Chapter 1696 - WMW 69

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leylin pondered about his current situation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After some thought, Leylin picked up his cutlery.

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

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

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

A faint light glowed from the depths of his pupils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leylin followed the crowd and stepped foot outside the hotel.

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

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

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

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

-x-X-x-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-x-X-x-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leylin's voice was light but resolute.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-x-X-x-

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

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

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

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

*Woo woo…*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I… I… Am I Ezekiel? Or Gordius?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Indeed, projected clone of Beelzebub. It is I." Leylin admitted his identity magnanimously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Unexpectedly, you have advanced to Morning Star!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His previous prediction had been accurate indeed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Ivory Devourer!"

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

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

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

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

"This….. What is happening?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes, Master. I am Blu!"

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

-x-X-x-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-x-X-x-

"Lily's Cosy Cottage?" Leylin looked at a shop's signboard made of oak leaves and written in both the continent's characters and elven language.

Compared to all the other shops, this shop was evidently more attentive to details. Even the corners had greenery with plants and flowers sprouting, emitting pleasant flora scents.

"Welcome!'

As he stepped foot into the shop, a boyish-looking elf greeted Leylin genuinely with respect and a smile, "Respectful customer, how can I be of service to you today?"

"Oh, I am just looking through, I see you sell many miscellaneous things here?"

Leylin's eye swept over to the sales counter. There was a huge clutter of spell materials like ore, furs from living creatures, scrolls and other handcrafted articles. There was great variety, but almost all of them were without tags and placed haphazardly. And despite that, it looked like an organised mess.

"Yes, from the islands of the south coast to Sky City, everything in existence can be found here!" The elven shop owner beamed and replied proudly.

"Really?" Leylin plastered a smile on his face. These days, the number of objects that could garner his attention had been dwindling. However, from his observations a moment ago, he did notice some valuable materials on display. For a tiny shop like this, it was rather rare.

"Eh?!"

Leylin was about to exit the shop when an item in a corner caught his attention.

"Is this item for sale too?" Leylin casually picked up a spell scroll.

It was a very old scroll covered with dust and marks of damage. Wrapped up between both the horizontal axles was not common spell paper but some kind of beasty skin, with a hint of glossiness in the texture.

Leylin unfurled the scroll and saw the records of a rank 2 spell model. It looked like it was well used as the content had become very faint.

Magi could use their spiritual force to break and extract the knowledge and spell models within scrolls, and many methods of learning included the use of them. When a scroll was repeatedly used for study, it would eventually deteriorate to this state.

Magi required the spell model's structure to be stable, and would thus demand extreme precision and quality. Hence, a scroll in such a condition would have totally lost its value.

Afterall, an unstable spell model could prove to be fatal!

As such, this old scroll had just been left there, unsold for a long time. Thus, seeing Leylin pick this up, a light of puzzlement flashed in the elven store owner's eyes.

"This is the spell model of a rank 2 spell— Hand of Illumination. The original price was five thousand magic crystals, but since it is your first visit here, my offer is three thousand magic crystals! Just three thousand magic crystals and it will be yours!"

"Is that so?" Leylin gave a smile that was not a smile and looked at the elf till he felt somewhat ashamed and hung his head down.

The price quoted had exceeded way past the original value of the scroll, causing the usually noble and elegant elf a little embarrassment. However for the sake of his livelihood, he had to do it.

"You are a wind elf, right?"

Leylin could feel the wind elemental particles hovering around the opposite party. It was unusually light and graceful, so Leylin couldn't help but ask.

"Yes! Yes, my Lord!" The middle-aged store owner lifted his head. There were many Magi who could recognise him as an elf, but not many were able to specifically identify him as a wind elf.

"The wind elven tribe is rumoured to be close to going extinct in the continent. I didn't expect to meet one here!!"

Leylin smiled and rolled up the scroll. He picked up a black ore from the sales counter, "Including this item, a total of three thousand magic crystals!"

