511 - 518

Attitude

After some haggling, Leylin and Zack finally reached an agreement.

The Oakheart Clan would bear the burden of building a Morning Star level Magus Tower, as well as provide him with all the resources for an astral gate. In return, Leylin guaranteed that he would never divulge information regarding the stardust bugs in any shape or form.

The two of them had even made an oath under the Trial's Eye, which was at the request of the Azure Mountain King. However, he did not notice the look of mockery in Leylin's eyes.　　

After that, Leylin got Zack to narrate the details of the allied army's attack on the Ouroboros Clan from start to end.

After receiving this information, his eyebrows furrowed.　　

"Jupiter's Lightning…" After sending Zack away, Leylin half laid down on the couch, massaging his forehead and sinking into deep thought.　　

"I never expected it to be them. Why would a haughty Radiant Moon Magus have any interest in the Ouroboros Clan?"

Before Gilbert and the others reappeared, nobody would be able to give him an answer. Leylin himself could only make wild guesses.　　

...　　

Most emissaries had yet to leave after the end of the ceremony, when another monumental event occurred.

The Morning Star Warlock, Duke Leylin, had announced his engagement with the leader of the Blood Serpent Family, Freya!　　

Bloodline Warlocks were generally very picky when it came to picking partners. This would affect the passing on of bloodlines, and determined the rise or fall of a family.　　

The engagement of a Morning Star Warlock implied that new Kemoyin blood would spread, forming another formidable family!　　

Though there were only two people in the family, Leylin and his fiancee, nobody could deny the strength of a family with a Morning Star Warlock within.　　

Based on some faint rumours, Duke Leylin's bloodline was unbelievably pure, and perhaps even surpassed that of the other three Morning Star Warlocks! His fiancee was also of a prestigious Kemoyin Family, and her bloodline was pure.　　

The emissaries and Warlocks could envision an exceptionally powerful Kemoyin family rising to power in the Ouroboros Clan.

Though they were cursing within, these emissaries all looked elated at Leylin's engagement, and gave their 'sincere' blessings to them.　　

Only after the engagement ceremony was over did the emissaries of the multiple organisations leave Phosphorescence Swamp. They had seen far too much at this celebration and ceremony, and needed to report back to their masters.

Leylin could finally relax, handling some miscellaneous work.　　

"Your Grace!" On the way, many Warlocks stepped aside when they saw him from afar, bowing to him from the sides of the road.　　

Leylin's expression remained solemn. At most, he sent a nod of recognition in the direction of high-ranked Warlocks, his movements revealing boundless dignity.

His status in the Ouroboros Clan made it such that he could move without obstructions. He headed for a building that seemed like a beehive, formed of countless giant laboratories.　　

This was the headquarters of the technical department. Upon noticing Leylin's arrival, there was a flurry of activity at the entrance. Schadt, who was wearing glasses, was escorted by Warlocks donning large white gowns as he welcomed Leylin. It made him feel as if he had returned to the research centres in his previous world.

"Your Grace!" Schadt bowed respectfully. He was extremely grateful towards Leylin. If not for his advancement, the Ouroboros Clan would probably have been done for.　　

"Mm! Bring me to the astral gate!" Leylin said indifferently after a nod. He then followed Schadt as they went in deeper.　　

After passing through the layers of isolation and detection spell formations, Schadt brought Leylin before a gate formed entirely of astral stones.　　

The entire gate emanated a starry radiance. The innermost layer actually possessed a stony surface and there were multiple bright runes, floating above the surface of the stone gate.　　

"This is Lord Emma's astral gate. We've moved it here…" Schadt sighed as he took off his glasses.

"We've determined through multiple experiments that there is no problem with the gate itself. However, there was an unknown interference that stopped us from locating the coordinates, making the second attempt at finding the coordinates even more difficult!

"What level of power do you think is needed for this to happen?" Leylin's eyes shone as he asked.

"I'm afraid…" Schadt's temperament suited research perfectly. He explained things as they were and did not beat around the bush, "Only interference from a Radiant Moon realm Magus can cause the three elders to make an error in judgment!"

Radiant Moon realm! A great rank 5 Magus! The moment the words exited Schadt's mouth, the rest of the researchers all trembled, evidently feeling weak.　　

Just a Morning Star Magus was enough for the Ouroboros Clan to be on the verge of being destroyed by the allied forces. What if a Radiant Moon Magus were to do the job himself?　　

The bleak future immediately caused these high-ranked Warlocks to tremble in fear.　　

"Don't be so negative!" Leylin patted Schadt on the shoulder, "Just focus on saving Mentor and the others. You must work hard on this…"　　

"Understood, Your Grace!" A hint of shame appeared on Schadt's expression as he lowered his head deferentially.　　

Initially, he had boldly bragged that he could find the coordinates within five days. However, multiples of that time period had passed, and he had yet to determine which world Gilbert and the others were trapped in.　

Every time he was about to find the coordinates, he would be obstructed by berserk spatial turbulence, barring him from finding the real location.

If there was the slightest discrepancy in the coordinates, the two areas could be millions of kilometres away from each other, being two separate worlds!

With trouble both internally and externally, the Warlocks would definitely not dare have Leylin take the risk.　　

On top of that, they had no clue if Leylin would listen to them.　　

In actuality, even if they had determined which world Gilbert and the rest were lost in, Leylin might not aid them.

Since they had already determined the other world was a trap set up by a Radiant Moon Magus, how could he go in like a lamb to the slaughter?

Leylin was not so selfless as to take this risk.　　

"I should find a chance and take care of those Warlocks." Leylin touched his chin, eyes glimmering with a dangerous light.　　

Those who had been urging him from the shadows to save the elders were not anyone else, but the many descendants and students of the three Morning Star Warlocks. Of course, they did not dare request anything of Leylin in the open, but as long as they was no evidence, they were bold in their discussions.

In Gilbert's case, Leylin was one of them and they thus had the least complaints. With Emma, Freya was a mediator and they were less impatient. Only the students and family of the other Morning Star Warlock pressed him on, and Leylin was preparing to make use of them.　　

He was no saint, and would not save others and then give up his power to be shared. And yet, Gilbert was his Mentor and had taught him much. Thus he would save him, but now was not the time!

Leylin was confident that with a bit more time, he could set up his own authority and spread his influence. By the time the three Morning Stars were back, they would not be able to affect his status!

Hence, he had to make use of this time. Though he could use his strength and force everything, Leylin did not want to end up with an Ouroboros Clan that was divided.

Schadt's report was exactly to his liking. This way, it was not because he was not trying hard enough, but that he was lacking information and had no way to do this.　　

Leylin had long since secretly determined their coordinates. But for his own purposes, he had kept mum until now.

After consoling Schadt and the other members of the technical department, Leylin returned to his castle. There, two precious guests needed to be attended to.　　

"Lord Paul, Lord Philip, sorry for the long wait!"　　

Leylin apologised to the two Morning Star Warlocks. After the other organisations had left, these two emissaries had stayed behind for some unknown reason. As they were Morning Stars, this was also good for Ouroboros Clan, which was why Leylin had no complaints and was so welcoming towards them.

"We only just arrived as well. Duke Leylin must have investigated thoroughly, right?" Paul grinned, the beady eyes on the octopus head seemingly able to see into the Leylin's soul.　　

"Yes, Jupiter's Lightning! They went too far!" Leylin clenched his fists, face flushing red and showing his anger.

Through the investigation of the Shadow Snake department as well as the Azure Mountain King's story, he had confirmed that Jupiter's Lightning was behind this.　　

In this case, he would not reject the good intentions of these two Morning Star Warlocks.

"I'm going to be frank with you. That Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning has been finding us bloodline Warlocks an eyesore and caused conflicts with the union. Even the organisations backing us are in a cold war with them…" Philip said. The burly werewolf smiled wryly.　　

Leylin vaguely understood their meaning. The intentions of these Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair Warlocks was to seek external aid.

However, he would definitely not reject them. Radiant Moon Magi were not existences he could deal with as of yet. If he could pull someone else over to contend against them, the pressure on him would be slightly lesser.

For this reason, Leylin did not seem to even hesitate as he exclaimed, "If there's anything you need me for, just say the word!"

While that was what he had said, Leylin would not be so stupid as to rush to the frontlines without any benefits.　　

Paul and Philip exchanged a glance and saw the elation in each other's eyes. No matter what it was, Leylin's attitude meant that this trip had not been made in vain.

Revitalisation of Bloodline

"Of course, we hope you can form an alliance with us. We wish to take on Jupiter's Lightning together…"

Philip interrupted, "With your current status as Duke, you can definitely represent the Ouroboros Clan!"

