669 - 677

Departure and Twilight

"And now my second descendant is born," Leylin didn't know himself what he was feeling exactly, but the birth of a descendant still caused a slight tenderness in his heart.

"Please excuse me," he said to Offa and Jeffrey, knocking them out of their stupor.

"Of course Your Highness, go handle your own matters first," they answered with understanding.

Black flames flashed as Leylin disappeared, only to arrive at a room in the castle. This luxurious room was filled with the smell of blood and amniotic fluid. A few wet nurses had already collapsed on the floor, the main culprit being the infant that was still crying out loud.

These wet nurses had been carefully selected, and almost all of them were rank 1 Warlocks. Still, the power from the rank 5 bloodline in the child's body surpassed the limits of what they could bear.

After all, Leylin, Freya, and the rest normally suppressed their vital radiations on purpose to avoid polluting the surrounding environment. A newborn couldn't possibly have such awareness.

As the infant wept, darkness elemental energy particles emerged and began circling around it. Black flames burnt constantly, beginning to wreck the surrounding furniture and bed sheets.

"Its spiritual force and bloodline force are rebelling?" Instead of frightening him, this news actually made Leylin glad. "This child's innate skill is very high!"

This degree of rebellion did not bother him, and he easily suppressed it as he held the infant up. Seemingly due to sensing the bond of their bloodline, the infant immediately stopped crying upon seeing Leylin, and even let out an innocent smile.

Being a peak rank 3 Warlock whose vitality surpassed most others, Freya had managed to maintain her consciousness till now. When she saw who had arrived, she was shocked at first but then relaxed, "Dear… Our child…"

"Yes, our child is born. It's been hard on you," Leylin comforted her gently, his palms still caressing the forehead of the infant in his embrace. Black light flashed in the room, causing it to fall into a deep slumber.

Just like this, Leylin embraced the child and accompanied Freya quietly. Even though she was a Warlock, the fatigue due to the pregnancy and labour of a child with such a unique bloodline still caused her to fall into a deep sleep very quickly.

'A legacy of the bloodline, eternal from generation to generation.' Leylin seemed to grow some special feelings as he looked at the soundly sleeping infant in his hands.

The pursuit of eternal life was the dream of all humans, but there were almost none who succeeded in the endeavour. Hence there was another method; by producing offspring and passing down their bloodline, one could achieve a sort of immortality of genetics.

Then there was a sort of spiritual immortality. By passing on one's own knowledge and perception of the world to others, teaching students of one's culture and wisdom, one could achieve an immortality of its own.

Descendants would need to be nurtured. One would need to inculcate their own ideas in their blood descendants, spreading their knowledge. This, too, created an eternal life in some sense. As long as this tradition was passed from generation to generation, one could be considered as having partly accomplished the goal.

Hence, be it in his previous life or in this world, humans always held feelings for their descendants. Although individuals who broke this norm did exist, they were not the mainstream.

To Leylin, passing down his bloodline was not only a means to form his power. His descendants would inherit his ideas and legacy. Although true eternal life existed in the Magus World, something much more attractive than having descendants, that did not hinder him from keeping them as a last resort.

'The power of its bloodline is very rich, but it also conceals some dangers!' Soul force swept through the infant, revealing everything about its body before his eyes. Leylin's eyebrows furrowed.

At rank 5, the Kemoyin Emperor bloodline would definitely be detected by the Snake Dowager. With him taking the heat, these bloodlines that were diluted with others might not be given much attention, but even small movements, combined with the infants' inability to stay on guard, would lead to complete annihilation. Hence, he had to take precautions.

'A.I. Chip, construct a Dreamscape defence,' Leylin commanded.

The A.I. Chip quickly responded. [Beep! Mission established! Beginning to transfer runes…]

Misty runes began to appear on Leylin's hands one after the other, forming a unique seal that merged into the infant's back before flickering and fading.

'The possibility of his bloodline attracting attention was already very low. With the addition of these defences it should be negligible,' Leylin was nodding as he thought of Celine, 'I still need to find the time to make a trip to the Twilight Zone.'

The main door was pulled open with a thud, and he walked out while carrying the child.Outside the door, Gilbert and Emma were waiting alongside Kubler and his other subordinates, all of them with excitement in their expressions.

"Congratulations, Master!" His first subordinate Warlock knelt down respectfully. Kubler's actions were followed by the loud sounds of congratulations.

"Mm," Leylin nodded, raising the infant in his hands above his head, "This child shall be called Syre. Syre Farlier, son of Leylin Farlier!"

In the language of the central continent, the name Syre carried the connotation of being honourable and blessed. It was a very good name. Hearing Leylin's announcement, Kubler and the others momentarily drowned the area with cheers, "Syre! Syre!"

...

A grand feast was held that night in celebration. Not only did Offa, Jeffrey and Wayde attend, even Bevis had to force a smile on his face and come over to congratulate Leylin.

After the grand feast ended, Leylin gathered Gilbert, Emma, Offa, and the others, announcing his decision to set out on a long journey. He told these people that he'd discovered another world, and was preparing to delve into a long-term expedition.

Although Offa and others did not really understand Leylin's actions, they still consented and promised to support the Ouroboros Clan as they always had. To the outside world, the Warlock invincible under Breaking Dawn was going to conduct long-term research, and he would hence stay in the Morning Star Area for a very long time.

Leaving aside the effect this news had on the central continent's current situation, Leylin had left the Morning Star Area the very next day in secret.

His departure this time was very low-profile. By the time someone realised it, they'd already lost his tracks.

...

Twilight Zone.

The lake of lava burst apart, revealing Leylin's figure, looking expressionlessly at his cuff. There, the lava had impressively burnt a round hole, leaving a mark.

'Indeed. Now that I'm sealed, I'm not as strong as the last time I came here. I can only be considered an ordinary Morning Star now…' A bitter smile hung at the corner of Leylin's lips.

Due to the restrictions from the Allsnake Curse, he could no longer utilise power at Radiant Moon, even having taken the initiative to seal his bloodline force. Still, all that had only bought him three years of time.

He had to use this time to break through the shackles of his bloodline, resolving the curse. If not, the consequence would be his bloodline being completely sealed by it, something that would lead to immediate death!

Now that he'd taken the initiative to seal a large portion of his bloodline, the A.I. Chip evaluated him to be no stronger than a Morning Star Magus. The best proof of this was the lava passageways. He could run amok in them before, but now it had managed to break through his defences and even leave a mark on his clothes.

'This doesn't feel good,' Leylin's eyebrows furrowed.

Being sealed due to the Allsnake Curse, he was now inferior to an ordinary Radiant Moon Magus. He had to conceal his own aura in the Morning Star Area to deceive people, so how would he dare to stay there for any length of time? With his strength having suffered great losses, the central continent was too dangerous for him. He had to go into hiding for some time.

Leylin never believed in fairness and good blood. Only the most meticulous plans would guarantee his safety as he advanced on his path. Remaining in the Morning Star Area would cause unending problems. Going out instead was better for both parties.

Before confirming that Leylin had thoroughly died, who would dare to harm the Ouroboros Clan, Freya and her child?

There was, in fact, a darker thought deep in Leylin's heart. If anyone reached out for his power, he could at most come back for revenge later on, paying them back tenfold. Those with no qualms made the most terrifying of enemies.

'After resolving the matters in Twilight Zone, I'm afraid I'll need to make a trip to the south coast.' Making silent calculations, Leylin suddenly lifted his head to look at the gloomy rock ceiling, letting loose a quiet sigh.

The current him had to leave for the Purgatory World to resolve the Allsnake Curse. With the Snake Dowager's lair being there, the amount of danger could not be described.

Thus, even Leylin wasn't very confident in his outing this time. Thus, settling all matters on his hands evidently became important. The central continent was taken care of, and next would be Twilight Zone.

After that, he still wanted to return to the south coast in his heart. Be it the rank 3 Magus who inflicted serious damage on him at that time and force him to flee underground, or the matters related to the Farlier Family on the Chernobyl Islands, he needed to tie up all loose ends.

Even a Morning Star like the current him would be invincible in the south coast.

Only when these matters were totally resolved would Leylin be able to abandon everything completely. He could then enter the Purgatory World, striving for his own path forward even at the cost of death.

'Twilight Zone's matters are easy. Only, should I leave behind a hand in the shadows?' Leylin stroked his chin. His entire figure suddenly transformed into a black flame, whistling into the horizon.

Celine was currently beside a cradle. Looking at the figure that suddenly emerged beside her, she exclaimed with pleasant surprise, "Leylin!"

Return to the South Coast

He named his first child Daniel. After setting up some isolation spells and asking Celine to hide herself for a period of time, he reckoned everything should be fine. With his business done, he headed for the south coast.

