939 - 948

Demon Experiment

Faulen Island, the basement of the wizard tower. Within the negative energy pool.

This was a place where wizards conducted taboo experiments, with dimensional spell formations specifically to summon demons and devils. Hence, a powerful binding formation was an essential protective measure for this place.

Researching demons and devils! Obviously, once priests or paladins found out, he would become a wanted man, a sinner that all the humans would call out.

It was a pity that most high-ranked wizards had to make use of negative energy to advance. There were few who followed some lesser-known paths. After becoming a legendary wizard, those madmen might even completely disregard the gods and brazenly go against their ban, becoming involved in the domain of arcane spells.

In the eyes of those strictly forbidden scholars, the gods were merely a group of powerful wizards. Who exactly was up there was a function of luck and one's birth.

Due to their pursuit of truth and their research, wizards often harboured thoughts of becoming treacherous, and were hated by the gods to the bone. They had then done all they could to create the Weave in order to limit the spellcasters.

Unfortunately, even with the annihilation of Netheril and the crippling of most wizards through the Weave, legendary wizards still walked the path of doubting the gods. The immense pressure they exerted caused even more vigorous backlash, which was in a way very ironic.

"A dimensional summoning spell formation? While I can only summon beings from various planes within the crystal sphere, it's still not bad…" Leylin now stood at the edge of a spell formation with various runes drawn all over it, possessing an inquiring look on his face.

After sending the three priests away, he focused entirely on research in arcane spells. He was already a rank 16 arcanist, and it was obvious that he would perform practical experiments in this area.

"There seems to be a very powerful limitation in summoning spells within the World of Gods. There are also different factions. Of course… anyone can summon demons, as long as they are controlled well after that…" Leylin murmured to himself and activated the runes on the spell formation.

"Though it's my first time using this, I guess I'll summon demons. After all, I've gotten familiar with devils, but haven't gotten the chance to observe demons myself…"

Demon summoning! As this was the first time, Leylin had not planned to summon a particularly powerful demon. However, after casting the spell, he suddenly found his spiritual force connecting with a large, deep, dark and chaotic plane.

"Is this the abyss? This power of space and chaos…" The abyss was currently known to have hundreds of layers, and most of it was definitely undiscovered.There were even rumours that the ninth level of hell had initially been part of the abyss and been separated.

With Leylin's current spiritual force, it was impossible for him to advance to far into the abyss, even with spells and spell formations supporting him. He could only tour the surface layers.

"Mm! There's a confusing and chaotic soul aura here, but it feels infinitely tiny. This should be a type of abyssal worm. That's too weak… But then this one is too powerful. I think it's approaching the rank of legendary. Everything is so different… I give up…"

With his fine spiritual force control, Leylin had more choices than other wizards. Finally, after a generally searching the area, he found his target, "A powerful soul aura and a strength that isn't too strong or too weak. It's you! Summon!"

The planar coordinates locked onto the target, and Leylin saw a teleportation gate opening. A strange, terrifying demon was teleported over.

*Kukaka!* What entered Leylin's sights was a huge demon that looked more like a bald eagle on two legs. It was completely naked and had large wings on its back, the disgusting red chicken skin evident. Its human arms were tipped by incredibly sharp claws.

It did not hesitate to attack once it saw Leylin. The bloodlust, chaos and insanity within the soul caused his eyes to widen slightly.

"This should be a Vrock! While evolved from abyssal worms, it should be considered a mid-ranked demon! On top of that… this amount of chaos and level of attack… Hmph!"

Leylin huffed, the binding spell formation he had prepared beforehand flickered with dazzling light. Tens of lightning rays formed a huge prison. The Vrock's talons clashed with the electricity, and it immediately caused a huge sound. Large amounts of black flames began to blaze within, causing even the Vrock to retreat pitifully. There was finally some fear in its eyes.

"This guy only knows to be tough on the weak but is afraid when treated harshly!" Leylin shook his head, his right index finger pressing on his temple, "A.I. Chip, scan it and gather data!"

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning scan.] The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's commands. Soon enough, a 3D scan appeared in front of Leylin, detailing its stats.

[Name unknown. Race: Vrock (Tanar'ri) Strength: 16 Agility: 17 Vitality: 15 Spirit: 13 Feats: 1. Demon Skin 2. Flight 3. Corrosive Aura 4. Ability similar to magic. Description: This is a mid-rank demon. There is chaos and evil of the abyss in its very soul. Unless its mind is controlled, one will definitely be met with a powerful counterattack.]

'It's the model of a high-ranked professional, and its stats in all areas surpass them!' Leylin evaluated dully, and then saw its faction lights and soul temperament. 'What kind of insane and chaotic soul is this! It even has such an evil feeling…'

It had to be said that while he'd heard of this before, actually meeting one had Leylin losing completely hope in demons.

"They're just a bunch of evil lunatics with power in their hands!" After seeing its temperament, Leylin finally understood why the demons kept losing in the bloody battles with devils. While they were all evil existences, these beings that hid within chaos were just unworthy of his attention.

"The chaotic temperament from the abyss? Where is this coming from?" Leylin had a searching look in his eyes. He observed the Vrock trapped by the binding formation, the intense gaze causing even the insane demon to feel some fear.

"I don't have much time, but I do have patience for my first specimen!" Leylin had an apathetic expression as a small, silver surgical knife and other tools suddenly appeared in his hands.

...

"While the flesh itself is filled with a filthy power of chaos, the temperament of demons seems to be rooted in the soul itself…" The laboratory was now completely empty, and there were only bloodstained bits of bone left here. Some creature's last wails seemed to linger in the area, filling the place with a frightening aura.

However, this did not affect Leylin at all. After washing away the blood and dirt on his hands, he focused on studying the potion in the test tube he held. A dark red liquid could be seen in the test tube, a dark light within shining with varying amounts of intensity as he shook the tube. It seemed evil and frightening.

'This is the potion that was made from extracting the demon's energy. A.I. Chip!' Leylin's eyes twinkled as he ordered.

[Beep! Item Name: Middle Demon Potion. Effect: Raises vitality and strength of all beings below 10 points by 1 point. For those with these stats below 15 points, vitality and strength increases by 0.5. Ineffective for all professionals above rank 15. Description: This is a potion with powerful demonic energy. Drink it if strength is desired, although be fearless of the corruption to your soul. You might fall to the abyss forever.]

"Not a bad result. What a pity…" Leylin sighed. While this potion was pretty good at boosting his underlings' strength, the demonic corruption that would result was a huge issue. If he wanted to continue working in the prime material plane, then his underlings could not be a group of demons!

However, his underlings could not be too weak either. He was preparing to nurture talents for the church he would build.

"What a bother! While I'm unafraid of such corruption, it won't be the same for others…" Leylin muttered, "I need to adjust the soul to remove the corruption, which would increase the costs too much. This can only be used as a reward, and not an ordinary potion to be passed down…"

'And… the abyss?' Leylin stroked his chin, recalling that mighty surge of chaos he had felt before.

'Chaos is a rather powerful law. After grasping it, I might even be able to command strength even more powerful than greater gods and work together with the abyss. Unfortunately, it doesn't suit me at all… I should head to the abyss and hell after becoming legendary to take a look.'

With Leylin's abilities, the abyss and hell were good choices to reincarnate in. However, Leylin had pondered over this and then given up. Compared to the prime material plane, these two areas were far too dangerous. There were battles everywhere and basically no peace whatsoever.

Right after reincarnating, Leylin would be at his weakest. How could he gamble on this?

"Even if I wanted to try my luck, would I, an invader, still be cared for by the World Will?" Leylin had a feeling that even while the World Will was in a deep sleep, its malicious intent towards Magi would not disappear so easily.

However, with his law of devouring, he would certainly be able to let his talents shine if he were to enter the abyss and hell. Leylin had no hesitations when it came to that!

Mid-rank Perfect Body

Within a dim room. Powerful golden divine force was raging like stormy waves as it gushed out of a small statue. It was then absorbed by a huge black vortex in mid-air. Completely transformed, a pure energy gathered at the body of a quiet figure sitting there.

Powerful divine force condensed to form a faint figure of light, a thread of divinity sparkling as it emerged.

'The analysis of divine force has slowly given me information over divinity…' Leylin pondered over this. In the eyes of Magi, this so-called godhood was merely an elementary understanding of the power of laws.

A true god had comprehended one law completely. From there, one would ignite their godfire to join the ranks of the other true gods, a process improving comprehension of laws as they grasped them.

"But… The World of Gods has unique rules of their own. With the power of faith, comprehension of the laws can be hastened. The power of laws possessed after becoming a true god can also be boosted through faith. With the comprehension of laws as the core, one can rob or present this divinity that comes from faith…"

It was extremely difficult for the inhabitants of the World of Gods to surpass the limitations on their own bodies and obtain divinity. Unless one was lucky enough to get into the good graces of the gods or pick up a divine weapon with divinity hidden inside, this was basically impossible.

However, having already grasped the true essence of laws, Magi didn't find it too difficult to create divinity as long as they had enough materials.

'Honestly speaking, divine force is actually the material to form divinity. It takes other gods too much energy to transform it, to the point that they're unwilling to do so…' Leylin studied the statue in his hands. The divine force within was almost completely depleted.

"Even with all the divine force stored inside being able to raise the my average stats, I still can't form any real divinity…" Leylin muttered to himself. After absorbing all the divine force within the statue, his strength had improved just a bit. He now had a better understanding of Cyric's godly duties and domain, but he still could not condense divinity. This was not an issue in technique, but just that there weren't enough pure ingredients.