"This… I need to think it over… After all, there are many seniors who I need to pacify…" When it came to proper business, Leylin seemed to draw back.

Paul silently cursed at Philip for being too hasty, and also Leylin, for not being willing to be more open until he saw benefits. He merely continued smiling, which was difficult enough with his octopus face.

"Duke Leylin, you don't know this yet, do you? We Morning Star Warlocks organise a gathering every once in a while, where everyone will exchange information. Sometimes, we even have trade meetings…"

"This gathering is only for bloodline Warlocks, who must be at least at the Morning Star level. Someone even needs to vouch for them. A few elders from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair will attend as well. How about we continue the discussion there?"

"Gathering?!" A gathering amongst Morning Star Warlocks was still very attractive to Leylin.

Furthermore, he was not worried that their leaving the Ouroboros Clan would bring any harm to them.

To be frank, the Ouroboros Clan's safety all depended on him. As long as he was fine, it would be well fortified even if there was nobody here guarding them. If anything happened to him, the allied armies would immediately level the place.

In fact, if he managed to slip out of headquarters without being seen, it would put his foes under a lot of pressure instead.

With this in mind, Leylin answered, "Sure. When the time comes, please notify me!"

Seeing Leylin agree, Paul heaved a long sigh of relief before he laughed in answer, "I'm sure that our other comrades are eager to see an up-and-coming youngster like you!"

It looked like this gathering was a small circle where bloodline Warlocks interacted.

Watching his expression, Leylin nodded inside and began to anticipate the gathering more fervently.

Since everything was settled, Paul and Philip had no reason to stay longer. They chose to leave.

With how hurried they seemed, Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had probably fallen on hard times. As important deterrents, they would not have been able to squeeze out the time to attend if not for Leylin's ceremony.

"We're rich, my Lord!" Within the hall, Parker's eyes glinted as he gazed at the account book in his hands, "Just the gifts from the other organisations is equivalent to dozens of fiefs…"

"But of course. You only ascend to the Morning Star realm once. And it's a good time for other organisations to form good relationships with them…"

Though Leylin seemed as calm as an ancient, unused well, he was actually very happy; he just kept it in. At the same time, he had gained a better understanding of the great status Morning Star Magi held in the central continent.

The destructive power of a Morning Star Arcane Art was far too high. If a Morning Star Magus were to let go of all qualms and act as they wished, the geography of the entire central continent would be destroyed. Radiant Moon, and even Breaking Dawn Magi would regret the damage caused.

As a result, every time a Morning Star arose, everyone would express their goodwill, and intent to be on good terms with each other. These were actions that large organisations were used to.

"The moment I stepped into this realm, everything changed…"

Leylin sighed to himself, the look in his eyes even more intense. "What would be the scenery be like after the ranks of Radiant Moon or the Breaking Dawn throne?"

In his eyes, rank 4 was far from the limit. His goals were on higher peaks, and he did not pay attention to even the shackles to his bloodline that had troubled bloodline Warlocks for many years.

Of course, he could overlook his opinions while strategizing, but tactics needed to be done properly. Hence, he sent Parker away and ordered for all his gifts to be stored. After handing over the important items, Leylin returned to his laboratory.

He was now the highest power in the Ouroboros Clan, and could mobilise all resources. The laboratory he used was the best they had, which was usually reserved for Gilbert and the other two. This was just another one of the many advantages.

That was not all. The treasury of the Ouroboros Clan was completely open to him, and the treasures accumulated over thousands of years by a large-scaled organisation such at this had Leylin's eyes going green in envy.

The first thing he did was to take a pile of astral stones and keep them in his spatial pouch.

Though the Oakheart Clan had agreed to build him an astral gate, it was better to have more astral stones in reserve. After all, passing through planes required the usage of astral stones, which was why they were so highly valued. They had always been a strategic-class resource.

"Beep! Ascertaining identity! Welcome, Duke Leylin Farlier!"

After passing through the stringent aura detection system and numerous disinfecting procedures, Leylin finally stood in a room seemingly cast entirely in crystal.

The translucent crystals emitted beautiful light, and the area was spotless and unbelievably glossy.

Seeing the data the A.I. Chip provided, Leylin, couldn't help but sigh. "Though the strength setup is different, in terms of disinfecting and dust, it can achieve the same effect!"

Such an environment was extremely similar to the sterile laboratories in his previous world. Ancient Magi were no fools, so how would they not have noticed the effects germs and the like could have on research? Even without scientific methods, they could use magic to achieve the same effect.

Within a giant glass container at the heart of the laboratory, a broken sword was soaking in a translucent green liquid. This was the same blade that held the bloodline of the Sun's child and the Wing of the Sun meditation technique. Numerous transparent air bubbles could be seen arising from the hole-filled dull blade, and only the area with the blood was glowing brightly.

He'd already recorded all the information about the Wing of the sun through his A.I. Chip. The only thing left of value was the blood, which he had yet to extract.

The golden blood was like warm light as it slowly grew on the sword, somehow moving automatically as if breathing.

"As expected of the blood left behind by a rank 6 creature. Even if all its vitality has been lost, a slight simulation from the external world allowed it to regain its instinct…"

Leylin was full of praise. The ancient Sun's child was at the peak of Breaking Dawn, and was an existence he could only look up to. Just a single drop of blood could multiply, enough to form life.

If it placed its spirit branding inside, an almighty ancient being could definitely revive itself from just a droplet of blood. The bloodline of the Sun's child was that terrifying!

Of course, confirmed by the appraisal of top-notch masters, the bloodline of the Sun's child on the blade had long since lost its vitality and was impossible to stimulate. This breathing movement was only an instinctual reaction and not a display of full revival.

If the bloodline of the Sun's child could be made use of, the broken sword would not have been sold off at such a low price. Even if the Azure Mountain King, Zack, had to fall out with Cyril over it, he would definitely use force to keep the bloodline.

However, for Leylin who was an expert in ancient bloodline experiments and had the support of the A.I. Chip, it wasn't an impossible task to stimulate the revival of the bloodline.

He was now gazing at the broken sword in the glass container, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face. "The restoration is coming along quite well! I can begin the second phase…"

He, who had acquired the research data of the Quicksand organisation, had grasped the finest technology of the ancient era. This naturally included many methods to restore bloodlines.

At that point in time, due to his lack of strength, he could not display all his skills. Many of the methods required the coordination of soul force, and Leylin who had only been rank 3 at the time would only be working in vain. Now, however, this was no longer an issue.

"Soul Web!" Threads of black soul force brought with them a simple radiance as they shot out from between Leylin's brows, forming a web-like structure that disappeared into the green solution. Large amounts of fine runes with unknown functions emerged from the thin web.

The soul web seemed to have no effects on the broken sword and went straight through the blade. However, the golden blood seemed to be attracted, gathering onto it.

Minutes later, all the blood on the broken sword had been shifted to the soul web, causing it to turn golden.

*Gulu! Gulu!* As the last thread of golden luster left the blade, the metal immediately corroded into nothingness in the green solution, leaving no residue behind.

"It was only made of the plainest materials. Only because of the will of the Sun's child had it been preserved for over ten thousand years. The moment the blood is removed, it instantly reverts to its original form!"

Leylin's eyes shone, no longer focused on the sword. All his attention was focused on the soul web, as he manipulated the golden web to float over to another large breeding pool.

Countless loach-like long fish poked their heads out of the dim yellow pool, translucent bubbles being spat out from their lips.

These were blood-sucking loaches, and were rarely-seen bloodline creatures. All the reserves of the Ouroboros Clan were stored here.

"Go!" Leylin controlled the soul web until it was atop the pool. Drop by drop, the golden liquid fell, being devoured by countless blood-sucking loaches that were trying to outdo each other.

Water splashed everywhere in the cultivation pool, and Leylin watched the changes in the loaches without blinking.

Golden threads appeared from the stomachs of these blood-sucking loaches. Then, their eyes rolled back and they began floating in the pool.

"The bloodline of a rank 6 creature is too powerful for these loaches…" Leylin shook his head, but did not stop the experiment.

Morning Star Magus Tower

Threads of golden radiance emanated from the carcases of the blood-sucking loaches and were then swallowed by other loaches which had not managed to get the blood the first time. This process was repeated as the loaches died.

Leylin watched on expressionlessly. After three rounds, where the blood-sucking loaches could hold on for longer and not die immediately, the golden bloodline seemed to have become more reserved and guileless.

"Looks like I can continue…" A look of excitement appeared on his face.

As long as this was successful, there was hope to stimulate the revival of the Sun's child's bloodline.

"Maintain this process and ensure there are no less than twenty blood-sucking loaches in the cultivation pool," Leylin ordered the spirit genie.

