Chapter 1707 - WMW 80

The passing of time could erase everything. More than a hundred years passed, and the number of Magi who could still remember the mighty Leylin were few and far between.

If not for the longevity of Magi, the situation now would definitely be much more severe. Celine might even have been stripped of her position as director long ago.

But even now, things were far from good.

Among the Magi in the entire Twilight Zone, Banker was the only rank 3, and thus he had a good reputation. He even tried to imitate Leylin, and wanted to crown himself as the Radiant Guardian, and even the emperor of all of mankind! His attempts, however, were futile.

Celine could distinctly see the ambition in Banker's eyes, but could not stop him.

Most of the academies in the other regions were already relying on Banker's help.

There was no doubt that he would exert pressure on Celine during the exchange between the academies, as well as the establishment of the allied armies.

'How will I get through this one?' Celine was at a loss. The tricks that Leylin had left her could only deal with rank 2 Magi at most. There were clearly limitations if used against a rank 3 Magus.

The mere proof of Leylin's existence would not be enough to obstruct this Magus' insatiable greed and ambition. Celine was very clear about this.

*Bang!* At this moment, the door of the office suddenly swung open, and a youthful Magus entered.

He had wine red eyes, and his long blue hair was not tied up, but instead cascaded down to his shoulders. There was a frightening power surrounding him.

"Lord… Lord Banker!" Another female Magus from before hurriedly rushed to salute him.

"Director! I bring good news. Doroy Snail Academy and Ray College have acceded to my request, and have agreed to rely mainly on us, Nature's Alliance. They will elect the allied armies as the ruling party!"

Banker eyed Celine's silhouette greedily.

Celine furrowed her brows, "Banker! Don't you know that you have to knock before entering my office? Or do you no longer have the most basic of manners?"

"This place will soon undergo a change of hands anyway!" Banker seemed absolutely unrestrained.

"Have you considered my previous suggestion?"

"Impossible! Don't you forget that I am Leylin's wife!" Celine's face flushed red.

"Indeed! A woman who has been abandoned in the Twilight Zone for more than a hundred years…" Banker shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the obsidian statue in the plaza, especially the radiance above it. A trace of restraining fear flashed distinctly in his eyes.

"When I become the leader of the allied armies, this statue will be destroyed! Only a statue of me, Banker, is qualified to stand tall here! The next few days will be your last chance, think about it carefully!" Banker walked out, but his voice still resounded in the room.

Not only was Celine regarded with tremendous prestige, the Magus that Leylin left in her hands was controlled by the spirit. What was more crucial was that Leylin himself was still around. Although no one knew where he was, he was still alive, somewhere.

Banker was still rather afraid of his senior. If not for these apprehensions, he would have forcefully seized the position long ago.

Even so, Banker's patience was rapidly wearing thin.

"What now, Director?" There was a hint of a sob in the female Magus' voice.

"Let me think about it!" Worry was written across Celine's face as she gazed at the statue of Leylin in the plaza. It might have been an illusion, but when she turned around, she felt as though the radiance above the statue seemed to have turned… brighter?

...

As the days passed by, numerous Magi rushed into the northern region unceasingly. Due to the underlying reason to deal with the other races, the exchange between the institutions was even more important.

The turbulent undercurrents in the subterranean world never stopped flowing. Not only were the human Magi plotting conspiracies of their own, the other races also played an extremely important role in the impending chaos.

In the vast yet solemn venue, the directors of all the academies were sitting around a long round table. They couldn't help but turn their gaze towards the main seat in the centre.

The golden chair was adorned with many ornamental gems and appeared incomparably gorgeous. This seat was still vacant at present, but it could be inferred that only today's victor would be able to occupy that spot and cry out his commands.

"President of Nature's Alliance, Celine, and House Professor, Banker, have arrived!" A voice sounded abruptly, making the numerous directors turn their gazes towards the entrance.

Celine was there, dressed in a splendid ceremonial robe. She was accompanied by Banker. Banker was even walking in front of her.

"That's too much! He's not even the director yet!" Will, who was seated amongst the spectators, secretly clenched his fist.

He was brimming with rage at the thought of the director whom he had always admired being coerced into this. But as a mere official Magus, he had no way to confront a rank 3. This was a lesson he had learnt the hard way, through tears and blood.

"Director Celine!" "Director Celine!" "Director Celine!" A few well-acquainted Magi profusely greeted her, but even more people gathered around Banker, just like stars revolving around the moon as they grouped around their revered leader.

'These fellows!' Celine was secretly angry. When Leylin was still around, these Magi who were now kissing up to Banker, were all itching to kneel at her feet to express their loyalty. Now, they were betraying her without the slightest hesitation.

Even though she knew that the society of Magi followed the law of the jungle she couldn't help but feel a tinge of discouragement.

Just as she was walking towards the seat in the centre, another Magus obstructed her. "Wait a minute!"

"What's the matter, Director Barca?" Celine recognised him of course. This Magus was the president of Ray College, and had already been completely subdued by Banker.

"This is the main seat, only the president of Nature's Alliance Institution is qualified to sit here! Don't tell me you're trying to disobey him?"

Celine raised her eyebrows. A greatly menacing air surrounded her. She was no longer the weak female Magus from before, but a formidable Magus who had undergone the trials of blood and fire, and had been promoted to rank 2!

The appearance of such an aura immediately weakened Barca's imposing manner.

"Indeed! This conference should be hosted by the president of Nature's Alliance Institution!" Banker walked out and the first sentence he uttered surprised Celine.

"Therefore, before the conference begins, I propose to first conduct the election for the president of Nature's Alliance Institution!"

"You!" Celine was utterly enraged. The director of Nature's Alliance had always been her, and that had never changed. Based on the traditions of Nature's Alliance, only Celine's disciples were qualified to succeed the institution. How could they choose the president based on an election?

However, Banker was now making use of this crucial moment, with the support of the other directors, to make Celine step down from office.

"That's right! I am completely in favour of Banker's suggestion. Besides, the strength of our lord Banker surpasses everyone else, and all of the Magi presents unanimously approve of his moral character. Thus, I recommend our lord, Banker!" President Barca raised his point immediately after some thought.

"That's right! We stand by President Barca!"

"Well said!" Many Magi started to cause a din, especially a great many of the rank 2 professors from Nature's Alliance Academy, who all stood behind Banker.

Only a handful of students and Magi who used to be controlled by Leylin stayed by Celine's side.

"All of you…" Celine looked at the hostile Magi, and suddenly felt as though she was among a pack of wolves.

The green tint of greed glistened in the eyes of these Magi, seemingly waiting to tear her to shreds before devouring her.

"Look at that! The majority of the professors all support me! It seems that we don't even need an election!"

No matter how self-restrained Banker was, he couldn't help but be pleased with himself. He walked next to the main seat, and looked at Celine. "How about now? My suggestion from before still holds! I hope you won't make a choice that will anger me!"

'Among Magi, trickery and these tactics can only assist you, but ultimately it is one's strength that is the deciding factor!' Celine now understood why Leylin could abandon everything in the Twilight Zone, and resolutely go off in search of strength.

But it seems that it was a little too late.

"All of you!" Celine raised her head, her voice suddenly filled with pride. "Have you forgotten the former Radiant Guardian? Once Leylin returns, he definitely will not let any of you get away with this!"

Celine's voice was sharp. Most of the Magi present knew how savage Leylin could be, and couldn't help but hesitate at this point.

"Hmph! He's just a rank 3 Magus all the same! If he dares come here, I will let him know who the ruler of the Twilight Zone is!"

Banker snorted coldly. Powerful undulations of a rank 3 Magus shook the place, and the illusion of holy light appeared behind him.

"A forcefield with such energy intensity that is infinitely close to a domain? Perhaps it can even surpass Leylin!" The other Magi were all in awe.

That's right! Leylin still existed, but it was not known if he would return to Twilight Zone. Banker, however, was a true blue rank 3 Magus! Even more importantly, merely relying on one's reputation to make others cower in fear was not enough.

Thus, many Magi started saluting profusely to Banker, "Lord Banker, please assume the position of Director of Nature's Alliance, and lead the allied armies!"

The voices rose to a clamour, and Celine, who was sandwiched in between, seemed incomparably pale.

"Hahaha…" Banker started laughing like a maniac. The dream he had had for years has finally been fulfilled, and his heart was brimming with ecstasy. He could already see himself unifying the entire Twilight Zone, and the moment where he would become the supreme emperor!

Banker's eyes twinkled and was about to take his place on the main seat. Right at this moment, strange changes started to occur.

"Is that so?" A black silhouette suddenly appeared, standing in Bank's way. The mere eye contact they shared was enough to fill Banker with dread, as though he was meeting his nemesis.

Upon the sight of this figure, tears started to rush out of Celine's eyes involuntarily.

