Chapter 206 - 535 - 542

Protected Star Trading

"Yes. Through the Morning Star Area, any Morning Star Warlock can get support at anytime. Even if our brothers are spread throughout the central continent, this place can still keep us closely linked."

Paul's words held a tone of awe, and the respect he held towards the Warlocks who had thought up this plan was obvious.

"Yes. If I had had the coordinates to the Morning Star Area the last time, things wouldn't have been so difficult…" Leylin sounded helpless as he sighed.

"Haha… but it's not too late to know now!" The hand of the steel puppet seemed to pat Leylin's shoulder, but went through the black figure.

As if trying to hide his embarrassment, Paul immediately laughed as he spoke. "Oh! By the way, all of our bloodline Warlock organisations provide each other with long-distance delivery services. Of course, they take a fee, and need to be on good terms with the other party!"

"Bloodline Warlocks are very united…" Leylin's eyes shone, immediately knowing the function of this service.

Even if it was the airship network of the Monarch of the skies, it would take years to travel from one end of the central continent to the other. In the process, they had to move across countless dangerous regions, and even Morning Stars would find this troublesome.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, other Magi would stay in their own territories, and seldom conducted super long-distance travels.

With the teleportation through the Morning Star Area, travelling to any region in the central continent could happen in an instant as long as there was a Morning Star Warlock organisation there.

Of course, as the teleportation was through the astral gate, the arrival would be at the other party's headquarters or even Magus Tower.

This served as a threat to the Warlocks who teleported over. The Warlocks that received them would not easily reveal secrets of their nest to another Warlock.

This required a certain amount of trust from both sides, as well as unity.

However, Leylin believed that with the huge pressure from the external world, and the coordination of the few Radiant Moon Warlocks in the inner circles, this was not yet a problem.

"The space here is large, and there are many uninhabited areas. As long as you take control of it, it's yours and you're free to do as you like, as long as you don't encroach on public territory!"

Paul continued on, "I have a castle outside, but you need to be careful. In these uninhabited regions, there are vengeful spirits and the like. Things will get very complicated if you get hurt, since it's malice that has been amassed in a location."

Leylin looked grim as he nodded, tactfully not asking what had happened to the people who had fallen to this state.

"By the way… Where is the trading hall?"

Leylin took a quick look. After walking out of the square from before, there were only a few shops here and there, with some puppets or clones inside selling personal items. Some of the shops had even closed their doors, only accepting members.

However, just the light from the front desk had Leylin in a daze. The astral stones that he had found so difficult to acquire when he was rank 3 seemed to be of less value, with each shop having a couple pieces.

There were obviously many treasures here. Leylin even saw quite a few medium-grade magic equipment.

However, what confused Leylin was that the trading hall that he was looking for could not be found. Even after he walked a whole round through the trading area, he could not find anything that resembled a building.

"Uh… Lord Leylin, my castle isn't too far away. How about we go there andrest, sampling rainbow juice and jewelled meat from the Gourmet World? How about it?" Paul awkwardly laughed.

Leylin's expression turned cold with dissatisfaction. Paul was obviously afraid that after seeing the trading hall, he would be able to accurately gauge the real value of his items, thus disabling his ability to take advantage of him.

"Hehe… Big octopus, are you swindling newbies again?" Before Leylin had even flared up, a large flower that looked like a rose giggled from the side.

The rose looked about the size of a regular human, its roots twisting around each other and forming something similar to a human's two feet. A little girl's face appeared at the stamen.

"Hey, newbie! The public area for trading is above you. Just look up and you'll know. No need to thank me…"

The giant human-shaped flower hummed while skipping off, while Paul's face turned red. Thankfully, he was now controlling a puppet, and it was not evident.

"Above me?!"

Leylin raised his head in amazement, staring at the large, starry skies that were like the universe, particularly at the giant star that looked ready to fall. Numerous rings of light formed a pattern around her, bright and beautiful.

"Could it be?!"

Leylin was shocked, soul force immediately extending to the protective star.

*Rumble!* Like a universe exploding, information streamed into Leylin's brain. If he had not already reached Morning Star realm and had some experience in the past, he might explode from this onslaught of data.

"Selling 5632 g astral stone! Accepting exchange with item of equal value!"

"High grade meditation technique— Void Phantom, total of five levels. Complete. Requesting…"

"Purchasing bloodlines, remains or even goods from ancient creatures at a high price. Price will be favorable. Add me immediately!" At the side was a secret imprint symbol.

"Medium-grade magic equipment trade. I need a defensive magic equipment. Any difference in price can be compensated with another hundred star gems!"

"Selling living beings— Desolate Bone Wolf tribe, as well as a wolf king with a limit of rank 3!"

"Selling spatial Arcane Art, as well as an incomplete spatial coordinate. If interested, please hurry…"

Leylin's eyes flashed with blue, the A.I. Chip quickly turning and gathering all this information, forming a large price list and a curved line of the selling price.

Leylin chuckled, clearly understanding the preciousness and general prices of certain items.

"Haha… The weather's quite good!" Paul laughed. "Lord Leylin, there's too much chaotic information here. I just wanted you to get some rest…"

Paul said something even he wouldn't fall for. Would soul force need rest?

Unexpectedly, Leylin immediately agreed. "Lord Paul, please lead the way!"

"Wha- What? You still want to go to the castle? Oh, no, no! I mean… are you not going to take a look at the market?" Paul was slightly confused and even bewildered, to the point that he forgot his words.

"Haha! Spirit Circle is my Ouroboros Clan's ally, so I obviously believe you! Besides, I'm rather curious about the rainbow juice and jeweled meat!" Leylin lifted his head and chuckled, looking as if he did not mind. Paul was immediately touched.

What he did not realise was in the moment Leylin laughed, there was a cold glint in his eyes.

After walking out of the public area, everything instantly seemed desolate. The Morning Star Area was a plane after all, and no matter how many of their few Radiant Moon Warlocks had dealt with it, they could not attend to every single area.

Even public places were frequented only by Morning Star Warlocks, and thus appeared like a ghost town.The area was large but there were few people, and the frequency of an individual occupying a lot of land was extremely high.

The situation was even worse outside. Besides a few castles and buildings like that near the public region, the other areas were basically a wasteland.

The vengeful spirits formed of malicious thoughts and ill intent were very stubborn and difficult to deal with.

Before a complete 'purification', even Radiant Moon Warlocks had few methods to deal with it. They could only allow them to lie around idly, not even able to make use of them.

They headed all the way to Paul's castle.

While it was called a castle, Warlocks' aesthetics were rather different from those ordinary people. The castle in front of Leylin was a few large spheroids floating in the air, with a column connecting the bottom to the ground.

"Look! This is the castle I designed myself. What beautiful arches! And that feeling of complete perfection! Oh! It makes me want to recite a poem…" Paul was obviously in a good mood, but Leylin politely declined.

On the ground, there was an installation similar to an elevator. The smart butler immediately recognised Paul's aura, sending him and Leylin into the castle.

"Haha… This area is rather crude with only a few refined-gold servants. Don't take offence…" Leylin brought Leylin to a strangely-shaped hall to sit, and an intellectual servant immediately brought a round plate over.

Inside was juice that was spilling over with an aroma, as well as roasted meat.

The juice was poured in a transparent glass cup, but revealed a seven-coloured luster, similar to a rainbow. The meat, too, had a tint on the surface similar to jewels.

These two were food from another world. Even Morning Star Magi would have difficulty obtaining this. The taste was amazing, and though Paul usually could not bring himself to enjoy it, he had taken it out and shown off his treasure for Leylin's sake.

"It's alright!" Leylin laughed as he shook his head. While he knew that in theory, they could move migrants here to work, the purification was not thorough enough. Besides Morning Stars, even other low-ranked Warlocks might not be able to handle the contamination, much less regular people.

Perhaps… The union head had already attempted at experiments in this area, only to be met with failure.

Leylin did not think into this, picking up his cutlery in a practised manner and elegantly cutting himself a piece of jeweled meat.

"Oh!" The moment the piece of meat on the fork entered his mouth, the delicious juice from the meat combined with a unique aroma and began to attack Leylin's taste buds, causing every cell in his body to rejoice.

"That is delicious! I'm not going to hold back then!"

Mind ready to take some revenge, he began to enjoy the food without restraint, feeling a thrill go through him as he watched Paul's heartache.

Soul Issue

The Gourmet World was another world in the astral plane.

Rumours from ancient times had it that even a brook or a rock would taste supremely delicious there.

This was the pinnacle of enjoyable food, and many Magi could not resist the temptation.