Though the surroundings were filled with dangerous areas that even rank 3 Magi were known to be unable to escape, this north coast that was isolated from the world seemed to Leylin like his backyard.

"It's been so long, I wonder how those friends and enemies are now?" Leylin looked at the clouds through his window, and familiar faces appeared in his mind.

George, Nyssa, Damien, Number 4 and 5, and the former principal who were all his friends and servants. There were also his enemies like Gargamel and Alric as well.

Memories were dusted off one after the other, especially of him taking an airship to the south coast before he was even an acolyte. It all seemed as if it had happened yesterday.

"Time flew by in the blink of an eye…" Leylin raised his arm, glancing at his youthful and energetic palm as his mind drifted away once more.

"With fifth-grade aptitude, Jayden should be alive and well even now. As for George and Kaliweir… After all, one's soul aptitude is the most important thing for a Magus."

Leylin sighed. If not for choosing the path of a Warlock, he would likely still be stuck as a rank 1 or 2 Magus, even with the help of his A.I. Chip. Forget Morning Star, the current him had even reached the Radiant Moon realm, something unheard of in the south coast. His bloodline had a large part to play in these advances. Things were always unpredictable…

"Besides…" Leylin looked at the near Volcano City and let out a sinister smile.

Red light circulated around his hand, and through his bloodline he could feel the activity of other Farlier descendants in the nearby Teljose City.

'Descendants of Viscount Farlier?' Leylin laughed, 'Didn't I not have any siblings before I left? Viscount John Farlier is very much like our ancestors indeed…'

Leylin still held some attachment towards the Farlier family; after all, his current body came from them. Even though he'd sent Damian over to protect them along with Number 4 and 5, he still couldn't thoroughly cut his ties to them. Still, because it was difficult for him to face them at that time, he'd done it anyway.

A few hundred years had passed since then, and all that would be left of his relatives and friends would be ash and bone. This would make things easier for him; all he needed to do was give a few benefits to his descendants and everything would be fine.

"Attention to all passengers. The airship is arriving at the terminal in Teljose City! Please gather your belongings and leave the ship in order," The gentle female voice sounded again, "Furthermore, the next flight will begin half a year later. The airship will circle the eastern line. Please make any reservations if need be. One final announcement: Traces of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect have been detected in the eastern portion of the city. Please be careful."

The first few announcements didn't net much of a reaction from the passengers, after all the airships here were not comparable to those of the central continent and needed a period of maintenance after each flight. If not for the fact that Teljose City was the trade center of the south coast, they wouldn't have set up any airship routes at all. The last announcement with regards to the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect, though, it wreaked havoc in the hearts of the passengers when it was made known.

"What do we do now, Darlie? The Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect's disciples are all madmen, won't it be too dangerous for us in town?" A few female Magi near Leylin got anxious.

"Rest assured. Teljose City is one of the main camps of the light Magi, and Lord Alric is protecting us. Nothing will happen here. Forget that, aren't the Death Soul Protection and Soul Pollution Isolation spells our forte?" The girl named Darlie quickly calmed her partners down. The presence of the light Magi and Alric gave them a lot of confidence, and even the rest of the airship's passengers started to quieten down afterwards.

'Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect? Alric?' Leylin laughed, 'It seems like I can settle that debt quite easily this time.'

He hadn't taken this airship out of convenience. There was a slight sentimental value to it, but most important was that it would allow him to collect crucial information. With his current abilities, just his dreamforce forcefield could force many Magi to hand over a large amount of information that included their secrets. With the A.I. Chip's abilities added on top, Leylin grew more or less clear on what had happened in the south coast after he'd left.

During his escape after the fight for the essence of the Wisdom Tree, the light Magi had suffered great losses. This incident had sparked off the third great Magus War!

With multiple rank 2 light Magi injured or killed, the dark Magi were stirred into action. With the additional encouragement from the incident with the Wisdom Tree, they started vying over the Eternal River pocket dimension and launched the war.

High-level members, all previously hidden from the world's eyes, emerged in an unprecedented battle above the Thousand Soul Island. Spells of darkness and light blotted out almost half the sky, and the battle ended with the island sinking down. Both parties had suffered great losses.

The third Magus War was supposed to last for a long time, but it was halted abruptly due to the appearance of another strong party. Right after the battle at Thousand Soul Island ended, the ancient Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect took advantage of the fact that both sides were severely damaged and rose quickly in power and position. Their leader was rumoured to be the terminator of all souls— Gargamel! Members of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect were demon fanatics, and even wantonly collected souls in the south coast, regardless of whether they belonged to magicians or humans. They also didn't care whether they were attacking light magicians or dark ones, all in their sights were attacked.

With so many souls in hand, Gargamel's power recovered quickly. It had even advanced to the peak of rank 3 in a short period of time!

With all this, both sides decided that they could not let such a thing go on, quickly ending their original war and cooperating to suppress Gargamel's rise along with her Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect.

Finally, in an intense ambush, the rank 3 Magi of all three sides suffered grievous injuries or even death, and the Magi used their many inherited treasures to inflict great damage to Gargamel and the sect.

But Gargamel was indeed an ancient demon; it had managed to escape from the dark and light Magi and recuperated in hiding, silently waiting for a chance to make a comeback.

Rumours in recent times said that Gargamel's wounds were healing quickly, something that explained the increasing activity of the sect's members. They were conducting massive blood sacrifices and collecting souls. The entire south coast was laden with anxiety.

'So to say, the south coast is currently experiencing a three-way stalemate between the dark Magi, light Magi, and the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect…' Leylin yawned, even if he'd sealed the majority of his abilities, enemies of such a level were still ants to him.

'Let's end things here quickly and find the Purgatory World. My time is far too precious!' Leylin stood up and came to the entrance queue, waiting to alight. Darlie and his partners were in front of him.

"Hey Darlie, look. The hunk who sat with us before is here too." The female Magus in front tugged on Darlie's sleeve.

"Yeah, let's go strike up a conversation! I'll count myself lucky today, none of you can fight me!"

"You guys…" Darlie's voice was soft and she looked like she was done with them, "Aren't you guys afraid of offending him by speaking so loudly when we're so near? And didn't you guys try the other time as well? that sir over there hates to be disturbed…"

The female Magus looked at Leylin stealthily again after Darlie finished her words. The elegant black robe exuded a sense of royalty and the black mask on his face gave Leylin a few pints of mysteriousness. Though only half his face was revealed, the charm he gave off unknowingly was driving all the female Magi mad.

Darlie

He had to say, with his bloodline strengthened his charm had also achieved a new peak. The current him could even charm ghosts and humans of any age. Even Darlie's face flushed and she lowered her head.

At this sight, Leylin couldn't help but feel a little good about himself. He smiled at Darlie.

Unfortunately, the action misled the female Magi in front of him, "Oh my god! He smiled at me!" "No! It was me!" Frustration coloured their faces as they fought over it.

"It's so good to be young!" Leylin shook his head, sauntering out of the airship after it came to a halt.

"Sir over there must be a Magus with a rich history." Darlie watched as Leylin walked away, curiosity burning in her eyes.

She was someone with pretty good aptitude and could be considered a talented person. On top of that, she was hardworking and had advanced to rank 1 at a young age. She'd even started on her elemental conversion already!

Despite this, her past few attempts at probing Leylin failed, and she realised that Leylin was not any ordinary Magus.

Sadly, her other companions did not seem to notice this; she sighed as she looked at her starry-eyed friends.

'Teljose City still looks the same as it did…' Standing in front of the city wall, this large city built around a volcano seemed to have remained the same. The only difference was the aging of the walls.

Leylin couldn't help but think of the first time he'd come here. That poor Magus, Jenna, and her meditation technique of Sacred Flame.

He managed to enter the city quite smoothly when he revealed his power as a Magus. The place was as bustling as it used to be, and had been separated into different strata. As his soul force probed through the city, he managed to find his old villa. However, it was now decked out with a whole new set of spell formations, set up by the Magus currently residing there.

Leylin shook his head and dismissed all thoughts of probing further, instead moving towards a tavern. He'd gotten a general idea of the current situation, but there was still some information he needed to probe further into; this was especially true of the issues surrounding the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect.

Furthermore, since he was already here, Alric and the other Magi wouldn't be able to escape him. He could wait at ease.

"Descendants of my blood, heed my command. Head here!" Leylin's eyes turned crimson as his terrifying soul force spread out. His power, however, couldn't be detected by anyone. Soul force was far too advanced to be detected by anyone in this city.

Still, it was a bad omen for the Magi who'd been picked by him. A fountain pen broke apart in Alric's hand as he stood up clutching his chest. "What… is this? What's going on?"

Magi usually had accurate premonitions. As a rank 3, Alric's intuition had saved him from umpteen dangerous situations.

