Chapter 227 - 723 - 731

Plans and Setting Foot on the Continent

Their final struggles taken care of, the truesouls of the many kinsmen of the marine tribes were corroded by the black flames and they all died with a loud rumble.

"You did well, annihilating so many Sacrificers of the Trial's Eye. Here's a reward!" The chaotic force of the Nefarious Filthbird was projected into Leylin's mind with a royal declaration, great amount of chaos power descending through subconscious communication.

[Beep! Discovered large amounts of the law of chaos. Absorb?]

"No! Store it all." With Leylin's command, the large amount of chaotic force turned into grey crystals that he secretly stored. The black flames gradually died out, revealing an islet that now had no other traces of life.

"Keke… so they all died just like that? I thought they'd be more fun…" Belinda laughed maniacally.

Leylin appeared behind in her in that instant, light shining in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Belinda shrieked. Immediately after, her eyes rolled back as she fell unconscious.

"Mm… The bloodline consumption was so huge that even her mind is exhausted." Leylin shook his head. She had obviously gone half crazy. If not for that, no matter how discreet he was in gathering the chaotic power she would have noticed it.

...

"Ugh…" With a light hum, Belinda slowly opened her eyes.

What entered her sights was a scene where abundant stars filled the skies, as well as the flickering firelight from a bonfire that lit up the area.

Slight crackling sounds sounded from the fire, and a few grilled fish that were skewered on tree branches were stuck in the ground beside the fire. An aroma of greasy food spread out from the fish unendingly.

"You're awake! Would you like some?" Leylin chuckled as he handed a branch with a few grilled fish on it to Belinda.

Belinda took it without thought, her eyes still filled with bewilderment. Immediately after, the betrayal of the marine tribe as well as the decision from headquarters, even the memories of the failed offering to the dignitary of trials emerged.

"Ah…" The snake girl exclaimed, the grilled fish falling to the ground.

"Was all of that real?" Belinda raised her arms, watching the little sacrificial array branded into her skin. Now, however, the rune for the Trial's Eye had completely dimmed; there were even cracks on it. She went quiet.

The frailness of her body was proof of her crazed slaughter before, and it caused a wry smile about her lips, "I'd thought my faith was strong… I didn't expect it to be so fragile."

"I think you did very well already!" Leylin smiled, passing over another portion of grilled meat, "Whatever it is, you're alive. That's the greatest blessing!"

"…" Belinda sunk into silence for a long while before she took the meat from Leylin.

"Thank you." The sound was as soft as the buzzing of a fly. If not for his exceptional senses, he wouldn't have been able to hear it.

"Why did you save me? Did you hope I'd be your mate?" Belinda asked after a silent meal. The question left Leylin stunned.

'Mate? Ah, she's of another race and even a snake at that. Her ideas of this sort of thing are a little different.' Leylin nodded without a change in expression even as such a thought coursed through his mind. "That's the smallest part of it. It's more because we are of the same species. Mixed-blood Alabaster Devilsnakes are dwindling in number, and I can't just watch you die…"

"My life is very complicated, and I even betrayed the Trial's Eye. I'd bring you many troubles if we work together!" Belinda seemed to have recovered from her previous shock, once more the strong, able woman she was.

The branch in her hands snapped as she huffed, her whole body relaxing as she seemed to have come to a decision.

"Since I've already offended the Master of Order, we can only hide in the depths of the Hail Continent…" Belinda calmly analysed, "Though the Matriarch and the Trial's Eye are allies, they wouldn't send out a bounty just for this. With our bloodline, going to other continents would only lead to discrimination. My own situation is a good example!"

"It's not an issue for me. I've been travelling around the archipelago; I've been thinking about going to the Hail Continent…" Leylin was in favour of her decision.

In reality, that was his main goal. If not, why would he spend so much effort on saving her?

"We will enter through the borders of the nearest continent and then traverse through the Serpent Plains to reach the Holy City. I have connections there, so they might be able to help us…" Belinda stood up, "In return for your help, I will find you a mate with a bloodline purity that does not lose to mine. Of course, if you're certain about your choice, that's not a problem!"

"Alright," Leylin touched his chin, appearing 'embarrassed'. He was actually rendered speechless at her using such a simple method to thank him.

"Beast spirit summon— Godric!" A layer of blue patterns emerged from Leylin as he stood by the coast. Their rest was done, and the figure of the quick-witted Godric appeared. It was just that the injuries from the last battle left it dull.

Healing beast spirits was a very advanced technique. Only a few high-ranked beast spirit masters in the Purgatory World could do such a thing, so even if Leylin had methods to heal his beast spirit he couldn't show them now,

The large Godric mooed as it turned into a streak of light. It spread its two large fleshy wings on the surface of the waters, its expansive back as flat as land.

"Let's go!" Leylin said while jumping on.

Belinda soon followed as well. Her scarlet pupils scanned the Godric and she shook her head, eyes full of pity, "Godrics mature to rank 4 beasts, but they're very difficult to control. Those merchants capture young creatures and then seal or even extract their souls. That's jus…"

Following that, she glanced towards Leylin, "I see that the beast spirits you have on you is meagre… don't you have a healthier beast spirit? Injuries to the soul will only grow more serious in such a state, and even healers won't be of much help…"

"I'm merely a rank 3 beast spirit master," Leylin touched his chin, slightly embarrassed. He had bought this Godric at the port, using it as a temporary substitute. He had no plans of healing it, and at most was prepared to make use of this trash once more. "I'm more proficient in innate spells and the manipulation of dreamforce."

"Mm!" Belinda nodded, evidently recalling Leylin's astounding skill at using dreamforce.

"Since we're companions for now, we should be honest with each other. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Belinda, and I'm a rank 4 beast spirit master and rank 3 Sacrificer. Of course, my identity as a Sacrificer is of no use…"

The Godric flew along the shipping route quickly, leaving long trails of white lines. Belinda gathered her disheveled hair and smiled at him.

"A rank 4 beast spirit master? I don't think I've seen you use your beast spirit though?" In the crazed state before, she had even ignited her bloodline source and yet did not summon her own rank 4 beast spirit, which left Leylin surprised.

"My beast spirit is a little special. If possible, I won't use it in my whole life…"

She forced out a smile, her facial muscles stiff. She clearly recalled some bad memories, and Leylin tactfully did not question her further.

"My name is Nick, and I'm a rank 3 beast spirit master! I'm more proficient in physical battles as well as using the Alabaster Devilsnake's bloodline force." Leylin replied with a very sincere expression on his face.

"Which port are we going ashore at?"

"Though the Hail Continent doesn't get information from the outside that often, some ports might have long since announced for our arrest. We can probably only choose coasts with no beings around. Thankfully, we're using a beast spirit, so there won't be issues with anchoring and maintenance."

Belinda naturally knew more about the Hail Continent than Leylin. After all, no matter how hard Leylin tried to gather information, it was all theoretical. Nobody would know the place better than its inhabitants.

The Gordric's low moos continued to sound as the two gazed into the distant coastline, looking to be deep in thought.

...

Two days later, beside a wasteland.

The black rocks outside emitted a pungent smell. Leylin was bored to death, leaning on a rock while quietly in wait.

A large port showed itself in his line of sight, pure white marble carvings, lighthouses, and all sorts of noticeable buildings exuding an incomparable beauty.

The whole port was bustling with life, and large numbers of beings of other races could occasionally be seen walking the streets.

After sneaking into the Hail Continent, Leylin and Belinda had stealthily hidden themselves near a port so they could gather important information, maps, and supplies. Belinda had volunteered to make some inquiries for more information.

Knowing she was more experienced and familiar with this than he was, Leylin sensibly did not oppose her.

"Catch!" A linen pouch flew over as a loud shout sounded.

*Thud!* Leylin extended his hands and caught it, "What is it?"

"A map, and some other necessities." Belinda currently wore a thick cloak, covering all her characteristics as a demisnake. She was obviously very cautious.

"How is it? What kind of information did you get?" Leylin asked impatiently.

"So, are you finally scared?" Belinda, on the other hand, teased him.

Port and Mount

"Of course I'm afraid!" Leylin seemed to be very confident, "After all we destroyed a port belonging to the Master of Chaos and even massacred a branch belonging to the Master of Order! Oh, mighty dignitary, the Matriarch! I hope they don't join together and put a bounty on us, else we really will become famous!"

Leylin's performance was a huge success, and the look of suffering on his face caused Belinda to mock him.

"Hmph! A port? Port Elias was only an illegal private port that their governor established himself. He didn't get any permission from the Hail Continent, and even amongst the high ranking Sacrificers of the Nefarious Filthbird, very few acknowledge it… In a colony like this, it's merely an attempt on the Filthbird's end. It would be great if it went well, but even if it were to fail, there aren't any major losses…

"Besides, this is the the territory of the the Eye of Order's ally, the Matriarch! The Master of Chaos and the Eye of Order are arch enemies, which is why they'll at most pursue us on the sly but won't do anything too drastic… the only thing I'm worried about is the organisations belonging to the Eye of Order."

Belinda was clearly worried, "I've already looked through the announcements at the port. Unfortunately, I seem to be wanted by the Eye of Order, and news will spread very quickly…"

Immediately after, she looked towards Leylin, with eyes full of reservation, "While you did murder most of them, no news about you has spread. If you want to leave now, there's still time!"