Leylin knew this would take a long time. After observing for a while longer, he left the laboratory for his castle.

He now had many tasks to direct, and while troublesome it was the best way to exert his authority.

Though the students and families under the Morning Star Warlocks' care all hoped Leylin would act as soon as possible and rescue their mentors and family leaders, they did not dare exhibit their wishes openly.

They were also extremely afraid of contradicting Leylin, all doing as asked to the best of their abilities. Even when Leylin took all the astral stones in storage, they did not say a word.

It had to be said that these Warlocks knew their place.

Even so, Leylin could not be bothered to bicker with them over trivial matters. Besides, with his current strength still inadequate to deal with Jupiter's Lightning and Radiant Moon Magi, he needed to save the Dukes first to increase the strength they had on their side.

The issue of when this would happen would depend on him.

This was not just about gaining power in the Ouroboros Clan, but also to avoid the trap set up for them! If three Morning Star Warlocks could disappear, Leylin would not be an issue at all.

Leylin was well aware of this fact, which was why he did not dare make a move until he made sense of the situation.

"Your Grace, there's a female Magus claiming to be from Azure Mountain City here. Also…"

Faisal bowed, with none of his high spirits from before. Humility had taken that place. Ever since Leylin had exited his secluded cultivation, he had been maintaining this attitude. He'd even been the first to side with Leylin, and Leylin relied on him heavily.

"Also what?" Leylin found the puzzlement on his face laughable.

"She also said… she's here to help my Lord construct a Magus Tower…" Azure Mountain City used to be the Ouroboros Clan's enemy. However, they were now coming over trying to get into Leylin's good books. Faisal had lived for over six hundred years, but even he seldom met with such a situation, which led to his confusion.

"In that case, I don't need to see her. Help me choose a good location in the headquarters. My Magus Tower shall be erected there!"

This had previously been decided upon with the Azure Mountain King, and he was merely going through with the agreement. Leylin did not pay much heed to these matters and waved his arms, sending Faisal away.

The reason he had not built the Magus Tower at headquarters originally was because he was afraid of being made use of. However, things were different now. He was the one ordering others to work, and nobody would come and bother him. Leylin naturally wanted the Magus Tower to be located in headquarters now.

"What's wrong?" Leylin asked Faisal who stood in the same spot, eyes full of mixed emotions.

Though these were just a few simple words, Faisal felt cold sweat running down his spine. Leylin was now no longer a Marquis he had jurisdiction over, but a great elder! He was the highest authority, the commander of the entire Ouroboros Clan, a Morning Star Warlock!

Every one of his titles was like a huge mountain weighing down on Faisal's heart. When all these identities gathered on a person, this person was someone he definitely needed to look up to.

"It's like this. Your Grace. My family, the Dose and Olka families, and the others are all willing to contribute to my Lord's Magus Tower…" Faisal gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

From his perspective, it seemed that Leylin had accepted offerings from outsiders, which was a very dangerous sign. It signified that he had lost all trust in all these traditional, well-known bloodline nobles, which was absolutely unacceptable.

At this thought, he could not help but begin to reproach his own allies. Though saving the elders was extremely important, they could not be so hasty. As expected, it resulted in this terrible result.

Faisal could not help but begin to envy the Blood Serpent Family. As long as Freya was still around, Leylin's relationship with them was secure. There were even rumours that Leylin would have one child inherit the Blood Serpent's Marquis position, which immediately resulted in the envy of multiple bloodline families.

The bloodline of a Morning Star Warlock, and especially that of Leylin, who was unbelievably talented! His bloodline was said to be extremely pure and something many bloodline families did not dare hope to have. However, the Blood Serpent Family had gotten this so easily.

It seemed that in the next few hundred years, the Blood Serpent Family would definitely rise sharply. Of course, it would be under the lead of the Farlier Family.

Thinking this, Faisal could not help but sigh inside while simultaneously beginning to wonder if there were female Warlocks like Freya in his own family.

"Good! Go and discuss with Azure Mountain City!"

Since there were people in a hurry to send him money, Leylin obviously accepted it. With the cooperation of so many families, his Magus Tower would be built more quickly, and its quality could even be raised. Why would he have anything against this?

Watching Faisal fall back so fearfully, Leylin couldn't help but laugh.

"Only trying to mend relationships now?" How could sly old Leylin not know what he was thinking? He never had plans of having anything to do with those families, and this was the situation.

This peaceful life continued for a few months.

In these few months, the Ouroboros Clan's surroundings were calm. He had the few key regions in the Phosphorescence Swamp in his palm, while the allied forces seemed to have some worries. With both sides showing restraint, the region completely regained its peace, and and the fires of war seemed to have been put out.

However, only Magi who saw things long-term could see the undercurrents under this calm surface.

In the headquarters of Ouroboros Clan— Warlock City, a giant and awe-inspiring Magus Tower was slowly constructed, full of dignity.

Many high-ranked Warlocks and Magi were all crowded around the tower whose structure had just been completed, and began work on the details.

Every lower-ranked Warlock would bow slightly as they passed by, eyes full of reverence as they glanced at the Magus Tower.

This was the Morning Star Magus Tower, where their pride lies, of the Morning Star Warlock, Leylin Farlier!

"Your Grace! The main body of the Magus Tower has been completed, and it has also been connected with the cores of all the other Magus Tower in the headquarters. It has the highest authority!"

Faisal tried to curry favour as he spoke, while Leylin had his hands behind his back, watching his own Magus Tower with interest.

Compared to the Magus Tower he had constructed himself, the resource consumption of this Morning Star grade one was terrifying. It could be said that the price could not be measured in magic crystals. If not for taking advantage of the huge reserves of the Azure Mountain King, as well as the generous offerings from the old bloodline families, this would not be so successful.

"How much more time will we need?"

Leylin watched the Magi that looked like ants floating at the sides of the Magus Tower, numerous runes flashing in their hands and entering the Magus Tower. He could not help but frown.

There was someone he knew among the ones working on the tower. It was the host who he had seen at Azure Mountain's auction. However, Leylin had no intentions of going forward to meet the said one.

He now had a different status, and it wasn't as if there was anything to say even if he went there.

Faisal produced a white handkerchief and wiped his cold sweat before he spoke.

"The main body of the Magus Tower is the easiest part to construct. As long as there are enough materials, work will be completed quickly. However, the embedding of the spell formations, and especially the construction of the energy pools as well as the design of the tower genie needs to be done by you personally. Just the preparation for that will take ten years, and that's the fastest…"

"As I expected!" The blue rays vanished, and Leylin's eyes returned to black, seeming warm.

"I will be out for a period of time. Handle the matters at headquarters with Freya and Parker. If there are major issues, the majority decides!"

Though secret imprints could be used for communication, they did not extend to a wide area and could easily be intercepted and listened in on, or even used to determine locations. Hence, Leylin typically did not like using them.

"My Lord, you're leaving?" Faizal's eyes widened, and he even forgot to wipe off his sweat.

"Yes. There is a bloodline organisation gathering for the upper class. Lord Paul from before invited me!"

There was nothing to hide, and Leylin admitted this easily. He also had thoughts of exploring the central continent. In the past, he had had too little strength, but after attaining Morning Star power, he could go to many places in the central continent.

"It's very important to be on good relations with other bloodline Warlocks!" Faisal expressed his approval of this and spoke with some regret, "It's a pity that we can't be involved in interactions between Morning Stars, and can't provide you with any useful information!"

Faisal was merely a student, and him knowing which organisations Ouroboros Clan was on good terms with was already a lot. As for which high-ranked organisations the Morning Star Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan were close to, or who their foes were, and who was only friendly on the surface— all that was a shot in the dark. At this crucial moment, he did not dare give suggestions, and Leylin could only make his own judgments. If not, if anything were to happen, he would not be able to take on the repercussions.

"Don't worry, I will judge for myself." Leylin nodded.

Phenomenon in a Small Town

The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, the sky a brilliant blend of red and orange. With twilight looming, the town looked shabby and dilapidated.

At the only inn in the heart of the small town, a boiling cauldron of voices could be heard. The aromas of different wines and barbequed meat mixed with the musky smells of sweat and body odour as it permeated the air.

As the night was chilly, the hotel had long shut its windows and doors. Even the cracks were closed up, thickening the smell inside further.

But the drunk patrons with their flushed puffy faces and the exhausted travellers didn't mind it at all. In such weather, so long as there was a place to keep them warm, allowing them to enjoy some strong wine along with some barbequed meat, they would feel like they were in heaven.

"Master, your meal!" A heavyset kitchen lady efficiently brought forth a few dishes and served a customer. There was only one young man at the table and the kitchen lady only stepped away after stealing a glance at him, blushing with satisfaction.