By his estimation, he would require all the divine force from a god's avatar to condense the divinity he needed.

"Eliminating an avatar?" Leylin stroked his chin, beginning to ponder over the feasibility of this matter.

It wasn't possible for a god to descend on the prime material plane in their true body. Their personifications were at most high-ranked legendaries and saints, about as strong as rank 5 or 6 Magi. They would also lose their holiness, and could therefore be killed.

Of course, even the avatar wasn't someone Leylin could deal with easily.

'I completely understand Cyric's divine force…' Leylin reflected, 'With multiple domains like murder, massacres, conspiracies, and death, he has entered the ranks of the greater gods. An avatar from him would be the cream of the crop…'

In Leylin's eyes, however, of all of Cyric's laws, the only ones Leylin found worthy were those of massacre and death. These two domains were very formidable, and they were what Cyric had relied on to enter the ranks of the greater gods.

It would take a tremendous amount of divine force to condense a divinity in these domains.

'Even if he's gone insane, this is still far too difficult… I should change my target…'

Ever since Leylin had started out here, he had only offended two gods; the God of the Hunt, Malar, and the God of Murder, Cyric. This had naturally been done after some pondering. As the path he had chosen caused conflict with these two gods, becoming hostile was obvious.

'Malar is only a lesser god, and his avatar would be easier to deal with. I don't want anything to do with his domain of hunting, but it won't be hard to transform it into a divinity in massacres…'

Only middle gods and above in the World of Gods could transform divinity between similar fields. However, any rank 8 Magus could do so This was the result of differences in comprehending laws.

With Leylin's temperament, those benevolent and honest roles meant nothing to him. Not only was his soul unsuitable for that, it would also pollute his path to becoming a rank 8 Magus. Hence, he had few choices.

With research on ancient Magi like Distorted Shadow, he now had a better understanding of his own path.

'My path is definitely inclined towards 'evil' for this world. Will I completely walk the path of a rebel?' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Based on the novels from my previous world, rebels never lead good lives. That's rather… interesting…'

'But… the power of devils will definitely gives rise to massacres and death. That's rather fitting…' The corner of Leylin's lips suddenly turned up in an evil smile.

He did not fear sin on his path to eternity, nor did he mind grasping evil laws.

*Boom!* At this moment, the miniature statue in his hands exploded. His continued absorption over this period of time had completely exhausted the divine force within.

"Is it depleted already?" Leylin closed his eyes. The cells all over his body greedily absorbed this pure energy that had been transformed, and there was even a huge improvement on a genetic level. At this moment, the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded.

[Beep! Host has absorbed pure energy. Effect similar to eternal grace from the god. Strength +1, Agility +2, Vitality +1, Spirit +1.] [Host's spiritual force has broken through, rank increasing. Host is now a rank 17 arcanist. Arcane Energy +10.] [Obtained spell slots: rank 8(1), rank 7(1), rank 6(1), rank 5(1)]

All his stats had now exceeded 15. Power erupted in Leylin's body, and it felt as if every cell was dancing in elation as if they had broken through their shackles.

[Beep! Host's stats have all reached 15. Feat Elementary Perfect Body has become Middle Perfect Body.] The A.I. Chip's prompt continued to show.

Afterwards, the explanation of the Perfect Body feat was refreshed. [Middle Perfect Body. Host's genes have been optimised. Characteristics of exemplary beings has been strengthened, and host has obtained mid-rank resistance to toxins, fire, cold, and corrosion. Endurance in varying environments has been increased by large degree.]

Leylin's stats changed. [Leylin Faulen. Age: 22. Race: Human, Rank 17 Arcanist. Strength: 15. Agility: 15. Vitality: 15. Spirit: 17. Arcane Energy: 170 Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite, Middle Perfect Body. Specialties: Arcane Energy Detection, Arcane Amplification.] [Spell slots possessed: rank 8(1), rank 7(3), rank 6(6), rank 5(???), rank 4(???), rank 3(???), rank 2(???), rank 1(???), rank 0(???)] [Analysis of Weave: Level 0: 100%, Level 1: 100%, Level 2: 100%, Level 3: 100%, Level 4: 100%, Level 5: 100%, Level 6: 53.33%, Level 7: 34.97%. Level 8: 0.11%.]

'So all of the divine force and demon potions recently have allowed me to rise to this point?' Leylin nodded, looking satisfied.

The rise in his arcanist ranking allowed him to reduce the consumption needed for arcane spells. Besides for rank 9 arcane spells, he would not need to pay any price at all. The rise in his wizard ranking also allowed him obtain a rank 8 spell slot, which was pretty good.

"And then… Middle Perfect Body?"

Leylin wondered about this. The advancement in his perfect body meant he was transforming into a higher-grade lifeform. Once he became a legendary, he would probably have a Greater Perfect Body or even Legendary Perfect Body as his feat.

"Even those old legends must have endured long periods of training to improve their stats, allowing them to possess a Legendary Perfect Body. However, at the rate that I'm improving, my feat with the Perfect Body alone after becoming a legendary would allow me to catch up to the Legends who have been amassing strength for so long…"

"Also, a powerful vessel would allow me to make preparations to take on more power!" Leylin had a feeling that once his Perfect Body reached the legendary domain, there would be huge advantages to absorbing divinity and even igniting his godfire to become a god.

"Whether it's the remaining evil organisations in the outer seas or dealing with the God of Murder, all this would require me harnessing great power…" The Faulen Family might have become a king of the outer seas, but lacked the power to completely control the situation!

Only by quickly becoming a legendary could he fearlessly take on the attack from the God of Murder's church, and therefore make the outer seas a solid foundation for him to become a god.

"My speed of advancement is already very fast. If I want to continue, the only method would be making use of the faith of the natives in the outer seas…"

Agreement

Leylin's progress slowed once he became a rank 17 arcanist. He performed experiments on negative energy and other planes everyday within his wizard tower, and occasionally taught some apprentices. He led a leisurely life.

As he possessed crucial techniques and strength, he was not in the least bit anxious. And just as he expected, others could no longer hold themselves back.

"Lord Baron… Were you really the one to create these three spells? Detect Demon, Detect Domain, and Sense Devil?"

Xena did not seem to be in the best mental state. There were dark bags under her beautiful eyes, and it was apparent that she hadn't had a good rest in a long time. For her, this was something unthinkable.

"Yes!" Leylin answered with a smile, and he then saw Xena's eyes that were full of shock and astonishment that she could not hide.

"The many gods will definitely notice your contributions to the World of Gods!" After obtaining an affirmation, Xena immediately guaranteed.

This was because Leylin's invention was far too astounding.

Even if the paladins had spells like Detect Evil, its categories and scope were far too narrow. After personal testing, Xena found that the spell models that Leylin provided far exceeded the detection methods from before, whether in terms of accuracy or scope.

The effect it would have on the operation of dealing with demons and devils was obvious.

Xena's eyes were now full of fervor as she watched Leylin. If she could offer up these techniques to her goddess' church, she might even have the confidence to compete the next 'Holy Coin' church election!

"I've always had zero tolerance for evil organisations!" Leylin's experiment showed how 'righteous' he was, but he was snorting away inside.

He himself was half an Archdevil, so making a few techniques to detect devils was far too easy. Having met a high-ranked person from their faction, being betrayed and sold out was just the devils and demons being down on their luck.

With this, Leylin could also show his resolution in his faction.

Of course, as the person who created these detection techniques, Leylin had long since come up with their respective defences and counter spells. Of course, he had given all those to his own devil underlings.

'It's wonderful to use another's strength to eliminate your enemies…' Leylin assessed to himself, 'If these spells grow widespread, then all the devils and demons hiding in the mainland will face heavy losses. It'll be a chance for my worshippers of gluttony…'

Thankfully, Xena had no idea of what Leylin was thinking, or else she'd definitely attack him.

"But I can only sell the spell scrolls and alchemic items related to this to you. The basic spell model has to be kept a secret. At the moment, I will only be selling them to you three and your churches," Leylin's next words caused Xena's expression to change.

"After all… my Faulen Family is merely a small power that's unable to go against the devil and demon forces of the whole continent. You wouldn't wish for our Faulen Family to be massacred by violent devils and demons, would you?" Leylin watched Xena, looking helpless. While this Gold Bishop's expression changed, she still had no choice but to acknowledge this.

Even Xena had no confidence to say that the church of wealth would definitely protect the Faulen Family, because this was impossible.

Those devils and demons definitely did not care for the Goddess of Wealth.

"Mm, alright. You will also need to swear that you will never leak news that I am the seller!" Leylin spoke seriously. While dealing blows to devils and demons was good, he did not want to invite trouble. This was why it was necessary to take all these steps as well.

Most importantly, there was a limit to the spell scrolls and alchemic items that he was selling, so that the effect could be regulated. With the ability of Magi and arcanists to seal things, Leylin was confident that he could press this advantage for over a century. Even a legendary wizard would not be able to decrypt his spell models.

In addition, with his 'pitiful' speed, there was a limit to the spell scrolls he could make. Part of the time was also needed to be spent on research. Hence, the actual damage to the demons was rather slight.

Based on his speculations, being able to wipe them out of the Dambrath Kingdom within a decade was something very amazing.

This would prevent certain powerful demons and devils from being driven to action in their desperation. With such a long period of time, they would have the time to come up with plans and deal with it.

By selling this stuff, he could also rope in the three churches. He'd already considered the possibility of them joining hands to pressure him. Firstly, the three of them were in the lawful good faction, and would never use sinister methods. With their three gods controlling each other, he would also have the chance to benefit from them all.

