"Alright, alright!" the old man cackled, touching a dark green metal bracelet, "How's the set-up on your
end?"

White noise sounded from the bracelet, followed by the voice of a middle-aged man, "Enough flesh and
blood have been gathered. It's just difficult to obtain vengeful spirits full of resentment. Only 80% of the
charging process has been completed."

"That's enough!" The old man laughed coldly. "On my command, begin!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 570 - Chaotic Battle

"Number 1, order received!" "Number 2, order received!" "Number 3, order received!"

Along with the old man's command, three different voices sounded from the dark-green metal bracelet.
"Begin extraction of aggrieved souls! Start the sacrifice..." The old man's voice was calm, yet held within
it a bone-piercing chilliness.

At the same time, all the Star ranks in Tylasus City felt a chill in their hearts.

"This feeling?"

"A spell formation from the Magus World, an undead element spell formation aimed at aggrieved
souls!" Leylin, Gilbert and Emma immediately recognised this unique energy.

Seeing the flesh and blood flying everywhere in the square, Emma laughed bitterly, "Such an
environment will do wonders for an undead spell formation!"

Even if the Morning Stars restrained themselves, they would still cause major damage to the
surroundings. On top of that, it was currently the Holy Solar Day, and those gathered here were not just
the residents of Tylasus City. Tourists, followers from different regions, and many others had packed the
city to the brim, and the square especially held a large crowd. Now, they had all been turned into
minced meat.

Even if they were high-ranking officials or nobles, many had died. Obviously, nobody would bother with
the commoners.

"I'm afraid the Magi of Jupiter's Lightning have made their move!" Leylin tangled with a two-headed fire
elemental hound as he transmitted to Gilbert and the others.

In front of Leylin was a giant flaming hound about two stories high and with inverted steel spikes on its
body. Its savage gaze settled on Leylin through its skull, similar to the Cerberus of the underworld in
myths.
This was also one of the members of the delegation, and the energy on its body had already reached the
limits of rank 3. Hence, Leylin found 'some trouble' when dealing with it, and even needed to depend on
support from other team members to somewhat handle it.

Making use of the chaos in the square, Gilbert and Emma secretly came to Leylin's side. The three
Morning Stars made a team that might seem to have been formed by chance, and surrounded the
double-headed flame hound.

There were many temporary team-ups like this in the square already. Besides, at this point not many
would pay attention to Leylin.

Of course, Bowens was an exception.

"Schiker, do you see that?" Despite the chaotic situation, Schiker was devoted to his duty and was
guarding at the centre, with Bowens at his side.

"There's definitely something off about that Ley! One of the nobles near him is an Earl, and the other a
Viscount. Both are people on the list for thorough investigation. Furthermore, Loke has pointed out that
their existence itself is suspicious..."

"Let me think about it! Let me think..." Schiker clutched at his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
At this moment, he was more concerned for his father. As for Ley? That was just a trivial matter. As long
as his father was still around, there was nothing that could not be solved.

Just when Schiker had made up his mind, the undead spell formation set-up by Jupiter's Lightning was
activated.

"What's that..."

Dark green rays flashed out of the ground, forming a mysterious round symbol in the air.
Phosphorescent green lights shone gloriously.

"It's the symbol of the Mobius Organisation. They're here too!"

Many loud cries sounded, and caused the square to descend even further into a state of chaos. This was
especially so after many Emberwings found that the green ring of light was absorbing the energy in their
bodies, and even their flesh and blood!

Streams of black gas were emitted from the body of a noble. Before he could sense anything was wrong,
he had already collapsed to the ground, a strange expression on his face as his body dried up.

The weaker nobles all lost their lives instantly under the mysterious spell formation deployed by the
Mobius Organisation. Even experts at the eighth level of Fireplume and above could feel the strength
being sapped out of their bodies.

"We can't wait any longer!" A few Emberwings at the peak of level nine exchanged glances and charged
into the air, blazing flames behind them forming the phantoms of large phoenixes.

*Boom!* The flames and the dark green light collided, but that only resulted in a few of them being sent
flying, spraying blood everywhere.

"You guys can't do it. I'll take care of this!" Without waiting for these Emberwings to reach the ground, a
pair of large powerful arms stopped them from flying. The streams of black gas being emitted from their
bodies were burnt to nothingness by the flames.

"The head of the garrison!" These few Emberwings recognised him. This was the head of the garrison of
Tylasus City, and they immediately saluted him.

"Mm!" He was a man of few words. He had a head of long, soft silver hair, his handsome face currently
filled with annoyance.
"The Mobius Organisation! Those little mice that only know to hide in the gutters and shadows... Looks
like teaching them a lesson by destroying their headquarters wasn't enough!" He snorted, and the force
field of a powerful Star rank fighter exploded forth. He soared into the air, a red fiery streak shooting
towards the distorted dark green circle of light.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The streak of fire was obstructed midway, and multiple human figures appeared. A total of seven Magi
dressed in black robes floated in mid-air, unique undulations from their point mass causing this
Emberwing to have a huge change in expression.

"So many Star ranks?!" Shock instantly filled his mind. According to his intel, the Mobius Organisation
was quite small. Though their sacrifices were bloody and insane, they didn't even have as many as the
three patriarchs of the Triserpent Sect.

Now, however, they had deployed seven Star ranks to fight him. How could it not be appalling?

There were likely less than seven Star rank Emberwings in the entire capital! The addition of such a
powerful force instantly reversed the situation.

There was one more thing to consider. If the Mobius Organisation had been concealing their strength in
the past, what were they planning now?

There wasn't any time left for him to ponder on these things, and ferocious energy was emitted as the
seven Star ranks cast their spells.

Their Morning Star domains appeared, overlapping with each other to form a starry sky. This caused the
Star rank Emberwing to turn deathly pale. His body had been suppressed.
"Using spells in other worlds is much too troublesome, but thankfully our organisation has prepared and
analysed countless spell models. Though our Morning Star Arcane Arts don't suit the rules of this world
well, rank 4 spells are enough for now. Prepare the combination spell!" The Morning Star Magus
standing in the middle spoke coldly.

A ferocious tide of elemental particles surged towards his palm like a tsunami, forming a terrifying
energy spheroid. More condensed into it, and it strengthened continuously.

"Rank 4 spell— Binding Forcefield!" A female on the right pointed at the leader of the garrison.

In that instant, the leader felt like he was stuck inside a rock. The air around him became incomparably
heavy, and even just moving was becoming difficult

"Rank 4 spell— Five Sense Severance!" Another Magus spoke up, their voice sounding strange. It was
like a continuous shriek, piercing to the ear.

"Rank 4 spell..."

Rank 4 spell after rank 4 spell was cast by these Morning Star Magi, binding the Emberwing tightly and
draining all his strength.

The overlay of seven Morning Star domains had practically created an independent space. With the
strength of their combination spell, they had even sealed off this region. It left the Emberwings outside
with no choice but to watch on furiously, with no way to send help.

"In the name of the flesh of Mobius, I bestow unto you your death..." As if chanting, the Morning Star
Magus in the middle passed his judgement.

*Boom!* The Emberwing's silver hair drifted in the wind. This garrison head's body now completely
lacked any form of an aura, and even his soul had been destroyed, giving him no chance at revival.
Though this was another world and executing spells was slightly troublesome, seven Morning Star Magi
had joined hands and even used a combination of rank 4 spells. This strength did not lose out to some
Morning Star Arcane Arts!

Indeed, a Star rank had fallen with a single move. The Morning Star Magi from another world showed
their sharp teeth in front of the other races once more.

Even as the corpse of the garrison head fell to the ground, many Emberwings stood there in disbelief.
Though there had been a large battle from earlier, this was the first time a Star rank had died!

On top of that, this was the Holy Solar Festival, a celebration for all Emberwings. This was the first time a
Star rank clansman had died at the celebration, and that was the ultimate ridicule!

In that moment, the Emberwings felt like they were dreaming.

"Haha, friends of the Mobius organisation, you've appeared just in time!" The fire elementals, who had
been at a disadvantage, suddenly roared and quickly transformed into tremendous lava giants,
beginning to wreak havoc in Tylasus City.

With the addition of seven Morning Star Magi, the Emberwings were put at an immediate disadvantage.
Though they won in terms of their numbers, they were at a disadvantage in terms of their Morning Star
strength.

In front of Morning Stars, tactics of victory with numbers were a joke, especially with these seven Magi
of Jupiter's Lightning specialising in water and ice elemental spells. This caused the many Emberwings
who had never encountered such a situation to fall into trouble.

With the retreat of military officials and high-ranking bodyguards, the entirety of Tylasus City collapsed
into a mess of blood and fire.
The whole city seemed to be crying and yelling. The flying flesh and blood broke off and burnt many of
the banners that had been put up in celebration, mocking them.

Seeing this scene, Schiker's fingernails dug deeper into his flesh, and blood even began to flow.
However, he was told by many bodyguards to retreat.

'Father, end the battle quickly and save your people!' Schiker could not help but silently pray in his
heart.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 571 - Life Extraction

"Don't mind these people. Our priority is to break into the residence!" The leader of the Morning Star
Magi glanced at the many nobles and commoners trying to escape and shook his head. Leaving them to
the fire elementals, he darted straight for Scarlet Eye's residence.

"You seem to have other intentions in this joint operation. Is it convenient for you to tell me more? As
allies, we hope to provide some support!" At some point, Saka had arrived beside this Magus, and he
smiled gently as he spoke.

However, when coupled with his huge stature and fierce face, this smile just seemed horrifying.

"It's nothing much. We just have a few old enemies hidden amongst the Emberwings and need to take
care of them," the Morning Star Magus replied politely.

"Oh? Are they Magi from the other world like you?" Saka asked. This topic had him interested.
It had mostly been thanks to them that he was able to break into the capital and cause such huge
damage. For this reason, he had a huge interest in these mysterious spells and this rumoured other
world.

"Yes. However, they're just a bunch of vile creatures that live off bloodlines, interested in the bloodlines
of all living things. They don't mind committing murder for this, they're the source of all sin!" The
Morning Star Magus' criticism sounded righteous, as if he hadn't been killing without restraint just a
moment ago.

"I didn't expect the situation to turn out this way already. Quick! Back to the leader's residence!"
Schiker's hand subconsciously touched the pendant hung at his neck as he issued the command.

Bowens' body was brimming with energy as he flew with Schiker, the flames in the air leaving behind a
long blazing tail.

The speed of a Star rank far surpassed that of a chariot. In less than a minute, Bowens had brought
Schiker back into the residence.

Schiker looked distracted. Just this morning, he had been in a good mood as he dressed formally to go
out and celebrate with his father. Never could he have expected that he would return in such a pitiful
state

Even with his many years of military experience, he could not adapt to these changes instantly.

A few military officials that had been left behind as guards immediately rushed forward in salute as they
noticed him, "My Lord!"

When they'd heard the explosions in the square and seen the flames, their sense of responsibility as
soldiers had told them that they should continue guarding this place.
"Mm! Notify everyone that war has arrived. Activate all defences in the residence!" Bowens exclaimed,
and the command was quickly sent down. A golden layer of energy that looked like an overturned bowl
covered the entire residence.

"Father..." Schiker touched the pendant on his neck, his eyes glinting with a decisive light.

"So you got here first?" Seven terrifying figures flew in his direction. Even before they arrived, the
powerful pressure caused everyone in the residence to feel suffocated.

"Desas' Flying Palm!" With the incantations sounding out, a giant palm with countless runes twining
around it appeared in the air, slapping the golden shield.

The golden shield shook, but still stubbornly held on. Yet, cracks had already appeared on its surface.

It was as if an earthquake had occurred the moment the flying palm hit the shield. Multiple buildings
cracked, and the sound of glass shattering rang out as cups constantly fell to the ground.

"Uncle Bowens, can you take care of them?" Schiker had turned deathly pale.

"There are seven Star ranks who hold the power of water and ice. Even one on one I wouldn't be
confident, let alone against seven. The rest of the commanders either died in battle or are stuck
outside..."

Bowens laughed bitterly and then patted Schiker on the head, his eyes full of love, "But don't worry, I'll
protect you!"

"Uncle Bowens!" Schiker's voice trembled, his eyes turning red.

"The defence in the leader's residence is rather weak! Just a Morning Star is enough to deal with it..."

Outside the gigantic golden layer, Leylin and two other Morning Star Warlocks had long since snuck in.
Seeing this scene, Emma rolled her eyes at Leylin, "From the map you showed me, the defensive spell
formation should not be that simple..."

"Yes! Usually, this spell formation can take on one attack from a Morning Star, but can also be recharged
and have its strength increased by several times! The key is in Schiker's hands... Of course, I made a copy
as well..."

Leylin laughed, retrieving a golden gem from his sleeves. Within it, one could see the image of a flaming
phoenix.

Schiker had already trusted him too much, and was not powerful on top of that. With the A.I. Chip's
scans and some psychological hints, obtaining information from him was much too easy. Leylin had even
found out about this last resort, and made a copy of it.

"You're really quite something!" Gilbert's eyes brightened. "With this, we can sneak into the residence
without being discovered. It would be even better if we could take control of the central administration
of the spell formation."

"Don't even think about controlling the spell formation. Besides, since Scarlet Eye left it behind for
Schiker, he probably hasn't shown all his cards yet. We need to wait longer..."

Leylin saw these two Kemoyin dukes whose eyes were beginning to flare red, and his voice turned cold.

His tone seemed to have some unique power, causing the red in Gilbert and Emma's eyes to dissipate.
The two of them began to laugh wryly, "Seeing the situation, I got a little affected. My apologies..."

Immediately after, Emma's eyes were full of astonishment when looking at Leylin, "The emotional
instability from your bloodline has such a small effect, and you can even indirectly affect us..."

"With such a concentrated bloodline, it probably surpasses that of all Kemoyin Warlocks in history...
Perhaps, the hope of overcoming our bloodline shackles lies with you!" Gilbert was beaming.

"My willpower is just slightly stronger than most others!" Leylin laughed wryly, ruthlessly pushing down
the destructive desires inside him.

Even after reaching Morning Star, a Warlock could curb the emotional instability from their bloodline
fusing with their soul. It was just that it was much more troublesome. Matters that had to do with the
soul could not be resolved with just regular potions or other methods. For now, he could only rely on his
own willpower.

*Skree!* At this moment, the replica phoenix phantom in his hands began to call out.

"Schiker is about to use this! We'd better sneak in quickly!" Leylin chanted a few syllables, and the
scarlet energy from Fireplume poured into a gemstone. It produced a golden yellow layer of energy that
encompassed the three of them.

The moment the golden energy layer made contact with the residence, the two began to blend, causing
Leylin and the other two's figures to disappear.

At the same time, an even more glorious layer of gold appeared outside the residence. The cries of a
phoenix rang out, blocking the attacks of all the Morning Star Magi.

"This level of defence?" The leader of the Morning Star Magi immediately turned grim.

Without being discovered by the Morning Star Magi and officials, Leylin and the two dukes successfully
snuck into the residence. While Leylin was leading the way, he seemed to be very familiar with the area.
"Strange. Did you feel that?" Leylin looked absent-minded as he judged the second activation, deep in
thought.

"A life extraction spell formation! The second level of this formation is evidently a method to steal life
force. It can even defend against the combined attacks of multiple Morning Stars by stealing life force,
and even soul force, from a gigantic living creature..." Gilbert nodded.

"On top of that, from the course of the energy, the energy that is being extracted comes not from the
energy pool of the residence, but from... underground!" Emma touched the surface of the ground and
confirmed.

Those of the Magus world were much more advanced than those from the rest of the worlds, mostly
because of their foresight and minds that were suited for research.

After acquiring vast inheritances from ancient Magi, there were few races in other worlds that could
surpass these people of the Magus World when it came to knowledge or capabilities at identification.

"In that case, there might be a powerful ancient creature confined underground, and it's the type with a
long life..."

Gilbert gave a hollow laugh, his face changing, "The firasource stones can't be connected to this, can
they...?"

"That's very possible!" Leylin's expression was serious as he nodded, recalling the time he had followed
Loke underground and the red rays that had formed from the heart of the large spell formation.

For some reason, a sense of sadness surged inside as he thought back to that time.
'These feelings?' With the instability from his bloodline, Leylin paid a lot of attention to his emotions. He
immediately discovered the source of the sorrow he was feeling.

'Fireplume? If I hadn't changed the nature of its energy, the effects would be even more prominent...'

"This feeling?" Bowens touched his chest, looking gloomy. "What's going on?"

"I- I don't know!" Schiker seemed to sense something as well, and began to sound flustered, "Father
gave me this key in the morning, telling me that if there came a danger that could not be handled, I was
to escape back into the residence and activate the second layer of defence!"

"Is that so?" Bowens' eyes glinted with mixed emotions, "Since the lord has made preparations for this,
then that's great!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 572 - Sneak Attack

"This is the Northern Duke! I hereby command all residents of Tylasus City to return to their homes. You
are not allowed to leave. Anyone outside will be killed without discretion!" While the defensive
formation was being reinforced at the leader's residence, a tremendous sound was transmitted to the
city.

"I am Kiel, commander of the southern military. Nobody is allowed outside from henceforth!"

"I am the commander of the eastern military. Nobody is..."

"This is an order from the Western Duke..."

Loud sounds echoed continuously throughout the city, and an expression of glee surfaced on Schiker's
face.

"It's my uncle the Northern Duke, Turin, and the others..." The dukes and military commanders were the
pillars of the Atlan Union. Every single one of them was a Star rank.

This sudden aid had excited him immediately.

Along with the voices of the Star ranks, orders were passed down and the city was sealed. A layer of
fiery-red isolation layer kept Tylasus within.

"Scarlet Eye really did have something planned. Is he trying to deal with all of us at once?" The leader of
the Magi sized up the spell formation from a distance away as he floated in mid-air.

"A fire-type isolation spell formation and the reckless assault of elite troops truly can stall us. With the
attacks from others of the same rank... Scarlet Eye really has a huge appetite!"

Saka seemed rather confident, on the other hand. "Don't worry! Our emperor will come and bring us
back!"

"I hope so!" The leader of the Magi laughed. Watching the many troops entering the city in an orderly
manner, suppressing the chaos, and taking over the defence, he couldn't help but sneer.

*Rumble!* Large amounts of fire energy were emitted from the bodies of the Northern Duke and the
rest, fighting against the few Morning Stars.

Fire sparked in the sky above the capital, space itself crumbling as silver storms wreaked havoc on the
land.
"The leader knew you were going to do this, and had set a trap in advance. All of you shall die here
today." The Northern Duke's expression was firm.

With the addition of the many legions and the participation of the Star ranks, the Emberwings'
impending doom was reversed, and the scales had now tipped in their favour.

"Do you think you can stop us just like this? How naive!" The leader of the Morning Stars produced
multiple mechanical arms, protecting himself with the mass of steel. Seeing the Northern Duke and the
others charging over, his eyes shone with pity.

"In this war, what determines victory can only be a strength above the Morning Star realm!"

"Above... Morning Star? Do you mean?" The Northern Duke and the others glanced towards the outside
of the city in disbelief.

A flame giant that towered into the very heavens was contending against a similarly large, terrifying
phoenix. Every attack of theirs seemed to shake heaven and earth, destroying their surroundings. It
seemed like the end of the world.

This was the battlefield between Scarlet Eye and his opponent, the Divineflame Emperor. In a battle
between rank 5s, Morning Star Magi could not even attempt at interfering unless there were enough of
them.

*SKREEEE!* And at this moment, the winner seemed to have been decided. The giant phoenix's calls
sounded out as gigantic sharp claws ripped apart the elemental's breastplate to a shower of lava and
fire.

"You've lost, Archibald!" Scarlet Eye's voice sounded from the phoenix's mouth. As they heard this
sound, glee appeared on the faces of the Northern Duke's party. The leader that they had placed their
hopes on hadn't betrayed their trust!
"Yes, I've lost," the fire elemental giant clutched at his chest, rocks falling out from the huge injury,
causing earthquakes as they hit the ground.

"You really are a genius, Scarlet Eye, you've already reached the peak of rank 5... I made the right
decision today. If not, you could've been the key to changing the status quo between the Divineflame
Empire and the Atlan Union!"

The Divineflame Emperor's voice boomed like a thunder that rumbled throughout the heavens.

"Decision?" Scarlet Eye seemed to be confused, but immediately after the giant phoenix retreated.

However, it was too late! Large amounts of thunder clouds formed in the sky, and terrifying bolts of
black lightning struck down. The dark clouds covered the skies, blocking the brilliant sun.

The lightning came together to form a lance, and a Magus suddenly appeared, gripping it.

This Magus' forehead was marked with a rune in the shape of a moon. "Goodbye!" he called out in a low
voice as he tossed the lance.

*Swish!* As if it was a deity from the World of Gods that had been enraged, a world-extinguishing bolt
of lightning shot down from the skies.

This horrifying black lance seemed to transcend the limits of time and space, and even the void was
subdued under the tip of the lance, carrying the might of an apocalypse. This terrifying instrument of
destruction appeared before the phoenix.

*Skree!* The phoenix called out, the sound this time filled with sorrow and suffering.
*Ka-cha!* As the dazzling white light formed by the collision dissipated, the Star ranks noticed that the
Phoenix Scarlet Eye had transformed into had suffered a gigantic injury. Feather after flaming feather
fell to the ground before bursting into intense flame. Within this fire, the feathers somehow seemed
even more magnificent.

Leylin's pupils shrank as he saw this scene. Even if this was just a transformation, the parts that left the
body still managed to retain their shape. This showed just what level his fire phoenix transformation had
reached!

"Leader!" While the Northern Duke and the rest clamoured over this sneak attack, Leylin and the others
who were hiding in the residence watched on grimly.

"That Magus is Zegna from Jupiter's Lightning! How did he get here?"

Leylin obviously knew the Magus in the black robe. This Zegna had come to stop him when he had
travelled here from the Magus world. However, he'd pitifully been stalled by Wayde.

The rank 5 energy undulations, as well as that face that left a deep impression, were both things he
could never forget.

"The Zegna now is different from the one we met before. It's probably just a clone, but why does it have
the undulations of a rank 5 Magus? Even if it's much weaker than before, it's still a Radiant Moon!"
Gilbert looked to be distressed, evidently unable to make sense of this.

"It should be some sort of ancient secret technique! A rank 5 clone is an exceptionally powerful trump
card. I'm more curious about the how he deceived the Lava World's World Will and was able to sneak in
successfully!" Leylin stroked his chin.

"Zegna, even you betrayed me!" Scarlet Eye's voice was produced from the body of the giant phoenix,
the injuries on its wings quickly regenerating.
"Esteemed leader!" Zegna, who was in mid-air, first bowed slightly to him. "Our relationship only
extended to a cooperation between us. Rather, it was but a transaction that consisted of mutual
benefits. So then, how could there be a betrayal?"

"Alright! Scarlet Eye, that was the first round. The second round is about to start now!" The towering
fire elemental giant roared, and Zegna sprung into action as well. Black lightning and powerful lava
encircled Scarlet Eye...

"Leader?!" The Northern Duke, the supporting troops, and the others immediately had a change in
expression. Though Scarlet Eye was at the peak of Radiant Moon, his opponent was not weak. This long-
time enemy of the Atlan Union, the Divineflame Emperor, had teamed up with a terrifying rank 5 Magus
from another world. Even the most stupid person could tell that their leader was in trouble.

"Everyone, this is the day to dedicate yourselves to our country!" The Northern Duke sighed, a rare
solemness appearing on his face. It was evident that he was already expecting his death.

"Haha... Vape, Sulu, we're heading off first!" A few Star ranked elders erupted into an insane laughter,
their expressions showing their readiness for death.

Seeing such a solemn expression, the leader of the Morning Star Magi began to hesitate.

While the Star ranks of this world had fewer secret methods than Magi, if they really went all out his
side could suffer a large number of casualties.

Morning Stars like them, who had been nurtured by Jupiter's Lightning through and through, were few
in number. Most of their Morning Stars joined from other races, and only Zegna could keep them
suppressed. In the face of great casualties to this core team, he was beginning to hesitate.

The dukes and commanders who were all veterans in battle exchanged glances, all having noticed the
strange look in their opponent's eyes.
"Alright! It's been revealed that the Morning Star Magi are afraid of casualties. This battle is going to be
fun. Zegna is probably going to cough up blood..." Emma exclaimed, taking joy in his misfortune.

This was reality. Even if the Morning Star Magus leader could harden his resolve, the other Morning Star
Magi might not be willing to. After all, they had merely signed a contract and joined Jupiter's Lightning,
and there were no rules that stated they had to give up their lives for the organisation.

When the opponent made use of this fact and displayed they were not afraid to sacrifice themselves,
and that they would take their opponents down at any cost, then they would be involving themselves in
a pointless fight.

"I'm afraid Zegna's already foreseen this. He won't be that enraged." Leylin shook his head, stating his
opinion. "The Divineflame Emperor's plan should be to kill as many Star ranks and weaken the Atlan
Union as much as possible. However, killing these people won't do Zegna any good, and it could even
have the opposite effect, hurting his own forces. Thus, he won't grow mad. His main objective is likely
the firasource stones. We need to monitor the residence. I believe Zegna is about to make a move!"

"You're right." Gilbert nodded to acknowledge Leylin's prediction after a momentary silence.

The battle pushed on and things turned out just like Leylin expected. The Morning Stars immediately
yielded to the Emberwings who were going all out. Their inefficiency drove Saka insane, but there was
nothing he could do about it.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 573 - Identity Revealed

"Uncle Bowens, how's the situation?" Schiker's gaze was set outside the city, at the battle between the
Star ranks.
He had not advanced to the Star rank yet, and naturally lacked Leylin's vision. All he could see was space
continually being torn apart, the stray energy destroying the architecture. The defensive layer shook
continually, and he couldn't help but look to Bowens in his worry..

"Don't worry, they're fine! Morning Star Magi will not act without benefits, and Saka and the other Star
rank fire elementals can't match up to you Emberwings." Bowens' expression was slightly strange as he
spoke.

"I guess I can relax now." Schiker patted his chest, but his expression quickly changed. He had sensed
something off about Bowens' tone.

Bowens was much too knowledgeable about that black-robed person. On top of that, what did he mean
by 'you Emberwings'?

As he turned around and saw the strange expression on Bowens' face, his heart sank. "U–Uncle Bowens,
you... heart sunk. "Un-uncle Bowens, you..."

*Schlick!* Before the words left his mouth, a black scorpion had crawled onto his neck as a black stinger
piercing into an artery.

The defence of eighth level Fireplume turned out to be useless. Schiker's eyes rolled up into their
sockets, his consciousness lost.

"What's going on? Officer Bowens has attacked Lord Schiker!" The few remaining military officials
mental strength crumbled at this sight. If this was a nightmare, all they wanted was to wake up from it
as soon as possible.

"This Schiker is a spy who I've discovered long ago. Seize him! Do your duties!"

Bowens' large hand quickly sought out the gem at Schiker's neck, retrieving the key with the phantom
image of a phoenix within it. His words caused the minds of the military officials present to short-circuit.

The illegitimate son that their leader thought so highly of, their Lord Schiker, was... a spy?

Many of them felt like they had just heard the joke of the year, but seeing the flame-ringed Bowens, the
could not bring themselves to laugh.

"Officer, please let Lord Schiker go!"

Bowens was not completely in charge here. While the remaining Star rank commanders were either
trapped outside or dead, their subordinates were still around. Even if Bowens' own subordinates
approved of his actions, these people would not.

"What? You want to attack me?" Energy at the tenth level of Fireplume exploded forth, and a large
amount of flames formed the terrifying phantom of a phoenix. The energy was similar to a domain of
flames, and put the entire area under Bowens' control.

The official who had spoken of his suspicions was merely at the ninth level of Fireplume. Even though he
was considered powerful among Sky ranks, he was nothing in front of Bowens.

He took several steps back, face flushing red as he stood straight, "You have restrained Lord Schiker for
no reason. Please provide proof that he is a spy, or else..."

"Or else?" Crimson rays flashed, and the official who had just been speaking disappeared. All that was
left on the ground was a pile of ashes.

"Did you really think I wouldn't kill anyone?" Bowens sneered, carrying the unconscious Schiker and
heading towards the back of the residence. Many officials looked around at each other, but none
followed.
Leylin looked at the other two dukes from their hiding spot in the shadows, "What do you think?"

Gilbert spoke slowly. "Bowens is probably Jupiter's Lightning's real spy. Loke was most likely just a bait."

"Mm! And what's more interesting, he's practised Fireplume to the tenth level..." Leylin's eyes glowed
with curiosity. He had needed the A.I. Chip to modify Fireplume to harmonize with his point mass. How
had this person done it? Furthermore, he couldn't have survived for so long as a spy without even
Scarlet Eye finding out if he didn't have an Arcane Art that dealt in bloodlines. That was intriguing as
well.

"Whatever it is, Bowens picked a good time. Scarlet Eye is engaged, and the other Star ranks are fighting
hard outside the residence. As long as Bowens has the fight outside under control, he had no need to
fear for anything..."

Emma did not mention the rest of the military officials within the residence. In a Morning Star's eyes,
anyone weaker than rank 4 was an ant. She didn't think that they could stop him.

As expected, once Bowens showed that he was not to be trifled with, many of the officials retreated,
unwilling to go forth.

Bowens snorted and went deeper into the residence. Those who dared to hinder him were burnt to
ashes under his flames.

"What should we do next?" Emma glanced at Leylin.

She could not make much sense of this young man at all. He was good at tolerating things, for one. Were
she here alone, she would have struck out long ago. How could she have restrained herself until now,
when the best benefits were available? Furthermore, the techniques he'd used to conceal himself had
duped even Bowens, which was amazing.
"We're obviously going to follow him." Leylin chuckled, pointing at Bowens who was ahead.

"He's definitely a spy from Jupiter's Lightning. He can be the scapegoat, taking all the damage from traps
and conspiracies. We just need to follow him and get those firasource stones..."

"Haha... As expected of a student of mine. Leylin... you're definitely very sly. I like it!" Gilbert burst out
into laughter, looking delighted. Emma rolled her eyes at his response.

Bowens' speed was very fast as he carried Schiker to a place that Leylin was familiar with. This was the
area where Loke had used Gaia's Disc that day.

"Could it be..." Leylin watched Bowens' actions, realisation dawning upon him.

Soon enough, he saw Bowens take out a round plate, eyes on its surface formed from countless veins.
He shook his head at Loke's previous actions, "This is probably something used specifically to send
equipment and confuse others..."

The earth split apart like an ocean, revealing a deep tunnel. Bowens smirked and darted in. Leylin and
the two dukes glanced at each other and followed.

Very soon, the scarlet spell formation previously had appeared before Bowens, fragmented and drifting
through the air like butterflies.

Bowens was very familiar with this place as he walked up to the huge secret room in the centre. A
crimson spell formation in the middle of the room lit the place up, the light flickering at its edges.

A humming sound was produced as the formation let loose a layer of flames to block Bowens' advance.
Bowens' eyes only grew brighter at this. "It's here!The barrier that Scarlet Eye set up himself."

Blue light gathered at his hands, flickering. At the same time, Schiker woke up from this period of
unconsciousness.

His eyes were blurred for a moment, but he still immediately raised his guard. "This... The underground
saferoom! Uncle Bowens, you actually betrayed us..."

"Look closely, kid. Who's your Uncle Bowens?" 'Bowens' sneered, his muscles and bones shifting. The
red feathers that marked an Emberwing disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he had turned into a
completely different person. The energy of a Morning Star domain burst forth.

"So Uncle Bowens is already dead..." With this sight, Schiker heaved a sigh of relief. If it really was
Bowens who had betrayed him and his father, he had no idea what to do.

"Hehe... Do you still not understand? I am Bowens, but Bowens isn't me! Whatever, the people of this
land won't understand even if I explain it..." Bowens snickered, and that caused Schiker's heart to sink
further.

"If not for needing the tenth and higher levels of Fireplume as well as the blood aura of the leader to
break through this barrier, do you think I'd have brought you here?" Bowens laughed coldly, preparing
to make his move.

Schiker shook his head and closed his eyes.

"It's better to wait!" However, a familiar voice sounded by his ear, giving him the illusion that something
was wrong with his ears.

"Ley? Didn't he die in the square?" Opening his eyes, he found 'Ley' in front of him, and somehow, there
were traces of... fear, on Bowens' face?
"I knew something was off about you!" Bowens watched Ley, his hands still trembling. Leylin had easily
taken care of his attack, which that this person was at the same rank as him.

"Must've been a wild guess. That bait Loke can't have given you that much information!" Leylin
answered indifferently. As he was speaking, the characteristics of an Emberwing faded away. By the
time he was done, he had morphed back into a black-haired, dreaded Warlock.

"As expected, it's one of the remaining devilspawn of the Ouroboros Clan!" Bowens gritted his teeth.

In the meanwhile, Schiker's jaw had dropped. He was dazed at the sight of this unfamiliar Morning Star
Magus.

"So... So you've been lying to me too? Haha... You, Loke, you're all liars! Have you been treating me like
a fool?" Schiker roared, large droplets of tears falling from his cheeks. The cold-faced instructor from
before had all but disappeared.

"Did his mental wall crumble?" Leylin shook his head, but had no plans of explaining himself.

Whatever the case may be, he'd made use of Schiker and now he'd repaid that by saving the
Emberwing's life. In his mind, this act canceled out with all the help and guidance Schiker had given him.

He couldn't care less about Schiker's thoughts. If the man was so dumb as to attack or obstruct him, he
would not hold back.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 574 - Open

"How about you? Who exactly are you? How could you progress to the tenth level of Fireplume?"
Watching Bowens in front of him, Leylin was filled with curiosity.

"Take a guess," Bowens sneered, "But know this. If I hadn't come and hidden myself here in the Lava
World for such a long time, Collins would definitely not be the strongest Morning Star in Jupiter's
Lightning!"

A vicious, berserk aura burst forth from Bowens' body. Starlight twinkled behind him, forming a unique
Morning Star domain.

Two orbs of golden flames appeared in his hands, emitting the powerful energy of Fireplume.

"Congratulations, you get to see this new spell I came up with after combining the path of a Magus with
Fireplume. Fire Phoenix Slice!" Berserk energy from Fireplume was amplified by magic, resulting in a
barrage of powerful blades of fire that sliced towards Leylin.

"Indeed, there are no fools among Magi. It's only to be expected that someone would try to fuse the
two different systems of power... What a pity, though..." Leylin shook his head, sympathy in his gaze, "A
pity that you met me!"

Leylin's knowledge of Fireplume far surpassed that of Bowens. On top of that, he was a Morning Star
Warlock whose soul had been strengthened with firasource stones. His current might was incomparable
to that in the past..

"Bloodline Shield!" Leylin snapped his fingers, and countless large crimson shields came into existence.
The Kemoyin Serpent carvings on the shield looked vivid, lifelike, their eyes shooting out vicious glares.

*Clang! Clang!* The blades of fire slammed into the shields, and the result was a piercing noise that
sounded like a torrential rain.
"You still don't have enough of an understanding about the two paths... What a disappointment..."
Leylin sighed, and a large phantom of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent appeared behind him. The two pupils
were like giant stars; the ancient, ominous aura causing Bowens' expression to warp,

*Rumble!* Two orbs of dark red fire emerged in Leylin's hands, beating back the energy from Bowens'
Fireplume. Leylin darted in front of the man.

"No... How's that possible?" The move that he was most proud of had been defeated so easily by his
opponent, and it seemed to have no value at all. Bowens frowned.

"Nothing is impossible!" Leylin extended his right arm, the hand passing through the opponent's
defences and grabbing onto his throat. The A.I. Chip began a scan.

[Beep! Scanning opponent's energy pathways. Discovered areas that can be optimised! Recording into
database, adding into simulation fusion experiment!]

Details on Bowens' point mass and the operation of his Fireplume appeared in Leylin's mind, and the
information gathered allowed the A.I. Chip's simulations of fusing Fireplume into his path grew more
complicated.

Though the progress was still stuck at the final bit, the originally dark red energy from Fireplume seemed
to have undergone a secret transformation, advancing to form a higher power.

'Fireplume energy with darkness elemental particles fused in can easily break through the defence of
the tenth level of the original, even restraining the opponent. What'll happen if I take this a step
further?' A look of anticipation flashed in Leylin's eyes. His practice of Fireplume was undergoing a
wondrous transformation. Even without advancing himself, he could use it to beat others at the tenth
stage of the original, something that cause his expectations to increase.

"Here you are!" Shadow arms emerged, taking all of Bowens' items from his spatial storage as well as
Gaia's Disc. When he caught sight of the black copper key, his eyes sparkled.
He had personally seen Loke use this thing to break through the final spell formation, and Bowens had
kept it safely himself. It definitely had a special function.

"Let me go, Lord Zegna will offer a good ransom for me... Or we can even sign a contract! After my
contract with Jupiter's Lightning ends, I'll side with the Ouroboros Clan!" Bowens had been trounced
thoroughly, and had lost all methods to resist. He quietened down, the viciousness in his expression
disappearing as he began to bargain calmly.

He did not want to die. As a Morning Star Magus, he believed he could still be of some value to Leylin,
and began to look for ways to save himself rationally.

"That isn't a bad deal... The loyalty of a Morning Star is worth letting you off..." Leylin stroked his chin.
"What do you think?"

"It'd be more convenient to kill him. We don't have the time to set up any powerful restriction
formations on him, and he can probably destroy any regular contract." Ice-cold bloodlust filled the room
as Emma's voice sounded out. Space distorted, and she appeared out of hiding along with Gilbert.

"So, all three of you are here!" Bowens resigned himself to his fate. He hadn't even been able to win
against Leylin alone, so what could he do when the three of them joined hands?

Hearing Emma's unhesitating words, Bowens began to panic, "Wait! I have a crystal contract in my
spatial belt! Even Breaking Dawn Monarchs won't be able to subvert or break it. This way, you can be at
ease about me. On top of that, I know a lot of inside information which will definitely be useful..."

Even though he knew Emma had likely said it to frighten him, he didn't want to take the risk.

"Good! Tell us all that you know, and we'll discuss how to deal with you!" Gilbert nodded while grinning.
Leylin agreed tacitly. He was now certain that Bowens was but a vile character. If one could defeat him
thoroughly based on what he had been relying on, he would completely be crushed. Not only would his
initial arrogance disappear, he would even betray Jupiter's Lightning to survive.

"What do you plan to do? Are you going to kill me?" Seeing Leylin take care of the Star rank Bowens so
easily, Schiker seemed defeated. He had not taken the chance to flee during the battle, instead just
standing at the side.

Seeing Leylin's gaze turning to him, he laughed wryly.

"I don't like wanton killing," Leylin shook his head. Red rays flashing in his eyes, and Schiker crumpled to
the ground.

At this time, Bowens spoke from Leylin's side like a follower, "Scarlet Eye's bloodline is needed to break
through this flame defence. Along with the tenth level of Fireplume, our leader acquired an Arcane Art
that will allow Schiker to be sacrificed to simulate his aura."

This was the very reason he had even dragged Schiker here.

Leylin shook his head in response to his suggestion. "We have our own methods to replicate Scarlet
Eye's aura from Schiker's bloodline." His nail scratched out a bloody line on Schiker's neck, and fresh
pearls of blood spurted out, floating in the air.

"Bloodline Trace!" Leylin's eyes flashed and he began to chant a strange, bleak runic incantation.

With his incantations, Schiker's fresh blood began to boil, even forming a phantom image of Scarlet Eye
with red eyebrows and hair.

"My lord's techniques are indeed superior, I am impressed. You can even do something as awesome
mimicking Scarlet Eye's Aura without using Schiker as a sacrifice!" Bowens took the opportunity
immediately, trying to flatter him.

Leylin rolled his eyes on the inside, having no expectations towards the integrity of this Morning Star
Magus.

"Tenth level of Fireplume!" Leylin's hand filled with dark red flames, and he pressed it to the layer.

*Buzz!* The defensive layer began to tremble.

"Go!" With Leylin's indication, the pearls of Schiker's blood flew to the defensive membrane, a blood-
red colour spreading across it.

The dark red flames on Leylin's hands fused with this layer, and the defences gradually fell apart.

At this moment, something odd happened. Scarlet Eye's enraged voice resounded in the basement.

"Despicable robbers, die!" Blood-red light converged in one spot, forming an image of Scarlet Eye.

"Crap, it's a trap! There's a full power attack from him hidden in the defences!" Leylin's pupils shrank.

......

*SKREE!* The cries from the tremendous phoenix were unceasing as it fought against the towering giant
and the black-robed Magus. The fight had taken them to the boundaries of the Lava World, black spatial
rifts opening up all around them as they warred.

Just at that point, Scarlet Eye received some information. "Hm? Someone is breaking into my secret
room! Schiker and Bowens! How useless!"

"Scarlet Eye, what's going on? Is there trouble in your nest?" Zegna burst out into laughter, black
lightning flashing in his hands.

The Divineflame Emperor, Archibald, roared as he heard the words, blocking Scarlet Eye's retreat.

"You're the ones who forced me!" The phoenix that Scarlet Eye had transformed into shouted with rage.

With his words, terrifying flames spread throughout the phoenix's body, causing the flying beast to turn
into a horrifying bird of flame. At the boundary of the world, space itself was set on fire, distorting under
this power.

"Flaming Undead Aves!"

"This Arcane Art burns life force for power! He's putting his life on the line!" Zegna and Archibald quickly
retreated.

However, it was too late. How could Scarlet Eye let them off? The flaming bird spread its wings and
terrifying flames swept through the area, swallowing Zegna and Archibald within...

*Boom!* The fierce firestorm wreaked havoc, even eliminating the spatial turbulence and leaving
behind an exceptionally ugly black scar at the border of the world.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 575 - Breakthrough in Fusion

Flames flashed, and Scarlet Eye's figure appeared once more. Now, however, his face was filled with fury
and his aura was unstable.

He glared at the storm of fire that had burst forth and immediately turned back, his palms opening up a
spatial passageway like drawing apart a curtain. He immediately re-entered the Lava World.

*Rumble!* Tens of seconds later, black lightning and a large rock smashed into the firestorm, revealing
the miserable figures of Zegna and Archibald.

*Woosh!* Cracks spread across the rock like spiderwebs, and large fragments began to fall off.

At the end of it all, Archibald's body was much smaller than before, and could even be called 'pocket-
sized.'

Zegna was in an even more pitiful state. Not only were their traces of burn wounds all over his body,
even a great portion of his hair had been burned off.

"Haha! After this, the injuries on Scarlet Eye's body will probably take at least a hundred years to
recover!" Archibald was unusually carefree as he burst into laughter.

He then glanced at Zegna, "So? Should we chase after him?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness! This body of mine probably won't be able to take the intensity of the next
battle!" Zegna laughed wryly.

"Then forget it. The losses the Atlan Union suffered this time should be enough to give them a headache
for a long while."
Archibald laughed, "My Divineflame Empire should have been the victor in the power struggles, but with
Scarlet Eye being an Emberwing, we can't let our guards down..."

"I believe that with your guidance, the fire elementals will remain the leaders of the Lava World!" Zegna
had a smile on his face.

Reputation and nice words meant nothing to him. As long as there were enough benefits, calling the
other party the leader of the Lava World was not an issue.

"Haha..." Even so, that was enough for Archibald to laugh heartily.

"Alright, based on our previous agreement..." Zegna wanted to continue on, but his expression
immediately changed. "Damn it! Bowens and the rest are such trash!" he cursed, turning into a streak of
black lightning and disappearing in that instant.

"Hehe... interesting!" Large flames appeared under Archibald's feet, lifting and moving him forward as
he followed.

Though he had joined hands with Zegna, he had never let down his guard against this guest from
another world.

......

Underground, next to the giant spell formation. Leylin had met with a crisis as well.

The barrier that Scarlet Eye had set up had actually been a trap. The moment it made contact with an
external force, it had immediately shown the image of the Emberwing himself, and unleashed an attack.

This was the terrifying attack of a Radiant Moon! It could seriously injure if not kill even the current
Leylin.

'Schiker's bloodline can't be fake, and my Fireplume shouldn't be a problem either. Is it Bowens?' Leylin
quickly shot Bowens a glance, but found him equally panicked, evidently not expecting this situation.

"Despicable thieves, die!" Scarlet Eye's figure roared, hair and eyebrows seemingly beginning to burn
up. Tremendous, fierce flames formed a blazing phoenix that charged towards Leylin's groups.

As if this phantom had a will of its own, its first target was the traitor, Bowens.

"AAAH!" In the face of the suppression from a rank 5, Bowens' Fireplume energy was destroyed quickly
despite his desperate attempts at saving himself. He cried out miserably as he burst into flames. In one
move, Bowens of Jupiter's Lightning had died at the phantom's hands.

After taking care of the traitor, the phantom looked straight at Leylin and the other two. Leylin seemed
to have become the primary target.

Goosebumps appeared on Leylin's body.

'Is there no other way but to undergo Kemoyin Serpent Transformation with the other two? If we do
that, the entirety of this underground room will be destroyed!' In a short period, a variety of thoughts
passed in Leylin's mind, and he gave up on this plan.

"I can only use Fireplume to fight it out.' A glint appeared in Leylin's eyes as he made up his mind.

[Beep! Simulation of Fireplume at 100%. Mission complete.] The A.I. Chip's prompt sounded out.

The A.I. Chip's progress in fusing Fireplume's energy with his point mass had already reached 99.9%
completion before. Scanning Bowens' version of Fireplume was enough for it to take that last step.
"Oh!" Leylin's expression changed, Fireplume energy turning black as it was absorbed by his point mass.

His point mass buzzed as it shook vigorously, rotating at a high speed. Powerful energy undulations were
emitted from it.

The nebula surrounding the point mass had increased in area by half a fold before it slowed down and
stopped.

The tenth level of Fireplume had been modified to fuse with his point mass. This result was not just an
addition of one plus one. Furthermore, this was a perfect fusion, not the bastardised version that
Bowens had created. The amplification of power was even greater than Leylin had expected.

[Beep! Fireplume modification complete, point mass is being upgraded. Host body...] The A.I. Chip's
voice was intermittent, but Leylin had no plans of listening carefully.

He felt power overflowing in his body, and facing the incoming rank 5 attack he made his move without
hesitation.

After the modification, the energy of Fireplume was driven by the force of a Morning Star's point mass.
The resulting power was terrifying.

*Crackle!* Devilish black flames appeared around Leylin, forming a phoenix wreathed in black fire.

The phoenix cried out, and this screech brought with an aura of devilish power.

"Modified obscure tenth level of Fireplume— Soaring Demonic Phoenix!" Leylin spread his arms like a
soaring phoenix, slashing towards the phantom Scarlet Eye with grace.

*Chirp!* Melodic phoenix cries were heard, and the blackfire phoenix streaked across the horizon to
welcome the phantom.
Confronting this blackfire phoenix, Scarlet Eye's face was tinted with confusion, even fear. The earth
rumbled as black and gold flames intertwined, creating a shockwave that spread throughout the area.

Following that, the black flames actually began to devour the other side, becoming even more
exuberant as time passed. Soon enough, it had exterminated the other party's phoenix and even
drowned out Scarlet Eye's figure.

'This modified Fireplume is this good at absorbing other Fireplume energy as fuel and fusing with it?'
Seeing Scarlet Eye's phantom struggling amidst the black flames and gradually disappearing, even Leylin
himself was shocked, and he was the creator!

He felt that with the A.I. Chip balancing and fusing the essence of Fireplume into his point mass, the
power of this already formidable technique had been furthered and reached a horrifying degree of
power.

It was a pity that the A.I. Chip was unique to him, and only he could train in this Dark Fireplume version.

"What... What just happened?" Gilbert and Emma were dazed. What had they just seen? Leylin had
wiped out the phantom of a rank 5 Magus in just one move?

That was a full-out attack from a rank 5! In that moment, Gilbert and Emma felt as if they were
dreaming.

It took a while before Gilbert spoke. "Ley–Leylin, did you break through to rank 5?"

"No, I just made some progress in Fireplume..." Leylin answered truthfully. Though the fusion of
Fireplume energy with his point mass had immense benefits, it had not allowed him to cross over into
the Radiant Moon realm. If this had been an attack by a phantom of Zegna instead, it wouldn't have
been nearly as easy.
His easy dispatchment of the Scarlet Eye phantom was most likely to do with the modified Fireplume.

"I have a intensified feeling," Leylin raised his arms and watched the demonic black flames, "that these
mutated black flames are the bane of all traditional Fireplume energy."

"Whatever it is, we need to leave after getting the firasource stones! It's a pity we lost Bowens." Gilbert
watched the flames piteously. A bright point mass was received by starlight and floated into the astral
plane.

Not caring about Bowens, Leylin pointed his hands at the flame shield. "Open!" The membrane began to
be burned down by black demonic flames.

No, it was not burning. It was being corroded! The top-grade flames from Scarlet Eye's Fireplume were
corroded by the modified flames from Dark Fireplume, gradually revealing a giant hole.

"Let's go." Leylin and the other two arrived before a complicated spell formation.

Emma touched the runes on the ground, looking solemn. "Spatial binding runes. Dormant sacrificial
runes and life absorption runes as well! This spell formation is probably used to extract the life force of
some being."

"Could that lifeform be at the centre..." Leylin immediately focused his gaze on the red light at the heart
of the spell formation. It was weak, flickering like a candle in the wind. And yet, it somehow survived
with all tenacity.

'The energy undulations are similar to those of firasource stones! I can somewhat guess what it is!'
Recalling the sorrow he had felt before, Leylin sighed and produced the black copper key he had
obtained from Bowens.
The large black copper key rose into the air and projected a large number of complex data and light rays.

The spell formation on the ground began to activate, and the sound of a key clicking was heard
continuously.

At the same time, the runes on the ground were unsealed one by one, revealing a giant cage.

*Rumble!* Scalding red light filled the entire room, and the cage in the middle opened up to reveal a
scarlet egg.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 576 - Blackfire Phoenix

"Could this egg be the legendary phoenix egg?" Leylin guessed absent-mindedly.　

　　

Only a creature as ancient as that would be able to automatically push Scarlet Eye's progress in
Fireplume to an unprecedented thirteenth level. On top of that, it could create amazing soul treasures
such as firasource stones!

　　

The reason he thought that way was because the moment this egg that was bathed in scarlet radiance
appeared, his own Fireplume began to operate more quickly. A large, demonic version of the blackfire
phoenix appeared behind him, and extreme desire filled his heart.

The blackfire phoenix chirped for a long while, extending its wings. The scarlet energy emanated by the
egg was continually being absorbed by it.

[Beep! Change detected in host's Fireplume. Energy levels increasing rapidly, currently at peak of level
ten.] [Beep! Qualitative change has been detected in host's Fireplume. Entering level eleven.]　　

[Beep! Unknown essence being absorbed by host. Scans show atomic configuration is similar to that of
firasource stones. Soul force is being enhanced.]　　

[Beep! Density of host's point mass increasing. Affinity with fire elemental particles increasing.] 　　

The A.I. Chip's constant prompts left Leylin stunned for a moment. The egg's great amounts of energy
had constantly been absorbed by Dark Fireplume, and with the assistance of the A.I. Chip's simulations
he had broken through to the eleventh level!

The eighth and ninth levels of Fireplume marked the Sky rank, while the tenth and eleventh marked
those at the Star rank, the Morning Stars. The twelfth and thirteenth belonged to rank 5, the Radiant
Moon realm. Scarlet Eye, being at the thirteenth level himself, was at the peak of Radiant Moon.

Now, Leylin's Dark Fireplume had been pushed to the peak of the Morning Star realm at the eleventh
level.

'This is definitely a phoenix egg! What other than a real phoenix could propel the progress of Fireplume
and enhance one's soul?'

　　

Leylin immediately became incomparably excited. 'I've only just taken in a part of its energy. If I use all...'

He scanned his stats.　　

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent(complete form). Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual force: 956.8, Magic power: 956 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual
force). Soul force: ???]　　

"What a terrifying enhancement to the soul! Though I don't know how much exactly it was, just the
difference in spiritual force is frightening." As he was mumbling, Leylin took a look at his innate
elemental affinities.

The red line that was in second place, the one that marked his fire affinity, had risen by a large amount.
Although it still couldn't compare to his darkness affinity, it left the third place far in the dust.

'This isn't bad either. If my darkness affinity was too high, I could easily have been forced under the
control of the Snake Dowager, walking the full path of the Kemoyin Serpent. With this fire elemental
affinity, I might be able to change my direction...' Leylin's eyes were glistening; the benefits he'd gained
from this phoenix egg were immense.

"This egg is definitely the source of all the firasource stones. Let's take it and go!" Gilbert and Emma saw
the egg emanating a scarlet radiance, and their voices began to tremble in excitement. With their
knowledge, they could obviously tell that this was the egg of some ancient being, and one that was very
strong at that!　.

　　

Such powerful ancient creatures had been lost to the Magus World for tens of thousands of years. If the
Ouroboros Clan could hatch one... Gilbert and Emma couldn't help but immerse themselves in this
beautiful fantasy.

"But..." Through the black flames, Leylin could see the energy in the egg falling rapidly, "So sad..." A
piteous look flashed in his eyes.　　

"It's had its life force extracted by Scarlet Eye multiple times. I took some just now myself, and its life
energy has become far too weak for it to be hatched. We can only use it as an extremely precious fire
elemental treasure." Leylin sighed, moving to stow the egg away.

"YOU DARE..." an enraged voice sounded, the earth cracking apart and rumbling as it spoke. High-
pitched phoenix cries sounded, and a whole layer of earth was ripped off, even the rocks and soil burnt
to void by the flames.

A rare light illuminated the area, and the trio looked up to see the earth above them being dug up.
Scarlet Eye charged down, looking like a sun with the flames he emitted.

"He came this quick? Zegna and that Divineflame Emperor are useless..." Leylin shook his head, but he
didn't stop the motion of his hands. "Withdraw immediately, I'll hold him off for a while."

Normally, Gilbert and Emma would have thought Leylin a fool for such a thing. He was, after all, a
Morning Star trying to stop an enraged Radiant Moon. However, the series of miraculous breakthroughs
in his strength had them thinking it was the opposite way around. They actually believed in him, and
even subconsciously listened to his instructions. They took out necklaces that were emanating starlight,
preparing to leave.

"Return it to me!" Large flaming claws motioned to grab the egg at the center, fighting the black flames
over it.

"Leader Scarlet Eye! It's been a long time." The energy of the black flames increased rapidly as they
attempted to devour flames at the thirteenth level of Fireplume. They exploded forth with power.

Leylin grinned as he soared up, the demonic black flames that began fill the area actually rivalling Scarlet
Eye's own.

"You're... LEY!" Scarlet Eye's pupils shrank. "Wretched Magus from another world, how dare you deceive
me!"

*Swish!* Leylin made a grabbing motion with his palm, and Schiker's unconscious body flew into his
hands.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? Let us go, and your son won't come to any harm." Leylin felt no guilt in
using Schiker to blackmail the Atlan Union leader.

*Rumble!* The tremendous flames immediately wreaked havoc on the area, but Scarlet Eye flushed red.
Leylin's words obviously had a huge effect on him.

A long while later, he spoke through gritted teeth, "Alright, but the phoenix egg stays."
With the A.I. Chip's scanning and the opponent's own behaviour, Leylin immediately made a discovery.
'Hmm? He's injured?'

This conjecture delighted him. With the suppression of the eleventh level Dark Fireplume alone, he
wasn't too confident in his chances. But now?

"No!" As the words left Leylin's mouth, he and Scarlet Eye transformed into huge phoenixes. Two birds,
one red and the other black, pounced towards the scarlet egg.

The one Scarlet Eye had transformed into was huge, and had an overwhelming aura. And yet, although
Leylin's black phoenix was smaller, it burnt with devilish black flames that could devour all matter.

*Yuuu!* *Scree!* Two different phoenix calls sounded as they slammed into each other. Flames of black
and gold surrounded the phoenix egg as the two began a bloody battle.

"Don't you care for your child anymore?" Even in the midst of the fierce battle, Leylin did not miss the
opportunity to disturb his opponent. Every sliver of fear he caused was an advantage.

"I won't give it up, not even for Schiker! Besides, do you think you qualify to threaten me?" Scarlet Eye's
cold expression contrasted heavily with the fire energy he emanated, the flames burning even the air as
it formed a giant phantom map of the Lava World. This image trapped Leylin.

He was ambitious and ruthless. He did indeed love Schiker, but it was not to the extent that he could be
threatened by Leylin. However, even that slight bit of reservation was more than enough for Leylin
himself.

'Damn it! Is this really Fireplume? Why are the flames black?!' Scarlet Eye's expression grew dark. This
opposing Magus was also using the Emberwings' Fireplume, and had progressed to the eleventh level in
it. However, what was shocking was that his black flames were capable of controlling his own, and if not
for him being at a higher level his flames would already have been completely eaten through.
'This Magus cannot remain, his technique is forbidden!' Malice flashed in Scarlet Eye's eyes, and golden
flames wrapped around the true body of the phoenix.　　

"Flaming Undead Aves!" The terrifying attack that had seriously injured two rank 5s appeared once
more, its ferocious flames causing the clouds in the sky to be burnt to nothingness.

The gigantic flaming undead aves streaked through the sky, causing all the battles to cease. The
Emberwings began to revere the undead aves as if they had seen their god.

"This attack would have forced me into retreat at your peak power, but what a pity..." Leylin laughed
madly, black flames engulfing everything as his entire person turned into a terrifying blackfire phoenix.

"Mutated Obscure Fireplume— Soaring Demonic Phoenix!"

　　

The Emberwings in the capital of the union saw a unique scene in the sky that day. A demonic black
flaming phoenix rammed into their leader's own phoenix form. Even the sparks from that battle would
cause most Star ranks to quiver in fear.

The leader's entire residence was burnt to ashes by the flames, and besides a few Star ranks who
coughed up blood and retreated quickly, everything was incinerated.

　　

"Haha... Scarlet Eye, the Atlan Union leader, doesn't amount to anything much!" Arrogant, hearty
laughter sounded as a figure covered in black flames withdrew, his face filled with an insane smile.

"The leader... was defeated?" The Northern Duke who had met Leylin once flew backwards as he
mumbled in disbelief.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 577 - Terrifying Battle

The Northern Duke had never expected that the kid Ley, who he had once met and had a good
impression of, was actually of another race!

Furthermore, the Dark Fireplume that Leylin used gave him a sense of fear. Perhaps if not for his dignity
and resolution as a soldier and someone with power, he might have fled.

This was especially true since he did not seem to be losing against his most revered leader. Instead... he
was winning?

"Great Mother Phoenix! Could I be dreaming? Please help me wake up as soon as possible." While the
Northern Duke's will was strong, even he was beginning to find this situation absurd.

"Phoenix egg!" At this moment, two other powerful auras descended. Zegna observed the giant red egg
at the middle of the battlefield, unable to conceal his desire.

Archibald could not stand it either. This was the peak of all fire elemental beings!

"It's mine! The phoenix can only exist in our Divineflame Empire for all eternity!" he roared in rage, and
the earth began to shake. He charged forward, large hands grabbing towards the large scarlet egg.

*Swish!* Zegna was even faster than him as he turned into a streak of black lightning, heading right for
it.

"So this is the source of the firasource stones. This phoenix egg must be mine! With it, I'll be able to
advance to rank 6..."
"Go away!" A black wall of flames obstructed Zegna's path, the boiling temperature causing him to
subconsciously slow his steps.

"Warlock Leylin! A mere Morning Star dares stop me? Aren't you afraid I'll eliminate your Ouroboros
Clan? Give me the phoenix egg right now, and I guarantee your Ouroboros Clan shall be greatly
rewarded!" Zegna's expression was sinister.

What answered him, however, was a wave of fire that covered the skies.

"Soaring Demonic Phoenix!" A large phantom of a blackfire phoenix sent Zegna flying. Black flames
constantly devoured the radiation energy from their opponent, causing him even more serious harm.

"Hmph! A gravely injured clone still dares say such things to me. Do you have a screw loose?" Leylin
snorted. Noticing Scarlet Eye and Archibald fighting. He could not help but turn back.

With him shielding them, the undulations from the battle did not spread to this side, and the
arrangements of Gilbert and Emma weren't interrupted. A door came into existence, one wreathed in
starlight.

"There's not much time left, I need to finish this quickly. The black flames on Leylin's body gradually
weakened, and substituting them were four horrifying rings of blood coloured light.

The energy rings that signified his innate spells flashed one after another and gradually fused, forming a
terrifying spell— the Morning Star Arcane Art, Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!

*Rumble!* An ancient vicious beast appeared in Tylasus City, one that was thousands of metres long.
Just its descent alone caused the destruction of a great amount of architecture. Even if Scarlet Eye could
hold onto his position today, he would have to relocate his capital.
The Giant Kemoyin Serpent hissed, a terrifying aura emanating from its body. Regular Star ranks could
not help but tremble in fear.

These low-ranked beings all shared the common fear that came from being placed in front of a top level
predator.

Compared to his previous times, Leylin's current Giant Kemoyin Serpent transformation at the peak of
Morning Star was vastly different. Not only was it much larger in size, there were now more red patterns
on the scales, with darkness and fire elemental particles surrounding the body and forming a mist
around it.

"A Giant Kemoyin Serpent of this size..." Even as Morning Star Kemoyin Warlocks themselves, Gilbert
and Emma were stunned by Leylin's Morning Star Arcane Art.

"How did this kid get so large? It's about three times the size of my transformation..."

Gilbert sized up the body of Leylin's transformation that spanned hundreds and thousands of metres,
absolutely astonished. It was obvious that he was envious as well. Even amongst the bodies of real
ancient Kemoyin Serpents, Leylin was definitely the king.

"I'm afraid... Leylin can be considered the strongest Kemoyin Warlock in history!" Emma sighed.

"Eye of Petrification" Two amber pupils that were like stars stared hard at Zegna who was flying
backwards.

"Crap!" Before Zegna could react, his magic equipment had already exploded, and a layer of petrified
skin appeared on his face as his movements ground to a halt. A petrification cast by an ancient Giant
Kemoyin Serpent would affect even Radiant Moon Magi.

*Boom!* With a flick of its tail, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent struck the petrified Zegna. The earth shook
wildly, and many buildings collapsed. Cracks spread in the shape of a web.

*Boom!* The petrified Zegna exploded, being obliterated into dust that flew around in the air. A huge
pit was formed in the ground.

In front of the enhanced Giant Kemoyin Serpent, the clone of a Radiant Moon Magus had died just like
that.

"Let's take care of him first, or it'll do us no good!" Scarlet Eye roared as he stopped his fight with
Archibald upon witnessing this scene. Archibald halted his movements as well, fear evident on his face.

*Hss!* Leylin obviously would not let two rank 5 Magi attack him together. He took the initiative and
spewed out a few large black flame blades.

