579 - 587

Contend

If not for Leylin's appearance, the Ouroboros Clan would probably have been annihilated in the attack by the allied forces.　　

Even if Leylin showed off his terrifying battle might and talent, and used various methods to get the other side to withdraw their troops, all the land and resources that had been occupied would not be taken back easily.　　

Leylin had merely been a newly-advanced Morning Star then. How could he request a territory as large as that of the other three Morning Star Warlocks? If they were to be attacked again, he would not be able to suppress it alone.

The amount of strength he possessed dictated the treatment he could command. Leylin was very clear on this fact. Now, with the return of the two dukes and the rise of his battle power, Leylin felt that he had enough under his belt to request this.

As for whether this would offend Jupiter's Lightning… Hadn't Leylin already done so in the past? Since he had completely offended them, doing anything more wasn't a huge issue.

"Mm! The Black River Domain used to be one of the territories of the Ouroboros Clan, and it being occupied by some other organisation is an insult to us Bloodline Warlocks!" Philip stood up, looking indignant, "I'll definitely tell the union!"

Seeing him acting this way, Paul and the other Warlock rolled their eyes inwardly but did not retort against him. Rather, they were in favour of that decision.

Those territories had initially belonged to the Ouroboros Clan, and they were merely recovering them. In addition, they would at most show their support verbally and not actually act, unless the Ouroboros Clan was willing to make more compromises for their benefits.　　

However, Leylin was only requesting that they be witnesses, and was not planning on having them act.　　

Not considering his current strength, just Gilbert and Emma working together would be enough to handle this.　　

Hearing that Leylin had intentions of reclaiming their old land, the Crystal Phase Warlocks around did not speak, but they were very emotional.　　

The allied forces still occupied their lands and ruled their people. That was the ultimate humiliation!

The fact that the battle had come all the way to the headquarters and they had almost completely been uprooted was still fresh, and was deeply carved into the minds of these Warlocks. With these seeds of hatred planted, they were stirred up on hearing that Leylin was going to lead them to enact their vengeance.

Seeing this, Leylin nodded.　　

The reason for this expansion was to increase the size of the pie so as to avert dissent. With three Morning Stars now in the Ouroboros Clan, the resources of the area they controlled were not enough to divide amongst all of them, leave alone the rest of the people under them.

Furthermore, by leading them to take revenge, Leylin's reputation would reach an unprecedented level, which would make it more convenient for him to take control of the organisation.

This was an open conspiracy. Even if Gilbert and Emma could tell, they would not be able to say much.

Having agreed on the time, Philip and the others took their leaves, and even Freya and other high-ranked Warlocks left automatically. Only Leylin and the other two were left.　　

"Are you going to declare war on Jupiter's Lightning now? Didn't you say to maintain the current state?" Emma asked worriedly.　　

"When I said to maintain the current state, I meant our current state of preparing for battle!" Leylin laughed grimly, a tyrannical aura emanating from his body. "Besides, Jupiter's Lightning is probably too busy with their own matters…"　　

"Oh? How is that?" Gilbert was interested. He was always elated when there were methods to trim Jupiter Lightning's strength. From Leylin's perspective, this was a deeply embedded enmity.

"When I went to the Lava World, I asked the rank 5 'Golden Lion' Warlock, Lord Wayde, to help hold up Zegna. He accidentally let a rank 5 clone go, but the main body did not descend. For that reason, I'm going to hold to our agreement!"

"What agreement?" Gilbert and Emma exchanged a glance. Ever since they had known Leylin, they had never seen this kid at a disadvantage before. There must definitely be some deep meaning for him to do this.　　

"He helped me hold Zegna back, so in return, I will give them the coordinates to the Lava World!" Leylin laughed. "Just now, Wayde received my message…"　　

"What?" Gilbert and Emma stood up abruptly, "That's a world! Do you know what you've done?"

A large alternative world meant unprecedented benefits. Just the strength systems and paths to power they had were extremely helpful for Magi, and could help them progress rapidly.　　

Not considering other matters, those Breaking Dawn Monarchs had taken over entire large worlds before advancing. The fact that Leylin had obtained such benefits was also proof of the value of a world.

Hence, organisations would guard these coordinates with the highest security. If not for Zegna being absolutely confident and having been bewitched by somebody else, he would not use these coordinates to trap the three Kemoyin dukes.

A world that had not been exploited yet was very attractive. It was not as if the three Kemoyin dukes didn't have their suspicions, but they still fell into the trap. The fact was that the benefits were immense, to the point that it affected their rationality!

Of course, it was Zegna who had lost everything. Not only had he gained nothing, he had also suffered greatly.

Now, Leylin was giving such a huge secret away? Emma and Gilbert could not comprehend this.

After all, in their eyes, only they and Jupiter's Lightning knew of the Lava World's coordinates. At this point, it was best to keep this secret to their death and when the time was right, they could destroy Jupiter's Lightning and completely take over the Lava World!

"You guys…" Leylin shook his head helplessly, "How could another world be so easy to take control of? Besides, there are numerous rank 5s there, as well as Jupiter's Lightning eyeing this strength."　　

"What we need the most now is not another world, but enough time to rest and regain our strength."

"Wayde is part of our Warlock Union. By luring him there, Jupiter's Lightning will definitely launch an intense battle for control of the Lava World. That will give us ample time for developments." Leylin spoke frankly and assuredly, tone full of confidence and eyes emanating an incomparable vigour.　　

"There are rank 5s on both ends. How could the Lava World be so easily taken over? In this period of time, it's enough for us to take advantage of the chaos and gain benefits!"

"On top of that, once we obtain more strength, it's not like we can't forcefully retrieve the Lava World from the other party's hands!"

Not only did Leylin make the final decision, he even presented a pretty picture for Emma and Gilbert.

"If you say that…" Gilbert and Emma looked each other in the eye begrudgingly.　　

Seeing them acting this way, Leylin was laughing inside.　　

He obviously didn't care much for the Lava World, because he'd already gotten the most benefits from there. Not only had he obtained the mutated Fireplume and caused his Morning Star point mass to grow to the limits, he'd even gotten a third of the essence from the phoenix egg.　　

These were basically the greatest treasures of the Lava World, and Leylin was obviously satisfied with his gains.

After the matter with the Holy Solar Festival, he had offended the heads of the two largest organisations in the Lava World, Scarlet Eye and Archibald, and it could only be resolved by the death of a party.

Just the knowledge that he had obtained fragments of the phoenix's egg would be enough to cause the strong ones within the Lava World to hunger after his gains.

The reason Leylin had handed over the coordinates to the Lava World was because he had considered this as well. With Wayde in control, he could still hold onto what he had. Besides, he'd already handed the coordinates over already. If Wayde or others wanted some? It was simple, they could go to the Lava World themselves and contend with each other for it!

"That Zegna from Jupiter's Lightning is probably coughing up blood right now, given that I threw these coordinates away." Leylin stroked his chin, a malicious grin about his lips.　　

...　　

He sent the two dukes away after their discussion. Following that was a conversation with Freya over dinner before Leylin finally returned to his Morning Star Magus Tower.

The place was as towering as always, full of archaism and grandeur. As he entered the tower, the intelligent tower genie flew out, "Master!"

"Hmm. Show me all the recent records, as well as the current state of operation of the Magus Tower," Leylin commanded.　　

"In the time that master has been away, the astral gate has been operating at the lowest energy level. Astral stone storage has been completely used up. Magus Tower is now running on minimal energy required. 3.78% of the Host's health is injured. Supplies-wise, …."

The tower genie was expressionless and began to send in the reports methodically. It was extremely meticulous, as if he was the most thorough of butlers.

"Keke… I've practically used up all the astral stones I've accumulated as well as the power source of the Magus Tower." Leylin sighed, feeling his heart ache.

"But in comparison to such a huge harvest, this investment is very worth it. The profits were immense! Of course, that's because I have the A.I. Chip and can unearth the resources of foreign worlds to the highest degree."

Back in his study room, Eternal Flames emitted heated light. Seated behind the study table, he began to compare his gains.

"I've successfully met my goal and brought the two Kemoyin dukes back. The Ouroboros Clan's strength has risen rapidly, and just this alone means that I've gotten more than I invested."

Leylin's eyes were twinkling as he spread out a black notebook on the table and began to scribble on it.

"In terms of resources, there's the essence of the phoenix egg. That is definitely a world-class treasure. Not only can it accelerate progress in Fireplume, it's remarkably useful for a Magus' soul and point mass. The resources that I especially collected from the Emberwings can also be considered to be abundant!"

Vitality Bottleneck

"In terms of techniques, the mutated Fireplume is probably comparable to a top-grade meditation technique…"

Leylin checked on the point mass in his sea of consciousness. After devouring the essence of Fireplume, the point mass had not only become more concentrated, with the nebula outside expanding by half, it now emanated a trace of fiery-red amongst the darkness.

After obtaining Fireplume, his aptitude had changed. Previously, his darkness elemental affinity was the main element. Now, his fire elemental affinity had been raised, and while it was still not up to par with the darkness element, it was catching up.

"My Kemoyin's Pupil is no longer a meditation technique solely for Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, but a top-grade one infused with Fireplume." Leylin obviously would not start training in Fireplume all over again. He was, at his roots, a Magus, and a bloodline Warlock at that. Hence, while running its simulations, the A.I. Chip had fused the essence of Fireplume into his point mass.

Fireplume fused with Kemoyin's Pupil. The two had been made compatible with previous simulations, and they now fused together to form a slightly mutated meditation technique.