Only a legendary, with decisive power in the prime material plane, would be a sufficient foundation to protect the interests and safety of his organisation.

"… I understand… After this, I'll contact the other two churches." Xena gave Leylin a look, having thought of many things in that instance, "Our church of wealth is very much in favour of the Faulen Family expanding in the outer seas!"

"Thank you very much! Oh, I've already prepared the specific spell scrolls. The price is ten thousand gold kro, so please come and get it anytime!" Leylin smiled winningly like an unscrupulous businessman. The church of wealth had money after all, and who was he to say no to that? They were more than capable of paying for this.

...

After the exchange of benefits and agreement, the Faulen Family's inclination of unifying the outer seas was unstoppable. They'd already subdued other, smaller nobles, so they met no opposition on that front. The rest were like Marquis Tim of the Gold Thornblossoms, too afraid to oppose this.

After seeing the three churches standing by the Faulen Family, he was already scared shitless. Tim knew how ruthless Leylin was. He had dared massacred the Baltic archipelago, and after gaining support from the churches he was fearless. If Tim had the courage to fight back, he would end up in an even worse state than the old Marquis. He was a smart man, and obviously made the right choice.

In that moment, the outer seas belonged to the Faulen Family's to do as they wished. Only the ships that had the family's flags could move around in the outer seas uninhibited.

Recently, there were even rumours that Tim and his band of nobles were planning to petition to the Dambrath King to consider the Faulen Family's expansion and 'outstanding contributions', in hopes to raise Leylin's feudal rank and give him more land.

With all the troubles on the surface dealt with, Leylin focused his attentions on what was going on in the shadows.

"There are actually only two forces in the dark world of the Dambrath outer seas. One is the evil force with the pirates in power, but with the annihilation of the Barbarians, they now pose no threat. The other is the native islands with their faith in evil gods…"

Using a conjured water mirror, Leylin was now deep in a frank conversation with his cousin Isabel.

She had already completely taken over Pirates' Cove and turned it into the Scarlet Tigers' base. It could be said that the fall of Pirates' Cove meant that the outer seas' pirate world had been unified. There would no longer be any forces on the sea that could match the Scarlet Tigers.

"Also… The native tribes' belief in the evil gods is something very troublesome. They are rather ignorant, greedy, and savage, and believe in natural spirits. They rely on beings with great might to shelter them, and become a huge threat to passing ships…"

As the noble child of a merchant of the seas, Leylin had long since gotten a deep understanding of these native tribes. Even if the Dambrath Kingdom had entered an age of discovery in the seas and gone through generations of migration, there were still few 'civilised people' in the outer seas than natives.

It was said that further into the deep seas, there was a large continent where an empire built by the natives existed!

Hence, in order to completely unify the outer seas, he could not let go of these natives' tribes, especially since they had natural spirits that had formed after hundreds or even a thousand years worth of offerings.

These primitive totems had, with years of faith from the natives, obtained immense strength. Possessing divinity or even igniting divine flames was nothing special from them.

"I hope you can head the elimination of the native tribes in the outer seas, in the regions that we know of." Leylin spoke to Isabel through the communicator.

He now somewhat had a group of underlings with reasonable strength, and there were some things he did not have to do himself. In that sense, he'd turned from a pawn into the player.

In order to truly leap out of the chessboard, he'd at least need legendary strength. To take part in the games of the gods, he would need to be a member!

"Make records of all the natural spirits and totems with legendary strength and above, and also the native tribes that believe in the Goddess of the Ocean. Let them off temporarily." Leylin had consistently been taking advantage of the weaker ones and afraid to go head on with the powerful. Nothing changed here.

"I understand!" As a senior pirate, Isabel knew full well the terror that the Ocean Goddess could inflict. There were many amongst her own men that followed her. Once she was provoked in the ocean, then one would only be engulfed by boundless storms.

Isabel could even imagine that once she ordered those pirates to attack the Ocean Goddess' church or altar, those pieces of trash would collapse in their fear.

Mishap

"First ensure the safety of the shipping routes. If there are those you can't deal with, make a record of them and leave them to me!" Leylin went through things to take note of and then ended the communication.

"With the expansion of the outer seas, there should still be many left even after eliminating those too powerful or with powerful backings." Leylin's eyes glinted with wit, immediately recalling the barbarian altar from before.

"I don't need that many. As long as I find around 10 of the natives' sacrificial areas like that of the barbarian tribe, the accumulated energy should be enough for me to advance and even get close to the realm of legendaries…"

Leylin willed it, and the outer seas immediately grew lively. With the Scarlet Tigers taking the lead, numerous pirates yelled out as they swept through the native islands close to important shipping routes.

Besides those with powerful backers or the protection of powerful beings, basically all the native tribes were purged. Most of the adult males in these tribes were killed, while the rest were turned into slaves.

With abundant supplies, the price of native slaves in the outer seas fell steeply by 50%, causing many slave traders to go bankrupt. Of course, in this whole disturbance, the Faulen Family made use of prompt news and abundant resources to gulp down much of the share in the sales of the slaves.

With such a storm, the little businesses could only be crowded out. The true big shots would use these methods to massacre the market and remove all competitors in their way. They could then monopolise the market.

Leylin could be said to be very familiar with this. With the war, all sorts of loot and slaves were shipped to the Faulen Island. There were even totems and ritual items for evil gods here, which actually helped Leylin to learn a great deal.

Within these items were some form of power of faith. Leylin found this useful. Through these years of hard work, the power he held gradually took shape. He need not bother himself with many things, because his underlings would take the initiative and do everything well.

This was the advantage of being the master of a large organisation.

'No wonder even gods would create churches and work hard to operate them. While they look like saints, the intent behind it is rather similar…' Leylin found that he now had a better understanding of the methods of the gods. Afterwards, however, something snapped him out of his thoughts.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The faint sounds of shattering could be heard from Leylin's shirt tail, causing his expression to change.

Leylin reached down and came up with several fragments from a crescent shape ruin. This was supposed to be a complete crystal, but had now shattered into numerous tiny pieces. The luster on it dimmed in an instant.

"Is there trouble?" Leylin's eyes did not waver as he mumbled. This was a communication rune he had made especially for his cousin, which could bypass most spatial separation.

This sudden alert meant that Isabel had met with a very problematic issue on the outer seas. She had no choice but to cut off all communications, a desperate step.

"Send down the message that I'll be leaving for a period of time" Leylin told the tower genie dully. The intellectual core quickly understood Leylin and carried out his order. Ernest headed to his drawing room directly.

"Why are you leaving now? Don't you know that our experiment has reached a crucial stage? Oh! Also, the trade of your family is the best it can be! Poor Leon needs to calculate bills all the way till deep in the night everyday…" Ernest spoke, as if blaming Leylin.

"We can set the experiment aside. Anyway, those gem kelp that we were observing need another two years until they have fully matured. There's also nothing to worry about with the family business. If anything happens, look for my father, Baron Jonas. The churches will also help you as much as they can!"

Leylin rolled his shoulders back.

"Fine… Seems like you've made up your mind. Can you tell me why?" Ernest looked curious, "Let me guess… it's… for a woman? Am I right? Only beautiful girls could make someone of your age more boyish…"

"What do you mean by 'more boyish'?" Leylin stared at him, speechless.

He was most worried about the Scarlet TIgers that he'd established suffering a huge blow. The safety of his cousin Isabel was also of utmost importance. Of course, she was a beautiful woman, but this had nothing to do with what Ernest was talking about.

"Oh, teenagers… don't worry… I'll explain to your father!" Ernest winked suggestively at Leylin, a suspicious look on his face.

"Fine, fine." Leylin shook his head and walked out. He had a feeling that Master Ernest must have noticed something, and everything he was doing was on purpose!

...

At the same time, a blazing fireball was launched from the Red Dragon Sword. In that instant, all the thorny vines wiggling in the air were burnt to ashes.

"It's the seventeenth time!" Isabel huffed, though her gaze was still strong, "Everyone, retreat to the cave. Quick!"

Red Dragon Transformation! Dragon Breath! Following that, Isabel unhesitatingly activated her bloodline force and turned into a half-dragon with fiery-red scales and a pair of large wings extending from her back.

The heated conical flames formed a triangular blank space. A few natives who could not evade in time were struck by the flames, and became huge chunks of ashes.

"Damn it, there's something wrong with this tribe!" As she guided the surviving men into the cave, Isabel cursed and grabbed a black rock by the side of the cave.

This operation had started swimmingly. The tribe they were going to wipe out did not have the protection of true gods like the Goddess of the Ocean. There were also no legendary natural spirits and totems here, so they were rather weak.

However, just as Isabel prepared to destroy the huge tribe in one go and make all of them slaves, a series of unthinkable things happened.

This tribe actually had relations with the rumoured native empire, and they had coincidentally met with their support forces! At the thought of the unpredictable killings in the forest, Isabel turned glum.

The black rock in her hand produced noises before ultimately shattering, turning into fragments of lime and sprinkling everywhere.

Such a violent scene immediately caused the pirates to shrink back, afraid that her palm would arrive at their heads next.

This was the most solid greenstone! Through the polishing and corrosion of an unceasing water flow, it had grown lustrous and hard. It felt indestructible, but it was like white bread in her hands.

"Pfft, a bunch of cowards!" Isabel disdainfully turned back. With her remodelling as a bloodline Warlock and the fusion with the legendary dragon's blood, her power was increasing by the day.