*Boom!* The giant flame blades did not move in Scarlet Eye's direction, but instead, headed towards
the phoenix egg in the middle of the battlefield.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* In the midst of immensely powerful explosions, the giant scarlet egg had
cracked apart into countless fragments. Under the disbelieving gases of everyone else, a boiling heat
spread in all directions.

"HOW DARE HE... How could he do that?" Scarlet Eye almost vomited blood in his fury. Never had he
expected Leylin to destroy such a precious treasure.

However, he unconsciously headed towards the remains. Archibald did the same, and really, all the
other Star ranks had the same thought.

This way, the recently formed forces against Leylin was dispersed.
Leylin was obviously unwilling to damage such a treasure, but he saw the big picture and knew that it
was very difficult to leave safely with all their enemies watching. It was even more impossible to get the
phoenix egg.

Though this treasure was precious, Leylin could still make the decision when met with issues of his own
safety. Besides, he could take advantage of such a chaotic situation.

*Hsss!* The Giant Kemoyin Serpent charged around violently, and the Star ranks were forced away.
They could only stare wide-eyed at its defensive scales. Leylin did not hesitate as he swallowed the
remaining third of the egg into his belly, pulling back until he was in front of Gilbert and Emma. He had
returned to his human form.

"Let's go!" Leylin shouted.

"Let's go!" Gilbert and Emma knew they had to leave no matter how unwilling they were. After all this
chaos and contest was over, they would immediately be sieged by the entirety of the Lava World, and
while they were reluctant they immediately made their decision.

The gigantic door of light expanded and swallowed the three of them, dissipating with grace.

*Boom!* The moment after that door disappeared, a streaking flame turned that region into a sea of
fire. Atop this sea of fire was Scarlet Eye's body, but now his eyes were bloodshot.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" He looked at the sparkling, beautiful red gemstone in his hands that was
emanating warmth. After the phoenix's egg had been smashed apart, it had turned into this state.

He had not obtained even a quarter of the gains. Everything had been taken by Archibald and the other
Star ranks.

Even if they were Star rank Emberwings, it was impossible to make them return something they had
taken.

"AAAH..." Scarlet Eye, who had suffered massive losses, began to cry out hysterically...

......

Jupiter's Lightning headquarters, Magus World.

At the same time, Zegna was shouting as well.

Black lightning flashed and wrecked the palace, turning it to ash.

"LEYLIN! I won't let you off!" Zegna could feel his heart bleeding. That was a phoenix egg! If he'd
obtained that, he could have immediately advanced to become a Breaking Dawn Monarch! Now,
however, all his dreams were ruined.

First, his secondary clone had been killed, "LEYLIN! I won't let you off!" His secondary clone had been
killed by Leylin, so he had no chance to contest for the fragments of the egg. In that sense, he'd gotten
no returns for all the work he'd put in.

Even the surviving Morning Stars of Jupiter's Lightning had been fortunate enough to get part of the
fragments, and they would definitely not give it to him unless there was a trade of equivalent value.
However, where would he go to find something comparable to a treasure like the phoenix's egg?

If he used violence, he would force all the Morning Stars away.

"Ah... AAH..." After thinking for a long while, Zegna's face contorted as he roared, "Leylin, Leylin, Leylin. I
won't let you get away with this, I swear!"
"Impulse is the devil's emissary!" The mysterious female voice sounded once more.

"It's all your fault. If my main body had gone over, how would my secondary clone have been killed?"
Zegna thundered.

"Hehe... Can your true body go over?" The female voice asked, and Zegna immediately became quiet.

"I taught you the method of making a secondary clone without any compensation, and even told you
about my experiences. This is how you repay me?" The female's voice turned cold.

"Alright! Forgive me for that. Tha kid made me lose my calm."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 578 - Return

Zegna was a Radiant Moon Magus after all. Even if he was enraged, it would only be for a short period of
time.

"The key now is to deal with this Leylin Farlier! I have a feeling that he'll hinder my advancement to
Breaking Dawn." Zegna looked fierce as he muttered softly.

"Oh? Has he risen to rank 5? Bloodline shackles aren't so easily broken." The woman's voice now held a
trace of curiosity, her interest in Leylin having been piqued.

"He didn't break through, but he's reached the peak of Morning Star. With some strange techniques
from the Lava World and other methods, I'm afraid..."

Zegna wore a sour look. He had to acknowledge that Leylin really was a genius seen once in thousands
of years. He had gained such strength even with the low-levelled bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin
Serpent and its inheritance.

Now, even if his main body were to act, defeating him wouldn't be a problem but it was just a dream if
he wanted to kill him.

That was, unless he could find his opponent's weak point. He would then have to wage a life-and-death
battle.

But was that possible? Zegna recalled the intel on Leylin and gave up on that. He knew that, to some
level, they were the same type of person, and would not risk their lives for anyone or anything.

Enemies who were powerful and lacked any weaknesses that could be exploited were the most
frightening!

Zegna rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming.

After being silent for a while, the female spoke again, "In that case, let's engage our previous plan. How
about it..."

"Do you mean..." Zegna's eyes brightened.

......

"Finally home!" At Phosphorescence Swamp, Gilbert and Emma stood behind Leylin, watching the
familiar surroundings with eyes full of an indescribable fondness and emotion.
"What should we do next?" Gilbert asked.

Emma glanced at Leylin. They were now treating Leylin as their main pillar of strength.

After witnessing Leylin's strength, the two Warlocks would not protest even if Leylin used them as mere
figureheads. With the yielding of these two Morning Star Warlocks, the real power of the Ouroboros
Clan now completely lay in Leylin's hands, and his authority was even more solid than before he had left.
Such a result would cause anyone to be astonished.

"We don't have to do anything, just maintain our current stance!" Leylin shook his head.

"Leylin, have you risen to rank 5?" Fervent hope could be seen in Emma's expression. In her eyes, if
Leylin could break through to rank 5 and had a method of circumventing the issue of bloodline shackles,
that would be the best.

"How's that possible?" Leylin smiled wryly. "I'm only at the peak of Morning Star and only have a few
cards up my sleeves!"

This was the truth. Leylin was quite exact when it came to evaluation of his strength, and while he'd
seemed invincible in the Lava World as he defeated Scarlet Eye and even obliterated Zegna's clone, he
was aware of his own situation.

Scarlet Eye's main body had been gravely injured in the battle before, and had also been constrained by
his technique. That was he had been unlucky enough to be defeated.

And when it came to Zegna, not only was it just a clone but it had also been seriously injured in his fight
with Scarlet Eye. Faced up against Leylin's all-out Morning Star Arcane Art, his Kemoyin Serpent
Transformation, it could do nothing.
When Scarlet Eye and Archibald looked like they were about to cooperate, Leylin rushed to escape,
because he knew he would meet his death if he did not leave at that moment.

However, Leylin would not belittle himself either. With his current strength, he might not win against a
rank 5 Radiant Moon, but he had a large chance of survival.

"Just a few cards up your sleeve?" Hearing his words, Gilbert and Emma rolled their eyes inwardly.
Those frightening black flames and the strange Kemoyin Serpent Transformation were 'a few cards up
his sleeve'? What did that make them? From the beginning, they had only stood at the side like
cheerleaders, unable to make any moves.

"But our Ouroboros Clan is now unafraid of external threats, and can start a new journey!" Leylin
beamed as he gazed at the sun, the golden rays wrapped around him in radiance.

There were few in the central continent who were unafraid of Radiant Moons. Those rank 5 Magi would
not want to provoke an enemy that could contend against them. Hence, with the Ouroboros Clan in
Leylin's hands, they were definitely going to expand well.

Emma and Gilbert were aware of this fact, and their gazes towards Leylin were full of hope...

"Your Graces, Gilbert and Emma, it is the fortune of our Warlock Union that the two of you could return
safely!"

Within the headquarters, Leylin and the other Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were in discussion with
Paul, Philip and the helpers they had called over.

The Crystal Phase Warlock, Freya, stood respectfully behind these few Morning Star Warlocks, her eyes
full of indescribable emotion.

Though even the First Elder's side had smiles on their faces, they could not conceal the sorrow in their
hearts.

Leylin's abrupt rise to power, as well as the return of the other two Kemoyin dukes meant that they
would lose a large portion of their benefits. There was no Morning Star who would support them
anymore.

Of course, there were few Warlocks with this mindset. The students and clansmen of Gilbert and Emma
were now full of glee, and extremely grateful to Leylin.

Due to her relationship with Leylin, Freya was wedged between Leylin and Emma. Her eyes glanced past
Leylin, Emma and Gilbert occasionally, and she came to a conclusion that made her gasp.

'Mentor Emma and Duke Gilbert are now letting Leylin call the shots!' Though Leylin was a newly-
advanced Morning Star, he was the one taking charge of receiving all these Morning Star Warlocks, and
he was even seated right in the middle in the Master's seat. Freya, who had astutely discovered this,
was astonished.

This meant that even Emma and Gilbert acknowledged Leylin's rule!

For some reason, Freya sighed with relief as she found this out, even though her seniors and juniors
were unwilling and perplexed.

She was Emma's student and they were on very good terms, but that still lost out to her relationship
with Leylin. If the two began to vie for strength, she really had no clue about where she would stand.

Now, however, all was solved! Freya sneaked a peek at her husband, the reverence in her eyes unable to
be hidden.

Seeing his wife adopting a childlike behaviour, Leylin laughed inwardly. If Gilbert and Emma did not
know how to act even after he displayed his strength that was comparable to rank 5s, he would
probably have to employ certain other techniques.

However, Morning Stars were no fools. Gilbert and Emma especially understood the situation, which
made things easier for him.

"Yes! When we first found out the two of you were lost in another world, we were extremely shocked.
Next was the battle with the allied forces, but thanks to Leylin..."

Regardless of the Crystal Phase Magi's thoughts, the Morning Star Warlocks discussed amongst
themselves.

Philip was observing Leylin, but could not make sense of his sitting at the master's seat. He glanced at
Gilbert and Emma, and could not help but sigh.

The magnitude of the events in the past few years had exceeded that in the past few centuries. Under
crisis after crisis, many Morning Star powers in the continent had gone through a round of reshuffling.

Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had lost most of their Morning Star forces in the Scarlet Ruins, and now
only had one Morning Star maintaining their organisation each. Their losses were massive.

The Ouroboros Clan had been on the brink of destruction, but a terrifying genius had suddenly appeared
and successfully saved two of the dukes. Now, their strength had not diminished, and was instead
increased.

'I'm afraid the situation of our three organisations in the alliance with equal power will be broken. In the
next hundreds of years, Duke Leylin of the Ouroboros Clan will be calling the shots..'

Philip watched Leylin whose aura was even more profound than that of the previous First Kemoyin
elder, and a thought rose in his mind.
'Whatever it is, our Wind Wolf Lair had been on good terms with the Ouroboros Clan, and my personal
relationship with Leylin is more solid than his with Paul. As long as I stay cautious, nothing will happen.
With Leylin as an external support, I'll be able to protect my Wind Wolf Lair until the next generation
grows up...' Philip might be hot-headed, but he was no fool. Having understood this, he treated Leylin
with more respect, and this attitude left Paul rather annoyed.

"Alright! Based on the contract in the Morning Star area, here are your rewards!" With a wave of his
arms, three streaks of light shot towards Paul and the other Morning Star Warlocks, black light shining
on a spatial item.

After Paul and the others used their soul force and checked, looks of satisfaction appeared on their
faces.

"The Ouroboros Clan being safe is all thanks to all of you, and you've chased away a few people. Hence,
I'm giving you thirty percent more on top of the promised rewards." Leylin's smile was very gentle. It
was like a breath of fresh air for Paul and the others.

This was obviously feigned, but when feigned by Leylin who had a rather unique status, he seemed more
amiable and mysterious.

Paul and the rest were solemn, but their facial expressions displayed their thanks, and seemed touched.

Leylin shook his head inwardly, though the smile on his face remained, "Also, our Ouroboros Clan is
planning to launch a war campaign and retrieve our lost territory. Please bear witness to it!"

Upon hearing Leylin's words, the Morning Star Warlocks all carried different expressions.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 579 - Contend

If not for Leylin's appearance, the Ouroboros Clan would probably have been annihilated in the attack
by the allied forces.　　

　　

Even if Leylin showed off his terrifying battle might and talent, and used various methods to get the
other side to withdraw their troops, all the land and resources that had been occupied would not be
taken back easily.　　

　　

Leylin had merely been a newly-advanced Morning Star then. How could he request a territory as large
as that of the other three Morning Star Warlocks? If they were to be attacked again, he would not be
able to suppress it alone.

　　

The amount of strength he possessed dictated the treatment he could command. Leylin was very clear
on this fact. Now, with the return of the two dukes and the rise of his battle power, Leylin felt that he
had enough under his belt to request this.

　　

As for whether this would offend Jupiter's Lightning... Hadn't Leylin already done so in the past? Since he
had completely offended them, doing anything more wasn't a huge issue.

　　

"Mm! The Black River Domain used to be one of the territories of the Ouroboros Clan, and it being
occupied by some other organisation is an insult to us Bloodline Warlocks!" Philip stood up, looking
indignant, "I'll definitely tell the union!"

　　

Seeing him acting this way, Paul and the other Warlock rolled their eyes inwardly but did not retort
against him. Rather, they were in favour of that decision.

　　

Those territories had initially belonged to the Ouroboros Clan, and they were merely recovering them. In
addition, they would at most show their support verbally and not actually act, unless the Ouroboros
Clan was willing to make more compromises for their benefits.　　
However, Leylin was only requesting that they be witnesses, and was not planning on having them act.　　

Not considering his current strength, just Gilbert and Emma working together would be enough to
handle this.　　

Hearing that Leylin had intentions of reclaiming their old land, the Crystal Phase Warlocks around did
not speak, but they were very emotional.　　

　　

The allied forces still occupied their lands and ruled their people. That was the ultimate humiliation!

The fact that the battle had come all the way to the headquarters and they had almost completely been
uprooted was still fresh, and was deeply carved into the minds of these Warlocks. With these seeds of
hatred planted, they were stirred up on hearing that Leylin was going to lead them to enact their
vengeance.

　　

Seeing this, Leylin nodded.　　

　　

The reason for this expansion was to increase the size of the pie so as to avert dissent. With three
Morning Stars now in the Ouroboros Clan, the resources of the area they controlled were not enough to
divide amongst all of them, leave alone the rest of the people under them.

　　

Furthermore, by leading them to take revenge, Leylin's reputation would reach an unprecedented level,
which would make it more convenient for him to take control of the organisation.

　　

This was an open conspiracy. Even if Gilbert and Emma could tell, they would not be able to say much.

　　

Having agreed on the time, Philip and the others took their leaves, and even Freya and other high-
ranked Warlocks left automatically. Only Leylin and the other two were left.　　
"Are you going to declare war on Jupiter's Lightning now? Didn't you say to maintain the current state?"
Emma asked worriedly.　　

　　

"When I said to maintain the current state, I meant our current state of preparing for battle!" Leylin
laughed grimly, a tyrannical aura emanating from his body. "Besides, Jupiter's Lightning is probably too
busy with their own matters..."　　

　　

"Oh? How is that?" Gilbert was interested. He was always elated when there were methods to trim
Jupiter Lightning's strength. From Leylin's perspective, this was a deeply embedded enmity.

"When I went to the Lava World, I asked the rank 5 'Golden Lion' Warlock, Lord Wayde, to help hold up
Zegna. He accidentally let a rank 5 clone go, but the main body did not descend. For that reason, I'm
going to hold to our agreement!"

　　

"What agreement?" Gilbert and Emma exchanged a glance. Ever since they had known Leylin, they had
never seen this kid at a disadvantage before. There must definitely be some deep meaning for him to do
this.　　

"He helped me hold Zegna back, so in return, I will give them the coordinates to the Lava World!" Leylin
laughed. "Just now, Wayde received my message..."　　

　　

"What?" Gilbert and Emma stood up abruptly, "That's a world! Do you know what you've done?"

　　

A large alternative world meant unprecedented benefits. Just the strength systems and paths to power
they had were extremely helpful for Magi, and could help them progress rapidly.　　

　　

Not considering other matters, those Breaking Dawn Monarchs had taken over entire large worlds
before advancing. The fact that Leylin had obtained such benefits was also proof of the value of a world.

Hence, organisations would guard these coordinates with the highest security. If not for Zegna being
absolutely confident and having been bewitched by somebody else, he would not use these coordinates
to trap the three Kemoyin dukes.

A world that had not been exploited yet was very attractive. It was not as if the three Kemoyin dukes
didn't have their suspicions, but they still fell into the trap. The fact was that the benefits were immense,
to the point that it affected their rationality!

　　

Of course, it was Zegna who had lost everything. Not only had he gained nothing, he had also suffered
greatly.

　　

Now, Leylin was giving such a huge secret away? Emma and Gilbert could not comprehend this.

　　

After all, in their eyes, only they and Jupiter's Lightning knew of the Lava World's coordinates. At this
point, it was best to keep this secret to their death and when the time was right, they could destroy
Jupiter's Lightning and completely take over the Lava World!

　　

"You guys..." Leylin shook his head helplessly, "How could another world be so easy to take control of?
Besides, there are numerous rank 5s there, as well as Jupiter's Lightning eyeing this strength."　　

　　

"What we need the most now is not another world, but enough time to rest and regain our strength."

　　

"Wayde is part of our Warlock Union. By luring him there, Jupiter's Lightning will definitely launch an
intense battle for control of the Lava World. That will give us ample time for developments." Leylin
spoke frankly and assuredly, tone full of confidence and eyes emanating an incomparable vigour.　　

　　

"There are rank 5s on both ends. How could the Lava World be so easily taken over? In this period of
time, it's enough for us to take advantage of the chaos and gain benefits!"

"On top of that, once we obtain more strength, it's not like we can't forcefully retrieve the Lava World
from the other party's hands!"
　　

Not only did Leylin make the final decision, he even presented a pretty picture for Emma and Gilbert.

　　

"If you say that..." Gilbert and Emma looked each other in the eye begrudgingly.　　

Seeing them acting this way, Leylin was laughing inside.　　

　　

He obviously didn't care much for the Lava World, because he'd already gotten the most benefits from
there. Not only had he obtained the mutated Fireplume and caused his Morning Star point mass to grow
to the limits, he'd even gotten a third of the essence from the phoenix egg.　　

　　

These were basically the greatest treasures of the Lava World, and Leylin was obviously satisfied with his
gains.

　　

After the matter with the Holy Solar Festival, he had offended the heads of the two largest organisations
in the Lava World, Scarlet Eye and Archibald, and it could only be resolved by the death of a party.

　　

Just the knowledge that he had obtained fragments of the phoenix's egg would be enough to cause the
strong ones within the Lava World to hunger after his gains.

　　

The reason Leylin had handed over the coordinates to the Lava World was because he had considered
this as well. With Wayde in control, he could still hold onto what he had. Besides, he'd already handed
the coordinates over already. If Wayde or others wanted some? It was simple, they could go to the Lava
World themselves and contend with each other for it!

　　

"That Zegna from Jupiter's Lightning is probably coughing up blood right now, given that I threw these
coordinates away." Leylin stroked his chin, a malicious grin about his lips.　　

......　　
He sent the two dukes away after their discussion. Following that was a conversation with Freya over
dinner before Leylin finally returned to his Morning Star Magus Tower.

The place was as towering as always, full of archaism and grandeur. As he entered the tower, the
intelligent tower genie flew out, "Master!"

"Hmm. Show me all the recent records, as well as the current state of operation of the Magus Tower,"
Leylin commanded.　　

　　

"In the time that master has been away, the astral gate has been operating at the lowest energy level.
Astral stone storage has been completely used up. Magus Tower is now running on minimal energy
required. 3.78% of the Host's health is injured. Supplies-wise, ...."

　　

The tower genie was expressionless and began to send in the reports methodically. It was extremely
meticulous, as if he was the most thorough of butlers.

"Keke... I've practically used up all the astral stones I've accumulated as well as the power source of the
Magus Tower." Leylin sighed, feeling his heart ache.

"But in comparison to such a huge harvest, this investment is very worth it. The profits were immense!
Of course, that's because I have the A.I. Chip and can unearth the resources of foreign worlds to the
highest degree."

　　

Back in his study room, Eternal Flames emitted heated light. Seated behind the study table, he began to
compare his gains.

　　

"I've successfully met my goal and brought the two Kemoyin dukes back. The Ouroboros Clan's strength
has risen rapidly, and just this alone means that I've gotten more than I invested."

　　
Leylin's eyes were twinkling as he spread out a black notebook on the table and began to scribble on it.

　　

"In terms of resources, there's the essence of the phoenix egg. That is definitely a world-class treasure.
Not only can it accelerate progress in Fireplume, it's remarkably useful for a Magus' soul and point mass.
The resources that I especially collected from the Emberwings can also be considered to be abundant!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 580 - Vitality Bottleneck

"In terms of techniques, the mutated Fireplume is probably comparable to a top-grade meditation
technique..."

Leylin checked on the point mass in his sea of consciousness. After devouring the essence of Fireplume,
the point mass had not only become more concentrated, with the nebula outside expanding by half, it
now emanated a trace of fiery-red amongst the darkness.

After obtaining Fireplume, his aptitude had changed. Previously, his darkness elemental affinity was the
main element. Now, his fire elemental affinity had been raised, and while it was still not up to par with
the darkness element, it was catching up.

"My Kemoyin's Pupil is no longer a meditation technique solely for Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, but
a top-grade one infused with Fireplume." Leylin obviously would not start training in Fireplume all over
again. He was, at his roots, a Magus, and a bloodline Warlock at that. Hence, while running its
simulations, the A.I. Chip had fused the essence of Fireplume into his point mass.

Fireplume fused with Kemoyin's Pupil. The two had been made compatible with previous simulations,
and they now fused together to form a slightly mutated meditation technique.
The effects of the technique far surpassed that of the fourth level of the original Kemoyin's Pupil, and
even allowed Leylin to see hope of simulating the fifth level!

Once simulation of the meditation technique was complete, Leylin only needed to solve the bloodline
issues and he would be able to rid himself of the bloodline shackles of rank 4, and pry open the realm of
the Radiant Moon!

"Kemoyin's Pupil doesn't have a fifth level anyway. I'll just continue calling this upgraded fused
meditation technique the same thing." Leylin continued to use the already given name with no intention
to think of a new one.

Whether it was the twelfth and thirteenth levels of Fireplume or the fifth level of a meditation
technique, they all enabled one to enter the Radiant Moon realm. Even if Leylin had some rough ideas
about that, it would require a large period of time for him to comprehend them all.

Even so, it was still much better than having no hope at all.

"Besides Fireplume, I've recorded a lot of information regarding the culture, technology and geography
of the Lava World. The A.I. Chip's database is much more complete, and I've benefited quite a lot!"
Leylin stroked his chin.

The advantage of having the A.I. Chip meant that he could leave Magi far behind in the dust in terms of
his learning speed. In other worlds, he was basically like a fish in water, recording even the most
complicated information with just a sweeping scan by the A.I. Chip. He could analyse and understand
everything quickly, and was much faster than Magi who had to study one book after another.

For this reason, he could rapidly gain clarity on the path of strength in other worlds and fuse it into his
own body, a unique advantage for himself.

"In general, the harvests were so immense during this trip to the Lava World, that my absorption is
bursting at the seams..." Leylin glanced at his stats.
[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (Matured Body). Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual force:956.8, Magic power: 956 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual
force). Soul force: ???]

"The lowest numbers for spiritual force among Morning Star is 500 and above, and I've almost reached
1000! However, soul force has yet to be enumerated."

Looking at the numbers, a wry smile appeared on his face.

He had obtained much in the Lava World, especially with a few advancements in his soul that allowed
his soul force to rise sharply in power. While the A.I. Chip could not show the numbers, just the
difference in spiritual force implied that there was a large change.

Soul force was a higher-grade version of spiritual force. Hence, advancements in the soul could be seen
through advancements in spiritual force.

"However, an increase of around 400 is already beginning to exceed the limits of what my body can
handle!"

The wry smile at the corner of Leylin's lips grew even more obvious. Fireplume and the phoenix egg
were treasures that put emphasis on the elements, but did not do much for strength.

While he had a large increase in spiritual force at one go, his body had already begun to show signs of an
inability to endure.

This was because there was too much water in the cup, and the cup was too small. Though there
weren't any obvious residual effects yet, Leylin could only turn into a spirit and walk the path of a spirit
Magus if he did not treat this in time.

"To solve this, the essence is to strengthen my vitality and allow the body, as well as the spiritual force
that suddenly increased, to grow harmonious once more, and get everything done once and for all."

Leylin commanded, "A.I. Chip, with my current control, how much vitality do I need to sustain my
spiritual force?"

[Beep! Mission established, scanning of stats of host body. Beginning construction of model. Beginning
deduction...]

The A.I. Chip's robotic voice was heard as it formed a blue human figure in Leylin's mind. Terrifying
spiritual force undulations were emanated from the model.

[Deduction completed. To completely match with spiritual force, host must have a vitality of 100 or
above!] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

"A vitality at 100 or above?" Leylin touched his chin.

As the body was a vessel for spiritual force, Magi took vitality rather seriously. They even had some
techniques and body-tempering spell formations just for this.

With Leylin's current state, with a vitality as high as 65, 90% of the techniques for increasing vitality
were useless to him.

However, with his knowledge and the accumulations from his explorations in the past, he immediately
had an idea.

"Not considering those remote techniques, Multilimb Strength is very suitable for me right now. Even in
the worst situation, I can control my current condition and prevent it from getting worse!"

Leylin stood up with a flash of understanding and headed to another training room.

*Ka-cha!* His body suddenly contorted in a strange manner, arranging himself such that he looked like a
strange rune. Bizarre joints and muscles could be heard vibrating within him.

These vibrations combined and gradually formed a slightly hoarse voice.

The voice seemed to be chanting some sacrificial text, full of a great, ancient feeling that also held within
a barbaric air.

"Multilimb Strength!"

"Aoooo!" A shrunken six-armed figure appeared behind Leylin, and with his chanting, more runes
appeared from the Multi-Armed Race figure and disappeared into Leylin's back.

When the ceremony was over, the rays of light from the Multi-Armed Race member disappeared into
Leylin's back and formed a strange golden image of the Multi-Armed Race, looking like a vivid tattoo.

Multiple golden threads scattered on Leylin's skin and muscles, and everything quickly quietened down.

Leylin got up, looking at his palms. The skin was pale, bones slender, and there didn't seem to be much
of a difference. Occasionally, though, faint flashes of gold would be seen flashing within.

There seemed to be a layer of dense armour on his body, which made it heavy. This was nothing to
Leylin. More importantly, the instant the tattoo was completed, the pressure from having his spiritual
force straining his body at all times, while not completely dissipating, had reduced.

Seeing this result, Leylin heaved a long sigh of relief.

"Though Multilimb Strength can't increase my vitality, it has an effect of sealing and reinforcing the
body, which can maintain my current state. When I find more body-tempering spell formations..."
"Now, I need to quickly take care of the allied forces who are still occupying the territories that belong
to the Ouroboros Clan. I'll then make use of the Ouroboros Clan's forces and get them to help me find
treasures, potions, or spell formations and the like that can increase my vitality..."

Leylin made plans for himself, feet continuing to move until he reached another secret room.

On the door, there were many seals that formed a chain, locking the door tightly. However, a boiling
heat could still be felt.

*Buzz!* A black flame automatically appeared from Leylin's body, and it absorbed all the heat.

"Pretty good level of heat! It's like another form of the phoenix's flames!"

"A.I. Chip!" Leylin commanded inwardly.

[Beep! Limits to authority opened! Passed scanning!] Along with the A.I. Chip's voice, two blue streams
of data flashed from Leylin's eyes, millions of ant-like golden words flickering and entering the seal.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The runic chain broke open, and terrifying golden flames surged out from behind the
door.

*Skreeee!* As if provoked or challenged, the black flames on Leylin's body grew more exuberant,
forming a black layer of isolation that kept the door tightly shut.

Large amounts of golden flames were eaten into and devoured by the black flames as they strengthened
themselves.

Such a devilish process left Leylin in shock.

After entering the secret room, one could see a giant world of ice and snow. At the heart, however, a
golden sun was emanating rays of light. Numerous ice runes formed chains that restrained the sun, but
it still produced a boiling heat.

In that moment, there was a deadlock between the icy blue and fiery gold.

"The bloodline of the rank 6 Sun's Child!" Leylin's eyes were unfocused, the black flames automatically
forming the figure of a devilish black bird. Crimson eyes were glued onto the little sun in the middle,
looking fearful.

"It's a pity..." Leylin sighed once again. This was the highest-ranked bloodline he had gained thus far.

After the phoenix egg had broken, it automatically formed a dense crystal and there were no traces of
its bloodline remaining, leading Leylin to start wondering if the phoenix was a bloodline creature at all.
There was no way to refine any ancient bloodline in this case.

"I have a feeling that the bloodline of the Sun's Child is very compatible with Fireplume, but it's a pity... I
already have another bloodline..."

Leylin sighed. If he had the bloodline of the phoenix, he would change his bloodline no matter how
difficult it would be. However, the bloodline of the Sun's child? That was only rank 6, and wasn't
powerful enough to motivate him to take this risk.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 581 - Commencing Counterattack

"It's too wasteful to use the Sun's Child's bloodline for an ancient bloodline ignition experiment. Besides,
the Ouroboros Clan is about to wage a war against the allied forces of Jupiter's Lightning. After that, I
still need to look for body-tempering spell formations and explore the Icy World. I need exceedingly
powerful methods that can inspire terror!" Leylin stroked his chin.

With his current strength, he could escape from a Radiant Moon, but he had nothing that would be able
to threaten them. Hence, he needed powerful, intimidating trump cards.

Kemoyin Serpent Transformation, being a Morning Star Arcane Art, was indeed one, but people would
learn to counter it if he used it too often. Leylin was looking to prepare a few other killing techniques.

"Using a rank 6 bloodline to create a one-time bloodline imprint should be enough to threaten the life of
a Radiant Moon, right?" Leylin predicted, "Though it's a pity, there's no other choice."

A bloodline imprint could be able to display the strength of certain ancient beings when they were at
their peak. Even one attack at such strengths was frightening.

In the past, Leylin could do nothing with the bloodline of the Sun's Child even if he had these thoughts.

Now, however, not only had he risen to the peak of Morning Star and gotten a huge boost in strength,
he had also gained control over the phoenix flames, which could rival this sun's flames. For that reason,
creating a bloodline imprint was a real possibility.

"Let's begin..." Leylin watched the golden flaming sun at the heart of the secret room and took a deep
breath. Dense, demonic black flames were emitted from his palms, and burst forth in the form of a thin
thread...

The creation of the bloodline imprint took a few days. When Gilbert and the rest in the Magus Tower
outside were beginning to get impatient, Leylin appeared before them.

They could feel something was different about him, but Gilbert and the others could not pinpoint it.
"I've made my decision. Gather the army, and we shall begin reclaiming our lost territory!" Leylin wore a
platinum Magus robe and had on white gloves. His temperament was full of dignity, and upon hearing
his declaration, multiple Ouroboros Clan Warlocks began to cheer. They had been waiting for this day
for far too long.

After showing himself and setting the hearts of everyone at ease, Leylin sent Gilbert and the rest away
and took off his gloves. Observing the back of his hands, his face could not hide the ecstasy he was
feeling.

Complicated runes in the form of a sun occupied the backs of both his hands. The outermost layer was a
ring of black flames, as if a seal to store the power of the sun in his hands.

'With the support from the A.I. Chip and the suppression from the phoenix flames, I finally moulded the
bloodline of the Sun's Child into a bloodline imprint!' Leylin paid close attention to the bloodline
imprints. After a long while, he sighed deeply and wore the gloves once again.

'I didn't expect for the blood to be sufficient to form two imprints. And I can even feel that Fireplume is
nourishing these imprints on my hands, altering them in some way. They seem to have been upgraded.
If I were to activate this suddenly, even a rank 5 wouldn't be able to withstand the attack!'

Leylin's Fireplume and the bloodline of the Sun's Child had some mysterious response to each other, and
the bloodline imprint's power was being nourished and amplified. The A.I. Chip estimated that each of
these two bloodline imprints was as strong as two all-out attacks from the ancient rank 6 Sun's Child!

With such a great killing technique with him, Leylin now had something to count on, and was utterly
confident in waging this war.

Greenflame City. This stronghold which acted as the bridge between the allied forces and
Phosphorescence Swamp, was also a key strategic region for the Ouroboros Clan.
Since the Sky Legion had taken over this place, this stronghold had been in the hands of the allied forces.
Even the commoners there had accepted this fact.

Gradually, after a few years, they had recovered from the fires of war before, and were now showing
signs of prospering.

"No matter which Magus organisation governs them, none would attack regular humans for no reason.
Hence, their loyalty is not guaranteed. Practically all leaders will be easily accepted, or should I say, this
is the survival instinct of people with low social status?"

Above Greenflame City, Leylin and a few other Morning Star Warlocks stood in the air. Seeing the
prosperous city, there was little they could say.

The Ouroboros Clan had occupied this area for thousands of years, but they never expected the people
to react this way.

"We've never had much of an interest in this area. It's fine as long as they can provide a certain amount
of provisions and materials, as well an annual influx of fresh blood." Gilbert stood aside, slightly red in
the face.

"Oh well! At least, we won't have to feel bad about dragging them back into war once more!" Emma
sneered, eyes completely red. The news that the allied forces had attacked the Ouroboros Clan brazenly
after she had disappeared had completely riled her up.

The fury of a Morning Star could only be eased with fresh blood!

"If you don't make a move, I'm going to do it!" Emma watched Leylin and the others who had been
invited such as Paul, who were unmoving. Laughing coldly, her robes began to sway and make sounds
with the breeze.
"The flame elf of the immemorial times, please listen to my decree and descend, turning into a rain of
flames!" Emma chanted loudly as terrifying elemental particle emanated from her body like a black hole.
Endless elemental tides formed a surging tsunami.

A bit of red appeared in the sky, and it accumulated to form a layer of dense flaming clouds.

"Rank 4 spell— Descent of the Heavenly Flames!" Large amounts of flames streaked down like meteors,
leaving splendid long tails as they descended upon Greenflame City.

Soon enough, successive sounds of an explosion could be heard, and a large amount of black flames
formed that spread everywhere.

"Enemy attack! These energy undulations... Morning Star!" Within the residence of the city's mayor, a
sentry yelled in disbelief at the data they had seen on the screen.

At the same time, he hung his head, closed his eyes and prayed, "Great Lord! Has the war between
Morning Stars begun once again..."

He knew how terrifying wars between Morning Stars were. If Greenflame City was going to be the
battlefield, none of the low-ranked Magi like him would be able to escape. Just the stray spells and large
amounts of horrifying radiation could easily take their measly lives.

"Crap! The base of the airship forces!" After praying, this alarm watcher suddenly recalled something,
and his expression changed as he activated a secret imprint in his hands.

"Hello? Is this the base of the airships? This is the mayor's residence. This is a rank 4 warning. I repeat,
this is a rank 4 warning. A Morning Star is attacking!!"

No matter how much he shouted, there was no reaction from the imprint. Knowing things were bad, he
darted out of the surveillance room and immediately saw the shower of flames. The violent sounds of
explosions that accompanied them meant that the airship base stationed beside Greenflame City was
now caught in the blazing flames.

"It's too late!" He laughed bitterly, about to leave the battlefield.

*Rumble!* Boiling hot meteoric flames fell and wrapped around him, the fierce flames burning violently.

"Warning, warning! Energy from the barrier has been consumed. Unable to maintain energy defence!"

The piercing sounds of alerts could be heard everywhere in the base. There were panicked Magi and
technological staff everywhere, and the interior of the airship base was in chaos.

Occasionally, a few airships would take flight, and would then be ruthlessly smacked to the ground by a
few gigantic black arms, causing large sparks in the base.

"These airships aren't half bad, but it's a pity they're useless to me!"

Leylin sighed, but his hands did not stop moving. Large black Giant Kemoyin Serpent figures streaked
through the skies, absorbing life force without care. All enemies in the vicinity of these figures had their
life force sucked up and turned into dry corpses, with not even a bit of moisture left within.

The Ouroboros Clan was unable to handle so many airships, and besides, arrangements after the war
were going to be very troublesome. Leylin could not be bothered to wrangle with the Morning Stars
over this, and found it simpler to just obliterate the fleet.

"Stop!" Such unbridled actions immediately gave rise to the fury of other Magi. A streak of blue light
shot out and appeared before Leylin and the others, revealing the figure of a young Magus.

The undulations of a Morning Star were also being emanated from this young Magus' body. From his
bright eyes that had seen through the ways of the world, there was now merely rage. However, after
seeing Leylin, Paul and the others, which came up to six Morning Stars working together, his pupils
shrank slightly, and fear appeared on his face.

"Duke Farlier, are you planning on destroying the peace treaty from before?" Leylin knew this Magus.
He was one of the Morning Stars that had besieged Ouroboros Clan, and was one of the leaders of the
organisations that depended on Jupiter's Lightning.

Of course, to the current Leylin, he was as weak as an ant.

"Peace treaty? Hmph! That was just a temporary armistice!" Emma took a step forward, a snake-shaped
spore landed in Greenflame City below.

*Bang!* The spore clung onto the body of a Magus, and fear was apparent on his face as many warts
appeared on his body.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Seconds later, the warts broke open, and even more spores flew out.

In a short period of time, the entire Greenflame City had sunk into an abyss of suffering.

"You-!" The Morning Star Magus was anxious but did not raise his hand. With six Morning Star Warlocks
here, he would be the one in trouble the moment he made a move.

Hence, he could only glare at Emma with hatred, "His Highness from Jupiter's Lightning will not let you
off!"

"I'll wait!" Leylin chuckled and stepped forward while he continued the conversation.

Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, he had gone completely insane! Even with three Kemoyin dukes
joining hands, as well as support from the Warlock Union, it was naive to think they'd be able to
challenge a Radiant Moon!

This Morning Star began to snicker but immediately realised something was odd.

"Only Leylin out of all the Warlocks here has recently advanced. It's understandable if he doesn't
understand the gap between them, but how can Gilbert and the others not know the power of a real
Radiant Moon? Why do they look so relaxed?"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 582 - Retrieving Land

Every Magus possessed knowledge and wisdom that far surpassed that of ordinary men. How could any
such person knowingly provoke a rank 5?

There were only two ways that such a thing would happen. They were either absolutely confident in
victory, or had a trump card that guaranteed them their lives.

Though this Morning Star couldn't guess what trump card Leylin and the rest had, he could tell that the
situation today was not in his favour.

"Alright! Give me five minutes, and I'll order all my Magi to withdraw. I'll leave Greenflame City to you,"
he relented, albeit grudgingly.

The city and territory were all small matters to him. His Magi were what truly mattered, and he did not
hesitate to make this choice even if he was unwilling.
"There's no need for that. Whatever the Ouroboros Clan lost, we will retrieve it with our own strength."
Gilbert shook his head and rejected the other party's suggestion.

"Also, even if it's you, whoever dares offend our Ouroboros Clan will need to pay the price," Leylin
added from the core of the group of Warlocks.

"What?" The enemy Morning Star Magus was enraged. "The nerve! You dare threaten me?"

He had been infuriated. Morning Star Magi lorded over the central continent. With their Morning Star
Arcane Arts, they had trump cards capable of taking their opponents down with them, and they'd thus
developed a pride rooted in the belief that they were unrivalled.

He acknowledged that he had been defeated, and taking the initiative and withdrawing was already
giving his opponent face. However, the Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan wanted him to pay a price?

"Lunatics! You bunch of Kemoyin Warlocks are all lunatics!" The Morning Star's expression turned frosty.

If he knew of Leylin's previous battle achievements, he wouldn't dare say things like this.

Now, however, the Magus was determined to teach Leylin a lesson, and terrifying elemental energy
gathered on his body as rings of light formed one after the other.

"Morning Star Arcane Art!" Paul and the others exclaimed in shock.

"That's right... Since you don't know what's good for you, then let this area be completely destroyed!"
The Morning Star Magus yelled maniacally. If a Morning Star were to disregard everything, the
Ouroboros Clan's territory would be ruined.

"Stand down. Let me do this."

Unexpectedly, the Warlocks opposing him had not withdrawn from his threats. Instead, Leylin had
stepped out.

"A mere newly-advanced Morning Star is going to stop me?" This Morning Star suddenly had the urge to
laugh.

Soon enough, though, this smile turned stiff.

*Hsssss!*" Along with large amounts of demonic black flames, the giant phantom of a serpent appeared
behind Leylin's back. This large serpent was quite similar to the Giant Kemoyin Serpent of the Ouroboros
Clan, but there were red patterns on the scales and large amounts of black flames twining around its
body. It was as if it was wreathed in a layer of flaming armour.

A forcefield even more terrifying than those of ancient rank 4 beings spread out, covering him.

*Crack!* The rings of light broke, and the energy of this Morning Star Magus' point mass began to seep
out and enter the black flames.

"Wha– What monster is this?!" The Morning Star Magus' expression changed, regret filling his mind. He
now knew that this newly-advanced Morning Star was the most terrifying of this group of Warlocks!

"Hssss!" The huge serpent snarled and devoured the Morning Star...

*Rumble!* Air shook and created shockwaves. Gilbert, Emma and the rest shot glances at each other
and began to stabilise the space around them.

*Whoosh!* A moment later, a blue figure escaped from the giant phantom serpent, making a strange
sound as he fled pitifully.
Leylin stood quietly where he was, not even a wrinkle in his clothes or a strand of stray hair jutting out.
He did not proceed to give chase.

"Why did you let him go?" Gilbert and Emma asked. They knew it was intentional on Leylin's part, after
all they had personally seen his prowess.

"Our goal right now is to regain our territory. Now isn't the time to start wars with others. Battles
between Morning Stars would attract the attention of Breaking Dawn Monarchs."

Leylin shook his head, "Besides, the injuries to his body will take a few hundred years to heal. There's no
need to take notice of him in the future!"

It had to be said that Leylin was very meticulous in some matters. Gilbert and Emma looked to give him
their approval.

"Ley– Leylin, you're so amazing? Goodnes! That was a Morning Star!" Philip was gaping. He had to admit
that what he had seen today was just too amazing, and something rarely seen even in his long life.

Leylin could actually forcefully suppress a Magus by interrupting them while they were performing their
Morning Star Arcane Art. He had even gravely injured his opponent, and was confident in killing them!

This was not a strength that belonged to rank 4s. It was the might that only great rank 5 Magi
possessed!

"Leylin, Your Grace. Have you advanced to rank 5 already?" Paul asked a question that Gilbert and
Emma wanted to enquire about as well.

"Of course not!" Leylin shook his head, but that only gave Paul the feeling that he was enigmatic and
unmeasurable.

"Alright! Since the Morning Star has already been chased off, Greenflame City shall return to the arms of
our Ouroboros Clan!"

Gilbert said a few words to a secret imprint, and soon enough troops formed of multiple high-ranked
Warlocks arrived at the place.

Having already been attacked by a rank 4 spell and seeing their Morning Star flee in defeat, the high-
ranked Magi of the enemy had no plans of fighting on. Teleportation portals flashed and people flew
away as they fled.

Greenflame City returned to the Warlocks' control in less than an hour.

"I remember that this place once belonged to the Mair Family, right?" Emma spoke, implying something.

"Yes! As the Mair Family did not guard their territory properly, I suggest we reduce their land and take
Greenflame City, giving it to other bloodline nobility!" Gilbert immediately spoke.

This was a reshuffling of power. With Leylin's powerful, abrupt rise, as well as the fall of the original First
Elder, there were definitely conflicts of interest when it came to the allocation of benefits. The war was
a perfect excuse to make changes to this.

Leylin stood silently at the side, not seeming to have any intentions of seizing power. However, even
outsiders like Paul and Philip could tell that most of the territories that were being reclaimed would
definitely be placed under Leylin's Farlier Family and Freya's Blood Serpent Family.

After the war, the Blood Serpent and Farlier Families would immediately rise in power. There was no
doubt about that.
"Alright, let's get to the next area!" Once all affairs at Greenflame City were taken care of, a few
Warlocks immediately continued on a new journey.

With Leylin along with Gilbert and Emma as support, the organisations that relied on Jupiter's Lightning
and had merely one or two Morning Star Magi were swept through.

While Philip and Paul did not do anything, just their presence represented the stance of the Warlock
Union. Even Rank 5 Magi had to reconsider the consequences.

Hence, the frontlines were pushed forward smoothly. In less than a month, all the land that had been
occupied had returned to the high-ranked Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan. Of course, there were
naturally changes when it came to allocation, but no Warlock dared complain.

"Hah... Onyx Castle! I'm back!"

Leylin stood above Onyx Castle in his territory, and was speechless.

The Magus Tower not far away had long since been overturned by the Oakheart family. Of course, they
had immediately compensated Leylin with a brand new Morning Star Magus Tower.

The Onyx Castle below had obviously been destroyed and reconstructed. That must have been the
Oakheart Family trying to curry favour with him since they were already here.

"Are you very familiar with the Azure Mountain King? The moment you arrived, he immediately
withdrew his troops, and even looked impatient in doing it!"

"I just have something on him, so we're temporary allies." Leylin shook his head and chuckled.
"Temporary?" Emma observed Leylin's profound smile, suddenly feeling like the breeze in the skies was
slightly chilly. She began to mourn for the Oakheart Family.

"News has come in that the Green Snake Marshes have been taken back. Our Ouroboros Clan has now
regained all its past territory!" Gilbert's figure appeared by Leylin side, a sigh in his tone. "What should
we do next?"

"Nothing. Just work on consolidating our original territories."

Leylin knew when to stop. Though he did not know if it was his existence or the intimidation of the
Warlock Union, Jupiter's Lightning had displayed a high degree of tolerance towards the Ouroboros
Clan's recent activities, and practically did not interfere at all. This was also why Leylin and the rest had
been able to reclaim their territories so quickly.

Of course, Leylin did not believe that they were afraid of him or the union.

Zegna probably had something more important to focus on, which was why he was temporarily
enduring his activities. As long as he killed Leylin, the Ouroboros Clan would quickly fall apart even if
they took up half of the central continent.

Leylin always had his guard up against this Radiant Moon.

......

"The Ouroboros Clan has completely expelled our organisations and restored their territories!"

"In the Lava World, Wayde has brought a group of high-ranked Warlocks and is going around
annihilating the Mobius Organisation!"
"Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT! Leylin, Wayde... One day, I'll bury your skulls under my palace's steps, and
have your souls wailing within the flames of my lights..."

Zegna's eyes were bloodshot as he sent the reporting Morning Star Magus away. Recently, all that was
being delivered to him was bad news.

Wayde had actually gotten the coordinates to the Lava World, bringing a whole group and vying for
territory with him. His previous actions had lost him his friendship with Scarlet Eye, and Archibald had
become hostile with him after this matter as well.

While Zegna was in terrible shape worrying over these, Leylin had meanwhile reclaimed all the territory
that had once belonged to the Ouroboros Clan!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 583 - Pond of Lamentation

"It's all your fault, Narsha! Didn't you say that as long as we make use of the Lava World's coordinates as
a trap, we can get rid of them and make them disappear into a spatial rift? You said nobody would
know!"

The moon rune on Zegna's forehead dimmed as he narrowed his eyes.

"How would I know that three Morning Star Warlocks, when teamed up, were as powerful as a Radiant
Moon Magus..." The mysterious female voice sounded like that of a spoilt little girl.

"Are you calling me useless?" Veins surfaced on Zegna's forehead.

"What? How could I do such a thing? You're my student, after all!" The little girl's voice was suddenly
replaced by a mature one.

"All we have is a trade, an exchange of benefits." Zegna was breathing heavily as he stated this fact.

"Alright, alright! I know what you want. Wayde is fighting you over the Lava World, and Leylin is
challenging your might in the central continent... But all this does not matter. As long as we succeed in
our plan, you can advance to Breaking Dawn and become a King! Even wiping out the entire Warlock
Union would be a piece of cake, let alone just them." Her voice was very gentle and extremely easy to be
caught into it.

With the comforting words from the female voice, Zegna gathered his composure and returned to a
dark secret chamber in his Magus Tower.

Passing through layers of restrictions, one would find nothing in the room except a circular fountain in
the centre. A large amount of turbulent black air was boiling within it, and a few expressionless, pale
human faces were floating on the surface.

"Wuuu Wuuu!"

A little white stream of air rose up, before forming into a few tall human figures that moved slowly
around Zegna.

"How is it? I spent all my treasures for this, and even..." Zegna's voice lowered.

"It's looking good. The Pond of Lamentation configuration is almost complete, all that's left is a few last
steps..." The female voice turned a little cold.

......
[Beep! Reserves of the Sun's Child bloodline imprint strengthened!] [Beep! Host's fire elemental
resistance has increased!]

Along with the timely prompts from the A.I. Chip, Leylin's mind wandered off for a bit as he stared at the
sun-shaped runes on the back of his hands.

'I prepared this specially for Zegna, but he didn't even show up!' Leylin had to admit that he hadn't
predicted the opponent's reaction. Zegna was a narrow-minded villain, but he had remained composed
under such provocation. This was out of Leylin's expectations.

'Or maybe someone else persuaded him not to act!' Leylin stroked his chin, 'If that's the case, it must be
someone holding a prestigious status in Jupiter's Lightning. Which one is it?

'Eh, it's better like this anyway. We got back all our territory, and I didn't even have to use one of my
bloodline imprints...' These bloodline imprints were almost as strong as rank 6 spells. They were
definitely a trump card of Leylin's, and it was best that he continued to hide them.

Also, Leylin could feel that the bloodline imprint in his skin resonated with the modified Fireplume, and
they complemented each other. With the passage of time, this resonance became more and more
obvious.

'Could it be that the ancient Sun's Child was related to the phoenix?' Leylin dismissed his own thought
with a laugh.

"Mentor! These are all the documents related to the body tempering in the Ouroboros Clan!"

The door to the study opened, and Snoopy entered with tons of black documents and crystal ball
recordings.

All the documents had been piled up on Leylin's desk, forming a small hill.
"Mm, great job!" Leylin nodded his head in encouragement to this handy student of this. He sent him off
as he started on the documents.

There were many different types of recording apparatus in the Magus World, and they came in different
shapes, sizes, and materials. Books made of real paper were very scarce. In fact, Leylin had even seen a
book made entirely out of bronze before, as well as books made of bone.

After all, the Ouroboros Clan was one of the top organisations in the central continent, and the very first
thing Leylin had thought of after browsing through the documents was to find a way to improve his
vitality.

The side effects of the massive increase in his soul force had yet to be resolved. Moreover, judging from
his current health, there were very few spells and refining methods that would be of use to him.

Leylin casually flipped opened a thick dictionary-like book. On the pale yellowish page was a brightly-
coloured rose, the leaves and petals seeming to tremble a bit.

"Ah...Dearest Trivish! I adore you, adore your eyes which are so pearl-like, and..."

As he flipped through a huge amount of mixed content, he found what seemed to be like short lines left
behind by a bored bard. The phrasing was poor and the text somewhat incoherent.

Yet, Leylin browsed through the thing without much thought. He placed his fingers on a piece of paper
with raised markings on it, gently sliding across every letter. It was then that something bizarre
happened.

A line of fire appeared at the part Leylin touched, and the rest of the letters started to twitch. There
were even little black feet growing on them as they started to rearrange themselves.
"The following text contains information on the initial stages of the reformation of Hodo Worms. Only
official Magi and above can attempt to..."

Another instructional line appeared, and the A.I. Chip sounded at the same time:

[Beep! Object letting out inductive radiation detected, based on the activity rate of the detected
radiation, it can be transferred into the Host's vitality. Probability: 0.000000001%!]

Leylin closed the book, feeling rather speechless.

Such hidden techniques and methods of induction could only be created by those at rank 3 and above.
Rank 1 or 2 Magi who practised this would have their vitality stimulated, and would begin to improve.

However, such a thing was way too weak for Leylin.

"Reform through Hodo Worms? There's a maximum increase of 3 vitality, and added resistance against
poison!" Leylin's eyes glowed blue as he stroked his chin, "But the new look would be simply too ugly...
And it's useless for me currently anyway..."

He shook his head and moved on to the next source.

With his position in the Ouroboros Clan, he could use any resources he wanted. He'd finished browsing
through all the documents in a few days.

No other Magus would have been able to accomplish much after one quick browse through. They would
have to spend time to understand and memorise the information. Unlike them, however, all the
information was now in Leylin's memory, never to be forgotten.

"A.I. Chip, scan through the new data and look for methods that can improve my current vitality," Leylin
ordered.
Not only had he looked through all the documents about body refinement spell formations, he had also
organised all the rumours and legends that related to improvements in vitality, giving it all to the A.I.
Chip to analyse.

Even though he did not have much faith in the Ouroboros Clan's library, just a few clues were good
enough for him.

[Beep! Search complete. Found 3 methods that suit the host.]

Along with its report, the A.I. Chip projected some information into Leylin's mind.

[1: Conversion into Adoforke. Will result in a one-time increase of 40 vitality.] [2: Acquire the title of
Virtuous Sky Sage and come in contact with the Endowing Scepter. Will assist in advancement of host's
physical strength by two ranks at once.] [3: Consume the Giant Dragon Potion together with Hades'
Blood Sacrifice. Will result in an approximate increase of 10 vitality.] These were the three methods the
A.I. Chip had found, the methods most suited to Leylin himself.

Of course, they were deduced from rumours and scientific content. Leylin would have to do his own
work to get all the resources required to proceed with them.

Even so, it was much better for him than for those Magi who were clueless when they encountered
problems, having to try all methods one by one.

"Conversion of Adoforke? Where on earth am I going to find such an ancient spell formation for the
conversion of vitality?" Leylin smiled bitterly.

"Let's leave that aside for now. As for becoming a Virtuous Sky Sage..." he muttered as he touched his
chin, sinking deep into thought. The Sky Castle was under the control of the Monarch of the Skies, but it
was open to all scholars. The title of Virtuous Sky Sage was an honorary title in that place.

For strictness of the Magi, those were able to get the titles, were all the masters of the scholars. Coming
into contact with the Endowing Scepter would be the benefit of the entitlements. Rumours had it that it
could increase Magus's physique without any side effects.

Of course, with the help of the A.I. Chip, Leylin was quite confident in passing the tests. However, the
Sky Castle was located in a Monarch's territory, and he was not sure of the attitude of the Monarch of
the Skies held towards bloodline Warlocks. Hence, he wasn't confident in that plan.

"As for the last thing, the Giant Dragon Potion and Hades' Blood Sacrifice are quite simple to get. I can
use a bunch of kobolds to refine some dragon blood, and I also have a spell formation for Hades' Blood
Sacrifice..."

Leylin's eyes flickered with light. "The increase is a little on the low end, but it's good enough!"

He had finally realised how hard it was for Magi to advance. His vitality was already great as a Warlock,
and he still faced so many difficulties in advancement. Imagine how hard it would be for Morning Star
Magi?

There were probably many Magi stuck in the Morning Star realm due to a stagnation in their soul force
and vitality.

"Let's do this for now. I'll prepare the Giant Dragon Potion, use it to increase my vitality, then proceed to
the Sky Castle!" Leylin had made up his mind.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 584 - Giant Dragon Potion

　　

"Leylin!" Gilbert and Emma had come over while Leylin was deep in thought. Their eyes were twinkling
with joy.
　　

"What's this? You've acquired an interest in body tempering?" Emma had immediately made the
connection after glancing at the mess of materials on the table.

"Mm. My soul has strengthened too much recently, and my physical body hasn't been able to keep up."
Leylin nodded. This wasn't any information worth hiding after all.

"Seriously," Gilbert sat down speechlessly, "Us bloodline Warlocks have the advantage of increased
vitality due to our inheritance of ancient genes. We're ahead of Magi in this field, and normally we only
have to worry about how to increase our soul force. There are practically no other people in your
situation!"

　　

Leylin's monstrous growth rate was something Gilbert found difficult to digest.

　　

Leylin laughed, and asked the two dukes some other questions about body tempering. However, both of
them knew even less than he did, and could hardly give him any useful information.

　　

In the end, Leylin could only ask, "How much do you know about Sky City?"

　　

"What?!" "Don't tell me you're going there!?" Both Warlocks stood up in shock.

"Why? What's the matter?" Leylin asked with a smile.

　　

The Endowing Scepter kept in Sky City was a treasure that only Virtuous Sky Sages could come in contact
with, and it had the ability to increase his physique by two levels without any side effects. To the present
Leylin, that was a huge temptation.

Two levels was roughly twenty points of vitality. With the additional ten points from the Giant Dragon
Potion, his vitality would grow very close to a hundred points. The remainder could be increased slowly
through Fireplume or Multilimb Strength.

Therefore, if he couldn't find other methods to substitute for it, he had to go through with this.

　　

After a moment of silence Emma spoke. "Leylin... Even though the Monarch of the Skies hasn't targeted
Warlocks before, you know the situation with our Warlock Union..."

Due to unknown reasons, bloodline Warlocks had been rejected and were treated as enemies by the
regular Magi of the central continent. They had even reached the verge of extinction. Despite the
tremendous efforts of the few Radiant Moon Warlocks, most Warlocks still felt quite unsafe. This was
why the Morning Star Area had come up.

　　

If the Monarchs hadn't given the suppression of Warlocks their tacit approval, this would have been
impossible.

In Emma's eyes, Leylin was an up-and-coming talent who she had high expectations for, even someone
who she considered a son-in-law. She naturally wouldn't want Leylin to leave and expose himself to
danger.

　　

"Mentor Gilbert, what do you think?" Leylin could only laugh wryly inside, his eyes focusing on Gilbert.

　　

"Let's not talk about the Monarch of the Skies. Sky City is a holy land for Magi in the central continent,
and is considered the Palace of Truth. Countless top-grade masters, artisans and scholars gather there,
calling it the cradle of knowledge. In terms of innovations and advancements in spells, rapid progress is
made every single day!"

　　

Gilbert scratched his bald head, recalling some fond memories from the past as his eyes shimmered.

　　

"If you hadn't already become a Morning Star Warlock and the pillar that's propping up our Ouroboros
Clan, my very first recommendation would be to go to Sky City if you intend to travel across the
continent!"

"If this is the case, I'm even more interested in going there!" Leylin stroked his chin, yearning evident in
his expression.

　　

"Alright then, but you have to be extra careful. It's best to hide your true identity." Gilbert and Emma
smiled wryly at each other. They knew Leylin well enough. He was the stubborn type, and now that he
had already made his own decision, he would not change his mind easily. He just wanted to listen to
their suggestions.

"I know!" Leylin crossed his arms, leaning slightly forward.　　

　　

"Well then, is there any reason for you to come all the way here now?"　

"Oh yes, of course! We'd even forgotten about that!" Gilbert slapped his forehead. He passed Leylin a
recording crystal.　　

"After a month of hard fighting, we have finally regained all our territory. This is the new map we've
drawn out."

Leylin sent his soul force into the crystal, and immediately perceived a giant map. Different colours were
used to divide the regions that belonged to the different bloodline nobles.　　

Compared to the previous map, there was not much of a change on the whole, but much of the nobles'
territories had been greatly modified.

Primely, the territory that belonged to the nobles under the previous First Elder's wings had been
greatly reduced, reallocated instead to the Blood Serpent Family and more significantly the Farlier
Family.
'On the whole, both the dukes' rights and benefits remain the same as before, while I get a hold of the
territory and resources that originally belonged to the First Elder?' Leylin pondered over this in his mind,
though on the surface, just nodded, "I think this is fine! Let's go with this redistributed map!"　　

Only after Leylin agreed to this redistribution did Gilbert and Emma feel as if a weight had been lifted off
their shoulders. After all, Leylin was far too crucial to the Ouroboros Clan, and if he was dissatisfied with
the distribution and left the clan they would be in deep trouble.

Leylin laughed and shook his head as he saw both of these 'senior' Morning Star Warlocks in fear and
trepidation before him.

......

"Master! I've captured a third batch of Kobold Warlocks, and placed them in the binding room." Tanasha
bowed to Leylin as she reported. This Magus who was currently wearing a black dress had afforded him
even more respect since his advancement, She had become very cautious with her work as well. At
Leylin's command, she had captured large numbers of Kobold Warlocks in the blink of an eye.　

"Mm, good job!" Leylin knew exactly what she wanted.

He laid lazily on the couch, waving his right hand slightly. A demonic dark flame formed on her forehead,
leaving behind a distinct brand in the shape of a black snake.

*Hss! Hss!* Surrounding the snake were hazy flames. The snake looked as if it was alive, about to break
through the thin membrane of skin at any moment,

"Master!" Tanasha knelt down in trepidation. She could feel terrifying power from the mark, enough to
crush her into powder!
"This is my secret imprint, and is representative of me. I've also stored within a one-time attack from my
own hands. Normal Morning Stars won't be able to withstand it...." Leylin closed his eyes slightly as he
spoke slowly. In the meanwhile, Tanasha was thrilled by his words.　　

"I'd once promised you at Quicksand Castle that once I was strong enough, and not afraid of retaliation, I
would grant you your vengeance." Indeed, this was the reason that Tanasha had chosen to serve under
him.

"Yes, Master! It's just that I never thought this time would come so soon..." Tanasha sounded a little
unsteady. Leylin's rate of advancement was far beyond her expectations.　　

"The family that you are going to take revenge on has no Morning Star. I have also talked to their
backing organisation, and they won't get in your way. You should be able to handle everything. The
secret imprint I've left on you is your last resort!"

"Thank you, Master!" Tanasha's choked as she sobbed, her eyes red as the memories of her being
harmed and chased after came up. It was still extremely vivid in her mind, how she'd even have to hide
in the wilderness to survive.

"Go!" Leylin waved his hand, and Tanasha exited respectfully.

After exiting the Magus Tower, Tanasha felt the secret imprint on her forehead, especially the immense
power within it, and her eyes glinted with strength. "How have you been, Dove? I will be back soon..."　　

Most would think Tanasha and this Dove were very good friends from her words, but they would be
frightened upon looking at the terrifying expression on her face.　　

"Deeply buried hatred that hasn't dissipated over time. It's instead fermented and grown..." After
Tanasha left, Leylin stood up slowly, and announced something that sounded like a prophecy.
He had a feeling that Tanasha's trip back would be accompanied by a great amount of bloodshed and
pain. The misery of being forced to leave home and the experience of hiding for survival was enough to
turn Tanasha into a terrifying goddess of vengeance.

But the history between them didn't matter to him. No matter what had happened, Leylin would surely
side with Tanasha, and for a very simple reason. He had no relationship with the other party, whereas
Tanasha was his subordinate.

Leylin had always favoured people of his own. He followed his own set of rules, and would definitely
side with his own people if they were engaged in conflict with outsiders. Were Freya to fight his
subordinates, for example, he would support her. But in case the two of them fell out, he would choose
to protect his own benefits.

His personal benefits was in the core of his set of rules. The closer an external circle of benefits was to
the centre, the more priority it received.