The effects of the technique far surpassed that of the fourth level of the original Kemoyin's Pupil, and even allowed Leylin to see hope of simulating the fifth level!

Once simulation of the meditation technique was complete, Leylin only needed to solve the bloodline issues and he would be able to rid himself of the bloodline shackles of rank 4, and pry open the realm of the Radiant Moon!

"Kemoyin's Pupil doesn't have a fifth level anyway. I'll just continue calling this upgraded fused meditation technique the same thing." Leylin very continued to use the already given name with no intention to think of a new one.

Whether it was the twelfth and thirteenth levels of Fireplume or the fifth level of a meditation technique, they all enabled one to enter the Radiant Moon realm. Even if Leylin had some rough ideas about that, it would require a large period of time for him to comprehend them all.

Even so, it was still much better than having no hope at all.

"Besides Fireplume, I've recorded a lot of information regarding the culture, technology and geography of the Lava World. The A.I. Chip's database is much more complete, and I've benefited quite a lot!" Leylin stroked his chin.

The advantage of having the A.I. Chip meant that he could leave Magi far behind in the dust in terms of his learning speed. In other worlds, he was basically like a fish in water, recording even the most complicated information with just a sweeping scan by the A.I. Chip. He could analyse and understand everything quickly, and was much faster than Magi who had to study one book after another.

For this reason, he could rapidly gain clarity on the path of strength in other worlds and fuse it into his own body, a unique advantage for himself.

"In general, the harvests were so immense during this trip to the Lava World, that my absorption is bursting at the seams…" Leylin glanced at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (Matured Body). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual force:956.8, Magic power: 956 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul force: ???]

"The lowest numbers for spiritual force among Morning Star is 500 and above, and I've almost reached 1000! However, soul force has yet to be enumerated."

Looking at the numbers, a wry smile appeared on his face.

He had obtained much in the Lava World, especially with a few advancements in his soul that allowed his soul force to rise sharply in power. While the A.I. Chip could not show the numbers, just the difference in spiritual force implied that there was a large change.

Soul force was a higher-grade version of spiritual force. Hence, advancements in the soul could be seen through advancements in spiritual force.

"However, an increase of around 400 is already beginning to exceed the limits of what my body can handle!"

The wry smile at the corner of Leylin's lips grew even more obvious. Fireplume and the phoenix egg were treasures that put emphasis on the elements, but did not do much for strength.

While he had a large increase in spiritual force at one go, his body had already begun to show signs of an inability to endure.

This was because there was too much water in the cup, and the cup was too small. Though there weren't any obvious residual effects yet, Leylin could only turn into a spirit and walk the path of a spirit Magus if he did not treat this in time.

"To solve this, the essence is to strengthen my vitality and allow the body, as well as the spiritual force that suddenly increased, to grow harmonious once more, and get everything done once and for all."

Leylin commanded, "A.I. Chip, with my current control, how much vitality do I need to sustain my spiritual force?"

[Beep! Mission established, scanning of stats of host body. Beginning construction of model. Beginning deduction…]

The A.I. Chip's robotic voice was heard as it formed a blue human figure in Leylin's mind. Terrifying spiritual force undulations were emanated from the model.

[Deduction completed. To completely match with spiritual force, host must have a vitality of 100 or above!] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

"A vitality at 100 or above?" Leylin touched his chin.

As the body was a vessel for spiritual force, Magi took vitality rather seriously. They even had some techniques and body-tempering spell formations just for this.

With Leylin's current state, with a vitality as high as 65, 90% of the techniques for increasing vitality were useless to him.

However, with his knowledge and the accumulations from his explorations in the past, he immediately had an idea.

"Not considering those remote techniques, Multilimb Strength is very suitable for me right now. Even in the worst situation, I can control my current condition and prevent it from getting worse!"

Leylin stood up with a flash of understanding and headed to another training room.

*Ka-cha!* His body suddenly contorted in a strange manner, arranging himself such that he looked like a strange rune. Bizarre joints and muscles could be heard vibrating within him.

These vibrations combined and gradually formed a slightly hoarse voice.

The voice seemed to be chanting some sacrificial text, full of a great, ancient feeling that also held within a barbaric air.

"Multilimb Strength!"

"Aoooo!" A shrunken six-armed figure appeared behind Leylin, and with his chanting, more runes appeared from the Multi-Armed Race figure and disappeared into Leylin's back.

When the ceremony was over, the rays of light from the Multi-Armed Race member disappeared into Leylin's back and formed a strange golden image of the Multi-Armed Race, looking like a vivid tattoo.

Multiple golden threads scattered on Leylin's skin and muscles, and everything quickly quietened down.

Leylin got up, looking at his palms. The skin was pale, bones slender, and there didn't seem to be much of a difference. Occasionally, though, faint flashes of gold would be seen flashing within.

There seemed to be a layer of dense armour on his body, which made it heavy. This was nothing to Leylin. More importantly, the instant the tattoo was completed, the pressure from having his spiritual force straining his body at all times, while not completely dissipating, had reduced.

Seeing this result, Leylin heaved a long sigh of relief.

"Though Multilimb Strength can't increase my vitality, it has an effect of sealing and reinforcing the body, which can maintain my current state. When I find more body-tempering spell formations…"

"Now, I need to quickly take care of the allied forces who are still occupying the territories that belong to the Ouroboros Clan. I'll then make use of the Ouroboros Clan's forces and get them to help me find treasures, potions, or spell formations and the like that can increase my vitality…"

Leylin made plans for himself, feet continuing to move until he reached another secret room.

On the door, there were many seals that formed a chain, locking the door tightly. However, a boiling heat could still be felt.

*Buzz!* A black flame automatically appeared from Leylin's body, and it absorbed all the heat.

"Pretty good level of heat! It's like another form of the phoenix's flames!"

"A.I. Chip!" Leylin commanded inwardly.

[Beep! Limits to authority opened! Passed scanning!] Along with the A.I. Chip's voice, two blue streams of data flashed from Leylin's eyes, millions of ant-like golden words flickering and entering the seal.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The runic chain broke open, and terrifying golden flames surged out from behind the door.

*Skreeee!* As if provoked or challenged, the black flames on Leylin's body grew more exuberant, forming a black layer of isolation that kept the door tightly shut.

Large amounts of golden flames were eaten into and devoured by the black flames as they strengthened themselves.

Such a devilish process left Leylin in shock.

After entering the secret room, one could see a giant world of ice and snow. At the heart, however, a golden sun was emanating rays of light. Numerous ice runes formed chains that restrained the sun, but it still produced a boiling heat.

In that moment, there was a deadlock between the icy blue and fiery gold.

"The bloodline of the rank 6 Sun's Child!" Leylin's eyes were unfocused, the black flames automatically forming the figure of a devilish black bird. Crimson eyes were glued onto the little sun in the middle, looking fearful.

"It's a pity…" Leylin sighed once again. This was the highest-ranked bloodline he had gained thus far.

After the phoenix egg had broken, it automatically formed a dense crystal and there were no traces of its bloodline remaining, leading Leylin to start wondering if the phoenix was a bloodline creature at all. There was no way to refine any ancient bloodline in this case.

"I have a feeling that the bloodline of the Sun's Child is very compatible with Fireplume, but it's a pity… I already have another bloodline…"

Leylin sighed. If he had the bloodline of the phoenix, he would change his bloodline no matter how difficult it would be. However, the bloodline of the Sun's child? That was only rank 6, and wasn't powerful enough to motivate him to take this risk.

Commencing Counterattack

"It's too wasteful to use the Sun's Child's bloodline for an ancient bloodline ignition experiment. Besides, the Ouroboros Clan is about to wage a war against the allied forces of Jupiter's Lightning. After that, I still need to look for body-tempering spell formations and explore the Icy World. I need exceedingly powerful methods that can inspire terror!" Leylin stroked his chin.

With his current strength, he could escape from a Radiant Moon, but he had nothing that would be able to threaten them. Hence, he needed powerful, intimidating trump cards.

Kemoyin Serpent Transformation, being a Morning Star Arcane Art, was indeed one, but people would learn to counter it if he used it too often. Leylin was looking to prepare a few other killing techniques.

"Using a rank 6 bloodline to create a one-time bloodline imprint should be enough to threaten the life of a Radiant Moon, right?" Leylin predicted, "Though it's a pity, there's no other choice."

A bloodline imprint could be able to display the strength of certain ancient beings when they were at their peak. Even one attack at such strengths was frightening.

In the past, Leylin could do nothing with the bloodline of the Sun's Child even if he had these thoughts.

Now, however, not only had he risen to the peak of Morning Star and gotten a huge boost in strength, he had also gained control over the phoenix flames, which could rival this sun's flames. For that reason, creating a bloodline imprint was a real possibility.

"Let's begin…" Leylin watched the golden flaming sun at the heart of the secret room and took a deep breath. Dense, demonic black flames were emitted from his palms, and burst forth in the form of a thin thread…

The creation of the bloodline imprint took a few days. When Gilbert and the rest in the Magus Tower outside were beginning to get impatient, Leylin appeared before them.

They could feel something was different about him, but Gilbert and the others could not pinpoint it.

"I've made my decision. Gather the army, and we shall begin reclaiming our lost territory!" Leylin wore a platinum Magus robe and had on white gloves. His temperament was full of dignity, and upon hearing his declaration, multiple Ouroboros Clan Warlocks began to cheer. They had been waiting for this day for far too long.

After showing himself and setting the hearts of everyone at ease, Leylin sent Gilbert and the rest away and took off his gloves. Observing the back of his hands, his face could not hide the ecstasy he was feeling.