"A Breaking Dawn Lord! Such a handsome man, he must be a noble lord!"

Leylin couldn't be bothered by the kitchen lady's thoughts. His eyes were fixated on the sumptuous meal set in front of him, yet his mind was wandering elsewhere.

After he'd given the orders, and made the necessary arrangements for the entire Ouroboros Clan, he had begun his own journey.

As he wasn't pressed for time and hadn't had the opportunity to venture far previously, he planned to take his time to explore the vast central continent, which was filled with a fascinating mix of various odd ethnicities and mixed bloodlines who coexisted with other humans. The geographical landscape was also much more confusing. Coupled with the pollution of the radiation of some high-ranking Magi, it was no wonder that almost every location seemed bizarre and puzzling.

Abandoning the convenience of travelling by his airship, Leylin had to admit that with his current walking pace, to cover the entire central continent, he would have to use at least a century as his unit of measurement!

There were many bizarre scenes along the way. However, as Leylin had already been promoted to the Morning Star realm, his scope of vision was extraordinary. Thus, under the probing of his soul force, the number of scenes that he could not understand were greatly reduced.

His current urge to venture to this small town was to seek out a rumoured marvel.

Leylin's supposed leisurely ventures were not for recreation. He wanted to research these odd phenomena to strengthen his A.I. Chip's analysing capabilities by accumulating more information in its database.

Leylin pondered about his current situation:

[Leylin Farlier, rank 4 Warlock Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form), Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force: 503.7, Magic Power: 503 (magic power in synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul Force: ???]

After advancing to Morning Star, limitations of calculating soul force relatively based on spiritual force data started to surface. As the A.I. Chip lacked the necessary data on soul force, it could not successfully compute the soul force statistics, which somewhat frustrated Leylin.

"Before a Magus reaches rank 4, they depend on their of meditation technique to accumulate spiritual force. However, after rank 4, other aspects of the soul get involved. My Kemoyin's Pupil can't be regarded as an advantage anymore…"

Leylin sighed. His meditation technique was way too low-level, and the information that he had gathered was actually from the Wing of the Sun.

As compared to spiritual force, the training of one's soul force was complicated and profound. Even the Wing of the Sun was not able to completely elaborate on the details, let alone allow the A.I. Chip to reinforced to the highest standards.

As such, Leylin thought of his previous research into spiritual bodies. Through that, he could accumulate statistics and information on the power of souls in an attempt to complete his own database.

After some thought, Leylin couldn't help but scrutinise the two columns at the sides: [Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique level 5 derivation progress: 6.92%. Soul Force database completion: 26.8%!]

"Ugh… Such a heavy burden with a long way to go…" Leylin smiled wryly to himself.

Aside from the derivation of the meditation technique, the Kemoyin's Pupil had only four levels to begin with. This was the boundary that many Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks failed to break through. Based only on the A.I. Chip's simulations, Leylin ambitiously wanted to challenge the uphill task of compiling his own fifth level with zero resources.

And the collection of the database on souls was even more difficult.

Once the point mass was condensed, one could purify and advance spiritual force into soul force. Looking back, Leylin's past research as an acolyte and a rank 1 Magus was such a joke.

The scientific law of life and death of one's soul was not easily identified. At many times, there would be a theory that ruled the system on one day, yet on the next day, it would become obsolete and be overthrown.

"The rules and regulations of developing one's soul are really deceptive!" Leylin was evidently upset. In fact, the souls that he met were not exactly souls, just some remnants and unwilling fragments of memories that were the result of energy transformation.

Hence, even if that information proved to be of some use, it could only be a reference.

Only after the promotion to Morning Star and acquiring soul force would he be better equipped to start a further exploration of the soul. And that was what Leylin was striving extremely hard and advancing for.

All in all, the physiques of the humans in the central continent were much stronger than the ones in the south coast and Twilight Zone. Also, with the abundance of energy particles, the probability of dead spirits transforming into souls was greater. Coupled with the mix of radiations of many high-ranked Magi everywhere, this place gave off the feel of a very primitive and complicated place for spirits.

Whenever such an environment surfaced, Leylin would hit the town to collect data.

That was the reason for Leylin's presence here as well. "Every year during hazy winter nights, a 'Spirit Wave' phenomenon occurs at midnight…" he mumbled to himself.

At the same time, he acutely felt many pairs of eyes peeking at him, making him laugh to himself.

Seated alone with a huge spread of delicacies and yet eating none of it, he was attracting the wrong kind of attention.

After some thought, Leylin picked up his cutlery.

The central continent's standard of living had always been higher than that of the other regions. Even a hotel in a small town served food that was considerably more delicious.

Not only did they serve a glass of honeyed wine, they also served white bread and steak. The steak was tenderised with baking soda and a mallet, making it extra tender. Coupled with some honeyed wine, it tasted rich and mellow.

Observing that Leylin had begun to eat his food, the drunk patrons either shot him a glance or cursed him under their breath and thereafter turned their attention away from him.

A faint light glowed from the depths of his pupils.

Even at this small hotel, there were some Magi present! It seemed like they had been attracted by the same Spirit Wave phenomenon.

With a sweep of his soul force, he was able to immediately identify a few black shadows in the corner. A pair of grandfather and grandson seated next to the counter also caught his attention.

"Hmm! A few rank 2 Magi, and another rank 3 Vapour Phase, not bad!"

As a Morning Star Magus, Leylin was now qualified to scan these Magi. And because he was able to restrain the energy undulations on his body to its point mass, Leylin was regarded by those present at the hotel as an ordinary Knight in training that had happened to set foot in this town. No other oddities were detected.

The pair of grandfather and grandson caught Leylin's attention the most. After all, for a rank 3 Vapour Phase Magus to bring along his grandson for such an outing, there must be something important.

And if it was indeed related to the Spirit Wave, Leylin was even more interested in finding out about it.

The grandson tagging along with the elderly Magus looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. With a pair of wine-red eyes and golden blonde hair, he was very adorable. Judging by the freckles on his face and energy in his darting eyes, it was clear he seldom ventured outdoors.

'All these Magi can't be here just to view the phenomenon right?' Leylin stroked his chin. Although the Spirit Wave was a magnificent sight, he was sure there were no other benefits. With the exception of idle individuals like Leylin, who came specially to collect data and check the Spirit Wave out, the number of Magi who came forth had greatly reduced in recent times, and highly-ranked ones like this old man were a rare sight.

"Hehe…. Spirit Wave is about to begin, I am going to strike it rich this time!"

"Mmm! That's right, I have been waiting for this!"

Wearing shabby clothing, the drunk patrons were yelling at the top of their voices. Some of them were adventurers, some were mercenaries. Others were gold panners and such. They had all gathered to try their luck.

Although the Spirit Wave had no huge instrumental use for the Magi, it was still considered a gold mine for the commoners.

And along with the huge amount of rubbish and remnants left after every Spirit Wave, there was bound to be some good stuff. If one could find it, they might very well have a windfall.

This was one of the reasons why the small town was still in existence.

Otherwise, although the Spirit Wave posed no threat, the commoners would have found it difficult to be neighbours with a mass of spirits. Other than Magi, no other would have such courage.

The oppressive, loud chiming of a copper clock rang. Many of the tourists were jolted awake. Even those blurry-eyed drunkards were nudged awake by their companions.

"The midnight bell has tolled!" "The midnight bell has tolled!"

Many adventurers called out in excitement as they started to wipe and polish their weapons.

These weapons had no effect on the spirits and were also not meant for dealing with them. In the face of such enormous treasure, the ones they had to be wary of would be one another instead!

"Let's go!" The old Magus picked up a napkin to wipe his hand. His movements were elegant and relaxed, evidently having undergone training. On the other hand, the young grandson was still rather stiff.

Leylin followed the crowd and stepped foot outside the hotel.

At this moment, a full moon hung in the middle of the sky. A thin layer of fog surrounded it and blurred the moonlight, forming a silvery-white halo.

The chilly wind whistled. The northern air in the night was known to be bone-chilling. Gushes of white vapour could be seen emerging from the adventurers' noses and mouths as they breathed.

Many doors in the small town suddenly slammed open and a crowd started pouring in.

A majority of the crowd were well-built men. Some of them looked ferocious while others were old with multiple scars on them. They were carrying baskets or knapsacks, weapons in hand. In short, they were all well-equipped, one way or another.

The Tomb

The residents of the small town were evidently prepared to join the army of scrap collectors. This might also have been the reason why they decided to live here, or their aim in being here.

At the same time, they were very unfriendly towards the foreigners who stayed in the inn, casting grave and stern looks at them from time to time, clearly treating them as prey.