"Who is he? Why do I find his appearance so familiar?" The many directors were dazed. It seemed that they knew all found him familiar, but couldn't seem to recall his name.

"It's the Radiant Guardian! The Radiant Guardian, Leylin Farlier!" Will, who was standing next to Celine, clenched his fist and shouted, his eyes aglow.

"Lord Leylin!" Following which, Iren, Gordius and the other elderly subordinates under Leylin's previous command immediately bowed respectfully.

"It really is him!" The numerous Magi suddenly had a realisation. Didn't this Magus look exactly the same as the obsidian statue in the plaza of Nature's Alliance?

-x-X-x-

Leylin Farlier!

This name was a legend in Twilight Zone, a myth. His stories were passed down as legends, sang of in praise by numerous bards!

And now, this legend had once more appeared before their eyes.

"Quite a few interesting things seem to have happened in my absence." Leylin looked around as he said this, and many directors took a few steps back in order, be they rank 1 Magi or rank 2.

Finally, a rank 2 Magus could not take it anymore. He fell to his knees with a thud, and called out, "Master Leylin, please forgive me! I never wished to betray you, and was only forced by Banker."

As someone from the same generation as Leylin, this Magus named Akazawa knew well about him and his ruthless ways. This was why Leylin's appearance frightened him, almost to the point of wetting his pants.

And just like that, as if via a domino effect, more and more Magi knelt, all their knees banging into the ground. Regardless of the effort Banker had put into establishing ties with them and threatening them, it was all a joke in front of Leylin..

"Didn't you want me to come before? Well, I'm here now, what do you have to say?" Leylin glanced at Banker, almost not bothering to even talk to small fry like him. Banker realised the sarcasm in his tone immediately.

"Loke's Shadow!" Banker's face turned green for a moment, then red before his fake domain spread out. Energy at rank 3 spread out, and a low-grade magic artifact twinkled in his hands.

Banker unleashed his strongest attack with confidence, and dashed straight towards Leylin.

He was very clear that Leylin's appearance had ruined all his plans. He only had one hope now; he had to smash apart the myth with his own hands, to defeat Leylin! And he was confident in doing that, in his inheritance.

An enormous 'domain' opened up, pushing even many rank 2 Magi to the side. The ferocious and berserk force caused a change in the expressions of many Magi.

"What a commendable courage!" Leylin squinted his eyes slightly, and the piece of low-grade magic equipment in Banker's hands shattered apart inch by inch. Following that was the fake domain, The rank 3 radiance was snuffed out, and a layer of ash grey stone appeared on the surface of Banker's body. Within moments, he had become nothing more than a stone statue.

The surface of the statue captured the frantic look on Banker's face perfectly.

It was like a clown trying to run away, highly comical.

"Didn't you want to be honoured, for your legacy to be passed down? Very well, this statue can be placed at the plaza of Nature's Alliance, it'll be a good contrast!" Leylin nodded, and the place fell into a dead silence. Many of the Magi present felt like they were dreaming.

What had they just seen? The strong rank 3 Banker had attacked Leylin at full force, but his opponent simply blinked his eyes and he'd turned into a statue. Even his soul had been annihilated!

This Radiant Guardian was evidently quite a bit more terrifying than in the legends!

"What? Anyone else wants to interfere in the internal affairs of my Nature's Alliance Academy?" Leylin looked around.

By this time, Barca and Banker's other loyal followers had already had a bad premonition, and began to retreat one after the other. The lights of teleportation burst forth as well.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Blood sprayed like fireworks as Barca and the rest combusted into bits and pieces, filling the whole sky.

A scalding rain of morselized flesh fell onto the faces and shoulders of the Magi present on scene. However, not a single person dared to wipe anything off, forget stopping it.

'The Radiant Guardian didn't even move his hands, and there were no energy waves from spells at all. How did those rank 2 Magi…?' Shocked to the extreme, the hearts of the Magi at the scene were already growing sluggish.

"N–No, no objections at all! Director Celine's achievements are obvious to everyone!" They really did not dare to come forward again.

As for these rank 1s and 2s, Leylin could indeed easily kill a whole bunch of them with just a slight puff of air. He simply could not be bothered with people of their power anymore.

"Leylin!" Celine stepped forward, an excitement in her voice which surprised him.

Originally, he'd thought that after he left the power hungry Celine would not be eager at all for his return. But from what it seemed, the passage of time had instead made this woman think about his good points.

Leylin could not help but break into laughter. He directly sat in the host's seat while Celine stood respectfully at one side.

The eyes of the other Magi who had supported Celine previously, like Iren, Gordius, Will, and the others, were all brimming with ecstasy.

They were mostly under Celine due to her having their spirit sources, and had no choice but to force themselves to support her. Although this was the case, with Leylin's reappearance, not only had things taken a new turn immediately, their efforts were even more than amply rewarded.

Leylin did not care about Iren and the others. Instead, he directed his gaze onto a young Magus. This brightly handsome Magus was actually the one who was the most supportive of Celine just now.

"This is Magus Will! A second generation student of Nature's Alliance Academy. He has already advanced to become an official Magus and is a professor in the institution…" Celine rushed to introduce him to Leylin.

"Of course I know that…" Leylin smiled. As he looked at Will, he found his face familiar.

"Your mother, is she well?" Leylin suddenly asked.

"Hm? My mother?" In his heart, Will was extremely shocked. He did not know why Leylin suddenly asked such a question but he still answered, "My mother was just an acolyte, it's been over 50 years since she passed away…"

"I see…" Leylin sighed with a rasp in his tone, "Time is the great enemy of all living creatures…"

"Lord Radiant Guardian, did you know my mother?" Will became excited. Ever since he was born, he had never seen his father. He heard from his mother that his father had gone to do something very important and righteous but never returned. Could it be…

Leylin's question and Will's answer had an extremely deep meaning. Not only the surrounding Magi, even Celine made a bad association. She looked at Leylin, and analysed Will. Her eyes reflected a thoughtful expression, and nobody knew what she was thinking.

If her conjecture was true, even if Will was a capable assistant, she would have to suppress him slightly in the future in secret. However, on the surface, they should appear to be more intimate.

If Leylin knew about Celine's thoughts, he would definitely roll his eyes ruthlessly. Even though time had passed, Celine was still that power hungry creature from before.

"We pay our respects to the Radiant Guardian! We hope the Lord will lead us to defeat the allied armies once again!"

By this time, Banker and his followers had all been annihilated. With the support of Leylin whose strength was unfathomable, what other choices did the attending Magi have? They immediately knelt down respectfully.

Although Banker and Celine had invited them as allies, in front of the fierce Leylin how would these Magi dare to act big? One after another, they began to label themselves as subordinates.

Leylin's eyes scanned over them slightly, and, "You all disappoint me…" The very first sentence he spoke made the many kneeling Magi break out in such a fierce cold sweat that it drenched their clothes.

"The other tribes' allied army has already reached the gate, and you're still fighting for power over such a trivial thing." Leylin shook his head, pity in his expression.

"Gate?" Celine covered her mouth and gasped in surprise.

"What?" The Magi below also began to clamour; this news was really too shocking.

"Why? You thought that those other tribes would wait quietly at Potti City?" A mocking smirk flashed across the corner of Leylin's lips as he thought of an idea.

The Magi who were present suddenly felt an enormous force locking up their entire bodies. They were unable to use any sort of spells, and soon after they felt very dizzy as if the whole world was spinning.

When they came back to their senses, they had already left the venue as a group and were somewhere outdoors.

Opposite them, a group of dark elves, gnomes in mechanical suits, and even beast emperors were staring with wide open eyes, surprised by their sudden appearance.

Celine's eyes were filled with confusion for a moment, but she responded immediately after that. "This is… the mountainous region outside Nature's Alliance, you all were indeed preparing a sneak attack!" Her limbs could not help but feel ice-cold.

In front of them were obviously the elites of the other races. Every one of them had strength at least equivalent to a rank 1 Magus, and there also quite a few rank 3 powerhouses. If they had taken the opportunity to launch an ambush while she was fighting Banker, it would certainly spell a great defeat for the humans of Twilight Zone. Forget the rest, even Nature's Alliance Academy would not be able to protect itself. And after Banker died, the entirety of Twilight Zone… Celine didn't dare to think further.

'To be able to suppress all of us Magi instantly, and bring us here without any resistance, that means that if the Radiant Guardian wanted to, he wouldn't need much effort to just eliminate us all.…' Contrary to Celine, the other Magi were instead shocked at the terrifying strength that Leylin had displayed.

Not only had he just killed Banker a few moments ago, but he had also transported this entire group. This had used just a small fraction of Leylin's strength, and it left them without the slightest thought of resistance.

"Human Magi! You could actually see past our concealment?" A laughing voice spread out as the dark elves separated to expose a queen dressed in a golden robe.

This queen had an exquisite face, sharps ears, and the energy waves emitted from her body had impressively reached the rank 3 level.