Complicated runes in the form of a sun occupied the backs of both his hands. The outermost layer was a ring of black flames, as if a seal to store the power of the sun in his hands.

'With the support from the A.I. Chip and the suppression from the phoenix flames, I finally moulded the bloodline of the Sun's Child into a bloodline imprint!' Leylin paid close attention to the bloodline imprints. After a long while, he sighed deeply and wore the gloves once again.

'I didn't expect for the blood to be sufficient to form two imprints. And I can even feel that Fireplume is nourishing these imprints on my hands, altering them in some way. They seem to have been upgraded. If I were to activate this suddenly, even a rank 5 wouldn't be able to withstand the attack!'

Leylin's Fireplume and the bloodline of the Sun's Child had some mysterious response to each other, and the bloodline imprint's power was being nourished and amplified. The A.I. Chip estimated that each of these two bloodline imprints was as strong as two all-out attacks from the ancient rank 6 Sun's Child!

With such a great killing technique with him, Leylin now had something to count on, and was utterly confident in waging this war.

Greenflame City. This stronghold which acted as the bridge between the allied forces and Phosphorescence Swamp, was also a key strategic region for the Ouroboros Clan.

Since the Sky Legion had taken over this place, this stronghold had been in the hands of the allied forces. Even the commoners there had accepted this fact.

Gradually, after a few years, they had recovered from the fires of war before, and were now showing signs of prospering.

"No matter which Magus organisation governs them, none would attack regular humans for no reason. Hence, their loyalty is not guaranteed. Practically all leaders will be easily accepted, or should I say, this is the survival instinct of people with low social status?"

Above Greenflame City, Leylin and a few other Morning Star Warlocks stood in the air. Seeing the prosperous city, there was little they could say.

The Ouroboros Clan had occupied this area for thousands of years, but they never expected the people to react this way.

"We've never had much of an interest in this area. It's fine as long as they can provide a certain amount of provisions and materials, as well an annual influx of fresh blood." Gilbert stood aside, slightly red in the face.

"Oh well! At least, we won't have to feel bad about dragging them back into war once more!" Emma sneered, eyes completely red. The news that the allied forces had attacked the Ouroboros Clan brazenly after she had disappeared had completely riled her up.

The fury of a Morning Star could only be eased with fresh blood!

"If you don't make a move, I'm going to do it!" Emma watched Leylin and the others who had been invited such as Paul, who were unmoving. Laughing coldly, her robes began to sway and make sounds with the breeze.

"The flame elf of the immemorial times, please listen to my decree and descend, turning into a rain of flames!" Emma chanted loudly as terrifying elemental particle emanated from her body like a black hole. Endless elemental tides formed a surging tsunami.

A bit of red appeared in the sky, and it accumulated to form a layer of dense flaming clouds.

"Rank 4 spell— Descent of the Heavenly Flames!" Large amounts of flames streaked down like meteors, leaving splendid long tails as they descended upon Greenflame City.

Soon enough, successive sounds of an explosion could be heard, and a large amount of black flames formed that spread everywhere.

"Enemy attack! These energy undulations… Morning Star!" Within the residence of the city's mayor, a sentry yelled in disbelief at the data they had seen on the screen.

At the same time, he hung his head, closed his eyes and prayed, "Great Lord! Has the war between Morning Stars begun once again…"

He knew how terrifying wars between Morning Stars were. If Greenflame City was going to be the battlefield, none of the low-ranked Magi like him would be able to escape. Just the stray spells and large amounts of horrifying radiation could easily take their measly lives.

"Crap! The base of the airship forces!" After praying, this alarm watcher suddenly recalled something, and his expression changed as he activated a secret imprint in his hands.

"Hello? Is this the base of the airships? This is the mayor's residence. This is a rank 4 warning. I repeat, this is a rank 4 warning. A Morning Star is attacking!!"

No matter how much he shouted, there was no reaction from the imprint. Knowing things were bad, he darted out of the surveillance room and immediately saw the shower of flames. The violent sounds of explosions that accompanied them meant that the airship base stationed beside Greenflame City was now caught in the blazing flames.

"It's too late!" He laughed bitterly, about to leave the battlefield.

*Rumble!* Boiling hot meteoric flames fell and wrapped around him, the fierce flames burning violently.

"Warning, warning! Energy from the barrier has been consumed. Unable to maintain energy defence!"

The piercing sounds of alerts could be heard everywhere in the base. There were panicked Magi and technological staff everywhere, and the interior of the airship base was in chaos.

Occasionally, a few airships would take flight, and would then be ruthlessly smacked to the ground by a few gigantic black arms, causing large sparks in the base.

"These airships aren't half bad, but it's a pity they're useless to me!"

Leylin sighed, but his hands did not stop moving. Large black Giant Kemoyin Serpent figures streaked through the skies, absorbing life force without care. All enemies in the vicinity of these figures had their life force sucked up and turned into dry corpses, with not even a bit of moisture left within.

The Ouroboros Clan was unable to handle so many airships, and besides, arrangements after the war were going to be very troublesome. Leylin could not be bothered to wrangle with the Morning Stars over this, and found it simpler to just obliterate the fleet.

"Stop!" Such unbridled actions immediately gave rise to the fury of other Magi. A streak of blue light shot out and appeared before Leylin and the others, revealing the figure of a young Magus.

The undulations of a Morning Star were also being emanated from this young Magus' body. From his bright eyes that had seen through the ways of the world, there was now merely rage. However, after seeing Leylin, Paul and the others, which came up to six Morning Stars working together, his pupils shrank slightly, and fear appeared on his face.

"Duke Farlier, are you planning on destroying the peace treaty from before?" Leylin knew this Magus. He was one of the Morning Stars that had besieged Ouroboros Clan, and was one of the leaders of the organisations that depended on Jupiter's Lightning.

Of course, to the current Leylin, he was as weak as an ant.

"Peace treaty? Hmph! That was just a temporary armistice!" Emma took a step forward, a snake-shaped spore landed in Greenflame City below.

*Bang!* The spore clung onto the body of a Magus, and fear was apparent on his face as many warts appeared on his body.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Seconds later, the warts broke open, and even more spores flew out.

In a short period of time, the entire Greenflame City had sunk into an abyss of suffering.

"You-!" The Morning Star Magus was anxious but did not raise his hand. With six Morning Star Warlocks here, he would be the one in trouble the moment he made a move.

Hence, he could only glare at Emma with hatred, "His Highness from Jupiter's Lightning will not let you off!"

"I'll wait!" Leylin chuckled and stepped forward while he continued the conversation.

Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, he had gone completely insane! Even with three Kemoyin dukes joining hands, as well as support from the Warlock Union, it was naive to think they'd be able to challenge a Radiant Moon!

This Morning Star began to snicker but immediately realised something was odd.

"Only Leylin out of all the Warlocks here has recently advanced. It's understandable if he doesn't understand the gap between them, but how can Gilbert and the others not know the power of a real Radiant Moon? Why do they look so relaxed?"

Retrieving Land

Every Magus possessed knowledge and wisdom that far surpassed that of ordinary men. How could any such person knowingly provoke a rank 5?

There were only two ways that such a thing would happen. They were either absolutely confident in victory, or had a trump card that guaranteed them their lives.

Though this Morning Star couldn't guess what trump card Leylin and the rest had, he could tell that the situation today was not in his favour.

"Alright! Give me five minutes, and I'll order all my Magi to withdraw. I'll leave Greenflame City to you," he relented, albeit grudgingly.

The city and territory were all small matters to him. His Magi were what truly mattered, and he did not hesitate to make this choice even if he was unwilling.

"There's no need for that. Whatever the Ouroboros Clan lost, we will retrieve it with our own strength." Gilbert shook his head and rejected the other party's suggestion.

"Also, even if it's you, whoever dares offend our Ouroboros Clan will need to pay the price," Leylin added from the core of the group of Warlocks.

"What?" The enemy Morning Star Magus was enraged. "The nerve! You dare threaten me?"

He had been infuriated. Morning Star Magi lorded over the central continent. With their Morning Star Arcane Arts, they had trump cards capable of taking their opponents down with them, and they'd thus developed a pride rooted in the belief that they were unrivalled.

He acknowledged that he had been defeated, and taking the initiative and withdrawing was already giving his opponent face. However, the Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan wanted him to pay a price?

"Lunatics! You bunch of Kemoyin Warlocks are all lunatics!" The Morning Star's expression turned frosty.

If he knew of Leylin's previous battle achievements, he wouldn't dare say things like this.

Now, however, the Magus was determined to teach Leylin a lesson, and terrifying elemental energy gathered on his body as rings of light formed one after the other.

"Morning Star Arcane Art!" Paul and the others exclaimed in shock.

"That's right… Since you don't know what's good for you, then let this area be completely destroyed!" The Morning Star Magus yelled maniacally. If a Morning Star were to disregard everything, the Ouroboros Clan's territory would be ruined.

"Stand down. Let me do this."

Unexpectedly, the Warlocks opposing him had not withdrawn from his threats. Instead, Leylin had stepped out.

"A mere newly-advanced Morning Star is going to stop me?" This Morning Star suddenly had the urge to laugh.

Soon enough, though, this smile turned stiff.

*Hsssss!*" Along with large amounts of demonic black flames, the giant phantom of a serpent appeared behind Leylin's back. This large serpent was quite similar to the Giant Kemoyin Serpent of the Ouroboros Clan, but there were red patterns on the scales and large amounts of black flames twining around its body. It was as if it was wreathed in a layer of flaming armour.