That same sense of danger hit him again, and this time it was ten times as strong as the previous times. How could he stay calm with that?

"Someone get in here!" He shouted.

A handful of old Magi arrived in order, standing outside the door, "What may I do for you, my Lord?"

"What has the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect been up to lately? I need to know everything about them, and I mean everything!" Alric looked gloomy.

"Yes sir!" the Magi echoed, looking at Alric as if he were their God.

A rank 3 Magus was the top of the pack in the south coast. After the third Magus War, the status of rank 3 Magi had even increased by a huge amount given how many had perished in it. Alric himself actually oversaw the entirety of Teljose City, and was one of the best light Magi.

Naturally, his orders spread out like wildfire. It took no time at all for everything about the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect to cover his desk.

"That's all?" he asked, flipping through indifferently.

"Whatever we could find is in here, my Lord. The recent batch of sect members who came here seem to be hunting someone down instead of collecting souls."

"Mm, I saw the report. For a rank 2 Magus to be leading the team, it seems like those they're after are a force to be reckoned with…" Alric sat back down once again, and rubbed his forehead. Bothered by the look of hesitation on the aged Magus' face, he asked, "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

"I wouldn't dare, my Lord!" Now intimidated, the Magus immediately knelt before him and sought forgiveness, "It's just that there are a few rumours related to the Magi we caught. However, we wouldn't dare come to any sort of conclusion before verifying them…"

"Speak!" Alric's face grew gloomy.

"Of course," The old Magus shot Alric a look, and started breaking out in a cold sweat, "The rumours state that the Magus who's being hunted down by the sect members is a member of Leylin Farlier's family."

All the Magi present tensed their bodies the moment the name was mentioned. That name was an absolute taboo to Alric. His only son had died at Leylin's hands!

When he'd chased after him, he'd instead been used by Leylin who escaped with a teleportation spell formation. Furthermore, he barely escaped the rank 2 Magus' trap, something that had caused him immense humiliation.

*Boom!* A terrifying energy ripple spread out, and all the objects in the room began to shake.

"A surviving member of Farlier's family?" Alric's voice held a tinge of bitterness. In his hatred towards Leylin, Alric had once disregarded the unspoken rules of the south coast and brazenly sent troops to exterminate Leylin's family clan. During that operation, the entire Farlier Family seemed to have been uprooted. Only a few specific bloodlines seemed to have received the protection of some mysterious characters.

"My– My Lord, I can't be too sure of this as well, but the only thing I know is that they have already infiltrated our city," the old man stuttered out. Despite being a Magus himself, he was only rank 1 while Alric was rank 3, the peak of the south coast's Magi. The disparity between them was simply too huge.

"Go look for them now!" Alric commanded, and all the Magi rushed out of the room while cursing at their target.

"Leylin…" Alric's gritting teeth echoed throughout the room after all the Magi had left.

...

"Please come back, my Lord." An elderly man accompanied Leylin to the entrance of his shop, maintaining a half-bow until Leylin's back disappeared from his sight.

He ran a store that specialised in the sale of information and data. He'd met hardly any customers who were as straightforward as Leylin was in his store. Moreover, the energy coming from Leylin's body had stifled him slightly.

'Things seem to be the same but the people have indeed changed!' Leylin sighed in thought as he wandered the streets.

The information he'd acquired on the airship only formed part of the picture, barely scraping the surface. After they touched down in the city, he obtained a lot more detailed information through the information broker he'd found from the tavern.

First was the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Leylin's alma mater still seemed the same as it was before, the only difference was the Dean of the academy had changed. Siley was nowhere to be found, but other than that there were no anomalies.

And even though the Four Seasons Garden greatly suffered after their encounter with Leylin, they'd slowly recovered due to their strong foundation.

Other than stronger groups like the Four Seasons Garden, many names which Leylin was once familiar with had all vanished into the annals of history.

Leylin had even gone to the extent of intentionally revealing the names of his past friends like George and company, but that got him nothing. After all, when Leylin left he was only an acolyte, it was impossible to leave footprints. Or maybe the events in the Eternal River pocket dimension had discouraged all of them so greatly that they chose to hide themselves from the world.

On the other hand, it was Leylin himself who caused trouble between the dark and light Magi. Even now, his work was being described in detail and with much cursing.

Furthermore, many Magi and even the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect had put a bounty on Leylin's head. Learning that it hadn't been taken down till date, he was left speechless.

"Sir, I really am capable. I know some things about alchemy and potioneering, and I know how to…" A female Magus was dragged violently out of a store, the owner a Magus as well. Many of the onlookers took a step back, not interfering. The owner himself was actually a semi-converted Magus, a faint halo of elemental particles surrounded him.

"Sir! My Lord! Please give me a chance, I really need this job—" The female Magus grabbed onto the hem of her skirt, pleading with urgency and yearning. Still, she was rejected mercilessly.

"Don't make me repeat the same thing twice!" A tremendous amount of power started to bleed from the owner's body and Darlie started moving back uncontrollably.

A powerful supporting force surfaced suddenly and helped Darlie to her feet. "Thank you! Oh? Aren't you the Mister from…"

"Count yourself lucky!" The store owner had obvious reservations about Leylin and stomped back into his shop while shaking his head.

"Are you alright?" Leylin looked at Darlie, thinking this situation was a little ridiculous. Judging from Darlie's current state, she was evidently in a poor predicament. "Want to go for a drink?"

Travelling Together and Appearance

"I was too naive. No matter how lax the professor from the Ennea Ivory Ring Tower could be in his requirements, a novice Magus like me isn't competent enough…"

Leylin and Darlie sat facing each other in a fruit juice shop. Leylin was watching the passersby outside the French window as he listened to Darlie narrate her experiences after they parted ways.

Darlie was a talented Magus who had perseverance. She had a fault, however, in her youth.

Knowledge was the foundation of a Magus' power. She was extraordinary for advancing to become a Magus at her age, but compared to those old freaks who'd amassed knowledge over hundreds of years she was nothing.

Hence, she had completely failed recruitment into the Ennea Ivory Ring Tower, being rejected at the start itself.

Her other female companions had fared the same way, and after the setback from the huge difference between their ideals and reality, they had long since returned to their hometowns. Some had even given up completely. Only Darlie had not let up, persevering and staying in Teljose City.

Soon enough, however, she was faced with a serious issue— she had gone broke!

Official Magi might seem extremely wealthy, but those who had just advanced had used up all their resources and magic crystals while breaking through. They weren't particularly skilled in any area, and since they lacked magic crystals to purchase spell models and the like to grow in strength, it was an endless cycle. Magi were normally at their poorest after advancing, and the costs of Teljoce City were too much for someone like Darlie.

On top of that, she still needed to obtain more magic crystals in order to purchase things like spiritual force potions and spell models. Hence, after racking her brains, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and look for a job.

However, reality dealt her a ruthless blow. Darlie cared little for regular jobs, but she did not meet the requirements for jobs that needed official Magi. She had hit a wall many times already before bumping into Leylin today.

"It's been just a few days, but you've already had so many experiences…" Leylin had the urge to laugh, but he forced it down.

Since he'd advanced as a Warlock, he was always stronger than others of the same rank as gim. On top of that, the A.I. Chip was a cheat that allowed him to amass knowledge that did not lose out to those old freaks. He'd never experienced such things.

In actuality, Magi like Darlie were the norm in this world.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Leylin asked kindly. He had some magic crystals lying around, and it wasn't like they were of much use to him. They were effectively rocks to him, and he obviously wouldn't mind showing some generosity.

"It's alright. I've taken on a mission to gather starlight grass, and the rewards aren't half bad. I'll be able to survive for a while…" Darlie said in rejection. She was a strong and prideful child, and obviously would not accept such charity.

"Starlight grass, huh…" Leylin checked with the A.I. Chip, "That ingredient is only produced in Ebole Town. Though it's not far from Teljose and it's easy to gather it, a wave of disciples from the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect fled there recently, making it more dangerous…"

"No wonder…" Darlie covered her little mouth, "I was wondering why the task was so simple, yet the rewards were so generous. Damn it…"

Seeing her finding this difficult, Leylin could not help but laugh, "I need to go there anyway. Let's go together…"

"Mister…" Darlie grew extremely emotional, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"I really have something to do there!" Leylin emphasised. With a few days of soul and bloodline hints being transmitted, the Farlier descendant had come here, and was about to reach Ebole Town as well.

Leylin wasn't someone with too much time on his hands. If not for such a thing, he'd just give her some magic crystals. Why would he waste his precious time and accompany her?

"Many thanks!" Darlie bowed deeply, a red flush appearing on her cheeks and spreading downwards.

...

The wheels kept turning, producing creaking noises. The uneven surface of the road left the carriage constantly shaking.

