Xiling gazed at Leilin, bathed in the radiance of the sun stone, her eyes brimming with a dazed enchantment.
Leilin's appearance still bore the features of a handsome young man, as though the passage of time could not leave the slightest mark upon him.
Bathed in a golden glow, Leilin now looked like a war god draped in robes of gold.
And yet, this young man already stood at the pinnacle of the Dark Extreme Domain! He wielded power beyond the imagination of ordinary mortals!
"How did the experiment turn out?" Xiling asked.
"Passable!" Though Leilin still wore a smile on his face, a hint of gloom lurked beneath it, prompting Xiling to wisely hold her tongue.
Leilin's hands wandered over Xiling's body, but his thoughts had drifted elsewhere.
After absorbing a large number of advanced meditation methods, the Chip's meditation method database was now nearly complete—it had even deduced partial content for the fourth layer of the Eye of the Komoin!
But Leilin still felt uneasy. He planned to continue searching for the original Eye of the Komoin meditation method to compare and improve upon it.
When it came to matters involving the soul, no amount of caution was excessive.
If the progress on meditation methods counted as good news, then the other matter had thoroughly soured Leilin's mood. He glanced at his own status.
"Leilin Farell. Warlock, Third Rank. Bloodline: Komoin Giant Serpent. Strength: 23.6. Agility: 20.1. Constitution: 35.7. Spirit: 206.5. Mana: 206 (mana is synchronously determined by spiritual power)."
"Fifteen years! A whole fifteen years! Progress on the meditation method has been negligible. If not for the Chip's data, I'd have thought it had completely stalled…"
Leilin's expression darkened. Over these fifteen years, he had remained stuck at the threshold of a Third-rank Warlock. He hadn't even reached the stage of spiritual power vaporization, and this pace of advancement had driven him to the brink of fury.
Though Leilin enjoyed the pleasures of life, those were merely diversions in his pursuit of strength. With his current power, he was unrivaled throughout the entire Dark Extreme Domain and could comfortably reign as his own little emperor—but was that the life he truly aspired to?
Until he reached the absolute summit and grasped the ultimate power, Leilin had no intention of slowing down.
"The resources of the Dark Extreme Domain are adequate for First-rank and Second-rank Wizards, but for a Third-rank
Leilin's mind raced. "And then there's the Eye of the Komoin meditation method. Although the Chip has deduced a portion of it, it would be best to obtain the genuine original for reference."
"None of these things can be found in the Dark Extreme Domain!"
Leilin made his decision, while the beauty beside him let out a soft, delicate moan.
Snapping back to reality, Leilin realized his hands had apparently wandered to rather sensitive depths, eliciting breathless gasps from Xiling.
Without revealing his plans to Xiling, Leilin pulled the beauty into his arms and rolled into bed with her…
…
After indulging himself for a while, Leilin did not allow himself to sink further into languor. He also declined Xiling's suggestion to summon the wizards of the Nature Alliance Academy. Instead, he departed quietly and began traveling throughout the Dark Extreme Domain.
On one hand, Leilin was curious about the Dark Extreme Domain. He had never truly explored it before, and relying solely on maps and the Chip's collected data gave only a one-sided picture.
More importantly, Leilin hoped to try his luck—perhaps he might discover some ancient wizard's legacy!
Out of habit, he also turned down Xiling's offer to accompany him, setting out on the journey alone.
His steps carried him across the breadth of the Dark Extreme Domain. He ventured into the dark beasts' lairs, traveled to the edge of the continent, and beheld the boundless ocean of magma.
On the road, Leilin disguised himself as an ordinary wandering wizard. Guided by the Chip and the Destiny Gold Coin, he did uncover several inheritances and the like.
But regrettably, they were all minor finds—trivial gains for someone of Leilin's current standing.
As for the more dangerous places, like the Frozen World or the Domain of Ghostly Wailing—terrifying locations so extreme that even using the Destiny Gold Coin would damage it—these were places the current Leilin could not enter.
Nevertheless, following the faint urging of his intuition and the hazy guidance of the Destiny Gold Coin, Leilin continued to wander.
Dense darkness shrouded the land at all times, and only the light atop the carriage still persisted stubbornly, illuminating the patch of earth around it.
"So, that Aifei Grand Canyon really is a relic left behind by a Dawn Star Wizard?"
Inside the carriage, Leilin was conversing with another wandering wizard.
At present, Leilin had concealed his terrifying Third-rank aura and made slight adjustments to his appearance. No outsider could possibly recognize him as the legendary Guardian of Glory.
After all, he had no desire to be surrounded by onlookers every time he arrived somewhere.