By using the Dragon King's Mystic Might meditation technique, Isabel could sense her strength was increasing. It was as if a dragon resided in her body! If not for her underlings dragging her down, she would find it easy to break out of here alone.

"The signal has already been sent out. Hmph! Once Leylin's here, I'm going to burn these disgusting monkeys to death!" The sword in Isabel's hand glimmered with light. Crimson qi immediately destroyed numerous tropical trees, revealing the elite native warriors and their summoned creatures.

They were now in a gigantic tropical rainforest, and there were native tribal warriors everywhere. What attracted Isabel's attention the most were actually the elite warriors from the empire.

'Based on their dialect, the reinforcements are the Forest Hunters and Amazon Warriors?' Isabel recalled the information she had obtained before.

The system of Professionals in the World of Gods was huge. Besides the most common warriors, thieves, and so on, there were countless other hidden professions, such as the arcanists.

There could even be systems of power from the dark era in remote regions.

The native empire had their own system of professions, which Isabel thought to be a normal occurrence.

'I just don't know if there are gods in the empire of natives.' Isabel suddenly considered this. While they were base and lazy, and the power of faith they offered less pure than even that of regular people, the amount was still pretty good.

If they could find a new continent with the native empire with no gods, then even a god would go green in envy!

*Rustle!* The natives that had been scared off by Isabel's attack shrank back, while Isabel looked on every corner of the battlefield. A slender figure soon appeared behind a broad-leaved tree.

"How is it, Karen? Have you found their commander?" Isabel asked without hesitation.

"No!" This was the pirates' scouting captain, the half-drow Karen. She was shaking her head regretfully, "The leader is very vigilant and seems to have great anti-detection abilities. I can't find their core…"

"Damn it! We can only wait for reinforcements…" Isabel sighed. She began to feel deeply uncomfortable at the thought of being unable to complete Leylin's mission, though she couldn't quite tell why.

Trap

Numerous elite natives formed a heavily-guarded defensive line within the tropical rainforest. Behind them were several crudely constructed tents.

Based on the traditions of the natives, these tents were adorned with colourful feathered decorations on the surface, as well as some runes smeared on with fresh blood.

"Has Special Envoy Agigikro caught them yet?" asked a native who was evidently their leader. He wore a large golden crown on his head, but looked rather slender, almost bony; it was a stark difference. This man was currently watching another white-browed native.

This native called Agigikro had evidently experienced much over many years. His eyes showed his wisdom, and he was half a head taller than the leader, which showed that he had been raised in a more nourishing environment.

"They are very powerful followers of another religion. The elite Forest Hunters and Amazon Warriors that I brought couldn't even take a blow from that monster in human form! To force them to come here, I've already lost 27 elite warriors…"

Agigikro was evidently not this leader's subordinate, and his tone made him sound like they were on equal terms.

"Also… I've only come here to accept offerings to the empire and had no intentions of taking part in this!"

After seeing that this envoy was beginning to get mad, the native chief grew restless, "But… With these outsiders and those of another religion around, my island is now getting increasingly unsafe. My people are losing their lands. If you weren't here, I might have chosen to abandon this place and find a land that those blue-eyed ones can't see…"

Seeing that his complaints and chattering did nothing to convince Agigikro and only made him more enraged, the head wrung his hands and looked to be in pain, "Fine… Fine… To thank you for your help, my friend, I can offer you some things privately. They're all…"

After hearing a whole bunch of promises, Agigikro's frown smoothed out. The islands around this place weren't much to those from the natives' continent. However, this one place was different. This chief in front of him was the only way they could procure the specialties of this place, and they were very precious in the empire.

If not, Agigikro wouldn't be so kind hearted as to help him fight off the invaders.

'Perhaps… I should find a chance to beat the method they get their tributes from out of them…' Agigikro looked towards the head, eyes glinting with a chilly gaze like a poisonous snake hidden in the shadows.

While this was a mere glance, the head was already beginning to get uncomfortable, "Well then, about those invaders… What do you say?"

"Them?" Agigikro froze, and then looked furious. "Those who have the gall to kill so many of my men will never be let off easily. I'm going to skin off their scalps and use their bones as musical instruments, eternally hung in front of the doorframe to my house.

"But… They seem to be powerful beings who've grasped evil strength. If we go in with dull strength, we'll also have casualties. On top of that, the terrain is hindering us… Hence, I believe we can push the timing to attack them back. What do you think about tomorrow night?"

Agigikro's eyes were filled with a sneaky luster.

"Tomorrow… Night? You mean—" After hearing this, the head's eyes brightened.

"Exactly. With that around, those of another religion can only embrace the eternity of death, no matter how many of them there are…"

At this thought, the head applauded, now in a better mood. The tent was pulled open soundlessly, and then a group of girls with different-coloured fruit plates balanced on their heads flitted in like butterflies. They had eyes like black pearls, and their lips were extremely charming. Every part of their bodies held vitality that only youth possessed.

The maids respectfully put the fruit plates down. There were all sorts of precious tropical fruits within, while the plates themselves also emitted a charming golden light. They were made of pure gold.

"Envoy, there's still much time till tomorrow. How about you take a look at what we have planned here?"

The head smiled and he clapped. A group of musicians began to play elegant tunes, and the girls began to dance gracefully. The provocative dance had a unique beauty to it, and in that moment the tent began to undulate with youth.

Agigikro stared hard at one of the dancer girls, who was the most beautiful, and he began to peel a grape while looking intoxicated. The head, who was watching, snickered inside. On the surface, he looked ready to flatter the envoy more.

...

While the natives danced to show happiness and prosperity, Leylin had secretly arrived at Pirates' Cove. This place had now turned into the Scarlet Tigers' main base, and any barbarians or organisations related to the church of murder had been uprooted.

The Scarlet Tigers had conducted a purge after occupying this place. Powerful ammunition had exploded on half of the dock; blood still stained the port from that day.

However, pirates lived like locusts. The scattered pirates reappeared after the purge of war, like bamboo shoots in the rain. The bars and dancing halls were open the whole night, and the place seemed dazzling and prosperous.

This motivated more sailors to turn to the path of piracy. While most were killed, the lucky ones who survived did strike it rich and turned into a new legend. This encouraged generation after generation of pirates.

"My Lord!" Now, in the core residence of Pirates' Cove, Ronald and Robin Hood's foreheads were dripping cold sweat as they watched the young noble in front of them.

While Leylin had not released his aura, the pressure he gave them was enough for them to feel like they were in front of a dragon. In this situation where Miss Isabel was heavily surrounded, it didn't matter if this was an error on their end, but they knew they could be hanged for this.

Knowing how terrifying Leylin could be, the thought of fleeing did not even rise in their minds. They could only keep praying that Leylin could show them some benevolence.

"I took a look when I came. The construction of the harbour went well. Robin Hood, you've put in much effort!"

Unexpectedly, Leylin did not begin to reprimand them first thing. His approval immediately had Robin Hood feeling slightly better, "Many thanks, young master! I only did what I had to do the best of my abilities!"

"And you, Ronald!" Leylin then glanced at the middle-aged pirate next to him.

Through years of experience, this subordinate that he had recruited now had the aura of someone at the top. His strength had also grown by a large amount, as was expected of a seedling that Leylin had chosen himself.

"My Lord!" Robin Hood went down on a half-kneel, "I am in charge of the sea routes. No matter what happened, I am partially responsible for this. Please forgive me!"

Much time hadn't passed since the establishment of the Scarlet Tigers, but a few groups and factions had already formed. While most were under Leylin and Isabel, there were still others.

Compared to a general like Robin Hood who had come straight from the garrison, Ronald who had entered midway lacked confidence. Of course, this might also have to do with Leylin having too much power.

"Since this has happened, I'm not going to put the blame on anyone. I just hope we can solve it as soon as possible…" Leylin waved his arms. He'd already had some expectation that this might happen. However, as long as there were people around, the losses could be quickly replenished, which was not an issue.

"I've looked through the records in the meeting, and you aren't in the wrong. You have no need to worry about it…" This was the main point. Otherwise, Ronald might not even be able to walk out of this room.

"My lord…" A warmth surged in Ronald's heart, and his chest felt stuffy, yet he could not say anything.

"Enough. Who are you putting this show for?"

Leylin stopped Ronald and then spread out a huge sea map on the table. This was the most complete map of the areas the Scarlet Tigers' had gathered. There were also some areas added in that had been explored by the Barbarians or other pirate groups. At a glance, the entire Dambrath outer seas could be seen vividly in his mind. This was a priceless treasure.

"Come, Ronald. Mark the route that Isabel has taken this time!" Leylin took a vernier caliper and moved it around, and then passed a red marker to Ronald.

"Yes, my lord!" Ronald took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Meanwhile, after recalling some memories, he drew a crooked red line on the map.

"As most of the outer sea native tribes have been wiped out, Lord Isabel's hunting targets are now closer to the deep sea… In the previous sail, we communicated. Things had been normal up till this point!"

"The red coral sea? That's rather close to the outer regions…" Leylin glanced at the area Ronald had marked out on the map.

The red marking was the most southern part of the map, and extremely close to the boundaries of the outer seas. With a few days of sailing, she could sail away from the scope on the map.

"My cousin… I already reminded her not to go too far…"

Leylin sighed as he shook his head, "There are far too many native tribes in the south, and things are complicated. There are even rumours of the native empire there. She was trying to wipe them out with just one pirate fleet… sigh…"

Ritual

"Ready a ship and men. I'm going to leave immediately!" Since he had confirmed the location, Leylin would obviously go on a rescue mission immediately. Robin Hood and Ronald listened respectfully. Not long after, they had everything prepared…

A day later. Isabel had just met her life's largest crisis in the rainforest.