As compared to the residents, who were great in number, the adventurers and mercenaries were outnumbered and divided. They gathered together, and couldn't help but grip tightly onto the cleavers and swords they held.

Although they knew that the others did not harbour good intentions, these people who they could consider 'one of their own' made them feel more at ease in comparison to the sea of residents outside.

It was fortunate that although the two groups of people both shot glares at one another, they didn't land themselves in a more heated conflict before the Spirit Wave could begin.

At this moment, a bizarre energy wave spread across the town, sending chills down everyone's spine.

As for Leylin and the other Magi, the feeling was more distinct.

"It's beginning…" Leylin gazed at the haloed moon in the sky.

According to the A.I. Chip's readings, the intensity of a type of dark and cold energy waves was rapidly rising. So much that the region around the small town seemed to be enveloped in what seemed like a domain barrier.

'The Morning Star realm? No! Its intrinsic qualities slightly fall short, it can only be a force field belonging to rank 3 Magi at most!' The appearance of such a barrier made Leylin's pupils contract, but he relaxed soon after.

"It's… It's appearing…" At this moment, a voice sounded, trembling either due to dread or excitement.

Leylin followed the crowd. Numerous rays of light that resembled shooting stars converged into a long, glittering river, flowing slowly from the perimeter of the small town.

Brilliant rays with resplendent streaks splashed across the horizon. Leylin's eyesight allowed him to see the items in the rays of light clearly.

A single yellow leather shoe flew past, with tiny white wings on each side. The shoelaces were left on the side in a mess, yet the tip of the shoe was polished and shiny.

Behind the leather shoe was a black walking stick, likely processed directly from some sort of vine. Similarly, it was flying with the wings below its handle.

"What… Is this thing…" Leylin's looked baffled.

Soon after, he also saw a rag doll, a shabby table and chair, and other items fly past, such as the kind of flower vases that were usually placed on counters.

"Is this a gathering of dilapidated commodities?" He was speechless, but still commanded the A.I. Chip to record this scene and monitor the energy waves.

After the junk flowed away along the river, Leylin could no longer bring himself to laugh.

Right behind the flow of light, a faintly discernible white line gradually drew nearer.

When it came closer, he could see numerous unfeeling faces. They had long, jet black hair, and were clothed entirely in white, slowly walking over along the ray of light… Perhaps walking would be an inaccurate description, because a cloud of mist hung under their feet. Their entire beings seemed to drift forward continuously while suspended in mid-air.

Although the adventurers and mercenaries next to Leylin had long heard about such a phenomenon, their legs still trembled with fear. They couldn't even keep their jaws shut, and the sounds of teeth chattering could be heard as they shuddered.

In comparison to those people, the residents of this town ought to have gone through this before, and had experience. Although their faces were also deathly pale, they could still compose themselves, and were not humiliated.

The densely-packed silhouettes converged to form an enormous tide, which surged up violently next to the small town.

Leylin stood at the side, solemn, as his A.I. Chip frantically recorded the data. "There are so many spirits. Perhaps something major once happened in the vicinity, and it might be related to high energy radiation…"

In actual fact, many of the strange sightings observed across the entire central continent were caused by battles between high-ranking Magi or contamination by radiation. Such phenomena usually did not die out even after thousands upon thousands of years, and instead expanded outward unceasingly, vying over territory with the humans who lived there.

Hence, the prevention and cure of such contamination was a hot research topic for many of the large forces.

Numerous white phantoms squirmed towards a particular direction unhurriedly. Among them were males and females, children and the elderly, yet they were all expressionless. Their hair was let down, and covered their pupils.

Such an odd phenomenon made even Leylin's scalp tingle.

Souls have always been seen as something highly bizarre and idealistic. In his quest for more knowledge, he had no choice but to carry on.

"Huh?" At this moment, the grandfather and grandson he had been observing with his soul force suddenly made a move.

Upon seeing the wave of numerous spirits, the elderly Magus seemed excited, and fished out a yellowing notebook. He appeared to be making comparisons, and even left the town secretly.

On the other hand, the other rank 2 Magi exchanged looks, then went to their separate corners and took out various materials from their robes to display on themselves.

"They are likely trying to use the power of the Spirit Wave to alchemize the magic items that are coming through!"

Leylin's alchemic skills were high enough for him to be a grandmaster. With merely a slight glance, he immediately found a clue. Feeling that it was beneath him, he snorted coldly and didn't bother about it.

He thought of leaving a phantom at where he was, while he himself would slip into the cracks of darkness so that he could follow the grandfather and grandson out.

In the notebook that the grandfather had taken out earlier, Leylin had seen something incredible.

"If that's really the case, it will be interesting!" A brilliant light flashed in Leylin's eyes.

"Grandfather… Are we… Really going to be around these spirits?" The grandson was only a cowardly acolyte. Seeing the translucent spirits, he tugged the elderly Magus' sleeve in fear, his face pale.

"These spirits are of the lowest level, and aren't likely to attack, what's there to be afraid of?" The old Magus reproached, seemingly feeling a little helpless.

Although his grandson had pretty decent innate skills, he didn't have much courage to speak of.

"But… We're about to integrate into the sea of spirits directly! Once they discover that something's not right, they'll definitely rip us into pieces!" The old man's reassurance did not calm the young boy down, but instead made him more fearful.

"If we don't integrate into the spirit channel, how will we get to the tomb and obtain 'that'?" An unyielding look was written across the old man's face. He grabbed his grandson's arm, then took out a few scrolls and ripped them apart.

*Buzz!* Upon ripping open the black scrolls, the pair was enveloped in a dull white glow.

After the radiance dispersed, both of their figures started to become ghost-like, and they even emitted energy waves similar to those of spirits.

The hostile glares that the spirits had been shooting at the pair also vanished immediately.

"Done!" The elderly Magus, who was becoming translucent, patted his chest. "This is a spell that has been passed down our family for generations, which can make these spirits temporarily view us as their kind…"

Seeing this, the boy was finally at ease, and squeezed into the stream of spirits together with the old man.

"What an intriguing spell!" A ray of light flashed in the air, and Leylin's silhouette appeared, "It's unlike the traditional spells from the central continent, and instead has a style reminiscent of the astral plane!"

Although the spirits were rich in number, most of them were of very low rank. They were absolutely incapable of detecting any flaw if a Morning Star Magus chose to conceal himself deliberately.

It was only until Leylin integrated into the Spirit Wave that he finally felt different.

"Space! It's the power of space! No wonder that guy called this place a spiritual channel!" Leylin muttered under his breath. And he realised the path that the spirits were taking was oddly isolated from the rest of the central continent, forming a special channel.

Here, even if something was visible to the naked eye, it might actually be as far as hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.

If one could grasp the rules of this channel, they would be able to use it to do things that many Magi would think unimaginable.

The old man ahead seemed very familiar with this place, and dragged the young boy along, advancing quickly. A blue light twinkled in Leylin's eyes as he followed them closely.

"He's using the spirit channel to hide something! I'm sure he must have been a Morning Star before his death!"

The further they went down the path, the more serious Leylin became. There were many dangers here that even he would be unable to ignore. If not for the fact that there was someone leading the way in front, he could not be sure if he would make his way through successfully.

There were fewer spirits lingering around at the back of the wave. A silver ray of light had appeared on the ground, and the old man was walking on it together with his grandson.

The minutes ticked by, and when they finally arrived at a particular site, ecstasy spread across the old man's face. "Found it!"

Leylin's footsteps came to a halt. The elderly Magus in front of him was standing under a huge butternut tree. The enormous forks in the branches formed an eerie symbol with three heads.

Upon seeing this tree, which seemed like some sort of landmark, the old man choked up in agitation, even shedding a few tears, "We've finally found it! The ancestral tomb!"

"Right here?" The young boy looked at the forked and ostensibly demonic branches, as the silver moon shone with an oddly nefarious glow, making him shrivel in cowardice.

"Yes, right here!" The old man was so excited that he nearly broke into a dance. "Our family's cemetery is almost always hidden in the spatial rifts. Only when the Spirit Wave hits once every hundred years can we pass through the spirit channel to get here…"

A blazing radiance lit up in his eyes. "In the tomb lies the meditation techniques and magical equipment belonging to our ancestor. Just these items are sufficient to revive our family…"

"If that's the case… Why didn't our ancestors just leave this behind?" The young boy asked doubtfully.

"I'm not too sure myself. Anyway, this tomb is our family treasure, that's for sure!" The old man seemed a little baffled himself, but it would soon be replaced by an even greater madness.

Gargoyle

"All my efforts in coming here are for your sake." The old man watched his grandson lovingly.

"You have the best talent in our family. As long as you have a high-grade meditation technique and magic artifact, advancing to rank 2 and rank 3 will definitely not be an issue. You even have hope of reaching Morning Star!"