After she came out a sturdy dwarf as well as a gnome steering a large machine walked out as well. Beside them, a few beast emperors that let loose terrifying howls.

"Rank 3! All rank 3 powerhouses!" Numerous Magi murmured despondently.

Leave aside the legendary queen of the dark elves for now, it was unexpected for the tribes such as the dwarves and gnomes to produce rank 3s after a long period of suppression.

Including the beast emperors, there were a total of six rank 3 powerhouses gathered here!

-x-X-x-

"Since when has the strength of other tribes and the darkness creatures grown to such a point?" Celine bit her lips, blaming herself slightly and feeling a little remorseful.

Leylin's rule had forced the other races in Twilight Zone to slavery, only to be exploited by human Magi. It was unexpected that in just a hundred years' time, they had actually gotten powerful again.

If not for Leylin's appearance today, even if the opponent hadn't launched a sneak attack they could've won just based on this army that infiltrated their borders. It could practically wipe out all the human Magi.

After all, before this the humans had only one rank 3 Magus, Banker.

"Luckily, there's still him!" Celine looked at Leylin's silhouette, eyes filled with an unconcealable pride.

As Leylin looked at the beautiful ruler of dark elves, he could not help but let out a chuckle, "Alicia! I didn't expect to see another familiar face. Not only have you advanced to rank 3, you've also become the queen of the dark elves. It's truly worth congratulating!"

However, as this laughter echoed in the opposing queen's ears, her entire body grew rigid. It was as if she had been struck by lightning.

The many humiliations that the owner of this voice had brought to the dark elves immediately appeared in her mind, something that Alicia would never forget.

Yes, this new ruler of the dark elves was impressively, Leylin's old 'friend'— the matriarch of dark elves, Alicia. Even that time, it was her who had surrendered to Leylin outside Potti City, personally offering the high-grade meditation technique of the dark elves and their piece of magic equipment.

"You're Leylin! Leylin Farlier!" The opposing queen directed her gaze that was on Celine towards Leylin, gritting her teeth.

When Leylin restrained himself, he seemed just like an ordinary person, and it made the other rank 3s overlook him.

But with Leylin speaking, a sort of confidence that came from a control of the overall situation emerged from him, making him seem outstanding and superior.

"It's him! The humans' Radiant Guardian!"

"I've seen his portrait before, I'm definitely not wrong!" One after another, the other races exploded with rage. The fear that Leylin instilled in them was etched deeply.

"Mass murderer! Butcher! Leylin Farlier, repay my father's and the other tribes' hatred with your blood!" The sturdy dwarf ruler jumped out, a hammer in hand which seemed to be made of thunder.

"Oh! I remember now, you're that lucky survivor from the dwarf royal family right? The little rascal who hid in the corner of the palace, not daring to move at that time…" Leylin patted his head with an amiable sense of familiarity.

Yet, this expression and his words had instead caused the dwarf to instantly fly into a rage.

Leylin was not bothered by him. He turned his attention to the gnome steering the large robot, "Hm… a mechanical colossus… You gnomes have managed to create another one? The craftsmanship has improved as well, and the problem of low battery has been solved as well!"

"Sir Leylin's knowledge really leaves me in awe for life. Furthermore, if you hadn't seized our most precious gnome's book at that time, I believe we could still have sat down happily for a chat…" The one controlling the frightening colossus was an old, senile gnome whose hands were covered with all sorts of scars and burns.

"Oh, there's also rank 3 beast emperors," Leylin looked at the three mountainous darkness creatures at the side, "This is great!"

"What's great? Is he mad?"

"Even if he is the former Radiant Guardian, for a rank 3 to think of fighting us all together is too arrogant of him…" Many of the tribes began to clamour.

Alicia, on the other hand, was different. People like her had seen how terrifying Leylin could be, and they had a bad premonition instead.

Even if she had advanced to rank 3, the fear she held towards Leylin had once more surfaced from deep in her memories after she saw him in person.

On top of that, he had such a confident expression and there was an enigmatic aura on his body…

Alicia's expression changed several times, and at last, she kneeled in front of Leylin before the widened eyes of the many Magi and tribes, "Alicia greets the Lord, the Radiant Guardian! Please forgive my tribe's mistake this time!"

"Grand Matriarch! How can we just let them go like that?"

"Is the humiliation that the humans have already brought us not enough? How can we simply grovel at their feet like that?" Even before Alicia's allies spoke, the matriarch under her caused an uproar.

"Enough! I am the Grand Matriarch of the dark elves. I will take responsibility for this matter alone!" Alicia responded coldly.

"Haha… Good! Alicia! I admire your ability to have a clear view of things!" Leylin clapped and laughed heartily.

*Roar!* Seeing that something seemed amiss, a small black elephant, one of the beast emperors with large fleshy wings on its back started howling in tandem with a two-headed leopard. Both of them pounced towards Leylin. A terrifying power beyond the normal rank 3 level caused the earth to tremble.

At the same time, a beast emperor in the form of a large blue ape secretly slipped away from behind.

The movements of a few emperor darkness creatures seemed to trigger some sort of chain reaction; the tribes at the opposite side had join forces to attack Leylin together. Ignoring the indecisive dark elves and Alicia who was still kneeling, the dwarf ruler threw the large hammer in his hands with a howl, and terrifying blue thunderbolts swept across the area. The colossus, too, created a roaring sound that caused many rank 2 Magi to retreat with pale faces.

These tribes were attacking with a common target in mind— Leylin!

Four rank 3 attackers led the charge! On top of that were a whole group of fighters that were as strong as rank 1 and 2 Magi, many of them using treasures. Such an attack would leave even Crystal Phase Magi seriously injured as they fled.

In the face of this earth-shattering attack, Leylin's kept an unchanging expression, chuckling as he spoke, "Do you know why I said this is great just now? It's because, with all of you gathered together, I don't have to go through the effort of going to your lairs to finish you off one by one!"

Immediately, a terrifyingly strong energy wave burst forth from his body. A starry domain expanded, engulfing the entire area within it.

Many energies were snuffed out in an instant, and all of the energy attacks within the Morning Star domain had completely dissipated, exposing the silhouettes of the foreign races, all of them at a loss.

All Leylin had done was release the power of his domain, and the joint attack of the many tribes had been nulled completely!

Surging waves! Surging waves of disbelief and fear rolled in their hearts!

All the Magi who had been worried about Leylin just now were stunned. Seeing the tribes' combined attack, they'd thought nothing could surpass that amount of power. However, the moment Leylin made his move was the moment they realised that what they'd been looking at was like the glow of a firefly in the night. Although such a glow was visible in the dark, once the sun came up, they would disappear without a trace.

The frightening aura being emitted from Leylin's body was so powerful that these Magi could not help but kneel down, not daring to harbour any other thoughts at all.

"Such strength?" Will stood behind Leylin, but he could not help but kneel either. He only felt that the Leylin now was entirely different from before. He was like the sun, moon and stars in the sky, up high and eternal.

"This… this is the domain that belongs to a Morning Star!" Celine murmured, her tears spilling out helplessly. She finally understood the magnitude of the opportunity she had lost at that time, and that she could never get it back.

*Ka-cha!* As if hitting emergency brakes, the elephant and the two-headed leopard suddenly stopped. They retreated with even greater speed, their bodies bursting forth with blood-red light. Their massive bodies rapidly grew emaciated, making it obvious that they had utilised some secret technique which exhausted a lot of energy.

"Still want to escape?" Leylin shook his head.

Two gigantic, yellowish-brown palms extended from the ground with a sudden boom, grasping the two beast emperors within. The sound of bones shattering could be heard, and be it physical attacks or magical attacks the two could not leave a scratch on the palms..

The two beast emperors looked at Leylin, an obvious plea in their eyes.

"You're quite smart, even comparable to ordinary humans!" Leylin gasped slightly in admiration, but the pair of gigantic hands suddenly exerted a bit of force.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Following two loud sounds, the two rank 3 beast emperors had been pinched so hard they exploded.

"Ra– Rank 4! You've already advanced to rank 4. You're a Morning Star Magus!" A voice like that of a dead man echoed from within the throat of the gnome inside the colossus.

Morning Star!

The crowd was sluggish for a moment, unable to react instantly. Only after a while did they suddenly realise what that meant.

Indeed, only a Morning Star Magus would be able to withstand the attacks of the numerous tribes without changing his expression, and even slaughter two beast emperors with just a light touch.

It was just that this happy news for the human Magi was a total tragedy for the tribes!

What did a Morning Star represent? In Twilight Zone, such a person was invincible! And with Leylin's youth, these tribes would probably have to be enslaved for thousands of years.

This was still fortunate. If Leylin wanted to hold them responsible for their rebellion, their entire race would probably go extinct! A Morning Star's anger was exactly that terrifying.