Within the carriage, Darlie was watching Leylin's mysterious face that was covered with a black mask. She hesitated for a long time before she spoke, "Mi– Mister, my name is Darlie. May I know…"

As Leylin had kept his mask on all this while, Darlie had assumed that he was hiding his identity, which was why she had not asked for his name. Now, however, the two of them were going to Ebole Town together, and it seemed too lacking in manners if she did not inquire into this properly.

"Oh, I'm Leylin!" Leylin told the truth plainly. In his senses, the bloodline descendant was very close to the town.

However, the life aura on his body had been weakened to a maximum, and there was even an aura of death coming from him. If Leylin didn't save him, it wasn't likely for him to make it back to Teljose City.

"Leylin…" Darlie repeated the name a few times, and her expression suddenly changed, "The name 'Leylin', it's the same as a Magus who's in our history textbooks!"

"Oh?" Leylin stroked his chin. The Third Magus War and the rise of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect were very serious issues for the Magi of the south coast, and every detail about them had been noted down.

Leylin was mentioned, obviously. After all, he'd been the person who somewhat sparked all these issues. With Darlie's own studiousness, she'd remembered it to this day.

"Hoho… I didn't expect Lord Leylin to have the same name as that Magus in history. How interesting! Heehee…" Darlie covered her mouth, shoulders shaking slightly.

Perhaps it was because she was not wary of Leylin at all, or because she was charmed by the dreamforce surrounding him. She hadn't even considered the possibility that Leylin was the same one from history.

"Oh? May I ask what the books say about him?" Leylin was rather curious of how the historians of the south coast evaluated him.

"Of course!" Darlie nodded, closing her eyes and seemed to recall content about him:

"Poison Sovereign King, Leylin Farlier of the Chernobyl Islands. A rank 2 Magus, and an important figure who caused the Third Magus War. Initially a student at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, he betrayed them and then fled to Four Seasons Garden. Countless battles allowed him to garner a reputation, with the most famous being the battle at the Eternal River Plains' pocket dimension, as well as that at the Brambles Iron Door. Whereabouts currently unknown, he is wanted by both dark and light Magi. Evaluation: A rare Magus talent, seen only once in a thousand years in the south coast!"

It was as if she was reading the textbook itself, and the words she recited left Leylin laughing at himself.

"I never thought there would come a day that I'd enter a textbook!" Leylin touched the glossy and cold mask on his face, and couldn't help but feel incredulous.

"What about your opinion of him?" Leylin asked her curiously.

"That Leylin?" Darlie's eyes glazed over, as if a layer of fog had gone over them, "He's a genius! There are rumours that he's even a Potioneering Grandmaster, but he isn't of high moral standing. I don't like him!"

"Looks like I left behind a bad impression on the south coast!" Leylin could only shake his head, "Actually…"

"Actually? Oh, by the way Mister Leylin, why do you keep asking me questions about that fellow?" No matter how dim witted she was, she finally reacted.

"Oh, it's nothing… just that we've reached Ebole Town!" Leylin opened the window on the carriage and nodded.

Starlight grass was a distinctive product found around Ebole Town. Irregular silver spots dotted its tender green leaves, sparkling with a charming light. It was hard to mistake it for something else.

Due to the threat of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect, which caused Ebole Town to lose all contact with Teljose City, the mission of gathering starlight grass now yielded very generous rewards.

"There are so few people in the town. I can't even get people to buy from if I try…" Darlie felt helpless.

Since she knew how dangerous this place was, she was unwilling to stay longer. If she could purchase enough portions of starlight grass, she wouldn't be at such a loss. However, the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect's bad reputation of going around collecting souls, not even leaving commoners, left the town practically empty. Many residents had left this area and fled, causing the town to become desolate. The Potioneers and those who gathered materials had disappeared.

"Ugh… looks like I'll have to do it myself…"

Darlie lowered her head sadly, and then glanced at Leylin, who was beside her, "Sir Leylin, what are you here for?"

Leylin wore gorgeous clothing, just one of his gloves worth everything she was. Combined with his great bearing, he probably came from some ancient noble family. Why would a person like this find value in things like starlight grass?

"Me?" Leylin chuckled, "I'm waiting for someone!"

"Oh! You agreed to meet someone outside Ebole Town? If it's convenient, could you tell me his name? I'll look out for him," she asked.

"Yes! He's a younger generation member in my family. As for his name…" Leylin scratched his head. He had used the power of his bloodline to guide the descendant from the Farlier Family over. How was he to know the child's name?

"Oh, there's no need for that. He's arrived." Leylin's eyebrows raised up, and he walked out. Darlie followed closely behind, her eyes showing her curiosity.

The scene of a chase appeared quickly in front of Darlie as she followed him out of town…

Alric

"That's…" Darlie watched the streaks of light that were pursuing someone vigorously, and felt herself getting tense. In front of her were Magi from the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect.

They wore loose blood-red robes emblazoned with an inverted silver cross on the back. A white skull was at the heart of the cross, its eyes filled with an abyssal darkness. It seemed to be smirking at her.

This was the standard attire of the disciples of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect. She could feel the traces of elemental conversion from all of these Magi, 'They're at least semi-converted Magi. And that leader, he's… he's…'

Practically the very moment she turned her attention to him, the leader suddenly turned to face her, the terrifying silver light from his eyes paralysing her, "A– a rank 2 Magus! Someone who's materialised their spiritual force?"

When Darlie felt her knees go weak and was about to fall, her shoulders suddenly moved and her body was supported by a powerful force. Immediately after, Leylin's gentle words entered her ears, "Don't worry, it's fine."

His voice seemed to be infectious, and she managed to recover from her crippling fear.

"Thank you!" Darlie chanced a glance at Leylin, and felt immediately at ease.

From her point of view, with someone as powerful as Leylin whose strength could not be fathomed beside her, she could escape successfully, even from the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect.

Mind calm, she now was able to focus on other things. These sect disciples were chasing a young man with sky-blue eyes and brown hair. The elemental particles surrounding him were near substantial, and helped him move faster and resist the attacks.

'Peak rank 1, with elemental conversion at least 75%? Who is he? Why is he being pursued by the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect?' Darlie's eyes flashed with puzzlement.

"You can't escape!" the rank 2 Magus yelled in a low voice, and silver spiritual particles converged to form an incredibly fine silver whip that was tens of metres long. With an elegant flick of his wrist, the long silver whip snapped straight, pushing towards the back of the fleeing Magus.

"Fallen Star Pendant!" With the Magus' yell, a layer of dark-red light formed a faint armour around his body.

*Thwack! *Boom!* A dull thud was heard from his back, and the dark red armour shattered. The young Magus flushed red.

Because of that, the silver whip halted its movements. It allowed the young Magus to dart towards the entrance of Ebole Town, the same place Leylin and Darlie were heading for.

"Don't expect a mere middle-grade magic artifact to be able to save you!" Seeing his opponent escape the blow that should've taken care of him in one shot, the rank 2 Magus' expression grew dark. Phantom skeletons twisted as they brought darkness and despair to the surroundings.

Darlie could see practically every pore on the escaping Magus' face, as well as the crazed disciples whose eyes were glinting with bloodlust. She couldn't help but pull at Leylin's sleeve, "Mister! My Lord! Let's go!"

"Go? Why should we?" Leylin chuckled indifferently. He had merely summoned the male with his soul and bloodline, and not saved him personally. This was to gauge his strength and luck. Seeing this scene, he concluded that the little guy's strength was passable and that he had rather good luck, something that caused him to nod inwardly.

The young Magus who was currently fleeing was naturally the Farlier Family descendant who Leylin had sensed. He was likely related to a brother or sister of Leylin's, and he could see similarities to his father and even himself in the young man's features.

'Damien has already met with them? He's passed my Fallen Star Pendant over too…' Leylin touched his chin. The magic artifact that emitted the dark red armour was the intricate cross pendant on the youth's neck. It even had some broken gems on it. This was the middle-grade magic artifact that Leylin had created in the south coast, the Fallen Star Pendant.

Middle-grade magic artifacts had little effect past rank 1, which was why he'd handed it over to Damien in the hope that he would hand it over to the outstanding descendants of the Farlier Family. It looked like Damien had completed his task well.

"Mister Leylin… is he the person you're waiting for?" Darlie pointed at the fleeing Magus, something suddenly hitting her, "He's a member of your family, so you're especially here to save him?"

"Something like that!" Leylin's eyebrows raised, and he then glanced up towards the sky, a ruminating smile on his lips, "It's quite lively today!"

"You can't escape. When we of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect want to kill someone, we've never fail!" The distorted skeletal images soared out with what sounded like a prophecy from the rank 2 Magus, turning into a few bone necklaces that instantly locked around the young Magus' ankles.

