469 - 476

Multi-Armed Race

This was the result of the natural radiation of a creature which had achieved the Morning Star realm.

The space in the hillside was even larger, and many creatures' remains were casually abandoned at one side. The remaining energy waves on them made Leylin feel suffocated.

In the middle the platform, the livers of all kinds of animals were casually laid out at one side. An entirely black boiler foamed with white bubbles, making Leylin feel as if he was seeing a shaman of his old world.

Be it the insignia on one side or the totem, they were all decorated with bloody brown symbols.

This was Leylin's evaluation: the entire hillside seemed just like an unsophisticated laboratory, but it already possessed a certain ability for research.

In a flash, the large Multi-Armed Race being threw Leylin's seed onto an altar in the middle as the surrounding blood-red emblems immediately emitted a faint radiance.

Leylin suddenly felt as if he was isolated from his surroundings, and even if he wanted to explode, he could do nothing at all.

"Spell formation of a different tribe? Pretty interesting!" With the seed in their hands, the worst thing that could happen was just to lose it, hence Leylin was not especially afraid.

"The other… world's… spiritual force seed?" At this time, the Multilimb Clan member spoke. Using the ancient Byron language, he stuttered slightly, but Leylin managed to understand his words.

"Yes, honourable sir! I am a space traveller, and I accidentally ended up here!"

Leylin's heart soared. Being able to communicate meant that there was hope for a transaction. "Do you know the ancient Byron language?"

"Yes! Although we of the Quark tribe have already experienced 3 extinctions, our civilisation's legacy has never been gone!" The large Multi-Armed Race being seemed very proud.

Leylin nodded. In such a brutal tribe, the clan leader, witch doctors and leaders always had deep knowledge. This was a rule that held true in almost every world.

"As you have seen, I am currently only a spiritual force seed, which has nearly dissipated and poses no threat. May I know if it is possible to make a deal with you?" Leylin told him his requirements.

The spiritual force seed needed the person's own spiritual force to work, and now, it could be said that time was counting down to its annihilation. Even if the other party had a way, they could only delay it at most, without being able to solve the root of the problem.

Moreover, the journey to the Blackrain World this time was entirely accidental. It was impossible to create a space passageway even if he wanted to. Thus, he needed to obtain some valuable items immediately.

From Leylin's point of view, the Multi-Armed Race member who had already achieved the strength of the Morning Star realm largely fulfilled the requirements.

"Are you really doing this just for a deal?" The Multi-Armed Race member's eyes were full of distrust, and even more of cautiousness. The blood-red runes on the insignia twinkled, and it actually emitted energy waves similar to that of a lie detector.

"Of course!" Leylin answered without hesitation, almost believing his own lie.

"You are only left with a little bit of spiritual force, I'm afraid we have not much to discuss. Moreover, the previous disasters were all brought about by you all…"

The large Multi-armed Race member evidently showed distrust towards Leylin. The entire altar began to rotate, almost wanting to destroy Leylin's spiritual force seed completely.

'Bitch. Which bastard came first? They're making things hard for those of us who came later…' Leylin scolded in his heart. Still, he immediately shouted, "Wait, you don't need my things, but I'm sure your clan members do. I have a lot of remarkable information from different planes, including lots on organisational systems, planting, smelting, alloy-making, even potion-making and alchemy. I believe they will definitely be helpful to you and your clan…"

"I can obtain these items directly from you…" The large Multi-Armed Race member laughed coldly. Streaks of blood-red lines emerged on the altar, even scheming to penetrate the spiritual force seed.

"So it's this kind of soul-searching method!" Leylin's spiritual force seed suddenly shook, emitting a great dark gold radiance.

The streaks of blood-red spiritual force were drowned in the bronze radiance in a flash. Right after that, Leylin's spiritual force seed seemed to be more illusory, as if it would be forcibly destroyed in the next moment.

"As you have seen, this method is ineffective on me. Even more forced methods will not benefit us both in the end…"

Leylin was secretly relieved. This Multi-Armed Morning Star being only broke through to the Morning Star Realm based on his body strength. Similar to that male scorpion in the Icy World, it was a representation of power. Hence, its experience with regards to the spiritual world was still very feeble.

Such a creature could use its strong strength to beat up Leylin, but its power was inadequate to carry out a complicated job like soul-searching.

Should Leylin's spiritual force seed end up in the hands of a similar Morning Star Magus who concentrated on spiritual force, he would only be left with the road to annihilation, even having many of his memories opened up for the other to see.

But with Leylin being at the Crystal Phase, it was still possible to somewhat confront a barbarian with Morning Star strength. In the worst case, he could order the spiritual force seed to self-destruct, leaving the other party with nothing to gain.

"What exactly do you want?" The Multi-Armed Race member's expression turned sour.

"Simple. An equal exchange—both parties will provide valuable information, and as the outsider, I am willing to offer a portion first!"

Leylin's spiritual force seed vibrated, and sent a few books of information written in the ancient Byron language over shortly after.

In those were some primitive introductions of systems, and simple agriculture and alchemy techniques. Although it was not of much help to a matured Multi-Armed Race member who was at least rank 1, it was still enough to use as reference.

Furthermore, at the end of the information, Leylin specially attached some information on methods of setting up spell formations to refine their physical bodies, as well as knight-training manuals that were commonly seen in the central continent. Although it was just a starter, it was still valuable.

The Multi-Armed Race, a bunch which concentrated on physical strength, would definitely be more interested in items in this aspect.

Indeed, towards the agricultural techniques and other information that Leylin sent earlier, the large Multi-Armed Race member did not show any interest. Instead, he appeared very intrigued by the proposed killing techniques.

" An interesting item!" the large Multi-Armed Race member nodded, "The body refinement spell formations in here is enough to strengthen our children slightly. As for the last part about the killing techniques, although the structure is different, it can still provide some insights. I need the last part!"

"Then may I ask what you have in exchange?" Leylin was no longer anxious now that he had proven his worth. All that was left was for the other party to make his offer.

"You…" The large Multi-Armed Race member growled, but Leylin was not the least bit bothered.

If he were in his original body, he would naturally be very polite to the other party to protect his life. However, the worst case scenario was only losing a spiritual force seed. It was not a big deal, and hence, he was not anxious.

"What do you want?" Evidently, this Multi-Armed Race member also knew that now, Leylin was not afraid of him at all, and would not succumb to threats. If he still wanted that information, he could only give in.

"I am very interested in your training methods. Maybe…" Leylin tried asking. He was there to search for a way to increase his strength. Anything in that regard would definitely be very valuable.

A person such as this Multi-Armed Race member seemed to show hope for his own body to break through.

"We Quark tribe people are born warriors. Our strength is not trained, Instead, we are born with it!" The large Multi-Armed Race member proclaimed proudly.

Leylin rolled his eyes, "Then why is there still a great difference between you and your clan members?"

Creatures that had achieved Morning Star level in their adulthood, were all abnormally terrifying species. This Multi-Armed Race was not worthy to claim itself as the Quark tribe.

At the very most, they were only capable creatures with hopes of breakthrough to the Morning Star level. This piqued Leylin's interest, and he wanted to conduct research on it.

In fact, the Multi-Armed Race were also bloodline creatures. However, they were able to advance continuously, to a point that such monsters with Morning Star strength existed. This lifted Leylin's spirits.

If he studied their ways of obtaining strength, would he be able to find a method to break through the bloodline shackles?

"That is a top secret of our Quark tribe. How can we reveal that?" The large Multi-Armed Race member rejected straight away without hesitation.

"I don't need it to be in-depth. Just the simplest and most basic explanations will be enough. What do you think of that? As long as you give me this information, I can give you all of the missing parts about the spell formation, as well as the next chapter of the killing techniques from before!" Leylin tempted enthusiastically.

To the A.I. Chip, these most basic things were the most important, because they represented the foundation of the system! As long as the foundation was complete, based on the deductive ability of the A.I. Chip, there would be a day when this Multi-Armed Race's hidden secrets would be laid bare before Leylin.

"You give it to me first!" The large Multi-Armed Race member said.

Leylin pondered for a while before giving a proposition. "From the current situation, none of us will trust the other side. How about each of us hand over the information to the other party at the same time?"

"Alright!" The large Multi-Armed Race member agreed helplessly.

A huge wave of energy was emitted from its horns and entered Leylin's spiritual force seed.

[Detected influx of spiritual force, accept?]

"Accept!" Following Leylin's order, the curtains to the path for evolution was slowly unveiled.

Leylin did not go against his words as well. While receiving the information, he transmitted a large amount of information simultaneously.

When the transaction was over, both parties were relatively satisfied with their gains.

"Very well, visitor from the other world. You didn't deceive me!" The large Multi-Armed Race member was evidently delighted.

"Of course. This transaction marks the beginning of our trust, and hopefully in the future, we will still…Oh damn!" Leylin spoke halfway and his tone suddenly became exasperated.