Leylin was quiet. He obviously knew that this wasn't just because he'd silenced them, but because of the cover of chaos power. That was why the his traces had been reduced to the bare minimum.

However, watching Belinda, who was slightly nervous, Leylin merely smiled, "Did you think I would leave you for my own safety?"

"Why not? News of me being wanted by Trial's Eye will spread through the Hail Continent!" Belinda laughed coldly, "When the time comes, you and I will be pursued till the ends of the earth because we're working together!"

"Oh. That seems rather interesting." Leylin stroked his chin apathetically.

"You—" Belinda was so furious that her whole body began to shake, and she appeared rather agitated.

Leylin astutely noticed the change in her mood. Laughing inside, he still looked serious, "Where do we go next? Can the Holy City at the heart of the Hail Continent still take us in?"

"You're… you're really a fool," Belinda's eyes filled with tenderness. She stared hard at Leylin for a while, but she still ended up explaining, "Don't worry, the Holy City is a sacred land for all descendants of the Matriarch. With my connections, there shouldn't be any problem…"

"That's good!" Leylin patted his chest, looking slightly afraid.

"You…" Belinda was so frustrated that she laughed instead, finding herself unable to speak while Leylin spread out the parchment paper in his hands.

"This map is… so vague! Are we now at the port of the Andersus Union?" This map that was yellowed at the ages was very crude, with only the names of a few places on it. Furthermore, this was only the map of a region.

Leylin understood the reason for this. In this age, a complete map that had very high precision of the continent was so expensive that perhaps most Magi would need to spend their whole fortune on it. Belinda being able to get a hold of this was mostly thanks to them being at a trading port.

While commanding the A.I. Chip to record the information, Leylin recalled the the resources he had gathered, and the general appearance of the Hail Continent slowly emerged in his mind.

The Hail Continent was one of the seven continents of the Purgatory World, ruled by the Snake Dowager. Its lands were extensive with many undeveloped regions. Barbaric beings who ate raw meat and fowl, and even prehistoric giant beasts were common there.

The main inhabitants of the continent were all descendants of the Snake Dowager. All sorts of pure-blooded giant snakes, mixed-bloods with characteristics of giant snakes, and other species of snakes who were very distant relatives took up about two-thirds of its populations.

The remaining races, such as Beholders, Purgatory Pygmies, energy lifeforms, elementals and even humans were spread out across the continent. Of course, compared to descendants of the Snake Dowager, they were insignificant. They had tribes and clans, and existed between the cracks of two large cities or organisations.

Something worthy of note was that the ruling structure of the Hail Continent was a system of city states governed by clans. War among various city states were common, whether between two different races or amongst the same race.

The so-called Holy City was established with the joint decision of the descendants of the Snake Dowager. In theory, this was the core government of the Hail Continent, and was said to be the place the Snake Dowager favoured.

The Hail Continent would have to listen to the commands from the Holy City, though in actuality it depended on the individual masters of the various city states.

"From here all the way to the Holy City, it'll take us more than year even if we hurry there with all our strength…" Belinda unhurriedly pointed at a marking of a port on the map. At this moment, all sorts of emotions flitted past her face until she eventually grew resolved, "But I found a very special route here. As long as we pass a certain region, we can make use of a teleportation spell formation and reach the Serpent Plains, which will save us a lot of time…"

"Is that so? Then let's do as you say!" Time was of essence for Leylin, and the more convenient things were, the better for him. As for whether she would find him suspicious, he had nothing to fear with his current strength.

He, who had regained much of his strength and had a boost as a rank 4 Sacrificer, felt like he could contend against even a rank 6 Breaking Dawn Monarch.

Breaking Dawn Monarchs, rank 6 Magi, had all grasped part of the power of laws. They were exceptionally more powerful than most other rank 6 beings. Of course, being able to contend against them did not mean he could defeat them. Leylin believed he was only comparable to a weak rank 6 at this point.

However, in the Purgatory World, it was said that there were a total of seven beings at rank 7 or above, and a small number of rank 6s. WIth Leylin's current strength, if not for his fear for the Snake Dowager he would be free to do as he liked in the Hail Continent. Belinda currently had strength at the Morning Star realm at best. What could she do?

'Seeing her expression right now, she seems to be prepared to cut off her past. Could she be planning to settle some disputes within her family?' Leylin wondered while stroking his chin.

'Adult Alabaster Devilsnakes can only reach rank 5, which won't be a huge issue. I really want to gather a pure bloodline. After all, high-energy beings which can use dreamforce and connect with Dreamscape are very rare…' Though the Alabaster Devilsnake was a descendant of the Snake Dowager and was well taken care of, it was because they were right under her nose that she would definitely not allow the appearance of a Serpent Emperor amongst them.

Even a rank 6 Alabaster Devilsnake Emperor would not have a community of its own. For Leylin as he was now, it was like a dish served on a platter.

'I just need to be careful while operating in the Hail Continent. If the Snake Dowager discovers me, perhaps the Feather of Chaos could be helpful…' Leylin's palm subconsciously touched the area at his chest, where a grey Nefarious Filthbird feather emanated a hazy glow.

The Nefarious Filthbird's law of chaos had the effects of concealment and misleading others. With the boost from the power of chaos, Leylin now had more confidence in hiding his tracks. If not, Leylin wouldn't be confident in sneaking into this nest of the Snake Dowager where there were so many Sacrificers.

Compared to his previous infiltration attempt which had been very difficult, he was now much more assured in his success. In spite of the slight restrictions, the deal with the Nefarious Filthbird was worth it.

'But I still need to defend against the bird. If it were to betray me at the last moment, I might just turn into a gift for the Snake Dowager to improve their relationship instead…' Leylin's eyes shone with blue light, the Nefarious Filthbird energy in his body under strict surveillance.

Leylin did not have to worry about the same with the Trial's Eye, the Nefarious Filthbird was arch-enemies with it and their rivalry extended across numerous worlds. That was perhaps something that extended to the current day from primordial times, an irreconcilable hate. But things were different with the Snake Dowager. She was merely an ally of the Trial's Eye, which might not even mean that much to her. If it could pay a price and and entice the Snake Dowager to join its side, he was sure that the Filthbird would be very willing to do so.

Though this was a tiny possibility, Leylin had to prepare for it. Such was the sorrow of the weak; Leylin was currently walking on thin ice, a small misstep causing irreparable harm.

"Oh, right, I bought this too!" With Belinda's voice sounded, the roars of two large beings travelled to Leylin's ear.

At this moment, Leylin saw her pulling the reins, and the two beings' silhouettes gradually emerged from the shadows. What appeared in front of him were two large earth-yellow lizard-like creatures. There were even man-made seats fixed atop their backs.

"Since we are going to traverse through rather special environments, this sort of mount is essential."

Dreamscape Forest

Under the radiant light of a purple moon, two dirt-yellow figures were galloping across the fields at a fast speed.

These two yellow figures were naturally the two yellowish-brown earth lizards. The two figures sitting on their backs had their entire bodies tightly wrapped up, only exposing their scarlet pupils which flashed coldly from time to time.

"This earth lizard is a rather good way of getting around!" Leylin looked at the lower limbs of his mount. Above the lizard's barbed feet was a translucent membrane, rich in energy particles which converged around its surface. With this, it could very easily traverse jungles, swamps and other complex terrain.

"When we cross the Dreamscape Forest, we will arrive at the Whiteriver Valley. That's where my family is…" Belinda's voice did not carry a single trace of joy.

"Dreamscape Forest? Why the name…" Leylin had some misgivings, and soon looked all around him. Their surroundings were all grasslands, and there was nothing like a forest nearby.

"Dreamscape Forest, Dreamscape! You mean…" Leylin's pupils constricted slightly. His thoughts drifted to the Alabaster Devilsnake's bloodline skill and he thought of a possibility.

[Beep! Spatial undulations detected ahead, determined to be Dreamscape access points.] The A.I. Chip's mechanical voice transmitted over as well.

"That's right. We're also known as the Alabaster Devils, my clan stays in the cracks leading to Dreamscape, and we often lure travellers in to prey on them." Belinda's voice was cold.

Leylin's thoughts, however, drifted to the A.I. Chip's introduction of Alabaster Devilsnakes, 'They enjoy tormenting their prey within Dreamscape before eating their meal!'

Traces of dark red fog appeared, making the surrounding area foggy and hazy. By the time they had passed through this fog, a strange forest immediately appeared in front of Leylin. The black branches and tree leaves criss-crossed, and there were many giant trees without a single leaf showing their bare form, like a grotesque withered arm waving about without stopping.

[Beep! Host has entered a Dreamscape zone!] the A.I. Chip transmitted in reminder.

'Dreamscape zone… This isn't actually dreamscape, nor is it the Hail Continent. It's instead an intersection of the two places, resulting in a myriad of strange events… And now I've entered using my real body!' There was a strange expression in Leylin's eyes. Rather than his most recent experiences in Dreamscape, he was thrown back to his first time researching this world, with his real body fully entering it.

Even though he was physically protected and dreamforce should have less of an effect on his truesoul now, if something were to happen then it would be very difficult to escape.

"The bloodline of the Alabaster Devilsnake will temporarily protect us from the attacking Nightmare Creatures. Follow me closely!" Belinda shouted as she advanced forwards in front of Leylin.