*Thud!* The Magus lost his balance and fell, seeming very pitiful as blood-laden bandages were revealed on his chest. Evidently, this was a wound from his time being chased.

"Weren't you running? Go on, run some more." The rank 2 Magus steeled his expression as he approached the fleeing Magus, watching him from above.

"I said that there's never been a Magus who's escaped on our kill list. Consider yourself lucky, our sect master will meet you personally and extract your soul, boiling it in fire for a hundred years…"

"Just… Kill me!" The Magus who had fallen turned over with difficulty, spitting out the words with no hope in his eyes.

The long hunt as well as being unable to join any large organisations had already left him weary to the bone, "I'm sorry, Grandpa Damien. I couldn't help you in your vengeance…"

"Lock him up properly. Be careful," the rank 2 Magus instructed the disciples behind him. He then scanned Leylin and Darlie who were at the entrance of Ebole Town.

The aura Darlie emanated showed that she was a newbie who had recently advanced. With Leylin concealing his abilities quite well, he was treated like small fry.

"Kill them all and extract the souls of the residents in the town. We finally managed to get out, so it'll be good to bring something back…" The leader commanded, and the sect disciples answered loudly. Crimson appeared in their eyes as they drew closer to the two with malicious intent, as if beasts that had found their prey.

"Mi– Mister Leylin! You're very powerful and can defeat them quickly, right?" Darlie took multiple steps backwards. All of those disciples were semi-converted, and could suppress her easily.

"There's no hurry. There's someone else yet to arrive." Leylin replied without enthusiasm.

"There's someone else yet to arrive? What does that mean?" Her little face had turned deathly pale.

"Keke, this female Magus has pretty good meat. How tender!" A disciple pulled at his nose, displaying an evil grin.

"You can do whatever you want with the body, but you have to extract her complete soul. The soul of an official Magus isn't too bad, and you can even exchange it for points…" a dried-up old man him while snickering.

"I…" Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes. She was a traditional light Magus, and in Four Seasons Garden the most danger she had ever met was some accidents while taking part in some outdoor experiments. However, there had been mentors around and she had always survived, shocked but safe. She had never met with a situation like what was happening now.

"Don't come over!" Darlie wailed, like the last cries of a feeble lamb. It only stimulated the appetite of the ravenous wolves in front of her.

"Rest in peace." Just as the disciples were about to make their move and Darlie was in despair, the air seemed to freeze. Piercing sounds echoed out from explosions in Teljose City, and a terrifying gust parted the clouds themselves.

A white light in the horizon grew increasingly dazzling, finally forming a faint world of holy light. The unprecedented terrifying pressure caused Darlie to go limp and fall, feeling suffocated.

The disciples surrounding her all collapsed, and the rank 2 Magus' expression changed. Watching the white world of light, he turned grim, "Holy Light Domain! A rank 3 Magus!"

A Magus appeared out of nowhere in the hazy domain, holy light forming an illusory scene behind him.

"Lord Alric of Teljose City! Are you here to break the balance in the south coast?" The Magus yelled, though everyone could hear that he was only putting on a brave front.

This was a rank 3 Magus, a peak existence in the south coast! Alric's strength was well-known even among rank 3 Magi, and he was in charge of Teljose City which was a large base of the light Magi. He was in the top stratum of light Magi.

Someone like that could kill a mere rank Magus like him easily, especially with how tense the relationship between their opposing factions was.

Alric coldly answered the rank 2 Magus' question with a word. "Scram!"

"You–!" The rank 2 Magus flushed red and finally gritted his teeth, "Take him. We'll be off!"

"You can go, but you'll have to leave him behind," Alric pointed at the Magus on the ground.

Recognition and Ease

"No, he's my assignment!" The rank 2 Magus of the Spirit Slaying Sect rejected immediately. Apprehending this Magus was the very reason he'd even come here.

"You've gotten this wrong. I'm not here to discuss terms with you, this is an order! Since you wish to die, let me help you!" Alric couldn't be bothered to listen to reason, and he instead made his move. A violent, aggressive power crushed down on them, forming a domain of holy light.

*Rumble!* The forcefield of a rank 3 Magus left no way out for any Magi below that rank. The disciples of the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect melted down in the holy light, their blood and flesh just dissipating away. Piercing screams sounded out.

"Lord Gargamel won't let you off!" The silver spiritual force surrounding the rank 2 Magus flashed, abruptly forming a cloud of black fog as he planned to flee into the distance.

"What a bunch of noisy flies! Let Gargamel look for me." Alric's brows furrowed as his right hand began to grab towards the black fog. Boundless holy light converged to form a giant blazing claw of platinum. The cries of the rank 2 Magus sounded out as well.

With the flames burning it up, the black gas seeped out from the gaps between the fingers. Silver spiritual force light gradually dimmed, and eventually was extinguished completely.

In mere seconds, that arrogant sect disciple who left Darlie with no way out was annihilated.

The holy light vanished, turning into a gold-trimmed scholar's cloak that appeared on Alric's back.

Meanwhile, Darlie was completely frozen on the ground. Only after some time did she manage to yell out, "It's Alric, Lord Alric! A rank 3 Magus!"

For the light Magi, Alric was synonymous with light and justice. His sort of strength and his terrifying influence were the life goals of all light Magi.

"You're a descendant of the Farlier family?" Alric did not bother with Darlie, instead slowly descending as he looked at the Magus on the ground like he was looking at a corpse. His voice held the chill of millennia of winter, and would cause anyone to shiver in fright.

"Hehe… another one!" The Magus could not be bothered to move, or rather he knew that there was no hope of escape in front of a rank 3 Magus.

"You're very unlucky." Alric's eyes were like two balls of flames, "If you were caught by the people from the Primordial Spirit Slaying Sect, they'd at most torture your soul for a century. I'll instead torture your soul to death, extracting all your blood to prepare bloodline sensing magic so the Farlier bloodline will be destroyed completely…"

It was as if he was narrating something that happened every day. The cruel words laced with bloodlust left Darlie shuddering, 'What's going on? Wasn't that young Magus being chased down by the Spirit Slaying Sect? How has he offended Lord Alric too?' She felt giddy with confusion.

"Wait, the Farlier family? I seem to have read something about it… In the battle at the Brambles Iron Door before the third great war, Alric's sole son Jojane died at the hand of Leylin Farlier. Because of the modifications he'd made to himself before, Lord Alric had lost the ability to reproduce further, and this turned into a blood feud…" As a top scorer, Darlie was familiar with this piece of history as well.

However, the consequences of her having the time to even think of this resulted in Alric fixing his attention on her, eyes full of a chilliness. She dropped to her knees, "My– My apologies, Lord Alric. I didn't mean to…"

"Ha… haha!" The Magus on the ground began to laugh maniacally, "Alric, you'll never have a kid even till your death. It serves you right to have no blood kin!"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! You must all die!" With salt sprinkled on his wounds, Alric's facial muscles began to contort as flames began to emerge from around his body.

"Die!" Light surged forth from his body, the milky white rays of death able to melt flesh and cause Magi to die an excruciatingly painful death.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!* Applause sounded from within the light, interrupting Alric's attack. He could not help but shift his attention.

It was only then that he realised there was someone standing at the side, wearing a luxurious black scholar's robe and a mask on his face. He had no aura undulations, which was why Alric had overlooked this man's existence before.

This realisation caused his pupils to shrink, and suddenly left him with a bad premonition. A Magus that could conceal his aura so well would definitely be someone difficult to deal with.

"Who are you?" Alric glared at Leylin coldly, finding the face familiar the more he gazed upon it. The half of the face that could be seen seemed extremely familiar, yet there seemed to be a fog in his mind that made it hard for him to remember the name.

"Who am I? Alric, you should know best!" Leylin chuckled, and turned to encourage Darlie, "You explained it well!"

"That voice…" Alric's brows were furrowed and the fog of confusion dissipated slowly. He had the feeling he was about to find the name he was looking for, hidden in the depths in his mind.

All of a sudden, Alric's body trembled and he was instantly wide awake. Immediately after, Leylin's face lined up with the one in his memories, causing him to bellow hysterically, "You're… Leylin Farlier!!"

"Leylin Farlier?!" Two cries of alarm were heard from the sides, and the Magus on the ground's eyes were filled with emotion as he stared at Leylin's figure.

Darlie was completely horrified, 'He– He's the legendary Toxic Sovereign King? The rank 2 existence who worked behind the scenes and caused the Third Magus War? He's Leylin Farlier?'

Her hands covered her mouth, and her brain halted.

'Right… He never denied he was that Leylin. I was the one who wishfully treated him as someone with the same name…' Scenes of her time with Leylin flashed in her mind, causing Darlie's face to turn as red as an apple.