"What… what the heck is this?" A powerful draconic aura spread out, and a few black monsters were burnt to ashes.

These black monsters had a strong, dark-red fog around them. They were shaped weirdly, as if formed of soil.

*Rustle… Rustle…* Even if it was burnt off by the flames, the dark red gas gathered once more to spawn more monsters/

"Damn it! They can't die?" Karen used her dagger and pierced into a monster with three human heads, one each belonging to an elderly, a middle-aged man and a youth. However, the injuries quickly recovered and even swallowed her dagger. Sensing the immense danger, Karen could only abandon her weapon and leave.

"Only powerful attack spells or the explosion of qi from a high-ranked Professional can truly hurt them!" Isabel was now in her half-dragon form. Those fog creatures quickly evaded a powerful Dragon Breath, and that finally gave the two a path to retreat.

"I never thought that there would be such strange things in the forest!" Isabel gazed at the moon on the horizon. The moonlight, which should be bright, was now stained with a layer of purplish-red and looked incomparably evil.

Things had originally been going smoothly. After withdrawing from the rainforest, the attacks and searches of the natives had weakened, and she was even considering escape routes. But the night held a huge surprise for them.

"It's like the whole forest turned into a ghost region!" Isabel looked alert. The danger here far exceeded her expectations.

"Hehe… play with me!" The forest seemed to change under the purplish-red moonlight, dark red fog filling the area. A large banyan tree twisted abruptly, and numerous vines turned into flexible arms that grabbed at Isabel. A baby's face appeared on the trunk.

"Even my dragon aura is useless? What the hell is this?" The crimson Red Dragon Sword exploded with burning qi. The conical flames from Dragon's Breath were launched unceasingly, causing the giant hands that formed webs to be ignited and fall off. This finally allowed Isabel to clear off an area to move into.

"Hehe… It doesn't hurt at all!" The large banyan tree had pulled itself out of the soil, the many roots turned into countless tendrils. Dark red fog lingered, and the vines that had been cut off and burnt regrew.

"I won't be able to hold on at this rate…" Glancing at the other side, where her subordinates were heavily injured, Isabel could not help but force a smile.

...

Many natives were gathered outside the rainforest, looking solemn. At their centre was a tremendous altar.

Twisted and evil runes, dark red in colour, were present around the altar. Blood plasma was smeared on it, and the droplets of blood that rolled downwards along the cracks of the stone made it look exceedingly terrifying.

Many of the natives now wore fancy feathers and hide. They kept chanting and praying to the altar. On the altar was the face of a young female native who seemed pure and holy. However, her eyes had lost all signs of life, and there was a large wound on her wrist.

Evidently, an extremely evil sacrifice was being done here, and the target was no known god, devil or demon.

The chief looked like a worthless person in imposing clothing to Special Envoy Agikikro. He glanced at the man and suddenly asked, "I never thought the enemy would enter this forest, that's a great help for us. I wonder if this will affect us from getting our offerings?"

"Please do not worry! Our ancestors have carried out the sacrifice numerous times. There won't be errors…" The native head could do as he pleased in his tribe, but he did not dare show any sign of negligence to the envoy of the empire. Droplets of sweat even appeared on his forehead.

"I've even invited our tribe's great priest for the sake of success. With a group of powerful followers of another religion being the sacrifices, the effects will be much better than before. The number of offerings might even be several times more than usual!"

The native head had a flattering smile in his eyes, "When the time comes, I can gift you a few extra!"

"Thank you very much then!" At the thought of the miraculous effects of the product, Agigikro immediately revealed a smile.

Meanwhile, however, scorn flashed in his mind, 'These darned swines who only roll around in the mud all day! If not for the offerings only appearing here and needing to be extracted with specific talents found in their tribe, the empire would long since have occupied this place!'

"It's beginning!" The head called out. He naturally had no idea about how the envoy of the empire was scorning them.

"Hm?" Agigikro focused on the altar.

A layer of murky dark red fog shrouded the top of the forest, breaking through some boundary with the deaths of the pirates. It began to extend towards the altar, causing the chief to look delighted as the chants increased in volume.

Dark red fog continued to spread, like a huge beast that had opened its ferocious mouth. A lot of it gathered to form a large eight-clawed spider.

"Leave this place quickly!" The great priest was the first to run upon seeing this fog spider, fast and nimble. The other priests did the same.

"Ah…" "Save– …"

A few native guards that ran a little too slowly were swallowed by the fog. Before they could even complete a sentence, they collapsed and died. Their bodies withered in an instant as if they had lost all life energy.

The fog spider grew more vivid after swallowing all this life. It came to the altar, its terrifying, ferocious, and ugly mouth making contact with the girl.

*Ka-chak! Ka-chak!* With the fog spider's work, the young native girl's body made a few strange movements, like a puppet controlled with strings.

Upon noticing this, the great priest halted and that focused his attention on the altar unblinkingly, "Alright. The mighty Balulukulu has already taken in enough lives. It will no longer be dangerous."

The purplish-red moon was at its most dazzling, practically a little sun. The fog spider seemed to have met its goal, and it dove into the orifices of the native girl.

*Gulu! Gulu!* The girl's flat and smooth stomach strangely began to expand, and numerous warts began to move, as if a colony of mice was living under her skin.

"It's a success!" The great priest cheered, and brought the other priests to the side of the altar. They flipped the girl over to reveal her stomach. She looked like a woman who was ten months pregnant, with a dark red tattoo in the shape of a spider on her fair back. It was like a living image, and very vivid.

"The grace of Balulukulu!" The great priest looked solemn as he took an obsidian knife from an apprentice and began some chants. After cutting his own forehead and thumb and smearing a few markings with blood, he placed the black blade at the swollen stomach of the girl. There was a cold glint in his eyes as blood spurted everywhere.

"Is this the sacrificial ceremony here? As heard from rumours, it's very unusual!" After seeing something so bloody, Agigikro could still converse with the head next to him at ease.

"Hehe… this is the best method that my ancestors found after thousands of tries!" The head now had a prideful expression on his face, "Well then, envoy! Please accept my gift!"

With the chief's nod, a priest took a golden circular plate and brought it over. On it were a few blood-red crystals the size of chicken eggs, still stained with blood and pus on the surface.

"Balulukulu's crystals!" Agigikro's eyes were fixed on the item on the plate, and he looked intoxicated.

This crystal was a specialty of the natives, only found on this island. If someone strong swallowed this, they would gain extraordinary strength provided they survived the aftereffects.

That was not all. The higher classes in the native empire had even found that burning these crystals produced a unique gas. It would give rise to an incomparable ecstasy, and was a luxurious item that the higher class enjoyed. It was extremely expensive.

"Being able to obtain this on this trip makes it worth it!" Agigikro looked impatient and nodded to a warrior to take the golden plate.

At this moment, however, an abrupt voice interrupted them.

"This really is good stuff. Can I take a look?" It was as if an invisible force pulled at things in the air. The blood-red crystals flew from the golden plate, entering the hands of a noble youth.

"Hm? Who is it? Take him down!" Having had such an important item stolen, Agigikro roared hysterically. Immediately after, many native warriors pounced forward.

Nightmare Island

As a special envoy from the native kingdom, Agigikro had also brought a batch elite fighters with him.

This included the Forest Hunters and Amazon Warriors. They were the ones who had attacked and held Isabel as well as her underlings back, and forced them into the dangerous forest.

Now, however, a youth had suddenly broken through all these people's defences and arrived at the core circle. He was even threatening the safety of the two leaders here, so how could they not be furious and terrified?

Along with Agigikro's enraged yell, countless Forest Hunters brandished the lances in their hands and, alongside the Amazon Warriors with strange tattoos on their bodies, immediately surrounded Leylin . The sharp weapons even formed a storm that aimed to tear Leylin to shreds.

However, Leylin's expression was rather interesting. He cared little for these enemies and instead stared unblinkingly at the crystal in his hands, as if it was the only thing that mattered.

"When I got onto the island, I already had a feeling that something was off. My instincts shouldn't be wrong. This power…" Leylin's eyes glinted with wisdom.

"Kill him!" At this moment, numerous natives roared as they pounced forward.

"Die, you weaklings!" Leylin, who was immersed in studying the crystals, waved his hand in annoyance.

Arcane spell— Missile Storm! Explosive Cloudkill!

With immense penetrative force, the arcane missile ruthlessly went through the neck of an Amazon Warrior, and then opened a gaping wound on one Forest Hunter's chest.

Numerous spells were launched, giving rise to waves and waves of blood being spilt.

After the Cloudkill spell, it converged to form a black tornado that disintegrated all the natives that had fallen, and even caused the corpses to begin corroding.

In the blink of an eye, the native elite fighters surrounding Leylin turned into one corpse after another.

"How is it possible? Is– Is he a death god? Or a devil? Or demon?" Agigikro watched Leylin who was standing within the tornado, muttering in disbelief. He knew the strength of his subordinates very well.

The Amazon Warriors could use their bare hands and kill a Sawtooth Tiger, while the Forest Hunters could wrestle with pythons and alligators in the tropical rainforests. Now, however, they were falling in large numbers like grass being mowed, the speed at which they were going down far exceeding his expectations.

"Go!" "Kill them!" Now, yells were sounding from all directions. The pirates that Leylin had brought along were beginning to make their move.

"Get here!" Leylin pointed, and Agigikro as well as the native head was grabbed by a huge stone hand, pushing them till they were before Leylin.