Based on Leylin's knowledge, the Warlock Union had yet to have any records of a successful attack on another world, which made these all the more precious.

Seeing the delicacies in front of Leylin constantly being consumed, Paul's robotic face seemed to be in anguish, especially the soul force that unwittingly showed his emotions. Leylin was even more cheerful as he ate quicker.

Though his main body wasn't here, the pleasures felt by soul force could be connected to the main body.

When Paul could no longer endure this, Leylin raised his head properly, "Lord Paul! Seems like we can now discuss the issues about trading the spoils…"

The look of grievance Paul had on his face had Leylin laughing inside, but his expression was even more serious. Paul wanted to vomit blood.

...

After coming out from Paul's place, Leylin's expression still held a smile.

Though he had taken a hasty look, the A.I. Chip had already remembered the prices of everything in the trading market, giving Leylin a price list of objects used by Morning Stars and above.

With this list, Paul's thoughts of taking advantage of Leylin's unfamiliarity with market price was thoroughly fruitless, and he had even suffered a loss of great amounts of treasures from the Gourmet World.

Recalling his expression of wanting to vomit blood, Leylin felt the urge to laugh.

Of course, Spirit Circle was still Ouroboros Clan's ally, and Leylin had not gone too far. At least, when he had been eating the meat, he'd thrown a few bones to Paul.

When he sold off some of the treasures from Scarlet Crescent at a slightly discounted price, Paul's dead expression eased slightly. That said, the other party would definitely not dare deceive him anymore.

*Boom!* Yellow earth exploded, and a giant black figure strode forward, each step causing the surroundings to tremble.

"As expected, a puppet is easier to use than soul force!" Leylin controlled the giant black steel puppet, extremely satisfied.

The soul force from before had only been a virtual body, and he could not do many things. On top of that, the energy consumption was high. Now that he had the puppet, it was like giving his soul force a layer of clothing. Not only could he do things that needed a corporeal body, even the energy consumption had lessened.

This puppet was obviously not Paul's. Leylin had teleported one over himself.

After negotiating the trade, the two of them had immediately used the astral gate and sent over the items, finishing the trade in an instant. The teleportation fees were meagre, but Paul took responsibility for that. Leylin had taken the opportunity and sent over a puppet for himself, causing Paul to roll his eyes.

"Something I made myself is easier to use. Besides, I don't dare touch any of that octopus' things. Who knows what soul scrying techniques or traps are inside…"

Leylin was still quite fearful towards the most mysterious branch of bloodline Warlocks, the spirit Warlocks.

"Hm?!" Leylin's eyes flashed, having discovered something. His body turned into a black figure, colliding into a little hill like a savage beast.

*Boom!* The hill exploded, sending rocks flying everywhere. While dust flew everywhere, a human figure flew out.

The human figure looked thin and small, and its body was translucent. One was somewhat able to see the scenery behind it.

"A vengeful spirit that possesses worldly malice?" Leylin burst out in laughter, soul force forming a large hand and grabbing it.

By the time his opponent came before him, Leylin realised that the vengeful spirit looked to be only 13 or 14 years old. It looked like a delicate boy, eyes still holding fear.

"The environment isn't bad here, and the vengeful spirit created here is considered top-rate even in the central continent. Should I take over a place and build a spirit experimentation area or something…"

Leylin watched the boy's faint figure in the large hand, stroking his chin.

This vengeful spirit was completely intimidated by Leylin's terrifying pressure, and could only tremble.

"Hm? Is this power the malice of the world?" While grabbing the boy, Leylin felt a strange force emitting from the body, and even trying to invade his soul force.

This was a force similar to the force of destiny, yet at the same time also similar to Gaia's extensive will. If not for Leylin having researched deeply into these two areas, he might not even have noticed it.

"If it was a complete and powerful world, even Morning Stars would be unable to handle its malice. It's a pity…"

Leylin sighed. This was merely a plane, and it was broken. Even Gaia's will had been defeated at the hands of Radiant Moon Warlocks till it was in tatters. If not, it would not have only this amount of strength.

Gaia's will was, in actuality, the culmination of common trains of thought amongst living bodies, and even non-living bodies such as the earth and ocean.

Now, however, all intellectual beings of this plane had been exterminated, leaving behind vengeful spirits, and allowing Warlocks to take over more of it.

Perhaps… Tens of thousands of years later, humans would thrive. Gaia's will, which would be protective of the new humans and Warlocks' benefits, would completely replace the original will here, and beat these down.

"This sort of malicious intent depends on the entire plane. If a new Gaia is not created, or the area is completely destroyed, this situation will not completely die away. It will be very troublesome…"

Leylin's brows furrowed. Soul force began to quiver with a specific undulation, immediately shaking out this malicious intent.

*Bang!* The faint figure of the boy in his hands immediately looked sinister and quickly exploded, turning into streams of black air and dissipating.

"How long will it be until all the mysteries of the soul are laid bare before me?"

Leylin observed the desolate area, sighing ruefully as he commanded, "A.I. Chip! Show me the progress on the simulation of the fifth level of Kemoyin's Pupil!"

[Beep! Progress of 5th level of meditation technique, Kemoyin's Pupil: 30%!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned. This number had been stuck here for a long while, and if he did not make any breakthrough, he would probably not be able to make any progress.

Looking at this number, Leylin sighed silently.

In terms of a Magus' progress, progress from ranks 1 to 3 relied on spiritual force. From 4 to 6, it would touch on the soul. The even more mysterious rank 7 required the grasping of some power of the world, or in other words— laws!

Leylin was now stuck in the training of the soul.

Kemoyin's Pupil only had four levels, and there was no elaboration on the later realms. Leylin could only grope around blindly.

However, soul force was hard to understand. Even the A.I. Chip now could not completely come up with the date of others. How could he conduct simulations and the like?

'Perhaps even rank 5 or 6 Magi or Warlocks might not be able to fully understand the working of souls. In addition, while strengthening soul force, one can only rely on meditation techniques and long periods of time…'

Leylin couldn't help but recall the Wing of the Sun. Even this top-grade meditation technique's explanation about souls was not clear. The author had often marked speculation and guesses. That meant that even a terrifying rank 6 being like the Sun's Child did not have enough understanding of the soul, and only depended on the characteristics of its race to gain power.

'Compared to Magi, Warlocks use the power of their bloodlines to strengthen the soul. Most of the time, nobody understands how it works. Meditation techniques mostly teach how to activate the power of the bloodline, which is why their knowledge on souls is even lesser than that of Magi! Maybe that's one of the reasons why, amongst bloodline Warlocks, there haven't been the appearance of any rank 6 thrones…'

Leylin touched his chin, beginning to make conjectures.

"First thing's first, I have to completely revitalise the bloodline of the Sun's Child. With the Wing of the Sun, I might be able to gain something. Next, I have to purchase large quantities of renowned works on souls by Magi and Warlocks, and I must obtain level 5 or 6 high-grade meditation techniques…"

"These two methods are the most practical. For the latter, I can solve it right here!" At the thought of the information at the trading market, Leylin's eyes brightened.

*Rumble!* Though it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, he was still awed by the large amounts of soul force and conscients mixed together. The scene of uncountable amounts of data streaking through still left Leylin with his mind blown.

On the giant planet of the Morning Star area, basically all Morning Star Warlocks left a trace of their soul force or will here to conduct trades.

Some wills stayed here, relying on selling information and earning large amounts of top-grade resources.

Leylin noticed keenly that the use of magic crystals had been lowered to the utmost, and they were almost completely unseen.

This was very normal. Among Morning Star Warlocks, who did not have a few or even tens of large-scaled magic crystal mines? This could not be used as something of much value.

The currency here was something else that Leylin was very familiar with— astral stones!

Astral stones had become the norm, and were the currency being used. If Morning Star Warlocks had something they needed, they would usually sell off what they had on hand and, after accumulating enough astral stones, buy it.

For Morning Star Warlocks, astral stones were an eternal, hard currency. They would not depreciate in value.

The information in the market changed completely every few moments, making Leylin think back to the stocks, securities, and futures markets of his previous world. It caused him to feel dazzled.

Blood-sucking Loach

'A.I. Chip, begin scan! Keywords: Soul force, high-grade meditation technique.'

Thankfully, Leylin had the A.I. Chip which was fused with his soul. It responded instantly to his thoughts, [Beep! Mission established, starting scan!]

Soon enough, a blue display was projected in front of his eyes, showing a very long list. Leylin gathered himself and started looking through the information carefully.