'The Alabaster Devilsnake bloodline!' Leylin allowed a layer of white scales to cover the surface of his body. As expected, after entering the Dreamscape zone, these scales became even more brilliant. They seemed to come to life, breathing in the dark red dreamforce. It was like a traveller had returned home, and there was not the slightest sense of unfamiliarity.

The earlier oppressive feeling that Leylin had felt from the Dreamscape Forest also disappeared without a trace.

'Alabaster Devilsnakes are darlings of Dreamscape. As expected, they are direct descendants who inherited a part of the Snake Dowager's ability with Dreamscape.' There was an admiring look in Leylin's eyes, 'A.I. Chip! Scan the entire area and establish task: Probe the Alabaster Devilsnake's ability to travel to and from Dreamscape!'

[Beep: Task established, beginning data collection!] The A.I. Chip faithfully implemented Leylin's command.

A pure-blooded Alabaster Devilsnake could travel through Dreamscape to the outside world; this was how one had originally attacked Leylin. A mixed-blood like Belinda only inherited a weakened form of this ability, and could merely communicate with Dreamscape and draw upon the strength of dreamforce.

Although Leylin did not belong to the Alabaster Devilsnake bloodline, he possessed the blood of a rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnake, and was even in such a good environment to use it. Using the A.I. Chip to find a way for a real body to travel through Dreamscape would be very beneficial for him.

'If I grasp this technique, I'll be able to enter and leave Dreamscape anytime I want, anywhere I want. Perhaps…' There seemed to be fires blazing in Leylin's eyes.

Freely entering and leaving Dreamscape would require a huge amount of dreamforce as well as the resources of an enormous world. But the important thing was that he could use the infinite space of Dreamscape to travel to different worlds!

After all, limits such as distance and time were simply a joke in Dreamscape.

'It seems like the transport array was a lie. Belinda wants to use Dreamscape as a springboard to travel directly to the Serpent Plains…' Leylin concluded in secret.

Of course, using Dreamscape as transit wasn't easy either. Forget the monsters and dangers that lurked there, just the extremely indefinite nature of Dreamscape gave Magi a great headache. It was likely that Belinda's ancestors spend countless painstaking hours to explore the region and find this passageway.

The Dreamscape's drop point was just a hair's breadth away, but it could completely defeat their purpose. If the hadn't possessed the Alabaster Devilsnake's Dreamscape ability, they wouldn't have dared to experiment so boldly.

Leylin sped up his earth lizard and moved to Belinda's side, "Belinda! Is it possible to enter this Dreamscape Forest at any time?"

"Of course not! Although the Dreamscape Forest has always been in the wilderness plains, only those with the Alabaster Devilsnake bloodline and the special opening ceremony can make the Forest appear. Otherwise they could travel the entire wilderness and only see the grasslands and sand…" Belinda hadn't even turned to give him this immediate answer, "This is how…"

A spiritual force message immediately entered Leylin's mind, full of information about incantations and signalling runes as well as special refining techniques. Seeing this, Leylin immediately realised how much Belinda's clan had sacrificed to open up this safe pathway. And now he'd gone so far as to give this huge secret to him?

Leylin remained silent for a while, then asked, "Aren't you afraid that I will sell this secret to other Alabaster Devilsnake clans?"

There were definitely other Alabaster Devilsnake clans in the Hail Continent. There were ten noble Alabaster Devilsnake clans, each varying in size, and these clans also had their respective branches and extended relatives.

Because of their open-minded nature, there was a large number of mixed-bloods and illegitimate children. This led to a huge number of bloodlines draining out, and it was only because of this that Leylin dared to impersonate a mixed-blood Alabaster Devilsnake.

According to what Belinda said, her family was only a branch of a pure blooded clan, and only her father, the head of the family, was a pure-blooded Alabaster Devilsnake. The rest were all mixed bloods or young children.

"Do as you wish! I've already given the information to you anyway, so it belongs to you." Belinda seemed very casual, and her attitude shocked Leylin deeply.

'It looks as if Belinda's preparation to break off her relations with her clan will not be some easy matter. However, does this really concern me?' A sly smile slowly curved at the edge of Leylin's mouth.

'This could be my chance. Not just for a bloodline, but also for research materials on Dreamscape, and even beast spirits and sacrifices among other things…'

"Haha..." At this moment, a yellow figure flashed in front of Leylin's eyes.

Although the earth lizard's speed in the forest was already very fast, the yellow figure clearly effortlessly surpassed them, flashing past them like a phantom.

"What is that thing?" Leylin asked in shock.

After a startlingly brief glimpse, he had seen the full view of the yellow figure from earlier. Wearing an outfit of ridiculously wide-fitting trousers, with clothes that were brightly coloured strips of cloth, this being had a face painted with oil colours. It looked like a clown from a play, but it managed to run at lightning quick in spite of cumbersome wooden shoes.

No! He couldn't call it running. This clown was actually kind of floating, leaving many afterimages in its wake.

"Nightmare Creatures! They are a special patrol of the Dreamscape Forest.They don't normally appear," Belinda looked very imposing, "But if they drag us into the real Dreamscape even if we're mixed-blood Alabaster Devilsnakes it will be hard for us to escape. After all, we're not purebloods and don't have the ability to freely traverse it…"

'Nightmare Creatures?! Are they after me?' Leylin was shocked, and an idea flashed in his head.

After all, he didn't have a true Alabaster Devilsnake bloodline, and even his ability to to link together with dreamforce came through consuming the Alabaster Devilsnake bloodline. As a result, this anomaly of being discovered by the Nightmare Creatures could be understood.

"Haha… Haha..." They continued to advance towards Leylin, and the yellow clown appeared more and more frequently.

"Go away!" Belinda's face was very impatient and she suddenly roared, scarlet ripples loudly exploding forwards, splashing on the trees and grass.

By the time the explosion had passed, the forest across them had been cleared into a bare pathway. The yellow clown that had been there had vanished without a trace.

"Coo coo..." The sound of fluttering bird wings could be heard, and soon after a gigantic black tree next to Belinda came to life,

"Ahh!" Belinda's earth lizard was quickly bound up by vines, and let out a high-pitched lamenting call.

"Eternal Light!" A scarlet light suddenly appeared in Leylin's hand, making the vines shrink back swiftly as if they had seen their natural enemy.

"Let's go!" Belinda flew behind Leylin, and his earth lizard began to flee at the speed of lightning.

Reentering the Dreamscape

"These vile Dreamscape Creatures, we clearly had an agreement before for the protection of our bloodline!" Belinda snarled rudely, flushing red with anger.

"Dreamscape's changes are too strange, we can't judge it by normal standards…" Leylin had already faintly guessed the reason for the creatures chasing him, but naturally he wouldn't say tell her, "Perhaps these Dreamscape Creatures are not the same as those you signed the agreement with…"

Hearing his words, Belinda became silent.

"Indeed. The strength of Dreamscape Creatures is not governed by any laws. Perhaps the Nightmare Creatures we had previously signed an agreement with have all died. These new Nightmare Creatures could even have evolved from earthworms yesterday." A wry smile appeared on Belinda's face, as if she had figured it out.

"Even with our bloodline, our use of dreamforce cannot match that of these natives, we're in trouble." She looked at Leylin with a twinge of regret in her eyes, she clearly felt very apologetic about involving him in this.

"Nevermind, I agreed to this path myself." Leylin spurred on the earth lizard he was riding, making it increase its speed without stopping. However, the rays of light in his hand did not fade in the slightest.

'A.I. Chip, attempt to detect the position of these Nightmare Creatures.' While silent, he was conversing with the A.I. Chip in his mind.

[Beep! Scanning… Unknown interference experienced, unable to determine positions.] The A.I. Chip's answer filled Leylin with regret.

*Crash!* At this moment, waves seemed to be traversing the earth itself, causing it to violently rise and fall. A great number of the giant black trees roared, unrooting themselves from the earth. Their vines were so thick that they obscured the sky completely, sheltering the trees from the light.

*Whoosh!* A black bat shot across the sky like a hurricane, extinguishing the light in Leylin's hands.

"We cannot lose our way! I can only be sure of our safety on this route!" Belinda's expression became rather urgent.

"Roar…" A great number of the one-eyed Ents combined to form a wall of wood, covering the original path. Leylin and Belinda were blocked off firmly.

'Damn!' Leylin cursed in secret. The A.I. Chip's prompt came over as well, [Violent dreamforce undulations discovered from underneath the host, it is recommended to move away.]

"Go!" Leylin grabbed Belinda and began to leap quickly away.

*Whoosh!* Just as Leylin had risen into the air, a dark red spot suddenly appeared on the ground, transforming the void into innumerable streaks. The streaks twisted and warped, revolving to form an irregular sphere.

This sphere suddenly shrank and began to emit terrifying undulations.

A massive explosion rumbled out, and Leylin's mount was immediately reduced to a skeleton before even its bones vanished completely. Leylin and Belinda were immediately caught up in a frightening shockwave halfway into the sky, sent flying violently. It was as if they struck a wall of solid steel.

*Bang!* Leylin fell to the ground, and even the clothes on his back were shredded open, exposing a layer of fine scales beneath. It was because of this layer of protection that he hadn't suffered a massive injury from the earlier explosion.