As for fairness? Justice? To things like that...Haha.

"Tower genie! Begin the modulation of Kobold Warlocks based on the bloodline operation sequence I
had entered earlier on!"

Take now for instance. Leylin's interests were in conflict with those of the Kobolds, so he would not
hesitate to sacrifice them.

[Beep! First stage of modulation beginning, increase in activity of bloodline...] The tower genie's voice
sounded. Meanwhile, sounds of mournful cries could be heard from the multiple cages under the Magus
Tower...　　

......

After days of experiments, Leylin held a purplish red bloodline potion in a test tube, his face filled with
satisfaction, "Even though there were some failures in between, the Giant Dragon Potion is finally
ready!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 585 - Vitality And Formation

Leylin had tremendous achievements in Potioneering, to the extent that he'd even surpassed the realm
of Grandmasters, reaching a higher level.

Even though the Giant Dragon Potion was rare and difficult to make even during ancient times, it was
only a matter of trial and error for Leylin.

Even these few failures were not due to his technique, but because experiments were prone to failure
themselves.

"Since the Giant Dragon Potion is done, I can begin now!"

Leylin took a glance at the surroundings. It was a huge public square located in the Morning Star Magus
Tower, created with the help of the tower genie. On the ground were complex designs and magic runes,
and even vicious totem images.

Surrounding the entire spell formation were four gigantic pillars, every single stone pillar the thickness
of three men combined. Above them was something like a huge hollow tunnel, it seemed to be split
open by sharp weapons, full of a wild ancient aura.

[Hades' Blood Sacrifice spell formation, progress 99.9999%] the A. I. Chip responded after scanning
through.

"Hades' spell formation, what an affinity between us!" Leylin laughed.

Hades was one of the most terrifying dark Magi of ancient myth. His level of dark magic was said to be
unreachable, and rumour had it that he had even completely grasped the rules of death. He possessed
eternal youth, and was full of desire for flesh and souls.

But of course, Hades was nothing more than a super powerful dark Magus in the eyes of Leylin and
other Magi, and some even looked up to Hades as a motivational target and tried to surpass him.

When Leylin was trying to advance to rank 2, he had made use of the opponent's spell formation to
harvest spirits.

Of course, the current blood spell formation was a few levels higher than the one back then, it could
even absorb the sacrificial offerings' bloodlines by force in order to increase the Morning Star Magus's
vitality.

Leylin took a look at his current status:

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Bloodline Warlock: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form) Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956 (magic power in synchronisation with spiritual
force) Soul Force: ???]

"I have more than enough spiritual force, but vitality is so hard to increase!" Leylin smiled wryly. This
was the side effect for his sudden, huge advancements recently.

Moreover, if his vitality still could not reach 100, it would be a huge problem once the Multilimb seal
was broken.

"Begin!" Leylin's eyes shimmered with crimson light.

*Crack! Crack!* Under the manipulation of the tower genie, the entire square started shaking, and
grieved howls could be heard from a near distance.
That was the mourning of the strengthened Kobold Warlocks. After the bloodline extraction, these
creatures were being treated as waste material and processed by Leylin

Waves of a terrifying aura rose continuously within the spell formation. Once the mourning of the
Kobolds weakened, the whole spell formation started to change.

The four gigantic stone pillars surrounding the square began to shake. From the tunnel up above, a huge
amount of sticky liquid that was blood red in colour dripped down. Mixed in were white objects that
looked like crushed bones.

The red liquid first filled the pillars to the brink, before it slowly spilled out like blood flowing in veins,
causing the pillars to turn crimson.

The liquid flowed all the way down, finally reaching the runes of the spell formation.

The concentrated blood red liquid filled the runes in order. The entire process was full of a certain
solemnity, and the stagnant atmosphere was stifling.

The spell formation kicked into action, and an enormous layer of crimson light shot up from the runes.

Under the attraction of the crimson light rays, the vacant void above the spell formation was broken.
Light took on the form of symbols seen in sacrificial rites, as it began to radiate waves of summoning.

*Awooooo...*The phantom of a monstrous two-headed wolf hovered in the sky above the spell
formation, howling ferociously. Greed filled its green eyes as saliva dripped down its jaws.

'I've never seen such a summoning technique before, is it a summoning from a foreign world or from a
different time and space?' Leylin's eyes flashed blue. He had ordered the A.I. Chip to record the scene
down into his database for future use.

*Awooooo...* The two-headed wolf did not start to feast on the pulp of flesh, bones and blood
immediately. Instead, it turned to Leylin, a ferocious look in its eyes as it glared at him as if he was one
of the offerings.

'It has a certain level of intelligence? Could it be a clone of Hades?' Leylin stroked his chin, started as he
sized up this two-headed wolf. This carefree behaviour of Leylin greatly irritated the phantom as it
howled and aimed to pounce onto Leylin.

*Sssssii* A malevolent phantom of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, this one with crimson scales, appeared
behind Leylin and bared its jaws at the wolf.

A magnificent aura emanated from the Kemoyin Serpent, causing the wolf to waver.

"The summoning of a creature from another world is indeed troublesome!" Leylin snorted, started to
activate a spell.

*Rumble!* Eye piercing white flashes of lightning struck the phantom, causing it to howl as it lost some
of its dark form.

After the lightning passed, each of the two wolf heads now had a collar on, with spikes that faced the
neck.

The two-headed wolf was threatened by the spikes, and dared not rebel. It then dashed into the
crimson light before starting to feast on the flesh hungrily. The formation grew silent except for the
bone-chilling munching noises.

After a few minutes, the flesh and light inside the spell formation were both devoured by the two-
headed wolf. It then roared to the sky, the sound waves travelling far and wide as it howled loudly.
The spell formation started to warp once more under these terrifying howls.

Starlight shone down through the Magus Tower, revealing the image of a bright moon.

Under the howls of the wolf, the moon gradually turned red before it stretched into the sides and
formed the shape of a human eye.

An icy gaze swept across, causing Leylin to shudder in fear. He felt as if he had called upon a disaster and
his body tensed up. 'This pressuring aura must surely belong to a high levelled Magus!'

Leylin inhaled deeply. Fortunately, the crimson eye did not fix its gaze on him. Instead, it only spared
him a short glance and focused on the two-headed wolf.

An eerie scene formed as the two-headed wolf howled continuously under the gaze of the crimson
moon-eye.

*Pop!* The sound of a bubble bursting was followed by a crisp explosive sound, and the phenomenal
sights in the area disappeared without a trace.

The two-headed wolf, the full moon and the starlight suddenly seemed to be an illusion, and a tinge of
purple light twirled around the spell formation.

[Conscient of greed from a foreign world has been attracted, summoning of ancient Hades phantom is
complete!] A notification from the A. I. Chip sounded, reminding Leylin that what he had seen just now
was not a hallucination.

"Phew...what a weird spell formation! Hades, the king of the ancient dark Magi, is truly a powerful
elite!" Leylin let out a long breath and stepped into the spell formation.
*Boom* The rumbling of the formation acted like a signal, and a huge amount of purple light converged
on Leylin as it entered his body.

"Argh!" Leylin let out a stuffy groan and started to spasm.

After the purple light rays entered his body, they started wriggling like earthworms. This feeling was
indescribable; if not for his superb vitality and great endurance, he would have passed out or even died
due to the pain!

"The Giant Dragon Potion!" Leylin kept himself composed, using the purplish red medicine which he had
long since prepared in his hand.

*Pow!* There seemed to be a chemical reaction when the potion entered his stomach, and the amount
of pain increased tenfold.

Leylin's vision turned pitch black, but he managed to persevere through it with his strong will.

[Beep! Host is undergoing Hades' sacrificial rites! Muscle fiber strengthening in process.] [Beep! Host is
absorbing quintessential materials, vitality increased.] [Beep! Giant Dragon Potion has taken effect.
Radiation is creating the best environment for absorption.] The notifications from the A. I. Chip sounded
continuously.

After the last wave of pain had passed, Leylin felt a stream of boiling heat gushing all over his body.

[Beep! Host vitality increasing, currently at 66.7! 67.5! 68.3! 69.9!]

The value showing Leylin's vitality kept on increasing in the A. I. Chip's database, and surpassed 70
within a split second before continuing on.

71! 72! 73! 74! 74.5!

In almost an instant, the number had rocketed up by ten. It only stopped upon reaching 74.9.

Leylin straightened his body after the effects of the potion passed, and crackling sounds rang
throughout it.

[Host data changed, readjusting!]

Leylin took a look at his stats and discovered a huge change in them.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Bloodline Warlock: Kemoyin's Serpent (complete form) Strength: 50 Agility: 45
Vitality: 74.9 Spiritual Force: 956.8 Magic Power: 956(Magic power in synchronisation with spiritual
force) Soul force:???]

"Hmm! Vitality had increased by 9.9 units! Pretty close to the estimated data from the A. I. Chip!" Leylin
nodded in satisfaction.

Right now, he had reached a monstrous value in terms of his vitality.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 586 - Setting Off And Apprehension

Based on Leylin's understanding, vitality represented defence as well as regenerative abilities. His value
of 74.9 was very close to the terrifying numbers that ancient creatures possessed.

With his current body, regular rank 1 and 2 spells could not break through his defences. Even rank 3
spells would only give him tiny injuries, and he would recover instantly. His frightening vitality gave him
an equally terrifying healing ability.

After checking everything once over, Leylin nodded in satisfaction.

"With the strength of my body, even if the seal of Multilimb Strength suddenly gives way, I can still hold
on for a period of time. Next, if I can gain the title of a Virtuous Sky Sage and receive the blessing from
the Endowing Scepter, I'll be able to solve the issue of the repercussions from having my soul force rise
too rapidly!"

Leylin had to go to Sky City no matter what.

Though that was the territory of the Monarch of the Skies, and a Warlock like him going alone could be
troublesome, it was already the simplest method that the A.I. Chip could come up with.

Techniques and body tempering spell formations that could increase the vitality of Morning Stars was
very rare in the central continent. On top of that, Leylin's strong foundation as a Warlock made things
more difficult.

The A.I. Chip had summed up all of Leylin's knowledge and used the Ouroboros Clan's large database to
find these three methods. They were already the best out there.

However, Leylin had yet to find any clues on the transformation spell formation in Adoforke, and only
knew it was in some ruins in the central continent from a legend. To him, taking the risk to explore ruins
was too troublesome and dangerous.

He had already used the third method, and could not repeat it within a short period. If he tried, leave
alone getting results, he would only face possible side effects.

Hence, the most reasonable choice to make was the second. He would head for Sky City and the
Endowing Scepter.

Of course, Leylin was rather confident in his travels. He was a peak Morning Star and could escape with
his life even if he met with a Radiant Moon Magus.
The two bloodline imprints from the bloodline of the Sun's Child gave him more than enough
confidence.

Sky City was the home to the Monarch of the Skies. He did not wish for there to be a rank 6 battle at
that place!

'Besides, I haven't provoked the Monarch of the Skies at all. I just have to be careful of Jupiter's
Lightning...' Leylin stroked his chin and sank into deep thought.

......

A few days later, in the area surrounding Phosphorescence Swamp.

A completely black private airship that looked like a water droplet soared into the skies. In just a few
minutes, it disappeared into the horizon.

Atop high towers, countless figures stared at the floating airship in a daze until it disappeared.

"Relax, Freya!" Emma patted the back of Freya's hands, looking at her lovingly, "Leylin is now
comparable to a rank 5 Warlock. He'll be fine!"

"Indeed. Leylin is very powerful. We just have to do our duty here at the Ouroboros Clan," Gilbert
consoled her.

"Your Graces are right!" Freya bowed slightly, the concern in her eyes still not completely gone.

After all, Leylin was going to the territory of a Monarch. What if something happened? Freya did not
dare think further.

"Haha... Ever since little Freya got married, she doesn't listen to her mentor!"

Emma grabbed Freya's hands and began to repeat, "You don't have to care about other things right
now. What's most important is to spread the bloodline of the Farlier Family. Leylin has a lot of secrets on
him, and his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline is the best I've seen... No! It's THE best Kemoyin
bloodline! If you don't spread it, it'll be a true waste..."

"Mentor, what are you saying?" Freya protested coquettishly, two attractive flushes of red rising in her
cheeks. Yet, that had eased her worry.

......

*Bang!* The Colossal Serpent parted the clouds and shook off the winds, breaking through the
troposphere and reaching a higher part of the sky.

One could see intense sunlight shining down through the glass windows. Below was a seemingly
boundless white sea of clouds, the scenery incomparably beautiful.

The private airship was very quick, but it was not obvious from the scenery which seemed to be still.

After he finished setting up the automatic navigation system, Leylin sat alone on the sofa with red wine
in his hands as he watched the scenery on both sides through the windows. He looked on
absentmindedly.

A long while later, he sighed. "I'm not treating Freya well!"

Ever since Leylin had returned from the Lava World, he had extremely busy with reclaiming territory and
contacting other bloodline organisations. He had basically given Freya the cold shoulder.

Now, he was going on a solo journey to Sky City. Though Freya had been strong and not displayed it,
Leylin could feel her worry as she sent him off.

Whatever it was, Leylin would definitely not bring her along. He was going to take a risk here, and this
was no holiday. If he were alone, it would be easier to escape, but if he had someone else around, things
would get difficult.

'I'll make it up to her in the future!' Thinking this through, Leylin focused on other things.

"A.I. Chip, how much longer till I reach Sky City?"

[Beep! Based on the speed of Giant Serpent, estimated time of arrival: 45 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes, 19
seconds!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

"That's really quite far. If not for me having my personal airship, it might have been even more
troublesome!"

Leylin was speechless. If it required such a long time with the speed of his personal airship, it was quite
obvious how vast the central continent was.

'This is a great time to meditate! Besides, there are still some more improvements to be made to the
fusion of the Fireplume and Kemoyin's Pupil...'

Leylin sunk deep into thought, eyes glowing a blue that was indicative of the workings of the A.I. Chip.
Numbers, letters and runes from different worlds were processed by the A.I. Chip. The A.I. Chip
operated continuously, calculating and deducing information, forming a wondrous cycle of numbers...

......
Within a hidden Magus Tower.

This was a Magus Tower constructed by a Radiant Moon, filled with black thunder and lightning. It gave
off a dark atmosphere that would cause one's heart to palpitate. These flashes of lightning constantly
flickered around, causing the Magi walking along the passageway to break out in cold sweat.

"The feeling of this area really gives me the chills..." The Morning Star who spoke was one of Jupiter's
Lightning.

After the incident during the Holy Solar Festival, Wayde had brought along a group of high-ranked
Warlocks to attack them. The Mobius Organisation lost time and time again in the Lava World, and quite
a few Morning Stars were either killed or heavily injured. This led to a lack of manpower in Jupiter's
Lightning.

At such a critical time, the leader of Jupiter's Lightning, the great Radiant Moon Magus Zegna, had
suddenly announced he was going to seclude himself in meditation, which had given rise to protests and
confusion. Of course, that was only in the hearts of his subordinates. Those that would dare oppose
Zegna overtly had been turned to ashes hundreds of years ago.

Passing through the alley, the Morning Star Magus arrived at a bronze door. The uneasiness he felt had
reached its peak.

"Your Highness, this is Loki seeking an audience!" he transmitted after a momentary silence.

"Come in!" Zegna's voice was heard. It was the same old voice, but there was something oddly jarring
about it.

While wondering about it on the inside, Loki showed the utmost respect as he bowed and entered.

Behind the large brass door was a giant secret room. The walls were full of binding and summoning
runes, as well energy isolation spell patterns.

At the heart of the room was a large pool where streams of black gas surged, producing bubbling
sounds.

Zegna stood by the pool, clad in black and gold. His eyes were fixed on the current of the black gas.

"Your Highness!" Loki bowed, watching the pool with some curiosity. This was what had caused his
uneasiness!

Yet, he would not dare to ask Zegna about it. He did not even have the guts to probe it with his soul
force.

"What is it? You even used the emergency communicator to contact me." Zegna's hands were behind
his back, but Loki knew that this meant His Highness was beginning to be enraged. If his next words
were unsatisfactory, he would be in trouble.

"Your Highness had put me in charge of information about the Ouroboros Clan, and in particular the
Warlock named Farlier. I've acquired some intelligence!"

Zegna was paying close attention to Leylin, and hence he turned back to stare at Loki. "Speak!"

"Leylin of the Ouroboros Clan left Phosphorescence Swamp yesterday. His destination is most likely Sky
City!" Loki hastily reported, but strangely enough, Zegna merely listened quietly and did not do anything
special.

"Your Highness?" Loki raised his head and saw the dazed look on Zegna's face. There were a few
distorted spirit bodies hovering around him, pale, crooked palms grabbing at his collar.
Loki felt his heart lurch, but after sneaking another glance at Zegna, everything seemed like it had been
an illusion.

This discovery had him sink deeper into fear.

"Your Highness, do you need me..." Loki asked as he tried to sound out.

"I'm conducting an exceptionally important spirit body experiment. I'll take care of Leylin myself. Don't
bother with it anymore!" Zegna answered coldly.

"Yes, sir!" Loki bowed once more and left. Only after leaving the Magus Tower did he let out a long sigh.
He felt like his entire top half was drenched in sweat.

His Highness, who had always been very enthusiastic about destroying the Ouroboros Clan, had been
reduced to this state. The scene just then even had Loki in shock.

"Could that just now have been..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 587 - Conjectures and Arrival

Within the Magus Tower's secret room, at the side of the Pond of Lamentation. The silent Zegna was in
a daze, only turning back after he left and lifting up the sleeve on his right arm.

On his right arm, crests and troughs formed on what should've been smooth skin, taking on the shape of
a mysterious female face.
"What should we do about the Ouroboros Clan?" Zegna asked.

Two cracks opened in the skin, rolling apart to form a vivid pair of eyes. "You are now at the advanced
stage of the transformation. Your main body will probably not be able to..." the mysterious woman's
voice sounded.

"You mean we should let go of this opportunity?" Zegna raised his eyebrows.

"No! We..." The woman's voice grew softer and was quickly concealed by the waves of water in the
black pool.

......

Above the troposphere. The large amounts of white clouds gathered to form a boundless white sea.

A black streaking was soaring through this see, a private airship with a smooth structure. Currently on its
surface was a faint layer of defence, allowing the interior to be silent.

Leylin sat cross-legged on a platform in the bedroom, a phantom Kemoyin Serpent slowly taking form
behind him. Light flickered on the phantom causing it to seem illusory, and it looked more regal as fine
red stripes appeared on it.

Meditation was something Leylin did every day. Even though he'd already reached the peak of Morning
Star, he would not set this task aside.

After he absorbed a large amount of darkness and fire elemental particles, the phantom behind him
shrunk down and entered his body.
*Whoosh!* Leylin's eyes opened, and it seemed like large amounts of lightning streaked past the room.

"Mm. With the A.I. Chip's optimisation, the fusion between Fireplume and Kemoyin's Pupil is now half a
fold more effective than before!" This was the most precise number he could come up with through his
own personal experiments.

Having a top-grade meditation technique such as the Wing of the Sun for reference, Leylin knew fully
well that other than not having enough levels, Kemoyin's Pupil was rather similar to a top-grade
meditation technique.

At this thought, Leylin could not help but focus on the A.I. Chip, "How is the progress on the fifth level of
Kemoyin's Pupil?"

[Beep! 76.5% completed! The remaining path is being optimised.] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice intoned
loyally.

"It seems like the fifth level will be completed soon." A hint of glee appeared on Leylin's expression.

The bloodline shackles had ensured that no Kemoyin Warlock had ever broken past the Morning Star
realm. Hence, Kemoyin's Pupil which was specialised for his bloodline only had four levels to it.

This was a type of bloodline shackle. The meditation technique itself would hinder a Kemoyin Warlock
from breaking through!

Now, Leylin could hope to destroy these shackles! The meditation technique may be just one part of
them, but it had a hole in the bloodline shackles. Now, all he had to do was pry it open.

Leylin believed that, one day, he would manage to break through these shackles as long as he
persevered.
'Meditation techniques are only one tiny aspect of the Warlocks' bloodline shackles. The fundamental
issue is still the bloodline, as well as restrictions on the spirit...' At this thought, Leylin turned gloomy.
Though he was confident in his future, that did not mean he thought the troubles ahead of him were
easy to deal with.

'The limit of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent is rank 4. I, who have fused with its blood and soul, am now bound
to rank 4 as well.' The limits imposed by a bloodline would extend to the soul once one reached the
Morning Star realm. This was the true issue of the bloodline shackles.

The soul was just too complicated. Even Morning Stars could only graze the surface in researching it.

'How do I break through the restrictions on the soul?' Leylin touched his chin, 'Do I have to begin
experimentation on synthesising and altering bloodlines?'

Leylin, equipped with large amounts of information from the ancient Quicksand Organisation, was no
stranger to all this. He also had much experience under his belt.

Leylin was perhaps the only one in the central continent in altering Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline or
form a new one!

'However, artificially-constructed bloodlines always have defects. They are less lively in comparison to
those that have gone through the order of survival of the fittest, shaped by nature and history.'

This was the disadvantage of artificially-made products. The only other option was if Leylin was willing to
expend much time and wait, allowing the formed bloodline to grow in nature for up to several tens of
generations and slowly ripen. However, the amount of time required far exceeded Leylin's lifespan.

Besides, though altering bloodlines could result in the creation of more powerful types of bloodlines, the
chances of failure were equally high. Leylin was not going to gamble on his future.
Hence, this very attractive train of thought lingered in Leylin's mind but was eventually abandoned.

"If this doesn't work, I can only rely on the plan the ancient Wisdom Tree came up with! It's a pity... At
my level, I can't use it yet..." A deep wrinkle appeared on Leylin's forehead.

In terms of just intelligence and knowledge, it was impossible for him to measure up to the Wisdom
Tree which had lived since time immemorial. He knew that it's suggestion was definitely viable.

The A.I. Chip had also performed many simulations and verified its feasibility.

It was a pity that these plans were still far away for Leylin. His current strength was insufficient for him
to carry them out.

"Besides, the method it gave me can take care of this issue once and for all. If I use it now, the effects
definitely won't be as good as me employing it in the future! I must use it as a trump card, because this
might be the only thing I can count on when I meet the Snake Dowager!"

Leylin's eyes glinted. "Perhaps... My ideas were wrong from the start. Rather than finding other forces to
contaminate the bloodline, I should focus on developing my own bloodline. I might even get some
results from that!"

Leylin made up his mind.

[Beep! Reached vicinity of Sky City! Arrival in 1h, 24min, 13s.] the A.I. Chip prompted.

"Hm? A month has already passed?" Leylin was puzzled, but then looked through the time records the
A.I. Chip had created and could not help but burst out in laughter as he shook his head, "I've long since
heard that high-ranked Magi have experiments that go on for years or even decades. When they come
out, nothing will seem to have changed but that would be untrue. I never expected to find myself in this
situation. Just meditating a few times and going through a few conjectures and proofs on experiments
had time passing so quickly..."
To outsiders, Magi possessed great strength as well as an enviably long life. Even rank 1 and 2 Magi
could live for hundreds of years, which seemed endless.

However, Leylin knew that their time was short, much too short. Besides meditating, they had to
conduct experiments and embark on explorations. Each incident of these could take up decades, even
centuries! Hence, even after reaching rank 4 and acquiring a lifespan of over a thousand years, he still
felt that there wasn't enough time.

'This is why so many Magi transform into undeads or become spirit bodies. However, that's merely
struggling at death's door. The body cannot do anything about the death of its soul, and there will be
huge side effects, even going so far as the degeneration of their intelligence.'

Leylin could not help but shiver at that thought. Even if he was at the end of his lifespan anyway, he
would not choose to use this method. While he could live for a longer period of time, the price to pay for
that would be becoming slow-witted, a fool or lunatic. He would rather return to the astral plane with a
clear mind.

*Buzz!* At this moment, the Colossal Serpent began to tilt upwards.

'Am I finally there? Sky City, the holy land of the Magi of the central continent, said to be the cradle of
truth and knowledge!' Anticipation glinted in Leylin's eyes as he walked to the deck of the airship.

The great wind and atmospheric pressure did not affect the defence of the Colossal Serpent at all.
Leylin, who was inside, felt nothing.

At this moment, the head of the airship tilted further, climbing upwards rapidly.

From the troposphere where the weather was peaceful, he had broken through the stratosphere,
arriving even higher than that.
[Beep! Air pressure around host has dropped, oxygen supply dwindling.] The A.I. Chip prompted.

"Hehe, not yet!" Leylin shook his head, and the Colossal Serpent became a flaming arrow as it began to
shoot up almost vertically.

[80 km altitude. 200 km. 500 km!] The A.I. Chip rapidly refreshed its prompts.

"If I was in another world, I'd probably have broken through the warm layer and arrived above the
ionosphere, right?"

Leylin looked at the A.I. Chip curiously. He noticed that besides the strange reduction in temperature
and a change in the behaviour of ions, there were no other changes.

"No!" Leylin looked up. He did not see a universe, but just the sky from before. However, the sunlight
seemed more vast and dazzling.

"The Magus World it just a world amongst many others. It naturally can't be the same as in my previous
world!" Leylin seemed to mock himself as he laughed.

At this moment, dark clouds appeared above the Colossal Serpent, as if shrouding the whole sky.

When he got closer, he realised that these gigantic dark clouds even had lightning snakes within,
thunder booming constantly inside.

"The thunder layer of Akev! Sky City's first line of defence!"

Leylin chuckled, piloting the Colossal Serpent and charging straight in.

*Whoosh!* The lightning seemed to be enraged and struck downwards suddenly!

 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 588 - Floating City

The multiple bolts of lightning twined together, converging into a giant lightning serpent. There even
seemed to be a hologram behind it, as it faced the unwanted guest that had just entered its lightning
zone.

*Bzz Bzz!* Sparks flew madly on the surface of the Colossal Serpent, and the original defensive layer
began to deform, seemingly unable to endure further.

"Emergency alert? The strength of each lightning bolt is above 300 degrees?" Leylin touched his chin.

An attack strength of 300 degrees was rare even amongst rank 3 Magi. Even Crystal Phase Magi would
find it difficult to take on the combination of the lightning storm and the atmosphere.

Other than Morning Star Magi, perhaps only a fleet of tens of rank 3 Magi could gain entry using the
airship's defences augmented by a continuous supply of magic crystals and potions.

This had caused tickets into Sky City to become immensely expensive, enough to make official Magi go
broke.

'If not for caring little for this meagre source of income, Morning Star Magi could earn quite a lot of
money if they took charge of these airships!' Leylin thought indifferently.

Of course, Morning Star Magi were exceedingly rich and cared little for such a meagre profit. In addition,
their arrogance would not allow them to do something like this.
Leylin was not staying idle right now. A terrifying soul force emanated from this body, wrapping the
Colossal Serpent within it.

*Buzz!* With the support of soul force, the Colossal Serpent's defensive membrane immediately
stabilised and was now reinforced with another thick layer. It was now like a solid black crystal.

The deck of the Colossal Serpent, that had been shuddering all this while, was now as solid as a
mountain.

That was not all. Tiny black flames clung to the energy defence. The lightning could not even reach the
Colossal Serpent itself and was instead absorbed by these flames. In fact, the Colossal Serpent's energy
reserves grew rapidly.

The black flames seemed to form a pathway in the air, not allowing any lightning to strike in its path.

The Colossal Serpent was then free to move as it liked, the lightning no longer daring to attack.

"Oh?" Leylin scanned an area and chuckled. The Colossal Serpent turned into a black streak as he quickly
left.

"Hah..." A long while after the Colossal Serpent disappeared, the clouds dissipated to reveal an
elemental sprite whose lower body was covered by a spiral of unlimited lightning elemental particles.

"What a terrifying human!" Only now did it dare mutter to itself, a tremble in its voice, "He'd long since
found me! Just his gaze alone was paralysing... Even the earlier Morning Stars haven't given me this
feeling, could he be a great Radiant Moon Magus?"

This lightning elemental sprite with a body of lightning energy particles shuddered as it looked in the
direction Leylin had departed, eyes full of fear...

*Boom!* The black clouds parted as a similarly black streak flew across the skies, with black flames
trailing behind as it left a magnificent path in the air.

"Hah... So this is Sky City, the airborne holy land of the Magi!" Leylin observed a large floating city from
the deck in amazement.

This city was constructed on a hemispherical island. The city itself was massive, glowing with light from
all types of spells. Once in a while, a few ant-like black dots would move in the distance horizon. With
Leylin's sight, he could tell that they were no ants, but magic airships that were bigger than even the
most gigantic cruises in his previous world.

In comparison to the floating city, these large airships appeared to be tiny.

"And to think I still knew that Sky City was afloat. Pictures and words can't describe the mind-blowing
nature of this view." As the Colossal Serpent approached it, the city seemed to grow even larger. A faint
golden light rose from the heart of the city, seeming to create a holy radiance in the sky.

"Peace and harmony! What a beautiful city!" Even Leylin could not help but sing its praises right now.

[Beep! The Colossal Serpent has received a communication request.] the A.I. Chip sounded. The floating
city had obviously discovered the communication devices on Leylin's personal airship.

'As expected of something from the Fallor Family, they'd tampered with the airship!' Leylin's eyes
flashed coldly. While he had known of this, he had allowed it because it made communications easier,
which did not go past his bottom line.

Leylin had intentionally used the Colossal Serpent to come here. If he were to sneak in alone, who would
discover him?
Through the communications channel, a polite and humble voice was heard. "Airship number
DKGW1394! Distinguished Duke Farlier, welcome to Sky City! Please follow our guiding airship and park
at the private port we've allocated!"

"Mm!" Leylin agreed, and the Colossal Serpent began to slow down while following the mentioned route
before it stopped.

Meanwhile, in the command room somewhere in Sky City, things were in chaos!

"Morning Star undulations detected! Determined to be at Four Stars!"

"No issues with the Colossal Serpent. Kemoyin Duke Farlier is confirmed to be inside." Information was
flashed through red warning lights and many staff members gaped at the gigantic airship. The figures
working the deck felt faint.

"A Morning Star has come to visit us. Why were we not notified earlier?" A burly middle-aged man
shouted as he barged in after bursting through the door. He looked panicked as he snarled, "Do you
know who he is? He's the most powerful Kemoyin Warlock in history, the one who killed Demon Hunter
Cyril. It's Duke Leylin Farlier! If this kind of person flares up at us for how we receive him, we're
finished!"

Immediately after, he looked at the red warning alarm and couldn't help but hold his head in his hands,
feeling the desire to end his life there and then. "Four Star undulations? The upper-tier of Morning Star?
Gods, just let me die!"

Morning Star Magi were a rarity in the central continent, and there were naturally no clear methods of
classifying them. They were normally classified based on their reputation and battle achievements
among others.

As the holy land of Magi, Sky City was the most advanced research centre in the central continent. It had
independently come up with a standard to measure the strength of a Morning Star.
They had divided Morning Stars into five levels represented by five Stars, with a One Star Magus being
the weakest. A grade of Four Stars was already at the upper tier of Morning Stars, while Five Stars was
the peak!

Of course, since Leylin had intentionally hidden some of his strength, their detection was not accurate.

However, even Four Stars was already terrifying. Most of the Morning Stars were around One to Three
Stars. Morning Stars at Four Stars or above were absolutely powerful, and even Radiant Moons would
be apprehensive when up against them.

Sky City might be called the holy land of Magi, but there were few Morning Stars of this calibre among
their ranks.

People like them in charge of the ports could not afford to offend him. Even if they were exposed to the
radiations on his body, there would be massive casualties here!

"We've already sent out the signal and requested that he stop at the personal dock. He's accepted our
guidance airship, and is probably here with kind intentions..."

A golden-haired young man produced a handkerchief and wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.
"What we need to do now is to report this news to the Sage Committee, and then all of us should
welcome him!"

"Oh, yes, yes! You're right. Quick, report it in!" While the Sage Committee which controlled Sky City had
their own methods of detection, as their subordinates, they had to do their utmost as well.

The burly man from before looked like he had just woken up as he snarled, "What are you standing
there like that for? Report it in, and follow me to welcome him!"
"No need for that." A white-gold flash appeared in the control room.

"Lord Boffel!" The staff of the control room immediately bowed to the man.

"He comes with good intentions and doesn't want to act ostentatiously. I'll see to him myself. Go back to
your posts and forget about this!" The white-gold light spoke and diverged into many rays of light.

"Good, good! With our Morning Star taking over, anything that happens next isn't our problem!" The
burly man sighed, hands behind his back as he left the control room.

The other members in the control room looked relieved as they sat back down. The young man who had
reported this earlier continued to work diligently, concealing the envy and feverish look in his eyes.

*Boom!* The Colossal Serpent steadily descended atop a lawn with a large rune on it, not flipping up
any dust.

"Is it Lord Leylin? Welcome!" Due to the urgent message just now, there was no staff member around. A
young man with platinum hair and wings of light similar to the wings of angels stood under the elevating
platform of the airship.

"I am Leylin Farlier. You are...?" The door opened and Leylin walked out, looking friendly.

Though Gilbert had suggested that he sneak in and conceal his identity, Leylin wanted the title of a
Virtuous Sky Sage in Sky City, and he would need to make contact with the Endowing Scepter. He would
definitely be interrogated thoroughly and would even attract the attention of the Monarch of the Skies.
How could he conceal himself?

Hence, Leylin had chosen to step forward without any tricks. The title of a Virtuous Sky Sage from Sky
City was an honour open to all Magi of the central continent, and large numbers of scholars would be
attracted here. It was not shameful in any way that he wanted to obtain this.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 589 - Lightwing

The title of Virtuous Sky Sage was an honour given by Sky City to top scholars. As long as Magi had
achievements in academics and were acknowledged by the Sage Committee, they could be awarded this
title.

Not only was it an honour to become a Sage, there were benefits to it as well. Not only could they gain a
bonus of two levels to their vitality from the Endowing Scepter, they also had the opportunity to join Sky
City themselves. Even if they did not enter, the Monarch of the Skies would still protect them, and they
would be able to move around the central continent without obstruction.

Hence, whether it was for the fame, the benefits, or just to make up for their weaknesses in academics,
large numbers of scholarly Magi came here every year, which allowed Sky City to gain the good
reputation of being the cradle of truth.

Even if he couldn't pass, just gaining the favour of the Monarch of the Skies and being baptised by the
Endowing Scepter once was no big issue.

Leylin was now feeling very confident. The gift he had prepared would surely move rank 6 Breaking
Dawn Magi!

How could the coordinates of another world not be enough? He'd never promised Wayde not to give
away the coordinates of the Lava World to a third party anyway.

It was attractive enough that the Monarch of the Skies could make an exception.
He was just unsure if Wayde and Zegna would cough up blood after finding out about this.

Which Magus would not take the secret of a world's coordinates to their grave? Only a freak like Leylin
would actively go around, using it as a gift and giving it to others.

"Boffel!" The person who had arrived announced his name.

As he began to judge the Magus opposite him, the first word that came to Boffel's mind was 'Young'!
Whether it was his handsome face or the surging life force, everything gave him a sense of youth.

"Based on the rumours, Lord Leylin should be less than three hundred, yes? You've already become a
Morning Star and gained such a huge reputation!"

Boffel observed this genius Warlock. He wore gilded robes and gloves. His eyes were full of warmth and
his smile was like the sunshine. With the crescent dangling from his earlobe, his handsome face was the
type that young, teenaged girls or even female Magi would go crazy over.

"So it's Lord Boffel!" Leylin looked at this person who seemed very similar to an angel, and had no idea
how to react. However, the Morning Star radiation from his body was something that could not be
imitated.

The Monarch of the Skies held control of various organisations across the continent, and had quite a few
Radiant Moons under his wing. Obviously, the Morning Stars subordinate to him were much larger in
number. Boffel here was one of them.

Official Magi could make modifications to their own bodies. By the time a Magus reached Morning Star,
they were almost guaranteed to have something strange on their bodies. Presently, Leylin could not tell
if the other party's shining wings were due to his bloodline or some sort of spell. The only way to
confirm would be to run tests on him.
"Are you here as a representative of the Ouroboros Clan, my Lord? What is it that you require?" Boffel
asked after the greetings. This was a question that had been weighing on his mind for a while. He had
heard of the Ouroboros Clan's recent activities, as well as of their conflict with Jupiter's Lightning. It was
unlikely that Leylin would come out at such a crucial time for a holiday.

"Mm! I heard that the appraisal for Virtuous Sky Sages is about to begin. I've come bearing the truth!"
Leylin did not conceal his motives.

"Appraisal?!" Boffel was dumbstruck. Never could he have expected that Leylin would actually be
interested in this,

The title of Virtuous Sky Sage was only something that made it more convenient for scholars to travel
across the continent. However, Leylin was already at Morning Star. Which organisation would not give
him face?

Benefits, honour and the like were as fleeting as cobwebs to Morning Star Magi. Perhaps the only thing
they would regard with importance would be the baptism of the Endowing Scepter for them, the only
thing that they regarded as important would be the baptising through the Adept Scepter.

An increase of almost 20 points in vitality was very attractive even to Morning Stars.

"The Sage Appraisal is a public selection of Magi throughout the central continent. Am I not qualified?"
Leylin asked with a smile.

"Of course you are! Lord Leylin's presence is sure to make the appraisal more exciting than usual!"
Boffel answered without any hesitation.

The Sage Appraisal had long since gained a reputation for its independence of factions and status. It held
the unanimous approval of all of the central continent's Magi, which was how it had become a holy land
in the first place. It took in fresh blood all the time, and Boffel would be a fool to refuse Leylin.
"Hehe... In that case, please follow me to the temporary villa we've prepared for you. You can organise
the thesis that you wish to present as well as your experiments, and wait for the appraisal to begin!"

Boffel's invitation was enthusiastic. Though they were few in number, Morning Stars were known to
attend the Sage Appraisal, and Sky City had its own policy on dealing with this.

In general, as long as the Magi who came forward did not break laws and had no restrictions placed on
themselves, they could do as they wished and would need to be received warmly.

"Many thanks!" Leylin did not reject Boffel's invitation.

No matter where he went, he would be monitored anyway. He could just move into the place that had
been specified, and he would be treated well too.

......

"My Lord!" A maid wearing a pure white silk gown was respectfully holding a towel and other items,
waiting for Leylin's summon.

"This is a pretty good place!" Leylin had on a loose white robe and was half reclining on a chair made of
jade and stone. Within arm's reach were fine food and good liquor.

He was now inside a gigantic white villa. The whole place seemed to be made entirely out of white
marble, resulting in an aura of refined elegance. Three fountains were placed next to Leylin, spurting out
fragrant spring water.

Outside was a flowering garden with a lawn. The lands of the villa were very expansive, and in Sky City
where every inch of land was extremely valuable, this was practically unbelievable.
Of course, special privileges and preferential treatment were inevitable and only rightful when it came
to Morning Stars.

After bringing him to this area and instructing the staff inside to take care of him, Boffel left in a hurry,
probably to report to his superiors.

Hierarchy was etched deep into the minds of the people in the Magus World. Even if Leylin displayed his
incredible battle might and terrifying talent, the one receiving him was merely a Morning Star.

The real ruler of Sky City, his Majesty, the Monarch of the Skies, was still acting behind the scenes
alongside with the other Radiant Moon.

"You are a Lightwing?" Leylin couldn't help but ask after seeing the white feathers behind this maid's
back.

"Yes, my lord!" This maid was rather tall and slender. Her legs and body were perfectly proportionate,
resulting in a smooth curve.

The Lightwings were one of the winged races. They had an exceptional sensitivity to light elemental
energy particles, and usually had very good results when training in light-type high-grade meditation
techniques.

She seemed to be using a three level meditation technique.

Of course, if she were of Boffel's level of strength, Leylin would be unable to identify her bloodline and
specific meditation technique, as they were both at the Morning Star realm.

"What's your name?" Leylin took a towel from the other party and wiped his hands as he asked in
curiosity.
"Yuro, my lord!" The Lightwing maid spoke as if in a hurry. Leylin's presence just put too much pressure
on her, even if he intentionally withheld his energy undulations.

"Accompany me outside." Since he had come to the place called the cradle of truth, how could Leylin
miss a chance to go out? Besides, he had come as a guest. Boffel would be stupid to dare restrict his
freedom.

However, he was currently in someone else's territory. With Boffel being backed by the Monarch of the
Skies, Leylin had to give him some face and bring the maid along.

"Al- Alright!" Yuro lowered her head deeply. As a maid of this villa, she obviously knew her duties.

"Let's go!" Leylin stretched before taking the lead.

"Do you know where the Great Library is?" Leylin was most interested in this place. The information in
his A.I. Chip only came from the Ouroboros Clan and what he'd gathered himself during his travels.
Compared to the entirety of the central continent, that was like a drop in the ocean.

The Sky City, however, was different. Not only was it the territory of the Monarch of the Skies, it was
also the holy land of knowledge, the academic center of the entire central continent.

The knowledge they had accumulated was bound to be at a terrifying level. How much would the A.I.
Chip grow after he acquired all of it?

Knowledge was power among Magi. This was no longer just a maxim, and had instead become a
fundamental truth.

"The Great Library is beside the Sky Plaza. Would you like to go there, my Lord?" Yuro asked in a low
voice. As she raised her head, Leylin's near devilish handsomeness warmed her face.

"Of course! I've long since been interested in the largest library in the entire central continent!" There
was a hint of worship in Leylin's tone. There was a thirst and worship of knowledge specific only to those
who were keen to learn the truth.

"Understood, my Lord. Please come with me!" Yuro began to lead the way.

Her long, soft hair came loose, occasionally floating above the feathered wings on her back, as it it were
sitting on a gentle breeze.

Leylin rubbed his nose and followed with a laugh.

After heading out of the residential area, the shadows of conical buildings were seen as the buildings
covered the glaring sun in the sky. There were plants growing beside the spotless streets. The bustling
streams of people travelled back and forth, making Leylin feel like he had returned to his previous world.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 590 - Genius

Seeing some of these structures, Leylin suddenly understood a fact. 'Sky City occupies a small region of
land, but it has a burgeoning population. It's obvious that every bit of land here is expensive. The villa
that I was allotted to was probably in the wealthiest region. In this place, nobody below the Morning
Star realm can have such a luxury...'

There were streams of people on the streets, and practically all the different races in the central
continent could be seen here.The Magi here possessed scholarly auras and were dressed in luxurious
clothing, treating the others with respect.
'Through the influence of civilisation, the behaviours of the residents of the city have evolved...' Leylin
exhaled deeply. Only a place like Sky City which was under the protection of a Monarch could display
such a moving scene.

As Leylin had withdrawn his aura, he now seemed like the most ordinary of low-ranked Magi bringing his
maid out as he took a stroll. He did not attract any attention.

As he was walking, he saw many Lightwings like Yuro. Quite a few were dressed like servants, following
behind Magi. This made him observe Yuro herself, and he found her to be lacking.

Lights flashed in Leylin's mind. Yuro's talent was nothing in Sky City, and if she truly wanted to stay here
she would need to rely on the Magi. Her best option was to become a servant.

Of course, those who were already considered excellent amongst the Lightwings obtained a higher
status. However, no matter how much status they had, they could only remain as subordinates in front
of their owners. This was rather uncomfortable, and feeling sorrow for their own kind living this way was
understandable.

*Boom!* There was a sudden explosion in the streets, and the place immediately turned chaotic.

"Hm?" Leylin moved several steps backwards without leaving behind any marks, and Yuro grew nervous
as she looked around them.

'This intense energy wasn't targeting me, it seems to be a coincidence.' Leylin thought. He had stepped
backwards in order to avoid trouble and waved his hands to get the nervous Yuro to back down. He then
turned his attention to the scene.

A group of white-robed Magi with jewelled crowns on their foreheads and curved blades in hand were in
a fight with another group of Magi.
'These energy undulations... They are at rank 3, but they possess a frightening vitality. Not bad!' Leylin
easily saw through the veil that the Magi had cast upon themselves.

The white-robed Magi had astoundingly high vitality. This was especially true of their leader, his curved
blade launching terrifying glints of light as it forced the dark Magi opposite them to withdraw.

Leylin was rather interested in gaining information about tempering the body.

"Do conflicts like this happen often here?" Leylin shot a glance at Yuro.

Yuro shook her head, "No! I've been here for decades, and this is only the fourth time such a thing is
happening! The Sage Committee will react soon enough!"

"They're already there." Leylin looked towards the sky, a smile on his face.

*Rumble!* Platinum flames flickered, forming a clump of light from which a Magus in platinum robes
stepped forth. He looked extremely young, even childlike. However, the moment he arrived, a
frightening energy swept across the area.

*Thud!* The two groups of Magi who were in a tussle were immediately blown backwards. The leader
fell to his knees as his bones exploded under a suppressive force. Finally, he collapsed to the ground like
a giant toad.

Morning Star domain! This little imp was actually a Morning Star Magus! And what's more, Sky City's
first reaction to such an issue was to send a Morning Star to suppress it!

*Swish!* In the meanwhile, even more Magi dressed in Sky City's uniform had rushed to the scene.
None of them was below the Hydro Phase in terms of power, and all of them had a hardened, bloody
aura and indifferent expression.

With the suppression from a Morning Star as well as the arrival of a large group of elites, the two groups
were immediately restrained. Even their seas of consciousness were bound as they were escorted away.
Their heads hung low.

'Hehe! As expected of Sky City. Their strength is so great that they can send out such elite forces quite
casually.' Leylin envied them.

Yuro misunderstood his gaze. Seeing this lord watching the direction in which these Magi were taken,
she thought he might be wondering how they would be taken care of.

"They're done for. Since they dared create trouble in Sky City, people from both ends will be punished.
At the very least they'll be expelled, and they might even be forced into labour..." she explained to Leylin
in a low voice.

"Mm! Who are they?" Leylin was not really interested in the state they would end up in. What he was
more concerned about was the body-tempering spells that the Magi had used.

Though it was merely a quick glance, Leylin could tell that their body-tempering methods were
complete. If there was information for Morning Stars, then it would definitely be able to affect him to a
certain extent.

"I don't know, but based on their attire, they should be people from the Northern Desert!" Yuro
answered.

Suddenly, she felt a chill in her body and looked around, realising something had changed.

Under the domain of a Morning Star, be it the Magi or the residents, they were all lying on the ground,
too afraid to move. Actually, they couldn't move at all, and yet she was standing as if nothing had
happened. She and Leylin seemed extremely out of place in this scene.

'Is this my Lord's strength? After all, he's a Morning Star as well!'

The Magus floating in mid-air discovered this strange situation quickly. With a flash of platinum flames,
the childish Morning Star appeared in front of Leylin.

"I never expected to see a Lord here!" Upon seeing Leylin, the arrogance on his expression was
moderated.

When the young man turned and saw Yuro, recognition dawned in his eyes. "I remember you! You're a
maid in Boffel's villa!"

"Yes, Lord Weyers!" Yuro knelt respectfully, making introductions "This is an important guest of Lord
Boffel's— Lord Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan!"

"So it's you! The strongest Kemoyin Warlock, someone who killed Demon Hunter Cyril right after
advancing to Morning Star."

Leylin could do little about this. As there was no obvious method of classifying Morning Stars, their
reputation and achievements in battle had become their distinguishing characteristics.

And what he was currently famous for was killing Demon Hunter Cyril. As for the title of strongest
Kemoyin Warlock in history, he had no idea how that had come about. It left him speechless.

"Lord Weyers became a Morning Star even before reaching a hundred years of age. Even in the entire
history of the continent, he's among the top hundreds!"

"Before reaching a hundred?" Leylin nodded in understanding.

When someone advanced to become a Magus, they would permanently keep their original appearance.
This fellow must have become an official Magus extremely early, and the following advances had helped
him retain his looks. This was why he appeared this juvenile.

'It looks like he probably became an official Magus at eight to nine years old. What a demonic genius!'
Leylin's pupils shrank.

When he was eight to nine years old, he probably didn't even know what a Magus was.

'To reach that level, one needs an astonishing aptitude, but that is not enough. There also need to be
top-grade meditation techniques and expansive resources, as well as the mentorship of famous
teachers. It looks like this Weyers has a great backing.'

Even as he wondered about such things inside, Leylin feigned shock. "Lord Weyers is a rare genius in the
continent! Morning Stars like us can only blush with shame..."

Words of flattery were free of charge, and he specifically picked out the nicest words. As expected, a
look of pride rose on Weyers' face.

Face was something he had long since thrown into the drain. With this Magus' strength, talent and
backing, one could not show distaste on their face unless it was possible to kill him in one move and
eliminate his backers.

Leylin had nothing against him, and he began to assess his own strength. It was probably difficult to
destroy Sky City, which was why his words of flattery were boundless.

Even if they were merely pleasantries, it also depended on who was saying them.
Weyers had been treated as a genius since he was young, and he had probably heard many compliments
like this before. However, praises from Morning Star like Leylin evidently put him in a good mood.

"Of course not! If I, as I am now, were to be matched against Cyril, things might be slightly difficult. I
quite admire Lord Leylin..."

Geniuses were perhaps the loneliest of people. Weyers had never had someone at a similar age to his
who could speak to him as an equal. While Leylin was slightly older than he was, they were somewhat
around the same age. Apart from being a Warlock, Leylin had some reputation in Potioneering too.
Hence, Weyers felt like he had found a companion at the same age and began to converse with Leylin.

"...Haha, Once this matter is over, I'll definitely drop by for a visit, Leylin."

By the end of their conversation, Weyers had automatically dropped the formality of the Lord title,
calling Leylin by name. It showed that they had gotten closer.

Weyers and Leylin conversed for a long while as if nobody else was present. Whether it was the Magi on
the ground or the other guards, nobody dared disturb them, and they could only wait pitifully.

Of course, due to the power of the Morning Star domains, they could not hear the contents of the
conversation between the two. All they knew was that this Lord of theirs, who had always looked cold,
seemed to be in a good mood.

There were very few Magi who the Lord found to be pleasant company. The guard team was astonished
as they all snuck peeks at Leylin before departing with Weyers.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 591 - Great Library

"Let's go! Leylin watched Weyers as he left and brought Yuro with him. He had yet to arrive at his
intended destination, which was the Great Library. To him, whatever just happened was like a circus act
and nothing more.

When Leylin's figure had disappeared as well, the remaining Magi present immediately got up, their
faces full of grime.

Being affected by the battle out of nowhere and being suppressed by a Morning Star domain for a long
time had now left them in a pitiful state.

Afterwards, the officials who had arrived slowly began to tidy up the roads and calculated the losses.
Everything was methodical and thorough.

"Gill!" back in the office, Weyers' voice was low. The arrogance from before had completely vanished.

"Master!" A black shadow silently surfaced from the floor.

"Investigate this! Who's responsible for the incident at the Floating Feather Avenue? Who was it that did
this on my watch?" Weyers' voice was frigid as he spoke in a discerning manner.

"Understood!" The black figure answered and withdrew noiselessly.

Once Weyers was alone in the room, he frowned. He began to sift through the memories of the day's
events, and a cold smirk appeared on his lips. "Trying to use me as cannon fodder, eh? Good! Very
good!"

How many among those who had reached the Morning Star realm were fools? No matter how young he
looked, even if he seemed like a child, Weyers had lived for almost a hundred years. It was clear to him
what had happened.

Provoking a Morning Star Magus just for some false reputation? He would not do anything so stupid.
Even if his backing could take on the backlash, pointless actions should be avoided if possible.

"That Warlock Leylin from today was quite interesting. Like me, he's being bound by some pointless
reputation." Through the events that had occurred that day, Weyers had formed a favourable
impression of Leylin.

He was currently enraged at the person who had set up this situation. "Perhaps I've been keeping a low
profile for too long, and some people have begun to think I'm an easy target..." he muttered to himself
after a long period of silence. The temperature dropped as his voice sounded, and the place turned into
an icy wonderland...

Of course, Leylin was not aware of any of this. After Weyers had left, he had arrived at the Great Library
under Yuro's guidance.

"Truth is my calling!" "The pursuit of knowledge is the foundation of all strength."

Leylin was currently observing a large number of statues in a seemingly boundless palace. They were
proportionate, and so detailed one could differentiate the strands of hair on their bodies. It made them
seem lifelike.

The pedestals under these statues held information like their time periods, maxims, achievements and
the like.

Leylin turned his attention to the time period of the central statue after reading its maxim. "Illesme.
Year 1327–?"

"Just a birth date, and no death date. Could he have lived for over five thousand years?' Leylin stared at
this statue in astonishment. He saw a kindly old man there, a spotless white beard floating in front of his
chest. A pair of wise eyes hid behind circular rimmed glasses.

"This is the Great Sage, Lord Illesme. He was the first generation ruler of Sky City and is a Breaking Dawn
Magus. While his whereabouts are currently unknown, many still believe that he is alive, and is perhaps
risking his life exploring foreign worlds..." Yuro was full of admiration as she made the introduction.

"Mm!" Leylin had seen some information regarding this Great Sage, but those were all mixed in with
legends and rumours. None had been as specific as the base of the statue.

He circled the forest of statues with interest, finding that only Morning Star Magi and above were
allowed here. They were scholars who had made significant contributions to Sky City or the Magus
World.

There was a small number of Magi who were like Illesme, with only a birth but no death date.

This meant there was a good possibility of them still being alive, perhaps stuck in foreign worlds or
ancient spell formations. However, if they were to appear as a group, the strength they possessed was
enough for the entire central continent to tremble.

"Without the contributions of the past sages, there would not be the Magi of today!"

Leylin looked solemn as he bowed to the many statues, "I, Leylin Farlier, shall complete all your
unfinished work, and resolve all regrets!"

Of course, he could only say this inside his mind. If Yuro heard it, things would be slightly troublesome.

Though the continent was full of ambitious Magi, there were few as egotistical as Leylin.
After they paid their respects, Yuro brought Leylin to the entrance of what seemed like a greek temple.
"My Lord, here is the entrance to the Great Library. The collection here in the Sky City is open to all Magi
with no restrictions."

What surprised Leylin was that the entrance to the library had no doors, nor were there any guards.
Everyone could move about freely.

A comfortable warm glow from eternal light spells filled the area.

Magi would pass by Leylin every once in a while, but while there were quite a few of them, they were
generally very quiet.

Yuro spoke in a low voice by Leylin's ear. "The Great Library is set up above a gigantic spell formation
and is being managed by a sentient spirit genie. It's in charge of all management, and while there aren't
any guards stationed here, there has never been an incident thus far!"

"There's never been an incident here?" Leylin nodded. This meant that on top of the basic effects of
repelling dust, moisture and flames, the gigantic spell formation also possessed an exceedingly more
powerful defensive ability.

"Yes! Rumour has it that the defensive spell formation of the Great Library can even confine a Morning
Star..." She was apprehensive while she spoke, peeking at Leylin while afraid he would grow angry.
However, Leylin remained calm, and Yuro could not tell if he was happy or annoyed.

"Not bad! My expectation on the information here has risen further now!"

With the spirit genie managing the area, every single corner of the library was probably being
monitored. With the ability to suppress even Morning Stars and the Magi of Sky City being ready to
provide support very quickly if anything were to happen, there seemed to be an impenetrable defence.
There was obviously a vast amount of information.
There was a large bright hall past the entrance that could hold over a thousand people without
becoming crowded. At the middle were hundreds of tables, and what looked like terminals.

"The Great Library is separated into seven levels. The first three are open to all Magi, and you can
browse through once you pay a certain number of magic crystals. The information and documents at the
fourth level and above are kept very confidential, and one can only browse through them using
information points."

Leylin stood aside, watching a Magus operating the system. After inserting pure magic crystals into the
terminal and using spiritual force to interface with it, he took out a blank crystal ball at the opening of
another device. Large amounts of information was transmitted, instantly filling the crystal ball up with
information.

"Transmission of data, as well as a backup!" Leylin shouted in surprise. Thankfully, the terminal could
not directly send information to the Magus' memory, or Leylin would be worried that something like the
A.I. Chip existed in this world.

"Yes! As long as it's information that the spirit genie has a backup of, it can be duplicated using the
terminal. Of course, there is a required fee."

Some information was stored in certain special materials, and it could only be presented in that specific
format. For example, there were some books that the spirit genie was unable to make a duplicate of,
and required that one read using the physical copy.

Leylin now had so many magic crystals that he cared little for them. He asked Yuro, "How do I obtain
information points?"

"There are two methods. One is to complete missions by the Sage Committee. The second is to furnish
the spirit genie's inner library with information it still does not possess. One will be awarded information
points based on the value of the added information."
Yuro laughed wryly, "But I don't recommend the second method. This could have been possible in the
early days, but with the addition by generations of Magi, there's very little information that the Great
Library has yet to obtain..."

After hearing how the library operated, Leylin was quiet for a long while and took a deep breath. "How
bold!" he exclaimed. Even the first three levels being made public showed how bold they were.

The system of information points conversion also allowed the library to become more abundant in
information, and by this point, it had accumulated a vast trove of knowledge.

Such a huge amassment of information had allowed Sky City to withstand the test of time. Considering it
one of the strongest organisations in the central continent was not even a stretch.

Yuro brought Leylin to a terminal. After paying the magic crystals, she passed a white crystal card to
Leylin. "This is a blank crystal card. Every newcomer here will obtain one!

"You may choose to seal it with your spiritual force, or you can leave it open. However, you will then
need to keep your crystal card properly, or else anyone can choose to use it!"

With a sweep of Leylin's soul force, the library card began to emit a black luster. He placed the card in a
small depression, and the terminal's screen instantly brightened.

A few lines in a familiar script appeared on it and gave him a few choices.

Leylin did not try to skim through the table of contents, but instead chose to obtain information points
through providing data.

Though Yuro mentioned that the database was already quite complete, Leylin was confident. His A.I.
Chip had a lot of information regarding the Lava World! The Great Library couldn't have information
from foreign worlds, could it?
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 592 - Shocking Accumulation

[Beep! Spiritual force data connection detected, proceed with transmission?] The A.I. Chip intoned.

Although Leylin had placed a crystal ball on the transmission port of the terminal, he was actually
mobilizing his A.I. Chip for it instead.

"Try this first!" Leylin selected a piece of information regarding the one-horned clan of the Lava World
and uploaded it.

"Serial number ZXC678 has chosen to contribute information. Processing..." A progress bar suddenly
appeared on the terminal screen.

As the progress bar reached completion, it was replaced with new content.

"Helix Tree composite image: 89% complete! Initial inventory: 40% complete! Effectiveness: 51%!
Initializing fusion of data... Helix Tree composite image: 91% complete! Your contribution has been
evaluated and you will be awarded 26 information points!"

*Whoosh!* A golden light flashed, and the number 26 appeared in a new row on Leylin's library card.

He drew a sharp breath. 'It even contains knowledge from such a remote place as the Lava World, even
if it's flawed...'
After a moment of thought, though, he came to a realisation, "The ancient Magus World was in control
of a great number of other worlds. Sky City obtained a portion of the ancient world's database, so it's no
strange matter that it contains some pieces of flawed content!"

After that one attempt, Leylin had to restrain his excitement. "I'll be living here from now, so don't
disturb me unnecessarily," he instructed Yuro. Soon after, he left the dumbfounded maid alone and
buried his head into the sea of knowledge.

......

The huge library in Sky City could be said to have everything. Its information was not limited to that
about the central continent; there was data about other worlds as well.

Further in from the data terminals and the hall was the gigantic library that resembled a palace. Some
sort of technique had been employed to expand the space within. At a glimpse, one would see
bookshelves as massive as mountains, all so densely packed and numerous that there seemed to be no
end.

Leylin was now standing at the foot of a bookshelf that was tens of metres tall. The giant wooden ladder
brought him in front of a row of little black catalogues as per his wish.

"Mm! Raphael's Poetic Saga!" Leylin nodded, his eyes glistening.

"The many ancient myths and legends actually contain a large amount of intelligence, it's just that those
who recorded these accounts have beautified and romanticised them. Thus, we have to separate the
wheat from the chaff in order to obtain the most accurate information. Raphael was a famous poet in
ancient times, yet he also had a hidden identity as a Magus. Therefore, all the accounts that he recorded
have high research value..." Leylin muttered to himself as his eyes glistened. He fingered through the
numerous volume numbers of a series of books and stopped when he reached volume 239.

When he tried to pull out the book, the robotic voice of the spirit genie rang in his mind, "Beep! You are
requesting to read Raphael's Poetic Saga, Volume 239. Fee is 2 information points. Do you wish to
proceed?"

"Yes!" With a motion of Leylin's soul force, 2 information points were automatically deducted from his
library card. The energy that had been protecting Raphael's Poetic Saga also disappeared suddenly,
allowing Leylin to remove the book easily from the shelf.

He clicked his tongue. "Although I know that library books of grade 3 and above are very expensive,
even these mere historical records have such exorbitant costs..."

Leylin shook his head. The wooden ladder, as though a living creature, automatically transported him
onto the ground.

Leylin was now in the fifth storey of the library, which was much quieter than the previous levels he had
been to. There was practically no one there, and beside the tens of bookshelves, there would always be
a small area where Magi could peruse the books.

Leylin found a random chair and sat down as he began to flip open the jet black cover of Raphael's
Poetic Saga.

"I have come.... I can see..."

The pages of the book were a dazzling flame-like red. The words, especially, were like fire sprites,
jumping around the pages.

'A.I. Chip, record this!' Leylin commanded inwardly.

[Assignment established, beginning scan! Beep! Raphael's Poetic Saga, Volume 239 discovered.
Supplementing Raphael's Poetic Saga in the history folder!] The robotic voice of the A.I. Chip sounded.
Seconds later, the entirety of Raphael's Poetic Saga had been recorded.
"I've been searching high and low for this portion of Raphael's Poetic Saga, and was lacking just these
few volumes. Who would have thought that this huge library would actually contain the full set! Now
that it has been supplemented..."

An expression of satisfaction surfaced across Leylin's face. As a bonus, he had discovered the
shortcomings of the spirit genie and the data terminal.

Through data transmission, the spirit genie could only fully engrave low grade data records into crystals.
However, Magi would still have to obtain the knowledge within them through studying them, unlike the
A.I. Chip which was able to directly transmit information to one's memory.

Comparing the time consumed by the two methods, the disparity was rather frightening. This further
proved that the A.I. Chip's operational and analytical abilities were far better than that of the spirit
genie.

Moreover, content that was at grade 3 and above were mostly engraved using the Magus' own energy.
The materials the books were made of were also very special. The spirit genie was unable to duplicate
such information, and thus Magi had to come down personally to study the content from the physical
book itself.

"Even so, this huge library is still rather overwhelming!" As compared to his previous database, the
amount of information in the entire library was seemingly like a vast ocean—boundless. It was
incomparably enriching. Leylin felt like a person who was nearly dying from thirst being thrown into a
freshwater lake all of a sudden. He absorbed all the content as though his life depended on it, and never
stepped a foot out of the place.

The same went for the A.I. Chip. As its database grew with even more detailed and complex subjects, its
technical ability was supplemented unceasingly.