"High-grade meditation technique—Void Phantom: Five layers in total and complete. As long as…"

"Ancient soul force Arcane Art— Multi-luster Sacrificial Rite: Able to strengthen soul force and improve the power of spells that are rank 4 and above by 50%, all in exchange for the egg of a Nefarious Filthbird!"

"Crystallised soul force: 500g of the crystallised soul force of a Morning Star in exchange for astral stones of the same quality!"

"Ancient Bloodline— Offspring of the White-scaled Illusory Tiger: Not only can it keenly sense soul force, a contract with it has the extraordinary effect of strengthening the soul. Prices to be negotiated face to face!"

The large amounts of data dazzled Leylin, every item on the screen nearly causing him to salivate. He realised then that he was poor. He was way too poor!

Whether they were from his plunder of Twilight Zone or his other sources of wealth, his resources that could originally be sold off at astronomical prices were dispensable to Morning Stars.

Other things, such as his bloodline refinement method and the data on Quicksand's experiments could not see the light of day.

Leylin suddenly found that the only things he could take out to sell were the astral stones he'd appropriated from the clan treasury.

"This won't do! I need to find a source of revenue as soon as possible!" Leylin watched the items on the screen, eyes turning slightly red.

These Morning Star Warlocks had gathered too many amazing items. As long as he obtained a portion of any of them and hand it over to the A.I. Chip to experiment with, the progress on the analysis of soul force would definitely increase rapidly. This was very important to him.

"But… a source that suits a Morning Star, and it needs to be regular as well…"

He found himself in a bind. Other Warlocks would surely have taken such sources over already, how would he get a chance? His only option was to think up a brand new source of income.

Leylin flipped through the pages absent-mindedly, and finally found some things he was interested in.

"Teleportation required: I need to reach Sunset Mountains within three days. If any friends have teleportation points, please contact me. Prices are negotiable!"

"Requesting help: Rebellion by Marine Dragon Whales at the East Region. Need at least three Morning Stars to suppress them. Each will be guaranteed a minimum of 1000g of astral stones, and additional rewards will be given to those who capture their enemies…"

"Assistance required in attacking the Mage Basin. Once conquered, offering 5% of their yearly profit!"

...

All sorts of conscients gathered at the other end of the trade area, communicating rapidly. The deals were near-instant.

"If there isn't anything else, I'm afraid I'll have to take on some missions here, becoming a mercenary of sorts…"

Face grim, Leylin followed a thread of information to a dark conscient, "May I know if Sire here is selling high-grade meditation techniques?"

Floating in front of Leylin was a bundle of black light. An extreme darkness full of terrifying energy converged on it. Though it was merely a conscient, it was still enough to cause Leylin to feel fear.

"En!" The other party answered unwillingly, as if not really interested in this deal. Unlike other items, this sort of knowledge and special techniques could be sold off multiple times and not even at a very high price, which was Leylin's first target.

After all, he had already gained a top-grade meditation technique, Wing of the Sun. With this one, as well as the other accumulations from before, the A.I. Chip's research would reach a whole new level and he could obtain more information.

"May I know the price?" Leylin calmed down, readying himself to negotiate with the other party. He did not have a lot of astral stones, and there were a lot of good resources here. He needed to be frugal.

Besides, the requirements listed by the other conscients were just unbelievable. Even Leylin could not take it, especially the one asking for the egg of the Nefarious Filthbird. He'd blacklisted that choice right away.

The Nefarious Filthbird and Trial's Eye were at the same level and had the ability to traverse worlds. How could it be of equal value to an ancient Arcane Art?

Just thinking of this, Leylin felt that they were crazy. As for the soul force crystals, he could just produce himself. They weren't all that useful anyway.

In general, since there was news of people hoping for an exchange, they obviously wanted to sell items off at a higher price. Hence, very few deals were made in this trading area. Most of the idle soul forces and conscients lazed around here, and once they saw a cheaply-priced trade, immediately pounced forth like a bunch of sharks that smelt blood.

Morning Star Warlocks were erudite, and also had the detective ability that soul force offered them. Each and every one of them was old and sly, and while it was not impossible to get pick up cheap gains, the effort and time one needed to put into it was too much.

This was the conclusion Leylin came up with after surveying the scene multiple times. Hence, he gave up on the thought of picking up cheap deals and began to trade honestly.

"My Void Phantom not only has five complete levels, but also includes an affinity to the element of illusion. It's at an unconditional price of 5000g of astral stones!" The dark conscient didn't seem to care if Leylin actually wanted to purchase it.

"Mm! However, its requirements for the users is too high. Besides, we're all Warlocks. The high-grade meditation techniques of Magi are only for reference, which makes your price too…" Leylin frowned. With his knowledge of high-grade meditation techniques, just a few casually-thrown-out sentences caused the conscient to begin hesitating.

"Furthermore, haven't you sold this meditation techniques many times already? How can it have the same price as before?" Realising he had a chance, Leylin immediately attacked.

...

After a complicated negotiation similar to the business deals in his previous world, Leylin finally bought the high-grade meditation technique, Void Phantom, at a low price just like he wanted to. However, the astral stones he had gotten from the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan had been practically halved in that instant.

He calculated it all carefully. The real wealth was definitely on the three dukes, and all that was left in the headquarters were merely scraps.

Leylin had too few astral stones left on him after buying the meditation technique. He took a look around, and upon finding nothing special quickly found a little corner, his soul force withdrawing from the Morning Star area.

"Hah…" In the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan, at the core laboratory in the technological department, Leylin gave a long huff and observed the black crystal in his hands.

[Beep! High-grade meditation technique Void Phantom has been recorded. Saved into database under high-grade meditation techniques] The A.I. Chip's emotionless voice sounded.

"Very good!" Seeing the progress bar that was now progressing again, Leylin's heart that had been aching was finally consoled.

He left the technical department and came before the bloodline laboratory from before.

This was the core laboratory of the Ouroboros Clan, and only the three Morning Stars were allowed access to it. Of course, after Leylin took over, he had used this as his own laboratory. The experiment on the revitalisation of the Sun's Child bloodline had been performed here.

"Tower genie, how's the situation with the specimens?" Leylin asked.

"The specimens are currently doing well. The number of surviving blood-sucking loaches is being kept at 20 and above, and they have consumed 32.7 tons of culture fluid."

The tower genie projected a series of data in front of Leylin, to which he nodded his head. At the beginning, the blood-sucking loaches' numbers had rapidly dwindled, but after the other specimens had gotten used to the bloodline of the Sun's Child, they could finally survive for a longer time. At this point, a decent number of them could remain alive at a time.

Leylin came to the cultivation pool from before.

The liquid in the pool had already turned a dark green, with occasional streaks of gold flashing underwater. It had also expanded tenfold from before.

Water splashed everywhere, and a golden monster jumped out to bite at Leylin, its mouth full of sharp teeth. It was even spitting out flames!

*Tsss!* Before the flames could reach him, they were blocked by a layer of white light. Black lightning grouped together to form a large hand, slapping it back into the water.

"Mm! It's very lively!" Leylin chuckled, judging this mutated blood-sucking loach.

Perhaps, calling them blood-sucking loaches was no longer suitable, since what was in front of Leylin was a whole new species that had gone through the stimulation from the bloodline of the Sun's Child.

It had expanded in size by ten times and was full of golden scales. There was even a strange horn-like thing on the head, and it had scarlet eyes and sharp teeth below. It growled, on the offensive.

As if the attack had given rise to some chain reaction, multiple golden streaks jumped out from under the water with a splash, beginning to attack each other and roaring. Some of these loaches had grown a pair of sharp claws at the stomach area and were unusually ferocious as they launched attacks at their own kin.

"The offensive abilities of the blood-sucking loaches has increased by a large amount. Every time there's a bloody battle like this, the surviving blood-sucking loaches will gain even more strength. The most powerful blood-sucking loach is estimated to survive for 45 days and 21 hours. Its bloodline was from a blood-sucking loach king…" The tower genie introduced by Leylin's ear.

"Is it this one?" Leylin had noticed the golden blood-sucking loach right at the centre. It had already bore no semblance to its previous form, and had grown to become a more powerful being. Flowing scales covered its entire body like a layer of smooth liquid. The bloodied look in its eyes had not ebbed, but it now seemed to have some intelligence.

After observing for a while longer, Leylin ordered, "That's enough. Prepare the next phase!"

*Rumble!* The ceiling above the cultivation pool suddenly opened, and some mysterious fluids were poured in from a translucent crystal container.

As if it had been exposed to a stimulant, even the largest blood-sucking loach immediately immersed itself in this 'civil war.'