The old man was so emotional that he trembled, on the verge of spitting froth.

This immediately caused Leylin, who was hidden, to roll his eyes. He was the most qualified to talk about the difficulty of reaching Morning Star, and this old man was just spouting nonsense.

If one could reach Morning Star with just better talent and a high-grade meditation technique, the continent would not have so many Crystal Phase Magi who had lived out their lives without being able to advance.

However, Leylin did not think them completely wrong. The many planes were so vast, and if their ancestor really had some method of reaching the Morning Star realm unimpeded, it could very well be possible.

"But…" The young grandson seemed to hesitate, seemingly not believing in this judgement. If not for the tomb of his ancestor, and his blood-related grandfather bringing him here, he might even have had plans of leaving.

"Awakening the ancestor's spirit and honour with my blood and heading towards the door of success, with hell as the final destination…"

The old man took a silver-white dagger and sliced his wrist, dripping the blood on the roots. He continuously chanted something, as if conducting a solemn ceremony.

With the blood spreading everywhere, coupled with the eerie surroundings, the young boy shrunk back.

"Grandpa, look!" All of a sudden, his pupils shrunk and he tugged at the old man's sleeves while beginning to yell.

Following his gaze, the blood on the tree roots had been absorbed by the soil and roots quickly. It was as if water had been sprinkled on a sponge.

"This is a defensive mechanism that our family set up. Only the blood of the descendants, coupled with the correct chants, can open it…"

The old man spoke slowly. However, Leylin's eyes lit up with suspicion, "A bloodline lock. A bloodline lock again! Could they be a Warlock family? They don't have any Warlock undulations on them though…"

*Huala!* After absorbing the old man's blood, the giant walnut tree's messy arrangement of branches began to tremble, and the trunk turned a bloody red.

*Ka-cha!* All of a sudden, the middle of the trunk cracked apart to form a hole, and a passageway that led downwards could be seen.

"Follow me!" The old man walked ahead, and the young grandson followed closely behind, hands tugging tightly on the old man's sleeves. He appeared terrified.

Leylin bowed his head in thought for a moment, but eventually followed behind them.

The passage was short, and in no time they reached a tomb.

The old man lit an oil lamp in the middle, and under the dim light the tomb presented itself to Leylin.

This underground room was very small. There were two gargoyles at two ends, seemingly standing guard over the place.

Between the two gargoyle guards, a stone coffin appeared before them, with sealing runes on the surface.

The young man's teeth began to chatter as he pulled at his grandpa's sleeves tightly, "This- There's nothing here at all. Let's leave as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about this…"

"What are you afraid of?" The old man flung his sleeve in annoyance, and a stream of air began to flow. The light breeze blew over the lights and darkened the tomb.

"Look closely!" The old man's voice was hoarse and full of emotion that he could not conceal, "I lit the lamp just so you could see this…"

The young man could not help but widen his eyes, his pupils enlarging as well. Through the dark yellow flames, he could see a great number of coloured murals on the walls of the tomb. Through the murals, he could see the process of a Magus acolyte struggling ahead, from rank 1 to rank 3.

After that, there was a legendary battle. The Magus in the mural, who was also the owner of the tomb, seemed to have obtained something in the battle and reached Morning Star.

The young man's eyes widened. However, other than a scaly monster with multiple eyes and arms battling his ancestor, he recognised nothing else.

"This is the most brilliant piece of our ancestor's history. It only appears when this oil lamp is lit…"

The old man's voice showed his pride, "If it's an outsider who doesn't know this mechanism, they will be attacked!"

Leylin had hidden in a crevice in the shadows. He was surprised by the mural on the wall. The monster that had eventually been killed was one he had seen before, on another mural. "We meet again, Beelzebub. Or should I say the Sovereign King of Gluttony?"

Leylin's voice was light but resolute.

In ancient times, a clone of the Sovereign King of Gluttony descended upon the Magus world, causing large numbers of casualties. It was eventually killed, body split into countless pieces.

One of the pieces fell into the hands of the Quicksand organisation, becoming the cause of the Parble Family's tragedy after Robin obtained it.

It seemed like the owner of the tomb had once been a participant in that great war, and had been extremely fortunate to obtain a gluttony imprint.

'Then it's obvious how this fellow advanced to Morning Star after victory,' Leylin touched his chin, "With the power of gluttony, spurring on one's spiritual force to break through and reach the Morning Star realm is quite possible!"

He already had an imprint like this in his hands, and had even been prepared to use it to advance to the Morning Star realm. However, he had already made ample preparations and ended up not needing external support. Leylin had no wish to be connected to Beelzebub anyway.

This was someone who was probably at or above rank 7! Just a finger would be enough to crush the current Leylin. It was obvious why he would not want to have any connection with him. Even if something related to Beelzebub fell at his feet, Leylin would want nothing to do with it.

"Based on the records of the ancestor, his meditation technique, as well as the treasure that can help one break through, are all within the coffin, accompanying his long sleep…"

The elderly Magus' eyes shot out a piercing glare as he ambled forward slowly, arriving in front of the coffin.

A mechanism was activated, creaking sounds coming out as a red light shot out of the two gargoyle's eyes. They shrugged off their stone skin and pounced towards the old Magus.

*Weng!* A golden membrane suddenly rose on the Magus' body, separating the sharp claws of the gargoyles from his person.

A look of disbelief appeared on the old Magus' face, "I am his descendant and came with directions. Why am I being attacked?"

*Creak!* The gargoyles would not answer him. The two immediately let out piercing sound waves, and as the berserk waves swept through the acolyte immediately fainted.

"Blu!" The old man's eyes turned red, hands morphing into beast talons.

*Ka-cha!* He grabbed hold of one gargoyle and viciously ripped it into two. Great amounts of soil and rocks flew everywhere, and the other stood very still, the light on its body reserved. It began to emanate a violent energy.

"Want to self-destruct?" Light burst out of the old Magus' eyes as he charged to the front. A thick layer of light, alike to the kind emitted by a Spear Spell, covered his sharp claws.

*Pu!* A single claw swept forward, and went through the gargoyle's body like a knife through hot butter. With a twist of his hand, a giant mechanical heart was gouged out.

After losing its power core, the aura on the gargoyle crackled and disappeared, leaving it dead.

"Blu, Blu! Wake up!" The old man undid the transformation of his hands, and a green radiance that was full of vitality wrapped around the young boy.

Minutes later, the young boy came to, looking dazed.

"This is probably not the ancestor's tomb, but a place sealing some terrifying thing. If not, why would this sort of guard be around?" The first thing the young man did after waking up was warn his grandfather.

"I'm not willing to leave just like this!" The old Magus' eyes turned red, and he looked stubborn, "Perhaps, those two protectors were a test by the ancestor, or a joke on the younger generation…"

Even so, even he himself could not believe his words.

However, his perseverance and the cry in his heart were urging him to open the coffin and obtain the things within.

"I'll take just one look, I promise! Then we'll seal this place and leave immediately!" The old man's eyes were distant as he approached and pushed the cover of the stone coffin away, revealing the items within.

"Hm?!" Leylin, who had been watching at the side, suddenly had a change of expression.

What was inside the giant coffin was indeed the remains of a Magus. His body was rather thin, but his hair and eyebrows were still present. He looked lifelike, and the imposing aura of a Morning Star emanated from his body.

Though his eyes were tightly closed, his features were extremely sharp, with a steadfast resolution and strength. His hands were folded before his chest as if holding something.

With Leylin's eyes, he was able to see a stone rune without any trouble. Though it was different from what he had, this was definitely a true gluttony imprint!

"I told you there's a treasure!" The old Magus was in a bad situation. He looked dazed, as if he was being controlled by something. He went forward, hands reaching for the rune.

"Grandpa!" Just as his fingers were about to touch the rune, the young boy's cries pulled him back.

"What's going on? Why am I here?" The old man was bewildered, but immediately after, a stranger situation occurred.

With wailing that sounded like hell reappearing, multiple black shadow fingers appeared within the tomb, threads of black gas being dispelled from the old man's bosom.

Killing The Clone's Projection

"Why is the temperature rising at this rate?" The old man swiftly took out the black notebook from his chest. Not only was the notebook heating up, traces of black currents swirled around it.

*Buzz!* With a sudden spike in the book's temperature, the old man scrunched his face up in pain as he subconsciously tossed it from his hand.

A big patch of the old man's hand was scalded from the momentary contact. White blisters started forming on its surface.

Even with a Magus' physique and the protection of his innate spell, he was still injured this way!

*Woo woo…*

"The almighty Beelzebub, you are the king of hell, the darling of the original sins, with the control over gluttony. The desires for all cuisine lies in your hand…."

