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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.

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!'

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…

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.

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 Kin 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.

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 hit 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 in a complete mess a while ago. I heard their chief left without notice three days ago. And between all this chaos, they all suddenly disappeared without a trace… " 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 it is, the more I can prove my ability!" 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.

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!

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.

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.