Bloodline of the Sun's Child

"I'm afraid the conditions here are still inadequate for the last bloodline purification and activation process!" Leylin scrutinised the entire laboratory, the crystal-like ground as well as the unique radiance emitted by the walls.

Such an environment was a good location for experiments even for a Morning Star Magus.

Even so, some of the steps required to activate an ancient bloodline were very troublesome, and even posed a certain amount of danger. It was still best that these sorts of experiments were conducted in one's Magus Tower.

But there was still a period of time before Leylin's Magus Tower could be completed, hence it was still necessary to remodel and reinforce the place as appropriate.

As he looked at the muddled breeding pool, he was no longer bothered by the yells and struggles inside it. Instead, he gave a few orders to the formation genie before leaving the place directly.

"Morning Star Magus Tower!" Although Leylin had only been gone a short period of time, the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan had undergone many changes.

The number of Warlocks in the place had increased. With the war having calmed down, many refugees from other territories had fled here. On top of that, there was now a tall tower built in an eye-catching position.

This Magus Tower was not only a few times larger than his old one, it was also filled with a sense of terrifying grandeur, its peak appearing to pierce through space itself.

This was the Morning Star Magus Tower than the Oakheart Clan and the other bloodline Warlock families of the Ouroboros Clan had cooperated to build for Leylin.

Although the construction of the tower could not be completed this soon, the rough framework had already been set up.

A large number of high-ranked Warlocks, as well as Magus craftsmen and formation Magi from other regions surrounded the Magus Tower, working tirelessly.

"Your Grace!" Faisal and Parker immediately came to greet him at Freya's side.

"You guys have done well during this period of time!" Leylin smiled at Freya before speaking to Faisal and the others.

"It's because we adopted Your Grace's blueprints and followed your advice. We're confident that we'll be able to complete the construction more quickly than normal." Faisal reported respectfully.

There was still a slight shock in his heart. In his view, with Leylin being able to promote to the Morning Star realm at the mere age of 200 or so, his talent as a Warlock was incomparable to begin with. What he did not expect was that Leylin could actually focus on both the construction and formation spells whilst undergoing Magus practice. It made Leylin seem monstrous.

Of course, those thoughts were hidden within his heart. He definitely couldn't show them on the surface.

"Good! Pass down my command: the work is to be halted every night. I want to handle it personally, in a more in-depth manner," Leylin said plainly.

"Could it be that you want to…" Faisal's eyes sparkled, and he left shortly after.

"Now, who can overthrow you?" Leylin looked at his own Morning Star Magus Tower, a confident look emerging on his face.

His previous Magus Tower had been destroyed by the Oakheart Clan, but now they'd had to pay with a Morning Star Magus Tower instead.

Furthermore, Leylin was now confident in his own strength. Even in the entire central continent, there were not many who could destroy his Magus Tower again. He also would not allow himself to fall into such a low.

Leylin looked at the huge landmark-like Magus Tower and a slight joking expression flashed in his eyes. "Perhaps, after millions of years, this Magus Tower will come to symbolise me. Let it stand here forever!"

...

Deep in the night. There was not a single Magus around the Morning Star Magus Tower anymore, even Faisal and the others had left the place long ago.

They understood that the Magus Tower was the core of a Magus' power. Surely Leylin had some secrets that he would set up, and the fewer that knew the better.

Moreover, the intense radiation of a Morning Star Warlock would exert great pressure on them. It would be safer to avoid it.

Leylin walked alone inside the empty Magus Tower.

Most of the runes and spell formations hadn't been set up yet, and many of the basic amenities were also unused. The Tower right now was just an empty shell without a defence.

"A.I. Chip! Begin scanning the entire Magus Tower, slowly adjust the radiation power!" Leylin commanded.

[Mission acquired, beginning synchronisation! Adjusting…] The A.I. Chip immediately responded.

Accompanying the A.I. Chip's sound, a 3D structure appeared before Leylin. A brilliant radiance was also emitted from his body that began to merge with the entire structure.

Compared to the previous time where his radiation spread out without discrimination in Scarlet Crescent, destroying everything, Leylin was currently extremely careful in controlling it. This process allowed the Magus Tower to slowly accept it and adapt.

High ranked Magi could revitalise ancient materials through their radiation, and even produce many anomalies. This was common knowledge in the central continent. Although Leylin's Magus Tower made use of high-quality materials, he still needed to use his radiation to unify the materials in order to let it reach its peak condition.

Many rumours held that there were often ghosts, vengeful spirits, and other such things where Magi lived, a byproduct of the changes a Magus' radiation caused in the surrounding territory.

Leylin was currently strengthening his Magus Tower, and at the same time leaving his own mark on it.

Even if it was deliberately held back, the radiation of a Morning Star Magus was a disaster for weaker Magi. This was why Faisal had immediately transferred those Magi away as night arrived.

As for other times? Based on Leylin's control, as well as the compressive abilities of the point mass, he had long since become able to securely lock up the radiation in his own body. Since he didn't leak the slightest bit, there would be no problem.

If someone looked from outside, they would see a beautiful view. Standing out from the surrounding darkness, a Morning Star Magus Tower seemed to be wrapped up in a colourful radiance. Even the dark sky was dyed with its colours.

If they got closer, they would hear an increasingly clear hiss of a giant serpent, causing one's hair to stand.

What accompanied the hissing of the giant serpent was another sound which seemed like a singing curse yet at the same time like a worshipping voice. It surrounded the entire Magus Tower, making it seem mysterious.

Because Leylin had joined in himself, the construction of the Magus Tower had been sped up. The building seemed to be morphing day to day.

...

"It has finally reached this point!" Leylin's pupils gleamed with excitement as he watched the gold creature in the large confinement room.

Now, the blood-sucking loach had completely lost its previous image. Instead, it had transformed into a terrifying creature that was similar to the golden dragons from legend.

Golden scales covered its entire body, their glimmer making it seem as if it was a god from the ancient times. On its forehead was a rune in the shape of a sun, emitting a blazing light.

Leylin had a premonition– if it was not for him suppressing this beast all this time, the first thing the creature would do was probably to transform into a gigantic fireball, rising from the ashes and advancing to the Morning Star realm.

In other words, this was a Morning Star creature!

Now, creatures of this level were already very rare. If it were placed among the circles of Morning Star Magi, it would probably cause a huge sensation, even more so encouraging the emergence of another bloodline Warlock clan.

Upon seeing Leylin, the golden dragon howled and a blood-red light flashed in its pupils. It immediately turned towards him, emitting an aura unique to the dragon race.

The layer of glass in front was instantly drowned in a brilliant golden flame.

The tempered glass warped under the extreme heat, cracks beginning to form on its surface.

"Oh! You deliberately kept your firepower a secret, huh. This level of intelligence already surpasses that of a wild beast!" Leylin laughed without much ado. As he watched the golden dragon displaying its invincible might, he could not help but think of the ancient Sun's Child, wondering what rank of power and influence it possessed!

"What a pity! I created you, and I can also destroy you at any time!" A chill suddenly appeared in Leylin's pupils, making the golden dragon retract its neck.

"Blood seal!" A crimson radiance flashed in Leylin's eyes as his right hand reached out to grab the golden dragon.

*Bang!* Immediately, a large amount of blood began to flow out from beneath the golden dragon's scales, turning it red in a moment. Its original dignified roar had been replaced by a pitiful cry.

"Even locked to 35% of its bloodline, it's still so terrifying?" A hint of worry flashed across Leylin's face as he watched the shrieking creature.

The experiment that he had performed on the golden dragon previously out of convenience had immediately allowed him to understand the stubborn nature passed down through its bloodline.

'However, this sort of attitude verifies the Wisdom Tree's hypothesis. Now all I need is extended research, clinical trials, and then…' Leylin stroked his chin and made up his mind.

'But the good thing is that the bloodline of the Sun's Child has been completely activated. It's the bloodline of an ancient rank 6 creature after all, and even a drop is enough to create another Morning Star creature!' The corner of his lips curled up in a slight smile.

"Now, onto the final phase…"

...

*Boom!*

A ball of golden blood which was the size of a fist floated in the air like a fireball. It released a terrifying amount of light and heat, slowly raising the temperature of the room.

The temperature was so high, in fact, that space itself distorted, rifts appearing near the blood. This was the unstable phenomenon resulted from the burning of the sun's flame.

"Activate!" Leylin said emotionlessly as he watched the scene.

A great amount of light emerged with a whoosh, strengthening the surrounding walls. Many runes shot out one one after the other, locking the blood down. At this point, it looked like a miniature sun.