The copious amount of information in here formed a foundation for all disciplines of magic scholarship.
Leylin had a premonition that the numerous resources he had amassed this time would result in a
relatively drastic upgrade for the A.I. Chip. After this upgrade, he would definitely reap harvests that he
would not have even dreamed of before!

[Beep! Supplementation of foundational information complete. Refreshing and restarting system,

estimated time: 2 hours, 34 minutes and 13 seconds!] The A.I. Chip prompted, startling Leylin.

"It actually grew to such an extent? What surprises will be the renewed database bring me?" This was a
happy occasion, and Leylin's face almost lit up with delight.

"Indeed, I made the right choice to come to Sky City. Even if not for the Endowing Scepter, I just had to
make this trip."

Although there was loads of information in the huge library, Leylin felt that content that was grade 3
and below were the most important. This was because he possessed a near unlimited amount of magic
crystals, and coupled with the data terminal the convenience of information transmission was
unparalleled. In just a short span of time, the foundational information that could be duplicated by the
spirit genie had all been backed up into the A.I. Chip.

As for more advanced content that was above grade 3, Leylin had tossed out all his information to the
spirit genie—as long as it was eligible for conversion and would not attract any trouble, of course. This
allowed him to exchange his data for a monumental amount of information points. He then specifically
searched for topics that Warlocks and the A.I. Chip lacked information on before commanding the A.I.
Chip to scan and record it.

With the A.I. Chip, a large amount of academic content could be derived from just the foundational
information alone. No matter how high the grade, the content could still be deduced.

After all, now that he already had a great foundation, all that was left was to perform derivations that
would consume copious amounts of operational energy.

Leylin used his information points to directly access the content that the A.I. Chip did not have the
ability to derive, thus completing his database.
In this manner, within the short span of a month or so, he had already recorded roughly all of the
content in the huge library.

One must know that even Radiant Moons, Breaking Dawns and other Magi or scholars who grew up in
Sky City wouldn't be able to remember so much. The excessive accumulated information would have
conflicting information, causing the Magus to forget some things. They would have to constantly refresh
their memory.

With their standards, being able to remember all the grade 1 and 2 information would mean that one
was an absolute genius. Leylin, however, had exceeded them by leaps and bounds. He'd accumulated a
lifetime of information!

If others knew about his terrifying rate of progress, Leylin would definitely attract a lot of trouble. Thus,
he could only be secretly satisfied with himself, not revealing anything.

"When the A.I. Chip is done refreshing, I'm afraid that I will be worthy of being called the most learned
person throughout the entire central continent, and will be knowledgeable about even the research
done in other worlds..."

Leylin had now thoroughly understood the meaning of the phrase "knowledge is power!"

While his further studies did not increase his strength by a single bit, the underlying effect on his
foundation was truly terrifying.

"This is just right! The information points are mostly spent, so I might as well use up all of the remaining
ones as well!

Leylin fished out his library card, the thin lines of golden numbers immensely glaring. They couldn't be
compared to the single long line of numbers on his card previously. The astronomical number of
information points had only lasted him a month or so.
*Crash!* Opposite Leylin's desk, a female Magus raised her head and peered over her book curiously,
gazing at Leylin's back. A pair of spectacles with thick lenses was perched on the bridge of her nose, and
her hair was tied in two braids.

She had been paying attention to this strange Magus in front of her for a long time now.

He didn't seem to lack information points, which could be seen from how he often referred to thick
stacks of resources. Even if she worked all day and night for a month without rest, she wouldn't be able
to earn the amount of information points required for such information.

After selecting his resources, he didn't read the information carefully, but instead flipped through it
briefly before casually casting it aside. This made her heart ache.

Library resources that were grade 3 and above were only for private browsing in the reading room. They
couldn't be brought out of the library or exchanged with others. Under the supervision of the spirit
genie, there were no loopholes.

Thus, this female Magus could only drool with envy at the mountains of resources Leylin had acquired
with his information points, and couldn't do a single thing about it.

Without the scanning abilities of the A.I. Chip, Leylin could only depend on reading the resources himself
to obtain knowledge. Thus, he chose a book on how to optimise one's vitality, and laid back in his chair
as he slowly started to read.

The eternal light spell was adjusted by the spirit genie, gently tuning the light rays for a better reading
experience. Time ticked by along with the rustling sound of the pages turning.

'This odd Magus is finally acting normal!' The female Magus secretly nodded, then continued to immerse
herself in her books. Time was precious, and she could not afford to waste any of it.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 593 - Soul Profiling

[Beep! Database has been refreshed. Update completed.] After Leylin had flipped through about half of
the book in his hands, the A.I. Chip which had gone silent for a while suddenly sounded out.

"Good! Let's see if there are any differences in the upgraded A.I. Chip!" His attention immediately
wandered from the book, and he focused on his A.I. Chip.

[Beep! Database on soul force is complete. Beginning collection of host's data, recalculating.] The first
prompt that the A.I. Chip gave had Leylin elated.

"So soul force has finally been enumerated..." He had been at a loss due to the A.I. Chip's inability to
enumerate soul force for a very long time. All this while, he had collected a lot of information on the
soul, and performed many experiments and thought of numerous conjectures. However, all that had not
been able to complete the database on the soul.

Now, the A.I. Chip had completely deduced this information.

"Show me my current stats!" Leylin immediately commanded.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form). Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 74.9, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956 (magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force). Soul force: 96 (Five Star)]

The A.I. Chip intoned.

"96 soul force? What does 'five star' mean?" Leylin asked.
Soon after, a passage of information was shown by the A.I. Chip, [The star rating is a method that the
Sky City has come up with to evaluate Morning Stars, based on organisms in the astral plane. Newly-
advanced Morning Stars are at one star, while the peak is at five stars...]

"I see. What beings are used as the standard?" Leylin wasn't that interested in this star system. Instead,
he was rather tempted to perform research on the organisms that had been set to be the standards for
Morning Star Magi.

[The organisms that have been set as the standard are the beings of the astral plane— the Heavenly
Astral Race! At birth, they possess strength at the Morning Star realm, and it's unknown how powerful
they can become. The race was wiped out during ancient times. The Magi of Sky City obtained some of
the data from ancient times, which is how it became the standard when it came to evaluating strength!]

"Heavenly Astral Race? Beings from the astral plane? Morning Stars at birth?!"

This piece of information had Leylin completely stunned. Never did he expect there to be dwellers in a
place like the astral plane, and they were even so powerful that they had Morning Star strength right
from birth.

If compared to the Heavenly Astral Race, Giant Kemoyin Serpents could only cry. Their end point was
this race's beginning! There was no way to begin to compare them since they weren't even on the same
level.

"Even such gifted creatures went extinct. Looks like the events during the ancient times were
unfathomable..." Leylin sighed deeply.

[Acquired information on a standard individual of the Heavenly Astral Race. Change standards?]

Leylin's current system of measurement used the standards from his previous world, which was why the
numbers in each attribute seemed to be so phenomenally high, especially since they were calculated
with regular humans in mind. If he used the standard criteria of the Heavenly Astral Race, his stats
would immediately drop sharply.
Compared to before, with the standard strength of a regular person at 1, this was now compared with
the terrifying strength of a Heavenly Astral Race at 1. There would obviously be a marked difference in
quantity.

'Changing the measurement units? Let's try!' Leylin touched his chin. "Display it!"

[Beep!] A blue light flashed, and the numbers immediately changed before Leylin.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form). Strength: 1.5, Agility:
1.2, Vitality: 2.7, Spiritual force: 4.3 Soul force: 4.3 (Five Star)]

Seeing the numbers that had decreased drastically, Leylin was rendered speechless.

'In other words, my strength and agility are only slightly higher than a Heavenly Astral Race at Morning
Star. My vitality is twice that of theirs, while my spiritual and soul force are more than four times
greater. All in all, I can take on two or three of them at once?'

This comparison had stunned Leylin. He was now considered to be at the apex amongst Morning Stars in
the central continent. He could even rival a Radiant Moon, and yet he was only slightly stronger than a
child of the Heavenly Astral Race?

This was quite a blow to his ego.

"Forget it! Show the numbers according to the units from before. At the very least, the smaller the base
numbers, the higher the precision!" Leylin stroked his chin, 'When the numbers in all aspects increase by
a large amount, I'll then begin using the units of the Heavenly Astral Race. That's better!'

With a flicker from the A.I. Chip, all his data reverted to the original.

[Display host's soul diagram?]

At this moment, the A.I. Chip showed another prompt.

"Of course!" Leylin did not hesitate at all. After the soul force database was completed, his grasp on soul
force was even greater, and he could do things that would have been very difficult before.

One of these included the structural diagram of his soul.

*Bzz!* A diagram that had been magnified countless times was projected in front of Leylin's eyes.

His soul, which was also the truesoul of a Morning Star, was protected within the point mass. The point
mass' terrifying density and strength was the last defensive layer protecting a Morning Star's truesoul.

There were few Magi who could clearly observe their own truesouls within their point mass, and make
appropriate changes to train the soul. In fact, there were practically none.

With the help of the A.I. Chip, he could finally pass through this barrier.

In the diagram, Leylin's truesoul was like a tiny star, emanating bright rays of light, with a tinge of
crimson within. It was as if a crimson Giant Kemoyin Serpent was cruising inside the thing.

[Beep! Host's soul composition is loose and not dense enough. Suggestion...] Through the diagram and
the A.I. Chip's analysis, Leylin's issues when training the soul were made apparent, and the A.I. Chip gave
concrete suggestions.

If other Morning Star Magi were to know of this, they'd want to commit suicide out of envy.

When had the mysteries of the soul ever been displayed before Magi?
'It was probably because of the hasty infusion of Fireplume.' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Luckily, I can still
salvage the situation through the improved meditation technique.'

Every three ranks in training as a Magus was a major hurdle. The first to third focused on training
spiritual force, and the fourth to sixth on the soul. If problems with the soul were not resolved now,
there would be huge issues during his future advancements.

However, this was not the end of the surprises that the A.I. Chip had to offer.

[Beep! To generate a conjecture of Radiant Moon soul and compare it to a diagram?] The A.I. Chip asked
robotically,

"Yes!" Leylin obviously chose that option.

Afterwards, beside his soul diagram, a few other similar ones appeared, marking out the initial, middle,
and late stages of Radiant Moon.

In the diagram, the difference between Morning Stars and Radiant Moons was made obvious. The soul
of a Morning Star was similar to a star, dazzling and condensed, but a Radiant Moon who had just
advanced had a soul that was tens of times larger than that of a Morning Star, forming a large and full
sphere.

In other words, it resembled the moon.

As for the Radiant Moon stages, those who had just advanced had souls which only emanated bright
rays from a small portion of its full area. The rest of the moon was dim, forming a crescent. It was like a
new moon being blocked by the sun.

Magi at the middle stage of Radiant Moon had half their soul emanating clear rays, like a half moon.
Peak Radiant Moon Magi had light that was dazzling and transparent, like a full moon.
"Name these stages New Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon!" Leylin did not hesitate to label these
Radiant Moon stages.

Of course, his soul was now merely a star and was a large distance away from reaching Radiant Moon.

'There were mistakes in my previous conjectures. Zegna was probably merely a New Moon, while
Scarlet Eye was at most a Half Moon. He had yet to achieve the peak, Full Moon!'

Leylin's eyes suddenly flashed with understanding. He had not obtained the twelfth and thirteenth levels
of Fireplume, so it was plausible that the fourteenth level could still be at the Radiant Moon realm, and
was representative of the soul reaching Full Moon.

'In that case, the road from rank 4 to rank 5 has completely unravelled in front of me!' Leylin looked
ecstatic. The third and fourth ranks had a very large disparity between them, with spiritual force
upgrading to soul force. There was another huge gap between rank six and seven, with soul force
upgrading to the manifestation and wielding of Laws. Hence, all these gaps were immense and usually
caused tremendous changes.

Advancing from rank 3 to 6, one's training was mostly on the soul, because it was the level of one's soul
that signified one's strength.

"First is Morning Star, where the soul becomes a tiny star, with power from one star up to five. Next are
the New Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon phases at the Radiant Moon realm!"

The path through Morning Star and Radiant Moon were completely presented before Leylin.

'That's basically it. Of course, there might be some odd geniuses at the apex who break through these
boundaries, but in general, that's how this is divided.

'This upgrade was definitely worth it! Even just the completion of the soul force database alone would
have been enough, not to mention the rest.'

An expression of elation rose on Leylin's face as he could not hold himself back and burst into laughter.

"My Lord!" At this moment, Yuro's voice travelled over. It was very low, and she was obviously afraid of
disturbing the other scholars.

"Mm?" Leylin turned back and saw Boffel behind her.

"Haha! So Your Grace has been staying in the library all this while. Such a thirst for knowledge is
definitely admirable, but the Sage Appraisal is about to begin. Besides, the Monarch of Skies would like
to meet Your Grace..."

Boffel had on an amiable smile, while the female Magus beside him looked rather flabbergasted.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 594 - Stuart

'Boffel? Could it be the 'Divine Luminescent Wing'? And calling him 'Your Grace'? Isn't that a title used in
ancient times for Morning Stars? And the Monarch of the Skies? Oh, goodness. Could this Magus be a
Morning Star as well?'

The female Magus who had a pair of thick glasses on peeked at Leylin, feeling like he was as
unfathomable as the mountains and the seas. She could not help but lower her head, feeling ashamed
at her previous conjectures.

Boffel did not spare her a glance. Since violence could not be employed in the library, the usage of
Morning Star domains was restricted. She could hear some of what they were saying, but since this was
an honest conversation there was nothing to be hidden anyway.

"Oh, my apologies. The information here is just so abundant that I forgot about the time!" Leylin stood
up, looking apologetic.

"Anyone who disturbs a Magus immersed in the ocean of knowledge should have their souls scorched in
the flames of the ninth hell. Why would I mind?" Boffel had a very witty way of speech, and Leylin
immediately formed a better impression of him.

Boffel was not at all surprised about Leylin staying in the library all day. Many scholarly Magi would treat
the Great Library as their home upon reaching Sky City for the first time. There were people who stayed
within from a few months to even decades, and if not for having too little information points, they
would even stay there for their whole lives! Compared to these people, Leylin had only been there for a
month, which was very normal. Boffel felt that he seemed to have too many information points, but
then again, considering he had just returned from a foreign world, he must have gained large amounts
of knowledge from it, so this was understandable.

"Alright. I shall head there now."

Leylin placed the book back in its original position. He had reaped a great harvest this time, and the
Great Library currently did not have anything especially useful to him. Besides, the Monarch of the Skies
had summoned him, and it was best that he tidy himself up. This was a necessary part of etiquette.

"And you, earnest young lady!" Leylin shot a glance at the female Magus who only wished she could
hide behind her book.

"Your Grace, Boffel, and this... your Grace. Please forgive me for my offensive behaviour!" Cold sweat
was already dripping from the female Magus' forehead.

Though Sky City was a peaceful area that paid attention to the law, Morning Stars always had privileges.
The moment Leylin or Boffel found her an eye sore, she would wind up in a pitiful state even if they
didn't act themselves.

"Haha... don't be afraid! I want to thank you for accompanying me while I studied for this past month.
Treat this as a gift!"

Leylin laughed, and the library card in his hands flew out. Scanning the female Magus' library card, he
transferred his remaining information points to her.

The Great Library now held little meaning for Leylin, which was why there was no point in having these
information points with him.

"This..." Though Leylin felt that the number of information points left was pitifully low, to the point that
it had almost hit zero, this was still a gigantic amount for the female Magus! She immediately cried out
in surprise.

By the time she had recovered from her shock and wanted to thank Leylin, she found that they had long
since left.

"Your Grace's act of providing financial aid to other Magi is truly admirable!" Boffel could not
understand Leylin's actions, since the information on him showed that Leylin was not someone so
charitable.

"Hehe... I'm just in a good mood!" Leylin chuckled.

This explanation rendered Boffel completely at ease. Warlocks were truly a group of Magi who were
very emotional. In such good moods from the benefits from the library, they could indeed reward any
low-ranking Magi as they wished. This unusual situation lost all strangeness when Warlocks were
involved.
Boffel did not pay much attention to Leylin's momentary act of kindness, and instead brought to
attention some things to take note of when meeting the Monarch of the Skies.

"I don't get it..." Leylin immediately asked Boffel, "I'm merely a Morning Star. Why would the Monarch
of the Skies want to see me?"

The other party was a Breaking Dawn Magus with influence all over the central continent. He had
complete control of the airship networks, and possessed a foreign world of his own that had been
completely taken over. The Morning Stars and Radiant Moons under him were innumerable.

This sort of person should, by right, be far superior to him. Why was there the sudden desire to meet
Leylin?

Leylin had once had the idea of making a trade with the coordinates of the Lava World, but he'd never
once expressed these thoughts.

'Something's suspicious...' Leylin stroked his chin and immediately, Jupiter's Lightning came to mind. It
could not be helped. He had few enemies in the central continent, and Zegna was the only one of them
could influence the organisation behind Sky City.

'I was just worried you wouldn't come!' A smirk appeared about Leylin's lips.

The heart of Sky City was a large-scale floating garden, forming the 'floating' landscape that gave the
title of the floating city.

This garden— the Drifting Garden— was the heart of Sky CIty's power. It was also the temporary
imperial residence of His Majesty, the Monarch of the Skies.

"This is Boffel. Step aside." Boffel flew all the way to the Drifting Garden with Leylin in tow. The Warlock
had tidied up and was now dressed in formal attire.
The deeper into Sky City one went, the more the instances of probing and detection, to the point that
Leylin's expression changed slightly. If not for Boffel guiding him, it would have been inconvenient for
him to sneak into the Drifting Garden without being detected.

Looking down from the edges of the Drifting Garden, one could see all the sights of Sky City. It left one's
heart free and unfettered.

Further in was a cobbled lane. On both sides of the path were Devil Fungi Taro, Heavenly Intoxicating
Nectar, and large amounts of other precious plants that Leylin did not even know the names of. They
were numerous, and all in full bloom. If not for the A.I. Chip detecting powerful shackling runes there,
Leylin would have had plans of taking a bunch.

"After walking through this area, we will arrive at His Majesty's residing quarters. I can only accompany
you up to this point." Boffel laughed as he spoke, "His Majesty is a very amiable person, and he'll
definitely..."

"Boffel, you seem to have brought someone new here. That's against the rules!" Another voice sounded,
and Leylin especially went stiff, feeling like he was being stared at by a poisonous snake.

"You!" He raised his head, seeing what looked to be a kindly old Magus approaching them.

"Lord Stuart! This is Duke Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan, here to meet His Majesty." Boffel bowed.
At the same time, he introduced the person to Leylin in a quiet voice, "This is Lord Stuart, a Radiant
Moon Magus. Since His Majesty is often absent, he is usually in charge of managing Sky City..."

"So it's Lord Stuart!" Leylin bowed, neither too enthusiastic nor too cold. His sensitive soul immediately
found a trace of ill intent directed at him. In that case, he wouldn't bother being too cordial.

"Hm?!" Such an attitude rapidly increased the distaste that Stuart already had. He did not hold back and
began to criticise Leylin. "As expected, it's a little chap with no manners. Is it really alright for this kind of
person to meet with His Majesty?"

"Lord Stuart, Leylin is a treasured guest of our Sky City." Boffel coughed and answered with a warning.
Stuart's attitude was obviously biased, and he could not watch further.

"Your Highness, Stuart, you are in no position to judge whether I have any manners!" Leylin retorted
without restraint.

This immediately left Boffel dumbfounded. This was a Radiant Moon, a great rank 5 Magus! In Sky City,
he had tens of thousands of subordinates under him, and yet, Leylin was not giving him any face?

In actuality, if the other party was merely a little arrogant, Leylin did not mind humbling himself and
treating him the way he did Weyers. However, Stuart was obviously here to create trouble, finding
Leylin an eyesore before even meeting him. No matter how much Leylin tried to endure this, he would
only be humiliated, and all for nothing. There was therefore no reason to be courteous.

"Good! I'll teach you some manners right now!" Hearing Leylin's tone, Stuart was evidently exasperated.
Never did he expect a Morning Star like Leylin to speak to him in such a manner!

*Rumble!* Formless soul force was like a raging sea as it gushed towards Leylin.

He had intentionally controlled the might of the spell, such that it affected only this small area. With
Stuart's control, he was confident that he could keep the battlefield within the area and not alarm
anyone else.

Boffel could only laugh wryly. While he did agree that Stuart had gone too far, he only stood aside.

"Hmph! Is a rank 5 so fantastic?" Leylin sneered, his soul force that had reached five stars surging forth.
The gigantic phantom of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent with scarlet lines on it appeared behind him, hissing
at Stuart.

"Hss!" The ferocious soul tide formed a gigantic black snake, colliding fiercely with Stuart's soul force.

"Hm?!" Stuart's eyes widened, not expecting to have difficulties in dealing with Leylin. 'Five star soul
force? Didn't the intel say four stars?'

Crackling sounds rang out as the two bouts of soul force cancelled each other after the collision. The
forces that went astray caused an explosion.

*Pak! Pak! Pak!* The sounds of countless runic chains breaking could be heard. The concealing spell
formations that Stuart had previously set up were completely broken through!

"Urgh!" Leylin staggered backwards, face completely red.

Stuart, on the other hand, stood completely still as he stared at Leylin expressionlessly, not intending to
pursue this fight.

The strength of this Morning Star before him had exceeded his expectations, and he was a five star
Warlock! It would take a large amount of time and energy to take him down.

What was even worse was that this would not be hidden from His Majesty, and Stuart's expression
turned dark.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 595 - An Audience

"Hmph! Count yourself lucky!" Stuart glared at Leylin with resentment and dissipated into wisps of soot.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Leylin neatened the creases in his shirt with an indecipherable
straight face.

"Y–You...

"You managed to withstand an attack from Lord Stuart? But he's a Radiant Moon Magus! Hold up, what
did he say just now? Five Stars? You've reached Five Stars?" Boffel stammered and pointed a trembling
finger at Leylin. Uncertainty brewed inside of him.

Leylin reaching five stars carried a great amount of significance. There were less than thirty Five Star
Morning Stars in the entire central continent, and Leylin was one of them. He was someone at the peak!

Furthermore, being able to withstand a strike from a Radiant Moon? The more Boffel looked at Leylin,
the more he thought that this fellow was a monstrous genius like Weyers.

'You've found a rival, little Weyers.' Boffel laughed bitterly in his mind before he walked forth. As he
looked at Leylin, he felt helpless and lost.

"Let's move quickly, we shouldn't have His Majesty wait," Leylin said considerately.

He already realised the intention behind Stuart's behaviour. The man was obviously trying to catch him
unprepared. The ideal situation was to be able to capture him directly, but if that failed he could always
sow the seeds of mistrust between Leylin and the Monarch of the Skies. If those seeds were to sprout,
Leylin would be done for.

Of course, Leylin was still patient about it all. Even though Stuart was already a dead man in his eyes,
none of his thoughts surfaced on his expression.

"Oh! Indeed, we can't let His Majesty wait!" Boffel seemed to have woken up from his daze.

After passing through the garden, they came upon a chain of fragile and complicated buildings that
seamlessly formed a sort of circuit.

Green vines coiled snugly around the spotless marble pillars decoratively, but a thorough scan by the A.I.
Chip showed that there were actually a huge number of spell circuits here.

"Circuit structure?" Leylin was slightly taken aback. "Could it be that of a perpetual motion disk?" He
remembered coming across such a thing in the library.

"Right! This is it, rumoured to be able to move indefinitely without an energy source!

"The sages of the Sky City will join hands with the addition of you, my Lord, to perfect this hypothesis
and create an energy source for the whole Drifting Garden." Boffel continued.

"Sadly, this system is still quite a distance away from actual perpetual motion. As it is right now, it
consumes 9826 magic crystals a month, and it's also impossible to expand the system to use it for the
entire city."

"Still, it's impressive enough that it can support the whole of the Drifting Garden for an entire month
with just that amount of energy!" Admiration was painted all over Leylin's face.

As for it being used for the entire city? If such a thing had succeeded, the entire continent would be
filled with floating cities, and Sky City would definitely not be the only one.

Leylin held back his admiration and sauntered into the palace alone, leaving Boffel behind. He had
actually wanted to bring Boffel along, but the person himself refused outrightly. This left him at a loss
for words, but he was also astonished at the imposing presence of the Monarch of the Skies.

In front of him was a jade-built snow-white door, at least ten metres tall. It exuded a sense of divinity
and dignity, and instantly led Leylin who was standing in front of it to think that he had arrived in a land
of giants.

'No traces of spells or restrictive measures?' Leylin's eyes flashed blue as he scanned past the
gargantuan door and the enormous statue in front.

'Can I not detect something set up by a Breaking Dawn yet? Or are such things no longer of any
significance to the Monarch of the Skies?' Leylin believed in it being the latter assumption, but he
secretly hoped for it to be the former.

"But..." He stroked the white gloves in his hands, seemingly gaining strength from that action. He then
took a deep breath before arriving in front of the door.

The door rumbled open upon sensing Leylin's arrival and revealed the spacious site within, closing once
more with a thud as he stepped in.

"This is...?" Despite being stunned for a bit, Leylin observed his surroundings, realising he was in a big
hall. The two side walls were littered with countless paintings— mostly depicting scenes of war between
Magi and other races, but also demons on occasion. The deeper in the hall one went, the more abstract
the paintings, slowly turning into mere meaningless lines and streaks at the end.

Directly opposite Leylin was a huge statue; a human with six pairs of wings walking out of an enormous
shell accompanied by horn-blowing angels and petal-throwing maidens.

The entirety of the statue was carved with such realism that it had an aura of life about it. This was
especially true for its eyes that were made of black pearls. They seemed to move, focusing upon Leylin.
"Leylin Farlier!" A voice resonated within the hall.

"Huh?!" Leylin turned his head to the statue. Its eyes were pinned on Leylin, and it seemed to be
smiling.

*Snap!* The statue moved all of a sudden, and walked out of the shell, ripping off the plaster on the
wall.

The whole hall seemed to have come to life in tandem with the male statue's descent, differentiating
itself from the outside world and forming two distinct domains.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Leylin knew the identity of this person by now. The difference in their
statuses was clear; even if this was only an embodiment of the Monarch of the Skies, he still had to
show the utmost respect. Not only was his etiquette perfect, even his expression shouted out 'humility'.

Leylin did not mind bowing down in front of someone he could not oppose at the moment.
Furthermore, the Monarch of the Skies was a pioneer in the pursuit of truth, a good role model who
deserved Leylin's salutations.

"Leylin! You're a fine lad! I apologise for Stuart's rude actions!" A gentle voice sounded from the statue.

At the same time, Leylin was slightly taken aback by its sharp observation as he felt its gaze on his
earrings and the two gloves.

"Is the purpose of your visit to enhance your vitality with the Endowing Scepter? If so, I can grant your
wish directly!" the winged statue said unhurriedly.

Yet, Leylin had other plans in mind. "No, Your Majesty. Only a Virtuous Sky Sage can come into contact
with the Endowing Scepter, that is a tradition of Sky City. I don't wish to break this balance; I'll obtain it
through the proper channels, honourably!"
"..."

His reply was clearly unexpected; he felt a dignified yet hidden force scanning across his body. He didn't
show anything in his expression, but the A.I. Chip had already begun working its magic.

In the past, Leylin would have been worried about his secrets being revealed. But now, with the
advancement of the A.I. Chip, if he could not manage to hoodwink the mere embodiment of a Monarch,
he might as well give up on life.

The only things the statue found out were the things he wanted it to.

The force circulating on his body was retracted, and it was apparent that the Monarch of the Skies did
not detect anything out of the ordinary.

"You're good! Very good!" A voice sounded from the statue after a good while.

"Your Majesty! I am willing to offer you the coordinates of the Lava World!" Leylin took action
immediately upon sensing the imminent departure of the statue and presented his long-awaited gift. A
ring of shining coordinates flew to the side of the statue.

"Hmm?!" The twelve-winged statue did not accept it readily, but rather stared at Leylin, "Leylin, I believe
you recognise the value of foreign worlds. The fact that you offered such a treasure means that you
want something."

"Your Majesty, I only wish for Sky City to remain neutral when conflict breaks out between the
Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning," Leylin replied humbly.

"To remain neutral?!" Leylin felt the statue's gaze pause at his hands before it replied, "Alright!"
......

"My Lord! There is a Mister Leylin who wishes to see you!" A phantom reported in Weyers' room.

"Leylin?" Weyers raised his petulant face, shock evident in his eyes, 'Didn't he go see His Majesty? Is he
done already? And why did he come to me first?'

Even if he was taken aback, Weyers still managed to pass an order, "Invite h– no; I'll go pick him up
myself."

Leylin did not beat around the bush when he entered the room, dropping the bomb directly. "Weyers,
do you want to go up against Stuart?"

"Wh– What?" Weyers' smile hardened, "Are you nuts? Why would I go against a Radiant Moon Magus
of my own organisation?"

"Is that so? Then why do I feel like you're someone who bears grudges? Moreover..." Leylin smiled and
pointed a finger, causing a blue light screen to appear.

It showed two people in the midst of a conversation, one of them that sinister-looking old man, Stuart.
His eyes were burning with hatred, "You lied to me! That Leylin was obviously a Five Star Warlock. I'll
have to sacrifice a lot more in order to go up against him. Zegna had better give me a remuneration I'll
be satisfied with!"

In front of him was a Morning Star engulfed in darkness, bowing his body and looking extremely humble,

"Lord Zegna said Lord Stuart has been a close friend of his for many years, and would definitely help him
out. Also, our plan to pin the blame on Weyers almost succeeded, didn't it?"
Weyers was appalled enough by Leylin's Five Star status, but his expression turned even darker as he
listened to the conversation.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 596 - Sudden Attack

"So what if our previous plan failed and Leylin managed to pass the Monarch's test? We still have a
chance!" This Morning Star from Jupiter's Lightning was still trying his hardest to persuade Stuart.
"Leylin is about to participate in the appraisal for Virtuous Sky Sages. As long as we get Weyers to
participate as well, they're likely to come into conflict eventually... After all, they're both geniuses, and
those kinds of people love glory and solitude..."

"Your plans are just too troublesome..." Stuart shook his head, "I can tell you from experience, the more
complicated a plan is, the more slip-ups there are. The simpler plans usually have a higher rate of
success! Leylin is merely a Five Star Morning Star, and no matter how crafty he is, he can't break through
the bloodline shackles and reach rank 5. I'll just have to deal with him personally the moment he leaves
the vicinity of Sky City. Of course, the price will double."

Weyers not falling into the trap had instilled a sense of crisis in Stuart.

"If Your Highness can do this for us, we will be grateful!" The Morning Star Magus in the black mist
immediately bowed in thanks.

"Actually, the rewards can still be the same as before, but you'll need to help me eliminate someone."
Stuart's voice turned low.

"Who is it?" This Morning Star suddenly had a bad premonition.

"Weyers!" Stuart looked vicious all of a sudden.

......

"Enough!" Weyers announced coldly, black lightning breaking the screen apart.

"What do you want?" He was beginning to trust Leylin.

Though images like these could be forged, the screen from before had displayed even the soul
undulations belonging to the other party, and Weyers had no choice but to believe it.

At the same time, he was now beginning to feel terror towards this Leylin who had the ability to spy on
even Radiant Moon Magi!

This was a rank 5 Magus! On top of that, from what Weyers knew, the other party had something similar
to a world's protective sphere that could isolate his residence from everything. Yet, Leylin had been able
to snoop on him!

'This is just too terrifying!' Weyers glanced at Leylin. The Warlock's smile suddenly sent a chill down his
spine.

"Simple! I'll go and take care of them. You just have to stop the powers of Sky City from interfering!"
Leylin straightforwardly explained his plan.

As for how he had found out about the other party's scheme? Of course, that was due to the stardust
bugs! This formidable, incomparably minute being of the Oakheart Clan could not be detected by even
the most advanced spell formations. It was the best way to spy on someone, and he'd planted them on
Stuart's body in secret during their clash.
Leylin's previous methods only allowed him to discover when he was being spied upon by stardust bugs.
However, after reaching the Morning Star realm and extorting the Oakheart Clan, he had obviously
gotten a hold of some young stardust bugs by force, using the A.I. Chip to form his own way of
manipulating them.

He'd wanted to learn of Stuart's plans, but he'd never expected to see such a scene which had much
more potential to be exploited.

'Weyers is an absolute talent, and there are definitely people in Sky City who oppose him...' Leylin was
confident in this assumption. Weyers was an arrogant person, and someone trying to make use of him
or take his life was not something he could take lying down. He was sure Weyers would act on this.

Leylin merely wanted him to stop the interference of external parties and took on the more dangerous
job himself. Thus, there would not be any issues.

However, Weyers had one last question, "What if the Monarch of the Skies finds out?"

"Haha..." Leylin burst into laughter, "I just returned from meeting him, and he agreed that Sky City
would remain neutral in a conflict between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning. You can go ask
him if you want!"

"That's not possible!" Weyers cried out in alarm, and began to say a few words into a secret imprint. His
expression immediately changed, and his voice even turned hoarse, "What did you use to move His
Majesty?"

"Coordinates to a foreign world. Is that enough?"

"Enough! You're insane, but I like it. Let me accompany you in your insanity!" Weyers' pupils began to
burn with what seemed to be an ambitious fire, growing gradually in intensity.
......

Leylin and Weyers stood side by side in the sky, watching a building in the distance that had a large
number of runes flickering on it.

"Stuart's villa is over there! He's a Radiant Moon though, can you handle him?" Weyers' voice was low.

"That's my problem to deal with. You just have to focus on holding down the fort. Besides, even if we
can't handle Stuart, we just need to get that Morning Star from Jupiter's Lightning. That'll be enough to
discourage him from further action. The higher-ups in Sky City will also be disappointed in him, which
will lead more Magi to side with you!"

Weyers didn't refute Leylin's calm analysis. Since the two of them were already working together, all
attempts at concealing anything would merely be a joke.

"In the future, I will definitely take on any of the pressure that Sky City might exert on you, as well as
suppress Jupiter's Lightning's forces!" Weyers' voice was icy cold. He'd already discussed these terms
with Leylin, and they'd even inked a contract.

"That's enough!" Leylin chuckled, turning into a streak of black light and piercing into the dense spell
formations like a sword. A large amount of runic chains flickered into existence, but they were quickly
shredded apart.

"He actually dares to barge into the nest of a Radiant Moon. Where does he get his confidence from?"
Weyers muttered to himself in the distance.

"Stuart, prepare to meet your maker!" A booming voice was transmitted into the entire area, causing
many Magi to gape in shock. Since when did someone dare to barge into the residence of a Radiant
Moon Magus in Sky City without an invitation, even acting so unbridled? Was something changing?
A large number of conscients gathered at the place, watching the alarming scene nearby.

"Soaring Demonic Phoenix!"

*Chirp!* The phantom of a terrifying phoenix wreathed in black fire emerged along with high-pitched
cries, its gigantic wings breaking apart the spell formations in Stuart's residence. Black flames spilled in
all directions.

The remaining spell light was devoured by the black flames, and the formations completely lost their
might. Yet, the giant blackfire phoenix was still unsatisfied, and it pushed at a building underneath.

*Rumble!* Like a natural calamity, the black flames swirled through the area and all that was left behind
was merely a huge pit, as well as two stunned figures. All other life energy was gone.

With Leylin attacking at full power, besides Stuart and that Morning Star who could somewhat take it,
the region had been completely levelled. The many maids, servants, and the like were completely
obliterated.

The might of just one attack had reached this extent!

The onlookers grew crazed at this scene, thinking they were still dreaming.

"That is Lord Leylin!" Yuro's hand clamped on her mouth.

"Ah! It's that Morning Star who gifted me information points!" In her shock, the spectacled female
Magus dropped the books she was holding.
"Wha- What's going on?" Stuart was still in a daze. He had obviously reacted, but long years of a
pampered life had resulted in his disbelief when someone dared to attack his residence. What's worse
was that they succeeded!

The stupefaction was soon replaced by rage.

"You... You dare—" Stuart snarled, terrifying energy undulations sweeping through the area. Weyers,
who was already a distance away, immediately moved much further backwards, now more fearful as he
watched Leylin's back at the centre of all of it.

"I am Duke Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan, here to kill the Morning Star of an opposing
organisation, Jupiter's Lightning. All unrelated personnel are to leave!" Leylin did not wait for Stuart to
speak, an immense voice travelling everywhere instantly.

"What? He's that Leylin, the most powerful Kemoyin Warlock in history?"

"Yes! The Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning are now at war!"

The clamour from around the female Magus with thick glasses allowed her to get Leylin's name.
Watching Leylin's back, traces of concern and admiration flashed across her face.

"Die!" After proclaiming this, Leylin did not give Stuart any opportunities to speak. A gigantic Kemoyin
Serpent phantom with scarlet stripes on it appeared behind his back. As it thundered forth, two vertical
pupils like stars gazed at the Morning Star wrapped in black mist.

"My– My Lord, save me!" Though similarly a Morning Star, he knew that there was too large a disparity
between him and Leylin, and only Stuart would be able to save his life.

"You're going too far!" Terrifying flames began to burn around Stuart, all a result of his anger.
He even vowed, deep in his heart, that no matter the cost he had to kill Leylin right here on this day!

"It's you that I want to bully!" Leylin laughed manically, the gigantic phantom serpent swallowing both
Stuart and the Morning Star whom he did not know the name of. Frightful energy undulations were
immediately dispelled, and if not for the two of them controlling the situation, these undulations would
have spread to the outside.

Even so, Weyers' expression changed as he activated quite a few layers of defence, ensuring that the
battlefield was only above Stuart's residence.

A red signal alarm sounded in the control room of Sky City along with a voice, "Beep beep beep! Beep
beep beep! Warning: dangerous energy detected! Warning: dangerous energy detected!

"Discovered intense energy undulations. Location: Above Lord Stuart's residence!" The phantom images
of two Magi fighting appeared on the screen, showing another Morning Star that could only hide in a
corner.

The screen locked onto Leylin. "Determined target to be a Morning Star Magus!"

"What? The person who's fighting at the same level as Lord Stuart is actually a Morning Star? Have you
gone stupid?"

The person in charge smashed a file on the supervising staffer's head.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 597 - Hot On The Heels

"Rescanning. Confirmed to be a Morning Star Magus!" As the spirit genie's voice rang out, the person in
charge was silenced. One instance could be considered a glitch, but what if it happened a second or
third time?

He watched the figure on the screen in disbelief, "What level is he at? Display his star grade!"

The screen quickly changed, "Target is Leylin Farlier. Saved data: Four Stars."

"What a joke! Rescan him." He was practically yelling at this point.

*Swish!* An energy bar appeared, and the four star level was filled almost instantly. The meter arrived
at five stars.

"So it's a peak Morning Star. It's no wonder that he can contend with Lord Stuart. But don't worry, he
can't hold on for long..."

He sighed suddenly, but immediately after, the monitoring staff pulled him to look at the screen once
more. In that moment, he practically turned to stone.

On the screen, the meter filled up even the five star grade, and then burst through it!

The screen glitched out and was restarted. The spirit genie then gave another evaluation.

"A Morning Star at the Six Star grade! It's a monster, a monster!" He collapsed feebly onto his chair.

"My Lord! What do we do?" The staff watched the man in charge, hesitating to speak.
"What else can we do? Activate the most powerful defences and ensure that their battle won't affect
any other regions. We can't handle the other matters..." The man's eyes rolled back as he lost
consciousness.

......

Weyers was on the battlefield, and he slowly gained more clarity on Leylin's strength.

"This level of strength..." Weyers watched the giant phantom of a serpent soaring through the sky as it
let loose terrifying sounds. He had become slightly dazed, "This is definitely stronger than a Five Star. Is
he a legendary Six Star Morning Star?"

There were only five normal ranks for Morning Stars. However, history always produced frightening
geniuses that defied common sense. This was the Six Star grade! A Morning Star who could match up to
a Radiant Moon!

"He's actually reached this level?" Weyers clutched his fists tightly, thinking about his pride at breaking
through to Four Stars, and he suddenly flushed red. He wanted to find a place to hide in.

*Swish! Swish!* Large numbers of elites rushed over, looking solemn and preparing for death.

Platinum flames flashed, and Weyers stood in their way, "I'll take over here. Step back for now."

Though he was envious, he still had to abide by their agreement. Weyers watched these guards and the
Morning Star that arrived behind them in a lofty manner, and offered his greetings...

*Boom!* A tremendous energy tornado split open, and a blackened Stuart was ruthlessly sent flying as
he arrived beside Weyers.
Leylin threw the Morning Star Magus to the ground, the black gas already completely removed from
him.

"It's a Magus from Jupiter's Lightning!" "The spirit undulations are correct as well. I've seen him once
before, and those can't be hidden!"

Many Morning Stars looked at each other.

"Everyone can see that Lord Leylin was merely attacking the Magus from the opposing organisation,
Jupiter's Lightning. Based on the decree of the Monarch of the Skies, our Sky City is to maintain a neutral
stance," Weyers stood up and spoke righteously.

Many Morning Star Magi exchanged glances, and watched Leylin who did not back down despite his
injuries. In the distance, Stuart looked exasperated as he maintained his silence.

Leylin and Weyers glanced at each other, grinning. The outcome had been decided.

......

Information about this huge battle in Sky City spread like a storm.

The Warlock Leylin took on a Radiant Moon Magus by himself, only suffering light injuries to capture a
Morning Star Magus from the other party. His name spread far and wide, and Stuart had been delegated
to a supporting role.

The commotion grew further and further, dwarfing that over the Sage Appraisal.
Now, Weyers watched on as a black airship left Sky City from a private port. A strange expression was on
his face.

The person leaving was naturally Leylin. Though he had successfully taken care of the Magus from
Jupiter's Lightning and humiliated Stuart, he had completely ruffled the feathers of Sky City.

After all, he had ruthlessly attacked on of their esteemed elders in their own territory! If not for Weyers
helping him control the situation, the Magi of Sky City might have just declared war against him.

Weyers obviously did not go uncompensated for his help. They had discussed that part beforehand,
which was the only reason Leylin was cocky enough to rush to the frontlines.

Even then, knowing that he was garnering too much attention, Leylin did not dare stay in Sky City much
longer. He accepted Weyers' proposal and went through unofficial channels to be baptised by the
Endowing Scepter, keeping a low profile along the way. With his vitality increased by about 20 points, he
secretly left the area, not participating in the appraisal.

As long as he obtained the profits, Leylin did not particularly care for such a title, and he tossed the
conversation he'd had with the Monarch of the Skies to the back of his mind.

Leylin looked at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form). Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 94.9, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956(Magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force). Soul Force: 96 (Five Stars)]

"My vitality increased by 20 points, which means my body is pretty much adapted to the increased soul
force now. The Endowing Scepter was truly essential!"

Leylin couldn't help but mumble to himself as he recalled the scepter.

He had realised during the baptism that the Endowing Scepter was the energy core of Sky City. If it was
attacked, the entire city would fall to the ground, leading to a horrifying disaster.

The Endowing Scepter was not an actual scepter, but instead a gigantic energy reaction furnace. Its
refined looped structure was something Leylin admired, and he had the impulse to steal it and study it.

Leylin suddenly came back to himself, a slight smile about his lips. "It's about time they caught up to
me."

*Rumble!* Immense energy undulations swept through the area, and the Colossal Serpent vanished in a
puff of smoke. Leylin, who had been prepared, merely stood in mid-air while staring at Stuart who had
suddenly appeared ahead of him.

......

Within Sky City, Weyers watched the direction Leylin had left in, and muttered to himself, "Though I
agreed to help you take on the pressure from Sky City, you'll need to deal with Stuart's retaliation
yourself!"

His gaze was full of complicated feelings, "Leylin, I admit that you're the biggest genius I've seen, to the
point that you can tussle with a rank 5. However, the disparity between ranks is not something one can
step across so easily..."

In the battle before, Leylin had successfully captured the Morning Star Magus alive, but he had also paid
the price of getting injured. Meanwhile, Stuart had been covered in dirt, but he had no real injuries.

Now that he was away from Sky City, it was hard to tell the outcome if he was was caught.

The most likely outcome was that, after an intense battle, Stuart would end up with serious injuries and
Leylin would wind up dead.
Insanity flashed in Weyers' eyes, "There needs only be one true genius, and that will be me!"

"Is he gone?" Flames flickered, and a Magus stood beside Weyers that looked similar to him. The
Radiant Moon energy he gave off was even more terrifying than Stuart's.

He glanced at Weyers with a look of encouragement, "You did well this time! With Stuart dejected, our
organisation can now make ourselves known in Sky City!"

"Leylin's already gone. I've also received news that Stuart has followed him!" Weyers' voice held a trace
of laughter. Weyers daring to oppose Stuart was not because he was a fool, but because someone else
was backing him.

"Weyers, do you know why His Majesty, the Monarch of the Skies, promised not to interfere in the
battle between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning? A Radiant Moon isn't nearly enough for His
Majesty to do this..."

The Radiant Moon looked serious as he spoke.

"Could it be..." Weyers' expression changed.

......

"Leylin, you can't run this time. I will return the humiliation you gave me today tenfold! No, a
hundredfold!" Stuart's voice was distorted, and his expression vicious.

Though Leylin was powerful, his total strength could still not match up to his own. This was what he had
depended on when he chased after Leylin. Besides, he had help today, and could absolutely kill Leylin
here!
......

Meanwhile, Jupiter's Lightning headquarters, in a Magus Tower.

"Is it all prepared? It's about to begin!"

Observing the bubbling Pond of Lamentation, Zegna's expression fluctuated as a female voice was
heard.

"This will consume 21% of the Pond of Lamentation's energy reserves, and might even affect your
transformation! Have you thought it through properly?"

"I've thought it through enough. Do it!" Zegna's voice was low.

"Alright! Give me a portion of the control rights..."

Mysterious, complicated incantations sounded in the secret room, and multiple black masks arose,
disappearing into the void.

"Hm?" Leylin, who was facing Stuart, had a change in expression.

Large numbers of black masks suddenly surrounded his body, sticking onto his face.

[Beep! Host has been inflicted with a curse. Vitality and soul force have weakened!] the A.I. Chip's voice
transmitted.

"A curse? And it's a long-distance ancient curse?" Leylin's pupils shrank.
"Haha... You're fated to die here. I will extract your soul and torture you for a thousand years!" Stuart
laughed madly before he charged forth.

A terrifying rank 5 spell formed a snarling black monster that opened its large, ferocious mouth in
Leylin's direction.

"Scarlet Earring!" Red light flashed from Leylin's ears, and a crescent-shaped blade of scarlet light
slashed out...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 598 - Usage

The scarlet crescent of light slashed through the sky. The humongous black monster howled in grief as it
disintegrated into black vapour and dispersed.

From the black vapour came Stuart's voice, full of fear, "A piece of high-grade magic equipment! You
actually have a piece of high-grade magic equipment!"

He looked at the crimson earring hanging on Leylin's ear, his eyes filled with restraining fear and
insatiable greed, "I'll kill you! All of this will be mine!"

'A.I. Chip, begin resisting the radiation from the curse, and find the source!' Leylin looked solemn as he
secretly gave the command. If it was in the past, such an ancient curse would be highly troublesome to
deal with, but with the vast amount of information from the Great Library as his trump card, and the A.I.
Chip's ability to successfully quantify soul force, he had formed a decent database, allowing him to
resist.
The same went for the Scarlet Earring. Before he thoroughly understood its origin and functions, he
didn't dare to use it much. However, he had managed to find the history of and a detailed introduction
to the Scarlet Earring in the Great Library, including operational instructions. This naturally allowed this
piece of high-grade magic equipment to be put to full use.

Most of the magic equipment circulating around the central continent was low-grade. Middle-grade
magic equipment was rare, and high-grade magic equipment would make even Radian Moons green
with envy!

His ability to use the Scarlet Earring had boosted Leylin's strength tremendously in one go, especially
against things such as suppressive curses like now.

[Beep! Task established, begin projection of soul interference. Searching for source of curse!] The A.I.
Chip immediately intoned.

A layer of light yellow light was emitted from Leylin's body, while the numerous black masks rushed up
like moths to the flame.

'A curse way beyond my expectations! And with such horrifying crippling abilities! It must've been cast
by a Radiant Moon. I'm 90% sure Zegna is behind this. Who would've thought that he had talent in the
field of curses...'

An icy glare flashed in Leylin's eyes. Even he could not deploy such an ancient curse, especially if it was a
technique that involved crossing space. This even exceeded the boundaries of what a rank 5 could do!

'Or maybe... Someone is helping him? An even stronger Magus at that?' This idea had Leylin face turning
darker. Not only did he have to fight against two rank 5 Magi who had joined forces, he had to pay even
more attention to as mysterious high-ranking Magus who was spying on him.

"I really underestimated you previously!" Seeing that the black masks attacking Leylin from all sides
were decreasing in number, Stuart unexpectedly did not continue attacking him, but instead started to
gasp.
'He actually has a method to resist the ancient curse. He may be at the peak of a Morning Star formally,
but his strength is comparable to that of a Radiant Moon Magus! And he even possesses a piece of high-
grade magic equipment! If I had known all this earlier, I wouldn't have taken action even if Zegna
multiplied his remuneration by tenfold!'

No matter how he felt, Stuart was a Magus after all. After his rage had subsided, he regained his senses
and grew rational.

However, Leylin had a rather bad feeling about Stuart's calm and straightforward manner of speaking.

"What a pity... Since the seeds of hatred have already been planted, I will not allow them to take root
and germinate!" Stuart looked at Leylin with a profound look in his eyes, "If I cannot make you fall today,
the day you advance to rank 5 will be judgement day for me! Even the Monarch of the Skies will not be
able to save me..."

Leylin was silent, and didn't say much. Indeed, his enemy understood him best. Once he had sufficient
strength in the future, he would definitely return for revenge and even eliminate him completely. He
was not the only one who thought of this, as Stuart had as well. Neither of them tried to conceal it.

"So you must die here today, lest I be destroyed and return to the astral plane!" Stuart was resolute.
Bizarre undulations appeared on his body, and the rings of light representing his five innate spells
flickered into existence behind him. Even spacetime seemed to have been frozen at that moment.

"A Radiant Moon Arcane Art?!" Leylin's expression was extremely solemn.

Morning Stars, powered by their point masses, could combine their four innate spells to produce the
Morning Star Arcane Art, and Radiant Moons could do the same with their five. This terrifying fusion of
powers was strong enough to cause massive destruction even at rank 4; how strong, then, would it be at
rank 5?
Leylin had never seen a Radiant Moon Arcane Art before, but it was evident that the entirety of Sky City
would be hard pressed to survive Stuart's attack.

If not, he would have long used his Radiant Moon Arcane Art when he was humiliated then. He wouldn't
have been so afraid of the Monarch of the Skies and forced himself to endure for so long before finally
taking action now!

This place was rather far from Sky City. Even if the undulations spread to the Sky City, its defence
mechanisms and the Magi inside would be able to handle it. Thus, Stuart could go all out without any
qualms!

At this moment, Leylin seemed to have seen Stuart's truesoul through his point mass! His soul was
sparkling with the frigid, dazzling radiance of a crescent moon!

'The superposition of innate spells to form a Morning Star Arcane Art does not result in a simple additive
effect. With the introduction of a fifth, rank 5 innate spell, the formidability of a Radiant Moon Arcane
Art is definitely exponentially greater. It should be at least ten times as strong, if not more!'

Leylin stared at the fused rings of light behind Stuart, fear rising within him. They were rippling with a
bright radiance that seemed like it could destroy the world in one sweep!

"Stuart has really firmed his resolve. He actually dared to show his Radiant Moon Arcane Art in the main
world!" Leylin sighed deeply and didn't go on the offensive directly. While Stuart was casting the Arcane
Art, a frightening protective mechanism had automatically formed around him. If he attacked now, he
might have to face the dreadful wrath of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art directly!

'The disparity between our powers is too large. Such a formidable strength is enough to cause my fall!'
Leylin's face flushed red. 'The only way now is to....'

He slowly took off the white glove on his left hand, revealing an imprint in the form of a sun that was
surrounded by black flames.
[Beep! Curse procedure found. Initializing tracking mode. Source confirmed.] At this instant, the A.I. Chip
brought him a piece of good news.

"Might as well settle them together then!" Leylin's eyes glistened as he rushed towards Stuart...

......

Sky City.

"What does that mean? Didn't Leylin obtain an agreement of neutrality from the Monarch of the Skies in
exchange for the coordinates of the Lava World and his outstanding strength that could match a Radiant
Moon's?" Weyers gazed at his elder, puzzled.

The Radiant Moon Magus, however, shook his head. Weyers could even detect a bitter smile at the
corners of his lips, much to his astonishment.

This elder of his was relatively strong among the Radiant Moon Magi, so why would he have such an
expression? Could it be that Leylin's strength had already grown to the extent that even he felt helpless?

Weyers shook his head firmly, as though trying to expel this thought from his brain. He didn't consider
that the more he did this, the deeper this conjecture took root in his mind.

*Rumble!* Horrifying vibrations were transmitted over, accompanied by dazzling white light.

"This is... a Morning Star Arcane Art? No! An energy undulation more terrifying than a Morning Star
Art... Could it be Leylin?" Weyers lifted his head, gazing at the bright flames in the distance with a glint in
his eyes.

"Stuart could not control himself in the end!" The Radiant Moon Magus sighed deeply, then said to
Weyers, "You're lucky to be able to witness a Radiant Moon Arcane Art in the main world; and even
other, greater things!"

"Greater things?" Weyers was rather confused, but soon after his mouth dropped agape in shock.

What did he see? A sun! An existence from ancient times, a boundless sun that was incomparably vast!
It suddenly eclipsed the radiance of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art.

The degree of heat and undulations of heat waves emitted by it struck terror in his heart. Weyers knew
that even a thread of those flames was sufficient to seriously injure or even kill him!

Under the rays coming from this sun, the white radiance of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art popped like a
bubble. The corona had grown enormous and still continued to expand, quickly spreading to the
outskirts of Sky City.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Numerous defensive spell formations shattered one by one. Terrifying golden-
red heat rays intruded into the place, and it was as though the sky had disintegrated and the sun had
fallen. Many buildings collapsed as the entirety of Sky City descended into chaos.

"Ah..." Weyers' jaw hung open. He had never imagined that Sky City, which had always been
incomparably stable and never experienced a single tremor, would waver like a small sailboat in the
stormy seas under such a horrifying attack, facing destruction and death at any moment.

Under the dreadful might of a rank 6 spell, even Sky City, the most academic progress in the entire
central continent, was on the verge of collapse!

The humongous floating city wobbled violently in the storm of pure gold flames, seemingly about to fall
apart any moment!

"This cannot do! We must escape as quickly as possible, and be far away from the range of this spell.
This is utterly terrible..." Weyers murmured to himself.

Just as his defence mechanism could hold no longer, a hand landed on Weyers' back, stabilising him
instantly.

"Don't panic! We still have our lord! The Monarch of the Skies will not sit still and allow the fall of Sky
City!"

The words of the Radiant Moon Magus seemed to have a strong reassuring effect, allowing Weyers to
recover from his previous state. Still, the shock in his pupils did not fade for a long time.

"That spell... Is it... No! That's no longer a spell! It's the law! The law of fire!" Weyers had never acted
like this before. Never had he felt that he was so immensely insignificant and powerless. The disparity
between him and Leylin was huge.

*Chirp!* Spotless white feathers floated down like snowflakes, accompanied by pleasing chirps. They
firmly wrapped around the entire city, blocking out the flames.

With the assistance of this strange force, Sky City started to regain its stability.

"It's the Monarch of the Skies! He has made a move!" The Radiant Moon Magus gasped.

The numerous Magi in the Sky City kowtowed devoutly in the direction of the Drifting Garden,
expressing their gratitude to the monarch for saving their lives.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 599 - Surging Waves Through The Continent

The Monarch of the Skies wrapped his city up in a strange energy barrier, and the tremors grew less
violent.

After the energy storm outside passed, Weyers looked at the sight not too far away from him, and
suddenly cried out involuntarily, "The thunder layer of Akev! Where has the thunder layer of Akev gone
to?"

Below Sky City was originally a gigantic sea made of black thunderclouds. This was a natural skyscape
that acted as the first defence of Sky City.

Even Crystal Phase Magi would find it so difficult to pass through it was practically impossible.

Now, however, the gigantic sea of black thunder clouds had disappeared, leaving only a fog formed of
condensation.

"Obviously, everything has been destroyed. Even the city itself has been reduced to this state..." The
Radiant Moon Magus laughed wryly.

Weyers recovered from his surprise and glanced at Sky City, which was now in ruins, and lowered his
head as if in disappointment.

Even if they had been protected by the Monarch of the Skies, which prevented the city from being
destroyed completely, most of the buildings had been devastated by the firestorm. Even if the core
hadn't been destroyed, the losses were still hard to estimate.

Even most of the gigantic floating island had been burnt to a crisp, and it seemed incomparably ugly.

"Wha- What's going on? Could Leylin have done this? How's that possible?" Weyers' eyes looked lost.
"The peak of rank 6, a power that's already beginning to touch on the might of laws. That should be the
ancient Sun's Child's 'Sun Scorching Nirvana'!" The Radiant Moon Magus' voice was solemn. "Leylin was
somehow able to obtain the bloodline of the Sun's Child, and he's probably unrivalled in his knowledge
on bloodline spells. To be able to recreate ancient attacks like this using a bloodline imprint..."

"Leylin?" Weyers grew bitter. "Then Stuart..."

"With Sky City in this state, how do you think he ended up?" The Radiant Moon sighed slightly, "We
were still colleagues..."

Seeing his colleague fall just like that, he wasn't feeling that good.

"Stuart went against my decree and took part in the battle between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's
Lightning. I hereby declare his expulsion from Sky City!" An odd voice rang in Sky City.

"It's the Monarch of the Skies' voice!" Weyers cried out involuntarily. " "Even His Majesty isn't willing to
provoke Leylin?"

Only now did he realise the disparity between Leylin and him, to the point that he felt utter despair...

......

*Rumble!* The void was shattered, and large amounts of golden-red flames surged into the area.

'What is that?' Zegna had this one thought before he was swallowed up by the golden-red flames in an
instant as he cried out sharply.
The golden-red flames did not let anything slip by and began to wreak havoc on the surroundings. Even
the Magus Tower of a rank 5 Radiant Moon Magus could do nothing against it.

The faint sound of a woman's piercing scream was sent out from Zegna's arm.

"Damn it, it's the ancient Sun's Child!"

"Curse of ancient times, heed my command. Show me the wrath of time and space..." The woman's
voice quickly chanted.

*Tss tss!* Accompanying the strange and terrifying incantations, the black gases in the Pond of
Lamentation surged outside, tangling with the sun's flames.

Multiple distorted souls appeared in the air, forming a durable layer of light that disallowed the roasting
flames entry.

Once the storm passed, the black streams of gas from the Pond of Lamentation had decreased by a large
amount, and all that was left of Zegna was a charred arm on the ground.

*Whoosh!* The charred arm exploded, and flesh and blood began to grow at a rapid rate, forming
Zegna once more.

Now, however, his expression was terrible, and he had frightful burn marks on his body.

"The ancient flames of the sun thankfully exploded a fair distance away from us, and through the and a
great part of its might was reduced through the spacetime channel. If not, it wouldn't be just you losing
your life..." The mysterious woman's voice sounded.

"Damn it, DAMN IT! How did it come to this? Everything should have been smooth-sailing... Ugh..."
Zegna roared in his fury, but suddenly, he stopped, as if his throat was being clutched. Little flames were
beginning to burn on his body once more.

"The Sun's Child was at the peak of rank 6 Magi, and a being beginning to comprehend laws. Its flames
hold within some of the power of law, and cannot be so easily taken care of!"

A hint of helplessness could be heard in her voice. Large amounts of water from the Pond of
Lamentation flew into the air, forming a black robe and draping over Zegna.

"Ugh..." Zegna sighed in satisfaction. After he wore the black robe, the terrifying golden-red flames
finally went out.

"Sun's Child? How did he do that?" Zegna was puzzled, and even afraid. He had to admit that Leylin was
full of miracles, and seemed to be his nemesis.

"I don't know." Narsha's voice turned cold. "What you need to worry about is the Pond of Lamentation...
To save a fool like you, I consumed more than half of its energy. You need to begin amassing resources
more..."

"What?" When Zegna saw that there was only a thin layer of black gas left, his face fell, "That's not
possible! I put in all of my accumulated wealth to construct this..."

"Then you'll need to launch the next plan..." She spoke slowly.

The secret room descended into silence, and only after a very long while could a low sound of
acknowledgement be heard.

......
The incident in Sky City ended with the fall of a Radiant Moon Magus. The fall of someone of such status
immediately swept through the continent like a hurricane.

This was a great rank 5 Magus! There were few of them even in the entire central continent, and they
were truly among the top strata of the Magus World's society. They were the goals of all young Magi,
and each one held an immense reputation for their battle strength. Even if they weren't in control of the
large organisations, their statuses were second only to Monarchs. Their experiences could be written
down as legend, forming an enriching story!

Someone like that had actually fallen? And at the hands of a Morning Star Magus?

The first reaction most Magi had after hearing this was disbelief, but when conclusive evidence was
shown, and especially with the announcement of Stuart's subsequent expulsion by the Monarch of the
Skies, the central continent sank into a strange silence.

The Magi collectively lost their voices. This was killing a Radiant Moon at the Morning Star realm! It was
no longer the purview of a genius. Leylin was a demon!

If he could even kill Radiant Moons, what were Morning Stars worth? How many organisations had
Breaking Dawn Monarchs in their midst in the central continent?

Hence, many Magi organisations added Leylin to the list of people they absolutely could not provoke.
The Ouroboros Clan even received regular expressions of goodwill and discreet inquiries, both out in the
open and in the shadows. It kept the two dukes extremely busy.

The main character in this story—the most powerful Kemoyin Warlock, and the most powerful Morning
Star in history— went missing. Duke Leylin Farlier had mysteriously disappeared from the public eye.

......
Torrential rain fell down from the skies. There was lightning everywhere, and one could see meteorites
every once in a while.

The heart of the fight between the Radiant Moon Arcane Art and rank 6 bloodline imprint had been in
Sky City, but close to 10% of the central continent had been affected. Abnormality in the climate was
only a small part of it; spatial rifts had opened up everywhere, and would likely have to be closed up by
Monarchs.

A secret room had been opened in the middle of a desolate mountain. There were no channels for
external communication, and countless concealing runes filled the surroundings, sealing this place up.

A figure dressed in tattered platinum robes was half-leaning on the rock walls, observing the back of his
hands and looking deep in thought.

"My battle might right now is comparable to Radiant Moons! On top of that, the bloodline imprint of the
rank 6 Sun's Child has an immensely terrifying radiation. Even if all the Prophets in the central continent
work together, they still won't be able to track me down..."