"Agubaba… Klagila…" At this moment, Leylin saw a native smeared with oil all over his body and feathers stuck on him. Like someone having epilepsy, he began to twitch while facing him.

"A spellcaster? Is this a curse? That's so weak! This is just too weak…" He pointed lazily, and a ray of light struck the head of the great priest, white and red spilling everywhere.

Seeing the honourable great priest's body falling headlessly, all the natives completely crumbled. Leylin, who was standing in front of them, was like an enemy that they would never be able to resist. He was as omnipotent as a god in the sky.

The voices of the pirates outside gradually drew closer. In no time, Robin Hood and Ronald arrived before him.

"Boss! There are approximately a few thousand people in this tribe, but those here should be their military. They've been defeated…"

Robin Hood reported. Those who had come from Pirates' Cove could be said to be the best of the best, and there were already a thousand powerful pirates. Compared to the natives, they had an absolute advantage.

"Mm, clean things up here. Try to catch them alive if possible. I have uses for them!" Afterwards, he sized up his own prisoners and the blood-red crystal in his hand. The crystal now emanated dazzling rays that gave rise to a look of intoxication in Leylin's eyes.

'My instincts can't be wrong. This is dreamforce! While there are slight differences, this is power that belongs to Dreamscape!' From the moment Leylin had gotten onto the island, he had sensed that the native island was enveloped by a layer of strange power. After seeing the dark red fog forest and the natives' offerings, he could confirm that there was actually dreamforce here— a power that hailed from Dreamscape!

This discovery immediately aroused his interest.

"My– My lord, please forgive me. I am an envoy of the empire. You can't…" At this moment, Agigikro who was being grabbed by the large hand suddenly spoke in the language of the continent. While he stammered, Leylin could somehow understand him.

Leylin came before Agigikro, and as if seeing hope, he began to speak with as much energy he could muster, "Let me… go. I can… pay the price of ransom…"

"Seems like there really is a native empire!" Leylin's palm landed on Agigikro's forehead. "If it were me in the past, I might be very interested in this, but now… I think I'll do it myself!"

Memory Retrieval! Leylin's pupils were shrouded in white in that moment, and Agigikro looked to be incomparable pain, as if he was experiencing some torture.

"Grace of the Balulukulu? Using this as anesthesia? What a waste…"

Leylin, who moved his palm away, had a general understanding of what had transpired. Agigikro, who had experienced magic, had now turned into a drooling idiot.

"Envoy of the empire. The skills of the native races, and Nightmare Island…" Leylin arrived before the native head and did the same as before; he immediately found the information he wanted.

"So… that's what it is?" The general context appeared in front of Leylin in its entirety.

During the dusk of the gods, not only was there the invasion from the Magus World, other powerful beings they had subdued had also entered this area as retinue. Amongst which was a powerful Magus who used dreamforce!

Of course, due to the unique laws of the World of Gods and the gods being unexpectedly stronger, the Magi of laws from the Magus World met with huge losses. Even the Magus who was proficient in dreamforce had fallen here.

It might be just a part of his body or some item he brought with him in battle that fell into the prime material plane. Coincidentally, it fell onto the island, causing such a unique environment here.

The powerful radiation from high-ranked Magi could easily modify an island. When it was the night of a full moon, the forest in the island would usually see strange events. The first to notice this were the native tribes. They could not explain this occurrence at all, and could only pray as if the reason for these happenings was a godly spirit.

After tens of thousands of years of exploration and bloody, unreasonable experiments, they finally had a better understanding of the laws of dreamforce, and attempted to extract and use it for themselves.

Perhaps it was because of the contamination from staying here long-term, but only the natives in the tribe had the ability to extract the dreamforce crystals. Of course, they called this grace from Balulukulu and tried to eat them in order to gain strength.

"They say the ignorant have no fear. So true!" Leylin stared at the crystal in his hand. In his eyes, this 'refined' item was still full of many impurities. If swallowed directly, there was a 90% chance of death, while the survivors would obtain some specific ability after incitement from dreamforce. This efficiency was far too low.

"As for the ecstasy from burning the crystals? Dreamforce definitely can give people great mental joy, but that will also lead to contamination. The upper class in the native empire must be in a terrible state…" Leylin shook his head, and began to use the A.I. Chip and scan the crystals.

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning scan…] A ray of blue light shot out from Leylin's eyes, not letting off any corner of the crystal.

Soon enough, the A.I. Chip gave an answer. [Beep! Scan completed. Determined to be Dreamscape Origin Force Crystals. Similarity to that in database at 98.77%. Discovered unknown mutated composition.]

'Mutual complementation? That's not a surprise. For the World of Gods, dreamforce is the most adaptable force. Regardless of where a being is, dreamscape can exist as long as they have intelligence. Hence, there's a very high compatibility…'

Leylin observed the mutated composition chart that the A.I. Chip and sank into deep thought.

If it was some force from the Magus World, the World of Gods would definitely expel it. However, dreamforce's compatibility was rather high, and after modifying a portion, it could still live on here tenaciously.

'Just from this, it's obvious that the Magus who had control over dreamforce had attained great power and was at least rank 8. He had probably even found his own path, and was a peak rank 8 existence that had already fused laws…'

This discovery had Leylin sighing in awe. The ancient times was truly the Magus World's golden period. Any Magus was incomparably powerful.

There had been the peak rank 8 Distorted Shadow, and now he'd discovered another powerful Magus who grasped dreamforce.

'Dreamforce… is powerful. If I can tell the rhythm at which it weakens, then it's much more powerful than the average law… In addition, dreamforce can accommodate time and space, and it's very good choice!'

After all, in Dreamscape, all time and space could be warped. Using Dreamscape to sustain the power of time and space wouldn't be dangerous. For Leylin, this was like a pillow being presented to him while he was taking a nap.

'The powerful Magus who could grasp dreamforce must have known the rhythm at which dreamforce weakened and made use of it. He found a way to evade that…' Leylin's eyes twinkled.

Fleeing

"With how powerful Magi who comprehend laws are, just a fragment should contain a portion of his conscient and memories. There might even be a chance of getting some inheritance…" Leylin muttered, "I must get that Nightmare Wizard's inheritance!"

Dreamforce had always interested Leylin. The A.I. Chip stored the progress on his work the data from his continued experiments. He'd never given up studying it.

Rank 7 Magi needed to grasp powerful laws, while rank 8s needed to find their own path to fuse these laws, using a certain power as the base.

Leylin's goal was immortality, and he had definitely considered the future properly. If possible, he definitely wanted to use the origin forces from the Magus World and World of Gods to fuse his own laws. It was a pity that this was impossible. He might alarm the two World Wills, and on top of that there were other existences that wouldn't allow him to do so.

Dreamscape was the next greatest power. It surpassed big worlds like the Purgatory and Icy Worlds, and if not for its weakening phase the two strongest worlds in ancient times would have been joined by a third.

Dreamforce at its peak was the most powerful origin force beside those of the Magus World and World of Gods. Only a path that fused laws with dreamforce would stand up to Leylin's ambition!

However, to completely analyse dreamforce and find ways to evade the weakening phase was still a huge and arduous task for him now. Even with help from the A.I. Chip, he estimated that it would require over ten thousand years.

Instead, a bright future was right before him. As long as he obtained the legacy of the Nightmare Wizard, then the issue with dreamforce could be immediately solved! With such a huge temptation, Leylin's inquiring footsteps were unhindered by the great dangers within the forest.

"Captain! We've interrogated the prisoners. Miss Isabel was forced into this forest. Every full moon, the forest will be filled with great danger, and nobody has ever survived!" Robin Hood was extremely glum, while the knife at Ronald's hip was stained with blood, his expression dark.

"I'm going in," Leylin suddenly spoke.

"Captain!" "My lord, let me go!" Robin Hood and Ronald immediately persuaded him not to. From their point of view, they had already lost Isabel to a trap, and if Leylin too were to disappear within it all that awaited them would be the ire of the Faulen Family.

"Don't worry, I'm confident in myself. Tell the pirates not to get close to the forest and the dark red fog. It's best they retreat close to the coastline…" Leylin waved his arms and spoke resolutely. He inspired more fear than even Isabel in the older Scarlet Tigers, and his orders were carried out decisively.

"Is this contamination from a combination of mutated dreamforce and the laws of the World of Gods?" Leylin put on his wizard robes and wore his dragonhide armour. The Red Dragon Staff in hand roared, and the cries of the dragon soul inside could somewhat be heard from the crystal grabbed by the dragon claw.

As he had rejected the pleas of Robin Hood and the rest, he was now alone. That meant he could use his strength as he pleased. The pirates would only have been a burden in areas contaminated with dreamforce.

"A.I. Chip, begin transformation!" Standing at the side of the forest, Leylin immediately commanded.

[Beep! Transferring Dreamscape spell model, fusing with arcane spell information. Begin creation of arcane dreamforce spell model!] The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's order.

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Eternal Light!" Leylin pointed his right index finger forward, and a milky-white flame flew from the tip of his finger. It grew with the wind, reaching the size of a pumpkin in an instant.

The dark red fog dissipated under the pure white flames, revealing the original appearance of the forest.

"A.I. Chip, scan for energy undulations!" Leylin flipped his palm over, and the shattered alert rune appeared once more. A scan gave him the general direction, and he disappeared into the thick fog.

The moment any dark red fog entered his surroundings, it would be engulfed by his Eternal Light spell. It formed a strange isolated area around him.

Leylin's decision to explore the area was naturally because he was confident in himself. He could rely on arcane dreamforce spells!