The large hammer-shaped magic artifact in the dwarven ruler's hands fell to the ground with a bang, and two streaks of blood flowed down from his eyes. Although many of the tribes had been stripped of all their abilities in the Morning Star field and were lying limp on the ground like dead dogs, he was still barely able to stand, "Oh, Fate! Why are you so unjust, even allowing that murderer to become a Morning Star in the sky? And for us of the other tribes, there's only suffering?"

Pearls of blood flowed down his eyes with each word he spoke. And just as his resentful questions ended, the radiance in the dwarven ruler's eyes dimmed. He was dead.

"There's still one more!" Leylin stretched out his hand and grabbed the air, and it was as if a huge hand appeared out of nowhere and a large blue ape was captured.

Once the large blue ape fell onto the ground with a bang, it kowtowed to Leylin repeatedly, continuously begging for forgiveness.

-x-X-x-

There were a total of three beast emperors who had snuck in to launch the surprise attack.

This giant blue ape was obviously a lot more intelligent than its two companions, and from the very beginning, it had planned to escape, secretly heading to the edges of the battlefield. Seeing Leylin extending his Morning Star domain, it ran even harder without regard for its life.

It was a pity that little ruses like these were akin to jokes in front of a Morning Star.

"Blood Extraction!" Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes, giving the giant ape a feeling that catastrophe was coming. However, under the suppression of the Morning Star domain, it could not resist.

Blood dripped from its pores, quickly taking form in Leylin's hands. With the loss of such large amounts of blood, the ape's aura grew increasingly weak, and its howls of pain gradually turned into whines.

*Thud!* A withered corpse fell to the ground, turning into multiple pieces of dried meat with no nutrition.

[Beep! The weak aura of an ancient bloodline has been discovered. The source has been determined to be the Water Monkey.] The A.I. Chip quickly prompted.

"Oh? Not bad! No wonder it's much smarter than the rest of the darkness creatures." Leylin glanced at the scarlet and crimson intertwined with a trace of blue, and stowed it away.

The terrifying Blood Extraction was still kept up, but the bloodline crystals being formed weren't nearly worth Leylin taking them. He tossed them to Celine, Will, and the others, and they stowed them away like they were treasures.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Their blood having been drawn out, the beings of the other races fell to the ground, dried out. No matter how powerful they were, they were but ants in the face of a Morning Star domain.

In just a few breaths, most of them had disappeared, and all that was left was a bunch of fragmented corpses. The essence of their bodies had already been taken away with their blood, and their bodies now held less nutrition than even the soil. They would soon crumble apart.

After Leylin withdrew his Morning Star domain, the human Magi had realised that besides Alicia and a few other matriarchs who were kneeling, all members of the other races, as well as the indecisive dark elves, had been eliminated.

In a single move, countless rank 3 rulers and a hundred years of accumulated power had gone up in a wisp!

Many Magi almost fainted as if they were in a nightmare.

...

In the snow-white passageway, Leylin had his hands behind his back, surveying the surroundings with interest. Celine followed behind him, constantly giving him reports.

"All the academies have sworn their allegiance to us once more and are willing to listen to the commands of Nature's Alliance. The allied armies of the other races have been completely exterminated. Congratulations, the whole of Twilight Zone is now under you once again!"

"Oh!" Leylin agreed with a sound, eyes still sizing up the ice on the walls, as if all of Twilight Zone was not as important as this piece of ice.

Seeing him act this way, Celine could not help but sigh inside. If this was in the past, she would have grown ecstatic due to the power she had been given.

Now, however, her previous experiences had dulled her thirst for power. She simply tucked her hair behind her head and continued making the report. "Our armies have already broken through the dwarves' palace and mechanical capital of the gnomes. All of them had enslaved."

The terror of a Morning Star was immense. After Leylin was done showing off his power, the other races had learnt the meaning of overwhelming despair.

Though conspiring together had raised their strength to a certain extent, nothing could be done about a disparity as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth.

Hence, the humans had quickly unified the area, and it was all under Leylin.

The foreign races, who had lost many powerful commanders, could not resist the humans' attacks at all.

"Also, at the dark elves' side, the Grand Matriarch has already retreated to their original territory, and is willing to sign a firm contract that the dark elves will be the humans' vassals and servants for all eternity."

This kind of agreement that affected the whole elven race was very harsh. If violated, the backlash could cause the entire race to be killed. Hence, this was just secondary to being exterminated. The last time, Leylin had merely forced them to escape to the edges of Twilight Zone, and they had to offer tributes every once in a while. There had not been any pledges like this.

Now, with the deaths of the dwarves and gnomes, even this was quite a good choice for them.

"Alicia is quite tactful!" Leylin laughed, but that only caused Celine to grow jealous as she felt an impending crisis.

Walking through the icy tunnels, Leylin and Celine came before a rift where large amounts of chilling winds surged out, even having attacks from icy blades and the like.

*Buzz!* A green defensive layer appeared on Celine's body, but could not withstand the corrosion of the ice. Her expression changed. The cold winds of the cave were something even rank 2 Magi could not resist!

Just as Celine felt the chill about to enter her body, Leylin finally made his move. Black flames formed a wall of fire in front of them and kept the cold outside.

"When did this area become like this?" Leylin sized up the cave, looking grim. This was the entrance to the Icy Cave, but its appearance had changed drastically. Terrifyingly chilly storms surged within, so cold that even rank 2 Magi could not hold on for long. Things like having acolytes practising inside was naturally not possible anymore.

"87 years ago, the storms inside the Icy Cave grew increasingly violent. First, the acolytes could not take it anymore, and after that, even the guard Magi had no choice to leave and abandon this area."

Celine watched the Icy Cave, feeling as if she was seeing an ancient monster opening its mouth ferociously. She could not help but hide behind Leylin.

"Based on the scanning by our academy, the icy caves' icy radiation has already reached dragon-grade! Even rank 3s cannot enter the place anymore…"

"Mm!" Leylin nodded. He had long since found that there was an even larger world of ice under the Icy Cave, a world stemming from the radiation caused by the blood of the female bronze giant from the Icy World. This miniature version of the Icy World was vast and full of dangers, a place even he would not have entered at rank 3.

And by the looks of it, this world of ice was growing larger.

"The blood of a being that has grasped laws is this powerful even after death!" Leylin sighed ruefully, his eyes emitting blue rays as he peered through the darkness of the caves and into its depths.

"Leylin, you– you want to go down?" Celine asked from the side in concern.

"Yes, there's something I want to retrieve from there!" Leylin nodded. There was no harm in admitting this. He feared nobody in Twilight Zone. Even if all the Magi here teamed up with all the members of the other races to oppose him, they could be taken care of with a single Morning Star Arcane Art.

"Be careful!" Celine bit her lips. Leylin had not shown a whit of interest in anything in Twilight Zone after his return. The only thing he'd done was take care of the attack by the other races.

She felt like Leylin had returned just for the Icy Cave, and would leave once more soon enough.

Even so, what could she do? She watched as his figure disappeared into the Icy Cave with a complicated expression. She couldn't even handle the chilly gusts, so how was she to catch up to his footsteps? She could only sigh.

"Is the difference between me and Leylin already so huge?" In that moment, Celine was disappointed and frustrated.

With the howling of the winds from both sides, Leylin no longer bothered with Celine. He had only helped out with Twilight Zone because he'd encountered it on his way. If not, even if the entire Twilight Zone was placed in front of him, he probably wouldn't really care.

Twilight Zone really was too barren for a Morning Star. It held nothing valuable other than its large lands.

Leylin had only one goal in coming here, and that was the world of ice!

At this moment, the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded out. [Beep! Ambient temperatures dropping rapidly. Activating real time detection.]

[Current temperature: 173 Kelvin… 123 Kelvin…] The number in the field indicating temperature dropped continuously, eventually even dropping below absolute zero!

Terrifying cold covered the area, and even spacetime seemed to freeze over. The place was bathed in blue light.

"As expected, one can't use common sense from my previous world here. Even the physical constants have changed…" Leylin's body had been wrapped up in black flames, like being covered in an armour of flames.

The ground he was walking on was blue, the rigid ice as glossy as a mirror and yet surpassing even many magic alloys in terms of hardness.

The A.I. Chip's prompt sounded again. [Beep! Detected icy radiation. 69% similar to radiation in database from the Icy Jade Scorpion. Strength multiplier is 178.6.]

"The world of ice has already expanded to this point?" Leylin was shocked.

In the meanwhile, he looked at the topographic map that had been stored inside the A.I. Chip's database. It was evident that the terrain of the Icy Cave was similar to before, but the surface now had a much firmer layer of blue ice on top, and many creatures had been affected.

*Chik chik…* Not far away, a being called out, and the A.I. Chip immediately sent a reading. Leylin's expression changed as he walked over.

In front of him now was a creature he was very familiar with— an Icy Jade Scorpion!

