Completely encased in ice, Fars could only stare blankly at the rapidly rotating array in his sea of consciousness. The speed of the array's operation had indeed increased, now nearly three times faster than before he was frozen, although the rate of growth had slowed significantly. While it felt exhilarating to sense his mental power continuously expanding, the helplessness that came with being trapped in ice weighed heavily on his heart. When one becomes helpless, it is easy to grow weak and nostalgic, leading to a longing for the past. With nothing else to do, Fars found himself reminiscing about his life before, as well as the journey he had taken over the past six months since becoming a vampire.
Fars had thought long and hard about his choice. Becoming a vampire was not without its merits; he had gained a life that seemed nearly endless and acquired immense power. Most importantly, he had not let his life end insignificantly. He still had dreams and ambitions to restore his family's former glory. Perhaps in the past, he had been just an ordinary young master, indulging in pleasures without a care in the world, but he had truly enjoyed everything life had to offer and had no regrets. If his life were to end like this, he felt he had little to complain about. Although his family had fallen, it was the choice of his parents and brother. In politics, aligning with the right side could lead to prosperity, while choosing the wrong side would result in downfall. Perhaps his lack of responsibility, only knowing how to indulge, stemmed from having an older brother. The family's future was no longer his concern; titles and territories belonged entirely to his ambitious brother, who had gambled their family's fate on a political coup. However, after Fars fled as an exile, the sense of belonging to his homeland—the Osi Empire—and his family, represented by the vine-woven shield of the Delong family crest, lingered in his heart, refusing to fade.
As the last bloodline of the Delong family, Fars had a sister who had also escaped, but he was the only one left to carry on the family name—Fars Delong, now Fars de Hill.
Even if he were to descend into the afterlife, provided that the afterlife would accept a soul as tainted as a vampire's, Fars could accept it. Yet, he still felt a deep sense of unwillingness. Was his fate with this damned egg merely to first be turned into a vampire and then, through his own hands, bring it to life, ultimately leading to his own demise? Just a few days ago, Fars had genuinely praised fate, but if he were to pass away like this, without anyone knowing, his body would remain forever frozen at the bottom of this unknown cold pool.
Frozen underwater, Fars fell into a state of near despair, while Jessy, still in the small cabin, faced her own difficult choices. The ropes binding her had long since been broken, yet she still dared not leave the cabin, uncertain of Fars's presence outside. More than a day had passed, and Fars had yet to return. Fortunately, there were some provisions and fresh water in the room, so Jessy did not have to worry about going hungry due to Fars's absence.
The solitude provided Jessy with ample space for contemplation. She could tell that Fars's words before he left contained a great deal of sincerity; at least he had spoken many truths. His analysis was astute—once she managed to escape his grasp completely, how would she face her new life? A girl often dreams of finding a charming love, marrying her beloved, and living happily ever after. Jessy's love, Carter, had been killed by that vile Fars, leaving her heart shattered. However, since Carter had always been somewhat evasive towards Jessy, she was not driven to despair by his death. This love, stifled before it could bloom, was something Jessy had to accept. Fighting against Fars? Jessy was acutely aware that, given her current strength, success was unlikely.
But if Jessy were to choose to become a vampire, she would undoubtedly be trapped in Fars's grasp for eternity. Even in death, her soul would not find its way to the divine realm. Her tainted body could only find peace through purification in the light. For the past day, Jessy had been pondering her choices. That devil, Fars, would certainly not offer her a third option. Serving him for ten years? By then, she would be old and unattractive; even if she were willing to follow Fars, he would likely disdain her and wish to send her away.
"Ah, great God of Light, please tell Jessy what to do, sob~~" Overwhelmed by her own helplessness, Jessy finally broke down in tears.
Unfortunately, Fars, the one she resented, was completely unaware of her plight. He was too preoccupied with his own survival to concern himself with Jessy, the one who had always sought to harm him.
However, it seemed that circumstances were beginning to change. The array in Fars's sea of consciousness appeared to have reached some kind of limit, even showing signs of imminent collapse.
"It's over; this time it's really over." Fars felt himself spiraling into madness. Being encased in ice was one thing, but if the array were to collapse, it would truly be the end. With the energy accumulated by the array, a collapse would shatter his mental consciousness completely.
This array had not been constructed by Fars himself. Although he had become familiar with its structure and operation over time, it did not mean he could handle such a situation. In a moment of desperation, Fars had no choice but to treat this like a last-ditch effort, trying to suppress the frantically operating array with his mental power, hoping to stabilize it. However, the array seemed to be going berserk, rendering Fars's efforts utterly ineffective.