Right now, he was chatting happily with a wandering wizard he had just met.
"Yes! I once excavated the outermost part of the ruins and found a portion of the carvings from that era… And among the local indigenous relief cultures, this event is also recorded…"
A gaunt, blue-haired old wizard with a goatee spoke excitedly.
His name was Fawen. Though only a First-rank formal wizard, he possessed an extraordinary passion for travel and exploration. He had discovered several famous ruins and enjoyed a high reputation among wandering wizards.
Leilin sat quietly to the side, listening, occasionally raising a question or offering an observation that made Fawen's eyes light up.
With Leilin's current breadth of knowledge, few in the Dark Extreme Domain could compare. Even a casual remark from him left Fawen praising him profusely.
Leilin chatted with Fawen from time to time while struggling to suppress the anxiety in his heart.
"Last time, I forced open a divination despite knowing it would damage the Destiny Gold Coin's physical form. I finally learned that my hope of progress lies to the west. But I've already come this far, and any farther would put me near the Magma Sea. Why haven't I found anything yet?"
Leilin reached into his breast and stroked the surface of the Destiny Gold Coin.
On the ancient coin's surface, two fine cracks had already appeared, silently wringing Leilin's heart.
"Oh! Right—I still don't know what brought Lord Leinuo to venture so deep into these parts with me?"
Fawen asked.
This question had been gnawing at him for a long time.
"This is the shared territory of the Dark Elves and the Dwarves. Even though humans hold dominance now, running into them out in the wild can easily provoke an ambush…"
"There are some matters that need attending to. Besides, I'm quite eager to witness the magnificent spectacle of the Magma Tide you spoke of," Leilin replied with a faint smile.
Fawen's eyes brightened, and he looked at Leilin with the air of someone who had found a kindred spirit.
"That's right! By my estimation, the Magma Tide about to erupt here will be the greatest in a century! It might even surge all the way to the surface!" Fawen's face flushed with excitement.
"Impossible? The distance from here to the surface is covered by several hundred kilometers of crust!" Leilin said aloud, though inwardly his mind stirred.
The surface? That was actually a very worthwhile consideration. Perhaps the Destiny Gold Coin's guidance was connected to this.
Of course, Leilin wasn't so delusional as to think he could punch through the earth's crust while enduring a flow of magma—even a Dawn Star Wizard might not manage such a feat.
"However, it's theoretically feasible. If you find the right location and passage—like a volcanic crater…"
Leilin stroked his chin, thinking it would be very much worth investigating those magma lakes that might connect to the upper crust in the future.
And just as Leilin was lost in thought, a strange fluctuation suddenly jolted him awake.
"This is…" A flash of red light flickered in Leilin's eyes. "A bloodline resonance… Who is it?"
He snapped his gaze in one direction, his expression both excited and grave.
"What's going on?" Fawen waved his hand in confusion, and the carriage immediately came to a halt.
Then he felt it—a wizard's energy fluctuation, emanating from the direction Leilin was staring.
"So there are wizards fighting! Lord Leinuo's sensitivity is truly admirable!" Fawen exclaimed with genuine admiration.
Setting everything else aside, that extraordinary level of perception alone told him that this wizard named Leinuo far surpassed him in rank.
And one of the energy signatures in the distance, after sensing their presence, shot directly toward their position.
"Lord Leinuo! It looks like they're trying to use us as a shield!" Fawen sneered.
Such ploys were laughably crude in the eyes of any wizard, but seeing someone dare to provoke them like this still drew a glint of cold light from Fawen's eyes.
*Whoosh!* A streak of yellowish-brown light shot toward them.
And the bloodline resonance in Leilin's body grew ever stronger.
The yellowish light halted before the carriage, revealing a middle-aged wizard. His skin had a bronze sheen, his body bore numerous burn marks, and his features were chiseled and resolute. Even in his grievously wounded state, he radiated a peculiar masculine charm. What drew the eye most, however, were his eyes—amber-colored vertical pupils!
"A warlock! He's definitely a warlock! And his bloodline has a deep connection to mine!"
The moment Leilin's gaze met the other's, he understood the man's identity.
And when the middle-aged wizard saw Leilin, his expression instantly relaxed. He produced a badge-like object and tossed it to Leilin. "My lord! Save me!"
He spoke in the Byron language—a required subject for all wizards—so Leilin understood him perfectly.
*Thump!* Perhaps from letting his guard down too suddenly, the middle-aged wizard could hold on no longer and collapsed unconscious on the ground.
*Snap!* The badge landed neatly in Leilin's palm.