The elven store owner scrutinised closely and upon confirmation that it was just an ordinary ore that wasn't particularly valuable, he nodded his head in agreement.

Noticing the shame in the elf's eyes, Leylin did not criticise further. After settling the transaction, he left the shop.

"Sigh… even a graceful and elegant elf cannot escape from nature's laws…" Leylin turned around to take another look at the exquisite door of the shop.

According to ancient legends, the elves had migrated here from the other world and had many different branches elsewhere.

Among the elves, the moon elves, gold elves and wind elves possessed the highest grade of bloodline, similar to the nobles of the human race, possessing high prestige and good reputation. They were also regularly depicted as protagonists in the works of many poets.

As for the dark elves and such, they were regarded as the odd-one-outs among the race, hence not comparable to the rest.

And so, for a noble and elegant wind elf to fall to this stage, Leylin couldn't help but sigh under his breath.

"But, since you are the one who started this, you can't blame me….."

Leylin laughed as his palm stroked the cover of the scroll. The strange texture of it made him gleam with joy as his eyes lit up.

[Beep! After the database comparison, item confirmed as the epidermis of an ancient creature— Horned Rhinoceros!] the A.I. Chip reported and Leylin's mood lightened.

Although the spell template on the surface of the scroll was not very useful, the material used was remarkable. An ancient living creature, the Horned Rhinoceros was similar to the Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Both of them could reach Morning Star in their adulthood. The epidermis contained a high level of spell resistance and was a necessary material for many Morning Star Magi equipment.

For Leylin, being able to obtain this for a mere three thousand magic crystal was indeed a fabulous deal.

Not only that, but the ore he'd picked out was also made of a high-grade material— secret silver! Although it was embedded under layers of ore, Leylin's A.I. Chip was still able to detect it.

'This small shop made a huge loss from our transaction, their two most valuable items had been bought by me…' Leylin sniggered silently.

After his promotion to Morning Star, and after attaining the supplementary assistance of soul force, his A.I. Chip's probing capabilities had increased by leaps and bounds, and could be considered unprecedented in history.

Very few items could hide their true form from its scans at this juncture.

As such, his current advantage was too huge. Even if he did nothing substantial every day and just browsed the multiple shops casually, he might be able to pick up items that were needed for his Morning Star research and breakthroughs.

'It's just…' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Doing so would be too pompous and would attract the wrong kind of attention. If the secret of the A.I. Chip is leaked, there might be more trouble…'

"Besides….." Leylin's pupils sparkled.

He helplessly shook his head and arrived in front of a teleporting spell formation at a crossing, where two Magi were waiting.

These two Magi had obvious characteristics of a different race. One had a head that resembled that of an octopus while the other's body was covered with wolf fur.

Leylin walked up and gracefully made his salutations. "Lord Paul, Lord Phillip! It's been a long time…"

"We hope we are not imposing on you, Lord Leylin!" Paul laughed and pointed at the ore Leylin held in his hand, both exhibiting a tacit mutual understanding.

"Morning Star Magi are indeed not easy to deceive, your soul force's probing ability is commendable, detecting the secret in this ore so quickly! "

Leylin rolled his eyes silently but did not mind it much.

After all, the probes by his own A.I. Chip were usually done covertly and until now had not been discovered. Other Magi would have thought that he had depended on his acute soul force to uncover the treasures, and so it wasn't considered a big deal.

"Yes, we apologise for interrupting your leisure. Our social gathering is about to begin, come…" Philip courteously replied.

Leylin didn't reject him, "Sure, please show the way!"

He was absolutely sure that the entirety of Creevey City had a specialised spell that was used for detecting Morning Stars. However, he did not use any spell to alter his own appearance and energy waves, as he was confident in his abilities and was certain he would not be easily discovered.

After some careful consideration, he concluded that it was understandable.

Creevey City was the main headquarters of the entire Warlock Union, it held a lot of symbolic importance. They'd provoked their fair share of Morning Star Magi already. If they didn't have an increased alertness and powerful warning system, the prosperity of the city was going to short-lived.