Leylin had specially reinforced this secret chamber, with the express intent of locking the bloodline of the Sun's Child. From how it looked, the effect wasn't rather bad.

He nodded secretly before looking at the A.I. Chip's status screen.

[Beep! Completing the genetic makeup of the Sun's Child, beginning imitation, deducing according to the meditation technique, Wing of the Sun…] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

Recuperation

The Wing of the Sun was a top-grade meditation technique that was meant to complement the bloodline of the Sun's Child, and was abstruse and unfathomable. Even the A.I. Chip had not been able to analyse it.

Now, however, the combination of the real bloodline of the Sun's Child and its DNA sequence worked together to solve the many difficulties that had been confounding him.

With the Dragon King's Mystic Might he had obtained in the past, he now also had the Void Phantom, which came to two complete meditation techniques. This meant he had a decent, accurate database to draw upon.

The simulation of the fifth level of Kemoyin's pupil saw some progress once more.

Seeing that his main objective was satisfied, Leylin couldn't help but sigh with relief. "Rank 6, top-grade creature— Sun's Child!"

Leylin observed the blood that was like a little sun, and began to furrow his eyebrows. With this and the Wing of the Sun, he could instantly create a powerful Warlock family.

Warlocks with a bloodline stemming from a rank 6 creature hadn't yet appeared in the central continent.

"If another Warlock or Magus were to find out, things would get complicated for me…" A wry smile appeared about Leylin's lips.

How could it be only 'complicated'? The moment this news leaked, even if malicious Warlocks weren't an issue, it was highly likely that the Breaking Dawn Monarchs would be alerted.

After all, they would not want to see the rise of another Breaking Dawn bloodline Warlock, which would affect the current equilibrium of power.

"It's a pity… If not for my bloodline being permanent, I would long since have used the Sun's Child's bloodline…" Leylin heaved a long sigh.

But his eyes immediately cleared up, "Classify this area as a forbidden region of the highest grade, confidentiality rank X. Anyone who comes in here besides me is to be killed. No exceptions!"

His voice was cold, as if every word of his carried with it chilly air that contained millions of ice shards.

"Understood!" The spirit genie's similarly unfeeling voice sounded. Perhaps only beings that lacked human intelligence would not understand the terror that was Leylin.

"On top of that," Leylin looked at his empty surroundings, gently stroking a crystal ring on his finger. *Whoosh!* Five translucent phantoms appeared around him like a breeze, as if voluntarily squeezing out from the void. There were no energy waves, just five pairs of bloodshot eyes staring at him as their owners half-kneeled on the floor.

"Protect this place well. Any who dare intrude are to be eliminated immediately," Leylin said as he sent out a spiritual command through the ring on his finger.

The five phantoms nodded speechlessly, and immediately disappeared into the air. With them concealed, even the A.I. Chip could barely discern their auras.

"These Void Assassins are pretty useful. It's a pity that there are only eight left…" Leylin was full of admiration as he watched the assassins disappear, touching his chin.

These eight Void Assassins were naturally his gains from Scarlet Crescent.

He had carefully checked before. Every one of these Void Assassins had the strength surpassing a Crystal Phase Magus. Their method of travelling through the void was stealthy and hard to defend against. Even a Morning Star Magus would be in danger if five of them acted in tandem, ambushing him.

With these defences, he could somewhat relax.

'I can't keep it here, and I need to use it as soon as possible. Alternatively, I can wait till the Magus Tower is completed and deposit it there!' Leylin pondered.

Using the bloodline of the Sun's Child to perform experiments on bloodline ignition was too much of a pity. Leylin still had other uses for this blood. The bloodline of an ancient rank 6 creature was an invaluable treasure.

"Next is to amass more strength and push for the advancement of my soul force. The best would be for the A.I. Chip to represent soul force numerically, which will make everything much simpler…"

Leylin subconsciously looked at his status.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force:506.9, Magic Power: 506 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul Force: ???]

After entering Morning Star, the aim was to make progress in regards to the soul. His spiritual force and other stats would no longer undergo major changes.

At this thought, Leylin looked into the progress of the A.I. Chip's simulation of soul force and found it to be stuck. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"The analysis of soul force cannot be done in a day or two…" A thread of understanding rose in Leylin's mind.

...

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. The original Ouroboros Clan had now completely stabilised.

Though the other allied forces still occupied a part of the territory that had belonged to them, a larger war had not occurred. From how a few organisations were silently withdrawing their forces, the general situation was progressing positively.

Those Warlocks seemed to have forgotten their hatred from the past and the situation at Phosphorescence Swamp stabilised as they continued with their lives and research.

And yet, the subconscious bloody glint that remained in the depths of their eyes proved that the traces of the war were still present.

Or rather, the seeds of revenge were buried deep in their hearts. They were lying quietly in wait for these seeds to grow, until the day they began to thrive and became strong and healthy!

Leylin couldn't wait to see it happen, and even added fuel to the flame.

From his perspective, the bloodline Warlocks before led far too comfortable lives, particularly the Kemoyin nobility. They spent their days in their territories intoxicated, not spending any time on their Warlock training.

Thankfully, after this war, most of these vermin had disappeared, leaving behind many capable and hardworking descendants, each of them outstanding. These talents were the strengths and assets that he regarded as important.

As long as he could lead these Warlocks and complete their revenge, he might instantly gain their undying loyalty. That would allow him to completely control the Ouroboros Clan, and even the return of the three Dukes would not change anything.

Through these five years, Leylin had extended his authority to all aspects in Ouroboros Clan. He had even secretly influenced many Warlocks of the new generation, and they completely accepted his rule, thinking it was normal for things to continue like this forever.

Faisal and those few bloodline families had become smarter after the attack, and Leylin could find no opportunity to deal with them. That was rather regretful.

However, no matter how long he tried to delay matters, there were things that needed to be done…

"Blood Extraction!"

Above a geographical basin holding an ethnic group, Leylin wore a luxurious platinum Magus robe that was actually a piece of magic equipment.

His expression was stern as he reached out his hand, and a formless giant vortex appeared in the air with a grab.

Large amounts of blood beaded down, turning into a stream as it gathered in his hands. It formed a highly concentrated crystal that looked similar to a ruby.

Below him, a giant tribe of a different race had suffered heavy casualties. Besides a few high-ranked Magi, almost nobody had survived. All of them had their blood drawn and turned into dried-out corpses.

"This bloodline drawing method is truly tyrannical!" Leylin nodded.

The Arcane Art he was using to extract blood came from his own bloodline inheritance. In ancient times, it had only been a convenient spell to draw blood on a large-scale. However, with his modifications, as well as the power from the soul force of a Morning Star, the effect was truly terrifying. Its strength was enough to destroy a country.

That was not all. The bloodline gems gathered from the bloodline extraction were also a very important resource for Warlocks.

Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes as he tucked away these concentrated crystals that sparkled like blood diamonds.

"You of a different race! You dare—" A roar full of denial and pain sounded out, bringing with it energy waves at the Morning Star realm.

"My job is done. The rest is your business." Leylin bowed with a smile, and retreated to the back.

"Leylin, you really know how to goof off!" In front of him were a few Morning Star Warlocks. The burly man who was the head teased Leylin, but still went forward.

"Who exactly are you? Why did you come here?" The rays of light dimmed, revealing the Morning Star that had hastened over. It was a giant formed of flames, eyes full of fury.

"There's no reason. If you want to blame something, blame yourselves for occupying this area!"

The burly man sneered, the phantom of a large black goat that was thousands of metres tall emerging from his back. This goat not only had the horns of a demon, but also a torso that was similar to a human. However, it was full of black fleece, looking to be like the demonic satyrs of the underworld.

"Morning Star Warlock?" The giant fire elemental elder couldn't help but blurt out.

Following that, others in black clothing stood up before him. The Morning Star auras they similarly emitted caused the fire elemental elder's pupils to shrink.

*Rumble!* The few Morning Star Warlocks surrounded him, in an enormous formation. The energy undulations extended to the horizons, and even dispersed a few large dark clouds.

...

Once everything was over, the burly man from before approached Leylin, "Lord Leylin's blood extraction truly is worthy of its reputation. Here is your reward!"

The burly man tossed a little pouch full of astral stones to Leylin, "The total comes to 13423 grams of astral stones. Check the amount!"

"Many thanks!" Leylin sighed heavily. This time-consuming and very lengthy mission was finally over.

Besides concentrating on his own research, he would take on a few missions from time to time from the Morning Star region, earning astral stones to purchase other items to nourish the soul.