A forcefield even more terrifying than those of ancient rank 4 beings spread out, covering him.

*Crack!* The rings of light broke, and the energy of this Morning Star Magus' point mass began to seep out and enter the black flames.

"Wha– What monster is this?!" The Morning Star Magus' expression changed, regret filling his mind. He now knew that this newly-advanced Morning Star was the most terrifying of this group of Warlocks!

"Hssss!" The huge serpent snarled and devoured the Morning Star…

*Rumble!* Air shook and created shockwaves. Gilbert, Emma and the rest shot glances at each other and began to stabilise the space around them.

*Whoosh!* A moment later, a blue figure escaped from the giant phantom serpent, making a strange sound as he fled pitifully.

Leylin stood quietly where he was, not even a wrinkle in his clothes or a strand of stray hair jutting out. He did not proceed to give chase.

"Why did you let him go?" Gilbert and Emma asked. They knew it was intentional on Leylin's part, after all they had personally seen his prowess.

"Our goal right now is to regain our territory. Now isn't the time to start wars with others. Battles between Morning Stars would attract the attention of Breaking Dawn Monarchs."

Leylin shook his head, "Besides, the injuries to his body will take a few hundred years to heal. There's no need to take notice of him in the future!"

It had to be said that Leylin was very meticulous in some matters. Gilbert and Emma looked to give him their approval.

"Ley– Leylin, you're so amazing? Goodnes! That was a Morning Star!" Philip was gaping. He had to admit that what he had seen today was just too amazing, and something rarely seen even in his long life.

Leylin could actually forcefully suppress a Magus by interrupting them while they were performing their Morning Star Arcane Art. He had even gravely injured his opponent, and was confident in killing them!

This was not a strength that belonged to rank 4s. It was the might that only great rank 5 Magi possessed!

"Leylin, Your Grace. Have you advanced to rank 5 already?" Paul asked a question that Gilbert and Emma wanted to enquire about as well.

"Of course not!" Leylin shook his head, but that only gave Paul the feeling that he was enigmatic and unmeasurable.

"Alright! Since the Morning Star has already been chased off, Greenflame City shall return to the arms of our Ouroboros Clan!"

Gilbert said a few words to a secret imprint, and soon enough troops formed of multiple high-ranked Warlocks arrived at the place.

Having already been attacked by a rank 4 spell and seeing their Morning Star flee in defeat, the high-ranked Magi of the enemy had no plans of fighting on. Teleportation portals flashed and people flew away as they fled.

Greenflame City returned to the Warlocks' control in less than an hour.

"I remember that this place once belonged to the Mair Family, right?" Emma spoke, implying something.

"Yes! As the Mair Family did not guard their territory properly, I suggest we reduce their land and take Greenflame City, giving it to other bloodline nobility!" Gilbert immediately spoke.

This was a reshuffling of power. With Leylin's powerful, abrupt rise, as well as the fall of the original First Elder, there were definitely conflicts of interest when it came to the allocation of benefits. The war was a perfect excuse to make changes to this.

Leylin stood silently at the side, not seeming to have any intentions of seizing power. However, even outsiders like Paul and Philip could tell that most of the territories that were being reclaimed would definitely be placed under Leylin's Farlier Family and Freya's Blood Serpent Family.

After the war, the Blood Serpent and Farlier Families would immediately rise in power. There was no doubt about that.

"Alright, let's get to the next area!" Once all affairs at Greenflame City were taken care of, a few Warlocks immediately continued on a new journey.

With Leylin along with Gilbert and Emma as support, the organisations that relied on Jupiter's Lightning and had merely one or two Morning Star Magi were swept through.

While Philip and Paul did not do anything, just their presence represented the stance of the Warlock Union. Even Rank 5 Magi had to reconsider the consequences.

Hence, the frontlines were pushed forward smoothly. In less than a month, all the land that had been occupied had returned to the high-ranked Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan. Of course, there were naturally changes when it came to allocation, but no Warlock dared complain.

"Hah… Onyx Castle! I'm back!"

Leylin stood above Onyx Castle in his territory, and was speechless.

The Magus Tower not far away had long since been overturned by the Oakheart family. Of course, they had immediately compensated Leylin with a brand new Morning Star Magus Tower.

The Onyx Castle below had obviously been destroyed and reconstructed. That must have been the Oakheart Family trying to curry favour with him since they were already here.

"Are you very familiar with the Azure Mountain King? The moment you arrived, he immediately withdrew his troops, and even looked impatient in doing it!"

"I just have something on him, so we're temporary allies." Leylin shook his head and chuckled.

"Temporary?" Emma observed Leylin's profound smile, suddenly feeling like the breeze in the skies was slightly chilly. She began to mourn for the Oakheart Family.

"News has come in that the Green Snake Marshes have been taken back. Our Ouroboros Clan has now regained all its past territory!" Gilbert's figure appeared by Leylin side, a sigh in his tone. "What should we do next?"

"Nothing. Just work on consolidating our original territories."

Leylin knew when to stop. Though he did not know if it was his existence or the intimidation of the Warlock Union, Jupiter's Lightning had displayed a high degree of tolerance towards the Ouroboros Clan's recent activities, and practically did not interfere at all. This was also why Leylin and the rest had been able to reclaim their territories so quickly.

Of course, Leylin did not believe that they were afraid of him or the union.

Zegna probably had something more important to focus on, which was why he was temporarily enduring his activities. As long as he killed Leylin, the Ouroboros Clan would quickly fall apart even if they took up half of the central continent.

Leylin always had his guard up against this Radiant Moon.

...

"The Ouroboros Clan has completely expelled our organisations and restored their territories!"

"In the Lava World, Wayde has brought a group of high-ranked Warlocks and is going around annihilating the Mobius Organisation!"

"Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT! Leylin, Wayde… One day, I'll bury your skulls under my palace's steps, and have your souls wailing within the flames of my lights…"

Zegna's eyes were bloodshot as he sent the reporting Morning Star Magus away. Recently, all that was being delivered to him was bad news.

Wayde had actually gotten the coordinates to the Lava World, bringing a whole group and vying for territory with him. His previous actions had lost him his friendship with Scarlet Eye, and Archibald had become hostile with him after this matter as well.

While Zegna was in terrible shape worrying over these, Leylin had meanwhile reclaimed all the territory that had once belonged to the Ouroboros Clan!

Pond of Lamentation

"It's all your fault, Narsha! Didn't you say that as long as we make use of the Lava World's coordinates as a trap, we can get rid of them and make them disappear into a spatial rift? You said nobody would know!"

The moon rune on Zegna's forehead dimmed as he narrowed his eyes.

"How would I know that three Morning Star Warlocks, when teamed up, were as powerful as a Radiant Moon Magus…" The mysterious female voice sounded like that of a spoilt little girl.

"Are you calling me useless?" Veins surfaced on Zegna's forehead.

"What? How could I do such a thing? You're my student, after all!" The little girl's voice was suddenly replaced by a mature one.

"All we have is a trade, an exchange of benefits." Zegna was breathing heavily as he stated this fact.

"Alright, alright! I know what you want. Wayde is fighting you over the Lava World, and Leylin is challenging your might in the central continent… But all this does not matter. As long as we succeed in our plan, you can advance to Breaking Dawn and become a King! Even wiping out the entire Warlock Union would be a piece of cake, let alone just them." Her voice was very gentle and extremely easy to be caught into it.

With the comforting words from the female voice, Zegna gathered his composure and returned to a dark secret chamber in his Magus Tower.

Passing through layers of restrictions, one would find nothing in the room except a circular fountain in the centre. A large amount of turbulent black air was boiling within it, and a few expressionless, pale human faces were floating on the surface.

"Wuuu Wuuu!"

A little white stream of air rose up, before forming into a few tall human figures that moved slowly around Zegna.

"How is it? I spent all my treasures for this, and even…" Zegna's voice lowered.

"It's looking good. The Pond of Lamentation configuration is almost complete, all that's left is a few last steps…" The female voice turned a little cold.

...

[Beep! Reserves of the Sun's Child bloodline imprint strengthened!] [Beep! Host's fire elemental resistance has increased!]

Along with the timely prompts from the A.I. Chip, Leylin's mind wandered off for a bit as he stared at the sun-shaped runes on the back of his hands.

'I prepared this specially for Zegna, but he didn't even show up!' Leylin had to admit that he hadn't predicted the opponent's reaction. Zegna was a narrow-minded villain, but he had remained composed under such provocation. This was out of Leylin's expectations.

'Or maybe someone else persuaded him not to act!' Leylin stroked his chin, 'If that's the case, it must be someone holding a prestigious status in Jupiter's Lightning. Which one is it?

'Eh, it's better like this anyway. We got back all our territory, and I didn't even have to use one of my bloodline imprints…' These bloodline imprints were almost as strong as rank 6 spells. They were definitely a trump card of Leylin's, and it was best that he continued to hide them.

Also, Leylin could feel that the bloodline imprint in his skin resonated with the modified Fireplume, and they complemented each other. With the passage of time, this resonance became more and more obvious.

'Could it be that the ancient Sun's Child was related to the phoenix?' Leylin dismissed his own thought with a laugh.

"Mentor! These are all the documents related to the body tempering in the Ouroboros Clan!"

The door to the study opened, and Snoopy entered with tons of black documents and crystal ball recordings.

All the documents had been piled up on Leylin's desk, forming a small hill.

"Mm, great job!" Leylin nodded his head in encouragement to this handy student of this. He sent him off as he started on the documents.