Leylin was very confident in his hiding abilities. It would require a Breaking Dawn Prophet to act, and
even they would only be able to find slight traces of him. However, there were few such Magi across all
of history, and there were likely none in the present. Hence, he was rather at ease when it came to his
safety.

"I never thought that the backlash from the Sun's Flames would be so immense!" Recalling the scene
from that day, a wry smile appeared about his lips. Under the threat of Stuart's Radiant Moon Arcane
Art, Leylin had brazenly used the bloodline imprint on his left hand and launched a terrifying attack.

It was as if the ancient Sun's Child had been revived. The moment Sun Scorching Nirvana was launched,
the Radiant Moon Arcane Art was torn apart, and even Stuart had fallen there and then.
That was not all. Leylin had even followed the path of the curse and sent a portion of the might of the
spell to the caster. Even if Zegna wasn't dead, he would at least have some injuries at this point.

Such a terrifying rank 6 spell had been launched through a bloodline imprint, and had still almost
extracted everything from Leylin.

As Leylin was not rank 6 and definitely not the Sun's Child, he had also been hit with a backlash from the
Sun's Flames.

If not for him having another of the bloodline imprint to protect him and the black flames of the
Emberflame Technique having the unique effect of controlling those flames, he would not only be
gravely injured but even die!

There were definitely more than one or two in history who had died from the backlash of employing a
spell that far surpassed their ability, and Leylin had almost followed in their footsteps.

"Thankfully, I'm fine. It would've been way too sad if I'd been killed by my own spell..." Leylin's heart was
still palpitating in fear.

"Whatever it is, I've finally healed all of my injuries today. What should I do next? I need to think it over
properly!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 600 - Evasion

'A.I. Chip, show me my condition!' Leylin commanded in his mind.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (Matured Body). Strength: 50, Agility:
45, Vitality: 100.2, Spiritual force: 956.8, Magic power: 956 (magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force). Soul force: 96 (Five Stars)]

His vitality had finally broken past 100, solving the issue arising from the rapid advancement of his soul
force. Seeing this, Leylin could finally heave a sigh of relief. After all, his main goal in coming to Sky City
was to solve this issue completely.

The Endowing Scepter had initially increased his vitality by two levels, the equivalent of twenty points.
Afterwards, the disaster that was the Sun's Flames had actually resulted in a profit for him. His
Fireplume had managed to take in quite a bit of the energy from it, and it resulted in a surprising
transformation that pushed his vitality past the mark.

Now, he had completely reached his target, and all that was left to deal with were the repercussions,
which were slightly troublesome.

At this thought, a wry smile appeared about Leylin's lips as he grew gloomy.

After all was said and done, Stuart was still a Radiant Moon from Sky City. There were few even amongst
the subordinates of the Monarch of the Skies who were ranked as highly as he was.

And now, such an important person had fallen at Leylin's hands. Even if the Monarch of the Skies
expelled Stuart from Sky City afterwards, it was likely just to avoid provoking him for now. Leylin would
not believe that the Monarch had no thoughts on this matter.

Leylin could very well raise his hands and leave just like this, but the Monarch of the Skies could not. He
had to pay the cost of Leylin and Stuart's battles, which included things like mending the spatial rifts and
the like. However, it wasn't his fault that this occurred in his domain. Leylin had been left without a
choice.

He was sure that, at this point, the Monarch hated him to the core. In fact, he had probably provoked
the entire organisation of Sky City.
After all, Leylin had used the coordinates to a foreign world and the help of some other Sky City Magi to
put pressure on Stuart. This had already depressed the Monarch of the Skies, but it was still acceptable.

However, even Weyers and his backers would feel sympathy for his killing of the man.

By the looks of it, the entirety of Sky City harboured no favourable impression of Leylin, and could even
act against him.

"This is getting troublesome..." Leylin laughed wryly, and the cold glint in his eyes became increasingly
obvious. Since others were going to plot against him, he would prepare his vengeance.

Besides, the other party was just a Breaking Dawn Magus. How amazing could he be? With the A.I. Chip,
the advice of the ancient Wisdom Tree, and the Kemoyin bloodline, Leylin was confident that he would
reach that realm in due time, even surpass it.

"However, I still have to face the real problems. As I am now, I can somewhat deal with New Moon
Radiant Moon Magi. If I activate the bloodline imprint, I can even threaten Full Moon Magi!"

Leylin had an accurate estimation of his battle might.

"However, there's only one chance left to activate the bloodline imprint of the Sun's Child. After this,
there's nothing left... Even if it's the attack from the ancient Sun's Child, a Full Moon Magus still has a
chance of survival. A Breaking Dawn Monarch can definitely take it on, obviously, and it's just a matter
of the price to be paid in exchange..."

"If I appear now, there might be Full Moon Magi, even Breaking Dawn Magi trying to kill me in fear of
my potential. I won't be able to defend myself against them at all." That was why Leylin had been in
hiding all this while, and the reason he had not returned to the Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Though
such a scenario wasn't likely, he was still prepared for the worst case.
If he really was caught by a Breaking Dawn, there was no chance of survival even if he used his trump
card.

One only lived once, and Leylin didn't believe he'd get one more opportunity to travel to another time
after death.

"I'm afraid that, before I reach Radiant Moon, I'll need to hide in the shadows." Leylin sighed.

The moment he reached rank 5, Radiant Moon, the strength of his Warlock bloodline, in addition to his
methods as well as trump cards would give him a chance to flee with his life even when faced with a
rank 6 Magus.

If that was possible, he would be a Magus at the peak in the central continent, and he would no longer
need to fear any attacks, whether in the open or in the shadows.

"Rank 5, Radiant Moon!" Leylin sighed. "How could the bloodline shackles of Kemoyin Warlocks be
solved so easily... It doesn't matter; I have to break through them no matter what, else I'll have to
remain in hiding for the rest of my life. If that were the case, it'd be better to start anew in another
world!"

At this thought, Leylin flipped through the book of imprints in his hands and tapped the image of a Giant
Kemoyin Serpent.

After a static sound, Gilbert's agitated voice was heard. "Leylin, is it you?"

"It's me!" Leylin answered concisely. Though there were restrictions when it came to secret imprints,
both users were Morning Star and with the amplification of soul force the distance across which
information could be transmitted was increased by a large amount.

"It's great that you're alright, hehe... You've done something incredible! Emma and Freya are very
worried about you." It was no surprise to hear Gilbert's wry laughter from the other side of the secret
imprint.

"My apologies for making you two dukes worry. Also, please help me apologise to Freya! I probably
won't be able to return for a period of time..." Leylin's voice was low.

"What? Are you in trouble? Do you need us to come over?" Gilbert began to get worried. Leylin was
currently not just the pillar of support of Ouroboros Clan, but also their hope!

"I'm fine! I'll just need to go on a journey for a period of time. I shall leave matters of the Ouroboros
Clan to both of you in the meanwhile." Leylin concealed his imminent attempts at breaking through to
Radiant Moon, and gave Gilbert the impression that he was going to wait until the fuss died down.

It was enough for the two Morning Star dukes to be in charge of the Ouroboros Clan. Leylin, who had
disappeared, would act as a huge deterrent anyway. Before he popped up again, any Magi who wanted
to attack the Ouroboros Clan would have to consider the consequences of offending a Magus with the
might of a Radiant Moon!

"Alright, that works." Gilbert was old and wise, and quickly thought of this matter in a short period of
time.

After a brief silence, Gilbert presented another piece of news. "... Actually, someone from the Warlock
Union looked for me. He hoped that you'd go to the Morning Star Area, and they'd definitely ensure
your safety!"

'Morning Star area? Warlock Union?' Leylin pondered over it, 'With a few Radiant Moon Warlocks in
charge, safety should not be an issue, but throwing this idea out at this time... Are they trying to rope
me in, or is this a conspiracy?'

Thoughts churning at lightning speed, Leylin quickly answered, "It's alright. Thank them for their
goodwill on my behalf!"
Even if they were protecting him without any ulterior motives, Leylin would not go to the Morning Star
area. He would never place his own safety in the hands of another person. In other words, even a
Radiant Moon Warlock was not qualified to guarantee his safety.

"Even rank 7, 8 or 9 existences can't be relied on. The most steady method is to count on oneself."
Leylin's eyes were full of mirth as they shot out his resolution.

"Alright. Oh, you...." Gilbert on the other end could only laugh wryly.

"Well then, take care!" "Take care!" After they bade their farewells, Leylin closed off the channel and
left the area.

It was still possible to monitor communication via secret imprints. This was merely a temporary place
used to recuperate, and he had long since planned to leave it. If not, he would not take the initiative and
communicate with the external world.

After Leylin left, blazing black flames immediately began to burn, turning the desolate mountain into
ashes.

*Bzzz Bzzz!* Not long after Leylin's departure, space began to ripple as it twisted on itself, forming a
door flickering with light.

A few human figures walked out, their bodies emanating terrifying energy undulations. Seeing the
mountain that had turned to ashes, they sighed, "We've come too late."

A figure stood above the ashes and tightened his fist, but could only shake his head helplessly, "He was
very cautious and did it cleanly, not leaving behind any trace of his scent. It's impossible to chase him
down."
"Prophetic spells are useless against him. Are we really going to let him go?"

The few black figures began to discuss amongst themselves.

"This Warlock has the highest potential out of every one I've seen. At rank 4, he can kill a rank 5, and
once he reaches Radiant Moon, how much more powerful can he get?"

"You seem to have forgotten something. He's a Giant Kemoyin Warlock, and he has the problem of
bloodline shackles. The limits of his own strength are rank 4. This is a restriction on his soul! Since
ancient times, there have been so many bloodline Warlocks, and yet none have broken through it. Do
you think he can?"

There was a trace of pity in this new speaker's voice, "But I must admit that Leylin is definitely a genius.
He's among the best in all history, but it's a pity that he's chosen the path of a Kemoyin Warlock. If he
walked the path of a Magus, we might have seen the rise of another Monarch!"

"It's not a pity. It's fortunate instead, fortunate that he chose the path of a Warlock!" The black figure
right in the middle suddenly spoke, his tone icy.

"Yes! It's fortunate that he's chosen to be a Warlock!" The other black figures agreed with each other,
turning into great amounts of black gas and dissipating.

Leylin knew nothing of what happened after his departure. He had not even left stardust bugs behind.

Though this method was very discreet, Radiant Moon Magi had terrifying soul force, and there was a
chance of being discovered. Leylin was not going to allow people to track him by making use of the bugs.

He quickly switched locations, his methods of destroying his scent all because of his cautiousness.
Thankfully, he had dodged this bullet.
'How should I begin to tread the path of rank 5, Radiant Moon?' Leylin had now used an altering spell to
change his outer appearance and arrived at another area in the central continent.

What was in front of him was a sea of fire...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 601 - Return To Twilight Zone

A tremendous volcano thundered and bellowed, as if a giant from the legends launching a flaming iron
fist into the skies.

Lava fell like rain, forming rivulets that flowed together to become a network of rivers.

The black volcano towered high into the sky, looming over the region just like the clouds and causing the
skies and the ground to turn dark.

The lava glowed red, flickering between dark and bright. The scene was magnificent, a rose amidst the
thorns.

"Mount Asura! It's been such a long time. I've never come back since I arrived at the central continent..."
Leylin's eyes were filled with a certain profoundness. The events that brought him to the central
continent and the people and his history with Twilight Zone became incomparably vivid once more.

Indeed, Leylin was preparing to leave the central continent for a while and return to Twilight Zone. Even
though that place was barren and inadequate compared to the central continent, it held a treasure
trove that only he knew of.
'The body of the Scorpion Man, as well as the blood of the protector of the Icy World!' Leylin's thoughts
drifted to the contents of the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor's memories that he had acquired from its
bloodline when he explored the Icy Cave.

That terrifying ancient battle still brought shivers to his spine to this day; even Morning Stars barely met
the requirements to participate in it.

The remains of a Morning Star level bloodline creature were only a small treasure to Leylin, and didn't
mean much, but the bloodline of that bronze female giant wasn't so simple.

That was a bloodline that crossed rank 7, one that had already begun to touch upon laws! In front of
that, the current Leylin was like a moth drawn to the flame. Whether it be refining the ancient bloodline
into an imprint or trying to assimilate it, either one of these actions would be extremely helpful to him.

Parts of his hopes for advancing to the Radiant Moon realm were placed on this. Furthermore, the
protector of such a world would definitely have information about the world's coordinates in its
bloodline and genetics.

That was the powerful ancient Icy World that even the Snake Dowager coveted and yet was unable to
occupy! It was an unknown number of levels more important than the Lava World, and Leylin would be
the sole benefactor of it.

It was because he had this that he was confident enough to give away the coordinates to the Lava World
as a gift.

Leylin had other plans for the Icy World and the female giant's bloodline.

When she had been killed by the Snake Dowager, would her body retain any scent or aura from the
Purgatory World, which would allow him to deduce the coordinates of that world?
Even if it wasn't on her body, the Icy World had been invaded by the Snake Dowager who had come
from the Purgatory World, so how could there not be any traces left behind?

With the Icy World as a springboard, the difficulty in locating the Purgatory World would be reduced by
a large amount. Once at the Purgatory World, finding the bloodline primogenitor, the Snake Dowager,
would make breaking through the bloodline shackles a simple task.

Of course, the whole process wouldn't be that simple, but the general idea wasn't bad, and it was the
best way to break through the bloodlie shackles.　　

Of course, Leylin did not dare confront the Snake Dowager just like that. That was basically sending a
lamb into a tiger's den. He didn't believe that he had any way of resisting strength that had surpassed
that of Breaking Dawn and controlled Laws. Therefore, ample preparation was necessary, and this
method could only be used as a last resort. Unless all his other options were exhausted, Leylin didn't
even want to consider this option.

He would lie low in the Twilight Zone, and find a way to break through to Radiant Moon. That was
Leylin's basic plan.

"Mount Asura will be dormant for a period of time every hundred years, which makes it the best time to
go underground right now!" Leylin recalled the time he had come up from the subterranean world.
While he had grasped the right timing and prepared well, it had still been very dangerous. He could not
help but smile slightly at that.

He came to the crater of the volcano, and observed the terrifying lava channel.

"The volcano is filled with boiling hot lava all year round, and only when it's dormant will a channel show
itself. It's still not time yet... even if a Crystallised Phase Magus were to charge down there, they would
be burnt to smithereens...."
Of course, that was for rank 3 Magi. After he reached the Morning Star realm, what should have been
horrifying and dangerous was as safe and stable as the garden in his backyard.　　

*Rumble!* A layer of black flames appeared on the surface of Leylin's body, forming an oval layer that
wrapped him within. A black bubble parted the lava, quickly disappearing into the depths...

The terrifying heat from the lava was absorbed by the black flames, blocking all from Leylin who was
contained within. As time passed, the black bubble endured the spurts of lava to head straight down.

He was withstanding a natural disaster on his own and going through the lava against the current. Even
Mount Asura erupting could do little against him. This was the power of a Morning Star!　　

*Boom!* In the subterranean world, large amounts of magma flew out of a pool, accompanied by
tremors. A bubble of black flame burst through the thick, durable rocks at the top and fell to the ground.
Leylin's figure appeared once more as he withdrew the flames.

Compared to before when he had to rack his brains and look for opportunities, the current Leylin could
travel anywhere as and when he wished. It was extremely convenient.

Seeing the dark sky and the stifling rock ceiling, Leylin sighed, "Twilight Zone, I'm back!"

Feeling the large difference in the concentration between the central continent and this place, Leylin
shook his head, "It's no wonder that Morning Stars pay no attention to this, the elemental particle
concentration is so low here."

Compared to the central continent, this place was like the barren countryside, if even that. The
restriction of a low particle concentration would reduce the might of any spells used here by a large
amount.

Morning Stars cared little for this place, and regular Magi had no way to pass through the lava channel.
Hence, Twilight Zone still retained its own path, and the influence from the external world was minimal
up till Leylin's arrival.

One sweep of his soul force and the surroundings were displayed in his mind. He had been the master of
Twilight Zone in the past, and was somewhat familiar with the general area. He knew where he was
instantly.

"When I left, there wasn't even a rank 3 Magus in Twilight Zone, right?" Leylin touched his chin. Here,
even rank 2 Magi could be considered the rulers, while rank 3 were the emperors. Morning Star? There
hadn't been one in years.　　

"Am I like a high-levelled player in a newbie village, crushing everyone here?" Leylin touched his chin, a
grin on his face, "But I like it!"　　

It was a fool's behaviour to still try to fight even when the enemy was powerful. Even if one could win
for a while, a single failure would leave him with no hope of reprieve.　　

Leylin did not like these methods. Often, he would act only when he was very confident, and all he
hoped for was for the Magi in the world to all be at rank 1 and 2, which made it easy for him to
manipulate them.　　

It was because he had this stable mindset that he could leave till today.

"I wonder how Nature's Alliance Academy is doing. Has Celine been able to take care of it? And then
there's the dark elves, gnomes and other races..." After he determined the direction, Leylin's body
turned into a streak of light as it hurried towards the headquarters of the northern Nature's Alliance
academy.　　

......　　

The northern region, Nature's Alliance academy.

Eternal Light spells brightened up the room, reflecting a black desk with innumerable documents on the
surface, as well as ink, quill pens and other stationery.

A female Magus with a delicate face wearing luxurious upper-class clothing kneaded at her brows with
slender fingers, seeming very tired.

"Director!" The door was pushed open, and a female Magus hugging a file ran in hastily.

"Urgent news from the frontlines! Potti City has been attacked again. All of our subordinates were killed,
and two professors were even..."　　

"Alright." The beautiful director nodded her head from behind the desk, giving a drawn-out sigh.
"Almost a hundred years ago, the fall of the northern region also started from Potti City. I just don't
know if anyone will come and turn the situation around this time..."

She stood up and pulled the curtains open.　　

There was a gigantic square of the academy outside the windows. At the middle, the statue of a young
Magus stood proudly, still having a slight radiance.

"Leylin, where are you? With your strength, I'm sure you must be doing well wherever you are, right?"
This beautiful director was naturally Celine.　　

When Leylin had left Twilight Zone, he had left behind a series of tricks, allowing Celine to take control
of Nature's Alliance academy for almost a century. She had also advanced to rank 2. However, the
academy was now facing the largest crisis since its establishment!

The tide of darkness creatures had come forth once more! And in this wave, there were countless beast
emperors that had mutated and reached rank 3!

That was not all. The gnomes and elves had now joined hands in rebellion and distanced themselves
from the humans. They were now attacking in the north as well.

The defensive stronghold of the north, Potti City, had fallen under the cooperation of the three races,
and two rank 2 professors from Nature's Alliance had fallen as well.　　

"Director, we need to react to this, or Lord Banker will use this opportunity to create issues! The
exchange between academies is about to begin as well, and I'm afraid..." Concern was evident on this
female Magus' face.　　

After hearing this, the look of helplessness on Celine's face grew more obvious. The immense pressure
came not only from the outer world, but also the inner departments. Banker had initially been an
ordinary professor of Nature's Alliance, but he'd had a miraculous encounter and gained the inheritance
of some ancient Magus. His strength had shot up, and had now entered rank 3!

With power, he obviously desired the corresponding status. In Banker's eyes, that would be Celine's
position.　　

Though he was fearful of Leylin, which meant Banker did not dare go too far, there were still countless
Magi who sided with him. After all, Leylin had already disappeared for almost a century.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 602 - Changes in the North

The passing of time could erase everything. More than a hundred years passed, and the number of Magi
who could still remember the mighty Leylin were few and far between.
If not for the longevity of Magi, the situation now would definitely be much more severe. Celine might
even have been stripped of her position as director long ago.

But even now, things were far from good.

Among the Magi in the entire Twilight Zone, Banker was the only rank 3, and thus he had a good
reputation. He even tried to imitate Leylin, and wanted to crown himself as the Radiant Guardian, and
even the emperor of all of mankind! His attempts, however, were futile.

Celine could distinctly see the ambition in Banker's eyes, but could not stop him.

Most of the academies in the other regions were already relying on Banker's help.

There was no doubt that he would exert pressure on Celine during the exchange between the
academies, as well as the establishment of the allied armies.

'How will I get through this one?' Celine was at a loss. The tricks that Leylin had left her could only deal
with rank 2 Magi at most. There were clearly limitations if used against a rank 3 Magus.

The mere proof of Leylin's existence would not be enough to obstruct this Magus' insatiable greed and
ambition. Celine was very clear about this.

*Bang!* At this moment, the door of the office suddenly swung open, and a youthful Magus entered.

He had wine red eyes, and his long blue hair was not tied up, but instead cascaded down to his
shoulders. There was a frightening power surrounding him.
"Lord... Lord Banker!" Another female Magus from before hurriedly rushed to salute him.

"Director! I bring good news. Doroy Snail Academy and Ray College have acceded to my request, and
have agreed to rely mainly on us, Nature's Alliance. They will elect the allied armies as the ruling party!"

Banker eyed Celine's silhouette greedily.

Celine furrowed her brows, "Banker! Don't you know that you have to knock before entering my office?
Or do you no longer have the most basic of manners?"

"This place will soon undergo a change of hands anyway!" Banker seemed absolutely unrestrained.

"Have you considered my previous suggestion?"

"Impossible! Don't you forget that I am Leylin's wife!" Celine's face flushed red.

"Indeed! A woman who has been abandoned in the Twilight Zone for more than a hundred years..."
Banker shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the obsidian statue in the plaza, especially the radiance
above it. A trace of restraining fear flashed distinctly in his eyes.

"When I become the leader of the allied armies, this statue will be destroyed! Only a statue of me,
Banker, is qualified to stand tall here! The next few days will be your last chance, think about it
carefully!" Banker walked out, but his voice still resounded in the room.

Not only was Celine regarded with tremendous prestige, the Magus that Leylin left in her hands was
controlled by the spirit. What was more crucial was that Leylin himself was still around. Although no one
knew where he was, he was still alive, somewhere.

Banker was still rather afraid of his senior. If not for these apprehensions, he would have forcefully
seized the position long ago.

Even so, Banker's patience was rapidly wearing thin.

"What now, Director?" There was a hint of a sob in the female Magus' voice.

"Let me think about it!" Worry was written across Celine's face as she gazed at the statue of Leylin in the
plaza. It might have been an illusion, but when she turned around, she felt as though the radiance above
the statue seemed to have turned... brighter?

......

As the days passed by, numerous Magi rushed into the northern region unceasingly. Due to the
underlying reason to deal with the other races, the exchange between the institutions was even more
important.

The turbulent undercurrents in the subterranean world never stopped flowing. Not only were the
human Magi plotting conspiracies of their own, the other races also played an extremely important role
in the impending chaos.

In the vast yet solemn venue, the directors of all the academies were sitting around a long round table.
They couldn't help but turn their gaze towards the main seat in the centre.

The golden chair was adorned with many ornamental gems and appeared incomparably gorgeous. This
seat was still vacant at present, but it could be inferred that only today's victor would be able to occupy
that spot and cry out his commands.

"President of Nature's Alliance, Celine, and House Professor, Banker, have arrived!" A voice sounded
abruptly, making the numerous directors turn their gazes towards the entrance.
Celine was there, dressed in a splendid ceremonial robe. She was accompanied by Banker. Banker was
even walking in front of her.

"That's too much! He's not even the director yet!" Will, who was seated amongst the spectators,
secretly clenched his fist.

He was brimming with rage at the thought of the director whom he had always admired being coerced
into this. But as a mere official Magus, he had no way to confront a rank 3. This was a lesson he had
learnt the hard way, through tears and blood.

"Director Celine!" "Director Celine!" "Director Celine!" A few well-acquainted Magi profusely greeted
her, but even more people gathered around Banker, just like stars revolving around the moon as they
grouped around their revered leader.

'These fellows!' Celine was secretly angry. When Leylin was still around, these Magi who were now
kissing up to Banker, were all itching to kneel at her feet to express their loyalty. Now, they were
betraying her without the slightest hesitation.

Even though she knew that the society of Magi followed the law of the jungle she couldn't help but feel
a tinge of discouragement.

Just as she was walking towards the seat in the centre, another Magus obstructed her. "Wait a minute!"

"What's the matter, Director Barca?" Celine recognised him of course. This Magus was the president of
Ray College, and had already been completely subdued by Banker.

"This is the main seat, only the president of Nature's Alliance Institution is qualified to sit here! Don't tell
me you're trying to disobey him?"
Celine raised her eyebrows. A greatly menacing air surrounded her. She was no longer the weak female
Magus from before, but a formidable Magus who had undergone the trials of blood and fire, and had
been promoted to rank 2!

The appearance of such an aura immediately weakened Barca's imposing manner.

"Indeed! This conference should be hosted by the president of Nature's Alliance Institution!" Banker
walked out and the first sentence he uttered surprised Celine.

"Therefore, before the conference begins, I propose to first conduct the election for the president of
Nature's Alliance Institution!"

"You!" Celine was utterly enraged. The director of Nature's Alliance had always been her, and that had
never changed. Based on the traditions of Nature's Alliance, only Celine's disciples were qualified to
succeed the institution. How could they choose the president based on an election?

However, Banker was now making use of this crucial moment, with the support of the other directors, to
make Celine step down from office.

"That's right! I am completely in favour of Banker's suggestion. Besides, the strength of our lord Banker
surpasses everyone else, and all of the Magi presents unanimously approve of his moral character. Thus,
I recommend our lord, Banker!" President Barca raised his point immediately after some thought.

"That's right! We stand by President Barca!"

"Well said!" Many Magi started to cause a din, especially a great many of the rank 2 professors from
Nature's Alliance Academy, who all stood behind Banker.

Only a handful of students and Magi who used to be controlled by Leylin stayed by Celine's side.
"All of you..." Celine looked at the hostile Magi, and suddenly felt as though she was among a pack of
wolves.

The green tint of greed glistened in the eyes of these Magi, seemingly waiting to tear her to shreds
before devouring her.

"Look at that! The majority of the professors all support me! It seems that we don't even need an
election!"

No matter how self-restrained Banker was, he couldn't help but be pleased with himself. He walked next
to the main seat, and looked at Celine. "How about now? My suggestion from before still holds! I hope
you won't make a choice that will anger me!"

'Among Magi, trickery and these tactics can only assist you, but ultimately it is one's strength that is the
deciding factor!' Celine now understood why Leylin could abandon everything in the Twilight Zone, and
resolutely go off in search of strength.

But it seems that it was a little too late.

"All of you!" Celine raised her head, her voice suddenly filled with pride. "Have you forgotten the former
Radiant Guardian? Once Leylin returns, he definitely will not let any of you get away with this!"

Celine's voice was sharp. Most of the Magi present knew how savage Leylin could be, and couldn't help
but hesitate at this point.

"Hmph! He's just a rank 3 Magus all the same! If he dares come here, I will let him know who the ruler of
the Twilight Zone is!"
Banker snorted coldly. Powerful undulations of a rank 3 Magus shook the place, and the illusion of holy
light appeared behind him.

"A forcefield with such energy intensity that is infinitely close to a domain? Perhaps it can even surpass
Leylin!" The other Magi were all in awe.

That's right! Leylin still existed, but it was not known if he would return to Twilight Zone. Banker,
however, was a true blue rank 3 Magus! Even more importantly, merely relying on one's reputation to
make others cower in fear was not enough.

Thus, many Magi started saluting profusely to Banker, "Lord Banker, please assume the position of
Director of Nature's Alliance, and lead the allied armies!"

The voices rose to a clamour, and Celine, who was sandwiched in between, seemed incomparably pale.

"Hahaha..." Banker started laughing like a maniac. The dream he had had for years has finally been
fulfilled, and his heart was brimming with ecstasy. He could already see himself unifying the entire
Twilight Zone, and the moment where he would become the supreme emperor!

Banker's eyes twinkled and was about to take his place on the main seat. Right at this moment, strange
changes started to occur.

"Is that so?" A black silhouette suddenly appeared, standing in Bank's way. The mere eye contact they
shared was enough to fill Banker with dread, as though he was meeting his nemesis.

Upon the sight of this figure, tears started to rush out of Celine's eyes involuntarily.

"Who is he? Why do I find his appearance so familiar?" The many directors were dazed. It seemed that
they knew all found him familiar, but couldn't seem to recall his name.
"It's the Radiant Guardian! The Radiant Guardian, Leylin Farlier!" Will, who was standing next to Celine,
clenched his fist and shouted, his eyes aglow.

"Lord Leylin!" Following which, Iren, Gordius and the other elderly subordinates under Leylin's previous
command immediately bowed respectfully.

"It really is him!" The numerous Magi suddenly had a realisation. Didn't this Magus look exactly the
same as the obsidian statue in the plaza of Nature's Alliance?

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 603 - Clown

Leylin Farlier!

This name was a legend in Twilight Zone, a myth. His stories were passed down as legends, sang of in
praise by numerous bards!

And now, this legend had once more appeared before their eyes.

"Quite a few interesting things seem to have happened in my absence." Leylin looked around as he said
this, and many directors took a few steps back in order, be they rank 1 Magi or rank 2.

Finally, a rank 2 Magus could not take it anymore. He fell to his knees with a thud, and called out,
"Master Leylin, please forgive me! I never wished to betray you, and was only forced by Banker."
As someone from the same generation as Leylin, this Magus named Akazawa knew well about him and
his ruthless ways. This was why Leylin's appearance frightened him, almost to the point of wetting his
pants.

And just like that, as if via a domino effect, more and more Magi knelt, all their knees banging into the
ground. Regardless of the effort Banker had put into establishing ties with them and threatening them,
it was all a joke in front of Leylin..

"Didn't you want me to come before? Well, I'm here now, what do you have to say?" Leylin glanced at
Banker, almost not bothering to even talk to small fry like him. Banker realised the sarcasm in his tone
immediately.

"Loke's Shadow!" Banker's face turned green for a moment, then red before his fake domain spread out.
Energy at rank 3 spread out, and a low-grade magic artifact twinkled in his hands.

Banker unleashed his strongest attack with confidence, and dashed straight towards Leylin.

He was very clear that Leylin's appearance had ruined all his plans. He only had one hope now; he had to
smash apart the myth with his own hands, to defeat Leylin! And he was confident in doing that, in his
inheritance.

An enormous 'domain' opened up, pushing even many rank 2 Magi to the side. The ferocious and
berserk force caused a change in the expressions of many Magi.

"What a commendable courage!" Leylin squinted his eyes slightly, and the piece of low-grade magic
equipment in Banker's hands shattered apart inch by inch. Following that was the fake domain, The rank
3 radiance was snuffed out, and a layer of ash grey stone appeared on the surface of Banker's body.
Within moments, he had become nothing more than a stone statue.

The surface of the statue captured the frantic look on Banker's face perfectly.
It was like a clown trying to run away, highly comical.

"Didn't you want to be honoured, for your legacy to be passed down? Very well, this statue can be
placed at the plaza of Nature's Alliance, it'll be a good contrast!" Leylin nodded, and the place fell into a
dead silence. Many of the Magi present felt like they were dreaming.

What had they just seen? The strong rank 3 Banker had attacked Leylin at full force, but his opponent
simply blinked his eyes and he'd turned into a statue. Even his soul had been annihilated!

This Radiant Guardian was evidently quite a bit more terrifying than in the legends!

"What? Anyone else wants to interfere in the internal affairs of my Nature's Alliance Academy?" Leylin
looked around.

By this time, Barca and Banker's other loyal followers had already had a bad premonition, and began to
retreat one after the other. The lights of teleportation burst forth as well.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Blood sprayed like fireworks as Barca and the rest combusted into bits and pieces,
filling the whole sky.

A scalding rain of morselized flesh fell onto the faces and shoulders of the Magi present on scene.
However, not a single person dared to wipe anything off, forget stopping it.

'The Radiant Guardian didn't even move his hands, and there were no energy waves from spells at all.
How did those rank 2 Magi...?' Shocked to the extreme, the hearts of the Magi at the scene were already
growing sluggish.
"N–No, no objections at all! Director Celine's achievements are obvious to everyone!" They really did
not dare to come forward again.

As for these rank 1s and 2s, Leylin could indeed easily kill a whole bunch of them with just a slight puff of
air. He simply could not be bothered with people of their power anymore.

"Leylin!" Celine stepped forward, an excitement in her voice which surprised him.

Originally, he'd thought that after he left the power hungry Celine would not be eager at all for his
return. But from what it seemed, the passage of time had instead made this woman think about his
good points.

Leylin could not help but break into laughter. He directly sat in the host's seat while Celine stood
respectfully at one side.

The eyes of the other Magi who had supported Celine previously, like Iren, Gordius, Will, and the others,
were all brimming with ecstasy.

They were mostly under Celine due to her having their spirit sources, and had no choice but to force
themselves to support her. Although this was the case, with Leylin's reappearance, not only had things
taken a new turn immediately, their efforts were even more than amply rewarded.

Leylin did not care about Iren and the others. Instead, he directed his gaze onto a young Magus. This
brightly handsome Magus was actually the one who was the most supportive of Celine just now.

"This is Magus Will! A second generation student of Nature's Alliance Academy. He has already
advanced to become an official Magus and is a professor in the institution..." Celine rushed to introduce
him to Leylin.

"Of course I know that..." Leylin smiled. As he looked at Will, he found his face familiar.
"Your mother, is she well?" Leylin suddenly asked.

"Hm? My mother?" In his heart, Will was extremely shocked. He did not know why Leylin suddenly
asked such a question but he still answered, "My mother was just an acolyte, it's been over 50 years
since she passed away..."

"I see..." Leylin sighed with a rasp in his tone, "Time is the great enemy of all living creatures..."

"Lord Radiant Guardian, did you know my mother?" Will became excited. Ever since he was born, he had
never seen his father. He heard from his mother that his father had gone to do something very
important and righteous but never returned. Could it be...

Leylin's question and Will's answer had an extremely deep meaning. Not only the surrounding Magi,
even Celine made a bad association. She looked at Leylin, and analysed Will. Her eyes reflected a
thoughtful expression, and nobody knew what she was thinking.

If her conjecture was true, even if Will was a capable assistant, she would have to suppress him slightly
in the future in secret. However, on the surface, they should appear to be more intimate.

If Leylin knew about Celine's thoughts, he would definitely roll his eyes ruthlessly. Even though time had
passed, Celine was still that power hungry creature from before.

"We pay our respects to the Radiant Guardian! We hope the Lord will lead us to defeat the allied armies
once again!"

By this time, Banker and his followers had all been annihilated. With the support of Leylin whose
strength was unfathomable, what other choices did the attending Magi have? They immediately knelt
down respectfully.
Although Banker and Celine had invited them as allies, in front of the fierce Leylin how would these
Magi dare to act big? One after another, they began to label themselves as subordinates.

Leylin's eyes scanned over them slightly, and, "You all disappoint me..." The very first sentence he spoke
made the many kneeling Magi break out in such a fierce cold sweat that it drenched their clothes.

"The other tribes' allied army has already reached the gate, and you're still fighting for power over such
a trivial thing." Leylin shook his head, pity in his expression.

"Gate?" Celine covered her mouth and gasped in surprise.

"What?" The Magi below also began to clamour; this news was really too shocking.

"Why? You thought that those other tribes would wait quietly at Potti City?" A mocking smirk flashed
across the corner of Leylin's lips as he thought of an idea.

The Magi who were present suddenly felt an enormous force locking up their entire bodies. They were
unable to use any sort of spells, and soon after they felt very dizzy as if the whole world was spinning.

When they came back to their senses, they had already left the venue as a group and were somewhere
outdoors.

Opposite them, a group of dark elves, gnomes in mechanical suits, and even beast emperors were
staring with wide open eyes, surprised by their sudden appearance.

Celine's eyes were filled with confusion for a moment, but she responded immediately after that. "This
is... the mountainous region outside Nature's Alliance, you all were indeed preparing a sneak attack!"
Her limbs could not help but feel ice-cold.
In front of them were obviously the elites of the other races. Every one of them had strength at least
equivalent to a rank 1 Magus, and there also quite a few rank 3 powerhouses. If they had taken the
opportunity to launch an ambush while she was fighting Banker, it would certainly spell a great defeat
for the humans of Twilight Zone. Forget the rest, even Nature's Alliance Academy would not be able to
protect itself. And after Banker died, the entirety of Twilight Zone... Celine didn't dare to think further.

'To be able to suppress all of us Magi instantly, and bring us here without any resistance, that means
that if the Radiant Guardian wanted to, he wouldn't need much effort to just eliminate us all....' Contrary
to Celine, the other Magi were instead shocked at the terrifying strength that Leylin had displayed.

Not only had he just killed Banker a few moments ago, but he had also transported this entire group.
This had used just a small fraction of Leylin's strength, and it left them without the slightest thought of
resistance.

"Human Magi! You could actually see past our concealment?" A laughing voice spread out as the dark
elves separated to expose a queen dressed in a golden robe.

This queen had an exquisite face, sharps ears, and the energy waves emitted from her body had
impressively reached the rank 3 level.

After she came out a sturdy dwarf as well as a gnome steering a large machine walked out as well.
Beside them, a few beast emperors that let loose terrifying howls.

"Rank 3! All rank 3 powerhouses!" Numerous Magi murmured despondently.

Leave aside the legendary queen of the dark elves for now, it was unexpected for the tribes such as the
dwarves and gnomes to produce rank 3s after a long period of suppression.

Including the beast emperors, there were a total of six rank 3 powerhouses gathered here!
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 604 - Invincible

"Since when has the strength of other tribes and the darkness creatures grown to such a point?" Celine
bit her lips, blaming herself slightly and feeling a little remorseful.

Leylin's rule had forced the other races in Twilight Zone to slavery, only to be exploited by human Magi.
It was unexpected that in just a hundred years' time, they had actually gotten powerful again.

If not for Leylin's appearance today, even if the opponent hadn't launched a sneak attack they could've
won just based on this army that infiltrated their borders. It could practically wipe out all the human
Magi.

After all, before this the humans had only one rank 3 Magus, Banker.

"Luckily, there's still him!" Celine looked at Leylin's silhouette, eyes filled with an unconcealable pride.

As Leylin looked at the beautiful ruler of dark elves, he could not help but let out a chuckle, "Alicia! I
didn't expect to see another familiar face. Not only have you advanced to rank 3, you've also become
the queen of the dark elves. It's truly worth congratulating!"

However, as this laughter echoed in the opposing queen's ears, her entire body grew rigid. It was as if
she had been struck by lightning.

The many humiliations that the owner of this voice had brought to the dark elves immediately appeared
in her mind, something that Alicia would never forget.
Yes, this new ruler of the dark elves was impressively, Leylin's old 'friend'— the matriarch of dark elves,
Alicia. Even that time, it was her who had surrendered to Leylin outside Potti City, personally offering
the high-grade meditation technique of the dark elves and their piece of magic equipment.

"You're Leylin! Leylin Farlier!" The opposing queen directed her gaze that was on Celine towards Leylin,
gritting her teeth.

When Leylin restrained himself, he seemed just like an ordinary person, and it made the other rank 3s
overlook him.

But with Leylin speaking, a sort of confidence that came from a control of the overall situation emerged
from him, making him seem outstanding and superior.

"It's him! The humans' Radiant Guardian!"

"I've seen his portrait before, I'm definitely not wrong!" One after another, the other races exploded
with rage. The fear that Leylin instilled in them was etched deeply.

"Mass murderer! Butcher! Leylin Farlier, repay my father's and the other tribes' hatred with your
blood!" The sturdy dwarf ruler jumped out, a hammer in hand which seemed to be made of thunder.

"Oh! I remember now, you're that lucky survivor from the dwarf royal family right? The little rascal who
hid in the corner of the palace, not daring to move at that time..." Leylin patted his head with an amiable
sense of familiarity.

Yet, this expression and his words had instead caused the dwarf to instantly fly into a rage.

Leylin was not bothered by him. He turned his attention to the gnome steering the large robot, "Hm... a
mechanical colossus... You gnomes have managed to create another one? The craftsmanship has
improved as well, and the problem of low battery has been solved as well!"
"Sir Leylin's knowledge really leaves me in awe for life. Furthermore, if you hadn't seized our most
precious gnome's book at that time, I believe we could still have sat down happily for a chat..." The one
controlling the frightening colossus was an old, senile gnome whose hands were covered with all sorts of
scars and burns.

"Oh, there's also rank 3 beast emperors," Leylin looked at the three mountainous darkness creatures at
the side, "This is great!"

"What's great? Is he mad?"

"Even if he is the former Radiant Guardian, for a rank 3 to think of fighting us all together is too arrogant
of him..." Many of the tribes began to clamour.

Alicia, on the other hand, was different. People like her had seen how terrifying Leylin could be, and
they had a bad premonition instead.

Even if she had advanced to rank 3, the fear she held towards Leylin had once more surfaced from deep
in her memories after she saw him in person.

On top of that, he had such a confident expression and there was an enigmatic aura on his body...

Alicia's expression changed several times, and at last, she kneeled in front of Leylin before the widened
eyes of the many Magi and tribes, "Alicia greets the Lord, the Radiant Guardian! Please forgive my
tribe's mistake this time!"

"Grand Matriarch! How can we just let them go like that?"

"Is the humiliation that the humans have already brought us not enough? How can we simply grovel at
their feet like that?" Even before Alicia's allies spoke, the matriarch under her caused an uproar.

"Enough! I am the Grand Matriarch of the dark elves. I will take responsibility for this matter alone!"
Alicia responded coldly.

"Haha... Good! Alicia! I admire your ability to have a clear view of things!" Leylin clapped and laughed
heartily.

*Roar!* Seeing that something seemed amiss, a small black elephant, one of the beast emperors with
large fleshy wings on its back started howling in tandem with a two-headed leopard. Both of them
pounced towards Leylin. A terrifying power beyond the normal rank 3 level caused the earth to tremble.

At the same time, a beast emperor in the form of a large blue ape secretly slipped away from behind.

The movements of a few emperor darkness creatures seemed to trigger some sort of chain reaction; the
tribes at the opposite side had join forces to attack Leylin together. Ignoring the indecisive dark elves
and Alicia who was still kneeling, the dwarf ruler threw the large hammer in his hands with a howl, and
terrifying blue thunderbolts swept across the area. The colossus, too, created a roaring sound that
caused many rank 2 Magi to retreat with pale faces.

These tribes were attacking with a common target in mind— Leylin!

Four rank 3 attackers led the charge! On top of that were a whole group of fighters that were as strong
as rank 1 and 2 Magi, many of them using treasures. Such an attack would leave even Crystal Phase
Magi seriously injured as they fled.

In the face of this earth-shattering attack, Leylin's kept an unchanging expression, chuckling as he spoke,
"Do you know why I said this is great just now? It's because, with all of you gathered together, I don't
have to go through the effort of going to your lairs to finish you off one by one!"
Immediately, a terrifyingly strong energy wave burst forth from his body. A starry domain expanded,
engulfing the entire area within it.

Many energies were snuffed out in an instant, and all of the energy attacks within the Morning Star
domain had completely dissipated, exposing the silhouettes of the foreign races, all of them at a loss.

All Leylin had done was release the power of his domain, and the joint attack of the many tribes had
been nulled completely!

Surging waves! Surging waves of disbelief and fear rolled in their hearts!

All the Magi who had been worried about Leylin just now were stunned. Seeing the tribes' combined
attack, they'd thought nothing could surpass that amount of power. However, the moment Leylin made
his move was the moment they realised that what they'd been looking at was like the glow of a firefly in
the night. Although such a glow was visible in the dark, once the sun came up, they would disappear
without a trace.

The frightening aura being emitted from Leylin's body was so powerful that these Magi could not help
but kneel down, not daring to harbour any other thoughts at all.

"Such strength?" Will stood behind Leylin, but he could not help but kneel either. He only felt that the
Leylin now was entirely different from before. He was like the sun, moon and stars in the sky, up high
and eternal.

"This... this is the domain that belongs to a Morning Star!" Celine murmured, her tears spilling out
helplessly. She finally understood the magnitude of the opportunity she had lost at that time, and that
she could never get it back.

*Ka-cha!* As if hitting emergency brakes, the elephant and the two-headed leopard suddenly stopped.
They retreated with even greater speed, their bodies bursting forth with blood-red light. Their massive
bodies rapidly grew emaciated, making it obvious that they had utilised some secret technique which
exhausted a lot of energy.

"Still want to escape?" Leylin shook his head.

Two gigantic, yellowish-brown palms extended from the ground with a sudden boom, grasping the two
beast emperors within. The sound of bones shattering could be heard, and be it physical attacks or
magical attacks the two could not leave a scratch on the palms..

The two beast emperors looked at Leylin, an obvious plea in their eyes.

"You're quite smart, even comparable to ordinary humans!" Leylin gasped slightly in admiration, but the
pair of gigantic hands suddenly exerted a bit of force.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Following two loud sounds, the two rank 3 beast emperors had been pinched so hard
they exploded.

"Ra– Rank 4! You've already advanced to rank 4. You're a Morning Star Magus!" A voice like that of a
dead man echoed from within the throat of the gnome inside the colossus.

Morning Star!

The crowd was sluggish for a moment, unable to react instantly. Only after a while did they suddenly
realise what that meant.

Indeed, only a Morning Star Magus would be able to withstand the attacks of the numerous tribes
without changing his expression, and even slaughter two beast emperors with just a light touch.

It was just that this happy news for the human Magi was a total tragedy for the tribes!
What did a Morning Star represent? In Twilight Zone, such a person was invincible! And with Leylin's
youth, these tribes would probably have to be enslaved for thousands of years.

This was still fortunate. If Leylin wanted to hold them responsible for their rebellion, their entire race
would probably go extinct! A Morning Star's anger was exactly that terrifying.

The large hammer-shaped magic artifact in the dwarven ruler's hands fell to the ground with a bang, and
two streaks of blood flowed down from his eyes. Although many of the tribes had been stripped of all
their abilities in the Morning Star field and were lying limp on the ground like dead dogs, he was still
barely able to stand, "Oh, Fate! Why are you so unjust, even allowing that murderer to become a
Morning Star in the sky? And for us of the other tribes, there's only suffering?"

Pearls of blood flowed down his eyes with each word he spoke. And just as his resentful questions
ended, the radiance in the dwarven ruler's eyes dimmed. He was dead.

"There's still one more!" Leylin stretched out his hand and grabbed the air, and it was as if a huge hand
appeared out of nowhere and a large blue ape was captured.

Once the large blue ape fell onto the ground with a bang, it kowtowed to Leylin repeatedly, continuously
begging for forgiveness.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 605 - Entering the Caves Again

There were a total of three beast emperors who had snuck in to launch the surprise attack.

This giant blue ape was obviously a lot more intelligent than its two companions, and from the very
beginning, it had planned to escape, secretly heading to the edges of the battlefield. Seeing Leylin
extending his Morning Star domain, it ran even harder without regard for its life.

It was a pity that little ruses like these were akin to jokes in front of a Morning Star.

"Blood Extraction!" Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes, giving the giant ape a feeling that catastrophe
was coming. However, under the suppression of the Morning Star domain, it could not resist.　

Blood dripped from its pores, quickly taking form in Leylin's hands. With the loss of such large amounts
of blood, the ape's aura grew increasingly weak, and its howls of pain gradually turned into whines.

*Thud!* A withered corpse fell to the ground, turning into multiple pieces of dried meat with no
nutrition.

[Beep! The weak aura of an ancient bloodline has been discovered. The source has been determined to
be the Water Monkey.] The A.I. Chip quickly prompted.　　

"Oh? Not bad! No wonder it's much smarter than the rest of the darkness creatures." Leylin glanced at
the scarlet and crimson intertwined with a trace of blue, and stowed it away.

The terrifying Blood Extraction was still kept up, but the bloodline crystals being formed weren't nearly
worth Leylin taking them. He tossed them to Celine, Will, and the others, and they stowed them away
like they were treasures.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Their blood having been drawn out, the beings of the other races fell to the
ground, dried out. No matter how powerful they were, they were but ants in the face of a Morning Star
domain.

In just a few breaths, most of them had disappeared, and all that was left was a bunch of fragmented
corpses. The essence of their bodies had already been taken away with their blood, and their bodies
now held less nutrition than even the soil. They would soon crumble apart.
After Leylin withdrew his Morning Star domain, the human Magi had realised that besides Alicia and a
few other matriarchs who were kneeling, all members of the other races, as well as the indecisive dark
elves, had been eliminated.

In a single move, countless rank 3 rulers and a hundred years of accumulated power had gone up in a
wisp!

Many Magi almost fainted as if they were in a nightmare.

......　　

In the snow-white passageway, Leylin had his hands behind his back, surveying the surroundings with
interest. Celine followed behind him, constantly giving him reports.

"All the academies have sworn their allegiance to us once more and are willing to listen to the
commands of Nature's Alliance. The allied armies of the other races have been completely
exterminated. Congratulations, the whole of Twilight Zone is now under you once again!"

"Oh!" Leylin agreed with a sound, eyes still sizing up the ice on the walls, as if all of Twilight Zone was
not as important as this piece of ice.

Seeing him act this way, Celine could not help but sigh inside. If this was in the past, she would have
grown ecstatic due to the power she had been given.

Now, however, her previous experiences had dulled her thirst for power. She simply tucked her hair
behind her head and continued making the report. "Our armies have already broken through the
dwarves' palace and mechanical capital of the gnomes. All of them had enslaved."
The terror of a Morning Star was immense. After Leylin was done showing off his power, the other races
had learnt the meaning of overwhelming despair.

Though conspiring together had raised their strength to a certain extent, nothing could be done about a
disparity as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth.

Hence, the humans had quickly unified the area, and it was all under Leylin.

The foreign races, who had lost many powerful commanders, could not resist the humans' attacks at all.

"Also, at the dark elves' side, the Grand Matriarch has already retreated to their original territory, and is
willing to sign a firm contract that the dark elves will be the humans' vassals and servants for all
eternity."

This kind of agreement that affected the whole elven race was very harsh. If violated, the backlash could
cause the entire race to be killed. Hence, this was just secondary to being exterminated. The last time,
Leylin had merely forced them to escape to the edges of Twilight Zone, and they had to offer tributes
every once in a while. There had not been any pledges like this.　　

Now, with the deaths of the dwarves and gnomes, even this was quite a good choice for them.

"Alicia is quite tactful!" Leylin laughed, but that only caused Celine to grow jealous as she felt an
impending crisis.

Walking through the icy tunnels, Leylin and Celine came before a rift where large amounts of chilling
winds surged out, even having attacks from icy blades and the like.

*Buzz!* A green defensive layer appeared on Celine's body, but could not withstand the corrosion of the
ice. Her expression changed. The cold winds of the cave were something even rank 2 Magi could not
resist!
Just as Celine felt the chill about to enter her body, Leylin finally made his move. Black flames formed a
wall of fire in front of them and kept the cold outside.

"When did this area become like this?" Leylin sized up the cave, looking grim. This was the entrance to
the Icy Cave, but its appearance had changed drastically. Terrifyingly chilly storms surged within, so cold
that even rank 2 Magi could not hold on for long. Things like having acolytes practising inside was
naturally not possible anymore.

"87 years ago, the storms inside the Icy Cave grew increasingly violent. First, the acolytes could not take
it anymore, and after that, even the guard Magi had no choice to leave and abandon this area."

Celine watched the Icy Cave, feeling as if she was seeing an ancient monster opening its mouth
ferociously. She could not help but hide behind Leylin.

"Based on the scanning by our academy, the icy caves' icy radiation has already reached dragon-grade!
Even rank 3s cannot enter the place anymore..."　　

"Mm!" Leylin nodded. He had long since found that there was an even larger world of ice under the Icy
Cave, a world stemming from the radiation caused by the blood of the female bronze giant from the Icy
World. This miniature version of the Icy World was vast and full of dangers, a place even he would not
have entered at rank 3.

And by the looks of it, this world of ice was growing larger.

"The blood of a being that has grasped laws is this powerful even after death!" Leylin sighed ruefully, his
eyes emitting blue rays as he peered through the darkness of the caves and into its depths.　　

"Leylin, you– you want to go down?" Celine asked from the side in concern.
"Yes, there's something I want to retrieve from there!" Leylin nodded. There was no harm in admitting
this. He feared nobody in Twilight Zone. Even if all the Magi here teamed up with all the members of the
other races to oppose him, they could be taken care of with a single Morning Star Arcane Art.

"Be careful!" Celine bit her lips. Leylin had not shown a whit of interest in anything in Twilight Zone after
his return. The only thing he'd done was take care of the attack by the other races.

She felt like Leylin had returned just for the Icy Cave, and would leave once more soon enough.

Even so, what could she do? She watched as his figure disappeared into the Icy Cave with a complicated
expression. She couldn't even handle the chilly gusts, so how was she to catch up to his footsteps? She
could only sigh.

"Is the difference between me and Leylin already so huge?" In that moment, Celine was disappointed
and frustrated.

With the howling of the winds from both sides, Leylin no longer bothered with Celine. He had only
helped out with Twilight Zone because he'd encountered it on his way. If not, even if the entire Twilight
Zone was placed in front of him, he probably wouldn't really care.　　

Twilight Zone really was too barren for a Morning Star. It held nothing valuable other than its large
lands.

Leylin had only one goal in coming here, and that was the world of ice!

At this moment, the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded out. [Beep! Ambient temperatures dropping
rapidly. Activating real time detection.] [Current temperature: 173 Kelvin... 123 Kelvin...] The number in
the field indicating temperature dropped continuously, eventually even dropping below absolute zero!

Terrifying cold covered the area, and even spacetime seemed to freeze over. The place was bathed in
blue light.

"As expected, one can't use common sense from my previous world here. Even the physical constants
have changed..." Leylin's body had been wrapped up in black flames, like being covered in an armour of
flames.

The ground he was walking on was blue, the rigid ice as glossy as a mirror and yet surpassing even many
magic alloys in terms of hardness.

The A.I. Chip's prompt sounded again. [Beep! Detected icy radiation. 69% similar to radiation in
database from the Icy Jade Scorpion. Strength multiplier is 178.6.]

"The world of ice has already expanded to this point?" Leylin was shocked.　　

In the meanwhile, he looked at the topographic map that had been stored inside the A.I. Chip's
database. It was evident that the terrain of the Icy Cave was similar to before, but the surface now had a
much firmer layer of blue ice on top, and many creatures had been affected.

*Chik chik...* Not far away, a being called out, and the A.I. Chip immediately sent a reading. Leylin's
expression changed as he walked over.

In front of him now was a creature he was very familiar with— an Icy Jade Scorpion!

Compared with the elite Icy Jade Scorpion he had seen before, what appeared in front of Leylin was
several times larger, and the strength of its energy had reached rank 2!

Even the female face on its back seemed more vivid.

"Has the radiation from the blood of a creature that comprehended laws begun to affect even physical
growth?" Leylin grew serious.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 606 - Arctic Underground

*Chik chik!* The foraging Icy Jade Scorpion saw Leylin, and immediately lifted its two giant claws. The
stinger of the large beast swayed as it positioned itself, ready to attack.

"Good timing!" Leylin laughed at the sight, and a fiery shadow appeared on the back of the Icy Jade
Scorpion.

*Chik chik!* The scorpion tried to struggle, but a palm with a terrifying energy and intent covered its
head.

The intent in the palm immediately smashed apart all resistance, and the large Icy Jade Scorpion
crouched down. From this person's body, it seemed to feel a familiar and amiable energy that belonged
to an emperor.

"Let's go!" Leylin commanded, and the Icy Jade Scorpion immediately stood up, carrying Leylin on its
back and running ahead...

In the frosty world of ice, a green figure carried a black dot on its back as it moved forward at an
extreme speed.

It had to be said that in this underground version of the Icy World, Icy Jade Scorpions were very useful
tools for transportation. Not only did they have a high tolerance for icy radiation, their limbs were like
hooks, every step digging holes in the steel-like icy ground. It did not slip at all.　　

The large Icy Jade Scorpion was intimidating and could avoid a lot of little inconveniences. At the very
least, regular beings of the world of ice would not dare provoke it.　　

"Here! This is the limits of the map Celine gave me before."

*Thud!* A large green figure jumped up and fell on the ground, its pincers sweeping across and opening
a hole in the wall, revealing deep pathways inside that had obviously been altered with time.

Watching them Leylin's eyes filled with pity. At that time, he had brazenly captured a bunch of Icy Jade
Scorpions to treat the emotional instability stemming from his bloodline.

'The icy radiation has been strengthened, and the Icy Jade Scorpions have mutated. I wonder if there's
anything now that can heal the emotional instability at Morning Star?' Leylin thought as he touched his
skin. Then, he had only used a peak rank 1 Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor to suppress his emotional
instability until he became a Morning Star.

Now, even the regular Icy Jade Scorpions had strength equivalent to a rank 2 Magus, so the Icy Breath of
a rank 3 elite or emperor would definitely be effective at dealing with the emotional instability of Giant
Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks at the Morning Star realm.

This was especially true for Leylin. The A.I. Chip managed to deduce that the Icy Breath of an Icy Jade
Scorpion was very suitable for his Warlock physique, and therefore he would have no more issues in
that aspect.

'After I extract the bloodline of the female bronze giant, the world of ice underground will probably
collapse due to losing the icy radiation. I should capture an Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor.

'Of course, things don't need to be so complicated! The bloodline of the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor
comes from the Scorpion Man, and as long as I obtain his remains, the effects will definitely be better
than from regular emperors. Perhaps it could solve the issue permanently...'
"Let's go!"

The laboratory was completely empty. When Leylin left previously, he had brought everything inside
with him. Now, he was only here to determine the coordinates.

After a brief moment recalling it, Leylin patted the head if the Icy Jade Scorpion under him.

*Chik chik...* The large Icy Jade Scorpion whined as it brought Leylin into the depths of the world of ice.

This place was out of the bounds of the map he possessed and had many dead ends filled with unknown
mysteries. Of course, there was also danger!

*Whoosh...* The chilly gale howled as it accompanied the Icy Jade Scorpion deeper in, the surrounding
temperatures lowering continuously. The ferocious icy radiation became even more violent.

A green luster began to form on the shell of the Icy Jade Scorpion; even it was starting to find it difficult
to withstand the temperature.　　

The tremendous darkness completely shrouded the region, and only the green light from the Icy Jade
Scorpion's body could light up the path ahead.　　

Pairs of large eyes were filled with bloodthirst and greed as they appeared around Leylin like flames
hidden in the night.

*Chik chik...* The large Icy Jade Scorpion did not really want to move forward anymore. It was merely a
rank 2 creature, and while it was considered powerful in Twilight Zone, it was nothing in the world of ice
that was deep within.　　

Any of the creatures shrouded in the darkness could capture and kill it easily. Normally, the Icy Jade
Scorpion would scurry away in retreat, but right now it was quite confident. It was not alone now, and
its owner possessed a terrifying power!

"Rank 2 and 3 creatures?" Leylin, who was sitting on the Icy Jade Scorpion's back, suddenly laughed.　　

Though these creatures didn't seem like much to him, they would definitely be a disaster for the Twilight
Zone if they ever left the Icy Cave.

Rank 2 Magi were already considered powerful in Twilight Zone, while rank 3s were rulers. If they were
to see the world of ice, this miniature version of the Icy World, their eyes would probably fall out of their
sockets.

"Even Celine probably doesn't know how dangerous the interior of the Icy Cave is." Leylin shook his
head, the void behind him distorting and exerting a terrifying pressure. The phantom of a terrifying
snake that was tens of thousands of metres long came into view, producing loud snarls.

Winds surged, bringing with them the might of an ancient being at the top of the food chain as they
spread in all directions.

The spying eyes were immediately filled with fear, and the sounds of footsteps and bumping sounded.
Large numbers of eyes quickly retreated, bloody battles occurring in the darkness just for the escape
route. Explosions and shrieks of horror sounded everywhere.

No matter how intense these battles were, none of the icy creatures dared take another glimpse in
Leylin's direction.　　

"You useless thing!" Leylin was annoyed at the incompetence of the Icy Jade Scorpion under him. It had
lain on the ground the moment the Giant Kemoyin Serpent figure appeared, and would not get up no
matter how he shouted at it.　　
*Hss...* The large Kemoyin Serpent phantom lowered its head and looked at the little green thing that
could pass between the gaps in its teeth. It opened its mouth threateningly, revealing a crimson tongue
and fierce teeth that were like little hills.

*Chik chik! Chik chik!* The Icy Jade Scorpion that had been lying on the ground suddenly got up, and
began to run like lightning.

Strong winds constantly blew at Leylin's ears, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "This scorpion
is really..."　

Explosions boomed as a large amount of icy rocks flew into the sky. A layer of ice broke from the top,
and a large scorpion that was carrying a black figure jumped through the hole and landed firmly on the
ground.

"Hah... Here!" Leylin led the Icy Jade Scorpion to higher ground, looking over the surroundings.

This was a world of ice! Ice and snow covered the place, leading the ground to sparkle. Even the hills and
rivers were made of ice! The vegetation that was spread around the area was covered with frost as well.
Flowers bloomed and trees bore fruit, all with a terrifying chill.

Things that looked like ribbons hung from large trees, with eyeballs that looked like longans on them,
emitting a blue lustre.

'This scene is so similar to the Icy World in the Scorpion Man's memories!' Leylin touched his chin, and a
powerful soul force scanned over a large area.

The beings within hundreds of kilometers seemed to have met their natural predator. Whether it was
the mountainous icy monsters or the tiny snowflake bugs, everything fell to the ground, trembling.

After a long moment, Leylin opened his eyes once more.

"Just from what I'm able to see, this place is already more than a tenth of the size of Twilight Zone.
Could this be the second layer to the subterranean world?" There was naturally more than just one layer
underneath the Magus World. It was rumoured that there were seven layers that the ancient Magi had
taken over, and the further one went the more dangerous it was. There were even existences like
Matriarch of the Abyss.

Of course, the resources there were more plentiful as well. They could be called places where risk met
reward.

Twilight Zone was merely in the first layer, and it was quite a normal place. It was only a region which
was isolated from the external world.

'No, that's not right! The distance is far too small, it can't be the second layer. It should be in the empty
space between the first two layers instead...' Leylin stroked his chin.　

'When the Scorpion Man fell through the spatial rifts that popped up during that ancient battle, he was
transported here. The continuous radiation from the blood of the female bronze giant had transformed
this area until it grew similar to the Icy World. It even included the formation of a large number of
creatures of the ice.'

Leylin's expression turned solemn. Existences like these that had stepped across the two-thirds of
realms and entered rank 7 were the most troublesome, as they had grasped laws.

Just a droplet of fresh blood from the original body had such a powerful effect. How powerful would the
original body have been?

"With such a large area, I wouldn't find it strange even if I found icy beings of the Morning Star level..."
Leylin sighed. The Morning Star realm was a threshold, and if there were Morning Star icy beings here,
the difficulty in exploring this place would increase severalfold.　　
To be direct, if Leylin had come here when he was rank 3, he would definitely have died. Even after he'd
advanced to Morning Star, he might not have been able to completely unravel the mysteries of the Icy
World.

