In the infinite star realm, the
Among these smaller worlds, there were also large-scale realms such as Purgatory, Ice, and Shadow. While none could rival the former two, they were still abundantly rich in primordial force.
The Dream World, however, was something far more peculiar.
It had no fixed form, yet spanned across numerous worlds as though it were omnipresent. At the peak of its power, it was every bit as formidable as the Wizard World!
But this eerie and terrifying realm had now fallen into a trough due to the decline of its dream force.
This characteristic of the Dream World had clearly been exploited by many beings as a bridge for communication and travel—especially the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents, who had mastered dream force itself.
"Since I've been invited, I'll go!"
Leilin chuckled, and his figure vanished from the laboratory in an instant.
He had his own confidence when it came to dream force. Even now, while he still couldn't defeat the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents in a direct fight, he certainly had the strength to extricate himself from the Dream World if given time.
Under those circumstances, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents couldn't possibly be coming to deal with him. More likely, she wanted to negotiate peace or something of the sort.
After all, no matter how unwilling the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents might be, the fact remained that Leilin had already broken free from her bloodline shackles and even ascended to become a new Bloodline Origin.
As a being who had survived countless ages and even weathered the ancient Final War, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents surely couldn't fail to recognize reality.
Amid flickering dark-red flames, a massive gate materialized above the plains, and Leilin's silhouette stepped directly through its frame.
"This place... is still the Dream World?"
Leilin gazed into the distance. All he could see were withered trees, dried-up streams and lakes—the entire world seemed barren, with not the slightest trace of life.
He had already known that as dream force declined, the Dream World would enter a dormant period, but the sight still caught him off guard.
"Judging by the looks of it, the entire Dream World may have fallen into death..."
Leilin's brow furrowed slightly as he recalled the natives he had encountered in the Dream World back when he was still a fifth-level Wizard.
"
The dream natives Leilin had met before were among the most humble peoples of the Dream World. Even with the guidance he had given them last time, they had only gained a bit more ability to protect themselves.
That tiny amount of power was still nothing before a Calamity Lord—merely a slightly larger ant by comparison.
Faced with the terrifying dream-force decline that even Calamity Lords had to flee from, Gillian's people likely wouldn't survive given their current abilities.
"Still, knowing the bizarre and absurd nature of the Dream World, it's not entirely impossible that Gillian and his kind somehow survived. It's just that the probability has shrunk to nearly negligible..."
Leilin shook his head and let the thought go.
"The decline of a world... it represents the truth of the star realm. Even beings like us who rule by laws cannot escape the fate of eventual destruction... Progenitor of the Taglian winged serpents—what do you think?"
The surrounding earth instantly dissolved into void. The entire wasteland transformed in the blink of an eye into a boundless starry sky.
A star-like sphere of serpents materialized, writhing with countless colossal serpent heads hissing in unison, revealing the enchanting visage of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents.
"Precisely because of this can we be spurred to pursue eternity and transcendence with unwavering resolve, even unto death! Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents—there's no need for theatrics in front of me."
Leilin gave a light laugh and stepped one boot forward.
Crack! Crack! Pitch-black fissures tore across the starry sky, accompanied by terrifying booms.
Then the cracks spread like a spider's web, unleashing vast spatial storms. The entire starry sky shattered beneath Leilin's feet, and the surroundings reverted to the Dream World's wasteland.
"Leilin! You now possess power worthy of my attention!"
The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents watched Leilin tread across and shatter the starry sky. A deep, unreadable light swirled in her beautiful eyes. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice imbued with an indescribable allure.
This was the natural outpouring of her bloodline ability. Of course, it had long since ceased to have any effect on Leilin.
"Only equal strength can serve as the basis for dealings." Leilin had understood this principle long ago, so his expression didn't change one bit as he asked coolly: "I trust the Serpent Mother didn't summon me here to discuss this particular topic?"
"No..." The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' voice carried a singsong quality.
"Among my bloodline descendants, the existence of someone like you is both my fortune and my misfortune. But since the Bloodline Origin has already been separated, no amount of纠缠 can change that..."
"It seems you've found a solution?" Leilin's voice was tinged with mockery, but the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents appeared not to notice.
"As long as you help me seize the Shadow World, I will wipe the slate clean on everything that came before. I will even support you as a second Origin of the Ten Thousand Serpents and share the power of the Shadow World with you..."