The spiritual force seed that represented his existence suddenly became illusory, exploding into a ball of light shortly after and vanishing without any trace…

Danger

When spiritual force coagulated, it formed a spiritual force seed. However, when this seed entered another world, it would be unable to supplement itself.

Regardless of whether it was the previous experiment or the method of transmitting and receiving messages, they required a huge amount of spiritual force. Naturally, once this spiritual force was drained completely, it signalled the end of the seed.

In the Magus World, the huge interior of the Magus Tower.

The terrifying interplanar spell formation shook as the rays of light gradually darkened.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Just when I managed to build a connection…" Leylin's eyes were bloodshot as he went berserk.

"That's a world! An entire independent world! Exactly how many times will I have to experiment before I can find another world that is not controlled by any outsider…" He stroked his forehead as he groaned.

[Interplanar spell formation shut down. Spell formation damage 0.19%, Astral stone energy depletion 37.98%!] At the same time, the A.I Chip transmitted the information to Leylin.

"Astral stone!" Leylin waved his hand and immediately, the astral stone that was in the center of the Interplanar spell formation returned to his hand.

However, the astral stone had already shrunk a little; its radiance had dimmed as well.

Originally, one such astral stone was able to support the interplanar spell formation for a long time. However, Leylin realised that in order to merely connect both sides' spiritual force, the formation had drained a huge amount of energy from it.

"What a pity…" Leylin remained emotionless for a good while before he recovered as his eyes brightened.

"It was indeed a coincidence to discover the Blackrain World without a space route or coordinates!"

"Luckily, I managed to acquire at least some information before our link got cut off…" Leylin's expression then darkened.

[Multi-Armed Race techniques have been collated,] the A.I. Chip reported in the meanwhile.

Even though that race with the Morning Star being called itself the Quark Tribe, Leylin was persistent in calling it the Multi-Armed Race. Naturally, the A.I. Chip followed his own scheme.

The foundational skills of the Multi-Armed Race were vary fragmented, and most of it was vague. While it was just the basic foundation of their skills, it was obvious that the clan head had done some modifications to conceal some parts of their skills.

However, it was definitely an easy task for the A.I. Chip to collate the different bits of data sent over and derive further information from that.

"From the looks of it, it seems similar to the way Branded Swordsmen and Steel Knights are nurtured…" Leylin had much experience, which made it easy for him to spot this fact.

In the Magus World, most of the ancient branches followed closely the path to strength of the other worlds, hence it was absolutely normal for things to be similar.

"A.I Chip, collate these three datas together and research on them," Leylin ordered.

[Task established. Proceeding with data enumeration.] The A.I. Chip immediately sent back.

Leylin definitely had little interest in the data on how to nurture Branded Swordsmen, since the data in his possession was incomplete. With this incomplete data, the most he could nurture was a rank 1 Magus, which was definitely of no use to him.

Needless to say, even a veritable flood of rank 1 Magi would be no match for someone at the Morning Star realm.

However, it was definitely useful to have many subordinates. If he could nurture rank 2 or even rank 3 Branded Swordsmen, then Leylin would have the upper hand in many engagements.

For Leylin who was the lord of a territory, such a plan would always be worthwhile and profitable.

Moreover, the training method of the Multi-Armed Race, together with their special methods of breaking through, seemed to be valuable for his research into removing his bloodline shackles.

Even though he wasn't yet at the bottleneck to the Morning Star realm, the fact that Kemoyin Warlocks could never advance to rank 5 and beyond had been weighing heavily on his heart.

...

The isolation of the Magus Tower extended to a period of a few months.

Those who were waiting outside, such as Parker, witnessed the tower absorbing huge amounts of elemental particles, a phenomenon caused by the spell formation operating the positive and negative energy pools to supply the interplanar experiment.

Apart from shock, all they felt was admiration for Leylin's wealth.

It was definitely a rare sight in the central continent for a rank 3 Magus to conduct such research for extended periods of time. The weight of astral stones he had in reserve alone would cause any other to go bankrupt.

"Marquis Leylin… This is seriously…"

If even the subordinates of Leylin were amazed, outsiders would definitely be surprised. Take, for example, the Warlock currently standing in front.

This Warlock had a fine appearance, which was common for Warlocks. This made him seem to be as ordinary as any other Magi out there, but the fact that this Warlock had a pure Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline within his veins created a sense of inferiority within Parker and the rest, which also heightened their alertness as they did not dare to take this Warlock lightly.

"Just the amount of astral stones used must be enough to drive a rank 3 Magus to desperation, right?"

The subordinates stared at the huge Magus Tower as they couldn't help but express their shock when they saw this man.

"Count Timmy," Parker respectfully stood aside.

Even though Timmy was a mere rank 2 Warlock and a Count, his regal bloodline made it easy for him to advance to rank 3 or even become a Morning Star Magus. Timmy definitely surpassed Parker, who was older than him and also a rank 3 Black Horrall Snake Warlock, in potential.

Besides, Timmy was originally from the Ouroboros Clan, and his network within the clan ensured that he was an individual that one could not take lightly.

"I came here to hand him this invitation. However, it seems like I came at the wrong time…" Timmy couldn't help but express his helplessness.

"Please do not worry. The lord still returns once every month. It has almost been that amount of time since he last came out, so I presume the Count will only have to wait patiently for a short period of time," Parker answered.

Timmy nodded his head. He himself was aware that, without prior notice, these high-ranking Magi would definitely not tolerate any interruptions when they were going through very important research. He wasn't willing to risk it as even a slight disturbance from the outside world could've resulted in the murderous intent of the Warlock being aimed at him.

"I would like to explore the prosperous Onyx Castle that I heard Marquis Leylin used less than ten years to build."

"That would be our honour," Parker nodded his head as he called another Warlock who was dressed like a butler. "This is Kubler, the butler of the castle. He'll bring you around afterwards."

Governing their territories was just a small matter to a Warlock. Yet, due to Timmy's age, he would definitely hold some interest in exploring such territories. Another reason was for him to pass the time while waiting.

"Count Timmy, this is Kubler at your service!" Kubler let out his most sincere smiling expression as he bowed respectfully.

...

The Warlocks who were outside joking and talking heartily were definitely ignorant towards the situation of Leylin who was inside the Magus Tower, perspiring madly.

At this point in time, in front of him stood a creature which had a sheep's head but the body of a crocodile. This creature appeared to be wise, questioning him on various topics.

"Do you know how the cape jasmine blooms?"

"What is one plus one?"

"How many tails does the Infinite Loop of Snakes have?"

The creature wore a black windbreaker and was talking in a foreign language, yet surprisingly, Leylin was able to understand him.

Leylin's forehead was still perspiring madly and he couldn't help but mentally let out a bellow of rage. 'This is impossible! In this frail mirror of dimension, how is it possible for a creature to cross over?'

As a high ranking Warlock, and a long-time assistant of Duke Gilbert, Leylin naturally understood that such interplanar experiments were very dangerous.

Many Morning Star Magi had led themselves to death as a result of coming in contact with too many strange and powerful existences, or even just by listening to the sounds of these existences. This curse could even extend to one's descendants.

Yet, what he'd been doing today was not nearly as reckless.

The minute his spiritual force seed entered the astral plane, this creature had found him and even immediately appeared directly within the interplanar spell formation.

[Abnormal energy source found! Engaging countermeasures!] The A.I Chip sounded.

During the construction of this interplanar spell formation, he had naturally considered the problem of other creatures, especially with the deaths of many Morning Star Magi serving as a warning.

Following the A.I Chip's statement, the symbols on the ground lit up to form a cage of crimson lightning that bound the creature firmly.

The lightning, as red as blood, crashed down onto the creature with the formidable strength of Leylin's Magus Tower.

*Crack!* Blood-red electricity arced along the creature's body as its clothing turned to ash. It developed sarcomas that leaked yellow pus as they exploded one by one.

The pus and lightning clashed with each other, resulting in an ear-piercing noise.

"How many times does the Frank's Chime strike in a century?"

The rotting flesh on the creature kept sliding off, yet it seemed not to notice as it continued to question him.

"Attack at full power!" Leylin ordered.

With a boom, numerous bolts of the blood-red lightning converged to form a huge sphere that struck down at the creature.

"Do you know…" The edge of the lightning sphere dug into the creature as its body disappeared slowly. The sheep head fell to the floor, still persistent in its questions. The two eyes were already overflowing with blood.

Boom! The lightning struck again, and it seemed as if time and space froze at that moment, only to resume flowing shortly after.

"What?" Leylin looked at the silver mirror in front of him The lab seemed to be perfectly fine, and even the interplanar spell formation was working alright.

There was not a trace tof the creature in the place it had occupied just before…

Neutralization

"Was that an illusion?" Leylin muttered under his breath and turned his attention to the A.I. Chip's records.