Compared with the elite Icy Jade Scorpion he had seen before, what appeared in front of Leylin was several times larger, and the strength of its energy had reached rank 2!

Even the female face on its back seemed more vivid.

"Has the radiation from the blood of a creature that comprehended laws begun to affect even physical growth?" Leylin grew serious.

-x-X-x-

*Chik chik!* The foraging Icy Jade Scorpion saw Leylin, and immediately lifted its two giant claws. The stinger of the large beast swayed as it positioned itself, ready to attack.

"Good timing!" Leylin laughed at the sight, and a fiery shadow appeared on the back of the Icy Jade Scorpion.

*Chik chik!* The scorpion tried to struggle, but a palm with a terrifying energy and intent covered its head.

The intent in the palm immediately smashed apart all resistance, and the large Icy Jade Scorpion crouched down. From this person's body, it seemed to feel a familiar and amiable energy that belonged to an emperor.

"Let's go!" Leylin commanded, and the Icy Jade Scorpion immediately stood up, carrying Leylin on its back and running ahead…

In the frosty world of ice, a green figure carried a black dot on its back as it moved forward at an extreme speed.

It had to be said that in this underground version of the Icy World, Icy Jade Scorpions were very useful tools for transportation. Not only did they have a high tolerance for icy radiation, their limbs were like hooks, every step digging holes in the steel-like icy ground. It did not slip at all.

The large Icy Jade Scorpion was intimidating and could avoid a lot of little inconveniences. At the very least, regular beings of the world of ice would not dare provoke it.

"Here! This is the limits of the map Celine gave me before."

*Thud!* A large green figure jumped up and fell on the ground, its pincers sweeping across and opening a hole in the wall, revealing deep pathways inside that had obviously been altered with time.

Watching them Leylin's eyes filled with pity. At that time, he had brazenly captured a bunch of Icy Jade Scorpions to treat the emotional instability stemming from his bloodline.

'The icy radiation has been strengthened, and the Icy Jade Scorpions have mutated. I wonder if there's anything now that can heal the emotional instability at Morning Star?' Leylin thought as he touched his skin. Then, he had only used a peak rank 1 Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor to suppress his emotional instability until he became a Morning Star.

Now, even the regular Icy Jade Scorpions had strength equivalent to a rank 2 Magus, so the Icy Breath of a rank 3 elite or emperor would definitely be effective at dealing with the emotional instability of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks at the Morning Star realm.

This was especially true for Leylin. The A.I. Chip managed to deduce that the Icy Breath of an Icy Jade Scorpion was very suitable for his Warlock physique, and therefore he would have no more issues in that aspect.

'After I extract the bloodline of the female bronze giant, the world of ice underground will probably collapse due to losing the icy radiation. I should capture an Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor.

'Of course, things don't need to be so complicated! The bloodline of the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor comes from the Scorpion Man, and as long as I obtain his remains, the effects will definitely be better than from regular emperors. Perhaps it could solve the issue permanently…'

"Let's go!"

The laboratory was completely empty. When Leylin left previously, he had brought everything inside with him. Now, he was only here to determine the coordinates.

After a brief moment recalling it, Leylin patted the head if the Icy Jade Scorpion under him.

*Chik chik…* The large Icy Jade Scorpion whined as it brought Leylin into the depths of the world of ice.

This place was out of the bounds of the map he possessed and had many dead ends filled with unknown mysteries. Of course, there was also danger!

*Whoosh…* The chilly gale howled as it accompanied the Icy Jade Scorpion deeper in, the surrounding temperatures lowering continuously. The ferocious icy radiation became even more violent.

A green luster began to form on the shell of the Icy Jade Scorpion; even it was starting to find it difficult to withstand the temperature.

The tremendous darkness completely shrouded the region, and only the green light from the Icy Jade Scorpion's body could light up the path ahead.

Pairs of large eyes were filled with bloodthirst and greed as they appeared around Leylin like flames hidden in the night.

*Chik chik…* The large Icy Jade Scorpion did not really want to move forward anymore. It was merely a rank 2 creature, and while it was considered powerful in Twilight Zone, it was nothing in the world of ice that was deep within.

Any of the creatures shrouded in the darkness could capture and kill it easily. Normally, the Icy Jade Scorpion would scurry away in retreat, but right now it was quite confident. It was not alone now, and its owner possessed a terrifying power!

"Rank 2 and 3 creatures?" Leylin, who was sitting on the Icy Jade Scorpion's back, suddenly laughed.

Though these creatures didn't seem like much to him, they would definitely be a disaster for the Twilight Zone if they ever left the Icy Cave.

Rank 2 Magi were already considered powerful in Twilight Zone, while rank 3s were rulers. If they were to see the world of ice, this miniature version of the Icy World, their eyes would probably fall out of their sockets.

"Even Celine probably doesn't know how dangerous the interior of the Icy Cave is." Leylin shook his head, the void behind him distorting and exerting a terrifying pressure. The phantom of a terrifying snake that was tens of thousands of metres long came into view, producing loud snarls.

Winds surged, bringing with them the might of an ancient being at the top of the food chain as they spread in all directions.

The spying eyes were immediately filled with fear, and the sounds of footsteps and bumping sounded. Large numbers of eyes quickly retreated, bloody battles occurring in the darkness just for the escape route. Explosions and shrieks of horror sounded everywhere.

No matter how intense these battles were, none of the icy creatures dared take another glimpse in Leylin's direction.

"You useless thing!" Leylin was annoyed at the incompetence of the Icy Jade Scorpion under him. It had lain on the ground the moment the Giant Kemoyin Serpent figure appeared, and would not get up no matter how he shouted at it.

*Hss…* The large Kemoyin Serpent phantom lowered its head and looked at the little green thing that could pass between the gaps in its teeth. It opened its mouth threateningly, revealing a crimson tongue and fierce teeth that were like little hills.

*Chik chik! Chik chik!* The Icy Jade Scorpion that had been lying on the ground suddenly got up, and began to run like lightning.

Strong winds constantly blew at Leylin's ears, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "This scorpion is really…"

Explosions boomed as a large amount of icy rocks flew into the sky. A layer of ice broke from the top, and a large scorpion that was carrying a black figure jumped through the hole and landed firmly on the ground.

"Hah… Here!" Leylin led the Icy Jade Scorpion to higher ground, looking over the surroundings.

This was a world of ice! Ice and snow covered the place, leading the ground to sparkle. Even the hills and rivers were made of ice! The vegetation that was spread around the area was covered with frost as well. Flowers bloomed and trees bore fruit, all with a terrifying chill.

Things that looked like ribbons hung from large trees, with eyeballs that looked like longans on them, emitting a blue lustre.

'This scene is so similar to the Icy World in the Scorpion Man's memories!' Leylin touched his chin, and a powerful soul force scanned over a large area.

The beings within hundreds of kilometers seemed to have met their natural predator. Whether it was the mountainous icy monsters or the tiny snowflake bugs, everything fell to the ground, trembling.

After a long moment, Leylin opened his eyes once more.

"Just from what I'm able to see, this place is already more than a tenth of the size of Twilight Zone. Could this be the second layer to the subterranean world?" There was naturally more than just one layer underneath the Magus World. It was rumoured that there were seven layers that the ancient Magi had taken over, and the further one went the more dangerous it was. There were even existences like Matriarch of the Abyss.

Of course, the resources there were more plentiful as well. They could be called places where risk met reward.

Twilight Zone was merely in the first layer, and it was quite a normal place. It was only a region which was isolated from the external world.

'No, that's not right! The distance is far too small, it can't be the second layer. It should be in the empty space between the first two layers instead…' Leylin stroked his chin.

'When the Scorpion Man fell through the spatial rifts that popped up during that ancient battle, he was transported here. The continuous radiation from the blood of the female bronze giant had transformed this area until it grew similar to the Icy World. It even included the formation of a large number of creatures of the ice.'

Leylin's expression turned solemn. Existences like these that had stepped across the two-thirds of realms and entered rank 7 were the most troublesome, as they had grasped laws.

Just a droplet of fresh blood from the original body had such a powerful effect. How powerful would the original body have been?

"With such a large area, I wouldn't find it strange even if I found icy beings of the Morning Star level…" Leylin sighed. The Morning Star realm was a threshold, and if there were Morning Star icy beings here, the difficulty in exploring this place would increase severalfold.

To be direct, if Leylin had come here when he was rank 3, he would definitely have died. Even after he'd advanced to Morning Star, he might not have been able to completely unravel the mysteries of the Icy World.

Of course, Leylin was no longer the same as before. He had improved through his excursions to both the Lava World and Sky City. His true strength now far surpassed the Morning Star realm, and he could even rival Radiant Moons!

Hence, after entering the Icy World, he could use his soul force and probe the area without fear of inadvertently alerting any enemy. Power was enough to pulverise all conspiracies.

