The grand gathering held at the Phosphorfire Marshes was a resounding success — and one whose impact would prove far-reaching.
When it came to the arrangements, Leilin didn't bother handling things personally, instead delegating everything to Aofa and the others.
At most, he would appear at key moments to greet distinguished guests, accept congratulatory gifts, and display a touch of his Sun-level power.
Throughout the entire event, Leilin's actual time in the public eye was remarkably brief, which left more than a few high-ranking Wizards lamenting their missed opportunity.
But Aofa and the others were old hands at this sort of thing, and they still managed to make the whole affair spectacularly lively, hosting multiple auctions and private exchange gatherings in succession.
It had to be said — the Central Continent was vast beyond measure, and Wizards from distant regions had always found it difficult to travel and connect with one another. The chance to socialize and trade with like-minded peers through this grand gathering was, for them, a truly delightful surprise.
In fact, even several centuries later, there were still Wizards who spoke of that grand gathering with fond nostalgia.
Of course, for the higher-ups of the major powers, their feelings on the matter were quite different.
Though Leilin's appearances had been brief, the sixth-level Sun power he had displayed — that materialized soul-flame — was absolutely, undeniably real.
This could only mean one thing: the long-prophesied Bloodline Throne, the most powerful among all Warlocks, had finally appeared!
The reactions of the Wizards to the rise of the Warlocks were deeply conflicted, and there was no shortage of those who harbored discontent.
Unfortunately, before they could even begin to conspire or form alliances, Leilin made a move that caught everyone completely off guard.
Before the eyes of all, Leilin openly challenged every single Sun Throne to battle!
And this was no one-on-one duel — he intended to face all of the
The moment the proposal left Leilin's lips, nearly everyone thought he had lost his mind.
Even granting that he was a Warlock with the advantage of bloodline power, how could a newly ascended sixth-level Warlock possibly stand against all the Sun Thrones together?
Many Wizards even believed the Sun Thrones would refuse the challenge outright, taking it as an insult.
But the course of events left the Wizards dumbfounded. The Sun Thrones, for reasons no one could fathom, actually agreed.
Due to the sheer destructive potential involved, the two sides did not choose the Main World as their battlefield. Instead, they fought in a World Rift.
This barred most low-level Wizards from watching, raising the entry threshold to the fourth level — Morning Star Wizard territory.
The battle ended quickly. Almost before the second- and third-level Wizards could finish craning their necks, the high-ranking Wizards had already returned from the World Rift.
But the returning Wizards were all deathly pale. Some had even begun mumbling incoherently, as though their minds had suffered a tremendous shock.
And when you looked at the Moon Wizards and even the Thrones who wore similarly haunted expressions — and finally at Leilin, who remained as calm and composed as ever — the outcome of the battle needed no asking.
But the impact this event had on the Wizards was nothing short of terrifying.
One man. Against all the Thrones. And he had won! And the fight had been so swift! So effortless! The Wizards exchanged glances, and a shared premonition settled over them: the skies over the Central Continent were about to change!
After the battle, while many Morning Star Wizards kept tight-lipped about what they had witnessed, there had been no shortage of observers — and among them were always close friends and relatives. Gradually, fragments of what had transpired began to leak out.
According to those who had watched, Lord Leilin had displayed terrifying, incomprehensible power from virtually the very first moment. Whether they were Morning Star, Moon, or even Sun Thrones, all could only tremble before the energy waves emanating from him.
Every Throne had been defeated the instant the battle began. They had even sustained injuries of varying severity.
No — some had lost before they had even made a single move!
This beggared belief, and naturally it sparked intense skepticism. But as the rumor continued to spread and, strangely, not a single person came forward to debunk it, the entire Central Continent fell into a deathly silence.
The only change was that even in private, Wizards no longer dared to speak Leilin's name aloud, instead referring to him exclusively as "the Bloodline Throne"!
Leilin's renown began to spread at an uncanny pace, and the Bloodline Warlock Alliance rode the wave to achieve tremendous growth — though that, of course, is a story for another time.
……
For Leilin, the grand gathering had been an exceedingly tedious affair.
The precious gifts offered up by the major powers in a bid to curry favor were things he could no longer care less about, and in the final showdown between Thrones, he had released less than one percent of his true aura before every Throne present could barely stand it.