Leylin unenthusiastically thought about this as he followed Paul and Philip to the front of the teleporting spell formation.

These two made no attempt to conceal the energy waves on their bodies, and caught many looks of reverence. The Warlocks voluntarily stepped aside and left a wide berth for the huge teleporting spell formation, so much so that only the three of them were left using it at that moment.

No matter where they were, Morning Stars carried a terrifying amount of prestige.

Rays of silver light flashed, and when the scenery was visible again Leylin found himself at an unfamiliar place.

Every building was short, and the concrete slabs on the road had many depressions on them, appearing very shabby. Even the density of energy particles in the air appeared to be very weak, similar to the rest of the central continent.

"Surprised? For the core area of the Creevey City with its four elements to be so simple and crude is unexpected?" Paul remarked as he led Leylin onto another path.

*Ka-cha!* When Leylin stepped foot on one of the slabs, it seemed to come alive, floating up and carrying Leylin forward at the speed of lightning.

"A little, yes!" Leylin nodded his head in agreement.

"To the core of the castle!" Paul spoke to the concrete slabs and all three accelerated.

Once that was done, he looked back at Leylin, smiling as he explained, "Due to the limitations of our bloodline, we Warlocks in the central continent have experienced a long period of darkness. As such, many of the Masters suggested during the construction of the city that the core shouldn't be too extravagant, and needs to be equipped with a good sentry system."

"I see!" Leylin nodded.

-x-X-x-

Bloodline Warlocks could make use of their bloodlines to advance rapidly, experiencing no real bottleneck at ranks 1,2, or even rank 3. All they had to do was wait for their bloodline to mature. They left regular Magi far in the dust, their rate of advancement extremely terrifying. However, there was an obvious disadvantage.

Bloodline shackles! This curse hounded bloodline Warlocks eternally, causing them to be forever unable to surpass the power of the source of their bloodline!

It was impossible to notice this disparity at the lower ranks, and wasn't especially obvious even at the Morning Star realm. However, once one entered the circles of the Radiant Moon realm, there were few Warlocks who had the bloodline to advance that far. Hence, Magi were superior to them at that point.

Once the terrifying Breaking Dawn Magi came into the picture, the gap between the two was made even more apparent.

Due to the emotional instability from their bloodlines, they were rash and quick-tempered, often offending many Magi. On top of that, many of their bloodline experiments were considered taboo, which resulted in the discontent of many.

As a result, when the Warlocks fell, the Magi joined forces and held them down.

Under these conditions, the original Warlocks in the south coast and Twilight Zone died out.

The situation was slightly better in the central continent. Just as the Warlocks were pressured to the point that they were practically at death's door, the reopening of the astral gates helped the Warlocks bring in new blood.

In the ancient era, the splendour of Warlocks had come from the support of bloodlines from other planes.

Though they had not completely regained the glory from the past, there were a few Warlocks who had successfully reached rank 5 and therefore preserved the inheritance of Warlocks.

Creevey City had been built under those circumstances.

Even the core region was made of buildings passed on from ancient times, and had not been altered. It held traces of the progress in its history.

"The glorious efforts of every bloodline ancestor should be studied and revered…" Leylin couldn't help but praise from the bottom of his heart.

If not for the perseverance of the high-ranked Warlocks in the past, all of these traditions would have been destroyed. His environment would be millions of times more difficult to endure than it was now. Hence, Leylin was full of sincere gratitude towards them.

*Click!* While they were in the middle of their conversation, the three concrete slabs landed in a depression within the square of a simple castle, setting themselves inside steadily. They seemed to fit perfectly, with no gaps at all.

"This is the core of power in Creevey City— The Blood Stronghold!" Paul presented to Leylin. The three Morning Star Magi left the square, approaching the gate to the castle.

Leylin naturally began to size up this ancient castle. Its black walls were mottled, bringing about with it the aura of ancient times. Though it looked shabby and was not even comparable to his previous Onyx Castle, the powerful energy undulations and the ancient aura was something that his castle lacked.