With his research in the Magus World, he possessed many spell models for dreamforce spells. Using his arcanist inheritance, he could easily convert them for use in the World of Gods. There was no issue at all given the A.I. Chip's powerful analysis and calculation abilities.

"Dreamforce spells are the best way to deal with beings contaminated by dreamforce," Leylin sighed.

A dark red fireball immediately burnt a strange ent up ahead to ashes. Unlike Isabel's, his attacks left the monsters with no chance of revival.

'I'm close… Over there!' All of a sudden, Leylin's brow twitched. A large pair of wings instantly sprouted from his back, allowing him to soar into the sky…

Meanwhile, Isabel's crisis had reached its crescendo.

"Scram!" Angered cries and terrifying flames caused a large centipede to take several steps backwards.

"Keke… too weak… too weak…" Strange human faces were sticking out of this monster's outer shell. Amongst them were those belonging to the pirates under her, their eyes emitting a red lustre as they began to snicker.

Her draconic flames left not a trace on the monster's shell, as if it had a defensive power that made it hard to destroy.

"Become a part of me!" One of the faces opened its mouth, corrosive green liquid spraying out like rainwater.

Even the dragonscale defence sputtered upon contact, steam billowing out. The immense pain from the corrosion caused Isabel to frown hard.

"Quick, come!" Karen appeared at the side, pulling at Isabel's arm and running.

"I never thought it would just be the two of us left. I shouldn't have come in." Isabel now looked regretful.

"This is not the time to worry about that. Sister Isabel, I've taken a look around. The dark red fog wall seems to show signs of dissipating. As long as we hang on for a while longer, we can exit this place!" Karen encouraged her.

"Leave… haha…" Isabel now looked extremely pathetic, but much of the damage was to her mind. She had never thought she would see such strange things as she had this day. It was more than she had experienced in her lifetime.

After she had brought her subordinates and retreated into the forest, all sorts of weird things had appeared when night fell. At the beginning, she had thought it was some sick joke, but she soon found that she had to pay for that in blood.

Trees that could walk, flowers and grass that could sing, stones that had qi, the dead being able to revive, numerous clowns… All sorts of things she could not even name attacked them in succession. They were grotesque and variegated, almost causing her to think that she had gone insane.

The subordinates under her fell one by one, gulped down by either real or imaginary beings. Now, only she and Karen were left.

"That centipede monster is very strong and at least has legendary strength. Does that mean we can only evade… Hm? What is it, Karen? Are you hurt?"

Isabel looked at Karen beside her. The half-drow now had her back to Isabel, shoulders trembling slightly.

A palm touched Isabel's shoulder, and her expression immediately changed, "There's no heat. You're not Karen!"

"Hehe… adorable little captain, if I'm not Karen, who else can I be?" Karen turned back, light shining on half her face. However, Isabel's pupils only shrunk. Her beautiful face had now split from the middle, revealing terrifying white razor-sharp teeth, as if her face had turned into a large mouth.

"Damn it, what the hell are you?" Isabel yelled. Terrifying flames formed rings of fire that were several metres long, managing to get 'Karen' to back off.

"Heehee… What could I be?"

*Rumble!* The earth split, and the human-faced centipede appeared once more. Karen snickered as she dug her hands into the centipede and fused with it. At the end, the monster that looked like Karen completely disappeared, its only remnant a pale face.

*Chi! Chi!* The huge centipede let out earth-shattering cries, cold air bursting forth from its mouth. The surrounding trees and soil were covered in a layer of ice.

"It has a clone with a power of ice, and can't die. Gods… Could this be some sort of special variant of god?" This was the only conclusion Isabel could come up with. The terrifying chilliness began to freeze her body, causing even the dragonblood in her body to still.

"No, I can't die here!" Isabel looked resolute as the red scales on her body exploded.

"Blood Explosion!" The bloody red fog blocked the ice off, finally giving Isabel a route of escape.

Rescue

Blood Explosion wasn't sorcery. It was an unknown spell recorded in Dragon King's Mystic Might that allowed a Dragon Warlock to burn their bloodline in exchange for ultimate strength. It was something used when left without choice, a decision to make when in complete despair.

While the blood fog hindering the chilly fog, Isabel now had a path of escape. However, she had now reverted to her human form and could no longer transform. On top of that, the areas that had been covered in dragon scales turned into a mass of bruises.

However, her desire to survive still pushed her to advance forth in the fog forest.

"So I can't hold on anymore?" The haemorrhaging blood and injuries caused everything to blur, and it all turned into darkness.

"Hm? Boss!" Before collapsing, the last thing she heard was a voice of surprise.

...

"Ugh… I'm not dead yet?" Isabel raised her right arm and caressed the Red Dragon Sword, the burst of warmth from the sword sheath instantly making her feel relieved. While she felt just as weak as before, having a weapon in her hand would allow her to die with more dignity.

Isabel laughed wryly as she began to assess her surroundings, 'It's rather small here, and I seem to be in some enclosed environment. There was also that voice I heard before I fainted…'

"You're awake!" A muffled voice sounded by Isabel's ear, and her pupils widened slightly. It was Karen's voice!

"Where– Where am I now?" Isabel asked slowly, her eyes doing their best to adapt to the darkness as they looked for traces of light.

"We're inside a hollow tree. We haven't escaped danger yet!" Karen did not seem to be in the best state either, as she stumbled over her words, "He- Hehe, I'm guessing you saw a monster that looked a lot like me, right? I also met with great danger with someone I knew well!"

Isabel was not so easily convinced, "Who's the vice captain on our ship?"

"Three Ears, although he was struck a fatal blow and eventually crippled in the last naval battle. Karen especially pressed her lips to Isabel's ear, "Also… I know a lot more private information, such as what you hide under your pillow…"

"Enough! I believe you're the real thing!" A flush rose on Isabel's cheeks as she interrupted Karen.

"This is such a critical time, and that is what you decided to point out?" Isabel's low voice was filled with anger.

"We need to change our mentality," Karen said solemnly, "Did you notice that these monsters have held back from killing us? It's like… What's an appropriate word… Teasing us. Yes!"

"You mean…" Isabel had the same thought.

"Exactly! I think those monsters feed on human emotions. They keep scaring us to cause despair…"

Karen sounded agitated, "Beings like this exist in the Underdark as well. That's why I'm doing my best to hold in the fear and unease in my heart. Surprisingly, I haven't bumped into any particularly powerful monster, and have managed to hold on till now…"

As a half-drow from the Underdark, Karen evidently had a better understanding of such evil monsters. It was a pity though. Her ideas may have been valid in the World of Gods, but dreamforce wasn't as simple.

Still, Isabel now had no choice but to believe her, "In other words, I can deal with them easily if I suppress my emotions?"

"I can only say there's a slight effect, since completely obliterating all emotions are things only legendary mind flayers can do…" Karen had a wry smile on her face.

"Also… be careful not to experience intense emotion. It will only attract more powerful monsters!"

"I understand…" Isabel nodded, "These things only seem to appear at night. As long as we can hold on till sunrise tomorrow, we might be safe…" Isabel now had no thoughts of bringing more men to explore the area. She only hoped to escape as far as possible.

*Rumble!* The surface of the ground trembled slightly, and a strange monstrous laughter sounded out. Isabel began to get nervous, "Be careful, something's here!"

She could see the human centipede crawl over slowly through the hole in the tree, large amounts of saliva dripping from its head. The surrounding trees were pushed away, revealing the sinister and terrifying human faces on the shell.

"Relax, as long as we calm ourselves, it can't find us…" Karen's voice trembled, evidently still uneasy at this life and death gamble.

'Don't think too much. No! Don't think about anything, and don't have any emotions!' Karen thought to herself as Isabel tightened her grasp on her sheath.

It seemed like their prayers had been answered. The giant centipede didn't seem to discover them as it wandered past the large tree.

'It really worked!' 'We did it!' Isabel and Karen exchanged a glance, looking hopeful and excited.

*Huala!* The large trunk was split apart all of a sudden, revealing the two. They stared in shock as the giant centipede swayed back and forth.

"Keke, is this a game of catch?" The faces on the shell kept changing until a child's face appeared, speaking in a young voice.

"What a pity… You thought calming your emotions would help you escape Zelos. How childish!" The human face warped, becoming that of a middle-aged pirate. The voice grew older as well.

"Hehe… the game's over! Become a part of me!" The large centipede yelled, the numerous faces on its shell separating themselves and turning into white human silhouettes with masks. They moved slowly, looking blank as they surrounded the two.

"No, why did this happen? Did we guess wrong?"

"This is a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare! No… let me wake up! I want my mother…" Karen was the first to break under the immense pressure, seemingly laughing and crying at the same time.

"Damn it, I knew women aren't dependable at critical moments!" Isabel cursed, her sword being thrust into a white figure to no effect. They were still slowly surrounding her.

"There's no way… There's no way at all… I'll really die here…" Isabel seemed bedazzled in that moment, her life flashing before her eyes. A hint of tenderness appearing in her gaze, "Unfortunately…"

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Flying Palm!" Just as the white figures were about to completely surround them, a black figure fell from above. Powerful spells shot out, pulling the dark red fog together to form a large palm.

*Thud!* The large palm pressed down abruptly, and countless white figures were crushed. With a swipe, the rest were sent flying.

"Thankfully, I got here in time!" Leylin turned back, glancing at Isabel's expression as she looked shocked and elated, "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine! I'll leave this to…" Isabel felt very suffocated, and only managed to say this at the end before fainting.