All of it left Leilin with a sense of languid ennui.
After wrapping things up in short order, he finally had plenty of time to do what he actually enjoyed.
In the opulent palace, Leilin was brewing coffee. Whether it was the grinding of the beans or the subsequent steps, each movement flowed through his hands with the effortless grace of drifting clouds and flowing water, carrying an almost unique rhythm and charm that was endlessly captivating.
"Hehe… That Wells fellow earlier seems to have taken quite the blow from you!"
"That little fellow?" Leilin smiled, then shook his head.
For someone at his level, geniuses and prodigies were no longer worth a second glance.
Melinda took a sip of coffee, then set down her cup, her gaze growing solemn. Though she had done her best to estimate his strength beforehand, the terrifying power Leilin displayed when they actually met had still exceeded her expectations — and what he had shown was likely merely the tip of the iceberg!
Melinda straightened her back slightly, her expression turning grave: "Lord Leilin… have you touched the realm of Rules?"
"Mm." Leilin nodded, and immediately heard Melinda draw in a sharp breath.
As an ancient monster who had lived for ages, Melinda understood full well the terror of wielding the power of Rules. Moreover, his level was nothing like theirs — those who self-proclaimed themselves Thrones while being nothing but frogs at the bottom of a well, barely grazing the surface of Rules. He had entered a far deeper plane, triggering a terrifying qualitative transformation.
"No wonder…" Melinda forced a smile. "No wonder you were so effortless when dealing with us…"
Leilin's eyes glanced toward her.
In his view, Melinda was a shrewd one. Her origins were even more mysterious than those of the other Thrones, and she seemed to know quite a few ancient secrets. What's more, she had clearly exerted very little effort during the battle itself — even her injuries from the backlash might well have been an act.
"So! What are your plans going forward? Do you intend to unify the entire Central Continent?" Melinda asked, a note of apprehension in her voice.
She had already made up her mind: if he harbored any such intention, she would be the very first to pledge her allegiance.
The terror of a Rule-level existence was something a sixth-level Wizard like her, who had only barely touched upon the Rule of Flame, had no power to resist. Under his will, the entire Central Continent could only tremble and obey — of this, Melinda was utterly confident.
"No! I have never entertained such a notion!"
Leilin fixed his gaze on Melinda, holding it until she began to fidget uneasily, then answered with a faint smile.
"I have no further interest in the Central Continent. As you can see, the Ring of the Ouroboros is already relocating — we plan a full migration to the South Coast, leaving only a liaison branch on the Central Continent!"
Hearing Leilin's assurance, Melinda felt a wave of relief wash through her. After all, she knew he had no need to deceive her.
"Then on behalf of every Wizard on the Central Continent, I thank you! Thank you for sparing them a future drenched in blood and piled with corpses!"
Melinda rose to her feet and bowed solemnly to Leilin, who accepted the gesture with calm indifference.
"Oh! One more thing — I also have a small gift for you! I hope you'll like it!"
Melinda smiled like a fox, then clapped her hands.
"Lord Leilin!" A witch clad in black gauze emerged from a corner and knelt prostrate on the ground.
"
"This little one used the power of your gift to complete her revenge against the Harpists back then, but somehow managed to offend yet other forces afterward and ended up washed ashore on my territory…"
Melinda laughed coyly. "Of course, I've already taken care of all those little troubles for you."
"Mm." Leilin acknowledged with a nod. "Tanasha, your timing is perfect. We're in the middle of preparations to relocate. Go find Lady Furi — she'll make proper arrangements for you…"
Watching Tanasha respectfully take her leave, Leilin felt nothing at all.
At this point, a mere whim of his thought would bring fourth-level, fifth-level, and even sixth-level Wizards scrambling to run errands. He had little use for a former third-level subordinate anymore.
Still, she had been his person once, so naturally he ought to give her a path forward.
"Thank you for handling Tanasha's affairs. Also, regarding that soul-splitting technique you mentioned last time, I'm quite interested — and I have some additional ideas I'd like to discuss with you…"
After a few casual words, Leilin steered the conversation to business.
This, in truth, had been his real purpose in meeting with Melinda.
"The Soul Bifurcation Method? A technique as dangerous as that — if the Lord is interested, of course Melinda will share everything she knows!"
Though somewhat surprised, Melinda agreed readily enough.……