"Belinda! Belinda!" Leylin flicked away the soil on his body and loudly shouted, but did not receive any response.

He looked around him. He was in a neat garden, with clear spring water splashing out of a white marble fountain. Belinda and the forest from earlier had completely vanished without a trace.

[Beep! Scanning complete, dreamforce intensity increased, host determined to be in Dreamscape.] The A.I. Chip's prompt appeared before Leylin's eyes.

'As expected, that explosion earlier took me directly from the crack between Dreamscape and the Purgatory World to Dreamscape itself. This…' Leylin had a premonition. If he could completely analyse this process, it would be of great benefit to the A.I. Chip's mission of analysing Dreamscape transport.

After completely comprehending the law behind this sort of transport, he would no longer need the bloodline of the Alabaster Devilsnake to enter Dreamscape. Transporting himself to other worlds would bring about great benefits.

'Dreamscape…' Leylin looked upon the realistic scene of the garden and fountain with a contemplative expression.

This time, he had entered Dreamscape with his real body. Without his main body serving as the coordinate, and without the astral laboratory linked with it, perhaps he would be trapped here for the rest of his life.

'However, the Alabaster Devilsnake blood that I possess is the key to entering and leaving Dreamscape.' Leylin stroked his chin in thought. His mind drifted to another topic.

"Almighty Ruler of Chaos, the resolution of free will, I call for your arrival…" The chaos crystal Leylin had collected earlier exploded in his hand, converging quickly into a Sacrificial Array.

The rune of the array depicted a giant bird with wings spread open, and it emitted a brilliant radiance.

'It was very difficult to link up. Because I'm only a rank 4 Sacrificer, I used up a chaos power crystal…' Leylin shut his eyes, his truesoul experiencing the power of the link.

The path of sacrifices was only common to the Purgatory World, and it naturally had its limits. The main one was that, once one left the Purgatory World, their connection would experience enormous interference.

On the whole, it was not beneficial for experts from other worlds to train in the path of offerings. It was like the distribution of goods: It didn't have many problems in the Purgatory World, but once one left it was like the trade route had become longer and on top of that various obstacles were added. It was terrible, and on a whole Sacrificers would make a loss every time some power was bestowed. Naturally, this path wouldn't be used in that case.

Consequently, those in the Magus World would at most use the Trial's Eye to sign a contract or the Nefarious Filthbird to renege on it. These two had few real Sacrificers there due to the frightful weakening effect of the world itself.

It was the same in Dreamscape. However, with Leylin's unwavering perseverance and lack of regard for the consumption of chaos power crystals, his truesoul finally linked up to a certain will.

Compared to the Purgatory World where the Nefarious Filthbird's will could descend anytime and anywhere, it was extremely troublesome here. It was just like receiving a bad signal from a transmitting station, even the information that got there was disjointed.

"You are… in Dream…scape…" The Nefarious Filthbird's voice seemed to be a little intermittent, but Leylin could still understand its meaning.

"The forces separating us are too powerful, even I am unable to transmit too much power. Perhaps only my Feather of Chaos can give you some hope…"

"Feather of Chaos?" Leylin still had some doubts, but the Sacrificial Array did not have any other response. The communications had quickly broken down, and even receiving these few short sentences had consumed nearly half his chaos crystal reserves.

It was necessary to understand that this chaos power was a part of his reward for getting rid of a portion of the Trial's Eye forces in the Hail Continent's coastal waters. He'd even dispatched many rank 4s to acquire it.

In actual fact, these crystals with the Nefarious Filthbird's power were enough for a rank 4 Sacrificer to amplify his attributes by more than tenfold, and at the very least they would reach the level of the governor of Elias.

"Dreamforce, chaos power… these two share some similarities…" Leylin reached into his bag and took out a grey feather.

'The power of the Feather of Chaos lies in chaos, concealment. Dreamforce itself is full of uncertainties. There seem to be some similarities, but there is a greater number of differences. How will chaos power affect Dreamscape?'

"A.I. Chip, record the following scenes and store all data!" Leylin commanded.

[Beep! Establishing mission, opening omni-directional mode!] The A.I. Chip's voice was transmitted.

'Chaos power!' Leylin took out yet another grey chaos crystal, putting it next to the feather.

*Buzz!* Bright, coloured light burst forth from the crystals, and soon after the chaos power turned into a stream of light that entered the Feather of Chaos.

A layer of grey mist radiated in all directions. The areas illuminated by the feather's radiance began to experience strange transformations, and a great number of flowerbeds began to warp and deform. Some directly cracked, and the others grew irregular. Other areas turned into places filled with human faces.

The white marble of the fountain turned pitch black in a flash, and began to fall off layer by layer. In the blink of an eye, the clear spring water within had also turned blood red, and the entire pool seemed to be filled with blood, a demonic stench emanating from it.

Even the space in this area disintegrated under the grey radiance, the entire place appearing to come to a standstill. It drained of its colour, becoming like a black and white photograph.

"Coo! Good afternoon, mister! We meet again!" A grey owl fluttered its wings and landed on the side of the fountain. Leylin felt incomparably familiar with it.

"Indeed, we meet again," Leylin bowed slightly, "Your Majesty gave me my key before, and it was of great help to me. But I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again, does Your Majesty know of a way to leave Dreamscape?"

"What key? Are you talking about my future self?" The owl nipped at its wings, "That doesn't concern me at all, that was my future self acting on its own initiative… As for the issue of leaving… perhaps Madam Minaz could help you.."

"Madam Minaz? Where is she?" Leylin eagerly made his inquiry, but at this moment the owl that had appeared so suddenly earlier had completely vanished with a trace.

Whiteriver Valley

'When did it disappear? Why didn't I notice at all?' Leylin's pupils shrank as he watched the now-empty fountain of blood.

Crackling sounded as the fountain disassembled itself at a faster rate. The bricks, rocks, soil, flowers, and grass all came apart into tiny beads that banded together to form a twisted humanoid figure.

This twisted figure constantly drew in parts of the garden and became increasingly solid, until at last it turned into a woman who had a black beach umbrella with her.

"I heard from Owl that you're looking for me?" The woman had her back to Leylin, dressed in black clothing and using the large area of the umbrella to cover her upper body. Leylin could only see her black dress and crystal shoes, and hear a pleasant rich voice that could subconsciously intoxicate a person.

"Looking for you? Could you be Madam Minaz? Yes, I'd like to know if there are any ways to freely leave Dreamscape!" A layer of black Kemoyin scales emerged on Leylin's skin, and his pupils even turned amber and vertical. After all, the way she had appeared was rather mysterious. She looked to be a personification of the garden.

After turning into Madam Minaz, the garden had now turned into an empty land, and even the surface of the ground had disappeared.

'Dreamscape is far too mysterious. If I have no confidence at all, I should definitely not set my foot here…' Leylin was slightly jittery, loathing the fact that he was in a world with such factors that could not be controlled.

Perhaps it could be said that no Magi really liked Dreamscape. It's lack of adherence to rules led to most of their methods becoming ineffective. Of course, some would say that this was because the absolute laws governing Dreamscape hadn't been discovered yet.

One could simplify the analysis of Dreamscape once that law was found, and the Magus who managed to do so would likely get immense benefits.

"Yes. That owl! It's the best at causing trouble for others!" The woman holding the black umbrella turned.

Leylin took several steps back. The front view of this Madam Minaz was quite surprising. She had a distorted face with no eyes, and a nose and mouth at different locations. Her visage looked like an abstract work of art. Her upper body had numerous lifeless eyes on it that were staring at Leylin.

"Thousand-Eyed Woman! It's rumoured that a gaze could cause a Magus to fall permanently!" Leylin exclaimed, and a tremendous Kemoyin Emperor phantom appeared behind him.

"You're afraid? Why?" At this moment, her voice had undergone a huge change. It lost its previous tenderness, becoming robotic and icy, even hiding a hint of contempt. The eyes on her upper body suddenly released a multitude of rays of light.

Light spread into the skies and blanketed the region, making the so-called death rays of Beholders look like child's play. The powerful radiance seared Leylin's eyes, forcing him to cover them.

The moment he opened them again, Leylin was stunned. Around him was a dark forest, and the one-eyed Ent from before had long since disappeared. The earth lizard was still moving up and down underneath him.

Belinda's voice was heard from the other side, "Do whatever you like! Since I've already given it to you, it's yours!"

'This scene… It's when I just entered the Dreamscape Forest and commanded the A.I. Chip to analyse this…' Leylin's pupils shrank, and he looked at the records of the A.I. Chip.

However, it left Leylin disappointed, even in shock. The Chip's records were all blank since the moment he'd ordered it to analyse the methods the Alabaster Devilsnakes used to traverse Dreamscape.

'Why did this happen?'

[Beep! Unpreventable interference encountered. Records are abnormal.] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice caused Leylin's expression to go dark.

Immediately after, he saw the newest records. [Beep! Analysis of ability of Alabaster Devilsnake to traverse Dreamscape has been completed. Dreamscape can be entered at will by consuming a bloodline imprint. Host lacks enough blood at the moment and cannot refine a bloodline imprint.]

;That's impossible. Didn't it say that a large amount of time was needed?;

Leylin's eyes showed how deeply in thought he was, 'So everything that happened was real! The ability to enter and exit Dreamscape was not analysed by the A.I. Chip, but given by the Thousand-Eyed Woman, Madam Minaz…'

'Time…' Leylin sighed. Even the concept of time had been warped by Dreamscape. Encountering such a scene, he was still terrified even after it ended.