Of course, Leylin was no longer the same as before. He had improved through his excursions to both the
Lava World and Sky City. His true strength now far surpassed the Morning Star realm, and he could even
rival Radiant Moons!

Hence, after entering the Icy World, he could use his soul force and probe the area without fear of
inadvertently alerting any enemy. Power was enough to pulverise all conspiracies.

'From the reaction to my soul force just now, the life undulations from here are the strongest!' Leylin
patted the Icy Jade Scorpion that was now seated, and it immediately budged. Jade green limbs began
to move with rhythm, each step carrying them a good distance as it crawled in the direction Leylin
pointed.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 607 - Arctic Tribe

When the formidable soul force of a peak Morning Star, which could even rival a Radiant Moon, swept
across the area, the entire world of ice started to bubble with activity.

The power of a rank 4 was something that a great many of the icy beasts could not resist. When Leylin's
soul force swept over, they could only lower their heads to express their humility, hoping that they
wouldn't anger the owner of this soul force.

The energy of a Morning Star, however, also awakened other presences.

In the depths of a castle constructed completely with ice, the frost radiation was so rich that it had hit its
limit. Colourful streams of light could even be seen twinkling continuously in the air.

"Arwen!" A cold voice resonated in thin air. Although there was no radiation of energy, it could make
the surrounding space tremble faintly.

"Your Majesty, your most loyal servant Arwen is here!" An elderly man dressed in the clothes of a butler
walked out of thin air and kneeled towards the source of the voice. He looked incomparably respectful.
This man's hair was combed so neatly that not a single strand was out of place, yet his eyes shone with a
strange crimson radiance.

His skin was eerily fair, exposing translucent green veins and red arteries.

"Did you sense it?" The female voice asked.

"Yes! A foreign Morning Star has arrived in your territory!" The old man spoke with respect. He was able
to sense that Leylin's soul force was different, which had to be of Morning Star rank at the very least!

"A foreign Morning Star is very important to my evolution. Go! Capture him and bring him to me!" the
female voice said.

"Your wish is my command!" The old man accepted his orders respectfully and retreated.

It was when he got up that an abnormality appeared. While the top half of his body had the appearance
of a human, the bottom half strangely took the form of a scorpion.

When the butler left, the entire icy castle immediately started to rouse from its slumber like a lion and
went into operations.
"All of you, go! Immediately send out a signal once you discover an unfamiliar strong intruder!" The
butler, Arwen, stood on top of the tall castle, his voice spreading to every corner below.

As he overlooked everything, large amounts of icy giants in armour started to roar, circular icy shields
and blue spears in hand.

The huge door of the icy castle creaked open, and squadrons of icy giants headed out just like human
patrol teams. They disappeared into a flurry of snow as far as the eye could see in minutes.

Only Arwen was left standing alone at the highest point of the castle, his thoughts a mystery.

Leylin, of course, had no idea about what was happening there. However, he had already mentally
prepared himself after displaying his soul force. Thus, with the icy scorpion under his control, he hurried
towards the place nearby where the life aura was the most concentrated.

The Icy Cave that Nature's Alliance controlled previously was only a passageway. It was here that the
real world of ice lay...

The humongous icy scorpion galloped wildly across the ice plains with Leylin on its back. Leylin sat cross-
legged, dispatching a few shadow servants in his tracks from time to time to pick a few fruits as well as
botanical stems, leaves and the such.

He was now examining a fruit that looked like an apple, his eyes aglow.

[Beep! Unknown fruit detected, composition has been recorded. Please give it a name!] The A.I. Chip
responded faithfully.

"Frozen Apple! Classify under Icy World: Botany." Leylin ordered.

[Recorded. Graphic and composition have been recorded under Icy World data, subject: Botany.]
"Mm," Leylin nodded. The apple in his hand was covered with a layer of blue ice. Using his fingernail, he
swiftly sliced a piece and popped it in his mouth.　

It felt like a piece of ice— no, a sensation even colder than that of ice spread in his mouth. If it was any
normal human, a mere touch would perhaps freeze them to death, forget consuming it! Yet, Leylin who
had a vitality of above 100 was already immune to most of the dangers in the world of ice. Hence, to
him, it was as cold as ice cream was for an average person.

"Tastes pretty good, just that it's a little too sweet." Leylin had little interest and threw the frozen apple
in his hand to the Icy Scorpion.

*Chik chik!* The Icy Scorpion whined excitedly and swallowed the frozen apple in one bite. After arriving
here, it seemed to have become more lively. Leylin watched this while lost in thought.

'Judging by the number of rank 3 spies and guardians at the passageway previously, the Icy Jade
Scorpion wouldn't have made it here if it came alone...' Leylin raised his head and took a look at the
world of ice. "The icy radiation here is even more terrifyingly concentrated; maybe if we stay for a while
more, this Icy Jade Scorpion will be able to evolve to a higher level..."

Since the world of ice was born from the blood of the female bronze giant, the icy radiation would grow
more powerful the closer one was to the source.

As long as he searched for the place on the basis of this rule, all conspiracies and methods of
concealment would be rendered useless.

Moreover, Leylin discovered that more icy creatures gathered at the places with more icy radiation.
They seemed to serve as a form of all-around protection.

"Hmm... The source of the radiation... there's a Morning Star there, but there's also an even stranger
aura..."Leylin furrowed his brows. Initially, though the aura was very weak, it felt exceptionally
dangerous, hence he did not dare to act rashly.
"They should have discovered me already. I wonder how they will deal with me?" The corners of Leylin's
lips curled into a faint smile. At this moment, the huge Icy Scorpion had broken through an ice tornado,
and it arrived opposite an ice canyon.

Enormous icicles littered the place, layering on top of each other to form a fortified hill village. There
were even a few icy creatures patrolling above.

"Intelligent icy beings?" Leylin exclaimed, and then he urged the Icy Scorpion to head towards it.

"Stand still, intruder! If not, you will suffer from the combined attack of the Aufker Canyon!" The guards
on the fort had long discovered Leylin, and hence began to yell at him.

With his astonishing vitality came powerful vision; it allowed Leylin to clearly spot the creatures in the
canyon in a split second.

They both belonged to entirely different species. One was a giant more than three metres tall with icy-
blue skin, patterned with ice elemental runes. It was covered in a layer of frost.

These giants had boorish facial features, and the harsh lines across their faces emphasised their
manliness, a distinctive feature of male creatures.

The other type was an elegant snow fairy with translucent wings and a slim figure. Large amounts of ice
energy particles condensed around them, much like a miniature tornado. Most of these fairies were
very pretty, and they were likely all female.

'Wait, are these the two genders of the same race? The frost giant males being exceedingly strong in
terms of physical strength and defensive capabilities, and the snow fairy females that specialise in ice
element spells?'
Leylin noticed one other thing as he made his conjecture. He understood their language, and this was
because it was some variant of the ancient Byron language.

Seeing that their language was centered around the Byron language, it seemed like the influence that
the Magus World had on the Icy World had was not small.

"I am a foreign Magus, and I wish to see your leader!" Leylin made the Icy Scorpion stop in front of the
village, and slowly started to speak. Although his voice was not very loud, it was somehow transmitted
far away.

There was some movement, and soon after, a few frost giants came running down.

Leylin seemed to be waiting quietly, but he was actually using the A.I. Chip to scan for information and
statistics on these intelligent icy creatures.

[Frost Giant (unnamed) Strength: 50.9, Agility: 10.1, Vitality: 40.1, Spiritual force: 80, Innate skill: 1) Frost
Skin: The skin of the frost giant has extremely high resistance towards frost radiation, which may even
cause the natural formation of a spell rune. It is an important material in the manufacture of some frost
magic weapons. 2) Freeze Rebirth: Its astonishing vitality gives the frost giant terrifying recovering
powers. In the Icy World, if increased by two energy levels, such recovering powers may even achieve
the effect of regrowth of broken limbs!] [Snow Fairy (unnamed) Strength: 10.3, Agility: 37.6, Vitality:
20.5, Spirit: 157.3, Magic Power: 157, Innate skill: 1) Frost Attraction: Snow fairies have a natural affinity
for ice energy particles, and may produce innate ice spells following advancements in rank. 2) Ice
Tornado: The rich ice energy particles provide extremely strong defence for snow fairies. They
automatically generate an ice tornado for protection, that has a similar effect to the Magi's Defiant Ring
of Flame.]

He randomly drew data from two of them, and the A.I. Chip immediately displayed specific statistics on
the targets. The current A.I. Chip could get information about even those in the Morning Star realm
without their knowledge. These members of this race were only at rank 1 or 2, and would not be able to
detect it at all.

"Indeed, these two races, which have such glaring differences in body size, are in fact just two forms of
the same race!"
Leylin gasped secretly. The work of nature, and the mysterious majesty of the other worlds, all
contributed to his strong thirst for knowledge.

They didn't make him wait for long. In practically a few minutes, the gigantic ice doors opened with a
rumble. Squadrons of frost knights riding on huge icy monsters came forth.

These riders were all frost giants, and they were seated on all kinds of monsters, all with strange, unique
appearances. There were wolves, bears, cheetahs and other forms, but they were all covered in blue
frost. It was as though humongous ice sculptures were roaring at Leylin with deep voices.

In the centre of the riders' formation were many snow fairies who had rich concentrations of ice energy
particles swirling around them. They stood guard around a double-headed creature.

This creature examined Leylin, and although its eyes revealed a trace of bewilderment, it still spread
open its arms, "I am the leader here, Yamos Andre. Welcome, guest from a foreign place!"

Leylin sized up this leader. He was flabbergasted but instantly restrained himself.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 608 - Duchess Rose

The leader of the Arctic Tribe who had appeared in front of Leylin was an impressive double-headed
creature. Not only that, its body shared characteristics unique to both the frost giants and snow fairies.

A blue radiance flashed in Leylin's eyes for a moment, unbeknownst to the leader opposite him. A three-
dimensional hologram formed in Leylin's mind, projecting information on this creature.
It was almost three metres tall and had a sturdy yet well-proportioned body, a pair of beautiful
translucent wings on its back. What was special was that above its shoulder were two heads, one of a
frost giant and another of a snow fairy. They both looked somewhat aged.

The A.I. Chip displayed the rest of the statistics at lightning speed.

[Arctic Tribe (fully grown, unnamed) Strength: 55.7, Agility: 41.9, Vitality: 40.1, Spiritual Force: 261.2,
Magic Power: 261. Innate skills:

1) Twins: A fully grown member of the Arctic Tribe integrates the features of both the frost giant and the
snow fairy. It has two hearts and two sets of body organs, and thus they two lives. They can recover
from any attack that does not completely devastate the body, and also make up for a deficiency in
vitality in their other halves.

2) Frost Skin: The Arctic Tribe's skin has extremely high resistance to icy radiation, and will even cause
the natural formation of a spell rune, which is an important material in the manufacture of certain frost
magic weapons.

3) Frost Affinity: The Arctic Tribe possesses an affinity for ice that surpasses that of the snow fairy, and
has the ability to produce innate ice spells following advancements in rank.

4) Ice Tornado: The rich ice energy particles provide extremely strong defence for the Arctic Tribe. They
automatically generate an ice tornado for protection, that has a similar effect to the Magi's Defiant Ring
of Flame.]

'These stats show that the members of the Arctic Tribe are an amalgamation of the snow fairy and frost
giant, completely inheriting the advantages of both. It's quite strong for a rank 3.' Leylin's pupils glowed.

"Hehe... Does our guest find our tribe's form very astonishing?" Yamos Andre discovered Leylin's
amazement and started to explain to him, "During infancy, a member of our tribe has two different
forms. Only upon reaching adulthood and finding their other half will they conduct the Arctic Blessing
Ceremony, after which they join together as one body and become a true member of the Arctic Tribe!"

The one who explained was the head belonging to a snow fairy, its voice was similar to a female's.
"Oh, my apologies!" Leylin hurriedly waved his hands. Peeking into another party's private affairs was
considered disrespectful no matter which world one was in. "I was just curious for a moment!"

"Haha... Our Arctic Tribe members appear somewhat odd indeed. Even the other creatures in the Icy
World were surprised when they first saw us, so it's understandable for a guest to feel this way..." The
speaker this time was the frost giant head. His voice seemed to be filled with a bold, heroic air.

"Since you are a visitor from far away, we would like to invite you to rest in our village..." The double-
headed chief of the tribe, Yamos Andre, invited him in cordially.

At this moment, the low-pitched sound of a bugle horn sounded from the lookout post, following the
trembling voice of a frost giant. "Chi... Chief! Ice troops have been discovered headed our way!"

"What?" Both of Yamos' heads cried out together involuntarily. The frost horsemen on the sides even
started to fall back one after another, incessant dread written across their faces.

"Why would they come here? Is it because of you?" Doubtful gazes instantly focused on Leylin.

"Oh? I didn't expect that the Morning Star here holds a decent amount of power!" Leylin stroked his
chin. He didn't say it directly, but he'd already admitted it with his words, and there was no more room
for doubt.

"We do not welcome you here. Please leave immediately. Do not bring disaster to our tribe!" Yamos
immediately became hostile, and the frost horsemen lifted the spears in their hands, angling the points
towards Leylin. It seemed like they were ready to attack him at a moment's command.

"May I know who's coming?" Leylin seemed as if he did not care about the Arctic Tribe's attacking
stance, and instead asked a question while engrossed in thought.

"You've already provoked the Arctic Queen, and you still pretend to be unaware?" The female head of
Yamos seemed furious, already about to break down.

"The Arctic Queen is the dictator here, and the source of all fear. She is the root cause of all calamity and
suffering, and everyone who is related to her will suffer from a curse..." The female head muttered a
few words. Leylin was not sure if it was a prophecy or an ancient expression, but it was eminent that its
dread towards the Arctic Queen was present.

"The Arctic Queen?" Leylin stroked his chin, "I'm actually interested in meeting her..."

"Foreigner, leave at once! Do not bring disaster to our village!" The female head of Yamos screeched
once more, an ice element storm already formed on her hand.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!* The tightly packed sounds of many footsteps sounded, and another frost
giant sighed. "Yamos, it's too late!"

As their chief sighed, the guards from the castle had already surrounded the place under the lead of
someone mounted on a huge horse.

The cavalry riding the arctic horse was covered in a set of heavy blue armour from head to toe, and in
their hand was a large translucent sword that was burning with ice-cold flames.

Two balls of pale soul fires lit up from within their mask, first scanning coldly across Yamos and the rest
of the Arctic Tribe, then focusing all of the attention on Leylin.

"Noble Arctic Knight, Duchess Rose! You are the most dazzling star in the Icy World; even the most
beautiful snowflake is not comparable to your beauty!" Leylin was rendered speechless as he saw the
members of the Arctic Tribe all crouch on the ground, loudly praising the Arctic Knight. This made him
roll his eyes.

'They really speak without thinking. This is a creature who even revealed its soul fire! Perhaps under her
mask is nothing but a human skeleton. You're seeking your own death...' However, much to Leylin's
surprise, the Arctic Knight appeared to enjoy their praise. "All of you have committed a crime! You
actually dared to interact with this criminal here. But seeing that you did not let him enter the hill
village, I will spare you this time..."

The Arctic Knight brandished her huge sword, but did not take further action.

"Ah! Duchess Rose, our lord! Your benevolence is just as boundless as all the oceans in the universe..."
Sparkling teardrops flowed out of both of Yamos Andre's heads, forming something similar to a glass ball
before falling to the ground. It made a crisp sound.

Hearing their response, Leylin felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

"As for you, foreigner, return with me to the castle! The Arctic Queen wishes to see you!"

*Swish!* The many giant guards turned their spears towards Leylin.

With their physique and their resistance towards the cold, an average rank 3 Magus would be unable to
handle the all-round attack of this small team.

But Leylin didn't seem to mind a single bit, and even asked with interest, "Was it that empress' order to
capture me?"

"It was General Arwen's command. But his word is the same as that of the empress." The Arctic Knight
clearly did not wish to speak much to Leylin. She straddled her giant horse and was about to escort
Leylin away.

"Then... Did he tell you that you have to be careful and immediately send out a signal once you see me,
particularly that you should not confront me alone?" Leylin laughed lightly, which gave Duchess Rose a
bad feeling.
"Be careful..." Almost the moment these words left her mouth, a few black sparks appeared on the
bodies of the surrounding troops.

*Boom!* More than ten black columns of flames burst out in human form. The guards who had an even
stronger physique than frost giants were burnt to ashes without a chance to resist.

"You citizens are to blame!" Duchess Rose roared, and the huge ice horse that she was on suddenly
leapt up. The Duchess on the horse's back brandished the gigantic translucent sword in her hand. The
flames on the sword rose suddenly and ruthlessly came down upon Leylin.

*Ting!* The huge sword with terrifying strength that had advanced without fear was stopped by a single
finger, unable to budge an inch.

"If we were to use the Magus World's classification, you're at least a Crystal Phase Magus, and you even
cultivate pure physical strength. It's quite a rare thing to see, but it's such a pity that all that's useless..."
Leylin seemed to sigh as his finger slashed out.

A crescent of light hummed as it pierced through the Arctic Knight's armour, forming a humongous slit.
Her body was flung backwards as fast as an incoming train, leaving a deep gutter trail in the solid ice,
which extended far into the distance.

Even the huge arctic horse she'd ridden was smashed and shattered by the tremendous force,
splintering apart into a heap of sparkling fragments.

"......"

"..."

Silence. The entire scene had fallen into a deathly silence. Yamos Andre found it hard to even swallow
his saliva. He looked at Leylin, unable to believe his eyes.
'Almighty Arctic Queen, what did I just see?' The Duchess Rose who had been renowned for her
strength, the Arctic Knight who struck fear into the hearts of all the denizens of the world of ice, was
defeated by this mysterious Magus with just a single finger?

It was not just Yamos Andre. The other frost giants and snow fairies had lifeless looks on their faces as
well. They felt like they were hallucinating.

"So? Do you still welcome me now?" Leylin turned and smiled at Yamos Andre. Yet, to Yamos it seemed
like the smile of a demon.

A few timid snow fairies were so intimidated that they hid behind the frost giants, as though Leylin was
some ancient fearsome creature.

"Of... Of course!" The frost giant head of Yamos nodded, "Please forgive my rude behaviour earlier.
Respected lord, you are the saviour of the world of ice, our new master!"

Leylin rolled his eyes, dumbfounded. The Arctic Tribe was completely hopeless when it came to morals.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 609 - Arwen

"Found it! It's there!" The moment Leylin defeated the Arctic Knight, a hint of happiness emerged on
Arwen's face. He'd been waiting in the castle at the core of this world of ice the whole time.

He pulled out a few pieces of black crystal from his arms, among which one had already cracked quite
obviously.
"It's the canyon area that Rose is in charge of!" After discovering the target, Arwen's entire person
blurred into a phantom as he shot towards the canyon area.

Of course, he'd never hoped that his subordinates would capture a Morning Star; that would just be a
joke. Those he'd sent out this time would serve as nothing more than a warning.

Once they came into contact with that Morning Star, Arwen who was in control of their spirit sources
would know immediately.

Hence, that Duchess Rose from before was just cannon fodder in his eyes.

Arwen who was far away had an indifferent and emotionless expression. In a battle between Morning
Stars, it was in fact very extraordinary that Duchess Rose ended up being cannon fodder.

......

At the same time, in canyon area within the hill village of the Arctic Tribe, Leylin looked at Yamos
speechlessly as the creature crawled and knelt at his feet, both hands clinging to his boots.

"My Lord! The Arctic Queen is the most evil of demons! She greedily exploited our Arctic Tribe's
resources, and even asked our matured members to become blood sacrifices... She has brought us great
suffering and tears of blood. We beg you, Sire must help us with our vengeance! Defeat the Arctic
Queen..."

Yamos was over two metres tall, veritably a small giant. For such a creature to kneel before him and cry
so hard left Leylin at a loss for words.

The chief of the snow elves, Amos, was also apologising with tears in his eyes, complaining about the
Arctic Queen's evil deeds simultaneously.
"Actually, other than a regular tribute and having your matured members become blood sacrifices, it
seems as if this Arctic Queen hasn't committed any evil?"

Yamos was clearly just one person, but there were different thoughts from two different brains buzzing
beside Leylin's ears continuously, making him feel a little fed up.

However, he still endured it by force of will in order to obtain the information, all the while plotting
something in his heart.

The situation in the world of ice also grew clearer to him. From Yamos' introduction, he learned that the
place was very vast, with many tribes scattered across it. They were all being ruled by someone called
the Arctic Queen.

This queen seldom appeared in public, and it could be said that she had almost never shown her face
before.

All the affairs were handled by her butler, Arwen. The man possessed a formidable strength. The tribes
that had been exploited and oppressed had allied together in several crusades but had easily been
defeated by him. After a few bloodbaths, there was no one else in this miniature Icy World who dared to
go against the Arctic Queen's regime.

Leylin felt like the tribute this Arctic Queen demanded was still quite mild. It was only her demand for
blood sacrifices that was terrifyingly huge.

There were almost no adults other than the chief in the Arctic Tribe. Based on Yamos' accusations, they
had either fled or were sent to the castle to be used as blood sacrifices.

'It seems like the Scorpion Man's remains and the female bronze giant's bloodline are definitely related
to the Arctic Queen. They may even be right in her castle!' Leylin stroked his chin, thinking of something,
'All these blood sacrifices, could it be...'
His eyes sparkled, and soon after he suddenly lifted his head and looked into the distant sky.

A small black dot grew larger and larger, pressing down like a small mountain. The approaching figure
was that of an icy creature who was half human, half scorpion. His upper body was dressed in a butler's
suit, the bloodshot eyes leaving a deep impression.

"It's Arwen! Oh God, Sir Arwen has come personally!" Yamos burst out at a shocking speed, and with a
whoosh it arrived at the platform where Yamos had arrived and knelt down. Emotional tears flowed
down from all four eyes.

"Sir Arwen, you're finally here! This criminal has committed a grave mistake, we need you to judge him!
Yamos is your loyal servant—"

Before Yamos could finish speaking, a faint blue light enveloped it in a moment, turning it into an ice
sculpture.

A web of cracks emerged on this sculpture, covering it up entirely before it shattered into pieces. It
sounded like a glass cup had fallen to the ground.

Yamos, along with the ice sculpture, had turned into dust. Faced with such strength, even the Arctic
Tribe's innate ability of symbiosis was rendered completely ineffective.

"Greetings, foreign Morning Star!" After killing Yamos, Arwen pulled out a clean, white handkerchief and
wiped his palms, greeting Leylin as if he was an unconcerned person.

"Hello, powerhouse of the world of ice!" Leylin bowed.

Arwen's form was slightly similar to the Scorpion Man he had previously seen. However, there were also
major differences. His figure was smaller and did not carry the fierce aura that came with the bloodline
of an ancient creature. Having the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Bloodline himself, Leylin could easily identify
it.

But seeing how he had shown up here, and also his appearance, he was related to the Scorpion Man.

"I represent my master, the Arctic Queen, in inviting you to her castle. I wonder if Sir is willing to accept
her invitation?" Arwen bowed humbly.

"I've admired the Arctic Queen for a long time. But what if I refuse?" A mocking smile emerged at the
corners of Leylin's lips.

"That would be a great pity!" Arwen shook his head, as if he was feeling sorry for Leylin's irrationality.

A blood-red light shot out of his eyes in a flash. As if the entire earth was shaken, thunder roared and his
entire body jumped into motion from his stationary state, coming before Leylin as if he had broken
through the boundaries of time and space,

*Swoosh!* A long and translucent dark green needle rushed towards Leylin, a bright, dazzling radiance
at its tip.

A tail was attached to the long needle. It was the tail section of a scorpion!

However, Leylin already knew about the Scorpion Man's strong body from the Icy Jade Scorpion
Emperor's memories. How would he let Arwen get his way?

A small round shield emerged to block the stinger almost the same moment it rushed forth, blocking the
unavoidable strike. Giant Kemoyin Serpents moved around on the shield's surface, hissing on occasion.
The dark green needle broke through the center of the bloodline shield with a snip, arriving in front of
Leylin.

"Kemoyin's Scales!" Instantaneously, the innate defence emerged on the surface of Leylin's body. After
his vitality surpassed 100, this rank 1 innate spell seemed to have undergone an intriguing change. Not
only was there an additional layer of blazing stripes on the scales, they had even grown dazzling.

*Ka-cha!* A small white dot emerged on the black scales and Leylin's figure retreated. At the same time,
the red crescent of light from his earring swept across Arwen's chest. Dazzling sparks flew out as it
collided with a translucent icy armour that suddenly appeared.

"High-grade magic artifact?" Arwen looked at the huge crack on his chestplate as a trace of
apprehension appeared on his face. Large amounts of white, icy fog solidified, mending the damage to
the armour.

'There are no weaknesses to exploit in a Morning Star!'

The confrontation just now had occurred very quickly, and was very dangerous. Although the spells that
Morning Star Magi took most pride in were not used, the mere confrontation in strength and vitality
created a lingering fear in Leylin.

Arwen's previous attack was very strange. If not for his vitality breaking past 100 and the addition of his
bloodline, an attack at such close quarters would have probably injured him severely.

'Morning Stars from a foreign place may not excel in magical abilities! Hence there's a need to pay
attention to all aspects!' After opening up some distance between them, Leylin directed a cold gaze at
Arwen.

"You're the first person who was able to escape my 'Breath of Doom'!" Arwen looked at his own stinger,
his face seeming a little regretful yet gratified.
"Damn you! In this world of ice, is there another Morning Star apart from you and your queen?" Leylin
secretly rolled his eyes.

Because the outside world did not have any icy radiation, it was very rare for Arwen to go out even after
he advanced to Morning Star. In face, because he had to protect the Arctic Queen, he probably even
rarely left the castle. He used Morning Star strength to bully the aboriginals of the world of ice, yet he
still had the nerve to act like an expert.

Although he felt a little speechless, Leylin still looked at his opponent carefully. Arwen would rank as a
Four Star Morning Star according to Sky City's rankings. If his body's special abilities were included, his
strength would probably even reach Five Stars.

A certain amount of effort would be needed to take down such an enemy.

A splendid starry sky suddenly emerged behind Leylin, illuminating a sea of blood. Facing Arwen, Leylin
emitted his own Morning Star domain. His terrifying pull on bloodlines attracted Arwen's own, making
his face flush slightly red.

With him being a Warlock with an ancient bloodline who had also received that bloodline's legacy,
Leylin's Morning Star domain was naturally connected to it.

"So this is the Morning Star domain of a Magus... In our world of ice, we call it the 'Power Aura' or
'Vitality's Forcefield'!" A realm of ice emerged behind Arwen as he spoke, offsetting Leylin's Morning
Star domain.

The two huge domains collided, making even the void vibrate. The illusory walls shattered, creating the
feeling as if the world being destroyed.

However, Arwen's icy realm was evidently suppressed by Leylin's domain, causing his expression to
change.
"Did you know the most terrifying thing about us Magi is still our spells?" Leylin's smile made Arwen's
hair stand on end...

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 610 - Capture

Magi mastered the usage of laws through knowledge and comprehension. Using their spiritual force,
they manipulated elemental particles to form all sorts of spells. This was their path to power.

They didn't stop at that, though. Along with comprehending laws, they also integrated other power
systems into their own spells. This was what led to the glory of ancient times.

Leylin knew from the Scorpion Man's memories that the creatures of the Icy World were famed for their
strength and vitality. Arwen, who stood opposite him, had evidently inherited these traits.

Although Leylin was a bloodline Warlock, he still did not measure up in a contest against an actual
ancient creature. Hence, as a true Magus should, he tried to shift the battlefield to one in his favour.

As in the words from his previous life, one had to match one's strengths to their opponent's weaknesses.

After widening the distance between them and using the domain to restrict movement, the efficacy of
Arwen's frightening speed and strength, as well as his powerful stinger, had been minimised.

In the meanwhile, Leylin could unleash a barrage of spells, obtaining the greatest result at the lowest
cost. This was what 'Knowledge is Power' meant!

"I've experienced the Morning Star creatures of the Icy World. Now, it's your turn to taste the terror that
is a bloodline Warlock..."

The enormous phantom of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent emerged behind Leylin. Two starry pupils shot out
petrifying rays of light as the huge snake's body coiled up, covering Arwen within.

The earth rumbled as terrifying energy ripples were transmitted across the sky, completely annihilating
the Arctic Tribe in an instant. The frightening energy ripple destroyed the entire fortified hill village to a
state beyond recognition, and it happened in a flash. It was like the apocalypse had hit the village.

Arctic Tribe members who had previously been sluggish due to the death of the chief were now all
shrieking, running out of the fortified hill village in hopes of getting far away from this place.

To put it bluntly, this place was completely destroyed.

Explosions sounded one after another. The competition between the two Morning Stars even affected
the void, causing space to splinter away.

"What's going on? How is this Morning Star infiltrator so powerful?" Arwen grew more and more
shocked. He had a bloodline's legacy and even the guidance of a mysterious presence, which made him
think himself a powerhouse in the Morning Star realm.

But today, the foreign Morning Star that the queen wanted him to capture was much more powerful
than he was. Those casting of spells that emerged endlessly and the strange innate skill of the bloodline
made it very troublesome for him.

As the void shattered with a bang, Arwen and Leylin both fell into the crack between the worlds.

"I have to seize him! It's an order from Her Highness!" Arwen looked at Leylin who was in front of him
with a determined gaze. Streaks of dark green energy suddenly emerged from his body, forming strange
patterns that covered it. The skin on his back exploded with a boom and a huge figure rushed out from
his back.

This huge mountain-like scorpion's entire body was dark green in colour and there was the extremely
distinct face of a woman on its back.

Arwen's previous human body was now like a piece of skin, floating in the void.

"Icy Jade Scorpion!" Leylin cried out involuntarily. Arwen's true form was actually a large Icy Jade
Scorpion! With such a figure, it probably surpassed the existence of species like that Icy Jade Scorpion
Emperor he'd fought before.

"Chik chik!" The large scorpion yelled. The huge claws in its hands were like falling meteorites as they
smashed towards Leylin with a terrifying force.

This frightening strength caused even the void to shudder.

"Hoho... It seems like I share a destiny with you Icy Jade Scorpions. Moreover, the breath of an Icy Jade
Scorpion at the Morning Star realm will surely have an unimaginable effect on my bloodline disease. I'll
have to modify my plans..." Leylin's pupils sparkled.

Although his battle prowess was comparable to a New Moon, and he had killed a Radiant Moon Magi
before, all of that power was only acquired using the imprint of the Sun's Child bloodline.

As for his true power, he could still take down a Five Star Morning Star, but it would require a great fight
and there was a chance that he'd let the enemy escape.

Now that his opponent had revealed his true form as an Icy Jade Scorpion. Leylin's desire to capture him
alive grew even greater.
If he used the bloodline imprint to cast Sun Scorching Nirvana, Arwen would undoubtedly be burnt to
nothingness. But Leylin still hoped to obtain his breath to try and treat the bloodline disease at the
Morning Star realm.

"I admit you are very useful, Arwen! I won't kill you that easily as you have things that I want!"

Leylin spoke indifferently. Four scarlet halos lit up behind him. and even fused together to form a
terrifying spell.

"Rank 1 bloodline innate spells, Kemoyin's Scales, Eyes of Petrification! Rank 2 innate spell, Toxic Bile.
rank 3 innate spell, Intimidating Gaze! Rank 4 innate spell, Bloodline Metamorphosis! Combining to form
the Morning Star Arcane Art— Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!"

With Leylin's point mass and bloodline giving him Six Stars of strength, the power of the Kemoyin
Serpent Transformation had almost reached the peak that all Kemoyin Warlocks desired.

The earth rumbled as a giant serpent, nearly a hundred thousand metres in length and with blazing
stripes on its body as well as starry pupils emerged.

The Icy Jade Scorpion from before was like a tiny toy in front of this behemoth.

Its huge claws slashed across the serpent's scales. They managed to cause some sparks to fly, but could
not even push the giant serpent away slightly.

"WHAT? You're not a bloodline creature, why can you carry out atavism?" A voice full of disbelief
echoed forth from the Icy Jade Scorpion. Before the terrifying Giant Kemoyin Serpent, almost all of the
stubbornness and pride inside Arwen disappeared.

This was the technique that only Morning Star Kemoyin Warlocks possessed, the Morning Star Arcane
Art— Kemoyin Serpent Transformation! Once again, it displayed its monstrous might in front of this
foreign tribe!

Although the ancient Morning Star Magi possessed a large variety of spells, they were nothing much to
flaunt in front of the powerful Morning Stars of other worlds. Amongst the many Morning Star tribes,
there were plenty of Magi whose abilities surpassed those of Morning Stars.

However, the greatest strength of ancient Magi was that they were good at learning.

By imitating their opponents, ancient Magi obtained all sorts of powerful abilities and even figured out
the way to modify and stabilise innate spells through meditation techniques, creating the first of the
Morning Star Arcane Arts!

Against the terrifying Morning Star Arcane Arts, the powerhouses of all the other worlds retreated one
after another. Even the World of Gods had suffered heavy casualties.

Arwen was someone who'd only been born much later. He hadn't even left this world of ice in his entire
life, and thus he naturally couldn't understand such terror. It led to him receiving a great shock.

*Hissss...* Of course, Leylin would not explain anything to Arwen. The enormous Giant Kemoyin Serpent
directly crushed the creature down, firmly binding the Icy Jade Scorpion. At the same time, a petrifying
light danced about on its body.

The large Icy Jade Scorpion wailed continuously for a short while...

......

With the writhing of the void, a dark passageway opened up. Leylin, dressed in a black robe, walked out
with one hand holding the petrified Arwen.
Arwen had already regained his human form, just that his entire body was covered in a layer of stone.
He was like a statue.

Only, the fearful expression on this opponent's face had not disappeared. It was as if he had seen
something extremely terrifying before he was petrified.

"Too easy, simply too easy!" Leylin sighed, "In fact, Morning Star Magi and strong Morning Stars of the
other worlds don't have much of a difference in their nature. Their energies are almost at the same
level, but once the Morning Star Arcane Art is used, we can steamroll over the other worlds'
powerhouses!"

Take for example this instance. Both he and Arwen were Morning Stars, one at Five Stars and the other
at Six Stars. Common sense dictated that, if he were facing another of the Magus World, he could defeat
his opponent but without using the Sun's Child imprint, it would be relatively difficult for him to kill
them. The opponent could always use his Morning Star Arcane Art and flee.

However, Arwen was different. When confronted with his Morning Star Arcane Art, he seemed to be
suppressed without any resistance.

"No wonder the ancient Magi could crush a lot of the other worlds!" Leylin could not help but admire
the ancient Magi who attempted high-level meditation techniques and used point mass to activate the
innate spell fusions to create a terrifying killer move. Even for him at the present, it would require a lot
of time to deduct things from scratch, and it may not even be successful. However, the ancient Magi
managed to do it and from this, the strong foundation of the Magus World was established!

"It's not such a bad harvest this time! I can probably use his Morning Star icy breath to curb the
emotional instability that comes from the Purgatory World." Leylin analysed Arwen's statue as he
stroked his chin.

The bloodline disease of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks originated from the Purgatory World. Due to
their defeat in the Shadow World, the Snake Dowager brought all her clan members with her and
migrated to the Purgatory World.
However, descendants of the Snake Dowager that were originally had darkness element attribute were
all contaminated by the chaotic World's Will in the Purgatory World, giving rise to berserk
characteristics. In order to solve this problem completely, the Snake Dowager thought of the using Icy
World, and that was the battle that Leylin had witnessed.

According to the A.I. Chip's deductions, the Icy Jade Scorpion tribe here possessed excellent curbing
effects for Leylin's own emotional instability. Last time, he'd managed to use just a peak rank 1 Icy Jade
Scorpion Emperor's Icy Breath to suppress his emotional instability all the way up to Morning Star.

And now, with an Icy Jade Scorpion at the Morning Star realm, Leylin was confident in eradicating his
bloodline disease.

With the A.I. Chip having completed its database on the soul recently, Leylin could now control his
influence on the soul much easier, boosting his power even further.

Leylin tilted his head as he pondered. Arwen's statue in hand, he transformed into a black streak that
disappeared into the horizon.

Only after that did the frost giants and snow fairies who did not manage to leave in time pop their heads
out from various corners, eyes full of consternation as they looked towards the direction that had Leylin
departed in.

What had they just seen? The Arctic Queen's chief lackey— mass murderer Arwen, was actually
defeated by a foreigner just like that?

Their fear towards Arwen even exceeded that towards the Arctic Queen. After all, although this place
was ruled in the name of the Arctic Queen, she basically did not appear in public at all, and all affairs
were taken care of by Arwen.

One could imagine the kind of shock that Arwen's defeat brought them.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 611 - Extraction and Elimination

*CHIIII—* The very moment Arwen was taken away, a piercing sound exploded in the icy castle, causing
the air to quiver and the ground to tremble.

Large numbers of guards knelt on the ground, shuddering as they begged the Arctic Queen to quell her
anger.

However, their prayers were to no avail.

A dazzling blue light swept out, wrapping up the entire castle within. The icy beings in the castle, be they
guards, maids, servants, or prisoners, all turned into ice sculptures. Streams of blue light gathered from
their bodies, tunnelling into the ground like earthworms.

*Whoosh!* When all the blue lustre disappeared from the ice sculptures, numerous cracks appeared on
them as they crumbled apart to form a snow-white powder. The castle sank into a deathly silence.

Meanwhile, in another place deep underground.

The steel-like ice opened up automatically, showing a structure similar to a basement. An Eternal Light
spell illuminated the entire area.

Many beakers and tools were placed on a translucent tabletop, seemingly in a mess yet possessing some
kind of order. Some of the beakers were full of colourful, even smelly fluids.
Leylin stood at the simplified laboratory table, watching the stone statue that was once Arwen at the
centre of the spell formation, a teasing look on his face.

This Five Star Morning Star, someone who was considered the leader of the world of ice, had now been
turned into a mere stone statue. Even his soul had been frozen completely, leaving behind a shell that
still had life force within.

Based on previous experience, he would get the best results when the breath of the Icy Jade Scorpion
was used together with icy radiation.

And in order to preserve the freshness of the material, Arwen was forced to suffer, becoming Leylin's
captive. He would definitely not meet a good end.

'When I probed the area during my entry to this place, there was still a more mysterious aura than
Arwen's in the icy castle. Was that the Arctic Queen?' Leylin frowned, and threads of blood-red light
were emitted by a spell formation with but a thought. They began to spread to the inner parts of the
stone sculpture.

"Hand over your memories, little lamb that has lost its way!" Leylin's eyes were serene as he chanted
some kind of ancient incantation with a strange pitch. Runes began to disappear into the spell
formation.

*Ooooo—* A woman's wail sounded out, and three long-haired female figures appeared within the spell
formation.

These three female youths wore blood-red dresses, not looking a day over thirty years of age. They
seemed very pretty, but their expressions were varied.

One was beaming, the crescent of her eyes so pronounced that they were practically closed. The other
showed distress, while the one in the middle was emotionless, like a block of ice.
"Go!" Leylin pointed towards the statue. The three female figures floated and circled the stone statue,
occasionally extending translucent hands into the stone statue's brain.

Afterwards, three red figures entered Arwen's mind, and the stone statue shook continuously. The spell
formation had no choice but to strengthen the seal.

"Arghhh—" In that moment, the ghastly wailing increased tenfold in volume, a layer of demonic blood
emanating from Arwen's body.

[Reached critical period. Target is about to break down.] The A.I. Chip produced a timely reminder.

"Come back, my darlings!" Leylin's eyes were filled with a strange light as he made a very attractive
sound.

As if some invisible force-field had appeared, the three figures were pulled out from within the stone
statue.

The three figures' varying expressions had been enhanced further. They shrank to a tenth of their
original size, gathering on top of Leylin's palm. Boiling hot, complicated emotions flooded Leylin's mind.

"Chaotic emotions as well as memory fragments.... A.I. Chip!" Leylin immediately commanded.

*Rumble!* The surge of complicated emotions seemed to have hit a tall mountain. Though Morning Star
Warlocks had intense emotions, they were merely complicated hormone secretions to be recorded
down for the unfeeling A.I. Chip.

Once the emotions were intercepted, the A.I. Chip began to arrange the scattered and fragmented
memories.

One after another, scattered images were formed in front of Leylin's eyes. They were very fragmented,
and even with the A.I. Chip's reorganisation Leylin could not find any information that was significant.

After the extensive data was transmitted, the three spirits in Leylin's hands exploded, dissipating like a
fog. Leylin's expression did not change as he sighed.

"Extracting the memories of a Morning Star is truly troublesome..." The soul force of a Morning Star
Magus was extremely powerful, and memories protected by it were akin to the most stable fort. Leylin
could destroy it with ease, but he would find it difficult to find the content within, even with the support
of the A.I. Chip.

However, with its strengthened abilities and the database on the soul, the A.I. Chip was able to give
Leylin a nice surprise.

An image that was not quite as incomplete was projected before Leylin. This was a map of the world of
ice, with a red dot of light at the centre. It was extremely dazzling.

As he zoomed in, the red light was magnified, revealing a castle built entirely of ice. Multicolour light
formed a splendid view of it.

"Such dense icy radiation?" Leylin sucked in a cold breath. He could now confirm that the bloodline of
the female bronze giant was within the palace.

"But where's the Arctic Queen?" Leylin asked with doubt as he skimmed through the other information
found by the A.I. Chip. However, there were no records of this Queen, which was rather interesting.

Even if the Arctic Queen rarely showed herself, Arwen who was her number one subordinate should
have had opportunities to meet her.

"Memory seals?" Leylin touched his chin. Some Magi could choose to store or seal their important
memories, and that was an even easier task for Morning Star Magi.
'It looks like this mysterious Arctic Queen has a lot of secrets...' Leylin shook his head and commanded,
"A.I. Chip, begin the second phase. Obtain the Icy Breath and purify the bloodline."

Arwen's memories were merely an appetiser. The full course that Leylin was waiting on was the unique
Icy Breath that belonged to the Icy Jade Scorpion. It was very effective for his emotional instability.

On top of that, Leylin had the premonition that for Giant Kemoyin Serpents, rank 4 should not be the
limit. However for some reason, be it because of genes restrictions or the influences from the Purgatory
World, Giant Kemoyin Serpents had lost the ability to evolve further.

If he could completely treat his emotional imbalance, his grasp of the Kemoyin bloodline would reach
unprecedented levels.

Only after reaching this state would he have the confidence to attempt at tackling the Giant Kemoyin
Serpent bloodline issue.

With Leylin's command, the A.I. Chip began its precise task. Arwen's statistics in all aspects were
recorded, and it formulated the most accurate plan of operation, presenting it before Leylin.

"Record all the information in its entirety!" Leylin took out a silver surgical knife witch complicated
patterns on it, eyes emanating a heated radiance.

'Dissecting an ancient bloodline creature completely, especially one at the Morning Star realm, is not an
easy opportunity to come by...'

[Mission established. Beginning recording.] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

"Begin!" Leylin was now wearing a snow-white gown, the plastic gloves on his hands having gone
through rigorous sterilisation. With the power of magic, while it looked primal, the level of this
laboratory was rather similar with the one in Leylin's previous world, and in certain ways even surpassed
it!

*Thud!* A layer of rocky skin fell, revealing the skin and flesh on Arwen's arm.

Under Leylin's surgical knife, the two were easily separated to reveal translucent blood vessels...

*Swish!* A black ray of light streaked through the horizon, as glorious as a shooting star.

Leylin's eyes were like stars, a hint of glee in his expression.

"I feel better than I've ever felt before!" Feeling the coldness in his mind and no longer having any jittery
emotions, Leylin was in a great mood.

The icy breath from the Morning Star ranked Arwen was the best medicine for Leylin's emotional
instability. Added to the soul treatment with help from the A.I. Chip, the negative effects that came
together with fusing with the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's soul had been completely eliminated.

In other words, the chaotic World Will that had come from the Snake Dowager migrating the entire
species to the Purgatory World was now forever gone from his body!

[Beep! Host has removed influence from chaotic World Will. Kemoyin bloodline being purified...] the A.I.
Chip called to his attention.

When he looked with his soul force, the purplish-red bloodline in his body now ran deeper, and each
time his heart pulsed a purifying force was pumped to all parts of his body. The various parts of his body
reacted strangely to this purifying force, resulting in a complete transformation from head to toe.

'Morning Star soul force is supposed to nourish a Magus' body, transforming it qualitatively in order to
form the perfect Morning Star body... That is supposed to be equivalent to the standard of a normal
Heavenly Astral. Not only does my current body already surpass this so-called standard, it even has a
chance of evolving further...'

Leylin felt that after his bloodline's transformation was complete, he would be able to peek at an even
more terrifying realm. The natural rank of their bloodline was what prevented Kemoyin Warlocks from
ever advancing to rank 5. However, there was currently a high possibility that he would be able to break
past that!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 612 - Arctic Queen

A black shooting star streaked across the horizon, its magnificence amplified under the translucent icy
sky.

Leylin was sending out a thread of soul force every once in a while, scanning the energies of the
surrounding beings.

'It seems like Arwen's fall caused some sort of chain reaction.' As far as he could see, the various regions
in this world of ice had been disturbed at least on some level. Many of the intellectual icy beings, such as
the Arctic Tribe, and even the ice leopards and the frost dragons were beginning to rebel against the
Arctic Queen's rule.

'It's understandable though. The other races never could stand being under her rule anyway. Since she's
fallen, a frenzied rebellion is only to be expected,' Leylin thought as he touched his pouch. Extracting the
Icy Breath to treat his emotional stability was not the only thing he'd done. He hadn't wasted any part of
the body, not even his bloodline. It was all currently stored in his pouch.

There were still many survivors who had seen Leylin defeat Arwen, and news had spread quickly.
Without the suppression of a Morning Star, the rebellion of these various races was not surprising.
'But the Arctic Queen has been in power for so many years... It doesn't make sense for everything to fall
apart so bad so quickly...' Leylin's eyes twinkled with a distinct light. Even with Arwen's death, the Arctic
Queen's guards should not have been defeated so quickly. It was like the headquarters had been
destroyed with no clear commands given.

At this point, Leylin suddenly had a thought, 'Could there be something wrong at the Arctic Queen's
palace?'

That was all he managed to think of. The shooting star that was Leylin whizzed faster into the horizon,
only leaving behind after-images in the sky.

Even rank 3 creatures could only crouch on the ground, unable to move after seeing Leylin hurtling past.
They were terrified by his speed and prowess...

The castle of ice was located at the heart of this world, and when Leylin came here he found that the
vicinity of the place had gone up in smoke.

The many suppressed races had formed an alliance, gathering troops at the centre of the icy plains.

The few remaining guards were led by Arctic Knights as they used the terrain of the great valley at their
stronghold to fight back, but it was a losing battle. It looked like this alliance would be able to enter the
castle in no time at all.

'Keke... With Arwen's death, the entire castle's defence is rendered useless!' Watching the bustling
camp of the allied forces, a smirk rose about Leylin's lips, 'When they breach the walls of the palace and,
instead of victory, see the Arctic Queen who's even more terrifying than Arwen, what kind of expression
will they have?'

Leylin's eyes did not stop on the battlefield, and instead switched to the castle.
There were a few loyal guards and the like who wanted to stop him, but they were no match for him at
all. They were not even able to hold him back for a few seconds.

What Leylin found strange was that the closer he got to the castle, the weaker the resistance grew. The
moment he arrived on top of the place, the guards only dared to look at him from afar, not advancing. It
was as if there was some kind of terrifying danger within the castle.

'This is the place? There's no life force in here at all, only some kind of absorptive force...' Leylin hovered
above the castle of ice and observed its magnificence, though his eyes only held solemness.

The icy radiation had peaked here, and the concentration was hundreds, even thousands of times
greater than in the outer world. It was constantly changing and growing, distorting continuously.

"Those below Morning Star probably won't be able to survive here..." The radiation was far too
powerful, to the point that no ordinary beings could handle it; it had become a life-threatening poison!

However, what astonished Leylin was not the concentration of the radiation, but the mysterious
absorptive force coming from the ground.

The area under this castle of ice was like a terrifying black hole to his senses, continuously absorbing the
life force of everything on the ground. On top of that, it was expanding without end.

A thick layer of white, icy powder had formed on the ground, left behind by some unlucky fighters.

Blue light shot out from Leylin's eyes, and he cried out involuntarily. "No! It's not their life force that's
being absorbed... It's the frost energy and the icy nature of their bloodlines..."

Suddenly, as if having sensed Leylin's arrival, the entire surface of the castle began to quiver.
That vague scent and aura Leylin had sensed began to awaken, its strength increasing.

"Ugh..." The mumble of a female voice resounded above the icy castle.

Large amounts of winds and snow gathered, forming the statue of a female giant.

The woman had a crown on her head, a dignified pair of freezing eyes under slender eyelashes. She
extended her arms towards the distant battle.

*Rumble!* Terrifying blue pillars of light emerged from the ground, and seemed to break through into
the heavens, releasing endless ripples of energy.

The eyes of those who had been embroiled in the bloody battle were suddenly filled with confusion and
regret.

"All hail the Queen!" "All hail the Queen!" "All hail the Queen!"

A guard was the first to toss away his lance and shield, running towards the danger zone that he'd
avoided as if it was a den of scorpions and snakes, looking extremely enthusiastic.

His legs were frozen as a blue light emerged from them and travelled underground. They then cracked
off.

The guard did not notice at all. Even when his two legs were torn off, he still tried to get to the castle on
his hands, the injury clotted with a layer of frost.

The frost continued to expand, covering the entirety of the guard. Traces of blue light were absorbed by
the ground, causing his life force to weaken continuously.
He was zealous unto death, as if the Arctic Queen was his goddess to whom he was willing to sacrifice
his everything.

'This is even more terrifying than an illusion. Even his soul isn't his own anymore...' Leylin sighed from
high in the sky, watching everything apathetically.

It was not just the guards. Even the opposing allied forces threw their weapons away, showing the same
fanaticism after one glance at the female giant. They rushed towards the castle as well.

Countless icy statues formed and then broke down, forming a thick layer of white powder on the
ground. Yet, even that did not prevent them from surging forth, wave upon wave.

Blue light was emitted from Leylin's eyes, and great amounts of information were stored in his database.
With the A.I. Chip's collection of statistical data, everything was presented before him.

'The attraction of the bloodline? The icy radiation too had affected their behaviour!' Leylin touched his
chin. This was not a temporary control from illusory spells, but a terrifying effect that was formed over a
long period of time. That was why the effects were so good, such that even rank 3 beings could not
escape.

"Looks like this is a blood sacrifice..." Leylin suddenly guessed. Perhaps the Arctic Queen had herded the
various races in this world like livestock. Every once in a while, they would be harvested after reaching
maturity.

"If that's so, the Arctic Queen is probably..." A flash of determination appeared in Leylin's eyes, Morning
Star radiation engulfing the area.

The void itself seemed to tremble, and the world instantly turned black and white.
The scope of the radiation continuously widened, and the few that had yet to enter the range of the
castle suddenly showed looks of pain and suffering as they collapsed to the ground, their faces
distorting. Even their internal organs swelled and ruptured.

Leylin had already reached the peak of Morning Star. He usually kept his radiation sealed, which was
how he brought no harm to his surroundings wherever he went. Now, his suddenly unleashing it was
difficult for the rank 3 beings to bear.

The sufferance was enough for these icy beings to regain their senses. They raised their heads, eyes full
of terror as they stared hard at the floating Leylin and the female giant. Making some strange sounds,
they escaped without turning back.

Even so, they'd come into contact with Leylin's powerful radiation. There were a few rank 2s and 3s at
the side who could still use their own strength to rid themselves of the contamination, but those weaker
than that would probably die if they were contaminated. It was only a matter of time.

Before their lives were completely burnt through, they would still have to deal with bearing the pain
from the contamination.

The disturbance seemed to spread further and further as more of these tribals regained their sanity. No
matter what camp they were in, these life-and-death enemies all escaped pitifully, only wanting to get
as far away as possible.

The female giant in the air suddenly turned back, her eyes focussing on Leylin. Coldness was laid bare in
them, but Leylin met her gaze head on.

He hadn't interfered at first because he needed to collect information and calculate the way the energy
was used. Yet, once all was said and done, he wouldn't be so stupid as to let his opponent grow in
power.

The giant made of ice snarled, and a large icy tornado was formed at her fist, hurtling towards Leylin.
A gigantic Giant Kemoyin Serpent appeared at Leylin's back. Compared to before, it was now even
larger, and its eyes glowed with greater intelligence as it hissed at the giant.

*Boom!* Formless sound waves clashed with the tornado, and snow filled the sky.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 613 - Illusion and Manipulation

"A mere clone wants to attack me?" Leylin sneered, the phantom Giant Kemoyin Serpent behind him
rapidly shrinking. Its body was now more substantial, and its scales reflected a dazzling luster.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent snarled, its tremendous tail whipping at the female giant like a mace.

*Boom!* The female giant's body blew up, and snowflakes fluttered in the sky.

The aftershocks were transmitted to the castle below, and large cracks began to appear on the walls.

*Whoosh!* As the wind and snow calmed, the entire area turned strangely silent.　　

The white powder formed from the life energy and consumption of frost energy of the many icy races
covered the ground. There were also the remains of armour and weapons, which made the area seem
even more desolate.

Leylin heaved a long sigh, producing a test tube from his spatial pouch that was filled with a purple
liquid.
The seal at the mouth of the test tube opened automatically and a liquid dripped down to the ground,
spreading quickly.

Large amounts of white powder were dissolved by the potion, creating a gigantic pool of water. There
were countless bubbles constantly being produced on the surface, and they instantly turned the
surroundings of the castle into a purple swamp.

The purple swamp continued to expand, also showing signs of going deeper.

'I've made calculations with the A.I. Chip and developed this potion from Arwen's blood and flesh using
his memories. Let's hope this is effective.' By this point, Leylin had guessed the origin of this Arctic
Queen. Hence, he was currently feeling very serious, hoping that his conjecture was wrong.

However, what he had just seen had validated his suspicion.

Large amounts of purple bubbles were constantly produced, and the original castle of ice was beginning
to be eaten into, the main body of the building slowly sinking down.　　

*Buzz!* A pure, powerful spiritual force extended and began to fuse with the surroundings.　　

Almost instantly, Leylin found himself in another wondrous environment.

The sky was no longer filled with ice, it wasn't the crust of the earth. The moon sparkled in a starry sky,
and below was a white continent that spread a vast ocean, as far as the eye could see.

Ice Mountain Wyverns, Chilly Giants and other creatures were roaring out, and most had surpassed the
limits of Morning Star.　　

"This is... the real Icy World!" Leylin muttered to himself. He, who possessed some of the memories of
the ancient Scorpion Man, was naturally somewhat familiar with this place.　　

"Yes. The real Icy World, my homeland! Foreign Magus, can you fulfil my wish of returning to my
homeland?" The Arctic Queen spoke with a gentle tone as she appeared by his side. Looking somewhat
similar to the giant from before, she had on a crown and platinum imperial robes.

"Arctic Queen?" Leylin's pupils shrank as he scanned the surroundings. "Not a bad illusion!"　

"The most beautiful of illusions is still not reality. Even the fake world of ice in reality does not measure
up to a smidgen of the splendour of the real Icy World..." The Arctic Queen sighed, her tone so sorrowful
Leylin couldn't bear it. He wanted to speak up, helping her solve the issue.

"As long as you're willing to help me, you shall be the sole emperor of the entire Icy World!" As if she
had seen Leylin wavering, the Arctic Queen added a bargaining chip.　　

"Pretty good conditions! It's a pity that I don't see any sincerity in them at all. How can someone who
uses illusory magic on potential allies be trusted to abide by their promises?" Leylin shook his head, his
words causing the expression on the Arctic Queen's face to change.　　

Blood-red flames came into being on Leylin's hands. They crackled as they were shot to the Arctic
Queen's feet without hesitation, starting to burn her.

"You'll regret this!" The Arctic Queen, who was now covered in flames, showed a wavering energy. Yet,
she was like an expressionless paper doll as she spoke.

"If I agree to your conditions, I might regret it even more!" Leylin was still slightly fearful at this time.
He'd believed that he had a very powerful resistance to illusory magic, and yet he had easily been pulled
into the illusion that his opponent had created, and almost lost his senses.

If not for the A.I. Chip's timely warning, as well as the many secret techniques of Spirit Warlocks he'd
learnt from Paul, he might very well have died here.
After all, who would have thought that the ruler of the Icy World was proficient in illusory psychological
hints?

"You'll regret this!" "You'll regret this!"　　

An icy female voice resounded in the illusion, causing his hair to stand.　　

Paper dolls that resembled the Arctic Queen sprang up one after another, the icy world collapsing with a
rumble. Whether it was the stars in the sky, the continent, or the creatures upon it, everything turned
into an Arctic Queen, giving Leylin a terrifying glare.

[Beep! Host's brain is suffering from an unknown influence. Determined to be illusory magic,] the A.I.
Chip's voice sounded.

"That's obvious damn it, but my connection to the real world hasn't been severed. If I die here, my main
body outside will probably die as well..."

Morning Star energy rippled as traces of soul force lingered around the surface of Leylin's body, giving
him a few layers of protection.　　

Such a high-level illusion could render a Magus' spiritual force useless. However, it could not restrict a
Morning Star's soul force, which still had a good effect.

However, this was the opponent's home ground. If he used up all of his soul force, he would be in
trouble.

"A.I. Chip, scan the structure of the illusion and search for the point of three-dimensional construct and
Wors' Space!" Leylin silently sent down the order.
The A.I. Chip did not have a good method of dealing with such a situation before, but now with the
database on the soul, its ability at analysis had improved by leaps and bounds.

"You can't escape!" Like the many galaxies in the universe, countless three-dimensional Arctic Queens
were formed. These clones that looked like inverted images of the original held weapons in their hands,
going on the offensive against him.

*Ting!* Soul force condensed to form a blood-red cross blade in Leylin's hands.

Leylin quickly took a step forward, the cross blade blocking large numbers of icy blades that produced
dazzling rays of light.

"Cross Slash!" A cross-shaped light flashed, and tens of paper dolls turned into fragments that filled the
skies.

"It's of no use. This is my spiritual world! No number of deaths will cause any exhaustion to me. How
long do you think your soul force can last you?" The doll accompanying this icy voice was torn to shreds,
but it then reformed into the Arctic Queen once more.

"Stop resisting when it doesn't even matter. Together, we can—"

*Schlick!* Before the Arctic Queen could finish her words, her head was chopped off.　　

The flat head that was like a piece of paper fell to the ground, and continued to chatter on, "Your only
choice is to serve me! Hand over your soul source and become my servant. This way, I might even let
you off!"　　

*Rumble!* Red flames flashed and burnt the paper into ashes.　　

There was a cold smirk on Leylin's face. "I'd be a fool to listen to your commands!"　　
"Kill him!" As if the Arctic Queen had been enraged, large numbers of two-dimensional paper clones
pounced on him.

"Cross Slash!" Leylin's expression was cool as he launched attack after attack, sending fragmented paper
flying into the skies, filling it like butterflies. They even covered Leylin's clothes, his weapon, and his hair.

"I told you, you can't escape!" The paper on Leylin's body became as heavy as lead, a few pieces joining
to form the face of the Arctic Queen.　　

Leylin's body grew sluggish as a blade swiped at his chest. The fine Kemoyin's Scales unexpectedly could
not hinder the blade at all, and a wound opened up on his chest, blood spurting out.

"I told you this is my mental world. Even if your defences are extremely powerful in the external world, I
am the ruler here!" The paper doll standing in front of Leylin spoke slowly.　　

"Is that so?" Leylin's face was pale, his body in the external world evidently receiving a real injury.

"If it's true, wouldn't you have killed me long ago? Why would you still be here spouting so much
nonsense?"

"Nonsense?" The Arctic Queen's brows lifted and raised her arms. Leylin had no idea which part of his
speech had irritated her.

The number of illusory figures increased greatly, and in practically an instant the area was completely
filled with paper dolls of various colours.

"Since you wish to die, let me fulfil your wish!" Countless Arctic Queens pounced forth.　　

At this moment, however, a slight smile appeared about Leylin's lips. "Found it!"　　
He suddenly moved forward, soul force undulating at his body and gathering on the cross blade,
resulting in rays of flaming light that seemed endless.

"Cross Slash!" The gleaming cross blade sliced at a point in the sky.

*Crack! Crack!* It was like a mirror being shattered, and numerous shivering, spotted lights that
resembled tadpoles appeared behind it.

"No! Impossible! How did you find out?" The Arctic Queen's voice became high-pitched and piercing.　　

"Haha..." Leylin laughed maniacally, ignoring the fury of the Arctic Queen behind him and rushed
headfirst into the sea of tadpoles.

"A.I. Chip! Begin destruction based on the previous plan..." Countless black threads appeared in Leylin's
hands and quickly dispersed. Even more mirrors shattered.　　

*Bang!* A slight tremor was produced by Leylin's body, and his eyes instantly focused. He glanced at the
icy castle and purple swamp as well as the cut on his chest and sighed, "I'm finally out!"

*Chi chi...* At this moment, a furious, high-pitched sound was emitted from under the castle.

"The opponent's illusory spells are too powerful. I need to leave for now!" Just now, Leylin had lucked
out. Depending on the A.I. Chip's ability to find the gaps in the illusion, he'd managed to escape. The
next time, the situation would be different. Even if he could find the gaps again, successfully breaking
through them was still an issue.

Leylin's eyes flashed as he moved a long distance away in an instant.

 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 614 - Deduction and Advancement

The central region of the icy plains, outside the castle.

Dazzling blue pillars emitted bright light, the most radiant of landmarks.

Groups of icy race clansmen and even beasts were attracted by the blue rays of light. The appeal was so
strong that anyone who barred their paths was considered an enemy to be attacked.

Leylin thought the pillars were like terrifying large-scale summoning spell formations. Anyone that
possessed a bloodline related to ice and had grown up here could not resist the allure.

Currently in front of him was a strange group. Savage icy beasts mingled with snow fairies and other
intelligent beings, the only thing they had in common the desire and fervour in their eyes. They crossed
land and water, heading in the direction of the palace as if on a pilgrimage.

Leylin had seen this many times already. After the illusory fight at the icy castle, the Arctic Queen had
not moved to chase him, evidently being limited somehow. Instead, the range of her spell formation
extended further, encompassing the entire world of ice. Icy beings flooded into the area day after day,
nourishing their Queen.

Leylin obviously would not just watch on. Looking apathetic, he pressed down with his right arm.

*Rumble!* A gigantic palmprint appeared on the surface that was formed of solid ice. The snow fairies,
ice leopards, and other creatures all turned to powder.
Having taken care of this, Leylin's brows furrowed as he hurried in another direction in which an even
larger group had formed.

How populous was the world of ice? Even if Leylin did all he could to intercept them, many still managed
to break through, turning into powder at the icy castle.