[Unknown forcefield interference detected! Host has entered a state of confusion.] [Interplanar spell formation engaging countermeasures, charging!!"] [Magus Tower prepared to eradicate interference, beginning.] [Host has successfully been restored to normalcy. Alert ended.] The red records made Leylin feel gloomy.

In the middle of all this, the spiritual force seed that he had sent into the astral plane had vanished without a trace into a spatial rift.

"Tower genie!" Leylin called out.

"My Lord!" The green genie immediately flew towards Leylin.

"How much of our energy reserves are left?"

"Energy currently at 1.9% of maximum. Energy boost has been initiated," it replied instantly.

"What led to such a huge consumption?"

"Records are in chaos!" the tower genie expressed a rare puzzlement.

"Indeed! What happened a moment ago was real. It wasn't an illusion!" Leylin drew a deep breath.

He'd always known interplanar research was risky. Still, what he'd experienced just now was possibly his greatest research crisis to date.

'Fortunately, the three astral laws are unbreakable. Hence, the other creature was unable to pass through and could only create an illusory projection!'

Leylin stroked his chin, pondering about the events that had happened one more time, 'It was merely an illusory projection and yet it was that menacing. Had I opened an astral gate and allowed the other party to enter, perhaps my entire territory would have been destroyed…'

With such thoughts, he felt his lingering fear wash over him.

"Fortunately, it lacked the power to do anything. The situation was resolved by the countermeasure of the dimension spell formation!"

He exhaled a deep breath and turned his head around.

"Do you know—" A huge decapitated goat head with yellow liquid flowing out of it, appeared behind him.

Two huge lifeless pupils locked onto Leylin's.

"...."

In a split second, a layer of black scales surfaced on Leylin's body and both his eyes turned amber.

"Petrifying Gaze!" Rays of mysterious light hit the opposing wall, and a layer of whitish-gray stone covered it.

The goat head disappeared into thin air.

"This matter is not finished!" Leylin's face turned gloomy, "A.I. Chip, start scanning!"

[Beep! Mission established! Beginning scan!] It took but a few seconds for it to respond with its findings.

[Remnants of an unknown force field have been detected. Confirmed to be interplanar contamination.]

*Buzz!* He stopped the whole interplanar spell formation with a wave of his hand. And then, with a blast at the center, the astral stone turned into smithereens.

The energy from this astral stone that he'd acquired from Vance of the Rolithe Family had been exhausted completely.

Seeing the course of events, Leylin took a deep breath before stepping up to the middle of the room.

In the library, multiple sprinklers that were fixed to the ceiling and connected to an enormous pool in the center started spraying a fragrant whitish-green liquid.

"Rank 5 purification pool! I hope it's of help!" Interplanar defense was a compulsory course for anyone performing research in the area. Leylin had gotten Gilbert's own purification system a while ago and built an enhanced version for himself.

Green liquid dripped from the nozzles, its antiseptic scent strong and sharp. Soon, Leylin was completely drenched.

As the green liquid washed over him, green fur started to appear on the surface of his clothing before being washed off by the same liquid again.

"This is so troublesome!" Leylin assessed his situation and furrowed his brows. He stripped himself naked and jumped into the pool in the center.

*Zi Zi!* An enormous whirlpool formed of pearl-white liquid started bubbling lightly.

Traces of black liquid oozed out of Leylin's pores, visible to the naked eye.

After several rinses, Leylin stepped into another purification room. Inside, many human-sized flowers and plants were blooming. They opened up their petals and revealed their scarlet red tongues with suction pads…

After multiple purifications, Leylin wore a brand new loose-fitting robe and relaxed on a recliner.

'I've sent many seeds into the astral plane in the past three months, but unfortunately I didn't have help from the Coin of Destiny. There's no way to find the Blackrain World again. Not only did I suffer an irrecoverable loss, I have even provoked such a heinous creature…' Leylin weighed his gains and losses.

He had run many experiments on the astral plane, and had gotten some substantial gains. Yet, compared to his engagement with the Multi-Armed Race, it was all worth nothing.

With the A.I. Chip's help, he had figured out the secret spell, and named it Multilimb Strength.

The A.I. Chip's simulations had proven that such a secret spell had the ability to break apart one's genetic limitations. So much so, that it could enhance Leylin's current vitality by five to ten points.

To Leylin, such temptations were irresistible.

The more powerful one's vitality, the harder it was to advance further. When his vitality was at ten to twenty points, he hadn't bothered much about raising it. But now, to advance further from his base was an uphill task.

If word leaked of his Multilimb Strength, it would drive body-refining Magi crazy and cause them to act.

Even this one gain was enough to offset all his losses in the past three months!

This was the main attraction of the astral plane. There were both sides to a coin, no profit without loss. After becoming unable to use the Coin of Destiny, Leylin's experiments had been at a bottleneck, with multiple attempts to proceed resulting in failure.

Especially today. He'd unexpectedly drawn towards himself a completely unknown living creature. It was, in fact, not an organism. Just a formless being with consciousness.

When it flared up, it was potentially more horrifying than an ancient curse.

"My luck had been average, I think it's time to stop!" Leylin had a bad premonition about the dangers he had been facing.

"...."

He shut his eyes lightly, and when he opened them, the same decapitated goat head appeared in front of him again. Its eyes were filled with death and traces of ridicule.

Leylin sighed. Facing the goat head eye to eye, his face was expressionless.

Ten seconds later, the goat head once again disappeared without a trace, as if what had just happened was another illusion.

"So troublesome!" Leylin was evidently annoyed, "How dare it!"

He got up in a flash, grabbed his clothes, and went to the center of a restricted room.

Grasping the knob of the door, another illusion appeared as the yellowish-bronze knob morphed into a familiar goat head, glaring at Leylin, and giving him a sinister smile.

Such circumstances would drive any Magus crazy, and cause many other repercussions as well.

Upon opening the door, a cold mechanical voice was transmitted, "This is the core room! Only host Leylin Farlier is permitted entry. All trespassers will be executed." Soon after, horrifying spell energy locked onto Leylin's body.

Rays of red, green, and blue scanned his body. "Scanning has begun. Authority verified. Alarm lifted." With the last sound, his body felt a rush of relief.

This was a small core room. There was only an experimental table with a crystal ball, and on top of it were intermittent images of a white bone.

Leylin laid down on the experimental table. Soon, he could hear noises from all around. First were some animalistic growls, and then there were the pitiful cries of someone in the throes of death.

Leylin was unmoved and nonchalantly gave the order, "Begin radiation!"

"Beginning radiation!" A mysterious energy appeared from the Lamia fingerbone, streaking across Leylin's body. Slowly, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body was roused to a gentle boil.

Given any other time, he would have enjoyed this process immensely. However, this time he felt different. Streaks of ash-grey fog appeared all over his body, enveloping him like a huge callous. It made him feel like he was struggling on his deathbed.

[Remnants of an unknown force field have been detected in the host. Confirmed to be interplanar contamination.] The A.I. Chip repeated, and then added something else. [It is advised to stop the Lamia radiation.]

"No! Increase the radioactive level. Raise it by 10 times!" an ambitious glare burned in Leylin's eyes.

The A.I. Chip only had the rights to suggest, not to execute anything. Acting on his will, rays of blue currents radiated from the Lamia bone, causing huge energy undulations. It broke through the grey fog and shone onto his body.

Leylin groaned as he clenched his teeth, both hands holding tightly to the experimental table, using so much strength that he left imprints on it.

Purplish-black patches started to appear on his body, looking similar to sunburns.

[Epidermal cells are now 39.78% damaged! Host is suggested to abort the radiation!] The A.I. Chip sounded once again.

"It seems to be insufficient! Increase intensity, adjust to 50 times!" Leylin locked his jaw tightly and hissed.

*Zi Zi!* The enormous radiation tangled with the ash-grey fog, turning it into a liquid that dripped down.

The noises surrounding Leylin began to intensify in both volume and chaos.

The white goat head once again appeared in front of Leylin. This time, the fur on it started to be shed one by one and the two horns started to shrink back into its skull, resulting in a huge change in its appearance.

After numerous alterations and transformation, the original goat head had morphed into a female human head. Her eyes were all-white, and were streaming blood.

strong Ancient Blood Serpent Castle

[The force fields have been neutralised. Host body's contamination is being dissipated.]

With the mist surrounding Leylin's body becoming weaker, the female head in front of him became less distinct and finally disappeared into the air.

When the last bit of mist was gone, Leylin immediately ordered for the radiation to be stopped.

Following that, he saw his skin looking as if it had been severely burnt and smiled wryly.

These injuries would definitely have killed any normal person. However, for Magi, as long as the astral pollution could be gotten rid of, everything else was not an issue.

Leylin wriggled his body, and the wounds on his body began to crack. Skin began to crease in a process similar to that of snakes moulting. Then, as if taking off his clothes, he shed off the dead skin and revealed fair, unblemished skin once more.