The phantom became more intense as the chants and songs of praises filled the entire tomb area.

Leylin had seen such situations in the past, hence he immediately became vigilant. As for the old man and his grandson, they huddled together in a corner with looks of regret on their faces.

A black ray of light swept out from the notebook, and like a remnant of an illusion seeped into the stone rune on the coffin.

After the flow of light had dissipated, as if it had completed its mission, the notebook burned to ashes in front of their eyes.

Colourful light flowed out of the stone rune, and traces of this light started connecting with the Morning Star corpse.

Like lightning, the ray scanned through the tomb as the Morning Star corpse opened his eyes and once again descended upon this world!

"I… I… Am I Ezekiel? Or Gordius?"

"No! I am Beelzebub! Sovereign King of gluttony, Beelzebub!"

The Magus' eyes looked lost in the beginning, but they soon glowed brightly. His Morning Star domain had apparently descended, and both grandfather and grandson fell to the ground.

"Morning Star! It's our Morning Star ancestor!" By now, the corpse was sitting partially upright. The old man was ecstatic and was about to speak when a flash of ruthless light sparked from the corpse's face.

A ray of crimson red flashed across the old Magus and he disappeared immediately without a trace.

"Mmm! A pretty good supplement! And it appears to be a direct descendant of the corpse too!" The red glow in the Morning Star Magus' eyes intensified. He stroked his belly and darted his eyes towards the young teenager.

"Ah…" The scene a moment ago left the young teen on the verge of collapsing. He opened his mouth and attempted to speak, but could only murmur some incoherent words as his body froze up and stiffened.

The gaze from the Morning Star Magus did not linger for long on the young teen, as it swept its line of sight behind him instead.

"Eh…." Following an indistinct sigh, Leylin's silhouette emerged from the crevice.

"Morning Star Magus?! You're the kid from before!" The words spoken by the corpse in the coffin were filled with much astonishment, and a lot of deep seated hatred.

"That's right! It's me! I'm a projected clone of Beelzebub!" Leylin admitted his identity magnanimously.

With the opposite party's gluttony imprint on him, Leylin couldn't deny the facts. And by now, he should have been able to discern all that had happened anyway.

During ancient times, Beelzebub's clone died and the remains had transformed itself to become a huge rune of gluttony, and thereafter he attempted to invade the different coordinates of the world of Magi.

Magi who attained the gluttony rune would have been tainted by the sin of gluttony, and hence have their appetites awakened. They would also get the ability to advance beyond their realms, and additionally with the power of gluttony in their body, they became potential host bodies for Beelzebub himself!

The Magus buried here was lucky to have obtained a remnant. And after his own Morning Star breakthrough, he seemed to have noticed something amiss and hence sealed himself in and isolated himself from the probe of Beelzebub.

Unfortunately, the notebook that he regularly carried around had been tainted over a long period of time, and it was even entrusted with by of spirit fragments.

After a very long time, his grandchild, bewitched by the notebook, had come forth to open the coffin and release the clone.

"Unexpectedly, you have advanced to Morning Star!"

The Magus possessed by Beelzebub looked extremely imposing. Every single move was filled with an imposing aura, and behind him the image of a huge demon appeared that vaguely resembled the king of hell.

"How do you intend to compensate for my previous losses?" It was odd that this clone did not pursue the matter further, and instead hinted at settling it.

Leylin looked even more baffled as he stepped up to the clone. He looked it right in the eye, "Do you take me for a fool?"

Once the words were spoken, the clone immediately changed colour. Leylin continued, "As you are now, you aren't even a clone, but just a fragment of a spirit with some power of projection! Besides, this Morning Star Magus corpse's point mass has followed its spirit and returned to the astral plane. While this high-quality body has been contaminated by the power of gluttony, with your current reliance on this Morning Star body, how much strength can you exhibit?"

*Buzz!* As the darkness loomed in, the earth looked like it had been isolated them from the outside world. Silver radiance filled the whole sky, and the stars scattered all around.

A real Morning Star domain had descended! Once the clone's domain came into contact with Leylin's it immediately shattered.

Witnessing the outcome, the expression on the clone was hideous while Leylin heaved a sigh of relief.

His previous prediction had been accurate indeed.

Of course, he could have stopped the old man, but he wouldn't have been able to deal with the Magus inside. Allowing both dangers to happen simultaneously and dealing with both issues at once was Leylin's preferred style.

After all, he did incur some hatred from the Sovereign King some time ago, and he naturally couldn't let the matter rest and allow the opposite party to develop their plans.

Even though this was just a projection of a clone, it wasn't wise to ignore him. He could have gone out to replenish himself well, and someday might even become an uncontrollable threat!

Leylin definitely wouldn't want that to happen, yet letting it go was also not an option. The best course of action then would be to destroy him completely when he was at his weakest.

"You….." Beelzebub's clone was a mess, with strands of hair standing on end, exhibiting his extreme anger.

"Goodbye!" Disregarding his opponent's rage, Leylin waved his hand. Terrifying energy condensed into his palm, forming a red flame that then morphed into a huge blazing serpent that coiled around him.

Under the terrifyingly high temperature, the original stone coffin immediately turned to ashes. Leylin eyed the blaze indifferently.

A black radiance appeared, gradually glowing as it sucked in all the fiery blaze. After the fire died out, Beelzebub could be seen opening his mouth wide and swallowing the flames.

What was even more bizarre was that after swallowing them, his aura seemed to have grown stronger.

"Devouring capability! Your understanding of the power of gluttony has reached the level of laws!" Leylin clapped without flinching. Based on the power of the opposite party's body, attaining this level was no big deal.

"It's a pity, though. Your foundation is too weak. How much more energy can you absorb?" Leylin's words angered Beelzebub so much that his face contorted in rage.

Any absorption of power would have a limit to it. And since the opposite party had no mass point belonging to the Morning Star, there was an obvious upper bound to it. Leylin focused on this point and attacked him mercilessly.

It was advantageous that the opposite party was currently weak. It wasn't likely that Leylin would have such opportunities in the future.

*Boom!* A torrential blaze, like a huge wave, swallowed Beelzebub. He became unsure, not daring to swallow any more. Uncountable black tentacles appeared on his body, wrapping him up.

Upon contact with the scarlet red flame, the black tentacles immediately started dissolving. Counteracting each other, the attacks from both sides gradually weakened.

"Ivory Devourer!"

Ferocious black teeth, that seemed to have melted in the void, surrounded Leylin. Yet, it was blocked by a red shield that had Giant Kemoyin Serpents carved on it.

"Indeed, how many more attacks can you sustain?"

The huge black teeth grazed across the surface of the shield, leaving deep grooves and creating big sparks. At this moment, Leylin's looked like he had a plan in mind.

"You…" Bundled within the black tentacles, Beelzebub could only blurt out a single word and was soon enveloped by the fiery red blaze…..

"This….. What is happening?"

The teen lying on the ground looked up and saw what looked like the aftermath of a big battle. At long last, the Magus with a head of black hair appeared and stood among the stars in the sky. He looked like a God descending onto the earth, moving the fiery red blaze to swallow up the strange creature in the coffin.

A long time later, the shimmering stars started to dim, and the black hair Magus came before the teen. His face looked tired but was filled with delight.

"Your name is Blu?" Securing the other gluttony imprint well, Leylin smiled.

Leylin obviously would not want to keep the consciousness of the opposite party. To deal with a rank 7 and above, one could be drowned in their layers of crafty schemes. Unwittingly, the radiation contamination would have become a handful, similar to the example of the old Magus and his ancestor.

However, these gluttony imprints were very much worth researching. And the laws themselves were of much importance!

The power of laws! It was like a door separating rank 6 and rank 7. Only after attaining the necessary power of laws could one be promoted to the Breaking Dawn realm and above. As such, Leylin showed no traces of politeness and kept the gluttony imprint to study thoroughly later.

Although at the present moment, his rank was considerably low, he would definitely come into contact with it in the near future.

"Yes, Master. I am Blu!"

The young Blu bowed respectfully to the Morning Star Magus. It was the kind of respect that the whole central continent would give to one!

Creevey City

Violent winds howled as a huge airship broke through the airflow and cruised through at supersonic speed.

In a comfortable cabin, Leylin gazed at the copious amounts of books that he had, satisfied.

On this trip to the town, not only had he managed to record the Spirit Wave data, he had also ended Beelzebub's conspiracy, and got rid of that hazard. He even got hold of a gluttony imprint! It could be said that he had reaped huge rewards.

He even obtained the research notes and experimental data from the acolyte, Blu. Those used to belong to Blu's Morning Star ancestor.

In return, a few spiritual force potions were sufficient to make the other party shed tears of gratitude.