'From the reaction to my soul force just now, the life undulations from here are the strongest!' Leylin patted the Icy Jade Scorpion that was now seated, and it immediately budged. Jade green limbs began to move with rhythm, each step carrying them a good distance as it crawled in the direction Leylin pointed.

-x-X-x-

When the formidable soul force of a peak Morning Star, which could even rival a Radiant Moon, swept across the area, the entire world of ice started to bubble with activity.

The power of a rank 4 was something that a great many of the icy beasts could not resist. When Leylin's soul force swept over, they could only lower their heads to express their humility, hoping that they wouldn't anger the owner of this soul force.

The energy of a Morning Star, however, also awakened other presences.

In the depths of a castle constructed completely with ice, the frost radiation was so rich that it had hit its limit. Colourful streams of light could even be seen twinkling continuously in the air.

"Arwen!" A cold voice resonated in thin air. Although there was no radiation of energy, it could make the surrounding space tremble faintly.

"Your Majesty, your most loyal servant Arwen is here!" An elderly man dressed in the clothes of a butler walked out of thin air and kneeled towards the source of the voice. He looked incomparably respectful. This man's hair was combed so neatly that not a single strand was out of place, yet his eyes shone with a strange crimson radiance.

His skin was eerily fair, exposing translucent green veins and red arteries.

"Did you sense it?" The female voice asked.

"Yes! A foreign Morning Star has arrived in your territory!" The old man spoke with respect. He was able to sense that Leylin's soul force was different, which had to be of Morning Star rank at the very least!

"A foreign Morning Star is very important to my evolution. Go! Capture him and bring him to me!" the female voice said.

"Your wish is my command!" The old man accepted his orders respectfully and retreated.

It was when he got up that an abnormality appeared. While the top half of his body had the appearance of a human, the bottom half strangely took the form of a scorpion.

When the butler left, the entire icy castle immediately started to rouse from its slumber like a lion and went into operations.

"All of you, go! Immediately send out a signal once you discover an unfamiliar strong intruder!" The butler, Arwen, stood on top of the tall castle, his voice spreading to every corner below.

As he overlooked everything, large amounts of icy giants in armour started to roar, circular icy shields and blue spears in hand.

The huge door of the icy castle creaked open, and squadrons of icy giants headed out just like human patrol teams. They disappeared into a flurry of snow as far as the eye could see in minutes.

Only Arwen was left standing alone at the highest point of the castle, his thoughts a mystery.

Leylin, of course, had no idea about what was happening there. However, he had already mentally prepared himself after displaying his soul force. Thus, with the icy scorpion under his control, he hurried towards the place nearby where the life aura was the most concentrated.

The Icy Cave that Nature's Alliance controlled previously was only a passageway. It was here that the real world of ice lay…

The humongous icy scorpion galloped wildly across the ice plains with Leylin on its back. Leylin sat cross-legged, dispatching a few shadow servants in his tracks from time to time to pick a few fruits as well as botanical stems, leaves and the such.

He was now examining a fruit that looked like an apple, his eyes aglow.

[Beep! Unknown fruit detected, composition has been recorded. Please give it a name!] The A.I. Chip responded faithfully.

"Frozen Apple! Classify under Icy World: Botany." Leylin ordered.

[Recorded. Graphic and composition have been recorded under Icy World data, subject: Botany.]

"Mm," Leylin nodded. The apple in his hand was covered with a layer of blue ice. Using his fingernail, he swiftly sliced a piece and popped it in his mouth.

It felt like a piece of ice— no, a sensation even colder than that of ice spread in his mouth. If it was any normal human, a mere touch would perhaps freeze them to death, forget consuming it! Yet, Leylin who had a vitality of above 100 was already immune to most of the dangers in the world of ice. Hence, to him, it was as cold as ice cream was for an average person.

"Tastes pretty good, just that it's a little too sweet." Leylin had little interest and threw the frozen apple in his hand to the Icy Scorpion.

*Chik chik!* The Icy Scorpion whined excitedly and swallowed the frozen apple in one bite. After arriving here, it seemed to have become more lively. Leylin watched this while lost in thought.

'Judging by the number of rank 3 spies and guardians at the passageway previously, the Icy Jade Scorpion wouldn't have made it here if it came alone…' Leylin raised his head and took a look at the world of ice. "The icy radiation here is even more terrifyingly concentrated; maybe if we stay for a while more, this Icy Jade Scorpion will be able to evolve to a higher level…"

Since the world of ice was born from the blood of the female bronze giant, the icy radiation would grow more powerful the closer one was to the source.

As long as he searched for the place on the basis of this rule, all conspiracies and methods of concealment would be rendered useless.

Moreover, Leylin discovered that more icy creatures gathered at the places with more icy radiation. They seemed to serve as a form of all-around protection.

"Hmm… The source of the radiation… there's a Morning Star there, but there's also an even stranger aura…"Leylin furrowed his brows. Initially, though the aura was very weak, it felt exceptionally dangerous, hence he did not dare to act rashly.

"They should have discovered me already. I wonder how they will deal with me?" The corners of Leylin's lips curled into a faint smile. At this moment, the huge Icy Scorpion had broken through an ice tornado, and it arrived opposite an ice canyon.

Enormous icicles littered the place, layering on top of each other to form a fortified hill village. There were even a few icy creatures patrolling above.

"Intelligent icy beings?" Leylin exclaimed, and then he urged the Icy Scorpion to head towards it.

"Stand still, intruder! If not, you will suffer from the combined attack of the Aufker Canyon!" The guards on the fort had long discovered Leylin, and hence began to yell at him.

With his astonishing vitality came powerful vision; it allowed Leylin to clearly spot the creatures in the canyon in a split second.

They both belonged to entirely different species. One was a giant more than three metres tall with icy-blue skin, patterned with ice elemental runes. It was covered in a layer of frost.

These giants had boorish facial features, and the harsh lines across their faces emphasised their manliness, a distinctive feature of male creatures.

The other type was an elegant snow fairy with translucent wings and a slim figure. Large amounts of ice energy particles condensed around them, much like a miniature tornado. Most of these fairies were very pretty, and they were likely all female.

'Wait, are these the two genders of the same race? The frost giant males being exceedingly strong in terms of physical strength and defensive capabilities, and the snow fairy females that specialise in ice element spells?'

Leylin noticed one other thing as he made his conjecture. He understood their language, and this was because it was some variant of the ancient Byron language.

Seeing that their language was centered around the Byron language, it seemed like the influence that the Magus World had on the Icy World had was not small.

"I am a foreign Magus, and I wish to see your leader!" Leylin made the Icy Scorpion stop in front of the village, and slowly started to speak. Although his voice was not very loud, it was somehow transmitted far away.

There was some movement, and soon after, a few frost giants came running down.

Leylin seemed to be waiting quietly, but he was actually using the A.I. Chip to scan for information and statistics on these intelligent icy creatures.

[Frost Giant (unnamed) Strength: 50.9, Agility: 10.1, Vitality: 40.1, Spiritual force: 80, Innate skill: 1) Frost Skin: The skin of the frost giant has extremely high resistance towards frost radiation, which may even cause the natural formation of a spell rune. It is an important material in the manufacture of some frost magic weapons. 2) Freeze Rebirth: Its astonishing vitality gives the frost giant terrifying recovering powers. In the Icy World, if increased by two energy levels, such recovering powers may even achieve the effect of regrowth of broken limbs!]

[Snow Fairy (unnamed) Strength: 10.3, Agility: 37.6, Vitality: 20.5, Spirit: 157.3, Magic Power: 157, Innate skill: 1) Frost Attraction: Snow fairies have a natural affinity for ice energy particles, and may produce innate ice spells following advancements in rank. 2) Ice Tornado: The rich ice energy particles provide extremely strong defence for snow fairies. They automatically generate an ice tornado for protection, that has a similar effect to the Magi's Defiant Ring of Flame.]

He randomly drew data from two of them, and the A.I. Chip immediately displayed specific statistics on the targets. The current A.I. Chip could get information about even those in the Morning Star realm without their knowledge. These members of this race were only at rank 1 or 2, and would not be able to detect it at all.

"Indeed, these two races, which have such glaring differences in body size, are in fact just two forms of the same race!"

Leylin gasped secretly. The work of nature, and the mysterious majesty of the other worlds, all contributed to his strong thirst for knowledge.

They didn't make him wait for long. In practically a few minutes, the gigantic ice doors opened with a rumble. Squadrons of frost knights riding on huge icy monsters came forth.

These riders were all frost giants, and they were seated on all kinds of monsters, all with strange, unique appearances. There were wolves, bears, cheetahs and other forms, but they were all covered in blue frost. It was as though humongous ice sculptures were roaring at Leylin with deep voices.

In the centre of the riders' formation were many snow fairies who had rich concentrations of ice energy particles swirling around them. They stood guard around a double-headed creature.