In just a few minutes, Leylin, who had seemed like a malicious spirit, had regained his normal appearance.

After changing his clothes, Leylin huffed a long sigh. "It really was quite dangerous this time. That creature with consciousness is still something I am unable to comprehend."

Just some spiritual force contamination was too much for him to handle himself. This was an existence whose strength definitely surpassed the Morning Star realm, maybe even at the strength of a Radiant Moon Magus!

If not for his Lamia fingerbone allowing him to treat this through the neutralisation of force fields, he would be plagued with troubles for a long time.

Now, though, even if the contamination through radiation was very powerful, the Lamia was an ancient rank 5 existence. When the radiation from two highly-ranked existences collided, the only result would be mutual destruction.

Leylin had taken a risk with this, but the effects seemed pretty good.

"What happened this time is a warning. It looks like I should pause my experiments for now…"

Leylin walked out of the core room, ordering the tower genie to send him some desserts and drinks, before he asked, "How has the situation outside been in the time that I've been experimenting?"

While experimenting, Magi usually disconnected themselves from all communication to prevent any disturbances.

The tower genie now had the role of something like a housekeeper. Not only did it have to intercept messages from the outside, it also needed to filter out the most important information for Leylin to peruse.

"Someone from Freya's family came here? There's even an invitation card?"

Leylin touched his chin, "Could it be that she's already broken through to the Crystal Phase?"

His relationship with Freya was not half bad, especially after selling the bloodline gemstones to her. Though Freya had then secluded herself and not contacted him, they were part of the same clan. He had to give her some face.

Leylin thought for a moment and sent down an order, "Inform Parker that I'll meet that Timmy tomorrow!"

Besides this, there were a few other miscellaneous matters that Leylin had to take care of as the one with the highest authority. Without his approval, many things could not be implemented on this piece of land.

These were all necessary. Even if they might be complicated and result in lowered efficiency, they could not be avoided…

The next day, Timmy, who had been waiting for a long time, finally saw the well-known Leylin in the Magus Tower.

An adamantine puppet sent in some desserts and drinks before withdrawing.

Leylin watched the reserved young man. He was obviously very young, but the purity of his bloodline far exceeded that of Noah from Robin's family. This descendant of Freya's family was probably someone that they favoured. Sending him here was a show of how highly they valued Leylin.

"Lord Marquis Leylin's Magus Tower is truly wondrous!" Timmy praised from the bottom of his heart. Leylin's top-grade Magus Tower had a reputation of its own within the Ouroboros Clan. There were always guests coming over and gasping in awe over it.

However, when these words were produced from Timmy's lips, there was something very sincere about it that gave Leylin a favourable impression.

After chatting for a while, Leylin asked, "Timmy, what are your intentions in coming here?"

At the mention of his business, Timmy turned solemn, "I was asked by the head of the family to pass this invitation to my lord!" As he said this, he respectfully passed an invitation card to Leylin.

Usually, if it was something common, communication via secret imprints was enough. Getting someone to specifically send an invitation was only something that large noble families would do. Even then, it was only done when there was some celebration or important festival.

There was a sweet scent from the surface of the paper. After skimming through the content, Leylin nodded. "Freya has already advanced to the Crystal Phase! As expected, it's a joyous matter. I'll personally congratulate her!"

For high-ranked Magi, advancement was always very difficult. Each success definitely called for a celebration. When Leylin had achieved the Hydro Phase, he had invited his seniors over. Compared to the Hydro Phase, the Crystal Phase was multiple levels higher and more difficult.

"Many thanks, my lord!" Timmy bowed respectfully.

Though Freya had only just advanced and could not be considered any genius as compared to Robin, she was still quite decent.

In addition, their family still had plans of having a good relationship with Leylin. After all, Leylin was so young and already a Hydro Phase Magus. His future was boundless.

This was without them even knowing of Leylin's advancement to the Crystal Phase. If they did, they would definitely value him even more highly.

"I definitely need to go this time!" An invitation from nobility was extremely important. The other party had even especially sent someone over, and if Leylin did not attend, even Freya would feel very uncomfortable.

After sending Timmy away, Leylin lightly sighed. With his current strength, the rank 2 Timmy naturally would not be able to sense his real aura if he wanted to conceal it.

"Crystal Phase at two hundred years of age? That would be too high profile!" Leylin shook his head, "I need to keep a low profile and hide my strength before going there."

Leylin had gotten used to being a wolf in sheep's clothing. Right from his days as an acolyte, he'd developed a technique to conceal his aura and spiritual force waves. On top of that, he had obtained that spiritual force compression technique, making things much easier for him,

After reaching rank 3, the effects of these spells became weaker. Leylin improved on them again with the spell models he had obtained as well as those from the Ouroboros Clan. He had even especially created a few secret supporting techniques.

Leylin was very confident in his concealing skills.

If he went all out, even peak rank 3 Crystal Phase Magi might not be able to see through him. Unless it was a Morning Star Magus in front of him, there was nobody to fear.

'Freya is the beloved disciple of the Blood Duchess, Emma. She would normally attend!' Leylin touched his chin, pondering deeply.

"Recently, Kesha mentioned that the mentors seem to have found a world that could very well be Purgatory. The three elders have all been deep in experiments on the astral plane, and it's not quite likely that they'll emerge."

The desire Kemoyin Warlocks had towards Purgatory was something outsiders were unable to comprehend.

Mere traces of the Snake Dowager was enough for all the Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan to go crazy. After all, the restraints of their bloodlines could only be resolved with her.

In addition, the Purgatory World itself was a giant world. It held boundless riches and, compared to the surrounding worlds, it could be said to be a large-scaled world. If not, the Snake Dowager would not have chosen to move her community here. This resulted in many Magi going forth and exploring.

"The Snake Dowager is probably an existence at or above rank 7. Even if they found her, what could the mentors offer her?"

Leylin shook his head, not very supportive of Gilbert's actions this time. However, there was little that could be done. Since the three elders were now consumed in their research on the astral plane, this gave him the chance to take advantage of the situation.

The other high-ranked Warlocks could not see through his pretence, and hence, concealing his spiritual force undulations and going forth to congratulate them was very possible.

...

Fresh flowers filled the ground. This was Freya's family's territory.

As it was a noble family that had been passed down through generations, the range of their territory far exceeded that of his own.

The wealth of the residents was something that Leylin, who had only managed things for a hundred years, could not compare to.

Freya's castle was situated beside a snaking river, with a sea of flowers around it.

Diverse, splendid flower petals spilled all over the ground, Leylin even smelt a fishy smell amidst the fragrance in the air.

He extended an arm and immediately caught a five-coloured spotted snake under a plant.

The scales of this snake were giving off a magnificent luster. Complementing the flower petals all over the ground. It was basically impossible to distinguish them with the naked eye.

As if feeling the bloodline in Leylin, the flower snake did not dare resist. Instead, it tried to curl itself up as much as possible, looking rather pitiful.

"Looks like another result of crossbreeding!"

Leylin was speechless and released this flower snake which had toxins potent enough to break through an ordinary Magus' innate defensive spell back into the sea of flowers, shaking his head.

As bloodline nobility, it would be unusual not to concentrate on techniques on modifying bloodlines.

However, for Leylin, who had gathered precious experimental data from the Quicksand Organisation, these experiments were rather unsophisticated.

All the creatures which had been created were the type that he couldn't even bother catching another glimpse of.

In comparison, the castle at the heart of the sea of flowers was what interested Leylin the most.

The Ancient Blood Serpent Castle that Freya's family had inherited was not a mere place for commoners like Leylin's Onyx Castle. This was a true ancient Magus castle.

After the great effort of bloodline Warlocks across countless generations, every inch of the land of the Ancient Blood Serpent Castle was completely soaked in the power of magic.

This created a very formidable defence that could defend against even Morning Star Magi for a period of time.

Banquet and Invitation

In the Ancient blood Serpent Castle were many phenomena that even their current leader, Freya, could not explain clearly.

As a result, when he first saw the crimson structure, Leylin quickly grew fond of the place.

'This sort of ancient castle is what is truly fit to be the residence of a Magus. My Onyx Castle lacks these details,' he thought as he sighed.

Freya's family was rumoured to even have seen Morning Star Magi amongst their ranks in history, and it was naturally something that Leylin could not compare to.

Yet, Leylin was confident in himself. As long as he advanced to the Morning Star realm, he would not need a long time before the Onyx Castle would be comparable to this Ancient Blood Serpent Castle and be a true ancient Magus castle.

A large number of carriages were parked at the plaza of the castle, and in the area were many magical creatures.

A large number of guests entered from the main gate, and the entire area seemed very lively. Greetings were thrown around audibly on occasion.

For someone to come here alone was very rare, and Leylin immediately attracted attention for it.

Thankfully, he was famous to begin with, and many members of the organisation had seen him before. Even for those who hadn't, there were definitely images and information regarding him. Naturally, he would not be mocked.