Fortunately, the array remained relatively stable and showed no immediate signs of exploding. Fars could only watch helplessly as his sea of consciousness trembled, fearing that he might vanish in this cold pool at any moment. Sensing Fars's despair and the precarious situation, the phoenix egg on his chest began to emit waves of icy energy, flowing into his body and immediately being absorbed by the array. After absorbing this continuous influx of cold energy, the array seemed even less stable, finally reaching a critical point before collapsing. Fars's spirit could not withstand such a shock and instantly lost consciousness.
After that, Fars was unaware of what happened next. When the array collapsed, it did not tear apart his sea of consciousness; instead, it used the force of the impact to expand it several times over. The cold energy from the phoenix egg began to guide the scattered energy, reconstructing the array. This reconstruction process was far from the "simple" task of the first array built in Fars's sea of consciousness. After a lengthy period of reassembly, a new hexagram array was formed, based on six profound runes, adorned with countless intricate patterns. These six runes, representing the most primal information of this world, stood like pillars, firmly anchoring the array.
In Elras, as well as among the gods and demons, runes represented the most profound laws of the universe. It is said that at the dawn of creation, the creator of this world inscribed two hundred and sixteen runes, which subsequently combined and evolved into this rich and colorful world. These runes, embodying the laws of creation, became the origins of various languages. The languages of the divine, demons, and ancient Naiseth… all living beings' languages can be traced back to the original system of runes. The distinction between high and ordinary languages lies primarily in their compatibility with the runes.
The divine said, "Let there be light, and there was light." This is the grand prophecy of the Church of Light, and it is indeed true; however, this phrase was spoken in the language of runes by the supreme creator. In other words, words can manifest reality. Gods and legendary beings possess varying amounts of runes, but combining them is a complex task. When one reaches the legendary realm, there are still divisions of power above that, determined by their understanding of the laws, which essentially boils down to the number of runes mastered and the complexity of the rune chains they can combine.
Those who have just entered the legendary realm typically master between ten to twenty runes, depending on their insights during cultivation and the information about the laws contained within their bloodlines. This stage can be referred to as the initial legendary phase. When they master more than twenty-four runes and can use rune chains containing over ten runes, they are considered mid-level legends. Mastering over seventy-two runes and being able to freely use a substantial number of rune chains grants one the power to contend with the gods. The supreme gods do not allow any being to master more than 108 runes, as this would challenge their authority, leading to calamities being sent down upon the challenger, casting them into reincarnation.
These records are only found in some secret texts. Of course, not only legendary beings can master runes; some families with legendary ancestors may awaken rune abilities passed down through their bloodlines. This is known as bloodline inheritance. The comprehensive strength of an ancient family is often assessed not by their wealth or territories, but by the bloodline abilities they can pass down.
The six runes that now appeared in Fars's sea of consciousness, upon careful examination, revealed a yellow rune emanating a solid and unyielding will, while two ice-blue runes bore a resemblance to the phoenix egg, exuding an overwhelming chill and a pure, primal aura. The remaining three runes, arranged within an inverted triangle, seemed to inherit traits from Fars's vampire bloodline—darkness, bloodlust, coldness, and depth. If these six runes were interpreted, they could even allow Fars to step half a foot into the legendary realm.
Fars had yet to awaken and was unaware that he had struck a significant fortune. Not only had the bloodline of his legendary ancestor, dormant for centuries, awakened, but he had also gained control over the laws of ice derived from the phoenix egg, even activating several runes inherited from his vampire bloodline. This time, Fars had truly hit the jackpot. The value of this array could not be measured; he would not even need to learn any cultivation methods. As long as he could comprehend and interpret these runes, Fars would smoothly reach the pinnacle of ordinary human professions and challenge the legendary realm.
Some things indeed rely on luck. Fars had been in despair, believing he was destined for the afterlife, only to stumble upon such immense fortune. The newly reconstructed array was incomparable to the previous one. Generally, high-level mages could only suppress their arrays with a single rune, and even sorcerers rarely constructed arrays with six runes. Only those with noble bloodlines and extraordinary talents could create such powerful and profound arrays. As for the pinnacle of mages, great sorcerers would master nearly ten runes and could easily combine two or three runes to wield the power of the laws.
Now, Fars was more than sufficient to be considered a high-level mage. Once this array formed, it operated for just one cycle, consuming nearly a day's worth of time. The results were promising; Fars's magical power surged significantly, now comparable to that of a newly advanced high-level mage, and his scattered mental energy began to slowly coalesce and revive.