This creature examined Leylin, and although its eyes revealed a trace of bewilderment, it still spread open its arms, "I am the leader here, Yamos Andre. Welcome, guest from a foreign place!"

Leylin sized up this leader. He was flabbergasted but instantly restrained himself.

-x-X-x-

The leader of the Arctic Tribe who had appeared in front of Leylin was an impressive double-headed creature. Not only that, its body shared characteristics unique to both the frost giants and snow fairies.

A blue radiance flashed in Leylin's eyes for a moment, unbeknownst to the leader opposite him. A three-dimensional hologram formed in Leylin's mind, projecting information on this creature.

It was almost three metres tall and had a sturdy yet well-proportioned body, a pair of beautiful translucent wings on its back. What was special was that above its shoulder were two heads, one of a frost giant and another of a snow fairy. They both looked somewhat aged.

The A.I. Chip displayed the rest of the statistics at lightning speed.

[Arctic Tribe (fully grown, unnamed) Strength: 55.7, Agility: 41.9, Vitality: 40.1, Spiritual Force: 261.2, Magic Power: 261. Innate skills:

1) Twins: A fully grown member of the Arctic Tribe integrates the features of both the frost giant and the snow fairy. It has two hearts and two sets of body organs, and thus they two lives. They can recover from any attack that does not completely devastate the body, and also make up for a deficiency in vitality in their other halves.

2) Frost Skin: The Arctic Tribe's skin has extremely high resistance to icy radiation, and will even cause the natural formation of a spell rune, which is an important material in the manufacture of certain frost magic weapons.

3) Frost Affinity: The Arctic Tribe possesses an affinity for ice that surpasses that of the snow fairy, and has the ability to produce innate ice spells following advancements in rank.

4) Ice Tornado: The rich ice energy particles provide extremely strong defence for the Arctic Tribe. They automatically generate an ice tornado for protection, that has a similar effect to the Magi's Defiant Ring of Flame.]

'These stats show that the members of the Arctic Tribe are an amalgamation of the snow fairy and frost giant, completely inheriting the advantages of both. It's quite strong for a rank 3.' Leylin's pupils glowed.

"Hehe… Does our guest find our tribe's form very astonishing?" Yamos Andre discovered Leylin's amazement and started to explain to him, "During infancy, a member of our tribe has two different forms. Only upon reaching adulthood and finding their other half will they conduct the Arctic Blessing Ceremony, after which they join together as one body and become a true member of the Arctic Tribe!"

The one who explained was the head belonging to a snow fairy, its voice was similar to a female's.

"Oh, my apologies!" Leylin hurriedly waved his hands. Peeking into another party's private affairs was considered disrespectful no matter which world one was in. "I was just curious for a moment!"

"Haha… Our Arctic Tribe members appear somewhat odd indeed. Even the other creatures in the Icy World were surprised when they first saw us, so it's understandable for a guest to feel this way…" The speaker this time was the frost giant head. His voice seemed to be filled with a bold, heroic air.

"Since you are a visitor from far away, we would like to invite you to rest in our village…" The double-headed chief of the tribe, Yamos Andre, invited him in cordially.

At this moment, the low-pitched sound of a bugle horn sounded from the lookout post, following the trembling voice of a frost giant. "Chi… Chief! Ice troops have been discovered headed our way!"

"What?" Both of Yamos' heads cried out together involuntarily. The frost horsemen on the sides even started to fall back one after another, incessant dread written across their faces.

"Why would they come here? Is it because of you?" Doubtful gazes instantly focused on Leylin.

"Oh? I didn't expect that the Morning Star here holds a decent amount of power!" Leylin stroked his chin. He didn't say it directly, but he'd already admitted it with his words, and there was no more room for doubt.

"We do not welcome you here. Please leave immediately. Do not bring disaster to our tribe!" Yamos immediately became hostile, and the frost horsemen lifted the spears in their hands, angling the points towards Leylin. It seemed like they were ready to attack him at a moment's command.

"May I know who's coming?" Leylin seemed as if he did not care about the Arctic Tribe's attacking stance, and instead asked a question while engrossed in thought.

"You've already provoked the Arctic Queen, and you still pretend to be unaware?" The female head of Yamos seemed furious, already about to break down.

"The Arctic Queen is the dictator here, and the source of all fear. She is the root cause of all calamity and suffering, and everyone who is related to her will suffer from a curse…" The female head muttered a few words. Leylin was not sure if it was a prophecy or an ancient expression, but it was eminent that its dread towards the Arctic Queen was present.

"The Arctic Queen?" Leylin stroked his chin, "I'm actually interested in meeting her…"

"Foreigner, leave at once! Do not bring disaster to our village!" The female head of Yamos screeched once more, an ice element storm already formed on her hand.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!* The tightly packed sounds of many footsteps sounded, and another frost giant sighed. "Yamos, it's too late!"

As their chief sighed, the guards from the castle had already surrounded the place under the lead of someone mounted on a huge horse.

The cavalry riding the arctic horse was covered in a set of heavy blue armour from head to toe, and in their hand was a large translucent sword that was burning with ice-cold flames.

Two balls of pale soul fires lit up from within their mask, first scanning coldly across Yamos and the rest of the Arctic Tribe, then focusing all of the attention on Leylin.

"Noble Arctic Knight, Duchess Rose! You are the most dazzling star in the Icy World; even the most beautiful snowflake is not comparable to your beauty!" Leylin was rendered speechless as he saw the members of the Arctic Tribe all crouch on the ground, loudly praising the Arctic Knight. This made him roll his eyes.

'They really speak without thinking. This is a creature who even revealed its soul fire! Perhaps under her mask is nothing but a human skeleton. You're seeking your own death…' However, much to Leylin's surprise, the Arctic Knight appeared to enjoy their praise. "All of you have committed a crime! You actually dared to interact with this criminal here. But seeing that you did not let him enter the hill village, I will spare you this time…"

The Arctic Knight brandished her huge sword, but did not take further action.

"Ah! Duchess Rose, our lord! Your benevolence is just as boundless as all the oceans in the universe…" Sparkling teardrops flowed out of both of Yamos Andre's heads, forming something similar to a glass ball before falling to the ground. It made a crisp sound.

Hearing their response, Leylin felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

"As for you, foreigner, return with me to the castle! The Arctic Queen wishes to see you!"

*Swish!* The many giant guards turned their spears towards Leylin.

With their physique and their resistance towards the cold, an average rank 3 Magus would be unable to handle the all-round attack of this small team.

But Leylin didn't seem to mind a single bit, and even asked with interest, "Was it that empress' order to capture me?"

"It was General Arwen's command. But his word is the same as that of the empress." The Arctic Knight clearly did not wish to speak much to Leylin. She straddled her giant horse and was about to escort Leylin away.

"Then… Did he tell you that you have to be careful and immediately send out a signal once you see me, particularly that you should not confront me alone?" Leylin laughed lightly, which gave Duchess Rose a bad feeling.

"Be careful…" Almost the moment these words left her mouth, a few black sparks appeared on the bodies of the surrounding troops.

*Boom!* More than ten black columns of flames burst out in human form. The guards who had an even stronger physique than frost giants were burnt to ashes without a chance to resist.

"You citizens are to blame!" Duchess Rose roared, and the huge ice horse that she was on suddenly leapt up. The Duchess on the horse's back brandished the gigantic translucent sword in her hand. The flames on the sword rose suddenly and ruthlessly came down upon Leylin.

*Ting!* The huge sword with terrifying strength that had advanced without fear was stopped by a single finger, unable to budge an inch.

"If we were to use the Magus World's classification, you're at least a Crystal Phase Magus, and you even cultivate pure physical strength. It's quite a rare thing to see, but it's such a pity that all that's useless…" Leylin seemed to sigh as his finger slashed out.

A crescent of light hummed as it pierced through the Arctic Knight's armour, forming a humongous slit. Her body was flung backwards as fast as an incoming train, leaving a deep gutter trail in the solid ice, which extended far into the distance.

Even the huge arctic horse she'd ridden was smashed and shattered by the tremendous force, splintering apart into a heap of sparkling fragments.

"..."

"..."

Silence. The entire scene had fallen into a deathly silence. Yamos Andre found it hard to even swallow his saliva. He looked at Leylin, unable to believe his eyes.

'Almighty Arctic Queen, what did I just see?' The Duchess Rose who had been renowned for her strength, the Arctic Knight who struck fear into the hearts of all the denizens of the world of ice, was defeated by this mysterious Magus with just a single finger?

It was not just Yamos Andre. The other frost giants and snow fairies had lifeless looks on their faces as well. They felt like they were hallucinating.

"So? Do you still welcome me now?" Leylin turned and smiled at Yamos Andre. Yet, to Yamos it seemed like the smile of a demon.

A few timid snow fairies were so intimidated that they hid behind the frost giants, as though Leylin was some ancient fearsome creature.