'He- He's very different from the legends!' Darlie watched his back, eyes showing her worry. 'Alric is a rank 3 Warlock! Can Mister Leylin…'

"Hah… hah… you're Leylin Farlier. That voice and that face… Even if it's half covered I won't be wrong." Alric huffed, his body twitching like he was an epileptic. He was so excited that he was practically frothing at the mouth.

"You finally appeared. Great, I can finally enact my vengeance!" He roared in a low voice, terrifying energy undulations exploding forth from his body that seemed to touch upon the Crystal Phase.

"Indeed, it's sensible that hatred can drive one's improvement. Alric, you've improved so much from before." Though Alric's improvement surprised Leylin slightly, those under Morning Star were still like ants to him. It was no big deal.

The terrifying forcefield of a rank 3 Magus caused the Magus and Darlie to lie on the ground like toads. The young Magus couldn't help but yell towards Leylin, "My Lord, be careful!"

"Any amount of cautiousness is useless! The hatred from Jojane's death, as well as the torture of the long wait… It can only be purged by all the blood in your body!" Alric roared, and holy light dazzled as it formed a gigantic cage ringed with pillars of light.

He had learnt his lesson from chasing Leylin down before. He knew that Leylin was powerful, and what's more, quick. With just a slight misstep, Leylin could flee. In order to prevent such a disaster from happening again, he had to limit his opponent's range.

"Die!" Having set everything up, Alric made his move. Boiling heatwaves converged in his hand, the light forming a gigantic statue of a goddess, her two wings spread to form a bow. A holy aura emanated from the bow that had formed.

A ray of light condensed to form the bowstring, and a terrifying energy undulation was released as Alric pulled back on it. Platinum flames converged, rushing forth from his fingertips to form a blazing arrow.

An explosive screech could be heard as the arrow was launched, leaving behind a glimmering white trail in the air.

"You're focussing on long-ranged attacks? Looks like the lesson I taught you was deeply engraved in your mind!" Leylin shook his head and extended a finger, tapping on the flaming arrow.

This slight motion caused Alric's expression to go dark, and the Magus and Darlie both were filled with concern.

"Unfortunately… Just this is far from enough" The flaming arrow struck Leylin's finger, producing a crisp sound.

Immediately after, Alric's expression quickly changed. The flaming arrow had fallen down, split in two. It charred the surrounding land before the flames went out.

"If that's all you have, you're too disappointing." Leylin smiled at Alric, who in turn staggered back. It was only then that he realised that Leylin was no longer the rank 2 Magus who needed to keep fleeing from him.

His opponent was considered the greatest genius the south coast had produced in a thousand years. With hundreds of years having passed, what level of strength had he reached?

"What– What rank are you at now?" Alric slowly stepped backwards, two snow-white wings of light extending at his back. "That question isn't important. You just need to die obediently…"

Leylin spoke without a care. Coupled with how he was dressed, he seemed very much like the stereotype of a huge rebel.

Defeat and Curse

At this moment, the young Magus that had collapsed to the ground immediately shouted out, "Lord Ancestor, you can't let him off so easily! He attacked our Farlier family and even indirectly caused Grandpa Damien's death!"

"Oh?!" Leylin furrowed his brows. Black flames blazed as he instantly moved to the youth's side. With just a scan, he understood the youth's body like the back of his own hand. "Did the Spirit Slaying Sect give you that wound on your chest?"

"Yes. I got hit by the attack of a soul plague from the sect disciples, and was also poisoned by a Malaria Spider!" The youth looked defeated, but then had an excited flush on his face.

"A small issue." Leylin's finger moved, and the bandages around the youth's chest automatically fell off to reveal twisted muscles and horrifying wounds.

"Bear with it for a bit." Leylin dripped a crimson potion onto the youth's injuries. White gas steamed from the wounds, causing the youth to cry out in pain involuntarily. Shortly after, black gas streamed out of the wound and the flesh began to mend itself rapidly. The wounds were healing.

"WHAT?" Darlie shouted from not far away, "That's even faster than a rank 3 healer! Is this an ancient healing potion from legends?"

Leylin had no wish to answer Darlie's question. Instead, he noticed Alric beginning to make a move. "Tch, so stubborn."

*Rumble!* Countless holy javelins made of platinum flames appeared around him, shooting towards Leylin like thousands of arrows being launched at the same time. Alric himself revealed a large pair of wings as he took to the skies.

"I said, stay there quietly. Did you not understand the first time?" Leylin's expression darkened, and an aura several times more terrifying and powerful than Alric's descended. Formless energy rippled, causing those javelins to explode in the air and dissipate into motes of light.

Seeing Leylin take care of his attack, Alric made a strange sound from mid-air, spreading his wings and escaping as far as he could go.

"Get down here!" Leylin's right hand pulled downwards, and Alric gave a blood-curdling cry from within the streak of light. He fell down, the two wings on his back being torn off by a formless force. Some flesh and blood remained at the end, revealing long gashes on his back from which blood spurted forth.

The cage with pillars of light that sealed off the region had, with a sound as if it could not hold on for longer, exploded bit by bit.

"…" His wound completely healed, the youth now stood up and watched the scene silently. He was surprised, yes, but the events that had played out so far had far exceeded what he could take. He was now numb to everything.

When he'd been fleeing from the sect disciples, a voice in his mind urged him to change course, veering towards Teljose City. Before the Spirit Slaying Sect disciples who were after him could attack him, Alric appeared. Faced against the sect disciple and a rank 3 Magus who both had grudges against him, the youth would rather be caught by the sect that even see Alric's face.

However, things were far from over. Just when he thought everything was done for, an even more bizarre thing had happened. Leylin, the genius from his Farlier Family who'd been missing for centuries, had suddenly reappeared. On top of that, he dominated and defeated Alric the moment he showed himself!

The youth watched Alric lying on the ground like a dead dog, his expression stiff. He had a strong suspicion that this could be a mere clone, or perhaps a fraud. Since when was a rank 3 Magus, the best of the south coast, so weak?

'Or is it that he isn't weak, but the Lord Ancestor is just that powerful?' The youth watched Leylin's masked face, his eyes full of admiration. He was fully privy to Alric's prowess. Under the forcefield the rank 3 Magus had shown off, he would have been killed like an ant…

However, Leylin had defeated his opponent with a mere wave of the arm. How large was the disparity between them?

"Your wounds are all healed up. By the way, what's your name?" Leylin's face held some rare gentleness as he faced this descendant.

"My– My name is Krupp, I'm Audi's descendant…" Krupp knew Leylin had no interest in his family tree, and directly mentioned the person in Leylin's generation.

"Audi? Did this happen after I left?" Leylin stroked his chin.

"Yes, he's your brother, born two years after you left…" Krupp carefully watched Leylin's expression, and then pointed at Alric, "Lord Ancestor, he once sent people to attack our Farlier family and almost caused us to be completely uprooted from the Chernobyl Islands. Only a few of us escaped under Grandpa Damien's protection. You must take revenge for us!"

Having said all this, Krupp clenched his fists tightly, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't worry," Leylin nodded. After hearing news that the Farlier family had almost been destroyed, he strangely felt no anger. It was as if he was hearing someone else's story; even he was surprised at his reaction.

Leylin immediately thought of the reason for this. He was someone who'd come from another world, and wasn't the original Leylin who was just a playboy. Because he had the A.I. Chip and was a grandmaster in the field of souls, issues with things like soul fragments that were retained from the original soul causing melodrama wouldn't be an issue for him.

The old Leylin's soul had long since been annihilated, with not a trace left behind. He would not be able to affect Fang Ming the slightest. Hence, after hearing that the Farlier family had almost been wiped out, he' only nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

Emotions and the responsibility towards one's bloodline were different, however. Leylin believed he still had some work to do in that regard.

Krupp and Darlie felt the temperature of their surroundings lower in an instant. A slight explosion could be heard from Alric's body, and it seemed like he was strangled at his throat by a formless strength. He now hung before Leylin.

"My…" Alric tried to sound from his throat. With a blink of Leylin's eyes, his face had flushed red. He squirmed as the blood drained from his face; it turned an ashen grey.

In that short moment, Leylin had destroyed Alric's spiritual force. He was now just slightly stronger than a regular human.

"You've really got some guts. To dare go against the unwritten rules of the south coast and take revenge on my family…" Leylin's hand grabbed at the void, and crackling sounds were heard from Alric's body. The bones automatically broke apart inch by inch, but Alric was still awake and had to deal with the suffering alone. Soon enough, blood spurted from his mouth, and some of his teeth were broken.

"I believe there's a need to set a precedent, so that the other Magi will be aware." A thin crimson thread was extracted from his body and hovered in front of Leylin.

"Let's see!" A trace of blood-red light could be seen in Leylin's eyes as countless translucent mirrors opened up before him, revealing vague figures within.