All the dangers he'd encountered previously with dreamforce paled in comparison to the warping of spacetime that occurred.

It probably wasn't just him. Perhaps even a rank 7 could do nothing against these illogical events in Dreamscape.

'Dreamforce, the ability to warp time and space… that's a realm I can't even make contact with as I am now…' Leylin sighed.

"What's wrong? After going through Dreamscape Forest, we'll reach Whiteriver Valley. Once we pass that we'll be at the Serpent Plains. That's a month away from the holy city." Belinda slowed down and arrived beside Leylin, her eyes full of concern.

"It's nothing, I was just lost in thought," Leylin smiled a little and shook his head.

"Though the Dreamscape zone isn't as mysterious as Dreamscape, the ample dreamforce here is enough for Magi to unknowingly be dragged into illusions, with even more terrifying wretched Dreamscape Creatures here… Of course, for mixed blood Alabaster Devilsnakes like us, this isn't a large issue… After all, we've already made a contract and have the protection of our bloodlines…" Belinda explained.

'But that wasn't what happened!' Leylin cursed inside, but did not speak. After all, things that dealt with warping time and space were too frightening.

Unlike last time, this trip went very smoothly. There was no clown or Ent coming up and stirring trouble, and the Nightmare Creatures seemed to abide by the contract and did not harass them.

The dark red fog slowly dissipated, and the dark forest became more sparse. Occasionally, bits of clear moonlight shone down from above.

*Whoosh!* An unceasing sound of flowing water could be heard, and the earth lizards grew exceptionally excited, darting forward at a greater speed. Not long after, a vast river appeared in front of Leylin. The earth lizards cheered and lay down at the river, their thick barbed tongues extending into the water as they lapped it up.

"The white river, we've arrived!" Belinda's voice showed her admiration, a glint showing in her eyes.

Leylin turned back. The black forest and dark red fog had long since disappeared without a trace. It seemed that without the summoning of Belinda or other descendants of the Alabaster Devilsnake, it would not appear again.

Unlike the previous barren lands, there was now a river valley nearby. Even the temperature and concentration of elemental particles had undergone a drastic change, allowing Leylin to know that the short period of time where they had run at night had allowed them to traverse a huge distance.

'Using the indeterminacy of Dreamscape's space and hurrying along a world crack to leave through a node… This is something like teleportation! The person who thought it up was a genius… Either that or a lunatic!' Fear still lingered in the depths of Leylin's heart.

From the port at the edges of Hail Continent, they had travelled about halfway through the continent. Were they to have used a teleportation spell formation, even one from ancient times would have consumed a huge amount of resources.

Here, besides the preparations for the summoning Belinda had not done much. Just from how prompt it was, it was several levels ahead of these teleportation spell formations, if one could disregard its limitations and dangers of course.

As the Dreamscape Forest belonged to Dreamscape, only Alabaster Devilsnakes or bloodline creatures that could make contact with Dreamscape could discover or summon it. This in itself was a huge limitation, and what was more troublesome was the dangers near the end of the journey.

Dreamscape was the riskiest of all the worlds Leylin had seen. What he'd witnessed this day probably wasn't even the strangest thing about it. In the Dreamscape zone, he couldn't even disregard any attacks from Dreamscape Creatures despite a prior agreement.

Furthermore, in the eyes of the powerful devils, perhaps their attacks were not intentional attacks and were instead like a show of curiosity or intimacy with other beings.

It was a pity that a rank 5 being could do nothing against that 'curiosity'.

"After the white river we'll come to the whiteriver shore valley, another settlement for Alabaster Devilsnakes." Belinda sounded muffled, and looked towards Leylin, "That's also where my family is."

"Oh! Are we going there to visit them?" Leylin nodded.

"There's no need to. We'll recuperate nearby. Meanwhile, I'm preparing to go there and take care of some matters, so don't interfere!" A resolute look appeared on her face. This was a realisation through several life and death experiences, giving Leylin a premonition that this would involve blood. Of course, he wasn't against it.

'Looks like Belinda and her family have a very unique story.' Leylin watched Belinda's back and stroked his chin.

"This is good timing. The A.I. Chip has already analysed the bloodline imprint to traverse Dreamscape. It's not bad to gather some materials…"

Sophia

It was obvious how determined Belinda was, and how adamantly she was against Leylin's interference. After settling Leylin at the Whiteriver Valley, Belinda regularly headed out early and returned late, seemingly in a hurry as she prepared for something.

Seven days later, she brought a girl who was about fifteen or sixteen, pulling her in front of Leylin. "This is my sister, Sophia. How is she? Do you like her?"

"Lord Nick, good- Good morning!" The girl called Sophia pulled at her skirt and bowed towards Leylin.

"Sister Sophia!" Leylin laughed as he sized her up. She looked similar to Belinda, with long silver hair and eyes that were like rubies. However, there was a hurry and uneasiness on her face.

"You… What's this about?" Leylin glanced towards her, not knowing if he should laugh or cry in this situation.

"It's nothing much. There's stuff I need to do, so I'm hoping you can take care of her for a while…" Belinda ruffled her hair lovingly, "When she was young Sophia was seriously affected by a leakage in an experiment. Her appearance, and even her intelligence have been frozen at age fifteen. I secretly brought her out of the family…

"Sophia, when your sister is not around, you have to listen to Brother Nick obediently, alright?' Belinda pulled at Sophia's hand and carefully reminded her.

"Alright, sister, and Nick… Brother Nick!" Sophia ducked her head, and her cheeks flushed. Leylin was left at a loss for words.

...

The Purgatory World only had four hours of daylight everyday. The sunlight wasn't burning hot either, instead exuding an extremely rare warmth.

The bright light shone down on the plains. All of Sophia's fears from coming to a foreign environment had dissipated, and she was cheerfully watching a few butterflies that emitted light. A childlike beam plastered her face.

A distance away, Belinda and Leylin stood side by side.

"I can rest at ease now that I've handed her to you!" Belinda spoke as if she had been relieved from a burden.

"I hope you can treat her well. With her bloodline, your descendants will definitely be pure and of the Alabaster Devilsnake nobility…" Belinda spoke calmly, while Leylin merely rolled his eyes.

"It's like you're entrusting an orphan to me. Are you prepared to die?" Leylin asked without reservations.

"Die? No, just tying up some loose ends!" Hatred was evident on her face, "With all the years I've been making preparations, it should be enough to…"

Seeming to realise what she had said, Belinda hastily stopped, "Of course, I'm only requesting that you take care of her for a period of time. Once everything here is settled, I'll meet with you. Let's meet at the holy city."

"Seems like that was your plan from the start," Leylin was unhurried, "And your preparations are the petals of the Serpent Intoxicating Flower, as well as the stealth magic equipment you have? Please forgive me for being so direct, but while Serpent Intoxicating Flowers are remarkably effective against high-energy snakes, they're still lacking if you want to deal with pure-blooded rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnakes. Your magic equipment might have the function of hiding your tracks, but I don't think your plan will go well. That's a community belonging to a rank 5…"

"How did you know?" Her expression changed as she subconsciously took several steps back.

"I'm rather well-versed in potions, and I smelled the Serpent Intoxicating Flower on you…" Leylin laughed and rubbed his nose. "Even if you have insiders there, your preparations shouldn't be enough…"

"No, it's enough! You don't need to know what's going to happen. Anyway, as long as I'm still alive, I'll definitely meet you at the holy city!" Belinda shook her head resolutely, as if she had returned to her previous state as an unfeeling leader. It seemed like she had made more preparations in that area.

"In that case, I'll go with you…" Leylin spoke deliberately. He was going to harvest the bloodlines of Alabaster Devilsnakes sooner or later, he could just do it now.

"No! You just need to take care of my sister. Don't mind any other things. If anything happens to Sophia, I won't let you off…" Belinda glared at Leylin and disappeared into the shadows, not even bidding Sophia farewell.

"What a staunch resolve!" Leylin's eyes seemed to smile as he headed towards the sunlight and back to Sophia.

"Brother Nick!" Sophia exclaimed sweetly.

"Mm! Sophia, darling, can you tell brother where your home is?" Leylin now had a smile that was as bright as the sun.

"I… Sophia doesn't know… there are a lot of strange uncles in there who all look scary… When Sister brought me out here, I couldn't recognise the way…" She gnawed on her finger, looking dazed.

'This… is this a natural intellectual disability or a seal that was placed later?' Blue light flashed in Leylin's eyes as he stroked his chin. Soul force rippled through the place, and he found that Belinda really had left without bidding farewell.

'Such a stubborn lass… it's a pity…' Leylin's lips quirked up in a smile. With his strength, it was far too easy to find Belinda even if she was trying to conceal herself. Some stardust bugs or a soul mark would do the trick.

After all, he was using methods of the Magus World, while Belinda would be on her guard against probes and local abilities of the Purgatory World. The huge differences between the two was enough for her previous preparations to come to naught.

"Well then, Sophia! What do you think of Brother bringing you home?" Leylin felt like he was grinning like a big bad wolf.

"I– I don't want to!" Sophia, however, suddenly paled and grasped his hands tightly, as if recalling something horrifying. Even her body began to quiver.