The task this time was a mission to help the burly man suppress the fire elemental elder.

"Hmph! These tribes actually worship an elemental being from another world! Even death cannot wipe out their sins!" The burly man scolded, still angry.

Sudden Change

Listening to the mission leader's complaints, Leylin remained silent.

The large-scaled tribe that he had massacred was not a fire elemental tribe. However, they had obviously been influenced by the fire elemental Morning Star to the extent that they formed a faith that worshipped fire.

It might have to do with them being of a different race, but Warlocks obviously did not give them preferential treatment, nor were they tolerant towards them. Though the Warlock Union claimed to take in those with all bloodlines, that was merely talk. It sounded nice to listen to, but those who believed that were fools.

Leylin knew how things worked in the union. If they were a race protected by a Morning Star, they might have some status in the Warlock Union, and could help their own people.

However, if they were a race without the protection of a Morning Star, then they would probably have to struggle pitifully, enduring exploitation and oppression.

After all, the leader of the Warlock Union was a mighty bloodline Warlock!

They did not think themselves human, but nor did they think themselves to be of another race. Hence, their attitudes towards completely different races seemed rather hypocritical. Especially for beings like these who hadn't even joined the union and sided with the enemy; there was no consideration for them.

Of course, Leylin did not bother with these trivial matters. He had taken on and successfully completed the mission, and had thus gotten the rewards. It was that simple.

The time spent on investigation and combat was already annoying him. In addition, with his experience from his previous world, he was beginning to feel concerned.

Why would a Morning Star-ranked fire elemental elder appear here? He had even bewitched many tribes to be on his side. If not for them finding out and eliminating him in time, this entire region was likely to have fallen into chaos soon.

And yet that wasn't what worried him the most. The other party had already begun spreading a religion, and that put him on his guard.

Recruiting believers and propagating religious beliefs was a very dangerous signal. Leylin, who had experience from his previous life, understood the gods that the westerners worshipped purely based on some misinformation, legends, or even utter nonsense.

This act of preaching was evidently different from that of high-ranked Magi, and it wasn't the sort of primitive worship of uncivilised communities. Real gods, and not only one at that, were spreading their own religions!

It was not just the worship of fire. A plot was also afoot to revive Beelzebub, the Sovereign King of Gluttonous Desires. It all gave Leylin a very bad premonition.

Even though Leylin rarely bothered with religion in his previous world, he wouldn't get this wrong. Of course, this was just a conjecture, he had no idea what the real World of Gods was like after all. Most documentation from the ancient era did not touch on this.

The appearance of the World of Gods was the beginning of the ancient Magus World's decline. Hence, the amount of books that had survived that era were the fewest. This was why Leylin had yet to gather much data on it despite his status.

This could, therefore, be a misunderstanding on his part, but Leylin did not want to continue down that line of thought.

No matter how superficial his thinking might be, he knew that the real gods in the World of Gods were, at the very least, at rank 6 and above. They were existences who had grasped a certain power or law, and such great strength was what Leylin needed to look up to. The moment he were to be caught up in giant complications like this, only death awaited him. With his current strength, at least, he would amount to nothing.

Leylin had always stood by the motto that one could only accept responsibility equivalent to their strength. That was how he had been able to live till now. He knew himself well; the games and contests between the gods and Magus world? Let the higher ranks take care of it. In any case, there were still many Breaking Dawn Monarchs in the central continent!

Rejecting the burly man's sincere attempts at urging him to stay, Leylin travelled through the astral plane, instantly arriving back at Phosphorescence Swamp.

Blue light flashed, and Leylin's figured broke through the enormous astral gate.

"The feeling of long-distance teleportation is really…" Leylin shook his head and laughed. The spatial pressure that had almost killed him while he was at rank 2 was like a cool breeze to him right now, not affecting him much.

"Welcome home, master!" A green elf similar to the tower genie from before flapped its wings and flew above Leylin.

"En!" Leylin nodded. The A.I. Chip linked with it, and he then knew all the recent events in the Magus Tower like the back of his hand.

The large astral gate behind him stopped humming, and the light from the blue flames above it began to fade.

After the light completely dissipated, the astral gate returned to its state of an unadorned stone gate. The teleportation from the Morning Star area required the astral gates of both sides to be linked simultaneously. Leylin had obviously entrusted this task to his loyal tower genie.

"You did well!" Leylin nodded in praise.

"It's my honour to serve master!" The tower genie had inherited the A.I. Chip's partial intelligence, and had an icy expression. There were no fluctuations in its voice.

Leylin had long since gotten used to this. After all, one could not have very high expectations of a program. He was pragmatic; it would never betray him due to the A.I. Chip's commands, and that was what was important!

Outside the astral gate were many laboratories and binding rooms. A few terrifying adamantine and mithril puppets, even Void Assassins on occasion, would appear in the corner every once in a while.

Streams of black air seemed to constantly flow down the walls on both sides, bringing with them a mysterious lustre and colour, causing the decorative oil paintings to change slightly.

This was the inner section of Leylin's Magus Tower. With his own participation, as well as the 'selfless' financial aid from the Oakheart Clan, the construction was already completed.

On top of that, the other party had supplied a large amount of astral stones and helped Leylin build an astral gate of his own, the one he had just exited.

Based on the intelligence he had, the Oakheart Clan had practically exhausted their reserves and even sold off many properties to build the tower and gate. It was a huge setback for them.

Leylin obviously cared little about this. Instead, he was very satisfied with this Morning Star Magus Tower.

Furthermore, with the influence from his radiation, the entire Magus Tower had somewhat gained a life of its own. The tower body was now very harmonious, and automatically generated a few shadow servants, dark serpent tentacles and the like, perfecting the defensive abilities of the building.

Suddenly recalling something, Leylin told the tower genie, "Tell your mistress that I'm back, and that I plan to have dinner with her tonight!"

"Your will shall be carried out!" The tower genie bowed, and quickly retreated.

Evening, in the hall of the Magus Tower. There were brilliant lights and vibrant colours everywhere. A few high-ranked Warlock maids who were lucky enough to be selected to enter the Magus Tower were tense as they worked busily, laying the long dining table with intricate gold and silver cutlery, candles, and the like.

While everything was completed with nervousness, Leylin held Freya's hand and walked in slowly.

"Your Grace! My Lady!" A few maids immediately bowed to Leylin and the woman at his side.

Beside him was obviously Freya of the Blood Serpent Family. She had married Leylin years ago, and now dressed like a noble. She looked very poised, and had an inborn noble temperament, though there was a trace of gloom between her eyebrows.

"I know what you're worrying about…" Leylin couldn't help but console her in a tender manner after noticing it, "But I think there might be a chance for my bloodline to become even more perfect, or perhaps advance to an even more powerful realm. Hence, my bloodline still isn't mature, and the children borne of this will become a regret. None of us want to see this, do we?"

After listening to Leylin's explanation, Freya seemed to feel better, revealing a smile that even enchanted the maids.

Leylin chuckled. His previous words were half-truths.

However, through the Scarlet Crescent ruins as well as the conversation with the Wisdom Tree, he now had an idea as to how he could solve the issue of his bloodline shackles. Hence, he was in no hurry to leave behind children.

If not, he would be harming his own blood.

When he advanced to a higher level, the descendants he had would definitely have a higher starting point and potential. This would be beneficial to both of them, and even if Freya were puzzled by this, Leylin would still persist.

"I'll listen to you!" Freya pursed her lips and laughed, and then got Leylin to sit.

Within the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin was an existence that could hide anything from the masses. His will was the will of all the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan. Freya naturally did not say more.

Furthermore, in the deepest part of her heart, she was very trusting of Leylin; this would affect the Farlier Family, after all.

"By the way, how are Parker and Faisal? And Snoopy too; was his trip to the Demon Garden successful?"

Leylin spoke to Freya while eating the delicacies that the chefs had thoughtfully prepared. Most of the time, he was the one asking the questions, while Freya answered.

When the heartwarming dinner was over, and while Leylin was enjoying his black tea, Freya finally asked, "Leylin… How long are you going to stay here this time?"

A trace of anticipation flashed in her pupils.

"Probably longer. The missions from before are finished, and there are still a few experiments that have to be done in the Magus Tower…"

Leylin began to speak endlessly while beating around the bush. Freya's palms were under her chin and her eyes were full of worship, almost emitting stars as she smiled gently and listened.

*Ka-cha!* This comforting moment did not continue for long before it was interrupted. When the sound of glass breaking was heard from Freya's body, her expression changed drastically.