"Haha… welcome, welcome! Lord Leylin, we've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Outside the gate to the castle, a middle-aged Caucasian man with silver hair had been waiting for a long while. After seeing Leylin, his eyes gleamed as he immediately went forward to shake both of Leylin's hands.

His palm was extremely thick and warm, full of power. It was akin to the stream of water under a layer of ice, the strength buried within the depths by the layer of ice.

His starry eyes seemed as clear as spring water, and there seemed to be a sense of affinity between them that affected even Leylin.

'Is he really taking me in sincerely? Especially since we're meeting for the first time?' Leylin revealed a smile, looking extremely touched, while he was astonished. Though he was also a Morning Star Warlock, the other party was probably overdoing it by being so enthusiastic.

At this thought, he silently commanded the A.I. Chip, 'Scan!'

With the bonus from his attaining soul force, the A.I. Chip's capabilities at energy scanning had become even more outstanding. It could even catch hold of some information from Morning Star-ranked Warlocks.

Under the scanning of the A.I. Chip, the human form before him turned into a 3D image and was projected in front. Data constantly updated itself at the side.

As expected, even if the other party was a Morning Star Warlock, they were still unable to discover the undulations from the A.I. Chip. Leylin, who saw this, could now completely relax.

[Target is a Morning Star Warlock! Determined affinity to be with illusory elements.]

The A.I. Chip's first conclusion allowed Leylin to make some guesses.

[Beep! Energy undulations have been discovered, determined to be passive illusions. Target can automatically form an illusory force field around his body, causing all beings in the vicinity to develop favourable opinions of him.]

'As expected. An illusory ability due to his bloodline? It's even able to affect Morning Star Magi. how terrifying…' Leylin silently put up his guard even as he put on the sunniest smile he could. He acted as if he now had an even better impression of the burly man.

Upon seeing this, Paul and Philip exchanged a glance, laughing as if they had reached a tacit mutual understanding.

This burly man had inherited the bloodline of the ancient Illusory Crystal Scorpion, a creature whose formidable illusory abilities entered the realm of the terrifying. Even Radiant Moon Magi had previously been affected by his illusions.

Besides, he hadn't even unleashed all his abilities, merely his automatic force field. Even if Leylin did discover this, he still had an excuse.

It was impossible to use just these illusions to manipulate a Morning Star Magus, but if he could influence someone secretly and give hints to the other's mind once in a while, the other party would unknowingly work in his favour. That was very much possible.

At this thought, the grins that Paul and Philip had on their faces became even brighter.

For young Warlocks, this was a test to enter the core area. At the same time, it was a test of loyalty. It couldn't be helped, since after the attack by the Magi, these Warlocks were now paranoid.

"I'm Leylin. Leylin Farlier. It's an honour to be able to meet you!"

Leylin snickered in his heart, though his expression looked strangely sincere as he bowed with a noble's etiquette.

"Haha, we're all bloodline brothers. Just call me Jalon."

Jalon and Leylin began to discuss things affectionately, and he secretly sent Paul a gaze that told him he could relax. After the assurance, Paul and Philip could put their hearts at rest.

"You were the only ones left for the gathering. Come in!" Jalon stood by the gate and invited them. The three immediately entered.

*Po!* As if having passed through a formless layer of water, Leylin immediately felt the excitement boil in his blood once he entered the ancient castle. It was as if he had reached a very comfortable area, his body unconsciously relaxing.

"This…" He revealed a look of astonishment. This was practically a heaven for bloodline Warlocks!

"You must be surprised," Jalon said with pride. "The bloodlines of all Warlocks will resonate with the Blood Castle, to the point that their bloodline will even mature faster when here!"

There was no need for any more words. Leylin immediately understood how important this place was for lower-ranked Warlocks. It was a godly place that could halve the time one needed to advance!

The Blood Castle was huge, but there was no such thing as a servant here. It seemed rather empty, with at most a few puppets and shadow servants. The barrenness surprised Leylin.