There were many different types of recording apparatus in the Magus World, and they came in different shapes, sizes, and materials. Books made of real paper were very scarce. In fact, Leylin had even seen a book made entirely out of bronze before, as well as books made of bone.

After all, the Ouroboros Clan was one of the top organisations in the central continent, and the very first thing Leylin had thought of after browsing through the documents was to find a way to improve his vitality.

The side effects of the massive increase in his soul force had yet to be resolved. Moreover, judging from his current health, there were very few spells and refining methods that would be of use to him.

Leylin casually flipped opened a thick dictionary-like book. On the pale yellowish page was a brightly-coloured rose, the leaves and petals seeming to tremble a bit.

"Ah…Dearest Trivish! I adore you, adore your eyes which are so pearl-like, and…"

As he flipped through a huge amount of mixed content, he found what seemed to be like short lines left behind by a bored bard. The phrasing was poor and the text somewhat incoherent.

Yet, Leylin browsed through the thing without much thought. He placed his fingers on a piece of paper with raised markings on it, gently sliding across every letter. It was then that something bizarre happened.

A line of fire appeared at the part Leylin touched, and the rest of the letters started to twitch. There were even little black feet growing on them as they started to rearrange themselves.

"The following text contains information on the initial stages of the reformation of Hodo Worms. Only official Magi and above can attempt to…"

Another instructional line appeared, and the A.I. Chip sounded at the same time:

[Beep! Object letting out inductive radiation detected, based on the activity rate of the detected radiation, it can be transferred into the Host's vitality. Probability: 0.000000001%!]

Leylin closed the book, feeling rather speechless.

Such hidden techniques and methods of induction could only be created by those at rank 3 and above. Rank 1 or 2 Magi who practised this would have their vitality stimulated, and would begin to improve.

However, such a thing was way too weak for Leylin.

"Reform through Hodo Worms? There's a maximum increase of 3 vitality, and added resistance against poison!" Leylin's eyes glowed blue as he stroked his chin, "But the new look would be simply too ugly… And it's useless for me currently anyway…"

He shook his head and moved on to the next source.

With his position in the Ouroboros Clan, he could use any resources he wanted. He'd finished browsing through all the documents in a few days.

No other Magus would have been able to accomplish much after one quick browse through. They would have to spend time to understand and memorise the information. Unlike them, however, all the information was now in Leylin's memory, never to be forgotten.

"A.I. Chip, scan through the new data and look for methods that can improve my current vitality," Leylin ordered.

Not only had he looked through all the documents about body refinement spell formations, he had also organised all the rumours and legends that related to improvements in vitality, giving it all to the A.I. Chip to analyse.

Even though he did not have much faith in the Ouroboros Clan's library, just a few clues were good enough for him.

[Beep! Search complete. Found 3 methods that suit the host.]

Along with its report, the A.I. Chip projected some information into Leylin's mind.

[1: Conversion into Adoforke. Will result in a one-time increase of 40 vitality.] [2: Acquire the title of Virtuous Sky Sage and come in contact with the Endowing Scepter. Will assist in advancement of host's physical strength by two ranks at once.] [3: Consume the Giant Dragon Potion together with Hades' Blood Sacrifice. Will result in an approximate increase of 10 vitality.] These were the three methods the A.I. Chip had found, the methods most suited to Leylin himself.

Of course, they were deduced from rumours and scientific content. Leylin would have to do his own work to get all the resources required to proceed with them.

Even so, it was much better for him than for those Magi who were clueless when they encountered problems, having to try all methods one by one.

"Conversion of Adoforke? Where on earth am I going to find such an ancient spell formation for the conversion of vitality?" Leylin smiled bitterly.

"Let's leave that aside for now. As for becoming a Virtuous Sky Sage…" he muttered as he touched his chin, sinking deep into thought. The Sky Castle was under the control of the Monarch of the Skies, but it was open to all scholars. The title of Virtuous Sky Sage was an honorary title in that place.

For strictness of the Magi, those were able to get the titles, were all the masters of the scholars. Coming into contact with the Endowing Scepter would be the benefit of the entitlements. Rumours had it that it could increase Magus's physique without any side effects.

Of course, with the help of the A.I. Chip, Leylin was quite confident in passing the tests. However, the Sky Castle was located in a Monarch's territory, and he was not sure of the attitude of the Monarch of the Skies held towards bloodline Warlocks. Hence, he wasn't confident in that plan.

"As for the last thing, the Giant Dragon Potion and Hades' Blood Sacrifice are quite simple to get. I can use a bunch of kobolds to refine some dragon blood, and I also have a spell formation for Hades' Blood Sacrifice…"

Leylin's eyes flickered with light. "The increase is a little on the low end, but it's good enough!"

He had finally realised how hard it was for Magi to advance. His vitality was already great as a Warlock, and he still faced so many difficulties in advancement. Imagine how hard it would be for Morning Star Magi?

There were probably many Magi stuck in the Morning Star realm due to a stagnation in their soul force and vitality.

"Let's do this for now. I'll prepare the Giant Dragon Potion, use it to increase my vitality, then proceed to the Sky Castle!" Leylin had made up his mind.

Giant Dragon Potion

"Leylin!" Gilbert and Emma had come over while Leylin was deep in thought. Their eyes were twinkling with joy.

"What's this? You've acquired an interest in body tempering?" Emma had immediately made the connection after glancing at the mess of materials on the table.

"Mm. My soul has strengthened too much recently, and my physical body hasn't been able to keep up." Leylin nodded. This wasn't any information worth hiding after all.

"Seriously," Gilbert sat down speechlessly, "Us bloodline Warlocks have the advantage of increased vitality due to our inheritance of ancient genes. We're ahead of Magi in this field, and normally we only have to worry about how to increase our soul force. There are practically no other people in your situation!"

Leylin's monstrous growth rate was something Gilbert found difficult to digest.

Leylin laughed, and asked the two dukes some other questions about body tempering. However, both of them knew even less than he did, and could hardly give him any useful information.

In the end, Leylin could only ask, "How much do you know about Sky City?"

"What?!" "Don't tell me you're going there!?" Both Warlocks stood up in shock.

"Why? What's the matter?" Leylin asked with a smile.

The Endowing Scepter kept in Sky City was a treasure that only Virtuous Sky Sages could come in contact with, and it had the ability to increase his physique by two levels without any side effects. To the present Leylin, that was a huge temptation.

Two levels was roughly twenty points of vitality. With the additional ten points from the Giant Dragon Potion, his vitality would grow very close to a hundred points. The remainder could be increased slowly through Fireplume or Multilimb Strength.

Therefore, if he couldn't find other methods to substitute for it, he had to go through with this.

After a moment of silence Emma spoke. "Leylin… Even though the Monarch of the Skies hasn't targeted Warlocks before, you know the situation with our Warlock Union…"

Due to unknown reasons, bloodline Warlocks had been rejected and were treated as enemies by the regular Magi of the central continent. They had even reached the verge of extinction. Despite the tremendous efforts of the few Radiant Moon Warlocks, most Warlocks still felt quite unsafe. This was why the Morning Star Area had come up.

If the Monarchs hadn't given the suppression of Warlocks their tacit approval, this would have been impossible.

In Emma's eyes, Leylin was an up-and-coming talent who she had high expectations for, even someone who she considered a son-in-law. She naturally wouldn't want Leylin to leave and expose himself to danger.

"Mentor Gilbert, what do you think?" Leylin could only laugh wryly inside, his eyes focusing on Gilbert.

"Let's not talk about the Monarch of the Skies. Sky City is a holy land for Magi in the central continent, and is considered the Palace of Truth. Countless top-grade masters, artisans and scholars gather there, calling it the cradle of knowledge. In terms of innovations and advancements in spells, rapid progress is made every single day!"

Gilbert scratched his bald head, recalling some fond memories from the past as his eyes shimmered.

"If you hadn't already become a Morning Star Warlock and the pillar that's propping up our Ouroboros Clan, my very first recommendation would be to go to Sky City if you intend to travel across the continent!"

"If this is the case, I'm even more interested in going there!" Leylin stroked his chin, yearning evident in his expression.

"Alright then, but you have to be extra careful. It's best to hide your true identity." Gilbert and Emma smiled wryly at each other. They knew Leylin well enough. He was the stubborn type, and now that he had already made his own decision, he would not change his mind easily. He just wanted to listen to their suggestions.

"I know!" Leylin crossed his arms, leaning slightly forward.　　

"Well then, is there any reason for you to come all the way here now?"　

"Oh yes, of course! We'd even forgotten about that!" Gilbert slapped his forehead. He passed Leylin a recording crystal.　　

"After a month of hard fighting, we have finally regained all our territory. This is the new map we've drawn out."

Leylin sent his soul force into the crystal, and immediately perceived a giant map. Different colours were used to divide the regions that belonged to the different bloodline nobles.　　

Compared to the previous map, there was not much of a change on the whole, but much of the nobles' territories had been greatly modified.

Primely, the territory that belonged to the nobles under the previous First Elder's wings had been greatly reduced, reallocated instead to the Blood Serpent Family and more significantly the Farlier Family.

'On the whole, both the dukes' rights and benefits remain the same as before, while I get a hold of the territory and resources that originally belonged to the First Elder?' Leylin pondered over this in his mind, though on the surface, just nodded, "I think this is fine! Let's go with this redistributed map!"　　

Only after Leylin agreed to this redistribution did Gilbert and Emma feel as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. After all, Leylin was far too crucial to the Ouroboros Clan, and if he was dissatisfied with the distribution and left the clan they would be in deep trouble.