The research and insights of that Morning Star Magus inspired Leylin greatly.　

As he hurried off, Leylin did not forget to command the A.I. Chip to record all of this information and enrich his database.

After settling the matters regarding the Spirit Wave and Beelzebub, Leylin boarded the private airship gifted by the Fallor Family— the Colossal Serpent. It was about time for the appointment he had arranged previously, thus he decided to abandon his more leisurely mode of transport.

As it was an airship custom-made for a Morning Star Magus, the Colossal Serpent had a comprehensive list of functions. The slightest tremor would not be felt even if it were to be caught in a thunderstorm. At the same time, all the flight paths and supply points across the central continent were open to the Colossal Serpent, and provided free maintenance services. This caused Leylin to be more impressed by the Fallor Family.

Of course, this might also have been the actual intention of the Fallor Family and the Monarch of the Skies.

Even though it was an industry under the control of a Breaking Dawn Magus, it still dominated the air freight business across the entirety of the central continent, and had to spend their money somewhere else.

As compared to trading in various aspects, this amount spent on currying favour with a Morning Star Magus was nothing.

The Colossal Serpent travelled at high speeds. At full speed, it only took Leylin less than half a month to arrive at his destination— Creevey Highlands!

This area was jointly protected by numerous Bloodline organisations, and was equivalent to a meeting point that was specially open to all Warlocks. It housed many hybrid races, Warlocks and those whose bloodlines had been contaminated.

Rumour had it that as long as one had the bloodline of a Warlock, or had any associations with bloodlines, they would be taken good care of here.

Thus, in the central continent where the Magi oppressed numerous races and the humans thrived, Creevey Highlands was like a paradise for those of the other races and mixed bloods who were cast out by both sides.

A private exchange would be held between Morning Star Warlocks in Creevey City, the biggest city in the heart of Creevey Highlands.

Paul and Philip had also tried their best to invite Leylin here to interact more with the other high-ranking Warlocks. This, of course, was naturally what he wanted, and he'd immediately agreed.

As he didn't want to attract too much attention, Leylin did not head towards the airship berth next to Creevey City, and instead, landed in the countryside. He put the Colossal Serpent aside and proceeded to Creevey City by foot.

The road was bustling with activity—carriages, gold-smelted vehicles, enchanted flying carpets and other means of transport. Numerous Magi from all walks of life formed a vast stream of people who came and left through the main gate.

There was a characteristic that most of these Magi shared, and that was the immense saturation of their bloodline aura. Regardless of whether they were Warlocks or people from other races, or even those whose bloodlines were contaminated, none of them were discriminated against like they would have been in the outside world.

Upon passing through the city gates, Leylin intentionally scanned the guard at the side.

He was of a humanoid race, and stood at two metres tall. He had a long dog-like nose and ears, but otherwise, the rest of his body apart from his head was similar to a normal human being's, just with more fur.

'A Canine Militant?!' Leylin immediately thought of the Kobold's close relative. While the Kobold was rumoured to share the same lineage as the ancient giant dragon, the Canine Militant was certainly a species of bestial humans. However, the people of the central continent widely classified them as close relatives, or even considered them as belonging to the same race as Kobolds.

Having purified the bloodline of the ancient red dragon before, Leylin understood clearly that the Kobold really did share the same lineage as the dragon race! Yet he didn't feel any dragon bloodline aura exuding from these Canine Militants at all, not even the slightest bit.

'If I write a paper with this as the thesis, perhaps my name will be made known across the entire continent, although it won't bring me any benefits…'

Leylin's mind wandered off, but he immediately trashed this idea that would only bring him endless trouble.

"However, the average strength of these Canine Militants is actually similar to that of the Kobolds. On top of that, they share similar appearances, no wonder the people of the central continent confuse the two!"

Sensing that these Canine Militants had the average strength of a rank 1 Magus, Leylin couldn't help but regard highly the strength of the Warlocks in control of this city.

Individually, they had outstanding levels of strength, and furthermore, they possessed remarkable tracking and scouting abilities. Just these Canine Militant guards alone were enough to intimidate unlawful people who were waiting for a chance to cause chaos.

"Welcome to Creevey City! This is a Warlock city, please abide by the bloodline rules and respect the other races. Please choose the district you wish to proceed towards from the following: Lava Terrains, Great Woods, Heart of the Ocean, Tomb of Darkness, Central Core…"

Upon entering the city, a prompt sounded in Leylin's ear. Five huge teleportation formations surfaced in front of him, taking in large amounts of people as rays of light flashed periodically.

The entirety of Creevey City had been divided into five major districts, according to the four creational elements: earth, fire, wind and water. They were split according to the concentration of the elemental particles.

Among them, the Lava Terrains was a blazing district made up of a large amount of magma and soil. The concentration of its earth and fire elemental particles was almost at its maximum.

The Great Woods was actually a humongous ancient tree. All sorts of Magus buildings were constructed on its leaves, where many Magi lived. The wind and plant elemental particles were the highest here.

The Heart of the Ocean was a gigantic building complex that floated on water, surrounded by vast seas and sandy beaches, exuding strong tropical vibes.

As for the Tomb of Darkness, it was where the darkness elemental particles were present in the highest concentration, and was also the place where one's aura was the most suppressed. As there were many Warlocks who chose darkness, this location still occupied a firm spot in the city.

If one looked from a bird's eye view, he would be able to see that the entire city had a golden central district at its core, the rest of the town being equally divided into four parts.

The azure blue sea, the fiery red magma, the lush green of the giant tree, and the darkness with all things wilting; these four districts each presented rich colours, yet were distinctly separate. Dazzling and uniformly distributed, none of the colours bled into the other.

The central district at the heart of it all was naturally the place where the interaction between these four districts took place, and also where the public facilities were located.

Here, the enormous yet complicated geographical landscapes were forcibly mashed together by the power of the Magi, forming a marvel that was a rare sight in nature.

'In order to balance such a huge wave of elemental particles, and maintain the stability of the environment…' A blue glow flickered continuously in Leylin's eyes.

'At the very least, it requires setting up a gigantic spell formation under the entire city. The sheer number of magic crystals spent on just operating and maintaining it alone would amount to an astronomical figure…'

Leylin gained a deeper understanding of the strength of these high-ranking Warlocks.

Glancing at the people around him choosing which district to be teleported to, Leylin tilted his head in thought. He decided not to head towards the central core and the Tomb of Darkness, but instead walked into a turquoise teleportation spell formation, being transported to the Great Woods along with other Magi.

Rays of light flashed, indicative of the teleportation process. Leylin no longer felt uncomfortable when experiencing spatial changes during such a short journey. After all, his current body was now able to withstand teleportation across different planes through the Astral Gate; this was like peanuts to him.

While the other Magi were still feeling giddy from the residual effects of teleportation, Leylin had already walked out with both hands behind his back, and started sizing up the Great Woods.

The place they had been transported to was evidently a crossroad. When Leylin arrived outside the teleportation spell formation, the first sights he saw were the humongous leaves and numerous Magi structures.

He walked to the edge of the path before realising that the wide road he was walking on was actually just a twig of the giant tree. Sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the earth.

As the crown of the tree was too large, the rays of light were very dim. One could see the glow of numerous Eternal Light spells and eternal flames in front of the Magus structures.

"Whew…" The Great Woods could just be the highest place in the whole of Creevey City. Perched on the giant tree, one had a panoramic view of the other districts. Leylin took in the sights of the fiery magma, the sky blue seawater, and even the huge gloomy tomb.

It was only the central core district that was shrouded in a layer of haze, and it couldn't be seen clearly.

'Indeed, that area is an important strategical location, controls must be put in place!' Leylin thought as he wandered along a branch.

Most of the Magus structures in the Great Woods were built on tree leaves, and were evenly distributed all the way to the top. If any Magus wanted to cover the entire district completely, he would have to scale the tree endlessly.

On the way, a few yellow and green and birds flew past Leylin from time to time, occasionally resting on high twigs and tweeting, which was pleasant to the ears.

Under the effect of the gigantic purification towers, even normal creatures could withstand the radiation contamination unintentionally emitted by Magi, as long as it was not too much.

Hence, average humans and other animals were able to exist in many Magus cities across the central continent.

"Such an environment seems to be what the Elves would like best!" Leylin couldn't help but check out the passers-by on both sides.

In Creevey City, most of the population was made of Warlocks and other races. However, in the Great Woods district, the most commonly seen race was the Elves, who had pointy ears and tall and slender figures.

One had to admit that the appearance of the Elves possessed many special characteristics unique to Warlocks. If not for the difference in their aura, and the ears which gave them away, many Magi would likely mistake Elves for Warlocks.