"Leylin, there you are!" After some disturbance at the gates, Freya who was dressed in glamorous attire, came forward to welcome Leylin.

Even though they had not met for a very long time, her face still looked childlike, and even though she had the might of a Crystal Phase Magus, she looked just like a little girl, a huge contrast to her mature and enticing figure.

'Calling me directly by my name? Am I that close to you?' Leylin rolled his eyes internally, but still allowed Freya to affectionately hold his arms as they walked into the castle.

This was obviously a signal with an obvious implication.

Leylin knew very well that, in Freya's heart, she probably did not have any intentions of giving up on him completely. She had always liked to show how close she was to him at public occasions like these.

However, he was just as happy about the situation. This way, there would be fewer female Warlocks coming to cause him trouble.

Only Miranda would have the guts to fight with Freya over a man. However, after being subdued by Leylin, Miranda had became a lot more down-to-earth.

"I'm very happy that you're here today. I hope to be able to meet you privately after the banquet, and discuss some matters regarding our mentor!" She lightly whispered into Leylin's ears, and tenderly hugged him before going to entertain other guests.

She was the main lead of the event today, and there were many distinguished high-ranked Warlocks who had made their way here. Naturally, she could not only accompany Leylin.

"Mentor?" Leylin stroked his chin.

From the looks of it, Freya had gained an interest in the rumours regarding the discovery of traces of Purgatory World. However, she seemed concerned as well, and this foresight set her apart from other Warlocks.

Leylin shrugged his shoulders, looked for a corner, and started to quietly enjoy the delicacies and wine.

As fitting of nobles with thousands of years of heritage, the banquet had very sumptuous food, which surpassed Leylin's expectations.

"Haha! Leylin, do you like being here alone? Aren't you going to dance?" After sitting for a while on the sofa, Leylin saw a familiar face.

The aura of Robin's body was gloomy, and the black marking on his forehead had occupied almost his entire face. It made Leylin rather uncomfortable.

He was now smiling at Leylin, holding a crystal glass filled with grape wine. On the other end, many female Warlocks wearing revealing clothes shot coquettish glances over.

"Senior Robin!" Leylin smiled and nodded, "I have no interest in these things…"

"That's not what you said when you were dealing with Miranda previously…" Robin smiled and shook his head, and sat beside Leylin.

Evidently, he had just used the female Warlocks as a conversation starter.

"The aura on your body… has reached a stage where even I can't seem to see through…" Robin sized up Leylin and said with a laugh, a glint in his eyes.

After being watched this way, Leylin felt chills down his spine. The greediness Robin was concealing well was causing him to feel apprehensive.

"Senior Robin, stop joking around. I've merely mastered a few powerful spells recently…" Leylin smiled and declined. His skills at altering his aura typically could not be seen through by an ordinary Crystal Phase Magus, but Robin had managed to do so, which put him on his guard.

"Why haven't I seen Noah around?" Leylin immediately diverted the conversation.

"He…" Robin's eyes registered fondness, "Noah has already reached the important milestone in his spiritual force's advancement to the Vapour Phase. He has been staying back in the family…"

"I would have to congratulate senior in advance then…" Leylin smiled, but yet felt like things were not as simple as how Robin made it out to be.

Robin became silent, before issuing an invitation, "All of us have benefitted greatly from the previous expedition. I've recently obtained some new intelligence. What do you think? Are you keen on another one? I am willing to give you 40% of the benefits this time round!"

"Expedition? Where to?" Leylin seemed interested, as he tilted his body forward slightly.

"An ancient pocket dimension. I can confidently say it holds an ancient Morning Star Magus' writings, and might even be related to the ruins of the Quicksand Organisation!" Robin slightly organised his words.

"Quicksand Organisation?" Leylin's eyes lit up, but the alarm bells ringing in his heart had grown extremely loud.

After deliberating for a long time, he finally gave a reply, "I'm sorry, Senior! I've been conducting an extremely important experiment recently, and I'm afraid I will not be able to head out for long periods of time."

The instant after he said this, he felt chills, as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast.

"Oh! What a pity…" Robin sighed, then got up and left.

However, Leylin could evidently feel the fury Robin was trying to keep in, and many things that were hidden in the dark.

'What a terrifying man!' Leylin heaved a deep sigh of relief after seeing Robin's back.

'From the looks of it, the trip to the Quicksand Castle has caused a huge change in him…' Leylin had a feeling that this Robin was an entirely different person from that passionate and positive man he'd known.

However, even if it were the old Robin who had came forth with the invitation, Leylin would probably decline it as well. Currently, he was not short of anything. Since it was very chaotic outside, going out and exploring now would obviously just be a death wish.

On top of that, Leylin did not feel at ease with the current Robin.

Banquets like those between the elites were relatively boring, at least in Leylin's eyes. Many bloodline elites liked to flatter each other and flaunt their wealth, and eventually get themselves drunk.

Many good looking males and females would even cuddle on the stage, and then leave the banquet together and enter designated cubicles. According to rumours, the cubicles had relatively good soundproofing functions and even if the world were to crumble, the voices within would not be transmitted to the areas outside. The people in the cubicle were therefore free to do whatever they wanted without any worries.

The strength Leylin was displaying was that of a Hydro Phase Magus, As a Marquis of the Ouroboros Clan, many high-ranked Warlocks would naturally come forth to flirt with him. Even when he tried to hide in a corner, it was hard to get a break with all the coquettish invitations he was getting.

Normally, Leylin did not mind playing this game, but after the banquet, he had Freya's private invitation to attend to. Robin's appearance had also caused him to feel uneasy, and that had naturally been a killjoy.

It was not until Leylin felt like his facial muscles were cramping from him smiling that the majestic banquet was announced to have ended.

This was a celebration meant for just the high-ranked nobility. For the low-ranked Warlocks or peasants, they would get to rest for a weekend. Freya's clan would even provide white bread and rum free of charge.

From the looks of it, such an auspicious occasion had not occurred in her family for a very long time, hence the need for a large celebration.

Leylin did not bother with all of that. After the banquet had ended, under a maid's guidance, he entered the depths of the Ancient Blood Serpent Castle.

The materials that made up the castle had since experienced many changes due to it receiving the radiation from the many Magi that had lived there.

The walls were coloured a crimson that resembled that of human muscle, and even possessed the same elasticity.

The floor was covered with a red carpet, and large mouths emerged from time to time, swallowing the trash in one gulp before licking their lips, as if after a tasty treat.

There was not a single ordinary human in the castle. With the exception of the low-ranked Warlock maids who were leading Leylin, the majority were slaves of other races.

"Hovlin?" Leylin looked at the team of dwarf-like beings bowing to him in shock. Those dwarves were scrawny, but had very sharp ears.

"Yes, master! The Hovlin not only have long lives; they are also outstanding gardeners and chefs, qualified to perform jobs of varying degrees of intensity, and as a bonus, they have a high degree of resistance to radiation!"

The maid introduced the Hovlin to Leylin.

"I've naturally heard of the slaves used by noble families!" Leylin nodded his head.

In actual fact, during the construction of Onyx Castle, he had thought of purchasing slaves, but high-quality slaves like these were pretty rare. Only amongst bloodline nobility like Freya's Family would one find this many Hovlin.

"Master has been waiting in the study room for you!" The maid respectfully opened a walnut wood door and stood by the side. Leylin adjusted his collar before walking in.

"Welcome! You haven't seen my study room before, have you?" Freya had changed into a long loose robe, and had casually used a piece of fabric to tighten her robe. Her face was as youthful as ever.

"Yes. Your huge collection of books is shocking!" Leylin nodded his head, and pretended not to see Freya's attempts at seduction.

He knew very well what he could afford to play around with. For girls like Miranda, it was okay to have sex with them. However, it was different for girls like Freya.

Leylin was sure that if he was not prepared to take responsibility after his actions, he would definitely be chased down by the Blood Duchess until he perished!

Freya's eyes registered a ray of disappointment, yet she still made a promise. "If you want to, you can flip through any of the books here!"

Obstruction and Ambush

"Thank you very much!" Leylin smiled widely as he expressed his gratitude.

Freya pulled on Leylin's arm as they moved to sit on a long sofa. Leylin's eyebrows furrowed, but not taking such intimate actions to heart.

"What exactly did you ask me to come here for?" Leylin thought Freya was not one to look for him because of a small matter— Miranda would be more likely to do that.

Once a serious topic was mentioned, all other expressions left Freya's face as she turned solemn,"Do you know about the events related to the Purgatory World?"

"As far as I know, the elders seem to have acquired some clues, and now they should be searching for the specific coordinates!" Leylin said with an equally strict expression.

"Actually, the search has almost been completed. According to my master's plan, I'm afraid we'll all have to go to the headquarters to participate in the experiments!" Freya added, smiling bitterly.