Jalon brought Leylin and the other two deep inside the castle and opened a giant golden door. He then loudly informed the many Warlocks inside, "Come! Let us welcome our newest comrade— Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan!"

"Welcome! Welcome!"

"Come on. Cheers!"

Behind the giant golden door was a large ballroom. There were giant crystal chandeliers all along the ceiling, gemstones glittering with kaleidoscopic light.

The many Warlocks in the ballroom were separated into their own little cliques as they spoke in low voices. Occasionally, one of them would go and lead a few dances.

A few musicians that had been summoned as slaves through necromancy were seated in a corner, performing elegant and graceful music.

When Jalon interrupted them, the ballroom first lapsed into silence. It was short-lived, however. The Warlocks' gazes flitted over to him, and they began to cheer for the entrance of another comrade.

Leylin immediately felt a twinge of fear, but ultimately relaxed. 'The number of Morning Stars here nearly exceeds the total number I've ever met before. Looks like this is a circle that one can only enter once they have a certain amount of power…'

Leylin returned greetings every once in a while, and he couldn't help but sigh ruefully when looking at the number of Morning Star Warlocks here.

Warlocks who could advance to the Morning Star realm clearly had bloodlines that surpassed the bloodlines of ancient creatures of the Morning Star realm. This fact was pretty obvious.

Leylin carefully distinguished between the mess of tyrannical auras in the hall.

'The Savage Rhinoceros, Water Monkey, Ancient Velociraptor… There are too many. There are still many completely foreign bloodlines as well! These must be bloodlines of Morning Star creatures from other planes.' Leylin looked around politely, but he was completely startled inside.

Like every other Warlock, most of those present here looked incredibly stunning. Even the unique characteristics of their Morning Star bloodlines had no effects on their external appearances, and instead added a feeling of natural strength.

"Come, Leylin, let's go sit! We need to discuss Jupiter's Lightning." Paul brought Leylin along to greet each circle individually, and then pulled him into a corner.

Jalon had long since taken his leave. Here, multiple long sofas had been shifted to form a circle. The Morning Star Warlocks seated her had frightening energy waves coming off their bodies.

These Warlocks had very distinct features.

Among them, some had octopus heads, clearly Warlocks of the Spirit Circle. Besides them were a thin old man and young girl, who had the traits of ancient Wind Wolves.

-x-X-x-

It was obvious that all the Morning Star Warlocks in this group were from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair.

If this was in the past, Gilbert and the other two were likely to be part of this company. However, currently, Leylin was walking up there alone.

"Lord Leylin, let me introduce you!" Paul and Philip pulled Leylin down to sit, before Paul started the conversation.

"These are the two eldest Warlocks in Spirit Circle, Lords Blair and Brunn!"

"It is my pleasure to meet you two!" Leylin said while bowing respectfully. The appearances of spirit Warlocks were so eccentric that even Leylin could not figure out whether those two were brothers. Their octopus heads made it much harder to differentiate between the two.

Philip also introduced a few others to Leylin. "This is the eldest Warlock of our Wind Wolf Lair, Lord Cybel. Beside him is his granddaughter, Palesa!"

"Greetings, Your Graces!" It was obvious to Leylin that the conversation here would mostly centre around Cybel. After all, even his granddaughter was of Morning Star status, showing that he was not a simple fellow. The aura of his bloodline was so concentrated that it caused even Leylin to feel fear.

Only such a bloodline could produce offspring who were also Morning Stars.

"You're Leylin? Gilbert's student?" Cybel slowly opened his eyes, seemingly from a long period of rest. This contrasted with Palesa who was looking at him from the side, her gaze full of curiosity.

Leylin seemed to be too young even for a bloodline Warlock.

"Yes!" Leylin admitted.

With a Morning Star mentor as their leader, there was no doubt that Leylin would benefit greatly from joining their team.

"Since you are Gilbert's disciple, you're no stranger to us," Cybel nodded his head, "Philip, pass him the astral coordinates!"

"Yes, Sir!" Philip solemnly passed Leylin a ball of light that resembled a star.