"NOO…" Alric immediately grew agitated upon seeing them, his body trembling unceasingly as his eyes pleaded with Leylin.

However, Leylin himself cared nothing for this, "Mm, you don't have any direct descendants yourself, but there are a lot of other branches. Siblings?"

Alric did not answer, his tongue had long since been bitten off. If not for Leylin intentionally keeping him alive, he would have died long ago. Alric would much rather die early than face what was to come.

"You know my character. I rarely use curses or other spells in that vein. It's not because I'm unfamiliar with them, but because they're troublesome; not only is the preparatory work tedious, there's also a backlash," Leylin continued on as if he were chatting with a friend, "But things are different here. The backlash from some rank 1 and 2 Magi, and even regular humans, means nothing to me…"

As he spoke, leylin produced a large amount of materials from his spatial pouch, carving strange altar-like runes on the ground.

"Trace back the path of the bloodline to all branches…" Terrifying curses rolled off Leylin's tongue in a strange accent, "Ye of his blood, shall become the source of the curse!" After a few ceremonies, Leylin extracted some blood with a dagger and threw it onto the altar under Alric's look of despair.

"AAAAHH…" With sounds of anguish being transmitted from the altar, a faint distorted face with empty eyes wailed as it pounced into the air.

"Go!" Leylin snapped his fingers.

*Bzzt bzzt…* Formless ripples spread, and immediately after a blond Magus' expression changed in one of the round mirrors, green warts appearing all over his body. They then exploded, spurting out corrosive liquid that caused him to become a pile of white bones amidst his howls.

Black fog occupied the entirety of a castle elsewhere, and broken limbs were thrown out of it every once in a while.

"Noooo…" Alric lowered his head. All that remained in his dead eyes was boundless hatred.

"Did you think that was all?" Leylin could not help but laugh as he saw Alric in this state.

"Soul extraction!" A translucent figure was pulled out from Alric's forehead.

Fallen Star: Magic Equipment

"A.I. Chip, organise Alric's memories, separate the information I require."

[Beep, mission established. Beginning analysis. Extracting data from target.]

As a Grandmaster in the field of soul research who possessed the help of the A.I. Chip, Leylin found what he needed in mere seconds.

Alric's body died once his soul was pulled out. Now translucent, he'd regained the ability to speak. Information was extracted from his soul as he let out cries of misery. Having memories extracted from your soul wasn't exactly pleasant. "AAAHH… What are you doing? I won't let you off! I curse you and I curse all that is yours!"

"Oh, so you have a brother who you're not on good terms with. It's a bit of a pity that he died under the curse as well," Leylin said as great amounts of data streaked past him, "Whatever. If he's dead he's dead. Did you think it would just end like this?

"Void Assassin!" A translucent figure appeared instantly with a flutter of his sleeve. These servants that he'd gained from the ruins of Scarlet Crescent each had a strength of up to rank 3, and with their ability to travel through the void even Morning Stars had to guard carefully against them. They were practically invincible in the south coast.

"Here's the information. Kill all his friends, acolytes, and anyone else he treasures." With a stretch of his arm and a tap, Alric's soul was sealed into the Void Assassin's head, "Make sure he watches everything. Once you're done, sink into the lava underground and have his soul roast for eternity…"

"Understood." A robotic voice sounded from the Void Assassin.

Immediately after, its body disappeared into the void, leaving behind Alric's despairing cries that seemed to echo in this land.

"Are you satisfied with how I handled this?" Leylin turned to look at Krupp.

"Yes, very satisfied! No matter what Patriarch does, you're the most correct!" With Leylin's eyes on him, Krupp stiffened in his nervousness.

At the thought of what his ancestor had done, Krupp couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This was someone who already knew of the darkness that lay in the Magus World!

'Using a method to extinguish one's bloodline and not even letting off their friends or acolytes… ' Krupp secretly wiped off the perspiration, 'Patriarch is no saint…'

Having taken care of Alric, Leylin glanced into the horizon and beckoned to Krupp, "Let's go! A few worms will come and disturb us if we don't leave quickly."

But before they got onto the carriage, a thought flashed through Leylin's mind. He looked at Darlie, 'It's my fault that she got involved. Since she came with me, I should at least bring her to the next city…'

Leylin pointed at Darlie, but the female Magus was in a state of complete shock. The roaring skeletal horse was blazing with black flames; it seemed like a demon from a nightmare, it's hooves leaving behind flaming marks.

The large carriage sped down the road like a black whirlwind. Krupp sat inside with some reservation, occasionally sneaking glances at Leylin's black leather boots. Darlie was still frozen, hiding in the corner and trembling with her arms wrapped around herself.

The recent events had dealt a huge blow to this female Magus. In reality, if not for Leylin intentionally protecting her, she and Krupp wouldn't have been able to live past the moment Alric burst out. However, she didn't believe that her survival was some stroke of fortune.

The fall of a rank 3 Magus, and the curse that accompanied it, made it easy for her to imagine what kind of chaos was going to arise in the south coast. And as the witness, she was in a bad situation. Though the light Magi revered order, they were the first in line to trample over their own rules for the sake of benefits.

Darlie shut her eyes, and could already imagine a large number of high-ranked Magi cutting open her skull and extracting parts of her brain.

Though the dark Magi were more famous for it, Darlie knew very well that many light Magi were no inferior at the skill of extracting memories. They could probably clone all her thoughts from her childhood with not a single error.

As for what would happen to her? That was something no Magi would ever care about. Sacrificing herself for the big picture and for all light Magi was something that she should feel honoured to do. They'd expect her to serve herself up voluntarily.

Darlie only realised how helpless she was under such immense pressure. While she'd always been prideful of the order and glory of the light Magi, all she wished for now was their destruction.

In matters of life and death, everything could be renounced.

'But as long as this lord is around…' Darlie peeked up and saw the figure that had caused her immense fear. That stern gaze that shot out from behind the mask seemed to pierce her body, suffocating her.

She quickly lowered her head respectfully, her breathing becoming rough, "Starting with Alric's fall, the return of my Lord will bring about great changes in the south coast…"

Leylin knew what this female Magus was thinking of immediately, but he couldn't be bothered with it. To him, she was but a stranger he'd picked up somewhere and embroiled in this because of a coincidence. Even if he wasn't with her, having taken on the task of gathering starlight grass she would've come to Ebole Town anyway. Without his protection, she would probably be in even worse a condition by now. Thus, he believed she owed him a favour.

That last thought was because they'd travelled together and grown slightly more familiar with each other. Reaching a rest point and then tossing her away was a very simple alternative, however based on Krupp's expression this might be a variable that would change things. Leylin chuckled at that thought.

Leylin suddenly spoke. "Krupp, give me the Fallen Star Pendant around your neck."

"Oh, of course, Patriarch!" Krupp deferentially took the pendant down and passed it to Leylin with both hands.

Light flickered from the broken gems on the dark red cross' surface. The slight weight in his hands left Leylin nostalgic.

"Grandpa Damien gave it to, me and he even told me…" Krupp watched Leylin hesitantly.

Leylin nodded in acknowledgement, "Yes, this is a magic artifact I created. Damien was under my orders to protect the Farlier Family in the Chernobyl Islands." He observed the creation in his hands. With his current insight, he naturally noticed the defects in his original craftsmanship, and the immaturity when he'd made it.

"Though the materials in this Fallen Star Pendant aren't all that great, it isn't as if there's no room for improvement…" Crimson light wrapped around the cross in tandem with Leylin's words, causing it to float into the air and emit powerful energy waves that shocked Krupp and Darlie.

"This– This is…" Darlie looked stunned, "He's working without any tools? Only Grandmaster Alchemists from legend can do something like this…" The red glow expanded unceasingly, gradually forming a beautiful flaming daffodil that slowly bloomed within the carriage.

When the last petal withered, the pendant suspended in the air now looked different. It was more slender before, its dark red surface more pure. Many fine black lines were on it, making it seem like the back of a python.

"I've re-smelted the artifact, and added a few functions. On top of that, I've restricted its use to those with the Farlier bloodline…" Leylin said lightly, and then Fallen Star Pendant fell into Krupp's hands.

'He re-smelted a magic artifact so quickly, and upgraded it to become a high-ranked magic artifact!' Still hiding in the corner, Darlie's eyes were now shining. Only rank 2 or 3 Magi were qualified to possess things like high-grade magic artifacts in the south coast.

For low-ranked Magi like her, just taking a glance at a treasure of this grade was like a dream come true.

The person who was across her, however, had refined one without so much as a change in expression, and gifted it away as if it was nothing.

'Perhaps… my hopes for the future will all rely on this person…' Darlie made up her mind, vigorous flames bursting forth in her heart.

"Many thanks, Patriarch!" Krupp took the pendant, pleasantly surprised. This magic artifact had always been very useful, and it was an unexpected surprise for it to be upgraded to become a high-ranked one.