"Such absolute control... It's a tragedy for the other races." Watching the scene, Leylin sighed a little. It
was obvious that the bloodlines of the various races in this world of ice had originated from the Arctic
Queen, so when she decided to take them back, they could not resist at all.

The same situation would apply with the Snake Dowager. With her might and bloodline control, Leylin
would probably be unable to rebel even if he was ordered to die. This was also what Leylin was trying his
utmost to avoid.

'It looks like the Arctic Queen has some sort of restriction on her body, which was why she had to groom
Arwen. She also had to groom the many races in this world of ice, and use regular blood sacrifices to
obtain strength, life force, and...'

Lights flashed in Leylin's eyes. 'The previous incident obviously enraged her. She actually summoned all
the races in this miniature Icy World to their sacrificial deaths! Her aura is strengthening every day...'

At this thought, Leylin produced a few test tubes and flicked them out with his fingers.

Streaks of purple splashed on the backs of a few gigantic rank 3 beasts, forming strange runes that sank
in. Noticing Leylin wasn't blocking them anymore, they roared as they pressed forward towards the
castle of ice.

Leylin frowned and arrived at a temporary dwelling. He'd been doing such a thing every day, but could
not determine the efficacy of such an act.
"A.I. Chip, how's the simulation of the soul defence coming along?"

[Beep! Soul defence spell pattern deduction at 97.6%!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned. It projected a faint
phantom of a spell model that was almost complete.

[Rank 4 spell— Soul Guard! Summing up the bloodline models of the Spirit Warlocks, the information
from the database on the soul has been used to deduce a spell to defend against soul invasions.
Referenced material: 'Way of the Soul', 'A Primer on Spell Models'...]

There was a detailed introduction under this model, including the referenced materials which made up a
long list.

Leylin wanted to deal with the Arctic Queen's invasion into his soul. That she could actually break
through his point mass to drag his truesoul into an illusion had horrified him.

The moment a Morning Star Magus' truesoul lost the protection of their point mass, it was extremely
fragile. He had been lucky enough to escape the last time, or else with the opponent's ability at
connecting her illusions with reality, he would have died in the real world if he died in the illusion. This
was why he'd had the A.I. Chip simulate a spell model urgently to protect his soul.

With the opponent not able to move freely, Leylin had a good opportunity. However, with the terrifying
summoning currently underway and the vast region within which she could absorb life force, Leylin had
no choice but to plan his move quickly.

He had considered using his Morning Star Arcane Art to destroy the castle, but he had no idea where the
bloodline and remains of the Scorpion Man were. Furthermore, even the Giant Kemoyin Serpent would
be restricted by the opponent's main body, and wouldn't be able to destroy the place in a single move.

An ancient bloodline creature's usage of soul force could not compare to that of a Morning Star Magus,
and they were particularly vulnerable to such attacks.

"Based on the current progress, it should be completed by tomorrow!" Leylin's eyes glowed with
intelligence.

A normal Morning Star Magus would have to spend decades, even centuries, to deduce a rank 4 spell.
This was especially true for one that dealt with the mysteries of the soul, and it would take even more
time. With the A.I. Chip, it was merely a matter of how much processing power was allocated to the
task. Once the model was done, it could directly be transmitted to Leylin's memory, and even the
process of familiarising himself with it could be done away with, saving him much time.

......

A day later, above the castle of ice.

Creatures and other beings with bloodlines related to ice would approach this place with a dazed look in
their eyes, turning to powder at the place.

The region of the energy absorption had grown several fold, and even the purple swamp had been
weakened.

"It looks like the Arctic Queen's been working hard!" Blue light shone from Leylin's eyes, and an energy
beam struck down, opening up a pathway.

Through continued observation and calculations, he'd long since learnt the details of this method of
absorption. Finding an energy node based on the distribution was a simple task.

"Rank 4 spell— Soul Guard!" A green lustre appeared in Leylin's eyes, spreading throughout his body.

Fine runic chains formed in his sea of consciousness, yielding an even tighter defensive layer around the
point mass.
Footsteps sounded in the pathway that had been created by the explosion. What was formerly only a
basement currently had a number of roads and spaces below it.

The surface was full of solid ice, forming intricate patterns and images on the top.

Leylin took in a deep breath and stepped into the basement, "Arctic Queen, I'm here!"

The path was long, and light was sparse, only some feeble jade-green light leaking from the walls on
both sides.

The terrifying icy radiation even affected spacetime here, causing Leylin to feel a sense of disorder.

A dense smell of rust spread throughout the channel as a multicolour light spread from the end. It was
piercing to the eyes.

"Do not... come..." "Sinner..."

Deformed sounds were intermittently transmitted to Leylin's ears, the contents only faintly discernible.
The soul force of the Arctic Queen spread out, attempting to break through Leylin's point mass and pull
his truesoul into another illusion.

Prepared as he was, the green rays grew brighter on the surface of Leylin's body, creating an illusory
layer that began to tremble vigorously.

Large amounts of soul force were consumed as Leylin persevered under the Arctic Queen's relentless
attack on his soul.

[Soul invasion detected. Soul Guard has been engaged to resist. Beginning automatic adjustment of
defensive structure.] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded continuously. With its precise calculations, Leylin's
soul force consumption was suddenly reduced. The external layer of green light somewhat stabilised.
"You will regret it!" "You will regret it!"

As she noticed that she was unable to break through Leylin's defences, the Arctic Queen's voice became
piercing and seemed to hold within a poisonous curse. It then disappeared.

"I will only truly feel regret if I don't get what I want!" Leylin sneered, eyes full of an intense resolution
as he stepped onto the unknown path ahead.

*Boom!* Large amounts of solid ice turned into powder, the jade-green runes breaking apart and then
revealing the exit.

"You even needed Arwen to help you set up the defensive spell pattern! Seems like your body can't
move at all!" Leylin sighed as he walked out. After leaving the pathway, everything suddenly seemed
spacious.

Leylin surveyed his surroundings. This seemed to be a natural underground cave. At the top was a
tremendous slanting passageway. Deep imprints could be seen in it.

At the heart of the cave was a large depression, rays of jade light flickering within like fine threads that
formed an enormous network.

Terrifying radiations were being emitted from within the depression, so dense they were practically
tangible.

Leylin advanced grimly, finding a terrifying corpse at the centre of the depression. It was emitting
Morning Star ranked energy undulations.

This was the real aura of an ancient bloodline; deep and lofty, bringing with it a sense of history that was
filled with grandeur.

Arwen seemed like a mere inferior product in comparison to the giant corpse in front of him, full of
flaws.

"We meet again, Scorpion Man!"

Leylin could not help but recall the ancient memory fragments that he had acquired from the Icy Jade
Scorpion Emperor's bloodline. Those fragmented pieces of information had originated from the Morning
Star creature before him.

Leylin glanced at the depression and then the trail at the top, a scene appearing in his mind. The void
had shattered, and Scorpion Man had dropped into the crust of the earth like a meteor, forming a
tremendous depression. The radiation from his body had altered the area, forming the world of ice, and
the being that succeeded him had built the icy castle above the depression!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 615 - Scorpion Man and Scorpion Woman

"This is the source, the source of everything!" Leylin sighed. If not for the Scorpion Man dying here while
carrying the bloodline of the female bronze giant, the entire world of ice would not have been formed.
Hence, it wasn't too much of a stretch to call him this world's progenitor.

Leylin's body floated up to the place and slowly descended, arriving at the floor of the hollowed-out
area. After seeing the Scorpion Man in full view, his pupils suddenly narrowed.

In front of him was reclined the corpse of an enormous creature, half human half scorpion. Streaks of icy
blue connected to the Scorpion Man through his skin like a spider web, injecting great amounts of life
force and icy energy into him.

And on the back of the Scorpion Man, strange green blood wriggled as if it had a life of its own. It even
covered the Scorpion Man's entire back, spreading in all directions.

Green veins bulged all over the Scorpion Man's body, writhing around. They were like lifeless pupils, full
of eeriness.

The corrosion of the green blood and blood vessels had slightly transformed the Scorpion Man's
appearance.

Compared to the body in Leylin's memory, the Scorpion Man's now seemed thinner. Even its face had
become more exquisite, appearing more feminine. Female characteristics were showing on its upper
body as well.

"Oh, no no no! This isn't a corpse!" Leylin was astonished. Only after drawing close had he realised that
the Scorpion Man had a weak breath, his chest slowly throbbing.

However, the small waves of life force seemed incomparably small when paired with the huge body, so
small in fact that Leylin had neglected them at the start.

"This Scorpion Man is actually alive!" Leylin stumbled a few steps back. At the same time, the Scorpion
Man suddenly opened his eyes.

"You're here!" A familiar soul force wave began to attack Leylin's defences.

"You're not the Scorpion Man! You're the Arctic Queen... No, you're the guardian of the Icy World, the
female bronze giant!" Leylin blurted out. Dense black scales covered his entire body, and a few test
tubes containing potions exploded out, forming a huge screen of light. His earring was activated, in
standby to attack.
Even as he was currently, Leylin did not dare to take the risk of facing an ancient creature that
comprehended laws. Although he had made a rough guess before, the truth coming out still dazed him
slightly.

As he saw this scene, all the events flashed across Leylin's mind rapidly, and he managed to establish a
picture of what had happened quite quickly. The Snake Dowager had attacked the Icy World, and the
female bronze giant had died during the war. A drop of her blood fell on the Scorpion Man's body as he
fell into a spatial crack, accompanying him as he arrived here by chance. The Scorpion Man had died on
the spot, but the green blood on his back had survived!

The female bronze giant was a terrifying creature that had crossed rank 7! She could even control
certain laws and can reborn from a single drop of blood!

Her bloodline inherited a part of her spiritual imprint. On top of that, even if the Scorpion Man's
Morning Star strength faded, his body retained its vitality. The drop of such an ancient bloodline could
obtain a new life here after separating from the main body.

Yet, it was incomparably difficult to be reborn from a single drop of blood. Hence, it acted like a virus,
seeking life to live off of, attempting to infect another party and transform it as required.

And in Twilight Zone, was there any creature more suitable for this than the Scorpion Man? Without
considering other factors, the mere problem of distance was enough to make a decision!

Thus, the giant's bloodline began living off the Scorpion Man's corpse, even transforming it. This led to
the emergence of female characteristics in his appearance.

Such transformations not only required a large amount of time, but also a terrifying amount of life
energy.

Hence, the imprint of the giant formed a miniature Icy World through icy radiation, even producing life
in this world of ice!

Soon after, she used a portion of the Scorpion Man's flesh to create a guardian for herself, Arwen. A
guardian at the Morning Star realm was enough to suppress anything else in Twilight Zone.

Hence, the giant hid behind the scenes while Arwen took charge of all the matters on the surface,
regularly gathering icy creatures as blood sacrifices. This was to strengthen the Scorpion Man's life
energy, so as to nourish the giant's blood.

Initially, all of this was close to success. Once the transformation was successful, the giant would be
reborn from the Scorpion Man's body and become a new life. That is, it would have if Leylin hadn't
appeared.

However, there are no ifs in life. Leylin's appearance, and especially Arwen's death, left the giant with no
choice but to come forth personally and hasten the collection of flesh and life energy until this point.

The Scorpion Man stared at Leylin and a calm soul force was transmitted from his body. "No! I am only a
part of the giant. The current me is a combination of a synthesised memory imprint and this Scorpion
Man's body! Thus, I am indeed the Arctic Queen!"

Upon hearing that, Leylin heaved a deep sigh of relief. Even if the opponent had the blood of a creature
that controlled laws, its body was still not done with the transformation. It could not be considered a full
resurrection yet, only a bloodline imprint struggling at death's door.

Hence, the current Scorpion Man could not move at all. Even speaking needed to be accomplished
through soul force, never mind anything else.

"If it's like that, I still have a chance!" A brilliant glow burst forth from Leylin's eyes.

Even if the Scorpion Man was done with its body's transformation, it would only be a peak rank 4 at
most, and by relying on the bloodline's strength be comparable to a rank 5 Radiant Moon Magus.
However, Leylin had many cards in his hands and could still put up a fight. The opponent's inability to
move even gave him an advantage.

"Scorpion Man? This is the creature's name?" Leylin asked.

"Yes! But I don't like this appearance and need to modify him to draw him closer towards a Scorpion
Woman. After all, the Scorpion Woman's illusory ability is well known in the entire Icy World.
Coincidentally, this innate skill matches with my bloodline as well. It's just that this process and the
reincarnation both require a lot of time..."

The Arctic Queen began answering Leylin like she was obliged to, as if she had suddenly become a
different person.

"No wonder..." Leylin nodded but his pupils reflected a mocking look.

With a bang, the ground shook and something that seemed like a blue root emerged. Branches and
leaves merged with the blue antennae on the Scorpion Man's body, forming a cage which sealed Leylin
in it.

Snow white fog emerged from the Scorpion Man's pores continuously, merging with the blue antennae
and even forming a natural frosty rune on the surface.

"But luckily you're here! With a human Morning Star's flesh, by using Wor's Sacrificial Rites to offer your
point mass to the Ice Sovereign, I believe I can speed up the transformation process, even take it till
completion!"

The Arctic Queen's voice was cold, "Since you've killed Arwen, use your flesh to pay back your debt!"

A blood-red light blade emerged on Leylin's palms, slashing the cage suddenly and causing a piercing
boom.

Many snow white runes flickered, even forming a layer of hard blue ice. It froze the blade on the cage,
and many more blue arms stretched towards Leylin.

"A 700 degree attack is also ineffective?"

Leylin dodged and retreated, analysing the runes on the cage, "Mere energy loops cannot have such an
effect, could it be these runes?"

"Frost confinement runes from the ancient Icy World, with a record of imprisoning even Radiant Moon
Magi! If you won't believe that, you can try it for yourself!" The Arctic Queen began laughing
hysterically, "Did you think that I won't have the strength to strike back because I cannot move? I've said
this before, you'll definitely regret coming in!"

Leylin was not bothered by her piercing laughter, instead minding his own business as he came to the
edge of the cage. "A.I. Chip, conduct a scan."

[Beep! Ancient frost confinement runes discovered. Effect: Enhances the firmness of the attached item
by 5 levels, and frost resistance by 7. Provides reflective abilities to ice. Estimated strength: 890-1120]
the A.I. Chip quickly responded.

"I'm afraid, with such a level, I could only escape from this place by attacking a few times with full
strength, using Kemoyin Serpent Transformation," Leylin sighed, "Only, is there a need to?"

He stretched out both his hands, revealing a purple radiance. The moment this purple radiance came
into contact with the cage, something bizarre happened. Black spots began spreading across the cage,
unstoppable even by the ancient confinement runes.

The entire cage was like an old wooden frame. It began to corrode rapidly, and thousands of holes
appeared on it.
Leylin only exerted a slight force with his hands, and a huge hole opened up in the cage. He then walked
out.

"Impossible!" The Arctic Queen's piercing laughter immediately stopped.

"Nothing's impossible! You 'analysed' my potion in detail, even removing the poison, but how can a
potion I created be so easy to defeat?" Leylin laughed as a purple rune on his fingertip flickered
irregularly.

As if this rune triggered some sort of chain reaction, large amounts of purple dots appeared on the
Scorpion Man's body, even sealing off the blood on his back.

Through his previous setup at the castle of ice and the trick he'd played on the icy creatures, Leylin had
turned the tables in an instant, gaining the power to take the initiative.

"Hmph! Mere poison!" The Arctic Queen hummed coldly.

"I know. A bit of poison won't affect an ancient Morning Star creature, unable to even last a few
minutes. However, I only need a few minutes anyway..." Leylin averted his gaze from the Scorpion Man,
watching the green blood on his back.

"You still don't know right? I'm actually a Warlock, even a bloodline descendant of the Snake Dowager
that caused your death! And for us Warlocks, separating blood and purifying genes are the simplest
things ever..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 616 - Successful Planning

Leylin's voice held no enthusiasm as he mercilessly released thread-like rays of crimson light that
pierced into the Scorpion Man's back. The green blood began to squirm as if it had just seen its worst
enemy.

Unfortunately, it was not just the blood of the female bronze giant that was affected by the poison. Even
the voice of the Arctic Queen was turning sluggish.

Leylin paid no attention to the fervent pleas and offers of the Arctic Queen, instead focussing on refining
the bloodline in his hands.

With his manipulations, the green blood from the Scorpion Man's back was slowly extracted, veins
showing themselves one after the other.

"Ahhh! The Snake Dowager... The Snake Dowager again." The Arctic Queen's voice calmed. "Even if I'll
die right away and be damned for eternity, I won't let the Snake Dowager prevail!"

The green blood began to boil and rumble, bursting into verdant flames.

'Hmm? The toxins were removed ahead of time... As expected, the vitality of an ancient Morning Star
creature is more powerful than that of one from the present. The potion's been counteracted...' 'Leylin's
brows furrowed, but he did not do anything to indicate he would give up.

It was way too rare to acquire the chance to refine the bloodline of an ancient creature, especially one
that could comprehend laws. Such a thing was almost never seen! Obviously, Leylin didn't want to give
up just like this.

*Hss!* A large phantom snake appeared, and space immediately froze. Great power burst forth from
Leylin's body, locking onto the Scorpion Man and the blood.
"Plan B then," Leylin's voice was cold, his eyes without any emotion.

Great amounts of blood-coloured threads dug into the Scorpion Man's back, forming forbidden runes
after mixing with the poison. It caused the Arctic Queen's movements to grow even more sluggish.

"Give up! I know everything already, and have come up with a method specifically to deal with you!"
Leylin's voice held no sympathy, he spoke the truth.

After a period of external observation, he'd run over ten thousand simulations with the A.I. Chip,
preparing many contingency plans for this trip underground. He'd predicted this situation already, and
prepared specific countermeasures against it.

Leylin had stored tens of spell patterns to seal ancient bloodline in the A.I. Chip's database.

The Arctic Queen could not move about freely and had not finished her resurrection. In front of Leylin
who had made meticulous preparations, her various attacks were destroyed in practically a single blow.

Her cries had transformed into mournful wails. Even her sorrowful cries grew softer and softer. Her soul
was being suppressed and weakened.

"If your main body was around, you'd definitely be able to crush me like an ant, but it's a pity that you're
only a droplet of her blood. You haven't even revived yourself completely..." Leylin spoke calmly, eyes
flashing with a peculiar light.

There was no reply as the soul force from the other side died down, and then began to weaken at a
terrifying rate. Large amounts of green blood withdrew and returned to the back of the Scorpion Man,
and the green blood vessels rejoined with the blood.

Green blood mixed together, decreasing in volume yet becoming brighter and more vibrant. It emitted a
dark, bronze light.
'What's going on? Has she really given up?' Suspicion flickered in Leylin's mind. He put his guard up, but
still retained the same front.

With the Arctic Queen's movements, the green blood that had been spread out gathered to form a
single droplet of resplendent bronze blood.

"The original blood of the Icy World's Guardian?" Leylin's eyes grew dazed, his voice full of emotion.

This was the blood of an existence that controlled laws, an existence with rank 7 strength at the very
least! It even held the imprint of its original owner, able to revive the being from this single drop.

The effects of Leylin's purification began to show themselves as the blood condensed on the Scorpion
Man's body.

"Yield!" Leylin took out a notebook with a slightly yellow cover. He opened it up to reveal a slight lustre
from the title page. At the centre of the page was a round sealing spell formation.

"Bloodline Sealing Tome? No!" The Arctic Queen's originally feeble energy undulations suddenly
reverberated once more, her voice distorting, becoming androgynous as it turned hoarse.

"The Snake Dowager and her blood, the Icy World shall forever be your enemy!" Her voice became
masculine, awakening some sort of ancient memories and sending a malicious curse Leylin's way.

"As the bronze empress, the Guardian of the Icy World, I offer a sacrifice... skmgkl..." Leylin did not
recognize who exactly she was making a sacrifice to.

"You may have had the upper hand today, but you could never have thought of laws! That is a strength
that surpasses your understanding..."
"I offer up all the laws I possess. Strength of skmgkl, descend!"

The dark green flames crackled as their strength grew tenfold, and even the tremendous Morning Star
body of the Scorpion man was eaten into rapidly.

Large amounts of runic chains cracked, and the poison withdrew. Even Leylin's bloodline extraction spell
was forcefully interrupted.

"This is... the power of laws? Unthinkable! It's only a single drop of blood..." Leylin's face grew pale,
suffering the backlash from a spell being interrupted.

However, he did not have the time to think further. That droplet of blood which contained laws had
already been offered. After breaking the seal, it turned into a shooting star as it charged towards Leylin.

The energy defences shattered layer by layer as the blood advanced, unimpeded even by the Kemoyin
Scales and the Scarlet Earring.

The blood slammed into Leylin's chest, splattering all across his body. One could hear the hissing as it
corroded him away.

White fumes shot up as the Kemoyin Scales on Leylin's chest fell apart visibly, piece by piece. A pool of
green liquid had latched onto his chest, burning into it.

The Kemoyin Scales softened and fell off one after another with no end in sight, revealing charred flesh
and bones.

[Beep! Host's chest has severe burns. Immediate treatment recommended.] [Beep! Detected corrosion
of host by unknown energy. Expulsion procedures recommended] the A.I. Chip reported immediately.
"I've burned the power of the laws in my body as well as the remains of the Scorpion Man. The result is
an explosive force that can kill even Radiant Moons...

"Let us be buried together in the ice and snow, you who contain the bloodline of the Snake Dowager!"
The Arctic Queen's voice grew lower and lower as it eventually disappeared.

The terrifying green blood had spread from his torso to his limbs, verdant blood vessels crawling over
Leylin's face. It caused him to look sinister and horrifying.

[Beep! Warning! Warning! Life and soul force of host is being consumed at a heavy rate. Immediate
action required. Time until collapse of genes: 34s...]

The prompt box that the A.I. Chip ejected had a very dense blood-red colour in the frame, displaying the
danger of the situation. If he was not careful, he could lose his life.

"It's finally reached this point..."

Though half of Leylin's body was being corroded by the green blood as he laid on the ground, there was
no trace of dismay on his ice-cold face. Instead, it seemed as if a scheme of his had succeeded.

"With 3410 possible scenarios as well as 982 sudden occurrences, the opponent chose the method of
mutual destruction. Not like that was a surprise..."

Even with preparations, the corrosion from the bloodline of a creature that comprehended laws caused
Leylin to cough violently, large amounts of fresh blood seeping through his fingers.

*Hss...* Behind him, the tremendous figure of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent came into view once more.
Now, however, its energy was unstable. Tinted dark green, were burning on the body of the giant
serpent.
It was not just the figure behind him. Leylin felt even the Giant Kemoyin bloodline in his body being
eaten into; expelled and even destroyed!

"Bloodline Ignition!" Blood-red light surged from Leylin's eyes as the purple blood of the Kemoyin
Serpent was enriched several fold which was now filled with insanity and fury.

A large amount of his own blood bubbled up, purple confronting green.

Leylin rolled to his side and got up. Though using Bloodline Ignition to fight was like fixing thirst by
drinking poison, he now had control over his own body again, albeit temporarily.

"The A.I. Chip has already simulated this several times, and the rate of success is as high as at 90%!"
Leylin clenched his fists tightly. "A 90% chance is enough for me to take the risk!"

A resolute look appeared on Leylin's face. "If I can't climb to the top in this lifetime, I would rather die
and rot as sludge!

"Sun's Child imprint!"

He abruptly took off the white glove on his right hand, the golden-red bloodline imprint emitting
dazzling light.

[Activating plan 'Thoroughfare'. Support and trajectory activated!] The A.I. Chip intoned.

An enormous blazing light spread in this underground world, as if a sun had risen within.

Everywhere the flaming light, be it soil, rocks, or spells of ice, everything was vapourised immediately,
causing the underground cave to expand rapidly.
The beings still in the world of ice could see a tremendous sun rising from the castle, imparting heat and
light to this underground world. The ever-unchanging ice began to melt, mountains collapsing as
doomsday seemed to have arrived.

Ice melted into flowing water, which quickly evaporated itself. The white vapour spread everywhere,
turning into a layer of fog in the surroundings. Quickly, the original dark brown soil was revealed once
more.

The range of this heat continued to expand, as if ready to transform the entire world of ice.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 617 - Snake Emperor

Sun Scorching Nirvana! Formed from the similarly ranked bloodline of the Sun's Child, this was a rank 6
spell that Leylin had spent a lot of effort to create. It had finally displayed its terrifying prowess. The last
time it was used, not only had this spell caused the fall of a Radiant Moon Magus, but it also caused near
irreparable harm to Sky City.

And now, the emergence of the golden sun was about to completely melt this world of ice.

"Here we go!" Leylin's right palm was placed on his chest, terrifying rank 6 spell undulations flowing out
berserkly like a stormy tide. The rank 6 spell this time was going to be used on himself!

Boiling heat caused Leylin's body to immediately turn transparent as if turning him into a human-shaped
light bulb.

If not for his outstanding vitality and Fireplume operating at full strength, Leylin would probably have
turned into ashes in that instant. Perhaps it wouldn't even be ashes; his body and soul might just have
been burned to nothingness.

However, with his high resistance towards fire, the fact that he had experience using this spell, and
Fireplume, he could somewhat control the strength of the spell. With the immense control of the A.I.
Chip, golden energy flowed past Leylin's body, tangling with the greenish bronze blood.

"Energy of the sun, destroy the power of laws found in the bronze bloodline" Leylin howled maliciously,
his facial muscles contorting.

*Rumble!* Boiling golden flames vapourised the green blood. In the process, threads of energy that had
been purified to the extreme began to emanate from the bronze blood, flowing into Leylin's limbs and
bones.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline that had been bubbling and boiling began to absorb this energy
frantically, resulting in a strange transformation. The colour of the blood grew deeper, and the phantom
serpent grew silent as it was surrounded by a layer of greenish gold flames.

By now, the Kemoyin bloodline was rid of the contamination of the Purgatory World's will and its seals
were unlocked. It operated and surged madly in Leylin's body like the bluster of a gigantic dragon.

[Beep! Host bloodline absorbing unknown energy. Evolution has begun...] the A.I. Chip loyally intoned,
at the same time displaying a progress bar that rose quickly with help of that bronze blood.

"It's a success!" Leylin's lips twitched, though the tremendous pressure on his body made even such a
small action difficult.

Indeed, this has been his original plan! Leylin had no better options regarding the bloodline shackles,
and had been looking for a way to bypass them. Through the database he'd acquired at Sky City as well
as the A.I. Chip's terrifying calculation and simulation abilities, he'd acquired two methods to do it.

One was to try changing his bloodline, though that would cause issues with the soul. With the A.I. Chip
as it was now, though, he had some confidence in achieving this.
The second method was to dig deeper into the power of his own bloodline. Bloodline shackles restricted
Warlocks to the upper limit of their base bloodline. Practically everyone thought this was rank 4 in the
case of Kemoyin Warlocks, but what if he could dig into the roots of the Kemoyin's genes itself, evolving
the bloodline further into the realms of rank 5 and above? That way, he could advance to Radiant Moon
successfully!

Of course, both these methods still had the same fundamental problem. They could not break the
bloodline shackles themselves. Whether it be changing bloodlines or improving his own, it would only
push the bar higher. The bloodline shackles would remain, waiting to present themselves at a higher
rank.

However, Leylin still had the method given to him by the Wisdom Tree. Although it was feasible, it was
not something he could accomplish with his current strength. Thus, he was confident that once he
possessed more strength, he could execute his other plans. This was why his main objective in this
journey to the subterranean world was to strengthen his bloodline.

Leylin's soul had already fused with that of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, so he would not be foolish
enough to try and change his bloodline. Even if he could succeed somehow, it would still cause
devastating damage to his fragile soul once he did it. Thus, digging deeper into the power of his own
bloodline was the only method.

Through Arwen's Icy Breath helping him resolve the problem of his emotional instability, the purity of
his bloodline had reached an unprecedented level. Now, it had a chance to advance further. And the
bronze giant's bloodline? It was just the kind of powerful force that could push this sort of
advancement!

With the Sun's Flames suppressing the world of ice, he had burned away the miscellaneous soul
imprints, spirit imprints, and other such things out of the bronze blood, leaving behind only the primal
strength of the bloodline itself. This was what allowed him to advance the power of the Giant Kemoyin
Serpent.

This was the plan Leylin had come up with. For this reason, he had deliberately provoked the Arctic
Queen. For this reason, he'd forced her to offer up the laws in her body in an attempt to deal him a fatal
blow!

Now, with no more free will, the bronze blood could no longer stand the burning of the Sun's Flames.
Not only did it reduce in volume, even the bronze lustre on its surface gradually died down.

[Beep! Host body igniting ancient bloodline. Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in process of evolution.
Progress: 80%... 95%... 99%...] the A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

*Rumble!* At this moment, the bloodline imprint on Leylin's right hand completely dissipated, and the
Sun's flames grew to their greatest intensity. Terrifying golden flames fused with the bronze bloodline
and the two suddenly exploded, destroying each other.

A bloodline energy that seemed as vast as the starry sky burst forth from that explosion. Leylin cried out
as this burst of strength pushed it over the edge. The A.I. Chip showed that the progress bar had been
completely filled!

[Beep! Host bloodline evolution complete. Searching for information... Determined to be Kemoyin
Serpent Emperor!] [Kemoyin Serpent Emperor: A rare evolved form of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent.
Possess a great strength and magical ability. Having broken through their original limits to enter a higher
level, these creatures rule colonies of Kemoyin Serpents. Rank 5. Attributes: Darkness, Fire.
Supplementary abilities:

1. Control: The Kemoyin Serpent Emperor possesses sovereignty over all Giant Kemoyin Serpents and
their descendants.

2. Devouring. The Kemoyin Serpent Emperor can digest all energy not supported by laws to supplement
its own life force.]

The A.I. Chip's voice sounded once more, but Leylin was unaware of this all. The moment his bloodline
evolution had succeeded, he felt dizzy, his body practically floating.

Large amounts of images streaked past his eyes. In the boundlessly vast starry skies, numerous Giant
Kemoyin Serpent figures appeared, lowering their gigantic serpent heads to him as if welcoming their
ruler.
At the same time, a terrifying giant serpent that was over a hundred thousand metres long appeared
behind him. It had beautiful scales and flowing, graceful curves. On the head, a few protruding bones
formed something similar to a crown.

The whole serpent was filled with an elegance and grandeur typical to a ruler, the original savage and
terrifying aura having dulled. However, Leylin knew that this ruler of snakes was far more terrifying than
before. This graceful demeanor was a facade, concealing the bloodthirst and insanity within.

With but a slight though, Leylin could sense Freya, Gilbert, Emma, and the other Kemoyin Warlocks
through their bloodlines.

'This terrifying control... truly worthy of the emperor of Giant Kemoyin Serpents!' Leylin smiled as he
observed his truesoul. His soul had gained the most through this evolution.

Crimson light expanded rapidly. His truesoul was now several times larger than before, half as large as
the soul of a Radiant Moon Magus. The light within it even surpassed that within the soul of a New
Moon Magus!

The soul had begun to expand, about to transform into a full moon.

"With the strength of my soul, I can probably be considered a rank 5 already. As long as I go back and
settle things, it won't be a problem to break through." Leylin huffed roughly, but the elation was evident
in his expression.

He was currently not in very good shape. Though he had prepared ample defensive measures, it was still
no easy task to let his body be a battlefield between the Sun's Flames and the bronze blood.

Leylin laughed wryly as he scanned his body. The injuries to his chest were the most serious of all; skin,
blood and flesh had melted away, revealing internal organs that were pulsing slightly. An arm had
disappeared, and the rest of his body was severely damaged as well.
If this were a regular Magus or Warlock, such grave injuries would probably have long since resulted in
their deaths. However, Leylin's heart was still throbbing powerfully, displaying his tenacious life force!

[Beep! Damage to host body at 45%. Recommendation: Immediate cryostasis in combination with the
usage of bloodline force to recuperate.] the A.I. Chip loyally reminded him.

"That isn't urgent. Show me information on the fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil!" Leylin commanded.
Immediately after, he was delighted to see that after attaining the bloodline of the Kemoyin Serpent
Emperor, the A.I. Chip's deduction of Kemoyin's Pupil had proceeded successfully. The fifth layer of the
meditation technique was completed!

"The last piece of the puzzle is in place..." Leylin muttered.

Having reached Morning Star, he had been thinking about how to break through to Radiant Moon. The
bloodline shackles and meditation technique were the two biggest problems, and now that he'd evolved
to an emperor bloodline and the fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil had been deduced, Leylin had spent much
effort on them, and now, the fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil had been deduced, there were no more
problems in this aspect. It could be said that all his problems had disappeared.

*Hss!* The phantom of an enormous Kemoyin Serpent Emperor appeared behind Leylin, wrapping him
in bloodline energy.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 618 - Rank 5 And The Snake Dowager

Gigantic and graceful, the phantom of a Kemoyin Serpent Emperor that held an elegance befitting a
ruler appeared behind Leylin's back. Large amounts of blood-coloured energy shrouded him. The
serpent emperor snarled as a black hole appeared in front of it, sucking in the surrounding ice, earth,
rocks, the remains and even the air.

　　
Once large amounts of materials disappeared into its mouth, Leylin felt a powerful life force begin to
circulate within his body. His body buzzed as first the skeleton, then his internal organs, blood, flesh, and
finally the skin was regenerated. With the help of a powerful life force, the injuries on his body
recovered at a frightening rate.　

'Could this be the rumoured devouring ability of the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor?' Leylin had a thought.

Immediately after, he felt his arm go numb, and the limb that had been broken off began to regenerate.
In just ten or so seconds, the grave injury was completely recovered.

This speed left even Leylin in shock. 'With this rate of recovery, I can recover quickly even in a battle
against a Radiant Moon. I could even endure a Morning Star Arcane Art with just my body, immediately
restoring myself afterwards! If the devouring ability is already so terrifying, what about that of control?'
he wondered.

The information about the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor had been lost in ancient times, and a large portion
of the information that was gathered had been derived by the A.I. Chip from his bloodline memories. It
was rather small, but just looking at the description he could tell that his control over Kemoyin Warlocks
was great. Great enough, in fact, that if he commanded a Morning Star Kemoyin Warlock to die, the
other party would not be able to resist at all.

*Hss—* Though he had completely recovered, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent figure at Leylin's back was still
unsatisfied. It abruptly broke through the layer of soil and soared into the air.　　

A terrifying suction force appeared, and everything, be it living or otherwise, was dragged towards the
black hole that had appeared in the serpent's mouth.

The force spread out farther than even the bounds of the castle, radiating into the surroundings. Leylin
could see several powerful creatures, many at the Crystal Phase, dragged from the sky by force as they
disappeared into the black hole.

　　
Practically every being in this world of ice automatically bowed their heads in respect and fear,
trembling bodies paralysed under the suppression of the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor.

The accumulated life force was enormous, eventually forming a cocoon that covered Leylin. The
Kemoyin Serpent Emperor at Leylin's back continued to snarl unceasingly, and only after almost
devouring the entirety of the central icy plains did it pull back into the cocoon of light, satisfied.

　　

Leylin was undergoing a wondrous transformation within. Powerful bloodline energy fused with
boundless life force, aiding Leylin in his bid to charge into rank 5.

　　

He was becoming a rank 5 Warlock, a Radiant Moon! There were likely no more than twenty Radiant
Moons in the entire central continent, second only to the Breaking Dawn Monarchs. It was also precisely
due to the Radiant Moons in the Union that bloodline Warlocks still survived to this day.

　　

On top of that, this event was even more significant for Leylin. He had finally moved past the bloodline
shackles of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, and now had the wherewithal to try to become a rank 5.

"I already reached the peak of Morning Star after fusing Fireplume into my point mass, so I already meet
the requirements for the advancement. And now that the bloodline and technique that were holding me
back are solved..." Leylin chuckled lightly.

With the cooperation of the bloodline of the rank 5 Kemoyin Serpent Emperor, his advancement was
smooth. The fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil that the A.I. Chip had just deduced began to operate slowly.　　

The point mass in his sea of consciousness buzzed as it revolved quickly, growing in density as the
nebula surrounding it began another round of frantic expansion. Another layer of fine black runes
emerged on top of it.

With the probing of the soul through the A.I. Chip, Leylin could see the truesoul located at the heart of
the point mass beginning to evolve.　　
Probing through his A.I. Chip, Leylin saw his truesoul at the heart of his point mass breaking through its
limits at the peak of Morning Star, expanding to form the shape of a moon. It was glittering with a fine
radiance that filled it with a sense of perfection.

　　

Soul force was constantly poured in, causing the round moon to emanate a cool lustre. Once that was
completed, his soul that was a size larger than that of normal Radiant Moon Magi had on it a layer of
soul force that looked like a crescent moon that emitted an intense radiance.

　　

'I don't have enough soul force to fill my truesoul. In fact, I don't even have enough to fill half the
volume... It seems like I'm a New Moon...' Leylin suddenly came to an understanding of how Radiant
Moons trained.

Ranks 4 to 6 involved the training of soul force. Morning Stars were still fumbling around without
direction; it was when one advanced to Radiant Moon that they began true training.

The soul, which was in the shape of a moon showed how much soul force one had with its radiance.
Rank 5 Magi had to train and fill it up. The different amounts of fullness represented the different stages
of New Moon, Half Moon, and Full Moon Magi.

[Beep! Host's soul force has been strengthened. Chip upgrade commencing... Time to completion:
4m24s.]　　

　　

With the advancement of his soul, the A.I. Chip was undergoing its upgrade immediately as well, having
been fused into it. Perhaps it was because it had already gained quite a bit from Sky City, the
advancement this time was quite rapid. In less than five minutes, it had completed its upgrade and
rebooted.

　　

The sounds of the A.I. Chip rang once more. [Beep! Host's Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique has
reached the fifth level. Advancing to rank 5 Warlock!]　　

[Beep! Host has advanced to become a Radiant Moon Warlock. All statistics have been significantly
strengthened, recalculating...]　　
　

The familiar robotic voice seemed to be accompanied with a changed interface, the screen projected in
Leylin's mind even more solid than before.

'Looks like the A.I. Chip has undergone a huge transformation!' Leylin touched his chin.　　

[Data collection complete. Display?] The A.I. Chip launched another prompt. Leylin nodded as he voiced
his approval. The A.I Chip immediately projected the refreshed numbers before Leylin's eyes.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 5 Warlock. Bloodline: Kemoyin Serpent Emperor. Strength: 75, Agility: 61, Vitality:
137.5, Spiritual force: 1326.7, Magic power: 1326(Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force).
Soul force: 133 (New Moon)] 　

"It really deserves to be called the bloodline of the Kemoyin Emperor. The numbers were raised to such
a huge extent!" Leylin's expression was filled with glee. Not only had his spiritual force broken through
1000, his strength and agility which had not improved in a very long while had increased as well. His
vitality had been raised by over 30 points, which was just terrifying!　　

"I never expected that the growth of Kemoyin Warlocks would only become more frightful with time!"
Leylin read through his stats and could not help but sigh.　　

He felt the soul energy in his body that was as cool as water. It was soul force that had reached rank 5,
and was of a higher quality than that at Morning Star, therefore having better effects. However, there
was no elation in Leylin's expression.　

"The issue of the bloodline shackles still has not been dealt with. I've only pushed it back by a rank, and
this time there's no such thing as raising the rank of my bloodline anymore!" Leylin gazed at the prompt
at the bottom of the stats frame and turned grim.

　　

[Host's Kemoyin bloodline has reached limits of genes. Unable to advance further.] 　　

The A.I. Chip was plainly telling Leylin that after reaching the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor, he had reached
the limits of his bloodline. At least Kemoyin Serpents had no way to advance to a higher realm.

　　

An ominous feeling, like his future path had been cut off, emerged in Leylin's mind...
*BOOM!* The cocoon of light in the world of ice burst apart, revealing Leylin within.

"Whatever it is, I've finally attained my goal in coming to the subterranean world this time. I just didn't
expect the remains of the Scorpion Man to be burnt up along with my opponent. It's slightly regretful
that I didn't manage to obtain the coordinates to the Icy World..." Leylin sighed ruefully, turning into a
black figure that disappeared into the void.

......　　

The long majestic river that was the astral plane flowed on, many foreign worlds like the stars in the
galaxy. They were a brightly coloured array, twinkling with varying lustres.

In one such world, full of flames and shadows, a boundless darkness formed a dense fog that completely
covered the continent.

Numerous ancient, terrifying serpents grew and multiplied in this place, terrifying auras at Morning Star
advancements appearing everywhere.

At the heart of the continent, the holy land of all snakes, Morning Star serpents could be seen
everywhere. The closer one got to the centre, the more horrifying they became, as rank 5 and even ran
6 snakes flashed by on occasion.

In a gigantic spatial crack, a coiled ball of snake the size of a star revealed the alluring figure of the Snake
Dowager. The moment Leylin reached rank 5, she opened a pair of misty eyes that seemed like water.

　　

"I'd never thought that today, after the end of the ancient era, an Emperor would awaken among the
Kemoyin race!" The eyes of the Snake Dowager seemed to penetrate across multiple worlds and the
astral plane, locking onto the Magus World and a young Warlock.

　
To her, a Morning Star was just a basic soldier. Rank 5s and 6s were worthy of attention, and such a
thing as the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor that could control the Giant Kemoyin Serpents was even more
worthy of interest.

"The power of destiny is guiding you here..." The life and death of multiple worlds flashed across her
beautiful eyes. Two mandara flowers, one bright and one dark, bloomed in them before dissipating.

Destiny, seen through the eyes of the Snake Dowager!

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 619 - Tracking And The Statue

The beautiful eyes of the Snake Dowager seemed to see into fragments of the future, penetrating the
long river of destiny.

After her prophecy, the Snake Dowager coiled back into the ball, seeming to sink back into a deep
slumber.

"What's going on? I feel like somebody's watching me and I have an ominous feeling!"

The very instant the Snake Dowager's sight set into the Magus World, Leylin who was in the midst of
flying, felt his hair stand on end. An odd mixture of terror and reverence appeared in his mind.

"The Snake Dowager..." Leylin felt a bitterness in his mouth. Never had he expected that once he had
advanced into a rank 5 Warlock, he would arouse her interest.

'But this is the Magus World. It isn't that easy for her to come over!' Whether this sort of attention was
good or bad, Leylin had no wish to form any sort of relationship with an existence at such a level. He'd
always liked to operate after careful planning, and even if it was the Snake Dowager, he hoped to seek
her out only after making his own preparations. That was better than being passive and letting her find
him.

'A Radiant Moon strength shouldn't be enough to arouse the interest of the Snake Dowager, unless...'
Leylin touched his chin, light flickering in his eyes, 'Could it be that my Kemoyin Serpent Emperor
bloodline is making her feel... threatened?'

Leylin couldn't help but turn his attention back to the summary the A.I. Chip had given him about his
bloodline, specifically the row that detailed his control ability.

"Kemoyin Serpent Emperors have a total dominance over Giant Kemoyin Serpents and all their
descendants. Could this result in some overlap and conflict with the Snake Dowager's own rule?"

Leylin suddenly had the urge to try it out. If he and the Snake Dowager were to give a Kemoyin Warlock
an order at the same time, what would they do?

However, such an insane idea was quickly suppressed. With his current strength, challenging the Snake
Dowager's authority is equivalent to death.

The ability of the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor to rule over others was, in fact, a breakthrough for him to
resist the Snake Dowager's control over himself. It was like a seedling that needed to be watered
regularly until it bloomed and bore fruit.

Before all this, he needed to keep a low profile, silently amassing strength and prepare to soar, waiting
till he completely broke through the bloodline shackles and also broke free from the control of the
Snake Dowager!

......
"I've found it! This is it— Mount Asura..." A few figures robed in black appeared over a volcano. Large
amounts of lava spurted into the sky, but it bypassed their bodies without even so much as a ripple.

"Time Recall!" One of the black robed figures looked solemn as he used a spell, dazzling light being
generated at his fingertips.

The translucent face of a mirror suddenly appeared before him, revealing a blurred scenery.

After summoning this mirror, the black-robed figure seemed fatigued as he spoke to another Magus
behind him, "Carol, it's up to you now, you're the most adept in this aspect..."

"Alright!" While the Magus behind him was wearing a black robe, her physique was evidently smaller
than the others, and her voice was gentle and agreeable.

"Aura Extraction!" She stood before the screen, right arm as smooth and bright as jade as it went
through the surface, grabbing hold of a black gas.

*Wooh wooh...* After this stream of gas appeared, the magic equipment on the bodies of these people
displayed a dazzling luster and made noises.

"The nose of the hound has reacted. Looks like he was here before, and not too long ago either!" The
leading Magus spoke with conviction.

A Magus began to gnash his teeth. "And here we were thinking he'd return to the south coast. Who'd
have thought he'd escape into the underground like a mouse!"

Leylin's concealing techniques were far too complicated, and even Magi who excelled in prophecies
could do nothing against him. Things were even more complicated for these Magi.
However, the powerful organisation backing them had gathered a lot of information, and through the
method of elimination, they'd found a trace of Leylin's whereabouts.

The Magus who had spoken before evidently was very hostile towards Leylin, emanating a dangerous
air. "Warlocks have enhanced bodies, and their skin is the best raw material for art pieces. This Leylin's
skin will be a perfect addition to my study room!"

The female Magus from before shrieked, "Eugene, if you don't change that disgusting hobby, I'll break
off all relations with you!"

"Enough! Though the target is merely a Morning Star, it's publicly acknowledged that he possesses
battle strength at the Radiant Moon realm. Don't underestimate him!" The leader said, putting a stop to
their conversation, "Be more careful. He's taken a Radiant Moon down before; if you don't want your
truesoul to be thrown back into the astral plane, buck up and don't look down on your opponent!"

"Hmph! I alone can take care of two Radiant Moons like Stuart!" Eugene huffed disdainfully, but did not
continue speaking after that.

After all, he believed that he could defeat Stuart, but he had no methods that could cause the other
party's death.

Not even a peak Radiant Moon or Breaking Dawn Monarch dared guarantee that they could eliminate a
Radiant Moon Magus without letting their opponent escape. Leylin, who possessed the power to kill a
Radiant Moon Magus, was very outstanding.

"Though he made use of a bloodline imprint to kill Stuart, even I have to admit that he's a genius to be
able to push the Giant Kemoyin bloodline to the peak of Morning Star until it is comparable to Radiant
Moons. He's a real genius! Even in ancient times, he would be one of the most dazzling stars!" Carol's
voice held a sigh within.

"A genius amongst Warlocks!" The leader spoke coldly, causing Carol to fall silent, "The more geniuses
the enemy has, the weaker we are. Leylin must be erased!" His voice was icy cold, and Eugene and Carol
nodded solemnly.

"Boss, I just don't understand. Even if Leylin's amazing now, he has the Giant Kemoyin Serpent
bloodline. Kemoyin's Pupil only has up to four levels, and the Morning Star realm is his limit. Why are we
hunting him down so fervently? Even while we were chasing Golden Lion Wayde when he was a
Morning Star, we didn't operate on such a large scale..." Carol's face was full of doubt, and Eugene's ears
perked up.

"That's because you don't understand the terror that is the Giant Kemoyin Serpent..." The leading
Magus answered coldly, but did not continue, leaving Carol and Eugene bewildered.

"I don't care what you think, but whatever it is, killing Leylin Farlier is the most important task sent down
by our organisation. It must be completed, even at the cost of our lives!" The leader's expression was
solemn.

Carol and Eugene nodded coldly. Amongst Magi, this was truly a rare sight. To be able to bind the ever-
rational Magi to this extent meant the organisation backing them was exceptionally powerful.

"In addition, Leylin as he is right now is very difficult to deal with, especially with people from the
Warlock Union meddling. They're rather protective of this younger generation..."

In spite of the warning, Eugene was full of confidence. "Don't worry, boss! If the real bodies of those
Warlocks dare emerge from the Morning Star area, our Monarch wouldn't let them off so easily..."

"Mm! Based on the intel, the target had been a ruler of Twilight Zone for a period of time and must be
extremely familiar with the situation there. We need to act very cautiously when we go down there..."

The leading Magus continued to express his caution before three flickering rays of light pierced into the
lava like sharp blades, following the lava pathway and sinking downwards.
If even Morning Star Magi could pass through the barrier, there was no issue at all for Radiant Moons.

......

In Twilight Zone, the headquarters of Nature's Alliance Academy.

The academy had now regained its previous vibrance. Ever since Leylin's return, the humans of Twilight
Zone broke away from the darkness of war, and even gained a glorious victory! All this would have been
unimaginable in the past, but had been easily attained with Leylin's arrival.

Leylin's gigantic black stone statue was still at the center of the bustling square in all its glory, but now
there was another in the corner.

This statue had a distorted human face, nose and eyes squeezed together due to extreme shock and
terror; it seemed rather comical. Coupled with the assumed motion of the body, it looked like a clown,
creating a stark contrast with Leylin's statue in the middle.

Whenever a few of the official Magi in the academy passed by the statue, their eyes filled with a trace of
panic that did not dissipate for a long while.

This clownish stone statue was naturally that Banker from before. Though he was a rank 3 Magus who
was once regarded as the strongest human, he'd been killed by Leylin without any chance to retaliate.
Even his body had become a stone figure, exhibited here for eternity to be sneered at by later
generations.

This method immediately resulted in incessant terror in the Magi's hearts. There were also some who
were filled with reverence towards Leylin.

"What is it? Is there anything else?" In the luxurious villa, Leylin reclined on the sofa, watching the
Magus that seemed to be short of time.
It was obvious that this young man was extremely nervous, his eyes showed his admiration and
apprehension at meeting his idol face to face.

"Lord Protector!" Will's face was filled with emotion and uneasiness, "If you knew my mother, would
you know about my father?"

"Jenny never told you?" Leylin watched Will with interest. It had to be said that he was still somewhat
similar to his father.

"No. Everytime she talked about it, she got so sorrowful..." Will hanged his head low.

"There are some things we don't know, and something things we can't tell you even if we knew!" Leylin
laughed as he stroked Will's head. "The only thing I can tell you is that I'd chosen to bring you into
Nature's Alliance Academy..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 620 - Of Curses and Dreams

Will walked out dejectedly. He had gained no further insight than Leylin's encouragement. Other than
that, he felt that this father whom he had never seen before was shrouded in a layer of dense fog.

"What's wrong with Will?" Celine had instantly noticed this anomaly as she walked into Leylin's villa
carrying a silver plate.

"Freshly grounded coffee, personally made by me!" On the silver plate, white mist floated above the
beige can and mug.
"Nothing much! Just a youth's confusion!" Leylin smiled, held up a cup of coffee and said, "The taste is
still as good as before!"

"You... How long are you going to be staying this time?" Celine bit her lips, watching Leylin with an
evasive gaze. Compared to the previous time they met, Leylin now seemed like an ordinary man; there
were no powerful energy waves being transmitted from his body anymore.

And yet, she knew that this was only a sign of Leylin becoming more powerful. It seemed like he had
gained many things during his journey to the Icy Cave.

However, even if she'd known beforehand, Celine could only smile bitterly. One could only gain as much
as their strength allowed them. Even if she knew about the existence of the world of ice before Leylin,
any one of the giant icy creatures in there could kill her without even leaving her corpse behind.

And now, Celine keenly sensed that Leylin had already gained what he wanted, which was why Twilight
Zone no longer attracted him. This discovery immediately made her uneasy.

"It may be quite some time, but it won't be longer than a year!" Leylin took a sip of the rich and mellow
coffee. However, the words he said caused Celine's face to turn pale.

For a Magus, a year's time was too short. Regardless of what was being done, it was not nearly enough.
Even an experiment required a lot more time than this.

Seeing Celine's unwilling expression, Leylin secretly sighed, but he did not say anything else. The entire
Twilight Zone was just too barren. This place where even a rank 3 Magus could act like a tyrant and
become a ruler was honestly too small. Only the larger central continent and the astral plane where
there were endless profound mysteries were worthy of Leylin's residence, allowing him to travel as
much as he wanted in the future.

"In that case, can you let me follow you to the central continent?" Celine clenched her teeth.
"Of course you can, but I have to tell you a few things first!" Leylin looked at Celine with a profound
expression in his pupils, "In the central continent, rank 2 Magi are merely like ants, their sheer number
inconceivable. With your current strength, you will only be in the lowest rung of society there. Also, I
already have a wife... Are you going to be willing to give up everything in Twilight Zone and leave with
me?"

After hearing Leylin speak honestly about him already having a wife, Celine stumbled a few steps back,
obviously not expecting it. And upon hearing that she had to give up the entirety of Twilight Zone, her
expression darkened even further.

After a long silence, she finally made a decision. Smiling bitterly, she said, "Alright! I cannot give up on
Mentor's wish, nor on Twilight Zone. This is my home!"

Leylin smiled, "Perhaps I can make it up to you in other aspects! For example, didn't you want my
bloodline very badly before?"

This was a decision Leylin had made after long and careful deliberation. His current Kemoyin's bloodline
had already evolved to an extreme point, even reaching its genetic limits. There was no more room for
improvement. Hence, the time was finally right to grow his family.

A rank 5 Warlock's bloodline would be sufficient to form a terrifying power in a short period of time.
With the restriction of the bloodline and his own ability as emperor to control all Giant Kemoyin
Serpents, these bloodline descendants would become his most capable assistants in the future. Since he
was prepared to grow the Farlier Family after his return, there was no harm in leaving another child
behind in Twilight Zone.

"Really?" Celine's eyes sparkled, and her face even flushed red with excitement. The terrifying innate
abilities Leylin had displayed was proof enough that his descendants definitely wouldn't turn out too
bad. They might even inherit some powerful abilities from him. Such a bloodline was one that many
female Magi sought, but few could obtain.
One Morning Star's family always had a great chance of producing another among their ranks, much
greater than that of other Magus clans. Perhaps one of her own descendants would be a strong Morning
Star as well!

As she thought along this line, Celine's breathing could not help but gradually get heavier.

Seeing Celine in such a state, Leylin could not help but burst out laughing. Although this woman had
changed slightly, she was still that same old Celine in essence.

However, he did not hold much hope for her at all. Even if she was willing to give up everything in
Twilight Zone and return to the central continent with him, she would at most be another good friend
for Freya.

Furthermore, letting his bloodline grow in multiple places was also safer overall.

Leylin stroked his chin. His decision to grow his bloodline in many different places was certainly not
about something as simple as expanding his influence.

Through his endless study on bloodline mutations and gene changing, he'd come to know that, with
enough descendants, there was a chance that a genetic mutation would occur, allowing the individual's
strength to rise further than normal. Although such odds were small enough to be disregarded, there
was always hope.

In fact, many Kemoyin Warlocks and other bloodline Warlocks practised this method. Whenever
descendants of exceptionally rich bloodlines appeared, they would perceive it as fate's blessing.

'I have to go back once my Kemoyin Serpent Emperor bloodline has fully matured and I develop my
Radiant Moon strength.' Leylin's pupils dimmed...

The boiling lava boomed endlessly. Many fiery dragons splashed about, and rocks shattered to expose a
passageway that led upwards. A few black figures rushed out of the place directly.

"Damned Leylin and damned Twilight Zone! Chief, don't you know that concentrated fire elemental
particles are a great enemy for a female Magus' skin? My maintenance charges for this mission are going
to increase!" Carol pouted coquettishly, taking out a mirror and looking her skin over carefully.

However, the leader and the Magus called Eugene evidently did not care much.

"As long as this mission can be completed, no one would care even if you rested for a hundred years!"
the leader snorted coldly. He ignored his subordinate's complaints, much more interested in this
territory.

"Tsk... This underground... the elemental particles are already so barren... It's simply a desert for Magi!"
On the other hand, Eugene also sighed while clicking his tongue, showing his disdain towards the
barrenness of the Twilight Zone.

"Compared to the central continent, this place is indeed a desert. However, the darkness and earth
elemental particle concentration is still passable, even if barely. Use spells of these two elements as
much as possible to conserve your soul force..." The chief's head tilted to one side, looking at Carol,
"Carol, found the opponent yet?"

"Let me see..." Carol took out a transparent crystal ball. In the core of this ball was a black wisp of air
that swayed back and forth. This was Leylin's aura, collected from Mount Asura.

Although Leylin had covered his traces very carefully, as long as such Magi had the correct location and
suitable spells, finding his tracks was only a matter of time.

A black stream of air emerged on Carol's face. After pondering for a moment with her eyes closed, she
pointed towards the north and spoke confidently. "He's in that direction, I'm sure of it."
"Good! Now that we've discovered the opponent's position, won't three Radiant Moons like us be able
to deal with a simple Morning Star?" Eugene licked his lips, "That rascal made me run about outside for
such a long time. I want him!"

This leader nodded, "We can. But the target is still as strong as a Radiant Moon himself, do not
underestimate him. However, I have information that the target still has a weakness. Even if he has
fighting strength at the Radiant Moon realm and powerful bloodline imprints, he is still a Morning Star
at his core. The strength of his truesoul is limited to the peak of Morning Star. If we cast curses or attack
the soul..."

"It'll be very safe!" Carol nodded. "Just nice, there's been some progress in my research on soul curses
recently, just leave it to me!"

"The two of us will assist!" The leader looked at Eugene, and the latter agreed with a little reluctance,
"Alright! You're the leader. Whatever you say goes!" Evidently, he was a little depressed because he was
unable to draw blood directly.

......

"Leylin! Hurry to school, you're going to be late!" A foreign yet familiar voice echoed in his ears, making
Leylin a little confused.

"Where is this? A.I. Chip?" Around him was a road, cherry blossom trees in full bloom on both sides.
Blossoms drifted down to the street one after the other.

The ground was very clean, without any sorts of paper scraps. Leylin looked at his own hands, his skin
that was milky white without much musculature was full of youth.

"..." There was no response from the A.I. Chip, causing Leylin to fall into a deep silence.
At this moment, a large chunk of memory entered his brain. "I'm Leylin! Innocent Saints High School,
year 3 student! I also have an elder sister and a younger sister in my family, I'm supposed to go to the
campus festival...."

"Why... Why do I feel like I've forgotten something important, and what is an A.I. Chip? Why did I
remember it subconsciously?" Looking at the checkered shirt on his body and the student name tag on
his chest, Leylin became quiet in an instant.

"Hey Leylin, what's wrong with you?" A blonde haired student walked over, pulling Leylin's arm along
with him.

"Serway..." Leylin called out the student's once he opened his mouth, which made him fall into greater
confusion, 'I need to calm down... Why do I know his name? Where exactly is this?'

"What are you waiting for? We won't make it in time!" Serway stopped a taxi, shoving Leylin into it
before following closely behind, "Driver, Innocent Saints High School!"

"Have you lost your mind? The famous singer, Carol has a concert at the campus festival today..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 621 - Carol

"Carol?" Leylin leaned back against the couch while feeling the familiar rumble of the engine, his mind
fuzzy. 'Seems to be a very famous singer, said to be the idol of teenagers in the Furze Federation... Also
seems to be slightly related to me, but... I don't remember anymore...'

Memories related to the other person immediately emerged in Leylin's brain, 'Only, why do I keep
feeling that something's wrong? This shouldn't be my life... My life...'
Leylin stretched out his right hand and a word suddenly emerged in his brain: "Fire!" This was
pronounced in the ancient Byron language, but tens of seconds passed and nothing happened.

"What's wrong with you Leylin? Devising new words? Why haven't I heard this before, is this German or
Spanish?" Serway asked thoughtlessly as he looked at the scenery outside the window from time to
time.

"Neither! I may have pronounced it wrongly..." Leylin's face was slightly flushed, but his heart was
stirring, 'What happened just now, why did I have a premonition that something interesting would
happen after reading that phone... No! Why do I remember this syllable?'

*Skrrrrr!* Following the sound of sudden brakes, the taxi stopped in front of a beautiful institution.

A large coniferous tree and a holly tree stood on both sides of a white marble statue. In front of the
entrance was a banner— Innocent Saints 57th Campus Festival.

Below the banner, there was a row of tiny words written in black ink using felt-tip pens and spray paint
— Welcoming the beautiful Miss Carol's arrival. We will support you forever! A smiley face was even
drawn after it, and Leylin felt like laughing upon seeing it.

"This lad is a student of Innocents Saints High School? Work hard..." The taxi driver waved his hand and
disappeared into the road. Leylin secretly rolled his eyes at the hand that was stretched out of the car's
window.

After walking into the school, Leylin could see the bustle of a large crowd. Many teenage boys in shirts
and teenage girls in dresses hovered around a colourful tent that was set up temporarily. From time to
time, playful giggles also echoed from within. Colourful confetti fluttered gently while a sweet,
symphonic music permeated the place.

"Brother! Why aren't you moving? You were the last one we were missing!" A small girl came over and
pulled Leylin by the hands, giving him a feeling of warmth.

Leylin fell into a trance for a moment as chunks of memories emerged one after the other in his mind.
This young lady was his younger sister Gail, currently in year one. And yet, this familiar face seemed
foreign as well, causing him to be somewhat dazed. "Aren't I here now?" he said in reply.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Serway and Gail, one behind the other, brought Leylin to the side of a large open
stage.

"Hurry and start work, oh Debugging Master!" Serway pushed Leylin to a mechanical platform that was
filled with joysticks and buttons, taking out a huge heart shaped bouquet of roses from his back as if he
was performing magic. He shifted his attention towards a tall girl in the dance team, a sight that caused
Leylin to roll his eyes.

"What's the matter? Is there a problem? Nooo! Miss Carol will be here soon!" Gail was looking at Leylin
who stood looking silly in front of the debugging platform. Thinking that the machine malfunctioned or
something, she couldn't help but pace back and forth as a layer of tears appeared in her eyes.

Seeing Gail like that, Leylin secretly heaved a sigh of relief and came before the debugging platform, "Oh
it's fine, I was just thinking about something and my mind kind of wandered off..."

The moment he came in front of the platform, his hands moved to its surface, beginning to work
subconsciously. Numerous lights lit up, and the curtains on the stage were slowly drawn back.

'Okay! The joysticks and sliding platforms are all normal, just do it according to the previous procedure
and it'll be fine...' Leylin rubbed his forehead, feeling that things had grown more unexpected. The
knowledge of the debugging machine seemed to have been shoved into his brain all of a sudden, and
although he felt extremely familiar with it fear began to rise in his heart.

"Yay! My brother is the best, you're awesome!" Gail jumped in glee. Seeing her like that, along with the
gentle and kind memory of his elder sister, Leylin suddenly felt that such a life... didn't seem all that bad.
This thought seemed to have only come up for a moment, but it made his heart stir as if he discovered
something incredible. Fragments of memories poured into his mind, as if he was watching some sort of
movie.

He'd seen an ignorant and underdeveloped world that was filled with a mysterious force called magic.
He seemed to have been exploring that place.

'Hmm... Is this what I dreamt of last night? Maybe I can use it as an idea for a novel or something...'
Leylin stroked his chin, but he still had the nagging feeling that things weren't so simple.