"This is a responsibility we cannot shirk!" Leylin seemed solemn.

"It's just that… I have a really bad feeling about this…" worry surfaced on Freya's face, "Even in the ancient era, the Purgatory World was a tremendously powerful world, so how is it possible that it would be so easily found? Even if it is found, how would anyone then go past the protectors to enter?"

"I'm sure the mentors have already considered these questions…" Leylin considered his own words as he spoke.

"Well, I sure hope so!" Freya breathed a long sigh, then suddenly remembered something else, "These days, the outside world does not seem to be at peace; you must be careful. These are for you…"

Freya pushed a box over to Leylin. Leylin opened it to find numerous glittering and translucent crystals neatly placed inside.

"Spiritual force crystals? Those that have had their markings completely removed?"

Leylin was taken by surprise. A Crystal Phase Magus could naturally store and preserve his own crystallised spiritual force, and leave these crystals for future use.

But for such a pure colour to appear meant that Freya not only washed away all the spiritual force inside her crystals, but she also eliminated all her spiritual imprints.

To a Crystal Phase Magus, this was no different from reducing their own spiritual force. Although it wasn't impossible to replenish them, it was still extremely troublesome.

Such crystals with their marks removed could be given to other Crystal Phase Magi to use, and could quickly replenish spiritual force. They were rare treasures, and had always been a top-class resource that was only circulated among Crystal Phase Magi.

For Freya, someone who had just advanced to the Crystal Phase, this gift was extremely precious to give.

Freya stopped Leylin before he could say anything. "Don't decline it, this is what you deserve. I have yet to thank you for the bloodline crystals from last time…"

Leylin remained silent for a while, but eventually, managed to speak to express his gratitude, "Thank…thank you…"

...

A black horse-carriage slowly exited from the Ancient Blood Serpent Castle's main gate..

Inside the magnificent carriage sat Leylin. He was looking at the box in his hand, a bitter smile on his face.

"She's very considerate…" He sighed lightly. During this period of an unknown crisis, Freya was still able to remember him. This thought inevitably led Leylin's heart to flutter.

"In the future, if I have the means, I will definitely help you!" Leylin firmly decided in his mind.

"Are you certain the target is inside?"

Not far away, there were tremors felt on the ground surface. Two shadows dressed in yellow appeared. "It is confirmed, inside that carriage is the Ouroboros Clan's Marquis, Leylin!"

The other figure had a scratchy voice.

"Hehe…this is the Magus who the Demon Hunter put a high price on… And he has Hydro Phase strength!" The person who spoke first immediately laughed coldly.

"Everything is already prepared. Once our target enters the ambush, we spring into action at once!" There was a hint of bloodthirst in that scratchy voice.

"Hmm?!" Leylin, who was just resting on the carriage, abruptly opened his eyes, revealing a cheeky smile.

"Someone wants to attack me?" Although he had not heard the conversation between the two shadows, the A.I Chip's detection clearly showed that, in the forest not far away, there was a trap.

Even if the other party had already carefully set up three layers of aura-concealing spell formations, from Leylin's point of view these spell formations were like sieves that were filled with holes.

Especially the radiation from the Magi hidden within— that was as obvious as a burning torch in the night.

"Julian!" He called in a low voice.

"What's the matter, Lord Marquis?" the coachman from outside replied immediately.

"Maintain the speed, there's a group of friends ahead of us waiting for a greeting!" Leylin spoke in a low voice, and he was certain the Magus had already understood what he meant..

"Yes, my lord!" Upon hearing this piece of news, Julian's voice was still ever so steady, like he was not in the least bit worried.

The grand horse-carriage proceeded at a constant speed, moving along on the road by the forest as if unaware.

A yellow fireball boomed as it crashed down on them, ruining the walls of the carriage and causing it to break apart. The giant rut and the wheels of the carriage flew out.

A waft of smoke rose just outside the area, isolating this piece of land from the rest of the world.

A few men dressed in black immediately pounced towards the carriage. One of them held a huge hammer up high, and smashed down on the carriage directly.

The land rumbled as the huge hammer mercilessly crushed the remains of the carriage and created a gigantic pit, as if by an earthquake that sent out strange ripples.

"Eh? There's no one?" The person who spoke was someone with the voice of a child, and the body of a seven- or eight-year-old. Yet, he was holding a hammer that was bigger than his own body, making him look a little ridiculous.

"Blacksmith Mia? I don't recall there being any grudges between us." Several black tendrils covered the whole area, and Leylin carried the trembling coachman as they walked out of the shadows.

"Hehe! Do I need a reason to kill you?" Mia lifted her hood, revealing a face befitting the body. A face that should have been filled with the joy of a child was instead warped with bloodlust.

Blacksmith Mia was the central continent's most infamous bandit, a peak Crystal Phase Magus with countless crimes to her name. Under the guise of a little girl hid a vicious, scary monster. She'd once used a metal hammer to kill an entire family of Magi. Male, female, old, young; no matter who it was, they were simply added to the mountain of flesh.

"And I reckon these people are courting death too?" Leylin looked around at the other few black shadows. Numerous elemental particles transformed into shields and appeared before him.

"Assassin Hill! Brutal Bear Fein!"…

A few of the Magi reported their names successively. They were all characters whose names were known far and wide for their notoriety.And they all emitted waves of Crystal Phase energy.

"You sure do think highly of me…" Leylin said, smiling while shaking his head. Without warning, he sprung forth violently.

"Go to hell!" He whirled the coachman who was in his arms upwards, smashing him towards Mia as if he were a sandbag. The numerous potion bottles on him scattered outwards.

"Rank 3 potion combination spell, Divine Prairie Flames!" Burning flames immediately formed a wall of fire in front of him, isolating Hill and Fein to one side.

On the other end, the coachman who was thrown by Leylin changed in a bizarre manner. Mia, who was standing in front of him, whirled the heavy hammer without regard for anything, trying to smash the coachman into pulp.

He pulled out a golden dagger in mid-air, and his whole temperament instantly changed. The originally timid man turned sinister and crazy, as if a cowardly rabbit transforming into a tiger.

"Blacksmith Mia?" He laughed coldly. His whole body seemed to have become as flexible as a snake's, and he moved his body in a way no ordinary person would ever be able to as he avoided the huge hammer. In the same instant, he stabbed the dagger right into Mia's chest.

*Weng!* An aura of gold was emitted from Mia's body, but even that was shockingly dimmed as it was stabbed firmly by the dagger.

Mia's body went stiff for a split second before her innate defensive spell shattered into pieces under the dagger's attack.

Swiftly after, the sharp dagger mercilessly slashed at Mia's skin and its sharp blade entered right through her chest, ripping through flesh and entering her internals.

Seeing the fresh red blood spurting out, the coachman's face instantly revealed joy. And yet, the moment he saw a crazed expression on Mia's face, his heart froze.

"Die!" Mia let go of the hammer. Holding on to a dagger, she crashed forward.

The sound of bones breaking came from the coachman's body. His face revealed his astonishment as blood flew from his mouth onto the street.

"Boneless Snake Julian?" Mia's body constantly wiggled, covering and repairing her internal organs and wounds immediately. She looked at Julian with eyes filled with hatred.

"As expected of the legendary Magus with body refinement, who soaked in the Corrosion Swamp! To think my strength and magic equipment isn't enough to kill you in one shot!"

Having been revealed, there were slight alterations to the coachman's face, and Hydro Phase waves were emitted from his body. He was a Magus as well!

Or rather, an advanced Magus who had already reached Hydro Phase.

The Boneless Snake, Julian, was one of Freya's family's most powerful warriors. He was notorious for assassination ability, causing enemies to be terror-stricken at the thought of his existence.

"Damn it, I knew those bastards' plan was not reliable!" Mia's face changed. "Retreat immediately!"

Hill and Fein glanced at each other, doubt surfacing on their faces.

Even if Julian and Leylin stood shoulder to shoulder, they were merely two Hydro Phase Magi. On the other hand, their group had a bunch of Crystal Phase Magi who had been famous for a long time, how could they run away from them with their tails tucked between their legs?

But subsequently, their facial expressions drastically changed.

"Pssssst!"

A menacing Blood Serpent's shadow abruptly bombarded the surrounding haze. The whole spell formation was immediately breached.

Warriors wearing dark red Magus robes with Giant Kemoyin Serpent tattoos surrounded the area, and covered Leylin who had just been promoted to the Crystal Phase.

"Ouroboros Clan Warlocks?"

Hill cried out beneath his breath, knowing that today's business would be hard to handle…

Explosion and Encirclement

"You lot knew our plans from the very beginning?" As Mia looked at how they were heavily surrounded, her face turned grim.

The fighting strength of high-ranked Warlocks, especially that of Warlocks like Leylin and Julian, could without a doubt compare to ordinary Magi in the Crystal Phase.