However, after his spiritual force made contact with the pendant, his eyes grew as round as saucers. It was as if he'd been struck by lightning.

"What? Is anything the matter?" Leylin found this descendant rather funny.

"Magic– A piece of magic equipment! The Fallen Star Pendant!" Krupp spoke of the grade of the item, "Patriarch, you upgraded it to magic equipment?"

It was already a huge surprise for the Fallen Star Pendant to be upgraded to a high-grade magic artifact, but the fact that it had become the legendary magic equipment was shocking.

This was magic equipment! It was of a level even greater than magic artifacts, and regular rank 3 Magi weren't even qualified to have them! These were the trump cards of the largest organisations! However, this ancestor of his had casually managed to refine a middle-grade magic artifact into one…

Krupp was rendered speechless…

Nonov

"Mm. Because of the materials used to make the Fallen Star Pendant, it can at best only become a piece of low-grade magic equipment."

Although Leylin found this quite a pity, Krupp instead grew so excited he was about to froth at the mouth.

On the other hand, Darlie grew even more emotional. Seeing that the Fallen Star Pendant had really been upgraded to become a low-grade magic equipment piece, she was at first frozen before she pounced at Leylin's feet. "Revered Lord Farlier, please take me in as your disciple… No, how could I qualify to be the disciple of such a great Magus? Please give me any chance regardless of what it is. Whether as a maid, a servant, or even a guinea pig, just give me a chance to learn from you!"

"You– You're serious?" Leylin watched this female Magus. With her her thirst and pursuit of knowledge, she was very similar to how he had been back then.

Krupp had a stiff expression. It was nothing much for a Magus to become a disciple, but becoming a servant or a guinea pig would effectively render one dispensable to a dark Magus. This female Magus seemed to care nothing for her life. Rather, she was giving up her very life for the pursuit of truth!

"My Lord…" Krupp gaped but was unable to speak.

He was merely Leylin's nephew. There was nothing beside that relationship that bonded them together. Before he was sure of what place he held in Leylin's heart, speaking out like this seemed rather risky.

"I don't have plans to teach anyone now, and I'm not lacking in servants either." Leylin spoke indifferently, causing Darlie's eyes gaze to dim. But Leylin's next words brought her from the depths of hell to heaven. "But I give you permission to observe and emulate me for a period of time. How much you learn will depend on you."

"Many thanks, my Lord!" she replied, tears lining her eyes.

However, Leylin had yet to finish speaking, "What can you offer me though, that is of equal value?"

"My everything!" Darlie's tone was firm.

"Good. Swear it. Swear it on your soul and your honour, that from hereon out your power, your body, your soul and everything will belong to the Farlier Family branch head on the south coast, Krupp Farlier!"

Leylin sounded unenthusiastic, but Krupp's eyes went wide, "What? Me?"

Darlie took a look at Krupp who was beside her, and immediately made a vow with her soul, "I swear on it!" With Leylin as a witness, it would haunt her throughout her life unless a Magus who comprehended laws aided her. Of course, the chances that an existence at or above rank 7 would help Darlie were pretty much nil.

"Patriarch… Why?" Krupp watched Darlie, looking puzzled.

"As the descendant of our Farlier family, you should help our family continue the bloodline!" Leylin chuckled, "Darlie is a great choice. She's talented, and you've seen her willpower and good qualities for yourself…"

Astute as he was, Leylin had long since noticed Krupp's slight crush on Darlie. This meant nothing to him, but as he was the real descendant of the Farlier Family he placed more importance on Krupp spreading his blood than his vengeance.

Having done this, he now felt that he'd done enough to make up for everything he owed the family.

Hearing Leylin saying something so shameless out in the open, a trace of a blush crept onto the faces of Krupp and Darlie, Magi as they were.

"*Cough cough*… My Lord, where are we going now?" Krupp directed the conversation elsewhere. He'd been running for his life ever since birth, and experiences like this one were rare. The only reason he'd felt anything for Darlie was that she was pleasing to the eye.

"Let's go to the Abyssal Bone Swamp. I want to see how the academy is doing, and there are also some people I want to find out about." Leylin smiled, considerately changing the topic, "It also looks like I need to show off some strength, display that the Farlier Family has a solid backing. It'll be very troublesome if we keep getting harassed like this."

"Troublesome?!" Krupp was first baffled, but his expression quickly changed.

An aged voice was transmitted to them, "Mister Leylin, could we trouble you to come out of the carriage?"

"Let's go out, we have guests!" Leylin beamed, shaking his robes as he got to his feet. Krupp and Darlie exchanged a glance and lined themselves up behind him, seemingly with good chemistry seeing how they occupied his left and right.

The nightmare horse snarled in dissatisfaction and the carriage stopped. Getting out of the carriage, Leylin caught sight of a few aged Magi.

At the front was a white-browed old man with layers of wrinkles on a face that was covered with spots. He looked about to die at any moment, wearing a simple grey robe that contrasted the dazzling golden staff in hand. He seemed to be the speaker.

Beside him was an old woman wearing the clothing of aristocracy, her hair that had pearls and gems embedded within it tied in a bun.

The two stood on top of a large banyan tree which was blocking Leylin's path. A large face emerged from the trunk. This banyan tree was actually a Magus, and its life force was the strongest amongst the three Magi!

The three immediately went on guard when they saw Leylin coming out. The one holding the staff was the first to speak, "Leylin Farlier?"

"That's me." Leylin's body floated up, and he stood on top of the carriage. While the lack of an aura coming from his body gave no reason for it, the Magi opposite him felt a great feeling of danger.

"I am the Saint Nonov Ciel Andrew; you can call me Nonov. Beside me is Mistress Marjorie, and this giant tree is Lord Keefa!" The auras of Crystal Phase Magi became apparent as the old Magus introduced his party. All three of them were mighty rank 3 Magi whose spiritual force had crystallised!

Leylin could also sense scattered undulations from some bloodline treasures and other unique magical items, and there was even a high-grade magic artifact on them. It was apparent that they'd brought everything they had.

"Mm, you must be the leaders of the light Magi." Leylin nodded.

"Yes," Nonov said as he forced a smile. Even face to face he couldn't sense Leylin's aura. It was like his immediate vicinity was a boundless sea, drowning out any probes and leaving no traces behind.

"Is this about the issue with Alric?" Leylin asked casually. He could eliminate ants like these in one blow, but for the sake of the Farlier Family it was prudent to leave them alive to spread word of the terror he wrought.

"The matter with Alric was a personal feud between you and him. Though my Lord's methods are a little… overboard… they aren't unacceptable." Realising that Leylin was not to be trifled with, Nonov immediately changed his plans. His conceding seemed quite pathetic to Leylin.

If he was considered weak, these Magi wouldn't have bothered with such words and instead just killed him. They would cut the person who had tarnished the reputation of the light Magi up into a million pieces. However, realising Leylin wasn't going to be pushed around, Nonov gave up his pursuit of enmity on Alric's behalf.

After all, it was irrational to provoke a powerful Magus for the sake of a dead person, what more one whose family, organisation, and subordinates had all disappeared. It was all for the 'big picture'. The casual sacrifice of Alric even left Leylin wanting to sneer in response.

This sort of thing was exactly why he was hellbent on becoming stronger himself, rather than depending on organisations.

"However, Lord Alric was still a colleague of ours. Shouldn't Mister Leylin do something about this?" Nonov finally got to the point.

"What 'something'?" Leylin watched the old man playfully.

"Mister Leylin was once a professor at Four Seasons Gardens, which means you were once a light Magus. As a light Magus, it's our obligation to fight against evil!" Nonov seemed to be spouting righteous words. "The source of all evil in the south coast, the ancient demon that the Spirit Slaying Sect believes in, the Gargamel is alive. Is Lord Leylin willing to aid us in destroying the sect? I'm sure that once you contribute enough, Four Seasons Garden will be very willing to welcome you back…"

'They can't beat me, so now they're trying to assimilate me to their cause' Leylin chuckled inside, but Nonov had already begun stating his conditions. If Leylin were to attack the Spirit Slaying Sect and even kill the Gargamel, they would compensate him by admitting him once more into the Four Seasons Garden, even allowing him full control of it. It was indeed an enticing offer.

If Leylin was a peak rank 3 Magus, he would have put some consideration into it. However, there was no need to fake courtesy with his current strength. "I reject your proposal!" he exclaimed unceremoniously. Though the Gargamel had long since entered the list of beings he had to kill, he hated being threatened to do anything.

"What?" Such a blunt answer put the old man in shock, and his expression dimmed.

"There should be some enmity between my Lord and the Gargamel, no? Wouldn't this be getting the best of both worlds? Or are you thinking of siding with the evil dark Magi?"