Leylin laughed and shook his head as he saw both of these 'senior' Morning Star Warlocks in fear and trepidation before him.

...

"Master! I've captured a third batch of Kobold Warlocks, and placed them in the binding room." Tanasha bowed to Leylin as she reported. This Magus who was currently wearing a black dress had afforded him even more respect since his advancement, She had become very cautious with her work as well. At Leylin's command, she had captured large numbers of Kobold Warlocks in the blink of an eye.　

"Mm, good job!" Leylin knew exactly what she wanted.

He laid lazily on the couch, waving his right hand slightly. A demonic dark flame formed on her forehead, leaving behind a distinct brand in the shape of a black snake.

*Hss! Hss!* Surrounding the snake were hazy flames. The snake looked as if it was alive, about to break through the thin membrane of skin at any moment,

"Master!" Tanasha knelt down in trepidation. She could feel terrifying power from the mark, enough to crush her into powder!

"This is my secret imprint, and is representative of me. I've also stored within a one-time attack from my own hands. Normal Morning Stars won't be able to withstand it…." Leylin closed his eyes slightly as he spoke slowly. In the meanwhile, Tanasha was thrilled by his words.　　

"I'd once promised you at Quicksand Castle that once I was strong enough, and not afraid of retaliation, I would grant you your vengeance." Indeed, this was the reason that Tanasha had chosen to serve under him.

"Yes, Master! It's just that I never thought this time would come so soon…" Tanasha sounded a little unsteady. Leylin's rate of advancement was far beyond her expectations.　　

"The family that you are going to take revenge on has no Morning Star. I have also talked to their backing organisation, and they won't get in your way. You should be able to handle everything. The secret imprint I've left on you is your last resort!"

"Thank you, Master!" Tanasha's choked as she sobbed, her eyes red as the memories of her being harmed and chased after came up. It was still extremely vivid in her mind, how she'd even have to hide in the wilderness to survive.

"Go!" Leylin waved his hand, and Tanasha exited respectfully.

After exiting the Magus Tower, Tanasha felt the secret imprint on her forehead, especially the immense power within it, and her eyes glinted with strength. "How have you been, Dove? I will be back soon…"　　

Most would think Tanasha and this Dove were very good friends from her words, but they would be frightened upon looking at the terrifying expression on her face.　　

"Deeply buried hatred that hasn't dissipated over time. It's instead fermented and grown…" After Tanasha left, Leylin stood up slowly, and announced something that sounded like a prophecy.

He had a feeling that Tanasha's trip back would be accompanied by a great amount of bloodshed and pain. The misery of being forced to leave home and the experience of hiding for survival was enough to turn Tanasha into a terrifying goddess of vengeance.

But the history between them didn't matter to him. No matter what had happened, Leylin would surely side with Tanasha, and for a very simple reason. He had no relationship with the other party, whereas Tanasha was his subordinate.

Leylin had always favoured people of his own. He followed his own set of rules, and would definitely side with his own people if they were engaged in conflict with outsiders. Were Freya to fight his subordinates, for example, he would support her. But in case the two of them fell out, he would choose to protect his own benefits.

His personal benefits was in the core of his set of rules. The closer an external circle of benefits was to the centre, the more priority it received.

As for fairness? Justice? To things like that…Haha.

"Tower genie! Begin the modulation of Kobold Warlocks based on the bloodline operation sequence I had entered earlier on!"

Take now for instance. Leylin's interests were in conflict with those of the Kobolds, so he would not hesitate to sacrifice them.

[Beep! First stage of modulation beginning, increase in activity of bloodline…] The tower genie's voice sounded. Meanwhile, sounds of mournful cries could be heard from the multiple cages under the Magus Tower…　　

...

After days of experiments, Leylin held a purplish red bloodline potion in a test tube, his face filled with satisfaction, "Even though there were some failures in between, the Giant Dragon Potion is finally ready!"

Vitality And Formation

Leylin had tremendous achievements in Potioneering, to the extent that he'd even surpassed the realm of Grandmasters, reaching a higher level.

Even though the Giant Dragon Potion was rare and difficult to make even during ancient times, it was only a matter of trial and error for Leylin.

Even these few failures were not due to his technique, but because experiments were prone to failure themselves.

"Since the Giant Dragon Potion is done, I can begin now!"

Leylin took a glance at the surroundings. It was a huge public square located in the Morning Star Magus Tower, created with the help of the tower genie. On the ground were complex designs and magic runes, and even vicious totem images.

Surrounding the entire spell formation were four gigantic pillars, every single stone pillar the thickness of three men combined. Above them was something like a huge hollow tunnel, it seemed to be split open by sharp weapons, full of a wild ancient aura.

[Hades' Blood Sacrifice spell formation, progress 99.9999%] the A. I. Chip responded after scanning through.

"Hades' spell formation, what an affinity between us!" Leylin laughed.

Hades was one of the most terrifying dark Magi of ancient myth. His level of dark magic was said to be unreachable, and rumour had it that he had even completely grasped the rules of death. He possessed eternal youth, and was full of desire for flesh and souls.

But of course, Hades was nothing more than a super powerful dark Magus in the eyes of Leylin and other Magi, and some even looked up to Hades as a motivational target and tried to surpass him.

When Leylin was trying to advance to rank 2, he had made use of the opponent's spell formation to harvest spirits.

Of course, the current blood spell formation was a few levels higher than the one back then, it could even absorb the sacrificial offerings' bloodlines by force in order to increase the Morning Star Magus's vitality.

Leylin took a look at his current status:

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Bloodline Warlock: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form) Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956 (magic power in synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul Force: ???]

"I have more than enough spiritual force, but vitality is so hard to increase!" Leylin smiled wryly. This was the side effect for his sudden, huge advancements recently.

Moreover, if his vitality still could not reach 100, it would be a huge problem once the Multilimb seal was broken.

"Begin!" Leylin's eyes shimmered with crimson light.

*Crack! Crack!* Under the manipulation of the tower genie, the entire square started shaking, and grieved howls could be heard from a near distance.

That was the mourning of the strengthened Kobold Warlocks. After the bloodline extraction, these creatures were being treated as waste material and processed by Leylin

Waves of a terrifying aura rose continuously within the spell formation. Once the mourning of the Kobolds weakened, the whole spell formation started to change.

The four gigantic stone pillars surrounding the square began to shake. From the tunnel up above, a huge amount of sticky liquid that was blood red in colour dripped down. Mixed in were white objects that looked like crushed bones.

The red liquid first filled the pillars to the brink, before it slowly spilled out like blood flowing in veins, causing the pillars to turn crimson.

The liquid flowed all the way down, finally reaching the runes of the spell formation.

The concentrated blood red liquid filled the runes in order. The entire process was full of a certain solemnity, and the stagnant atmosphere was stifling.

The spell formation kicked into action, and an enormous layer of crimson light shot up from the runes.

Under the attraction of the crimson light rays, the vacant void above the spell formation was broken. Light took on the form of symbols seen in sacrificial rites, as it began to radiate waves of summoning.

*Awooooo…*The phantom of a monstrous two-headed wolf hovered in the sky above the spell formation, howling ferociously. Greed filled its green eyes as saliva dripped down its jaws.

'I've never seen such a summoning technique before, is it a summoning from a foreign world or from a different time and space?' Leylin's eyes flashed blue. He had ordered the A.I. Chip to record the scene down into his database for future use.

*Awooooo…* The two-headed wolf did not start to feast on the pulp of flesh, bones and blood immediately. Instead, it turned to Leylin, a ferocious look in its eyes as it glared at him as if he was one of the offerings.

'It has a certain level of intelligence? Could it be a clone of Hades?' Leylin stroked his chin, started as he sized up this two-headed wolf. This carefree behaviour of Leylin greatly irritated the phantom as it howled and aimed to pounce onto Leylin.

*Sssssii* A malevolent phantom of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, this one with crimson scales, appeared behind Leylin and bared its jaws at the wolf.

A magnificent aura emanated from the Kemoyin Serpent, causing the wolf to waver.

"The summoning of a creature from another world is indeed troublesome!" Leylin snorted, started to activate a spell.

*Rumble!* Eye piercing white flashes of lightning struck the phantom, causing it to howl as it lost some of its dark form.

After the lightning passed, each of the two wolf heads now had a collar on, with spikes that faced the neck.

The two-headed wolf was threatened by the spikes, and dared not rebel. It then dashed into the crimson light before starting to feast on the flesh hungrily. The formation grew silent except for the bone-chilling munching noises.

After a few minutes, the flesh and light inside the spell formation were both devoured by the two-headed wolf. It then roared to the sky, the sound waves travelling far and wide as it howled loudly.

The spell formation started to warp once more under these terrifying howls.

Starlight shone down through the Magus Tower, revealing the image of a bright moon.

Under the howls of the wolf, the moon gradually turned red before it stretched into the sides and formed the shape of a human eye.

An icy gaze swept across, causing Leylin to shudder in fear. He felt as if he had called upon a disaster and his body tensed up. 'This pressuring aura must surely belong to a high levelled Magus!'

Leylin inhaled deeply. Fortunately, the crimson eye did not fix its gaze on him. Instead, it only spared him a short glance and focused on the two-headed wolf.

An eerie scene formed as the two-headed wolf howled continuously under the gaze of the crimson moon-eye.

*Pop!* The sound of a bubble bursting was followed by a crisp explosive sound, and the phenomenal sights in the area disappeared without a trace.

The two-headed wolf, the full moon and the starlight suddenly seemed to be an illusion, and a tinge of purple light twirled around the spell formation.