The Blood Serpent Warlock Organisation was the elite force of Freya's family, not something to be trifled with. They were actually dispatched all at once, and were even led by Freya herself, a Crystal Phase Warlock!

Due to the additional power from their bloodlines, Warlocks were usually stronger than ordinary Magi. Once they advanced to the Crystal Phase, they would immediately be able to compare to peak Crystal Phase Magi.

Given all this, it was no wonder that Mia's face looked glum.

"All of you have been wreaking havoc near the territory of the Ouroboros Clan! How can we let all of you go so easily?" Freya wore a tight-fitting hunting suit, and looked extremely heroic. Of course, that was only if one ignored the childish face.

"River Agu's warehouse robbery, the extermination of the Rolithe Family, and Count Oakta's disappearance. Who exactly is the mastermind behind all these?"

Freya stared at the three Magi, and an extreme feeling of danger overwhelmed her.

To subdue and order three vicious Magi in the Crystal Phase was not something that could be done by any ordinary power. With the addition of the chain of events that had occurred recently, Freya had a bad premonition.

"Just the Ouroboros Clan?" Mia's group of three Magi all registered smiles of disdain.

"Watch out! Lest they…" After seeing that smile, Leylin's pupils shrank, and he quickly gave a reminder.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Three other rays of black clashed with the Blood Serpent Organisation like lightning, overcoming the strong obstructions before arriving next to Mia's group.

"Three… Crystal Phase!" Freya grit her teeth, and she sounded bitter.

Little did she expect that the opponents had reinforcements, which obviously meant that they had made preparations with regards to the plan of hers.

She was already at the limit of her current strength in subduing three Crystal Phase Magi. But now that there were three more? Freya felt her heart sink.

"What now? If you don't wish for the elites in your family to perish here, then release us now!" Mia's voice had a tinge of complacency.

"That's not enough! He needs to stay!" The three Crystal phase Magi who'd appeared afterwards pointed at Leylin.

"What? Why?" Leylin touched his nose.

"The damage you've done to us is not light, and only the Demon Hunter's rewards can make up for it!" Hill shot Leylin a look before glancing at Freya.

"He is not a Warlock from your family. Miss Freya, I presume you wouldn't want to simply treat us as your enemies just for a member of your organisation?"

Leylin rolled his eyes internally. It would be impossible for discord to be sowed with such simple tactics. However, due to the fact that personal interests were involved, this could bring about more trouble.

Thankfully, Leylin had not planned to put his own safety in the hands of others, and had backup plans already.

"The Demon Hunter?" Freya muttered to herself. She had heard of how Leylin and a few others had offended that particular Morning Star Magus. If those Crystal phase fugitives were under the Demon Hunter's wings, it would be understandable.

Many of the Warlocks thought of that point, and after hearing Hill's words they looked at Leylin in a different light.

Even though they belonged to the same organisation, and they'd had some friendly interactions before, Leylin was simply not important enough for them to offend a Morning Star Magus without hesitation.

Morning Star Magi in the central continent had power and status, and their dignity could not be infringed upon lightly.

Even though the two organisations were hostile, they hadn't yet completely fallen out with each other. As a result, many of the Warlocks thought that it was worth it to give up Leylin to get on Cyril's good side.

A few Warlocks immediately distanced themselves from Leylin. This included the very Julian who had been fighting at his side all this while.

Freya's face immediately registered a change. She grit her teeth as she looked at the numerous Warlocks from her family.

"Leylin is a Marquis of our clan, we will never hand him over!"

"Master!"

A clamour was started amongst the Warlocks. From their point of view, their family did not have to do so much for an outsider.

"My decision is firm! All of you, quickly get out of my territory, or else you'll come to regret it!" Freya said firmly.

"The one who'll come to regret it will be you!" Mia said furiously, and together with the five figures behind her, turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Just when the Blood Serpent Organisation had made a path, an ill-timed voice sounded that caused both parties to look around.

"Leylin, don't do anything rash!" Freya's voice betrayed her anxiety.

Even though they were related by bloodline, the Ouroboros Clan was divided into many factions that competed with each other. This was the most she could do for Leylin. Were he to go and provoke them without discrimination, Freya would not risk the danger of her family's elimination to accompany him.

She looked at Leylin's back, and bit her lips.

"What? Youngster, you're lucky today to be able to hide under the skirt of a woman. Next time, you won't be so lucky!" Mia raised her giant hammer and threatened him.

"Three Crystal Phase Magi for the ambush, and another three as backup… this should be the limits of your strength!" A blue light shone in Leylin's eyes as he sighed, "Don't use the Hunter as a facade, he's not fit for that!"

"Hmmm? What did you just say?" Fury appeared on the faces of some of the Crystal Phase Magi.

"What I'm saying is that you have to stay here today. There's no escaping from that, even if you're using the name of a Morning Star Magus!" Leylin's tone was light, but seemed to emphasise his words. At the same time, a mountainous might instantly erupted from his body.

"Crystal… Crystal Phase! How long have you been…" Freya covered her mouth in extreme shock.

Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks would typically depend on the accumulation of time to make a breakthrough via their bloodlines. Freya's own breakthrough to the Crystal Phase at her age had deemed her a genius.

But Leylin? He was only 200 years old, and yet had already broken through the bottleneck to the Crystal Phase!

Freya immediately thought of the changed situation on the battlefield after Leylin revealed his strength.

The other party had a total of six Crystal Phase Magi, and Freya's side had two with the addition of Leylin Julian and the other members of her organisation could at most resist the attacks of three Crystal Phase Magi. Overall their strength was still lower than that of their opponents.

Of course, in that case, for the other party to want to cause great damage to Freya's team, their chances at succeeding would be greatly minimised.

With the small disparity in strength and the apprehensions about damages on both sides, ordinary threats would have no effects.

"I'll deal with these three Crystal Phase Magi! You can settle the remaining ones right?" Leylin had undone the pretense of the transfiguration spell, and had released his entire strength without any qualms as he pointed to Mia's initial group of three.

"No problem!" With Freya's Crystal Phase strength and the addition of Julian and the Blood Serpent Warlock Organisation's support, to annihilate the three Magi would not be a problem. It would only be a matter of time.

"But, are you sure you're up to it?" Freya glanced at Leylin, and in her eyes was worry that she could not conceal. After all, the enemies were Crystal phase Magi as well.

"Haha… Don't worry…" Leylin laughed, and numerous black flames shot out like arrows as they trapped Mia, Hill, and Fein within.

He actually wanted to, in one move, deal with three Magi that were similar in strength to him together.

"I'll grant your death wish! Just nice, my Bloodthirsty Hammer lacks the spiritual wailing of a Crystal Phase Magus!" Mia smiled coldly as she rushed forward with the metal hammer.

*Bam!* The heavy hammer rippled with terrifying amounts of energy, creating a huge crater on the ground.

"A lass who only uses brute force! I happen to detest beings like these lately!" Leylin's silhouette grew translucent, giving off a glow which swiftly appeared before Mia.

"I cannot stand you, but it's a piece of cake to subdue you!" Leylin's eyes registered coldlness, a black ray slowly appeared from his hands.

"Fatality's Tip!" The black ray of death tunneled through the hammer and the innate defensive spells, shooting at Mia's forehead like black lightning. When it exited, it brought with it a large amount of blood as well as brain matter.

*Bang!* It was not until Mia's corpse fell to the ground that Hill and Fein reacted to it.

What had they seen? The famed Mia who was known for her hammer, someone at the peak of the Crystal Phase, died at the hands of her opponent. The two had not even dueled for a few seconds.

'Could it be that he has already advanced to the Morning Star realm?'

All of a sudden, an idea that shocked the two appeared within their thoughts, which instantly caused their limbs to become colder.

Leylin himself had not expected the effects of the sudden attack to be so successful as well.

He had originally already reached the state of a rank 3 Hydro Phase Magus, and with his bloodline strength matured to an extent, he had managed to prematurely reach his limits now together with the help of the Lamia fingerbone.

Currently, he not only had a terrifying spiritual force, his other credentials had far surpassed that of ordinary Crystal Phase Magi by a huge margin.

This terrifying strength had the support of the powerful spell tailored for him by the A.I Chip— Fatality's Tip!

All the factors had come together, and perhaps with the help of Mia's complacency, he had managed to achieve such success. Even Leylin himself was grateful for this stroke of luck that arrived just in time.

"It seems as if I've a few adversaries in the Morning Star realm currently!"

Leylin looked at the venue which had instantly quieted down, and let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you looking at?"

Freya was distracted for only a short while before she instantly ordered the gathering of the Blood Serpent Warlocks. Leylin's terrifying outburst had allowed her to see hope for subduing and annihilating the opponents here!

The thought of her earlier humiliation seemed to have triggered the adventurer in her.

Invincible

"Surround them! Formation number 2!" Under Freya's command, the Blood Serpent Organisation firmly trapped the three other Crystal Phase Magi in a formation.