"This is the necklace Mentor, Duke Emma left for me. Inside is a thread of her soul flame!"

Freya yanked out a platinum necklace that had a large blue gem at the center. The blood-red flames leapt out, but at this moment seemed to have withered.

Determination and Action

The spiritual flame of a Morning Star Magus had an intricate relationship with their body. Its strength also reflected the time the Magus had remaining.

That Freya's necklace had encountered such a situation meant the original body of Blood Duchess Emma had likely been dealt severe damage in the foreign world.

Trauma would weaken a Magus' vitality, which in turn caused such a change in the spiritual flame they left behind.

"Mentor… Mentor!" Freya's eyes turned red as she covered her mouth, but Leylin's secret imprint twinkled before he could try to console her.

"Yes, Faisal?" Leylin frowned as he tapped the secret imprint open.

"Your Grace, my Mentor… the spiritual flame of the First Elder was extinguished a minute ago…" Faisal's voice was husky. It was as if his heart had sunk, and he was feeling hopeless.

"Extinguished?" Leylin touched his chin. If the spiritual flame had been extinguished, the Morning Star Warlock's originally body must have perished.

The only thing that supported the First Elder's group was that he was still alive. There was still hope for them to return from the foreign world.

And now, that final hope had been shattered. Faisal's change was understandable.

"But what happened? Wasn't it all good until now?" Leylin felt puzzled, it seemed like a conspiracy was afoot.

Another connection request came up before Leylin could end Faisal's secret imprint call, and Kesha's panicked voice sounded out.

"Leylin! Leylin!" She called his name directly, forgetting about his current status. It showed how desperate she was.

"What happened?" The ominous feeling in Leylin's heart grew stronger.

"… Forgive me, Your Grace!" Kesha paused to correct her misbehaviour before continuing, "It's Mentor. The spiritual flame Duke Gilbert left behind has grown extremely unstable, and is flickering strongly. I… I'm very worried…"

"I got it!" Leylin nodded, and his voice turned serious and solemn, "Pass down my orders, all Crystal Phase Warlocks are to report to the meeting room. We might be in trouble…"

The Warlock elites were now congregated here instead of residing in their own territories. Since they were all in Phosphorescence Swamp, they could gather immediately after Leylin's orders were passed.

Leylin reckoned that these people would not have come so fast if it was not related to their teachers.

"Duke Farlier!" The panic-stricken Warlocks calmed a little upon seeing Leylin dressed in his huge robe.

"Please, sit down and be at ease!" Leylin sat at the head chair. With his battle experience, he had long since acquired a dignified aura that turned the meeting room solemn.

"Thank you, Your Grace!" A number of Crystal Phase Magi bowed and settled down in order.

By virtue of being his wife, Freya occupied the seat next to Leylin, a fact that left some of the rest in envy.

Leylin sighed while looking at the handful of Crystal Phase Warlocks in an upright position. The last war had caused tremendous loss to the Ouroboros Clan, and the loss of their elite forces was especially tough to recover from.

It would take at least a few hundred years for them to recover to peak condition.

"Schadt, report!" Leylin said after glancing across everyone and called for Schadt only when everyone settled down.

"Master!" Schadt wiped off the fog that was on his thick spectacles, bowing to Leylin immediately after he stood up. He spoke in a dignified manner, "The spiritual flames of the elders that we'd kept in our technical department started fluctuating vigorously 24 minutes ago, and the First Elder's has completely died out. I'm afraid that…"

Leylin too felt somewhat frustrated and aggrieved. After all, this was the fall of another Morning Star Warlock.

Even though Schadt did not continue his words, Faisal and one of the Crystal Phase Warlocks had lowered their heads. Losing the First Elder was definitely a huge blow to their morale.

"I've asked the other two Morning Star seeds as well. It's not just a single spiritual flame that flickered, it's all of them. The other two elders must be in the same plight as the First Elder in the foreign world…"

There was not much to say for now. After Schadt sat down, the rest of the Warlocks placed their focus on Leylin.

Upon seeing their reaction, Leylin cleared his throat, "Schadt, have the coordinates of the foreign world been confirmed?"

"My apologies! The technical department and I have been working on this problem endlessly. There are two possible coordinates on our list, I will send them to you after this!"

A tinge of shame surfaced on Schadt's face. This incident was a humiliation to the entire technical department. They had been overconfident and bragged that they were going to solve the problem in a few days' time, but took them nearly five years. It was such a dereliction of their duty.

The Crystal Phase Warlock who had tears in the eyes just like Faisal slammed the table and shouted, "Schadt, you old fogey! Are you pulling strings and intentionally not revealing the coordinates of the foreign world?"

The moment he heard these words, Schadt fumed with rage. "Nonsense! I vow in the name of everyone in the technical department, never have I orchestrated something like that!"

Before, he'd suffered in silence because it had been difficult for him to locate the coordinates. Afterwards, there seemed to be another strange interference that added to the complexity, leaving him grasping at his hair.

'Could it be the interference of another organisation that is not eager to see our Dukes being saved?' A thought surfaced in Schadt's mind, but was quickly suppressed as it was too sinister a plot.

However, Faisal remained silent. Hid reaction affirmed the Warlock's suspicion, but before he could snarl at him, Faisal dragged his arm with force.

"What the hell are you doing, Faisal!" The Crystal Phase Warlock growled.

"Watch your manners, Marquis Ordofol!" Faisal's voice was equally low, but it carried within an undeniable order.

"I'm sorry, I acted out of line! Please forgive me, Marquis Schadt!" The Warlock's face blushed, but he stilled apologised to Schadt and bowed to Leylin who was in the head seat, "Please forgive me, Your Grace!"

"Never mind!" Leylin waved and stared at Faisal with intrigue until sweat glided down his cheeks.

Leylin took a last look at the Warlocks before he spoke in a low voice, "I have come to a decision, I will set off tomorrow to rescue the Elders!"

There was a minute of pause, which then quickly recovered as excitement and joy could be seen in everyone's eyes.

Still, they did not dare to show their emotions. They kept reminding Leylin not to fall for tricks.

"My dear…" After all the Crystal Phase Warlocks had been dismissed, only Freya was left behind, her eyes filled with worry.

Emma was her Mentor, but Leylin was her dearest husband. This situation was complicated, like a spider web that pulled her heart apart.

At last, she asked, "This time round… is it going to be dangerous?"

"Yes, there will be danger, but it's a chance too! Trust me, I'll bring your mentor back!" Leylin gave Freya a reassuring, heart-warming smile.

Seeing Leylin with such confidence, Freya felt more at ease. However, she had missed the trace of complication in Leylin's eyes.

After returning to the Magus Tower, Leylin went straight to the astral gate and fell into deep thought.

"This time… I'm afraid that I really have to make the trip!" Leylin was very clear on the fact that there were voices asking for his help being circulated in the Ouroboros Clan, and they had grown stronger now.

He had suppressed these messages as long as he could. He had to do something now, otherwise the entire Ouroboros Clan might fall apart.

Luckily, he had already gotten what he wanted during this period of time. Even if the other two Morning Star Warlocks returned, his power in the clan was unshakeable.

Also, Leylin was not too worried about the trip as he had already formed a more complete strategy after getting to know the existence of the puppetmaster behind the scene.

...

Almost at the same time, high up on a throne that was made from eternal darkness and rumbling thunder.

The rank 5 Magus that had a moon rune on his forehead was exchanging thoughts with someone through telepathy.

"How are things going with the Ouroboros Clan?"

"Everything has been prepared and we are ready to take action! As long the opponent enters the foreign world, we can block him completely from this world and wipe out the entire Ouroboros Clan!"

"You disappointed me the last time. I do not wish to see it again!" The Radiant Moon Magus warned with great dignity.

"There is no need to worry, Master!" The Morning Star conscient dispersed on its own, and the Radiant Moon Magus sat still in the throne, pondering.

"Was it really that kiddo in the ruins of Scarlet Crescent? What an interesting pup!" A mysterious voice sounded in the air, but the Radiant Moon Magus did not seem surprised at all.

"I wasn't quite confident, but Siebel's already dead; he's the most suspicious!" Radiant Moon Magus spoke in a cold tone, "I have to get him!"

"He's just a Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, even if he had any trump cards, the bloodline shackles will be his Achilles heel!" the mysterious voice sounded in disdain.

Setting Off

"Mmm!"

The Radiant Moon Magus nodded his head, and he suddenly felt a lot less uncertain. "That's right! Even though the rascal has immense, inexplicable strength, the bloodline shackles will be enough to stunt his growth. Kemoyin Warlocks can reach the peak of rank 4 at best, after which he won't have any room to grow…"

"Keke… you're right. Who would still care about a rascal that's confined to the Morning Star rank?"