"Has her stamina completely run out? And this one…" Leylin watched Karen on the ground, who had been scared stupid, "She looks like she was terrified. Not surprising; not everyone can bear the shock of experiencing dreamforce…"

"Keke… another one! Another one that will become a part of my body!" The large centipede's head now split open, revealing an old face filled with wrinkles. The other fragmented white figures were inhaled into its body, and masked faces appeared on the crust.

"Such a large being contaminated by dreamforce… it's at least a legendary, hm?" Leylin looked up, elated, "Just the radiation alone can create a legendary being here… Whatever is here must be even more astonishing!"

"Kid, you dare ignore…" The centipede monster began to howl, and more cysts appeared on its body. They looked ready to explode.

"I have no time to play with you right now. See you next time!" Leylin was the absolute master of this region contaminated by dreamforce. He didn't even frown, feeling no fear.

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Distrait Dream!" Dark red undulations spread from his hands, and their surroundings strangely went silent.

"Let's leave first!" Making use of this rare opportunity, Leylin grabbed Isabel and Karen as he spread his wings. He flew to the edges of the forest where the dark red fog converged like a cage.

"Open!" Leylin exclaimed, and arcane spell energy poured into the Red Dragon Staff, blazing flames breaking through the lock. With a few flashes of his body, he disappeared into the horizon.

He was still unable to deal with the large centipede and naturally would not waste his strength on that.

...

It was now morning. Isabel, who had recovered most of her strength, arrived outside the tent. She then saw Leylin, who was studying the edges of the forest.

"I'm sorry… We were completely wiped out. I'm the one to blame for all this…" Isabel gritted her teeth and stammered.

"This was really an accident. Others would have had the same results." Leylin was focused as he took samples of the soil, while Isabel looked fearfully at the forest. The lesson she was taught in there was etched into her mind, and she hoped that she would never return to this place in her life.

Faith Totem

"You're just in time. I've given Karen a tranquilising potion, and she should be starting on the road to recovery. Bring them all back to Pirates' Cove!" Leylin stowed a test tube into a box where things were carefully separated.

"We're going back? Then what about you?" Isabel asked in surprise.

"This place is very interesting, I'm getting ready for some extended research. There needs to be someone overseeing things at Pirates' Cove…" There was a fanatical expression in Leylin's eyes. Most wizards liked to research all sorts of strange things, which was why Isabel was not the least bit suspicious.

Still, the danger she'd experienced before had made her rather anxious, "But things are too dangerous here…"

"Don't worry, wizards always make preparations for this. I'll also need you to send me some magic materials and daily essentials periodically."

Whether it was because of the confidence in his tone or his successful rescue of her yesterday that moved her, Isabel finally agreed/

"Fine… You have to be careful. Perhaps I could stay here?"

"No. Nobody besides you has complete control of the Scarlet Tiger. This period is very crucial…" Leylin told her seriously.

After spending a lot more time persuading her, Leylin finally let his cousin take most of the pirates and leave. Watching the ships sailing away in the distance, he could not help but sigh.

'Now, this Nightmare Island shall be mine…' He nodded, arriving at edges of what was now called Nightmare Forest. There were already a few pirates in wait.

"My lord, command us as you will." While they looked exceptionally ferocious, they could only withdraw all their fierceness in front of Leylin. They even had pleasing smiles, looking more harmless than little rabbits.

There was no way around this. Leylin's reputation had scared them out of their wits. This was their true leader, so how would they dare be careless now?

"Mm. Build me a house here, I'll be staying for a while." Leylin casually pointed at an empty area.

"No problem, you'll see a villa soon. Iron hook Calon is very honoured to serve you!" The pirate at the front bowed respectfully, and after Leylin nodded he brandished the whip at his waist, "Heard that? My lord wishes for a villa to be built here. Start work immediately!"

*Pak! Pak!* It had to be said that the pirates who were now foremen were rather good talents. With their fiendish threats, the rest of the native slaves soon understood what they wanted and began to clear the base and start cutting down wood.

"Mm, not bad!" Leylin nodded in praise. After gaining his approval, Calon raised his head with more pride, as if he had obtained some incomparable honour.

'Based on the memories of the native chief, the nightmarish phenomenon only appears during the full moon of every month. It is otherwise a normal forest…' Leylin then looked towards the forest. The dark red fog had long since dissipated, and there was even a layer of white mist at the surface of the greenery. Nothing looked special about it.

'I only get tens of hours for research every month. That's just too short. Looks like I'll have to stay here for a long time…' Leylin thought, and he sighed.

If those who'd comprehended laws in the Magus World knew of his thoughts, they would definitely go green in envy. A chance to study dreamforce and obtain the legacy of the Nightmare Wizard was something they would scramble for even if it would take them tens of thousands of years.

Leylin's regret only stayed for a moment. He then began his intense research.

Ruins from Magi were even more dangerous than the World of Gods' wizard ruins. They were filled with unknown variables, and with an existence dealing with dreamforce, there was now a higher difficulty in his exploration.

"Even the most surface layer of dreamforce contamination has created a legendary monster. Deeper down, it definitely gets more dangerous… Thankfully, I've already obtained firsthand information, so I'm not without direction…" Leylin glanced at the tremendous Nightmare Forest, a zealous look in his eyes.

...

Spring left and autumn arrived. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

The island that Leylin had named Nightmare Island now looked completely different. The native tribe had completely disappeared, having been killed or sold as slaves.

There was now a two-storey villa next to the forest. The garden at its front had blooming golden tulips, and violet wisteria climbed all over the fence. A faint aroma lingered in the air.

By the flowerbed, Leylin now held a white watering can as he leisurely took care of the plants in his garden. The soil around the roots of his flowers quickly grew damp as they greedily absorbed the water. Sparkling droplets of water remained dazzling on the petals and stems.

'Time passes so quickly. People at home and my cousin are very dissatisfied with how long I've stayed here…' After finishing the work at hand, Leylin picked up a white towel and wiped his hands. He then sat on a rattan chair amongst the flowers as he began to admire the fruits of his labour.

However, the A.I. Chip's light didn't dim from within his eyes. It continued to conduct precise simulations, performing analysis and calculations.

"With all these years of study, there's finally results…" Leylin saw the map that the A.I. Chip projected. On the translucent viewport, Nightmare Island was now separated into three layers. Nightmare Forest was only on the first.

'The ancient Nightmare Wizard's inheritance has sunk underground. The forest here is a structure formed from some vaporised dreamforce that's similar to a secret lock?' Leylin looked grim.

The legacy of such a terrifying existence of laws was something even his main body had to approach cautiously. With his strength as a clone, every step had to be taken prudently, or he could just die too easily.

"Thankfully, with the information I had before on Dreamscape, as well as the mutations to dreamforce in the World of Gods, finding a few methods to break through the lock is still simple…

"However, what's important now is to increase my strength…" Leylin headed into the villa and entered a secret room. He saw the many strangely-shaped rock carvings, totems and the like, and looked deep in thought.

These sculptures and decorative figures all had a very boorish style, and were also extremely incredible. They were filled with primitive daydreams towards exemplary strength, but what was more similar was the power of faith on them. Golden rays shone brightly as they illuminated the room.

"Immature power of faith?" Leylin muttered to himself. All this was loot from the Scarlet TIgers' attacks on the native tribes. They were items that those natives worshipped, filled with primitive power of faith. There even valiant spirits and some sort of nature spirits in there as well, albeit sealed.

'While I avoided native tribes protected by the Ocean Goddess or nature spirits of legendary strength, the outer seas are boundless. There aren't many of those…'

Leylin wandered aimlessly to a piece of blood-red animal skin. On the dark brown surface of the flag was a double-headed wolf totem, drawn in bright colours. Varied and dense power of faith spread from it, and the strange wolf seemed ready to pounce out at any moment, but was held back by the strong seal.

'This one is halfway between a dark soul and a natural soul. It hasn't even obtained divinity, so how can it go against Isabel, a Dragon Warlock?' Leylin sensed the valiant spirit on the flag. It had already grown sharp teeth and pointy ears, and a wart began to bulge at its neck. Evidently, the soul of the ancestor of the natives was already turning into a double-headed wolf.

'A poor guy who's held by the power of faith…' Leylin watched the confused valiant spirit, eyes not showing any pity.

This valiant spirit must have been some kind of hero in the original tribe. He had been worshipped extensively after death, and the faith of the tribe had intertwined with their worship of him. Had he completely transformed, a new god would have been born one day.

Unfortunately, Leylin's path conflicted with his. In that case, what else was there to say?

'Thankfully, these faith totems did not transmute divine force, or I might not have been able to absorb them…' Leylin raised his right hand, a faint Targaryen figure emerging in his eyes as terrifying devouring power enveloped the animal-skin flag.

"Innate skill— Devour!"

*Whoosh!* It was like a long dragon drinking water as threads of golden light were pulled out of the flag with a formless force, disappearing into the dark hole. Immense power of faith, with souls and intense emotions mixed in, was devoured by the formless black hole, turning into the most pure origin force.

In the time of a few breaths, the dark golden lustre on the animal skin flag completely died down, and the wolf totem had now lost all life, turning into a dead item.

[Beep! Divine force absorbed, increased energy reserves by 3.8%. Total progress: 89.77%!] The A.I. Chip prompted.

"As expected of the offering of a small tribe. It's too little!" Leylin shook his head, looking dissatisfied. With a wave of his hands, the other statues and totems soared in the air.

The tremendous black hole devoured all these elementary sacrifices in an instant, turning them into the purest energy source. Afterwards, Leylin saw the numbers on the A.I. Chip's screen beginning to rise steadily.