"Of… Of course!" The frost giant head of Yamos nodded, "Please forgive my rude behaviour earlier. Respected lord, you are the saviour of the world of ice, our new master!"

Leylin rolled his eyes, dumbfounded. The Arctic Tribe was completely hopeless when it came to morals.

-x-X-x-

"Found it! It's there!" The moment Leylin defeated the Arctic Knight, a hint of happiness emerged on Arwen's face. He'd been waiting in the castle at the core of this world of ice the whole time.

He pulled out a few pieces of black crystal from his arms, among which one had already cracked quite obviously.

"It's the canyon area that Rose is in charge of!" After discovering the target, Arwen's entire person blurred into a phantom as he shot towards the canyon area.

Of course, he'd never hoped that his subordinates would capture a Morning Star; that would just be a joke. Those he'd sent out this time would serve as nothing more than a warning.

Once they came into contact with that Morning Star, Arwen who was in control of their spirit sources would know immediately.

Hence, that Duchess Rose from before was just cannon fodder in his eyes.

Arwen who was far away had an indifferent and emotionless expression. In a battle between Morning Stars, it was in fact very extraordinary that Duchess Rose ended up being cannon fodder.

...

At the same time, in canyon area within the hill village of the Arctic Tribe, Leylin looked at Yamos speechlessly as the creature crawled and knelt at his feet, both hands clinging to his boots.

"My Lord! The Arctic Queen is the most evil of demons! She greedily exploited our Arctic Tribe's resources, and even asked our matured members to become blood sacrifices… She has brought us great suffering and tears of blood. We beg you, Sire must help us with our vengeance! Defeat the Arctic Queen…"

Yamos was over two metres tall, veritably a small giant. For such a creature to kneel before him and cry so hard left Leylin at a loss for words.

The chief of the snow elves, Amos, was also apologising with tears in his eyes, complaining about the Arctic Queen's evil deeds simultaneously.

"Actually, other than a regular tribute and having your matured members become blood sacrifices, it seems as if this Arctic Queen hasn't committed any evil?"

Yamos was clearly just one person, but there were different thoughts from two different brains buzzing beside Leylin's ears continuously, making him feel a little fed up.

However, he still endured it by force of will in order to obtain the information, all the while plotting something in his heart.

The situation in the world of ice also grew clearer to him. From Yamos' introduction, he learned that the place was very vast, with many tribes scattered across it. They were all being ruled by someone called the Arctic Queen.

This queen seldom appeared in public, and it could be said that she had almost never shown her face before.

All the affairs were handled by her butler, Arwen. The man possessed a formidable strength. The tribes that had been exploited and oppressed had allied together in several crusades but had easily been defeated by him. After a few bloodbaths, there was no one else in this miniature Icy World who dared to go against the Arctic Queen's regime.

Leylin felt like the tribute this Arctic Queen demanded was still quite mild. It was only her demand for blood sacrifices that was terrifyingly huge.

There were almost no adults other than the chief in the Arctic Tribe. Based on Yamos' accusations, they had either fled or were sent to the castle to be used as blood sacrifices.

'It seems like the Scorpion Man's remains and the female bronze giant's bloodline are definitely related to the Arctic Queen. They may even be right in her castle!' Leylin stroked his chin, thinking of something, 'All these blood sacrifices, could it be…'

His eyes sparkled, and soon after he suddenly lifted his head and looked into the distant sky.

A small black dot grew larger and larger, pressing down like a small mountain. The approaching figure was that of an icy creature who was half human, half scorpion. His upper body was dressed in a butler's suit, the bloodshot eyes leaving a deep impression.

"It's Arwen! Oh God, Sir Arwen has come personally!" Yamos burst out at a shocking speed, and with a whoosh it arrived at the platform where Yamos had arrived and knelt down. Emotional tears flowed down from all four eyes.

"Sir Arwen, you're finally here! This criminal has committed a grave mistake, we need you to judge him! Yamos is your loyal servant—"

Before Yamos could finish speaking, a faint blue light enveloped it in a moment, turning it into an ice sculpture.

A web of cracks emerged on this sculpture, covering it up entirely before it shattered into pieces. It sounded like a glass cup had fallen to the ground.

Yamos, along with the ice sculpture, had turned into dust. Faced with such strength, even the Arctic Tribe's innate ability of symbiosis was rendered completely ineffective.

"Greetings, foreign Morning Star!" After killing Yamos, Arwen pulled out a clean, white handkerchief and wiped his palms, greeting Leylin as if he was an unconcerned person.

"Hello, powerhouse of the world of ice!" Leylin bowed.

Arwen's form was slightly similar to the Scorpion Man he had previously seen. However, there were also major differences. His figure was smaller and did not carry the fierce aura that came with the bloodline of an ancient creature. Having the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Bloodline himself, Leylin could easily identify it.

But seeing how he had shown up here, and also his appearance, he was related to the Scorpion Man.

"I represent my master, the Arctic Queen, in inviting you to her castle. I wonder if Sir is willing to accept her invitation?" Arwen bowed humbly.

"I've admired the Arctic Queen for a long time. But what if I refuse?" A mocking smile emerged at the corners of Leylin's lips.

"That would be a great pity!" Arwen shook his head, as if he was feeling sorry for Leylin's irrationality.

A blood-red light shot out of his eyes in a flash. As if the entire earth was shaken, thunder roared and his entire body jumped into motion from his stationary state, coming before Leylin as if he had broken through the boundaries of time and space,

*Swoosh!* A long and translucent dark green needle rushed towards Leylin, a bright, dazzling radiance at its tip.

A tail was attached to the long needle. It was the tail section of a scorpion!

However, Leylin already knew about the Scorpion Man's strong body from the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor's memories. How would he let Arwen get his way?

A small round shield emerged to block the stinger almost the same moment it rushed forth, blocking the unavoidable strike. Giant Kemoyin Serpents moved around on the shield's surface, hissing on occasion.

The dark green needle broke through the center of the bloodline shield with a snip, arriving in front of Leylin.

"Kemoyin's Scales!" Instantaneously, the innate defence emerged on the surface of Leylin's body. After his vitality surpassed 100, this rank 1 innate spell seemed to have undergone an intriguing change. Not only was there an additional layer of blazing stripes on the scales, they had even grown dazzling.

*Ka-cha!* A small white dot emerged on the black scales and Leylin's figure retreated. At the same time, the red crescent of light from his earring swept across Arwen's chest. Dazzling sparks flew out as it collided with a translucent icy armour that suddenly appeared.

"High-grade magic artifact?" Arwen looked at the huge crack on his chestplate as a trace of apprehension appeared on his face. Large amounts of white, icy fog solidified, mending the damage to the armour.

'There are no weaknesses to exploit in a Morning Star!'

The confrontation just now had occurred very quickly, and was very dangerous. Although the spells that Morning Star Magi took most pride in were not used, the mere confrontation in strength and vitality created a lingering fear in Leylin.

Arwen's previous attack was very strange. If not for his vitality breaking past 100 and the addition of his bloodline, an attack at such close quarters would have probably injured him severely.

'Morning Stars from a foreign place may not excel in magical abilities! Hence there's a need to pay attention to all aspects!' After opening up some distance between them, Leylin directed a cold gaze at Arwen.

"You're the first person who was able to escape my 'Breath of Doom'!" Arwen looked at his own stinger, his face seeming a little regretful yet gratified.

"Damn you! In this world of ice, is there another Morning Star apart from you and your queen?" Leylin secretly rolled his eyes.

Because the outside world did not have any icy radiation, it was very rare for Arwen to go out even after he advanced to Morning Star. In face, because he had to protect the Arctic Queen, he probably even rarely left the castle. He used Morning Star strength to bully the aboriginals of the world of ice, yet he still had the nerve to act like an expert.

Although he felt a little speechless, Leylin still looked at his opponent carefully. Arwen would rank as a Four Star Morning Star according to Sky City's rankings. If his body's special abilities were included, his strength would probably even reach Five Stars.

A certain amount of effort would be needed to take down such an enemy.

A splendid starry sky suddenly emerged behind Leylin, illuminating a sea of blood. Facing Arwen, Leylin emitted his own Morning Star domain. His terrifying pull on bloodlines attracted Arwen's own, making his face flush slightly red.

With him being a Warlock with an ancient bloodline who had also received that bloodline's legacy, Leylin's Morning Star domain was naturally connected to it.

"So this is the Morning Star domain of a Magus… In our world of ice, we call it the 'Power Aura' or 'Vitality's Forcefield'!" A realm of ice emerged behind Arwen as he spoke, offsetting Leylin's Morning Star domain.

The two huge domains collided, making even the void vibrate. The illusory walls shattered, creating the feeling as if the world being destroyed.

However, Arwen's icy realm was evidently suppressed by Leylin's domain, causing his expression to change.

"Did you know the most terrifying thing about us Magi is still our spells?" Leylin's smile made Arwen's hair stand on end…