With their own strength and the assistance of Julian's expertise in sneak attacks, the three Crystal Phase Magi in the formation were immediately surrounded by danger.

"It's your turn now!" Seeing that the three Magi had no hope of escaping, Leylin turned towards Hill and Fein on the opposite end, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

To the two Magi on the other end, though, this smile was more frightening than that of a demon's.

Upon seeing Leylin's grin, they knew that he definitely would not let them off, and immediately rushed to take action first.

The moment Hill had that thought, numerous black thorns instantly appeared, bursting forth in the blink of an eye.

"Umbra Sting!" The many sharp thorns screeched across the sky and scattered down like a torrential rain of spikes.

"Useless!" A layer of dense scales emerged on Leylin's body. All that the thorns could do on collision with these scales was make a loud noise before snapping apart, merely causing white specks to appear on the black scales.

Leylin's physique had always been extremely shocking, and the current him could practically fight against any rank 1 or rank 2 Magus with his body alone. With the addition of the Kemoyin scales that strengthened his defense, even if he went up against a rank 3 Magus in the Crystal Phase, any spells used against him would have nearly no effect unless they were prepared over a long time.

In the middle of the black rain, Leylin seemed to have transformed into a giant savage beast, advancing while sheltered from the numerous sparks.

This ferocious posture instantly scared the wits out of the two Magi.

"What we do now? Quick, think of something!" Hill shouted at Fein next to him, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

He was very clear on how terrifying the effects of his spell were, but the other party had unexpectedly resisted it with a mere layer of scales. How strong was his body?

Perhaps only the legendary Morning Star Magi, whose bodies had been transformed by soul force, could compare to him.

"Gaia's Cage!" Fein did not waste any time either. A multitude of yellow crystals appeared around him as he muttered a long unintelligible chant without pause.

When he was done chanting, the earth shook, causing the soil to disintegrate and reveal a sparkling jade structure within.

A cage brimming with the resplendent radiance of a gem suddenly fell down on Leylin, covering him and trapping him inside.

"Earth Elves! Listen to my instructions, bury him completely in the abyss…"

A cheery look briefly appeared on Fein's face before he hurriedly started casting more spells as numerous rays of dull yellow light flashed. Large amounts of soil coagulated to form an even bigger rock that buried him inside. The earth even started to crack apart, as though wanting to swallow up the cage deep into itself.

"Well done, Fein!" Hill, who was on the other side, immediately yelled excitedly, but then saw his comrade's forced smile.

"Be careful! He's struggling inside, I can't control it any longer!" Following loud thumps that made one's heart palpitate, the numerous rocks swelled and broke apart to form huge cracks.

The many cracks then connected to each other and broken rocks suddenly fell everywhere, as though there was a dreadful creature locked up inside that was struggling so hard with mere brute force that the entire cage seemed to have gotten misshaped.

With every thump, Fein's expression grew a little paler, as though he was getting punched hard. By the end of his chant, he spat out large mouthfuls of fresh blood, and almost looked like he was dead.

"The… The seal!" Fein tried his best to say as blood gushed out in large amounts from the corner of his mouth.

*Boom!* The very mountains shook, and the huge cage of rock was sent into the cracks just before everything completely fell apart. The earth slowly closed up.

"Great!" Hill cheered, finally managing to let his guard down.

*Thump!* At this moment, he saw his comrade Fein faint, as though he had already used up all of his energy.

"Don't worry, buddy! I'll take you away now!"

Hill's eyes flickered in multiple colours. Peering over at the few black silhouettes belonging to the Blood Serpent Warlock Organisation who were not far away, he gritted his teeth and left quickly.

"Master?" Julian looked over at the location where Leylin had been buried, "Aren't we going to help?"

"Don't worry. That fellow has never been blocked by an obstacle, he definitely still has something up his sleeve!" Freya rolled her eyes, "Why are you speaking up for him all of a sudden? You clearly approved of the ceasefire previously!"

'That was when I didn't know that the other party was so perverse!' Julian secretly criticised, but did not dare to express it in words.

"Lord Leylin actually revealed his true ability and will likely be the biggest hope in our clan. It will definitely grant him a status much higher than before…"

The highest authority in the Ouroboros Clan belonged to the three Morning Star Warlock elders, followed by a whole bunch of bloodline Marquises among whom the ownership was split.

But Julian knew that above these ordinary bloodline Marquises were actually a special group of people!

They were young Warlocks— children who had already achieved the Crystal Phase and had hopes of advancing to the Morning Star realm! Such people were few and far between in the entire Ouroboros Clan. Their status was only lower than that of the few rank 4 Warlocks, and they were provided with the best resources, aiming for nothing less than advancing to Morning Star.

Although Robin was Gilbert's main steward, his actual position was previously lower than these seeds by a notch.

Of course, after getting some unknown profits, his strength had improved tremendously, and upon entering the Crystal Phase, Robin was on par with the others.

Now that Leylin had shown that his potential was not inferior to Robin's, exceeding it in fact, he would definitely receive more attention from Duke Gilbert!

"Now it seems that when Master met him for the first time, you had already discovered that he wasn't ordinary. Your foresight indeed exceeds that of an average person!" Julian expressed his respect sincerely, making Freya blush.

"You want to leave? Have you even asked me?"

*Boom!* The rock exploded, exposing a deep gaping hole in the ground.

A black figure forced his way out recklessly, causing rocks to fly everywhere.

"Ley… Leylin!" Hill gazed at Fein who had already fainted on the ground, but couldn't even bring himself to cry.

At the bottom of his heart, he had already cursed at the people in charge who initially made this plan. How stupid were they to have put their sights on Leylin, such a ferocious person?

But he didn't have much chance to think about it. Leylin, who was exuding a brazen aura, had already appeared in front of him.

"My Lord! Spare us…" Hill's voice distorted, and various accessories on his person exploded, forming many layers of radiant armor that floated around his body.

"When you dared to ambush me back then, you should have expected to be killed!" Leylin's was callous. In a situation where Morning Star Magi would not appear, there were few things that could constrain him.

After all, since he was unable to continue hiding his strength, he had to ruthlessly display it and intimidate the rest who wanted to go against him.

*Thump!* A black fist attacked the outermost barrier of light, smashing it into pieces. The other layers of defence immediately started tottering, on the verge of collapse.

"My Lord! I am willing to reveal the mastermind behind all this!" Hill gritted his teeth and finally pulled out his trump card.

"Not interested!" Leylin really was not interested in probing behind the scenes. War was almost upon them, and it would be easiest to build an atmosphere full of panic by assassinations and by getting rid of the other party's weaker troops.

He didn't want to be implicated and end up provoking a Morning Star Magus.

Right now, as long as he firmly broke the claws that the other party was reaching out with, it would be enough!

After sorting out his thoughts, Leylin appeared even more apathetic, and was indifferent to the other party's pleas for forgiveness. He eventually ripped apart Hill's innate defence under his despairing gaze.

A sinister-looking head fell onto the ground with a thump even as the body it was previously attached to let loose a shower of blood. It looked like a red fountain had erupted.

'As for this… I'll leave it to her.' Leylin instantly thought of Freya. Fein, who was still unconscious and lying on the ground, would still take some effort to deal with.

Upon inspection, he discovered that Fein's spiritual force had been exhausted, and swiftly removed all of his spatial objects before forcing his consciousness shut.

With his magic equipment and potions all taken away, and his spiritual force sealed, even if Fein was a Magus in the Crystal Phase, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

*Hiss…* On the other end of the battlefield, in the spell formation formed by the Blood Serpent Organisation, the battle was at its most heated moment.

Although the Blood Serpent Organisation was comprised of the elites of Freya's family, who were also proficient in many types of formations, Freya had discovered to her surprise that the three Crystal Phase Magi were also experts in all kinds of terrifying secret techniques. Through combining their strength, those Magi had managed to survive the assault of her troops until now, even if they were trapped in a formation.

The three Crystal Phase Magi in front of Freya had now morphed into a monster.

This monster was thrice the size of a normal human, had three heads and six arms, and its body was covered with moving black runes. It looked as though it was a fusion of the three Magi.

The head of an elderly man placed right in the centre opened its eyes and issued its last warning to Freya. "Let us go! You don't want to pay the price for detaining us!"

"Don't trust him!" A corner of the spell formation split apart, allowing a ray of light to enter. Leylin stood beside Freya.

"Hill and company have already been completely destroyed, and you still wish to leave? Dream on!" Leylin naturally reprimanded his enemies without restraint.

Seeing that the fused Magi appeared to have made suspicious movements, Leylin immediately turned to Freya.

"You're in charge of controlling the spell formation, I'll take care of the front!" he said and then dashed away.

The spell formation of the Warlock organisation was not bad, but Leylin was clear that what it lacked was a pivot who would dare to fight against the other party head on.

His rays of death had been prepared long ago, flickering with a dreadful lustre.