"But your sister, Belinda, is there. How about we bring her back? How does that sound?" Leylin used a bit more strength in his hands, as if giving her strength and consoling her.

"Sister Belinda!" She looked around and, after noticing Belinda was nowhere to be found, she was now feeling anxious.

"Sister! Sister!" She jogged around and began to call out, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Sister can't go back, or else Father won't spare her!" Two rows of tears fell from her eyes, and she looked immensely frightened.

"Is that so? Let's go and get her!" Leylin didn't really want to bother with rivalries amongst families. All he knew was that he needed the bloodlines of Alabaster Devilsnakes, and there were purebloods amongst Belinda's family at Whiteriver Valley. That was enough for him.

"Alright, let's get sister!" Sophia bit her lips, evidently having made her decision.

"Mm, let's go!" Leylin had to resist the urge to pinch her exquisite cheeks. A black energy storm formed with a twirl of his fingers, enveloping the two of them within.

...

After the Whiteriver Valley was a huge plain. There were only a few scattered tribes and towns in the vast region, and it was no small feat to find a specific family. However, Leylin had already placed some stardust bugs on Belinda's body, so this task was easy for him.

In order for this to go smoothly, Leylin specifically came slightly later and gave Belinda enough time. He followed slowly with Sophia in tow, and even secretly took the time to do some other things.

'I never thought there's another race making use of a town as a cover near the valley…' Using the stardust bugs, after Belinda had made her move Leylin brought Sophia to enter a little town with an obviously foreign style.

The buildings here were made with black rocks and coated with nice colours. The sharp roofs were like upside down awls, and even the pavements were very orderly and even.

Sophia grabbed Leylin's hands after reaching this place, evidently having thought of something. It was still the wee hours of the morning and the town was quiet, only the occasional sounds of wind resounded in the empty streets.

*Creak!* A wooden door opened, and a resident looking dazed walked out with a basin used to store water in her hands. This resident looked very similar to a human, with numerous triangular scales that formed strange flower petals on her.

Her eyes flashed with some astonishment upon seeing Leylin. But when she saw Sophia beside him, especially her silver hair and scarlet pupil's, she dropped her basin causing a dull thud.

"Ala– Alabaster Devill! The Alabaster Devil has come…" The woman collapsed to the ground, her sharp voice piercing through the skies.

"What?" "What's going on?"

A clamour sounded as a peasant holding a metal pitchfork darted outside of the house. However, upon seeing Leylin and Sophia he fell to the ground. "Revered noble Alabaster Devil! Our, our blood taxes this year have been paid…"

'Blood taxes? So they forcefully demand blood sacrifices or something…' Leylin shook his head, quickly regaining the calm on his face. Doors and windows creaked open or closed, and an aura of panic gathered in the town.

Ancient Bloodline Mirror

Accompanied by cries of "The Alabaster Devil" "The Alabaster Devil's here!", panic spread like a plague and enveloped the whole town. The people of the town were now not as boisterous as before, and some even quivered in fear in their own homes.

'Seems like Belinda's family doesn't have a good reputation here.' Leylin entered the town that had descended into a state of panic and shook his head while speechless. On second thought, though, he wasn't all that surprised.

These people were only slightly stronger than regular humans, while Belinda's family had rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnakes in their numbers. The huge disparity in strength led to an imbalance of power, and in this situation Leylin would actually be more astonished if the residents were treated well.

"Tell me, where is the Whiteriver Valley?" The crimson in Leylin's eyes flashed as he watched the pair who were trembling in fear.

"Re- Revered master, there aren't any valleys at all nearby!" The peasant finally answered while shivering.

'Oh? That is true. How would they know about that place…' Leylin somewhat understood. The base of the Alabaster Devilsnakes might be nearby, but concealing it from regular humans was a very simple task.

'Based on the location, my target should be here. However, there's some sort of interference and I can't determine the location.' Leylin stroked his chin. There had to be many reinforced spell formations in the base of such a powerful family, isolating and blocking them off from scouting.

Even just the radiation they let out unconsciously could amass to result in mysterious changes in the terrain. It was only that, for some reason, these beings that looked like humans with scaled foreheads had a resistance to high-energy radiation that was greater even than low-ranked Magi, allowing them to survive and reproduce. Perhaps the Alabaster Devil family had moved them here to exploit and pressurize them.

'Since it's nearby, I'll definitely be able to find it!' Under the peasant's reverent gaze, Leylin's body began to float. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the town, truesoul at Half Moon sweeping out.

Every resident, every change in the terrain, even the bugs and microbes in the cracks of the town were revealed in front of him. His soul force expanded out, and the range of his sense was expanding further.

'The feeling of the pinnacle of power, of having control over anything… This can make anyone feel intoxicated!' Leylin felt like a god as he looked down on the town. He now knew the area like the back of his palm, and he would be able to take all the lives in the place with but a thought. He felt drunk on such power.

'Only with this amount of power can I strive for eternity!' Only limitless torture and suffering awaited those lacking in strength. Only by fully grasping his freedom and immortality would Leylin achieve his life's goal.

"Mm, found it!" Leylin descended with a flash of light watching Sophia who was clearly uneasy, "Sophia, we're going to get your sister. If we meet with any danger, find somewhere and hide yourself. Don't mind me. Understood?"

"Mm, I'll listen to brother!" She nodded obediently.

Just as Leylin and Sophia headed off, a black figure appeared from the shadows of the town and turned into Leylin's previous appearance. He turned and donned a large black cloak, disappearing amongst the morning light.

Because he had to perform some unspeakable acts, Leylin used a method he'd employed before, using the A.I. Chip to control a shadow clone to bring Sophia away. He was prepared to make his move on the sly.

Dragging Sophia along would probably not arouse Belinda's suspicions, and especially… Leylin's eyes glinted with intelligence.

...

After he passed through the dreamforce fog, as little white valley appeared in front of Leylin. 'Mm. There are so few people here… I'd thought that Belinda's family would be huge, but there are only tens of people here. And about half of them are half-bloods or have bloodlines that are yet to mature…'

Surrounding it were multiple snaking pathways, with a constant surge of dreamforce being radiated out. Deeper in was a set of buildings that were close together. It was obvious that this was where Belinda's family was located.

Though there were few people, the valley was bustling with life. The hissing and snarls of large snakes sounded from time to time.

'Seems like I've come at a good time!' With a sweep of his soul force, most of what was in the valley appeared in front of him. A few Alabaster Devilsnakes that were like little hills were spread in all directions, their life auras now at their weakest.

A huge battle had turned the royal mansion in the depths of the valley to rubble. In mid-air, Belinda was laughing maniacally with bloodstains all over her body, holding onto an ancient mirror. There were even a few obvious claw marks on her arms. She had evidently paid a huge price for this.

In front of her, a middle-aged man with short silver hair and crimson pupils looked ready to gobble her whole, his eyes filled with malice. Terrifying undulations at rank 5 flowed out of his body, causing even the surrounding space to shudder. Still, even that seemed like an attempt to refrain from provoking her and causing more harm.

'Can high-ranked descendants of the Snake Dowager take human form?' Leylin wasn't very surprised by this. Though the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent lacked this ability, that didn't mean it would be the same for the rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnake. Besides, the Snake Dowager and snake girls were all humanoid. Hence, even descendents of the large ruler of all snakes would have no problem taking human form if they had sufficient bloodline force or intelligence.

Some tasks were more convenient with a human body rather than that of a giant serpent, and the energy consumption was obviously much lower. That was how half-bloods mixed with humans were formed. If not, with the body of these giant snakes, even mixed-blood descendants would turn into monsters with bodies as large as mountains.

"Belinda, you dare return and even covet our family's greatest treasure?!" The middle-aged man with silver short hair exclaimed, the fury in his eyes almost able to reduce Belinda to ashes.

"On the day Sophia was kidnapped, I'd already reinforced the defences, but I didn't expect you to have bribed even Lisa and secretly obtained the keys into the secret room… You even got so many Serpent Intoxicating Flowers!"

Belinda, on the other hand, laughed carelessly. "I didn't bribe her. She betrayed you of her own accord, poor, silly father.

"Your disgusting methods to carry on the inheritance of bloodlines in order to gain the favour of the Snake Dowager have long since given rise to fury amongst the family… I only sparked the fire!" Belinda watched the ancient mirror in her hands, hatred in her eyes, "I could have done this long before I left home. However, the Trial's Eye taught me to prize order, and not wilfully engage in vengeance. But now, everything has changed. There is nothing holding me back…"

"Give me the ancient bloodline mirror, and I can pretend none of this happened. If you don't, it's not just you. Your sister Sophia will also suffer the worst of punishments… just like your mother did!"

A large Alabaster Devilsnake phantom abruptly appeared while he was speaking, and an enraged howl caused even the surrounding red fog to grow more concentrated. There were even signs of a link to Dreamscape.

"Haha… mother?" Belinda's crazed laughter eventually turned cold, "You don't qualify to speak of her!" It was like she had been triggered. Crimson light exploded in her hands, and the ancient mirror creaked, unable to bear the pressure.

"Don't!" The middle-aged man's expression immediately changed and he made his move. A terrifying red hand appeared and grabbed at Belinda, even as a large number of dark red tendrils appeared and extended towards the mirror from beside her.