The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents bit her lip as though making an enormous sacrifice. That delicate, pitiable posture would have driven any male creature to madness.
Leilin, however, was not beguiled by her charm. Instead, he was stunned by the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' sheer audacity.
"Seize the Shadow World? Great Serpent Mother—what an appetite you have!" Leilin drew a sharp breath, recalling what he knew about the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents.
"But it makes sense! She originally used Shadow force to refine her own laws and forge her own path—which is precisely why she has coveted the Shadow World. She even attempted to seize the entire world in ancient times, but unfortunately failed..."
The path of an eighth-level being involved using some medium to continuously refine one's own laws, forming a path that belonged exclusively to oneself.
Those who achieved this had reached the peak of the eighth level—a vantage point from which one could glimpse the ninth. A prime example was the Mother of the Earth's Core!
The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' previous attempt had failed, forcing her and her bloodline descendants to migrate out of the Shadow World and into Purgatory.
Yet the Shadow World's origin was the key to her ascending to the peak of the eighth level. She could not afford to abandon it.
Naturally, launching a new offensive was entirely expected. What Leilin hadn't anticipated was that she would come to him for help.
"Help you contest the Shadow World? I'm afraid I'm quite incapable of that!"
Leilin knew full well the tier of the Shadow World—it was a realm as powerful as Purgatory, home to a great number of law-level beings.
In other words, if he allied with the Serpent Mother, he would have to face numerous law-level opponents single-handedly. Leilin even strongly suspected that the Shadow World harbored an extreme existence on par with the Mother of the Earth's Core—otherwise, how could they have foiled the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' scheme before?
In that case, wouldn't allying with the Serpent Mother be tantamount to suicide?
"The beings in the Shadow World aren't as numerous as you imagine! Moreover, since you inherited my bloodline, you can receive a power boost within the Shadow World as well. In fact, the aid the Shadow Origin would provide you would far exceed your imagination..."
The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents clearly understood Leilin's concerns. At her level, most schemes and tricks were useless—the only effective approach was direct, tangible inducement.
"The Serpent Mother is so confident about reclaiming control of the Shadow World?" Her self-assurance prompted Leilin to ask directly.
"My last attempt came within a hair's breadth of success! All I lacked was an ally of the same origin!"
The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents cast a meaningful glance at Leilin that sent a faint shiver across his scalp.
"An ally of the same origin? True enough—the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents and I are genuinely beings of the same Bloodline Origin. Our powers can even merge and complement each other. If her last attempt truly fell short by only a narrow margin, then with my power added to hers, the result might have been..."
Light flickered in Leilin's eyes as he rapidly analyzed the situation.
Of course, no matter how extravagantly the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents painted the picture, he would not be fooled.
Wiping the slate clean on past grudges—a vague promise at best—and sharing the Shadow World's power? And for that, she expected him to risk his life? What a joke!
Even more dangerous was the fact that he was still only a half-seventh-level being. Back in the Wizard World, even if the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents came in person, he was confident he could make her regret it. But contesting control of the Shadow World would require him to deploy his true body and descend into the Shadow World.
It was a foreign world and the enemy's home turf. Leilin wasn't foolish enough to deliver himself right into her jaws.
He had no doubt that even if the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents failed to conquer the Shadow World, she would simply devour him on the spot for a hearty meal.
"I'm sorry—I'm still quite unable to help with this matter."
Having thought it through clearly, Leilin refused without a moment's hesitation.
The instant the words left his mouth, the surrounding void froze solid. The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' beautiful slit pupils narrowed to thin lines, and a terrifying pressure radiated outward from the sphere of serpents.
But Leilin stood unafraid. Behind him, the enormous phantom of a Taglian winged serpent materialized, roaring toward the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents.
Faintly, a massive surge of bloodline power seemed to stir, threatening to tear free from the Serpent Mother's body.
Having already escaped her bloodline control, Leilin was not only immune to the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' domination but even possessed a strange suppressing ability over the Ten Thousand Serpents.
Of course, no matter how extraordinary this ability was, it remained utterly ineffective against the vast gap in their strength.
But it would buy him enough time to escape the Dream World—and that was more than sufficient.
Seeing this, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents could only sigh and accept the compromise.