"What is this?" Leylin exclaimed. His pupils shrunk, and the A.I. Chip immediately started analysing it.

[Beep! Discovered astral coordinates. Recording information in astral experiments database.] The A.I. Chip responded immediately.

"This is an astral coordinate, one that is attached to a miniature plane. Do you know what a plane is?" Cybel's explained slowly.

Leylin recalled a description in an ancient book he'd read as he replied, "It is a place that is not high enough in rank to be called a world. It is a tiny space where the rules are fragmented and incomplete, but the worth of any plane greatly exceeds that of a pocket dimension."

The difference between a plane and a pocket dimension that could only be located within a world was that a plane could directly take root in a turbulent dimension, and also had the potential to grow into a world, just that it was extremely rare.

Some planes had absolutely no signs of any living soul, but some others nurtured the existence of many powerful beings, and were not much different from worlds, just like the plane the devils resided in.

"That's right! This is one such plane. It's the plane where transactions take place between Morning Star Warlocks!" Cybel exclaimed.

"A transaction plane?" Leylin's pupils shrunk.

"Yes. Don't you find it extremely troublesome that every time we gather, we have to travel such long distances, especially when a specific material is required for the transaction? A few Radiant Moon Magi thus gathered to create a miniature plane right next to the Magus World, as the headquarters and base of transactions for Morning Star Warlocks."

Cybel slowly revealed what was going on behind the scenes. Were it not for his being a Morning Star, and also a bloodline Warlock, Leylin would never have the opportunity to obtain this information.

"However… even if it is convenient to have a transaction using an astral gate, the energy it uses up…"

Astral gates opened up passages to a different plane. The energy they consumed to make this possible was extremely overwhelming, especially if an object or even a living organism had to pass through. The amount of energy required might even exceed the value of the object itself, which was shocking enough to make any Magus puke blood.

"Hehe… that's only when we connect to distant planes..." Cybel shook his head, "The amount of energy required to connect to a plane naturally increases with distance. Forget transactions of goods, even the cost of exchanging spiritual force messages will not be worth it. However, a transaction plane is a different deal. It's located right at the edge of our world, so the energy required to open a gate to the place is so little it's practically negligible. Were it not so, we wouldn't have used such a thing either…

This explanation was very logical, and Leylin nodded his head in agreement. But on the inside, he was shocked by the Warlocks' magnanimous gesture.

To forcefully seize a plane and hook it up at the edge of the Magus World as the core of transactions impressed Leylin quite a bit. The strength and spirit of these Radiant Moon Warlocks was amazing.

"Once you set up your very own astral gate, you can use these coordinates after branding them on. What you'll find inside will definitely be a good surprise…" Cybel was speaking extremely slowly, as if he'd fall asleep at any moment. Yet, Leylin nodded seriously, "Thank you, Your Grace!"

Judging from how one needed to be at the Morning Star realm to even participate, the things he could find there would definitely not disappoint him. Furthermore, it would definitely suit bloodline Warlocks especially. On top of that, the mode of transaction was very convenient, and one could even complete the transaction from within their own Magus Tower, which would be incomparably swift.

Were Gilbert still here, Leylin would have acquired these coordinates the moment he advanced. But he wasn't. Cybel granting him these coordinates was no small matter, and hence Leylin sincerely expressed his thanks.

Cybel closed his eyes with a grunt of affirmation before moving on, "Paul, it's time to talk about Jupiter's Lightning."

Just the mere mention of the name turned all the Warlocks present pale. The deterring power of a Radiant Moon Magus was truly terrifying.

"I do not understand, what is it exactly that Jupiter's Lightning has against my Ouroboros Clan? I apologise for my lack of knowledge, I spent all my time before this focusing on my promotion, and rarely participated in such affairs…" Leylin's question revealed his own shortcomings.

"We understand. Breaking through to the Morning Star realm does take up all of one's time and energy. It is fully understandable that you didn't take notice of anything else. Let me explain the situation." Leylin's specious response and overly young age immediately made Paul think that he had gotten an answer out of Leylin. He told the story from the very beginning.