"Keke… Such a pity, it's too late!" Black light burst forth from her body, forming a layer of black armour that blocked the tendrils.

*Clang! Clang!* Black cracks now appeared on the ancient mirror in her hands, spreading out before it exploded.

*Boom!* At this moment, Belinda was thrown backwards by the large red hand, and the black armour on her body was smashed to pieces. She coughed out mouthfuls of blood but still looked at ease as she laughed.

"NOOOO!" Crazed snarls sounded, and the ancient bloodline mirror turned into a large black hole as the cries of a woman sounded out from the middle.

Spirit after spirit appeared, all turning into multicolour figures that dispersed unceasingly. All that was left in the end was the sound of a distant lament, and the ancient bloodline mirror completely disappeared.

"Do you know what you've done?!" The man's facial muscles contorted. "With just another century… With just another century, I'd be able to refine our family's bloodline further such that it enters the ranks of the pure-blood nobles! It's all your fault!"

Formless power was sent out, and Belinda was dragged to the front of the man. Without the ancient bloodline mirror, he now had no reservations against acting. In front of his powerful rank 5 strength, even a full strength Belinda couldn't resist at all.

Not even taking into consideration the exhaustion from stealing the mirror, the discovery and pursuit had caused a great loss in her strength.

A formless giant beast in the sky widened its mouth and bit down.

*Ka-cha!* A large portion of Belinda's flesh and bones disappeared, causing her to let out a low grunt.

Revenge and Taking Action

"I swear that your death will be incomparably miserable…" The middle-aged man's face was contorted. The plans that he had meticulously thought up had been completely destroyed, causing him to sink into exasperation and fury.

Thin scales appeared on his hands in an instant and shot out like a giant cannon, striking Belinda's abdomen. Pure-blooded rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnake strength caused Belinda to fly backwards like she had been hit by a train, and the sounds of fracturing bones rang out.

Some of her internal organs were even ripped apart, mixing with blood as they spurted out of her mouth.

"Did you think you would die? No, no no. Let me heal you, and we'll repeat this process unendingly!" A large white snake figure emerged from the smoke, with a furious middle-aged figure at the bottom.

He came before Belinda, eyes sparkling a bloody red. Belinda's body floated in the air, and as if she was being crushed by tens of thousands of tons, her bones were crushed inch by inch, but for some reason, she remained clear headed. Her expression was that of one suffering incomparable pain.

"Now, tell me. What kind of pain would you like to feel?"

The man approached Belinda, a palm with a few tiny white snakes writhing their bodies appearing and flicking their tongues at her.

*Bzzt!*

At this moment, light flashed on her body, and a beast spirit tattoo flickered.

A translucent beast spirit figure appeared, obstructing him.

This was a humanoid beast spirit that had characteristics of a snake woman. It had rank 4 undulations, and some rationality still remained in its eyes.

For beast spirits, this was practically unthinkable.

When Belinda was in the face of danger, the beast spirit had automatically appeared and protected her, and even retained some memories of when it had been alive.

"It's you!" The man now had a demonic charming grin as he watched Belinda, "So you're still protecting that trash? How about I annihilate you first? I believe our precious Belinda will be very agitated…"

"Don't… you… dare…"

An intermittent an unclear voice sounded from Belinda's lips.

"No wonder she hadn't been using her beast spirit. So this was the reason…" Leylin nodded in understanding. As a rank 4 beast spirit master, Belinda had not summoned a beast spirit with Morning Star strength, and Leylin had long since found it strange.

At this point, Leylin found that the beast spirit and Belinda had very similar faces.

"With this show of automatically protecting her, it seems that this rank 4 beast spirit on Belinda's body should be her mother, and seeing what's happening, this should be the work of her father…"

When it came to matters like this, it was no wonder that Belinda's nature had changed and she'd prepared for a bloodbath to take revenge.

This had first been repressed by the teachings of Trial's Eye, but she now had no reservations.

"You dare…" Belinda almost broke her teeth from how hard she was gritting them, eyes wide as she glared at her father.

"Keke… And what would I not dare do? This low-life woman was only a mixed-blood maid. I gave her glory and a good life, and in return, this is what she should do… don't you think so?"

The man stared at the beast spirit like a sick pervert. It was a pity that after being refined into a beast spirit, the woman had now lost most of her memories and emotions, and only protected Belinda subconsciously and answered the gaze of the man emotionlessly.

"Sigh… This work isn't that perfect."

He shook his head with regret and suddenly snapped his fingers, "Belinda! How about I seal your sister? What do you think? The process must be just as beautiful?"

Watching Belinda begin to struggle violently, he smiled, now having the upper hand, "And now… let me…"

Large amounts of dark red fog turned into a cage, binding the snake woman beast spirit within.

"Hss…" The snake woman's eyes were wary as she hissed, but she, who only possessed rank 4 strength, could not really resist.

"Pfft! And that's the end of this drama. Is it time for me to make my move?"

A terrifying black chain appeared in the air and was like a sharp sword, appearing and splitting up the man and Belinda.

"Who is it?"

The man abruptly raised his head, looking fearful.

He was a rank 5 after all, and yet someone had stealthily entered without anyone noticing. Just this ability alone had him in fear.

Following which, he found a figure in a black cloak standing, a pair of eyes full of malice watching him.

"No, not malice, but apathy! It's like a regular person stomping and killing an ant. That's how he feels about killing me!"

In that instant, the man, who had understood the meaning of the indifference in Leylin's eyes, became violent.

"Who is it? Who dares belittle I, Kenta! Mighty Alabaster Devil nobility, descendants of the Mistress…"

A large Alabaster Devilsnake figure abruptly emerged and snarled at Leylin, dark red dreamforce floating in its surroundings.

"This is…" Belinda's vision went red, the figure in black seeming familiar.

"Right! He's… it's the same person who took Lord Bayclark away… or perhaps it's just his temperament that's similar. But why did he appear here?"

"Keke…" At this moment, the black-cloaked man in the sky laughed coldly, the malice causing everyone around to tremble in fear.

"If a rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnake is turned into a beast spirit, I imagine it'd be very powerful even amongst rank 5 beast spirit masters, right?"

"Beast spirit? You dare have such thoughts and dare use the descendants of the mighty Mistress as a beast spirit?"

The man's eyes widened like saucers, evidently astonished by Leylin's gutsy behaviour. In the Hail Continent, the descendants of the Snake Dowager were naturally the mainstream, and because of their statuses as large beasts, they were repulsed by practices of capturing snakes and refining them into beast spirits.

This was especially so for descendants of the Snake Dowager. That was a huge taboo, and all beast spirit masters who were found making use of the descendants would be chased till their deaths regardless of how they were obtained.

Hence, on the Hail Continent, beast spirit masters never dared use the descendants as beast spirits, and that extended to snake species disappearing as beast spirits.

Even on the other continents, in order to avoid being viewed as hostile by the great Hail Continent, the beast spirit masters who controlled snake beast spirits were few and far between, and even had to live their lives secretively.

In these circumstances, Leylin's words were offensive and shocking.

"You're dead meat! You're dead meat! The Mistress and all of her descendants on the continent will be your enemies…"

The man roared, "For you, who dare offend our revered bloodlines, I, Kenta, will give you the appropriate punishment!"

"Hmph, what nonsense!"

Leylin snickered, and a demonic pressure released from his body, giving him a feeling of being in the presence of an emperor.

"Dreamforce is useless to me! Don't bother!"

Leylin waved his arms, and the great amounts of dark red fog congealed in his hands, forming a black bundle of light.

"Rank 4 dream spell— Chains of Dreams!"

Dark red chains shot out and, like a spiderweb, sealed off the whole space and left behind what was similar to a poisonous snake, biting towards Kenta.

"He makes use of dreamscape and can even do this?"

Kenta's expression immediately changed, "Who exactly are you? Are you from the Devil Scorpion Race or the Dreamscape Elves?" This person's abilities at manipulating dreamforce was clearly above his, and Kenta could already feel that the two of them were now wrestling over authority over the dreamforce, and the winner could appear at any moment.

These two races were the most capable at manipulating dreamforce of all that he knew. Amongst the descendants of the Snake Dowager, besides the Alabaster Devilsnake, there were no others that had contact with dreamforce.

"You don't need to know this. Just die obediently and let your soul be extracted!"

Dark red chains of dreamforce formed a spider web that wrapped him inside.

"Is that so? We, who have inherited the bloodline of the Mistress, could never lose to someone like you who only knows to act slyly in the shadows!"

*Crackle!* Kenta's body exploded, and a large white shadow appeared in the air, squeezing and breaking the dreamforce chains.

"Hss…" The white figure soared into the skies and, with a terrifying pressure, presented itself as a terrifying giant snake that was tens of thousands of metres long.

The large snake had white, jade-like scales filled with the luster of dreamforce. Scarlet pupils were filled with madness and ruthlessness, staring straight at Leylin.

In comparison, Leylin's body was as tiny as an ant.

"This isn't a Morning Star Arcane Art but a natural transformation of the body!" Leylin muttered to himself, eyes shooting out blue rays, "This sort of boost to the body is terrifying! As expected, the power from one's original form will be able to show the best strength!"

Meanwhile, Leylin was in more awe towards these ancient Magi.