[Conscient of greed from a foreign world has been attracted, summoning of ancient Hades phantom is complete!] A notification from the A. I. Chip sounded, reminding Leylin that what he had seen just now was not a hallucination.

"Phew…what a weird spell formation! Hades, the king of the ancient dark Magi, is truly a powerful elite!" Leylin let out a long breath and stepped into the spell formation.

*Boom* The rumbling of the formation acted like a signal, and a huge amount of purple olight converged on Leylin as it entered his body.

"Argh!" Leylin let out a stuffy groan and started to spasm.

After the purple light rays entered his body, they started wriggling like earthworms. This feeling was indescribable; if not for his superb vitality and great endurance, he would have passed out or even died due to the pain!

"The Giant Dragon Potion!" Leylin kept himself composed, using the purplish red medicine which he had long since prepared in his hand.

*Pow!* There seemed to be a chemical reaction when the potion entered his stomach, and the amount of pain increased tenfold.

Leylin's vision turned pitch black, but he managed to persevere through it with his strong will.

[Beep! Host is undergoing Hades' sacrificial rites! Muscle fiber strengthening in process.] [Beep! Host is absorbing quintessential materials, vitality increased.] [Beep! Giant Dragon Potion has taken effect. Radiation is creating the best environment for absorption.] The notifications from the A. I. Chip sounded continuously.

After the last wave of pain had passed, Leylin felt a stream of boiling heat gushing all over his body.

[Beep! Host vitality increasing, currently at 66.7! 67.5! 68.3! 69.9!]

The value showing Leylin's vitality kept on increasing in the A. I. Chip's database, and surpassed 70 within a split second before continuing on.

71! 72! 73! 74! 74.5!

In almost an instant, the number had rocketed up by ten. It only stopped upon reaching 74.9.

Leylin straightened his body after the effects of the potion passed, and crackling sounds rang throughout it.

[Host data changed, readjusting!]

Leylin took a look at his stats and discovered a huge change in them.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Bloodline Warlock: Kemoyin's Serpent (complete form) Strength: 50 Agility: 45 Vitality: 74.9 Spiritual Force: 956.8 Magic Power: 956(Magic power in synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul force:???]

"Hmm! Vitality had increased by 9.9 units! Pretty close to the estimated data from the A. I. Chip!" Leylin nodded in satisfaction.

Right now, he had reached a monstrous value in terms of his vitality.

Setting Off And Apprehension

Based on Leylin's understanding, vitality represented defence as well as regenerative abilities. His value of 74.9 was very close to the terrifying numbers that ancient creatures possessed.

With his current body, regular rank 1 and 2 spells could not break through his defences. Even rank 3 spells would only give him tiny injuries, and he would recover instantly. His frightening vitality gave him an equally terrifying healing ability.

After checking everything once over, Leylin nodded in satisfaction.

"With the strength of my body, even if the seal of Multilimb Strength suddenly gives way, I can still hold on for a period of time. Next, if I can gain the title of a Virtuous Sky Sage and receive the blessing from the Endowing Scepter, I'll be able to solve the issue of the repercussions from having my soul force rise too rapidly!"

Leylin had to go to Sky City no matter what.

Though that was the territory of the Monarch of the Skies, and a Warlock like him going alone could be troublesome, it was already the simplest method that the A.I. Chip could come up with.

Techniques and body tempering spell formations that could increase the vitality of Morning Stars was very rare in the central continent. On top of that, Leylin's strong foundation as a Warlock made things more difficult.

The A.I. Chip had summed up all of Leylin's knowledge and used the Ouroboros Clan's large database to find these three methods. They were already the best out there.

However, Leylin had yet to find any clues on the transformation spell formation in Adoforke, and only knew it was in some ruins in the central continent from a legend. To him, taking the risk to explore ruins was too troublesome and dangerous.

He had already used the third method, and could not repeat it within a short period. If he tried, leave alone getting results, he would only face possible side effects.

Hence, the most reasonable choice to make was the second. He would head for Sky City and the Endowing Scepter.

Of course, Leylin was rather confident in his travels. He was a peak Morning Star and could escape with his life even if he met with a Radiant Moon Magus.

The two bloodline imprints from the bloodline of the Sun's Child gave him more than enough confidence.

Sky City was the home to the Monarch of the Skies. He did not wish for there to be a rank 6 battle at that place!

'Besides, I haven't provoked the Monarch of the Skies at all. I just have to be careful of Jupiter's Lightning…' Leylin stroked his chin and sank into deep thought.

...

A few days later, in the area surrounding Phosphorescence Swamp.

A completely black private airship that looked like a water droplet soared into the skies. In just a few minutes, it disappeared into the horizon.

Atop high towers, countless figures stared at the floating airship in a daze until it disappeared.

"Relax, Freya!" Emma patted the back of Freya's hands, looking at her lovingly, "Leylin is now comparable to a rank 5 Warlock. He'll be fine!"

"Indeed. Leylin is very powerful. We just have to do our duty here at the Ouroboros Clan," Gilbert consoled her.

"Your Graces are right!" Freya bowed slightly, the concern in her eyes still not completely gone.

After all, Leylin was going to the territory of a Monarch. What if something happened? Freya did not dare think further.

"Haha… Ever since little Freya got married, she doesn't listen to her mentor!"

Emma grabbed Freya's hands and began to repeat, "You don't have to care about other things right now. What's most important is to spread the bloodline of the Farlier Family. Leylin has a lot of secrets on him, and his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline is the best I've seen… No! It's THE best Kemoyin bloodline! If you don't spread it, it'll be a true waste…"

"Mentor, what are you saying?" Freya protested coquettishly, two attractive flushes of red rising in her cheeks. Yet, that had eased her worry.

...

*Bang!* The Colossal Serpent parted the clouds and shook off the winds, breaking through the troposphere and reaching a higher part of the sky.

One could see intense sunlight shining down through the glass windows. Below was a seemingly boundless white sea of clouds, the scenery incomparably beautiful.

The private airship was very quick, but it was not obvious from the scenery which seemed to be still.

After he finished setting up the automatic navigation system, Leylin sat alone on the sofa with red wine in his hands as he watched the scenery on both sides through the windows. He looked on absentmindedly.

A long while later, he sighed. "I'm not treating Freya well!"

Ever since Leylin had returned from the Lava World, he had extremely busy with reclaiming territory and contacting other bloodline organisations. He had basically given Freya the cold shoulder.

Now, he was going on a solo journey to Sky City. Though Freya had been strong and not displayed it, Leylin could feel her worry as she sent him off.

Whatever it was, Leylin would definitely not bring her along. He was going to take a risk here, and this was no holiday. If he were alone, it would be easier to escape, but if he had someone else around, things would get difficult.

'I'll make it up to her in the future!' Thinking this through, Leylin focused on other things.

"A.I. Chip, how much longer till I reach Sky City?"

[Beep! Based on the speed of Giant Serpent, estimated time of arrival: 45 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes, 19 seconds!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

"That's really quite far. If not for me having my personal airship, it might have been even more troublesome!"

Leylin was speechless. If it required such a long time with the speed of his personal airship, it was quite obvious how vast the central continent was.

'This is a great time to meditate! Besides, there are still some more improvements to be made to the fusion of the Fireplume and Kemoyin's Pupil…'

Leylin sunk deep into thought, eyes glowing a blue that was indicative of the workings of the A.I. Chip. Numbers, letters and runes from different worlds were processed by the A.I. Chip. The A.I. Chip operated continuously, calculating and deducing information, forming a wondrous cycle of numbers…

...

Within a hidden Magus Tower.

This was a Magus Tower constructed by a Radiant Moon, filled with black thunder and lightning. It gave off a dark atmosphere that would cause one's heart to palpitate. These flashes of lightning constantly flickered around, causing the Magi walking along the passageway to break out in cold sweat.

"The feeling of this area really gives me the chills…" The Morning Star who spoke was one of Jupiter's Lightning.

After the incident during the Holy Solar Festival, Wayde had brought along a group of high-ranked Warlocks to attack them. The Mobius Organisation lost time and time again in the Lava World, and quite a few Morning Stars were either killed or heavily injured. This led to a lack of manpower in Jupiter's Lightning.

At such a critical time, the leader of Jupiter's Lightning, the great Radiant Moon Magus Zegna, had suddenly announced he was going to seclude himself in meditation, which had given rise to protests and confusion. Of course, that was only in the hearts of his subordinates. Those that would dare oppose Zegna overtly had been turned to ashes hundreds of years ago.

Passing through the alley, the Morning Star Magus arrived at a bronze door. The uneasiness he felt had reached its peak.

"Your Highness, this is Loki seeking an audience!" he transmitted after a momentary silence.

"Come in!" Zegna's voice was heard. It was the same old voice, but there was something oddly jarring about it.

While wondering about it on the inside, Loki showed the utmost respect as he bowed and entered.

Behind the large brass door was a giant secret room. The walls were full of binding and summoning runes, as well energy isolation spell patterns.

At the heart of the room was a large pool where streams of black gas surged, producing bubbling sounds.

Zegna stood by the pool, clad in black and gold. His eyes were fixed on the current of the black gas.

"Your Highness!" Loki bowed, watching the pool with some curiosity. This was what had caused his uneasiness!

Yet, he would not dare to ask Zegna about it. He did not even have the guts to probe it with his soul force.

"What is it? You even used the emergency communicator to contact me." Zegna's hands were behind his back, but Loki knew that this meant His Highness was beginning to be enraged. If his next words were unsatisfactory, he would be in trouble.