The mysterious voice suddenly changed to that of a lady, gentle and soft. "Your real enemy is…"

"Shut up!" The Radiant Moon Magus who had originally been sitting down stood up abruptly, looking sinister, "Shut your mouth this instant! Don't you know that as long as you mention his name, even if it is unintentional, he will be able to detect it? The power of a King isn't something a person of your lowly status can belittle."

"Fine… but isn't it just a Breaking Dawn Magus?" The female voice replied indignantly, and she felt rather uneasy. It was as if everything that she had said carelessly today was inappropriate. This mysterious intuition had been left behind by the host of the body before her.

"I don't care about who you were before. Now you're but a damaged soul… " The Radiant Moon Magus' voice was cold and assertive.

"But don't we have the same interests currently? I can help you, and in return you can offer me…" The female's voice trailed off…

Leylin did not know explicitly that Jupiter's Lightning's Radiant Moon Magus had already made special arrangements to deal with him, but anyone with a brain would be able to infer it. As a result, he had to make preparations for his imminent trip.

An enormous satellite hung in the sky, looking about to fall at any moment. It was surrounded by a nebula in the vast universe.

"Please take a look at this contract. You can sign here if there are no problems."

Leylin rarely used his real identity, but now he was doing so. He was having a conversation with three other Morning Star Warlocks, with an already drafted contract on the table.

Leylin picked up a cup of coffee and talked to the Warlocks opposite, "During the period of time when I'm away, I would appreciate your help in guarding the Ouroboros Clan in my place. Also, I would like you to prioritise helping my wife Freya and the tower genie should they require any help. Any questions?"

In front of him were Paul, Philip, and another stranger.

Since he was looking for protectors, it was naturally better to rely on allies. There was no need to ponder much about Philip. He had the bloodline of the ancient Wind Wolf, and was hot-blooded. And with respect to Paul, after being taken advantage of by Leylin the previous time he now admired him even more. Based on hi's words, his people respected highly intelligent beings. Leylin immediately thought of the rumours of them being fond of sucking up souls and drinking brain juices, and could not help but shudder. However, since they had already signed the contract, there wouldn't be any issue.

The last Morning Star Warlock was a good friend Leylin had made recently— Mars. With these three in control, the might of the contract as well as the supervision and urging of the Morning Star area, Leylin was rather assured of the safety of the Ouroboros Clan after he left.

Everyone was familiar with each other, and the conditions that Leylin had offered were very generous. Though the terms of the contract were harsh, the three Morning Star Warlocks signed the contract without hesitation.

"Good luck!" Philip patted Leylin's shoulders. Out of the three of them, he was probably the one who hoped the most for Leylin's success.

"Many thanks!" Leylin was comforted as he punched Philip in a friendly manner. Ever since the happenings at Scarlet Crescent, the Wind Wolf Lair had not only lost a Morning Star Warlock, Palesa, their most important fighter Cybel had been beaten down to become a regular Morning Star, and had to withdraw and conceal himself.

A lot of pressure weighed on Philip's shoulders, and Leylin had lent him a hand. This had gained him Philip's gratitude, and the Wind Wolf Warlock now treated Leylin like kin.

These were Philip's words, of course. However, Leylin obviously did not believe that and rolled his eyes in secret.

Of course, the relationship on both ends had gotten increasingly better, and had even surpassed that of Leylin with the Wind Wolf Lair and Spirit Circle. That was the uncontestable truth.

...

Phosphorescence Swamp, within the Morning Star Magus Tower.

After sending everyone away, Leylin came before the astral gate alone.

"Tower genie! Once I leave, seal the Magus Tower immediately. Do not let anyone enter, and await further instructions!" hr instructed. He had prepared a lot of things for this expedition.

This was different from the previous experiments where he just projected spiritual seeds. He was on a rescue mission, and needed to move with his real body. This was extremely dangerous, and he could be completely lost in another world. Hence, the astral gate had to be kept completely safe!

Nobody would trust someone else with a job like this. He could only leave this to the tower genie which had no human emotions.

In actuality, Leylin had prepared another safeguard. Even if this tower genie were rendered ineffective, he wouldn't end up stuck in another world. However, this was one of his deepest secrets, something only he could know.

*Rumble!* With Leylin's order, the Magus Tower shut down, runic chains and defensive layers sealing off each and every pathway. Large numbers of puppets and void assassins with red light in their eyes began to patrol the area rigorously.

"Leylin, you must succeed and come back safely!" Outside the Magus Tower, Freya's hands clutched tightly at her white dress as she prayed in her heart.

Beside her stood Parker, Snoopy and a few other high-ranked Warlocks, all watching the Magus Tower that was being completely shut down. Their expressions were complex.

Leylin obviously did not bother with this. His focus was entirely on the astral gate in front of him.

Leylin had already calculated the coordinates of the world that Gilbert and the other Dukes were lost in long ago. However, this was only for his own consideration, thus he had not announced it and even interfered with Schadt's work in secret. This went on for five years.

Now, it was necessary that he rescue the two Dukes right away.

Apart from Emma, Gilbert was his mentor and had taught him a great many things. The feelings and relationship between them was enough for Leylin to take this risk.

Besides, that was another world!

"Even if it's a trap, they handed over the coordinates of another world!" Leylin was emotional. Even the lowest-grade world was definitely more powerful than a plane! The resources there were plentiful, enough to make Morning Stars and even Radiant Moons go green in envy.

"You didn't mind revealing the coordinates of a world just to trap Mentor and the rest. I wonder what your expression will be like if I completely take control of that world?" A slight smile appeared across Leylin's lips. It was as if he could already see the flustered, exasperated look of the Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning.

A ball of light that looked like a star floated out from Leylin's hands and disappeared into the astral gate.

*Rumble!* Through the connection of the astral gate, Leylin's soul force seemed to come into contact with an extremely complicated and tremendous world.

The aura of sulphur and flames could be seen spilling over in copious amounts at the edges of the world.

The astral stone reserves that acted as the energy core rapidly decreased, almost falling to a level that would issue a warning.

Through some sensing, Leylin could confirm that this world was very far from the Magus World. Just the consumption from opening the astral gate once would leave one tongue-tied and wide-eyed.

"An aura full of flames and sulphur?" Leylin was startled at first, but immediately eased up. "It's no wonder that Mentor and the others mistook this place for Purgatory World. If not for the memories from ancient times, I'd be misled too…"

"Tower genie, maintain the energy reserves required for the astral gate. Be prepared to retrieve us immediately!" Leylin's voice was low.

"Understood!" The tower genie that was like a green elf immediately nodded.

"Prepare for the crossing of the main body," Leylin took in a deep breath. Though he had experienced teleportation to the Morning Star area, the idea of travelling such a long distance still had him slightly worried.

[Beep! Beginning collection of data. Establishing folder in database.] The A.I. Chip immediately intoned. This was very rare, but expected. Even if it was an A.I. Chip, it lacked first-hand research materials, and they could be supplemented at this moment.

"However, using myself as a guinea pig is really rather…" Leylin rolled his eyes. The lights on the astral gate got increasingly brighter until he was eventually swallowed into it.

*Rumble!* The bright tail of a blue beam appeared from the spire of the Magus Tower like an aurora, streaking through the dark skies like a magnificent meteor.

"It's beginning!" Freya's felt her heartstrings tighten.

"It's beginning! Activate interference procedures. Things must be the same as before. Break off all of his communications and make him lose his way as well!"

In a jet black world crack, Collins, who Leylin had seen several times before, was talking to a group of technical staff who were fiddling with some instruments. There was a large amount of data showing up on the screen.

"Energy interference mode activated!"

"Warping forcefield structure completed. Interference can be engaged at any time."

"Energy particles taking form. Beginning tracking of trajectory and intercepting opponent…" Multiple high-ranked Magi acted like the most cautious scientists as they quickly operated the instruments in their hands, reporting various data.

"Good. Begin immediately!" Collins swept his hand down viciously. It was as if he could already imagine Leylin's features contorted by terror, and the pleasure of vengeance immediately flooded his heart. He could not help but burst into laughter.

"We're here!" Even though he was still in the midst of teleportation via the astral gate, Leylin was still clear-headed. The A.I. Chip was now sending him warnings.

[Detected unknown forcefield reaction. Determined to be interference particle ripples!]

"I've been waiting for you!" An intelligent glint flashed in Leylin's eyes.