To be able to create combinations and make up the Morning Star Arcane Art to somehow simulate their true bodies and even gain a boost, they must have sacrificed much time and effort!

A rank 5 Alabaster Devilsnake had a terrifying pressure that caused the onlooking members of the family to bow down.

"Too weak! Too weak! This Alabaster Devilsnake family is too weak!"

Leylin surveyed the area.

Though his truesoul had probed and found that there were tens of life undulations, many had clearly lost their ability to battle. It was obvious that Belinda's Intoxicated Serpent Flowers were the cause.

Even without this, Leylin did not pay mind to the rank 4s who were weak, dying, or youths.

"But that's good. This Alabaster Devilsnake somewhat meets my requirements!

Leylin stared at the giant white snake in front of him and grinned.

Killing and Clone

The large snake figure that was even taller than a mountain stood before him, with large energy undulations of rank 5 emitting from it.

This aura caused many of the family members with the blood of the Alabaster Devil to fall, yet Leylin was not the least bit affected.

His expression did not even change, still assessing this huge beast in front of him as if picking and choosing goods.

Evidently, this attitude had led to Kenta's great wrath.

"Hss!" The Alabaster Devilsnake hissed and pounced forward.

*Rumble!* The surface of the ground shook unceasingly, and the area at the middle caved in, forming a terrifying large pit.

The tremendous snarls and the figure of the white snake streaked across from the pit.

Terrifying explosions sounded continuously. A tremendous white snake figure was sent flying at the end, large droplets of blood sprinkling across the sky.

"Impossible!"

The large snake rolled in the sky and then regained Kenta's human figure, though there were now numerous tiny wounds all around his body. His clothes had long since become tattered, and his expression showed his disbelief.

"How's that possible? How can there be someone more powerful than me? I am favoured by the Mistress, a rank 5 of the noble Alabaster Devils!"

*Boom!* Immediately after, a streak of black flashed, and Kenta coughed up blood as he frantically retreated.

"There's nothing that's impossible! While a giant rank 5 serpent is powerful, there's still a huge disparity when compared with the primordial Thousand-Eyed Giant, Golden Titan and the like."

Leylin's black figure slowly emerged, a mysterious Multi-Limb Race appearing at his back. The figure was now shimmering with gold and seemed to have solidified, turning into a golden deity statue.

Though it looked very delicate, there seemed to be a primordial giant beast concealed under Leylin's black cloak. The strength hidden within caused even the Alabaster Devilsnake to look fearful.

"Hand over your blood and soul obediently, and I might even let you die more comfortably."

As Leylin closed in step by step, Kenta let out a strange shriek and transformed into a streak of white, preparing to abandon his family and escape.

*Pak!* Many dark red chains appeared once more, sealing the whole White River Valley.

"Your strength and speed are all lacking! Even your manipulation of dreamforce can't measure up to me."

Leylin stated the truth calmly while ambling over.

"No!" Kenta kept falling back, almost pressing his body on the chain walls.

Such a ridiculous pose filled Belinda with pleasure and eased her desire for revenge, but she then found this pitiful.

"Mighty Mistress, I am willing to give up everything that I am. Please release a clone and protect your descendant!"

At his wit's end, Kenta's expression suddenly flashed with ruthlessness and began an offering spell formation.

Silver rays of light flashed, and immediately after, blood and flesh splattered everywhere. An arm that was still dripping blood fell onto the spell formation.

"The offering shall be the flesh and blood of your child!"

*Rumble!* Crimson flames flashed, and the attention of a conscient in the void descended on the area.

Under the red flames, Kenta's arm was melted till it turned into a blood-red mask, the tremendous conscient making use of this item and descending.

"Oh Mistress, please protect your descendant!" Watching the mask take shape, Kenta might look pale and had an arm on the shoulder with a gaping wound, but his eyes were filled with elation.

"Begin the experiment!"

In front of him, Leylin merely muttered something.

"Chirp chirp…* Grey rays of light flew from his chest. Within which was a grey feather that was like an illusion, bringing with it the power of chaos.

The grey luster spread in the surroundings, forming an overcast sky.

"While the Feather of Chaos might be able to conceal and have the power of misleading others, how effective would it be after the Snake Dowager's clone is summoned and descends? That's worth investigating!"

Leylin's eyes glinted with intelligence. While the Nefarious Filthbird had already told him this, Leylin preferred to determine this for himself.

If he found there was an issue here, he wouldn't need to head to his death in the holy city.

"A.I. Chip! Record the following scene carefully. Remember to collect data!" Leylin commanded inside.

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning scanning of surroundings, recording data!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

The crimson mask opened its eyes, revealing a pair of bewitching pupils. Just meeting the gaze caused the bloodline force in Leylin's body to begin rebelling.

"The clone of the Snake Dowager!" Leylin muttered to himself.

"Mighty Mistress, it is he who futilely tried to kill your descendant and even tried to refine us into beast spirits. Such evil behaviour must be punished!"

Kenta roared, while the conscient in the crimson mask stared at Leylin silently.

"We finally meet, Snake Dowager!" Through his truesoul, Leylin's voice was transmitted to the mask in the offering spell formation.

"Emperor of the Kemoyins, you dare appear before me?"

The eyes in the mask showed doubt followed by ire, a great voice sounding in Leylin's mind, "The power of chaos! You've sided with the Nefarious Filthbird and sealed off this region?"

Eyes swivelling, they rested on the gray feather in the air.

"Let's just say this is a temporary cooperation." Leylin's expression showed his sincerity as he bowed towards the clone of the Snake Dowager and greeted her carefully, "Well then, mighty Mistress, is there a possibility of us settling this?"

"If you take the initiative and abandon your Kemoyin Serpent bloodline and let me seal you myself!"

The clone went silent for a while and then answered coldly, as if this was the furthest she was willing to go, while Leylin's pupils showed his hostility in answer.

Sealing his emperor bloodline meant there was no chance of advancing forever, and his Warlock rank would fall to 4.

That was not something he could bear to let happen.

"Then… This discussion will come to naught? As expected," Leylin sighed and manipulated the feather of chaos in his hands.

A crystal with the power of chaos from before appeared in his hands, burning up fiercely.

Great amounts of the power of chaos, mixed with Leylin's own strength, swallowing up the offering spell formation like a tsunami.

*Whistles* Crimson rays emanated from the mask and quickly showed signs of being unable to endure the pressure, and was then drowned out by large amounts of gray power of chaos.

"How- How's that possible? Kenta watched the scene, stunned, feeling like all the faith he had had crumbled.

Leylin and the Snake Dowager's clone had chosen to communicate through the soul, which was why these outsiders could not understand what had just happened.

All they saw was that the black-cloaked being, Leylin, and the Snake Dowager's clone in the mask had gazed at each for an instant and, immediately after, the clone had been swallowed by the grey strength.

The Snake Dowager was a mighty dignitary for them, and was everything to all bloodlines. How could it be extinguished so easily?

The shock rendered them speechless, and Kenta lost all will to resist.

[Beep! Recorded all data. Confirmed that no information has been leaked.] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded, allowing Leylin to heave a sigh of relief.

He had used the power of chaos to seal off the area, so that the clone had no way of returning, and even all information would not be transmitted back.

If not, even if he were to dispose of the clone, he would immediately be found by the Snake Dowager herself.

Thankfully, with the help of the Nefarious Filthbird and its strength being proficiency in misleading, it had even temporarily cut off all connections between the clone and the Snake Dowager.

"The reason the clone had lost was not that it had lost to the Nefarious Filthbird, but because it was caught by surprise, as well as a boost from me…"

Leylin clearly understood the situation and would not be proud that he had been able to destroy an energy clone.

The loss of a clone was, to the Snake Dowager, like a human losing a strand of hair. It was not worth even mentioning.

However, this was a good start. At the very least, Leylin was certain that with help from the Feather of Chaos, he could conceal himself completely and sneak into the holy city without trouble.

"By concealing myself with the law of chaos and help from the A.I. Chip. I'll be able to hide myself unless I meet with the main body."

Leylin completely sighed in relief, gaining more confidence in his plans.

"How can the Mistress of all snakes, a dignitary, be defeated and die so easily? How can that be?"

He headed over to Kenta. This guy was now not in his right mind. For bloodline holders, the Snake Dowager was everything to them, and they could not accept this fact.

"Once he regains his wits, he might begin to harbour doubt towards her. I've planted the seed, allowing them to understand that she's merely a powerful existence. That seed will then sprout and grow till he begins to seek to surpass his limits and obtain more power… With that tiny possibility of one in a million, that could awaken the emperor bloodline of the Alabaster Devilsnakes and allow him to become a rank 6… Next, he'll be like me and try to break away from the restraints of the Snake Dowager, or be sealed with the Curse Mark of Ten Thousand Snakes and have his bloodline absorbed till his death!"

The A.I. Chip analysed, and a large number of possibilities in the future appeared.

This was not the power of destiny, but precise estimations based on a massive amount of analysis and behaviours of individuals.

Though its rate of having inaccuracies was quite high, Leylin was confident that someday, the A.I. Chip could be like a god of the future, simulating everything that had happened and could happen in a world.

"If it reaches that point, I would probably have reached rank 9 by then…"

Leylin sighed, "It's a pity, but you won't get that opportunity!"

Dark red blades of light slashed, and Kenta's head fell to the ground.