Chapter 118
In a rundown shop in Knockturn Alley, filled with dust and seemingly vacant for years.
Directly beneath the shop is an underground chamber that no one knows exists.
The underground chamber is very small; if ten people were placed inside, it would be as cramped as sardines.
There is no light in the underground chamber, just an impenetrable darkness.
An old man sits in the center—he truly looks very old, his skin like withered wood, covered with deep wrinkles and lines.
The old man seems to be asleep, his eyes closed, his breathing so shallow it's almost imperceptible.
Suddenly, he opens his eyes, and the chamber is suddenly illuminated, as if his astonishing gaze brings light to the dark room.
His eyes are crimson, bright and somewhat frightening, with pupils vertically slit, evoking thoughts of some cold-blooded reptilian creature.
He seems to have the thought of moving; as his body shifts slightly, a certain power suddenly descends upon him.
At this moment, if someone were in front of him, they would see that the old man is tightly bound by eight snake-like chains of different colors, the chains faintly emanating an invisible power. The moment he moves, the chains suddenly come to life, transforming into living snakes, hissing eerily and tightening their grip on him.
One of the snake heads suddenly speaks: "Old fool, after all these years, you should stop dreaming of breaking my seal and escaping. You know that's impossible…"
The old man coldly snorts, his voice full of vigor, showing no signs of age, entirely inconsistent with his frail appearance. "You traitor, ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for my moment of carelessness back then, being harmed by Andros's guardian curse, would I have allowed you to be so audacious, even daring to imprison your ancestors…"
The old man bitterly states, "In the end, your talent and bloodline all flow from me… You have betrayed your ancestors and your family; you will surely meet a bad end!"
The great snake lets out a long, human-like laugh. It flicks its tongue, its eyes shining with a dazzling green light, "I've long since died! Do you think everyone fears death as you do? The only reason I have kept my soul in this world is to activate this 'Eight Serpent Sealing Array' that requires a price of life and soul—otherwise, do you think I—"
The snake's voice suddenly turns cold, "Do you think I enjoy staying here to keep you company?" The snake sways its head, and there's a hint of sadness in its eyes, "My friends, my companions, they have long since departed, hand in hand into the world of the dead to embark on new adventures, leaving me alone in this pathetic world… and it's all because
" ignorance! Don't even mention the Black Sin Square; even the pureblood families of all Great Britain are merely the tip of the iceberg of Walpurgis." The old man's lips curled up slightly, a cold smile appearing, "The forces I have cultivated in other countries are beyond your knowledge. And do you think I just acted for no reason?"
The serpent's pupils contracted slightly.
The old man continued, "That is because between heaven and earth, a completely new power has suddenly emerged—I'm afraid another extraordinary wizard has appeared in this world! The intensity of that sensation is quite unusual today... Has someone successfully returned to their ancestral bloodline? Who could it be? To what extent has the return to ancestry occurred? I'm very curious..."
The serpent's gaze revealed a complex expression. Although it had transformed into a snake shape and lost its perception of the world, it knew the old man would not lie about this matter. After all, the old man had not acted in nearly 50 years; if there were no external reasons, it would indeed be strange to suddenly have this conversation today.
The serpent sighed in a human-like manner, as if talking to itself: "I never expected that in today's world, there would still be someone who could return to their ancestral bloodline—wasn't the last time 50 years ago? That person only returned less than ten percent of their bloodline power and caused so much chaos in this world—this time, I don't know whether it's good or bad..."
"Forget it, forget it; anyway, there's nothing I can do. The future of wizards—let the living wizards handle it themselves!"
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Hogwarts, Slytherin dormitory, in a luxuriously decorated bedroom.
A handsome young boy stood there, his gray pupils completely unfocused, resembling a soulless doll, motionless.
Strangely, in this room surrounded by walls, a gentle breeze appeared, lifting the boy's neatly combed light golden short hair.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes regained their luster, but they did not reflect the gaze one would expect from a youth.
His eyes were filled with an understanding of the world, indifference, ruthlessness, and a steely resilience.
"Has someone taken that step again?" he murmured.
"Interesting, truly interesting. This world is always full of surprises..." He carefully observed his hands, flipping his palms, then looked at himself in the mirror, "Looking quite decent, not bad, just a bit too delicate—"
He gazed at the ceiling, his eyes deep, as if looking not at the roof but at the endless void beyond it. "The Eagle constellation flickers... Sirius is dim... The Dragon constellation has lit up—this is interesting..."
"Did you kill your loved one? How truly... I am not alone... Hehehe..."
"I am quite interested in your soul!" After saying this, he bizarrely licked his lips, then his gaze slowly became vacant... slowly vacant...
Eventually, he fell onto the bed.