"You can see for yourself that this so called union is only a very loose alliance. There's actually a lot of smaller circles within it." Paul took a sip of the green beverage on the table and pursed his lips.

"Yet the three of us—Spirit Circle, Wind Wolf Lair and your Ouroboros Clan—have always been collaborating with each other. Exactly three years ago, we took control of a region that we had been coveting for, banishing the small Magus organisation already present there!"

"We originally only thought that they were a small organisation, and we didn't expect that they actually had the backing of Jupiter's Lightning. This was how we invoked their wrath…"

Even though Paul's explanation seemed simple and direct, Leylin felt there was more to it. There was likely to be something in that region that neither side would want to give up on, perhaps some top secret or some other substantial benefit.

Magi were shrewd people. If not for such a thing, they would have solved any dispute long ago. It was impossible for something so minor to become such a big deal.

"After that, we surrounded that region and began our attack on Jupiter's Lightning. However, they, too, struck back, ambushing the three elders of your clan…" Paul's expression was gloomy. One could easily tell that their clan hadn't had an easy time either during the series of attacks.

"Jupiter's Lightning has a Radiant Moon Magus. How exactly did we manage to endure their attacks?" Leylin finally asked the question that had been stewing in his mind for ages.

"We'd managed it due to the alliance between the three Kemoyin Dukes and Lord Cybel. The three Kemoyin Dukes were already accomplished enough to match up to a Radiant Moon Magus. With the addition of Lord Cybel, we even held the advantage…"

Paul sighed before he continued, "However, now…"

Leylin's expression sank. He realised that with the loss of three Morning Star Warlocks, they were currently in a precarious situation.

"What would you want me to do about the impending war then, my Lords?" Leylin was cautious, already prepared to immediately reject them if they asked him to do anything dangerous.

The moment Cybel, who was sitting in the centre, opened his eyes, it was as though a ray of lightning had streaked through the place. The glow was so bright it hurt Leylin's eyes. "Even though Jupiter's Lightning has harmed three of our comrades, we will never admit defeat! We won't let them off!"

"I've already sacrificed quite a bit to invite a Radiant Moon Warlock to help us suppress the Radiant Moon Magus on their end!" He exclaimed, giving them some extremely important information.

"A Radiant Moon Warlock?!" Leylin cried out involuntarily.

Rank 5 bloodline Warlocks were the highest ranking Warlocks in the entire central continent, and it was a reliant source of strength that bloodline Warlocks relied on to oppose the Breaking Dawn Monarchs. They were very rarely seen, and not one had even shown up at this gathering. Leylin was incomparably shocked at Cybel being able to acquire the assistance of one such being.

Due to the reinforcement by the Warlock's bloodline, he would definitely far exceed a Magus of the same rank. Jupiter's Lightning's Radiant Moon Magus would be no match.

With the amplification by the bloodline, the best Radiant Moon Warlock would make even a Breaking Dawn Magus wary of them. This ensured that the heritage and status of Warlocks was passed down in the central continent.

Such characters were the foundation of every Warlock organisation's strength. It was not easy to ask one for their assistance. And yet, Cybel had managed to do exactly that. This made Leylin wonder what sort of conditions he'd offered to make that deal.

Leylin rubbed his chin as he looked at his surroundings. Even though this was not the first time they'd heard this news, all the Morning Star Warlocks had excitement written on their faces.

Cybel turned fierce. "Our mission is to join forces and eradicate all the remaining Morning Star Magi in Jupiter's Lightning at once, and then seize Crystal Mountain completely!"

"Agreed!" "Agreed!" "I have no objections!" The Warlocks present at the scene all nodded simultaneously in agreement. Afterwards, all the attention was placed on Leylin. It was time to hear his stand on the matter.

"If it isn't too dangerous, I'll agree. However, first, I'd like to take a look at the memorandum and crystal records!" Leylin's face was filled with gloom, but he still eventually agreed to it.