While Leylin had sunk into deep thought, a loud, deafening clamour sounded out. Many people rushed
out to gather at the front of the stage in a flood, breaking his train of thought.

"Look! Sister Carol is here!" Gail shouted in excitement as well, squeezing forward on tiptoes.

"Isn't she just a celebrity? Just you wait, I'll get a few autographed photos and postcards for you later!"
Leylin snorted.

"Of course you can take as many photos of her as you want, but the current scenario is different! I'm so
excited..." Gail squeezed forward even more, but Leylin grew confused, "Wait, what do you mean I can
take as many as I want, am I very close to her?"

But Gail had already disappeared into the crowd, making Leylin lose someone to question.

Carol slowly walked to the centre of the stage, accompanied by the hysterical shouts of the crowd. The
many spotlights emitted a dazzling brilliance even in the day as colourful mist spread out and
surrounded her.
"Carol!" "Carol!" "Carol!" "We love you!"

Numerous teenagers screamed at the top of their lungs, almost to the point that Leylin could not help
but cover his ears, feeling as if his eardrums had been destroyed.

At the same time, his gaze shifted, attracted to the girl at the centre of the stage. Carol wore a
magnificent costume that wasn't the dazzling kind, with two plaits hanging down gently from her haid.
Her face was so exquisite she looked like a doll.

"Thank you! I love you all too!" Carol looked at the fans below and smiled sweetly, causing many
fanatical fans to cover her in another round of adulation.

Her voice was very airy, melding well with her personality to form a unique aura. Even a few words from
her generated an extraordinary attraction.

"Next, let's invite Miss Carol to perform her famous song for us — Flight!" Because of Carol's presence,
the two emcees were almost forgotten. Patiently waiting for their chance, they immediately announced
the song.

"Okay! Start the background music!" Leylin wore his headphones, but Carol who was on the stage, made
a signal to stop.

"Wait! I have another piece of news here for everyone," Carol smiled, carrying a rare hint of excitement
in her voice. "My trip to Innocent Saints' campus this time was on my boyfriend's invitation. Yes! I'm in
love!"

The place instantly fell into a deathly silence. Carol, who was famous across the entirety of the Furze
Federation and had always been lovely idol, was actually in love, and with a high school student?

This storm immediately petrified the surrounding audience. Soon after, a howl echoed, livening the
atmosphere at the scene.

"What? No! Carol, you're my goddess, how can you..." "Oh! No! How is that possible?" Many teenage
boys clenched their chests in pain and collapsed. Leylin even felt like he could hear the sound of their
glass hearts shattering.

But even more of the audience waved the fresh flowers, lightsticks and other items in their hands and
said, "Carol, we support you!"

"Thank you!" Carol bowed at the audience below with reddened eyes, "I'd like to invite my boyfriend up
to sing Flight with me! To commemorate this day..." Upon hearing this, many of the students looked at
one another, as if they were trying to identify Carol's boyfriend.

'Wahaha... This Carol's boyfriend is going to get unlucky!' Leylin thought gloatingly.

"Then, aren't you going to hurry up there?" Who knew since when, Serway and Gail had appeared
beside Leylin again, pulling him onto the stage.

"Brother! Sister Carol has already mustered her courage like that, what are you still waiting for?" Gail
tugged on Leylin's sleeve, laughing like a small fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.

"Eh? What what? It's me?" Leylin pointed at his own nose, "Carol's boyfriend is me?" Suddenly, another
memory appeared again.

"Leylin, remember our promise!" Wearing a pretty ribbon on her head, Carol pulled Leylin's hand.

Only at this moment did Leylin recall. it seemed... As if... Should be... Roughly... Carol had actually been
his neighbour for 3 years, and it was at that time that the two had embarked on a romantic relationship.
After being dragged onto the stage with Carol pulling his hand, facing the multiple spotlights and the
fervent gazes of many geeks, Leylin's face was still a little stiff.

"Are you serious? This scenario just isn't right..." Leylin felt slightly dizzy. At this moment, the gentle
background music started playing, and an angelic voice echoed from beside him.

Leylin looked slightly dazed as he watched this beautiful fairy-like girl beside him. Her voice was airy like
no other, as clear as spring water. It seemed like even her spirit could cleanse him, it was extremely
refreshing. This was especially true of her eyes. Those eyes were full of emotion as she sang, making it
extremely difficult for him to part with her.

'An affluent life, and the admiration of a celebrity, all this is so wonderful... What am I still waiting for?'
Leylin could not help but question himself.

But at the same time, the uneasiness in his heart grew stronger, a feeling that he would regret the
wrong decision here for the rest of his life.

'That's right! My dreams, my goals, my original pursuits, what exactly are they?' Leylin asked himself
repeatedly.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 622 - Fleeing and Awakening

"My goal?" Leylin stood on the stage. Although he was the focus of attention of thousands of people, his
mind still wandered off.

"Is it to live my life ordinarily and peacefully? Yes! With time, money, and a wife who loves you, what's
there to hesitate?"
'But why, why do I still feel a little indignant deep in my heart?' Leylin touched his chest, 'If everyone is
like that, then fine. But if there is a path leading to eternal life, and I don't try and pursue it, how could I
face myself?

Eternity? Eternity! Yes, pursuing the ultimate of everything and obtaining eternal life, that is my pursuit!'

Leylin's pupils instantly grew resolute. Grabbing Carol's hand, he gently said, "Sister Carol... S–Sorry..."

Right at this moment, an intense rumbling explosion echoed, engulfing the place in crimson flames. The
crowd screamed and dispersed as a black, armoured car barged recklessly into the campus, stopping at
the side of the stage.

Numerous figures in steel armour jumped out in an orderly manner. Clearly, they were well-trained.

"External armour? And nuclear-powered laser guns?" As Leylin looked at the metal skeleton in their
appearances and the oddly shaped gun barrels, he could not help but show a shocked expression, his
pupils narrowing rapidly.

"Seize her!" These armoured men did not even notice the other students running about, as if all of them
were ants in their eyes. They lunged towards the centre of the stage directly with cold expressions in
their eyes. This was the disregard one developed for life through years of bloody warfare.

"Carol! Their target is Carol!" Leylin was surprised.

"Brother Leylin!" The girl shrieked, holding Leylin's hand. Given that she was a celebrity, she naturally
had a few bodyguards by her side, but they'd been burnt to ashes by the lasers before they could even
pull out their weapons, becoming what seemed like piles of charcoal.
In an instant, the screams of the crowd grew more intense. Those armed soldiers looked like steel
mountains. All obstructions they encountered on their way, be it furniture or even human life, were
ruthlessly destroyed.

'These people... they're definitely not normal soldiers or mercenaries...' Leylin's pupils narrowed and
every muscle on his body stiffened. And yet, the moment he looked at the pathetic Carol beside him,
her face full of panic as she nearly fell limp to the floor, he suddenly started running.

"Go!" He shrieked, pulling her along. Using the obstruction from the crowd, he successfully brought her
off stage and headed in the direction of a teaching block.

"Seize her, we don't need that boy alive!" A person who seemed like the leader of the soldiers
commanded. Immediately, Leylin saw many laser guns aimed at him.

"Get down!" He suddenly pressed Carol's head down, pinning her to the ground.

A dazzling radiance shot out as laser blasts sounded everywhere. When they stopped, the stage behind
him had already become flat ground. A broken, burnt arm fell in front of him.

"Leylin!" Carol's eyes turned white, her fingernails tearing into Leylin's hand and causing it to bleed.

"I know! Go quickly!" For some unknown reason, Leylin felt very used to such bloody scenes and did not
feel the slightest bit of discomfort. He was still able to think calmly in this situation.

'The opponent's target is Carol... At a crucial time, if I abandon her it'll give me the chance to survive!'
He then glanced at Carol, 'Still, we're neighbours and lovers after all. I'll escape with her for a while, but
if we're unable to pull away from the enemy even with our best efforts, I can only give up...'

Although a bad thought stirred in his heart, a determined look emerged in Leylin's face as he grabbed
Carol and ran. At a corner, he glanced at the entrance where many students had gathered in a crowd, no
longer daring to look at the figures in black. It was like they were some sort of monsters.

He caught a glimpse of Serway's eye-catching blonde hair and the small girl beside him.

'Hmm... Serway and Gail are both there, I can't draw fire to the place...' Immediately giving up on the
entrance where the students were, he brought Carol along as he ran into another crowd.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Large amounts of flesh flew into the sky. With Leylin and Carol drawing the
enemy's firepower to this place, these people were instantly met with annihilation.

With the bombardment of laser guns, these students grew more panicked in their frantic running, Under
the bombardment of the laser guns, these students ran around in an even more panicky way, making it
difficult for the enemy to recognise people.

And with this as a cover, Leylin successfully brought Carol and escaped to the teaching block.

"Stay here! Don't run!" Leylin shoved Carol into the changing room's cabinet as he chose another
ventilation duct for himself and crawled in.

'There's another way out here. I should be able to escape through this duct if Carol gets caught...'
Leylin's eyes glowed from their depths. His relationship with Carol only consisted of fragmented
memories. Although both Serway and Gail said that Carol was his girlfriend, Leylin still felt a strong sense
of disconnect. The weight of these 'feelings' in his heart had dissipated completely during their escape.
Or, put in other words, this relationship was only worth so much to him.

After this, she would have to rely on her own luck. If she faced the fate of being captured, Leylin would
not rescue her, as in doubt as he was right now.

Furthermore, the enemy evidently wanted to capture Carol alive and did not care about others' lives.
Leylin would certainly not risk so much for her. Carol would still have a chance of survival after falling
into the enemy's hands, but for him, it would be game over. Thus, he naturally knew his choice.

"Close this place off! I saw them escaping into the building and they never came out!!" A large boom
echoed, accompanied by footsteps. They were heavy footsteps, every thud beating right into his heart
like the steps of Death itself.

"Search every room. Don't miss even a single corner" the enemy's cold voice echoed over again.

Now, Leylin could only smile bitterly and pray. How could he and a small girl outrun such elites? It was
only because of the cannon fodder that he'd managed to get here successfully. If he'd left the shelter of
the building, he would be a sitting duck.

Moreover, this was a school! With something like this happening, as long as they waited for a period of
time there would definitely be some sort of response from the authorities.

As the seconds ticked by, the rummaging sounds coming from the surroundings echoed out without
end, drawing closer and closer to the changing room. It made Leylin feel a little suffocated.

"Dammit! The government is useless in this area, I'll never vote for them again!" Leylin scolded hatefully.

Right at this moment. the changing room's door was pushed open violently and numerous footsteps
invaded the place violently. The rummaging sounds continued for a moment, followed by a girl's
alarmed cry. Leylin's heart stopped, knowing that Carol had already been captured by the enemy. His
body slowly moved backwards, already prepared to retreat at any time.

"And the other student? Where has he gone to?" A buff man asked.

"I'm not saying!" Carol's stubborn yet airy voice echoed, but it made Leylin roll his eyes instead. Two
crisp slaps sounded in reply to it.
"Not saying instead of not knowing, which means he's nearby. But we don't have anymore time! Let's
go!" That hefty man waved his hand, taking Carol out with him.

Through the blinds, Leylin saw a member of the troop throw a round metal object on the ground as they
left, the thing shining with light.

Leylin cursed. "Damn it! A High-explosive magnetic grenade!" His entire body suddenly moved
backwards as he began crawling desperately.

A blue glow suddenly swept across behind him, followed by many blazing flames. The sound wave
caused even Leylin's ears and nose to bleed.

A blind was kicked opened with a bang, and Leylin suddenly fell down along with large amounts of dust
and rubbish.

"Finally out!" Leylin heaved deep breaths and patted his chest. However, when he looked at the
surrounding scene, his expression changed.

Dozens of soldiers in steel armoured were walking over with a girl in tow, their faces growing dazed for a
moment when they saw Leylin.

"Brother Leylin, I knew that you'd be back to rescue me!" Carol, who was being escorted by them, began
cheering instead.

"I..." Leylin rolled his eyes speechlessly. It was like the saying went: Man proposes, but God disposes.

"We meet again, you rascal. What a lucky life you have!" A man wearing a steel skeletal mask came out,
eyes shining with a vicious red radiance, "Kill him!" The opponent looked at Leylin as if he was looking at
a piece of garbage.

The dazed Carol then realised something and immediately began begging, "No! Let Brother Leylin go! I'll
go with you!"

However, she seemed unable to change these men's attitudes even slightly, and a dazzling white light
shot out from a cannon. Leylin's vision went black.

Suddenly, time seemed to stop at the moment, and a voice echoed out of nowhere, "Between Carol and
yourself, who do you choose?" Confusion emerged in Leylin's eyes.

"Of course I choose..." Leylin glanced at Carol, whose face was frozen in a panicked expression.

"Neither, you idiot!" A hint of calmness appeared in Leylin's eyes once more, "I finally regained a portion
of my memories... Trying to trick me into signing a contract?" The stagnated time shattered apart with a
crash, as numerous lasers shot to him once more...

"Fire!" Once again, Leylin read out a word from the ancient Byron language. Only this time, the moment
the rune syllable was heard, space itself seemed to be mobilised. A large amount of an unknown energy
gathered together, combining to result in an amazing transformation.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 623 - Trial and Destruction

A Magus created spells by using his spiritual force to draw the energy particles in the air. The current
Leylin could cause a mysterious change with just a spoken rune syllable and the injection of spiritual
force.
A ball of flames formed in front of Leylin and a huge wall of fire spread out, blocking the white light.

The figures that were armoured in black could only see a huge amount of flames appearing out of thin
air to collide with the laser. The teen himself was still safe and sound.

*Plop!* An armoured man loosened his grip and dropped his laser gun. A peculiar scene such as this was
still a first for them despite their years of war experience and the gory training they'd undergone.

"Mutants!" The leader cried.

"Mutants? Is this what your world calls people with mysterious powers?" Leylin laughed and placed his
hands behind his back, sizing up his surroundings with a sense of nostalgia. 'Is this a dream? Or a world
generated from my memories? Though there are many similarities to my previous world, there are still
quite a few differences...'

"Our target is her, you can leave!" The leader said in a low voice. Being one of the few higher-ups that
knew of the existence of Mutants, how could he not be afraid of Leylin's abilities?

"Scram!" But Leylin only looked at them apathetically as if he was looking at prey.

"You-" The leader's face flushed with anger.

He pulled out a glimmering ring from his waist.

"Magnetic Hybrid Storm No. 2! This is specially created to counter weapons created by Mutants! If you
are to leave now, we will treat it as nothing happened."

"Hm, interesting!" The ring disappeared from the leader's hand in an instant and showed up in Leylin's.
"Spatial power? Or high-speed movement?" Cold sweat gathered on the leader's forehead.

"How ignorant and stupid!" Leylin looked at them sympathetically and colour drained from the leader's
face.

This was a Mutant who allowed him no chance of resistance and who could snatch the weapon from his
hand in seconds. Leylin was definitely someone beyond what he could handle, and it was highly possible
for his whole team would die here!

"We have to leave quickly!" The leader shouted as a mini laser gun appeared in his hand. He aimed
several fatal beams at Leylin.

*Pew!* All the laser rays were blocked by a golden curtain before flames burst forth.

The massive flames illuminated the surroundings with a fiery red glow, the last sight this leader would
see before he left the world.

Carol stood rooted to the ground, suddenly realising that the Leylin in front of her was very much
different from the Leylin she knew. He seemed a lot more confident and exuded a monstrous aura.
Although she thought of things such as power and aura as a joke, she learnt then that there was true
power in this world.

Just a mere flash of red light could turn those threatening enemies into ashes. If someone with such
power wasn't greater than the rest, who was?

"You are Carol, right?" In front of her stood the person she was familiar with speaking with a voice she
was familiar with, but she couldn't help but move back.
"Who are you? Don't come near me! Where is Leylin?" Tears gathered in the girl's eyes. She wanted to
leave this person, but an invisible force brought her in front of him.

"Are you the focal point in this world?" Leylin smiled gently at her and began to say things that made her
mind spin. "Through the allure of choices presented to me and tricking me into making decisions
through emotions, my truesoul will forever be confined in this makeshift world huh?"

Carol knew the meaning of each individual word Leylin was saying but was confused at their intended
meaning.

"Seems like someone's been targeting me..." Leylin touched his chin, "A.I. Chip, how do I get out?"

[Beep! Host body affected by unknown radiation, truesoul at a loss.] [Beep! Fog appeared in host's sea
of consciousness, affecting cognitive abilities. Beginning projection of guiding coordinates...]

The A.I. Chip's reply came instantly this time, accompanied with numerous status updates.

The A.I. Chip was fused with leylin's very soul. No matter where he went, his truesoul's survival meant
the A.I. Chip's survival. Enemies stood a chance of intercepting this connection for a short while, but
they couldn't break it.

The A.I. Chip was continuously trying to awaken Leylin's truesoul. This was also why he was so quick to
see through the hazy world so quickly.

"A.I. Chip, begin scan. The target is this entire world." Leylin commanded.

[Beep! Mission established, scan beginning...] With the update after his advancement to Radiant Moon,
the changes were not merely cosmetic. The Chip's various functions had been updated as well.

[Scanning 3D structure! Instability detected! Absence of plane curves, concluded as unstable world!]
[Curse detected. Concluded as dream curse.]
The A.I. Chip responded quickly.

"As expected, someone dragged me into a trance with a curse... " Leylin's face slowly warped as he read
through the data.

"In order to break out of this trance, we have to start from the 'key' of this world and then neutralise the
counterattack!" Leylin came to Carol.

"W-What do you want? Don't come near me!" Carol moved backwards in fear, but Leylin maintained his
poker face and pointed a finger at her forehead.

*Boom!* The world shook, and Carol fell down.

Though she had yet to die, Leylin could feel the connection between her and some form of entity
weakening.

"Carol is only a shell, the counterattack should be coming soon after I'm done dealing with the 'key'!"
Leylin said, floating in mid-air as the very space vibrated.

"Gail, look! That person over there, he looks like Leylin!" Serway's jaw dropped.

"It, it really is him! Did he become a superhero?" Gail ruffled her hair and seemed to be a little dizzy.
Had her useless brother been pretending all along, hiding a secret life as a superhero? Was he one of
those who secretly guarding the world's peace?

A piercing anti-aircraft alarm sounded, and violet light filled the entire city. A large number of UFOs
surrounded the area, armoured men flying out from within. Complex energy circuits flashed from on
their armours, that worn by the troops from before complete trash in comparison.
These people with peculiar energy undulations should've been the Mutants that the leader of those
troops was talking about. They looked pretty advanced.

"UFOs... Is this the extraterrestrial colonisation fleet of the federation? God!" Many students and
passersby started screaming on the ground. The few figures in front especially made them feel like they
were suffocating just by looking at them.

Delusion and reality, illusion and mystery, things that only existed in conjectures, were all suddenly
appearing front of everyone's eyes, giving them a strong sense of intangibility.

A ray of blue light scanned over Leylin's body, and the scanned data flashed across the glasses of the
person leading the troop. It was like he instantly knew Leylin's identity.

"Leylin, year 3 student of Innocent Saints High School... How dare you use your powers carelessly in
public as a Mutant? Return with us to the headquarters to receive your punishment!"

"Well..." Leylin shook his head and sighed, "Why weren't you here before when we were being
attacked? And now you come over with such speed when everything's solved? I protest!" The mocking
tone in Leylin's voice caused the person to furrow his brows. He decided to teach a good lesson to the
arrogant young man in front of him.

"Who do you think you are? The headquarters only take actions against our own kind; humans are
exempted. Prepare to be tried for your crimes!"

The troop leader waved his hand, and two figures ran towards Leylin.

"Hmm... As expected, weakness is a sin no matter what world you're in." Leylin sighed, and frenzied
energy undulations burst forth from his body.
*Whoosh!* Huge clouds of smog wrapped around two Mutants. The sound of blood dripping was heard,
and when the smog cleared, a few damaged bones and metal components fell down. The two people
were nowhere to be seen.

*Boom!* The glasses of the leader's eyes exploded, the scratches from the shrapnel forming blood red
lines across his face. Yet, he didn't seem to care at all, only glaring at Leylin as he muttered in disbelief,
"Silvan-ranked! He is a Silvan-ranked Mutant!"

Many of them took a step back, as if realising they'd been surrounding a monster all this while.

Mutant of the Silvan-ranked is the highest of all the levels as of current times. They only existed in
rumours, and were strong enough to cause energy probes to blow up!

The thought of going against someone of this standard made many of the troop members shudder.

"If the situation is as such, your Grace, shall we..." The leader clenched his teeth and walked forward,
but Leylin did not want to waste any more time on them.

"What a group of clowns. The counter-measures of this world are weak, so weak that I'm disappointed!"
A tiny black orb appeared on his finger, and he flicked it forward.

"You lot haven't seen real strength! The pitch-black orb absorbed all light, causing space itself to
collapse.

The terrifying turbulence enveloped all the UFOs and enemies.

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 624 - Dreamscape Realm

Storms and turbulence wreaked havoc in the huge space, wiping out the entire troop within seconds.
This terrifying scene rendered all onlookers speechless.

"Leylin is... actually so strong?" Gail looked at Leylin's back view, a little confused. Large amounts of light
started to leak out from the spatial crack, the scene within seeming like an entirely separate galaxy.

"First, it was the key, then it was the counterattack. I have to open up a path for myself next!" Leylin
muttered under his breath as a dazzling moon rose up behind him. Space stabilised as the translucent
moonlight scattered and revealed a silver pathway.

"Come here!" Before he left, Leylin waved his hand. Gail, who was on the floor, flew to him.

"Brother..." The little lass called out hoarsely before she kept silent, realising that Leylin was not the
same person she knew.

"The power of destiny gave us a chance to meet in this world. Although I cannot be sure if this is reality
or an illusion, let this be my present to you!" Leylin chuckled lightly, and directed a spot of light into
Gail's forehead before stepping through into the pathway.

Twilight Zone, on top of an altar.

The surface of the black altar was filled with runic circuits full of energy, and Carol was seated at the
center. Opposite her was the crystal ball that had collected Leylin's aura, streams of black air circulating
around it continuously. Eugene and the other Magus could only watch on.

Suddenly, the crystal ball cracked and the black air dispersed. Carol screamed at the top of her lungs
before fainting.
"What happened? The curse backfired?" The leader of the Magi knitted his brows together, and a bright
green weapon flashed before going into Carol's body and awakening her.

"What's going on? Didn't you say that your soul body spell has reached the state where you can enter
any dreams and fool any Morning Star Magus?" Eugene bellowed.

"We've been had! He's already reached the Radiant Moon realm! The truesoul of a Radiant Moon is not
something that a low-levelled dream manipulation could confuse..." Carol looked a little out of focus,
"Furthermore, even though I couldn't perceive everything in the dream, I'm sure that Leylin is hiding a
huge secret!"

"That's obvious. How could someone who broke through to the Radiant Moon realm have no secrets?"
The leader's voice turned icy. "Prepare for battle! He has definitely noticed us!"

Leylin was currently floating in the void, feeling weightless. He'd been in this state ever since he escaped
from that dream world, only seeing a misty fog in front of him. There seemed to be no end to it.

"I can't let this continue. I need to get back quickly!" Leylin pushed ahead, putting in all his strength. His
soul exuded a cooling radiance under which the fog dissipated to reveal a small island.

As he stepped foot onto the island, the steady feel of the ground gave him a sense of security. The place
wasn't too big, at most a thousand metres in diameter. At its centre was a miniature fountain, a few
lights moving about in the waters.

*Grr! Grr!* "Hi there!" On top of a black palm tree, a single-eyed owl greeted Leylin happily.

"Hello, friend! Where am I?" Leylin waved.

[Beep! Scan complete. No life force undulations detected. Heat and radiation levels are at zero.] The A.I
Chip reported in secret.
"This is the gap between Dreamscape and the real world. Hmm... the last time someone visited was 572
years after you, that was a very pretty lass!"

Leylin grew confused by the owl. "Wait... Isn't this the dream world from the curse? How could someone
from the future arrive before me?" he asked.

"Dreamscape is a dimension created by the dreams of all intelligent creatures. It is everywhere, and
unfathomable. Time and space are intangible here."

The owl looked at Leylin, "Your dream is, therefore, a part of Dreamscape!"

"Is it?" Leylin grew suspicious. He had heard about Dreamscape before. Even in the ancient era, it was a
place that caused many Magi to tremble. There had even been an invasion from Dreamscape once that
caused great harm to the Magus World.

There were a lot of demons in Dreamscape that were not weaker than rank 7 Magi which wielded laws.

Of course, there was a lot of instability in this world. Even the weakest worm could grow into a powerful
demon the next day, and the strongest demon could disappear in the next moment.

Due to this characteristic, the invasion of Dreamscape dissipated quickly, but to the Magi of the ancient
era, this was a taboo, not to be spoken of.

'Many Magi from the ancient era have explored Dreamscape. I never thought I'd get this chance as
well...' Leylin touched his chin, 'Not mentioning anything else, what would happen if I found the dream
world of powerful Magi, or even the dream of the ancient Wisdom Tree or the dream of the Snake
Dowager... Wouldn't it be too strange?'
"Then Sir, how does one return to the real world? And if I wish to come back here afterwards, how can I
accomplish that?" Leylin bowed to the owl on top of the tree.

"I like your courtesy, lad!" The owl hooted again and shook its wings. A single grey feather fell into his
hand.

Leylin looked at this feather. It was very soft, but the tail region seemed to have a certain sort of power
to it.

"It's easy to leave Dreamscape, all you have to do is wake up. As for coming back, that feather over
there might be of some help!

"Now, I need to return, I have a dinner appointment with the past me. Have a nice dream, sir!" As the
owl disappeared from his sight, Leylin's grip around the feather tightened.

"Will it be alright as long as I wake up?" He muttered to himself, looking a little perplexed.

......

*Boom!* Leylin's muscles tightened as he felt as if he was falling, and he abruptly sat up.

"Dear, are you okay?" Celine switched on the lights and came over in concern.

"This is... Nature's Alliance Academy?!" Looking at the familiar yet strange ceiling and the surrounding
decorations, Leylin's pupils dilated and he quickly sobered up.

"Are you alright?" Celine looked worried. After all, for such a powerful Magus to have nightmares was
something beyond rare.
"I'm fine!" Leylin raised his right hand, and a grey feather appeared in his left palm.　　

Leylin muttered under his breath, "Dreamscape! The strangest of planes, an ensemble of conscients in a
messed up time and space. One day, I will reveal your secrets. A.I. Chip, show me my previous
condition!"

[Beep! Host body facing an unknown disturbance, truesoul weakening.]

Various pieces of data showed that Leylin's experience just now wasn't merely superficial.　　

[Beep! Target coordinates found!] In the last line, Leylin saw a position.

This was the location the A.I. Chip had traced back from the curse.

"It isn't too far... it looks like this sort of dream curse requires a certain amount of proximity..." Leylin's
face darkened, and he began radiating a murderous aura.

"Whoever you are that spied on me, die!" An explosion sounded out as he turned into a phantom,
disappearing from the room. Celine could only look into the space Leylin disappeared to, uncertainty
filling her face.

"Quick! The curse has been countered, Leylin will find us!"

Carol seemed to wake up from her trance upon hearing the leader's reminder.

"What should we be scared of? He's just a newly advanced Radiant Moon. As long the three of us
combine powers, we have nothing to be afraid of!" Eugene said indignantly.

"Eugene makes sense. Prepare for battle." The leader sighed.

"Leader, why are you—" Carol looked anxious at first, before growing shocked as she glanced at the sky
not far away.

A black tornado was whirring with energy as it headed for them in full force.

"It's not that we're choosing not to leave. He's already found us," the leader said bitterly.

*Hss!* The person heading towards them at full speed was obviously angered by their provocation. The
horrifying phantom of a Kemoyin Serpent Emperor appeared behind his back. Concentrated black gases
engulfed everything in their path, sweeping in their direction.

*Whoosh!* The obstructions on the way, be they stones, mud or anything else, turned into nothing in a
split second.

Eugene's pupils constricted as he stared at the person charging at the with the speed of light. "Is that
the Giant Kemoyin Serpent? Why do I feel so repressed? It looks so different from the phantom in the
data, and..." his hand trembled, "Why does a newly advanced Radiant Moon have such a powerful
aura?"　　

"All of you! Die!" The phantom behind Leylin devoured everything even as he was shouting.

"Shit! We have to leave!" Sparks of black fire flashed, and it seemed as though the serpent took a big
bite of every place Leylin passed, loud snaps echoing again and again.

"This is not the Giant Kemoyin Serpent... It's their ruler! It's the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor!" The leader
seemed to have thought of something as he exclaimed, "That rumour is actually real!"

------------------------------------------------------------
 Chapter 625 - Discovery and Battle

"Legend?" What legend?" Carol wiped off the blood at the corner of her lips. Her truesoul had been
injured by the curse in the dream, and she was no longer in the best shape.

"I've heard the Monarch mention that Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks carry the bloodline of the Snake
Dowager. Although very low, there is a chance of a rank 5 emperor appearing amongst them." The
leader's voice was very low, and Carol and Eugene could even hear a tremble in it, "And after the
appearance of the Kemoyin Emperor, the entire Kemoyin Race will unify under them to regain the glory
of the bloodline Warlocks..."

"That's obviously just a prophecy. Who's going to believe that?" Eugene pursed his lips in disdain.

"If it were merely another prophecy, nobody would believe it, but what if the person who had made it
was the great astrologer, Magus Derrick? And what if I told you he sacrificed his life to do it?" The leader
glanced at Eugene.

"Derrick? That legendary Radiant Moon Magus who was the most likely prophet to reach Breaking
Dawn?" Carol exclaimed, her eyes now full of fear towards Leylin.

"That's why, even as we suppressed the bloodline Warlocks, we've been paying close attention to the
Ouroboros Clan. If we hadn't been afraid of turbulences of ill destiny appearing, which would cause
them to join the dark side, we would long since have eliminated them..."

This Magus slowly revealed some confidential details.

"So Leylin is the hope of their bloodline?" Carol's expression turned grim.
"Yes! No matter the cost, Leylin must die today!" The Radiant Moon Magi used their soul force to open a
communication channel, and made a decision in practically an instant. It was at this moment that a large
black serpent attacked them.

A crimson crescent of an energy blade shot out from the giant serpent phantom's stomach, heading
straight for Carol.

"It's an attack from a piece of high-grade magic equipment!" Their expressions changed, and Carol
quickly retreated, her innate defensive spells flickering into existence. The undulations of energy from
middle-grade magic equipment burst forth, fighting against the crimson blades of light.

The crimson blades only dissipated after three pieces of middle-grade magic equipment exploded in
quick succession, revealing a Carol who looked deathly pale.

"So you're the ones plotting against me from the shadows?" The giant phantom serpent coiled up, and
the devilishly handsome face of a magus was revealed as Leylin stared at these three Magi coldly.

Just the sweep of his gaze caused these three Radiant Moon Magi to feel their scalps go numb, as if they
were being watched by some terrifying unmatched being.

Indeed, the opponent had a very handsome face. Even if she'd videos and acquired information about
him before, Carol had to admit that a high-ranked Warlock like Leylin was someone who female Magi
would go crazy over.

This unwitting charm he was giving off was very similar to a high-grade illusory attack.　　

"Who are you?" Leylin watched the three Magi, the gears in his mind turning.　　

　　

His greatest enemy in the central continent, Jupiter's Lightning, only had one Radiant Moon Magus in
Zegna. However, none of these three was weaker than Zegna, and were total strangers to him.

　
'Could they be from the Monarch of the Skies? Or is it someone else afraid of my development?'
Thoughts flashed quickly past Leylin's mind. At this moment, the A.I. Chip had transmitted to his mind all
the information it had gleaned.

　　

'Two peak New Moons as well as a Full Moon Magus! If it were the past me, I wouldn't be able to kill
them even if I used Sun Scorching Nirvana...' These three Radiant Moon Magi were obviously here to kill
him, and Leylin's guard immediately went up.

　　

"Who exactly are you?" He spoke slowly while the A.I. Chip scanned their auras and undulations in
detail. There were only a few Radiant Moons in the central continents. He could search them up in the
future, and he would eventually find out where they were from.

Currently, Leylin only needed to vent the fury in his heart! It had to be said, that dream curse they'd
used on him had enraged him to no end.

　　

The leader of the Magi watched Leylin, his eyes first flickering with terror but then glowing with a
staunch resolve. "Leylin Farlier... So you were able to break through the bloodline shackles of the Giant
Kemoyin Serpent and reach rank 5! You're the most powerful bloodline genius I've ever seen, but it's a
pity that no matter how talented you are, you have to die here today!"

　　

"Radiant Moon spell formation, three souls in one!" The bright figure of a full moon appeared behind
the leader's back, and Full Moon soul force burst forth, bringing with it a piercing chill.

　　

Eugene and Carol stepped into formation behind him, each of them at the three corners of a triangle
with this leader at the head. The soul force from their truesouls merged as well. Three cold radiant souls
unified, appearing in front of Leylin like lightning.

"A competition between truesouls?" The giant Kemoyin Serpent Emperor roared, and crimson runes
began to spread across Leylin's body.

　　

Even after reaching Radiant Moon and becoming a rank 5 Warlock, his truesoul was still weak in
comparison to the combined truesouls of his opponents. With their spell formation, they'd suppressed
his to the maximum, to the point that even his domain was weakening.

　　

"Though my soul force has been stimulated by my bloodline to reach the peak of New Moon, it's too
strenuous to fight three Magi at the same rank, let alone one with power at Full Moon..." Leylin's brows
furrowed, the image of a truesoul similarly appearing behind him and soul force at rank 5 being
released. Cold moonlight that brought with it a terrifying soul force competed with theirs.

The danger of such a battle was far greater than one of the spells. Just a slight misstep could push any of
them to a point of no return.

The void was still, with no sound being emitted. A formless ripple was quickly spreading in all directions,
and all beings in range of this battle between soul force, ordinary or otherwise, collapsed without a
sound. This even included rank 3 beings. Terrifying soul undulations even spread as far as Nature's
Alliance Academy, and even with the defensive formations Leylin had set up before there were massive
casualties.

*Pu!* Leylin abruptly staggered back as his blood flowed down from his eyes. In the battle between soul
force, he had clearly been on the losing end.　　

However, the Radiant Moon Magi weren't faring very well either, the huge loss of soul force causing
their faces to turn pale.　　

"He's already reached peak New Moon?" The leader stared at Leylin in disbelief.　　

He knew full well how difficult it was for Radiant Moon Magi to advance, and the opponent was a newly-
advanced Warlock. In such a short period of time, he had pushed his soul force to peak New Moon, and
that was a huge shock for him.　　

Traces of jealousy began to form in the depths of his heart, even, nibbling at his spirit like a toxic
serpent.
"Admit defeat! You're not our match when it comes to soul force. Injuries to soul force will reflect on
your body, there's no way out for you!" The Magus Leader watched Leylin, whose blood was seeping
from his skin, and hummed coldly.

"Is that so?" Leylin sneered instead, giving his opponent a bad omen.

"Devour!" The tremendous and elegant Kemoyin Serpent Emperor figure appeared behind him,
widening its huge mouth towards the three Radiant Moon Magi.

A terrifying black hole was produced, causing everything within range, even light and space, to be
sucked in. The powerful attractive force gave rise to a horrifying energy storm.

*Rumble!* In an instant, the ground under the three Radiant Moon Magi turned nothing as an unending
stream of life force flowed to all parts of Leylin's body, allowing his wounds to heal quickly.　

With the Devouring innate skill, he was practically immortal, and could even mend his truesoul using his
body. No matter how grievous the injury, he could recover quickly. In a battle between Magi, this was
completely like a cheat move.　　

*Pu!* The opponents cooperated to deal another blow, soul blades carving out a huge wound on
Leylin's chest. However, large amounts of life force were channelled instantly once more, and blood and
flesh regenerated. In the blink of an eye, he had recovered.　

Leylin exchanged blows like a lunatic, injury for another injury, crimson energy blades flying everywhere
and causing the three Magi to find it difficult to keep up. This was especially so for the frail Carol. Due to
the backlash from before, she was now on the verge of collapsing.

"This isn't working. His regenerative ability is just too terrifying!" The leader of the Magi felt a chill in his
heart. They had to fend against not just Leylin's attacks, but also the devouring force of the black hole.
Leylin was contending with them with no qualms whatsoever, and he was finding this precarious
situation difficult to manage.

"The opponent evidently regains life force through devouring matter. Let's go into a spatial rift. There
shouldn't be much for him to absorb there!" His eyes flickered as he found the way to get around this
devouring ability, its weakness.

If he were in a void, Leylin's devouring ability would definitely be affected. While he could devour space,
the efficiency would definitely decrease, and the amount of life energy generated would be lessened.

"Trying to leave?" Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes.

*Hss hss!* The terrifying amber slits of the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's eyes fixed onto the weakest
member, Carol.

A layer of ash-white stone began to emerge on her body.　　

*Boom! Boom!* Leylin let the opponents' attacks land on his back, scales and flesh flying as he charged
into the centre of their spell formation. Numerous black shadow claws appeared and forcefully grabbed
Carol.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 626 - Rank 5 Snake Transformation

Light burst forth as the spell formation that combined the power of three souls was broken through.

"Let's go!" Eugene and the leader grasped this opportunity and, quickly pulled Leylin into the spatial
crack.
The tremendous snarling figure of the giant serpent was still devouring the dust and space all around it,
but the life energy being generated was obviously reduced. It was obvious at the slowed recovery of the
injury on Leylin's back.

"Carol!" At this moment, the opponents were gazing at Carol, who was in Leylin's control, and a trace of
despair appeared on their expressions.

Under the gaze of the Eye of Petrification, the female Magus had turned into a limestone statue. Though
there was a layer of soul energy resisting the corrosion from the petrification, Leylin currently possessed
a Serpent Emperor's eyes, and the damage his innate spell could cause had risen greatly. Even Radiant
Moon Magi would not be immune to such an attack.

"Carol? She's the Magus who brought me into that dream? Very well!" Leylin lifted the statue, the
Scarlet Earring emanating dazzling rays of light.

"What are you going to do? If you dare to attack Carol, our King won't let you off!" Eugene exclaimed.

"Hehe... At this stage, there's no need to discuss anything about letting people off. Don't treat me like a
child. Trying to deceive me like this is an insult to my intelligence!" Leylin's voice was light, but his tone
was ice-cold.

"What I want you to know now is the price of provoking me! Whoever you or your backers are, you will
all perish!"

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Numerous fine rays of light streaked past, and the stone statue that was Carol burst
into smithereens.

In that moment, Eugene and the leader were caught in a daze. They had never expected Leylin to be so
powerful, and for him to be so merciless.
"You dare— you dare— " The Magus leader trembled, evidently completely infuriated.

"Did you think that's all I would do?" Leylin suddenly snickered as he commanded in his mind, 'A.I. Chip!'

[Beep! Recorded opponent's soul undulations. Beginning search for corresponding coordinates!]

There were many methods to save one's life in the Magus World, clones being a popular one. This was
especially true for Magi at Morning Star and above, all of whom had ways to prevent their fall.

Carol naturally had a few Morning Star ranked clones, considered to be a last insurance, but she was
facing a Radiant Moon Warlock! His truesoul had already matured, and he had the ability to take care of
all of his opponent's clones.

Eugene and the other Magus, their leader, saw the truesoul image on Leylin's back that was like a clear
crescent moon turn blood-red.

A terrifying giant claw followed the path that Carol's truesoul had taken after her fall and disappeared
into the void, seeming to arrive at some area.

A strange energy undulation was transmitted, and Eugene and the other's expressions changed.

"The astral plane! The astral plane opened up to receive her truesoul! Was there really an issue in
Carol's transfer to her clone?" They could not help but gaze at Leylin with fear in their eyes.

*Boom! Boom!* In the central continent, at almost the very instant the giant claw had appeared, a
Morning Star clone of Carol's collapsed onto the ground, eyes blank and void of any aura of life.

Meanwhile, a spell rune emitting green light mysteriously broke in Carol's Magus Tower, and the spirit
genie's voice rang out with ear-piercing warnings, "Suffered unknown attack. Reserve clone has fallen!"
"Magi only have one truesoul. Regardless of how many clones there are, all life-preserving methods are
useless once the truesoul is damaged or sent into the astral universe..." Of course, the transfer of
truesoul was a speedy process. Most Radiant Moon Magi seldom succeeded in killing others even with
their soul force. However, given the help of the A.I. Chip, Leylin did not find such a thing difficult.

A notification wave flashed, and the leader stared at Leylin blankly. "News from headquarters. Carol's
clones and the spirit of the life regeneration pool have all fallen!"

When Carol was being killed by Leylin, the fury he had displayed in fact only half true, as he did not
believe Leylin could do it. Now, however, seeing that Leylin had actually completely wiped out a similarly
ranked Radiant Moon Magus, dread arose within his heart.

"You won't be able to leave today!" In the spatial rift, surrounded by boundless starry rivers, Leylin had
his hands behind his back, looking confident.

"Arcane Art— Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!"

*Hss...* A terrifying ancient might descended, and the two Radiant Magi had to retreat. A gigantic
serpent that was over a hundred thousand metres long appeared, every scale on its body looking very
vivid. The intelligence in its eyes made it seem grand and noble.

Compared to the previous Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Leylin had currently turned into a real rank 5 being.
He was now the ruler of all Giant Kemoyin Serpents, the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor!

With the serpent's gaze fixed on them, Eugene and the leading Magus started sweating bullets.

The power of an ancient rank 5 existence far exceeded what most Radiant Moons could bring forth. A
being like this, a ruler, possessed even more power, taking on the role of a predator.
"We're going all out!" The leader and Eugene exchanged a glance, looks of determination rising in their
eyes.

Dazzling light converged at their bodies, and a terrifying and tremendous might burst forth.

"Ancient rank 5 Arcane Art— Seal of the Abyss!"

"Ancient rank 5 Arcane Art— Spatial Grave!"

With the push from their soul force, the two Radiant Moons each had five innate spells fusing as a
tremendous arcane art was used by their hand, surging towards the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor.

"Eye of Petrification! Toxic Bile!" Terrifying rays of petrifying light shot out of the Kemoyin Serpent
Emperor's eyes into the opposing black stream. A large amount of black gas fell as it turned to stone, but
was shortly after replaced with more.

A large brass seal charged out from within that abyss even as, under the other Magus' directions, silver
spatial turbulence converged to form an even more horrifying spatial storm that swept up the Kemoyin
Serpent Emperor.

"Hss..." The Kemoyin Serpent Emperor thundered, petrifying rays striking the gigantic seal. It instantly
froze up, and with a swipe of the Emperor's tail, the entire abyss crumbled as the large brass seal
vanished.

The spatial storm caught up while Leylin was focussed on dealing with the seal. The silver storm
wreaked havoc, and piece by piece the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's scales fell off, revealing fresh,
bloody wounds.

"Devour!" The Kemoyin Serpent Emperor opened its mouth while facing the spatial turbulence, and a
terrifying black hole appeared.
Large amounts of this silver spatial turbulence were unexpectedly swallowed, transformed rapidly into
life energy that allowed the wounds on its body to heal.

"He can even devour spatial storms. He's a monster, a monster!" Personally seeing even rank 5 arcane
arts dealing negligible damage against Leylin, the two Magi immediately sunk into depression.

They exchanged a glance, making plans to escape. However, how could Leylin give them another chance
like that? In practically the blink of an eye, the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor swept through the region,
submerging the figures of Eugene and the leader...

In the spatial crack that was like a universe of its own, the tremendous Giant Kemoyin Serpent snarled.
Beside it, two bundles of various-coloured rays gradually grew dimmer, on the verge of disappearing.

At this moment, the bundle that was the more radiant of the two suddenly shattered, revealing the
figure of a man who was gravely injured. He glared poisonously at the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor, and
no longer daring to dawdle turning into a multi-coloured streak as he left.

A voice full of unwillingness resounded behind him, "You actually abandoned me!" Eugene yelled
furiously. However, the bundle of light that represented the strength of his own life dimmed even
further, and then finally disappeared.

When the last trace of light dissipated, the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's body turned into black gas that
condensed to form Leylin's actual body once more.

He stood in front of Eugene who no longer had any aura of life, eyes emitting blue light.

[Opponent's appearance and undulations have been recorded!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

"Though one ran away, such a result isn't half bad!" Leylin muttered as he nodded. This time, not only
had he killed two Radiant Moons, he had also caused a Full Moon Magus to flee, seriously injured. Even
a Breaking Dawn Monarch would feel heartbroken about such a thing for a long while.

It could be said that this was a critical counterattack on his part towards the opposing organisation they
were a part of!

Furthermore, once news of him reaching Radiant Moon spread, the stream of Magi who wanted to
eliminate him as soon as possible should halt for a while.

Of course, if they decided to proceed further, those coming after him wouldn't be mere Radiant Moons.

At this point, boundless light filled the void. The astral plane opened up, and traces of starlight moved to
take Eugene's corpse.

The blue light in Leylin's eyes grew even more pronounced. After Eugene's body was brought into the
astral world, Leylin could vaguely see that the ash-brown rocks that had gathered around Eugene's body
had turned him into a bare isle.

The isle seemed extremely sturdy but looked barren as it became to float in the astral plane.

In the limitless void behind it were so, so many barren isles like this one...

"After Morning Star Magi die, their point mass will return to the astral universe. If Radiant Moon Magi
fall and if the corpse isn't damaged, it'll turn into a barren isle?" Fear suddenly arose in Leylin's heart.

How many Radiant Moons had fallen in history? Someday in the future, would he turn into an isolated
island like that?

"Even so, I must pursue eternal life! If I die while pursuing my dreams, I'll die with no regrets. I would
have lived a marvellous life!" Leylin's eyes emitted a boundless spirit.
 ------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 627 - Shift and Prophecy

In the air above a region of Twilight Zone, countless distortions combined to form a spatial channel.
Leylin, dressed in loose black robes, stepped out from the passageway.

The battle between rank 5s had resulted in extensive damage even within a spatial crack. Had it been
fought in Twilight Zone, perhaps most of it would have been destroyed.

Even so, just the probing attacks from before had led to devastating harm to the land. Even if the
affected area was not huge, the radiation and curses that remained would constantly corrode the land,
even spreading out further.

In a worse case scenario, there might be the creation of malicious Conscients or attracting different
World's Wills to descend here.

Whatever may happen, it would result in nothing good for Twilight Zone.

"A battle amongst Radiant Moons is far too destructive. It's not just the direct damage, but the indirect
pollution as well..." Leylin watched the land that was in a terrible state and frowned, "If a Magus were to
do this in the central continent, they would become a public enemy..."

Even the A.I. Chip had no quick methods to heal the land from such destructive damage, only waiting for
nature to take its course or, at most, conducting some slow, suitable treatment.

Leylin's gaze suddenly turned to another region in the sky. "Now, onto the other guest who's been
watching for a long time. Aren't you coming out to meet me?"
Not only could he sense the soul of a Radiant Moon in that direction, there was also the aura of a
bloodline. Though it wasn't that of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's, the person there was a sort of Warlock.

"Hehe... Your Highness has discovered me!" Crimson light flashed, and a large blood-red bat emerged
from that direction. On its abdomen was a young face.

The human face on the abdomen of the bat laughed as it spoke, "Your Highness! The last time we met
was when you first explored the Morning Star area. I never expected you to catch up to us old things so
quickly!"

After an attempt, Leylin quickly identified this person, "Such familiar undulations... You're the protector
of the Morning Star area!"

This was the conscient he'd interacted with when he'd entered the Morning Star area. He had long since
gotten the A.I. Chip to record the aura of this rank 5 existence, there was no way he could be wrong.

The crimson bat chuckled. "Yes, I'm Jeffrey! I was afraid that they would harm Your Highness, but it
looked like my worries were for naught..."

"Whatever it is, I'm still thankful for your help. How should I address you, Your Highness?" Leylin bowed
slightly, and a look of puzzlement appeared on his expression.

"Our Warlock Union uses the same feudal system as your Ouroboros Clan. Rank 4s are Dukes, and rank 5
Warlocks are addressed 'Your Highness', we're basically Archdukes," the blood-red bat explained.

Leylin nodded. "I see! Well then, what business do you have coming here, as a fellow Archduke?"

"Oh yes! I hereby extend a solemn invitation to Your Highness Leylin. We hope you'll come to the
bloodline Warlocks' final fort— the Morning Star area!" The human face on the bat's abdomen looked
serious.

Leylin agreed, "Indeed, I should go there. There seem to be some big problems between the Warlocks
and Magi in the central continent."

In actuality, Leylin was feeling somewhat annoyed. Initially, the only mortal enemy that he had provoked
was Jupiter's Lightning. Though the organisation of Sky City was hostile towards him, they wouldn't go
so far as to send people to hunt him down and kill him. Hence, after attaining rank 5 and taking care of
Zegna, he was supposed to be able to do as he wished in this place.

However, reality dealt Leylin a huge blow. The appearance of Carol and the others indicated that there
was another organisation that stood against Warlocks, and even took up the task of hunting down and
eliminating Warlocks as their mission in life.

As the most dazzling of bloodline Warlocks with a meteoric rise, Leylin had unfortunately become their
target.

'Luckily, I've already reached rank 5. With the bonus from the Kemoyin Emperor and the aid from the
A.I. Chip, I'll still be able to escape even if I were to face a Breaking Dawn Magus. That's enough...' A cold
glint flickered in Leylin's eyes. This sneak attack against him had thoroughly irked him.

'I don't care who you are and how large your organisation is. Even if you have a Breaking Dawn Monarch
backing you, there will come a day that I, Leylin Farlier, will completely erase you from the central
continent. I swear on it!'

......

Leylin was a very clear-cut person. He had little holding him back in Twilight Zone, and after sending
Celine a simple message and mentioning what had happened he immediately followed Jeffrey out and
into the Morning Star area.
Standing within the Morning Star area that had congealed, Leylin felt extremely emotional as he
watched the shattered universe and gigantic stars within the space.

Though he'd visited this place numerous times with his soul force, this was the first time he'd entered
the place with his real body. Sending his soul force out, the auras of the many bloodline Warlocks in the
surroundings put Leylin's mind and body at ease.

"Your Highness, Leylin. It's nice to meet you again. Or should I say it's nice to meet you again? I'm so
happy that you're joining us, our Warlock Union's might has risen once again!" A Warlock with the same
face as that on the abdomen of the bat emerged beside Leylin, his long crimson hair untied, flying in the
air.

"Your Highness, Jeffrey!" It was obvious that this young man was a rank 5 Warlock. This was the main
body of the Morning Star area's protector, Jeffrey.

"Alright. I know you have many questions, but they'll be answered once we reach headquarters." Jeffrey
enthusiastically brought Leylin all the way to the Warlocks' headquarters in the Morning Star area.

In a gigantic receiving room, Leylin saw two other rank 5 Warlocks. One had a completely golden body,
seemingly able to be likened to a god of battle. He was very familiar with this person— rank 5 Warlock,
Golden Lion Wayde. He'd had quite a few transactions with him before.

"Come, let me introduce you. You already know Wayde, the person beside him is Offa," Jeffrey smiled as
he pointed to the Warlock beside Wayde.

Leylin took the initiative and bowed, "Your Highnesses!"

"Leylin Farlier! Once a Kemoyin Duke and now an Archduke. We've talked through imprints many times,
but this is the first time we're meeting face to face!" Wayde's smile seemed to be bathed in sunshine,
his body emanating a charismatic aura.
"Your Highness is truly a talent. With you joining us, I can be at ease... Cough Cough" Offa who was
beside Wayde was like an old man approaching death, his aura full of decay. It seemed like he was but a
step from the grace, and yet Leylin wouldn't dare belittle him.

From this coughing old man's body, he could feel soul force at the peak of Radiant Moon!

"Based on the previous rumours, the arrival of a few rank 5 Warlocks deterred the Breaking Dawn
Monarchs from attacking, thus preserving the inheritance of Warlocks. If my guesses aren't wrong,
Warlock Offa is one of them..."

"Alright, let's sit! What is it, are you astonished to see there being three rank 5 Warlocks in the Morning
Star area?" Jeffrey laughed as he got Leylin and Wayde to sit, beaming as he got the robot servant to
serve refreshments.

"A little!" Leylin nodded in admittance. From both his own perception as well as the scanning of the A.I.
Chip, these three Warlocks were here in their main bodies.

This meant the ones who were active in the Magus World were merely their clones. At this stage, Leylin
knew just how much Warlocks were feared.

"We're trapped here due to the suppression of the central continent's Magi. We need to be on our
guards against the Blazing Flame Monarch," Jeffrey said solemnly.

"Blazing Flame Monarch? The Breaking Dawn Magus?" Leylin immediately recalled the Fiery World that
he'd found when probing through the astral plane before ruthlessly being expelled by the organisation
of the Blazing Flame Monarch.

"Yes. The other party has a terrible attitude, and even wants to attack us..."
Leylin touched his chin, "Then, are there other organisations in the central continent that are on good
terms with us Warlocks?"

"No... Basically, all Magi are worried about our rise, and there are people who are just waiting to watch
us run out of luck. Still, there's only one organisation who've been attacking us brazenly, hoping to
completely exterminate us, and it's that of the Blazing Flame Monarch."

Jeffrey and Wayde exchanged a glance before Offa spoke. "I can tell you this: those that attacked you,
Carol, Eugene, and the rest, were subordinates of the Blazing Flame Monarch..."

"At the beginning, it was also this Blazing Flame Monarch who wanted to end the inheritances of us
Warlocks. If not for Offa and the other elders advancing in time and transforming the Morning Star area
into a gigantic battle fort, we Warlocks would probably have gone extinct due to him..." Wayde spoke in
a low voice.

"Battle fort?" Leylin thought of something else. 'Transforming a small world into a gigantic weapon in
war to be manipulated by three rank 5 Warlocks is something to be feared, even by Breaking Dawn
Magi...'

"Well then, do you know why the Blazing Flame Monarch is hell bent on killing us?" Leylin asked
gloomily.

"It could be because of some conflicts of interest and some old grudges..." Jeffrey didn't seem quite sure
about this either. "Our intelligence officers have also discovered an interesting prophecy..."

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Chapter 628 - Clone Creation

"What prophecy?" Leylin's spirits were lifted.

"In this century, before the waves of extreme weather returns, the King of Bloodlines shall rise in
splendour, crushing all the other thrones in the central continent!" Jeffrey's body began to tremble with
excitement.

"A Monarch of bloodline Warlocks?" Leylin shook his head, "How could there be something so easy?"

Wayde's expression turned a little gloomy. "However, once a rank 6 Warlock does appear, they will
surely exceed Breaking Dawn Magi in strength. Perhaps the Blazing Flame Monarch intended to nip the
danger in the bud. This is also why the other Monarchs in the central continent are supporting it."

"That certainly makes sense as well!" Leylin stroked his chin.

"And there are only a few candidates left that may fulfill the prophecy, one of them being Your Highness
Leylin. Hence, for your safety and considering the futures of us Warlocks, we request that Your Highness
stays in the Morning Star area as much as possible. Even if you wish to go out, please use some sort of
clone..." Jeffrey said sincerely.

"Why? Do you think I can advance to the Breaking Dawn realm?" Leylin's heart stirred but his facial
expression was that of stupefaction, "Even if my bloodline evolved to become that of a Kemoyin
Emperor, I am still limited to rank 5!"

"Of course, we are aware of the difficulty of bloodline shackles, but even a rank 5 Kemoyin Emperor will
be one of our greatest military strengths..." Wayde pointed out meaningfully.

'This attitude... could it be that they really found a bloodline Warlock that can advance to rank 6?'
Seeing Wayde's attitude, Leylin already had some ideas in his heart.

"I'm naturally bound to do my duty for the Warlock Union. But there's one problem. I still have to
resolve the grudge between Jupiter's Lightning and my Ouroboros Clan..." Leylin's expression showed a
hint of hesitation.

"There's no need for Your Highness to worry about that. Regarding this, there's no need for Your
Highness to worry at all. According to our intelligence, the chief of Jupiter's Lightning, Night Phantom
Zegna, is already dead..."

Jeffrey sneaked a glance at Offa, before he made the report to Leylin.

"What? Zegna has fallen?" This news immediately caused Leylin's eyes to widen into full circles. He'd
never expected that this enemy who'd caused him such tremendous stress before would just die so
quietly.

Although he was confident in killing the man on the spot with his current strength, his opponent
meeting an end still left Leylin depressed. It was like he'd punched out with all his might just to hit
cotton.

"How did he die?" Morning Stars normally had lifespans of over a thousand years, and Radiant Moons
usually lived to several thousand years old.

Given how young Zegna was, his death was definitely not due to old age.

"We don't have any news about that, sadly. But we did receive information that Jupiter's Lightning was
taken over by a female Radiant Moon Magus after Zegna's death. On top of that, they announced the
end of all current diplomatic and military movements. This means your Ouroboros Clan's emergency has
been solved..."

"Female Radiant Moon Magus?" For some unknown reason, Leylin immediately thought of the power
hiding behind Zegna.
During their previous fights, he had faintly sensed that Zegna certainly had assistance from a Magus who
was more knowledgeable than him. This turn of events led to his instincts saying so even more

'Was it really an accidental death, or was it man-made?' Leylin's pupils twinkled in a myriad of colours.

"As for the two Dukes, your wife, and any others, we can totally arrange for them to stay here to ensure
their safety!" Wayne guaranteed, seemingly worried that Leylin still had other considerations.

"Thank you so much Your Highness, but let's wait until I finish everything on hand before visiting Freya
and the others." Leylin nodded in gratitude. He'd had some suspicions and concerns about the Warlock
headquarters at this Morning Star area, but now it just seemed like they really wanted to protect a
promising bloodline.

Although most of his suspicions had been eliminated, Leylin would still run his own inspections before
he'd make a decision.

Leylin now more or less understood the peak military strength of the Warlock Union. The Morning Star
area was their base camp, and of the executives among them, Jeffrey, Wayde, and Offa were all here.
There was only one mysterious rank 5 Warlock hiding in the outside world, the last card in their hands.

It could be said that the current Leylin was already at the peak of bloodline Warlocks, one of their five
magnates. His position in this Morning Star area could no longer be described as just respected. He
instead was a partial ruler!

He'd even gotten access to some of the union's resources, and the first thing he did was to enrich the
A.I. Chip's database with even more information.

......

Morning Star area, in a castle specially built for Leylin.

A few months had passed by in a flash. Now, Freya was putting the books in her hands down and
stretched, caressing her stomach. Her face was brimming with joy and love.

Passing through an astral gate, the two Kemoyin Dukes and Freya had seen Leylin in the Morning Star
area. She couldn't believe that her husband had advanced to rank 5, even upgrading his bloodline to
that of the terrifying Kemoyin Emperor.

Rank 5! This was a painful topic for all Kemoyin Warlocks, but now the bloodline of the Kemoyin
Emperor was already growing in her womb.

"Kemoyin Emperor, the ruler of all Kemoyin Warlocks..." Freya mumbled with blurred vision as her eyes
brimmed with joy.

This was the right and proper ruling bloodline, one that had a guarantee of being able to advance to
rank 5! Freya had a premonition that the Farlier Family would become the royalty of the Ouroboros
Clan. All of the female Kemoyin warlocks would go crazy in order to obtain Leylin's bloodline, even
resorting to unscrupulous ways!

"With the injection of a rank 5 bloodline also has so many benefits for my Blood Serpent Family. Forget
falling, our bloodline will definitely rise in rank now!" Thinking about how she'd successfully gained hold
of these things that she wouldn't have even been able to beg for before, Freya was filled with
rejoicement.

And with that admiration came a further increase in her admiration and trust towards her husband...
Thinking up to this point, Freya couldn't help but tilt her head to look in another direction.

Outside the translucent glass, not far away from the master bedroom was a large laboratory for
experiments on the astral plane as well as a breeding room for bloodlines. The two buildings stood tall
like large monsters, even engulfing all the light in their surroundings as they made one feel stifled.
Inside the bloodline experimentation lab, Leylin was looking at a body in the breeding pool, a thoughtful
expression emerging on his face.

[Constructing the clone's body! Estimated to be a perfect body of a Morning Star!] The A.I. Chip's scans
and prompts were transmitted continuously.

Leylin was currently trying to create a clone of himself. Generally speaking, such a clone would be a rank
below that of the Magi who created it. In order to obtain a clone of a same rank as the main body like
Wayde's, one required not only time and large amounts of resources, but a certain amount of luck as
well.

"Beginning copying of soul imprint!" Two bright beams of light shot out of Leylin's eyes and into the
clone's...

Half an hour later, the clone's eyelids suddenly raised, its eyes containing a slight vigour. Energy
undulations at the peak of Morning Star began to spread out.

"Based on the Heavenly Astrals' blueprint and flesh that has been added to my own body, this clone's
battle prowess pretty decent in the Morning Star level!"

Leylin nodded in satisfaction. Truth be told, such a clone wasn't very useful. Although they worked when
dealing with weak enemies, they were only bugs in front of Radiant Moons.

However, its advantage lay in its simple structure. This type of clone was good cannon fodder that could
handle some unimportant matters.

[Based on the main body's spiritual conditions, at most three imprints can be maintained at once!] the
A.I. Chip's voice echoed once more.

"In other words, under normal circumstances, I can at most maintain 3 Morning Star ranked clones?"
Leylin stroked his chin. He had a certain understanding towards the situation with this kind of clone.
Because truesouls were inseparable, many Magi had clones like this that only possessed a spiritual
imprint. Its death would not have much impact on the main body, but on the main body's death, the
truesoul could shift into the clone and successfully revive itself.

Still, this process had its dangers as well. For instance, Leylin had taken a Radiant Moon Magus' clones
out with them, causing a thorough death by killing the truesoul itself.

'This kind of method is not very safe... Legends talk of a way during ancient times to break up one's
truesoul. A clone formed in that way unifies both sides, but they don't necessarily affect one another.
Even if one dies, the other can live on without a hitch. That is true cloning...' Leylin thought of some
confidential information he'd acquired before.

'Only, because one is breaking up their truesoul, such a cloning may result in different personalities
because of the different environments and experiences. There could even be a situation wherein the
clones turn against each other and become enemies. That's too dangerous...'

The technique he was using currently was like that of creating a photocopied substitute. Although it
would not have any special abilities, it was better in terms of stability and safety. Of course, another
reason for Leylin choosing this method was simply that he had no desire to break up his truesoul.

All such cloning required was a great amount of material resources and a piece of memory he could
duplicate by using the A.I. Chip. It could be considered a bargain.

Thinking of this, Leylin could not help but take a look at his own status.

[Leylin Farlier rank 5 bloodline: Kemoyin Serpent Emperor (Complete body), Strength: 76, Agility: 62,
Vitality: 138.9, Spiritual force: 1329.7, Magic power: 1329 (Magic power is in synchronisation with
spiritual force) Soul Force: 133 (New Moon)]

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