"Your Highness had put me in charge of information about the Ouroboros Clan, and in particular the Warlock named Farlier. I've acquired some intelligence!"

Zegna was paying close attention to Leylin, and hence he turned back to stare at Loki. "Speak!"

"Leylin of the Ouroboros Clan left Phosphorescence Swamp yesterday. His destination is most likely Sky City!" Loki hastily reported, but strangely enough, Zegna merely listened quietly and did not do anything special.

"Your Highness?" Loki raised his head and saw the dazed look on Zegna's face. There were a few distorted spirit bodies hovering around him, pale, crooked palms grabbing at his collar.

Loki felt his heart lurch, but after sneaking another glance at Zegna, everything seemed like it had been an illusion.

This discovery had him sink deeper into fear.

"Your Highness, do you need me…" Loki asked as he tried to sound out.

"I'm conducting an exceptionally important spirit body experiment. I'll take care of Leylin myself. Don't bother with it anymore!" Zegna answered coldly.

"Yes, sir!" Loki bowed once more and left. Only after leaving the Magus Tower did he let out a long sigh. He felt like his entire top half was drenched in sweat.

His Highness, who had always been very enthusiastic about destroying the Ouroboros Clan, had been reduced to this state. The scene just then even had Loki in shock.

"Could that just now have been…"

Conjectures and Arrival

Within the Magus Tower's secret room, at the side of the Pond of Lamentation. The silent Zegna was in a daze, only turning back after he left and lifting up the sleeve on his right arm.

On his right arm, crests and troughs formed on what should've been smooth skin, taking on the shape of a mysterious female face.

"What should we do about the Ouroboros Clan?" Zegna asked.

Two cracks opened in the skin, rolling apart to form a vivid pair of eyes. "You are now at the advanced stage of the transformation. Your main body will probably not be able to…" the mysterious woman's voice sounded.

"You mean we should let go of this opportunity?" Zegna raised his eyebrows.

"No! We…" The woman's voice grew softer and was quickly concealed by the waves of water in the black pool.

...

Above the troposphere. The large amounts of white clouds gathered to form a boundless white sea.

A black streaking was soaring through this see, a private airship with a smooth structure. Currently on its surface was a faint layer of defence, allowing the interior to be silent.

Leylin sat cross-legged on a platform in the bedroom, a phantom Kemoyin Serpent slowly taking form behind him. Light flickered on the phantom causing it to seem illusory, and it looked more regal as fine red stripes appeared on it.

Meditation was something Leylin did every day. Even though he'd already reached the peak of Morning Star, he would not set this task aside.

After he absorbed a large amount of darkness and fire elemental particles, the phantom behind him shrunk down and entered his body.

*Whoosh!* Leylin's eyes opened, and it seemed like large amounts of lightning streaked past the room.

"Mm. With the A.I. Chip's optimisation, the fusion between Fireplume and Kemoyin's Pupil is now half a fold more effective than before!" This was the most precise number he could come up with through his own personal experiments.

Having a top-grade meditation technique such as the Wing of the Sun for reference, Leylin knew fully well that other than not having enough levels, Kemoyin's Pupil was rather similar to a top-grade meditation technique.

At this thought, Leylin could not help but focus on the A.I. Chip, "How is the progress on the fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil?"

[Beep! 76.5% completed! The remaining path is being optimised.] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice intoned loyally.

"It seems like the fifth level will be completed soon." A hint of glee appeared on Leylin's expression.

The bloodline shackles had ensured that no Kemoyin Warlock had ever broken past the Morning Star realm. Hence, Kemoyin's Pupil which was specialised for his bloodline only had four levels to it.

This was a type of bloodline shackle. The meditation technique itself would hinder a Kemoyin Warlock from breaking through!

Now, Leylin could hope to destroy these shackles! The meditation technique may be just one part of them, but it had a hole in the bloodline shackles. Now, all he had to do was pry it open.

Leylin believed that, one day, he would manage to break through these shackles as long as he persevered.

'Meditation techniques are only one tiny aspect of the Warlocks' bloodline shackles. The fundamental issue is still the bloodline, as well as restrictions on the spirit…' At this thought, Leylin turned gloomy. Though he was confident in his future, that did not mean he thought the troubles ahead of him were easy to deal with.

'The limit of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent is rank 4. I, who have fused with its blood and soul, am now bound to rank 4 as well.' The limits imposed by a bloodline would extend to the soul once one reached the Morning Star realm. This was the true issue of the bloodline shackles.

The soul was just too complicated. Even Morning Stars could only graze the surface in researching it.

'How do I break through the restrictions on the soul?' Leylin touched his chin, 'Do I have to begin experimentation on synthesising and altering bloodlines?'

Leylin, equipped with large amounts of information from the ancient Quicksand Organisation, was no stranger to all this. He also had much experience under his belt.

Leylin was perhaps the only one in the central continent in altering Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline or form a new one!

'However, artificially-constructed bloodlines always have defects. They are less lively in comparison to those that have gone through the order of survival of the fittest, shaped by nature and history.'

This was the disadvantage of artificially-made products. The only other option was if Leylin was willing to expend much time and wait, allowing the formed bloodline to grow in nature for up to several tens of generations and slowly ripen. However, the amount of time required far exceeded Leylin's lifespan.

Besides, though altering bloodlines could result in the creation of more powerful types of bloodlines, the chances of failure were equally high. Leylin was not going to gamble on his future.

Hence, this very attractive train of thought lingered in Leylin's mind but was eventually abandoned.

"If this doesn't work, I can only rely on the plan the ancient Wisdom Tree came up with! It's a pity… At my level, I can't use it yet…" A deep wrinkle appeared on Leylin's forehead.

In terms of just intelligence and knowledge, it was impossible for him to measure up to the Wisdom Tree which had lived since time immemorial. He knew that it's suggestion was definitely viable.

The A.I. Chip had also performed many simulations and verified its feasibility.

It was a pity that these plans were still far away for Leylin. His current strength was insufficient for him to carry them out.

"Besides, the method it gave me can take care of this issue once and for all. If I use it now, the effects definitely won't be as good as me employing it in the future! I must use it as a trump card, because this might be the only thing I can count on when I meet the Snake Dowager!"

Leylin's eyes glinted. "Perhaps… My ideas were wrong from the start. Rather than finding other forces to contaminate the bloodline, I should focus on developing my own bloodline. I might even get some results from that!"

Leylin made up his mind.

[Beep! Reached vicinity of Sky City! Arrival in 1h, 24min, 13s.] the A.I. Chip prompted.

"Hm? A month has already passed?" Leylin was puzzled, but then looked through the time records the A.I. Chip had created and could not help but burst out in laughter as he shook his head, "I've long since heard that high-ranked Magi have experiments that go on for years or even decades. When they come out, nothing will seem to have changed but that would be untrue. I never expected to find myself in this situation. Just meditating a few times and going through a few conjectures and proofs on experiments had time passing so quickly…"

To outsiders, Magi possessed great strength as well as an enviably long life. Even rank 1 and 2 Magi could live for hundreds of years, which seemed endless.

However, Leylin knew that their time was short, much too short. Besides meditating, they had to conduct experiments and embark on explorations. Each incident of these could take up decades, even centuries! Hence, even after reaching rank 4 and acquiring a lifespan of over a thousand years, he still felt that there wasn't enough time.

'This is why so many Magi transform into undeads or become spirit bodies. However, that's merely struggling at death's door. The body cannot do anything about the death of its soul, and there will be huge side effects, even going so far as the degeneration of their intelligence.'

Leylin could not help but shiver at that thought. Even if he was at the end of his lifespan anyway, he would not choose to use this method. While he could live for a longer period of time, the price to pay for that would be becoming slow-witted, a fool or lunatic. He would rather return to the astral plane with a clear mind.

*Buzz!* At this moment, the Colossal Serpent began to tilt upwards.

'Am I finally there? Sky City, the holy land of the Magi of the central continent, said to be the cradle of truth and knowledge!' Anticipation glinted in Leylin's eyes as he walked to the deck of the airship.

The great wind and atmospheric pressure did not affect the defence of the Colossal Serpent at all. Leylin, who was inside, felt nothing.

At this moment, the head of the airship tilted further, climbing upwards rapidly.

From the troposphere where the weather was peaceful, he had broken through the stratosphere, arriving even higher than that.

[Beep! Air pressure around host has dropped, oxygen supply dwindling.] The A.I. Chip prompted.

"Hehe, not yet!" Leylin shook his head, and the Colossal Serpent became a flaming arrow as it began to shoot up almost vertically.

[80 km altitude. 200 km. 500 km!] The A.I. Chip rapidly refreshed its prompts.

"If I was in another world, I'd probably have broken through the warm layer and arrived above the ionosphere, right?"

Leylin looked at the A.I. Chip curiously. He noticed that besides the strange reduction in temperature and a change in the behaviour of ions, there were no other changes.

"No!" Leylin looked up. He did not see a universe, but just the sky from before. However, the sunlight seemed more vast and dazzling.

"The Magus World it just a world amongst many others. It naturally can't be the same as in my previous world!" Leylin seemed to mock himself as he laughed.

At this moment, dark clouds appeared above the Colossal Serpent, as if shrouding the whole sky.

When he got closer, he realised that these gigantic dark clouds even had lightning snakes within, thunder booming constantly inside.

"The thunder layer of Akev! Sky City's first line of defence!"

Leylin chuckled, piloting the Colossal Serpent and charging straight in.

*Whoosh!* The lightning seemed to be enraged and struck downwards suddenly!